Category: Daily Living Room

Pier-fect: Pier 1 Holiday Decorating

Published on by Our Humble Abode12 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pier 1 Imports. All opinions are 100% mine.

I should start off by saying that I was thrilled when I was contacted by Pier 1 to write a post about holiday decorating featuring items from their stores. I initially thought I would peruse the Pier 1 Website, pick out my favorite holiday items and that would be all. Later, I was informed I would receive a gift card to do a little shopping. Then, the bad news came; I wouldn’t be getting the $50.00 gift card after all. The good news? I would get a $100.00 gift card instead! Holy cow! Almost immediately, I decided to focus my holiday entertaining primarily on Christmas decorating.

My requirements: 1. Get the best deals possible. Hello, clearance! 2. Buy items that flow seamlessly from Christmas to year round decor. You know that I hate storing unnecessary stuff, so I tried to keep Christmas specific items to a minimum. 3. Try to get decorations for the most-visible-by-guests-areas: outside, living room, dining room and guest room. 4. Stick to my color scheme of silver, white, blue and green. With my goals in mind and gift card in hand, Everett and I took a little (2 hour) shopping trip to our local Pier 1. Before I show you what we returned home with, I’ll show you some items I loved that didn’t fit all requirements. First up, these cute owl and bird salt and pepper shakers. Cheap? Yes. Cute? Check, but my other requirements weren’t there. I also loved so many of the Pier 1 dishes and drinkware, like these beautiful silver stemware glasses. I don’t have much in the way of kitchen storage, nor do we do much fancy entertaining, so I took only a few items home with me from that department. If you didn’t know this already, Pier 1 has such a fantastic candle and candle holder selection. This angel tealight holder is beautiful, but doesn’t transition easily from Christmas to year-round. These ornament candle holders are really cute, but red wasn’t in my palette. I know I’m really picky, but are you ready to see what did make the cut? I’m sure you are, I won’t keep you waiting any longer.  Yep, all of this for $101.98! Sa-weet! I decided to splurge on two items because they were perfect for Christmas, but also year round. Splurge number 1: this mercury glass pillar holder. It was $22.00, but it’s timeless and says, “Look at me. Here I am, love me.” You CARS fans should know that one. Splurge number 2: the beautiful silver leaf bird tray for $29.95  Ain’t she a beaut? (as the Australians would say). It spoke to me: “Take me home! I fit ALL of your requirements!” So, I listened. I love the generous size, bird design and the splash of silver. Perfect for Christmas and beyond. Here’s a breakdown of everything else I walked out of Pier 1 with:

6 metallic gold place mats for $.98 each

1 metallic silver charger for $4.00

1 glittered golden Christmas tree decoration for $4.95

1 small silver candle lantern $4.98

1 large silver candle lantern for $10.48

1 short glass pillar candle holder for $3.88

1 golden bird ornament for $4.95

1 nest ornament for $2.95

2 small leaf bowls for $.98 each

2 golden star ornaments for $1.00 each

4 jingle bell ornaments for $1.00 each

Now, let’s continue to the decorating, shall we. First, let’s visit our doorstep.  My one-heck-of-a-deal clearance candle lanterns are accompanied by a few evergreen branches, faux snow (Epsom salt, a trick I learned from Better Homes and Gardens) filled drinking glasses turned tea lights. Yes, I know my candle lanterns are missing the candles. Forgive me. A silver ball ornament wreath, inspired by this one from Pier 1, hangs on our door to greet guests. Nothing says “Christmas” like silver glitter. We don’t have a mantle to decorate, so I treated our entertainment center as if it were. Here’s what it looked like BCD (Before Christmas Decorations): And here is our entertainment center now, decked out in glitz and glitter: The books, picture frames, magazine file, monogram ceramic balls (from a previous Pier 1 trip) and some candle holders stayed. To infuse Christmas cheer, more glass and silver candle holders, including the Pier 1 mercury glass pillar holder, were added along with glittered snowflakes, my Pier 1 glittered Christmas tree and silhouette ornaments. Don’t fret, I’ll provide more details in later posts. Along with our Christmas tree, decorating the entertainment center completed the holiday decorating in our living room. To decorate another guest visible room, our dining room, I hung our stockings from hooks hidden behind the quarter round moulding. The silver charger and golden star ornament turned napkin ring add some sparkle to our everyday dinnerware.  The mercury glass candle holder, glittered Christmas tree and apothecary jar filled with monogram ceramic balls at the center of the table add height, texture, and Christmas cheer to the tablescape. This centerpiece arrangement is rounded out by the golden bird and nest, to add layers of height.  Here’s another tablescape option I whipped up using assorted silver toned candle holders, my Pier 1 clearance gold metallic placemats and jingle bell ornaments as napkin rings. Two things that could make this setting better? Metallic gold salad plates, like these, to replace the blue ones and a few brass or gold candle holders to bring the gold throughout the arrangement. I kept the decorations in the guest room simple and functional with the pretty silver leaf tray topped with a few guest essentials and a special treat.  A white IKEA planter contains travel-sized guest essentials such as toothpaste, soap, and a washcloth. A Christmas-y reindeer print in a silver frame and votive holder turned vase add sparkle without competing with the silver leaf pattern. Another faux snow filled candle and the Pier 1 small leaf dish filled with M&Ms round out the tray. The items are strategically placed to show off the most of the beautiful pattern possible. Want to know what else is on my Pier 1 wish list? Here are a few more of my favorites:

