Smile And Wave

The First Layer of Ruby's Room Facelift with Walls Need Love Decals

As a house-renter that has lived in nine different spaces in the last fourteen years, I'm well-versed in the ways to make your home feel as much a reflection of your style as you can within the usual renter restrictions. I'd been hearing people talk about the removable wallpaper and vinyl decals that were on the market over the last few years but never felt that urge to investigate further. After working with Walls Need Love to help add some magic to Ruby's seriously neglected room, I'm a new believer in the power of pattern on your walls! 

I'm working on a full before-and-after room makeover post but wanted to show you how uninspiring things were feeling in her room up until last week. Our rental was fully refurbished by the landlord and the designer that picked the paint colors chose a warm light gray (not sure the exact color/brand) to compliment the warmth of the original wood floors and moulding. It's not the worst but it can feel like it's always overcast outside and left me feeling a little unsure about how to make the most of things.

I can't begin to list the many little room challenges I ran into when trying to make the best of what we had to also fit the design of the room because I'm so thankful we get to live in a rental with this much charm! However, a few of those design roadblocks, a busy workload, and a shoestring budget were all keeping this room from feeling enjoyable for anyone to spend time in. Warm and spacious, yes. Pretty, nope. 

While browsing through the Walls Need Love design packs, I instantly knew this was the one I wanted in her space. Originally I thought I'd use them inside the little cubby hole above her bunk bed to help make it feel extra special on the inside but I realized it could really transform the whole look of her space if I used them on that entire wall. I did test the wall decals on our paint because I've pulled some texture off in other places with washi tape and was thrilled that you couldn't tell they'd been attached at all. 

I then measured out 3" from the edge of the cubby wall and 3" from the corner of the wall to help me get a feel for how the design would fill the space. The two stars were 16" apart from the centers so then I found the center between the two stars and measured 16" vertically from there to create my diamond shape. I continued measuring 16" down from each star and marking with chalk. This not only made the job of marking the pattern faster, it helped me get a visual of whether things were looking spread out enough and lining up well before taking the time to place all of the decals. 

The pattern felt big enough to complement the size of the room without feeling too busy and I love that the stars are metallic. It has a little bit of a whimsical, vintage vibe. 

I think I used one-and-a-half design packs to fill this space so it's not only a great option for renters it's a really affordable way to make a big impact! 

I've already shared a teaser photo from the Pom-Pom Wall Hanging tutorial but I'll be sure to share the full effect of adding these stars to the wall and making a few inexpensive changes to this corner of the house! I'm so thrilled with it but knowing Ruby is thrilled with it is all that matters to this mama. 

I'll be back soon with a few more projects and a full before-and-after! If you'd like to see some Walls Need Love removable wallpaper in action check out the first photo in our Christmas House Tour. It's a game changer, folks!

-Rachel

P.S. I was compensated for sharing this post in partnership with Walls Need Love to get the word out about how fantastic their products are but all opinions are my own. I'm so thankful to get the chance to share products I love in this space and for all the ways these opportunities help me continue to do what I love over here. 

DIY's of Christmases Past

It's almost impossible to not make something each Christmas to either fill an empty space in a new rental or satisfy a slight shift in tastes! As I was pulling out boxes and boxes of Christmas decor and deciding what should make an appearance this year, I got really nostalgic for Christmases past. I decided it was about time to do a little roundup of some of my favorite DIY's from the last six (or seven) holiday seasons. 

Himmelis were a traditional Finnish decoration long before they became mainstream and are still filling trees and gracing mantles in my Instagram feed. Here's an incredibly inexpensive and easy tutorial from 2013, the year I swapped out the colored Shiny Brites for something geometric. 

Decorative Clay Bell DIY for A Beautiful Mess. A fun addition to any garland or to add to your mantle.

One of those handmade projects you'll keep forever and pass down to your kids. 

I still have this wreath and only one vintage ornament has been needing replaced! One of my favs.

A trio of simple pillows to spruce up your space. Find the full tutorial over here. 

