New Art by Paste

I love House Beautiful magazine!  I am so excited when it arrives in the mail.  I found this page and just knew I had to get a piece of my own. 

Paste makes the art out of vintage papers. There are several different themes, such as chairs, animals, portraits, fashion, etc.  This is the one that I bought....



Each piece is custom made and takes about a week to produce.

Check it out,

Fall Decorating

Kitchen

I am finally accepting the fact that Fall is here. My dogs and I are enjoying the cooler temperatures.

I decided to buy these super cute pumpkins and gourds from Central Market, to celebrate the season.  I put them in a large hurricane glass vase on my kitchen table.  If I remember correctly, they are $2.99/lb.

I bought a package of small plastic pumpkins/gourds at Michael's and painted them.  I have them on my kitchen counter.  I used spray paint, but I think next time I will choose regular craft paint.  Live and learn, as they say.

Living Room Chest

Next, I bought the cute wooden "Give Thanks" and pumpkin from Hobby Lobby, again on sale.

The blue pumpkin has a story.  I bought a cream pumpkin from Michael's and painted it blue and used glossy Modge Podge to give it some shine.
The Balcony

Now, I got a little crazy and decided to decorate my balcony.  I am very lucky to see my balcony from my couch.  I love looking out onto my balcony and see lights, beautiful plants and flowers, and amazing downtown Houston.  I also look straight out onto my balcony from my kitchen sink.  Not a bad view.

All of these decorations were bought at Michael's.  Every item was on sale.  I spent under $50 for all of the decorations. 

I bought two large mum's at Lowe's for $7/each.  The mums fill in the gaps between the decorations.  I love my balcony!

I believe that if you have to look at some thing every day, it should be pleasing to the eye.  If you like it, it is like getting a shot of happiness.

Think about it,

New Vase

Well, I am still buying flowers on a weekly basis.  Love the ritual.  Don't know if I will ever grow tired of picking out the flowers.  I enjoy them every day.

I was in Anthropologie a few weeks ago and found this cute vase:

I put it by the sink in my bathroom.  I was happily surprised to see the vase in the Anthropologie catalog that I received last week.  Love it when I find cute things on my own and then see them advertised in catalogs, magazines, etc.  Makes me feel like I have great taste!

Check it out!

Chalkboard Paint Canisters!

I am one of the many featured on Today's Creative Blog, my favorite do-it-yourself blog!



I share magazines with friends at work.  We each bring magazines that we have recently read and share them with others.  I got a call from a friend yesterday about the magazine that I gave her.  She told me that pages were missing.  I had to laugh.  I forgot about that detail.  I tear out pages that have images that inspire me--a pair of shoes, a product, an outfit, etc. 

Well, in the May issue of InStyle, I saw this and just had to do it myself....

If you can't tell from the image, the picture is of glass canisters that have been painted with chalkboard paint. You can put anything in the canisters and write the labels in chalk. Adorbs!

The InStyle article stated that the canisters were bought at Ikea. I got lucky and the Ikea by my home had the exact canisters! What were the chances? The Ikea "Burken" canisters were about $4 a piece.

Next, I went off to Home Depot and bought the Rust-Oleum chalkboard paint. Like other paints, you choose from a selection of colors to mix with a base. Honestly, the color selection is pretty juvenile, since most customers of this paint are parents that use it for children's projects (tables, walls, etc.). The Peapod color was the best color for me. The paint was about $12 for a quart.

Talk about simple to do! I painted the stripe at the bottom and waited two days for it to completely dry. Then, I took a wet rag and went over the paint once. Next, the chalk! I filled my canisters and wrote the names on the contents on the labels...Brown Rice, Udon Noodles, Almonds, Katz's Sam Houston Blend Coffee

Next, I decided to go crazy and paint terra cotta pots with the chalkboard paint! I bought two $4 cacti and potted them for my kitchen. I chose cacti, because it reminds me of Miraval Resort in Arizona.  Here is what I did...

Up close....

I keep the pots in front of my sink, where I see them througout my day.

I painted a green stripe across the top and a rectangle in the middle for the label. On one pot, I wrote, "A little piece of..." On the other, I wrote, "Miraval." (The Mackenzie-Child's pot and plant in the center are to make it more visually interesting.)

I tried to bring some thing that I love, Miraval, in a place that I see throughout my day. Subliminally, when you recognize a positive image, your energy rises. How great is that? I got a plant, an inspirational message, an energy boost and a reminder that I accomplished the challenge of making the pots.

I loved the challenge of trying this project. I have an almost full container of paint. Therefore, I think friends will be getting canisters and terra cotta pots for presents. How cute is that? I imagine wrapping the chalk in tissue paper and tying it with raffia.

Don't be scared to try this project. A kindergartener could do it! 

Try some thing new!