Decor Fix

Simplify + Style Your Home With Intention

Master Bedroom in Progress

| by


I’ve treated our master bedroom like the ugly step child of our house for a few years. It has been my last priority since we moved in. Design wise, I still don’t know exactly where I’m going with this room.  I’ve ignored it, called it nasty names, and thrown it some hand-me-down items from other rooms when I absolutely had to. Lately, I’ve been trying to give it some much needed TLC. Since our guest room has now become a nursery (more pics of it soon!), I needed a dressing table. The only logical place for this was our bedroom. That kick started things just a bit, and the room is beginning to evolve. Slowly. Very slowly. I’m only going to show you a few glimpses and hopefully by this time next year there will be full room shots. (But don’t count on it.)

After months of searching for a vanity that would fit in the small space and serve double duty as a night stand, I ended up with a computer table from Target. (Yep, high class.) I tried to make my nook feel more feminine with a scalloped mirror from Lowe’s and the little white stool I got from Overstock. It’s a bit more cramped that my last vanity, but it’s serving its purpose for now.
Also, we refinished the original hard wood floors that had been buried under very worn out carpet. We loved the look of our 1940’s floors after they had been rejuvenated, but needed a throw rug to warm things up just a bit. I am SO STINKIN’ PICKY ON RUGS that I dread even having to look for one. I decided I wasn’t going to search extensively for specific colors, since I don’t even have a color scheme for the room yet. I was just going to find one the right size that was around $100. This was a liberating experience. Seriously. LIBERATING. Not being confined to a specific color scheme let me just find a rug with a vibe I liked. Sound a bit bohemian and free-spirited? That’s what it felt like. 


I found this indigo rug with lime tassels from Urban Outfitters for $79, a great buy. So, apparently these are the colors I’m going to work with. Luckily the hand-me-down lamp shades from the guest room just happened to have similar colors in them, so they get to stay.  (I swear I didn’t plan that.) I still have no clue what I’m going to do for bedding, drapes, or a headboard.
Ok, now let’s chat about this gorgeous piece of art. Remember that darling girl and newest contributor, Lindsay? Well, her shop is launching a new set of canvases. This is just one of the many beautiful new pieces of work in her shop,  Lindsay Letters. Obviously it’s striking to look at, but it also has so many nuggets of inspiration. These are great phrases to wake up to each morning. I’m going to be honest…Our bedroom is not the only neglected room in our house. The upstairs guest bedroom is a catch-all space for anything and everything (including items going to the garage sale this summer). Our laundry room is so disorganized that it’s barely functional. We still have Stu’s college couch with a Wal-Mart slipcover in our formal living room. After three years in this house, I assumed that I’d have all the rooms finished by now. HA! The joke’s on me. It can be frustrating, but I have to remind myself that designing your home is a process…a long, drawn out, and sometimes painful process. At some point during this process you may even realize that you already want to change up some rooms you redecorated a couple years ago. (Oops. Is my husband reading this?)

I know we all have spaces like this. Usually there are obstacles that keep us from doing what we want to them. For me it’s usually lack of money or lack of inspiration. I know for others it’s simply a time factor.

Q: If you had an unlimited budget, a week off of work, and a whole Pinterest board full of inspiration, which room in your house would you tackle?
**BABY UPDATE*** No baby yet…I did end up in Labor & Delivery last night becasue the left side of my face went numb and tingly. Apparently I’m in the beginning stages of Bell’s Palsy that causes partial facial paralysis. This can happen in pregnancy sometimes. Most of the time you regain feeling and muscle control in weeks or months after delivery. So just when I’m feeling UBER attractive with my 70 pound weight gain, newly formed stretch marks, and swollen everything-HALF OF MY FACE IS DROOPY. I swear…I don’t even recognize myself in the mirror. One day I’m going to write a detailed post on all the weird ails of pregnancy I’ve had just so someone like me, who had friends with “perfect pregnancies” and was completely unassuming, might at least be aware of all the crap that could happen. Ugg…this kid better be really cute.

