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3 December 2012 I’m mad for plaid!

I’m mad for plaid!

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I love decorating with plaid at Christmas!  Plaid is a traditional print, but can be used with other accessories to create the decorating style you love!



 I love these plaid stockings hung at the fireplace!  And I’m really loving that gray mantle!!

horchow

And my favorite of all!  This is one hip Christmas tablescape!!

 

sweetsomethingdesign

I believe a wool, fleece or flannel blanket was used for that tablecloth!

Tip: a tartan plaid wool scarf could be used as a runner or if you have 2 matching scarves, you can place them across the table.  Plaid wrapping paper could also be used!

The plaid pillow and throw just make this room look so “stately”!

3.bp.blogspot.com

Of course beautifully wrapped plaid gifts add just the right touch under your Christmas tree!

You know how I’m digging rustic this Christmas!  This Christmas wreath with fresh greenery, berries, and tartan plaid bow is perfect for my rustic taste!

vignettedesign

Countryliving

Potterybarn has these adorable plaid candles!  You know I’m all about that rustic sled decor!!

What about you, are you mad for plaid!?

Filed Under: holiday decorating ideas Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
8 October 2012 Cha cha cha changes

Cha cha cha changes

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As you know, I have been giving my dining room/living room a complete makeover!  Remember how I first shared my feelings about my dining room here, then after being gone for the summer and returning home, I just couldn’t get the living room quite right.   I made some decisions and thought I had made progress, which quickly resulted in my gray and yellow love affair being over  because gray is just to0 difficult to get along with, leaving me in a state of undecisiveness for a few weeks now, but I am so happy to bring you up to date with the final decisions I have made!

Remember, my dining room started out looking like this.

 

And my living room looked like this.

After coming home from being gone all summer, I rearranged the furniture to this.

After weeks of not being happy, I decided to swap the furniture.  Today the furniture placement looks like this!

 

I flipped the two rooms.   The dining room is the focal point when you walk in the front door now.

The smaller area ended up being the perfect little cozy space for my chair and chaise.

I ended up deciding on these 2 fabrics for my curtains and ottoman.  Thank you JoAnne’s  for your Columbus Day Sale, a great 50% off sale!  I chose a more traditional fabric and adding a more contemporary fabric to the ottoman, these fabrics used together will help create a transitional decorating styled room.

Eventhough I LOVE this fabric,  I just just couldn’t get past the raccoon tails!   Thanks Hayley!

 

I am pleased to announce my handyman will be home in about 50 days now!  Can’t wait, he has some work to do to totally finish up this room!  The chandelier has to be swapped, pictures need to be hung, curtain rods need to be rehung to 108 inches, and 6 beautiful tufted, linen chairs need to be put together!  I returned the other dining room chair, it was the wrong color gray!  imagine that!

Along with a never ending honey do list!  I think I deserve a pat on my back, as anxious as I am to update and decorate this house, I have been very patient as my husband focuses on this deployment.  Patience is not one of my strengths, especially if it has to do with recreating and decorating my house!!

 

You know I love your feedback!  So what do you think about the changes?  I love the dining room table and linen chairs as the focal point, what about you?

Linking to Debbie Doo’s

 

 

 

 


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3 October 2012 When the Army gives you lemons, just make lemonade!

When the Army gives you lemons, just make lemonade!

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A few months back, I posted  these pictures on facebook and asked what would you do if this was your furniture.

Some of you said you would cry, some said you would actually burn it, some said buy slip covers immediately, and only a few gave suggestions on what they would actually do to make it work!

While I was visiting England with my husband, we stayed in the Military Lodge in Alconbury.  Not a five star by no means but very comfortable, clean, and very affordable!  This furniture was in the lodge where we stayed.  However, it  was also the furniture issued to us when we were living in Korea.   Being stationed in Korea is not like Europe, we could only ship 4000 lbs of our household goods.  That is NOT a lot at all!  Furniture was issued so you got what the Army gave you!  (Well I didn’t, I took a couch and recliner to be reupholstered (affordable too) because I knew better!)  Anyway many families are issued this sofa and 2 chairs.  This set came in 3 colors, navy blue, burgundy, and hunter green!  Talk about a blast from the past!!  Yep those were the 1990′s color scheme that the dotted print came in, there were other prints issued, but trust me, you got the “pretty” furniture if you were issued this beauty!   Even though it looks like you are living in a cheap hotel, there are ways to make it work.   Maybe not exactly what you had in mind, but for 2 or 3 years, it can work.

So to those of you who think OMGoodness, how in the world can I have a pretty, stylish,warm, and cozy home with this ugly furniture, I am going to give you some ideas on how to use what you got and when used with the right decor ideas, you can take lemons and make lemonade!

