tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70237412841884581482024-03-13T00:07:35.565-05:00Decorating by MichelleDecorating blog featuring projects in my home and other homes.Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-67475202636212939372015-08-01T22:15:00.001-05:002015-08-01T22:15:11.377-05:00Precious Items<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just read a lovely blog post from "A Designers Tale" blogger, Lory, who recently lost a dear friend that she purchased many of her furniture pieces from. Those pieces are very special to her and she will always treasure them. I don't have many sentimental or special pieces of furniture or artwork in my home. But two years ago, I was given artwork from a neighbor that I did not know before January 13, 2013. This family consisted of a husband, wife, and 5 year old son. The family moved to the US from China, California, and then Arkansas. On that cold day in January 2013, my neighbor's wife left her home around 8:00 am with her 5 year old son in the back seat. Her vehicle slid on black ice and went into one of the retention ponds in my neighborhood. Sadly, the mother died that day and the son passed away in January 2015. Unfortunately, he was in a vegetative state for the remainder of his life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The father wanted to move out of the house because he was so grief stricken. I got to know him while his son was in the hospital. When my neighbor was packing up his house, he offered me four pictures of needle point artwork that his wife made. I told him that I could not accept that and he needs to keep it for his own memories. He said it was too painful for him to keep. So, I took the artwork home and the pictures sat in my closet for two years. I wasn't sure how I could use the artwork in my house. His wife did four needle point pictures of the four seasons: winter, summer, spring, and fall. The needle point pattern is Asian, and I don't have anything that closely resembles anything Asian in my house. A few weeks ago, I was putting away boots and other winter items and I saw the pictures in my closet. I decided to hang them in my dining room. I had space on both sides of my buffet table, so I hung them there. I don't know why it took me so long to hang this artwork, but I am so glad I did. I think they look lovely in my dining room. Although I never met the artist, I am grateful to have this artwork. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here is how my dining room looked before the artwork was hung:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDewlpsW7Ei-GGv8lBFvx9S2iXB-NL6fDEtg66cO8fVXfP9_4TwzlJNVt4s-cnsaF8cWxZIULDzebo7EuuyFa7tD7es5u3jdLUHLY1KpJlhbqVRKKARflMAc51H3zP7eUfwoLo0g_yeSXg/s1600/20150108_164851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDewlpsW7Ei-GGv8lBFvx9S2iXB-NL6fDEtg66cO8fVXfP9_4TwzlJNVt4s-cnsaF8cWxZIULDzebo7EuuyFa7tD7es5u3jdLUHLY1KpJlhbqVRKKARflMAc51H3zP7eUfwoLo0g_yeSXg/s640/20150108_164851.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here is how the dining room looks after:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnZ_YmZE5v9qSXnJvwRZ9RJJdqBBsEgJG0bE5PYQ1cjSqNZe79lphNOu-SW3Xf1Fb0DZxVFhO4uTsHU8fGvN7zMrGmUv8lkQjaaIS92jqyHRtQTszgpUT7ZBhyphenhyphenPSi6hiQB_gBJNwlOkSf/s1600/20150614_175337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnZ_YmZE5v9qSXnJvwRZ9RJJdqBBsEgJG0bE5PYQ1cjSqNZe79lphNOu-SW3Xf1Fb0DZxVFhO4uTsHU8fGvN7zMrGmUv8lkQjaaIS92jqyHRtQTszgpUT7ZBhyphenhyphenPSi6hiQB_gBJNwlOkSf/s640/20150614_175337.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFTnnv_gQ-hUXMP-TTZ4FM4DYJzQlDSHbiysoppbPjA_yjTvsWBu5ZvdMP7rosREeIRjIiDuIJfHKCVX5NvvI1ha4Sc8PV3vVZhr-SeAig6U8C9UxCnc_7ad-lkbfhik2V061K8THXf3Z/s1600/20150614_183250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFTnnv_gQ-hUXMP-TTZ4FM4DYJzQlDSHbiysoppbPjA_yjTvsWBu5ZvdMP7rosREeIRjIiDuIJfHKCVX5NvvI1ha4Sc8PV3vVZhr-SeAig6U8C9UxCnc_7ad-lkbfhik2V061K8THXf3Z/s640/20150614_183250.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVqHcvRdlVta7ZGQr2B9DfLuZd_ioQPwsUlcodeaw8FUSmRFfQwHCpJj9i4kSCWCPYWQBRREV_sus0JMJOS6-i6Fsvv5F7S5WEMFKdDb1Od4_h9HTiy9_Cck43Tsk9OlYt85k9xjLMatJ/s1600/Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVqHcvRdlVta7ZGQr2B9DfLuZd_ioQPwsUlcodeaw8FUSmRFfQwHCpJj9i4kSCWCPYWQBRREV_sus0JMJOS6-i6Fsvv5F7S5WEMFKdDb1Od4_h9HTiy9_Cck43Tsk9OlYt85k9xjLMatJ/s200/Signature.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Thanks for the inspiration Lory!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span id="goog_1764475527"></span><span id="goog_1764475528"><br /></span></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-2530010179130432082015-06-08T18:56:00.002-05:002015-06-08T18:56:52.212-05:00Presenting My New Contemporary Bedroom!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hello again!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I didn't think it would take me so long to get my room together. For about 6 weeks, I had two dressers and two sets of nightstands in my bedroom. I had to wait for my mother to move out before I could move the old furniture pieces to the new space. My brother assembled the new bed in my bedroom and the poster bed was placed in the garage. I don't know how I was able to live in this mess, but it all turned out okay. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I had upholstered bed picked out, but I knew that I wanted furniture pieces that did not typically look like bedroom furniture. I have a good friend who manages a local furniture store and he also decorates on the side. While I was looking for furniture pieces, I would show them to him to get his thoughts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I selected the console because I still needed a dresser, but I didn't want a traditional dresser. This console is actually made for housing entertainment units (stereo, DVR, cable box), but with the three drawers and available shelving, I decided it would be perfect to use as a dresser. Also, the console is equipped with infra-red, so that I can put the cable-box in the cabinet. I no longer have an armoire. That was a difficult decision to make because I never liked decorating with electronics, but I caved in and decided to show the TV. My brother will mount the TV on the wall (hopefully soon). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The night stands are actually entertainment chests. They have no drawers, but instead have shelves. That took a little getting used to, but I loved the look of the chests. The lamps I already had and they go perfect with the furniture. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I also needed a contemporary chair so the old one had to go. And, I ordered new draperies, which have not come in yet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here is the end result:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I didn't think I would love the contemporary look for myself, but I really like how the room turned out. My decorator friend gave me this advice, "if you are going to make a change, make a big change, make a splash!!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Be sure to post a comment if you want!</span></div>
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Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-3471751926441616742015-02-02T18:37:00.000-06:002015-06-08T18:38:26.864-05:00Coming Soon....<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the start of 2015, I was thinking about what I could decorate next in my house. My mother moved into her own place the first of April, so that meant I had two bedrooms to decorate. Yeeaahh!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YekZpVtwgy7u1ltLcKnoVMQzl-vvB447Q4aitIIMoRG1lzzyMIIHLbhYSff_i4iI2jYJcB6I8kwBJviBs9bMT0whs6uZ8vv9A2G1oZPjBr3fVKMxESVfwdvWDa5iGb2LAXqdAEHy5hVz/s1600/20150109_112827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YekZpVtwgy7u1ltLcKnoVMQzl-vvB447Q4aitIIMoRG1lzzyMIIHLbhYSff_i4iI2jYJcB6I8kwBJviBs9bMT0whs6uZ8vv9A2G1oZPjBr3fVKMxESVfwdvWDa5iGb2LAXqdAEHy5hVz/s1600/20150109_112827.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I initially selected the upholstered bed to put in the guest room. But, I have been thinking about changing up the look of the room. I've had most of the furniture in my bedroom since 1994. I didn't want to get rid of the furniture, so I decided to move this furniture to my mother's former bedroom and redecorate my bedroom. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have always liked the look of contemporary furnishings, but have always been afraid to use them for myself. Well, I'm stepping out of the box and trying something new. Here is a sneak preview of some of the pieces:</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Console by Hooker Furniture</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chest by Hooker Furniture</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chair by Best Furniture</span></td></tr>
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Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-48175519498040067882015-01-08T20:46:00.003-06:002015-01-08T21:52:54.765-06:00Yep, I still have a pillow fetish!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I put away my Christmas decorations, I couldn't decide what pillows I wanted to place on my sofa and chairs. Of course, I could always go out in my garage and pull pillows out of the storage bins:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHXffsJmeThWQMJLlv634WvpmEBHRCkcFG248EWSRlI22tPJpanPri_wOdwO3RJSE44bn9XpnlYz5-wuVZOHUMBixaj0QS1jgDfw8GGGJnAGDBJ9rjt1e-F2Kh2EePKEXUEBH5hfNrY0s/s1600/20150108_202453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHXffsJmeThWQMJLlv634WvpmEBHRCkcFG248EWSRlI22tPJpanPri_wOdwO3RJSE44bn9XpnlYz5-wuVZOHUMBixaj0QS1jgDfw8GGGJnAGDBJ9rjt1e-F2Kh2EePKEXUEBH5hfNrY0s/s1600/20150108_202453.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm kind of embarrassed to show this, but hey, it is what it is!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I went to my favorite store, At Home, to purchase new pillows. I did try to use existing pillows, but it just wasn't working for me.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnoC43HC7gSONMsjyt18MIWCmqYQ2UqolmiDRuMAR5BK8J3iwuby2tKiFd3UB1DVZXaLX9r6p7xh7EDJKjk_EWPZWxKrwxxvQ005CRcsTUwyyZ5ZV0kKdO7ahxTGPkep2Q_RhXCjjA-KW/s1600/20141230_175227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnoC43HC7gSONMsjyt18MIWCmqYQ2UqolmiDRuMAR5BK8J3iwuby2tKiFd3UB1DVZXaLX9r6p7xh7EDJKjk_EWPZWxKrwxxvQ005CRcsTUwyyZ5ZV0kKdO7ahxTGPkep2Q_RhXCjjA-KW/s1600/20141230_175227.