Mini Lemon Berry Cakes

| by

I wish I had confetti and streamers that would erupt when you clicked on this post. I am beyond excited to share today’s recipe for mini lemon berry cakes. It comes with a gorgeous gift…an illustrated recipe card by the very talented Lindsay of Lindsay Letters! (More about Ms. Lindsay below.)

The dessert is a lemon cake with fresh raspberries that’s married to a rich white chocolate icing and raspberry jam thrown in the mix. Best part? They’re personal sized. A perfect little dessert for a special meal with your Valentine. (I hesitated to even say that. Frankly, I’ve never needed anyone else to enjoy making and indulging in desserts of any shape or size.)

Click HERE to download the recipe card.


This was the first time I’ve tried using cookie cutters to make cake rounds. It’s a method I plan on using in the future. Next time I might ice the whole thing, sides and all. But it looks so fancy to see the layers, doesn’t it?

If you’re wondering what happened to the extra cake (that was not eaten during the process), I crumbled it up and saved it with the intention of making cake pops. About a week later, Stu found the cake crumbs on top of the fridge thinking they were cornbread. Oops.

OK, now for an exciting announcement… Lindsay is the creative force behind some of the most gorgeous lettering you’ve ever seen. Her work has been all over the web. We share a mutual friend and have admired each other from afar for a while.

We decided to join forces to bring you recipes and lovely lettering like this on a regular basis. Ms. Lindsay is the newest seasonal contributor to The Lovely Cupboard, and I couldn’t be more excited!! (Yes, two exclamation points.) If you head to her shop, you’ll most likely be there a while, so plan accordingly.

Source: Lindsay Letters        Photos by: Lark Photography
CHEESE ALERT…It’s so rare to find someone that you would gladly and blindly trust anything they put their hand to creatively; that is Lindsay for me. Everything she does is just beautiful, feminine, and whimsical. I’m tickled pink she’s on board and can’t wait to see what the future has for our little collaborations. Hand on chin, sigh.
Q: Do you have a friend whose taste you completely trust?

Sanity-Saving To Do List

| by

I am not a creature of habit, as much as I’d like to be sometimes. The one exception to this is a daily list…my sanity-saving to do list.I know some people find them a bit too bossy. They feel like they can manage all the ideas running through their head just fine without a piece of paper taunting them and telling them what to do.I cannot. I need that paper. I need that taunting.

I like writing down everything I need to take care of, even if I know it won’t get done that day. Just the action of writing it down makes me feel like I’m at least addressing whatever the task is. I get strange pleasure from crossing things off of my to-do list (even if I add things I’ve already done just to see them crossed off on my list. C’mon…I know some of you must do that too.) 
I came up with s this idea several years back during my first year of teaching as a means of survival. I had never been a list-maker prior to this. I found myself getting so overwhelmed and dropping the ball at work. When I started making a list, it was so long that each day I felt like a failure for not even making a dent in it. I really struggled with prioritizing tasks. Hence, the daily, weekly, monthly lists were born.


I realize this is not a novel idea. However, the daily sticky note comes off of the clipboard each night while the weekly and monthly “stick around” a bit longer”. This system has literally SAVED me at work. I use one at home as well. (I’ve also made a few as gifts for friends who are planning a wedding. It’s perfect for brides who need to prioritize things running through their heads.)

1. Trace clip board onto scrap paper. Cut a slightly smaller version of what you traced and then cut into the top accounting for the metal clip.
2. I used a permanent adhesive tape roller to attach the paper to the clip board, but you could use Mod Podge or even a heavy duty glue stick.
3. Use assorted sizes of stick notes (about 15 per stack) to create your sections.
4. Use stickers, stamps, or a good ole’ Sharpie to add labels above the stick note sections that work for you.

