Your Inner Stylist: Pushing One's Creativity

Can you create a stunning vignette? While I had just been over on decor8 the other day, I noticed Holly has set up a challenge on one of her new flickr groups, Interior Styling. She urges budding and experienced stylists to create their own vignettes, in their own home, using one's own things. OK. I'm up for that! I've been lax around here since the summer, only gaining energy while my hubby has time off, and with that, my creativity comes back (phew! mothering two busy little people under 7 years old wears me thin!). So thanks, Holly! I feel inspired and ready to undertake some new work in the New Year!
This was my contribution, made many months ago, to the Interior Styling group:


This was so long ago, that I have since restyled the table all together, blogged about here. Now I must don that creative cap!

My tiny, but now color cohesive, finished patio

Here is my latest finished project: my patio, just a little slice of outside for us and the kids - as evidenced by the sandbox in the right hand corner (really quite a life saver for me as it can occupy them for a while : ) ).

While I was trying to make the chandelier work, or place it on Craigslist, as it only fits outside, I also wanted to create colour cohesion throughout my small space, following the interior to allow the eye to travel outdoors. To achieve this, paint was needed! Items that were black had to lighten, so I painted the Ikea Noresund table grey. I used Tremclad grey primer. My thought was if grey wasn't it, then I could go with white on top. But, it turns out, I like the dull grey.

My inspiration for a grey table came from one of Judith Wilson's fantastic books, The Natural Home:

Particularly this metal table from Wilson's book:

Et voila, here is my table, along with breakfast and coffee. The dish is Ikea, and the cup is from my new favourite line of Sophie Conran Portmerion pottery. I love the texture the pottery. It feels like its just thrown off the wheel.




The plant stand after 15 years is beginning to rust and needed a face lift. Here it is before. But I did not use metal paint - especailly spray paint - that was an unenjoyable toxic experience. So, I just mixed some blue and white latex for a chipped, beachy feel. I won't mind if it chips some more. Who knows, maybe next summer I'll paint it another colour? At any rate, I think I've achieved some colour flow, and that crazy chandelier works a bit better than before.

My home - reading nook

One of the ideas from the post below on Decorating on a Dime, is to create a reading nook. Here's mine, a place I get to relax in when the kiddos are asleep. During the day, however, we may all sit here and read many books. The wall is lazured in the Waldorf style, giving a warm glow to the all white furniture in the room. Painting this wall was a fun project for my son and I as I mixed white paint with drop by drop of yellow and then red as we worked our brush strokes down the wall. The wall flowers are from Ikea. This room is very small and just fits a twin bed. So a small Ikea couch and this small distressed shelf doubles as a coffee table and book shelf. I like the addition of drawers, as I'm quite drawn to small drawers, for some reason, in shelving. The blender lamp is my husbands. While it works, I never switch it on, as the green glow it creates is rather errie, but I like its kitchiness. Opposite this shelf is the computer cabinet, which we had custom built. I painted it myself to save costs and added Restoration Hardware glass knobs. Above this cabinet is a plate shelf, which I inhereted from others in my apartment building - its been passed to several folks, but its here to stay, as I quite like it.

Dining area - my home

I have tried to capture my dining area at its neatest. With two small kiddos, this area is often quite messy with craft activities, evidenced in the picture rail's contents. While this area is at an odd angle, and receives no daylight, I have added light to this corner by using white. That's an Ikea billy cabinet, which I painted white. It holds some white ware and a small collection of glass vases. The middle chair at the table I also freshly painted. The red chair at the end is a Stokke - a chair which my toddler loves, allowing her to climb up to table height all own her own. Its quite a neat chair, growing with her, as it has its own adjustable foot rest and seat. While I have always wanted a funky chandelier, it will not happen in this rental apartment. So, to create a little interest in this light fixture, I wrapped wire 'twigs' holding beads on their ends. I enjoy how they capture light, similar to crystals.

Compleated cabinet project

Originally, this cabinet was a very dark brown as evidenced by the frame inside the glass. Its also a super find - it came from my neighbour across the hall for a song. First, I primed it, and then painted it with CIL Real Life latex in Cottage White (Behr tint 1813). By the way, I found this paint very easy to work with as it spreads evenly and is not prone to dripping. The fresh coat of paint gives the cabinet a new lease on life and I enjoy its presence more as it brightnes my living space.

My home - Kitchen corners

If you have kids like I do, a *great* deal of time is spent preparing food for them! My kitchen had been feeling like a cave, so I added some interest while adding a seasonal affective disorder light (a Craig's List find) in winter - this is like my window! and winter life saver!



The tin heart is from etsy and the pink tin frame may hold one of my kid's paintings some day.



I found this green metal shelf at the Sally Ann. Here it sits perched on my stovetop as I wonder if this will be its home, and if so, what would I put on it?