Decorating Inspiration

Have you been to Anthropologie?  

They opened in Winnipeg in October.  If you haven't been, you have to go.

It's gorgeous.

What I love about Anthropologie is that as lovely as their products are, 

their decor is equally worth the visit.

I was inspired by their marshmallows.

They had them sprinkled everywhere.  

Minis.

Big guys.

And my favourite, tied to items with candy cane striped twine.

They were just so sqeezeably adorable!  

So I had to have some too.  

What could be easier?

Or cheaper?

Or more cozy, comfy, sweet than a marshmallow cinched at his waist by some twine?

Go buy yourself a bag!  (or two)

Decorating for Christmas

Do you find it overwhelming?  

Adding a whole load of Christmas decorations to your house in a season when your spaces are already more crowded than usual?

Even if you don't have a bunch of bins worth, it can be tricky to add Christmas in and amongst your regular stuff.

So here's my number one, most important holiday decorating tip.

Don't add.

REPLACE.

Try to keep the same general plan that you normally have in your rooms, but replace your every day items with Christmas decor.

On the walls,

on your shelves,

in vases,

on side tables,

and coffee tables.

There are so many simple ways to make a big impact.

Change up a blanket.

Use some red balls.

Trade a plant for a tree.

All those items you remove can get stored in the bins you took your Christmas decorations out of.

When it's time to take down, just switch it all back.

Happy Decorating!

Furniture Arranging - Creating a Welcoming Space

I love arranging furniture so I was thrilled to have the chance to work with a recent client.  

Her goal:  a welcoming space for guests.

Isn't that what we all want over the holidays?  A home where we can invite people in and make them feel warm and cozy and comfortable.

It really doesn't take much.

A spot to place your drink,

some lighting and art in every corner,

traffic flow.

Before

After

Pulling together the right pieces to create a unified space.

Before

After

Moving furniture around until you come to a cozy configuration.

Before

After

Nothing new was purchased,
we just shifted items around to create a peaceful, serene, and inviting space.

May the hostessing begin!

6 Year Old Crafts PLUS a Holiday Advertisement

The shelf I showed you last Wednesday was from our hallway.

It had been storing craft supplies and books.

But only Cate really does much crafting these days and there were just too many things on the shelf.  You really don't need 200 crayons.  

You just don't.

So I downsized.

A spot for colouring books (Ikea spice rack), 

a place for enough pencils/crayons/markers for a 6 year old,

and a roll of paper.

I spray painted the wood items black to tie it all together.

Then I gave her a little table and a pouf to sit on.  Both were in storage.

I am so happy to have my house in a state of organization heading into the holidays.  I am a person who finds chaos distracting and at Christmas I want to be focussed on other things.

Maybe you feel the same.

I'd love to come over and help you get yourself organized too.  Or maybe you'd like your house decorated for the holidays.  Your shopping done?  Your gifts wrapped?

I'd love to help you with any and all of it!  

My rates are $30 per hour.  Email for an appointment.
(stayathomeshan@yahoo.ca)

A Few More Changes Because Things Happened

Last week you saw how my bedroom underwent some changes.

A few of those changes made their way down to the 2nd floor.

The chair I kicked out of my room went to live with Eli.  The colour looks great in his room and Spidey is quite happy.  

Remember, don't be afraid to move things around.

And since we were moving things a bit, I decided to add some shelves.

The red ones are for lego storage ($7 each total from Ikea) and the white one was in storage.

Organization doesn't have to be expensive.

After taking Cate's toy dresser I had to replace it with something so I gave her this shelf and got some of my favourite bins.

So far she's doing well at keeping things sorted so maybe the bins were a good idea.

Before

After

 And where did the shelf come from you ask?

My favourite change.  

Come back and check it out on Monday!

Bedroom Update - Because Things Happen

Sometimes things happen that require you to make an unplanned change in your decor.

Sometimes several things happen.

Like your bedding wears out and rips apart.  

Since I couldn't find anything similar to what I had I went for a whole new look.

Before

After

And your big screen breaks.

No, I am not happy with the new size but you do what you have to and this is better than having it balancing precariously on a stool.

Before

After

And then your dresser breaks.

Not wanting to spend money, I stole one from Cate's room.

Before

After

Next I inherited a chair.

It suited the new bedding and the new dresser so up it came.

Before

After

With the new look, some decor had to get updated.

Before

After

So.  

Things happen.

What have we learned?

1.  Try something new when an old favourite wears out.

2.  It's okay to make do until you can get what you really want.

3.  To save money, shop the house.

4.  Be willing to switch things around.

5.  Spray paint my friend.  Spray paint.