The “Remember” stick note is a big one for me. I try to put a quote, verse, or saying that I know I need to be focusing on at the time. This one will probably be there for a while…

“Comparison is the thief of joy”.
Man, I need to hear this hourly. Thoughts that regularly run through my head go something like this…
Why am I having such a difficult pregnancy when so-and-so isn’t?  
I wish I had started a business when she did. Why can’t I be doing what I really love?
Why can’t I have a family support system like theirs? 
I wish I could just be a stay-at-home mom. 
I wish my house was furnished like that one.
Why did I gain 60 pounds being pregnant instead of 35 like everyone else?!
It’s a treadmill of comparison and self-pity. I need to be thinking things like…
I am so blessed to be growing a life inside me, regardless of how crappy I feel or look.
I have the best friends anyone could even dream of. They are priceless.
I am so glad we have a home to bring our baby.
My husband is the love of my life and is aging like a fine wine…in every way. (And when he reads this, he will grin and chuckle and beam with pride in the most adorable way a grown man can.)
 
Anyone else struggle with their inner dialogue?
This is something I’d like to change…If only it was as simple as adding it to a to-do list. “Change thought patterns. Now.”I know this is something I will wrestle with for a long time. Hopefully I’ll look back in a few years and see that my little spurts of motivation over the course of time actually made at least a slight impact.

Wire Basket Shelves

| by

These vintage wire baskets shelves are one of my all time favorite flea market finds. I first used them in the guest room to hold my scarves, hats, and purses. Now that the guest room is a (nearly completed) nursery, I decided to repurpose the repurposed baskets. From accessory bins to”book shelves”.

So many of the children’s books we’ve collected are adorable, and I wanted to show them off. They add color and texture to the room and become functional decor. It seems surreal that I’ll actually be reading them to a very little person in the coming months!

I just loved this little ABC chart ordered from Etsy. I think it’s just the perfect thing to hang above books. We really had to think hard about some of the creatures depicted. A newt, jaipur, and yak are some of the odd little critters used on this print.
The last time I hung the baskets I just used nails. They weren’t really a good option because the baskets would fall off the nails pretty easily if bumped.  For the book shelves,  we used these little plastic brackets and screwed them into the wall with screw anchors. Much sturdier option here. To save me from the dreaded fumes, Stu spray painted them while I was at work. This was his first experience with spray paint…I special ordered Coral Isle Krylon paint that cost me $16, a splurge I was justifying since I’d planned to use it several items for the nursery. I won’t mention that my very sweet, non-DIYer husband somehow managed to use the entire can on these little baskets.
He felt terrible when he realized his rookie mistake. This is when I played it cool and decided to tone down my reaction in hopes that I wouldn’t squelch any satisfaction he might have gotten from this little project. “No, no.  It’s totally fine, babe. I’m sure you needed the whole can. Looks great!” (Award-winning acting performance and silent crying on the inside for my would-be coral painted nic-naks.)
I wish I had baskets like this in every room in my house. I swear I could use them for anything: linens in the kitchen, magazines in the den, even towels in the bathroom. I keep trying to find more at flea markets but haven’t had any luck. In case you’re interested, here are a couple options for new baskets that work in the same fashion. (option 1, option 2)                   

Bump Pics and My Baby Shower

| by

Happy 2013! This week all the cool blogs are posting New Year’s resolutions or round ups of their best posts of 2012. I’m sorry…I just couldn’t muster the energy it would take to do either of those. (I’m resolving to do my “resoluting” this weekend.) Instead I’ve got a post about what’s happening in our lives recently. I must admit this feels like a good way to kick off the blogging year.

Excitement mixed with misery is the only way I can describe my pregnancy. I severely underestimated the amount of discomfort and issues I’d have during this time. I won’t bore you with details, but the pictures sure don’t reflect how I feel 95% of the time. (The night before we took these pics, I had about 4 hours sleep and woke up choking several times, so my under eye concealer was pretty much spackled on.) Then waves of pure awe and anticipation hit me, and I’m so grateful that my body even has the ability to grow a life. These 8 months have been such a mixed bag of hormone swings, physical pain, and surreal joy.
Stu and I get a little nervous anytime we have to take pictures together. We don’t always have the best chemistry on camera. Let’s just say that our wedding photographer told Stu that he had a “Chandler smile”. (Yes- the terribly fake, all teeth, awkward grin that looks like you are being poked in the rear with a cattle prod.) When we saw some cute bump pics, we attributed it to the fact that a third “person” shook up the mix enough to give us some more photo mojo.