Straw himmeli ornaments are simple to make and great as gift toppers!

Spell out a phrase from your favorite Christmas carol or just keep it simple with a short phrase. Either way, it is an inexpensive way to make a big statement!

Guilded Nutcracker Makeover. One of the easiest ways to repurpose thrift store or dollar store finds to fit your own aesthetic. Not into that much gold? Try white or something to match the rest of your decor. 

Place cards always make people feel extra special. 

In case your old tree skirt just isn't doing it for you anymore. Get this no-sew, felt tree skirt tutorial here.  

A sweet little scene with mostly vintage and thrifted items. 

And just in case you're feeling nostalgic, too, here are all of the ways we've decorated for Christmas for the last few years. Things were MUCH more colorful back in '08 and I love seeing how some things have changed while others have stayed the same. That white Christmas tree isn't quite as white but I still love it just as much!

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2011

Christmas 2012

Christmas 2013

Christmas 2014

It really is the most special time of year! I hope it's treating you well. 

-Rachel

Mid-Century Dresser Facelift with Glidden Paint

Raise your hand if you've ever finished a project you've had on your to-do list for months, maybe years, and after finally cleaning up the makeover mess and getting your new project nestled into place, it feels so fresh and exciting that you reprimand yourself for not having tackled it sooner! Yes! Over here!

I have had that feeling so many times that I should know better by now but sometimes it just takes someone else getting the ball rolling to find that motivation to get started. Enter our mid-century Lane dresser with beautiful dovetail woodwork and dresser handles that made perfect sense when we first found it on Craigslist. When Brett brought it home, though, we realized the place we thought was a watermark on one of the drawers was actually some sort of nail-polish spill. It ended up as one of those things you become blind to as the to-do lists only grow longer! 

Then we moved it with us to Colorado and one of the handles snapped in half (see below) on the delivery truck. After searching for replacement handles for weeks, I decided to remove them and the dresser just became something utilitarian and practical. I couldn't in my right mind toss it to the curb knowing full well it was a keeper that just needed a little elbow grease.

Fast forward another move and another child needing a dresser and this little Lane number's number finally got called when Glidden paint asked if I had any projects that needed a coat or two. Yes! Yes, I did! It was time to bump this thing up the list and put some energy into making it beautiful again. 

While I fully appreciate the beauty of those dovetail edges, the stains on the front of two drawers were too much for me to tackle without covering them up. I did keep the rest of the wood showing as I love the contrast of the two and knew I could fix my handle sizing problem by adding leather straps. I've currently got this dresser in my studio to corral projects but it might end up in either of my sons' rooms soon so it was important to me that it fit in with more than one spot in the house. 

I chose the Glidden High Endurance Grab-n-Go paint in white because it claimed to be good for high traffic areas and had a low odor. Since this dresser will get used at least once a day, I knew it would need to stand up to lots of opening and closing, grubby hands, etc. I'm also pretty sensitive to strong chemical odors so I wanted to avoid high VOC's. I chose the white because it's such a clean, modern contrast to the warmth of the wood I was going to leave bare. 

I prepped my drawers by using a power sander and fine grit sandpaper to get the finish off of the top and then wiped them down with a damp cloth. I was able to remove most of the nail polish that had made a stain on the surface with the light sanding. Then I used a soft roller brush to add my first thin coat and let it dry for the recommended amount of time before adding another coat. It is SO hard to wait in between coats when you want to finish your project but I knew it would look so much better if I left it alone!

I battled all the mosquitos the next morning with a second coat after giving it a good stir. I was sure to add thin coats as I've rushed paint jobs in the past with thick layers and have ended up with wonky lines in all the wrong places. Since I was covering such a dark underlayer, I ended up adding a third thin coat just to be safe and I am so happy with how it turned out. It was worth going with a third coat since it was such a small project and it looks as smooth as butter. It even wipes down well as I had some sort of bug leave it's mark when I left it out to dry after that last coat. I just used a baby wipe and it was as good as new. Perfect for all of the smudgy fingerprints it's sure to get when moved to one of the boys' rooms! 

