Mouse in the house!

If the mouse (s) in the house looked like this, then I wouldn't be asking for your advice!

Seems we have a bad case of mice! We have seen them everywhere- on all three levels of our house. It's my husband's fault. He makes holes in the walls and never covers them up. I kept warning him that if he did not cover the hole that goes into our attached garage, we would end up with mice. Guess what? We did. To make matters worse he STILL hasn't done anything about the holes. Why did he make holes, you ask. Well, he is an HVAC technician and he put in a new heating system throughout the house. Now if this were a client's house, the holes would have been professionally closed up, but since it was our house, he just left them open. He also decided to extend the heat into the garage, so he made the hole for the pipes to go through. That's the tricky part, the mice travel through the house on the pipes and can get to each level easily. It is out of control. I have no idea how many we have. My husband says its one mice that runs around the whole house. Nice try, but I don't think so.I  think there is a whole mice village that sleeps during the day and has mouse carnivals at night. One of my teenage sons now is sleeping on the couch in the living room after a mouse ran across his pillow in his room!

Anyway, I am now on a mission to rid my house of these creatures! I have 3 different types of traps filled with peanut butter and chocolate. 9 traps. 3 on each level placed in areas we have seen the mice hang out. How many mice have we caught? ZERO! So this is where you come in. Have you ever had mice in your house? How did you get rid of them? What was effective and what didn't work at all? There are many suggestions out there in cyberworld: mint oil, steel wool, plug in noise makers...so what really works?

Benjamin Moore Pale Smoke & Smoke

I have been snooping around looking at rooms painted some blue/gray colors from Benjamin Moore.
I am sharing some pictures of rooms painted these colors.
                                         



Decorpad  BM Pale Smoke



Designed by Nate Berkus ~ BM Pale Smoke  via Urban Tastemakers



Location 27     BM Pale Smoke



The Designer's Muse   BM Pale Smoke


Next : Pictures of Benjamin Moore SMOKE

                                                                  



A Thoughtful Place     BM Smoke



Benjamin Moore   Smoke



BM Smoke   Decorpad





BM Smoke  via Garden Web

 I STILL haven't decided on colors for my living room. Originally I wanted BM palladian blue (it was too aqua green), then SW rainwashed (looked too aqua on my walls too), SW Sea salt (too pale gray)...soooo I am searching for something neutral with a little blue/green. I think these colors- pale smoke and smoke may just be a little to cool and not enough green. Are you searching for a gray/blue/green too?

Flower Fairy Birthday Party!

Today I am doing something different and breaking away from an interior design post. I just decided that I have so much more to talk about and show you that's outside of the design world, but is within the world of art and creativity. I have read that it's best to stay within your niche and refrain from off-topic posts, but hey, it's my blog and I'll break the rules if I want to! Besides, the blogs I like to read best are the ones in which the blogger talks about herself and her life. I read mostly design blogs, and it's the ones that are more personal that really draw me in and make me want to follow. So today I am going to share with you a wonderful Flower Fairy birthday party! This year my daughter turned 14 (she said that I shouldn't tell you that because people will find out that I am not a 20-something,-newly married-decorating my first home blogger). She no longer wants the creative, fancy parties I dreamed up when she was little. In fact, her and her friends are not into parties at all. That makes me sad. So instead, I will remember all the fun of years past. Luckily, I scrapbook, so I have the pictures ready to show you.

     First, let me tell you, my daughter and I loved flower fairies. Truth be told, we still do. I remember when she was 4 and I found her out on the garden looking under rocks. I asked her what she was doing and she told me she was looking to see if there were flower fairies hiding in the garden. Every summer we constructed  fairy houses, compete with furniture made with materials from nature. And of course, we read every book and rented every movie that had flower fairies in them. So it was only natural that for her 6th birthday I hosted a Flower Fairy Party!

      I like structured parties that keep kids interested and occupied and allow them to let their creativity shine. The worst parties are those that have a large amount of kids running around with no structure or purpose and nothing of interest for the kids to do. I always kept the parties small, no more than 10 kids.

