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"Pretty Colours"
One of my home decor crushes right now is ceramic table lamps. I love them in any shape, but the gourd lamp is definitely my fave! It’s all I can do not to put one in every room, but I’m trying my best to show some decor-trend restraint!
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Here’s the fun red ones in our basement…
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With a throwback to mid century designs, they help bring modern flavor and polish to any room.
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And, not to mention fun! You can instantly create some ‘cheekiness’ to any serious room by adding a pop of glossy color with a ceramic lamp.
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The only downfall of ceramic lamps (or the ‘ceramic-look’ which is painted glass) is, of course, their fragility! In my basement, my red ceramic lamps are all but glue-gunned down to the side tables. I used non-slip vinyl underneath to prevent our kids from tipping them, but it’s certainly not fail-proof. I’m just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best! (And I’ve probably just jinxed it by talking about it, lol.)
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But since you can find a gorgeous gourd lamp at a great price point, and in just about any color under the sun right now – even in places like HomeSense – they’re just too hard to resist! The large variety out there also means you’ll always find the perfect lamp for any room…
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Sooooo AWESOME, right?
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Adding a shiny ceramic gourd lamp to a room is kinda like putting on lip gloss. No matter how drab you look, its an instant pick me up!
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Until next time,
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The snow is gone, the sun is out, the temperatures are rising…dare I say it’s the season for front door painting? (Can I get a booyah?)
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It’s time to talk front door colors! I’m a sucker for a front painted in a great hue.
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Shut the front door, right?!? Sorry, had to say it 
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There’s nothing that provides easier curb appeal than a pop of fun color on a door. Trying a bright or fun color on your front door can be scary, but I love how this web site about exterior color explains the fact that colors have visual ‘weight’, and that a powerful color in a small dose can visually balance an expanse of neutral house siding.
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I also thought this analogy from the same site was great: “Remember that your house most likely will be viewed from the street which may mean 60 feet or more from the curb. It’s like the actress with her stage makeup, positively frightening, but she has to be seen by the person in the very back row of the theater.”
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Last year at about this time, I took the plunge and painted the front door on our house (which has cypress green siding) from a safe and traditional red, to a more unexpected light turquoise.
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My Front Door Color:
Martha Stewart Artesian Well
Mixed as Behr paint + primer
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If you’re in the market for new front door colors like I was, you’ve probably searched for inspiration on Google, Pinterest and more. (It feels so much safer, doesn’t it?!?) I found many pretty front doors, but found it frustrating that the exact paint color chip number couldn’t be traced for many of them.
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So, for any of you lovely readers who might be considering changing your front door color this spring, I’ve rounded up 10 of my favorite ones…but I’ve only included doors for which I could trace the paint color with a fair amount of certainty. You’ll notice that most of them are Benjamin Moore paint colors – I tried to stick with a brand that’s most widely available.
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Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue
Source: House of Turquoise via hiya papaya (Click image for site)
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Benjamin Moore Imperial Yellow
Source: That Old House (Click image for site)
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Behr Japanese Fern
Source: Embrace My Space (Click image for site)
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.Benjamin Moore Blue Suede Shoes
Source: The Impatient Gardener (Click image for site)
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Benjamin Moore Moroccan Red
Source: Houzz.com (Click image for site)
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Benjamin Moore Calypso Blue
Source: Eat. Sleep. Decorate. (Click image for site)
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Benjamin Moore Hale Navy
Source: Houzz.com (Click image for site)
By San Francisco Interior Designer Green Plum Design
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Benjamin Moore Stratton Blue
Source: Lily’s House (Click image for site)
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Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron
Source: Satori Design for Living (Click image for site)
Feeling inspired?.
You should always consider the color of your siding and trim when deciding on a front door color, but if you have a neutral house, pretty much anything goes! If you’re not comfortable making a color choice on your own, consult an expert.
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Happy Spring…and happy painting!
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P.S. Wondering how to paint a door? Check out my tutorial on how to paint a front door fast!
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Until next time,
Hope you all enjoyed St. Paddy’s Day!
