Beach House Birthday

 

It’s already been a month since Sydney’s birthday, and I still can’t believe she’s four years old. My oh my, where does the time go?

Beach House Birthday :: www.thegoldjellybean.com

Being busy back at work, I wasn’t able to be as hands on and crafty as I would have liked, but nonetheless, it was a fantastic party! And, the fact that we threw it at a super adorable beach house set the tone for a great afternoon. Here are a few pics to give you a feel of how adorable it was, including a super cute bathroom that I just can’t get enough of:

Beach House Birthday :: www.thegoldjellybean.com

love, love this artwork idea:

Beach House Birthday :: www.thegoldjellybean.com

… and these concrete succulent planters are adorable!

Beach House Birthday :: www.thegoldjellybean.com

I was most worried about keeping the kiddies occupied, so we set up a pool, had a piñata, opted for a cupcake decorating session vs a traditional cake, filled beach pails with goodies, and finished off the evening with some crab hunting!

Beach House Birthday :: www.thegoldjellybean.com

We were so thankful to have such great family and friends to help us celebrate!

Beach House Birthday :: www.thegoldjellybean.com Beach House Birthday :: www.thegoldjellybean.com

p.s. no crabs were harmed, we set them free the very next morning…

Beach House Birthday :: www.thegoldjellybean.com

White Crush

 

We’ve been hard at work getting the house in order, and it’s really starting to feel like home. It’s been a slow start, but we’ve managed to get some major cleaning and painting done thus far. I know I’ve said it before, but man it’s amazing what a coat of paint can do!

When it came time to select paint colors, it was a battle of the sexes. I have been on this huge white kick lately, the hubby wanted shades of gray, and Sydney of course rallied for orange. Well I mostly won, with a compromise, and we settled on all white walls and gray in the bedroom. These few images below helped me with my win. I’m quite happy.

white1

I don’t know what it is about white that has tickled my fancy lately. I suppose it’s the crispness the color offers to a room, combined with the opportunity to bring in a wide range of fun colors through furniture and accessories.

white2

My husbands biggest qualm was that the house was already white, and it wouldn’t be a big enough change. But there are endless shades of white, and picking the right one can be just as tricky as finding the right shade of gray. After looking at and taping up what felt like hundreds of white paint swatches, we finally agreed on my first choice. Farrow and Ball’s All White. You pretty much can’t go wrong with their colors!

paint colors

 

Here are a couple progress photos….

white3

Finished photos coming soon!

LINKS in this post:
http://thedesignfiles.net/2013/05/melbourne-home-anna-charlesworth-peter-stephens-and-family/
http://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/bris-house-makeover/

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Spring Flowers

 

May is nearly here, and so it’s time to get some new plants and flowers in our life! Sydney and I did a little indoor gardening this weekend, and we used a couple containers I spotted at Target. LOVE them and just couldn’t resist sharing!

Spring Flowers

I let Syd pick out the flowers and the candle (also from Target) and she did well.

Spring Flowers

Both the gold vase….

Spring Flowers

and the white porcelain urchin are from Target. This urchin one is actually a votive candle holder, but I prefer it holding pretty flowers  : )

Spring Flowers

 

What touches of Spring have you added to your home?

Under-the-Bed Storage Drawers

Using Old Drawers For Storage, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

 

I posted awhile back that we finally got around to taking down the crib in Sydney’s room. Well, we salvaged as many pieces as possible, and that included the drawers. With just a few bucks, and five min, I adapted those drawers to store toys under Syd’s big girl bed!

Using Old Drawers For Storage, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

All I needed was a hammer, and 8 furniture glides (found at the hardware store). You can also use casters, but her bed was too low for those.

Using Old Drawers For Storage, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Turn the drawers over, and hammer a glide into each corner. Flip over, and…..

Using Old Drawers For Storage_0003_storage

…that’s it! You can do this with almost any drawers. I’m thinking of using some cool vintage ones on casters under our bed!

Updated Mantel… Errrr…. Buffet

Updated Mantel, Buffet, via The Gold Jellybean

 

Even though it still feels like winter outside, it doesn’t mean it has to feel like it inside! My mantel, or buffet rather, has been feeling lonely ever since taking down our Christmas decor. With a few new elements, some knickknacks from around the house, and a springy decorative oregano plant, the buffet has a new life!

Updated Mantel, Buffet, via The Gold Jellybean

 

I quickly updated my snowy scene apothecary jars with stacks of polaroid photos. Simple and free transformation. You can use old photographs, or really any collection of items. Matchbooks, shells, vintage toys, etc.

Updated Mantel, Buffet, via The Gold Jellybean

Here’s a closer look at two new pieces I absolutely adore. I love a little quirkiness, and these photographs add just that.

Updated Mantel, Buffet, via The Gold Jellybean

I also added a couple succulents, my animal photo holders, and gold striped candles.

