Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Art Smart~How Wonderful Life Is


Happy New Year's Eve everyone! We hope you have a wonderful night, whether it's at a big party or home with family, make it a good one!

We found this wonderful artwork from suzannaanna that says "How Wonderful
Life Is When You're in the World." We think it sends such a nice, positive message for the New Year, and would just look really great on the walls! We think in a child's room they might find it especially positive, or why not in your own room?!

Please check back tomorrow for our brand new feature, Decorator of the Month!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Dandy Chande Tuesday


How pretty is this non-chandelier chandelier? We keep picturing it over a bed, or in a bathroom so you can stare at it from your bathtub. :) Annnnd for under $70, we'll take two...thank-you!

Monday, December 29, 2008

Design Tip of the Week (12.29.08): Paint Your Cabinets


{Photo from HGTV.com}

Hello everyone-we hope you had a great holiday break! Again, we are very excited to bring you some new features in the coming New Year, stay tuned this week!

Since the New Year is fast approaching, we thought ideas for a new kitchen might be in order. Whether you are selling your house, or just need a fresh new approach to your kitchen (and don't have the money or the time for a full renovation), here are some great ideas/photos from HGTV.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

P4D Reader's DIY for the Holidays!

Laura from North Carolina submitted a unique and fun way to display her family's holiday cards.

She purchased a small to medium sized artificial tree and hung all their cards as ornaments. The tree was very affordable and it's something that can be easily re-used next holiday season. Thank you Laura for sharing this fun idea!



Today will be our last post of this week, and we will be back on Dec. 29th! Stay tuned on Jan. 1, 2009 for our new feature the 1st of each month called "Decorator of the Month", where we will feature friends and family's wonderfully decorated homes/condos/apartments to bring you some inspiration.

We hope you have a very Happy Holiday! Cheers!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Design Tip of the Week (12.22.08): Set the Scene for a Glamorous Holiday

Move beyond the traditional and go for the Fabulous! Bring in colors that you wouldn't typically associate with the holiday season (like pastels) and glam it up with lots of metallics, crystal and of course CANDLES!


This tablescape uses a pink, silver and white color scheme. Ornaments are hung from branches on each end of the table and each place setting has a single calalilly in a small white vase.



Adorn your mantle and brighten up your room with an abundant candle display. Just select one color palatte for your candle stick holders and then select candles of a uniform color. Here silver candle stick holders and white candles are used to brighten up the mantle, white flowers are mixed in for more a bit of elegance, and some, and the impact of the display is magnified by mirrors placed behind it.



Use these crystal drop ornaments from Target anywhere in your house, not just the tree!

We hope you have been enjoying our holiday posts. Yes, we've been a little obsessed with the holidays, but this is when decorating can be really fun to try new things out-so why not!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Friday Finds: Cheers with Golden Chalices



These wine glasses are mini works of art for the table. They are a great addition to the table, and will probably steal the show. Kim Seybert's Gold Carved Wine Glasses can be purchased from Elements which is a great source for unique design.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

DIY Tips & Tricks: Holiday Projects


Edible Place Cards! This may be the best place card ever created- its cute and DELISH. Make your own rice krispie treat snowman, topped with a chocolate dipped marshmallow hat to help your guests find their seats at the dinner table.




Make your own candy topiary Christmas trees. Simply get some Styrofoam triangle cylinders and attach your favorite candies to create these tasty decorations. Some great candy ideas include red and white mints, colorful gummy candies, and rock candy. Display them on different sizd large pillar candle holders to make them less cute an more stylish.




Make your own fragrant ornaments or wreaths with dried out fruit slices. You can bake them to dry them out fully. Use oranges, apples, cinnamon sticks and grapefruits.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Art & Shopping: DC Love


Here is the perfect gift for the DC lover in your life~gocco screenprint DC Love II from Art Shark Designs

You just cannot find more unique home accessories and gifts than on etsy! We would sell our souls for just one more day with etsy!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Dandy Chande Tuesday


Check out this beautiful turquoise and gold chandy from Maura Daniel. It would look wonderful in a bedroom that has a duponi silk bedspread, wooden accessories for an indian inspired look-and you will never want to leave!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Design Tip of the Week (12.15.08): Hanukkah TableScapes

Hanukkah is on deck (the first night is next Sunday) and here are a few ideas for fun holiday accents to celebrate what is known as "the festival of lights". Traditionally, the colors associated with Hanukkah are blue, silver and white. These are wonderful colors to do some upscale table decorating with. These colors are also great winter colors so if you do not celebrate Hanukkah, you can Tailor these ideas to create a dinner winter wonderland.

Use a Menorah as the focal point, this is a candelabra which is designed to celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah. A menorah has eight level candles and one raised candle which is used to light the other candles each night.

