The look for less

This photo is in the current issue of Better Homes and Garden.  All the items are priced, so I thought it would be fun to see if I could replicate the look for a lot less!  Their price $2353 mine $699!!!

The only item not duplicated are the curtains because they actually bought those at Target for $20!  I will compare the two photos and if you are interested in any of the items from mine I will provide the link in dark blue.

1- Theirs- watercolor $35 with an ikea frame for 20$.

Mine- My childs art work $0 with the same frame from ikea $20.

2- Curtain from Target.

3. Theirs- lamp from mghwhome.com $260.

Mine- lamp from Walmart $20.

4. Theirs- Nesting tables from belabor.com $491.

Mine- Nesting tables from Amazon $120.

5. Theirs- Rug 6x9 from shadesoflight.com $495.

Mine- rug 7'10"x11' from Home Decorators $213.

6. Theirs-Brass bowl from ethanallen.com $129.

Mine- Brass bowl from Amazon $38.

7. Theirs- Lime embroidered pillow from zinc door.com $110.

Mine- Accent sofa pillow from Etsy $41.

8. Theirs- Wingback highland chair rowefurniture.com $550.

Mine- Wingback chair from Craigslist $25 with

slipcover from Target $77 for a total of $102.

9. Theirs- Peacock pillow from company.com $130.

Mine- turquoise blue peacock pillow cover Etsy $44.

10. Theirs- Throw on chair companyc.com $115.

Mine- Carmel color throw from Overstock $61.

This really was a lot of fun for me and you can see how you can steal a look for 1/3 the cost!

Remember I am always available for design work!  I can save you money too! Email me here, or visit my website!

Easy Art

This is very easy and a great way to save old embroidered

pieces.

These are the supplies, a canvas, modpodge, and the linen piece.

This is an old linen  It is hard to see in the photo, but it has holes and is cut on one side.

Choose a piece that will work and cut it out a little bigger than the canvas.

Coat canvas with modpodge and lay fabric on to canvas.

Use your fingers to smooth the fabric.

Wrap edges and modpodge one more time on top of the fabric, and you are finished!

Happy crafting!

Spring colors

I found this on pinterest, but don't know where it came from- so sorry!  I wanted to show how you could incorporate some of these colors into your home for spring.

I have chosen some simple items from target to show how this is possible.  With these pillows you can add the Cockatoo and Sodalite Blue colors.

This small accent table allows you to add a punch in the 

Tangerine Tango color.

Add this frame to a side table and you have added the Margarita color!

It is fun to add a little color to your home in the spring, and this chart will provide you with the latest and greatest colors!

Artwork for less than $1.00

As I said on Wednesday- choose one of your children's pieces of artwork.

Get an old picture you have with an inexpensive print.  (If you don't already have one you can always find one at a thrift store)

Remove the back.  It is very simple, you just cut around the the back tape, expose the staples, and then bend back the staples to remove the backing, and artwork.

Then turn the back of the artwork over and paint around the edges so you will have a "mat" around the outside of your child's artwork.

Hope this is something you all enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

Easy to find artwork

These are from my children!  They provide lots of fun color, make your children feel like real artist, and you get great FREE artwork!

photo via

Here is another example with easy to find white frames.  These are the artwork and family photo's combined.

Give this a try!  I promise your children will be very excited!

Come back Friday, and I will show you how I framed the lower artwork for less than a dollar!

Easy Valentine Tree

This is very easy and can be a fun project to do with your children.

Cut a branch from a tree outside and spray paint the branch white.  I then used a yogurt

carton for my base stuffed with floral foam.

To make the ornaments I used string and put the sting in between the hearts with glue.

Then hang them on the tree and as you can see in the picture I placed the hearts around the bottom to cover the floral foam!

Have a great weekend!

Look to nature for colors!

photo via

I did this with animals for examples in an earlier blog, but today I wanted

to use flower arrangements!

photo via

See the similarities 

photo via

See the blues, the white and the green.

photo via

The point is there are color arrangement ideas everywhere.  Look around and see what is appealing to you!