Accessorizing the nest

It's the little touches that really personalize a house and make it a home.  We have bi-fold doors on our pantry and on our laundry area.  I am not really a fan of them but I like to work with what I got, at least for now.  Finally I decided they could at least use a little sprucing up.

See pretty plain and a bit ugly really.

So I switched out the standard door pulls for some sweet ones I found on the cheap at World Market.  I've seen great ones at Hobby Lobby too if you're looking for some.

Here's another before shot....

and the after.  So sweet, right?!

I actually kinda like these doors now, what a difference a little tweak can make!

oxx Dion

tray bien

Last week I dropped off donations at my local Goodwill and decided to take a peak inside... boy am I glad I did.  I scored a lovely bamboo tray for a mere $1.99!  I pretty much love anything bamboo, and would love to own a vintage bamboo chandelier similar to this at some point.  I forgot to snap a before pic, but the tray was a light blonde color.  It needed some pizazz.

 So I spray painted it glossy orange and it became a super affordable chic piece to help further define our bar area.

These glasses are vintage and I heart them big time.  The decanter is actually a tequila bottle that was generously given to me on my NYC outing recently.  It is ridiculously solid and the stopper is handcrafted, no two being the same.  With the large "D" etched on the front it was destined to be mine.

Got to love breathing new life into cheap Goodwill pieces; REUSE!!

oxx Dion 

Build it

Over the weekend we also partook in some serious DIY.  Serious, by our standards at least.  We built a freakin' fence.  I'm pretty darn proud of my handy hubby... and his assistant.  In case your wondering what serious DIY looks like in these parts:

I'll share a shot of the final results soon.

oxx Dion

blogger's own photos

Beach

I mentioned here that I was making a pilgrimage to my Mecca over the weekend.  The destination was Perdido Key, Fl.  I had never been there before, but after three hours of driving I was graced with this:

Not too shabby.  Not the Caribbean, but still had powder white sand and clear blue water.

It was a little chilly but the sun was shinning and the sea air was as divine as always.

We spent the afternoon chasing seagulls and building castles.  This little guy is such a beach baby he was literally rolling in the sand making "sand angels" and even tried to take an impromptu swim.

A piece of my soul feels restored!

oxx Dion

blogger's own photos

LOVE.

If ever I need a reminder of what pure, unconditional love looks like, my dude and his furry little brother Smalls are there.

All you need is love.  

- John Lennon

Wishing everyone a lovely love day! 

oxx- Dion

Sea

"All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea -- whether it is to sail or to watch it -- we are going back from whence we came." -JFK

Tomorrow we take a family road trip to the beach.  I am so frickin' excited.  You see I need the beach about as much as I need air.  Sounds dramatic I know, but apparently one of our great former presidents agrees with me.

oxx Dion

photo blogger's own

Give a hand

When it comes to creating I typically go for diy-ing home decor and draw the line at super crafty things like scrap booking and knitting.  But we have had so many gray and rainy days lately that I thought creating homemade valentine's with my little dude would be a good indoor outlet for his crazy boy energy.  I turned to the queen of craft herself, Martha Stewart, for inspiration.  Now often when I peruse her sight I wonder who has the time and patience for her tedious crafts.  This time however, I struck inspiration gold with these sweet hand valentines.  Next we took a trip to our local Michael's for supplies.  

We found these cute rubber stamps on sale for 50¢ each.  The colorful ink pads were only a dollar a piece.  Stamping is a good activity for toddler's cubby little hands, and I told T to press as hard as he could on each valentine.  He thought this was hilarious and super fun.

We used construction paper to trace his hand with pencil and make a template.  Then I used that to cut out a bunch of hand shaped valentines.  

Maybe the scissors I have suck, but I found it was much easier to cut out the little digits using the small beauty scissors shown on the bottom.

I thought that sayings with hand references or puns were what really made these valentines cute.  I tried to think of songs with these references and came up with "I want to hold your hand" from T's favorite band the Beatles, as well as "you really got a hold on me", "hold on to what we've got", "take my hand", and the pun from Martha "you're so hand-some."

First I tried writing the messages with silver pen on the pink hand and it looked terrible with the rubber stamping.  So did the fine point sharpie that I used on the red one.

I settled on pencil, and it gave me that sweet kid craft look I was going for. 

T even personalized a few with his fingerprints.

This was a really fun and not very messy project.  But you could personalize the hands anyway you want, paint, glitter... go nuts.  I just loved being able to use the shape of his sweet little hand before it isn't considered sweet and little anymore, which at the rate he is growing will be next year!

oxx Dion

Bling it

When it comes to my nest, my goal is to create a casual, stylish, kid-friendly space.  Nothing should be too precious or breakable, but it still needs to be chic.   It's important to surround yourself with your things in a way that is practical and not cluttered, especially if you have little ones around.  But lets be honest most adults can be a bit clumsy too and no guest will ever be comfortable in your home if they feel they can't touch anything.  


