Melamine--is it time for Spring?

For some it’s that first robin sighting, for others it’s the daffodils and forsythia that are blooming, for us it’s the abundance of melamine dishes we’re spotting that is signaling warmer days ahead. Melamine is a resin material that is shatterproof and inexpensive. Translation: you have permission to splurge on some affordable and fun new dishes. They’re durable and casual; just like the perfect backyard party guest! Just remember to keep them out of the microwave and oven. Here are some of the season’s best…

This sophisticated set evokes the look of Turkish pottery.

This classic grovestand design would mix ‘n match well with other solid dishes.

We dig the bold modern graphics on this hip dinnerware collection.

Save 20% and receive free shipping on this colorful collection by entering TABLETOP at checkout.

This last playful set celebrates the flora and fauna of summer.

So as the weather warms, go ahead and invite the gang over for some backyard grilling, chilling and pretty plate filling. Delish!

Easter Craft Ideas

Yikes, where has March gone? And with Easter falling in early April this year, it’s likely to bite us in our big chocolate booty.

Image from cafepress.com

With the kids home for spring break this week, we’re looking for some easy and fun projects to do. Luckily, these just landed in my inbox. With a quick jaunt to our local crafts store, we’ll be able to knock some of these crafties out AND keep the little fingers busy for a few hours, bonus!

But first, a key point. Instead of hard boiling our eggs to decorate (which always results in broken shells and bizarrely veined eggs that no one wants to eat anyway), this year we’re going to follow this advice from Debra Steilen, Senior Holidays Editor at Better Homes & Gardens: “Eggs are easier to decorate if the shells are empty, so start by blowing out the contents. Use a long needle to prick a small hole on both ends of the egg. (Break the yolk with the needle to make it easier to extract.) Blow through one of the holes until the contents come out the other end.” My kids will LOVE this last part.

To make this lovely Easter Egg Garland, click here.

A trip to your backyard could be all you need for your own variation of this project.

Finally, something to do with all those outgrown baby socks! For materials and instructions, click here.

Hope these family-friendly Easter projects keep you and your crew inspired this week.

for the birds...

After a few days of 50 degree weather, we’re coming down with spring fever here in Denver. Even though we haven’t spied our first robin, we sure are getting our fill of bird motifs in the home decor department. Here are a few worthy of sharing…

This affordable accent table has a sweet bird/branch thing happening. The perfect perch for your drink or book.We love the abstract bird on this pillow, and the story behind it is even cooler. CB2 has partnered with Creativity Explored to help artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit and sell their art. We know this pillow will fly off the shelves.

This inviting doormat will welcome friends and family to your nest.

Give your bulletin board some birdie bling with this set of 18 shiny push pins.

Preen like a peacock in the glow of this gorgeous embroideredlampshade.

Hope the weather is warming up wherever you are, and that you’re coming down with a bit of spring fever too!

architectural archeology

I truly believe in the karma of a house. I’m not saying I believe in ghosts, although if I met one I might change my mind! But without sounding too new agey, I am certain that there is an unspoken energy carried through a house by those that lived there over the years. Sometimes it’s good energy, sometimes not. It’s just a hunch, but if it feels right you may say, “Yes, this is where I want to live. Let’s do it.”

Occasionally, more tangible evidence presents itself. Often without conscious intent, previous dwellers leave clues behind that reveal who they were and when they lived in your house. Sometimes these clues are uncovered during your home inspection. Perhaps you discovered that some rumpled newspapers from 1943 had been shoved between the walls as makeshift insulation, or a box of old books were errantly left behind in the basement storage room. Maybe you’re starting a kitchen renovation and when the old cabinetry is pulled out, you find a pencil on the floor inscribed with the name of a bank that no longer exists.

Do you recognize this house? Lots of TV melodrama here!

Since choosing where to live is rather a leap of faith, it’s a pleasant surprise to discover some type of affirmation. This happened to us yesterday. We’re removing the bookshelf in our foyer to install a built in desk unit for a family workstation. Some unfinished wood was left exposed and as Steve was sanding it he found some writing on the floor.

