LaPosh Style Dress Giveaway

    
    

This giveaway is now closed.

For those of you feeling a little frumpy after watching all of the fancy ladies at the royal wedding, I have a little dress giveaway to make you feel better.  LaPosh Style is offering one lucky reader a dress of her choice from their site.

To enter, shop LaPosh Style and leave a comment letting me know which dress you would choose.  For an additional entry, you can also "Like" LaPosh Style on Facebook.  I'll announce the winner on Monday.  Good luck!

Spring Break Showers and a Product Review

   


We've spent a rainy Spring break week in Kentucky visiting the grandparents and meeting the newest cousin:

Seriously, it hasn't stopped raining since the day after we got here.  My dad and I did venture out once to go shopping, only to end up in the back closet of a home decor warehouse (along with the three employees) due to a tornado watch.  I don't think I would've survived on the ark.

So, back to my kids for a minute. . . .I just ordered this photo canvas of some pictures I took at Easter.  (No, not this Easter; a year ago Easter.  I'm just that on top of things.)

I was contacted by Home Decor By Me, a site specializing in personalized photo canvases, books, gifts, etc., to be part of a focus group and to test drive their site.  I chose a 16x20 size photo-wrapped canvas and couldn't be more pleased.  The quality is really clear, and I finally have something on that blank wall around the corner from our kitchen that always bothered me.

And, because the third child always gets slighted, I had never put together any kind of baby book for sweet baby #3.  I decided the easiest route at this point was to also order a photo book from Home Decor by Me and put my favorite pictures from her first two years all in one spot.


She was obviously happy with the result:

Word to the wise. . . Their web site was extremely user-friendly; however, if you decide to put one of these photo books together, I would strongly suggest registering first so that it saves your work.  I only initially signed in as a guest and accidentally closed the wrong window, losing all of my work. . . . Lesson learned.

To see more of their product offerings, visit Home Decor by Me here.

Giveaway Winner & MirrorMate Coupon Code

    

    



Thanks to everyone who entered the MirrorMate giveaway!  And, congrats to the lucky winner:

And, don't hang your head if you didn't win. . . There's still something for you.  MirrorMate is currently offering a coupon code for 10% off.  Just use the code VIRAL at checkout. 

To make it even more fun, if MirrorMate can get 1,000 new Facebook followers or email subscribers on their site by May 30th, the VIRAL code increases to 20% off for everyone!  So, be sure to follow MirrorMate and share the coupon code with others.

Painting Below the Chair Rail

    

When clients ask about chair rails, I often suggest that they paint everything below it a glossy white so that it becomes more of an architectural element in the room. I also love how the crisp white looks against a really bold color on top. 

  

     (This photo is Conan O'Brien's dining room, btw.  Who would've thought?)

However, after an online client recently shared this inspiration picture with me, the look of flip-flopping this idea and using a really dark color on bottom and a lighter color on the top is growing on me:

It's a really bold statement that works well in this small foyer and makes the white trim stand out even more.


Here are some other ways to achieve this look--whether you have an actual chair rail to work with or  not. . . .

It's even more dramatic when paired with a shiny black floor (and a black painted vanity):

Desire to Inspire

    

This designer created a low "chair rail" by taping off a line around the room:

TradHome

In kids' rooms, this effect can be created and can serve double duty by using chalkboard paint:

Jennifer Delonge

What's your take on this look?  Would you do it in your home?

PS  Announcing the MirrorMate giveaway winner later today.  Have you entered?

Our Dining Room: The Details

    


I included our dining room when I posted our home tour last week and have blogged about its progress along the way, but here's the official "before/after" post and all of the details in one place.

The dining room is one of the first spaces you see when you walk through the front door, and I'm a little embarrassed to admit that it sat looking like this for way too long:

The problems:  blah beige walls, a matching table and chairs that I was quickly getting tired of, a mirror that didn't fit the wall, a lack of window treatments--I could go on and on. . . This room definitely evolved over time, with me making lots of changes along the way. 

I started by painting the walls a rich (but not too dark) brown called "Flatland" by Dutch Boy Paints.  The next step was to solve the problem of the matching dining set.  I moved the chairs to our breakfast area, kept the table and since dining chairs can be expensive, I shopped for new ones at a local thrift store.  I came home with six of these for $12 each:

After a couple of different attempts, I settled on this fabric:

(The "Bon Appetit" pillows are inexpensive IKEA covers that I had embroidered.)

