7 DIY Spring Centerpieces…

March 9, 2013

Sara Silver . DIY . flowers

I love the change in the seasons, particularly going from the muted colors of Winter to the bright, fresh colors of Spring. One of the best ways to bring that feeling into your home is by creating a centerpiece for your table. Here are a few ideas for you to consider this weekend…

#1. Robin’s Egg Blue Vase, Yellow Branches

Nicest Things

One of my FAVORITE color combinations for Spring! Go to your local craft store for the branches with yellow buds. Paint a terracotta vase blue (get a small sample size of paint from Lowe’s or Home Depot which should be plenty for this project and cost around $2.50).

#2. Flower Nest

Better Homes & Gardens

The House of Smiths

This would be beautiful with live flowers but you could create the same look with DIY flowers made of crepe paper streamers. Dip your eggs in yellow dye and rest on white serving dish or bowl.

#3. Glass Cylinder and Decorative Paper

Hostess With The Mostess

It doesn’t get much easier…take all those glass cylinders you have lying around the house and cover them with beautiful Spring scrap or wrapping paper. Embellish with ribbon.

#4. Gathered Branches and Pink Flowers

Better Homes and Gardens

On your next long walk (if you don’t take long walks, stop reading this and go take a walk!) gather some branches 🙂 Break out the hot glue gun and pop some pink flowers off a cheap arrangement. Adhere the flowers blooms to the branches and display in a glass vase.

#5. Egg Cups and Cupcake Paper

Better Homes and Gardens

So fun! Layer cup cake paper inside an egg cup and fill with Easter candy.

#6. A Little Bit of Everything

Better Homes and Gardens

Glass dishes, flowers, eggs, branches, butterflies…not sure there’s a better way to display Spring. Nest your eggs in flowers set on glass dishes. Surround with branches; attach craft butterflies with hot glue.

#7. Mixed Vases and Fresh Flowers

Elizabeth Anne Designs

Arranging a collection of vases in glass and white ceramic allows you to spread one bouquet out to fill a larger space and let’s every flowers and plant take center stage. Add tea lights around the base for a stunning display.

Does Your Home Reflect Your Style…

March 8, 2013

Sara Silver . Home Design

The City Sage

The Visual Vamp

I was watching Wreck-It Ralph with my kids tonight and listening to the voice of Sarah Silverman when I was reminded of an article I saw in InStyle magazine, October 2011. InStyle did a spread on Sarah’s home, designed by FORM Los Angeles and I remember being struck by how perfectly her home seemed to fit her. From kelly green walls and old family photos taped on exposed brick walls to a striped black and white painted bathroom; it seemed much more like a home lived in than a home on display.

A lot of us strive for the perfect home but what good is perfect design if you can’t live comfortably in it? And why can’t you display that creepy clown figurine if you want to, right?:) Here are some examples of beautiful rooms painted with individuality.

glitter Guide

Vintage Revivals

Elle Decor

home to life

Chunky Necklace…Mid Week Fashion Boost

March 7, 2013

Sara Silver . Inspiration . Necklace

Sakurapink

It’s Wednesday and I need a little fashion inspiration. I wore jeans to work today (shhhh) and after cooking spaghetti, giving my kids a bath and washing dishes it’s not my home that needs sprucing up…if you know what I mean.

I love chunky necklaces…particularly the ones that incorporate fabric and jewelry. I found my way over to Etsy where they have an amazing collection of one of kind, hand-made pieces that can totally change the look of your outfit. Jeans and a tee-shirt….eh. Jeans, tee-shirt and an amazing statement necklace…much better!

Take a look at these and see if they inspire you.

KeywheatKreations

The individual strips on this piece mimic a multi-strand necklace but the fabric makes it more of a scarf. Either way…love it. $18 on Etsy.

Necklush

Hand printed and handmade of organic cotton in Brooklyn, NY, this piece is more pricey at $74. That being said, I can’t imagine any outfit this wouldn’t make look instantly more fabulous.

Vanessahandmade

This was crocheted…really. I love the chunky beads and the waves and curls of the fabric. According to the site this piece made it to the front page of Etsy; $47.50.

Letterstojane

So, this would be a special occasion piece but can you see it paired with a strapless dress to a summer wedding? Vintage inspired, gorgeous, $75.

whimsybeadsmaine

These cloth covered beads are cute and would look great for everyday wear. $28 on Etsy.

HMbySemraAscioglu

I hate to tell you that this one is $135 but does it make it better that it’s handmade of light powder glass pearls? The idea is what I love though…layers of beading and materials. So pretty!

Do you think any of these overnight? : ) Officially inspired.