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's nice, but kind of blah. I wanted more color and ended up with this:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZm82rWhRzJPOFzI9t-Kw3oBKDk9_nQRDrEzAO7mxvlKVivXMl6sSxYWblJ8HYlhJbuyTKJFrDtQllecZ_qI7YlhhgvYrx5w-tbB8ndRksJwWEgAPDxXB4zrTXkGIonszm6u9O0akO-x_p/s1600/20141230_082445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZm82rWhRzJPOFzI9t-Kw3oBKDk9_nQRDrEzAO7mxvlKVivXMl6sSxYWblJ8HYlhJbuyTKJFrDtQllecZ_qI7YlhhgvYrx5w-tbB8ndRksJwWEgAPDxXB4zrTXkGIonszm6u9O0akO-x_p/s1600/20141230_082445.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flashback to my bathroom color disaster. I thought the teal would look good with the chocolate walls. Boy, was I wrong. So I bag up all the pillows and go back to the store. Here's what I came home with:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhYT6w2i4ICXwhbLA_kym9jwz0fGXr1v8vYRJJiEGkVYErjn8cBE__AmMDgUauJgktcIiM2hUA2xaFjQ71BrGXxzaa3wXcVsaOxtqv-oNi3rtamQHvJrAn4KtNstKntLJlYo2vO22qKHos/s1600/20141230_175416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhYT6w2i4ICXwhbLA_kym9jwz0fGXr1v8vYRJJiEGkVYErjn8cBE__AmMDgUauJgktcIiM2hUA2xaFjQ71BrGXxzaa3wXcVsaOxtqv-oNi3rtamQHvJrAn4KtNstKntLJlYo2vO22qKHos/s1600/20141230_175416.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pillows are the exact same type and pattern as the photo above but a much softer color. The best part is I only paid $53 for five pillows! At these prices, this is why I have a pillow fetish. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't be shy, comments are greatly appreciated!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-61373798643208975432015-01-08T20:15:00.000-06:002015-01-08T21:58:56.437-06:00Eureka! I found the perfect floor lamp! <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I rearranged my living room several months ago. The chair I sit in when I'm vegging out on TV or reading decorating magazines needed a floor lamp. I had a floor lamp in my bedroom and I moved it to the living room. The lamp wasn't doing much for my space. It was functional, but it had zero <b><i>WOW!</i></b> factor. The lamp has a straight post and a lampshade with beaded tassels. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYL9x1FYkMNPJ21jC_hdiD3WiuMmWb4wGiHvp1hG2FNfGJMwi-FJt89foWYLLQC4i-gCztVncF6bCzfHzCcn2CvRLzHnuTrvVN0nmdIoks_4mCLPOUNgEPnwnOokUk8tpMuYEic6Q4b3p/s1600/20150108_205453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYL9x1FYkMNPJ21jC_hdiD3WiuMmWb4wGiHvp1hG2FNfGJMwi-FJt89foWYLLQC4i-gCztVncF6bCzfHzCcn2CvRLzHnuTrvVN0nmdIoks_4mCLPOUNgEPnwnOokUk8tpMuYEic6Q4b3p/s1600/20150108_205453.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I placed the lamp back in my bedroom. It's a nice lamp, but no <b><i>"WOW!</i></b>"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This week I was working in Helena-West Helena, AR. The bank building I was working in has a wonderful interior design shop on the third floor of the building called "Imagine That Design". You would have to know what Helena-West Helena is like to appreciate that a place like this even exists!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During my lunch breaks, I would go to the third floor to see all of the beautiful furniture and accessories in this shop. While there, I spotted a floor lamp that was perfect for my living room. It has a linen drum shade and crystal pendants for a touch of bling.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHvYkiSfKkRcWUGLvLO9dcNV3H2_MrVDJ8zbcoR8dsI1cb36z2-SYVXhn0qtGoEenYQnXcM58ZUfYqxMFJ2C3aZ7rN5DOZiwOT8d1N8BbsXz2AhJvel5AnXBQ09d9wrbRiOCQyf-jfaCf/s1600/20150108_160730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHvYkiSfKkRcWUGLvLO9dcNV3H2_MrVDJ8zbcoR8dsI1cb36z2-SYVXhn0qtGoEenYQnXcM58ZUfYqxMFJ2C3aZ7rN5DOZiwOT8d1N8BbsXz2AhJvel5AnXBQ09d9wrbRiOCQyf-jfaCf/s1600/20150108_160730.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeB6MlV6g3-om7RS_N-tOmQd1M4u8Q3H69A6nTiOKUiUyyVdIs8z3QMaGxlGTW73fIc3Jtb8N9_BLyWicsLw5jt0g_qA5OAr06Y4JmnKbyKjQiiZ0GlvhoKmGS4LEMdQc_WsB0W6US28Lc/s1600/20150108_201018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeB6MlV6g3-om7RS_N-tOmQd1M4u8Q3H69A6nTiOKUiUyyVdIs8z3QMaGxlGTW73fIc3Jtb8N9_BLyWicsLw5jt0g_qA5OAr06Y4JmnKbyKjQiiZ0GlvhoKmGS4LEMdQc_WsB0W6US28Lc/s1600/20150108_201018.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">LOVE IT!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'll be back there next week to see what else I can come home with. I think I'm going to need a SUV!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't be shy, feel free to comment!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-92117202662191005892014-12-26T21:55:00.000-06:002014-12-26T21:55:34.408-06:00Just Wow!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was invited to my friends' home the Sunday before Christmas. I always enjoy attending parties at their home. My friends are antique collectors. The first time I stepped into the foyer, the house blew my mind. There is so much to process in this home. I have been a guest here at least a half-dozen times, and I always see things that I had not seen in the past. It's always a treat to be invited to their home during the Christmas season because the house is absolutely gorgeous. I can't describe it in words, you have to see it for yourself. Although, the pictures do not do it justice.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ItyYXa8XERm67OVbQN2EntLUYy8VFUD7lVDZzGIiGsMk2IXmSfmxU6TVJLpVAsSjWQ-8qYZx3gyVAQBxLcWgQ_ubJV1xJ89z-zF05ZTu-Hb8rO0tBwLngc51o1JsmVuvD_OO5KoTKzLA/s1600/20141221_182303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ItyYXa8XERm67OVbQN2EntLUYy8VFUD7lVDZzGIiGsMk2IXmSfmxU6TVJLpVAsSjWQ-8qYZx3gyVAQBxLcWgQ_ubJV1xJ89z-zF05ZTu-Hb8rO0tBwLngc51o1JsmVuvD_OO5KoTKzLA/s1600/20141221_182303.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Formal Living Room</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_1ZKBWAGpr1KAH7IBT-b-FYj77qNZ7W0aejb6aG9_5ytowMfG38TfWPxZdKjkpSSM0oTBzAeUmAZSuCE046C2gLHf5z2UOpr24adQGcoGHr4F6F893iMtjomJMVjWx7FuI7fMkRJ6YIh/s1600/20141221_182251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_1ZKBWAGpr1KAH7IBT-b-FYj77qNZ7W0aejb6aG9_5ytowMfG38TfWPxZdKjkpSSM0oTBzAeUmAZSuCE046C2gLHf5z2UOpr24adQGcoGHr4F6F893iMtjomJMVjWx7FuI7fMkRJ6YIh/s1600/20141221_182251.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Formal Living Room</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxTsl8tUZ40xh2Ax_yDh42t70Nl7rwarGll9R9DLP2vUdfS_DP756-Y8o5eaKemx_GqyO3DKqnSCQDbf43jmEkyKAShKhbLWj13TzdAE36eGbCqo5VU8-50ep7u1sQs9STTbk9_u1jiB-/s1600/20141221_182403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxTsl8tUZ40xh2Ax_yDh42t70Nl7rwarGll9R9DLP2vUdfS_DP756-Y8o5eaKemx_GqyO3DKqnSCQDbf43jmEkyKAShKhbLWj13TzdAE36eGbCqo5VU8-50ep7u1sQs9STTbk9_u1jiB-/s1600/20141221_182403.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Library</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9_6W1qZgCcV_t6aO3-2jy4igpgY9HdKT_p8V3KPTQRLEU1r5HXor53X8vqUumZjJut9ag1KeSBY_CdsR_ovXZhOARAQBN8Wl_SFhRqil9eVHhG9keAYCgF9np7lraKrjpVBEa7d6pz8G/s1600/20141221_182354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9_6W1qZgCcV_t6aO3-2jy4igpgY9HdKT_p8V3KPTQRLEU1r5HXor53X8vqUumZjJut9ag1KeSBY_CdsR_ovXZhOARAQBN8Wl_SFhRqil9eVHhG9keAYCgF9np7lraKrjpVBEa7d6pz8G/s1600/20141221_182354.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Library</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-wvgRZjeKmhX27S5gMwoWYUKjJdvImhxJn0wCVu6D-w3U_lDaPI7kwK9g8F7u2OqTcnAPD57Yj24HeeGlwYyR9WIt6P6WxtF1BZU4ckZ9AtBb5c_goFOVaFi76l_TwQklkUutVgeucIvV/s1600/20141221_182234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-wvgRZjeKmhX27S5gMwoWYUKjJdvImhxJn0wCVu6D-w3U_lDaPI7kwK9g8F7u2OqTcnAPD57Yj24HeeGlwYyR9WIt6P6WxtF1BZU4ckZ9AtBb5c_goFOVaFi76l_TwQklkUutVgeucIvV/s1600/20141221_182234.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gentlemen's Den</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUGRWMq8-oTZqoK6-wWOOjzHPEEiBaDpwsgrBGwwpV9k434DHFZDMcmc_ZL9IsSo5UuSppFy0vpLjevI5nKVgMhuYjOIKUPpaKP7kYAqS-qsJajqXgBhJGNhu3tc9nndFzxGWLV0nVcou/s1600/20141221_182317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUGRWMq8-oTZqoK6-wWOOjzHPEEiBaDpwsgrBGwwpV9k434DHFZDMcmc_ZL9IsSo5UuSppFy0vpLjevI5nKVgMhuYjOIKUPpaKP7kYAqS-qsJajqXgBhJGNhu3tc9nndFzxGWLV0nVcou/s1600/20141221_182317.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grand Foyer</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although this home is very beautiful, I would never want a home like this for myself. I cannot imagine dusting and cleaning this house. My friends have very valuable antique furnishings and artwork. It's actually like stepping into a museum.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-46583668221959440342014-12-05T21:47:00.000-06:002014-12-05T21:47:14.047-06:00My Nephew's FIRST Paid Decorating Job!!!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My great nephew Ka'Run just had his first paid decorating job!! He was recommended by one of his instructors to decorate a home in the Dallas area for Christmas. He decorated two trees and did the banister on the stairwell. He did a FANTASTIC job!!! I am very proud of my nephew, as if you couldn't tell. When he was younger, I would take him with me to see the designer show homes. I wanted Ka'Run to have exposure to beautifully decorated homes. I remember the first time I stepped inside of a house that was nicely decorated. At that moment, I knew that I wanted a home with beautiful furnishings and accessories. Sometimes I wondered if my nephew was paying attention to what I was trying to teach/show him. Well, I guess he was.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-90492873139701406892014-11-30T00:13:00.005-06:002014-12-06T00:41:09.362-06:00My Nephew Has Done It Again!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My nephew Ka'Run is very talented. I taught him how to decorate a Christmas tree a few years ago and he decorated my tree for three Christmases in a row. He also decorates his mother's tree. Here is Ka'Run's Christmas tree for 2014:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGM37-frbTmMuC5Mz299ht2LE31ixqp5F2QJRCVfOD9qpit9ivB1E8AbBKkZklGPZyIiWw0_xvliSrrYUk5EjwpKOvUOrVG36BNfLdmeG2_L13C2vklETocAkW8loE8Ow_l7wSOtZhUh0y/s1600/IMG_5590%5B1%5D.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGM37-frbTmMuC5Mz299ht2LE31ixqp5F2QJRCVfOD9qpit9ivB1E8AbBKkZklGPZyIiWw0_xvliSrrYUk5EjwpKOvUOrVG36BNfLdmeG2_L13C2vklETocAkW8loE8Ow_l7wSOtZhUh0y/s1600/IMG_5590%5B1%5D.png" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, here is the tree he decorated for his mother:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rgNN_GeVXwWDIEDQ2bZ6vSHY_BBSssoxiGHX2NRxw_5lejq0CZH71WnhGNEezYdP5zwMjolPXy18XFAMjW5a8VHAHrtDzIhR5AgQqU7Vg5E9ZexghuXJSbFwT_W4eNB5ZsrRog18ifRg/s1600/IMG_8096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rgNN_GeVXwWDIEDQ2bZ6vSHY_BBSssoxiGHX2NRxw_5lejq0CZH71WnhGNEezYdP5zwMjolPXy18XFAMjW5a8VHAHrtDzIhR5AgQqU7Vg5E9ZexghuXJSbFwT_W4eNB5ZsrRog18ifRg/s1600/IMG_8096.