Lowes used the concept of the menorah to create the centerpiece of this holiday table. They used a raised surface, covered it and lined us pillar candles (8 equal in height and 1 taller than the rest). This was a really clever way to work in the centerpiece of the Hanukkah celebration without having the actual candelabra in the center of the table.


This table uses the traditional Menorah as the centerpiece with blue and silver accents. Simple but elegant.


Sandra Lee from the Food Network created this tablescape using fun blue glasses and accenting the table with gold Hanukkah gelt, a fun and edible table accessory!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Art Smart~We <3 NYC


We heart NYC. We heart Brooklyn. We heart the skyline of the city. How about a serene little shadowbox scene of NYC for a holiday present? Check it out here from peppersprout's etsy store.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Dandy Chande Tuesday ~ Icy Chande


We are so in love with anything that makes us think of the holidays right now...and anything under $100! Check out this chandy that looks like a bunch of icicles from far away~but of course could be used year round in a modern decorated dining room.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Design Tip of the Week (12.8.08): A Green Holiday Season

While you are preparing your homes for the holidays think about the ways in which you can save electricity and be more friendly to the environment. Here are some tips to help you make your holiday season a little more green.


*Use LED string lights for the tree, they are energy efficient as well as safe (they do not give off any heat).




*Make your own ornaments! P4D will bring you some DIY ornament projects over the next few weeks.




*Use beeswax candles instead of paraffin wax. Beeswax burns cleaner, longer and they have a natural scent.




*Use solar lights for your outside decorating. Solar holiday lights are available in many different styles and colors.




*Opt for a real tree versus a fake one. Tree farms are harvested for this specific reason while fake trees although re-usable, are made of plastic and metal which are not biodegradable.

For more tips on being green this holiday season, please visit www.easygreenlivingtips.org

Friday, December 5, 2008

Friday Finds: Great Gift for Pet Lover's

The holiday's are definitely on our mind, can you tell? But pets are always on our mind. :)

Check out this wonderful little hammock-like pet bed here by Hepper from Feel More Human's online shop. And under $100, it would make a great gift for the style concious dog and/or cat lover. We see Jen's french bulldog's head hanging over the side, snoring already!






Have a wonderful weekend! We highly suggest getting your holiday shopping done early and online!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

DIY Tips & Tricks: Mirrors

We thought since we have so many new readers - that we would take today to show an older DIY post about mirrors that some of you may have not seen yet.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Art Smart ~ Time for A Change

Today we have fallen in love with this little desk calendar from churchanimals.





All of the drawings are adorable, with simple little wishes for 2009:

This year's wishes:
January - a change
February - something homemade
March - a little perspective
April - time to start over
May - a surprise
June - a new song
July - a rope swing
August - a quiet place to sit
September - a thunderstorm
October - a place to call home
November - a recipe once forgotten
December - something hot when it's cold

They just remind us of being a kid. Strive to head back to simplicity next year, if only through this calendar. :)

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Dandy Chande Tuesday~Shabby Chande


We are feeling Shabby Chic this week! This sage chandy would look really elegant and sophisticated in a dining room with rich brown walls. Or you could buy the same chandy-and paint the dining room a few shades darker (in sage). Then mix in various elements and accessories with purples, browns, oranges, and pinks (Napkins, vases, etc.). It would give a really nice year round spring time effect! We are trying to do anything to prevent the winter blues. :) It's making us happy just thinking about it.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Design Tip of the Week (12.1.08): Feeling full? Lighten up!

After the huge thanksgiving meal is over and you are stuffed for days, there probably is nothing more satisfying than lightening your load. Its a perfect time to do some pre-holiday, post gorging cleaning! Here are some tips to lightening up around the house.

*Declutter the stuff you NEED with some organizational accessories. A favorite of ours is the organizer/charger for all your gadgets. The unruly wires can make you crazy, so this is a great gift to get a gadget lover or yourself to keep your wires hidden and your techie needs all in one convenient location. This organizer from Brookstone is the most affordable and has the most charging stations.


*Throw out! This is hard for many (me included) but just get rid of what you don't use. Here are some easy decluttering strategies:

-Share your books! Do a book exchange with your friends instead of holiday gifts or donate them to the shared library you have at work.

-Do a one in and one out policy for clothing and accessories to free up some prime realty for the holidays.

-Get a shredder and go to town. The paper work can be endless and a shredder makes throwing out fun and satisfying. Use the shredding to pack your fragile holiday gifts you're shipping off!

*Get a storage system for your holiday needs. Once you declutter, don't let your decorations and wrapping paper take over your house. The Container Store also has some great holiday specific storage solutions that include gift wrap, ornaments and wreath storage.