5.17.2013

Friday Favorites


Five things I'm loving this week!



1. Two words: leopard clutch. This Claire Vivier foldover clutch is an instant classic piece that I would carry all the time. | 2. The cutest print from Stephanie Sterjovski's print shop. | 3. I'll take one of every color of these wooden tassel bracelets from Gold & Gray. Seriously. I'll take them all. | 4. This gorgeous painting by Kerry Steele would look great in my office. | 5. DVF has never looked so good.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

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5.16.2013

$30 Dining Room Light Fixture

Remember this light fixture that I told you about a few weeks ago? Well, I finally got around to painting and hanging it. Here is a reminder of what the light (which was $30 at a Habitat ReStore) looked like before. You can also see my old chandelier, which is actually the builder's grade chandy that was installed when the house was built...10 years ago. We painted it, put shades on it, and hung crystals from it to make it "prettier". We were working with what we had, but it was time for a change.


Spray painting tip: when you need to paint all sides of something that hangs, stick a shepherd's hook into the ground and hang the object that you want to paint. Works perfectly!


And here's what it looks like after!


I also painted my lamps navy, but I haven't gotten around to recovering the shades. My Dining Room design board is slowly but surely coming to life!


I chose a more modern light bulb, and I love the result.




It already makes the room look much better. For $30, it makes a huge impact in the space.



The new light definitely cements the fact that I need to change the paint color of the room. Looks like I'll be painting this weekend!
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5.15.2013

Trend Watch: Agate Slices

 I have had this image pinned for over 15 weeks, according to Pinterest. 15 weeks and I cannot get it out of my head. 


So when I ran across this during my trip to High Point Market, I knew that I finally had to do something about it.


I reached out the amazing and talented Caitlin to see if she had any navy agate slices that I score. She did, and I love her. A week later, these babies were sitting in a beautiful row on my coffee table!


I had planned to frame them in a gallery in my navy bathroom, but once I saw how pretty they were in person, I thought that maybe they deserved to be front and center in the dining room and not staring at a sink all by themselves in a bathroom all day. I would visit them, but that would just be weird.

 via


I also love agate slices used in different ways, such as these gold-leafed coasters from Aerin. (By the way, Caitlin also has a killer tutorial for a DIY version of this)

They can also be used as a pretty and eclectic tie back for your curtains.


And, of course, they can be worn as jewelry, which is so hot right now. 



I also have several other agate slices in varying sizes that I use throughout my house as large coasters, trivets for a dinner party, and even just for pretty decor on top of a stack of books. I'm excited to frame my slices...once I decide on a home for them!
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5.14.2013

How To Series: Pillow Stacking

Hello everyone! Today I'm introducing a new "How To" series where I will share ways to update and arrange the simple things in your home. Today, we talk pillows. Pillow talk, if you will.

There are so many ways that you can arrange pillows on your bed. Endless options, really. You should remember that everyone is different, and you should always do what works best for you. However, sometimes the little things can really be the most difficult thing to achieve. Sometimes it takes a lot of thought to get those pillows to look like the glossy magazines, so here are a few of my favorite options for arranging the pillows on your bed!

OPTION ONE: the Triple Euro Stack

 [inspiration image via]
The Triple Euro stack works best on king sized beds. It also works in a situation where there is no headboard (the large Euro shams act as great backdrop in the headboard's absence). Prop three large Euro pillows in the back, layer two king-sized shams in front, and top off with a small triangle of accent pillows.

OPTION TWO: the Double Euro Stack

[inspiration image via]
The Double Euro Stack is similar to the Triple Stack, but works on smaller beds (or even a king bed with a patterned headboard). Take two Euro shams and prop a larger accent pillow in front. Then layer your standard shams in front and top with a smaller rectangular accent (or even a small bolster).

OPTION THREE: the Hidden Pillow Stack

[inspiration image via]
This option works if you have several standard of king shams that you like to sleep with. Stack those on first along the back of the bed. Prop two Euro shams in front, and top with two similarly sized rectangular accent pillows. This works if the color or pattern on the Euro shams are bright and you want to use them as the focal point!

OPTION FOUR: the Single Bolster Option

[inspiration image via]
I love this look on a Queen or King bed. Use three (or two, if you have them!) Euro shams in the back, layer your standard or king shams in front, and top with a long bolster in a pretty pattern. You could also use a pop of color with a pretty greek key trim on the bolster. This makes the bed look longer, and  really ties the look together. 

OPTION FIVE: the Upright Stack

[inspiration image via]
This option is simple and straightforward. This works in the situation where you either don't have or don't like accent pillows. Just simple stack the pillows upwards, starting with the largest on the bottom!

OPTION SIX: the Double Stack Single Euro 

[inspiration image via]
This option works the same way as the simple stack in option five. Just simply stack the pillows upwards, and use large Euro shams in front. This works great to prop up the large Euro pillows, and gives the bed a nice, clean look.

So there are a few of my favorite options! How do you stack your pillows? Next time, I'll be sharing my how to tips on how to arrange an area rug in your space!

Make sure to hover over the image to pin it for future reference!

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5.13.2013

DIY TV Gallery Wall

A few weeks ago, I posted about making your TV blend in with a gallery wall. I had been collecting frames from IKEA, yard sales, Goodwill, auctions, and estate sales, knowing that I wanted to create a gallery around my TV for some time now. 

Here is a beautiful picture of what this wall looked like before:


And after I painted the dresser:


If you follow me on Instagram (scsmith1), you probably have already seen my constant updates of this wall. I gathered my frames, made templates for them out of wrapping paper, taped them to the wall, and arranged to my liking. Here is the final result!



My only requirement for the frames was that they be either black, white, gold, or silver.


I wanted the gallery to look collected but cohesive, and I think that sticking to these colors helped me achieve just that.


I still need to fill some of the frames or swap the art out for something that I like better, but for now, the frames are UP (along with 38726 holes in the wall).







This room is close to finished, but this gallery wall does wonders for the depth of the room. Layering is so important in design, and I believe that above all, you should include what you love.



In addition to the fun I had finding and collecting the frames, I also painted a few of my own paintings:



What do you think? I'm by NO means a "pro", but I had so much fun drinking a glass of wine and slopping some paint around. I'm also pretty sure that "slopping" is a technical term.

(this orchid has made its way around the house. Trifling orchid.)



I'm also painting my little Foo dogs a bright blue this week.






So what do you think? As cliche as it sounds, it looks SO much better in person. I feel that the pictures don't translate how 3 dimensional the gallery makes the wall look. Sometimes I sit on the couch, forget to turn on the TV, and just stare. Totally normal.

Right?


PS- remember to hover over the image to pin it to Pinterest! :)


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