Frame It!

Hi, friends! I hope that each of you are enjoying the arrival of Spring all around you. Here in Texas we are enjoying warmer (but not stifling!!) weather as well as bluebonnets and lots of Blue Bell ice cream! Yum!! 


So, moving on! Today I wanted to talk about one of my favorite decorating items- frames!! If you're custom framing your most cherished Van Gogh (ahem, for me, it would be a Van Gogh print... let's be honest...) or putting your favorite pictures of your puppy and best friends on your dresser, frames are everywhere! They are a perfect way to express what is important to you, regardless of what that is. No matter where you look, there are tons and tons of options for frames, and so many that can suit you however you like!


Before I jump into pictures, I just want to put a quick plug in for one of my favorite places to shop for frames- Hobby Lobby! Now, they don't know me from Adam (and that's ok!!), but in my humble opinion, they have a great selection of frames and tend to have them on a 50% off sale CONSTANTLY. My guess is probably every other week or so?? ALSO, they offer 40% off coupons on a regular basis, so now you have even more incentive to get the huge frame you've been eyeing and fill that sucker! I realize some of you may not have a Hobby Lobby close by, so if that's the case, come visit me and we can go on an all-day trip! Kidding... but I'm sure that there are lots of craft stores out there that can also give you a great selection of frames for a great price. Their website is not fabulous, but their stores sure are! Check it out if you haven't yet!!


                                     


Ok, back to frames. So, the reason I am in love with frames is that the possibilities for a great decor option is endless. You can get them in any size and color and put them practically anywhere! Maybe not your ceiling, but you know, your home is your home! ;)

photo credit: ikea

This frame is a perfect example! It is $3.99 at Ikea and would be perfect as an accessory to shabby-chic decor like the picture below from Coastal Living Magazine.

photo credit: Coastal Living Magazine

Or, if you prefer a more modern, colorful look, the exact same photo frame could go well in this room:

photo credit: www.ivstatic.com

Just add this color to your frame, and you've got a perfect pop and a great place to share your favorite memories!

Benjamin Moore- Scandinavian Blue

I also love this frame from Ikea- only $4.99!! This frame can be hung or stand alone, and if you don't like it in white, a quick layer or two of paint, and it's red! Or black! Or, blue! Whatever color you want it to be, it can be! 

photo credit: ikea

 The rule of thumb is that you typically should hang frames in odd numbers and should either hang a painting alone or in groupings of no less than three. I tend to go with what looks best, and if that is 20 frames, hang 20 frames! If it's one piece that you love and that speaks to you, hang it by itself! Here is a perfect example of what 20 frames hung together would look like, just in case you are leaning towards a large grouping and aren't sure if you should go for it. 

photo credit: elle decor

So, if you think that this is all fine and good but happen to have lots of pictures and frames that are NOT the same size, don't fret! The picture below from younghouselove.com is a perfect idea of how you can display photos that are important to you in a coordinated way. If your pictures and frames are not the same size or type, the best rule of thumb is to coordinate by color of the frame, mat and color picture. This way you have details that give the display some commonality without being too matchy-matchy. 

photo credit: younghouselove.com

I also wanted to share with you a picture of some frames that I have had with me since I started my first full-time job about 5 years ago. These pictures are from Target and came in two sets of two pictures. I originally bought the first set and ended up with extra wall-space in my office after a year or so. So, I went back to see if they had another set, which happened to coordinate perfectly with what I already had. I have a fear of things being too matchy-matchy in my personal decorating style, so the matching sets are hung diagonally from each other, just to mix it up a bit. These frames have been with me for years and are consistently one of my favorite wall-hanging projects of all time.

 Please excuse the reflection of my office lights! They don't turn off at all, ever. 

Thanks for stopping by, friends! Hope this has inspired you to add your personality to your favorite room through framed pictures. Happy decorating!!


Cheers,
Catrina 

Hoppy Easter!

