3 Ways to Hang a Poster

July 20, 2017

Ok, I am a mom of 2 teenagers, so I feel like I know a little bit about them (a very little bit). But, one thing I do know about teenagers is that they LOVE to change their minds, opinions, likes, and dislikes. So, when it comes to decorating a teenager’s bedroom, you have to be ready to make changes and lots of them. Posters are a great way to change up the decor in a big way and on a small budget. But, who wants a million tack holes and tape all over your walls? I’ve come up with 3 ways to hang a poster and not make a singer hole in the wall!

Ok, let’s start with the poster. Please try to say no to the Back Street Boys and Twilight Movie posters. Mixbook makes adding custom art to your home a breeze. You can even take pictures from your teenager’s phone and blow them up to poster size prints. When my father in law came to visit last month, he brought me bunches and bunches of peonies from his garden. I took some of pictures because they were so AMAZING! These peonies prints are going in my girl’s room (when we finally have a spare moment to work on that space). They are excited for a big splash of pink in their room. And because I love you guys, you get to download these peonies prints for free HERE! This is a limited time free download, so don’t mess around friends, download your copy now and head over to Mixbook and order yourself a poster print or three.

I am so impressed with these poster prints. They come in both glossy and matte, I ordered mine in the matte finish and they look amazing. The colors are bright and vibrant and it feels like the peonies are right there.

Full disclosure, I have a secret weapon, 3M Command Strips. But, I wanted to use them in a way that would protect the poster and also allow you to change out the art without having to use a new set of Command Strips. I also think these 3 hanging methods actually add to the whole look of hanging a poster.

Here’s my 3 ways to hang a poster without putting any holes in the wall:

ONE – WOODEN KNOB MAGNETS

This is my favorite look. It’s super clean and simple and the little wooden knobs are just perfectly cute.

For this method you will need 4 sets of 1/2 inch ceramic magnets, 1 large 3M Command Strip, and 3/4 inch half round wooden balls. All of these supplies can be found at your local craft store. Start by cutting the Command Strip into 4 pieces. Then pair the magnets up and hot glue the wooden knob onto one of the magnets and adhere the velcro to the other magnet. Finally, you will adhere the other side of the Command Strip to the wall. The pair of magnets will keep the poster perfectly flat on all four corners.

TWO – BULLDOG CLIPS

I love the look of bull dog clips holding up posters. But, I struggled to find a way to attach them to the wall without having to nail them to the wall. So, I came up with a solution. These magnetic backed bull dog clips offer a flat surface to adhere a Command Strip to. I also clipped two more to the bottom of the poster to pull to tight against the wall so that it wouldn’t curl up.

Just like with the wooden knob magnets, the poster is not damaged and you can change out the art very easily.

THREE – CLOTHES PEG BOARD

This third idea is the most versatile. Not only can you hang a poster, but you can also add other pieces of art as well. I simply painted a 1 yard measuring stick a dark maroon color and then hot glued on clothes pegs every 3 inches. Then using 2 Command Strips, I adhered the strip to the wall.

And as a little bonus for my daughters, I made a simple little message board for them using a framed 8×10 print.

This post is sponsored by Mixbook, thank you supporting the awesome companies that help make this blog possible.

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DIY

Step Stool Turned Plant Stand

July 18, 2017

I’m pretty sure that almost everyone I know owns this IKEA Bekvam step stool, especially if you have toddlers. We are definitely out of the toddler stage and everyone in our house can reach the sink faucets without a step stool. So, I’m giving this step stool a little makeover and a new purpose. I’m turning this step stool into a little plant stand for all my plant babies.

I’m excited to be joining the ‘Make It Martha’ blogger program. As a long time Martha Stewart fan, I’m excited to be sharing here on Oleander + Palm some fun DIYs using Martha’s awesome new line of craft supplies available at Michael’s.

For this first project, I’m using Martha’s all-new line of Home Decor Paint. These paints come in all the perfect Martha Steward shades and are suitable for indoor and outdoor use. This water-based paint is fade resistant and lends a lovely eggshell finish to the surface. I chose the color Trellis for a perfectly minty/jadite light green.

Here is the before. Our stool has been used for quite few years and definitely was in need of some love.

Can you see how scuffed up and old and yucky this stool is. No lie at all, I put only ONE coat of this paint on this stool. That is amazing. It went on like butter and laid flat and smooth.

I also thought it would be fun to add a little clever customized saying to one of the pots. I used Martha Stewart Crafts Typewriter Adhesive Stencils to spell out “Water Me” and then simply stenciled on the saying with Lava Stone Grey Home Decor Paint with a Foam Pouncer. While the paint was still dry, I pealed off the reusable stencils.

