Sunday, December 13, 2009

Holiday Wreath and Punch











SO FUN and EXTREMELY easy! Mix a bottle of champagne, sparkling cidar (I used cranberry) and one of Welches fruit punches together in a bowl.

For the wreath use a cake pan and fill with water about 1/3 full. Add fun festive fruits in reds and green for Christmas and then freeze. When completely frozen add to the punch and you have an adorable holiday punch with a festive wreath! Guests will love it!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Girlie Project...







So, not too long ago I was visiting a friend's house and she had these cute round-ball-like things hanging from her daughter's ceiling covered in flowers. She had told me that she got the idea after seeing something similar at Pottery Barn. Pottery Barn price? $65! She made them herself. I thought it would go well in Maliyah's room and decided to give it a shot myself! I bought a large round ball (for keeping flowers and such in-place) from Michaels for about $6. Then I bought several fake flower-stems that ran me about $10. I used my glue gun to put the flowers just where I wanted them...voila!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Centerpieces for the Holidays...

I used three glass vases of various shapes and sizes. I filled each vase by layering cranberries, paper snow and mini-ornaments on top. I put a round, red-glittered candle in one and three cranberry stems in another. I finished the winter centerpiece-off by using fake snow beneath!
Got a great deal on this green hurricane! I found it today at Value Village. When I got home I filled it with all my left-over ornaments...so fun!





Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Decorating Ideas for the Holidays...



Start by removing all of your current decor and accessories(including your wall hangings). Replace focal pieces with other holiday-themed decorative pieces that are equally impressive (like the twinkling snowflake above the fireplace). Turn your home into a "Winter Wonderland" by using angel hair or other different types of faux snow on most of your table-top, countertop, shelving holiday accessories.



Replace your current decorative candles with holiday-themed candles. I first sprinkled some paper-"snow" at the bottom and then placed the candle on top.

In the photo below I removed the leaf, draped the decorative table cloth and then placed the leaf on top of the table to add more decor at a higher level. I placed garland and lights around the leaf and filled the top with candles and other holiday decorations. The lower portion of the table will be used for platters when hosting a Christmas party.


Great activity for kids and a way to include them in the decorating process? Have your children make paper snowflakes. Then, watch them come to life as you place them on your windows and spray liquid snow around them. Carefully peel the snowflakes from your window and...voila, it's snowing.



Buy some white ribbon and snowflakes (you can find these anywhere that sells tree ornaments). At various levels hang the snowflakes over a kitchen island or eating area. You can also do this from a chandelier. I found this awesome bulb-ornament at Target for $4! LOVE IT!
This is the beginning...I'm not done yet! I still have some decor to fish-out of my garage and add to places here and there...I haven't started much on my formal living room and I still have to get the tree up and decorated. Hopefully I've inspired you to start thinking about your holiday decorating!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Wall Ribbon...




While recently decorating a home office- I came across a situation, I didn't know what to do to balance the room because once I had all the furniture in place, I found that there was still a huge absense between the 8X10 photo frames up to the ceilings (which were 12ft high). The wall just seemed, well, naked (even with the photos). I remembered something I saw online that looked really cool and I thought, "maybe I can do something similar?" So I stopped-off at the fabric store, I found some affordable printed-fabric and some nice ribbon to go with my color scheme in the office. I brought my glue gun with me and since I was short on time and not much of a sewer (yet), I used my glue gun to finish edges. I created a thick ribbon (made from the fabric) and accented it with actual ribbon down the center as it hangs from the ceiling down to the photo frame. This gives the appearance that the frames are hanging from the "ribbon."




Window Treatments "for Dummies"...

I am MOST definately NOT going to claim that I am an expert with window treatments. Infact, I would probably guess that window treatments are the least of my decorating gifts. However, I have found that by simply "playing" with what you've got, sometimes it can appear as though you DO know what you're doing. One of my favorite things to do is "revamp" things that I already have in the house. As I sifted through some of my staging items I came across a bin with some old creamy-buttery sheers that I had used in our last home. I must have boxed them away for storage, staging, or even to give to the Goodwill. Anyhow, I threw them in the washer and decided to try and use them. Problem was, they were long and my room-darkening curtains were shorter, I didn't know how this would look together. I played with a few ideas and the above is what I came-up with. I used a hair-tie to bring two sheers together in the middle of the window and looped the bottom through (much like making a pony-tail with your own hair). Then I left a little "bubble" or "bun," if you will, as to not let the sheers hang on the floor. To bring-in the brown from the curtains I tied some leftover ribbon around the center as a nice accent...and, vwwwwwa-la!
My son has some very basic panels hanging in his room. Recently I started getting into little projects that required ribbon. While I was at the store I came across this cute baseball ribbon and immediately thought of my son's room. I bought a small amount and used it to accent his curtains and make them a little more trendy. Stylish, but still boyish too!

Before I had this set-up, I ONLY had the two soft-aquah colored sheers hanging from each side of the window. I found my brown micro-fiber curtains stored-away and again, thought, what can I do with these? I started to play with these in my family room and I LOVE the way it really warmed-up the space. I brought the sheers together again in the center and I used a napkin right to hold it.



