Some photos I've been collecting as inspiration...
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Christmas at the Crystal Cottage
I'm trying out this name for our house. Is it silly to name your house? I think not. I see our house as a cottage for sure - quaint, dainty, and homey. And the "crystal" part I added because I realized that I am adding so much sparkle to this place! So we'll see if it sticks.
Decorating this year was a blast - and I only spent $4! We got our tree last year as a gift, and most of our nicer ornaments. I only spent money on upholstery piping to make the "Merry Christmas" sign on the mantel! More details on that to follow! Everything else is reused or repurposed in some way to bring some Christmas cheer!
For ornaments, we used mercury glass ones that were given to us last year, made by Anthropologie. I also scrounged up some lace and tied simple bows and hung those sporadically. I fell in love with the typed pages look and made pinwheel ornaments of my own design (Free and EASY). Then, I found my handmade crocheted coasters, figured they looked close enough to snowflakes, and stock them on there as well. I hung a few doilies as well (one of my go-to items for decorating). I am pleased with the result! I had a little roll of bridal tulle (usually these are like 2 dollars at the dollar store) and wound it around the tree as a garland! I am too cheap to buy a premade garland, so this worked perfectly and looks so pretty with the lights twinkling through.
This wreath has been through many tranformations. This year, I bustled tulle around the ouside, added a flower that I made awhile ago with crystals (yay), and set it on a little doily. Voila. I hung these votives with leftover lace and utilized my new little awning in the dining room that I created with corbels and an old shutter.
These trees were transformed from hideous glittery gunk-ville. I hot glued fabric I had from old curtains over top, then wound around trim from old projects. I love them, and I'm sure I will use them for years to come!!
Decorating this year was a blast - and I only spent $4! We got our tree last year as a gift, and most of our nicer ornaments. I only spent money on upholstery piping to make the "Merry Christmas" sign on the mantel! More details on that to follow! Everything else is reused or repurposed in some way to bring some Christmas cheer!
For ornaments, we used mercury glass ones that were given to us last year, made by Anthropologie. I also scrounged up some lace and tied simple bows and hung those sporadically. I fell in love with the typed pages look and made pinwheel ornaments of my own design (Free and EASY). Then, I found my handmade crocheted coasters, figured they looked close enough to snowflakes, and stock them on there as well. I hung a few doilies as well (one of my go-to items for decorating). I am pleased with the result! I had a little roll of bridal tulle (usually these are like 2 dollars at the dollar store) and wound it around the tree as a garland! I am too cheap to buy a premade garland, so this worked perfectly and looks so pretty with the lights twinkling through.
This wreath has been through many tranformations. This year, I bustled tulle around the ouside, added a flower that I made awhile ago with crystals (yay), and set it on a little doily. Voila. I hung these votives with leftover lace and utilized my new little awning in the dining room that I created with corbels and an old shutter.
These trees were transformed from hideous glittery gunk-ville. I hot glued fabric I had from old curtains over top, then wound around trim from old projects. I love them, and I'm sure I will use them for years to come!!
Switch-a-roo Living Room
So, I finally got tired of the mission style matchy matchy coffee table and side table set. It was a great set, and certainly served me and my many roommates (and now husband) well over the years. Nonetheless, it just didn't suite my style anymore so I put it up for sale. I sold it within a few hours of posting it on Craigslist! Here is the before of the back wall of the living room:
I had been loving the glass topped coffee table look that is so popular these days and I thought that would be perfect to open up our living room. Everything I seemed to like, though, was hundreds or thousands of dollars (NOT my budget!). Luckily, I found a beauty with perfect lines at the Junk Exchange sale. It was only $20 and I got some glass cut to fit the top! I added this to the room and rearranged some other furniture pieces to take the place of the old side tables. I LOVE how open and functional this space is! No wasted room, more storage, more openness in the center of the room! I moved the lamps to the back sofa table and I LOVE it!
I had been loving the glass topped coffee table look that is so popular these days and I thought that would be perfect to open up our living room. Everything I seemed to like, though, was hundreds or thousands of dollars (NOT my budget!). Luckily, I found a beauty with perfect lines at the Junk Exchange sale. It was only $20 and I got some glass cut to fit the top! I added this to the room and rearranged some other furniture pieces to take the place of the old side tables. I LOVE how open and functional this space is! No wasted room, more storage, more openness in the center of the room! I moved the lamps to the back sofa table and I LOVE it!
One Dollar Update
This is the new little storage system in the Master bathroom - works great for cotton balls, tp, and anything else! I found this in a heap at the local Salvation Army and the price was right ($1!). I also couldn't pass up something in my favorite shade of aqua blue! I just used my pliers to bend the baskets back into shape, cleaned it up, and hung it! The photo below shows how I found it:
This bathroom still needs tons of work, but this is a small, practical step in the right direction!
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