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March is really flying by, isn’t it? Now that all the leprechaun fun is dying down, I’m looking forward to taking down the St. Patrick’s Day decorations from my mantel (click here, if you missed that post!), and decorating it for Easter over the next few days.
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I’m not sure what I’ll come up with. I’ll definitely use some of my favorite Easter decorations, but I enjoy changing things up from year to year.
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In the meantime, I thought I’d share some of my Easter decorating ideas over the past few years.
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My favorite place to start is my mantel!
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Over the past few years, I’ve created several Easter and Spring Mantels. The simple Easter mantel below, was from 2011. Since then, it’s been featured at both HGTV.com.and Better Homes & Gardens in round-ups of Easter mantel decorating ideas, and more recently at One King’s Lane. I liked how the muted color scheme was calming, and blended in with our decor. Most Easter decorations are really colorful – with pinks, yellows and greens – but that doesn’t mean you have to go that route if you prefer a simpler look.
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This next mantel was not nearly as under-stated! Last spring, I decided to decorate around the song “Singing in the Rain” which my daughter sang in a local musical festival at the time. I created it in early Spring, and planned to keep it this way through Easter.
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As much as I loved the pink and other happy colors, I grew tired of them, and decided to change it up again before Easter holidays! (Yes, I’m that much of a freak when it comes to seasonal decor .) Because I was getting tired of decorating the mantel by then (ha!), I kept it much simpler with some candles, a green feather wreath with blue eggs, and a couple of mercury-glass looking decorative Easter eggs.
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.Besides decorating my mantel, here are a few other super easy and fun little decorating ideas I’ve used in past Easters…
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1. Eggs strung on twine for an easy diy Easter garland:
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2. Dyed eggs in a jar (great if you have toddlers like me who like to break things):
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3. Kids’ Easter art on some twine (using clothespins):
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4. Sequined eggs hung from the chandelier:
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.5.A fun way to disp
5. A fun paper Easter banner on the stair railing:
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6. A diy Easter wreath for your front door:
( pssst…I made this one with a pool noodle, dish cloths and painter’s drop cloth!)
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For the tutorial, click below!
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7. Fresh tulips always look great!.
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OK, I seriously love Easter decorations! I’m chomping at the bit to pull out the bunnies and eggs.
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How about you? Have you already decorated your home for Easter? Are you planning to?
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Until next time,
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It’s been awhile since I’ve pulled out my craft supplies, and I forgot how therapeutic it can be! This weekend, I decided to play around with some paper and punches to see if I could create some shamrocks to use as St Patricks Day decorations.
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OK, so I know that it’s not like St Patricks Day ranks up there with Christmas and Easter in terms of holiday importance, but hey, it’s a special day in the middle of the dreary duldrums of winter, so it’s as good an excuse as any to add some festive cheer around the house, especially for the kiddies. I took this photo last year at this time, but it will show you what early March looks like in these parts!
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Plus, I’ve mentioned before that Paddy’s Day, as we call it, is a big deal around here. Our neck of the woods is often called ‘the most Irish place outside of Ireland‘! But back to paper and punches…
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Did you know that with a heart punch, you can easily make shamrocks / clovers for St Patricks Day? Perhaps you did, but it was a new discovery for me! OK, I just realized how dorky that sounded. As I’ve said before, I seriously need to get out more, lol.
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Since hearts are so simple to cut out, you really don’t need to have a heart punch at all. Just punch or cut our 4 hearts to make a four-leaf clover, or three hearts to make a (less lucky ) 3-leaf one. You’ll also need a circle to glue them to. I used a circle punch, but you could just as easily trace a quarter and cut it out.
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Here’s a 3-leaf shamrock with a stem…
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Easy peasey, right?
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Tomorrow, I’ll show you how I decorated my mantel with all my diy shamrocks!
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Until then,
I hope you all had a lovely weekend!
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Tonight, for your viewing pleasure, just some seasonal home decor silliness: an idea board 100% inspired by Ireland and the upcoming holiday, St Patricks Day!
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(OK, I know what you are thinking, and yes, I really could have spent that hour doing something more productive around here, lol. But sometimes you just need a little escape. The laundry will still be there in the morning.
