I'm beginning to think about spring decorating, even though we still have snow on the ground and it's cold. But what better time to think about warmer weather and the rejuvenation that it brings? As I have mentioned before I am obsessed with the Pottery Barn's Spring collection.  I've already created a replica of one of their vases in an earlier post, and I'm about to attempt two more replicas to enhance my spring decor. One thing that caught my attention were the rabbits. Typically, I'm not fond of cute decor like rabbits, but the Pottery Barn versions have an appealing old, worn look. Additionally, I was drawn to an orb-shaped vase with a stunning bronze antique patina. It was displayed in the store with beautiful flowers that I couldn't stop admiring. Let's see what I did: The on the left is the bronze patina that I saw in the store. The one on the right is the vase I found at Goodwill. To get the black undertones like the Pottery Barn vase I painted the sphere using black chalk paint (all products used will be listed at the end). To get the texture of the inspiration vase I added baking soda to the chalk paint for the second coat. After donning a pair of gloves, I took antique gold acrylic paint (I chose gold instead of bronze because it goes better with my decor) and with a rubbing and tapping motion applied it to the sphere until I was satisfied. To seal it I used clear wax. The finished vase, I think, came out beautifully. To fill the vase, I purchased these florals from a craft store, as I thought the cascading look complements the vase. I think they are very similar except mine is gold and theirs is bronze. Here are the Pottery Barn rabbits I told you they were adorable. Target has a section near the front of the store where products are priced between $1 and $5 each. It was there that I found my bunnies: three smaller ones for $3 each and two larger ones for $5 each. I appreciate that they have more detail than the Pottery Barn rabbits, but I'm not a fan of the glossy finish. I applied a coat of white chalk paint to each rabbit. After they were dry, I used mineral color chalk paint on them. I liked the way they looked, but they did not resemble the concrete statues I admired. To try and remedy this, I coated each rabbit with spackle. Once it dried, I sanded them until semi-smooth. To finish I used clear wax to seal them. They are a far cry from the shiny Target ones. I think they look perfect with my birthday gift (Pottery Barn vase). If you enjoyed this post, please give it a like and subscribe to receive new posts as they are created. As always, I enjoy hearing from you, let me know what you think. Products Used: Annie Sloan White Chalk Paint Annie Sloan Clear Wax Waverly Mineral Colored Chalk Paint FolkArt Chalk Paint in Rich Black DecoArt Metallics Acrylic Paint In Splendid Gold Dex Dry Dek Spackle

When you set up a space, especially the kitchen and dining room, sometimes it isn't really as efficient as you would like. But the thought of rearranging keeps you from tackling the problem until you have time to do so, or you reach a breaking point. For me, it was the latter. Let's see what I am talking about: These are the three areas that weren't working for me: the small pantry off the kitchen, the buffet, and the shelves in the laundry room. The small pantry was too tiny for the cleaning supplies; to find anything, you had to take everything out. The buffet was equally cramped; items were so tightly packed that I had to re-iron tablecloths or napkins every time I needed them. Lastly, the shelves in the laundry room, intended for shoes and boots, never actually made it there, and I eventually gave up on that idea. The small pantry now holds all my entertaining essentials: candle holders, candles, napkins, napkin rings, and vases. This means I won't need to re-iron tablecloths or napkins for a second time. We are now able to not only keep our cleaning supplies in the laundry room but also laundry detergents and backup supplies. I would say that is a win! Lastly, the buffet, which now contains my fine china that used to be in the pantry, along with my good silver. Can you believe it? I even have two empty drawers. Who would have imagined? If you enjoyed this post, please give it a like and subscribe to receive new posts as they are created.

The Spring Collection from Pottery Barn has been released, and if you like Pottery Barn, it doesn't disappoint. I was especially taken with the vases and vessels collection. To my surprise, my mother-in-law gave me a beautiful two-handle vase from the collection for my birthday. I was thrilled with my new vase and wanted to create a spring vignette, but I needed an additional vase. Since I didn't want to spend the money for another Pottery Barn vase, I decided to get creative. What if I could revamp a different vase to resemble the Pottery Barn style? Let's see what I did... This is the vase I received for my birthday. I could look at it all day! I bought a vase from Goodwill for $6.00, so if it didn't turn out well, I wouldn't feel too bad. I began by applying a primer coat (all products used are listed at the end of the post). After it dried, I painted the vase with moss green chalk paint. Then, I sketched a design on the vase by hand that resembled the one from the Pottery Barn vase. After completing the design, I blended acrylic paints to create colors that would complement the Pottery Barn vase. Finishing with clear, white, and dark waxes for depth and to seal the vase. The completed vase in a vignette with my birthday present looks good, if I do say so myself. Products used: Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Old White Annie Sloan Clear, White and Dark Wax Waverly Chalk Paint Moss Craft Smart Acrylic Paints

