do-it-yourself deer doormat

I've been looking for a cool large doormat for our front door.

After not finding one I liked, it was time to make my own.

I chose a Whitetail deer, inspired by the ones we see regularly on our property.

Pretty simple. See the steps below.

Start with a basic coir mat.

Cut out a template of your design, pin it on the mat.

Spray 2 coats of exterior spray paint.

summer afternoon art

My daughter Ruby is at art camp this week and can't seem to get enough of it. 

She came home yesterday ready to paint!  

So we spent a little down time painting together.  

We were pretty happy with the result.

It now hangs proudly in our family room.

Great art classes offered at the Valley Art Center, Chagrin Falls, Ohio

it's a zoo out there

Straight from the horse's mouth:

Ombre, neon, dipped...all the trends are here in these whimsical animals.

 Purchase or do-it-yourself.

all above on Etsy, The Good Machinery

HGTV

neon tape

Get creative with colored tape.

Why not add a little splash of color to hang up postcards, photos, art?

Who knew tape could work as decor!

moastidrom.blogspot.com

http://laurejoliet.com/blog/

moastidrom.blogspot.com

cutetape.com

http://scraphacker.com/

 http://www.vtwonen.nl/

Neon Tape, Container Store

moastidrom.blogspot.com

dipped decor

Check out this new trend to give any object a new fresh look - dip it!
For do-it-yourselfers this can be easy, all you need is a little paint.

For those of you who like to purchase rather than create, there are great pieces to buy. 

frenchbydesign.blogspot.com

do it yourself directions: HouseandHold.com

Windsor Love Seat, Anthropologie

Dipped Side Table, West Elm

do it yourself directions: thesweetbeastblog.com

Splash Coat Rack, Blu Dot

flowers, fringe + flow: fun with crepe

May is a month of parties - first communions, graduations, 

memorial day and in my family, lots of birthdays!

A stream of tassels, a few pom pom puffs or streamers in bright colors 

can surely add a festive element to any party this season.

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1. Tassel Garland, Etsy

2.  Tissue Pom Poms, Pinterest

3.  Crepe Paper Garland

4.  Tissue Streamer Chandelier

5.  Paper Lanterns, Martha Stewart

6.  Tissue Garland, Etsy

7.  Tassel Garland, Etsy

8.  Pom Pom Treat Boxes, (similar to) Martha Stewart on Amazon

flowers + fairy gardens

We were inspired by all of the incredible flowers, pots, seeds and even 

the shiny orange cart at Lowe's Greenhouse this weekend.

They carry all of the goodies to supply your very own fairy garden:

mini watering cans, metal benches, bird houses, mini rakes + hoes and so much more.

We ran into a saleswoman who has made them with her daughters,

she shared all of the traditions with us.

My daughter + her friend designed their own - including notes to the fairies.

rock + shell collection

My daughter and I collect heart-shaped rocks and shells.

Not that I would remember which beach each came from, 

but as a collection they remind us of where we've been.

photo on iPad, hipstamatic app

pantone easter eggs

Happy Easter!

howaboutorange

shell wall at lilly pulitzer

A wall of shells in the typical bright colors of Lilly Pullitzer 

adorns a dressing room in their Sarasota, Florida store.
So very eye-catching and cool.

The opposite wall is detailed in shells with names.