Squares and stripes

First of all...bear with me. This is my sister dancing with Donnie. (About 30 seconds in.)Warning: Turn down the volume unless you are a fan. Lots and lots and LOTS of screaming:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Qth0Rp0JoSniff. I'm so proud!! Oddly enough, she was only up there for 20 seconds or so. It felt like four minutes while we were there. This is a good thing, because it means I was only

Pretties to Share

I thought I'd share a few pretties today. The first being that pretty little "J" that you notice up there by the http://.
It's called a blog icon or fav icon. It replaces the big orange square B that's next to almost every blog address. It makes my blog name stand out and be unique. I love it! Cara, the RockSTARRMom, designed it for me. Thank you Cara! She can personalize your blogicon too. Just go visit her at Your Blogicon and tell her I sent you. She'll create something wonderful for your blog and give you step-by-step instructions on how to install it. She's such a sweetie!

As you know I've been a little light on my posting lately which has given me time to catch up on things. I've been doing some yard work (finally!). Of course there's still more to do. Lots of flowers to plant and the weeding is never done. But I wanted to share a few photos of my yard.
The roses look spectacular this year. My clematis has never had so many blooms. I'm amazed that everything has managed to thrive even with my neglect. I learned a lesson from my flower beds. They look great because I planted plenty of perennials. I applied that lesson to my huge flower pots and planted perennials in them this year. There's beautiful hostas in the pots under the trees. And fragrant lavender in the pots out back. With perinnials in my pots I can enjoy their beauty this year and for years to come.

It. was. awesome.

Oh my goodness people. I cannot even tell you how. much. fun. we had last night. I'm not even kidding. It was the time of my life!!! First, some pictures, and then you'll just die at the story at the end!!!!Our seats were AWESOME, thanks to a former coworker of my sister/second cousin of my best friend (long story). We were right behind the sound stage. Thank God I'm 11 feet tall: I kept standing

Romancing the Old

I'm joining Rhoda's party today and showing off my recent thrift store finds.I seem to be having an attraction to all things vintage. The old stuff like books, bottles, and silver seems to bring such a feeling of romance.

Creative.. isn’t it??

Last week at the Dubai International Airport, in one of the restaurants I saw this…


What does it look like to you?? I was ever so impressed!!

Do you have creative / DIY lamps? Send me a picture on torresp27@hotmail.com

Check HER out!

I'm a total slacker. I know I was supposed to blog about my squares and stripes today, but the day got away from me and so did the natural light. Any self-respecting blogger does not take night pictures if they can help it. (Yikes.)So bare with me folks, I will post it first thing next week! Until then, I am sharing more inspiration with you. Some bloggy love for your weekend pleasure...You just

A Fourth Explosion

This year I took a "more is more" approach to my holiday decorating. Instead of scattering it throughout my home, I concentrated on a few prominent areas that I filled to the brim with all that I had.

Free paint?!

Holy crap! If you go to:https://www.glidden.com/promotions/free-paint-giveaway.doPick a color online or at Home Depot and they will send you a free quart. That's it. And it's in my favorite finish -- eggshell. Swoon. The offer is good through July 2 or while supplies last. Get to it!!Ummmm....I gotta figure out what color I want!! The pressure, I can't take it!!! (Thanks Tara, Renee and Kari for

The perfect seat

I’ve been off the blog world for a while. 24 hours just don’t seem to be enough for me!!

This is where I want to spend the weekend (yes!! I can’t wait!)…. On that big couch, with my feet on the table… the candles lit up!! *hhuuummm* I can smell the flowers… Oh !! how I long for a cup of masala chai…

Oh Say Did You See

I'm putting some finishing touches on my
Fourth of July decorations.
I'm using all of the same old stuff, but trying to display it a bit differently.
In case you don't remember my
patriotic projects from last year,
here's a little reminder.

I made this using a flag and an old window.This flag was made from scrap wood and beadboard.

My fruity kitchen.