After my drawers were put back in place I decided it really did need handles to make it easy to use. I got some cowhide leather I have had since the days I made leather journals in college and picked up some brass screws and nuts from the local hardware store. Then I cut my leather down to size to about 2.5" longer than the distance between the holes, measured about 1" from each short end, and carefully poked a hole with my awl for the screw posts. They're thick enough that they won't tear or stretch out and have just enough of that oiled leather finish to feel exciting.

I've used several brands of paint for projects I've repurposed in the many years we've moved houses and needed something to work hard for us on a modest budget and was really pleased with the outcome of this project. The paint did its job and went on smoothly and there was no strong paint odor at all! I've become sensitive to strong chemical smells over the years and knew I didn't want to bring something into the house during the summertime when we wouldn't be able to air out the room with open windows so that was a huge bonus. 

This dresser suddenly has so much more to offer than it did in its shabby state and feels like a new piece of furniture altogether. It really is amazing what a little paint can do for a space whether that be a vintage dresser, an accent wall, or an entire floor of your house. I've got so much paint left from the gallon that I had available that I'm ready to give our huge white cabinet that has served as both Ruby's wardrobe and our home office a fresh coat!

I know I'm not the only one with a project that has been waiting ages for a little facelift! The good news is that I've partnered with Glidden to offer one lucky Smile and Wave reader a $50 gift card to Walmart so you can pick your paint and finally check that project off your list and refresh your own space. 

To enter to win:

* Check out Glidden's paint colors.

* Share in the comments what kind of project you'd love to tackle with $50 worth of Glidden paint.

*  For an additional entry, write a review for Glidden here if you've used any of their paints in a home project and then leave another comment here to share that you have.

I'll be choosing a winner by Friday afternoon so be sure to leave your comment soon as well as an e-mail address or way to get in touch with you! Thanks so much for stopping by and catching up on another project over here. I'm so thankful for the chance to partner with companies and products I feel good about sharing with you so that we can all create a space we love!

-Rachel

* This post was created in partnership with Glidden. I received compensation for my review but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Sorry, open to U.S. readers only. $50 USD total value. Winner will be contacted by email once comments close and announced at the bottom of this post.

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EDITED: AND THE WINNER IS.....

Brooke Knipp said...

Isn't it amazing what some paint can do?? So fortunate that that handle broke! I love your solution. You have such an eye! I have a dresser very similar to this that I got from our neighbors when they were preparing to move. They were going to toss it out. It's a nice color, but a bit beat up, so it needs a fresh coat or two. The handles are the one thing I don't love about it, so now I'm picturing some leather there instead. Thanks so much for some inspiration! (I've had the dresser in our guest room for the last two years or so, so yes, my projects often...marinate...in my mind for a long time, too).

It's a toss up, though. I've been putting off painting our kitchen island for a year now. It's a hutch that we repurposed and it works great but I'm tired of the color, and it's also a little beat up now. It would get the 'blue-grey slate' I think. :)

CONGRATULATIONS, BROOKE! I'll be in touch with details. I want to extend a giant THANK YOU to everyone else that took the time to comment. I wish I could send each of you a gallon of paint!  

 

 

The New Bohemians Book Tour

The New Bohemians by Justina Blakeney, of The Jungalow, has just recently hit the shelves and has been making the rounds with introductions from some fabulous bloggers for the last two weeks. I was more than thrilled to be invited to share what I thought of her publication and after spending more than one nap time flipping through to soak in all of the details, I'm calling this one a book you're going to need in your inspiring home decor stash. 

Justina shares twenty beautiful and intentionally decorated bohemian homes with the crisp photography of Dabito and both the stories behind so many of the beautiful arrangements and ways to recreate them in your own space. I love how she's categorized them, noting the differences between Modern Bohemian style with their "clean lines and functionality" and Maximal Bohemian homes with "a whole lot of everything". It just goes to show there are so many unique ways to express your style. 