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My nephew is currently attending the Art Institute in Dallas, TX. He is majoring in interior design and architecture. I predict he will go far in his career!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-36100700832780130032014-11-29T23:53:00.000-06:002014-11-29T23:55:11.316-06:00Christmas On A Budget For 2014!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For Christmas 2013, I didn't do any decorating. I did put some decorations on my front porch, but I didn't put my tree up. I just wasn't into it last year. But for Christmas 2014, I decided to put my tree up. My nephew has helped me to decorate the inside and outside of my house for the past three Christmases. But he is now off to college so I'm back to doing it myself. Since I'm a few years older and my joints a lot stiffer, I decided to scale back my decorations. I wanted to keep it simple. I love the beauty of all the decorations, but I don't like having to dismantle everything and put it back in the storage bins that have to go up my attic ladder. I also didn't want to spend any extra money. I have tons of ornaments and other Christmas decorations. I decided to try different colors this season. At the end of the 2012 Christmas season, my nephew and I purchased ornaments that were marked down 50 to 80 percent off the original price. I purchased ornaments that were teal, turquoise, gold, and green (but not the typical Christmas green). I wove gold and turquoise ribbons through the tree. I found a peacock to top the tree off. Here are the results:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have a several friends who are interior designers and they always reinvent their spaces every Christmas. So, I've tried to do a different design on my fireplace mantel each year when I decorate. I did buy a few things, but somethings I bought very inexpensively. The ornaments on the mirror are 3-D stickers purchased a Big Lots for $4.00!! I purchased them not knowing how I would use them. I remembered that I had a mirror in my garage, so I pulled the mirror out and placed the stickers on the mirror. I took the teal, turquoise, gold, and green ornaments and did several groups of five ornaments to decorate the mantel. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGd5Ne07o62w8ayUiy6s4f19Fi0F9JbLJH7jxzRwPQlUpoquIU-p12wUeCYMur11Qdmx2htJCniECO9MwFRpe5An1HCjGrrR_gIOZUoabhY62ubXNEnM0RM7fUwdRilxSvjPKySWqXQuJ/s1600/20141129_202951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGd5Ne07o62w8ayUiy6s4f19Fi0F9JbLJH7jxzRwPQlUpoquIU-p12wUeCYMur11Qdmx2htJCniECO9MwFRpe5An1HCjGrrR_gIOZUoabhY62ubXNEnM0RM7fUwdRilxSvjPKySWqXQuJ/s1600/20141129_202951.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love my African-American Nutcrackers! I purchased them at Kroger's.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because my living room is small (15 ft by 17 ft), I don't really like to put a lot of decorations throughout the space. I did that one year and it was Christmas overload. I kept with the ornament theme and placed clusters of ornaments on my end tables and placed ornaments in a crystal bowl on the coffee table.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am not crazy about the Christmas pillows on my couch. I couldn't use the red reindeer ones I already have because they just didn't look good with the color theme for this year. I found these pillows at the At Home store in Little Rock. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to find Christmas pillows with blue in them.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxvzEzPjHAmd1XdSo7WLLBS_7-D21bXXhWuXs6_nzKlAvBvoJNlaYdhl5UhMSYDRZdyrGKW1nu_v-VQJ5oC9mcOzJZOwRLu5aW3tZJs2kSDj967rVqlJAl3Jd09FPrHI8SASp12m4gESR/s1600/20141125_121716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxvzEzPjHAmd1XdSo7WLLBS_7-D21bXXhWuXs6_nzKlAvBvoJNlaYdhl5UhMSYDRZdyrGKW1nu_v-VQJ5oC9mcOzJZOwRLu5aW3tZJs2kSDj967rVqlJAl3Jd09FPrHI8SASp12m4gESR/s1600/20141125_121716.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkzOuRuic2BgMcfGDGxNGdtLnk4mU1Go8IWmSOJIv8hQ-k-hAIjuzsUOvTkBnDbLA_Ua8y7_Q2pw-WlkTaUuaDramV8NoMWyO9h4jtLfE8gZwfSaBtFEyLLcU3E8tJp6ntYLA8phSMbID6/s1600/20141125_121620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkzOuRuic2BgMcfGDGxNGdtLnk4mU1Go8IWmSOJIv8hQ-k-hAIjuzsUOvTkBnDbLA_Ua8y7_Q2pw-WlkTaUuaDramV8NoMWyO9h4jtLfE8gZwfSaBtFEyLLcU3E8tJp6ntYLA8phSMbID6/s1600/20141125_121620.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now for the outside space. For past Christmases, I went nuts with net lights. I have about 32 shrubs in my yard and I had net lights placed on all of those shrubs. It was beautiful, but a lot of work. I decided to scale back my outdoor decorating and limit it to the front porch. I purchased the snowflakes at Dollar Tree. I taped them to the front door and windows with double-sided tape. I purchased new trees to place on either side of the front door because I didn't have a pair of traditional-type trees. I put the ornament clusters on the trees. I already had the lighted gift boxes.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Nn3xpLLejfFYbIzfyZGpS7xarERZI9w2GiwXjtdMO1mqVD_uyb_6EWsdAYZjso9RYZUUkBykmn8rMCN3OSJqTQDkfv5H3BbOc_hXbJeQoDvD-40ahJdR7jN8t64eKJzN3Y8s5Gai8eP-/s1600/20141129_172026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Nn3xpLLejfFYbIzfyZGpS7xarERZI9w2GiwXjtdMO1mqVD_uyb_6EWsdAYZjso9RYZUUkBykmn8rMCN3OSJqTQDkfv5H3BbOc_hXbJeQoDvD-40ahJdR7jN8t64eKJzN3Y8s5Gai8eP-/s1600/20141129_172026.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got off pretty easy with my dining room. I have a lot of red in my dining room so there is very little I need to do with this space to make it say, "Christmas". The only thing I added was a Christmas Tree sticker on the mirror. Again, I found the sticker at Big Lots. I placed it on the mirror for instant decorating.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgV26DSXggqFkEAr1lRYIOWEWRV5MZxKIifuzYp_ER5tQB5Pidesr1sLt0iSQqI9I2oiQ9xliSzAg47NeJsZXaKl-LlIMuhqc1hQZuGED9SymmWueiG2OTbc3yogSDTC_jqtpklBsrR7p/s1600/20141129_205327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgV26DSXggqFkEAr1lRYIOWEWRV5MZxKIifuzYp_ER5tQB5Pidesr1sLt0iSQqI9I2oiQ9xliSzAg47NeJsZXaKl-LlIMuhqc1hQZuGED9SymmWueiG2OTbc3yogSDTC_jqtpklBsrR7p/s1600/20141129_205327.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unless you want to, you don't have to spend a lot of money on your Christmas decorations. Check out your local dollar stores and Big Lots (if you have one in your city).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Merry Christmas!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-29286101884335004222014-11-29T22:40:00.001-06:002014-11-30T12:05:07.300-06:00Why I Do This Blog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKynRhpT3g4l1GANdGAAp6gV16Jmc8O8aZgd3NF6-VgOJAAqLGVP6nV8_a7lgWHhs_lEJWglnP4s7d92aa4FFsWbAxcqvHHF2_k2f72BvX3NVk2BWS_BZuShGt27hbGcAwSbEe5DRyDum/s1600/20141130_114302-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKynRhpT3g4l1GANdGAAp6gV16Jmc8O8aZgd3NF6-VgOJAAqLGVP6nV8_a7lgWHhs_lEJWglnP4s7d92aa4FFsWbAxcqvHHF2_k2f72BvX3NVk2BWS_BZuShGt27hbGcAwSbEe5DRyDum/s1600/20141130_114302-1.jpg" height="508" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tonight, I was watching "Iyanla, I'll Fix Your House" on OWN. Oprah Winfrey surprised Iyanla Vanzant with a whole house makeover. During Oprah's conversation with Iyanla, she spoke these words to her:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>"This is what I know for sure, your home should be your sanctuary; your home should be the thing that rises up to meet you".</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I heard Oprah say these words to Iyanla, I thought this is so true. If your home does not look welcoming or inviting, I think that affects your mood. I decorate my home for myself. It doesn't matter if no one else ever sees it. I like walking into my home after being out-of-town for the week and know that I am in an environment that will lift my spirits. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I had a next door neighbor who was always depressed. When I walked into her apartment, she had zero artwork on her walls. No wonder she was depressed! I would crawl into a hole if I didn't have my artwork. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I immediately took her shopping for artwork. It transformed her apartment. She</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> also kept her blinds closed. I convinced her to open her blinds during the day to let the sunlight in. I noticed that she wasn't as depressed as she normally was after making those two changes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know for some people their homes are just a place to store their stuff and sleep. It doesn't matter to them how it looks. I have friends like that and I cringe every time I walk into their homes. It makes me a little sad, but if they're happy with their space, who am I to judge?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But if you want to change a room in your home or your entire home, I implore you to make that change. Make your home inviting and welcoming. Do it for yourself!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And this is why I write this blog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-69707251423889805202014-11-21T21:55:00.002-06:002014-11-22T13:55:57.894-06:00Lamps Can Make or Break Your Space<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have you ever put on a new outfit, nice earrings, and then put on the wrong pair of shoes for the outfit? Okay, we have all done this. And, we probably do this with an important accessory in our homes--lamps. There are two important things you should consider when purchasing lamps for your rooms--<i>size</i> and <i>style</i>. Lamps should be functional. Lamps illuminate our spaces. And, lamps should also look good in your space. How do you know if a lamp works well in your space? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have end tables in your living room, you probably have lamps on those tables. Lamps for end tables should measure 30 to 32 inches tall. This height allows the lamp to provide much needed lighting for reading while sitting on your sofa or chair. The same applies for bedside tables. I often read sitting up in bed and I rely on my lamps for lighting. The same height rule applies for lamps for your bedside tables as well. The lamps should be tall enough so that the light illuminates your reading materials. Selecting the lamp height is the easy part. Look at the lamps that I have in my living room and master bedroom:</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPQh13zc4IJH4SghyphenhyphenaZ1zqGS8E_kwlQAD45zDJd9f_qLdM6eo5_YsaUojZu_5vYFbJw8Slw1AFAMbE66boyozbCp3eONJrGRTubTBBBWiah9bZbIfnDL69g8grJF93PtEi6jrx4SM_cXn/s1600/20141121_204652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPQh13zc4IJH4SghyphenhyphenaZ1zqGS8E_kwlQAD45zDJd9f_qLdM6eo5_YsaUojZu_5vYFbJw8Slw1AFAMbE66boyozbCp3eONJrGRTubTBBBWiah9bZbIfnDL69g8grJF93PtEi6jrx4SM_cXn/s1600/20141121_204652.