Turkey gobbler fruit centerpiece

Yesterday at my youngest's Thanksgiving party, I saw these turkey centerpieces that a mom had created out of a cantaloupe, a small pear, a few raisins, a red pepper, grapes, and cheddar cheese chunks.  They were precious and totally edible and make a fun craft for you and your kids.  Happy Thanksgiving!  Here are the directions I found on food.com:

• 1 bosc pear (head)
• 1 cantaloupes (body) or 1 honeydew melon (body)
• 2 lbs cubed cheddar cheese (beak and tail feathers)
• 1 -2 red bell peppers (snood, feet and side feathers) or 1 -2 yellow bell pepper (snood, feet and side feathers)
• 2 raisins (eyes)
• 1 lb seedless grapes (tail feathers)
• bamboo skewer
• toothpick

1. 1Stabilize the melon body by cutting a shallow slice off the rind to form a flat base and place on serving dish or platter.
2. 2Using a section of bamboo skewer, attach a Bosc pear (head) upside-down to the upper front of the melon.
3. 3Cut a cheese triangle beak and red pepper snood. Attach both, along with raisin eyes, to the pear head with sections of toothpick.
4. 4Cut red pepper feet and set them in place. For tail feathers, skewer cheese cubes and red grapes, then insert the skewers around the back of the melon. Pin pepper side feathers in place with toothpicks.

Duvet cover from West Elm

I have seen this West Elm duvet cover in person and am seeing it in decorating magazines lately.  I think it is so nice and simple and it looks like you could just dive into it.  Also, it is amazingly well-priced (only $139 for the full/queen size)  You can find it here: http://www.westelm.com/products/organic-cotton-pin-tuck-duvet-cover-and-shams-b340/?pkey=call-bedding.

Made By Girl

I love Jennifer Ramos' Made By Girl blog (you can find it in my blog bar) as well as her shop on Etsy.  Her colorful posters would add delight to any home!  Visit her shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/jenniferramos?ref=seller_info

Sand dollars

I am always interested in how people display things they collect.  A few weeks ago I saw this collection of sand dollars exhibited on a fireplace at someone's beach house.  What a great way to show something that you love and have worked hard at acquiring!

I love orange!

There's something so vigorous and cheery about the color orange.   I love the new displays they have in the front of GDC here in Mount Pleasant that showcase this color.

Tuesday's Treasures: Vintage Oil Paintings

While browsing at a local antiques market yesterday I found these great treasures.  I am a big fan of vintage paintings and think they can be mixed with more modern pieces or arranged in a collection like in the photo above which shows Drew Barrymore's office.   You can find some really interesting work at great prices.  I recommend that if you find something that draws you in, just get it and decide what you want to do with it later.  You would hate for it to be gone next time you go looking.  I've had my eye on the small painting of the Native American on horseback.  It is only $39, so I don't know why I haven't gotten it!  I think it draws me in because of the blue in the sky and the emotion of the characters.  I think it would look good in my oldest son's room.  Of course I love nautical paintings and my eye has been drawn to the painting of the mountain scene.  The last one of the boy in the yellow raincoat with the ducks would be a great inspiration piece for a child's room!

Chalkboard idea

Yesterday I was at a friend's house and saw that she had just painted one of the outside faces of her cabinets with chalkboard paint.  I love it and think it's a great idea.  In a house with three kids, why not have extra space to write notes and an outlet for their creativity?  She said she worried that if she ever sold the house someone might not like it.  I said, big deal.  It's your house now.  Enjoy it, make it useful to you, and take a daring step now and then.

Bright colors

The other day I found these great materials at a local fabric shop.  What a great color combination for a little girl's room.  I would love to see it used in a room painted the color of the blue stripe.

Boys' rooms

Having two boys of my own, I am particularly interested in ideas for decorating a boy's room.  I found these pictures on the Young House Love blog.  They are taken from a home in Sydney, Australia owned by the founders of  Murchison-Hume, an  eco line of cleaning products that are carried here in the states by shops like Anthropologie.  I love the paint color in the first room and have never thought about using that shade of blue in a boy's room.  I think it looks fantastic with red accents!  Also, the extremely organized shelves are great.  I love how the toys are accessible and stored in the straw baskets.  Unfortunately we don't have IKEA where we live, but this is where the shelving unit was bought.  The nautical accents are a nice touch and look great with the paint color.  And, of course I am a big fan of the maps and globe.  The second boy's room is neat too.  I love the khaki/taupe color of the walls mixed with golden yellow accents, the interesting variety of art, maps, and photos, on the wall.  The sophisticated monogrammed pillow is a nice touch. 

 

 

Scrapboxing

One of my friends told me about an article she read in February's Martha Stewart magazine about scrapboxing.  I've always loved looking at scrapbooks that people have created but never have gotten into the art myself as I see it as a daunting and time-consuming task.  I've taken to creating digital scrapbooks by using the great on-line programs designed for this and have decided that I will make a book for each year and give it to my family at Christmas.  However, I think it is nice to keep just a few mementos from your family's history and scrapboxing is a great way, in my opinion, to display them as well as an inexpensive means to have interesting wall art.  Darcy Miller, who is the editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings, has her scrapbox gallery on exhibit at Partners and Spade in NYC.  She basically has taken family mementos and creatively displayed them in shadowboxes.  I love the idea of displaying a grouping of them in a child's room, office, or playroom.  My friend is currently working on a few of her own and I hope she will send me a picture of them!! Pictures are from February's Martha Stewart Living Magazine.