I can think of quite a few pieces of furniture that could use a quick coat of paint. I love this new Home Decor Paint line.

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Food & Drink

Rosemary Arnold Palmer

July 14, 2017

Do these Summer days have you wanting refreshing chilled drinks ALL THE TIME? It’s all I want. I could definitely skip a meal and just replace it with a ice cold mocktail. This yummy Rosemary Arnold Palmer is a fun twist on a classic. You know I’m a fan of herby beverages and this one is perfectly earthy and refreshing.

Head over to Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice for the full recipe and there’s even a spiked version. If you don’t have access to Natalie’s awesome Lemonade Tea, this drink can easily be made with equal parts lemonade, ice tea and a splash of rosemary simple syrup (see recipe below) in a glass filled with ice. And be sure to garnish the glass with a cute straw, a slice of lemon and a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Rosemary Simple Syrup

2 tbsp. of finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Place all the ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Allow the syrup to cool. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Place the syrup in an airtight container and store in the fridge.

If you like the earthy rosemary flavor in this drink, you might also like this Pineapple Rosemary Spritzer.

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Food & Drink

Orange Mango Mock-Mimosa Jello Shots

July 7, 2017

The weekend is almost here and that means – BRUNCH! Why not change things up and try a non-traditional mimosa with these Orange Mango Mock-Mimosa Jello Shots. They are both fun to make and also eat! All the fun of a Mimosa but in a jiggly, bite-sized form.

These can be made with either Champagne or Ginger Ale, for a family-friendly version. But, you can check out the spiked version HERE.

Orange Mango Mock-Mimosa Jello Shots

2 cups or an 8 oz. bottle Natalie’s Orange Mango Juice
2 cups Ginger Ale
4 packets of unflavored gelatin
edible flowers for garnish (I used impatients)

Pour 1/2 cup of Natalie’s Orange Mango Juice into a bowl. Sprinkle 2 packets of the gelatin over the juice.
Allow the gelatin to sit for at least 2 mins. In a small pot, bring the remaining 1 1/2 cups juice to a bowl. Add the boiling juice to the juice and gelatin mixture. Stir until the gelatin dissolves completely. Pour into a 8×8 inch pan. Place in the fridge on an even surface. Allow the gelatin to set completely before making the next layer.

Repeat the same directions for the champagne or ginger ale as you did for the Orange Mango Juice. Pour that champagne gelatin over the orange mango layer. refrigerate until set.

Slice the gelatin into 1 inch squares. Top with a few edible flowers for garnish. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

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Design / Find

15 Gorgeous Rattan Chairs All Under $300

July 6, 2017

I hate to rub it in, but yes, I’m still in Maui. But, I’m taking a break from the sand and sea to put together a post for you today. But, I’m taking inspiration from the islands.

A staple in Maui design and style is always a rattan, whicker or cane piece of furniture. If you are looking to add a little tropical, vacation or relaxed vibe to the look of your home, I think a rattan chair is the perfect addition.

I’ve searched the internet and found 15 pretty fabulous rattan chairs and all of them are less then $300 (and actually most are only about $100). There’s some winners in this bunch. #1 and #3 are two of my favorites for sure. I’m thinking I need a couple of these in my home. I already have the five of #12 in our sunroom, and they are the perfect in that room. The add texture and warmth to a space without being big and bulky. Rattan is always easy, breezy.

1 // 2 // 3

4 // 5 // 6

7 // 8 // 9

10 // 11 // 12

13 // 14 // 15

How do you feel about rattan? Do you want to have a little more boho style in your life? I’m definitely digging it these days. Oh and rattan painted a glossy black or bright white – ya I LOVE that too.

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Food & Drink

Kiwi Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles

June 30, 2017

Happy Popsicle Week! I’m usually last to all these fun themed holidays, but this time I had a yummy popsicle recipe ready to share, so instead of waiting till next week, I decided I’d be like the cool kids and hop on that hashtag bandwagon. These Kiwi Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles are the EASIEST thing to make. And really they are not packed with sugary syrup, they are mostly just fresh fruit. So, I don’t feel bad at all that my kids powered through a batch of these in less then 3 days.

Check out the full recipe HERE, on Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company’s website.

I mentioned a couple days ago that we are taking a family vacation to Maui this week. Well, we are here and it really is paradise. We arrived at about midnight last night and I slept like baby. Sleeping in Maui by the ocean is probably the closest thing to my childhood. The breeze, a noisy ceiling fan, the chirping birds and the sudden rain storms all lull my to sleep and remind me of growing up in Papua New Guinea. The island girl is happy.