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See how the height provides light for reading on the sofa.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqI-xSK7SAvgk8mYAM0LFjRjHDn0rZzzQ3GhlTVNwWQaCy19uc_geudjys9pc49zFI0whfQpVqDtXWHMGk7rY09zVvjZzoxANRWahjzwu8_T-nYSNZ7rEsN2x9LYX3g5fOdHL3io0j_8xg/s1600/20141121_205003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqI-xSK7SAvgk8mYAM0LFjRjHDn0rZzzQ3GhlTVNwWQaCy19uc_geudjys9pc49zFI0whfQpVqDtXWHMGk7rY09zVvjZzoxANRWahjzwu8_T-nYSNZ7rEsN2x9LYX3g5fOdHL3io0j_8xg/s1600/20141121_205003.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The height of this lamp allows for reading in bed.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How do you pick the right style of lamp for your space? You have to figure out your style--is it traditional, transitional, contemporary, or modern? You don't want to place a traditional style lamp in a contemporary space and vice versa. My living room is borderline traditional/transitional. The space is not as stuffy as a traditional room but not as relaxed as a transitional space. Here is an example of a traditional space:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvQcZn22T7kGVsCV8TAxHcIc7XAHNbMYtCZg1-sWRbAmJShiVR7_IbVkAzGxdyvbDG2lmpA1e_CuHT3sEw1-uPRIifTpaX53fTP4g3S5RcaOpYnySFTMgBWR3q9hC_A0z5usK7h3YSXev/s1600/traditional-living-room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvQcZn22T7kGVsCV8TAxHcIc7XAHNbMYtCZg1-sWRbAmJShiVR7_IbVkAzGxdyvbDG2lmpA1e_CuHT3sEw1-uPRIifTpaX53fTP4g3S5RcaOpYnySFTMgBWR3q9hC_A0z5usK7h3YSXev/s1600/traditional-living-room.jpg" height="462" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This space has "traditional" written all over it!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now here is a good example of a transitional space:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyzfwJq6hGSErWgeYHWfsUiGKWGFisEpRjzl47MBpES6qAhBZsu3GOu6SWuBkk4CUKWOWwy9ELEV8mlAcv84QhNRM-HNzHLXXZsFrRDuqgsIFXFHm5iSCXwKqmR7oqLdrg5NyjyjU53iP/s1600/transitional-living-room-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyzfwJq6hGSErWgeYHWfsUiGKWGFisEpRjzl47MBpES6qAhBZsu3GOu6SWuBkk4CUKWOWwy9ELEV8mlAcv84QhNRM-HNzHLXXZsFrRDuqgsIFXFHm5iSCXwKqmR7oqLdrg5NyjyjU53iP/s1600/transitional-living-room-5.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Notice that this space is more relaxed--think Pottery Barn</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Notice the lamps in both spaces and how the lamp style matches the style of the rooms. If you noticed, I have transitional-style lamps in my traditional-style master bedroom. I wanted to bring the formality of the space down a notch, so I selected transitional lamps for the space. A contemporary or modern lamp would not have worked in the space.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have a traditional style living room or master bedroom, here are a few examples of traditional style lamps:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If your space is transitional, look for lamps styled similar to these. It's all about the shade and the base that define a transitional lamp.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I've been in my home, I've purchased new lamps for my living room and master bedroom. My first set of lamps for my living room were way too small. Check out my post, "My Evolving Living Room" on this blog. The lamps for my master bedroom were traditional, but the lamp height was not good for reading and the base had no substance. Check out my earlier post (The Proper Scale for Accessories) on this blog to see the first set up lamps. I would not use candlestick lamps in my living room or bedroom. I like candlestick lamps, but I think they work better on a buffet or console table.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I challenge you to take a look at the lamps in your spaces. If you have the wrong lamps for your spaces, it's time to change them. You won't believe the transformation.</span><br />
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Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-48019952830563024282014-11-13T21:05:00.002-06:002014-11-13T21:19:29.285-06:00Decision Made!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After seeing all of the striped walls in my last post, I decided to stripe my breakfast nook. My plans are to stripe the walls right after Christmas. I've thought about this before, but was hesitant to do it because of the stripes in my foyer. I'll still have the base coat in Sherwin Williams Latte, but I'll introduce a different color from the color chart that I have not used before. I don't want to over kill by repeating stripes, but I think my breakfast nook needs this. Here is the look I'm aiming for:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikumCXqOadmJl6iLL9m705HIZSybEg8Z0QxCOd-zg4M0lqKGZ5Sx_jDLtw1t9rMnJo9GhehCuoGLApYJ7BhyphenhyphenyZl3vSh-6IUmuMEq0Ynntk_Zk3jy_YJRMHN9plTqdWGpCn1aYJGN6RO-dY/s1600/7fc3ee91295b80fa72da18718acaae6c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikumCXqOadmJl6iLL9m705HIZSybEg8Z0QxCOd-zg4M0lqKGZ5Sx_jDLtw1t9rMnJo9GhehCuoGLApYJ7BhyphenhyphenyZl3vSh-6IUmuMEq0Ynntk_Zk3jy_YJRMHN9plTqdWGpCn1aYJGN6RO-dY/s640/7fc3ee91295b80fa72da18718acaae6c.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stay tuned...</span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-36966414285689529672014-11-11T22:47:00.000-06:002014-11-11T22:47:35.841-06:00Striped Walls - Revisited<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back in 2012, I posted two entries on this blog where I did striped walls--my foyer and a friend's condominium. I love striped walls. Striped walls can transform a plain room into one that is spectacular. While on Pinterest a few nights ago, I searched for rooms with striped walls. I found a variety of rooms that I want to share with you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First up, is a tone-on-tone effect. I did this striping technique in the foyer of my second home. I painted the walls in a flat finish and then did the stripes in the same color but in a satin finish. My colors were similar to the color in the picture below. I love this look because it is very subtle. The tone-on-tone stripes would look great in a formal dining room, a master bedroom, or bathroom.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdqxcKsB7S7wgEp8_EYrE8lTNAWIhiaY3amJWnPfd3H4zlahpnulry_P9hNiDLKqxKTyqGbYt2zkgjjRLBrORl35t-H04ChFt-KaKXIaKXOnsFjjGA_Ml9PR0-kybVbCPegerJJwguHee/s1600/8a8cda87c5129f0cb3c02758ec9db29e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdqxcKsB7S7wgEp8_EYrE8lTNAWIhiaY3amJWnPfd3H4zlahpnulry_P9hNiDLKqxKTyqGbYt2zkgjjRLBrORl35t-H04ChFt-KaKXIaKXOnsFjjGA_Ml9PR0-kybVbCPegerJJwguHee/s400/8a8cda87c5129f0cb3c02758ec9db29e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7F5-DiuRJ_SaQWoCdC8ldZbg8ZG0g1wN0kIzPXhbGL33cwIBEU2XhzZr_VKmHjox39lfq09Y46X8nLvKbVL3KT0T7dQdwl1va_0tYgIQEkQ9pIc3uUs6QnGhGdOqcHBbMg_kw-dqnDeyi/s1600/45cc2678c6920da37ba990fb3f42788e%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7F5-DiuRJ_SaQWoCdC8ldZbg8ZG0g1wN0kIzPXhbGL33cwIBEU2XhzZr_VKmHjox39lfq09Y46X8nLvKbVL3KT0T7dQdwl1va_0tYgIQEkQ9pIc3uUs6QnGhGdOqcHBbMg_kw-dqnDeyi/s640/45cc2678c6920da37ba990fb3f42788e%5B1%5D.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzVrYkCJHarnEMUv2lAM0TUHwpc9WsP6gLqqqpMzTBkf0Liqx_SeZJZLGvf7D9Fiihj7bEDfh2Cj53hD6gxQSp5aY0Bk995jo7BQq7Lz-_o0UHV20YCOfgDo_5iUqqW2mhialT_0TaFyG/s1600/dfb302909b064d76d082080e08f0b26e%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzVrYkCJHarnEMUv2lAM0TUHwpc9WsP6gLqqqpMzTBkf0Liqx_SeZJZLGvf7D9Fiihj7bEDfh2Cj53hD6gxQSp5aY0Bk995jo7BQq7Lz-_o0UHV20YCOfgDo_5iUqqW2mhialT_0TaFyG/s640/dfb302909b064d76d082080e08f0b26e%5B1%5D.jpg" width="538" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1569322172"></span><span id="goog_1569322173"></span>The next set of pictures shows stripes in the same color family, but with different shades. This is similar to the tone-on-tone stripes, but with this look, you use the same paint finish, i.e., flat, eggshell, or satin.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXW2jHlucLO5XTtlLWrQSSOOsvPWlpfpG9T5DKr_LpApyFu4LMCZRkhdp_aI475imJnxyUIs_kcfXNpygYynDXsjpw1QkCWQ3GIbHCZlmAXYvvrvNKN8MHpfDC4j7OQL0uTMYIr8_aRmbl/s1600/7fc3ee91295b80fa72da18718acaae6c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXW2jHlucLO5XTtlLWrQSSOOsvPWlpfpG9T5DKr_LpApyFu4LMCZRkhdp_aI475imJnxyUIs_kcfXNpygYynDXsjpw1QkCWQ3GIbHCZlmAXYvvrvNKN8MHpfDC4j7OQL0uTMYIr8_aRmbl/s640/7fc3ee91295b80fa72da18718acaae6c.jpg" width="414" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would love to do this in my breakfast nook!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Ai_13T7SF6D_ABEHQ8TpikocYdg7oXdioPDrFl1YGlhKTRzQmwUQblNogu_hYf18-WQvqGGjA8cGSKbVtv__vWfIpJvYSe3Xfsx-bYQ4Stcs7EjZAg5sAMjhoRRhOGxoSKX0dN0z-5pI/s1600/8b96dd8a6f31d8b5cb56c4ee6c6ea6e0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Ai_13T7SF6D_ABEHQ8TpikocYdg7oXdioPDrFl1YGlhKTRzQmwUQblNogu_hYf18-WQvqGGjA8cGSKbVtv__vWfIpJvYSe3Xfsx-bYQ4Stcs7EjZAg5sAMjhoRRhOGxoSKX0dN0z-5pI/s640/8b96dd8a6f31d8b5cb56c4ee6c6ea6e0.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am seriously thinking about doing this in my master bedroom!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9dQ0KII5-uHfNLJihMca5aIck6jCsQwiADcevmE245km-vOFBB6wDhgyVpW0ekax3IneDWqE-_5N5zyu8gzYcsvsyIsFMItotV-c7lw34t1BhlEl9aZkY7MeHy2keRd3SIC4ikqkF-RB5/s1600/a25fb3c430c80706274284f33f6c0912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9dQ0KII5-uHfNLJihMca5aIck6jCsQwiADcevmE245km-vOFBB6wDhgyVpW0ekax3IneDWqE-_5N5zyu8gzYcsvsyIsFMItotV-c7lw34t1BhlEl9aZkY7MeHy2keRd3SIC4ikqkF-RB5/s640/a25fb3c430c80706274284f33f6c0912.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPLVo8cGDf0826PoJreaueh8I_Cb2ZvG7D0zBZE0lfdB04w62wX3p9C8xjWa-MvicUkrIdgvDbdMHfF5j2EejdrlH5uMzCM8kjmYKrheskLjC_J-LJj1Z_0ouR3irbGmHdL1Lo8cbumI-/s1600/e015e2a0a6644d8cdfb2facd0b60d355%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPLVo8cGDf0826PoJreaueh8I_Cb2ZvG7D0zBZE0lfdB04w62wX3p9C8xjWa-MvicUkrIdgvDbdMHfF5j2EejdrlH5uMzCM8kjmYKrheskLjC_J-LJj1Z_0ouR3irbGmHdL1Lo8cbumI-/s640/e015e2a0a6644d8cdfb2facd0b60d355%5B1%5D.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another striping technique is a color-block look. This is probably the easiest technique to do. Color blocking is using one to three</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> colors and using wide stripes. A color-block look would work well in a transitional or contemporary space.