Category Archives: Design

Design / DIY

Heart Cross Stitch for the Wall

January 13, 2014

Well, it’s almost that time of year.  Valentine’s day will be here before we know it.  I decided to make a large cross stitch heart for my wall this year.  I loved last year’s Giant Geometric Wall Heart, but it’s time for a new take on the symbol of love.

A while ago I can across this gorgeous painted cross stitch flower.  I’ve been wanting to replicate this in some way in my home, so I took a simple shape, a heart,  and made mine a temporary installment.  I made my crosses with Cricut vinyl (like my triangle wall).  Using two 12×12″ sheets of black vinyl, I cut out 27 crosses to make this heart (I fit 16 on each sheet).  It looks totally permanent, but as soon as I tire of it, I can take it down in seconds.

This would be really cute in pink or red as well.  But, I’m sticking with my black and white theme that I had for Christmas.  What do you think?  Is it cute, without being too cutesy and girly?  You know I like a theme, so you’ll be seeing more of this cross stitch pattern for Valentine’s day 2014!

Design / DIY / Find

Mid Century Chair Recovered

January 9, 2014

Remember my orange chair in need of some love?  Well, I finally look some time this week to recover the cushions.  
I had wanted to find some fabric with a little funk (like metallic gold polka dots), but no such luck.  So, I decided to go neutral and classic with grey linen.  
And it was a very inexpensive job.  I bought this fabric for $5 a yard at a wholesale fabric place.  I decided to reuse the old zippers and even the foam inserts.  I simply took apart the old cushion covers and then cut my pattern from them.  I did wrap the foam in some new batting to soften the edges.  So, in total, this little makeover cost me $10.  I’m feeling pretty good about that.  I can add funk (pattern and color) with pillows and maybe a throw.  

I’m liking this little corner in my bedroom even more now.  

Design

Our New Modern Living Room

August 23, 2013

I’m so excited to share our NEW, more modern living room with you.  Head over to the Land of Nod’s blog Honest to Nod today! I’ve been working to give our living room a more modern feel. Yes, I’m using Land of Nod products in a grown up space!
It’s funny how your taste can change in just a few years. But, I find myself drawn to more clean lines and geometric shapes.  Yes, our house was built in 1920, but I really think trendy, modern and fresh can be achieved in any home with Nod’s products.  And I’m not talking about stripping the room bare and starting with all new furniture.  Most of my furniture, even my rug did not change. I believe a room’s feel, mood and even style can be changed with just a few accessories and a little paint. 
Head over there to see more of the details and sources for all my fun accessories.  And get a good look at my TRIANGLE wall. Then come back here and let me know what you think. Was I successful in modernizing our little living room? 
I hope you all have a great weekend. As usual, I’m hoping to be productive, creative and spend some quality time with my family.

Design / DIY

Gold Polka Dots

August 21, 2013

I’m lovin gold polka dots these days. I’ve put together a little round up of some shiny spotted treasures.  A couple are my on DIY’s and the others are just too fabulous not to share. This week I picked up some gorgeous gold dotted burlap at the fabric store. I don’t have a project in mind for it yet, but how cute is the folding chair recovered in it? You know, I might have a fabric hoarding problem, I often buy fabric with absolutely no idea what I’m going to use it for. Sometimes you just come across something soooo fabulous, you just can’t pass it up. That’s how I felt about the gold burlap, what if I go back and there’s none left? Better safe then sorry. 
Day Planner // Folding Chair // Sheet Set
DIY Lamp Shade // Polka Dot Bathroom 
Washi Tape // Succulent Pots // Hair Bow
Are you with me? Aren’t gold polka dots great? They are fancy and playful all at the same time.  

