The "what to do above the kitchen cabinets" dilemma....

Today I am going to give you the simplest, cheapest decorating advice that you will probably ever get!  It is a solution  to the area above your kitchen cabinets.  Go ahead, take a peek.  Do your cabinets have fake ivy scattered around up there collecting dust?  You know,like this:

Or do you have some gawdy collection up there that needs to be sold in your next yard sale?



Here is your free advice and no cost solution on how you can freshen up your kitchen in about an hour or less:  Take It Down!  That's right, for a fresh new look, all you have to do is take it down.  Just look at how clean and uncluttered your kitchen can look:

 Now, if you just can't stand bare wall above the cabinets, my advice is to keep it simple and absolutely no fake ivy!  Here are some examples of simple collections above cabinets:

Effortless Style Blog

Dominoe

So spread the word:  step away from the ivy!  



Curves.....

Happy Monday everyone!   I hope you had a great weekend!  We celebrated 2 birthdays for a couple of sweet friends of mine and had a great time catching up with everyone.  I just love going to dinner with friends - especially when that dinner is at a nice Italian restaurant (yum!)!

In booth news, we added a beautiful side table this weekend.  I found this table last week and fell in love.  It is a great size when you just need a little table beside a chair or sofa, but what got me were its curves.  Va va va voom!  I love the curves of the legs, which are reminiscent of Queen Anne furniture.  I knew that I wanted to lighten the table up and give her (I will now call it a her because a man would never have curves like that!)  a distressed finish.  I hope she likes her new look - I know I do!

Before:

After the makeover:

 

Pillows in the booth

As promised, I am posting a picture of some pillows that will be going in the booth this afternoon!  If you are wanting to freshen up a room, check out these gems!  Instant update!  Limited quantities....

Vocabulary word of the day: Quatrefoil

Ok class, how many of you know what the word "quatrefoil" means?  The word itself means "four leaves or petals" and it happens to be one of my favorite graphic patterns.  It looks like this:

The quatrefoil is very popular in architecture, as well as home design.  Here are some examples of my favorites:

I love this mirror!  It's a quatrefoil within a square.

Imagine this chandelier in your dining room!  Or foyer, or family room, oh heck, I would put it anywhere!

How I do love this architerctural detail!

Somewhere in my home, please!

 So, you get it!  I really love quatrefoil!  Just imagine the chills I got the other day when I came across these beauties in a local antiques mall!

A couple of coats of paint later and this is what they look like now:

I am taking several items that I have been working on this week to the booth today, including these!  I also have some gorgeous pillows!  I will post those later today.  Come and check out The Keeping Room! (In the Antiques Mall on Hwy 1 past San Jose)  Thanks y'all!



Pops of turquoise

I'ts amazing what a little pop of color can do for a room!  Lately I have been loving all things turquoise.  I think it looks fresh and beautiful in every room with all types of decor.  Check it out:

So that you know that I practice what I preach, here is a pop of turquoise in the study of my home:

Campaign Furniture Score!

Like most everyone who reads home decor blogs, I too have a love for campaign furniture.  There is just something so sleek and handsome about those pieces.  When you look at all of the campaign furniture makeovers out there, it is no wonder that it is such a coveted item!  Well, this weekend, I scored my own campaign chest of drawers!  I found it on craigslist.  When you are searching for this type of furniture, it will never be listed under "campaign" so don't even try to search for that.  You have to look at all "dressers", "chest of drawers", etc.  Usually the people selling campaign furniture do not know it is a desired piece.  If they do know, they will jack the price up!

So, for this piece I had to drive to the middle of nowhere, but for $30, it was worth it.  The condition is not great, but my husband and I think we can fix it up and make it gorgeous.  As of right now, I plan on putting it in our guest bedroom.

Check out the possibilities:

Happy hunting!

Framed Chalkboards and some exciting news!

Hmmm, should we talk about chalkboards first, or the exciting news?  Okay, the news!  I started moving things into the booth this past weekend!  The Keeping Room is on its way!  I don't have the space filled up yet, but we are half way there.  So, if you are local, go on in and check it out!  It is in The Antiques Mall on Highway 1 on the left past San Jose.

And now on with framed chalkboards!  Have you seen them everywhere?  Well, everywhere on blogs and in decorating magazines, but not in stores!?  Sure, you can order from Ballard Designs, but why do that when you can get them from me for much less and without the shipping!?  Currently I have these 2 framed chalkboards in the booth with plans to add more:

Oh, the possibilities of how you can decorate with them (and trust me on this - the kids love them!):

We have this one in our home and I like to change the quotes up from time to time:

 

The current quote is from the movie "Soul Surfer" and it reads, "It doesn't have to be easy, it just has to be possible."  My second grader read the quote the other morning and asked "What does that mean?"  Oh boy, we have a teachable moment going on!  So I explain it to him, and afterwards he said, "Mom, ya know, when you talk like that you sort of look like a puppy dog!".  Ah yes, I'm glad he understands the deep meaning of the quote.......