What? It’s Already Mid-December!

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

Does anyone else feel like the holiday season is flying by very quickly this year? Thanksgiving falling so late last month, probably had something to do with things. I just can’t conjure up much enthusiasm for any holiday decorating, and December is already half way gone. I haven’t brought up any tubs or trunks from the crawl space. No big tree up. And I don’t plan to do either of those this time around.

My mood is quite deflated. Hubs has had two health emergencies since mid-October, which included an ambulance ride to the Twin Cities, surgeries and a stay at University Hospital there. Fortunately he is fine at this point, and life is calming a bit. But decorating is not at the top of our list right now.

I haven’t become a complete Scrooge though. I’m just using some of my 1-2-3, EZ-PZ decor ideas instead. Sharing some with you today, too, in case you’re in the same frame of mind. Most are made with things you probably already have, without digging too deeply into your storage containers.

1. ORNAMENTS in Anything

Simply put a few colorful ornaments in any container you have;

a basket, a bowl, any glass jar or vase available.

EZ PZ with things you already have.

Below, the ornaments are in a beautiful, giant copper leaf piece, a gift from one of my daughters. The little “Russian Doll” snowmen another daughter and I saw years ago while shopping at Sears. They were on the check-out counter and I said how cute they were. So the clerk said “Here, you can have these!” A memory moment for sure.

YES … you know it. Even my bathroom gets decorated.

BLING belongs everywhere. . . you knew that, right!

2. PLANTS, PINES & BRANCHES

Pointsettias are everywhere. Buy one or two for important spots in your room. I’ve noticed great prices on these at Aldi’s and Wal-Mart this year.

Pine branches are easy to come by and so are fake pine garlands.

A small grouping of pine, a faux flower and a Holiday item are an instant little vignette.

See, you don’t need a lot. Sometimes simplicity is elegant, effective … and FAST. And putting that blue plant container in a Christmas colored basket would be great too! The table runner is paper and ribbon. See below

3. BASKETS, BOXES and PAPER

Put one of your houseplants in a bright basket. Wrap some empty boxes in varied sizes and papers. Only takes a few minutes. OR you could wrap small items you’re giving as guest favors and throw them in a big basket. NO TREE . . . take a bamboo basket or tub, and put all your gift-wrapped presents in them. Lots of bang with what you have already.

4. RIBBON

This is one of the most easy and fun ideas. No pictures but just use your imagination. Make one big bow for a centerpiece. Make several small bows to scatter here, there and everywhere. Make a quick tree garland or wall banner with thick ribbon and a few unbreakable ornaments. Wrap jars with pretty ribbon and use as serving pieces … hold candy, silverware, extra napkins, etc. HAVE FUN.

5. CANDY

?? Candy ?? YES, that’s what it says. Hey talk about multiple duties: decor, gifts, food AND inexpensive. C’mon people, candy is perfect!

Stores have tons of beautiful foil wrapped chocolates and candies for the holidays. USE em! OR Candy canes are cheap, pretty and edible. Hang them on the tree, put em’ in a jar (with a ribbon tied round it).

The next shot includes Paper, Fabric, Pine Branches and Ornaments, used in pieces I already owned. AND this arrangement carried me during Fall through New Years that year!

TIPS: Re: After Christmas sales: 1. Look for designs that instantly catch your eye. For banners and many other projects, you’ll want variety so choose cards that have several designs in the box. These screamed my name right away. The design is big, colorful and generic themed AND the images are glittered = sparkle and interest. 2. Look for cards with COLORED ENVELOPES. That’s just more colored paper for any crafts!
3. Faux Flowers: Bushes of flowers rather than single stems, give you more bang for your buck. Just snip off individual blooms to scatter through the house.
4. Wrapping paper: I always buy the widest, longest rolls … not the short, skimpy ones. I look for paper in colors that can be used ALL YEAR ROUND not just seasonally. I buy as many coordinated patterns and colors as I can afford. Paper doesn’t spoil, right! 5. DON’T MISS your local thrift store sales, both before and after Christmas. TON’S of deals there and you’re supporting your community, too! 6. Always start with my golden rule . . . house shop first, use what you already have before buying more!