For this party, we started with outfits. I explained that we were going to dance for the fairies, but first we needed fairy costumes. I had premade skirts out of chiffon and then had the girls decorate the felt petals of the flowers for the skirts. They used sequins, sparkles, glitter and a few other dodads (is dodad even a real word?). Then we made a flower wreath to wear on their heads. Finally, they chose ribbons to make a wand. When they were finished, we headed outside. I told the girls that fairies loved it when people danced for them I said that there was a legend that if you danced for the fairies, they would leave presents among the flowers and within the forest. I then put on music from the Swan and the girls danced around the yard. It was beautiful. The parents got some great pictures! When the music stopped I told the girls to go look to see if the fairies had left them anything. We have trees and gardens surrounding the backyard and a little forest too. So the girls ran around and found all the trinkets I had hung from branches and hidden next to flowers. There were bracelets, necklaces and rings~ all colorful and sparkly! The girls then headed indoors, where they had punch that they poured  from pretty little teapots into the good china cups. Instead of making a cake, I made big cupcakes which each girl frosted and decorated herself. Finally it was time to open presents. Surprisingly, every girl gave her a fairy themed gift! It was a wonderful afternoon for the girls AND the Moms! If you are a young Mom looking for ideas for your daughter's next party, I hope you found some and if you are an older Mom whose daughter has grown, I hope this post brought back some sweet memories of birthdays past!



Scrapbook pages



     

Paint-by-numbers ~ the new trend in home decor?

Country Living

    As I roam around blogland, I have noticed something that was put out with the trash in my house decades ago- old paint by number art! Of course, it is now Vintage and collectible, as most things become after the generation that created it fades out and new generation discovers its charm.  For those of us who spent many hours completing the kits we received for Christmas, it brings back many wonderful childhood memories. I remember how proud I was the first time I completing a painting (of course, I don't remember my Mom ever putting one of these on her living room wall)! It was these kits that motivated me to learn how to paint, which led to art shows and an invitation to attend classes at the Massachusetts College of Art when I was only a Junior in high school. My life took a different turn and I left my art dreams behind, but just recently I have gone back to my first love~ art & design.
    Paint-by-Number kits have an interesting history. It was developed by artist/designer Dan Robbins with the support of Max S. Klein, owner of the Palmer Paint Co., in 1951. Inspired by the reports of DaVinci numbering parts of his paintings so that his assistants could complete them, they thought that this might be something that would appeal to adults. Post WWII, people were moving to the suburbs, had more money and leisure time. It was also a time of conformity. The idea of  of conformity in art was something that apparently was welcomed by the general public, as sales soared as Craft Master and Masterpiece began to sell the kits. By the time the craze was dying out around 1957, about 24 million kits had been sold. What was once laughed at and reviled by the art community, has become today a legitimate, albeit kitschy, form of art. There is even a Paint-by-Numbers museum and exhibits have taken place at museums around the country. Lots of home decorators have been bitten by the collection bug, looking for a quirky retro  decorating fad to revive. It's fun and colorful. Some people collect the whole range of subjects, while others concentrate on one. Betsey Speert loves to collect tropical birds. She has ceramics, plates, and paint-by-numbers all with the tropical bird theme! Prices for this art has a very wide range.               I found this painting on Etsy for a whopping $80!

While this one was listed don Ebay for only 12.99!

Here are some pics of rooms decorated with paint-by-numbers:



Mint Design



Mint Design



Shannon Berrey



One of the most creative uses of the paint-by-numbers technique is this mural:

Go to The Lettered Cottage to see how this mural was created.

So what do you think, would you use vintage paint-by-numbers in your home decor? How about trying your hand at painting a mural? I am considering both...hmmmm...just another thing to add to my idea file!





Warm White Rooms

     If I lived alone, I would decorate with white. The challenge of creating a warm, inviting interior using  lots of different shades of white intrigues me. However, in real life, I have a very dirty husband (that's right, I said it out loud), 3 kids and two adorable mini-dachshunds who rule the world. My Hubbie loves color and right now is whining because I want to paint the living room SW Sea Salt. He wants basketball orange. Really. He also likes the upr(ugly pink rug). When we bought he house, every room was painted bright white and the upr ran throughout the entire house. So far I have ripped up the rug in the hallway and my bedroom. So much upr to go.
      Anyway, back to the white room discussion. The white that covered our house was of the primer, brightest of bright white variety. Cold and uninviting. The key to making white work is to choose a warm tone. White is not one color. It is many. The balance of colors in the paint is what determines its feel and look. Whites heavy with blues and greens will tend to look cool and those with red and yellow undertones will look warm. The key to making a white room look warm and cozy instead of cold and stark is layering. If you look at white rooms that give off a cozy, warm feel, you will see that they have a variety of whites in the decor, and they use these whites to provide depth and they are often tinged with tan, orange, pink or yellow.
     I also like rooms that are predominately white with pops of color in the accessories.What fun it would be to change out accessories when the mood strikes. Right now I am in a turquoise mood and I could see accessorizing my fantasy white rooms with pops of that cool color. However, when winter comes around I am ready to warm up my environment and would happily change out the turquoise for some warm reds and tans. A backdrop of white can provide an opportunity to change the look of a room for little money and effort. This is a good way to play with current trends, but not to commit to years of the same look (which may be out of style next year, as those trends  come and go rather quickly!).
      Here are some pictures of rooms decorated with warm whites. Notice how there are a variety of whites in every room to provide depth and interest. Woods, plants and a variety of textures also help to create warmth.

