French Provincial cabinet doors solve a design dilemma

Using cabinet doors from a french provincial china cabinet for doors on our 

bookcases was a thought that struck me just this morning.  

Why had I never bothered to take a measurement and see if this would work? 

 But I am glad it finally did occur to me, as I have long wanted to hide the 

busy looking bookcases with shutters or custom doors.  

(Here is an old photo of the french provincial dining room cabinet.

This before it was painted white and lined with fabric.)

The perfect solution was under my nose all along....

my old china cabinet, now in an upstairs room, with it's four doors and wire 

grates for that extra frenchy look, and a fleur de lis linen sheer to hide the contents.

The living room bookshelves, sans doors.

This is the beauty shot that was just featured in Romantic Country magazine.

Fifi O'Neill styled it to look absolutely wonderful.

What you don't see is the entire bookcase view. Behind the chair are all the 

books that don't color coordinate with the room.  Forever and a day I have been

dreaming about adding hinged shutters to cover three of the shelves and leave the

top three open for pretty displays.  

 The big grey chair was moved into a bedroom, 

and in its place I put my writing desk.

After the desk moved into this spot, the bookcase was more annoying than ever.

If bookcases can be annoying, which I think they can, as many people write blog posts

and articles on how to style and arrange items on bookcases because they are annoying.

They look messy, busy, cluttered...and I had to agree.

This space looks so pretty, I am thrilled with the result, even if

the photo is lackluster.  Moving one thing, leads to moving another,

and that is how adding doors became paramount (in my mind).

I am still moving furniture and tweaking things, and its coming along

nicely.  So if you have a bookcase, or open shelving with in a framework,

consider recycling old cabinet doors and place them over the shelves using the same hinges.

  The hinges worked perfectly, but I had to reverse the direction of them.  

I also hinged the two doors together, so they don't open in the middle, 

the fold out to the sides, which is really nice.  So there you have it~

a rainy day project that has me quite pleased.

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Planning for Spring and Outdoor living

Last year's efforts brought about my French Courtyard with kitchen garden, 

perhaps my all time favorite DIY project ever.  One project after another, both

big and small in nature, were required to get this done so we could enjoy it for the summer

months.  But it didn't happen on a whim, it was the winter months of dreaming of outdoor 

living that started the ball rolling.   Creating a loose plan of enhancing a space and then dreaming upways to make it have both form and function is what I did.  

So have you been doing any planning for your outdoor living yet? 

 Spring will be arriving in a few months time, and now

I want to build on what we created and add some other features to the space.

 One of the big projects was the white picket fence.  If you think you want a fence, 

get quotes from fencing companies in your area.  Knowing the cost is always a great first step. 
This was a project that was hired out, as we live in an area with ledge and fence installation
would prove to be very laborious.  However fencing can be a DIY project at a fraction of the cost.

 Our fence comes in at the top of my list for the additions we added to our home in 2016.

Look around at eyesores or things that have bothered you about your own outdoor space and then spend some time "dreaming" up a way to make it disappear.  I detested this fireplace vent on the backside of the house since it was installed.  But at that time we didn't use this side of the house, so it wasn't a problem.  But as things developed, having a vent on the side of the house was a major issue in my way of thinking.  So, a plan was needed to make it disappear...

 I got creative and imagined a bird house on a pole that would effectively cover the vent during the summer, which works well, as we don't use our fireplace during the time we are using the courtyard.

 An evening shot shows the bird house on a pole, and it was a great solution to an ugly problem.  Made out of an old wooden crate for a base, I built a little roof and then added shingles to mimic the cute little shed I had just finished resurrecting from the scrap heap.  

The bird house vent cover is purely decorative and wire mesh will prevent birds from settling in and starting their home and families.  The rustic wood plank top to the table was another idea I had to change up the look of my 20 year old wire patio furniture. 

 Planks were simply place on the top of the wire table and then strapped together underneath with thinner pine boards on each end to keep the plank top in place.  Then I  upgraded the chairs to an outdoor wicker set in brown ( shown in the previous photo) that I found at Lowes Home Improvement stores.  These changes made a big difference.

Spend a little time doing some winter planning and Spring daydreaming 

to get the jump on your own outdoor living plan.  

Whether you are a weekend warrior or have more time, 

as I do now, the efforts will reward you on a daily basis.  

My family loves this space that I dreamt up, and so do I.

The cherry on the top of our beautiful courtyard is that Matthew Mead photographed it for his spring issue of Upstyled Home for his special Outdoor Edition (due in Spring 2017).  I have seen the layouts of all the garden spaces, patios, porches and the like, and know that if you are looking for outdoor inspiration with real ideas with remarkable results, you will LOVE this issue!  My own space looked more  amazing when it was presented in print.  I was so proud of it, and it wasn't that hard.  It was an idea that came together with a "things to do" list, and one by one I checked them off.  So get dreaming now, make a list, and then turn your own outdoor space into a wonderful place.  From small secret gardens to family size gathering spots, enhance what you have, 

and it may become your own favorite DIY project too!

PS.  I just learned I landed the cover shot!!
Can I tell you how excited I am about this??!!
A dream come true, now I just have to wait for April to come.