Hi, friends! Didya like that title? "Hoppy" Easter? Like the bunny? Oh... I was the only one who got it? ;)  


Anyway, happy Easter weekend!! This is one of my very favorite holidays, as it speaks so well to the spirit of redemption that comes along with the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus. This holiday also just screams SPRING to me, with all of the fun colors, CANDY (who doesn't love candy??), Easter Egg hunts, good food and time with family! There are so many fun ways to celebrate Easter, from a bright, colorful celebration that is family-friendly and comfortable, to a more upscale celebration that has subdued colors but is high on style. 


Some of the things that are so essential to me in Easter decor are eggs, (of course!), flowers, candles and a great centerpiece. So, let's get started! Like I mentioned previously, eggs are extremely popular during this holiday, and there are so many ways you can use them to decorate for Easter! 


You can use them to make an adorable, colorful centerpiece by tying them on branches like this Martha Stewart tree. You can make this into a great DIY project by purchasing some floral foam at your local craft store, picking up branches either in your store, OR for free in your back yard, decorating some eggs, and tying them to the branches to make a high-reward, low effort centerpiece that looks fabulous and won't be high on your stress radar.  

photo credit: marthastewart.com

These filler eggs from Pottery Barn are perfect from hanging from your DIY tree, because they come with hooks that make them easy to hang. People will be talking about your brilliant arrangement for months to come!! 

photo credit: Pottery Barn

I also love this Ceramic Egg Tower at Williams Sonoma for a concise, stunning centerpiece that is even easier than the DIY tree. Two of these on a table filled with colorful eggs can make a striking statement! 

photo credit: Williams-Sonoma

Another great option is this French Wire Egg Basket that would be equally as simple and equally as striking for an Easter centerpiece. The wonderful thing about this basket is that even though it is intended for eggs, you can do so much with it throughout the year!

photo credit: Williams-Sonoma

How cute would these eggs be in the above basket? I see a beautiful centerpiece coming together before our very eyes... :)  

photo credit: Pottery Barn

If you aren't really into the decorating with eggs idea, you can always do a floral arrangement, or combine the two! My all-time favorite flower is the peony, which is so delicate and beautiful and is very popular in the spring due to its not blooming very often during the year. Here are a few ideas for floral decor around the house. 

This is a beautiful tulip arrangement that I found at this etsy shop:  http://www.etsy.com/listing/71470959/yellow-tulips-spring-tulips-door  

photo credit: twoinspireyou- etsy shop

This particular arrangement is a door hanging, but it is still so beautiful and perfect for Easter! 

Here are a few more beautiful arrangements that use peonies. How sweet are these? 

photo credit: Blumenhaus Florist

photo credit: Bridgewater Gardens

If you want a little color in your arrangement, here's an perfect example of a peony arrangement that is striking and simple. The best part about these? They will NEVER die!! Ah, I love it! 

This arrangement is also available for purchase through etsy. Here's the website! 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79641753/fine-silk-floral-arrangement-faux-pink

photo credit: Sky Design USA- etsy shop

In closing, I absolutely must show you my most favorite Easter arrangement I have seen thus far! I saw this image in an email from Crate and Barrel and while I am normally a HUGE fan of color, this all-white arrangement is simply stunning. I am in LOVE with it!! I hope that it inspires you to create a beautiful space for you and your family! 

photo credit: Crate & Barrel

I hope that this post has given you some good ideas of amazing decorating options you can do that will be not only budget friendly, but easy to do! I also hope that each of you has a wonderful Easter filled with family, friends and many warm memories made. Happy Easter, and happy decorating!! 

Cheers!

Catrina 

The D Family

Hi, friends!! 


I hope you guys have had a great start to sunny Springtime! It has been a very busy month on my end, and I've missed sharing fun design tidbits with you all! 