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I totally loving that Black Dog Brewing Co. art, the sheep art, and that four-leaf clover door knocker! If you’re curious, the sources for all these items can be found here. (Note: I have absolutely no affiliations with any of them. I’m just sharing them for fun!)
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Until next time,
If you live somewhere that has a real winter like I do, you know how great it is to escape from the snow, even if it’s just for a few days!
Last week, I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Miami while my husband was there for work. It was the first time we both left our kids since our twin boys were born over 3 years ago. I fretted a lot about leaving them, but once I got set up on the beach, it didn’t take me long to adjust, LOL.
I’ve been to Florida lots of times (that’s kinda what you do when you’re Canadian!), but I’d never spent time in Miami. I have to say, it’s one cool city.
We stayed on South Beach which is famous for it’s ‘Art Deco’ architecture. I’ve always heard the term, I never truly understood what elements make a building “art deco”. But after seeing blocks and blocks of these Miami style, retro buildings, it’s a style that’s more identifiable to me now.
Art Deco (/ˌɑrt ˈdɛkoʊ/), or Deco, is an influential visual arts design style which first appeared in France during the 1920s, flourished internationally during the 30s and 40s, then waned in the post-World War II era.[1] It is an eclectic style that combines traditional craft motifs with Machine Age imagery and materials. The style is often characterized by rich colors, bold geometric shapes and lavish ornamentation….During its heyday Art Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress. Source: Wikipedia
While the intricate patterns and ornamentation of art deco aren’t necessarily my cup of tea, I fell in love with the colors of all the buildings and structures on South Beach. They were like eye candy.
I think that the house lover in me was most excited about a bout tour that took us to see Miami’s famous mansions, many of them owned by famous stars or used as sets for movies. (One was owned by the inventor of Viagra, or so the boat tour operator told us! I guess it’s a good business to be in, lol).
Here’s a little of what we saw…
I don’t know about you, but I think I could get used to living in one of those Miami homes! Well, at least until cleaning day. But then again, if I could afford to live in one of those homes, I wouldn’t have to clean it myself!
Hope you enjoyed this little taste of Miami style!
Until next time,
If you like to travel, you might also like: Magical New York City at Christmas-Time!
Last year it was Tangerine Tango. The year before, it was Honeysuckle. Before that, it was my personal favorite, Turquoise. So, by now, maybe you’ve heard that the Pantone Color of the Year for 2013 is Emerald Green? “PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald” is described as “a lively, radiant, and lush green”…”a color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony.”
The Pantone press release reads:
“As it has throughout history, multifaceted Emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate. Symbolically, Emerald Green brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world. This powerful and universally appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.” See more here.
Personally, I’ve always been partial to Emerald Green because it’s my birthstone. Also, like another of my faves, cobalt blue, it’s a color that translates well in the world of fashion and beauty, as complements just about any skin tone or eye color.
But I have to admit that I’m a little apprehensive about how it might translate into home decor. Personally, I could never use it as a wall color. When we purchased our first home in the late 1990s, the previous owners had painted the walls a semi-gloss dark green (with peach 80s carpet) throughout. It literally makes me queasy just thinking about it!
Emerald Green is such a deeply saturated color, I’m curious how it might interplay with the neutral interiors that have been so popular over the past decade. I think it’s a hue that’s going to be used in small doses – perhaps in a toss pillow for a pop of energetic color in an otherwise neutral room. It would also be a great color to paint a piece of furniture like a console table or sideboard. But I don’t anticipate a run on Emerald Green wall paint! (Fingers crossed.)
What are your thoughts? Are you excited by Emerald Green? Would you use it in your home?
Until next time,
P.S. You might also like:
- My New Colour Crush: Tangerine!
- Tangerine Tango {Pantone’s 2012 Color of the Year}: Definitely a pop of pretty!
- Cookoo for Cobalt Blue
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Welcome to A Pop of Pretty, a Canadian home decorating blog that chronicles my love of home decor and pretty things. I'm out to prove (mostly to myself!) that a pretty home is still possible amid the circus of 3 young kids, including twin toddlers. {More...}
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