5 Fun and Crafty DIY Bookends…

March 6, 2013

Sara Silver . DIY . Bookends

Bookends aren’t just for your shelves…put them on your coffee table (stand your books up for some added height) or use them on your desk for a pop of color. Here are 5 amazingly cute bookends you can make yourself!

#1. Raid the Toy Box

PB teen; Just Crafty Enough

How cute are these…seriously? Pottery Barn Teen no longer has these available but that’s even more inspiration to make them yourself. Find some sturdy wooden blocks, a few cute wooden toys or figurines, a little wood glue and some spray paint and…voila! Very cool.

#2. BLOCK LETTERS

Followpics.com

Hit up your local craft store for some chunky block letters, flatten out the bottoms or adhere them to a flat service, stack together, glue and paint. These would be great for a kids room!

#3. Bookshelf Bling

A Thoughtful Place; inspired by Young House Love

These are my favorite. I love the bright gold metallic against the soft pastel colors of the books. Spray your mason jars with a heavy coat of paint for maximum shine; fill with rocks to an appropriate weight.

#4. Vintage Chic

A Beautiful Mess

This project requires a power tool but it would be totally worth the work to make these (I used to talk on phones like these…scary!) They would be a really unique touch to a home office desk…click on the picture above for detailed instruction on how to put these vintage bookends together.

#5. Brickends

Pinterest Love

What could be easier than covering bricks in scrapbook paper…wrap them like you would a present and set them in place. Cute!

5 Ways to Repurpose a Picture Frame…

March 5, 2013

Sara Silver . DIY . Picture Frames

One thing thrift stores have more of than anything else (besides Myrtle Beach tee-shirts possibly) are pictures frames. The next time you see one that jumps out at you don’t pass it up! Here are 5 really cool ways to repurpose a picture frame and make it a focal point in your home.

#1. Make it A Display

Becky’s Blog

The back of this frame was wallpapered which is cool all by itself, but then smaller framed pictures were adhered to the inside to be displayed as one large piece. I love this.

#2. Turn it Into a Chalk Board

Divine Consign

Shabby McFabby / Esty

Use a bold color for the frame and cover the glass with chalk board paint (Martha Stewart has one available at Micheal’s). This would also be great for a menu board in your kitchen!

#3. Make it Into a Jewelry Holder

MonCheriShop / Esty

These are practical for organizing your loose jewelry and look beautiful hanging on the wall with or without ornamentation. Add hooks or detailed knobs to the bottom for additional hanging space and visual interest. Beyond that you’ll need wallpaper or scrap book paper, chicken wire, and a staple gun!

#4. Make it a Photo Memory Board

Shelterness

String wire in rows horizontally and staple to a brightly painted frame. Clip small pictures to the wire using mini clothes pins – change the pictures out frequently…add in notes or your baby’s (one of mine is 9 years old but he’s still a baby to me) artwork in to mix things up.

#5. Use it to Frame Your T.V.

Elements of Style

We’ve all seen the picture frames where beautiful art slowly retracts to reveal a huge flat screen…but that seems a little involved, right? Find a large frame to “frame” your mounted t.v. ( I especially love this against the wallpaper). Looks amazing – and when the T.V.’s off the frame is still appealing to look at!

Dinner Tomorrow Night?

March 4, 2013

Sara Silver . Food . Food, Recipes

The Girl Who Ate Everything

How easy is this?!? Served with a salad this would make an easy Monday night meal and I’m pretty sure not a child on earth would turn it down.

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough
4 cheese sticks, halved
1 (3.5 ounce) package sliced pepperoni
optional – marinara or ranch sauce for dipping

Garlic Butter Glaze:

2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Take each triangle of crencent roll dough and place about 6 pepperoni on the bottom of the triangle. Place half of a cheese stick on top and roll up. Place seam side down on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown.
While rolls are cooking, combine the melted butter, Italian seasonings, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl.
When rolls are done remove from the oven and brush with the garlic butter glaze. Serve with marinara or ranch for dipping.

http://dinnerwiththedonnells.blogspot.com/2011/07/pepperoni-roll-ups.html

Have A Good Week!

Photo Gallery Wall Part 2…

March 3, 2013

Sara Silver . My House . Frames

Reclaiming Your Castle

Ever since I blogged about the photo gallery wall last week I’ve been wanting to give it shot using one of the templates from that post. My journey finally began yesterday with a cup of coffee and a long time deliberating over what template to use and where to put it. After like 4 cups of coffee I finally decided on the bedroom!