Zuhairah Interior Design

Eclectic Revisited



French Garden House



Layla Grace

House Beautiful



Enchanted Home

Drop Cloth Curtains!

The use of canvas drop cloths to make curtains is nothing new. It has been all over blogland for as few years, BUT it hasn't been to my house yet! Has it been to yours? I have been looking at beautiful fabric swatches to use to make curtains and to upholster my chairs. However, being the poor person I am at the moment, it is unrealistic to expect to get this room complete in 2012 if I have to try and save up enough money to match my decorating tastes to my decorating funds! Sooo I have been looking at alternatives. One answer is to make curtains out of drop cloths. I have searched through many many blogs and have amassed a collection of pictures. I think I have found a solution that will #1 Fit my budget and #2 Allow me to buy some of that beautiful fabric I have been drooling over.  Here is the picture that inspired me:



It all started with paint

I like the use of patterned fabric together with the drop cloth. The ribbon gives it a nice finished looking accent. I can use the fabric to make some pillows. I think this can work. Of course, I have read of some DIY disasters with drop cloths, and have come away with some sage advice. First off, wash your drop cloth. Some people wash it several times to soften it up and shrink it to its most shrinkable self. !This is to ensure that once you have these beautiful curtains hanging in your room for a while and they need a good washing, they don't shrink into miniature curtains!)  Several people suggested bleaching them. This obviously lightens them. The other advice I found was to also soak them in hydrogen peroxide (3%), as this neutralizes the bleach, and stops the chemical reaction from continuing after the fabric is washed. There are so many pretty fabrics to choose from. I had been limiting myself to those under $10/yard, but since I am now going from needing 10 yards to 2, I can spend a few more dollars per yard and STILL save tons of money! So before I go off to have fun at Fabric.com and  onlinefabrics.com, I will leave you with some pictures of drop cloth curtains!

Triangle honeymoon

I love these. They are stenciled with fabric paint. Lots of work, but well worth it!

Here is another creative approach. She used a sharpie and wrote Robert Frost poems across the curtains!

DIY Showoff

Here is another great look. Strips of fabric were alternated with drop cloth.

The Yellow Cape Cod

A little trim can give the curtain a professional, finished look.

A Soft Place

Have you had any experience making curtains out of drop cloths? Please share and lend any advice you think I might need~ leave a comment!



A few days at the Lake House...and some cottage porch inspiration

This week was school vacation week. I really needed a few days of R&R, so I packed the car and my daughter and I took a ride to the lake house. I had not been there since last fall. My brother goes all through the winter to ski , but it had been a disappointing winter with little snow. On Monday it was close to 90 degrees! When we were looking at houses last April, the real estate agent kept reminding us that the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont got an average of 140 inches of snow every winter and the ice can remain on Lake Memphremagog well into May. Well, not this year! It was like summer, and we're loving it. Right next to the house is a conservation area, and this week we saw Loons, Blue Herons, Geese and Ducks nesting around the property. We are excited to go back in a few weeks and see the babies!

      We have so much work to do on the cottage. We only have a dining room table and chairs so far and are sleeping on blow-up beds. So the house is a blank slate. My daughter and I are planning to surprise everyone and decorate the enclosed porch. It is on the front of the cottage and faces the lake. The view is great. The house is lakefront, but is set back and has a beautiful lawn that stretches down to the waterfront. Anyway, I am starting to plan our project.

I left my camera at the cottage ( yes, I am going crazy, but trying to remain calm). So I can't show you the 'Before' pictures I took. I also can't show you what the lake looks like in the spring, so I am posting a few pictures from last summer.

  

I have been looking around the internet at pictures of enclosed cottage porches for some inspiration and I am going to share some with you today. I am going for a vintage cottage look. I am working on a design board and will post it when I am finished!

Better Homes & Garden

BHG.com

Coastal Living

Coastal Living

Coastal Living