She shares a handful of DIY's to add a little more of that 'boho' vibe to your space but one of my favorite moments in this book is the spread on how to style a bookshelf. I've lived in more rentals than I can count on two hands with multiple bookshelves that needed styling and this is still one of the design challenges that I wish I came more naturally. It's like having curly hair. It's a blessing to have gorgeous built-ins but now what do I do with them?!

Justina shares ten tips for styling a bookshelf and it's like the magic conditioner that leaves my curls feeling soft and contained! I finally feel like I can do this again! Goodbye frizz and awkward stacks of books!

The beautiful photography alone might be the tipping point on this book but I love how you get a little peek into the lives of the families that shared their spaces here. Sharing your home is such an intimate thing, don't you think? Also, there's a Plantopedia near the back with both pictures and information on how to care for some of the plants featured in the book. Genius. 

Thank you, Justina, for this beautiful contribution to coffee tables and styled bookshelves throughout the world. Such a visual treat.

-Rachel

The New Bohemians: Cool and Collected Homes now available on Amazon. Photography by Dabito.

Ruby's Room Sneak Peek

One of Smith's favorite places in our house is Ruby's room. It's so cheerful and sunny up there on the second floor with three large windows and so many things within reach for him to play with. It's one of the few places he'll sit still for more than thirty seconds and I usually don't have to worry about him getting hurt unless it's trying to climb the bunkbed ladder or pull all of the books down on his toes. He can climb our stairs all by himself and attempts to at least once an hour so I usually just allow him to while following close behind in case he missteps.

How about you pretend you don't see all of the dust bunnies collecting on my stairs, okay?

Ruby's room is probably 75% in place. I've still got curtains to make and put up, her bunk bed needs repainting as well as another mattress (Sebastian's is in his room), and she has a fun cubby hole in one wall that is begging for some fun attention. The art wall is taking shape with the addition of a few of the collaborative pieces I mentioned last week. The rainbow painting is one I painted and hung above her crib when she was brand new and shared a room with Sebastian. I still love these colors but she's trying to convince me rainbows don't really look like that.

I honestly don't mind following this boy upstairs a few times a day to hang out in his sister's room because it's such a happy, cheerful space. It gets great light and we have a front row seat to the goings on between the squirrels and the birds high up in the trees in the front yard. We spotted a hawk perched in one of the branches of the magnolia tree last week!

The previous owner was an artist and shared with us that Ruby's room used to be where he kept his studio. I think he must've been drawn to it for the same reasons we are.

More on this space soon, I hope.

-Rachel 

Master Bedroom In Progress

None of our rooms really feel finished in our current place but since that day might still be a ways off, I thought I'd start sharing more glimpses into our semi-finished spaces. This rental is a four bedroom with three bedrooms upstairs and a room downstairs that has been turned into a bedroom. The front porch wrap around was cut in half and turned into a walk-in closet for this space and the downstairs bathroom is also a walk through that connects this room to the dining room. It was advertised as a possible media room or bedroom. 

It's on the dark side of the house so I knew it couldn't work as a studio space and neither of the older kids were feeling brave enough to make it their room because no one wanted to be downstairs by themselves at night. So, we opted to make it our bedroom. It's a good fit other than having a tiny bathroom because we have a walk in closet and a little nook that has room to keep Smith downstairs with us for the time being. He'll eventually share a room with Ruby upstairs once he's able to sleep through the night.

You really have to figure out how your space will work for you when you move into something new. I imagine it's a little easier if you get to design it yourself but even then, what works on paper might not feel great in real life. We had a large, vintage dresser that we were going to use in Ruby and Smith's shared room until we realized we were needing all of his clothes downstairs where he was sleeping. So, Brett and I gently and carefully hauled it down our twisty stairwell and set it up in our bedroom. You can't see it here as it's on the wall opposite the bed and under a pile of clean laundry. 

We haven't purchased anything new for this space since we moved in other than those flannel sheets from Target, but I'm hoping to get a large rug to cover some of this floor space and cozy it up a bit and maybe add another rug under Smith's crib. With such high ceilings downstairs, my original curtains were all too short so those are in the process of being replaced with simple white cotton fabric that I'm sewing to fit. 