Reclaiming Your Castle

The template I used required 2 8×10’s and 6 5×7’s. It’s not essential that you have matching frames for the photo gallery wall but every time I’ve tried using ones I have lying around the house I never achieve the same look…so I headed over to Walmart. They have basic matted frames – $3 for the 5×7’s and $5 for the 8×10’s – so for a total of $28 I got all the frames I needed to pull it together. And this is the result!

Reclaiming Your Castle

Yay! It’s amazing what a difference the photo gallery wall made in this room; I love it! Here are a few tips that helped me finally get this look right:

#1. Use a Template

Part of the reason a photo gallery wall works so well is the symmetry. A template will help keep your photos organized visually and allows for better planning before you put them up on the wall. Try laying the photos out together to work out spacing and decide what looks best where.

Reclaiming Your Castle

#2. Use Matching or Similar Frames

This really depends on the look you’re trying to achieve. You can put together an eclectic gallery wall with lots of different frame sizes and colors, but if your going for a traditional look it’s worth the investment of $3-$5 on matching frames from your local Walmart.

#3. Add Some Visual Interest

I used the “Eye Chart” from Thursday’s post in one of the 8×10 frames to break up the family photos (love it!) You could use any framed quote, a scenery pic from a favorite vacation, framed scrap book paper or artwork…something to spice things up!

Reclaiming Your Castle

#4. Line Up the Bottom of Your Frames and Not Just the Top…

I never considered the difference this would make before but it goes back to symmetry. Line up the bottom of the frames to square off your look. Once I had the frames up on the wall I realized there would be a gap between the 8×10 frames in the center so I filled that with a “family” decal I had from a previous project. It helped add another layer to the gallery wall and kept the look polished with even lines.

So that’s it!

I hope this post encourages you to give the photo gallery wall a shot…it was a lot of fun and totally worth the time and investment!

The Merits of Sewing…

March 2, 2013

Sara Silver . My House . Gabby

Sharpie + Coffee Mugs DIY…

March 2, 2013

Sara Silver . DIY . coffee mugs

A Beautiful Mess

Happy Saturday Morning!

Just a quick post for this morning…something fun to try while your hanging around the house. Grab a Sharpie, a few white coffee mugs and get creative! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

And while your drinking your coffee follow the link above to ‘A Beautiful Mess.’ Really cute ideas and recipes…new blog love!

(Note: These have to be hand washed rather than tossing them in your dishwasher)

Here’s Mine!

5 DIY Wall Art Projects to Try This Weekend…

March 1, 2013

Sara Silver . DIY . Weekend Ideas

The weekend is coming (yay!) and hopefully that means you’ll have a little extra time to do something creative. Here are 5 really cool DIY wall art projects to try…have fun!

#1. THE “EYE CHART”

Gardners two Bergers

I keep seeing these all over the place and every time I do I think how amazing they’d look as part of a photo gallery wall (by the way, I can’t wait to work on that myself this weekend!) so imagine my delight when I discovered that there’s a website for making these…really! It’s http://www.eyechartmaker.com – easy enough to remember, right? It allows you to customize your message, although you’re limited to character spaces, so be creative!

(TIP: To print the eye chart I saved it to my desktop, expanded the size to 200% using Microsoft Office Picture Manager and it came out great!)

#2. LETTER ART

346 Living

Buying these finished can cost anywhere from $18 to $75 a pop depending on the material they’re made out of. How about paper mache letters from your local craft store and some spray paint? Um, yeah…we can do that! Click on the picture above and follow the link for more detailed instructions.

#3. SCRAP BOOK ART

Better Homes & Gardens

Have you ever been in a craft store looking at scrap book paper and thinking how pretty it would look on your wall? Well, get it up there! There are some amazing patterns and colors available…try looking for distressed frames at a thrift store to contrast with the bright paper; matting inside the frame really polishes this look.

#4. LIGHT BOARD

POPSUGAR

I LOVE this idea! To do this you’ll need a large canvas, a string of Christmas lights (you still have some lying around, right?) craft glue and paint…oh, and something to punch holes in the canvas. Make sure the holes are at least an inch and a half apart…follow the picture link for more info.

#5. DECALS

Art Fire

Wall decals are so much easier than custom painting and the results are amazing. Do some research…there are so many options available online! Look at the little openings on the decal above for adding in personal pictures. So cute! For a long time I thought decals were more suited to children’s rooms but the variety out there now makes them appropriate for any room in the house. Here are a few sites to check out!

http://dalidecals.com/Quotes-Phrases-Saying-Custom-Wall-Decals-Wall-Stickers/ (the “quotes” decals on this site are great)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/luxeloft?section_id=7418445 (check out their monograms!)