Going Blue & Green {Girls room redo}....

Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend....(I know it was a long weekend for many of us with Thanksgiving up here in Canada and Columbus day for our American neighbors).... :)

We were busy busy around here with 2 delicious turkeys dinners thanks to my in laws and my sister (thanks guys!) and also with a fun room redo for our DD. 

Her room was very girly for the past few years with a pretty feminine pink theme but now that's she's in Grade 3 (8 going on 18! ;) ) she felt she was ready for a more "big girl" room. Both of my kids rooms were in need of new flooring so we pulled up the light carpet and replaced it with a beautiful textured laminate. A fun green printed duvet set (found at Homesense on clearance for $20) provided the starting point in developing her new space. A fresh coat of paint, a new desk area and some fun new accessories pull the look together. Below are some pics .....

She was SO excited about her new BLUE room that she made a sign for guests to leave comments on..(guess that apple doesn't fall too far from the tree... ;)  ) LOL!

Before: Pretty in Pink....

After- Beautiful in Blue and Green! 

We added some fun stripes to out chandelier shades using sparkly adhesive trim....

I wanted to add a fun desk space to the room but after shopping all over town was unable to come up with a  small scale white desk  for the 9x11 room. I came across these small cube shelves at Home Depot by Martha Stewart. After seeing that the height of the cubes was 29" (a good desk height) I decided to buy 2 and top them off with w 48" x 12" rubbermaid white shelf and voila- for under $60 we had the perfect desk area for the space, which provides extra storage as an added bonus. How sweet is that!?

I love that the Martha cubes have the slots for tags, to keep things organized...

Found these fun locker mirrors and attached them to the wall with sticky tack....

Some inexpensive Walmart lamps get all dressed up with the addition of some polka dot ribbon attached as stripes...

Another Walmart find.....when my daughter saw this faux fur rug she just had to have it! I love it too, it adds such a cozy soft touch to the space...

We are so happy with how the room turned out....so much fun and function along with a touch of whimsy in such a small space.....

PS: My client couldn't be happier ;) lol! If you would like to leave a comment...I'll be sure to pass it along  :)

                                                       ~Katrina

Mantel Dressing - Autumn

Now that the front veranda is all spiffed up for Fall and the bedroom has transformed into a warmer, relaxing palette, I though it was about time to complete the mantel with a warm seasonal welcome.

 I am often asked about how to dress up a mantel so I thought I'd capture the step by step action of putting this one together.  There's also a few pics of a few other Autumn touches around the room. Hope it inspires you to get to work on your own ;)

Before- A blank canvas...

After- A warm welcome!

Start with a basic vase...

  I added some "Twilight twigs" so my mantel will have some sparkle and shimmer at night....

                                        

I added some basic silk flower branches in a vibrant orange/rust  for a pop of colour....

A round lantern adds another shape to the mix for more interest...

A  candle picks up the same colour tones as the flowers....

A few faux pumpkins are tucked into the lantern ...

A few real mini pumpkins are added to the mantel...

A couple of white ceramic pumpkins( I found at a local grocery store for $6 /each) are added to either side of the mantel....

To add more interest and balance, a pair of  white ceramic birds are tucked  in by the pumpkins....

A berry garland tucked in amongst all the pieces adds wonderful texture and another burst of colour....

A sweet owl garland adds softness while spelling out the season....
Voila.....the mantel is complete! :)

A few Reese's Pieces in an apothecary jar add colour and fun on a scrapbook paper lined tray, on the end table...

A mosaic glass bowl becomes a great coffee table piece with the addition of a candle holder, some  rattan spheres and some fall beaded garland.

Hope you all have a truly wonderful weekend! Perhaps you'll find some time to do some Fall decorating in your own homes. Whatever you do....enjoy!! :)

~Katrina

Simple touches to give your bedroom a fresh feel....

For the past couple of weeks I've been using some of my spare time giving my home a fresh feel for Fall. I just love to change things up for the seasons....sometimes with seasonal specific decorations but often times just by adding a few new accessories and by rearranging items I already have, around my home, to give each room a new look.

Here's how I took my Master Bedroom from summer cool and fresh to Autumn cozy and serene.....

Before:The Spring/Summer look...

After: Cozier for Fall and Winter

Duvet covers...

