Category Archives: Made It Myself

Color & Character(s)

Remember my color conundrum in our family room? Well, I/we (Tom sort of voted) have made a decision! And the winner is… (drum roll please)…

lemony yellow!

In addition to bringing some pops of yellow into the gallery wall I’m planning, I think a few sunny accessories will help to round things out. So, when Saturday rolled around without any plans on the books, I headed straight for the nearest home stores!

My first stop was HomeGoods. I was initially distracted by some other fabulous finds – namely a grey ikat chair that I wish I had a need for, and an adorable little pierced porcelain lamp that I nearly brought home. Apologies for the lack of covert photos – next time I will try to capture a few peeks to share! I finally made my way to the accessories section, where I found a color-coded wall of glasswares and vases. I am a sucker for blown glass – I’ve notice lately that I have quite a few pieces around the house. Anyway, I spotted the yellow section, and this vase immediately popped out at me:

And for only $12.99, I couldn’t pass it up! There’s a nice variation of yellow, from pale to bright, and the waves at the top give it a funky look.

A few shelves down from the yellow section was the purple section, so you know I had to take a look! And there I found the cutest, quirkiest piece: a purple blown-glass chicken!

I couldn’t resist. I’ve named her Henrietta, and she looks lovely sitting next to the yellow vase on our accent table!

Next stop – Pier 1. I love exploring the aisles at Pier 1 – there is always something interesting, or embellished, that catches my eye! And this trip was no different. Apparently, I am on an animal kick right now, because I left with this little character…

Well, he’s not really that little – he’s about 2 ft. tall! And his name is Edgar. He adds a fun “safari” touch to our fireplace.

I’m loving the new touches to our family room! Still on the hunt for some other yellow pieces, but I have some things in mind. Did you add any fun pieces to your home decor family over the weekend?

Instagram Friday

I’m back on track this week!

One of my favorite things about summer is all of the fresh, in-season produce available. So I’ve put together a fruit-themed Instagram series for your viewing pleasure today!

the perfect summer snack

love the color variation in these blueberries

fresh for the taking!

You can follow me on Instagram @onuwriter06

Inspiration for a Gallery Wall

Along with selecting an accent color for our family room, I’m also dreaming of creating a gallery wall of photos and art prints. Our walls are still pretty bare, and I’m looking forward to hunting for unique pieces to fill them up!

I’ve been browsing Pinterest, Houzz and other blogs for inspiration, tips, and tricks for how to achieve a creative gallery wall. I’m a little apprehensive about how to mix and match a variety of prints and photos, but the more ideas I find, the more confident I become about pulling this off!  Here are a few of my favorite gallery wall ideas:

This arrangement fills the space nicely, and incorporates a variety of images, frames and mat sizes.

Love how this one incorporates more than just photography and art, but mirrors, candle sconces, etc. Don’t you love how the thermostat looks like it fits in?!

This collection is very neat and orderly. Also love the incorporation of the letter!

This one is uniform without feeling too expected. I like that if forms a larger rectangle, but the individual frames are different dimensions.

Which of the 4 arrangements is your favorite?

 

Mail Call

I think it’s safe to assume that pretty much everybody struggles with mail cluttering up their kitchen/office/home. In our old home, our kitchen had a counter-height bar, which was conveniently located just inside the front door. And it soon became a haven for our daily mail. Piles would develop quickly, and practically take root for days (ahem, or weeks).

The same thing has started happening on the kitchen island in our new home. And I’m determined not to let it take over! So, I turned to two of my favorite sources for creative organizing inspiration – IHeartOrganizing and Pinterest.

These two ideas immediately caught my eye, both for the filing but also for their style! I’m definitely one of those people who demands that function also be stylish.

With these in mind, I headed to Target to hunt for file folders and a bin/basket. Then, I turned to IHeartOrganizing to get ideas for categories and sorting. Jen is amazingly organized. I wish she could come to my house and put me through an Organizing Bootcamp! (Remember how her tips helped whip my linen closet into shape?)

I decided what we needed based on the type of mail we receive and the items that easily get lost, like stamps or restaurant coupons, labeled the folders…

and voila! A kitchen countertop mail system!

The canvas tote (similar one here) and file folders are from Target. The pencil holder is blown glass and was made by my cousin, Laurel (visit her website here).

So far, it seems to be working out pretty well for us. What’s your solution for countertop clutter?

Weekly Wish List

I’m trying out a new weekly feature I’m titling Weekly Wish List, where I can share the elegant, the eclectic, and the probably-too-expensive items I would love to have in my house!

For my inaugural post, let’s start with all things bold and bright…

I spotted this collection of vases at Anthropologie this weekend, and I just love how bright and summery they are! The price isn’t bad, either – this yellow pansy guy is $18! But, I left empty-handed (mostly because I couldn’t decide which I liked best).

I love both the color and the detail of this pillow. Seems like the perfect shade of turquoise-y blue to brighten up any room!

I’ve spotted this chair nearly once a week over at Joss and Main. And every time I see it, I want it even more!

Well, that does it for the first installment of my Weekly Wish List! What’s caught your eye lately that you wish you could add to your home?