http://cottagebluedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/12/paint-rug-why-not.html
I made an easy Ottoman Slipcover in under 2 hours. Click on the link below to see how:
http://cottagebluedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/06/two-hour-ottoman-slipcover-project.html
I arranged our family black & white photographs and hung them in a somewhat grid arrangement:
http://cottagebluedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/06/white-frame-black-white-photo.html
I Just Made an Oyster Shell Mirror
I was inspired in an awesome home decorating store near Oak Island, NC last year. They were selling an oyster shell mirror (a larger version) for $600! I thought to myself, that is crazy!!! I loved the mirror though. I've made many shell mirrors in the past but never one solely using oyster shells.
Here's the last mirror that I made which was inspired by one I saw in the Pottery Barn catalog and an amazing mirror I saw in a restaurant at our hotel in Sanibel Island, Florida a few years ago:
I actually bought this round 'beach' mirror at Marshalls for $20 this spring- I used it for staging our house that we were selling in Northern Virginia. I was thinking ahead that the flat surface on the mirror would provide a perfect place for attaching oyster shells with a hot glue gun.
All I needed was a hot glue gun, a couple of sticks of glue, the $20 mirror, and oyster shells from a restaurant in Pawley's Island, SC (thank you Blue Crab Restaurant). All I did to 'treat' the oyster shells after getting them from the restaurant was wash them off and place them in a bleach/water mixture for a few hours to remove the ocean smell.
First I noticed that there were 3 sizes of oyster shells: small, medium, and large. I played around with placement options:
I bought some fake pearls in the jewerly section of the Michael's craft store which I considered adding to the mirror but in the end I decided that the natural beauty of the oyster shells should be left alone.
I am still considering where the oyster shell mirror might be hung but for now I have hung it in my office and am happy when I look at it. It reminds of my favorite location in the world: the beach.
Happy Decorating and Living-
Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone!
Megan
The Work Continues...
This week in the Brewer household we are trying our hardest to get the smallest Brewer potty trained. I have to admit it's a lot harder with him that I imagined. He's sitting on the potty now holding a box of candy he picked out at the store yesterday and nothing's happening. It does not seem to be motivating him. He needs to be potty trained before he can attend summer camps this summer. He is itching to socialize and get out. This momma is itching to get some decorating work done for clients and herself. How many times can we watch the Elmo Potty dvd or read potty books? I am trying to stay positive. I think he can, I think he can, I think he can.....
Well, anyway, back to decorating, since we are staying close to home to get this potty training thing worked out, it gives me a good opportunity to work on some of my decorating projects. I have two decorating goals brewing for this week:
1. Cover Ottoman in My Bedroom: This sweet little chair I scored at an Antique store in Frederick, Maryland many years ago for $35! I did have a professional slipcover made for it in a cotton white denim which has zippers for easy removal for washing. I found the ottoman at a Antique/Junk store in Vienna, Virginia for $20. The brown fabric on it has never worked for me so I have made several different ottoman slipcovers for it over the years. This time I think I am going to upholdester it using a nail gun and some sewing. (Notice Millie the cat in the first photo, she's ready for me to get finished with the ottoman project so she can curl up and take a nap.)
Option 1:
Which fabric option do you like?
2. Hang White Frame Family Photograph Arrangement(s) in Living Room
I recently bought some more white frames at Target so now I am considering doing 2 black and white family photograph collections. One above the sofa and one above the two checkered chairs.
Location 1:
Location 2:
Our printer has been acting up and is now out of blank ink so the printing of the black and white family photos has been slowed. But the new blank ink has been ordered and should arrive this week. I purchased some photograph paper to print my own photos from the printer. I plan on using many photos that we already have but I did want to add some new ones. To be continued....
Happy decorating and living-
Megan
Email me to work together on decorating your home-
megan@cottagebluedesigns.com
May Assignment: Work on Living Room
Here was the living room when we moved in about 3 weeks ago, a beautiful blank slate:
This is an important room for me to decorate because:
- It's the very first room you see when you walk into our home
- It's the room that I see when I am working in my home office (like I am right now while I am typing this). Here's my home office:
Now we have put in some furniture and the room is slowly starting to take shape. The two checkered chairs were from our old house- I bought the chairs at a resale store because they had good bones about 10 years ago and immediately had them reupholestered in this neutral tan and white check fabric. The small table between the chairs was from a small antique mall in Fairfax, VA (which is long gone) also about 10 years ago. The glass and iron table is one we had in our house in Annandale, VA. The mirror was inexpensive from World Market. The white "chair and a half" (ok, why don't they just call it a loveseat?) is newly purchased from Crate and Barrell (slipcover sale in March). The pillows I made with fabric from Calico Corners:
Here's the living room so far (you can see there's lots of work to do):
Projects left to work on:
Figure out what arrangement I like best of the black and white family pictures in the various white frame collection:
I am so excited that airy white and blue curtains from Pottery Barn have been ordered for the room which I think will look fabulous:
Also, an old Pottery Barn chandelier from our Annandale, VA house will replace the current light.
Also, left to consider:
- I am still waffling on the paint color in the room. I really think it's too dark for the look that I am going for.
- I really need to consider the accessories in the room once the room is more together.
- Consider getting a small area rug for the room in the future.
- Need to hang some art work on the wall by the two checked chairs.
Stay tuned....I'll post more photos as this decorating project continues....
Happy decorating and living,
Megan
NUMBER 1 Decorating Project for the summer of 2011:
I am so excited that we (our little family of 4) are going from this (recently sold in Annandale, Virginia- I LOVED this home and we touched every inch of it!):
Stay with me this summer and watch how I decorate our new home! Click on "followers" on the right hand column andsign up to receive updates on my blog of my decorating projects to make this new home "our home". Thanks for staying tuned! Happy decorating!
Megan
megan@cottagebluedesigns.com
http://www.cottagebluedesigns.com/
