Get Your Black Tie On

Pinterest has made a lot of people obsessed, myself included.  It's like reading a favorite magazine.  Pretty much anything you want or need to know can be found on this amazing website. If you can't understand the allure instantly, give it at least half an hour.  Once you play around and figure it out, you'll most likely love it, too.  

My obsession is pinning color combinations.  While not technically colors, my black and white board is one of my favorites.  It can be black-tie formal or casual and comfortable.  Whatever the application, black and white sets off color like nothing else.  Please check it out HERE.  In the meantime, here's a sneak peek of what I've collected...

Everyone Sings the Blues

This is my second post in 3 months on the color blue.  Can't help it.  The color is a classic.  And it's Hanukkah time right now and that means blue and white.  But I found lots of blue and white that is appropriate all year long.  Check out our Birth of the Blues board on Pinterest.  Here's just a taste.

Red & Green. Not just for Christmas.

When I look at how cheerful and bright the combination of red and green is in these non-Christmas environments, I always wonder why this combination is so taboo for interior decor.  I've designed children's rooms with this color combination and they're always sweet.  Just like the farmhouse pictured here.  It couldn't be more Americana.  Whether it's the mid-century modern pillows, the labybug or apple-themed rooms or the sophisticated Ikat fabric, the colors are happy.  After all, who doesn't like a happy room?

Top off your holidays

If you've been tapped to bring the school treat, are planning a party or just having a few folks over to celebrate, download our FREE Christmas and Chanukah cupcake toppers.  Just print out the PDF file onto card stock, cut out and hot glue onto lollipop sticks (available at Michael's).  They really dressed up these plain jane store-bought cupcakes.

http://www.scribd.com/my_document_collections/3366583



Hip Hooray for Pink & Grey

I've always loved this color combination.  I painted grey shutters and a pink door on the first home I ever owned on my own.  Here it is.

Although pink and brown as a color combo is still sweet -- it's yesterday's news.  However, you can give your decor a quick pick-me-up by painting or replacing anything brown with grey.  Add a few new grey pieces and you've got a whole new look.  Here are some of my favorites.

Pom Pom Mania

We're celebrating pink and grey right now (more pics of this color combo to come) and I love the way this color combination looks in these beautiful tissue paper pom poms.  These beauties are all over the place right now and they couldn't be easier to make.  I'm not even going to pretend to create a tutorial when the High Priestess of all things handmade -- Martha Stewart -- has posted a perfect tutorial on her blog here.  To change things up all you have to do is change the cut style on the very end --- scallop, point, waves, etc.  Have fun.  Such an inexpensive and frilly, feminine way to punch up decor in a room, for a party, or an outdoor event.

Win a $100 gift certificate

Enjoy our free HAPPY HALLOWEEN banner

Click here to download and print our Halloween banner.  Each letter is individually created.  All you do is print, string them and enjoy.  And the best part?  They're free!

A Special Gift for the Boys (or Girls) of October

Celebrate the World Series or your love of baseball any time of year with this FREE printable banner. Just upload the letters to spell out your team's name, a birthday greeting, or anything else that celebrates this all-American sport.

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

Beat the Blues

End of summer is always sad. Beat the blues by bringing this soothing color into your life all year long. If you're hesitant, think about the power of blue.

* Blue is seen as trustworthy, dependable and committed

* Blue is the least "gender specific" color, having equal appeal to both men and women

* Blue causes the body to produce calming chemicals which is why it is often used in bedrooms

* Blue makes people more productive, according to studies

* Blue stands for love

SEE MORE HERE

Beat the Heat - Refreshing Pink Lemonade

Beat the dog days of summer with this refreshing pink lemonade cupcake recipe.

Even if you're not a baker, you can enjoy the beauty of pink and yellow.

Such a refreshing and upbeat color combination.

Try making our lemonade birthday banner. It's free! Just download the

letters individually, cut them out (preferably on card stock) and attach with

ribbon. Perfect way to celebrate the waning days of summer.

Why I Love Flea Markets

I love flea markets. I love everything about them. I love the rush of arriving and dreaming of all that awaits. I love thinking about and then finding that gem that has my name on it. I love Show and Tell with my girlfriends at the end of the day and crowing over a steal. I love unwrapping my treasures when I arrive home and getting a residual high for days after whenever I pass by my find. I even love showing my husband what I've scored, even though more often than not he tells me to put them straight into our garage sale pile. But mostly I love them because they never fail to make me think more creatively. If I see something that catches my eye, regardless of it's original use, I must find a way to make it work in my home.

My last visit to the Elephant's Trunk in New Milford, Connecticut yielded these beauties. They're spools for yarn and in my mind, they're every bit as beautiful as any traditional piece of art. I spied them first when a shopper walked by me with about 20 spools in gemstone colors. I envied. I was jealous. Minutes later I came upon the booth and lo and behold --- more of these beauties in colors delicious enough to eat. 3 for $6. I quickly grabbed my 6 favorites that I knew would be beautiful in my home. I grabbed my friend who was nearby to show her my purchase. She, too, wanted them but was stumped as to what to do with them once she brought them home. "Never fear," I told her. My husband would make something nifty to showcase them. She jumped. Now we both have these beauties, set on a simple wooden base with dowels.

The cost was $12. The result was priceless.

Swingin' Chandelier

My love of color is no secret. But undertaking this project had me a little nervous. The overhaul of a vintage chandelier that had previously graced a more sophisticated setting than that which exists in my world was a bit daunting. But the texture of the chandelier arms spoke to me and I wanted them to be enhanced by a striking aqua. A coat of Kilz primer and a spray paint in a satin finish was all it took. I painted the crystals in different shades of blues and greens with regular acrylic paint. Up close they're fooling no one, but hung from the ceiling with the lights shining, they gave me the exact look of colored milk glass that I was hoping for. I'm no sewer but the chain cover was easy to make with fabric glue. I think this is a project that anyone can tackle. Even those brand new, generic-looking chandeliers from Home Depot or Loew's would work.

Got Boring Shades?

Window shades are sometimes a necessary evil, especially in childrens' rooms. And most of the time, they're ugly and boring. A huge swath of white when pulled down, an annoying obstruction when pulled up.

But they needn't be boring. With a little paint and imagination they can become superstars in any room. Since I'm all about the paint, I love to paint cotton shades to coordinate with the room. A beautifully painted window shade can even stand alone -- no other window treatment needed. If you don't have artistic talent, buy a stamp or do as I did above and paint a checkerboard. Checks are a neutral style that coordinate well with other prints.

Cotton shades are easier to paint than the plastic/vinyl type, but they can be painted, too. Just make sure you get the kind of craft paint that works well on a plastic surface. Finish off the look with an interesting shade pull --- a tassel, a cluster of glass grapes, etc.