Design / DIY

The Girl’s Room

I was going through my Home Tour page here on Oleander and Palm and realized that I didn’t have a good link to the girl’s bedroom. I shared the reveal to the room on Land of Nod’s blog Honest to Nod a while ago, but I thought it would be nice to have access to the pictures here as well.  Some of you may have missed that post, and I LOVE this room.  So, here it is!
My girl’s both have vintage beds. Denali’s is a full sized metal frame from Lonnie’s grandparent’s farm and Olivia’s crib was my Jenny Lind crib from when I was a baby. Obviously our house is also old, but I think the space needed a splash of modern and playful.  
I ended up getting all the pieces on my inspiration board except the storage bench and the new duvet cover.  I decided there really wasn’t room in the space for another piece of furniture. And after getting the adorable gold dot sheets, I was totally fine with keeping her old duvet cover.  The sheets added spunk and a fresh vibe to the bed.  
Taking what we already had and mixing in the new fun things from The Land of Nod, made all the difference.  Even though it has a lot of familiar old pieces, it feels like a whole new space.
I love the juxtaposition created by pairing my Grandma’s vintage horse prints with the modern art pieces like The Amethyst.  I played around with the arrangement of art pieces for quite a while before I decided on this arrangement.  I think the colors and shapes play so nicely together.  
The metal bicycle that hangs over the crib was a baby shower gift from a dear friend.  I made a little basket liner and some tissue paper flowers for it.  The bicycle goes well with the quilt my mother in law made for my baby.
I made a couple new pillows for the bed.  The geometric heart is my personal favorite. I made a giant version of this pattern for Valentine’s day, it’s fun to have a miniature version that I can keep in my home all year long.  
The new leather chair is fabulous.  I really hope when my daughter moves away for college, that this stays with me.  It really added to the modern look I was hoping to infuse into the space.   An extra bonus is that it’s very comfortable.
My oldest daughter has a collection of porcelain birthday bears that her Grandma has given her.  I had them on a couple little shelves above her dresser, but I found them a new home in the corner of the room on a shelf from my Grandma’s house that I refinished.  Now I’m looking at the space over the dresser thinking that a mirror would look pretty fantastic (this one in particular).
To help with storage issues I made these under crib storage bins.  I found these two wooden drawers are a garage sale, I believe I paid $4 for each of them.  I gave them a coat of fresh white paint, added casters to the bottom, and put a fun glass pull on the front.  Now they slide easily under the crib and help keep the clutter at bay.
I gave their old lamp a facelift with a coat of metallic gold paint and a new shade to match the sheets.  This lamp shade is an easy DIY.  I took an inexpensive white lamp shade, did a little measuring and taping and then I painted on polka dots with metallic gold paint. 
So far the room is working out pretty great.  There are challenges with a toddler and a tween in the same space.  But this is what we have to work with, so we’re making the most of every square inch of this space.   

Design / Find

Vintage Black Botanical Poster

August 14, 2013

Our new, more modern, living room is coming along. I’m so excited about the latest addition to the room, this huge botanical print of a walnut tree! Walnuts and I go way back. When I brought this home, my husband asked me if I was ok with having a walnut in our living room, considering our history. When Dylan was just 3 months old and Denali was almost 2, I broke my foot on a walnut.  Yes, I had a cast up to my knee for 6 weeks because of a walnut. We had a tree and walnuts actually have a green skin around the hard shell we see. So, I stepped on one in the back yard and it is kind of like stepping on a banana peel. It was interesting getting around the house with a baby and me on crutches. I ended up putting Dyl in a stroller to move him around the house in order to feed him and change his diapers. But, back to the poster. Isn’t it fabulous?

There is one thing in particular that I am always on the look out for at flea markets. I love vintage maps and Science charts. I’m married to a geek (Lonnie is a High School Biology teacher). We even borrowed a cool frog chart to decorate with for Dylan’s science themed party from his classroom. I’ve wanted to find a cool oversized chart for our home, but they are almost always out of my budget. There is a vender at the Rose Bowl Flea that sells amazing vintage Science charts and maps from France.  I always stop and look through her stuff, but most of the pieces start at about $200. She even has a newsletter that she emails out with her new stuff, and I drool over it every month.

I got to go to the Rose Bowl Flea Market this last Sunday. It really is one of my most favorite things to do. I took my sister in law, who had never been, and my mother in law. I love taking someone for the first time. It’s so exciting to see their reaction and help them find a fabulous treasure at a steal. My sister in law walked away with the jack pot. We found a set of 4 paint by numbers that someone had done beautifully and each one was of a different Season. I really wanted them, but I wanted her to leave with something really great and have a good experience. So, she took them home. It was a really fun day and I only bought a cute jadite turkey dish for Thanksgiving and a vintage California felt pendant for Riley. I spent less then $20 and I had a blast!

And again, I keep heading off on tangents, back to the posters.  Here’s a couple botanicals in homes that I think look really great.

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I especially love the charts with the black backgrounds. They are bold and graphic and just the statement I want for my space.

Here’s a few more that I’ve found online. The two reproductions of the Male Fern and the Mushroom are both of from the same shop Nicole of Making it Lovely got her Dog Rose print. They are priced at $198 with the dowels on either end for hanging.

And this one of a hazelnut has beautiful colors and is the real thing, and is priced accordingly at $245.10. 

This pineapple reproduction makes my pretty happy and it’s priced reasonably at only $50.

And now I’ve saved the best for last.  Guess where I got my chart? And you’re not going to believe how reasonable it was. It’s not an original, but I’m ok with that. I got my walnut print at IKEA for $19.99!!!!!! How fantastic is that? I think this is a pretty fabulous fake, and I’m sure we’ll love it for many years to come. I love all the green in it, and when you see the whole room together, I think you’ll agree. And don’t you love the nice contrast of the black print on the white walls.  Can you tell I’m pleased with my purchase?