One of my favourite bedding options is a duvet. I just love how you can easily change out the cover to create a new look without taking up much closet space. I also love that when I travel and see a great deal on a  new duvet cover set, it doesn't take up much space in my suitcase either ;) This brown paisley duvet set is one I've had for 4 or 5 years now. I still love it as much as the day I found it (on clearance of course!)

The bird prints are replaced with a round mirror I found at Walmart for $39. It was black when I bought it but a quick coat of brushed silver spray paint and it gives it the much lighter look I was going for and coordinates with the silver lamp bases....

Accessories....

On top of the dresser is a great place to group favourite photos, candles, flowers, etc. Don't be afraid to layer the look and add a variety of heights and texture for interest. The runner here is actually 2 placemats just laid together.  I came across a set of 4 on clearance at Homesense for $11 and just had to have them.....I love the print and texture that coordinates perfectly with my duvet set. I used the other 2 placemats on each of my nightstands...

On my chest of drawers I used one of my existing seagrass trays and pics and accessories I already had...

If you look close at the corner of the above pic you can see I added a ribbon band around my lampshade to bring in another pop of the warm bronzy brown colour....

Mirrors....

My spray painted mirror....:)

Lampshades.....

I changed out the turquoise lampshades with these warm caramel colour ones.....I shopped my own house for these....."borrowed" them from the downstairs office and replaced the office ones with some taupe shades I already had. When I'm shopping I always try to find a neutral lampbase I love , because it's then sooo easy to change out the shades :)

Pillows...

I also like to switch the pillows from room to room in my home. This brown and gold one used to be on my foyer bench but now looks wonderful on the bedroom chair...

.

 I adore this filigree patterned pillow....another Homesense find from earlier this summer....

This bedroom is now all cozied up for Autumn and all it took was some repurposing of items I already had and $50 for a new mirror and placemats.....not bad for a new look! :)


Do you like to change things up for the season? I'd love to hear how! Please leave a comment below :)




                                                   ~Katrina

              

Give your home more space with smart storage solutions!

Just about everyone I speak with these days seems to have the same wish for their home-more space! No matter how much we have, it seems we always need more. Of course getting rid of the many things we have but don't truly need is always the best way to start. But what if you've done that and still don't have the space you need? That's when it's time to get creative with the space you do have. Here are some great ideas that should help:

 Office in a chest  

Don't have the space to dedicate a room as an office? No worries....this chest at the foot of the bed in a 

guest bedroom, is a great substitute! Holding everything from files to pens, pencils, thumbtacks and even a bulletin board- it provides a hidden office that you can easily access when you need it.  A small console table in conjunction with this and voila!...your office is complete! 

                                                                 Martha Stewart image

                                                     Hidden Kitchen storage

If you're fortunate enough to be planning a kitchen remodel, make sure to make use of every inch of space. The toekick drawer is one of my favourite tricks that many cabinet makers are doing today. A perfect place to store anything from cookie sheets to childrens art supplies/small toys (easy for them to get to!)....

                                                                            BHG.com

                                                      

                                                             Playroom storage

A Playroom is a room where you will definitely want to make use of every inch of space with multifunctional items. Here, two simple storage ottomans fit perfectly under this desk to provide extra storage for toys while doubling as seating for 2! A great place for friends to do craft projects or play games....

Seaside Interiors


Garage storage
Just when you think you've completely run out of space in your garage- just look up!  There are lots of square feet to be utilized on the garage ceiling... Just click the link below the pic for the DIY steps...

                                                                   Craziestgadgets.com

  

                                                    Short on drawer space?

Came across this great idea from chicaandjo.com, through Pinterest. Use 12x12 scrapbook paper organizers to vertically store items such as wraps, cutting boards etc. in your cupboards, freeing up much needed space in your kitchen drawers......

                                                                       chicaandjo.com

                                                      Great storage solution

Check out this great DIY PVC Bin Storage Organizer.....This is something I bet my hubby would love! ;)  How perfect is this for basement/garage storage.... you can easily access the Bin you need without having to move all the rest!  Just click on the link below the pic for all the instructions and a video. I bet my lego addicted son would even like to help with this project! :)

                                                                            Studio 5

Do you have any storage ideas you'd like to share? Leave a comment and let us know....we'd just love to hear your ideas! :)

                                                          ~Katrina