Our kitchen is ever-changing. I am always tweaking something. I have major Decorating ADD in this room. Issues people.I have noticed lately that many of my tweaks involve faux fruit and I'm starting to think it looks like the farmer's market on a Saturday morning. I thought I would share the room and my fruity obsession with you so you can decide for yourself. I know the rage right now is light -

Back-up Plan

Our wonderful friends planned a garden reception for their newly married son and daughter-in-law. Several weeks before, they asked if I would be the "back-up plan" in case of inclement weather. I happily agreed. Unfortunately we have been experiencing unseasonably rainy weather and Saturday was no exception. At noon I was called when it was decided that the reception would be moved inside to a nearby church. The bride's parents had plenty of little lights, oodles of beautiful flower pots, and lengths of picket fencing to give a garden ambiance, but I wanted to add just a bit more. So with the wheels in my head spinning and my hubby as my creative accomplice, we went to work on Plan B.
We used four old and weathered porch columns given to us by our good neighbors. We added a top to attach them together. The columns stood firm and became a pergola over the wedding cake.Then we pulled out two french doors (Yes, we really do have these things on hand---stored in our garage, where most people park their cars). We cut and painted a few pieces of wood to slip on top of the doors. This tied them together so they'd stand on their own to form a unique and pretty garden trellis; a perfect spot for the bride and groom to greet their guests.It was a whirlwind of a day, but I think the bride and groom were pretty pleased with the back-up plan.

Gumball fish tank

I saw this project at least a year ago, probably more. I fell. in. love. I knew, one day, it would be mine. Well, Thursday was that day!! I have been had my eye out for a gumball machine for all this time, and last week there it was, at Goodwill!

I squealed with glee! (Really, I did. Out loud.) It didn't matter if it was $30, I was gonna get it. But it was only $10. Scha-wing!!

So this weekend,

Putting This Tour To Bed

I really appreciate your kind comments about the tour. My daughter is thrilled that you've enjoyed the apartment. But before we end, I must say a few special Thank Yous. First to my daughter and son-in-law for letting me show off their home. Also I must thank their good friend Ashlee (I made her the monogram M). Ashlee painted with me, drove me around and, most importantly, kept me sane while we painted practically the entire apartment in only two days. And a thank you to her sweet hubby for all of his help too!

Next on the tour is the second bedroom. It's being used as an office/guest room/bike storage. Their last apartment was only a one bedroom, so they are really enjoying this extra space.

Remember I told you that my darling daughter picked up some shutter doors for free. We also found an old door. Both came in handy when decorating the master bedroom. The headboard is a pair of shutter doors hung vertically right onto the wall. The nightstands were found on Craigslist. She also picked up these brass lamps for free. They look great with a couple of coats of metallic spray paint and a new shade. They had the tall chest of drawers and the previous tenants left a low dresser for them. Amazingly all of the wood tones in the bedroom furniture are very similar.Leaning in the corner is the old door that's been turned into a practical and pretty jewelry storage solution.
Remember the mirror above the kitchen sink? We bought a large mirror at the home improvement store (in the glass aisle) and asked them to cut it in half. One half was hung above the sink and the other half was hung onto the old door. We also purchased several door stops. We removed the plastic end of the stop and screwed them into the door for holding necklaces and bracelets. We added shelf brackets and a shelf below the mirror. The jewelry frame hangs below the shelf. Isn't it wonderful that everything my daughter needs for accessorizing is now one gorgeous accessory itself?

Kravet introduces Calvin Klein Home

J.R. Morra - Kravet Canada

One of the perks of being a design consultant is that you have the opportunity to see the latest in products including fabrics, furniture and flooring from various suppliers. This morning I attended a presentation by J.R. Morra from Kravet Fabrics Canada who introduced Calvin Klein Home's very first fabric collection available exclusively through Kravet. The upholstery line is inspired by nature while window and multi-purpose fabrics feature the clean and minimalist aesthetic that is undeniably Calvin Klein.

Because designers are a tactile bunch, we couldn't keep our hands away from the beautiful fabrics which feature a wide array of fibres such as cotton, linen, silk, jute, bamboo, rayon, polyester and viscose.

