Adventures in Decorating!

I did it! I finally was able to design a feature area in our home from top to bottom! It is nearly complete and I LOVE IT!  

We have this wall adjacent to the kitchen that just seemed as if it was wasted space. It is an outside wall and has about 14 inches of clearance between it and the window sill.  So my vision was to create a "built-in" cabinet space.  My kitchen is really small and space was/is at a premium so the addition of this bank of cabinets was almost necessary in order for to function in the space.  Base cabinets are generally 36 inches deep so you ca have plenty of room to store things, well I didn't have that much room for my new addition so we got creative and used upper cabinets with a base built to lift them off the floor. 

I have had tons of ideas floating around in my head for how I want to finish the counter top and how I want to add shelving to the wall above.  First I wanted to do the counter top with tile, then I wanted granite, then I wanted just to paint it.  Well we thought we had finally decided on a copper top but after getting the base of the top created and on we almost like just the plain wood better.  So that is actually the last piece we have to decide on.  

So this is the final product for now!  We took some hold windows and hung them from the ceiling with hooks and some thick gauge wire.  The shelves are simply wrought iron corbels with glass on them.  This counter top is just an unfinished piece of wood right now but I like the way it looks.  It gives me a chance to not only have about twice as much storage but also a great feature wall.  I can't wait to decorate it for Fall and Christmas this year! 

Now I am on to my next project!  Decorating for Fall!!!  

 

Simply genious!

   

Little ideas to make your life easier!

• Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

• To make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.  
• Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!
• Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
• Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. 
• Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic,  and at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic
• Easy Deviled Eggs: Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up.  Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg.  Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.
• Expanding Frosting: When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size.  You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.  
• Reheating refrigerated bread: To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
• Newspaper weeds away: Plant your plants in the ground, work the nutrients in your soil. Then wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go, cover with mulch, and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.
• To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.
• Flexible vacuum: To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.
• Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip to eliminate static cling. It works; you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... Ta DA! ... Static is gone.
• Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.
• De-fog your windshield: Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!
• Re-opening envelopes: If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.
• Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.
• Goodbye Fruit Flies: To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup an d gone forever!
• Get Rid of Ants: Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! 
• Wash your dryer filter: Did you know that cleaning your lint trap with a dryer sheet can ruin it? Dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free, and smell good. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box? Apparently that stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! You can test it by running the lint trap under water. If the water goes through you are good. If not then you need to clean it. The best way to keep your dryer working for a long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. 
• Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.. I didn't know that!
• Drop a small object on the carpet and can't find it.  Place panty hose over the end of the vacuum hose and start vacuuming. The panty hose will trap anything to large to fit through the tiny hose and keep it from getting sucked into the vacuum. 
• Wearing a skirt or dress on a windy day. Cut open a few sections on the bottom seam. slip in some heavy washers or flat weights (anything small heavy and flat will work) then sew the seam back up. 
• Need to cut some corn off the cob. Use your bundt pan. Place the ear on the opening in the center of the pan, and as you slide the knife down the ear, all the kernels will collect in the main part of the pan

Adventures in remodeling, well sort of...

We have this wall in our dining room, kitchen area that is/was basically a HUGE wasted space.  It is directly adjacent to the kitchen and had no purpose and was kind of awkward to decorate or really do anything with it.  So what I came up with was to put cabinets on the wall and make it sort of a built in.  After much figuring and measuring we found that the space will only fit cabinet uppers instead of base cabinets.  The space we have to work with was a whopping 12 inches deep for the cabinets and the top will be 14 inches. There are 3 double cabinets and one single cabinet to complete the whole wall.  The top right now is just ply wood which we will be covered in copper.  We will do a pentina and then clear coat it so it won't change. 

I am so excited about being able to decorate the new space.  There will be lots of Christmas and Fall decor going up in this area.  To start though we hung the old windows from the ceiling with a large guage wire and heavy duty hooks.  

I have my trusty Kitchen Aide Mixer on the side so it can be seen in all its glory.  I also have a set of old canisters I found at the Worlds Largest Yard Sale a few years ago that go nicely against the mushroom colored wall.


On the other side I have my Belle Meade Entertaining Stand which is one of my favorite Willow House pieces.  This is by no means the final decorations but I am just having too much fun mmving things around and see how it looks.  


Tomorrow my husband is picking up some wrought iron corbels with glass to use as shelving which will flank each side of the mirrors.  I can't wait to see what this will look like after we have them installed and have fun little trinkets up there.  




If you are interested in the Belle Meade Entertaining Stand check out the site and all the great decor they have.  Erin Tucker, Independent Willow House Design Consultant.  
 

Cheap Late night plug!

So I love everything homemade, including design work. My sister is a freelance designer and does AMAZING work with anything from my little girl's (Hannah Grace 2 years old) invitations to fliers for Willow House.  She is reasonable in her prices and communicates on everything.  If you are in need of anything design wise please contact her!  Check out her freelance work at www.ashleybcross.com and contact her.  I promise you won't be sorry!

Dreaming of what my house could look like instead of what it does look like.

As I sit in my living room looking at the madness that is my house at this time, I can't help but dream of what it "could" look like.  That is said with a lot of tongue and cheek because life with a  2 year old doesn't exactly lend itself to having any kind of reason to why things are where they are.  As I was trying to straighten up the living room last night, which was riddled with little girls shoes and other various things, I got a glimpse into what my life really is like right now.  I'd take a few pairs of shoes and put them in the hallway in an orderly fashion and then return for the remainder of the shoes.  All the while the pitter patter of little feet followed me undoing each and every little thing I had just done.  Now don't get me wrong I am not complaining about those little bitty feet but I guess I hadn't really noticed before how hard it is to keep the house "clean" with her not far behind me.  

All that to say I day dream about what my house "could" look like.  My style is kind of eclectic but I do lean more towards traditional and country.  I like a bit of industrial in there as well.  The Willow house Annual Meeting or "WHAM" is going on in Atlanta right now and unfortunately I was not able to attend.  I do however, have lots of great fellow consultants who are there and sending GREAT pictures from the design showcase that the corporate designers have come up with for Fall/Winter 2012.  The pictures don't help my day dreaming problem, even a little bit.  

 How much fun are the vibrant colors?  Can you imagine these colors in your living room this Winter when its gloomy and colorless outside?  How easily would it transition into Spring as well!

The juxtaposition of the organic elements is just perfect! I love how they took a flower planter and used it as a light fixture.  The light is a Charles Street planter hung upside down!

 Frames are such a great way to highlight pieces that aren't necessarily photo's.  This is the Holiday Hanging Trio framed out as well as the Portico Accent Plates.  

 This shows the Charles Street Planter again but it used as a planter here but it is set on top of some old decorative wall brackets.  I love this look. 

 I love this kitchen.  The open shelving and country look are just perfect for my style.  Again, the stylists used planters (Odessa Planter available 7/24) as light fixtures.  The AMAZING new American Aristan Pottery by Tena Payne (available 7/24) is featured on the kitchen table. 

The Jackson Square Mirror hung on the diagonal adds great interest to this niche.  I also love the Lady Jane vase with branches and snow in the bottom it is winter but not too Christmasy so it can transition easily from holiday to just winter.