Silver Paper Star Lantern

White Snowflake Pillow

Short Gold Tumblers

Silver Mosaic Reindeer Decor

Green Bird Plate

Circles Citron Pillow

Ruffle Pillow

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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Published on by Our Humble Abode15 Comments

That’s right, folks.  I know it’s not December yet, but Christmas is right around the corner.  Have you started decorating?  I think most people decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving, and usually I do, too.  But, this year, we’re running around like crazy people the week before, so I decided to decorate a few weeks ago.  Yep, you read that right, weeks.  What was the first Christmas thing to go up?  The tree, of course! 

This year’s color palette is silver, white, blue and green.  Not very original, I know, but I bought ornaments at Target (love Target!) the day after Christmas last year.  So, I’m working with what I’ve got.  Every year, it’s Ben’s task to add the lights to the tree.  We both prefer the plain white strands for a classic look.  So, he lights the tree and I add the ornaments.  This year, I had a little help from Vincent.  Of course, most decorations are at the bottom two feet, but hey, it’s free help. 

A white dove is perched atop our tree this year.

I have my eye on a beautiful Capiz star topper from, where else, Target.  It’s currently priced at $20.  Not bad, but it will be much better when it’s 50% off, dontcha think?  Yeah, me too.  What else is on my Christmas tree wish list?  A cute tree skirt of some sort. 

You see, we don’t have anything covering that ugly tree stand right now.  I want something white or silver, but I haven’t seen anything I really like yet.  I think I’ll buy some fabric and make a tree skirt at some point. 

So, that’s what our Christmas tree looks like this year.  What about your tree?  Have you set it up yet?  Do you have a color scheme or theme you’re sticking to or do you prefer to decorate with all of those mismatched, collected-over-time ornaments?

Herringbone Pattern Pillow

Published on by Our Humble Abode43 Comments

While the boys and I were wandering the aisles of Target, I spotted this beautiful Fieldcrest pillow.

The only color Target carries is this grey, and we don’t have much, if any, grey in our house.  After inspecting it for a few minutes, I felt confident that I could create something similar.  Luckily, Joann Fabric is within walking distance of Target, so that was our next stop.  I bought a relatively thick light blue fabric on clearance, then we went home and got to work. 

To make a herring bone textured pillow, you’ll need:

Fabric, at least two and a half times as much as the pillow size you want. 

Pins

An iron

Pillow stuffing or a pillow form

Optional:

Hem tape

To make the pillow, first, cut strips of fabric into rough 4 inch wide pieces.  I made strips that were the entire length of my two yard piece.  Cut several strips, then fold in half and iron to create a nice, straight edge.  I chose to add hem tape, just to make sure things couldn’t move around when I started sewing.   

Once you have your strips pressed, cut a piece of fabric one inch larger than the desired finished pillow size; this is the backing piece you will sew your strips to.  Fold in half or measure to find the center of the fabric.  Mark with a pen or pencil. 

Now you’re ready to start cutting, pinning and sewing.  Place the first strip of fabric at a 45 degree angle from your center line.  Trim the end to match the edge of the pillow.  You don’t have to do this, but it will help keep everything straight.  Pin in place.  Place another strip over the top of the first piece, but make a 90 degree angle.  Cut the bottom piece at the end of the one on top.  You will sew over it, but you don’t want the pieces to be short. 

Keep overlapping pieces, pinning in place.  I would suggest doing a few at a time, then remove and sew into place.  Allign the edge of your presser foot with the folded edge of the strip and sew one at a time.  Make sure your pattern stays straight and your pieces are overlapping in the same order.

Repeat until you reach the other end. 

Follow this tutorial to create an envelope closure, then stuff and enjoy!

To see other pillow ideas, check out this felt circle pillow cover I recently shared or these inspiration ideas from Etsy.

How To: Add a Personal Touch

Published on by Our Humble Abode5 Comments

I have already given some ideas on how to add a personal touch to framed photos, and now I have some ideas to add personal touches throughout the home.

1.  Add monograms or your family name.  Monograms are a quick and inexpensive way to make a room your own.  Michael’s and Hobby Lobby are great places to look.  The letters on the picture rail hail from Hobby Lobby and cost $9.99 each. 