There's also plenty of wall space above our dresser for a gallery wall or a large mirror to help with reflecting a little more light into this space but those will get some attention a little further down the road. I do love the walk-in closet. It's carpeted and has a little window and we keep Smith's dresser and changing table in there and still have plenty of space for all of our clothes and shoes. I also love that the door to the walk-in used to be the exterior door and has beautiful lead glass and intricate wood designs on it. It's a true beauty.

I'm learning more and more about patience as we transition into this restored Victorian. We are renting with the option to purchase but are still figuring out if we are ready to land in this neighborhood or wait for something similar to hit the market in another part of town. We are so close to downtown and love getting to walk to some of our favorite new coffee shops but there are still a few things we're making our minds up about. In the meantime, I'm enjoying this beauty of a home and feeling so thankful we were able to find it. 

It's got great bones and great light and so much more space than we've ever had. It's kind of dreamy even if it's got short curtains on half of the windows. 

Rachel

Details: Platform bed, handmade by me. Buffalo plaid sheets, Target. Duvet and crib, Ikea. Duvet cover and faux fur throw, handmade by me. Sequin cross pillow, tutorial here. Side table and chair, vintage. Curtains, repurposed and handmade. Crib sheet, handmade. Lion baby blanket c/o Roxy Marj. 

 

A Boy/Girl Shared Room Tour

I think this may go down as the most promised room tour in blog history. I'm pretty sure I started working on transitioning Ruby and Sebastian's shared room in our two-bedroom craftsman in Colorado over a year ago but it's been such a year of change that some things just needed to take a back seat to others. Like changing all the diapers.

We are one month out from the last night they even slept in this room and are finally sleeping in their own rooms for the first time tonight in our new rental. As much as they pined for their own rooms while sharing this one, they had a hard time when it came to sleeping alone at night. I loved knowing they took comfort in each other's presence, even if it was only before bedtime!

The kids started out in this room with two twin beds but we switched them to bunkbeds soon after Brett got home from his deployment to give them more floor room to play without stepping all over each other. We also thought we might have to add Smith's crib to this space but managed to keep him in our room for the time we had left. We went with the natural wood bunkbed from ikea and while it fit our budget and the kids love it, one of the slats broke the week after we put it together and it just feels like it might not make it through another round of rough housing. 

Despite it's prefab limits, it did fulfill our kids' wildest dreams to sleep in a bunk bed and it really opened up the once crowded room. It was a great option for our temporary situation and now resides in Ruby's room where it is likely to be used for a bed/hideout combo. 

Smith wasn't crawling when we were here but he loved to lounge in the pouf from Target and roll around on the rug while one of us read a story to the big kids at bedtime. 

I covered the dark wood built-ins with blueprint copies that I hand drew. You can get the specifics in this tutorial. It brightened their small room instantly and made it feel more modern. We don't have any built-ins in their rooms at our current house but I may do something similar to Ruby's closets. 

I wanted their room to feel cohesive but not overly styled so I chose items to display that worked well with the black, white, and yellow color palette that repeated itself throughout the space. 

I also let them choose handmade quilts. I was going to make matching black and white triangle quilts but got hung up after finishing the first one. Thankfully I had another quilt in our stash made from all of my favorite vintage fabrics that Ruby was excited about. The afghan was a thrift store find and is so cozy as an extra layer when it gets cold. The yellow shams are from Target and the black and white pillow is from ikea.

I think it's important to fill a child's space with memories made and this perler bead bowl not only fit that bill but also helped contain some of Ruby's treasures. A good mama friend of ours helped Ruby make one during an afternoon play date at her house and we were both pretty thrilled to take it home! Thanks, Diane!

The white bookshelf and bins behind that sweet baby are from ikea. I can't rave about cute bins enough when it comes to kid's rooms. They give all the little pieces a home and hide the clutter that can feel so suffocating. Keeping them at their level means they are fully capable of putting their toys away without much help, although I feel like that might be a life long lesson.

