Happy Easter!

Yesterday we had D.'s family over for Easter dinner. 

We host a lot of the holiday celebrations and I wouldn't have it any other way.

It fills my with happiness to see the childrens eyes light up at the sight of each other, and we are able to spend time with our family.

When we have a larger crowd, we usually set the kiddies up in the kitchen.

This year my eldest daughter took a real interest in the table decor, so she designed the childrens table:

We made Martha's tissue pompoms (so easy, we'll be making these again), and Natasha trimmed the boxwood out front to add some greenery (she had wanted to fill the little crystal glasses with candy!)

For the adult table we kept it pretty simple. 

No place settings on the table because we serve everything in the kitchen and then people can sit where they like and visit - this is not a formal kind of house!

  Wine and conversation flow freely here :) 

I made these eggs last week - they were the most time consuming project! I printed off some vintage card images and adhered them to plastic eggs with glue.  I don't think I would do it again, but I was determined to finish these guys... I think it would be better to paint the eggs and then just add decorative touches, rather than do the whole thing. 

So we had a lovely dinner, and today we are off to another.

I hope you all are spending the holiday with people you love..

til next time...

The Hall Mirror - From Junky to Fabulous

So a few posts back I showed you a mirror I found for $38.

It was huge, and heavy, with a gorgeous beveled edge mirror set in a really unattractive, damaged pink frame.

So I bought it, even though I was not quite sure what I was going to do with it  

(this happens around here a lot!).

It sat in the storage room until a twitter buddy, onhomedecor, posted a link to this pic

What a great idea for an accent wall.

  For a twist, you could use old atlases, photography books, botanical journals, whatever tickles your fancy... It's simple to do, just make sure you put up a dry strippable wallpaper underneath (so you can remove it down the road), and use a layer of wallpaper paste underneath and on top of each page, saturating it completely.

So how does this relate to the mirror?

I decided to decoupage the frame.  

Off to the local sally Ann, where I found this vintage beauty -

This was my favourite story as a kid - all I wanted was a life of adventure - my children are the same way, fascinated by geography and always wanting to learn about life in other places.

as a book lover, I felt really torn (no pun intended!)  about destroying this book, but just kept telling myself that I was actually preserving it, in a way...

out came the first page...

no turning back!

I arranged the pages around the frame roughly where I wanted them,

got the modge-podge out, and a stiff brush.

This took a suprisingly long time, but after I finished and it dried out for a day,

 we hung the mirror in our entry way - over a simple bench my Dad made for me.

I am so happy with it! I feel like it tells a little story about us when you enter into our home, and thats what decorating is all about.  I always try to explain to Staging Clients the difference between decorating and staging - one is personalizing your home, and the other is de-personalizing your home. Personalizing is definitely more enjoyable, but staging helps other people to see themselves living in your space.

here are few more pics for inspiration - sorry, I'm not sure where they all came from, they were in a forgotten corner of my picture files!

Have you ever done anything like this? I'd love to see your creations!

til next time...

Joby Miller's Decoupage Genius

Craving color.

Maybe it's the time of year, we sun-starved Canadians have been know to get a wee bit antsy late winter, but I am about three grey days away from painting my office rainbow stripes!

Surfing for some colorful art seems like a better alternative.

I think Joby Miller is an artistic genius.

Her decoupage pieces embody a real passion for color.

These are from last summer, and have the feel that I am craving - intense color, graphic, layers.

Looking at these has inspired me to get going on a project that keeps getting pushed aside -

re-vamping this mirror:

Yes, it's pink! 

I found it for a song at Winners, 

seems nobody wanted a huge beautiful mirror with a chipped, scratched pink frame 

- imagine that?!

So off to get some modge-podge (is that the name?) at the craft store 

and then on to the Sally Ann to see what book is going to adorn the this beauty.

I will post pics a soon as it gets hung - hopefully tomorrow...

til next time..