 As I searched the internet for  coordinating color scheme, I kept thinking what would I use with that furniture, because regardless of how short or long of time you live somewhere, it is still your home , you still have to live in it, with it, and it still needs to make you happy when you walk in the door!

I started with throw pillows.   I found several pillows that I thought would work with the hunter green color.  The pictures are hunter green, even though they look navy blue.    I immediately thought about the new gold color that is so very popular right now.  However I would not use a lot of it!  You could use navy blue with the gold, but I found some accents with red that I decided to use.  

Target

  I know many of you are thinking, why would you even use such furniture.  Because sometimes in life, it is what it is.   This is one of those times, moving overseas limits you in many ways and having a beautiful home is not on the top of the Army’s priority list.    But you always have options to make it work!  Korea style anyway! HA!

I definitely would use a print that was on a light background to contrast with the darkness of the furniture.  I’m a light and bright kind of person.

Potterybarn

Here are a couple of  rugs (Potterybarn) that could be used to add color, texture, and interest.

 

I think a neutral rug like this one from Target would be fine as well.

Hang a neutral or gold pair of grommet curtains like these linen curtains.

A colorful pattern print would bring out more colors and really add some pizzazz to your room!

  Both pair of curtains can be found at Target too!

Use additional contemporary home decor accessories like these mirrors that I blogged about here.

Kirklands

Everyone owns family pictures.   Gallery walls are trending right now so why not add something current and trendy to the room?  It would give the room a contemporary feel.  I love this whole display from Pottery Barn.

 Potterybarn

A gallery above the sofa would look great!

home happy home

You can check out  gardenberger  for great tutorials on arranging pictures!

Here’s a look at the whole collection that I put together.

 

Here are examples how to put them together.

Add a comfy, cozy throw blanket over the couch.  Light a few candles.  TaDa we just made lemonade out of lemons!

What accessories would you suggest to make the furniture not so “hotelish”?

We all have had and still have furniture that really is not our style, how do you make yours work?

Filed Under: Army Life, decorating Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
16 July 2012 3 Easy House to Home tips

3 Easy House to Home tips

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A month ago I was asked to guest blog for The Blog for Brides.    Newlyweds are a very passionate group of young ladies that are eager to transition from house to home!  I was thrilled with the opportunity because lord knows, I have a ton of  non professional interior design experience in that department!!  I loved being able to share a few tips for creating and turning a house into a home and look forward to be able to do so again!

Here is what I wrote for The Blog for Brides!

decorations.nethouse to home

Hello to all of you newlyweds and brides to be, I am Wanda from Recreate and Decorate, who absolutely loves decorating a home and creating that special place that my family calls home.  I would like to congratulate you on the biggest decision of your life.  I truly hope your adventure will be as great as mine has been!  There is nothing better than marrying the love of your life and creating your very special place and making it a home.  I can feel the butterflies and the excitement that you have to be feeling about decorating your home, and I am so excited to be here to help!

There are so many things to consider when decorating your home, but here are several must have’s that I think should be at the top of the list!

When you are making your first house a home, it is important to make sure that your home reflects the both of you! Yes that means if your husband doesn’t like that big floral couch or that pink bedding set, you CAN’T  buy or use it!   Remember this is a time for the two of you to come together and become one.  You can bring those prints or colors into the room with other home decor accessories!  If your home does not represent who you both are as a couple, your home will never feel like home!  I know, I did this once and it was the worse decorating experience I have ever had!  You can read more about it here.  I never felt like that was my home the entire time I lived there!

The focus of your home should be creating the atmosphere that makes your home feel welcoming and relaxing.  The place that when you walk in the front door, you can’t help but say “Honey, I’m Home!”   A place that no other place can compare to.  That feeling should be warm, welcoming, cozy, and a place where you feel you belong.  I like to use candles.  Candles are an inexpensive home decor accessory and add a lot of warmth to your home.  They also can leave your home smelling great!

Tip my husband does not like the floral scents, he prefers scents that are like baked goodies, vanilla, and anything with cinnamon.   Because your family room will become the heart of your home,  here are many ways to use candles to decorate your family room.  If you have a fireplace, you can add them on your mantle, and I just love when several different sized candles are used together and placed inside a fireplace.

house to home Our Fine House

If you don’t have a fireplace, just arrange the candles on your coffee table or other pieces of furniture.  Light the candles when you want to create a relaxing environment or when you are entertaining family orRecreate and Decorate

house to home Everything Fabulous

house to home Chic Ballerina

Fresh flowers and indoor green plants are another great way to add coziness to your home.

house to home  Pottery Barn

house to home The single Nester

house to home  FTD

house to home Lookie What I did

Peace lilies are a great green plant that can be used as a home decor accessory and they are the perfect indoor plant choice for beginners.