This past week I had a great opportunity to work with a wonderful family- the D Family! They are a very trendy family with great taste and Louiza has a great talent for integrating a beautiful home with functionality for being a mom to two twin boys!! Louiza was looking for help with organizing a few areas of her living room, as well as providing a fresh transition from her grown-up living room to her boys' FUN, kid-friendly play area. 


The D family recently invested in some beautiful custom shelving work in their home and wanted to integrate some beautiful show pieces with the functionality of providing a safe place for her boys to enjoy. The pictures below showcase our updated solution to her design concerns and show off a fun play-room in the background!

Note the pops of color throughout the photos-  you'll see them alot in this post!

Up-close detail. Don't you love the figurines of the twins? So cute!

Shelves on the left side of the room. How much do you love that gorgeous crystal bowl?

Close-up shot of a beautiful piece!

In an effort to make the shelves attractive AND functional, we put some of the twins' books and toys on the bottom shelves, which turned out wonderfully! 

Here's a shot of the two shelves that provide just enough access for young hands to reach! 

Louiza has had some beautiful decor items given to her over the course of her career and many of them resulted in gorgeous accent pieces in her living room! 

Doesn't this shot just make you want to pack your bags at hop on a plane?

I have to brag on Louiza for a second- she had ALL of these beautiful items in her living room already AND had previously styled her decor in a similar way! Amazing!!

The accent plate and the amazing vase in this picture were previously on the shelves shown in the first pictures. A quick switch brought a balance of color to the entire room. 

P.S. Is anyone else IN LOVE with the vase in this picture? Surely I'm not the only one! 

So, here's the low-down on the beautiful D Home!! Louiza, thank you SO MUCH for such a fun evening and for the chance to work with you in your living room! I had a wonderful time with you and look forward to working together again soon!! 

Thanks for checking in, you guys! Hope you enjoyed my latest project and as always, happy decorating!!

Cheers!

Catrina

Friday Favorite! Ok, ok...Saturday Favorite!

Hi, friends!! Happy Friday! Or, if you're anywhere in the Houston area, Happy Go Texan Day!! ;) I *tried* to make my look a little Western today, but I'm not sure how well I did. I just know I used to LOVE dressing up in "Go Texan" gear in elementary school!! Not sure I can say the same about my enthusiasm level as an adult...


Ahhh, but I digress!


So, today, I wanted to touch on something that is so basic, so fundamental in decor that I can guarantee that each of you reading this post has some sort of story relating to this. Today I want to talk about... paint!!! It is something that we all have dealt with, from the institutional-white colors of our dorm rooms to the crazy paint colors we wanted in our bedrooms as children, all the way to the funky colors you have throughout your home right this very second!


I think that many people choose to go with a safe color in the white/cream/beige/khaki family just to make sure that you don't end up with something horrific that you will hate forever and feel stuck with. This is completely reasonable, but I want to encourage you to be brave and step out of the box every now and then!!


Let's do a small, teensy test. Quick- think of a color, any color. Do you have one? Ok, now look around your home and see if the color you thought of is anywhere around your home. I'm willing to bet that in some capacity, it is. It may be in a throw pillow, or a rug, or a comforter, lamp, or shower curtain. Now here comes the crazy part: have you thought of painting a wall in your house that color, or a variant of that color? What about painting a piece of furniture? I know, I'm getting crazy over here.


To help you with getting over your hesitation, I'm going to give a personal example and show you some fun, creative ways that color can be used in your home to make a dramatic, beautiful impact. For me personally, the color I keep going to over and over is... of all colors... black!! I LOVE black, you guys! If you have ever been in my home at any given time, you'll notice there is lots of black everywhere. I haven't had the opportunity to paint a wall that color yet, so I don't have any personal pictures to show you, but trust me... this is going to be inspiration for the future! I proceed to showing you exhibit one:



photo credit: House Beautiful


The paint color used in this picture is Benjamin Moore- Black Satin. I think it is absolutely stunning!! So sexy and so fun!


