I love Inspirational Makeovers

If you have ever read the magazine Guideposts, you have heard of their Designer, cute Kelee Katillac. She has recently created a beautiful bedroom makeover for a cancer patient.

This is a hospital bed!

Kelee has done an amazing job on this room with a very tiny budget and I just had to share! Please go over to the Katillac Shack and check out the video. It's so worth the watch!

Sweet Collette was told she has less than a 15% chance to live, our prayer for her is that she will go into remission and heal swiftly. Please check out her story.

Let us all count our blessings and give thanks to our Lord above.~

Julie xox

Perfect Picture Hanging

NSO Decorator's Show house

I get asked this all the time... How do I hang a picture correctly? While there are standard "rules", it truly does just have to look alright. It's not a game of  perfection, if it feels good when you look at it, it's probably ok.

Here's some thoughts to get you started:

If the space includes a large wall and a lot of floor space, start by arranging the artwork on the floor first. Measure how far they need to be from one another. Then take one at a time and put them up on the wall.

Another option is to make a template of each piece to be hung. Just trace around the outside of the frame on kraft paper or newspaper and cut out the shape.

Secure the templates to the wall with reusable adhesive, which looks a bit like putty or chewing gum. It won't tear pieces from the wall or the paper patterns. You can also carefully use scotch tape in a pinch. :)

Consider grouping four small same-size pictures together in a four-square, to give the illusion of a larger picture.

There doesn't always have to be four in a group. Consider using a larger picture in the center. Then place two smaller pictures on either side of the large picture, spaced vertically to about equal the length of the larger frame. Or, in place of the larger picture, use a large mirror.

Not all frames will always be matching sizes, so approximate and just try to balance the impact of the frames -- not match them perfectly.

Always hang pictures at about eye level for an average height person.

If hanging a picture over a sofa, don't leave a lot of wall space between sofa and picture. Try for three to six inches. If you go any higher, the viewer's eye will just go to the wall, not the picture.

Don't put one little picture on a large wall, it looks ridiculous. If there's not enough artwork to fill up more space on a large wall, consider putting mirrors or a shadowbox in the grouping. On that note, don't overload a small wall with a large picture. So to be clear, choose smaller pictures for narrow walls and larger pieces for larger walls. :)

In general, when hanging art over furniture it should never be longer than the width of the furniture. The rule is typically never larger than 75% of the furniture width.

More tips to come! Hope you're having an awesome weekend!

Julie xoxo

Little Details Make the Difference

{Country Living Photo}

I love all the little details that can help bring a space together. I enjoy doing all the "extras" for my clients, but somehow always have it on my "to do" list for my own home. :)  

Take these vinegar bottles, plain bottles transformed with a  rub-on label (from Hambly Studios). Potions and lotions are so much lovelier displayed this way, don’t you think? 

A small touch, a little detail that makes life beautiful.

xox Julie

Tips for Turning a Closet into a Home Office

We all have space for a home office, we just don't realize it yet.  Do you have a seriously junky closet full of stuff you don't really use or could store elsewhere?

Before    Story Credit

After

In this demo from Country Living they have removed the chunky shelving and put up fantabulous wallpaper. :) Added floating shelves has given it a cleaner, more open look in the closet/office. The filing cabinets were black and spray painted with the color Catalina Mist (love my spray paint!) and a prefab top was added.

I lovvve this color! xoxo

Pre-fab tops are easy to find at any Home Depot, Lowes or Container Store. They have painted the inner doors and added cork board on one side and peg board on the other.  Peg board can be purchased at Home Depot for about $20 and Cork board at Hobby Lobby or any craft type store for under $20.  The next step is having fun accessorizing! The great part is if you want to keep it out of reach of little ones or having guests over, just close the doors! 

Hope you feel inspired~

Julie xoxo

Laugh a Little

Well it was the first week back to school for my little guys and what a week it was! I had a birdhouse redo with the 6 year old, a dance melt down with the 13 year old princess, an 8 year old who had anxiety at his karate tournament, and the teenager who thinks he needs a piercing. Sooo, a giant life size hershey bar or a gallon or three of ice cream ought to do it!  I did survive with a few laughs this week at Catalog Living.net, love that site!

What the shell…

I keep this on the hall table almost exclusively for the occasions when Gary tells me to shut my clam.

 

Pillow talk…

Gary, for pity’s sake just buy some Preparation H.

 

Be prepared…

Elaine got the feeling that Gary planned to stay in the bathroom for a long time.

Haha, love that site, you should check it out sometime. Hope you had a great week and accomplished much!
Julie xoxo

Thoughts for Tuesday

Hello friends, I hope your week is going well. I'm just dropping in to share some pics of things I'm lovin' this week. :)

Drool worthy kitchen! Photo credits

The "play space" bunk room is totally awesome! One great sleepover!

I'm digging the tub as the center of attention! :)

I just love the walls & chandelier!

Oh sweet moulding you had me at hello....