Lately I am really into finding stylish ways to maximize everyday efficiency.  When your hectic and busy who has time to search for that lost bracelet or wine opener?  Things you use often should be accessible but in a way that makes them blend into your decor.  


One way to do this is by using beautiful objects or vessels for these everyday items.  I was left a loot of antique silver by my parents.  It has all been stored away untouched since I got it, because let's face it who uses silver anymore except maybe for very special holidays.  I began to feel that it was silly to store it all out of sight in my small home that already has limited storage.   I pulled out one piece to see how daunting the task of polishing was.  To my surprise, the heavily tarnished pieces were shiny in no time.  I didn't bother making them perfect, in fact I actually think a slight patina is charming.  If you don't have any family silver in your possession, it can often be found at thrift stores and estate sales.  Don't be scared off by the tarnish.  The best part for me is that unlike ceramic, glass or crystal, silver is not easily broken so it is perfect for my busy home.  Here are some of the ways I repurposed the pieces I had and added a little bling to our space.

This tray became a catch-all for the hub's things on the dresser that we share in our closet.

I only have one of these candlesticks but I really love it.  Instead of saving it for some funky mismatched table scape I might make someday, I opted to use it to organize all my bangles.  Now I can finally see then all easily!

I used this round lidded container to hold cotton pads and swabs on the bathroom vanity.  Inside the Japanese lacquer boxes I keep my everyday makeup, that is on the days I wear makeup!  It's quicker to get ready now that this is on the counter and I don't have to rummage through drawers and cabinets.

In the kitchen the bling continued by putting this shell shaped sugar bowl (filled with sugar) out in the open.  So easy to add to tea or coffee on early mornings.

I love the laser-cut like design of this trivet.  Funny how Lonny Mag had a feature on laser cut designs in their last issue... is nothing ever really new?  I am always that person who pulls something hot out of the oven and then scrambles for a safe place to put it (our counters are formica until we can redo them someday), so I decided to hang this right on the backsplash next to the stove.

Here it is in action and I've used it a ton already.

And finally our bar area got a little organization from this sweet little cup.  It now holds our dolphin shaped bottle opener, wine stopper and opener that always seemed to get misplaced.  Yes we have a thing for nautical items if you haven't noticed!

Having these things out in the open makes me smile and a bit more organized to boot.  So stop saving your pretty things for a special day and pull out that bling or those gorgeous wooden bowls and put them to use.  Let's make everyday special and celebrate life!

oxx Dion

Whimsy

I have loved the artwork of Mary Engelbreit since I was a child.  Her fanciful designs and choice quotes never cease to cheer me up.  Here are a few of my favs:

  

 

all work copyright of Mary Engelbreit

oxx Dion

Blogcation

This past weekend I was lucky enough to have a semi-last minute blogcation.  As in I got on a plane by myself and took a break from internet and computers for a few days.  I took my first step into the airport and was reminded that I am born to travel.  It was definitely nice, but I missed my boys like crazy and am happy to be back writing.  For those of you following, I blog three days a week, and will try to pre-blog in the future if I go away.  Journeying super light, I had only my trusty IPhone to capture a few shots.

Remember payphones?  I thought this mostly closed off phone bank was so nostalgic.  

On my first morning, I peered out of the fabulous vintage windows at this winter wonderland.  This island girl could hardly believe it was real.

One of the big highlights was visiting the MoMA NYC, which is free on Friday evenings.  View from the second level.

Because Pollock and Love make me happy.

It felt like an honor to see one of my mom's favorite Matisse paintings.

I would like to live in this painting.  Forever.

The MoMA gift shop is ah-mazing, and one can even order online here.  I am particularly smitten with the unique home and kitchen departments and the shop is a perfect place to find a great gift too.  I thought this cute elephant mobile might even be a fun diy project.  

How cute are these sparrow clips?

And these Russian nesting doll inspired measuring cups.

This invisible conceal bookshelf feels very Willy Wonka-ish to me and three of more would make a fabulous office series.

While the MoMA shop does have some pricey items, the last three pictured are all $15 or less!

At David Burke's Fishtail Restaurant I saw these cheeky pendant lamps that said things like "good things come to those who bait" and "get reel".  I thought they could be a fun custom diy project for a little boy's room.  Stencil some inexpensive white lamp shades with designs and sayings of your choice.

I'll leave you with a shot of my nugget in his new Yankees hat.

Even though I wasn't looking for it, inspiration always abounds.  Guess I have a few more projects for my diy list!

oxx Dion