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9KuovJrv-qrYfrlbNO330vHcdE-WBmv_pj6nXZIs13v4drN26nuQ0UWtGmWhUc0DXn8h72OlKNIrpkkhrOUUyTLNWpP4eY4H4FrLkijEFH94Ys0d-UN1XNFxZEVMY-n2JU5LOv3leN8_/s1600/17d0bbfa9cc466e99b57d2c4867f403f%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9KuovJrv-qrYfrlbNO330vHcdE-WBmv_pj6nXZIs13v4drN26nuQ0UWtGmWhUc0DXn8h72OlKNIrpkkhrOUUyTLNWpP4eY4H4FrLkijEFH94Ys0d-UN1XNFxZEVMY-n2JU5LOv3leN8_/s640/17d0bbfa9cc466e99b57d2c4867f403f%5B1%5D.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8wPomt4M4_NKW2Kd1F7CvUMpZws5bJ10ba6tUeGGUbcKx5YWwUEbERt3WQtGHMFn_1UbBymX9Lh_yn0ZbZoQN_7CQg2lCaZHdVB-P2AQLF0DkG9JqomNum_LZtPk6WJAlSrVYHBxhbkB/s1600/66ea86e783aaffb36a14440e6cb08817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8wPomt4M4_NKW2Kd1F7CvUMpZws5bJ10ba6tUeGGUbcKx5YWwUEbERt3WQtGHMFn_1UbBymX9Lh_yn0ZbZoQN_7CQg2lCaZHdVB-P2AQLF0DkG9JqomNum_LZtPk6WJAlSrVYHBxhbkB/s640/66ea86e783aaffb36a14440e6cb08817.jpg" width="514" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take a look at my foyer again. I still love these stripes. The original color of the wall is Sherwin Williams Latte. I then added two Sherwin William colors--Steady Brown (my dining room color) and Coconut Husk (my living room color). Since I have no walls to display artwork or place furniture pieces, the stripes add interest to an otherwise boring space.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitES0ATNIhSLh-uS4JKXcVv_Ia_B0ADZFzYg3EbZFIjoRG7uatm-f_DyWbV_IStR7fwPBLDLYktLJb_snUXa5ScqVYMxyirnliE6oVVhDw_KpDq7-n9cyaGKO2O4lXJgx44UBziLt3V6_L/s1600/IMAG0403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitES0ATNIhSLh-uS4JKXcVv_Ia_B0ADZFzYg3EbZFIjoRG7uatm-f_DyWbV_IStR7fwPBLDLYktLJb_snUXa5ScqVYMxyirnliE6oVVhDw_KpDq7-n9cyaGKO2O4lXJgx44UBziLt3V6_L/s640/IMAG0403.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For a really bold look, you can use colors opposite each other on the color wheel. Or, colors that create a contrast. Check out the look of these rooms:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3p_l26du5wE_c0l4zd96EvrNyZtiN6f_efZ7u_n8ZrJYLlIhzBoSy2ms3SmPIyv8pXdZ572WpKG7b7PbwTsmETtTF5XEKM1QrV0WFakeioXzlmxC1SI6qVtDL18aNBc_etVXDhjfIIN5/s1600/32d23759a879dfc789ba787517a7d675%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3p_l26du5wE_c0l4zd96EvrNyZtiN6f_efZ7u_n8ZrJYLlIhzBoSy2ms3SmPIyv8pXdZ572WpKG7b7PbwTsmETtTF5XEKM1QrV0WFakeioXzlmxC1SI6qVtDL18aNBc_etVXDhjfIIN5/s640/32d23759a879dfc789ba787517a7d675%5B1%5D.jpg" width="518" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaWcWdi9LlV0pfgd4qpOTqZb7DifMbjGV7Fm-_mn3wziAE3nNdNHGbpQA83sVxtzF3rviiryeNu4oeNr_FeBToHKJvUdn49SRFCyq4MghIeViG9ecULI2-Ig9vxF8WAZcjPhQVDuNPk6N/s1600/9360d95db8f70584a1929078db13455e%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaWcWdi9LlV0pfgd4qpOTqZb7DifMbjGV7Fm-_mn3wziAE3nNdNHGbpQA83sVxtzF3rviiryeNu4oeNr_FeBToHKJvUdn49SRFCyq4MghIeViG9ecULI2-Ig9vxF8WAZcjPhQVDuNPk6N/s640/9360d95db8f70584a1929078db13455e%5B1%5D.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUy1RhjWdILu2RXgIfMQg3J6c0EmtNAziLzf9XJ3Wh8MG5jJkOCMtGS5bXG3aMoARonuebAHcLteR3v5MsX9wXInLmzvwYA8QMwVXCf4i-88h-QkN9-uMPDyqWa6Rmzqt2bh6iZjDd83U0/s1600/a9d1685baa90815689e88169d7a959a9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUy1RhjWdILu2RXgIfMQg3J6c0EmtNAziLzf9XJ3Wh8MG5jJkOCMtGS5bXG3aMoARonuebAHcLteR3v5MsX9wXInLmzvwYA8QMwVXCf4i-88h-QkN9-uMPDyqWa6Rmzqt2bh6iZjDd83U0/s640/a9d1685baa90815689e88169d7a959a9.jpg" width="462" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love this black and white together!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifORRHXiPAV0qPWGEgvaR3oCzQt1jazXqrRVc3MKS-iy98zPGSygp_2EGxkoQ5vHIo2DZ6s5p-FfYDRqGMbTkhFa6pPGairCixGoYR38kMQ5ZkIqkRVhJ3svj6yGxtAKPY0FvM3l74WDQO/s1600/Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifORRHXiPAV0qPWGEgvaR3oCzQt1jazXqrRVc3MKS-iy98zPGSygp_2EGxkoQ5vHIo2DZ6s5p-FfYDRqGMbTkhFa6pPGairCixGoYR38kMQ5ZkIqkRVhJ3svj6yGxtAKPY0FvM3l74WDQO/s200/Signature.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-16811991289623699172014-11-06T21:03:00.000-06:002014-11-06T21:11:59.755-06:00Stairway to Heaven<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've lived in one story homes and apartments all my life. I had a chance to purchase a 2-story home when I bought my first house in 1996, but I passed on that house. I love beautiful staircases! I think this goes back to the first time I saw "Gone With the Wind" and Scarlet O'Hara coming down those beautiful stairs at Tara. A person can really make a grand entrance on a beautiful staircase. I always imagine a bride having her wedding portrait taken on the stairs or a family having their portrait taken. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are a few examples of staircases I absolutely love: </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHLNTX3WM6WRFPMrGz999hg6RT1nFKqEImKvC29CciMOELlP0tce7i8vn_7_ux28l-FgVsb4V25kdT1uxLvPmRlfaiczq2ZV1Y4yDOVecN_2p5HI16G5x1o7zSnuZsyygQnGKBPVBhUfY/s1600/1cff28a08544a894ead2c505f773a21b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHLNTX3WM6WRFPMrGz999hg6RT1nFKqEImKvC29CciMOELlP0tce7i8vn_7_ux28l-FgVsb4V25kdT1uxLvPmRlfaiczq2ZV1Y4yDOVecN_2p5HI16G5x1o7zSnuZsyygQnGKBPVBhUfY/s1600/1cff28a08544a894ead2c505f773a21b.jpg" height="640" width="510" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4LZEgbmGWAa1HaHs9H6Vp256Pn1ObUoUnJG75YefSNqvK5_mXQ6xDXZzIMVXgHm_5zxXsLU7VSUckZ1xqldfYjrfGGppogGx4sk-L8yazsB5Fno9wdOxmfgvozF2Miyqqh1wwOeO_p2p/s1600/3e91515ac99521ac98978f18423020c2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4LZEgbmGWAa1HaHs9H6Vp256Pn1ObUoUnJG75YefSNqvK5_mXQ6xDXZzIMVXgHm_5zxXsLU7VSUckZ1xqldfYjrfGGppogGx4sk-L8yazsB5Fno9wdOxmfgvozF2Miyqqh1wwOeO_p2p/s1600/3e91515ac99521ac98978f18423020c2.jpg" height="640" width="432" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfBchw_FLciz7HD8UbgFYw5HGlW-WxqAj8rwle2UetK68jqQ-JZDTQFzWftEsk059aGMuRJ2xVJQ87l4DuzynsOAKKSw6gdkkAak5eVFouxEMC6qgZt4NQBCXgk0k3HuGFFhA7WhQV6QH/s1600/966fb069f5b58d4d403e3baa674f1c0a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfBchw_FLciz7HD8UbgFYw5HGlW-WxqAj8rwle2UetK68jqQ-JZDTQFzWftEsk059aGMuRJ2xVJQ87l4DuzynsOAKKSw6gdkkAak5eVFouxEMC6qgZt4NQBCXgk0k3HuGFFhA7WhQV6QH/s1600/966fb069f5b58d4d403e3baa674f1c0a.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbljTzamcRUy0-ycv41bWv8kfGlAvGu0FzJw9_aKY9knUsvCElXhtJ7fWSf1g8lt9moXMNeEcsrfywMFFVFOTTL3fxNtXPtOfbpdgYwMuvWZrUNf0rzSYx7FTkLbX71zCOpm9Fu5lq3_x/s1600/72c5f082f44bef979c5e1cf8461732e9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbljTzamcRUy0-ycv41bWv8kfGlAvGu0FzJw9_aKY9knUsvCElXhtJ7fWSf1g8lt9moXMNeEcsrfywMFFVFOTTL3fxNtXPtOfbpdgYwMuvWZrUNf0rzSYx7FTkLbX71zCOpm9Fu5lq3_x/s1600/72c5f082f44bef979c5e1cf8461732e9.jpg" height="640" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can't you see a bride on these stairs?</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivyfZWRj1DHVg36Dsg5uo855avVDnlGuDm5YpAq9sjoDOYe8nSY7_W9QNUl7xOmkxVgBObro7wrij_Rt9VaOyN7IM55wjTQsIuiGkiqZGIM9-J2PSK3KERezpavMq93rgm8uWa5F0Q5Hi3/s1600/74688253450bb69199af9041d323e066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivyfZWRj1DHVg36Dsg5uo855avVDnlGuDm5YpAq9sjoDOYe8nSY7_W9QNUl7xOmkxVgBObro7wrij_Rt9VaOyN7IM55wjTQsIuiGkiqZGIM9-J2PSK3KERezpavMq93rgm8uWa5F0Q5Hi3/s1600/74688253450bb69199af9041d323e066.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Imagine this beautiful stained-glass medallion at the top:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwacb7pF5WcJYB0cLa93f83jpIb_2rNQPLJ33-1TkvpY2N2PuiAXzMhGeHfs21D984cJCir2SOcIla9OT3rvaAD2YwPD_wnD8IGU6INL6cWou3DvXS5HO6xLZNRGuiUQlZtJpYntlEaQD/s1600/9a5f78283cd502d2f3d9ae1e0478ca89.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwacb7pF5WcJYB0cLa93f83jpIb_2rNQPLJ33-1TkvpY2N2PuiAXzMhGeHfs21D984cJCir2SOcIla9OT3rvaAD2YwPD_wnD8IGU6INL6cWou3DvXS5HO6xLZNRGuiUQlZtJpYntlEaQD/s1600/9a5f78283cd502d2f3d9ae1e0478ca89.jpg" height="624" width="640" /></a></div>
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Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-43483646341449958412014-11-06T20:39:00.000-06:002014-11-06T20:39:04.398-06:00Closets, Closets, Closets!!!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think every woman (and possibly men, too) dream of a huge, luxurious closet. The closet would be filled with lots of hanging rods for dresses, suites, pants, and skirts. There would also be built-in dressers. There would be plenty of shoe and boot storage spaces. The closet would be large enough to have a nice ottoman for sitting on while getting dressed. There would also be a floor length mirror. And, don't forget the chandelier. A big closet like this usually goes with a big house. But a girl can dream, can't she? In my home, I have a fairly sizable closet. I think the dimensions are 8 foot by 12 foot. Although my closet is big, it's still not as spacious as I would like it to be. It is big enough for an ottoman but I haven't purchased one for it--yet.</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have plenty of hanging rods, but I don't have built in dressers. I do have two built in shelving units which I still don't know what to do with them 9 years later. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKXiOtZpRXb35Az6pQa1_dijktUSB2KzpGLKom8yTzq7EMD76JgXKlNFk6K2SGWwIjmshTg8Ah50HATrZ5KNgWq5IC3nbAe7SRns3DsSK52QBhjzOX4GLoOTUmYYs91kUXfyunHxN9Fmy/s1600/20141105_223320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKXiOtZpRXb35Az6pQa1_dijktUSB2KzpGLKom8yTzq7EMD76JgXKlNFk6K2SGWwIjmshTg8Ah50HATrZ5KNgWq5IC3nbAe7SRns3DsSK52QBhjzOX4GLoOTUmYYs91kUXfyunHxN9Fmy/s1600/20141105_223320.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wish I had cabinets to hide my shoe boxes. <br />I created my own boot storage by using skirt hangers.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTAG1VsgIOns1avTq41gljtporq21wg4zDHgy0ZQNhn1TQuuj5LXKcXzDUh1mlyy_XVz3aNPNxzkpmr1M0JxV1VhLP86I6s99wtH5D4XfIbvEo8pD_93K3T4OnM5kbdtvjqy_shZY2v8B/s1600/20141106_202126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTAG1VsgIOns1avTq41gljtporq21wg4zDHgy0ZQNhn1TQuuj5LXKcXzDUh1mlyy_XVz3aNPNxzkpmr1M0JxV1VhLP86I6s99wtH5D4XfIbvEo8pD_93K3T4OnM5kbdtvjqy_shZY2v8B/s1600/20141106_202126.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, enjoy my fantasy dream closets:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yTEDbe1oDGWKVI-Wrk8AWbhCG3miRrPMRq78TpMpP_K0jnjLVyO99fvvRJ_jGIbErWMPppqMC10sbkTNI4uGYZSJyTNjMyuIxHXCsn6dSK5qwRk8syPOMGqGTfwbH4Au_al0MGdsY68Y/s1600/43533d7f958c0b3fa2040fbb5244cc9e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yTEDbe1oDGWKVI-Wrk8AWbhCG3miRrPMRq78TpMpP_K0jnjLVyO99fvvRJ_jGIbErWMPppqMC10sbkTNI4uGYZSJyTNjMyuIxHXCsn6dSK5qwRk8syPOMGqGTfwbH4Au_al0MGdsY68Y/s1600/43533d7f958c0b3fa2040fbb5244cc9e.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love the boot shoe and boot storage!