(All photos by Delve Photography.)
My BF and shower hostess Tanya and I loved this pic from Pinterest and wanted to recreate the “shower” theme with umbrellas. After ordering adorable parasols from Amazon that never arrived (still trying to get a refund), we panicked. We ended up finding vintage umbrellas at some of our favorite local places. Tanya strung clear ornaments from the umbrellas to look like rain drops.
The shower was held at “The Boat House” overlooking Lake Springfield. It was a cold, windy December day on the lake, but inside the room was full of huge windows and wood everywhere that warmed things up. 
 In lieu of cupcakes, my friend Anna made mini bundt cakes. Listen to these flavors…pecan praline, spice cake with cream cheese icing, and pineapple with citrus glaze. They were insanely festive and delicious. Another friend, Jeannie, made shortbread cookies with lemon curd and raspberry jam drizzled in white chocolate. Heavenly.
The little fabric wrapped boxes were filled with salted caramels that Molly made as favors for guests. Baby pics of Stu and me were scattered on the tables in between cute place mats that Molly found. They were paper but looked so fancy on the tables.
There were plenty of savory treats as well. I think had three plates of food, and I felt no guilt whatsoever.
Tanya is explaining the “make a baby” activity. Tables had magazines and scrapbook paper for guests to cut out and create what they thought our baby would look like.
The lovely hosts…They both worked so hard (even being mamas to little ones) to pull off a beautiful shower. It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was throwing Tanya’s shower for her little man who is now a toddler. Molly’s precious baby is the one smiling in the pic above. I’ve mentioned before on the blog how much these two mean to me, but I just can’t say it enough. These girls are family. Period.
One of my favorite gifts was a pre-made phtoto scrapbook. My friend Rebecca put together pages for the baby’s first year, so all I have to do is print off the pics and pop them in.
I’m so blessed to have all of these wonderful ladies in my life…I’m sure there will be plenty of freak out moments on my part in the coming months. At least I can space out the calls, so that no one gets overwhelmed by my cries for help. Most importantly, I know baby girl has an amazing community to support and love her when she finally arrives.

DIY Golden Garland

| by


Do we ever really out grow the love of glitter? Remember those little rectangular plastic containers of glitter in elementary school? I vividly recall resisting every urge in my 7 year-old self that wanted to dump the whole thing on my paper. This love of glitter morphed into an obsession of all things metallic a few decades later.  Well, unlike Jonathan Adler metallic home interior pieces, glitter is cheap these days.  Since the latter fits the budget much better than the former, I “splurged” on all the glittery paper Hobby Lobby had in stock and made a garland for my mantel this year.

DIY Golden Garland:
Items Needed:
-glittered card stock
-gold tissue paper (Hobby Lobby)
-gold braided rope or ribbon
-hot glue gun
-stapler
1. Cut out 2.5 inch circles of glittered card stock. Cut tissue paper in 3.5 circles.
2. Fold card stock in half.
3. Layer 4-6 sheets of circle tissue paper, fold in half, and make fringe cuts around the edges.
4. Glue the rope/ribbon into the crease of the tissue paper.
5. Fold card stock over tissue paper and rope. Secure with a staple. (I know…a little janketty. You would not find this method on Martha Stewart’s website, but I could not for the life of me get it to work with just hot glue. The staple doesn’t show too badly though. Besides a staple is kind of metallic, right?)
6. Continue adding circle bunches until your garland is the desired length. **Quick Tip** Leave yourself a little room between each circle bunch. This allows the garland to drape better.
I cannot believe we are only days aways from Christmas. Where did December go??? I still have some baking, shopping, wrapping, and White Christmas watching to do.

Thrifty Gold Mantel

| by


The only month that I don’t ended up rearranging my mantel a dozen times is December. The other 11 months of the year I find myself adding, taking away, and constantly shifting items to try and get that perfectly curated mantel that I see in pictures. Three years with the white beast and I still haven’t nailed a a great look. So when it’s time for holiday decor, I gladly sweep everything away to the attic and start with a fresh palette! No second guessing here- I have a crush on my own Christmas mantel. Creepy? Maybe, but I’m spending a lot of time with it lately and loving it a little more each day.