Christmas cards & colored envelopes Wrapping paper Fabric remnants Unbreakable Christmas Ornaments Houseplants Candy Christmas decor pieces (you already have) Already owned vases, jars, holders, etc.

FINALLY . . . here’s the EASIEST.

Take down some of your wall art pictures; wrap them with pretty paper and ribbon, then hang em’ back up. There you go … instant Christmas decor.

CLICK THIS TO FIND MORE EASY IDEAS.

Have fun with these. Hopefully you’ll be more enthused about the holidays now. I am 🙂 We’ll talk again soon.

I love getting comments and YOUR ideas too. Send em’ my way.

Later – Cheryl

Happy Easter

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

Happy Easter

Wow, That New Color Is Just . . .

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

. . . NOT WORKING !

There’s always plenty of color around my house. That is no surprise to anyone. And even my frequent wall color changes are familiar to most. Long time readers will also recall that probably close to 80% of walls around here lean to neutrals with warm tones.

The master bedroom has a burnt orange accent wall with sides in a dulled gold color. The gold is very light but below, you get a little better idea, with it against the other walls/ceiling.

My studio/workroom is also nice and warm.

The most recent look on walls in our one and only bathroom, went from very light beige to blue, a rather warm aqua but still blue, which was a big difference.

Again, wall color in the photo is off. The top aqua stripe in the shower curtain is closer.

Above is a corner of the vanity in that room. Wanted to share the funky poster, but again, the photo does not represent the true wall color, which is much brighter.

Last Fall while recovering from surgeries, I was becoming very restless . . . and so bored! (started to say I was “dying” of boredom but decided it wasn’t a good word choice here 😀 With little to do besides stare at the walls, it seemed my accent walls in particular, had also become boring and no longer much of an accent. Time for a new look.

So I decided to change the three accent walls in our open living area.

This offered another opportunity for me to step out of my usual color family. Hubs likes blues. Our second bedroom is in a gray-blue shade, and he is really happy with the bathroom.

So I went from this . . .

. . . to this.

and after a switch out of chairs, to this.

When we were discussing and testing paint chips, it came down to a deep gold or a blue of some kind. All the gold samples we saw seemed just too yellow. Hubs called them “baby poop” ! Switching to the blues, I succeeded in finding a shade pulled right out of the painting. It’s almost exact. You can read all about it over here.

Now it’s about five months in, and when I say “in” that is literal. We’ve had record breaking snowstorms and cold weather this season, so we’ve stayed in … a lot! Lots of looking at that one big wall and a smaller one in the kitchen. I didn’t even get to the third wall that’s always included with the accent color.

I had to work at adapting, and kept telling myself we just needed to sprinkle a similar color around with accessories in the other rooms of the living area. Before we changed chairs, I reupholstered the seats on the mismatched sets

From this . . .

. . . to this.

In the kitchen side of the open area, I brought in some blue dish displays.

But they were a bit too light for our new walls. So I darkened things up . . .

That felt much better, so I continued with the dark blues on the cabinet top displays out there too!

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Well now, we are loving the new displays, and have received lots of wonderful complements on them. So it has helped me warm up to the new walls. Hubs said he liked the color . . . at first, and remember he’s fond of blues.

He came in from the workshop today, looked at me and said “I don’t like that color.” I couldn’t believe it. After living with it for a while, he says it’s too dark and cold, and wants something brighter and/or warmer. That means more work, but it’s okay with him, because I do all the painting 😀 He DOES hold the ladder and wipe up drips though!

So friends and followers, I guess it’s a case of . . . here we go again. No matter how much design knowledge you may have, or just plain good luck that’s been yours choosing wall colors . . . sometimes you just have to try one and live with it a while, to see how well it works for you!

We’ll all just have to wait and see on this room. No worry, you’ll know what comes next!

– Later –

Cheryl

Is It Time . . . to Color Things Up?

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

This was one of MY favorite posts from 2018, so am showing it off again 😀

When I pull out a flip chart of paint cards, sometimes the reactions are alarming. So many people are intimidated … literally afraid of using color, and to them, thinking about all those choices is frightening.

Going to completely the opposite direction, let’s consider WHITE. Take a look at this little post from Daily Dream Decor that I found over on Bloglovin.

