March 2009

Take it outside! (the party, that is)

by Susan on March 26, 2009

in Entertaining,Outdoor Spaces,Party Ideas

It’s finally time to plan our annual neighborhood spring party! (Woo Hoo!) We’ve been stuck inside all winter long and I’ve missed hanging out with our neighbors. While our spring party is totally kid-friendly (complete with a bounce house castle), sometimes I like to dream about planning a grown up party. But for now, we’re just thrilled to get the kids (and parents) outside and jumping!

When decorating for your patio party, less is more! Pick one or two splashy ideas, but let the food and guests take center stage. This is not a time for clutter

(remember, you have to clean up at the end). Here are three approaches:

This first one is a classic with a cream tablecloth, white dishes and fabulous hurricane lantern. With such a neutral palate, the food is sure to take center stage. It’s a bit formal, but relaxed at the same time. Just make sure you serve food that is colorful! LOL

I love the rustic ambiance of this natural setting. The weathered wood makes a nice earthy contrast to the traditional white napkins. The simple white flowers soften the look, and no one needs to worry about spilling the red wine on a white tablecloth. This is great for a casual setting. Lobster anyone?

Looking for something more colorful? Go crazy with layered placemats and plates! The centerpieces are adorable (although I can’t help but think they resemble the artichoke appetizer a little too much!) This is a great example of how even with plastic ware, you can make an impact!

And finally, here are a few random tips for outdoor entertaining with kids:

Get out your “summer bucket” (wipes, tissues, band aids, bug spray, etc) so guests can take care of their kids quickly.
Have a piñata. You don’t need to have a reason; you just need to have a fun activity for kids that involves candy and a big stick. It’s all good!
Balloons are an inexpensive way to infuse color, just make sure there is at least one per kid to take home.

Bottom line – keep it simple and have fun (your guests will follow your lead).

So when is your next outdoor entertaining event? Tell me about how your planning it! I’m always looking for new ideas!

Update: I just now realized that our party is on Kentucky Derby day! Any suggestions for incorporating that theme into it?

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Third times a charm…the evolution of a girl’s room

by Susan on March 18, 2009

in Bedrooms,Before & After,Decorating,Kids & Play Rooms

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved pink. She really enjoyed her pixie dust pink room with hot pink and tangerine accents.

The playful curtains were adorned with prisms hanging from rainbow ribbons, creating dancing rainbows across her room every morning.

Then one day she reached 2nd grade and grew tired of pink. Fresh from a beach vacation, she asked for a beach-styled room. It was a fun room! A coat of “white sand” paint and colorful coastal accents brought this room to life!

But once winter came, she felt off balance in a summer room – she loves snow and all things winter. One by one she began hiding beach accessories in her closet.

She also wanted to swap her twin bed with a full-sized bed in another room. Because the larger bed needed a new comforter and duvet, another redesign opportunity presented itself.

Which brings us to a more grown up, less “theme” styled French modern room, which hopefully will grow with her (at least until 4th grade!).

What we did (for $225):

Bed: To allow for future redesigns, we opted for a (machine washable) alternative down comforter with an IKEA duvet. Because there was no headboard for the bed, we found beautiful black acrylic fleur designs at HomeGoods. Total spent on the bed: $80.

Windows: We added inexpensive blue panels to go with the existing white panels as a pop of color. To blend them with the room, we added black ring clips and black and white finials. Total spent on windows: $100.

Furniture: To continue with the pop of color, we recovered a bench and desk chair in bright blue fabric. Total spent: $5.

Accessories: To finish the look, we added a few accessories, such as new lamps, a fabric covered bulletin board and a pretty black chandelier nightlight. Total spent: $40.

So sweet little girl…enjoy your French Modern bedroom, because it’s not going to change for awhile now!

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Can you negotiate a good design?

by Susan on March 12, 2009

in Decorating

***disclaimer*** If you have complete control over the décor in your home, you don’t need to read this post. Go forth and redecorate as much as you like! Just do us a favor and show us your work so we can live vicariously through you! LOL

What design compromise can look like

Still reading? Then chances are there are others in your household with different opinions about design. Ok, yes I’m talking about our men here! At the risk of stereotyping, here are a few commons opinions I’ve heard over time:

You don’t paint wood
More holes in the wall is a bad thing
But I like my favorite chair in that corner!
You just redid that room 5 years ago, why do you have to do it again?
Hey, where did you put my prized {marlin/antlers/dogs playing poker}?

I know, I know…I’m not being fair. There are many evolved men out there that “get it” when it comes to how and why we persistently nest. (You guys rock!).

Some good advice I got at our wedding was that “women think they can change men, but they don’t change. Men think women won’t change, but they do.” Maybe we redecorate a lot because we gave up on changing our men? LOL

What it comes down to is how to compromise and design a room you BOTH will like. Here are some tips for finding harmony in your design:

Establish the need: Ask him one thing he likes and dislikes about a room, then come up with a common objective. Is the layout a problem? Walls looking a bit rough? Is the décor outdated? Avoid “design speak” here – focus more on function. Once he feels you’re actually on the same page, he’ll feel that you’re working together.

Identify a style: Look through design magazines and clip out pages you like (no more than 10!). Ask him which of the pages you selected he likes the best, and why. This will help him to communicate his design style without having to use design jargon.

Propose a budget: Avoid the itemized list; just keep it to round numbers. Shop within your home first for accessories stored away or used in other rooms. Keep the focus on the shared objective. For example, I can make our home office less cluttered and more efficient for $XXX. And it wouldn’t hurt to mention that if you ever put your house on the market, an updated room shows much better.

Ask for help: Be clear about what you need his help with. Men want to be needed, but often prefer direct requests over vague suggestions.

Antlers and good design can indeed live in harmony!

Just be flexible and willing to really listen and compromise (but don’t concede your design to the point where a watered-down design is worse then what you had before).

Good luck!

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The Bold Redesigner

by Susan on March 11, 2009

in Decorating,Living Areas

I’ve been soooooo busy this past week that I haven’t had much time to write. I just got www.HOMEdigz.com ready for launch (please go sign up…it’s fun!), and we went to Ohio for a surprise 50th B-day party for a very dear friend of mine, with our kids in tow.

The flight was uneventful except when TSA wanted to discuss why our 3 year old stashed a butter knife in her hot pink “glamour girl” roller bag. After some very sincere apologies, we were on our way.

Now my family lives in Ohio, but my parents flew south for part of the winter, so we had their place to ourselves. Yes, you know what that means. Uninhibited rearranging! Bold, huh? I figure if they didn’t like it, my sister can help them move stuff back (if they remember where it was in the first place).

Just so you know, I didn’t go too crazy. I limited the changes to things I could carry myself.

In summary, here is what needed addressed the most:

Too many chairs. They do host parties, but they can bring chairs out as needed.
Too many floral arrangements. Too busy, and the potential for too much to dust. Plus it’s more fun to rotate the arrangements in and out so they feel fresher.
Accents were not displayed in natural groupings and they were too evenly spaced out. Plus there were too many out at one time.

So here’s what I did:

Before

After

Nothing too major…I moved chairs, end tables, plants, lights and accessories. I also adjusted the displays on their bookshelves to more logical groupings. It is still their style, just less busy.

It’s such a natural tendancy for cherished accents to accumulate to the point where your eye doesn’t know where to go first. Simplifying what is displayed can really take some “hidden” stress out of a room.

I sure hope they like it.