decor – Page 3 – Dust Bunnies and Dog Toys

Rustic Laundry Room Sign

Published on September 2, 2014September 2, 2014 by Jenna2 Comments

I tackled several projects over the long holiday weekend and this is one of my favorites. When we thought we were being transferred to Florida a few years ago I purchased a couple Uppercase Living vinyl phrases for the house we contracted to rent. But plans changed and we didn’t transfer and the fancy phrases got tucked away for future use. Now that we’re in our own home I’ve been deciding how to use them and knew that the laundry room phrase I had would make a perfect sign for the top of the cabinets in that space.

I found a scrap piece of wood left over from when the hubs took apart the old dog beds. It was destined to be used for this sign because it was the perfect size without any further prep.

I painted the perimeter of the board gray since I wanted to rough up the edges and have some color come through. Then I gave the whole thing a couple coats of white.

Next I randomly sanded the edges until I was happy with the look of the texture. I was pretty pleased with how the grey peeked through.

Then came the hard part of prepping the vinyl and making sure I applied it centered and straight! It took a few attempts, but I finally got it right.

The hubs helped me add a little more sanding around the lettering and gave the words themselves a light sanding for texture.

I climbed up on the washer and dryer to reach the cabinet top, where I used some shims and a small easel to make it stand just the way I wanted. It ties in with the other fun signs in this room and it fits the space perfectly. Another project done and I couldn’t be happier with the result!

Next up for this room is a fold down drying rack and a cabinet for the laundry sink, but those are both projects for the coming months when Alaska’s winter weather traps us indoors.

Bright Colors, Bunnies and Chicks

Published on April 9, 2014April 8, 2014 by JennaLeave a comment

I finally took down the St. Patty’s decor and put up some Easter decorations. I’ve actually acquired a pretty good inventory, so I spread things out around the main area of the house.

I hung an egg garland across the mantel, where my little lambs found safe haven from becoming chew toys. I also added the pretty Pottery Barn-esque twig basket I found on sale last year at Target.

Either side of the TV got a few items as well, including the larger lamb I found at a local boutique recently. Thus far the fur babies haven’t shown any interest in these items so hopefully my fluffy new friend is safe there.

The kitchen got a few Easter towels I picked up in the dollar zone at Target and the bunny towel I got a yard sale a couple years back.

The entry way’s holiday tree was festooned with eggs and bunny ornaments, which was also the theme on the entry table.

Across from the dresser I hung one of my favorite thrifted items, filled with pretty spring flowers.

The front door also joined in on the bunny & egg-palooza with my clearance egg wreath from Pier 1’s end of season sale a few years back.

Back inside the dining room got the last of the Easter items, my Princess House rabbit dish and some rustic speckled eggs.

I updated the St. Patty’s Day centerpiece with a few fuzzy chicks and some more speckled eggs, much to the delight of Luna who believes they were put there just for her entertainment.

That would be Luna waiting for me to turn away so she can return to playing with her new toys…

And last but not least, I added some fresh flowers from the grocery store to the side table in the green vase I found on my thrifting spree earlier this year.

I still feel like my Easter decor is a little juvenile, so I plan to add in a few more biblical pieces – beyond the lambs, which are my current favorite – next year to represent the true meaning behind the holiday. But for now, I enjoy the pretty colors which remind me of God’s promise to make all things new again. Did you do any religious decor for Easter? If so, I’d love to hear about it!

Entry Way Décor Storage

Published on January 6, 2014 by JennaLeave a comment

As a serial decorator, I’ve amassed quite a trove of basic décor items. There are the usual suspects: platters, baskets, candle sticks, etc. From the moment we signed on the dotted line, I’d planned to store all of these items in a cabinet of some sort in the entry way and this wonderful find fit the bill perfectly. Now that we’re in the house, it was just a matter of organizing everything in this new ‘home’. I finally unpacked and sorted all of my décor items last week, which left me with this mess.

Although this inventory fluctuates with use, I wanted each type of item to have a specific spot in the dresser, so finding things would be easier. I started with the larger items – vases, glass cloches, baskets and made sure they’d fit in the two cabinets. One small drawer holds all my candles, the other has all my scentsy bars and hooks.

There is a drawer for ‘fillers’, another for ‘containers’ and one for misc items that I use sporadically. Not only was I able to fit everything that wasn’t in use somewhere in the house in this one piece, I still have one whole drawer empty! That means there’s room to grow my collection! Woo Hoo! I feel a thrifting spree coming on! 🙂

That large mirror – another bargain find at just $30 on a local buy/sell page – sitting on top will soon hang over the dresser. It might get a facelift after a while, but for now it will work just fine with the dresser’s rustic finish.

I’m excited to start decorating this new space for each holiday, creating a warm welcome for our guests. So now I want to know. Do you decorate your entry way? If so, do you go all out or keep it simple?