We’ve already been in the ocean three times today, hit the pool a couple of times and eaten everything Lilikoi (passionfruit) flavored. Don’t worry, all this pristine beauty is balance with a trip to Urgent Care this morning because both Olivia and Dylan have ear infections. After flying yesterday, they both were in a lot of pain. So, nothing like starting a vacay with a trip to the doctors and some antibiotics.

I also wanted to stop by and let you know that I was really going to try hard to take sometime off of the blog this month just to have some quality time with my family. I’ve been going pretty hard lately and we just need to be a family without me sitting in front of my laptop all the time. So, I hope you’ll stick around even though posts might not be coming too often this month. I’ll be back with fresh new content very soon. I’m so grateful for this community and the opportunities it brings me. Thank you for following along here friends. I wouldn’t have a blog with out you.

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Design

Laundry Room Dreaming

June 29, 2017

Our laundry room is definitely one room in our home that is used multiple times daily, but never really pictured on the blog. We are a family of 5, hence the loads and loads of laundry, but on top of that, we have a guesthouse that we rent out on Airbnb. It has really done well. We have guests staying with us almost every night of the week. So ya, besides trying to keep up with 3 kids’ dirtying clothes, I’m washing large loads of white sheets, towels, and bathmats almost every day! There’s a lot of juggling load priority and making sure I’m home to get the next load started before I need to change the sheets on the guesthouse or get cross county or gymnastics clothes washed for my kids.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you will know that just weeks before selling our old house, we renovated and finished our laundry there. We hadn’t planned on selling the house, and I was tired of having an unfinished laundry room. It’s kind of funny really. We literally finished weeks before closing, so I didn’t even put away anything in the cupboards or get to use and enjoy that space.

In our new house, the laundry room is in the basement. It’s a small, unfinished basement, but I do like having the laundry room a little out of the way. But, right now if really is just cement walls and floors and a washer and dryer sitting side by side. Because I end up spending quite a bit of time down there. I’m dreaming up ways to make this space better. And the first item on my dream list is the new FlexWash + FlexDry duo from Samsung

Ok, I need to get a little appliance geeky with your all. This washer and dryer duo is what housekeeping dreams are made of. The Samsung FlexWash + FlexDry duo features two washers in one and two dryers in one. These are definitely appliances that are meeting the needs of the modern family, instead of the family having to force-fit to the needs of the machine. The FlexWash and FlexDry system allows you to do multiple loads at once. This means I can be washing white linens for the guesthouse in one load and washing Olivia’s gymnastic clothes in another at the same time so that they are ready when it’s time for her lesson.

Even though I consider the trip up and down the basement stairs part of my daily exercise routine, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t miss them if I had the FlexWash + FlexDry. This laundry pair is also IoT-enabled, allowing you to stop, start and monitor their laundry cycle; receive alerts when the cycle is complete, and schedule cycles with a smartphone. A parent’s dream, this time-saving feature reduces the need to run back and forth to the laundry room.

With the largest capacity in its class at 5 cubic feet, the FlexWash lower washer is ideal for handling the bulkiest of loads, saving you time. An additional 1.0 cu ft. of washing capacity in the top-load compartment lets you separate loads (like light clothing, a favorite pair of jeans, or a toddler’s pajamas) to ensure your different types of clothes get the best possible care.

Then, you can easily handle large loads and a few delicate items at the same time with the FlexDry dryer. The bottom compartment features 7.5 cubic feet, enough to handle even the biggest weekend laundry loads. Meanwhile, up top, an innovative delicate drying zone is specifically designed to handle your most delicate items, such as the kid’s athletic wear or a silk scarf, which can be laid flat to gently dry.

I put together a little DREAM Laundry Room mood board. Some practical items and some just for looks to keep me inspired and in love with my surroundings, even if I’m doing loads of laundry.

Can you relate? Is there always a load waiting to be done at your house as well? How much easier would me life be if I could start TWO loads in the morning, get an alert on my phone when the loads are done and then put them in the dryers at the same time? It would be cutting me laundry work load literally in half. I’m always threatening to get a cleaning lady to help me out, but instead I think I might want to invest in the FlexWash + Flex

This post is sponsored by Samsung. Thank you supporting the companies that help make this blog possible.

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Food & Drink

Blood Orange Mai Tai Mocktail

June 27, 2017

I haven’t mentioned this here yet, but I just might be headed to Maui on Thursday. I know, AMAZING! Don’t hate me, but I’d understand if you did feel a little jealous. I’d be jealous of myself. So, needless to say, I’m feeling all the tropical vibes these days. And I don’t think you get more Hawaiian then a Mai Tai.

I had to do a little research on this drink and like most cocktails, there are a lot of different versions. But, I kept coming across orgeat (or almond syrup) as an ingredient. Some versions used cream of coconut, but I feel like coconut belongs to the Pina Colada. And you know what, the orgeat is delicious in this drink. This one was a huge hit with my kids.