I visit the Goodwill stores frequently and have discovered many incredible items, but I have never been to the "Goodwill Bins". The bins are where unsold items from regular Goodwill stores end up, and the cost is tallied up by the pound. I've watched YouTube videos of people visiting the bins where they have found cool items at great prices, so I decided to try it out. I ended up finding a wooden tray that was in good shape except for a piece missing on the bottom, which could be fixed easily. In order to repair the bottom of the tray, I needed to shore it up so that I could use wood filler to eliminate the spaces. In this case, I used balsa wood. First, I measured the wood, then mitered the corners and glued the pieces on, securing them with a clamp. Next, I filled the space with wood filler. Once it dried, I sanded it smooth and finally painted the whole tray with a primer to prevent bleeding. To add something special, I selected a beautiful decoupage paper to place in the bottom of the tray (all products will be listed at the end of the post). When I positioned the decoupage paper in the tray, I didn't like how the vase was cut off. Luckily, I had leftover pieces from another project where I had used the same decoupage paper. With these pieces, I was able to complete the vase. As I adjusted the paper for the vase, the flowers were out of sync. To correct this, I cut the flowers out and rearranged them to fit. Once everything was in place, I used craft glue to attach the paper. Initially, I was going to paint the background but decided to lay the extra pieces of the paper in a mosaic style. I finished by painting the tray with a lovely blue color that matched the decoupage paper. I liked the piece, but it was a bit bright and needed to be toned down. I lightly stippled the surface with a moss-colored chalk paint. Once it was dry, I applied a diluted antique wax over the entire surface, wiping off the excess. To finish the tray, I applied two coats of water-based sealant. This is the finished tray styled in my office. I made the right call to tone it down. It fits perfectly in the room without taking over. Looking back, my first jaunt to the Goodwill Bins was not what I expected. It was loud and a bit overwhelming. But I am not one to give up on the first try. I went late in the day, so next time I'll go in the morning. I will let you know how it goes. Products Used: Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Provence Waverly Chalk Paint Moss Waverly Antiquing Wax Mint By Michelle Decoupage "Karens Technicolor Bouquet" MinWax Polycrylic Finish If you enjoyed this post, please give it a like and subscribe to receive new posts as they are created. As always comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Like many people, when January arrives, something clicks in my mind, prompting me to start organizing and cleaning. However, due to recent gallbladder surgery, I wasn't able to start until now. The first thing I am tackling is the pantry. When I first set up our pantry four years ago these are the items I used for organization. I still stand by all of my choices. They are not only "pretty" but they also clean up easily and are very accessible. The first thing I did was take everything off the shelves and give it a thorough cleaning. Next, I emptied the containers and washed them inside and out. I used a toothpick to get out any "schmutz" that wouldn't come off with a cloth. Finally, I measured and cut new shelf liner in a textured gray color. I'm just going to throw this out... Is anyone else puzzled by having a lid on the breadbox being a problem? To hide the unsightly power cords, I found a breadbox that fit perfectly on the shelf, concealed the cords, and looked cute. However, over the years, I consistently found the bread on the counter or beside the breadbox. When I inquired about this, the response was that they didn't know there was bread in the box, forgot, or couldn't see it. So, I removed the lid, and there hasn't been a problem since. Who knew? Here's how it turned out. All clean and refreshed! If you enjoyed this post, please give it a like (heart at end of blog post) and subscribe to receive new posts as they are created. Don't forget to leave a comment I love hearing from you!

