Category Archives: Home Decorating

Giant Paper Flowers!!!

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Oh, I honestly love any project that involves paper!

For a friend’s bridal shower, I offered to set up a photo booth and make some other decorations, which was the perfect excuse to try making these giant paper flowers.

Materials:

  • 12×12 Cardstock – I used 3-4 sheets for the outer petals and one more sheet for the inner petals on each flower; you can cut two leaves from a sheet of green cardstock
  • Muffin cups for the centers
  • Cardboard for the backing
  • Tacky glue or hot glue

Instructions:

  • I started with this template and tutorial for giant paper roses
  • Because my cardstock was 12×12, I used the template to cut one each of sizes 1, 2, and 3 out of each sheet of cardstock. I made a smaller size 4 and used that to cut out the inner color
  • I varied the tips of the petals to get some variety (the pink-red and purple flowers follow the template; the blue has pointed petals, and the yellow and pink-yellow flowers have heart-shaped petals)

 

Here are some close-ups of the flowers:

They look really impressive grouped together:

And while I was taking pictures, it was so cute that Finn came over to smell the flowers!

Here’s how the flowers looked in our photo booth. The backdrop is a striped shower curtain.

Any ideas of where to put the flowers until our next event?

“Jewels”

 

 

 

DIY Gold-Painted Vases

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One of my favorite partners in craft-crime recently hosted a bridal shower for one of our coworkers, and I offered to make some decorations. First, I made giant paper flowers for a photo backdrop, and next up were these gold-painted vases.

DIY gold-painted vases | Jewels at Home

Materials:

  • Empty glass jars (pasta sauce, peanut butter, mustard, etc.)
  • Goo gone
  • Painters tape
  • Gold spray paint

Instructions:

  • Clean your jars thoroughly. I peel my labels as much as I can and then use Goo gone to remove the adhesive. Then, I run them through the dishwasher.
  • Mask off the area you don’t want to paint. I did a few variations: simple horizontal stripes, uneven edges (tape some torn paper around the vase), elastic bands, and geometric angles. You could get creative with round stickers for polka dots, etc.
  • Spray with gold spray paint and ta-da!

DIY gold-painted vases | Jewels at Home

I love how this textured jar turned out. I think it was a sauerkraut jar.

DIY gold-painted vases | Jewels at Home

At the shower, I grouped vases together, so these small arrangements made a big impact.

DIY gold-painted vases | Jewels at HomeDIY gold-painted vases | Jewels at HomeDIY gold-painted vases | Jewels at HomeDIY gold-painted vases | Jewels at HomeDIY gold-painted vases | Jewels at Home

From “trash” to treasures!DIY gold-painted vases | Jewels at HomeDIY gold-painted vases | Jewels at Home

I gave most of the vases away as party favors, so the is the only picture I have of one of the diagonal geometric designs (far right).DIY gold-painted vases | Jewels at Home

Of course, now I am seeing beauty throughout my pantry and already have plans for another set of vases!

“Jewels”

 

Hudson Bay Stripe Throw Cushions

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I planned this project a while ago and got motivated to finish in time for our ex-pat Canada Day party.

While it was fun going a bit over-the-top with Canadiana for the party, I appreciate classic Hudson Bay stripes for providing a more sophisticated touch of Canadian culture. This iconic pattern has a great retro homey feel.

I used cloth napkins with Hudson Bay stripes for the front of the pillows and denim for the back. You can find my favorite throw pillow pattern back in this post.


Happy Canada Day, eh!

“Jewels”

Book Review: The Design Cookbook

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I love books. Not just the stories in them, but the feel of hefty printed pages in your hands. I especially love looking at used books stores and book sales. There’s something about the combination of a good deal on a newer book mixed in with the curiosities of vintage books that makes for such an enjoyable browsing.

I was recently in Chicago, where I met up with some friends from high school to do the Avon 39 Walk to End Breast Cancer. On our last day, having walked 39 miles through the beautiful city and shopped our hearts out at the fashion outlets, a friend and I hunted down a big used bookstore: after-words in River North.

I found some fun books for souvenirs for the boys, and my personal pick was The Design Cookbook by Kelly Edwards. Even in this day of Pinterest, I find there is something special about browsing glossy images in a book or magazine.

Kelly Edwards really captures my style goals in this book – the rooms all have an eclectic combination of classic, modern, and whimsical elements. This can be a hard look to pull off, because the room is much more than a sum of the parts, so the “cook book” format is especially helpful. Kelly shows a series of rooms and then breaks them down into a list of features, like a painted lamp and dark walls. I like how this step-by-step approach to decorating can help you with recreating any room you see. The book also includes a handful of DIY projects.

Here are a few of my favorite vignettes from the book.

I am definitely feeling inspired, and I hope you are too!  For the “recipes” for these rooms and more, check out The Design Cookbook by Kelly Edwards.

“Jewels”

Chinoiserie Chic Living Room

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Our living room has evolved over the years. Here’s a look at some of our latest additions, including the color block drapes and these pretty turquoise chairs from Article (formerly Bryght). I have to admit I was pretty nervous when the intense color showed up in my living room, but I am so glad I took a risk!

Over on the other side of the room, I have a little bar set up next to the dining area:

I recently moved this painted Chinese screen over the bar area when I was rearranging our art. I really like how it brings the eye up and emphasizes the tall ceilings.

And here are two paintings by my mom that I recently added to the living room. These remind me of De Gournay wallpapers and add an authentic bit of Chinoiserie to our home.

Hope you enjoyed the details in our living room!

“Jewels”

Warm Industrial Kitchen Design

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When I recently learned about Big Chill, I was inspired to design a kitchen around one of their stoves. I ended up falling head over heels for two of their stoves, so I just had to design two kitchens!

The first was a retro cottage kitchen designed around a charming blue stove.

The other stove that made me swoon was the Classic Stove in stainless and brushed brass. This is such a unique piece that sets my heart a-flutter with the mixed metallic finishes. Here’s how kitchen design #2 came together…

First, a close-up of this industrial kitchen’s superstar, the Classic Stove in stainless steel and brushed brass. Irresistible. And this is where I should state that I’m not getting paid to say any of this. I just love this stove.

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Next up in the kitchen, I tied in the brushed brass finish with the faucet and the cabinet pulls. The faucet is the Delta Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet.

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While I love this stove’s strong industrial vibe, I chose to soften the look with some warm colors and natural materials.

The shaker cabinets from Ikea have a painted grey finish that pairs smartly with the brass pulls.

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And above these sleek cabinets, I included floating shelves made from reclaimed wood. The organic material against the steel is a pairing that evokes industrial loft living.

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These carrara marble subway tiles made an appearance in the retro cottage kitchen, too. I love how versatile they are.

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The final accents in this kitchen bring in some warm color and pattern to liven up the space. Orange is a strong statement, but it works well with the warm colors in the brass, and these accent pieces will be easy to replace, if you ever want to change up the look.

This is Braemore’s Big and Bold Ikat that could be used for a valance, cushions, or tea towels.
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And finally, Tabouret Tangerine Counter Stools. These stools come in a rainbow of colors, and I love this one.

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So, another kitchen inspiration for you! Bon Appetit!

“Jewels”