Friday Entertaining

It is the perfect time of year to entertain outside and since it's friday, I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite outdoor rooms, a great guide to making a sophisticated cheese board and a little DIY project I created earlier today that anyone can do at home.

{Circa Interiors for Southern Living}

"A mix of texutres lends interest to a neutral color palette without disrupting the clean, uncluttered look." –Cindy Smith

 {The porch serves as an open-air dining pavilion with views of the Sawtooth Mountains. Interior design from my newest fav - m. elle design To see more of this house visit Elle Decor here}

I love this centerpiece for an outdoor table! I think you could easily recreate this arrangement if you had an interesting oblong container like a rustic dough bowl or antique concrete trough.

Just add moss and a variety of ferns with different colors and textures.

{The basics for creating a great cheese board from Real Simple}

I often order a cheese board when I am at a favorite restaurant in town and think it is such a wonderful thing to serve when you entertain at home. The only problem is, I am like a deer in the headlights when I arrive at the cheese counter. I often ask for some assistance and am still overwhelmed with the choices. Several years ago, my sister and I went to New York together and had the 'original' cheese board that started my lust for cheese boards. We went to a restaurant named Commerce in the village and the cheese board included honeycomb like the one pictured above. It was my first experience tasting honeycomb with cheese and I have been addicted ever since.

I love the simple explanation and cheese tutorial in this Real Simple article. 

I collected leaves during my morning walk and created these pretty little votives. They were so easy and look so beautiful when the candle is burning. Here are the simple instructions:

Collect a variety of leaves in different shapes and colors.

Place a stripe of double sided tape around the middle of a votive. Following a floral demonstration I saw many years ago, I bought a roll of double-sided carpet tape that I keep on hand.

Twist some gold decorative floral wire around the center and knot.

You can add a twig or a little moss or lichen to the knot if you desire.

Have a nice weekend!

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Closet Envy

Lizzie Carney's closet via Country Living

Warning this post will make you covet!

As I continue to go through my house looking at the small working spaces and try to get organized for the New Year, I start to look for new and fresh ideas to update my closet. I love to drool over the many images of designer, showhouse and celebrity closets but realistically, I just want a pleasant space that is well-organized, fresh and happy. I want to open my double-doors and in an instant be able to throw together an outfit and look stylish for my morning meeting.

We renovated an old house about ten years ago and the master closet was the one area that I REALLY had to make some tough decisions. We were able to carve out a wonderful space for a large master bath but a walk-in closet was just not possible. We were able to make three double-doored closets so my husband and I each have our own spaces and a little extra room for linens and formal wear and coats.

So today i thought I would share a little bit of the fantasy and {slowly} transition into some realistic ideas that we might all be able to achieve within a reasonable budget. I am particularly fond of the new closet design by Jen of Made by Girl. You've got to check it out!

{Southern Accents}

The closet from Sex in the City via movie set photos from Elle Decor

{Jenna Lyons closet from Domino}

Celebrity Nicky Hilton in her closet}

Wallpaper in the closet?

I think it's a great way to add pizazz to an otherwise dark and small space. Because I live in an old house with not enough closets, I would have to put a whole lot more in this closet.

I love this idea!

The recent unveiling of Jen's closet of Made by Girl has motivated me to stylize my own closet. Visit her site to learn more but you should know the closet components are from Ikea and that cute leopard runner is from Ballard Designs! Totally do-able! Now that incredible selection of shoes...

Ever wonder what to do with your {special} shopping bags?

{retail therapy!}

{Moth Design updates her closet with a quick DIY ~ framed shopping bags}

{Olivia Palermo in her closet}

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First Apartment

My niece just graduated from college and is leaving the nest. She is setting out on her own and looking for inspiration for her first apartment.

Something New

Given that many of the things that will fill your first apartment are vintage or more specifically family castoffs, it is always nice to have at least one new piece of furniture  A good place to start is the Ektorp sofa from Ikea. The price is right and the size is perfect for an apartment. To add that extra vib add one of these chic Belgian linen slipcovers that are made to fit Ikea's sofas from Bemz. I prefer the loose fit as shown in the picture above but the slipcovers come and a large variety of fabrics and styles.

The above photo features an ikea dining room chair in a Bemz loose fit slipcover. Again, a great fresh look for a reasonable price. This chair would make a great dining room chair but could easily double as a desk chair or be pulled into the living area for extra seating.

Something Old

I think it is very important that the first apartment have at least one piece that is old. The age adds charm, texture, personality and warmth and keeps the space from looking like the Ikea showroom floor.

Suzanne Kasler's new line for Ballard Designs offers some incredible accessories at very reasonable prices. I especially like the starburst mirror and chandelier pictured above.

Something Modern

Keep things fresh and young with modern accessories, clean lines and bold color. Striped rugs in bright colors are fun and add a dash of modern to an otherwise neutral room.

{image via Desire to Inspire}

Something Personal

Now is the time to express yourself with fun DIY projects. An old picture frame painted white makes a great memo board when wrapped with bright ribbon or string. The chest below is a simple Ikea style chest that is adorned with a wall sticker and new pulls.

{image from skona hem}

Paint is the easiest and least expensive way to personalize a space, but most first apartments will not allow you to paint. The image above shows the bed in front of a folding screen. To create your own folding screen, purchase inexpensive bi-fold closet doors and adorn them with a painted finish, wall stickers, vintage wallpaper or a graphic fabric.

I love the combination of turquoise and orange for a young apartment. The look above is high end but provides great inspiration ~ neutral furnishings with pops of color in the accessories; fun graphic shape and zebra print x-benches at the foot of the bed; modern gourd lamps in turquoise and my favorite the image over the bed that could easily be achieved with wall stickers.

{image from decor pad}

I love the image above featuring a mother's completed design for her daughter's first apartment.

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Laura Day Living: A New Spin

{image via Hidden in France}

I thought you might enjoy a little spin art this weekend {not just for kids anymore}! Designer, Laura Day, of Trading Spaces fame teaches us a new spin on an old art favorite via YouTube.

{YouTube: Laura Day: A New Spin}

For more of Laura's fresh ideas, visit here new webazine, Laura Day Living. Simply put, it will make you happy!

You might also like to read Ronda Carmen's {All The Best} interview with Laura here.

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