How the details came together…

1. The gold striped candles I found on clearance at Target kicked off the gold theme for this year. I bought them weeks ago and have been trying to picture how the whole mantel would come together. The three mid century candle holders might just be my favorite decor purchase of the year. I got them at this great vintage shop called Funtiques in our downtown area.
2. This little wreath was 50% off at Hobby Lobby making it around $6. I used the left over ribbon from my holiday plaques to tie it to the mirror.
3. The little trees cost me $7…for both! (Thanks again, Hobby Lobby.) I propped the trees on some spools of thread to make them stand up a bit higher and then hot glued the little gold balls to keep with the motif.
4. These gold place mats called to me like the weird little items on the Pier 1 commercials– I just love them. They ended up being $3.50 a piece. (I have big plans to use them in the nursery post Christmas.)
I kept my DIY gold votives up from last year. I also reused a couple of my metallic and craft paper boxes from last year. (Check out a tutorial on the imitation Anthropologie wrapping and more ideas for brown craft paper.)
The only thing that was a bit time intensive for this was the gold garland. (Tutorial coming soon.) Overall, I am pretty pleased with the result. I felt like it was a little too plain for a while and tried adding lights or garland. Eventually I took out all the extra fluff and kept only what I loved. The best part? After using items already in the house, this mantel only cost me about $35 to pull together.
Here are a couple shots of last year’s mantel. I have to admit I’m partial of this year’s version…Not to mention every time I see that “Merry & Bright” light up canvas, I get a headache just thinking about what a nightmare it was to create…blood, sweat, and tears. Literally.

I’m excited to be sharing this post to several holiday link parties soon! By the way, the chocolate covered gummy bears attempt last night was a hot, sticky mess. I still need to play around and see if I can come up with a better method before sharing it with you guys.

DIY Christmas Plaques

| by

I know it sounds crazy, but some of my best Christmas finds and crafty inspiration come from the Dollar Store. Apparently my creative process involves browsing aisles of mostly useless, poorly made items to find the diamonds in the dollar store rough. When I came across these mini silver platters for $1, I literally started giggling as I stashed half a dozen in my cart. I roamed around a bit more before the idea struck to turn them into plaques that hang…from something…somewhere.
On what was I believe my 4th trip to Hobby Lobby this week, I grabbed some striped ribbon. I decided that I wanted simple Christmas phrases on the would-be plaques and made a mad rush to Pinterest for some inspiration. This pin called my name, and I decided to try and recreate the image on one of the platters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


DIY Instructions:

1. Trace the surface area of the platter and begin experimenting with lettering on paper. (If you’re not into free handing, there are some great rub-on transfers at Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. Even a simple monogram would look really nice and make a gorgeous gift.)
2. Add your image. I used chalk ink on the platters for the lettering. This worked well because it wiped off with a wet q-tip when I made a few several mistakes. I had planned on adding some color, but ended up liking the look of plain white.
3. Hot glue ribbon to the back of the platters. Trim any excess ribbon that shows from the front.
Once they dried, I played around hanging them in several spots around the house. They were cute just hanging on doors from door knobs, but I ended up putting them on the windows that separate our dining room from sun room/den. (Notice my Dollar Store garland- 15 feet for $1, folks!! Sure, it’s a little anemic, but it was so stinking cheap.)

This little craft really got me in the Christmas mood…I’m planning a few more crafts from my dollar store finds. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you might remember some of my paper decor from last year. Nothing makes me happier than cheap holiday crafts that are unique to my home. Here’s a recap of some of last year’s DIY projects:

I’ll be sharing my new mantel display with you tomorrow. Tonight I’m going to try and make chocolate covered gummy bears. Wish me luck…

Tea Party Birthday

| by


This precious birthday party would be a dream come true for any little girl. My friend Hannah planned and hosted a tea party for her niece Alaia. The details of this sweet little party speak for themselves. (Prepare for your inner nine-year-old to become envious…)


