Recent Posts

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Back to School DIY Lunch bag

Not everyone loves to take their lunch (my husband.....) but maybe they'll love it more when they have a bag made with love.

A Lemon Squeezy Home
Along for the Ride
Tumbling Blocks
P.S. When packing a lunch, you can't forget the dessert.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Front Entry Makeover: BEFORE

I'm giving myself the next couple of weeks to makeover our front entry way. Right now, it's cute. That's it, cute. 

I want it to grab people with lots of, "WOW, how charming."

My project will hopefully entail:
  • Power washing
  • New light fixture
  • Painting on steps
  • Art or coat rack
  • Painting of door
  • Painting on inside
  • New door knob
  • Kickplate
  • Refinish door knocker
As always, the toughest part will be the color selection. Please assist with any ideas that you have. 






Sunday, August 19, 2012

How-to 'Wallpaper' with Fabric

I am a huge fan of wallpaper; I love the colors, textures, and patterns. I am not a fan of the cost and the removal. There is a better way to achieve the same look, (cue light bulb graphic above my head)--- fabric as wallpaper.

Fabric is more affordable, wider in width, more accessible, includes more options and causes no damage to walls with a semi-gloss or gloss finish.



There are so many ways you can use this process:

  • Walls
  • Doors
  • Below chair railing
  • Tables
  • Dressers
  • Cabinet inlays
  • Artwork
How About Orange
U Create
Small Home & Garden


To start, you'll need:
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch
  • Stove and pot
  • Paint brush
  • Fabric
  • Location to 'wallpaper'
  • Wallpaper brush or foam roller (to smooth ripples)
Create your adhesive by boiling 4 cups of water. Next, in a separate bowl, mix together 3/4 cup of cornstarch and 4 tablespoons together until creamy and smooth.  Combine cornstarch mixture with boiling water, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool. 

While your adhesive is cooling, cut your fabric to size and iron smoothly. Your fabric will stretch slightly with the glue so you'll have excess fabric to cut off when dry.  Using your paintbrush, brush the mixture lightly and evenly across your surface. Then lay your fabric onto your surface. Beginning at the top, smooth out any bump or ripple. The glue is very forgiving and will allow for movement.





Let dry for 3 hours and then cut off any excess fabric with a razor knife. 


Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Best Birthday Buys (For Me!!)

I want to make sure that I give everyone more than a months notice to purchase wonderful birthday gifts for me.  All items are Decorella related so it's perfectly appropriate to blog about..... right....?

I have no idea how to use, but I could learn.
Staple Gun
Workshop (I've gotta dream)
Professional Headshots
Receipt Scanner (crazy expensive!- Ouch!)

Camera for blogging
Every girl needs a chop saw

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Build Your Own Ottoman


Everyone needs a statement piece in every room. In my opinion, the best way to achieve an impactful pop of color is through a round ottoman. They are perfect for any room because of their flexiblity to be multifunctioning. Ottomans can actually be used as ottomans to put your feet on, or you can place them under console tables, under lamps or used as a small table for blanket or books. I like having several ottoman available for extra seating at parties.

I was inspired by Todd Oldham's ottoman tutorial and I started creating my own ottoman pieces. You can do the same. As long as you have the proper materials and tools it's easy peasy.



If you don't think it's something you want to tackle, you can create an custom ottoman through me. I have all of my options HERE.




Great detailed video from Mod Home Ec for instructions for the final stapling