Exhibit two:



photo credit: House Beautiful


Note that there is tons of natural light in both rooms. This a must, and a south-facing room is best for any dark color like navy, chocolate, eggplant or black. If you don't have a south-facing room but still want to paint a dark color, try to ensure that the room has as MUCH sunlight as possible to lighten the room. We don't necessarily want to channel Cruella DeVille here...

photo credit: c.d.b. design

Here is a beautiful example of chocolate in a room as well. I did not pick out this paint color, but it was in a clients' home and was absolutely stunning. For the ceiling height and room size, the paint color makes the room feel so very warm and inviting.


Ok, let's move on to some brighter, more fun colors. Another color I hear mentioned often is yellow. Yellow is certainly making a huge comeback this season and can be beautiful if done correctly.


This is a bright, fun yellow that would be great in a hallway or a child's room. This paint is by Pittsburgh Paints and is called Forsythia Blossom.



photo credit: House Beautiful


If you love yellow but don't want the brightness, try something a bit more muted. I tend to call this shade of yellow "butter", but this picture refers to it as a cream. I can imagine this color in a bedroom or living room, and what a calming effect it would have!!! So warm and inviting!!



photo credit: House Beautiful


Another color people tend to love but shy away from is red. There are so many variations of red that you can use to suit your exact decor desire.



photo credit: House Beautiful


This red is called Blazer 212 by Farrow & Ball. LOVE red but nervous about committing to a whole room?
Paint a piece of furniture! This shot is classic and exciting at the same time because of the color use.



photo credit: House Beautiful


The red used in this photo is Heritage Red by Benjamin Moore.


Ok, for just a few more tidbits of encouragement, I want to leave you with just a few more ideas of paint colors you can use throughout your home. 


Now, I know, if you were a client of mine and I told you to think about... say... a hot PINK color in your house, you'd think I was crazy right?? Well... not so fast! If you are in the stage of life where you can make a fun color choice in your home, why not? I think this may do a bit of work to convince you...



photo credit: House Beautiful


Cute, right?? What a jolt of energy before you even get to your morning coffee! This paint color is so very appropriately named Razzle Dazzle by Benjamin Moore. 


Another great idea is to paint not the walls, but the ceiling of a room to provide a fun pop of color to a unique space. 

photo credit: House Beautiful


Beautiful, no? I normally RUN away from a soft, powder pink, but I think that the presence of pink in this room is so romantic and is just right. 


Here's another fun color that is appropriately toned down by a great print and classic colors. Can you imagine yourself buying paint in a punchy lime?



photo credit: House Beautiful


For a softer green, why not try something a little closer to mint? This option can be a serene, calming color choice while being chic and completely up to date. Check out the nursery I consulted on for Baby Rebekah! 

photo credit: c.d.b. design


Are you inspired yet?? I sure hope so!!! Just a tip for those of you that are ready to take the COLOR plunge: paint a poster-board size block of color in the room you are thinking of changing. Or, go even bigger and do a 6x6 ft. color swatch and let it sit for a few days. If you are in love, take the plunge!! If you hate it, there is no commitment and less work to change it to a neutral color, or back to what you originally had. 


Best of luck, and happy painting!! I hope you are inspired to create a beautiful space this week!! Have a wonderful weekend!! 


Cheers! 
Catrina

Friday Favorite!

Hi, friends!! Happy Friday!!

I hope that you all had a great week and that this Friday caps off a productive, happy week for each of you! 


In many of my conversations about decor, many friends and clients share that they want to change the look of a room in their home, but REALLY don't want to commit to changing a paint color or pay for new furniture. They want a new feel but just don't want to spend the time or effort to dramatically re-decorate a room to suit their new look. 


