Polka Dots and Spring-Time Randomness

Hey, hey, hey! I recently ordered a fabulous burlap and gold polka dot pillow that I received the day after I shot the pictures of our updated living room...Sorry if you are seeing this twice, as I updated my last post with pictures of it, but I had to give it it's own (or semi own) post.  I LOVE THIS PILLOW!!! It (along with the Lindsay Letters canvas and silver tree stump side table) is what I love most in design, complete opposites. I get all goofy and excited (I may or may not jump up and down and take diet coke shots) when I blend opposites, like burlap and gold, sparkly wood, a chandelier over a pallet table,  and a deer and chalkboard piece in a gold gilded frame. I can't get enough of blending opposites. It, my friends, is a way to ensure your space looks neither too masculine nor too feminine. When I do this mixing process,  I get a weird rush of excitement, almost like I am breaking a rule (that doesn't exist anymore)...Mwaahahahahahahahaha. Yup, that is about as crazy and edgy as I get.

The polka dots on the pillow, catch the light nicely and compliment  my funky, gold, gilded, feather pillow. It was an absolute pleasure ordering from the owner of this Etsy Shop, The Comforts of Home Decor.

I also ordered these tres-fab, homemade, vintage style straws from The Party Fairy.

You guessed it... you turn into a fairy and party when you drink out of them! They are majestic. I can't wait to put them in a summer time sipper! When I see these colorful little delights, I imagine myself drinking a delicious fruity drink while riding on the back of a unicorn (can you tell I haven't slept in a while?). She is another pleasure to order from and has been featured in MANY big time magazines! Check out her beautiful shop!

Speaking of a burst of springtime in your mouth, check out these Cadbury, Peep S'mores from the awesome blog, Amy's Cooking Adventures!

I will be eating one or five of these this Easter. 

 These are my army of gnomes... doing what they do best.

Below is a shot of a gorgeous merry-go-round I stumbled on in Provence last month... I love the couple kissing in the bottom left corner. The colors of the merry-go-round match my gnomes!

Since I can't find my spring decor in our boxes ( We still are not completely unpacked), I wanted to share a cloche display I did last year.

Below are some that my fabulous friend Iris (from the "She's Nothing but a Copycat Blog" did this Spring!

 I love that she even stamped the egg!

I am off to pass the heck out. Cheers!

Our Springy, Bohemian, Shabby, Funk, Updated Lounge..

...that is the style I am calling our living room. It may be still snowing in our part of the world but our living room is feeling fresh and fun! About every month I like to change the "feel" of our home. Since I like to do rustic, shabby and white in our barn for the Christmas season, I wanted a more eclectic and updated look for spring and summer, while still embracing the fact that we live in an old European barn. The main reason I do all my major pieces in neutral colors, is so that I can inexpensively change the look and feel of our home by switching up pillows, flowers, and rugs. In case you forgot what the room looked like when we moved in....

and

This is what we came up with....

Our electric fireplace recently went kaputt, so I filled our homemade mantle with massive church candles on a duck egg blue tray... It looks way more summery and romantic this way anyhow! I will be showing you other mantle options for spring and summer soon! The old barn shutters on either side of the fireplace help keep the integrity of our German barn.

I also added some inspirational and quirky art by the fabulous Lindsay Letters! You can read more about that here!

These gold gilded beasts add a touch of whimsy to the space as well. The elephant almost looks as though he is shooting confetti snot out of his trunk! Love it!

After shooting my family room, I received a pillow that I had ordered from The Comforts Of Home Decor Shop on Etsy and I just love it!! The gold and burlap look awesome with my "feather" pillow which (you can't tell from the picture) has a shimmering gold feather in the middle! I love the contradiction of the gold and burlap! It looks like it was made to go with my Lindsay Letter Artwork!

 I adore our Vintage Polish bike tags from Vintage Inspirations. Check out her Facebook page here!

The striped rug was only 15 Euro (about $20) from the local hardware store and really changed the look of the space! That paired with the book page wall makes the space a tad more urban. It looks great with the "urban" graffiti chalkboard bathroom that is attached to this room!

The giant moose antler and rustic pallet table paired with the female bust and flowers.helps make the space more balanced and little less feminine. 

Even though I LOVE designing all different types of spaces for my clients, I am finding that I personally can't live in a space that is too feminine or too masculine, too contemporary, or too antique... I like a nice blend of it all. I feel a blended style represents Matt and I best! Captain hubby pants, Penny and I are so happy with the updates and can't wait to share with you how we change it throughout out the rest of the year! 

To see how we turned a dumpy tree stump into a stellar side table, click here.

To see how we created our epic (rental friendly) book page wall, click here.

To see how we created our mantle with all "found" objects, click here.

For a tutorial on how to make a pallet coffee table, click here.

If you caught a glimpse of Penny's silhouette, get my custom silhouette tutorial here!

Any updates to your home? Do share!

Linking up to:

  

 

Jennifer Rizzo

My Inspirational Art Has Arrived!

I act as though all of you knew that I had ordered art...Well I have, and here it is!! I got a...

...in the mail a couple days ago from the FABULOUS Lindsay Letters Shop!!! Ahhh, I am seriously over the moon IN LOVE with ALL of Lindsay's inspirational, charming, and quirky pieces. 

 Seriously folks, I will be ordering tons more from her and I think you should too, because it...is...awesome!

I recently have been sooooo blessed with tons of design work, so this has been the first chance I have had to blog again! It feels good to be back.. 

Click here for a tutorial on how to make these gold gilded beasts that are popping up everywhere on Pinterest...

My summer/ spring time updates...

And a post on why I go neutral on the big pieces so I can change the look of my rooms often! Oh yes, I also have a post on the updates I made in my striped hall (before, I do a major update), and my trip to Provence!

I am off to work again my dears! Are you brightening up your home for Spring???