Dictionary Page Vase Filler

Threshold Brass Hurricane

 I found these perfectly simple yet beautiful little brass hurricanes at Target for a client's home office I am working on.  My initial thought was to just put a candle in each of them, put them on the bookshelves and call it a day!  Boring!  I'm tired of just sticking a candle or those decorative garden balls in a vase or hurricane.  I wanted to do something a little more interesting. 

So, since it is an office I thought I would do something easy and a little more interesting with dictionary pages.  Now when I say easy, I mean super easy.  However, I still included a little step-by-step tutorial for those of you who like those.

I picked up my Dictionary from Goodwill a couple of years ago and use the pages for lots of different craft projects.  

For this project I tore out about 12 pages in the dictionary to make 6 bundles.

Now just roll them up!  I doubled the pages as I rolled them so they were a bit heavier.  The single page by itself had a tendency to just crunch with I started to tie it.

I used a short piece of jute string that I already had to tie each one.  This is where you can get festive for the holidays and change up your ribbon depending on Halloween or Christmas.

And, honestly, that's it!  It is just that quick and simple.  Continue that for each one and place them in the hurricane and you are finished!  You can do more than six for a larger vase or fewer for something smaller.

 

I love these!  I think they could be used with holiday decor, colored paper, and fit a lot of different sized decorative vases.  Just a quick little tip for a rainy day if you are trying to freshen up your home accessories!

Another fun idea for dictionary pages...

Inexpensive and easy artwork!  This is also going into the client's home office.  He has a thing for Abraham Lincoln, so their will be a lot of fun projects for the space including honest Abe!  All I did to create this is...

1.  Find an image on Google that I want to use 

(black and white look the best as well as a hand-drawn looking image)

2.  Copy and Paste into Powerpoint

3.  Load my printer with just one dictionary page sheet

4.  and Print! 

{sorry about the grainy photos - just a quick post with my iPhone today}

Happy Fall Y'all

Fall has officially arrived (I am a couple of weeks behind), but it definitely feels like Fall now with this cold weather!  Especially after just getting back from vacation where it was in the 80's all week. 

When it comes to Fall decorating, I typically don't overdue it too much.  I feel like it comes and goes so quickly, and before I know it, I am decorating for Christmas!  So, I just focus on 2 main areas -- the front porch and my entry way.  I am sure to always buy and decorate pumpkins for the front porch.  I usually don't carve the pumpkins, it is such a mess!  So each year I like to think of a new way to decorate the pumpkins without the carving.  And I love to give my entry way a festive new look for the season to greet guests.

Here are the pumpkins just plain -- trying to decide how to paint them still.

The Fall wreath on my door stays simple.  Just a craft store wreath ring wrapped in burlap with a black and white bow.  Perfect for both Fall and Halloween.

Craft Day has Arrived!  (or pumpkin makeover day!)

I like to get together with friends or family throughout the year to do seasonal crafts.  This Fall we decided to bring our pumpkins together and we would decorate and paint them together!

 

I decided to go with a Black & White theme for my pumpkin decorating this year!  So a couple of days before, I spray painted 2 pumpkins black and 2 pumpkins white.  I just used regular spray paint I had lying around the house.  This way, they were nice and dry and ready to be decorated on Craft Day.  

Here's how they turned out!! Each one was a little different.  So now my porch is festive and fun for Fall and Halloween! 

There ended up being 1. Monogram  2. Black & White Chevron  3. Gold Metallic Polka Dots  4.  Plain White

Welcome! Come on in!

This is what my entry way normally looks like.  Some vintage suitcases, an "M" on a stack of books, a faux plant from Ikea, some iron rings from Crate & Barrel, and my favorite cow picture taken by my photographer at my rehearsal dinner before my wedding. 

And this is what it looks like decorated for Fall.  Most of this is I already had.  Either tucked away in Fall Decor storage or around the house.  By just rearranging things within your home periodically, it will feel fresh and new without going out and buying new all the time.  

What I did here -- I added the owl.  Spray painted an old frame orange and added a free printable from Pinterest that looks like chalk art.  This way I can add a new piece of art for Thanksgiving without changing the entire table.  I spray painted an empty old frame I had lying around yellow for a pop of fall color.  I added a vase of 3 decorative green balls and a large ball of twigs for some natural textures.  Some white pumpkins from the Farmer's Market in a large vintage jar were added.  And a book was replaced with one with a pop of color.  So you can make a big difference in your entry way with just a few things that you probably already have around your home.

While I was at it, I decided to make some Fall banners.  I couldn't decide if I wanted a Halloween banner or just a Fall banner that could be left out longer throughout season, so I made one of each.  Following Shanty 2 Chic's blog tutorial, along with my own printed chalk board letters and take on the tutorial, I now have 2 great banners to hang around the house! 

Making the Fall banner out of burlap and printed letters from my computer.  (created on power point)

In the midst of making our homes beautiful, one DIY project at at time, it is the journey of how we get there that is most memorable.  Even if it takes a little longer than you planned!

Ooooops!!!  CRAFT DAY FAIL!

My sister may have been a little distracted when she made her Fall banner backwards!  Don't worry, it was fixed before hung on her mantel! 

Enjoy your FALL and everything that comes with it because before we know it, WINTER will soon be arriving! :(  Brrrr!! 

Charleston, SC Bound!

I am headed to Charleston, South Carolina for a week, friends!  It is my favorite city to visit of all time.  And I will be bringing back lots of inspiration for new projects and hopefully some cool stuff for clients.  If I can find the time to do some thrifting and antiquing in the midst of wedding festivities for my brother.  I am so excited he picked this place to get married!

Hopefully I can get back to visit an old friend - the Angel Oak on Johns Island.  The most beautiful tree I have ever seen.  It really is angelic!  It is estimated to be any where from 400 to 500 years old!  And has a special place in my heart because my husband proposed to me in a very special way using a photograph I took of this tree years ago on a trip we took together. 

 

See y'all in a week! 

Client's Home Office {Just the Beginning}

Fall and Winter are great times to focus on the indoors and to spruce up a room in your house that has been bringing you down.  You may remember this house that I started working on last August (2012) as a young family built their dream home.  (I still have lots of after photos to show you of the gorgeous interiors, but as you know, there is a lot to get done with a space before it is perfectly camera ready).  So, for now, we are focusing on the Home Office.

When the house was built last year, I picked out the wall color and the lighting fixture, and we always new we would get back to it eventually.  And now we have!  So I am so excited to have a blank slate to work with because I have lots of great ideas for this family's space.

The perfect Inspiration for this room. 

 This photo mimics the wall color of the room almost perfectly, a bit darker here.  The overall tone or feeling I want to create for the family is perfect, with the nostalgic black and white photos, gold and brass accents, the wood, leather, and linen textures -- everything about this room is perfect and I plan to create the same feeling in their Home Office. 

I am giving the homeowners 2 options when it comes to the furniture layout.  The first option includes a settee for the sitting area, while the second option includes two different chairs.  Both are great options, but I am leaving this one up to the homeowners!

OPTION #1

OPTION #2

We might not all have $3000 to spend on a fabulous settee or a worn-in leather chair, but there is beautiful furniture out there for a fraction of the cost.  It is just about knowing where to find it and being creative when looking for just the right piece.  After all, Jessica Stout Design is all about designing on a realistic budget, inspired by the high end look.  That is why I am giving the homeowners options for the furniture pieces, so I can stay within their budget.  

So here is a sneak peek of how the office looks now.  It is basically empty!  Now, I just have to sketch up some custom book case designs so they can get built and start shopping!