In with the NEW and out with the old!

"In with the NEW and out with the old!"

Happy New Year everyone!!!! As you may have noticed from the time line I took a few weeks off for the holidays! It was a wonderful break with my family and friends and I treasured our lazy days together. A week of that time we were sick with this yucky flu stuff but it was still a relaxing time together none the less and I am a little sad to see it go. Of course, it might be that I'm sad since I sent my oldest back to college after having him home for so long! I always go through a bit of a mourning process when he goes back!

But, I am super excited to share with you all the new projects I have planned this year! There is going to be some fun stuff which includes a Master Bedroom make over, an Office/Craft Room Makeover, Painting how-to Workshops, and DIY projects like re-upholstering chairs and building a tufted headboard. I have been working on the remodel ideas over the break and have finally decided what will work with my budget and space. I will be sharing those with you over the next few months and of course there will be lots of paintin' going on, which as you know makes me

happy, happy, happy!

The new year for me, like most people, is about setting achievable goals, re-organizing and reflecting! I say achievable because a lot of times we try to set these goals that are way out of reach and then get discouraged when it doesn't work out. I used to do this all the time but now I set acheivable goals (like baby steps) to get to the bigger goal in the end. It really works much better for me!

One of the things I really love to do any time of year though, is to re-do spaces which involves updating decor and de-cluttering. Sometimes I wonder how I get all the "stuff" in my house, being such a minimalist. LOL! But I think it's always a good idea that once those new Christmas presents get sorted into the old, we take a look at space and see whether or not we can get rid of things we longer use. I love to sort through my closet for clothes that I know I haven't worn in a while and donate them or take them to our local resale shops. The resale shop is nice because the money that I receive for my used clothing, I can put towards something else in my budget or those updates in decor that I was talking about. Living on a budget, which is unfortuately something we all have to do, is easy when it comes to redecorating, if you know how to do it.

The best advice that I have ever heard in decorating and design on a budget is to go with neutral colors on your major purchases like couches, chairs, and large pieces of furniture. After those major purchases, you can work in color with rugs, pillows, and window treatments that are less costly and easy to change out to alter your home decor. And if you are a constant DIY'er like me, you can always paint the furniture to add some light or color.

A perfect example of keeping it neutral? Grab any Pottery Barn catalog or check out their pinterest page and look at the major design elements. You will find a whole lot of neutral, (white, black, brown, and grays) in the big pieces of furniture with the other design elements done in color or bold patterns.

Look at this pin from Pottery Barn's pinterest page...

This is a lot of color in just small accent pieces that lend a warm, vibrant and cohesive feel to the room. However, be sure to stay away from bold patterns that will overwhelm the size of your room, even if it is an accent piece. For example large bold prints in rugs, chairs or curtains that make the room look smaller or distract from the overall look.

For me, curtains are a pain in the bazooka, so I tend to leave those neutral too, but of course that is just a preference on my part; or laziness, not sure! Pillows, however, are my favorite (creme de la creme) of things to change about my decor.

Why? Well, basically they can be a low cost item and can bring style and color into that monochromatic (neutral) theme. If you have seen my home tour, you know that I use a lot of black, tans, browns, creams, and even some grays, (which are my favorite). I use this color combo because I have had the same couches and chairs for many years, I mean MANY! LOL! Although, the red couch ( huge mistake on my purchase; just because it was cheaper) is going this year. I really want to get rid of that couch, that's why I'm sharing with you in hopes you don't make the same mistake......trust me when I say keep it Neutral! :) Here is a pic of my living room right now!

I really don't even like red that much in anything! When I choose my Pins on Pinterest, I usually pick a lot of whites, grays, and touches of black & brown with muted blues and greens! In fact, when I get ready to replace that couch I will do something like the living room from Julie Blanner at Coordinately Yours lifestyle blog!

Of course, I will probably need to paint my walls too and I would add some muted greens and blues for accents to match the rest of my home!

Oh, the possibilities with white or neutral furniture, right? Can you think of all the color you could add to this or patterns.....oooh....awwwww!!!!!

For now though, my pillows will need to stay neutral to freshen up my space. The french graphic pillows are my favorite and I will use them no matter what new decor I decide on in the future; because it is all about coordinating the pieces that you love!

My new pillows for Maison Designs shop @ Daisies & Olives (the antique shop where I sell some of my projects) were hand made by my mom in law. I'm using some of them to freshen up my look at home too!

Here are some of our new pillows for our home and shop:

Not only am I in love with the graphic designs but I really love the navy ticking stripe below.

This neutral chevron is fun and versatile! It can be used with other colored, patterned or graphic pillows to add texture to your design.

Of course, I love this Paris graphic!

So, you see it's easy to change out pillows. You can find nice pillows on any budget and define your style or refresh your home with them at any time. If you can sew like my mom in law, you can really save money and be creative by making your own designs.

I would love to hear what things you do in the new year!

Until next time......get your creative on!!!!