My pantry is done! I have to say, it was quite an ordeal. Not because of the work involved, but because of the opinions of everyone in the household. I wanted it to be functional and pretty, but the males in the house did not seem to understand the "pretty" part. When I work, I find it most conducive to my creativity to be alone. This allows me to think clearly, make adjustments and work through things. With the pantry being in the hub of the home (the kitchen), that is not how it worked out. Throughout the process of organizing the pantry, there were many questions. For instance, my son wanted to keep his cereal in its original box for easy identification. I decided to cut out the cereal name from the box (a trick from "Home Edit") and place it discreetly at the back of the container to help him identify different cereals (even though I believe it's easy to differentiate between Frosted Flakes and Cheerios).  My mother-in-law also questioned me about my choices for item placement, which occurred multiple times with various items. Each time, I explained that I was trying to optimize accessibility and need. At one point, my husband moved the toaster next to the coffee maker which made it too cramped. We compromised; I moved the toaster below the coffee maker giving it more space to maneuver. It became apparent to me that I would have to finish the rest when everyone was not there. I worked last night after everyone went to bed and this morning when everyone was asleep. I was finally able to complete the pantry at my own pace without any questions. To attain my perfectly organized pantry I used hard plastic air sealed containers, labels, glass containers and Lazy Susan's. I also had my book on how to organize your pantry in my arsenal (all products used in this post will be listed at the end). My pretty pantry! Everything is categorized. First shelf baking, second is canned goods and dinner items, bottom is for breakfast, snacks and treats. The recipe for Toll House cookies was on the back of the bag, so I cut it out and taped it to the back of the container. I also cut out the names of cereals and put them on the back of the containers. I honestly think that taking everything out of the packaging gives you more room. Using containers and being able to stack them on top of one another is also a plus. The outlet for the appliances was placed above the bottom shelf. We drilled a hole in the shelf where the Keurig and smoothie maker were located and dropped the plugs through. To hide the outlet and plugs, I placed a basket for bagels and one for bread in front of it. This is the spot for the Keurig and smoothie maker. There really wasn’t enough room for the toaster. I did however find a more convenient spot with room for bagels and bread right next to it. I now have room to store all my entertaining items. Extra plates, glassware and platters . Having the pantry will cause a domino effect for storage in the house. By moving the entertaining serve-ware to the pantry, it will free up storage down in the basement. We can also move extra linens to the basement closet to give us more room in the linen closet and be better organized upstairs too. If you enjoyed this post, please give it a "like' and subscribe to receive new posts as they are created. Products Used: The Home Edit OXO Good Grips Containers Large Glass Containers with Lids Talented Kitchen Pantry Labels

After our remodel, the kitchen, dining, and family rooms were seamlessly open to one another. My husband wanted the TV on the back wall in the family room for optimal viewing, but I didn't want a large black screen to be the first thing you see as you walk in. As a compromise (bribe) we purchased a larger 50" TV which would be placed on a wall where it wouldn't be immediately noticeable, with the couch positioned on the back wall. This setup worked for years, but when the TV started acting up, we considered a replacement. I saw an ad for a TV with a frame that displays artwork, which was more appealing than a large black screen. I mentioned it to my husband, and we decided to explore it. This is the framed TV I saw in the advertisement; however, it proved to be quite costly, and installing it required making a hole in the wall, which ended that idea. Still interested in something similar, we inquired with the tech store salesperson whether artwork could be displayed on a regular TV and if frames were available for the TV model we selected. The answer to both was yes. This information prompted us to purchase the TV (a 65" this time, not sure how that happened). Besides having it delivered, we added installation; we both agreed that it was worth it rather than taking any chances of something going wrong. Meanwhile, we ordered the artwork software and explored frame options. (All products used will be listed at the end of the post). We were very pleased with the installation service provided by the store we purchased the TV from. They not only installed the TV, but when we told them about the art software, they activated that as well. Next up was the actual frame for the TV. We looked online and decided that my husband would be able to make a frame in the style we wanted at a fraction of the cost of buying one. Because the frame would hang directly on the TV, we chose a lightweight composite molding with a natural wood look to use for the frame. My husband mitered the corners and connected them using corner brackets. To hang the frame, he cut small pieces of wood for the top, affixing them with small brackets. Finally, he placed Velcro on the top, sides, and bottom to keep the frame in place. I absolutely love the way it came out! No black hole on the wall, and the best thing is you can change the artwork to match the decor, season, or holiday. If you enjoyed this post, please like (check heart at end of post) and subscribe to receive new posts as they are created. As always, I look forward to your comments and suggestions. Keep them coming! Products Used: Best Buy Lowes Brackets Velcro