From what we could read, it said “Nathaniel 1:12 Praise God, Rev. S.E. (smudged) Mississippi, September 10, 1955″

Steve thinks this goes back to the tradesmen in the apprentice system who used to travel throughout the country for work. They would sign their names to indicate to the next tradesman that this work was good enough to bear their signature.

Or perhaps it was just a lovely sentiment captured in a moment for us to discover almost 55 years later. Either way, we sanded around it, and it will remain a part of our house as it always has been.

Have you unlocked any clues about your house that you’d like to share? Do tell!

Tera's Playroom Makeover

We all know the feeling. You spruce up one area and revel in the ecstasy of another completed project. But as you cast an appreciative glance at your updated space, some other previously insignificant area is now screaming out for attention. It’s the never-ending pursuit of domestic decor nirvana. We get it. We live it everyday. So it came as no surprise to us when, after helping Tera reinvent her connecting living and dining rooms, she contacted us to help her pull together her toddler’s playroom that opens to the dining room.  Here’s her letter…

Hi Lisa,  It’s me again! Jim and I are in the process of painting our living and dining rooms. We’ve purchased the window treatments and rugs you recommended and look forward to pulling the whole project together. Now we’d like you to take a crack at our almost two year old toddler’s playroom.  It’s open to the dining room and was a former office so there is one original vintage built-in cabinet that I love. The previous owners added some 80′s looking shelving with a desk surface that we’re not so crazy about style-wise, yet appreciate the storage they provide. Not knowing what lies beneath, we don’t want to bother with removing the boring, blue carpet, but would not mind a way to cover it. We want this room to work well with the dining room, but also be a fun and creative space for our son.  BTW, the little door to the right under the stairs is a tiny powder room.  Thanks again, Tera

Hi Tera!! We love nothing more than a repeat client. Thanks for another project. Here’s the moodboard to make your home decor hat trick complete!

1.  Since this room opens right to the dining room, we are going to extend the color palette we established in the living and dining rooms by using some dark red tones and incorporating our global eclectic theme. But this time, we’re taking it down to toddler size. The biggest color challenge in this room is how to integrate the custom built-ins with the rest of the space so they stop screaming 80′s add-on. It’s really an easy and affordable fix. Paint them!  With a light sanding and a coat of primer, these wood toned behemoths will be ready for two coats of the Benjamin Moore White Dove (OC-17);  the same color Tera and Jim have used to brighten the trim in their other rooms. By painting the wood elements throughout the rooms the same color, a lovely flow is established. Let us not forget that this is a playroom and we need a big dose of fun, so we’re recommending Tera add some pops of color on the backs of the bookshelves with B.M.’s Pleasant Grove (552). These snazzy swaths of green will provide an element of whimsy and a splash of color behind toys, books and baskets stored on the shelves.

2.  This simply striped chenille window valance will bring the dark red tones in from the dining room and provide a more sophisticated pattern at the adult eye level. Tera’s son won’t even notice.  He’ll be too busy down in the three feet and under zone!

3.  We know Tera is a big Etsy fan, and we LOVE the artwork created by Seattle based artist Kate Endle. Her “Flying High” collage has the perfect balance of wisdom and whimsy that we love to see in a child’s space.

4.  Let’s face it, two big problems parents face with the little people are what to do with the constant barrage of artwork the mini-Picassos churn out, and what to do when they want to create some art of their own right on your walls? (We know from experience that they usually don’t check for permission before applying pen/paint/crayon to plaster.)  Well, Tera, we’ve gotcha covered in that department with this multi-taskingmagnetic chalkboard paint.  We think you should paint it from top to bottom on the wall facing the dining room (with the window). Your son can do his chalkboard creations on the lower levels and you can post his creations above. Also, we can’t resist mentioning how the charcoal black wall is going to coordinate fabulously with your dining room rug!

5. And what better way to make use of that magnetic chalkboard wall, but with these adorable and colorful wooden magnetic letters.

6.  One thing we noticed in Tera’s before pics was an abundance of stuff. These baskets are a durable and colorful way to stuff the “stuff” away that’s so easy, even a two year old could do it!

7.  This stylish ladderback chair works well with our color palette and will slide under the desk between the bookshelves and double as extra seating in the dining room.

8.  With so much space to display is burgeoning creativity, now Tera’s son has the perfect place to render those masterpieces with this adorable art table and chair set.