Once again, in this space I only had the sheer-scarf that hangs along the top of the window and down on both sides. It looked nice but the added micro-fiber curtains added texture and warmth to the room. I love microfiber! It is very practical and cleans easy!

I am not a big spender when it comes to decor and I'll tell you why...I like to be on-trend and I know how quickly things go out-of-style. Therefore, i don't want to go and spend mucho dollars on something I'm not going to like in a year or two. I also know that one can take inexpensive items, suchas, sheers and curtain panels and make them look trendy and stylish without having to break the bank. So, my suggestion is to get a fabric that you like, that is affordable, and "play" with it until you come-up with something you are comfortable with! Much of what I do was not planned, I just happened to find something I liked and then got home and figured-out what to do with it! Happy decorating!




Wednesday, October 14, 2009

This is What the Client is Saying...


"Sheree did a fantastic job on my home office/makeup studio. I didn't have a lot of money to spend but I really needed to transform the space into something more professional. More importantly, I had a very important timeline to work with in...2 days!! Sheree came over, gave me a thorough consultation and promptly got to work. She communicated with me through out the entire process so that I was never left out of any of the decision making. She will be the first one I call when it's time to do another room in our house! Very professional & great to work with!"

-Rachel Jamison

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Home Office Make-Over

View of owners cubicle-area "before" the make-over.
Tilt your head to the left...still haven't figured-out how to turn a blog photo. The "new" cubicle area after the make-over.

The wall phrase above client chair.



Make-up/work-area pre-make-over.



After.




Entrance to the room "before."




"After."






Just under a year ago Terry and I met a sweet family while our kids (Malakai and Jaedon) were playing basketball on opposing teams. The boys had a great time running the court and we exchanged introductions and had some playdates. Recently, Rachel, Jaedon's Mom posted a status update on FB looking for someone to help her with her home office, where she applies make-up on women for special events and weddings. I jumped at the opportunity to help Rachel with her space and we exchanged a few emails prior to me visiting her home. She gave me an idea of the budget and we discussed a plan and something to use as inspiration to set the mood for the space. After Rachel showed me the curtains she "fell in-love with" I suggested choosing an accent color and off I ran with the inspiration. Rachel chose a damask off-white and black patterned curtain, pink as the accent color and a soft beigy brown color for her walls - which compliments the carpets, woodwork, and furniture. She told me she wanted something where her clients could relax and feel "at-ease" on their "big day." I chose some decorative items (w/a budget in-mind)and accessories to highlight the romantic idea of a wedding day and other special occasions, along with candles and sophisticated touches to create a spa-like environment. The painting took one day and the actual decorating just a 1/2 day. Much of the work was removing everything from the room so I could paint and reposition furniture, then decorate. Thank goodness Rachel and her husband took care of removing everything and repositioning the large pieces at my request. I had such a great time letting my creative juices flow and making-over this home office. I believe it achieved just the right amount of elegance and sophistication for it's purpose. Enjoy.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Helping You Organize Your Play-Space

Six tips to a clean and more organized playroom!

Many people purchase some kind of shelving unit to hold the oh-so many toys our children receive in their young lives. Hoping to declutter their play-space and organzie things a bit, parents run out and spend hundreds of dollors on shelving and different sorts of bins to "organize" things. There is however, a few tricks to actually making a storage system work. First off, we can't be fooled and think that the space is somehow going to look better if we just buy some kind of storage system to throw the toys into. Yes, toy boxes are a fabulous way to conceal the clutter that toys bring into a space, but when we get overwhelmed, as most parents do, we have to consider how to keep the space looking neat and organized while at the same time be practical! Toyboxes are a great option, but once we have more than 2 in a room we start to take-up valuable play-space. A shelving unit like the one pictured above is a great option for storage while maintaining a clean and organized environment. Here are a few tips to organizing a playroom.




1. LESS is MORE. Prior to major holidays (Christmas, birthdays, Easter) any time when children will be receiving more toys, go through the playroom and get rid of toys that they no longer need, play with, have outgrown, or are broken, etc...this is a MUST to keep the space organized. Get rid of large objects taking-up space...if they don't play with it - they DON'T need it. Goodwill, consignment, or someone you know would love to have it.




3. Use your walls. I have hooks on the walls to hang princess dresses and other costumes...get things off the floor! Instead of a real dollhouse I have a magnetic one that hangs on the wall like a poster, my kids LOVE it! Again, creating more floor-space.




2. Invest in a large shelving unit and purchase bins/boxes to help conceal the smaller toys (dolls, barbies, cars, figurines, etc.). We found ours at IKEA. I keep all the boxes at "kid-level" so they can peek in and choose what they want to pull-out.




3. Books. Keep similar things together. I decided to use the two middle squares for books. Organzie from tall to short for a cleaner appearance. On the right I have games that are boxed. I have organized them from large to small or thick to think for a tower affect and placed them in the center vs. pushing them to one side. One square holds puzzles and puzzle pieces. Notice I have placed the pieces in baskets to avoid mis-placing them.