All the little girls dressed up in their fanciest shoes and dresses. The grown ups sat back and watched as the girls sweetly sipped their “tea”, which was actually hot chocolate made with soy milk and white chocolate. Their conversations were so cute. Also in the background was the perfect sound track, Disney princess songs. 
The treats included fruit cups, sugar wafers, cream puffs, eclairs, and the most adorable sugar cookies shaped like little tea cups and saucers. (Hannah’s level of commitment a theme is straight up Martha. )
After the tea party portion, the girls decorated frames with glitter, stamps and stickers. (Alaia’s mom took pictures with the birthday girl and each guest to fill the frames.)
The party favors were “magic star wands”. After five minutes outside with these, a game of “bippitty boppitty boo” tag had begun. Giggles, glitter, fancy dresses, and skipping girls-the amount of adorableness in this scene would rival any puppy picture you’ve ever seen…

Hannah had hats and gloves for the girls to use as props for pictures in the “photo booth”.  Watching all these little girls having so much fun made me excited to think about being a mom to a little girl. How stinkin’ precious are they??

Check out some these other sweet birthday parties that could work for girls or boys.

-Lil’ monster party

Creamy Leek and Roasted Asparagus Soup

| by

 
 
 

Hi there, it’s Heather from The Flourishing Foodie. Today I am sharing with you a favorite soup recipe of mine – creamy leek and roasted asparagus soup with chopped hazelnuts. This recipe is adapted from one that I found on the Beechers Cheese website a while back, when searching for their famous mac and cheese , which you should also give a whirl. Before beginning this recipe, you’ll likely need to make a quick trip to the local market, because if you’re like me, than you will rarely have that many fresh vegetables on hand. Potatoes, leeks, onion, asparagus, and spinach, some heavy cream and cheddar cheese. This soup is wonderful and nutrient dense. I feel as though I am treating my body good with each bite.



I decided to make a large pot just after our first wintery cold snap in Seattle. After layering up in my rain gear to take my dog for a short but reasonable stroll, I quickly returned needing something to warm a few cold fingers and toes. After enjoying a bowl or two, I packed the rest up into small containers and stored it in the freezer for the later week.
I thought this to be a great opportunity to share with you a recipe for something warm and comforting, since we’ve just hit the time of year when the sun sets a little early, and in Seattle, rarely makes an appearance. After a long and tiring day, when not enough chocolate has been consumed (in my opinion), we hop into our cars after work, and the sun has already beaten us home. With little energy to cook after work, I find it easier to grab a plastic tub of homemade soup from the freezer, and warm it up on the stove. A fresh loaf of bread, some warm butter. An easy and satisfy meal.

 

Creamy Leek and Roasted Asparagus Soup with Chopped Hazelnuts Recipe
makes 7 – 8 cups
recipe adapted from Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
Ingredients
1 sweet onion, diced
2 tbsp butter, unsalted
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large leek, sliced
6 cups veggie stock
1 large bunch of asparagus, chopped
1 – 2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups fresh spinach, steamed
½ cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp chilli flakes
¼ – ½ tsp hot sauce
2 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup chopped hazelnuts

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 500ºF.

2. In a large pot, fry the onions with butter until translucent and shiny. Add the potatoes, and leek and stir. Add the veggie stock, and bring to a boil.
 
3. Reduce to simmer and cook until the potatoes are soft. Remove the soup from the stove and puree in a blender until smooth.
 
4. Place the pot back onto the stove and keep the soup warm on low.
 
5. Place the chopped asparagus onto a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes.

6. Remove the stems from the spinach. Place into a pot and steam until tender. Once steamed, place into a food processor or blender.

7. Remove the asparagus from the oven and put in a blender or food processor with the cooked spinach. Whiz until pureed.

8. Add the asparagus and spinach to the soup, along with the cream, salt, pepper, chilli flakes, hot sauce, and shredded cheese. Stir. Bring to a low simmer.

9. Serve soup with a tbsp or two of chopped hazelnuts. Store in the fridge covered for up to a week, or in the freezer for a month.
 

Enjoy!-Heather

 

Styling Class

READY TO SIMPLIFY?

Save Time. Shop Online

Back to Top