The good news is that there are so many different options that can deliver the change that you want with minimal effort! New curtains or a new rug can dramatically change the personality of a room in an instant. However, I want to touch on one of my FAVORITE decor items and our topic today, throw pillows!! There are SO many options out there for such wonderful prices that you simply can't go wrong. I know many people overlook throw pillows because they "don't serve a purpose", but in the decor world, they can! Also, there are so many patterns and styles out there that you can easily find pillows that are decorative but functional at the same time. So, without further adieu, here are some of my favorite combinations. 

www.pier1.com

www.zgallerie.com

You can take something simple like a circle pattern and mix it with something a bit more complicated, but complimentary in the color category. 

Here's another example of mixing patterns- these are a bit more modern and I love the colors combination! Yellow & gray is so very in these days!

www.zgallerie.com

www.zgallerie.com

This is a perfect example of a neutral combination with a LOT of style! This Layla pillow from Crate & Barrel is so simple, but SO stunning!



www.crateandbarrel.com





www.crateandbarrel.com


This pillow would provide lots of substance while letting the cream show stopper take center stage! 


I'm not sure if you're like me at all, but I also like to see the finished product, or see HOW these looks play together. So, here's a few examples that show just HOW MUCH a few throw pillows can bring a room together! 



credit: Crate & Barrel



credit: House Beautiful 


*Notice how well the different patterns and colors play off of each other? Not something you would pick in the store, but they come together beautifully in this room!! 


Remember the Layla pillow from Crate & Barrel? Designer Melissa Warner used them in this room and they are gorgeous!! 



credit: House Beautiful


This final picture is a perfect example of how patterns can play off of each other to tie a room together, and how the right throw pillow can finish the job! Notice that on the left couch, a solid color is used, while on the right, cream couch a bold, complimentary pattern is used. 



credit: House Beautiful


Hope you guys enjoy!! Happy decorating, and here's to making beautiful spaces no matter where we are! See you next week! 


Cheers,

Catrina 

Friday Favorite!

Hi, friends! I hope this week was wonderful for each of you! I had a bit of a rough start to this week- I was sick on Monday and Tuesday and still don't quite seem to be at 100%. We've got a busy weekend ahead, so I'm hoping that I can get caught up on some rest and FAST!!


This week's Friday Favorite is a bit unexpected for me. I have always been a fan of using lighting to enhance a room's personality. In my humble opinion, choosing the right lighting can be just as important as choosing the right paint color or furniture to put in a room. It speaks volumes with regard to what message you want to convey with your space! Just think- a dimly lit bedroom can enhance the feelings of relaxation and comfort, while a well lit kitchen and entry-way can convey warmth and emphasize that area as a busy hub in your home!


So, my new latest obsession in the lighting world is hands down pendant lighting! It is fresh and simple, but can be so striking at the same time. I think that given how you use pendant lighting, it can convey so many different moods and enhance SO many different settings!! My favorite location for pendant lighting is in the kitchen and entry way, but I have seen them used in tons of different rooms in so many different ways! So, my favorites are actually almost all from Pottery Barn!! Of course, there are GORGEOUS ones at Restoration Hardware as well, but Pottery Barn has amazing options for much more attractive prices. However, if you can rock the Restoration Hardware, I say, more power to you! You've got excellent taste!


For example, if you're into the more industrial look of pendant lighting, check out this beauty. Or, if you like something a little more streamlined, I am in love with this piece. 


Ok, for my all time favorite- this is the Exter 5-Jar Pendant at Pottery Barn. Is this not to die for??

Here is another one from Pottery Barn- I think this one is beautiful if you prefer softer lines and want something a little more feminine looking, but still in a pendant style. 







This last example would be PERFECT in a study or library or in a general family area that doesn't necessarily need bright lighting. I love the simplicity of the lines mixed with the honeycomb design. 





Ok, so there you have it!! Lots of examples of one of my latest favorite things- pendant lights! Hope you enjoy, and if you happen to stop by Pottery Barn this weekend, take a peek for me!! 


Hope your Superbowl weekend is splendid! Happy decorating!!


Cheers,
Catrina