I had some scrap fabric lying around, so I made custom monogrammed pillow covers for each of our boys.  You can’t really tell, but the painting in the photo above has their monograms, too.  If you don’t want to spend $10 on monograms, craft stores also have cheaper MDF and paper mache versions, like the ones in my office. 

Just add a few coats of paint and you’ve got a custom art piece.  We also have a few monograms in our living room.  I recently picked up some Power Ball-esuqe monograms from Pier 1.

You could also use monogram hooks in an entryway or bathroom to keep each family member’s items separated. 

2.  Choose prints and art with personal meaning.  I also create custom prints if I am in need of a personal touch. 

I love this bird print we have in our entry way because it shows our little family, wedding date, names and the colors are specifically coördinated to our room. 

Another easy DIY project to inject a little more of you into your space are custom silhouettes.  When I make our silhouettes, I take photos of each person in complete profile.  Kids can be much more difficult, but with digital cameras, just keep taking pictures and eventually something will work.  Then I open my photos in Photoshop and trace the outlines.  Then I print right on to my colored cardstock and cut them out.  Simply tape the silhouette onto another piece of cardstock and frame. 

Don’t limit yourself to silhouettes of your family.  The process is the same for making anything, so choose your favorite flower, tree, whatever and make another design.

Choose prints that have a meaning to you, not just something that looks pretty.  Again, I make my own prints, but my I Love You This Much print began as something I say to my boys.  Other typographic prints could look great, too.  Choose a favorite quote, song lyric or phrase.  Translate a phrase to another language for a less obvious, but still meaningful print, like the Je T’Aime (I love you in French) print above.   A great place to start your search is Etsy because you can talk to the seller and ask to have something customized. 

3.  Spruce up a box store item.  Don’t be afraid to spray paint something to take it from the big box store look to fit your home.  Spray paint frames, sculptures or figurines, even furniture.  It will definitely become more personal with little time, effort and money.

Where’d Ya Get That?

Published on by Our Humble Abode33 Comments

Here’s a source list for items in our house.  If you have questions about anything, just ask!

Living Room:

Paint: Wicker Chair by Olympic and Behr’s Vermont Cream color matched in Wal-Mart’s Colorplace brand    Rug: Flor  Sofa: HOM Furniture    Chairs: Dolce Lounge Chair from Target    End Tables: Dror by Target    Lamps:  TJ Maxx    Curtains:  Target    Throw Blanket:  TJ Maxx    Pillow Covers: Hand Sewn Fabric from Joann    Bird Candleholder:  Target    Picture Frames:  Wal-Mart, Target, Michael’s    Artwork:  Custom made by me    Front Door:  Home Depot    Floors:  Original Red Oak Hardwood

Living Room Other Side:

Rocking Chair:  Lay-Z-Boy (is now in the basement)    Desk:  Repainted hand-me-down    Desk Chair:  Target    Black Picture Frame:  Target    Large Frame:  Target 

Chair:  Hom Furniture     Mirror:  Garage Sale-only $5.00!    Candle Sconces:  Linens N Things    Pillow:  I made it.  Here’s how.

Entertainment Center:

Entertainment Center:  Custom Built by Ben    Door Hardware:  Home Depot Modern Bar    TV:  32″ Vizio from Costco    Silver Picture Frames:  TJ Maxx    B Monogram:  Target    Candle Holders:  Target    Clock:  Restoration Hardware on Ebay    Tall Blue Vase:  Crate and Barrel  Short Blue Vase:  TJ Maxx    Wooden Sculpture:  Target    Magazine Files:  IKEA painted Green    Books:  Used, Barnes and Noble    Print:  Made by Me    Hour Glass:  CB2

Dining Room:

 

Paint:  Mistinted version of Restoration Hardware’s Silver Sage (The paint is from Wal Mart and they used the light base. The formula for one gallon is B-37, E-39.5, and T-37.  This is the color used in our basement, too. It can look more green in some light) and Behr’s Vermont Cream-both color matched at Wal-Mart    Dining Table:  DIY Table    Chairs:  World Market    Rug:  Flor    Curtains:  Hand Sewn from Fabric From Hancock Fabrics    Fruit Bowl:  Thrift Store    Plates:  Linens N Things and Target    Candle Sticks:  Target    Light Fixture:  CB2   Curtain Rod:  Wal-Mart    Floors:  Original Red Oak Hardwood

Guest Bedroom:

