"Everyone needs their own Spot!" Mary Engelbreit

Have you been trying to carve out some space for a home office or hobby room?  Everyone needs  their own space at home for creating and keeping track of  home work.  Amazing  how people find ways to find an area in their home to call their own.  In some homes a hobby/office space is built right in.  In others people actually give up a closet to create this enviornment for themselves.  As women we are naturally nesters and we find ways to make it happen when we need our  own space. However large or small your space is it can only help to add some pesonal touches.  Adding your favorite color, pictures, and of course some organizational touches will make your work more enjoyable.  Isn't it funny how we have beautiful untouched living rooms and a tiny little space where we spend a lot of time creating or working.  Here are some beautiful ideas to inspire you!

eclectic home office design

eclectic home office design

traditional home office design

eclectic home office design

Another Giveaway!!

Another Great Giveaway to check out from "Between Naps on the Porch", tassels from the "Tassel House", Beautiful tassels.
Between Naps On the Porch Reviews: A Give-a-Way from The Tassel House!

junkdreams: JUNK DREAMS GIVEAWAY!!!

 I was just looking around in Blogworld and stumbled onto this giveway at Junk Dreams! Check it out!
junkdreams: JUNK DREAMS GIVEAWAY!!!

My favorite decorating book.

 There are so many decortaing books that I love.  Lots of favorites!  But one book stands out in my head as my absolute favorite design book.  It is Alexandra Stoddard's "Living a beautiful Life".. Living a Beautiful Life: 500 Ways to Add Elegance, Order, Beauty and Joy to Every Day of Your Life She explores ways to add elegance, order, beauty, and joy, to your everyday life.  It is not a picture book like most decorating books are,  rather she has black and white illustrations  and explains simple ways to really create beauty in your home.  I first read this book in the late 1980's and still refer back to it. 
A few other books that I have to recommend are Kitty Bartholomew's Decorating Style: A Hands-On Approach to Creating Affordable, Beautiful, and Comfortable Rooms a wonderful picture book and great design advice!  Also check out THE NEW DECORATING BOOK (BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS), and New Decorating Book (Better Homes & Gardens Decorating).  I think Better Homes and Gardens updates ever couple of years, great photos!  Straight Talk on Decorating from Lynette Jennings
is a wonderful book too. And I have to say that Martha Stewart,has so many beautiful decortaing/entertaining books that she is always at the top of my list.

Black is the color they were meant to be!

I found these cute pots at a thrift store for $3.00. Can't beat that! As usual not sure what I would do with them, but on the way home I thought I would paint htem black and put some silk roses in them.  The roses were left from a larger pot that I had on the floor near my fireplace, My dogs broke it running through the house.  I loved that pot and I have been looking for a replacemnet, so these seem like they just might work. Here is the before and after.  I antiqued them a little too.  Black is the color they were meant to be!

Put out your Welcome Mat!

Wow! What else can you say about this front door.  It's gorgeous, the color, the wreath & garland ,the snow. This photo was taken at just the right time to capture  this beauty. This door conjures up all sorts of images of what might be on the other side of this door. It makes me think that this is probably a great house inside as well, probably fun people live here.  Kids, and young homeowners. What do you think? Our front entry way is a place that we can spruce up pretty easily to be welcoming and warm for our visitors. The color can be easily changed. What's your favorite color? That's a good place to start. Or if you don't want a color on your door how about a wreath on the door or entry wall or some great flowers to bring in some color. You can't go wrong with seasonal decorations. It's such fun looking at front doors when walking through the neighborhood.
What does your front door say about you?

Now this entry is beautiful too, Red is so welcoming. Very clean and neat, the rocking chairs lend you to believe maybe an older person lives here, but someone you'd like to get to know.

Here are a few more front entryways for you to enjoy. What do they say to you?

 

A Valentine table quilt is born.

 I  came across this small stack of Moda Valentine prints and couldn't resist it.   Not a clue what I would make, but I loved all the pretty colors and had to have it to inspire and remind me of valentines day. And the next thing you know a little table quilt was born. Rather than on my table, I think it looks cute reflecting in the miror on my stair rail.  What do you think?

Sugar Cookies

Made valentine cookies with my sister yesterday. Aaahhh…Special “sister time” nothing like it!

We used this recipe I had been given from a friend of mine Marva Puttman and they are so great because they are not too sweet and you can bake them right up without time in the frig.

Marva’s Sugar Cookies

Combine 1 cup sugar,

2tsp. Cr. of tartar

3 cups Flour

½ tsp salt

1 tsp soda

Cut in – 1 cup shortening/ ½ butter

Add 2 eggs & 1tsp vanilla

Roll out ¼” thick and cut out into cookie shapes.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 min. Decorate as you like! Yummy…….

Plates as an accessory.

Plates as a hanging accessory have become very popular again in our homes. Over the years, decorative plates have always been a collectors item, but never have they been quite the wall art that they are today in 2010. We are hanging them in every room of the house. Plates are a little piece of artwork in and of themselves, but together as a collage they become something else all together. People collect plates for so many differnt reasons. A collage of plates can create a theme, a color palate, tell a story, or just be a a memory for someone. Enjoy the pictures and maybe you'll be thinking of your dinner plate a little differently.

eclectic living room design by new york interior designer Dufner Heighes Inc

eclectic patio design

bedroom design

traditional powder room design

Stampin' Up

I spent the day on Saturday at a wonderful stamping festival. Talk about inspiration. WOW eveywhere you looked there was inspiration.
So many cute cards,so little time. Here are a few of the ones that I made.