A to Z of Decorative Accessories, Part 1

Here is a laundry list of what you could be using to accessorize your home, starting with A:

Apples, both real and faux, make a nice year round filler for both bowls and clear glass vases. 

Books are great situated in staggered stacks on a shelving system or grouped by similar spine color to make a pyramid base for a decorative piece on top.

Chevron is still a go-to bold graphic print perfect for drapery panels, bedding, and throw pillows, along with framed wall art and wrap-around canvas prints.

Dishes can fan out beyond the kitchen and can turn a platter into an office tray and a serving bowl into an entryway item stash.  Also, keeping a formal dining table set with linens and plates add more dimension and lived-in staging to a less-utilized room.

End Tables are the links between larger furniture seating and can be eye-catching all on their own when they are unique pieces like drums and pedestals that house nice, organized décor collections.   

Fabrics are important layers to give rooms depth and texture while adding a warm, welcoming feeling.  Throw blankets and square and lumbar pillows give a simple couch and loveseat a cozy appeal.  And an end-of-the-bed blanket and multiple throw pillows dress up a bed and give it its snuggle factor.

Graphic prints go hand-in-hand with those fabrics, as well as with wall art.  Stripes, herringbone, quatrefoil, and scalloped patterns are popular prints for rugs, comforters, window panels, pillows, and framed prints for hanging.

Hostess elements add a welcoming tone to the home.  Luxurious hand soaps, rich candle fragrances, stacks of appetizer plates, monogrammed coasters, and fresh flowers all speak volumes about inviting you in to stop and stay awhile.

Inspiration is also a key thing to use when decorating.  What we see in magazines, online, on store shelves, and in the homes of others can inspire us to create newness and change in our own spaces.  It can be the simplest ideas that spark creativity in our craftiness.

Jars remain popular to serve drinks out of, anchor a hand bouquet of flowers, serve individual portions of cold salads or pudding, and hold pens, pencils, markers, and scissors in an office space.  Form and function meet in laidback glass jars.          

Keys, the oversized antique and scroll kind, are seen in framed prints, wall collages, and as added elements to a grouping on a coffee or foyer table.

Lamps add lighting in just the right spots and anchor end and sofa tables.  They can help convey a room’s theme, whether fun and funky or upscale and classic.

Mirrors are a staple of wall space, as they incorporate light and reflection and can open up a narrow area or room.  Large portrait mirrors and collections of smaller pieces both work well.

. . . And you will see the second half of the alphabet next Sunday!     

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star October 26th.

         

Fall Themed Parties

The fall season is a time of year that we love to get together.  Whether you’re the known hostess in the group or you’re new to looking for ideas to get a gathering started, kicking a party off with a fitting theme is a great place to start.

“Fall in Love” can be a theme on its own that you can take in multiple directions.  It would make a cute heading on an invitation for a dinner party for couples.  Or if you have some singles in your circle, you could play matchmaker and host a mixer to generate some first meetings.  Or it could simply be a nod to your love of the season when you center a party around what you love most about fall. 

Tailgating indoors or out falls right in line with all the football games currently entertaining fans.  Invite your chosen spectators to feast on game day favorites like chili, layered dip and chips, wings, and brownies while you’re all gathered around the big screen.  Keep it simple with paper goods and iced drinks and forgo the formality for tailgating fun.

A Harvest Day theme could include a hosted meal of seasonal staples that focus on fresh fare dishes like corn, varieties of squash, baked bread, and other garden goodies.  Or it could be an organized potluck that brings friends together to share their signature casseroles, veggies, and main dishes.  

A Campfire themed party can bring a little summer into the fall when you roast marshmallows over a backyard fire pit alongside a tray of graham crackers and chocolate bars for s’mores.  Roast some hotdogs, and serve popcorn in slim paper bags with glass bottled sodas.  Get the conversation headed in the direction of fireside stories, with maybe even a little scariness after dark.

Invite guests to an Autumn Apples dessert party and get them involved when they dip their own candy or caramel apples and add extra taste and texture with nuts, sprinkles, or a chocolate drizzle.  You could serve apple pie with ice cream or apples and toffee dip.  Serve hot apple cider in small cored out apples with cinnamon sticks for garnish. 

 Use a fun theme as a good excuse to invite friends and family over and spend some time together this season before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season warms up.  Whether it’s around the table, the fire, or the TV, time with good company is time well spent.