It was important to me to add a little bit of plant life to their space so I kept a cactus up high where it couldn't poke a curious visitor and a Mother-in-Law's tongue plant that wasn't high maitenance. I also added some texture and repeated the geometric theme through a wall hanging I made back in May. The Let Them Be Little print was c/o Life, Love, Paper and is a great reminder for me when I'm expecting too much.

This side was an ever changing space with two different versions of this gallery style wall art and a place for trying out new storage solutions. The frames are all ikea, the prints are from Artifact Uprising, the metal tag is vintage, the crocheted bow is from Calikatrina, and the rest is handmade. The tutorial for how I saved the woven basket from the garbage bin can be found here. 

My take on kids' rooms is that you can help design one that is fun functional for the kids without grinding against the rest of your home's aesthetic. There are ways to compromise that everyone can live with. There are also times to let them have that incredibly loud, clashy, plush blanket and those other items that we were all probably drawn to as kids because letting them express their little personalities through color and print, even ones that make our skin crawl, is valid and important. It's about finding that happy place between introducing want we want for our kids and making room for what's really important to them. Thoughts?

You can find my post on more specific ways we helped our son and daughter share this space over on A Beautiful Mess. I hope it's helpful to anyone else trying to figure it out, too.

-Rachel

Other Sources// You're the Bestest print, RBTL. Bunkbed, rug, white bookshelf, yellow bins, IKEA. Dresser, wall map, afghan, wooden kitchen, vintage. Pouf, Target. Quilts and curtains, handmade by me. Yellow elephant plush, SleepyKing.

An Affordable Kids Clothes Rack DIY for ABM

Ruby is forever asking me to get her dresses down from the closet and then they end up on the floor with her next wardrobe change-whether they're dirty or not. I decided it was time to make it a little easier on the both of us and give her a chance to become a little more independent.

If you're handy with sand paper and own an electric drill this project is right up your alley. No major bucks spent here and your little one will love their new freedom to change into their next princess dress or pirate costume without having to ask for help. For the full tutorial head over to my post on A Beautiful Mess.

-Rachel

Smith's Corner: A Small But Stylish Baby Space

Our current two-bedroom rental is big on living space but small on sleeping space so Smith, being child number three, has been allocated a corner of our bedroom until further notice. It's a bit compact but we co-sleep so all he needs for the next few months is somewhere to store his clothes and blankets.

The pine storage unit we had set aside for his gear wasn't proving to be as efficient as I'd hoped on it's own and Brett was having a hard time using our platform bed as a changing table so we went to IKEA and found a dresser that was deep enough to double as a changing table. It's so nice having the extra drawer space to hide the surplus diapers and wipes and clothes that don't fit yet. Also, our changing pad covers were in the mail when I took these photos. I wouldn't dare lay his unexposed southern end on top of sheepskin!

I wasn't going to let the lack of a nursery discourage me from making this space special so I did what I always do when restrictions are involved and took it as a personal challenge to make it work. Not only was I working on a small scale but we needed to keep it gender neutral and keep things feeling cohesive with our bedroom. I didn't want to invest too much money in this space since I knew we'd likely be switching things up in a few months so I shopped my closets for smaller frames and used craft supplies I had on hand to make a few things.

I was then sent some really special handmade pieces including the embroidery above from my dear friend, Ruthie, of My Trash and Treasure and the charming cloud wall hanging from the sweet Jahje of Baby Jives. Those girls helped bring this whole space together with their handiwork and I'm so thankful.

Since we wanted this baby's gender reveal to take place the old fashioned way, I decided to keep most of what I made or bought within a simple black and white color scheme with shades of minty blue and yellow-green. This felt really restrictive at first but now most things in Smith's wardrobe can easily be mixed and matched and even look good together sitting in clean piles on my couch/bed/dresser. Oh, the piles of clean laundry. 