4. Stuffed Animals. As parents, most of us are on the same page with those darn animals. Right when we weed them out someone goes along and buys the kids MORE stuffed animals. If an animal has a special memory or event attached to it and it is important to a family member then hang on to it. If it is a "lovey" hang on to it. If it was expensive or just plain adorable, go ahead and keep it. But get rid of all those cheap carnival animals and the ones that just have no meaning. I probably still have too many for my liking, but I'll be taking care of that soon enough. My opinion sticks on the stuffed animals, LESS is MORE! Too many just look too messy!




5. My next task is to actually label these boxes. I think a white puffy paint will make-do but there are so many other creative ways of making adorable labels. Pre-painted wood figures can be found relatively cheap at Michael's. You could purchase a "car" and glue it on the front of one of the boxes(kids would then know to return car-like toys to that box).




6. Finally, the floor. Kids are messy. There's no way around that...however, one way that has helped our family keep the playroom carpets clean is buy using kid-themed area rugs or cushion-puzzles. Whether the kids color with pens, paint, or use play-doh in the playroom- area rugs can save the day! I hope these little tips have given you some motivation to get to organizing! Good luck!




Friday, September 4, 2009

Tips around the House...

Every once in a while I get the urge to do a thorough clean-up and organize around the house. As I got everything done, I decided it was time for me to finally add a new post to this blog...it's almost been a year! This is our theatre room. Try to see past the Raiders-Lakers decor and how the room is balanced. On both sides we have different decor but everything "mirrors," if you will, something on the opposite side of the room. The decor does not have to be the same shape or size, but in the same spot directly on the opposite side of the room. This accomplishes balance and makes everything flow nicely, aka, Feng Shui. Under the Raiders jacket is a toybox (not pictured)...it plays opposite the hanging sign below the Raiders banner.


Color. I love color. Many people are "afraid" of color. I use to be more bold in paint-colors but have since mellowed-out a bit. A few years back while my husband and I were "flipping" a couple homes I learned of the importance of color choices and re-sell value. Of course, if you are in a home for good or plan on staying a long length of time there is nothing wrong with bolder options that fit your personality. Paint can easily and affordably be changed. At our house, I now choose to use neutral colors with what I call "punches" of accent colors in the decor and on either one wall or a section of wall. Here you can see orange and green-blue accents in various places of the space. On the encove (family room, above fireplace) we have chosen a soft mint-green color to accent the space. I LOVE IT! When I'm feeling like my kitchen and/or nook-space looks a little boring- I will set the table and add a few "punches" of color to spice things up for a while. Notice the flowers. I also love bringing the outdoors in...this is refreshing and welcoming. Try fresh flowers in any space where you and guests can see them upon walking-into the room. This is very welcoming and a great way to add color.




Most people love pictures. Especially when they are of close family and friends full of great memories and moments. However, pictures can become overwhelming and look very cluttering in a space. Save personal photos for hallways and staircases. These area areas we pass by often enough to view and enjoy the photos but do not make a space look cluttered. Keep in mind that when hanging pictures you should have a theme or pattern to your display. This will help things looking neat and clean.




I love my kitchen. The granite, cabinetry, hardwoods and backsplash speak for themselves. However, I use small pieces to throw in some color, some personality if you will. Here are my green mugs. Also, I enjoy placing small "displays" in areas that actually give a "name" to the space...like this example near my coffee pot- "Espresso Bar."




DECLUTTER. Only place your most needed/used items on counters in your kitchen. Kitchens can look messy very quickly. Canisters are somewhat decorative, coffee pots, toasters and kitchen knives are used almost daily at our house...so they stay out. Notice where I have thrown-in some color...the sheers, the centerpiece (with pot-pourri), mugs, flowers, etc.
LESS IS MORE in the kitchen!






Another example of "punches" or "splashes" of color. Our front living space is the first room one sees when entering our home. A very trendy color scheme now is red and orange with aqua and/or green. I recently had this front room painted from red to a neutral brown color and repainted the staircase wall with an orange terra-cotta color. More neutral, easier for re-sell and easy to change the one wall if needbe. All the color but the orange wall can be removed and changed-out if I get the itch to change the color scheme, the wall is small and the color can be changed easily and affordably.








Last but not least, our bedroom. Pillows. I love pillows. Sure you have to take them on and off everyday, but they look good. They make you want to jump in and snuggle-up. They look more luxurious than say a comforter thrown over the pillows you sleep on everynight. Also a great opportunity to add color. Notice the nightstand. Fresh flowers. Welcoming, calming, beautiful. Try to work decorative pieces in 3 and 5's. Otherwise decorations can look unbalanced and/or cluttered. Candles in a bedroom are comforting and romantic. Notice the hanging candle from the ceiling above the bed...there are 2, one on each side.
Thank you for visiting today and I hope you found some of the tips helpful. Now go tidy-up!