Corner décor

While clearing my pictures yesterday, I fond these pics. I had posted on Décor for Corner spaces earlier and then tried this the following weekend…. What do you think?

This only lasted a week. With an extremely boisterous daughter… pretty books and kullads don’t remain the way they are kept.

Let me know if any of you have innovative corners!! Oh ! And don’t forget to send me a picture so I can feature you here!

The Tour Continues

The tour of the my daughter and son-in-law's apartment continues.To the right of the dining area is the kitchen. The metal cabinets were freshened up with a coat of bright white. A mirror was hung above the sink to make doing the dishes a bit more pleasurable. The mirror reflects the light and a pretty view too.
I found this vase at the thrift store. It's a pretty way to store cooking utensils.
The little white cupboard was another freebie. The bottom half is great for storage and the top shows off a few more accessories.

The bathroom is divided into two rooms. The first room houses the sink and mirror. Mirrors were hung on the door and in rows on the wall across from the large mirror. They work great for seeing the back of your hairdo as well as brightening up the small space.
Here's another vase I found thrifting. It's hung just inside the door, above the sink. Doesn't everyone enjoy seeing a pretty bouquet of flowers first thing in the morning while getting ready for the day?
Little lovelies adorn the counter. Small apothecary jars filled with cotton balls and swabs.
These beautiful accessories hang in a spot behind the door in the room with the tub and potty. You might remember my tutorial on how to make the knob hanger that's hanging below the picture. Originally it was made for hanging jewelry, but it will do a fabulous job as a towel holder. We decided to make something bigger and better for hanging her ever growing jewelry collection. I'll show you that project, as well as the two bedrooms, next time.

One dollar kitchen decor.

I was going to show you the start of my deck transformation today so I could link up to Kimba's party, but the rain is putting a major cramp in my style. I love rain, but when it interferes with my decorating, me don't likey.So instead, I did some spray painting in the garage. A couple weeks ago, I saw this project at Angie's place and fell in love with it!I was thinking of ways to try this out

Spotting a Bargain

It really doesn't take a lot of money to make a house a home, just the determination and patience to search for a bargain, and the willingness and humility to take a freebie when you find one. My son-in-law and daughter's apartment is made up of several bargains and freebies.

You already know that the sofa was bought on Craig's List, but there's even more budget savers. Let me show you just a few.

I purchased the mirrored table from the thrift store for six dollars. It went home with them last summer in a car that was filled to the brim with wedding gifts and luggage. The sassy little black and white vase on the top was a cast-off from a friend.The coffee table was a freeie, and so was the chest I used to define the entry. It got a coat of black spray paint to fit in with the Swedish store bought furniture.
That great looking over-sized orange lamp was a five dollar discovery from "my" thrift store. Fortunately it arrived safely inside a very well packed check-in suitcase. It just needed a new shade to give it a classy up-date.
The shutters flanking the windows were free. I got a phone call from my daughter asking me if she should pick them up. Of course I said YES! They're hung on both the living room and dining room windows to add an architectural element to a plain apartment, as well as unify the style of the two rooms.We saw that tall piece late one night (right corner in above photo) in someone's garbage pile on our way back to the apartment. My daughter stopped the car and I jumped out to pick it up. It's missing a few baskets, but it's still functional for storage. It may get a make-over next time I visit.The beautiful china cabinet was a twenty-five dollar find on Craig's List. It's missing the glass shelf. They'll get one cut at a glass/window shop. The dining room table was a freebie from their last apartment. The top had a light stain, but with some sanding and a couple of coats of dark cherry stain it lost it's farmhouse feel and now looks fresh and hip.The bar stools were found on CL. They only wanted two but the sellers wanted them sold as a set of four. I'm sure they'll come in handy when they have several dinner guests.
Most of the accessories were wedding gifts, thrift finds, dollar store goodies, or family heirlooms.
With a little determination, patience, willingness, and humility, you really can create a beautiful, stylish home on a tight budget!