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZjHiMet5HkCD4V8cvWQKbIrGssY4pCo5D04NvSOt8kP_8akry6RMFLs4zlXtVgJU5GSHQiJmIlyTUO4o3IE6HcuDbZCSJ7ui0j9sXq6o_GbqYmI2ZJ7A-VKE7Bb7WxGRStcZu25TRWxn/s1600/b75a22bdb1f21fb73b611da5fb07afef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZjHiMet5HkCD4V8cvWQKbIrGssY4pCo5D04NvSOt8kP_8akry6RMFLs4zlXtVgJU5GSHQiJmIlyTUO4o3IE6HcuDbZCSJ7ui0j9sXq6o_GbqYmI2ZJ7A-VKE7Bb7WxGRStcZu25TRWxn/s1600/b75a22bdb1f21fb73b611da5fb07afef.jpg" height="436" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBdzsAPOA5NXA3Q2mVwBViDOrOPPw4-5pkmRwQIuc3OJaPL_ofFULvJNtvAIlxeRGiv0Cxy5uz9PEKEVyiTBYnLIZ1l5eBiT0YCHh3RT7-6gcwXJsEApcTE9Wem5FZA7LG1Fs9CKQ7uP1/s1600/d9cfb6a4592a8cea57578c71863ff4e2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBdzsAPOA5NXA3Q2mVwBViDOrOPPw4-5pkmRwQIuc3OJaPL_ofFULvJNtvAIlxeRGiv0Cxy5uz9PEKEVyiTBYnLIZ1l5eBiT0YCHh3RT7-6gcwXJsEApcTE9Wem5FZA7LG1Fs9CKQ7uP1/s1600/d9cfb6a4592a8cea57578c71863ff4e2.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lots of shoe storage here!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Love the ottomans!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8fbsNEJLBCEEZZT3Gr6qsAFtkR27Uta5nbhRRaX3e190UbBbL_LHmA_00bnPeNVM8nJk_qSebRsGJGZS5HUmk_G7NOiOPwsueBGO3ycPc-dW_zHI2uAbSbTr3vuaI2DPYgnGPiT3N4oW/s1600/6aab8fd917157ebc0ada9c10b3fafd7d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8fbsNEJLBCEEZZT3Gr6qsAFtkR27Uta5nbhRRaX3e190UbBbL_LHmA_00bnPeNVM8nJk_qSebRsGJGZS5HUmk_G7NOiOPwsueBGO3ycPc-dW_zHI2uAbSbTr3vuaI2DPYgnGPiT3N4oW/s1600/6aab8fd917157ebc0ada9c10b3fafd7d.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The built-in dressers are nice!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-89222147855887353182014-10-12T22:19:00.001-05:002014-10-12T22:19:34.046-05:00Fairytale Princess!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During my early years, I wasn't fortunate enough to have a nice bedroom. I shared my bedroom with my sister for the first 14 years of my life. I love my sister but she is a SLOB!!! Once I had my very own bedroom, my inner interior decorator came alive. My Mama didn't have money to buy me a nice bedroom set and comforter for my room, so I had to make due with what we had. I remember crocheting an afghan for my bed. I had this hideous gold blanket for my bed. I crocheted the afghan with a hideous gold color yarn, cobalt blue and army green yarn. I know, it sounds as bad as it looked. I had that afghan for a number of years until the yarn started unraveling. I currently have another afghan that I crocheted a few years later. I no longer use it, but I just can't part with it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I got my first job while in college, I purchased a comforter from JCP with a bedskirt and pillow shams and matching drapes. The comforter set had a white background with a botanical print. Man, I was Uptown Saturday Night!! also had matching sheets, which started my life long love of nice bed linens. Over the years, my taste in bed linens has evolved. Since I purchased my very first pair of matching sheets, I never slept on a set of sheets that were mix-matched again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think bedrooms are one of my favorite rooms in a home. I guess it's because I like to see nicely made beds and beautiful bed linens. I've been traveling with my current job for 27 years and I have been in some very nice hotels and some not so nice. My favorite place to stay was at the River Inn in Memphis located in Harbor Town. It is a boutique hotel. Each room is equipped with 4-poster beds. I honestly think you sleep better if you're sleeping in a beautiful space. Here are a few beautiful rooms I wouldn't mind waking up in every day:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, I think I finally have my own fairy-tale bedroom:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Good night and sweet dreams!</span><br />
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<br />Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-54833135361864965192014-09-19T23:46:00.001-05:002014-09-19T23:46:15.368-05:00New Venture<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For those of you who follow my blog, you may have noticed pictures of cakes that I baked for my great niece's wedding. I enjoy baking/decorating cakes as much as I do interior design. My sister-in-law has been wanting me to get serious about my cake baking. So, on Friday I completed the necessary paperwork to go forward with that endeavor. It's a little scary, but I'm also excited! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have always enjoyed looking at nicely decorated cakes. I admire the skill involved in making cakes look beautiful. About a year and a half ago, I took a cake decorating class at Michaels. My goal was to learn to bake wedding cakes. I attend at least one wedding a year. The wedding cakes are always beautiful, but most never taste very good. Since I had the baking part down, I just needed to learn the decorating part. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I was growing up, my Mother always baked from scratch. If she used a cake mix, it was always a Duncan Hines cake mix. She says those were better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I always take pictures of my cakes just for my own records. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I shared my photos of the various cakes I baked with my sister-in-law. She has been showing those photos to people she works with and friends. I received an e-mail from her on Friday telling me that she wants me to be a vendor for the Little Rock School District. I asked her, "doing what?" She said that she wants me to make the cakes for the school district when they need cakes for an occasion. Wow! I think that's a pretty big deal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I've ordered business cards and created a website for my business:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Cakes by Michelle"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My website is:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://cakesbymichelle.biz</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also created a blog:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://cakesbymichelleconfectioner.blogspot.com</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check out my website to see a sample of some of my work. I am still not where I want to be in terms of how my cakes look, but with more practice and experience, I'll get there.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5khp6_7T4BFI3c5waKBj3hGQ4htuQoqO2DWdh3zJUbpcdzbzbv77ZCzXfQefBIqa1K-7wiBZgTXNkAruQlgrzmtT30skJcwnPE6-YKVXnPYnWTlukSU78oWa6bAfx3zs3N-WU7XPi4qD/s1600/20140916_160042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5khp6_7T4BFI3c5waKBj3hGQ4htuQoqO2DWdh3zJUbpcdzbzbv77ZCzXfQefBIqa1K-7wiBZgTXNkAruQlgrzmtT30skJcwnPE6-YKVXnPYnWTlukSU78oWa6bAfx3zs3N-WU7XPi4qD/s1600/20140916_160042.jpg" height="398" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">White cake with butter cream frosting done in Rosettes.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I still plan to put out new posts about interior design--that's still a passion of mine. So continue to check out my blog for new posts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-29719478173096701562014-09-11T09:07:00.000-05:002014-09-11T09:08:33.221-05:00Wedding Cakes<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article is about decorating, but not homes. It's all about cakes. My great niece (Nikita) got married September 6th. Nikita told me some time ago that if she ever got married, she wanted me to bake her wedding cake. I took a cake decorating class at Michael's about a year ago. The instructor also taught a 3 hour session on tiered-cakes. This was my first time to do a wedding cake. I go to a few weddings a year and my favorite part of the ceremony is the wedding cake. Wedding cakes always look so beautiful to me. Sadly, when you bite into most of them, the cake part is horrible. I've always been pretty good at baking cakes from scratch. So, I decided to take the cake decorating class so that I could make my cakes look good. For Nikita's cake, I did the 10 inch base in Italian Cream Cake, the 8 inch tier in Red Velvet, and the 6 inch tier in Chocolate. All tiers are frosted in cream cheese frosting. I did the frosting in a rustic style--that seems to be the popular look with wedding cakes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also baked the groom's cake. It was Chocolate with chocolate frosting. The groom (Eugene) loves to fish and so did his father. Unfortunately, Eugene's father unexpectedly passed away in July. I did the cake with a fishing theme to honor Eugene's father. I thought I would have trouble finding a fishing boat and fisherman, but Little Rock has a local cake supply store and the store had several in stock. Here's the finished product:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's a lot of work and engineering that goes into putting wedding cakes together. I found this out the hard way when I work up Saturday morning and the wedding cake looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I originally did a stacked cake. Friday evening, I stored the cake in the refrigerator. When I work up Saturday morning, the entire cake was leaning. I knew that I could not take the cake to my niece's wedding in that condition. So, I dismantled the cake and got the bottom two tiers level. I had trouble getting the top tier straight, so I just threw it away, even thought I baked it from scratch. Don't worry, I had plenty of eggs and flour. I baked the layers again and added dowels to prevent this tier from leaning. I decided to put the top tier on pillars. Everything was nice and level at my house. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The wedding was an outdoor event. I knew there would be trouble with a cake outdoors; especially in the summer months. The icing got very soft and right before the cake was ready to be cut, the top tier slid completely off the cake. Luckily, the bride and groom had their photos taken with the cake prior to this happening. I took the top tier and placed it in a box for my the couple's 1 year anniversary.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can take "wedding cakes" off my bucket list. It's something I've always wanted to do and I am so glad I got the chance to bake one for my niece's wedding. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to bake another wedding cake.