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star October 19th.

Scents of the Season

I love the sound of “breathing in the crisp fall air,” but I get that we don’t really have the opportunity to actually do it.  I choose to block out the hot air of our great outdoors and create my own fall atmosphere inside.  All I need is good scents. 

One great way to add some fall essence to your space is by burning scented candles.  I love the small Mason jar candles and three wick glass jar candles that come in a lengthy list of delicious fragrances like “Pumpkin Caramel Latte,” “Sea Salt & Maple Popcorn,” and “Pumpkin Pecan Waffles.”  Lighting one of these might help you skip dessert, they’re so sweet.  There are also many varieties that focus on leaves, woods, apples, cinnamon, and other crisp options.  Candles are long lasting and create scents that waft from the original room, really offering a treat for the senses. 

Wall plug-ins are another way to diffuse fall fragrances in your home.  They can be found in many different varieties and offer discrete scent dispersal from any outlet.  Oil burners offer a similar service and come in both plug-in and tealight candle options.  You fill the top portion with scented oil or a wax disc or square that melts and burns with the heat of a light bulb or small flame.  The aroma can cover quite a lot of square footage, really maximizing your scent distribution.

Room sprays are a hands-on way to add a quick spritz of seasonal scent to the air.  Keep a bottle in a drawer near your front entryway or under the kitchen sink for a fast mist when you’re expecting company or before you serve dinner.  Potpourri is a classic, and today it gets a bit of a modern twist when dried naturals, shells, nuts, and wooden pieces are combined in scented sets that can be poured into a decorative bowl and put on display.  When the strength of the scent dissipates, you can pour the set into a plastic storage bag, spray with a seasonal room spray, quickly zip it closed, and shake vigorously to add a fresh coating.  Add it back to your bowl, and it’s like brand new potpourri again.

I’m also a fan of updating all the soaps around the house for each season.  I stock up on hand soaps for the kitchen and each bathroom sink, as well as new shower gel in a few fall varieties.  Each time you turn on a faucet, you get a little dose of good-smelling yumminess.              

That fall feel doesn’t have to originate outside; it can be created indoors with sweet aromas and spicy sprays that envelop you in the scents of the season.  

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star October 12th.

20 Ways to Decorate a Pumpkin

October is here, and pumpkins are the name of the decorating game this month.  Want to get creative with your design this year?  Here are 20 ways to decorate a pumpkin!

It might be hard to knock paint off the top of my pretty-pumpkin list.  Annually, I do love to wrap a pumpkin in strips of painters’ tape and spray paint the exposed areas for countless print and pattern options.  Cover a pumpkin in chalkboard paint for a design that can be changed with a swipe of a damp cloth.  These real pumpkins make great front door or table centerpiece displays.  For a more whole-family friendly version, cover the kitchen table in newsprint and let the kids paint with finger paints to create unique little works of art.  

Want less mess?  Opt for strips of ribbon.   Stripes, a chevron pattern, and a herringbone pattern can all be neatly achieved with sections of ribbon cut and held in place with thumb tacks.  For a designer accent look, just use the thumb tacks to create a design or outline the curves the way nailhead trim accentuates furniture pieces.  Use craft glue and a stash of buttons, beads, sequins, or gems to spell out a pumpkin message or create a festive design.  Use of mix of school glue and water to create a glue wash, coat a pumpkin while over the sink, and cover it with glitter or confetti while it is wet.   Your end result will be a sparkly finished product. 

Pumpkin carving is given a modern twist when a pumpkin center is cored out, and the carving gets crafty.  Drill uniform holes to resemble a Broadway light bulb message, and light the inside with a battery operated candle illuminate your lettering.  Remove the insides of a few mini pumpkins and use them as small succulent planters.

Other no-carve options include affixing house numbers to a pumpkin with their hardware for a front porch display.  Wrap a message or a series of words or names around using scrapbooking or mailbox-style letter stickers.  I’ve seen pumpkins playing dress-up, with felt shapes creating the look of masks, wings, or spider legs.  Make faces using stick-on googly eyes.  Have a run in a pair of textured tights?  Squeeze a pumpkin in a foot, pull it tight around, and cut and tie off at the top for a sheer patterned look.     

This is just the stem of the pumpkin when it comes to all the ways you can get creative and crafty to decorate the seasonal staple that is pumpkin décor! What will you design? 

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star October 5th.