I repeated the seat fabric on the window treatments.  From the start, I knew I wanted to bring chartreuse into the space.  I used simple IKEA curtain panels and customized them by having them lined for fullness and adding a wide fabric band.

To tie in the green, I used this fabric to recover a $50 ottoman from Walmart.com, which became my new dining bench:

The rug, by the way, was a $100 Craigslist find.  I must have really wanted it, because I remember going all the way across Charlotte, 9 months pregnant (with my entire family in tow) to pick it up.  Determination does pay off :)

And, I definitely got the mileage out of this book that I bought online for less than $35.  I was able to fill the walls with botanical art without breaking the bank.  I, of course, used my favorite plastic frames from Michael's to complete the look:

The mirror was also a thrift store fnd, and the buffet is our old TV console (originally purchased at a Rooms To Go Outlet).  I just changed the knobs and used the open spaces to house serving trays, table linens, etc.  I've had the lamps for a while.  They were bronze with big bell shades.  I painted them white and bought the oversized shades at a Pottery Barn Outlet store for less than $20 each.

I found the black urns on the dining table on clearance at HomeGoods.  I think that covers everything. . . More details to come on the adjoining living room next week.

Welcome to my newest sponsor, Fabric Beauty!

An Etsy shop offering beautiful 1-yard fabrics (sometimes more)--perfect for your small-scale decorating projects!

Design Bloggers Doing Big Stuff

    


One thing that's surprised me most about blogging has been the help and support I've received from other bloggers and designers (who know waaaay more than me!) along the way.  Two of my favorite bloggers--who have always taken the time to answer my questions--have some exciting things going on that are definitely worth checking out. . . .


Janell of Isabella & Max Rooms is launching the much talked about e-zine House of Fifty today!  Based on Janell's sense of style and the great how-to's and projects on her blog, I can't wait to see what the first issue has in store.  You can subscribe and read the first issue here.

 

   

And, a big congrats to my blogger buddy Sherry of Design Indulgence for having her beautiful home featured in the new issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

Sherry is an expert at mixing styles to create a casual, yet still sophisticated space.  I also love how she layers neutrals and textures so that she can easily insert color with her accessories.  Seriously, it makes me want to repaint my whole house white and start over!



Congrats Sherry and Janell!  It's fun to see what exciting things are happening to my fellow bloggers.

Our Master Bath & A $200 MirrorMate Giveaway

    

This giveaway is now closed.    

When we had our master bathroom painted a couple of months ago, the plan was to also do away with the basic builder mirror and replace it with two pretty mirrors instead.  Unfortunately, I miscalculated how hard it would be to find two tall, narrow mirrors to fit the exact spaces under the lights.  After bringing home several styles to try, my husband and I sweated like nobody's business trying to get the old mirror back into its original spot.

A week later, I got an email from MirrorMate and like my fairy godmother, they asked if I would like to try out one of their custom mirror frames.  Uh, yes!  It was the perfect solution. 

And, they couldn't have made the process any easier.  I was able to first order samples of the different frames I was considering.  

Instead of matching the frame to the cabinets, I decided to go with a rich, dark color--Cherokee "Java"--to match some shelving we already had above the bathtub.  I thought the darker wood against the light gray walls gave the space a spa-like feel.

The frame came in a few boxes.  Here's my husband laying out the pieces before we began.  (He was doubtful about my measurements that I had put on the order form; fortunately, I proved him wrong. . .)

It came with really easy-to-follow directions.  We were assuming this might take most of our Saturday morning, but it was actually pretty painless.

All of the glue and reinforcements for each corner were included. . . .

Once we had the frame put together, we had to let the glue set for one hour. 

The adhesive strips on the back are stuck for good once you stick them, but luckily they also included cardboard corner guides so that we got the frame in exactly the right spot.

Once the frame was up, the corner guides peeled right off.

To quote my husband, "This wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I would do this again."  There you have it--his official seal of approval!

I really loved the way it turned out.  I think it gives the bathroom the finished look it needed:

Before/After:

Giveaway Details:

And, the best part of this post. . .  MirrorMate is giving one lucky reader $200 toward the purchase of a MirrorMate frame of their choice.  There are so many styles and colors to choose from so that you can easily customize to your taste. 

To enter, simply leave a comment under this post.  For an additional entry, "like" MirrorMate on Facebook and leave a second comment letting me know.

The winner will be drawn at random and announced on Wednesday, April 27th.

Good luck,