Blood Orange Mai Tai Mocktail

1/2 cup of Natalie’s Blood Orange Juice
1 1/2 oz orgeat (almond syrup)
juice of one lime
crushed ice

In a shaker, add the Blood Orange Juice, orgeat, lime juice and ice. Shake and then pour into a glass. This is quite a sweet drink, so be generous with the ice. As you sip, the ice will melt a bit and mellow the drink a bit. Garnish with a straw, a slice of blood orange and an orchid for a tropical vibe.

Adding a fresh orchid and serving these in fun Tiki glasses adds to the Aloha spirit of this drink. I found these glass at World market but, I also found this set of 4 on amazon.

For an adult version of this recipe, click HERE.

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Design

Samsung The Frame TV

June 26, 2017

Ok, let’s play dress up, with my living room. I’m not ready to redecorate the whole space, but I do love changing things up a bit.

I don’t know about you, but one of my least favorite things to try to decorate around is a TV. I’d rather not have ours on display, but the truth is, TVs happen. We don’t watch a lot of television, but once the kids are in bed and my brain is dead from the day’s tasks, I need an episode of one of my favorite Netflix shows. To try to give our TV a little less focus in the living room, I’ve hung a gallery wall around it. My hope is that it will blend in and your eye will be caught by an interesting piece of art instead. While we love our current Samsung TV, we have been wanting to upgrade but haven’t found anything to help elevate the style of our room.

But, I think there is a solution, a really pretty, stylish solution. Let me introduce you to The Frame by Samsung. Designed in collaboration with designer Yves Béhar, Samsung’s The Frame is the most beautiful TV you’ve never seen. The Frame challenges the traditional black box TV, by integrating a beautiful design with high-quality display technology. The Frame hangs flush to the wall, like a real picture with it’s revolutionary wall-flush mount, and it’s easy to install. And with its single, Invisible Connection The Frame connects to the One Connect Box, eliminating unsightly cables and uncluttered unnecessary clutter, and leaving your space beautifully curated. And don’t worry The Frame is not all beauty, it’s got brains as well. It offers 4K UHD viewing.

Here’s my living room now:

So, I decided to play a little in our living room. I took out our current Samsung TV and styled and redecorated the gallery wall over our credenza a few different ways. Then I digitally added in The Frame to see how it would work in our space. And, no surprise, I LOVE it. With The Frame I don’t feel like I’m making design compromises because it fits in with any style of decor. It’s just like playing with another piece of art.

I played around with 8 different looks and layouts. What do you think?

The Frame really is another piece of art for your home. The Frame transforms into a beautiful work of art when you are not watching TV. There are 100 curated pieces of art that you can choose from or you can also upload and display your personal photographs of family and friends as well. This feels like a total game changer for me. As someone who likes to change up things in my home, really often, I would love having the flexibility of being able to change the art in the Frame when I decide I want to play with a new color palette or when I want to change with the season.

This might be my favorite look, with a framed piece of Tapa Cloth from Papua New Guinea and the stunning redwood tree wood veneer piece my brother made.

The Frame also has customizable frames that have the flexibility to perfectly complement your home décor, with three additional bezel options in wood, white or metal. I played with the white frame and this fun architectural image from the curated art that comes with the frame.

When I’m in the market for a new TV, The Frame will definitely be my first choice. And then all the re-styling and re-decorating of my living room can be made super easy. I get a little giddy thinking about being able to change out art to match the season, color palette or just my mood.

The Frame just launched and is available in 65” for $2,799 and 55” for $1,999 starting 6/18 on Samsung.com and retailers nationwide.

The post is sponsored by Samsung, thank you for supporting the fantastic companies that help make this blog possible.

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Design

24 Stylish Coffee Tables Under $200

June 23, 2017

Today felt like a good day for a round up. I’ve been doing a lot of local design work lately. I’ve got 3 clients that I’ve been helping lately and a lot of what I do for them is just source products that I think they will love. But, in true Oleander + Palm style, I do hunt down a lot of really great deals. So, I thought I should share some of my finds with you as well.

I’m a huge fan of the round coffee table. I like playing with shapes when a style a space and usually living rooms are full of only squares and rectangles. Rugs, sofas, credenzas, and chairs have straight lines and angled corners. A round coffee table gives you a chance to change things up a bit. One of my all time favorite purchases is my West Elm Marble Topped Coffee Table (which is no longer available – so sad). It’s one of my favorite surfaces to style and restyle. This coffee table shows up on my Instagram Feed all the time. So, since I have so much love for my round coffee table, I felt like a should find some great options for you as well. And I can’t believe the prices on some of these super stylish pieces. All 24 coffee tables are under $200 and many are even under $100.