</span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-86499399765226157272014-08-15T22:17:00.000-05:002014-08-15T22:17:03.633-05:00Old Smokie to "Gentryfied"<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I am about to show you is not exactly home decor, but I wanted to share with you one of the best "before" and "after" photos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had this old grill or smoker in my backyard for a few years. My brother Dennis gave it to me about 7 years ago. He and his wife bought it and never cooked on it. When Dennis gave it to me, the grill had a little rust on it but it wasn't too bad. I purchased a cover for it, but after it was exposed to the weather for a few years under Dennis' care, parts of the grill had started rusting and the wood pieces were falling apart. I did some pretty good cooking on this grill, but I haven't cooked on it for a few years. In fact, I moved the grill from my deck and placed it in my yard to make more room on my porch and deck area. Once I moved the grill, it really started falling apart and the rust was spreading all over the grill. Here's what the grill looked like about a month ago:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yeah, it's pretty bad. Notice the rust and the wood pieces falling apart. Old Smokie is looking a little sad. So, I decided to give the grill to the guy who takes care of my yard (Calvin). But, Calvin never had room on his trailer to take the grill.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I made a new friend back in November 2013. I bought a new car and my salesman (Gentry) and I must have been separated at birth. We both have the same warped sense of humor. Gentry is a man of many talents and hobbies. One of his hobbies is woodworking. I decided to ask Gentry if he could make new wood pieces for my grill. I told him that I could sand the rust areas and paint the grill with the paint made for high heat. Gentry and his girlfriend Jamie came by to pick up Old Smokie. Little did I know what Gentry had in store for my grill. I got to see a little bit of his work over the few weeks he had the grill. For instance, I saw that Gentry had pressure washed, sanded, and painted the grill. He also purchased new parts for it. He purchased new wheels for the grill and painted the inset of the wheels chrome. Gentry told me he had a surprise for me that would be revealed at the end. I guessed what the surprise would be, but I still had no idea what it would look like. After several weeks of Gentry working hard and sweating out in his garage, here is what the grill looks like today:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pretty fricking unbelievable!!! Never in my wildest dream did I think my grill could ever look this good. Yes, my grill has been "Gentryfied". In fact, it looks too good to even cook on. Gentry did a total transformation of the grill inside and out. Gentry and Jamie, a rack of ribs will be waiting on you!</span><br />
<br />Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-42155332989623049342014-07-07T22:21:00.000-05:002014-07-07T22:21:58.877-05:00An Intriguing Look For A Kitchen<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In most homes I visit, the kitchen cabinets are either stained wood or painted. The cabinets are usually all done in the same finish--top and bottom. Occasionally, I will see a kitchen island done in a different finish than the rest of the cabinets. This gives the kitchen a nice visual break. While looking through my various decorating magazines and websites, I'm starting to see a lot of kitchens in which the top cabinets are painted a different color than the bottom cabinets. I've seen this done at a few designer showcase homes I've visited. At first I thought it was a little strange, but the more pictures I see with this look, I'm really starting to like it. I think it gives the kitchen some interest. I thought about this look for my kitchen but I wasn't sure how it was going to work for me. I have a cabinet that is my pantry and there was no way to paint that cabinet two different colors. Also, I didn't know what to do with the surround for my refrigerator. I suppose I could have painted the pantry and refrigerator surround the same as the bottom color and then paint the top cabinets a different color. But in the end, I decided on one color. Here are a few great examples of the top cabinets painted a different color than the bottom cabinets:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'll admit, you have to be a little brave to try this in your kitchen, but I think the end results are amazing!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-51585459902655011602014-07-07T21:54:00.000-05:002014-07-07T21:54:32.139-05:00One Room - Three Different Looks!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I saw this on HGTV's website and I wanted to share. This is a great example of using pillows and other accessories to change the look of a room. If you have neutral furniture to work with, you are halfway there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The room started out looking pretty plain:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's not a bad look if you don't like a lot of color, but it's a little drab for my taste. Now here is the room done in a fuchsia and orange color palette:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It doesn't even look like the same room! Here is the room using a purple palette:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And finally, here is the room done in a blue palette:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvtoW6tsIgjnJJcXkfMg5vIHFeEbvELzgYUUjladRB-jlHUz10193wSLQfrjErlvb70EzBOwocxeHBPewaLPoB6CPspGEV80lq4BHZCLJqTX1z4J3GS7_Ca_24JIRDfZdLBKy7SjR7dBP/s1600/RX-HGMAG011_Livingroom-Update-115-a-4x3_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvtoW6tsIgjnJJcXkfMg5vIHFeEbvELzgYUUjladRB-jlHUz10193wSLQfrjErlvb70EzBOwocxeHBPewaLPoB6CPspGEV80lq4BHZCLJqTX1z4J3GS7_Ca_24JIRDfZdLBKy7SjR7dBP/s1600/RX-HGMAG011_Livingroom-Update-115-a-4x3_lg.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZYwep0R7G6gFO6SkCd7E2Dgda6zaQix6brCFnOBJIPfvMnJCsU8jSKgHezNIYDv8NZs2W4uqPZIkH5APmXqF7gmUIYCOsO3DgmqSz8zb9nUIse5bdavcJXMkAv3wOu0t0U6Gq0ny2RDD/s1600/RX-HGMAG011_Livingroom-Update-115-c-4x3_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZYwep0R7G6gFO6SkCd7E2Dgda6zaQix6brCFnOBJIPfvMnJCsU8jSKgHezNIYDv8NZs2W4uqPZIkH5APmXqF7gmUIYCOsO3DgmqSz8zb9nUIse5bdavcJXMkAv3wOu0t0U6Gq0ny2RDD/s1600/RX-HGMAG011_Livingroom-Update-115-c-4x3_lg.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYWxyQS1Bb97pQUGdzf0v40hQLFKczZm7tlbbKRj6zV1tBa7fUtI5F5PDPEeHaVdIaxckbNAHGyfrRIqQC1k_crzQYh2WgEx50aCv2Y0cUr28T9eFPxNyEyWEIvjHKG2TEx7Qey9zUn2n/s1600/RX-HGMAG011_Livingroom-Update-115-h-4x3_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYWxyQS1Bb97pQUGdzf0v40hQLFKczZm7tlbbKRj6zV1tBa7fUtI5F5PDPEeHaVdIaxckbNAHGyfrRIqQC1k_crzQYh2WgEx50aCv2Y0cUr28T9eFPxNyEyWEIvjHKG2TEx7Qey9zUn2n/s1600/RX-HGMAG011_Livingroom-Update-115-h-4x3_lg.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't know which room I love the best. All three look great to me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-90580642760798522132014-06-15T00:00:00.000-05:002014-06-15T10:47:17.669-05:00Giving Old Planters New Life!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have a covered back porch with a deck attached. I rarely sit back there. I think it's because I spend more time on my neighbor's deck. Fortunately, my deck gets the morning sun so it is shaded in the early evening hours. A few years ago, I purchased my wicker love seat and two chairs. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, I decided to paint my former green table dark brown. I</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> changed out the cushions on the love seat and chairs last summer. I've had the same flower pots for a while. I believe I had them at my last house. I seriously thought about getting rid of them because I haven't had live plants in the planters for quite some time. I travel a lot and live plants would be dead by the time I returned home at the end of the week. I've resorted to using silk plants--I know it's cheating, but at least the fake plants put some color on my deck. I ran across a photo of bright orange and pink planters. I liked the combination of the pink and orange together, so this was the inspiration I needed to paint the planters on my deck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For most of the day, I was outside spray painting the six planters on my deck fuchsia and bright orange. You can really go crazy with color in outdoor spaces. Here is what my planters looked like before:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzdmSjzt4_JIDh31INCKhwdhHMtLz6w2yrlSS_40JgcRP2VQmmvshvPQ7CHIwIUNu7t1WnlSI6UVTt_n0QBbG15ishMZSvkRSYyy7rB4V572kr_ch2pY9b_t8uiEIprdF0OqMJUcWrUBQ/s1600/Before+color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzdmSjzt4_JIDh31INCKhwdhHMtLz6w2yrlSS_40JgcRP2VQmmvshvPQ7CHIwIUNu7t1WnlSI6UVTt_n0QBbG15ishMZSvkRSYyy7rB4V572kr_ch2pY9b_t8uiEIprdF0OqMJUcWrUBQ/s1600/Before+color.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They were pretty blah!!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXxSOUun3mxacwPuds2i0TvoRMioB7MQifbhiT8ySsWjEals62IRg66O3gAn-ZxuFyNpI2vKFh_NSHDVTrsK8ZfTsp6NXLGX9FdFW3nQLymyrNAvWHsLG4RCw5w6NgdPT1MvyB6qvkb4M/s1600/20140614_124524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXxSOUun3mxacwPuds2i0TvoRMioB7MQifbhiT8ySsWjEals62IRg66O3gAn-ZxuFyNpI2vKFh_NSHDVTrsK8ZfTsp6NXLGX9FdFW3nQLymyrNAvWHsLG4RCw5w6NgdPT1MvyB6qvkb4M/s1600/20140614_124524.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The transformation begins.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdF-UfiRmR5TnHjeezdvBDrPVAqQWDFHxa0pEfAU5HD0gFt0nHcB2MT5h5N4xB5IX78AoW14sAYDC34Kx4uIPmDkC44Iyf85PTV_fNNTga32Wh_h_66857Di-dwkdKZRFQ98WIiFip87y/s1600/20140614_124544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdF-UfiRmR5TnHjeezdvBDrPVAqQWDFHxa0pEfAU5HD0gFt0nHcB2MT5h5N4xB5IX78AoW14sAYDC34Kx4uIPmDkC44Iyf85PTV_fNNTga32Wh_h_66857Di-dwkdKZRFQ98WIiFip87y/s1600/20140614_124544.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I used Rustoleum Painters Touch spray paint with primer. I originally was going to paint the planters red and yellow. I purchased the paint but when I saw the inspiration photo, I changed my mind about those colors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So by 4:00 pm today, I finally completed the last planters and here is the end result:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwwZCAEESG8fr5Ty6RfB0NEDNUhjoJ7cPbIEaxK-IAowRZP7pQ1vU5fiRvKWlPyAji6zBtXXdLK5ONjsmm63p81CT4cwRaiJfcWSH5ytc9UyB6i7EQjoo9stlrTlD2Pkq_qfj51GG7TT_/s1600/20140614_144521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwwZCAEESG8fr5Ty6RfB0NEDNUhjoJ7cPbIEaxK-IAowRZP7pQ1vU5fiRvKWlPyAji6zBtXXdLK5ONjsmm63p81CT4cwRaiJfcWSH5ytc9UyB6i7EQjoo9stlrTlD2Pkq_qfj51GG7TT_/s1600/20140614_144521.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is a pot rester. it keeps the planter from resting on the top of the deck or other hard surface. It allows the water to drain from the planter. It was gray and I spray painted them orange and fuchsia.