There are some great ideas here, but if that were the whole house, someone would have to lock me away in a private little white room! 😀

Rental apartments are notoriously painted in white or very light neutral colors. That’s an easy way to ease into color. The way to do that is with accessories. Below, they’ve used naturals (dark wood & plants) and a trio of golds, oranges, browns and greens in the accessories. So the “all white” room looks wonderful, not boring.

Bedroom by San Francisco Architects & Designers Architect Mason Kirby Inc.

Decor gets braver in the living room below, where they’ve used color on the permanent pieces, i.e. couch and chair. White remains predominant on the walls & ceilings, the rug, lampshades and even the plant and framed art. But NOTE the window sheers are coupled with a slightly deeper neutral, a beige that works into the orange toss pillows. Finishing touch is the deeper tones of the vase and flowers. Everything inside also tends to play nicely with the outdoor view.

Traditional Living Room by Elkridge Interior Designers & Decorators AFP Interiors LLC

Dark floors give light neutrals life and ground the room. Here other accessories in similar shades as the floor, help pull your eyes through the room. Here again, a fun large plant adds additional color to the room, as well as texture and interest.

Contemporary Bedroom by San Francisco Interior Designers & Decorators Amoroso Design

The living room below is much braver. The dark floor color continues up the wall in the fireplace surround. The gorgeous green really livens up the room and is repeated in the area rug. The third color orange is a great accent to all. NOTE how wonderfully the art work and metals unite it all to produce a great look.

Modern Living Room by Washington Architects & Designers COLEPREVOST

A totally different affect is seen in this final shot. The ceiling has been painted in a dark color, and the majority of the floor is light, covered partially with the geometric rug. Lively colors and textures add interest throughout, with the art, lamp and coffee table tones. NOTE how the dark plant and white vase take your eye down to the black & white rug, which of course reminds you of that ceiling. The green pieces add fun, with the turquoise and green glass the wow factor.

Modern Living Room by Decatur Interior Designers & Decorators Walter Studio Interior Design

Black and white sprinkled through a room help give the eye a break, a resting spot. This tip works in display too.

Whether you’re a “white wall” person or someone beginning to experiment with color, I hope you’ve enjoyed my post. I love comments, so let me know what you think.

Until next time.

Cheryl

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It’s Gonna Be a BLUE Christmas

Posted on December 15, 2018 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

Hi . . . How are you?

I’m blue.

Well . . . at least my 2018 Christmas look is.

Three factors determined our holiday decor this year.

Low energy & ambition .
Della
Quick thrift trip

The last half of this year has been a circus of doctors, surgeons, hospitals and appointments, which has put energy levels, ambition and creativity on a constant roller coaster ride. Things are much improved but still not up to par.

When Hubs began gathering the decoration bins, most sat unopened, as my mood quickly changed from excitement to exhaustion. A peek at the ornament boxes revealed the blue, white and silver pieces on top, so that became our 2018 color scheme.

Holidays mean Hubs gladly allows me to do all of the decorating, especially the BIG tree. Below is a look from past years.

The second obstacle this season is Della, our eight month puppy.

While still cute . . . not so small anymore.

She can only lay on top of that chair now.

So no big tree this time! Not yet grown out of her puppy personality (destructiveness).

The blues became official with a quick trip to a favorite thrift store, where ALL CHRISTMAS items happened to be 1/2 off. Some great pieces, and so many in blue hues.

So at home, a blue Christmas it is, which works quite well with the new accent color we’re using in our open dining/kitchen area.

A small tree instead of the tall.

Little vignettes on the tables . . .

. . . and the wall

Cabinet tops join in, with glass, trees, plates and tins.

Our hutch is the place most fun. Della can’t reach so it’s a safe one

Two nativity sets are always a go . . .

. . . it’s modern in the bedroom . . .

and traditional on the piano.

With this Christmas of blue, my hopes are that you will enjoy this colorful season, too. Have a wonderful holiday, stay safe and warm, and we’ll meet the new year together.

Merry Christmas from me and the Hubs 🙂

Later – Cheryl

Some Seasonal This & That

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

In our home this year, I’m keeping seasonal stuff simple. From foods to decorating, it’s quick and easy all, especially through November.

With this in mind, I scanned through my photo stash and in doing so, discovered the “sweet and simple” idea is not a new one around my house.