Gardening on Cloud Nine

Personal photos are also a great way to add warmth to your home.  Your beautiful wedding photos will be perfect for this.  There are  number of ways to display those photos, but I love the gallery wall.  Especially black and white photos in white frames like these from Pottery Barn. house to home house to home House and Home.com

house to home Home Happy Home

Hopefully I have left you with some great examples to go from having just a house to a home.  It does not matter what decorating style you may have, as long as you create the perfect environment, you and your husband will spend a lot of time there together.  One day soon, one of you will be able to walk in the front door and say “Honey, I’m Home” and truly feel like you are home.

What are your house to home tips?

Are you a newlywed who needs a little help?  Please feel free to email me or comment below!  Also follow me on Facebook or Twitter!

Are you a blogger who would like for me to guest blog more tips for young newlyweds?  Please comment below or email me!  I would live to help!

Linking to It’s just called spicy

Filed Under: Decorating Tips Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
6 July 2012 How to clean a scorched pot

How to clean a scorched pot

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Last week I made a pot of homemade vegtable soup.  After the stressful couple of months I have had, I have gained more pounds than I care to admit so I made a pot of low calorie vegtable soup!  Anyway I ended up scorching the soup in the bottom of the pot!

For me, cooking is just one of those things that I have to do for my family to survive, not because I enjoy it!   Therefore scorching the bottom of the pot was not a surprise at all!  I had scrubbed the pot and let it sit for a few days with dish soap, thinking it would just get soft enough to scrape out.  Well it didn’t!  So what did I do?  I went to a family friend, Nana Opal, (my sister’s mother-in-law) who knows a thing or two about home remedies for things like that!  She told me to get Comet and a stainless steel scrubbing pad.

I covered the scorched area with comet.

I added water and brought it to a boil.

  I let it boil lightly on medium for 10 minutes until the black burnt pieces started to come right up to the top of the water!

I washed the pot and  Ta Da the pot is sparkling clean!

No more scorched soup!

Am I the only one out there that could care less about cooking and ends up burning the food?  I sure hope I am not alone!

Filed Under: Homemaking Tagged With: , , , , , ,
31 May 2012 Master bedroom, My Suite Escape!

Master bedroom, My Suite Escape!

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I am so excited to show you our master bedroom!  It was one of those rooms that I really did not have a clear vision for, therefore its a bedroom that I thought, I will just get to later!  I  kinda added home decor accessories here and there, no rhyme or reason to anything,  I figured I would make sense of my master bedroom later.  I really was just adding things to keep it from being an empty room!  I think that it turned out beautiful and it is one of my favorite rooms ever!  I think it is a true example of transitional decorating style.  Hopefully you will get some decorating tips from this master bedroom!

 

Master bedroom

When it was first painted, I freaked out and text my sister immediately, “it is too baby blue, it is suppose to be gray”!  She kept responding with “I am sure it looks great!”  Oh my, baby blue was not what I had in my head, I had gray, a pretty light shade of gray!  I have to warn you, if you are picking out gray paint colors, know that they can read purple or blue!!  Even though I tested a LARGE sample on all the walls before it was painted, (actually tested about 5 colors before picking this one) it STILL turned out more baby blue than gray!  I was horrified and my husband was REFUSING to paint it again!  He kept saying, “just leave it up for a few days, and you will like it!”  After I had time to catch my breath and realize we still had A LOT of painting left to do, I decided to just leave it and just see what happens.   One day became a few days, which became a week!  To be honest, it is my favorite color in the whole house!  Some days it is gray, some days it is baby blue.  But it don’t matter, IT IS WHAT IT IS and I LOVE it!  I just made sure that most of the home decor accessories were a true gray!  I just love the white comforter set mixed in with it!  The whole room is very relaxing, even my girls love to be in there!!  Now if I could just actually SLEEP through the night, it would be perfect!!

Master bedroom

Lesson to be learned:  don’t freak out and panic if a room is the wrong color, live with it a day or so and see what happens!!!  So Glad I did!!

master bedroom

 

master bedroom

master bedroom

Also I would like to give a BIG shout out to Benjamin Gould Photography for the beautiful pictures he took!  Ben you ROCK!!  If anyone in the Tampa area is looking for a photographer, let me know. I will be glad to give you Ben’s information!

Tell me about your paint disasters that turned out to be beautiful!

Linking to The Charm of home, I heart pears

Filed Under: decorating Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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