I am so excited! Today, I put some curtains that I bought at Meijers. They are gold and green striped, and the material is very shiny. I decided that these curtains would go perfectly in my office, which is following the Mystic Victorian theme described in a previous post!
Hanging the curtains was entirely too exciting. I did not have a stud finder, so I tried to guess where to hang the curtains. I measured from the window to the mark, and drew a small circle (doing the same steps on the opposite side). My husband told me to drill a hole to place the anchors in. So, I started drilling but the drill would not move into the wall! Where did I go wrong?
1. I did not have my step stool (a friend was borrowing it), so I was standing on a kitchen stool (which also happened to spin).
2. I was trying to drill into a stud, and I am not strong enough!
3. I did not know what I was doing.
Finally, I gave up and called my friend Melissa from Evolving Eden over. She realized that I was trying to drill into a stud, but she was able to use her force to drill into the studs. We did not even need the anchors because there is no way the screws are coming out. Ok, so what is my advice for hanging curtains?
1. Get a stud finder-do not drill into a stud.
2. Hammer a nail into the wall to make a starting hole. Then, nail the anchor into this hole. If the hole is too small, use a larger drill bit to widen the starting hole.
3. Use an electric screwdriver to fit the screw into the anchor.
4. If you start drilling and it is not moving into the wall, you are on a stud. If so, find someone more experienced to drill for you. You can seriously hurt yourself if the drill slips.
Despite the amount of work, I love my new curtains! I plan to buy a matching pair to hang in front of the closet.
I also finally put out my new dragon that I bought honeymooning in St. Augustine, Florida!
Now that I have a plan for my kitchen and dining area, I wanted to also create an inspiration board for my office/sitting area. I love Victorian-style decor, and wanted to incorporate that feel into my room. I therefore decided to use very antique colors, focusing on champagne and sage green, but using dusty rose and deep purple as accent colors.
I want the feel of the room to be Victorian, but more of a modern feel rather than the uptight, proper feel of traditional Victorian rooms. To do this, I will to use a lot of solid colors, not print. However, I do want to use some typical Victorian materials such as silk, glass, wrought iron, pearls, and gold accents. But, I want to also give the room a mystical, "Enchanted Garden" feel so I plan to use lots of candles and flowers!
Clockwise from top left: 1. Pillow from Target 2. Vase Sconce from Bed Bath and Beyond 3. Picture from BizBash 4. Sandalwood Fan from Favors by Serendipity 5. The Garden Room Picture from Ivan About Town 6. Purple Flowers from Photos of the Year 7. Modern Victorian Room from Homes Magazine 8. Tea light Chandelier from Country Styled Homes 9. Green Throw from Overstock.com 10. Asian Retro 11. Sheer Ceiling from HGTV 12. Purple Vase from LunaBazaar 13. Green and Champagne Room from Woman's Day
Look for updates on my room!
Love Damask? Can't get enough of it? One of the biggest raves in the wedding business right now (as well as home decor!) is the damask print. And since it is so popular, you can find damask print on just about anything!
But what is damask? The term "damask" was first used to descr
ibe a certain type of textile that originated in the Byzantine and Islamic regions. The textile was unique in that a repeating pattern was woven so as to be raised above the fabric (usually silk at the time), rather than integrated into the fabric. After traders such as Marco Polo visited Asia, the popular weaving style moved to Europe and the Middle East. The term "damask" came from the city Damascus, since the city had become one of the major textile cities, exporting to Europe and the Middle East both.
Today, people generally refer to damask as a particular print since not all damask products are woven, nor is the print always always raised as they used to be. In addition, the damask print is not one standard pattern. Some damask prints have a more floral design, while other damask prints are more geometric.Since damask has become popular in home decorating, it can now be found easily! And, since damask is now made on cheaper materials as well, the average person can now afford to decorate with it.
Lamp from Amazon
Now that I have designed an inspiration board (see inspiration board: Old World Spain) for my kitchen and dining room, I wanted to start putting the room together. But where to start? Since I do not have much money, I decided to start by adding some wall sconces to my dining area. If you caught one of my early posts, I hung pictures of our honeymoon on the walls around the dining room table. But to start adding the Old World feel to the room, I decided to hang very masculine candle sconces to the walls, between the pictures.
To finish this project, I needed:
1. Nails
2. Hammer
3. Candle Sconces
4. Candles
I got my candle sconces from Walmart (only $8 at that!), but Target and Overstock.com also have some beautiful sconces as well.