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2016 Top Blog Posts: French and DIY with One Runaway Hit

The start of this New Year at Maison Decor Blog  has me looking back at what my readers seemed to find most interesting.  Sometimes surprising, but this past year underscores that my DIY projects combined with a French flavor seem to bring the most views.  And I am happy about that, because those are two things that I consider a big part of who I am and what I love to do.  

Home and Garden projects that cultivate my love for the French style makes me a happy girl indeed.  

So lets take a look at the posts that everyone seemed to love, and that perhaps you may have missed.

A French Style Courtyard Comes to Life

This was a huge project and it was hands down my favorite!  Taking a dumpy unused space behind our home and making it a family favorite was really not that hard to do.  It took vision, more than anything, and some persuasion to get hubs to help me moving stones.  But stones aside,  I hope it gives you the idea to take a second look around your home's property to see what spot you could do a makeover on to gain a well loved and used space.

The before and after are quite startling, aren't they?  

Not taken from the same vantage point, but both showing the back facade of our home.

  Where the single window is, in the before shot, now stands the French doors.

 And the rest flowed from there.  The most important single element to creating this 

French style courtyard was using pea gravel as a base to create the French style outdoor space.

  Look for this courtyard to be featured in Matthew Mead's Spring issue of Upstyled Home, 

coming in March 2017.  I have seen the preview, and I have to say I was totally blown away

 by this feature and the other gardens Matthew has for this issue. 

 I CANNOT wait for you all to see this issue!!!

French Labels: An Easy DIY Transfer Method

This DIY post on how to make easy labels was another hit.  I love easy projects, and this one fits the bill.  Most of us have these battery operated pillar candles, and I personalized mine using a simple method that took a few minutes, using my printer and some packing tape.  After the candles, I did the lantern itself.  This method works great on glass or plain surfaces.  

Look how pretty it looked at Christmas! 
It would be awesome to make stamps personalized with names or monograms for weddings or showers or birthdays.....you get the idea.  I guess people like doing easy projects, just like I do. 

French Door For the Shed

This was another DIY garden project that I was very proud to finish.

The garden shed was created using a dilapidated structure, and then I shingled it with

the help of my son.  Never having done anything like this before, it was very fun

and although we may have not done it according to the "rules", it is a sturdy 

attractive feature to our back yard. 

I think the French door I found on Craiglist and added to the front gave it big time curb appeal.  
You can read more about the shed in the first post I am sharing above about the Courtyard.

Blue Fairy Tale Table

This painted daybed was part of an antique bed set that 

I had in my possession when I operated my shop.  

All pieces sold, except for the tea table which I kept for myself.  

Readers, like myself, seem to love beautiful French style antiques!

This charming painted table has made it's way into the

 current issue of Romantic Country magazine!

I had moved it from the living room up to my bedroom, where it is today. 

For a behind the magazine shoot story, here you go: 

Funny thing is, I sleep on the other side of the

bed, and that is where the table sits, under the window.  So for the shoot, Fifi O'Neill

moved the bed to hubby's side so it would make for a pretty picture.  And then she piled

up any pink and floral linens I had on the bed, and as they say, the rest is history!

(P.S. You can buy the Spring 2017 Romantic Country mag

where ever magazines are sold, so go get one!)

My living room is featured on the current cover, and inside you will see the 

rest of our home.  Some of these rooms have not been seen in the blog, so don't miss it!

And last, but not least, was this post that turned out to be a mega-hit as far as 

my statistics are concerned.  I was shocked at how many people read this post.

At least five times more than my most popular post, the biggest post of the year

was this tutorial I wrote on how to upholster a French chair.

How To Reupholster The Easy Way: My French Chair

My first attempt at reupholstering is captured step by step as I tried to 

show how you can do it the easy way.  Have I said I like things that are easy?

Yup, it was pretty easy, although nontraditional, I am pleased to say it is almost a year

since I have done it and the chair looks just as good the day I finished it.

So that is my 2016 round up for popular blog posts.

Just a mix of French with DIY and that is me, in a nutshell.

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Pretty Swedish Style Wallpaper for my Staircase

I am excited to share my recent wallpaper project.

The layout of  our house has the entryway and staircase

practically in our living room.  Its always been a design challenge,

how to separate but not ignore the staircase.

 Adding a pretty wallpaper to the stair wall that faces the living room made a 

world of difference. It goes to show that these often overlooked spaces

really can add instead of detract from the overall decor of a room.

 Inches away from the bland and boring stair case,

 our living room is a pretty mix of blue, grey and white.

A sheer curtain helps to create a privacy shield.  

And as soon as the paper went up, I felt like why had I waited so long?

I selected a paper that had a Swedish Country look, and has my favorite colors. 

The paper is made by Wallpops.  NuWallpaper is the type that is peel and stick.

 It is self adhesive and can be repositioned, making it practically foolproof. 

 The Wallpops people sent me three rolls of the pattern I selected, Mirable Medallion.

A tool kit for cutting and smoothing, also from Wallpops, 

was one of the only tools I needed,

besides a level and a tape measure and a pair of scissors. 

