Glass Class Part II

Aside from the cloche's big glass jars are another way to incorporate a showcase into your decor.

This design incorporates the designer's wedding shoes into a large glass jar. She loved them so much she wanted to display them in a chic way. Now she has a beautiful token to remember her wedding by. Even if you don't want to display a pair of shoes, we all own something that is wearable that doesn't deserve to be kept in a closet, like a great clutch you splurged on or a vintage hat. Fashion is art and it should be displayed!

In this design, the Large glass jar is used as a vase but these even look good empty!

Glass Class

One of my favorite things to look for are unique glass containers or jars and especially cloche's. Cloches were originally used on farms in Europe to protect seedling plants from dying in a frost. Not are they still good for their original use, but they are great for using in your everyday decor!

The great thing about using glass in your decor is that it is so versatile. In the summer you can add a collection of shells that you gathered on the beach, in the fall you can make a display of school photos or leaves, winter you can use holiday decor, and spring you can display sprawling greenery or fresh blossoms. In one of my cloche's I keep a birds nest almost year round, but on Halloween I replace it with bloody eyeballs, or at Christmas a small Christmas tree.

Pure and Lovely Blog

I came across this blog and there is some really great stuff on there! You should definitely check it out HERE. They also have a great shop on Etsy.

On the Rocks

Have your drink on the rocks...Literally! These stone ice cubes are made from Nordic rock. Simply place them in the freezer for an hour and you can kiss the days of watered down beverages goodbye! The rocks pictured can be purchased from a British website, Mocha. You can also purchase soapstone cubes from the states HERE. The cubes are reusable and just rinse them with water to clean. I think these make a great Guy gift!

Growing Green

I love the crisp clean essence that you get from decorating with moss and green plants. It adds such a nice cool fresh touch and is relatively simple to do. For me adding it in bunches or a soft touch here or there adds a nice lift. In my own home I like to use small succulents or potted ferns to break up the harshness of my bookshelves or to brighten an area. The moss covered Letters are a really quick DIY you can do. all you need is a blank letter and some store bought moss and glue it to the letter. Once you have filled in all the spaces, you can trim the moss for crisp clean edges. finish with a bow, or leave it plain. You can do the same to a variety of items, such as, picture frames or stacking boxes. I think the Moss garland/ ribbon would look great with a gift wrapped in brown paper. Moss decor has become very popular and can be found on Etsy, Marshalls, Z Gallerie, and many more places.

Next post will be about glass cloche's and other glass vessels... My favorite way to display organic decor!

Love this!

So if any of you have been to my home you will know that I love LOVE shells. I have been searching for some different ideas, other than the standard glass jar filled with shells, and I came across this beautiful idea from, you guessed it, Martha Stewart. She took large shells and glued them together and put glowing votives in them to create this beautiful lighting. It is soo simple yet soo gorgeous!

So long no post!

So this daily blog is quite the undertaking and I am falling behind!! Last week I got caught up in Baby madness painting a mural For my friend's nursery (Pictures are on Salty Sisters blog). And this week I am going to work on some wedding parasols and painting a mural for my god daughter's nursery:)

Looks like my daily blog is going to be more of a bi-weekly blog!

Transform Your Tile

Have a bland tile back splash or bathroom? Then Mibo has come up with a great solution for you. They have tile tatoos that are adhesive decals that you can use to decorate your tile. You can stick them on or peel them off and they won't leave any sticky residue on the tile.

$16 for six decals, you can get them at www.wallies.com

Running of the Bulls

I hope everyone haves a great weekend...

I will be celebrating San Fermin's Running of the Bulls tonight at Latams in Ybor. If you would like to join me for some Spanish food, Flamenco dancing, live Spanish Music, and a real LIVE bull. Email me at angelique.muller@gmail.com so I can put you on the guest list. Attire is all white with a red scarf and sash... Hope to see you there!!

I hope everyone haves a great weekend...

I will be celebrating San Fermin's Running of the Bulls tonight at Latams in Ybor. If you would like to join me for some Spanish food, Flamenco dancing, live Spanish Music, and a real LIVE bull. Email me at angelique.muller@gmail.com so I can put you on the guest list. Attire is all white with a red scarf and sash... Hope to see you there!!

CG Lipstain

I have blogged about this Lipstain in the past but I just grabbed a new color and I am in love!! It's Cover Girl Outlast Lipstain #402 Scarlet Pucker. It leaves the most beautiful flushed berry stain. It rivals Benefit Cosmetics Benetint($28) under $10 bucks at $8.99... you could buy 3 for the price of one Department store brand tint. I also love the felt tip applicator, it makes it easy to apply on the go! You can also layer the tint to intensify the color for a more dramatic look!

Clothespins Are Not Just For Clothes

One of my favorite things in my kitchen is the red tin bucket of clothespins in my pantry. I had originally bought them to, well, hang clothes and I left them in a bucket in my pantry. It wasn't long till I started using them for all sorts of things. They are hands down the most useful thing we have! Not to mention they are super cheap get 100 for under $4 at Walmart.