Hanging the sconces was much easier than hanging the pictures. I found the middle point of the wall and made a pencil mark. Then, I had mark where to hang the sconces based on the heights of the pictures. I simply hammered in a nail at the center mark, and then slipped the candle sconce onto the nail.
Finally, I picked up some small pillar candles from Family Dollar. I love it! This project only took a few minutes but I love the end result.
For our honeymoon, my husband and I traveled to St. Augustine, Florida (I know...again with the honeymoon stories!). There, the historic buildings are made from such materials as gray coquina (a type of stone made from seashells) and other stone materials. However, the town's decor does not feel cold despite the amount of stone. Greenery is abundant across and inside the buildings, people eat within beautifully manicured courtyards with twinkling lights or torches, and the insides of buildings feature decor in bright colors of orange, red, blue, and yellow.
To bring ths romantic, yet colorful, feel into my own home, I created this inspiration board around the theme: Old World Spain. The main colors are a mixture of earth tones (gray, black, green, deep brown) and bright accent colors (particularly red and some orange). And, I wanted the feel of the room to be: Sophisticated , Romantic, Earthy, Soft, and Organic. What do you think?
Old World Spain
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Like this board? Have you decorated in a similar style? I would love to see you pictures and post your story online! Just hit the contact me button to the left.
I woke up this morning with the desire to make a design board for each of my rooms, hoping that the board would help organize my decorating ideas. While I like the idea of buying spontaneous decorations and accessories, I also want my rooms to look polished and carefully decorated. My friend Melissa might say this is due to my being a Capricorn. And a as a Capricorn, I must have a plan! So, I have narrowed down my room designing to 3 steps. Hope this helps!
Pick A Theme
One of the easiest ways to begin planning your room is to pick a theme for your room. The theme narrow your decorating focus. Below are a few theme ideas:
1. A Period Theme
-Medieval
-Gothic
-Victorian
-Colonial
-1950s or any other decade
1950s Living Room
2. A Regional/Cultural Theme
-French/Spanish/Tuscan
-Coastal/Tropical
-Mountain Lodge
-Country
-Asian Inspired
-Western style
3. Select a Focal Object
-Favorite piece of artwork
-Favorite flowers/veggies/herbs
-Seashells/Lighthouses
4. Colors
Maybe you simply want to base your room around a certain color or colors. Pick either your favorite colors or use colors to create a particular mood:
Green: earthy, organic, natural
Blue: calming, tranquil, peaceful
Purple: mysterious, luxurious
Red: modern, sexy, spicy, exciting
Orange: excitement, enthusiasm
Yellow: light, airy, fresh, happy
Pink: cute, quaint
Black and White: chic, sophisticated
Identify the Feel of the Room
Now that you have a general idea about the theme/colors for your room, make a list of words that you feel should describe your finished room. Should it be calm and soothing? Or sexy and modern? Victorian and earthy? Sophisticated and chic? The main idea is that you should begin to envision how you want to feel when you spend time in your room, and doing so will help clarify your project. For example, if you want to decorate a room using a coastal/tropical theme, do you want your room to feel like a beach party, a nautical boat, or a serene beach retreat?
Identify Relevant Materials
Based on your theme and descriptive word list, what decorating 
materials would best convey your theme? For example, if you want to decorate with a Victorian theme, then you may want to incorporate silk, pearls, lace, wrought iron, dark woods, and flowers. Or, if you select a Tuscan theme, why not decorate with wine bottles, stone materials, vines, and terra cotta like in the Tuscan Kitchen to the right? Make a list of the materials that would bring out your theme, and then keep them in mind as you look for paint, furniture, and decorations.
And be creative! If you want to create a herb inspired kitchen, then think of unique items to decorate with. Instead of buying a vase for your kitchen table, buy a small planter. Paint it your desired color, tie a ribbon around it (or simply glue one if you don't want the bow) and plant a flower herb. Here is a starter list of items to obtain for your rooms:
1. Paint/Wall Treatment
2. Wall Art
3. Window Treatments
4. Rugs
5. Lighting
6. Storage
7. Furniture
8. Decorations and Accessories
9. Kitchen Utensils/Dinnerware
Happy Decorating!
Designing a wine-inspired kitchen or dining room? Then take a look at this unique decor idea from The Country Porch! These wine bottle candelabras not only hold votive candles, but also function as a vase.
Simply insert the bottle stopper into a special or decorative wine bottle. Happy decorating!