Even though I have had experience putting up wallpaper, 

I can tell you that this is so much easier and no mess.

I got started right away, using my dining room table 

to roll out the paper and cut the first piece.

 Working left to right you must make sure your first strip is put on straight.

Make a pencil line on the wall using a level, so when you hang the first piece,

the right hand edge of the paper butts up to the pencil line.  Smooth it into position.

Then trim off the edges with the razor knife.  That is it. Super easy. Super fast.

After the first strip is in position, you can do the next strips by lining them 

up to the edge of the first strip, matching the pattern.

If you mismatch, just peel it away and try again. 

As many times as you need to...

This paper is great for people in apartments that aren't allowed to do things to their walls.

And its great for serial decorators like me, that like to change things more often than not.

Because when you are done, you simply peel it off, without damaging the walls.

Feature walls, backs of bookcases and hutches and stair risers are some other ideas that you

can tackle with NuWallpaper by Wallpops.  

My friend Cheryl used it for the interior of a china cabinet. 

 Isn't that a pretty idea?

This is a fast and fairly easy DIY project. 

I started after lunch on a rainy day, and finished the next morning.

(Its best to wallpaper in bright natural lighting so you can see if 

any air bubbles need to be smoothed out with the wide smoother thingy.)

I chose to do only the wall that faces the living room, and it took

a bit less than the three rolls.  I also liked that the repeat of the pattern 

in this paper was about 5" which means there was not much waste 

when matching the pattern.  

It has added so much appeal to our entry space.

The view from the living room shows how it has finished off the space.

Its all in the details, as they say!  

Note:  This is a sponsored post.

Wallpops provided the product, but all opinions are my own. 

I loved this paper so much, I am already looking around for another place

to freshen up with another pretty pattern from NuWallpaper. 

To view more beautiful wallpaper patterns visit Wallpops.com here 

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DIY Designer Pumpkins for a Holiday Table

We have all seen this lovely velvet pumpkins! 

 I really didn't want to pay $40 for one, 

and since I wanted a bunch of them, I decided to make my own.

I have seen them at HomeGoods for less than $10, but not in the colors I wanted.

So....here is how I made my velvet pumpkins.

There are lots of tutorials on the web about making these cute pumpkins, 

my tutorial is not entirely original, it's just what I found worked best.  

I knew I wanted purple velvet....and after looking at the fabric store and coming

up empty handed, I went straight to the local Salvation Army Thrift shop.

Tons of clothing on racks in every conceivable color, I found designer velvet

clothing from the likes of Talbots and Ann Taylor! 

So I guess I will call these my Designer Pumpkins.

This setting is a dry run for a Harvest dinner party, or even Thanksgiving.

I thought that these charming pumpkins would look pretty at each place

setting.  The purple color would look great with my purple transferware.

The list of essential pumpkin making ingredients are shown above.  

Velvet Fabric ( I got mine from a large clothing thrift shop, but look online or in fabric shops).

Pumpkin Stems (Found mine at a farmstand. Ask if you can harvest stems from their rotten pile!)
Another idea is to use wine corks for stems or driftwood or sticks from the yard.

Rice, Fiberfill Stuffing, Button Thread (heavier and stronger than normal thread) and glue gun.

Cut circles for the pumpkin body. 

The finished size will be half the size of your circle.

 I used a bowl to cut my fabric out of the sweatshirt I found at the thrift shop. 

 Leave your perfection tendencies to the side, your circle just has to be cut, but not perfect!

 Then double a length of thread about 20" long and knot the end. 

Next do the running stitch around the edge of the circle.  

A running stitch is just the basic up and down kind of close together.

 Pull it tightly as you go, gathering the circle. 

 Nearing the end, leave an opening for the filling. 

Do not cut the needle and thread off yet.  You will need to stitch it shut after filling.

 For a ten inch circle, I got a 5" pumpkin.

 I poured roughly 1/2 to 3/4 cup of rice into the pumpkin.

Then I topped the rice with fiberfill and pulled the opening close and stitched it shut. 

 Grab the glue gun and zap a blob of glue onto the bottom of the stem and position

 it over the opening and press down for about two minutes, giving it time to dry and attach. 

Tiny or large, the tutorial is the same. 

 Bear in mind that the stem should

be in proportion to the body of the pumpkin.  

I am even making some tiny acorns in the same purple velvet!  

And remember my toile chair?

I made some out of the chair fabric and one out of green gingham for our living room.

It is going to be the holidays before we know it!  My mailbox is filling up with

holiday mags, and there is one special edition magazine in the supermarkets right 

now that I just picked up by Better Homes and Gardens.  I will freely admit I 

bought it because my pal Matthew Mead has a huge how to create WREATHS feature

inside.....but when I got it home and read it from cover to cover I thought to myself,

this is one of the BEST holiday mags I have read in awhile!!! So jsut passing that 

tidbit along incase you want some great holiday decorating inspiration.

There are crafts and how-tos, but also lots of GORGEOUS homes all decked out!

In the meantime I will be happily working on my table decor as well as the entire room to pull together a festive Thanksgiving table....and then it will be onto Christmas!

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