Of course a bit of sparkle here and there isn’t difficult to achieve.

A little color and shine can go a long way.

Or sometimes just a nice floral arrangement has a lot to say.

And if a big arrangement isn’t your thing . . .

try a basket, a couple plants or garden picks, a scarf and some sparkly items.

Before closing, I wanted to again share this simple and fun poem and kid’s project.

Thanksgiving preparations are at hand.
Menus being made, days being planned.
Arranging rooms for extra seating.
Cleaning, cooking, talking, eating.
The youngest crowd might be ignored.
They get restless, they get bored.
Keep all kids busy with fun projects they’ll like.
Have the older kids help the little tikes.

Cheryl Brindle

THESE EASY PROJECTS & Printables are FOUND HERE

and OVER HERE

I really enjoy and appreciate your thoughts and comments on my posts, so let me know what you think. And remember, it’s okay to share as long as you give credit where credit is due … to me 🙂

Have a wonderful holiday and make lot’s of special memories 🙂

Later – Cheryl

Purple . . . for Autumn??

Posted on October 24, 2018 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

Each week things improve and recently a bit of ambition struck. I decided to paint my dining room area. It’s an open space between the living and family rooms. There are two smaller walls and one large, and so far the large, accent wall and one small area are done.

Hubs was a wonderful assistant and made things easier. Odd as it may sound, the most difficult part of the project was deciding what color to choose. In fourteen years, these walls have gone from the builder beige, to a deep taupe, a warm burgundy, a deep blue/green and most recent, a deep, warm brown, seen below.

Lighting gives photos glare, but you can see the brown. The print is something my husband and I picked out for that wall when we first moved in to this home. He is very patient with all of my changing and rearranging, but the one and only time I moved the print to a different room . . . well let’s just say, he nicely ~~requested~~ made it clear he wanted it to stay where it had been. And I’ve been fine with that.

Adjusting to all the recent changes in our lives, I just needed a new look, something brighter to get me through the coming winter. New colors were narrowed down to a mustard gold, or a blue tone from the water at the right of the print. I’m not much of a blue gal, but all the gold samples seemed too harsh and we jokingly referred to them as looking like baby poop 😀 . And I DID want a big change.

We brought home several samples and are very pleased with the results of our choice. I don’t think I could have gotten any closer to the purplish blue of the print’s water. It also works very well with the lamps in the adjoining family room. Bringing in blues, glass items and adding plants, it was easy to pull the two spaces together.

And of course, when you change one thing, there are always others that pop up. The table cover and the chair seat covers were very (normal) Fall colors, with oranges, beiges and deep burgandy. At the moment, we’re using mismatched chairs and covers.

While healing, I’ve also been slowly chipping away at reorganizing my studio/office, and rounded up all my fabric samples. While it isn’t perfect, I did have a large sample of a modern paisley print in many shades of blues, a light off-white and a touch of two shades of green. It looks bright and fresh, so I covered my chair seats.

Oh, nice. I just noticed a touch of dark brown here and there, so that helps unite the woods in the furniture and the print frame. This time I used the same fabric on both styles of chairs.

To finish things, there is just enough fabric left to make a table runner. Until I get to that, I’m using a square scarf that plays well with everything.

Regarding the work in the office, well it’s at the “it has to get worse before it gets better” stage! I DO have all the shelves and cabinets in the closet done. Now it’s a matter of seeing what I can donate, sell or throw.

I had one wall in the office repainted, before I went into hospital. There’s one big and one small wall left to fill, sand and paint. I’m REALLY trying to cut back on furniture pieces and all my craft stuff in there.

Luckily for me, I have two neighbors who are 3rd grade teachers and I think they may like quite a few of my supplies.

A quick health update. I have two more surgeries coming up, and hopefully both can be done by end of year. I want to think of it as 2018 – the year of the knife, but hoping that 2019 is the year of a new life!

Finally, before closing, I am noticing that several people are sharing my posts on facebook, 22 the last post. That is all fine AS LONG AS YOU ARE CREDITING ME FOR MY POSTS AND PHOTOS. I ask that you please leave a comment on my posts that you share. That will mention your site as well, and give us BOTH exposure, and me, the credit due me. Thank you for your understanding.