Updated Mantel, Buffet, via The Gold Jellybean

 

How to Store & Display Finger Puppets

 

Sydney loves finger puppets. We started collecting them for her when she was born, and over the last few years her collection has grown quite large. She has all different kinds of animals in beautiful, bright colors. They’re so pretty, it would be a shame to store them away in a box somewhere! So we found a great way to store and display them on shelves in her room. We ordered a set of kid sized mannequin hands online. What better than fingers to store finger puppets!? Continue reading

Interior Design Tips : Finding Chandelier Alternatives

 

Today I wanted to share some tips on what to do when your room desperately needs a chandelier, but hanging one just isn’t an option. This is exactly what we faced when we moved into our current apartment. We have high ceilings with track lighting, and our dining room is part of a large main living space. Even after we had all our furniture in place, painting done, and accessories and art hung, the dining area still felt a little bare. We already knew that we couldn’t hang a light over the table, so we were on the hunt for an alternative. All it took was a random shopping trip to West Elm and we found our solution! We spotted various sized stick orbs, and immediately knew what to do.

Continue reading

Design Trends : Seeing Blue

 

There’s no doubt that when it comes to recent design trends, blue is in. I first fell in love with the color and brought it home when we moved to our current apartment last spring. We coated our 12 foot bedroom walls in the perfect shade of navy blue. The color has actually become one of my all time favorite paint colors, and I can’t wait to use it in another room!

The blue hue is the perfect color scheme if you’re looking to achieve a unique and globally inspired design. Earlier this summer Ikea launched their limited edition True Blue Collection. It’s an Indian-inspired collection, and, in my opinion, it’s to die for. I want to own it all, and have been eagerly awaiting a release of the collection in our local stores. Sadly, I have finally come to the realization that it probably won’t happen. Sigh.

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A Quick Bedroom Makeover On A Budget

 

After two full days of painting, rearranging, and accessorizing, the bedroom is done! The new paint color really transformed the room, making it feel fresh and bright. I also shifted the bed over, and moved the existing chest from the foot of the bed to the side. Now it has dual purpose as both storage and a night table. This also cleared up floor space at the foot of the bed. Then, I moved the large floor mirror to the other side of the room to help define a dressing area near the closet and bombay dresser. With this layout, the room is more spacious and inviting.

In order to marry the old and the new, I mixed in vintage items with beach accents, like this antique bowl filled with shells and starfish. The white ceramic bird adds a touch of whimsy.

Along with a few other accents, the yellow throw pillow brings a cheery feel to the room.

I couldn’t pass up this rope ball door stop. So cute!

In the end this diy room renovation took two days and just $300. As you can see, you don’t have to break the bank to update your bedroom!

Here is the Before & After:

Time to Paint! But First, Here Is The Room Before

 

Ok so it’s time to finally get to work today, and give this master bedroom a new life! I will be trying to reuse as much from the room, and around the house as possible, so this is going to be a makeover on a small budget. I want to show you how a little paint, moving some furniture around, and adding new bedding and accessories can completely transform a room.

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Tuesday Tips : Living Room Makeover On a Budget

 

It’s been a rough morning over here, we woke up and headed straight to the vet for our poor little Cola. Sydney is really sad her best friend isn’t feeling well, so we stocked up on some craft supplies and will be spending our afternoon at her art desk to keep her mind off things. While we do that I wanted to share with you the living room makeover I did at my mom’s house. I went to visit for a week, and couldn’t resist doing a little renovation project. For just about $900, she has a brand new room! Continue reading

Making Use of an Old Typewriter

 

This weekend Sydney felt inspired, and created several great masterpieces. After all her hard work, finger painting till her hands could paint no more, we couldn’t store her artwork away in a drawer. And a basic frame just wouldn’t do. So we put a couple old typewriters to use, displaying her artwork in a non-traditional manner. Continue reading

Curb Side to Couch Side : DIY White and Gold Nesting Tables

 

I’m so glad it’s Wednesday, that means we’re halfway to Friday! But… that also means there is still so much that needs to be done before the weekend is here! Looks like we have a busy day ahead of us. I have a couple design projects that need to be finished up, and Mother’s Day is just around the corner, so Sydney and I better get working! While we do that, I wanted to share a recent table transformation with you.

One night last month my husband took the dogs out for their evening stroll, and came back with these old wood nesting tables. They’re solid wood, in good structural shape, and have nice bamboo style legs. They just needed a facelift. Continue reading

DIY Faux Tin Tile Backsplash

 

Today I bring you a quick kitchen update. This space was feeling cluttered and dated, and there were several grease spots on the wall behind the stove and sink. The solution? A fresh coat of gray paint to brighten the space, and a tin tile styled backsplash. To get the look of tin tile, we purchased this faux version here. Continue reading

Chevron / Herringbone Painted Wall Tips

 

I have gotten some questions about our chevron / herringbone patterned wall, and how we achieved the look, so I wanted to share my method with you. Unfortunately, it came before the blog, so I didn’t take step by step photos. But, I will do my best to explain and illustrate the steps. So here we go! Continue reading

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