Design / etc. / Find

Window Shopping: Pineapple Pretties

August 8, 2013

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I warned you yesterday that I’m on a pineapple kick this week. I’m not ready for summer to be over, so I’m keeping it alive with this tropical fruit theme. I did a little online window shopping and picked out some fun Pineapple Pretties.
Since colonial times, the pineapple has represented hospitality. I love what this fruit symbolizes. I always want guest to feel welcome in my home and being hospitable was something my parents definitely modeled for me as a child. 
If you like these and want to see more,  I’ve found some other great pineapple perfect pieces and pinned them to my Island Life Board.

Design / Find

Triangle Wall Treatments

July 31, 2013

I’m putting more thought into my new, soon-to-be more modern living room since I painted it all white. I’ve been hunting out floor poufs and I’ve gathered a few new and old finds to hang on the walls. 
I’ve been wanting to do something bold and graphic on the entryway wall. I really want to add something fabulously geometric! You know how much I love triangles. And as much as I think hexagons are taking over, I still think my favorite 3-sided shape will win in my living room. 
I’ve put together a round up of some really great triangle walls. I really love the mini peach and grey ones all in neat rows, but I think I’ll go bolder with the color like the small black ones. Or maybe I’ll play with mixing colors like the triangles in pairs. 
Mini Pink and Grey // Large Peach // Small Black
Random Multi-Colored // Gold Minis
Black and Yellow Mix // Triangles in Pairs // Grey Tonal Wall
There’s a lot of great ideas out there, and I’ve pinned more geometric walls on this board. Do you have any thoughts or ideas for me? I’d love you input. Whatever I do, I think it will be a removable vinyl type, low risk with big impact.  

Design / etc.

Bye Bye Beige

July 19, 2013

Well, I finally took the plunge and painted my living room yesterday. Good bye beige! This is what me living room looked like almost 2 years ago (I guess I should update the pictures). Yuck, I really don’t like that room. And here’s a little video tour I shot yesterday before I started painting. It’s funny how your taste can change so much.  For a while now, I’ve been wanting the space to look a little more modern. I did get a new chair recently (which I LOVE) and I have plans to change out a lot of the accessories. I new sofa and rug are not in the near future, so I’m going to work with these pieces. They are both neutral, but are starting to show the wear and tear of 3 kiddos and a hubby (I take absolutely no responsibility for any messes).

So, I painted the room WHITE. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while. I knew I wanted to keep the walls neutral, because I love to change colors and accessories often. I didn’t want another beige or khaki or taupe and almost all the other rooms in my house have grey walls. So, I went with white. I blame my Swedish heritage on this choice (my Grandpa was Swedish). The Scandinavian clean, crisp white called me.

These aren’t the best pictures, but here it is white!

I started by repainting all the trim and moldings in the room. They were scuffed and tired and needed a fresh coat. That took me a good part of the day. And if you have windows from 1920, then you feel my pain, so much taping and painting in little grooves and crevasses. Then I tackled the walls, by then Lon was home from work, so he helped me move along at a faster pace. I painted the walls the same white as the trim, just in a flat finish (whereas my trim is a semi gloss). The white a used is a custom color, but I would describe it as a warm white. Not a cool, blue toned white and not off-white, just slightly warmer.

The Beige Before

Last night, when we had paint on a couple walls, I started to regret my choice. Ahhhh, was it too much white? Was it going to feel like a hospital? And then I was sad that I couldn’t see my nice wide trim and moldings anymore. They just blended in. Yes, I did think through all of this before choosing white, but seeing it for real and seeing it in your mind are two different things. I shared my thoughts and worries on instagram last night, and I’m thankful for the encouraging comments and suggestions. Sometimes you just need someone else’s opinion. And then we I got up this morning and……… I LOVE it! It’s so bright and cheerful in here. I’m really glad I went white. I’m loving having everything off the walls. I think I’m going to hold off hanging things for awhile. I’m not sure it it will all go back up and I might like to add some new pieces.

And you can see that I have a lot to accomplish. I refuse to put back all the electronics, toys, books and magazines until I have some sort of stylish, practical organization. This is just embarrassing!

So, are you a fan of the the all white? Any thoughts on the loss of my trim? Stay tuned, this room is headed to a fresh new look (on a budget – always).

Design / DIY

Bay Blanket Printable

June 28, 2013

Well, O + P’s Canada week has come to an end. But, I’m giving you one more fun Canada Day decoration. This free 8×10 printable Bay blanket easily adds Canadian cheer to to your home. Just slip it into a simple frame and place it on your mantel. Two great iconic Canadian symbols all in one. 
Click HERE for the free download. And if you missed the rest of my Canada love posts, be sure to check out the Canada Day Bunting, the Giant Geometric Maple Leaf, the Hudson Bay Blanket round up, and the Maple Nut shortbread. 
Well, we should be set for Canada Day. I hope you all have a great weekend.  I’m off on a new adventure. I’ll share more on Monday, but I will say this adventure does involve snorkeling, palm trees and hopefully pina coladas.