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5.04.2020

painted books?!

art, art class, #MAYkeovers, color, color palettes, creative spaces, creativity, diy decorating, DIY, books, junk makeover, painting, spring, thrifted, up-cycling, trash to treasure, my studio, makeover, spring decorating, colorful decor, roygbiv
oh, yeah, you read that post title right... PAINTED books!
now, before the book-loving librarians, historians, and antiquarians
start ranting at me - lemme' 'splain:

i bought these six large encyclopedias from a thrift store
for ten cents each. three years ago.
miscellaneous volumes circa 1950, with covers that were yellowed, aged, cracked leather.
perfect for the store display i was using them as props in!

but since then, they've languished in a box in the garage. just gettin' older.
my decision was to either recycle them - seriously, the library does NOT want them donated - 
or do something creative with them to make them useful again.

so i turned to my trusty friend, Paint.
turns out a MAYkeover was exactly what they needed! 

continue reading to see where they live now...

5.01.2020

colorful office makeover

art, Blast from the Past, color, color palettes, crafting, creative spaces, DIY, diy decorating, fast cheap and easy, inspiration, makeover, neutrals, room makeovers, style, weekend makeover, What Matters, home decor, office decor, colorful decor
i thought i'd start off the month with a #MAYkeover story!
a week ago, i undertook a massive purge / cleaning/ reorganization of my studio/office.
while it has needed a deep clean for over six months just to get rid of things i don't use anymore,
the truth is that this project was the result of color overload...

before we talk about how my creative space ended up having a BAD effect on me,
we need to go back a bit... to my 'neutral phase'....
office decor, home decor, creative spaces, diy decorating, vintage style, vintage, repurposed, upcycled, salvaged, thrifted, diy decor, neutral decor, weekend makeover, #MAYkeovers, color palettes, room makeovers
you've seen my neutral-tone studio that i created in my farmhouse on an island.
i loved that peaceful, serene room that allowed me to focus on my work,
and for over a decade now, i've embraced neutrals as the basis of my home decor.
sure, i sometimes add a small 'pop' of color each season to the porch or other rooms -
but i've kept my creative workspace neutral. it worked in the past, so i stuck with it.
until i realized something about myself...

continue reading for the story of how i got from there, to here, and what happened in between!

4.27.2020

cinco de mayo mayhem!

Cinco de Mayo, color, decorating, DIY, entertaining, events, fast cheap and easy, outdoors, party, seasonal, tablescapes, color palettes, inspiration, just for fun, spring
I know, it's weird out there. All kinds of celebrations are cancelled.
We're allllll ready for this coronavirus quarantine to end. 

But hold on, my friends, there is a way to find the happy while we wait:
*This year, Cinco de Mayo is on a Tuesday. TACO Tuesday!* 
It's the perfect reason to celebrate, right in your own backyard!

SO, today I'm dipping back into my blog archives (about seven years back!)

to share three different ideas for fiesta-style tablescapes and bar setups.
With all of us staying home, these ideas will help you
to see 'what you have at home' in a fresh new way to create something fun!

continue reading for a peek at three different themes for Cinco de Mayo Celebrations:


4.23.2020

vintage door = inspiration board

art, art class, color, color palettes, creative spaces, creativity, decorating, DIY, diy decorating, fast cheap and easy, gift wrapping, inspiration, junk makeover, paper, paper crafts, re-purposing, spring, vintage, up-cycling, old doors, vintage doors, bulletin boards, inspiration boards
while i love Pinterest as much as the next girl, i prefer the old school method...
an actual 3-D 'bulletin board', inspiration board, mood board -
whatever you want to call it. and the bigger, the better!

years ago, i had an old door that i turned into an inspiration board
by filling the window area with a large piece of modular ceiling tile.
(you know the kind that drops into the T-bar in the dropped ceilings of every office building?)
 it worked great - but that material is messy as heck. it's like styrofoam.
  
so when i undertook the same project again recently, i needed a new material to use.
turns out, i had what i needed in the garage!

 continue reading to learn how to create a bulletin/inspiration board, 
using an old door or window frame - or even a new window frame, or picture frame.

4.20.2020

yes, you can paint a lampshade!

art, art class, color, color palettes, decorating, diy decorating, DIY, Instagram, just for fun, lampshades, lighting, makeover, spring, creative spaces, paint palettes, painted home decor, lampshades, office decor, ROYGBIV
this colorful lampshade was a spur-of-the-moment weekend project, 
an idea that came to me as i collapsed into a chair 
after the second day of my weekend studio/office overhaul project.
i was scrolling through Instagram and saw an image that completely delighted me - 
and solved my problem of 'what can i do to this plain ol' lampshade?'
paint it, of course!

so, i put down the phone, grabbed my paints, and gave this old thrifted shade a makeover.
i really love the way it turned out, and it was an easy way to add color and pattern to the room.

continue reading to see what started this whole thing...

4.14.2020

seed packet-inspired decor

art, boho, crafting, decorating, DIY, diy decorating, farmhouse, flowers, found objects, garden art, junk makeover, junking, original designs, paper crafts, Posie Pails, re-purposing, rustic, salvaged, spring, trash to treasure, up-cycling, seed packets, garden seeds
spring is here, and things are starting to bloom!
looking for a fresh addition to our spring decor after removing the Easter eggs,
i found inspiration in one of my own past projects...

about seven years ago, i shared a project here on the blog that i called 'Posie Pails'.
basically, i combined a colorful floral seed packet, some twine, and a recycled tin can
and the result was garden-theme decor accents on the cheap:

art, boho, crafting, decorating, DIY, diy decorating, farmhouse, flowers, found objects, garden art, junk makeover, junking, original designs, paper crafts, Posie Pails, re-purposing, rustic, salvaged, spring, trash to treasure, up-cycling, seed packets, garden seeds
well, i just figured out how to make an even cheaper 'quarantine crafts' version of them:

because it isn't essential to leave the house for craft supplies,

 i found a way to use floral images clipped from magazines to create my OWN 'seed packets'!
.
continue reading to see how i turned actual trash into a springtime treasure....