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63wuapG06VY1Di-L2XRsi2z7KO9xWgBvJrDynfjtKH-myddKbSBtHKiPiOECr9UbLUPZsMLgzD1KDgQ96AFDjPkNM0Z6Vq2rvmtHnF-xhftYbBi-2dO7V20aGwJND1zrQrLIiwnSgX19V/s1600/20140614_173537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63wuapG06VY1Di-L2XRsi2z7KO9xWgBvJrDynfjtKH-myddKbSBtHKiPiOECr9UbLUPZsMLgzD1KDgQ96AFDjPkNM0Z6Vq2rvmtHnF-xhftYbBi-2dO7V20aGwJND1zrQrLIiwnSgX19V/s1600/20140614_173537.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh yeah, Thelma and Louise look great with the planters!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7H8jgJu4W1PSTDUB0qlx3VpqbI2MFupr134P22zr4oxItfTl3b8kx0IGmn12iJN6c9pZ1wRqXggdmC6R0Lm9SPemU4QRi0nIHdvQc2zL_Na77be1VhTEppBUIgWO_RKg_hnPft9sMA829/s1600/Flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7H8jgJu4W1PSTDUB0qlx3VpqbI2MFupr134P22zr4oxItfTl3b8kx0IGmn12iJN6c9pZ1wRqXggdmC6R0Lm9SPemU4QRi0nIHdvQc2zL_Na77be1VhTEppBUIgWO_RKg_hnPft9sMA829/s1600/Flowers.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I bought new flowers, the geraniums were starting to look a little faded from the sun.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is my "to-do" list for my deck and patio:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Purchase a rug for the patio.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Paint my table and chairs the color of Thelma and Louise.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pressure wash and stain the deck and fence.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maybe I'll start spending more time on MY deck instead of my neighbor's!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have planters that look a little tired and worn, refresh them by painting them a bright, fun color!</span></div>
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Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-37085122032549630722014-06-12T22:58:00.001-05:002014-06-12T22:58:54.498-05:00Thelma and Louise<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thelma and Louise have a new look. I am in the process of sprucing up my deck and covered back porch. My neighbor thought that I needed to infuse more color into my outdoor space. I started this project about two weeks ago, but mother nature did not cooperate at all. It has been raining everyday in Little Rock for the past two weeks. Last weekend, I spray painted the cranes a reddish-orange. Here is a sneak preview. Stay tuned for the completed project....</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZgxuznToBOV5N40-6O4s9q5LIawiu_8rL0dpgAw1y4l09Afo7qi2cNCONt5_9H4UM4wJ7xKrZoT7wTMAWrd7hoyip4nBx6mSkA-h3DAylhgrJJCdE4BCgRF7HYKeuJK2UrnzjszOZyzl/s1600/Thelma+&+Louise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZgxuznToBOV5N40-6O4s9q5LIawiu_8rL0dpgAw1y4l09Afo7qi2cNCONt5_9H4UM4wJ7xKrZoT7wTMAWrd7hoyip4nBx6mSkA-h3DAylhgrJJCdE4BCgRF7HYKeuJK2UrnzjszOZyzl/s1600/Thelma+&+Louise.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thelma and Louise Before<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnxt2X3MCL2C8ItWMe2zdSmp1hVghyphenhyphenJKSY3A_oYvaxs1CGgJUemLw1lpkpRLnUjx47lWHGRVf75Wqc34UZpLnv-tz_MAMhzEPMDkdhP4YeHkpJhDSyaxy6uGcc_dp6mwk4LX9FgB1sG0G/s1600/20140612_201625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnxt2X3MCL2C8ItWMe2zdSmp1hVghyphenhyphenJKSY3A_oYvaxs1CGgJUemLw1lpkpRLnUjx47lWHGRVf75Wqc34UZpLnv-tz_MAMhzEPMDkdhP4YeHkpJhDSyaxy6uGcc_dp6mwk4LX9FgB1sG0G/s1600/20140612_201625.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Thelma and Louise after their color makeover</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP13fZwIeW-ScGLKgMo4CN4Qv7vyL3CWjGm-iynv7pGn7zKzOjWfI_o5qX4p7s3cnDzyzStpWYtUKZfI7xT8PGTKCaK9ytzaOqcQj9ncWJlBYchcMiI8Y4XWwaahycrl21rY8lR764PJ-M/s1600/Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP13fZwIeW-ScGLKgMo4CN4Qv7vyL3CWjGm-iynv7pGn7zKzOjWfI_o5qX4p7s3cnDzyzStpWYtUKZfI7xT8PGTKCaK9ytzaOqcQj9ncWJlBYchcMiI8Y4XWwaahycrl21rY8lR764PJ-M/s1600/Signature.jpg" height="78" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-34776116296072424132014-06-12T22:42:00.001-05:002014-06-12T22:42:30.227-05:00Pop, Pop, Pop!!!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you know that I like color. But, I also like neutrals. My first two living room sofas had color and patterns on the fabric. In the 80s and 90s I tended to let my furniture be the prominent feature. My first sofa was purchased when the "country" look was very popular. It was a camelback sofa that was blue with a pink plaid pattern woven through the fabric. Don't judge me!! I grew tired of the country look and 10 years later I purchased my second set of living room furniture. My second sofa was a tuxedo style (3 cushion back and seating). The base of the fabric was taupe/cream but the pattern was floral (burgundy and green). In my opinion, having furniture with patterned fabric makes it more difficult to decorate. Also, you are pretty much stuck with the colors in the fabric for as long as you have the sofa. You have to be very good at mixing patterns when changing out accessory pillows if your sofa fabric is patterned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The last furniture I purchased for my living room is definitely a neutral, although there is a tone-on-tone paisley print on the fabric. I purposely picked a neutral fabric because I wanted to be able to pop different colors in my space, based on the seasons and holidays. A sofa with color can also be a neutral, but it needs to be free of a pattern or at least an overbearing pattern.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is a good example of a neutral space with turquoise for the color that pops. Notice the lamp, vase, pillows, throw, and benches, and even the sweater are all the same color. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcIE-Ha6l-404klKTBnebLve_UCNyHat6jSf548lRiZW8mS55tM4SFwZ60Rd90d2zubLkfjzY8LpqqGz-VIuSwgGY-_y3o3Cuw4nZBHnG2Btk5bW4CU4Eu_4e5Ba1flhxyxgoEfv66c46l/s1600/Screenshot_2014-06-10-13-58-32-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcIE-Ha6l-404klKTBnebLve_UCNyHat6jSf548lRiZW8mS55tM4SFwZ60Rd90d2zubLkfjzY8LpqqGz-VIuSwgGY-_y3o3Cuw4nZBHnG2Btk5bW4CU4Eu_4e5Ba1flhxyxgoEfv66c46l/s1600/Screenshot_2014-06-10-13-58-32-1.png" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The headboard and the bedskirt are patterned, but the coverlet is a neutral solid. The wall covering is also a neutral, even with the stripes. The mood of this bedroom can be easily changed by changing out the color of the accessories. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Color popping is great if you are afraid to paint your walls. It's also great for people who live in apartments or rental property and aren't allowed to paint the walls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I really like this living room. It would be so easy to change the look of this room by changing out all of the red accessories. You can always add pattern in a neutral space by selecting pillows and throws that are patterned.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1uo8TWml9-K_3-hVaijBvbzq3bjuB085ZhMQ6PwtKCv60-3xDsgZlHVC2N4oEuuaRmRPMurFZlpnZ_KWzfp1QULaK_M8mDEkz9ZanmsHlD-j6bBLZ0qycz8-zgMGglAEvaIzcTFXlYYl/s1600/1391812815454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1uo8TWml9-K_3-hVaijBvbzq3bjuB085ZhMQ6PwtKCv60-3xDsgZlHVC2N4oEuuaRmRPMurFZlpnZ_KWzfp1QULaK_M8mDEkz9ZanmsHlD-j6bBLZ0qycz8-zgMGglAEvaIzcTFXlYYl/s1600/1391812815454.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is another example of a living room where fuchsia is the color that pops:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oxgSQfr9u4wxyBzARDxll6FL3tp71OsXNHPtDpT3Gk3riNtJUKREQ_kkW0CIkTSy_hNu0YKmV6RhI9MCqmNRdMsuPS54A5g0F_qFvygqJJ71Dn1fgNwtngDMDZH58luM3SmYzGR9R24e/s1600/Screenshot_2013-09-29-20-32-42-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oxgSQfr9u4wxyBzARDxll6FL3tp71OsXNHPtDpT3Gk3riNtJUKREQ_kkW0CIkTSy_hNu0YKmV6RhI9MCqmNRdMsuPS54A5g0F_qFvygqJJ71Dn1fgNwtngDMDZH58luM3SmYzGR9R24e/s1600/Screenshot_2013-09-29-20-32-42-1.png" height="640" width="446" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can see changing out the fuchsia for orange, yellow, green, purple, and ...... You see where this is going?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCp2oPHR6VzTODoRn0QdIL5Xx3NbEx7keKkdB4M6G8xcvRREkU9H3RhxiNzE51JpVY-46m2YtAo0Vdotmr0vJApZkzZhE7m3li00-9xipL_DC_BJF3MHvkzFqAvBSJdor6NUNAz37ub2k/s1600/Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCp2oPHR6VzTODoRn0QdIL5Xx3NbEx7keKkdB4M6G8xcvRREkU9H3RhxiNzE51JpVY-46m2YtAo0Vdotmr0vJApZkzZhE7m3li00-9xipL_DC_BJF3MHvkzFqAvBSJdor6NUNAz37ub2k/s1600/Signature.jpg" height="78" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7023741284188458148.post-76376172801564762432014-06-09T14:08:00.002-05:002014-06-09T20:08:57.552-05:00Tickled Pink!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back in the mid-80s, I had a friend I met while in college. Tia's favorite color was pink. She wore pink and her home was decorated in pink (think Steel Magnolia). When Tia purchased her first house, she wanted to incorporate the color pink into her kitchen. She picked wallpaper that had a purple background with pink flowers woven through it. Tia decided to paint the inset of her kitchen cabinets pink. I remember her kitchen stove was avocado green. My first response when I stepped into her kitchen was, "It looks like a crayon box exploded in here!!" Apparently, that was not the response Tia was hoping for. In fact, she burst into tears. I'm not known for being tactful. To tone down some of the color, Tia painted the cabinets a solid white. But, her kitchen still looked like a hot mess. I have to give her points for thinking outside the box by being creative in her kitchen. Anyway, I was browsing through the Internet the other day and ran across a kitchen with pink appliances. Tia and I lost touch with each other several years ago. She moved away and life moved on. Here's to you Tia, wherever you are:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgYO9b7bVdMDOrSObFVfhMO9pRxfElY1lZ7ZLM-Peqk4FGncazg1jpNd8ev06BMCKtMxX607_H2S8hy11KjLqTrFeh6QXVUPeS-BrrnGcPA_8gqY85H1SlMJZy0HljNSV8EeNKTkNWTmL/s1600/1402173919350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgYO9b7bVdMDOrSObFVfhMO9pRxfElY1lZ7ZLM-Peqk4FGncazg1jpNd8ev06BMCKtMxX607_H2S8hy11KjLqTrFeh6QXVUPeS-BrrnGcPA_8gqY85H1SlMJZy0HljNSV8EeNKTkNWTmL/s1600/1402173919350.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although I am not a fan of the color pink, I think the color works in this space. In addition to the appliances, there are pops of pink with the accessories to add more whimsy.</span><br />
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Decorating by Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404627880033295490noreply@blogger.com1