9.  We love how this rug not only works color wise in the room, but how it also enhances our global eclectic theme in a playful kid-like manner. It will camouflage Tera’s boring blue carpet without creating a big removal project for them. Who needs that kind of work? This is a playroom, remember?!

10.  We found these incredibly affordable cabinet knobs to replace Tera’s existing brass knobs on the newly painted shelving unit. At less than $3 each, we can’t resist the frugalista pricing.

So there you have it, Tera. Two rooms for you and Jim to play in, and one special playroom for your little guy. We can’t wait to see how it all comes together.  

Pantone color of 2010

Apparently we’re not the only ones happy that 2009 is behind us. Now Pantone, the global authority on color (according to them!), has also determined that we need a soothing color to heal us from the ills we suffered last year. Their pick for 2010? Turquoise.

Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing. – Pantone

Pantone predicts this color will be significantly evident in the fashion and home decor trends we see unfold in 2010.

Image courtesy of housebeautiful.com

Since Glad That Year Is Over does not appear in the Pantone fan deck, we can look to Turquoise to cure us from our 2009 hangover. And for that year long headache, you could blame Pantone. Their choice for color of 2009? Mimosa!

use leftover fabric to make cheap art

My mother-in-law is a genius!

Now, honestly, how often do you hear those words uttered? Come on, give it some thought. Those poor mothers-in-law are one of the most abused stereotypes ever, even though so many of them help with our kids, do our laundry without even asking, and put six meatloaves in the freezer while we’re out getting our nails done. (Okay, this is what my mother-in-law does, and I wish you the just same!)

But, I kid you not, on my in-laws’ recent visit, I uttered that phrase directly to my sweet mother-in-law (so it went something like this, “You’re a genius!”). In what context, you must be wondering, would I shout out such accolades?  Well, we were discussing window treatments in my master bath. I showed her the dust ruffle I’d been saving from my Anthropologie bedding and mentioned that I wanted to turn it into some kind of panel in the bathroom to bring in the green.  (To see the bedding, click here.)

“No,” my mother-in-law said, “I think the bamboo shade looks just fine as is.” (I will suggest that she’s a woman who’s not afraid to share her opinion.) “But what you need, Lisa, is something over here (pointing to the bare wall). We could cut out this pattern on the dust ruffle, glue it on some burlap, frame it, and you’d have some nice, inexpensive art in here that would bring the green in from the bedroom.”

And that’s when it happened. The words just sprang forth. “Kathy, you’re a genius!” Wouldn’t you have said the same thing?  Think about it, this project involved no curtain rods to buy and talk my husband into hanging, no sewing machines to set up and thread, which often yields incredible grumpiness on my part.  No, this project would involve merely scissors and glue, and, hot damn, I already HAVE those things, and I even know how to use them!

So here you go:  a step by step process on making art on the cheap (and easy).

Step 1:  Gather your materials. You’ll need fabric scissors, fabric glue, spray tack adhesive, your piece of art (we used a pattern in the fabric), your fabric background (we used burlap), and a picture frame (we used one w/ a glass front because of the moisture in the bathroom). You can purchase all of these materials at a craft store like Michael’s or Hobby Lobby.

Step 2:  Cut out your art.

Step 3:  Cut out your background fabric. We used the cardboard insert inside the frame as a pattern.

Step 4:  Spray a light coat of spray tack adhesive onto the cardboard insert that comes with the frame to give your background fabric some heft. It’s easier to handle this way.  However, if you’re reusing a frame and don’t have cardboard, you can skip this step.

Step 5:  Spray a light coat of spray tack adhesive on your piece of art and mount it on your background fabric. The great thing about spray tack is that you can reposition your art easily.

Step 6: Glue down a ribbon border on the edges. This is another optional step, but it finishes the piece and prevents frayed edges of the burlap from creeping.

Step 7:  Place your new cheap art in a frame, hang it, and enjoy!

For the record, this project cost $10 for the frame (50% off at Michael’s) and $5 for a yard of burlap. (I saved the leftover burlap for another project, stay tuned.)  I already had the spray tack and fabric glue, but those purchases would probably be about $5 each, so for around $20-25, you’ve got yourself some original art that is customized for your space.