Friday, January 30, 2015

DROP CLOTH LOVE...

I LOVE using painters drop cloth as a fabric...
I've used it to make pillows, framed it, covered foot stools with it, made a skirt for our homemade storage buffet with it & draped it on my bedside table...my good friend has used it as a huge curtain in her garage as well as covering her kitchen chairs & stools....
take a look below...
It's the perfect fabric for all decor styles and you cannot beat it's durability & price!!

I used it as a skirt on our homemade buffet...
it covers shelf storage...

A little framed project...


drop cloth pillow....love...
A quick fabric change on tag sale foot stool...
As a side table cloth in the master...


My girl friend did a fabulous job covering her kitchen stools with drop cloth and adding the pretty piping...how awesome is that?


She continued on her kitchen chairs...and didn't stop there
look below at her garage "curtains".....
genious!!
How's that for prettying up garage storage???
Even our dog, Hudson, loves it as much as I do.....:)

& a big thank you to my dear friend Leah who let me photograph her projects....


xo, Mariaelena


linking up to these party people:
http://www.shabbynest.blogspot.com
http://www.domestically-speaking.com
http://www.cozylittlehouse.com
http://www.kammyskorner.com

Saturday, January 24, 2015

"THE PERFECT GREIGE"...the mixing of neutral & texture

"THE PERFECT GREIGE"...in our master bedroom...

Let me start by saying we have a VERY small master in our home.  It's been fine for us,  but after almost 20 years and having decorated it a couple of different ways, this redo is proof that its not how much space you have but what you do with that space...
I LOVE the way this turned out!!
We started last spring with painting our bedroom furniture from a dark orangey wood to an antiqued white, we changed the hardware using my old kitchen glass knobs, purchased new bedding & window treatments,  added some new wall decor and finally decided on a new wall color:  
Sherwin Williams Perfect Greige...

Below are some before and after photos...
take a peek and let me know what you think..

I'll start with the "afters" ....
this first photo is my favorite area of the room and shows the use of lots of texture...

sorry for the bad lighting situation
(I tried everything to get it brighter)
but hoping you get the idea....


Again, texture is so important when decorating with neutrals, the curtain panels, basket and fabric add that...
I'm going to be making new pillows for the bed using the
fabric that I chose to cover the footstool...


"LOVE" canvas purchased at TJ MAXX and framed with a  lovely frame I found at  the Country Living  Fair last year...


I added black and white family photos to a
 weathered black frame...



I was finishing up with the walls here...
The photo below is  the only wall decor that was in the room before...
I painted the frame to fit in better with the new decor...
Here are some before photos....
I think you'll see why I'm so happy now...:)


Let the dark orange wood transformation begin!!




Out with the orange & in with the antique white...
WOOHOO!!!





Old tag sale foot stool before & after...






Sweet dreams....

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

THINKING OUTSIDE THE "DECORATING" BOX!!

I know we all get tons of ideas from Pinterest & HGTV nowadays but I've always tried to think outside the box to use items in ways they were not necessarily intended to be used to decorate our homes....
Here are some photos doing just that....
quirky for sure...
a small corona bottle covered in twine = a beautiful flower vase

antique trays to house desk supplies...


glass votive as pen holder...
old tin wall pocket hung on side of bathroom vanity as magazine holder...
greeting cards framed become wall decor in a beachy bedroom...

hanging candle sconce filled with sea glass that our youngest collected and hung on her bedroom wall...


wire mail/key organizer used to hold swim team medals & ribbons...

old window with a favorite fabric stapled to the back and hung in our foyer...

plates on the wall....not very original...lol...but pretty...

mirrored tray, painted and used as a centerpiece
 on our living room coffee table...

old window from our home that I had made into a mirror
currently sitting on our mantle...


an oldie but a goody:
$5 tag sale vanity skirted with toile &
housed in our family room...

also in the family room...
a homemade buffet with storage shelves
hidden beneath the painters drop cloth skirt

crystal Christmas tree ornaments hanging from the white painted chandelier...

framed scrapbook paper...
old milk bottle my husband found while clamming in the bay filled with a sampling of our seashell collection...

candlesticks, cookie tin & mason jar lids
spray painted and repurposed in our beach house...
I LOVE these...

open oval frame purchased at an antique fair:
I hung faux starfish from twine and it's the perfect addition to the beach house!

simple white candle
rolled in glue, epsom salt & glitter...:)


outdoor trellis hung on the wall in our "burbs" kitchen 

barn wood frame backed with vintage wallpaper and adorned with sand dollars from our beach & a faux starfish...

small cake plate & iron bird bath showcase seasonal decor...
so easy to change up...


and the newest and soon to be posted master bedroom redo has an outdoor jute lantern
hanging near the window....a battery operated candle completes it...
Thanks so much for stopping by and let me know how you think "outside the decorating box"!!

xo, Mariaelena

linking up to these party people:
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net
http://jannolson.blogspot.com