Precious Items

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. 

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. 

Here is how my dining room looked before the artwork was hung:

Here is how the dining room looks after:

Thanks for the inspiration Lory!

Presenting My New Contemporary Bedroom!

Hello again!

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. 

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. 

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). 

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. 

I also needed a contemporary chair so the old one had to go.  And, I ordered new draperies, which have not come in yet.

Here is the end result:

 

 

 

 

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!!"

 

 

Be sure to post a comment if you want!

 

 

Coming Soon....

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!! 

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.  

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:

 

 

Queen Bed

 

Console by Hooker Furniture

Chest by Hooker Furniture

 

 

 

Chair by Best Furniture

 

Yep, I still have a pillow fetish!

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:

I'm kind of embarrassed to show this, but hey, it is what it is!

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.

It's nice,  but kind of blah.   I wanted more color and ended up with this:

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:

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. 

Don't be shy, comments are greatly appreciated!

Eureka! I found the perfect floor lamp!

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 WOW! factor.  The lamp has a straight post and a lampshade with beaded tassels.   

I placed the lamp back in my bedroom.  It's a nice lamp, but no "WOW!"

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!

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.

LOVE IT!!!

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!

Don't be shy, feel free to comment!

Just Wow!

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.

Formal Living Room

Formal Living Room

Library

Library

Gentlemen's Den

Grand Foyer

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.

My Nephew's FIRST Paid Decorating Job!!!

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.

My Nephew Has Done It Again!

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:

And, here is the tree he decorated for his mother:

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!

Christmas On A Budget For 2014!

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:

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.  

I love my African-American Nutcrackers!  I purchased them at Kroger's.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Merry Christmas!

Why I Do This Blog

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:

"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".

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.  

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.  I immediately took her shopping for artwork.  It transformed her apartment.  She 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.  

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?

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!

And this is why I write this blog.

Lamps Can Make or Break Your Space

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--size and style.  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?  

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:

See how the height provides light for reading on the sofa.

The height of this lamp allows for reading in bed.

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:

This space has "traditional" written all over it!

Now here is a good example of a transitional space:

Notice that this space is more relaxed--think Pottery Barn

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.

If you have a traditional style living room or master bedroom, here are a few examples of traditional style lamps:

  



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.

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.

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.