Here are some useful ideas for Clothespins:

• Bag clips
• Clip one to your car visor to keep driving instructions or other papers handy
• If you have a mail slot on or atyour door, use one to clip your outgoing mail so it doesn't slip off or blow away
• Use them to help ironing pleats
• Pack some in your travel bag to hang clothes you have to hand wash or keep hotel room curtains clothes.
• Keep some in a diaper bag, use it to make a napkin into a make-shift bib at a restaurant.
• Keep gloves, socks or anything else that needs to be kept in pairs
• Don't like smashing your fingers when you are hammering nails? Use a clothespin to hold the nail instead of your delicate fingers:)
• Tablecloth weights
• Use it to hold a lit match to light pillar candles that have burned down
• Glue magnets to the back and use them on the fridge to hold photos or cards
• For each of my bills I have written with a sharpie the date the bill is due on the pin with a magnet. When I get that bill in the mail I clip the bill and stick it on the side of the fridge.
• Help kids get dressed and clip sets of tops and bottoms together that match when you fold their clothes.
• Clip them to hangers to organize scarves and sashes in your closet or to keep tricky clothes from slipping off the hangers.
• Tack up some string or thin wire and display kids artwork, photos or notes.
• Paint them or decoupage them with pretty paper!
• Find a fun Bucket or Basket and fill it with clothespins and give it as part of your gift at a wedding shower or housewarming. The recipient may give you a weird look but they will thank you later after they start using them...or direct them to this blog post!

Order this clothespin board from Salty Sisters for $25

Here are some great design ideas I found using clothespins...

The uses are endless! Share with me some other ideas you have!

Fun Fashion tip from my 11 year old cousin Isa

While I was at the beach with my family over the 4th of July weekend I noticed my 11 year old cousin Isa had the most adorable pedicure. Her big toes had little flowers and sparkles on them. I asked her where her mom took her to have them done and she told me she did them herself! Well it looked like her toes had been hand painted but it was actually just nail stickers!

In disbelief, that night I took her to the drug store with me to buy some and show me how to do my own toes... The brand that had the cutest decals was "Kiss" but there were some other cute packs too. Best part? A pack of 200 or more stickers runs less than $3.

Forgive my picture... My nail polish is starting to chip already, but the stickers still look great... even after all the sand and water!

DIY Chalkboard Paint

So after thinking about all the fun ways I could use chalkboard paint I wanted to do a project of my own! But, I didn't want to be limited by the traditional black and green color and I dint want to order something special made online so I googled to see if there was a way you can make your own!

Leave it up to Martha stewart to have a recipe for making chalkboard paint

out of any regular paint.

The Recipe is simple:

8 oz. paint

2 Tablespoons Unsanded Tile Grout

Here are the full directions along with the pics of the project I did myself!!

This is the built in electric yellow shelf and desk unit in my studio with ugly wood paneling.

(this room is a work in progress and this wont be the last you see or hear of its transformation)

Unsanded Tile Grout about $5 for the 1 pound tub

I decided to use bright turquoise... the sample jar is exactly 8 oz which is perfect for

a small area and it's only $3

Apply 2 coats of paint and let dry.

Use a piece of fine grit sand paper to even out the surface.

Then rub chalk over the entire surface and then wipe it down with a dry cloth.

Now your surface is ready to be drawn on! I thought the turquoise adds a nice punch to my little craft nook!

Chalk it Up!

I was looking through the Anthropologie website when I came across the rooms they painted floor to ceiling with chalkboard paint. I thought this was an Awesome idea especially for a toy room or family room...even an office. So here are a few of the rooms I came across. I especially love the idea of making a chalkboard wall in a kitchen. Kids can play on the walls while your cooking... or even better, dinner guest can write stuff while you are entertaining!

Thank YOU!

First and foremost I want to thank all of you for your feedback and support! Please keep sending me your comments and ideas! Have a question about decor ideas or trouble shooting a project? Send it my way and I will see what I can do or find out for you!!

I am headed out to the beach for the 4th so let's see what inspires me there!!!

Look forward to next week's entries about chalkboard paint and clothes pins!!!

Have a great weekend and stay safe!!

Happy Fourth of July:)

DIY Vintage Bunting

Here is a great way to put that old bunting to some good use!!! Yes patriotic decor can be a little cheesy but with this quick and easy DIY project you can have a great vintage look piece of American decor.

1. It's best to use cotton or natural fabrics... make sure if it is new to wash it, but don't bother drying it because the fabric should be damp, if you don't need to wash the fabric then wet it and wring out the excess moisture.

2. In a large pot bring water to a boil. When water starts boiling, turn off stove and add one tea bag per cup of water. Use black tea for brown tones and herbal for red tones.

3. Add bunting to the pot and check fabric every 10 minutes until it has reached the desired color!

Final Product... A great vintage looking bunting!

Not crafty? Buy the one in the picture above from www.gypsyville.com for $42!