Painting the Family Room

Sterling Walls

Hi Guys,

Green Walls Before

Ever since we moved the green plaid sofa into the basement and purchased a red leather sofa for the family room, I have wanted to paint the family room's green walls a color that was more flattering to the sofa.

Green Walls Before

Gray Walls

Steve Painting

I chose Benjamin Moore's sterling. It is the same color as the back splash in the kitchen and looks lovely with the colonial blue wall in the family room and the northern air blue walls in the living room. I left the trim Super White. Gray is very neutral and looks good in any room, so if you're having trouble picking a color for your room, don't be afraid to look at the grays.

Finished Walls

My next project will be to make some pillows for the sofa that bring out the grays and blues in the room.

Pendant Lights

Lights Above Table

We also purchased two pendant lights to hang above the glass kitchen table. They are lovely and add a little class to the dining table and lucite chairs.

Finished Family Room--Gracie on the Red Sofa

Gray Walls next to Colonial Blue

As today is the final day of 2010, I wish you all a Happy and Healthy 2011.

That's my tip for today.

b

YouTube Videos

Hi Guys,

Well, it's taken me years, but I finally figured out how to put some pictures on YouTube. I had a lot of help from my son-in-law.

Go to YouTube and take a look at:  The Beautiful Seasons in my Neighborhood  and

Miss Yvonna Grace and Mister Zippy.

Let me know what you think.

b

Holiday Floral Arrangements

Tulips, Evergreen Branches, & Curly Willow

Hi Guys,

Tomorrow night is our Lexington Bicentennial Band Holiday Party. I went to the nursery to buy flowers for the food table. I looked at the arrangements, and the prices and thought, I can make that for a whole lot less. I already had vases, so I purchased individual flowers (mums, daisies, baby's breath, evergreen branches, and pink and white tulips) and three boxes of raw cranberries. I made three lovely arrangements for a little over $40.

Empty Vase & Cranberries

I started out with an empty vase and added water and a few cranberries. Then I arranged the flowers and filled the vase with more cranberries until they reached the top.

Vase Ready for Flowers

I added some curly willow to the arrangements along with some glittery eucalyptus that I had purchased for an arrangement a few years ago.

Mums, Baby's Breath, Curly Willow, Eucalyptus

I think the arrangements will look lovely on the table tomorrow night.

That's my tip for today.

b

Finished Mum Arrangement

Christmas Decorating Part 3

Decorated Dining Room Table

Hi Guys,

Today's blog consists of pictures of the way I decorated my house for the Holidays.

Dining Room

Please enjoy, and I hope they inspire you in your Holiday decorating.

That's my tip for today.

b

Family Room Hearth

Family Room & Living Room Tree

Front Entry

Living Room

Living Room

Living Room

Living Room

Christmas Decorating Part 2

Outdoor Wreath

Hi Guys,

Fruit and Pine Cone Wreath

Well, I spent the day finishing my Christmas decorating. A few years ago I made a wreath and decorated it with pine cones and faux fruit. It doesn't scream Christmas, so I can leave it up all winter. I hung it on the dining room wall.

Christmas Card Holder

I made a Christmas card holder and hung it on the inside of the front door. Pretty soon it will be full.

Bowl Full of Balls

I filled a glass footed bowl with small Christmas balls and put it next to a hand crafted Santa that was given to me as a gift.

Santa

I filled a bowl full of pine cones and red berries and put it on the coffee table in the living room.

Pine Cones in Bowl

Wreath & Candy Canes

We strung some lights on the ficus tree in the family room.

I decorated the outside of the front door with a decorated, lighted wreath. I bought some gold wired ribbon and made a bow that I fastened to the top.

Lighted Poinsettias

I hung two lighted poinsettia plants on the plant hooks on the front porch. Both the wreath and the plants' lights are on timers, so I don't have to worry about turning them off and on. The decorative lights on the deck stay there all year round. We like to light them for parties. At Christmastime, we light them every night.

That's my tip for today.

b

Lights on the Deck

Christmas Decorating Part 1

The Finished Tree

Hi Guys,

Adding Flowers

Setting up the Christmas Tree

Once again it is time to decorate for the holidays. I started my Christmas decorating on Thanksgiving by putting up the tree. Instead of adding ornaments, I added white poinsettias and lots of ribbons.

The Mantle Before

Today I decorated the mantle. I hung a lighted wreath on the brick and laid a lighted garland on the mantle. I added stocking hangers and stockings for each of us, even the dogs. I put some red beads around the wreath and gold beads on the garland and stocking hangers.

I still have more decorating to do, but this is a good start. I hope it gives you some ideas on how to decorate your home.

That's my tip for today.

b

The Finished Mantle

My Favorite Things

Hi Guys,

I know I'm not Oprah, and I certainly can't afford to give gifts like she does, but, in case you need gift ideas, I thought you might be interested in some of the things I absolutely love and can't live without.

