Feb
29
2012

Gorgeous Bookcase Makeover & A Giveaway!

Using stencils to give furniture new life

Gorgeous Bookcase Makeover & A Giveaway!

I recently tweeted my love for Royal Design Studio, a stencil company that has the prettiest designs I have ever seen. I was beyond excited when they then asked if I would be interested in trying one out and was even more excited when they offered one for me to give to one of YOU {keep reading}!

I had a really hard time choosing a stencil but I knew for sure that I wanted to use it on the bookcase in my living room. It had been used to house baskets of toys for years and was looking awful. It was time to take it from Fit For the Playroom to Va Va Voom.

I also knew I wanted an allover pattern and I fell in love with this small eastern lattice stencil. The scale was perfect for the size of the bookcase. 

After a little patience, and a lot of excitement, this is what it looks like now!

I am thrilled with how it turned out! To see just how easy it is to do this yourself, check out my step-by-step instructions here.

Royal Design Studio has a ton of gorgeous designs to choose from. 

And guess what? YOU get to do just that. Royal Design Studio is giving a $50.00 Shopping Spree to one of my readers! Most of the stencils are $50.00 or less {mine was only $24.00!}. They will also pay your shipping.

Simply go the Royal Design Studio website, choose your favourite stencil and tell me the name of your pick in a comment below. Good luck!

If you are looking for fabulous stencil ispiration, check out Royal Design Studio's Pinterest boards.

 

Yummy Rules and Regs: You must be a Yummy Mummy Club member to win. Click here to sign up! It's free and filled with perks. One comment per member. Entries accepted until March 9th, 2012. Contest open to Canadian residents. Winners will be picked using www.random.org.

 

Feb
27
2012

Currently Obsessed With: Vintage Mirrors

Mirror, Mirror I Want You On My Wall

Currently Obsessed With: Vintage Mirrors

When I fall in love with a design element, whether it's a colour scheme, accessory or furniture piece, I fall hard. I google it, I pin it, I picture it in the perfect place in my home. It becomes kind of an obsession. And, because I can't always get what I want {Mick Jagger was so right}, I will share my current obsessions right here with you.

This week's obsession? Vintage mirrors. Large, small, ornate or not, gold, pale blue, or white....I love them all. Which one floats your boat?

Check back each week to find out what I am #currentlyobsessedwith!

photos: hero image: house beautiful, pinterest, lonny, pb teen, chateau de fleurs

Feb
16
2012

How To Display Collections

Tips for organizing and grouping collections

How To Display Collections

I have always been a collector. In high school I started with antique tea cups and saucers and I haven't stopped collecting since. My current loves are vintage white pitchers, milk bottles and silver serving pieces. One thing I have learned over the years is that in order to avoid having collected items look like clutter, there are some things to keep in mind.

1. Collect only what you love. Don't worry about value when you are starting a collection. Instead, think of what speaks to you, items that represent a passion in your life or that connect you with special memories.

2. Group your collection together. Displaying everything in one place gives the collection more presence. 

3. Make it unexpected, either by what you collect or by how you display it. Get creative and have fun; ordinary items look fantastic when grouped together. Why not collect arrows or designer shopping bags when they can look this stylish? 

4. Be selective, be patient. Not matter what you collect, be picky. Depending on what you collect, when buying a new piece take into account the shape, colour, proportions and quality to see if it will compliment what you already have. Take your time and be patient, the best collections are built over time, with each piece telling a story. 

So tell me, are you a collector? 

photo credits: me, benjamin moore, the happy haven, a touch of vintage, BHG, leaping gazelle, apartment therapy,  design darling, hilda grahnat