On a recent trip to Goodwill, I spotted a large plastic horse in the toy section. It had graceful lines, a lifelike look, and it was not too cutesy. It reminded me of the large horse sculptures I have coveted in the past. When I saw it, my first thought was whether I could turn it into a piece that looked like a sculpture with some adjustments and paint. I went back and forth: yes, I could, maybe not, perhaps? In the end, I chose to add it to my cart for $6.32, figuring it was worth trying. Let's see what happened: This is the horse I discovered at Goodwill. It stands 20" tall and 18" wide. As I said earlier, it has beautiful lines and resembles an actual horse rather than a cartoon character. After thoroughly cleaning the horse, I applied a mineral color chalk paint that significantly changed the horse's appearance, making the lines I mentioned more visible. After the paint dried, I began working on the horse's mane and tail. First, I crafted a mane with spackle and water, smoothing it until I was satisfied. After trimming the tail, I shaped it into a circle using wire and fastened it securely. Before I could apply spackle to the tail, I needed to create a surface that would adhere. To achieve this, I paper-mâchéd the tail. Once it dried, I formed a tail using spackle (A list of all products used will be provided at the end of the post). Next, I used a sponge to apply chalk paint in fawn and truffle colors to add depth and texture to the horse. Once the paint had dried, I used a creamy white chalk paint, applying it with pouncing motion to add even more texture. I love how the subtle undertones of the fawn and truffle chalk paint shows through. The final step was using dark wax to create shadow and contour. The final result: What a transformation! It is hard to believe that this is the same horse. I intend to mount it on a wooden base, making it a beautiful piece to display on the table behind my sofa. I love it when a plan comes together like this! Before and After Products used: Waverly Mineral Chalk Paint/Fawn Chalk Paint/Truffle Waverly Antiquing Wax ModPodge Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint DryDek Spackle

Throughout the years, I've discovered ways to decorate on a budget. One of my favorite strategies is playing the high-low price game. This involves letting go of your expensive dream item and searching for similar, more affordable alternatives by being creative and thinking outside the box. Once you start this approach, you'll be surprised at how your perspective changes. An example of this was when I found a mirrored-top metal table in a luxury furniture catalog. It was exactly what I was looking for, but it was priced at $349.00, and I needed two. So, I let go of my perfect side table and began exploring other options. Let's see what I found: This is the table. I would need two, one for each side of the sofa. Thinking outside the box, I was in a retail chain store and discovered this table. It was small, round, and made of metal, like the high-end table, but it did not have a mirrored top. I wasn't a big fan of the wood insert, but after looking closer, I saw a gap between the wood insert and the metal rim (possibly enough for a mirror). At a third of the cost of the high-end table, I could not pass it up. I bought two, knowing I could return them if the mirrored glass wouldn't fit. I took them to a glass shop and was very happy when they said there was enough room to put a mirror in. This is what it looked like after the mirror was inserted. I love it maybe even more than the high-end table. By opening up my mind to other possibilities, I was able to find two tables for $150 (plus $50 for installation), coming in at $200 versus $698. There are so many ways to find bargains by keeping an open mind, thinking creatively, and above all, enjoying the process! Products : Olivia Mirrored Side Table

While sorting through my Christmas decorations, I realized how my taste has changed over the years. I have used many styles: some traditional, some whimsical, and some elaborate. This year, I've decided to keep it simple and use what I already have. To find inspiration, I looked at magazines and YouTube and was immediately drawn to the antique brass bells everyone was using in their decorating. Even though I wasn't buying, I was curious about the price. I found similar ones at Pottery Barn, and just as I thought, they were pricey. Lucky for me, I have a collection of bells that I can refurbish to look like the Pottery Barn bells. Here's what I did: These are the bells from Pottery Barn, just gorgeous. The string bells were priced at $49:50, and the larger ones were $149 for the set. In my collection, I found two string hanging bells and six larger bells. After removing the cording from the string bells, I was ready to start. With a small sponge, I applied gold acrylic paint in a stippling technique to each of the twelve bells including inside of the larger ones (all products will be listed at the end of the post). It would be perfectly fine to leave the bells this beautiful gold color, but I wanted them to look like antique brass. Using the same sponge I used to apply the gold paint; I began applying antiquing wax evenly to the entire bell. Next, I dipped the corner of the same sponge in the black paint and dabbed it around the bell, then started stippling until blended. Keep looking at the bell and adjust: if it is too dark, add a little gold paint; if too light, add the dark wax or black paint. There is no wrong way to do this, just keep going until you are satisfied. I did not like the white and gold cording, so I twisted jute cording to replace it. I love the way the bells came out. It was easier than I thought and very satisfying. Before and After Products Used: DecoArt Metallic Paint Glorious Gold Waverly Chalk Paint Ink Waverly Antiquing Wax Ashland Twine Gold and Natural If you enjoyed this post, please give it a like (heart at bottom of post) and subscribe to receive new posts as they are created.