Since it's still chilly here in Colorado Springs I have a lot of blankets and swaddlers easily at hand in the pine shelf as well as the darling handmade booties gifted to us by Katrina of Calikatrina and the moccasins gifted to us by Susan of Freshly Picked. We got Ruby a pair when she was first walking and they were one of the only pairs of shoes that always stayed on her little feet so I'm so thankful Smith will have some as well. The bottom of that shelf has a basket that holds more blankets and nursing covers, etc.

Our dresser/changing table has three drawers that contain most of the rest. The top drawer has diapers, wipes, burp cloths, nursing pads, socks, pacifiers, grooming supplies, toys that he's too little to enjoy just yet, etc. The second drawer is full of clothes that fit or will fit in the next few weeks and the bottom drawer we use for stashing the diapers and wipes we ordered in bulk before he was born as well as the rest of his clothes that will fit this summer and beyond. 

I must say diaper changes have become much less traumatic since I hung everything on Smith's wall. He's so attracted to the high contrast of the black and white (I'm assuming) that he will stop fussing when I lay him down to change him. What started out as a scream fest that had me racing through wipes and trying not to get peed on has become a much more pleasant experience for both of us.

Also, night time diaper changing has become much easier with the assistance of this little LED light from IKEA that is battery operated. I attached it to the pine shelf and it lights up all the necessary parts that need changed in the dark without waking up my sleepy husband!

Whether this sweet boy moves into his big brother's and sister's shared room in the fall or gets his own room in our next house I have a feeling all or most of the pieces we're using right now will transition with him. 

Having limited resources shouldn't mean you have to miss out on the fun of nesting. I'd love to hear how you've made a small space work for your needs. How did you do it? Double-duty furniture? Hiding clutter with cute baskets? Do tell.

-Rachel

Tutorials: God's Eye, Mini Banner, Alphabet Sticker Art, Footprint Wall Art.

Details: Moccasins c/o Freshly Picked. Crocheted booties c/o Calikatrina. Baby pants and hats, handmade by me. Cream swaddle blankets with black serging, AGraffDesigns. Baby onesie c/o Hello, Apparel. Nightlight, dresser, sheepskin, black frames, ikea. Yellow shoes, gifted and from BabyGap. Afghans, thrifted. Crib quilts, handmade by me. Striped swaddle blanket c/o BusySpinningThread. Grey striped wrap c/o SollyBaby. Wooden and cloth teether c/o Baubles & Bits.

 

Tips For Decorating Your Holiday Mantle

I love having a mantle and fireplace in our living room even if it's just for looks because it's so fun to decorate through the holidays. To create a fall mantle I pulled some things I already had around the house, DIY'ed a little bat art, and added a variety of mini pumpkins. 

I think there are three major keys to creating an interesting mantlescape:

1. Stick to a strong color palette-In this case, everything is black, white, or gold with orange as the standout color. If you want things to look cohesive choose three to four colors that repeat. It'll look good close up and from across the room. Too many colors start to compete with each other.

2. Layer, layer, layer-I have a large mirror to help frame the space and then stacked art work over that and then had pumpkins and books in front of that. Everything is slightly overlapped but not completely covering up the thing behind it. Another element in layering is staggering sizes of things. Larger to smaller, wider to narrower as you layer. It keeps your eye moving.

3. Texture is Important- I've mixed the hardness of glass, metal, and metallics with the softness of paper, flowers, and pumpkins. 

These are all guideliness I keep in mind when I'm creating vignettes in my home. If you're feeling stuck just switch something out and look at it from the other side of the room. Leave it for a day or two and come back with fresh eyes and you might see what needs to be tweaked. If all else fails, you can never go wrong with flowers! 

To keep this year's mantle feeling fresh even though I used a lot of elements I've had on hand for years I created some Halloween art. I found a chipboard bat silhouette at Hobby Lobby and painted it with black acrylic paint. Then I thrifted a frame and fitted it with a thick piece of white cardstock (also from Hobby Lobby) and mounted the bat with double-stick tape. It's graphic and was really easy to make. 

Have you already started decorating for fall? 

-Rachel