What are some "home" things or styles that make you happy?

xoox Julie

Thrift Store Fun

Have you ever had a week that just seemed plain crazy? Well I totally did and the perk of the week was we decided to adopt a 10 month old puppy named Jack, he's a black Golden Doodle, hmm... that sounds like a color identity crisis. Anyways, he's quite large and when he jumps up on me his paws reach my shoulders and when I say paws I mean hooves. Yes, he's in need of some training reinforcement as he settles into our family. He's the sweetest thing ever and loves attention, his favorite look is walking around with his tongue hanging out. Gotta love it!

Happy, messy Jack (hey, he looks little here!)

So in addition to work and family, I did a little thrifting around this week. I sooo love the treasure hunt! Now, don't get me wrong, it's not always a treasure trove of finds each time I go.

umm ok

Now I don't particularly think a Marvin the Martian cutting board is decor worthy for me personally.

You may question the sanity of the store management... Things that make you go hhmmmm???

A flask bagged with a weekly pill holder for pill taking in a flash! :)

Now remember, when you go thrifting to think creative, outside the box, and keep an open mind.

These lovely canisters were 1/2 off that day and would have been just under $4 for the set! Can you visualize clean, white, crisp ceramic jars atop your counter? Cute, crisp and cheaply priced. :)

This pic isn't very good, they are brand NEW Martini Glasses from ZGallerie, regularly priced over $30+, here under $10 NEW. Although, not my thing, it is a great find if you love Martinis. :)

I know, it takes your breath away doesn't it? No, not really, haha, but it will when I'm done with it! This $3 oldie is semi fallin' to pieces when ya get up close and personal. She will get a major over haul for my daughter's room. If you have spray paint and fabric it can be done. :) Look for Desk Chair updates coming soon. Recycle, recycle, recycle. 

This adorable $3 foot stool is in perfect condition and looked brand new.

Isn't this $2 sham adorable? I'm thinking of all sorts of potential projects with it and hey, there's a twin! :) The cute $2 fabric curtain behind it will make great throw pillows soon. I love thrift shopping and letting my creativity run wild! So many ideas, so little time! 

Happy Thrifting~ xoox Julie

A Little Home Humor

Your home should be like a good dose of Zoloft. A chic home isn't one that's filled with uncomfortable furniture and art that you don't understand. It's a home filled with things that you love and that make you happy. Coming home should be an antidote to the troubles and traumas of everyday life. It should be like hearing your favorite song on the car radio, a first kiss, running into your ex-boyfriend and he is fat, being the 100th caller. It shouldn't feel like Sunday night, doing your taxes, eating fiber, or getting your teeth cleaned.   I'm here to tell you that good home decorating can be the equivalent of years of therapy." Jonathan Adler, My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living Gotta Love it! xox Julie

Tips to Transform a Family Room Part II

Lovely Garden{photo credit}

Hello! How was your weekend? Mine was full of surprises and last minute changes, as a mother of four children I should never be surprised, but I still am. That's life, always changing and not always what we planned on.  Like when I moved into my house a year ago, I envisioned how I was going to decorate the rooms and how lush the back yard would look and life just takes over and I still have plenty to do on that list. I'm challenging myself to "work" on my home more too and not just everyone else's! :) What is your list like? Do you need tips and ideas for turning your house into a home? Here's our Tips to Transform a Family Room Part II to help get you started.

Better Homes & Garden Pic

6.  Wall Art


Having wall art of some type on the walls is crucial, this helps to tie all of the pieces together. Making sure it has the colors you are using in your room is key. Some find inspiration from fabric or a piece of artwork and create their room around that. (ex: wall color, drape/curtain colors, pillow colors, accessories, etc...) When hanging art make sure you're not hanging it too high or too low. For example if you're 6'5" hanging it at your level would be high for an average person. We shouldn't have to gaze to the heavens to see what you have on the walls. ;) Artwork needs to be connected to something, if you're hanging it over a couch it shouldn't be three feet above and floating. Just above eye level for an average size person is a good rule for hanging in general, I will have a future post on this to give more specifics.


7. Creating Cozy


Now is when you bring in your coordinating curtain/drapes, pillows for the couch and possibly a throw for the chair. I love finding inexpensive deals at Walmart, Target, TJMAXX, Marshalls or if you're feeling fantabulous making your own pillows with some great fabric. (yes, I make up my own words) It's great to find a few pillows you love and some inexpensive coordinating ones to go with them to save money. 

Pre-Makeover

After Makeover {photo credit}

8. Accessorizing

Make it yours, give it your personal touch. What do you like and love? Maybe a few family pictures, a piece or few pieces from something you collect, a few of your travel books or scrapbooks on display on the coffee table. Maybe children's art work in a frame if you like to display that, candles, shells from your beach trip in a bowl, anything that tells the story of you and your family. You want to make it cozy, make it feel welcoming and just like home. :)  I hope these tips help you get started, feel free to send me a message with any questions. 

Have a blessed day!

xox Julie