Paint:  Restoration Hardware’s Sea Green, color matched to Behr and Behr’s Vermont Cream    Headboard:  Free from an apartment tenant    Floral Bedding:  Ross    Sheets:  Linens N Things    Blue King Pillows:  TJ Maxx    Striped Pillow:  Hand Sewn from Fabric from Joann    Picture Frame:  From my Great Grandma    Photo:  Forsyth Park Fountain taken on our Honeymoon in Savannah, GA    White Nightstand:  Built by Ben    Lamp:  Target    Clock:  World Market    Candle Sconces:  Bed, Bath and Beyond    Curtains:  Wal-Mart    Curtain Rod:  Target    Apothecary Jar of Shells:  Michael’s     Pendant:  DIY with coffee filters  

Guest Bedroom Other Side:

Mirror:  Found in the Trash-from Target    Bedside Carafe:  Two Glasses from World Market    Shell:  Target    Artwork in the Hall:  Family Tree made by Me

Main Bathroom:

Paint:  Behr’s Vermont Cream and Restoration Hardware’s Lilac    Vanity:  Built by Ben out of Maple    Drawer Pulls:  Home Depot    Countertop:  Giallo San Francsico Granite Remnant    Vessel Sink and Faucet:  E bay    Mirror:  Reused from Remodel    Light Fixtures:  Home Depot    Picture, Frame and Mat:   Michael’s    Glass Box:  World Market    Soap Pump:  Target    Lotion:  Bath and Body Works    Candles and Jars:  Target  Purple Towels:  Target    White Towels:  Linens N Things   

Main Bathroom Shower:

White and Grey Marble Tile (also on floors):  Home Depot    Faucet:  Delta at Home Depot    Shower Curtain:  Target    Towel Bar and Toilet Paper Holder:  Home Depot

Master Bedroom:

 

Paint:  Restoration Hardware’s Bay Laurel and Behr’s Vermont Cream   Bed:  Custom Built by Ben    Coverlet:  IKEA    Pillow Shams:  Linens N Things    Throw Pillow:  Hand Embroidered by Me    Nightstand:  IKEA    Lamps:  Home Depot    Clock:  World Market    Pictures:  E Bay    Picture Frames:  Michael’s    Curtains:  Wal-Mart    Curtain Rods:  Wal-Mart   

Master Bedroom Other Side:

 

Mirror:  Michael’s    Upholstered Bench:  HOM Furniture

Master Bathroom:

Paint:  Behr’s Vermont Cream and Restoration Hardware’s Bay Laurel    Curtains:  Wal-Mart    Floors:  Absolute Black and White Marble from Home Depot    Toilet:  Kohler Highline from Home Depot    Vanity:  Built by Ben    Countertop:  Galaxy Black Remnant Ben Finished    Shower Curtain:  Target   Towels:  Target    Towel Bar and Toilet Paper Holder:  Home Depot    Clock:  Gift 

Boy’s Bedroom:

Paint:  Ralph Lauren’s Riesling and Behr’s Vermont Cream    Crib:  Garage Sale    Dresser:  Hand Me Down    Curtains:  Wal Mart    Curtain Rods:  Home Depot    Crib Blanket:  Crocheted by Me    Sheets:  Target    Crib Skirt:  Target    Rocking Chair:  Family chair    Storage Bin:  Tuesday Mornings    Mobile:  Made by Me    Owl:  Made by Me    Silhouette:  Made by Me    E and V:  Hobby Lobby    Pillows:  Made by Me

 Bed:  Hand Me Down Painted Red    Bedding:  Target    Stuffed Animals:  Kohl’s     Pillows:  Hand sewn by me      Footprint Art:  Inked Feet of my Boys    Artwork:  Canvas Painted by Me    Bookshelf:  Hand Me Down   

Office:

Paint:  Benjamin Moore’s Raisin and Behr’s Vermont Cream    Cabinets and Shelving:  Custom Built by Ben    Countertops:  Brazilian Cherry and Carrera Marble    Desk Chair:  IKEA   Desk Lamp:  Target    Storage Boxes and Magazine Files:  IKEA    Curtains:  Hand Sewn from Fabric from Hancock Fabrics    White Marble Vases:  Restoration Hardware    Small Blue Vase:  Target    Little Bird:  Felt Pincushion from Etsy    Picture Frames on Shelves:  Target    Map Frame:  Michael’s    Map:  Art.com    Light Fixture:  Home Depot    Magnetic Tins:  IKEA   

Office Bookshelves: 

 

Chair:  Target    Accent Table:  Target    Picture Frame on Table:  Target   White Vase:  Target (was a reed diffuser)    Storage Boxes:  IKEA    Brown Frames:  Hobby Lobby   Art in Brown Frames:  My modern portraits   Drawing Figure:  IKEA    Rose Candle Holders:  Michael’s, Big Lots and Ross    Bird Art:  Custom Painted by Me    Orange Clock:  Hobby Lobby    Wire Buildings:  Target    Butterfly Artwork:  Custom Made by Me    Globes:  Garage Sales and Target    Vacation Jars:  Hobby Lobby filled with vacation items    Books:  Barnes and Noble, Thrift Stores and Garage Sales