Inexpensive Artwork For A Little Boy's Bedroom...

When I was home visiting in Nova Scotia this past summer, I had the pleasure of helping my cousin & his wife put together a look for a bedroom that was going to become Big Brother's room when Little Brother arrives this fall.

We chatted about a  look for the room, and I suggested that the room could fresh & fun without being too 'themey' or 'disneyed out'... a room that could grow with 'Big Brother'  for the next few years.

We started off with a visit to Homesense to search for new bedding for a twin bed and some inspiration for a colour pallette for the room.

Mom fell in love with a beautiful cotton bedding set that was made up of various shades of blue.

Then we chose some fun accents pieces in frog green to give the room some great little boy energy.

{I really wish I had taken pictures of the bedding and accents...but it was such a busy few days!}

One thing we couldn't find for the room was some artwork.

I suggested we look at children's books to see if we could find something suitable to frame.

After some time browsing through children's books, we found one that we liked.

A counting book {$7.95} with cute animals...perfect for a little boy.

 I loved the counting theme and the simple, black typeface with sweet pictures.

 We visited a local dollar store and picked up some inexpensive frames.

 And because the pictures from the book were a little small, I added some scrapbook paper in blue & greens to make borders to fill in the frame & compliment the artwork.

 It didn't take long for the finished project to look like this:

 Silly seals and funny frogs.

 The grouping of 6 framed pictures came in under $30. A fantastic deal!

I was so happy with how this project came out.

I only wished that I could have been in Nova Scotia longer to help with painting the room and getting

it all ready for the dear little "Big Brother".


This post is linked to these fun parties:

A Little More of Fall Decor...

I was able to finish off a little more decor for Fall at our house.

Over the years, I have discovered a few things about my decorating style.

Creating tablescapes are my favourite to add to our home for seasonal changes.

I don't like hanging or pinning things up...I just like thing making horizontal surfaces beautiful.

I love to use things like vases, old books, prints, candles or greenery.

For this tablescape I used things that I already had.

The plate is a piece from my Grandmother's china... called "Buttercup" by Spode.

{Interestingly, I spied some of this china pattern on the table at Sarah Richardson's Farmhouse.}

And the old Schwartz peanut butter jar with buttons? It came from my Grandmother's house too.

I am sooo sentimental. Always have been. Always will be.

Some of you have left comments that I have inspired  you to decorate for Fall!

Thank you so much...that is the biggest compliment to me!

For me, Blogging is completely about sharing & inspiring.

Did you know that I try to reply to every comment or visit every blog of my visitors?

{Although last week there were some glitches with the commenting issues}

Did you know that some of you have the 'no reply' email option turned on with blogger?

That means when you ask a questions, sadly, I cannot reply.

If you think it could be you, you may want to check into that.

Otherwise, you might think I am quite rude for not getting back to you!

Thank you for reading & have a wonderful Monday!

This post is linked to these great parties:

Show & Tell @ Blue Cricket Design

Nesting For Fall 2011...

I have been busy these past 2 days decorating our home for Fall.

Yesterday I was not very happy with myself as the fall decoration storage totes were on the bottom of the pile under all the Christmas storage totes.

I mean, seriously, who does that to themselves?

 I was sweating by the time I was done fishing out the 2 totes that I needed!

***

This year I chose a colour theme of white, yellow & orange to decorate & freshen things up with....less brown and black over last year.

I only spent $15 in a few new flower stems from Michaels.

{Did you know that flower stems are 50% off this week? Great deal.}

Of course I started with the piano-tel.

This is my very favourite area to decorate!

The quote in the frame is a free printable from Mrs. Brooklyn Limestone blog.

The vase that holds the branches is a spray paint project you can read about here.

A vase of branches is such a beautiful look....I adore this look.

I could put one in every room & never get tired of looking at the same gorgeous shape.

The quote in the frame below is a free printable from Becky Higgins' blog.

I think it is such an apropriate quote for fall. {I love Jane Austen}.

For the coffee tablescape...I picked up the pinecones while out walking with the dogs and everything else I already had.

Here is how the living room looks.

{The more I look at this, the more I want to paint my coffee table white. What do you think?}

And I made this little vignette this morning on our dining table.

It is a little farmhouse table-ish...with apple-shaped salt & pepper shakers and napkins.

The apples are from our own little tree and they taste so good!

I just picked up the flowers stems at Michaels this morning.

Have you decorated for Fall yet?

Here in Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving on October 10th this year, which makes it far too early for us to decorate for Halloween.

What is your favourite look for Fall this year?

Did you buy anything new, or use what you had already?

If you would like to see how our home was decorated for Fall 2010, please visit here.

Thank you so much for visiting me!!

This post has been linked to these terrific parties:

Show & Tell @ Blue Cricket Design

Sundae Scoop @ I heart Naptime

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Style At Home Magazine: 3 Fall Trends You Can Add To Your Home...

This week, to my delight,  I was contacted by the web editor of Canada's Style At Home magazine.

The editors at Style At Home Magazine have identified 3 top trends for fall in home decor and they have invited me to share them with you all.

You don't have to ask me twice to talk about home decor!

If you have never read Canada's Style At Home magazine, you really should try it out!

It is my favorite home decor magazine and I have been reading it for years.

And just so you know, I received no financial compensation for writing this post...it's all in fun!

All images are from Style At Home.

1. Wood. The first trend for fall that the editors at Style At Home magazine have chosen is wood.

Wood adds wonderful warmth & texture to any space.

Here are a couple of suggestions for adding wood to your rooms:

You may have a wood dining table in your dining area already. Now is the perfect time to clean it off and it let it shine with a palette of white dishes & fresh flowers as shown here.

A wood table or sofa table is another item you may already own. You can add some great personality to a room with a fresh a new tablescape that compliments the wood.

A wood tray is another item that would be lovely to display for fall.

I have seen lots of interesting wood pieces at Homesense recently.

And yard sales and secondhand stores are also good sources for wood accessories, which were popular in the 70's.

I know my mother still has some wood serving dishes from the 70's tucked away in her kitchen.

  Wood vases are great to showcase as well.

 And wood salad bowls are an eternal favourite. Lots of us have these in our homes already.

A wood salad bowl filled with apples is a great look at this time of year.

To read more about this trend, go here.

2. The New Neutrals. The Style At Home team has shared another trend for fall...the new neutrals.

To see the colours and brands that this team of experts has chosen, go here.

If you are thinking of painting a room this fall, one of these colours may just the touch of current that you are looking for.

{I like that these colours are not dark colours.}

How about warm taupes?

Or soft sage:

Or velvety lilacs?

3. Modern Global. The last trend for fall is a look called modern global and is described as a fresh take on African style. You can learn more about this look by reading this article at Style at Home.

I love this look:

The simplest way to add a bit of Modern Global to a home is with wallpaper.

The current trend in wallpapers are patterns that are 2 tone and graphic, as compared to the multi-coloured patterns of years past.

You can also achieve this look with a stencil and white paint at a fraction of the cost.

{Have you seen the new Martha Stewart stencil line at Micheal's?}

Another super easy update for a smidge of Modern Global is adding a few new pillows which are also graphic in nature.

Pillows are one of the easiest updates to make in a space.

So there you have it.... some new information & eye candy on 3 top design trends for fall from the Editors of Style At Home Magazine.

Which of these 3 trends did you like and which do you think you may try in your home?

I am dying to try a graphic stencil on a wall in my home somewhere...maybe the wall behind the piano..or a closet.

Thanks so much for reading!

This post is linked to these terrific parties: