More Changes in our Kitchen ...

Greetings, friends!

Well, we've been messin' around in the kitchen again ... and we're not done yet! (Are we ever?)

And, to truly appreciate the madness thus far, let's take a stroll down decorating lane to see where we started, shall we?   

So, here's our kitchen (pic courtesy of Hour Homes) right before we moved in last summer ... while we loved it as it was, I knew it was only a matter of time before I added my "stamp."

And, here it is after "that" little redo last Fall, which involved painting the cabinets and tile backsplash ... removing a cabinet by the sink and adding open shelves in its ... personalizing the island a bit ... and, topping it all off with two matching "bling-y" chandeliers:

Now, Phase 1 1/2 has been done!  Anyone who knows me understands my obsession with symmetry ... since we took down a cabinet on the right side of the kitchen and replaced it with shelves, it was only a matter of time before I got the urge to take down a cabinet on the left side and add shelves there, too ... gotta have balance in my world!

BEFORE (pic courtesy of Hour Homes):

AFTER!

While I loved all of the cabinets, it was just a bit too *much* cabinetry (VISUALLY), which is why I wanted to break them up a bit by adding open shelves.

We didn't stop there, though ... once the new shelves were installed, my preoccupation with odd numbers resurfaced; and since we had shelves on both the left and right side of the kitchen, it only made sense to create the illusion of open shelves in the middle, right?

So, that's when "this" happened ... down came the doors on the cabinet above the ovens.

Maybe now that a few of my cookbooks are "on display," I'll actually open one up and cook something!

 Once "that" was done, it was time to turn my attention to the backsplash.  It was originally darker tile, which I then painted, knowing that was a temporary fix.  That's when I turned to the faux brick wallboard that we used in our old house in SC.  We had the folks at Lowe's make our cuts, with us having to make the more intricate cuts for the outlets.  I then painted the panels ... added a bit of trim at the bottom and thin dowel rods at the top to hide any gaps ...

You can see it in its original darker state here:

and, VOILA!  Yes, we love it ... so much so, that I'm contemplating continuing it up and behind the shelves, too.

For now, I'm really pleased with how it turned out, as it helps give our kitchen a "farmhouse-y, Country French-y" feel, 

and I love how little accents (such as these pretty blue/white mugs from IKEA) pop against it.

Another BEFORE pic (courtesy of Hour Homes) from where we started:  

Annnnd, today ... yay!

I love how the new backsplash resembles subway tile ...

without the expense!

And, how removing the original 4" granite backsplash allows for the faux brick backsplash to "meet" the countertop ... a cleaner look, which I really like!

Our kitchen island got another new coat of paint (this time SW's Perfect Greige).  BUT, I have another project for the island that I'm starting today ... fingers crossed it turns out okay!

While a few permanent changes took place, a few *not-so-permanent* ones have taken place, too .... 

I took away the sisal rug under the kitchen table and replaced it with this larger rug that was once in our sunroom.  We also traded out our dining chairs and farmhouse bench for new, inexpensive chairs from IKEA.  

A pretty runner from Home Goods completes this little redo.

Over in the corner, our etagere got dressed up with a few pretties ...

like this cute vase from Home Goods.

As one last touch, I moved our "EAT" letters from beside our pantry door and placed them in a more prominent spot ... 

you know, just so there's NO doubt what we expect you to do in our kitchen!  

One more time ... BEFORE (pic courtesy of Hour Homes):

Annnd, AFTER!

Well, that's it for now ... off to Lowe's I go!

Thanks so much for visiting!

Going to play with:

Savvy Southern Style/WUW
French Country Cottage/Feathered Nest Friday

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My Home Office/ Workspace

Today I will be showing you my workspace and telling you story how it came into existence.

I have always wanted a space in my home dedicated to my creative work and blogging. I began my blogging career sitting on a sofa and for my creative work I worked wherever there was a space. But as my creative business and blogging started expanding, I needed a home office or workspace or you can call it a studio. I believe that if you are working from home then it is very important to have a workspace to be focused and productive. 

I have been wanting to create my workspace since long. My husband gave me that much needed push and suggested me to create my own workspace in an alcove in my living room. So I was ready to create a space that reflects who I am and what I want to be. I have minimalist aesthetic, so I wanted clean edges and neat look for my workspace. I didn't want to get stuck with a particular style. I surround myself with the things I love, no matter if they are vintage, contemporary or kitsch. I love to mix things and put them together. Here is a before and after image of the place.

First step to create my workspace was to know what are the things that I already have and the things that I will need. I already had desk, chair, art supplies, my artwork and some beautiful knick-knacks. Things that I needed were few storage units and wall unit to display my artwork, a table lamp for when there is no natural light and a key holder because all my keys were lying on my desk earlier and were giving it an ugly look.
Now I was ready with a list of the stuff that I needed for my workspace. I love online shopping and I have always been selective about the online shopping portals from where I shop my stuff, so I did all the research and found out that Flipkart's home store section has the best collection of all home goods at best prices. I browsed through different categories and then found a beautiful and very elegant looking wall shelf to display my artwork and knick-knacks to beautify my workspace.
There were vast variety of wall shelves available on Flipkart. I was totally confused so I bought two wall shelves. When things are well organised, it really helps the creative juices flow. These wall shelves were perfect addition to my home office. Up on the wall shelf are trophies won by my husband. These trophies not only make me proud wife every time I look at them but also boost my positive energy.

• Click here to check out all the discounted products on Flipkart.

See all my stuff is so well organised and my workspace is emanating lots of positivity. Some of my recent reads are on the shelf. Whenever I have some spare time in my hand, I read them again.
With the onset of summers, there is beach theme going on in my home. Did you spot all the conchs and shells.

Next I hunted for nice table lamp in Flipkart's home store section and found out the one that was perfect fit for my workspace. They have lovely collection of table lamps, floor lamps and wall sconces. I spent lot of time gazing all the beautiful products there.

• Click here to check out some more beautiful lamps on Flipkart

I checked out dimensions of the table lamp that were given on Flipkart and it was exactly the same I wanted for my workspace. And see my decision was right. Lamp is looking beautiful on my desk.

To be more organised, I thought of buying a key holder too. The moment I saw this beautifully carved wooden key holder on Flipkart's home store section I just wanted it. It has vintage charm. Not only vintage, Flipkart has modern, classic and funky kind of key holders too. I just loved mine, it's going really well with everything else there in my workspace.

• Click here to check out collection of key holders on Flipkart.

Added some personal touch to my home office with my handmade name plate for my desk.

 I loved the overall look of my home office. It's full of positivity and warmth. For me it is a little slice of heaven. All thanks to Flipkart for turning my dream into reality. Would be buying some more stuff from Flipkart for my son's room makeover.
Stay tuned!!

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Cutest Pink Baby Shower! Part II

This is the continuing post on the very PINK baby shower that I had for my daughter.


If you missed Part I you can see it HERE.



In the first post, I showed you some decor and the Sign-In Table with a couple of games.




Let's move on to the dining tables...


I used my handy Silhouette electronic cutting machine to make a lot of my decor for this shower.




Let's take an overview of the

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2015 Spring Great Room

Greetings, friends!

Can you believe there is only one week until Easter?  Before it comes and goes, I wanted to share our great room, dressed up for Spring!

I don't know about you, but when it comes to decorating, I like to start with a "blank slate," before transitioning to a new season or holiday.  I take the existing pillows and accessories away for a bit ... it clears my mind and helps me visualize what I want to do next.  That's what I love about having a white Ektorp sofa now ... for me, it's the perfect starting point and backdrop as any colors play nicely with it!

BEFORE: "nekkid"

AFTER:  MUCH better with color!

I broke out our apple green pillows, along with cute floral pillows from HomeGoods.  Of course, white flowers bursting out of a glass demo-john were in order for the sofa table.

I then added in our cute faux plants from IKEA ... and, to give them a bit of  height so that they weren't "hiding" behind the sofa, I perched them on top of white candleholders (also from IKEA).

Nothing says "Spring" like a crisp white bowl with faux green apples tossed in, now does it?

Let's not forget a little nest occupied by cute eggs doused with Annie Sloane's Duck Egg chalk paint.

If you glance on over from there, you'll see our mantel dressed up for the Easter Bunny's arrival!

Yes, my middle name should be "faux" because, once again, I'm adding such florals into my decor.  Alas, when you have a "brown thumb" like I do, faux is always my best (well, ONLY) option!

I also brought back the "Spring" banner that I found at Target a few years ago.  The letters (stenciled onto burlap) used to be layered over pastel colored felt, but because I wanted to change it up a bit, I decided to cut off the burlap with the letters and layer them over white felt instead.

Our cute bunnies are back center stage this year ... reminding us all, yet again, to "hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil."

Down below, our chair got a little makeover, too, thanks to Annie's Duck Egg chalk paint.  Yes, I painted the fabric, and we love it!

Ta DA!

These colors are a welcomed change since it means that warmer temps are on the horizon!

Over on this side of the room, I played a little musical chairs by switching out our white slipcovered wing chairs for somewhat more relaxing EKTORP chairs that I bought off of Craigslist when we first moved here last summer.  They had sage green slipcovers on them, so I removed those and covered them in white slips instead. With IKEA's white slipcovers for these chairs being only $29 a piece, it was easy to justify that tiny splurge!

That inexpensive purchase helped me justify a-NOTHER splurge by buying the matching ottoman while I was there (oops).  I just couldn't help myself!

And, there you have it ... our Spring great room. 

And, see that *lovely* ceiling fan in there?  Well, soon, it will be heading upstairs to our son's room, and this beautiful chandie from World Market (that my sweet husband and son surprised me with for my recent birthday) will hang in its place ... can't wait!

I'll be back soon to share our kitchen, which I not only dressed up for Spring, 

but also made a few other changes ... down came 2 more cabinets (thanks to my awesome hubby) ...

and up went more shelves, along with a faux brick backsplash!

Ahhhhh, home projects!

Thanks for visiting,

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Cutest Pink Baby Shower! Part 1

You might be asking yourself...

Where has Terry been from Forever Decorating?
She just is not posting as much!

Well, I am here to tell you that I have
been quite busy...

When I found out that I was going to be
a Grandma, I patiently waited until my
daughter was 22 weeks along to find out the sex of the baby...

Then started making the cutest PINK shower decor that I could think of!







 

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DIY Owl Planter

Sometimes most of the time I get innovative ideas in my dream about my art and craft work. 

Few days ago I saw tiny clay pots kept on my kitchen window sill and the same night I saw owls made of those tiny clay pots in my dream. Next day without giving it a second thought and without any planning I just started making owl planters and viola!!! the result was awesome. See here they are..

 I even named them Peter and Paul. All my readers and Facebook page fans wanted me to share the procedure of making Peter and Paul. So here is the procedure:

• Supplies:

       Hobby ideas Shilpkar/M-seal
       Carving knife/ craft knife

       Glue

       Talcum powder

       Plastic sheet

       Clay pots (any size)

       Acrylic paint

       Paint brush
       Varnish       

• Procedure:

1. First wash the clay pots thoroughly and let it dry. Now You can apply a coat of varnish inside the pot to seal it.

2. Now prime the outside of pot with white acrylic paint and let it dry. In below image you can see Hobby Ideas Shilpkar. It contains two packets, one is resin and the other is hardener. Take equal amount of both resin and hardener and mix them well. 

3. Keep the plastic sheet on working area and dust it with talcum powder to avoid Shilpkar clay sticking to sheet. Now take a small amount of clay, put it on sheet and roll it out as shown in below image. For rolling you can use pen or pencil.

4. As I didn't have carving knife I used craft knife to give shape and cut the clay. Though the carving doesn't look neat when you use craft knife. You can use something else like toothpick, empty ball pen or anything else that can solve the purpose better. 

5. Made two carved parts (left and right) and joined them. Then I took small amount of clay, made beak of owl and pasted it on carved clay. Now gently pick up the clay and paste it on the pot.

6.  I made two different kind of owls. It was hard to make features of Peter so I went easy on making Paul and gave it simple look. When it is dried prime it too. 

7. Now the last thing is to paint it in your desired colour and let it dry. You can give a protective coat of varnish if you wish.  It's done!!! See how I am using my Peter and Paul..........

You can see the before and after of my tiny clay pots in image below. 

Some of my artwork that is exclusively mine and not inspired from any other source, you can check out on 'Exclusively By Design Decor & Disha'. 

Stay tuned!!In my next blog I will be posting about my work-space makeover. 

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