Simple Art Gallery

I am stealing this post from oohdeedoh.  Ideas about how to display kids' art really interest me.  I have done a couple of posts on this.  This mom created this salon-style art wall during her child's nap time.  She had found the frames at a thrift store, spray painted them a gold to unify them, and the framed her child's watercolor paintings in them.  How's that for modern art?!  Image from oohdeedoh.com.

Chair makeover ideas

The other day I was in a discount fabric shop here in town and saw that they were selling vintage chairs that they had gathered from garage or estate sales.  The one in the photo was for sale and cost $95--and they would discount it even more if you bought your fabric from them.  I think recycling old chairs is such a great idea--not only is it earth-friendly, but in my opinion old things have a lot of character.  This vintage wing backed chair would look awesome recovered in a modern fabric.  The two fabric ideas I have posted are from my fellow blogger, Shannon Darby's, The Designer's Attic.  She is a designer that sells fabric remnants she has found for super discounted prices.  Check out what she has to offer at thedesignersattic.blogspot.com.  The last two pictures of a club chair makeover I found on Design Sponge.   Never underestimate the power of fabric!

Using the color green

In my opinion, no home should be totally devoid of the color green. It is such a bright and life giving color. I love this green sofa used by Anna Spiro of Absolutely Beautiful Things in one of the homes she decorated. To me it is such a splash of happiness. I also love the painted striped green and white floor in the adjoining sunroom!

Little Girl's Bedroom Idea

If I had a little girl, I would be all over this bedding. I just love the crisp white linens and the colorful pillows. This combo would look great with almost any color paint on the wall. This picture was taken at Celadon, a local store which is having a 20% off on everything sale through the weekend.

Teacup display

Last night we went to a dinner party where I saw this interesting display of teacups on a wall in the host's dining room. It sort of reminded me of the displays I like of plates on walls. Going three dimensional is fun. These teacups have been collected by their owner over a long period of time. Hanging them takes a little bit of being anal, but the result is a fun and creative way to fill a space. Also, chicken tetrazinni we had last night was the best I have ever had as were the chocolate cupcakes with mocha buttercream frosting. I must get the recipes!!

Little Boy's Room Idea

As a rule, I don't like rooms with themes that are easily outgrown like Spiderman or Starwars, etc. but I do love the nautical motif in a little boy's room. This is something that will grow with them, and if you just work on the motif through accessories you can change them out when you get tired of them if you keep everything else neutral or interchangeable. For my three-year-old's room I have used the Serena and Lily George duvet shown in the first photo and have found some interesting objects at antiques stores to adorn the walls, etc. I did buy the ship drawing featured in the above pictures (for $50 framed!) and the kids love examining for all the details it has. If you wanted to spend a little more, you could invest in an oil painting (the one of the marina is by my good friend Jennifer Smith Rogers) or for a lot less a gallery poster (the one in the picture is by my friend Shannon Smith and can be purchased at the Smith-Killian Gallery in Charleston).

smithkillian.com

Fall flowers

With the change of seasons I am starting to get the itch to plant something new. Yesterday I couldn't help but stop by my favorite local plant nursery when I saw on the sign "New Fall Flowers." I decided not to buy anything because I decided that more careful planning was needed, but I got some great ideas by some of the containers they had arranged. I love the ornamental pepper plants and million bells. They said they would have a lot more variety to choose from in about two weeks. After all, we are still not out of summer temps here in the Lowcountry. I really can't wait for cooler weather.

Great idea for website/blog

One of my favorite blogs is PinkWallpaper, created by interior designer Shannon Darby who happens to live in Mt. Pleasant. She has come up with a "sister blog" to her own called "The Designer's Attic." Not only does this blog show how she is decluttering her attic, it is a great resource for people interested in interior design. Through her new blog, she is selling some things she has purchased and has not been able to use--fabrics, lamps, etc. She posts a picture of the item itself accompanied by a picture of this item in a certain setting, for inspiration. If you are interested in purchasing any of the items from her attic, you can contact her and pay through Paypal. Kudos Shannon! This is such a great idea.

thedesignersattic.blogspot.com

Neat guest room

A friend of mine just re-did her guest room and I just love it. The color is fantastic, one of my favorites Palladian Blue by Benjamin Moore. The bed is one she slept in growing up, and the linens have been collected over time. The white coverlet is a vintage from her great grandmother, the floral coverlet is from her grandmother, and the striped shams and bed skirt are more modern and she got them from her mom's house when they downsized. I love the salon style collection of paintings to the left of the bed, and the antique bench on the other side of the room.

Using plates as wall decor

Hanging plates on the wall can be an inexpensive, yet dramatic way to adorn your walls with art. You probably have some interesting plates sitting in your cabinets or you can go hunting for some at antique stores, flea markets, or even at stores like Marshall's and TJ Maxx. They don't all have to be the same color or size or shape, just trust your instinct and collect plates you love. It is also fun to mix art or even mirrors with plates. Once you decide where you will hang your collection, use craft paper to experiment with arrangements. When you've decided on how they will look, nail the hook right into the craft paper and then you can tear the paper down when you've finished. Plate hangers can be found at a hardware store or Target. Last night I was browsing the internet for ideas of different arrangements, and I am attaching some pictures of what I found. I collected the pictures so quickly, I did not mark down the sources--sorry. Most of the photos are from Google images. I am currently working with a client trying to figure out an interesting arrangement for over a curved headboard.