 1.  Godiva's Chocolate Truffle coffee
 2.  Canon's Power Shot SD780IS Digital Elph
 3.  Sorel suede indoor/outdoor slippers
 4.  Diane Gilman jeans--skinny or boot cut
 5.  Liz Claiborne New York sweaters
 6.  iPad
 7.  The North Face winter jackets
 8.  Pre de Provence Mint Leaf body lotion
 9.  Pre de Provence Mint Leaf shea butter vegetable soap
10. Cindy Crawford's Meaningful Beauty, cleanser, eye cream,
      day cream, night cream, and brightener
11. Josie Maran 100% pure Argan Oil and lipstick (all colors)
12. Smashbox Halo hydrating perfecting powder
13. Smashbox satin blush (Candlelit Pink)
14. Smashbox waterproof shadow/liner (Graphite)
15. Smashbox lipstick (all colors)
16. Kabuki brushes
17. Laura Geller baked eye shadow (Gumdrop/Concord Grape)
16. Laura Geller Balance & Brighten
17. Laura Geller blush (Ethereal Rose)
18. Bare Minerals Mineral Veil
19. Jergens natural glow healthy complexion daily
      facial moisturizer
20. Neutrogena eye makeup remover lotion
21. Lip Fusion lip gloss (Bare)
22. Estee Lauder Senuous parfume, lotion, shower gel
23. Cover Girl exact eyelights (Black Ruby for green eyes)
24. Wen shampoo and conditioner (Sweet Almond Mint)
       and Lavender Styling Creme
25. Essie good to go fast drying top coat

There you have it--25 of my favorite things.

That's my tip for today.

b

 

Pine Cone Balls

Pine Cone Ball on a Knob

Hi Guys,

If you were lucky enough to find teeny, tiny, pine cones on your pine cone search, then you can make these pine cone balls.

You will need round, styrofoam balls of various sizes, dark brown paint, a hot glue gun, and, of course, your tiny pine cones.

First, paint your balls and let them dry. If you want to use your pine cone balls as ornaments, make a hole in the ball and hot glue a fabric hanger into the hole. If you just want to put your balls in a bowl, then you won't need a hanger.

Next comes the time consuming part. Put a drop of hot glue on the bottom of the pine cone and stick it to the painted ball. Put the pine cones as close together as you can. You won't be able to cover all the nooks and crannies, that's why I had you paint the ball the color of the pine cones, so they won't be visible.

When the ball is full of pine cones, it is finished.

You can hang your balls on knobs, on your Christmas tree, or group several together in a bowl. I chose to display them on a long, narrow tray.

Pine Cone Balls in a Bowl

Your pine cone balls will last for years if you treat them gently. Have fun with this project!

That's my tip for today.

b

Balls in a Long, Narrow Tray

Pine Cone Arrangements

Pine Cone and Curly Willow Arrangement

Hi Guys,

Today I'm going to show you another way to use the pine cones you gathered. You'll need a clear, tall vase, some curly willow (which can be purchased at a craft store), and, of course, pine cones. I used tall, thin pine cones, but you can use whatever you were able to find.

Pine Cones and Vase

Curly Willow

I first filled the vase full of pinecones, then added the curly willow. That's it!

This is a very simple project, but makes a big impact, especially if you place it in front of a mirror like I did in my front entry.

Small Vase Filled with Pine Cones and Pine Needles

I also filled a small vase with pine cones that can be placed just about anywhere in your home.

These pine cone arrangements can be used from now until the spring. You may want to add some glittery branches at Christmas time if you want your arrangement to look more festive, or just leave it plain.

That's my tip for today.

b

Pine Cones with Curly Willow Added

Decorating Trends

Pewter from Noway

Hi Guys,

This season's decorating trends run the gamut from grays to large, brightly colored flowers. You will also see animal print everywhere as well as the military look. Now, how do you incorporate these looks in your home without changing your entire decor?

Black & White Pictures

Gray Fabric

Gray Bathroom 

One way to include gray is through black and white pictures framed in black frames. Another is through pewter or nickel accessories and drawer pulls. Throws and throw pillows are another, inexpensive way to incorporate some of the new trends. I purchased some gray upholstery fabric that I plan to use to cover several throw pillows to use in my family room. You can also paint a room gray. We painted the bathroom in our basement a medium gray and accented it with purple towels. The backsplash in our kitchen is made of gray, glass tiles which ties into our black and gray granite countertop. Our cabinets are beige and our paint is dark purple. It all works together very nicely.

Flowered Tapestry Chair

I purchased a flowered tapestry chair for my living room and bought a yard of extra fabric to make matching pillows. You could buy brightly flowered pillows or sheets for you bedroom. A flowered rug would be lovely in a family room, bedroom, or kitchen.

Mojo

My sister-in-law covered a dog bed with animal print fabric. Animal print can also be used as throws, throw pillows, or rugs. You can find animal print everywhere. Just don't go overboard with it.

The khaki, drab green, military trend can be subtle or bold since it is rather neutral. You can paint a room, slipcover a piece of furniture, buy a throw or just buy some pillows for your sofa. A good accent for the color would be a warm beige or dark brown. Speaking of dark brown, try pairing light gray with dark brown. It is lovely.

That's my tip for today.

b