What I See : Lamp

Most people would pass this gem up. An ugly old lamp, in a not so desirable shade of mustard. But not any mustard I think it reminds me of spicy mustard. Might be good in a vinaigrette but not on a lamp!  I bought a basic lamp kit at Home Depot and a linen white lamp shade at Target.  After a heavy cleaning, light sanding and a glossy coat of red (my accent color) this is what I have to show you!

Up Next? taking this wire find from Hobby Lobby and making a cool pendant to hang above my desk as well as an art & photog collection for the very empty wall!  It's going to be a tricky balance of composition to get it right.

Bring Your Palette to LIfe!

Once you've established your color palette whether for a whole house, a project, or anything in between then it's time to make it in to something you can carry on your travels. Because of the nature of my profession I mine happen to bed digital but whether digital, a collection of magazines or even objects, take this to your nearest home improvement store (I'm a Home Depot lover) and pull a paint swatch palette together. A couple of things to remember and do...

1. This is what you'll be basing everything on so take the time to pull various shades within your color range so you can try some out and make sure you're getting the perfect combo.

2. Once you get the combo, take at least two of each swatch set so you can make a set for the car and a set for the house.

After you trim the colors set the extras aside, punch a hole in each end a put on a D ring.  Take the extra colors and put in a baggie to keep in the car though these colors aren't technically in your palette they are still compliments to your palette and you can include them things you buy that might have patterns.

Revised Palette!

The post is probably a good example of just one tiny way I drive my husband crazy when it comes to decorating our home.  I'm always being inspired by things I see so I'm always evolving and perfecting my ideas.  So I saw some colors in nature that I just couldn't ignore so I had to adjust my palette.  I also felt like I had too many accent colors.  I now only have one accent color, red and everything else has a soft and somewhat muted feel to it.  I'm hoping to finish up the desk area this weekend and will post pictures soon!

What I See : Desk

I finished my first project today and am excited to share it with you. What do you see?  Maybe 2 x 4's, 1 x 4's an old fence, barn wood & plumbing fixtures? Not me I see an expansive desk that will not only serve as a "home office" for me in the busiest room in my house, the living room, but it will also serve me well at holiday dinners & parties!  Recycling old stuff is truly a passion of mine and there may be nothing I love more than old wood.  This might come as a surprise to some of you who consider me modern when it comes to interiors.  However while I do love minimal amounts of "things" in my rooms and on my walls, I love using and introducing items that have life and texture to them.  The next step...dressing the wall above and the top with both some essentials and just a few pretty things that add the right amount of wow!

Color Palette Notes: This piece pulls from both dark & light taupe neutrals, a perfect back drop for some awesome punches of color!

The Beginning of the Beginning

I thought I might start blogging again as I embark on an adventure of renovations in our house. I wouldn't say they are necessarily necessary renovations but lets be honest we all get bored with our houses and for me I always see a space as a blank canvas for awesomeness.  For me the first part of renovation is color. I think it's the one thing most people are scared of, but it's so important.  From your palette you can define every surface.  I stumbled across this site (www.design-seeds.com) a few weeks ago that finds beautiful and inspiring color palettes from photographs.  So I took two palettes "Temple Doors" & "Spiced Neutrals" and made my own custom color palette.  Stay tuned as you watch how I pull each color into a multitude of different pieces and surfaces!  Here's to a time or renovation fun!