Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I know it's not a super huge holiday, but it's fun. I put up just a few touches of decor around our common living areas that I'd like to share. If I was on the ball, I would have shared this post a week or two ago to inspire you. Alas, I am quite the procrastinator. {I like to think most creative people are.} Hope this inspires you for next year!

Facelift Friday | Bulletin Board Upcycle

Facelift Friday | Telephone Table

Today's facelift is one that took me completely by surprise. We've had this telephone table for years. We picked it up at least eight years ago on clearance at Hobby Lobby. It's always been a great foyer, hallway or bathroom piece. It's tall, neutral and not too deep. In my opinion, accent furniture doesn't get any more versatile than this. 

The ABCs of Decorating | F

F is for Fresh flowers.

Client Review | Dining Room Decor via Text

Dining Room Décor via Text Messages

{Today's post is guest written by my lovely little sister. She and her family moved into a new, larger home last summer to accommodate their growing family. As it was quite larger than their previous home, they had several rooms they needed to design from scratch. I've had fun sharing the experience with her via text throughout that time. Of course, it doesn't hurt that she has amazingly classic taste!! I asked her if she would mind sharing the client's point of view in a guest post and happily, she agreed! I hope you enjoy it! xo, robyn}  



For a year and a half the only thing in our dining room was a table. I decided that was long enough, and it was time to finish the room.

Seasonal Decor | For the love of October

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."  Lucy Maud Montgomery

Room Refresh | Better flow in the dining room.

Thanks for joining me again for the before and afters of my first room refresh. Today I will be sharing the changes we made in the dining room. I think the dining room ended up being my favorite of the four spaces we converted. My client loved most everything about her dining room except for the flow of the space. 

Springtime Centerpiece

 

It took me a while to get this arrangement just right. It wasn't the type of consideration where you sit and stare at something for hours. This centerpiece was built out of multiple passings by. And I finally settled this afternoon.

 

It's a simple stack of melamine plates from Target's Easter selection years ago. I loved the faux vintage look on them. {The cute little bunnies didn't hurt things either.}

 

 

Also from Target's Easter offerings are the sweet linen {looking} napkins with the embroidered rabbit.

 

 

On top of the stack of plates is a lovely sugar bowl I got from a Dutch company called Pomax. Their stuff is simple and beautiful. I hope to find more before we move back to the States.

The cake stand is a new addition to our home. It is Martha Stewart and I was happy and surprised to find it at the Exchange here in Germany. I am looking forward to experimenting with different seasonal items.

 

If you are local, you will be happy to hear the faux eggs and nest are ridiculously easy to find in Germany. The country as a whole seemingly has a love affair with eggs in the spring. Mine in particular came from Depot.

 

 

After days of walking past our dining room table and slightly rearranging things, I am finally happy with the arrangement. All the spring things make me smile... even when snow is fluttering down right outside my window.

Sharing this post at Cozy Little House.

Valentine's Day Decor | String Hearts

 

I originally found this idea via Pinterest. It led me to Camilla's lovely blog, Family Chic. There you can find the directions to these simple, yet quite lovely hearts.

 

 

I swapped out the bright colors Camilla chose for something a little closer to my decor style. I picked up white and flax colored yarn at a local store. I didn't have the floral wire Camilla used, so I used a medium gauge craft wire to shape the hearts. After some trial and error, I realized I needed to wrap the wire heart with a layer of yarn before weaving the web around them. This kept the yarn webs taught with no slipping.

 

I love this project. It was simple enough to do with my children and they add a special touch to our living area. 

French Cheeseboard Centerpiece

  Over the summer, I found the beauty that is Kristine's style over at The Painted Hive. Since then, I have ogled her home over and over and dreamed of ways I could incorporate her style into my own home. One thing I really loved was the way she styled her dining room table. The centerpiece was a simple collection of things: a pair of lanterns, a floral arrangement, and some fruit centered around a cheeseboard. It was an aha! moment for me. I needed a cheeseboard.

How lucky I am that I happen to live in Europe at the time of this revelation. I started the search. Of course, it needed to be French. This was non-negotiable. I've been to several bazaars since summer and I've seen lovely vintage cheeseboards. For whatever reason, they didn't seem right to me. 

Last weekend, I finally stumble upon the perfect option. Don't you love when things mesh so perfectly? You see, there are these amazing wine racks that Americans love to buy over here. They are actual champagne riddling racks directly from Reims, France. They are beautiful. But we have a wine rack we love and it's hard for us to find a place for a riddling rack in our home. Nonetheless, I couldn't imagine leaving Europe without an authentic riddling rack. 

 So, we found ourselves at the place in Germany that sells these lovely items with the stamp of authenticity. I stood in the shop debating with myself over this wine rack and I happened to see this beautiful cheeseboard! It is made of the wood from the riddling racks in Reims and even has the stamp of the vineyard. How perfect! I was so excited about my find and couldn't wait to get home and style it up myself.

The items currently in use are what I had on hand. I am sure they will be changed plenty of times throughout the year to accommodate different holidays and the changing seasons. Right now, I have some lovely pink tea towels from IKEA and a rustic heart frame as a nod to Valentine's Day. Of course, I will be adding a family picture and some other fun things, but I am quite happy with the way it all turned out.