As I’ve noticeably skipped Halloween topics this year. just go to the search window and put in Halloween, Fall, Autumn and like terms to see my many previous posts.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to post again before Thanksgiving, but if not, enjoy your holidays. Stay safe and stay positive.

– Cheryl _

Say WHAT! It’s October … already?

Posted on October 3, 2018 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

Needless to say, it’s been a while. In the interim, I’ve had some major health and life adjustments. It took a bit to get right with it, and things are good now, but I can hardly believe it’s Fall, somehow.

So, today, pulling up favorite autumn pics just seemed to be a fun thing to do. Be warned that I LOVE the color orange, one always associated with this time of year.

(TIP) While it brings Autumn to mind, orange is a color that can be used in decor nearly year round, except possibly in December. Today, we’ll have fun with Fall.

A unique discovery ($4.75) from our local thrift store. I learned this is called Blendo, and comes in several other colors and pieces.

It’s a known fact that I decorate the tops of my kitchen cabinets, and the set above has been displayed there, both in Summer and Fall.

(TIP) Sometimes a small change, a pillow or throw, and adding color with accessories like a vase, tin or even a book, can give the feel of the season. Below, a branch and a gourd were natural (and free/inexpensive) elements used.

Many of my (TIP) collected and thrifted pieces are in Autumn hues. So I’ll share some of those here, with you too. FireKing plates for sparkle, an Obert’ painted plate and a MCM C & S set for color. A spray painted, dried floral piece & a little block of walnut from my Hubs’ shop, were added for height and a bit of bling.

(TIP) Use what you have when you decorate. Below, a scarf is a table runner, an old Avon perfume bottle and a small glass ball add shine and interest. A bouquet of items from the yard is casually arranged in a little orange vase, and a pottery server and bowl add texture and ground the entire vignette.

This post alone, has shown you my love of Autumn colors, and shiny things LOL. (TIP) Another easy decor item is plants. They’re very affordable, add beauty and interest, and are down right good for you to have in your home, AND . . . they’re fun.

Everything in this easy little group was found on thrifting trips, except the plant & it’s vase – the vase was my mom’s. The Avon bottle, mail box wall hanging, a scarf and the candle holder were very inexpensive things I found ITW (in the wild LOL).

(TIP) When thrift shopping for decorating items, don’t shop for a specific thing, just buy things you like. Doing that means they will work together with other things you already have.

Remember last time’s post with the plate rack? Before I sign off, here’s a display for Fall using it.

Many thanks for stopping by today, and I really like getting your comments so feel free to leave a note.

The next post will be a little sooner, but until then I hope all is well with you. It’s often very hard to be/stay positive, but I’m trying and hope you can, too 🙂

Later – Cheryl

Pretty Plates Make Pretty Easy Decor

Posted on July 31, 2018 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

It’s not the best of titles, I admit, but wanted to get this article down as it came to mind. In other words, I’m hoping to think of a better opener by the time I finish this post 😀

Anyone who knows and/or follows me, is very aware that I collect MANY things. And when collecting, I never part with much moula. Thrifting is the way I roll, and beautiful plates of all patterns, colors and sizes, are so easy to find!

This is a wall rack for multiple plates, that I bought for $2.00 at a local Good Will.

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Now, I am also known to push the envelope occasionally . . .

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so naturally, just one plate per shelf was far too boring.

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While not too bad a look, a bit too casual for what I was thinking of.

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So I added a second smaller plate in similar colors.

Hhmm. Still needed something. Remembered I had these little beauties . . .

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and added them for a little bling.

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What do ya think? Yes? No?

Well . . . maybe just one more thing.

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Ah Hah. And there we have it.

I’ll leave you with a few reminder tips

Make use of corner spaces AND floor areas as well as your walls
Use what you’ve got, but experiment, mix it up
Make sure the pieces in your display play nicely together
Multiple textures add interest … and a plant or two can help as well
When shopping, buy what you like. It will all fall together at some point
1. All of the sets of plates here, were thrifted; none were purchased together, but bought separately … because I just liked them

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Thanks for hangin’ in there with me, even though posts have been few and far between of late. Health issues have popped up, and we’re not quite done yet. As shorter posts are easier, I’ll try to visit you in that manner for a while.

In the meantime, stay positive, keep exploring and experimenting with your home!

Later – Cheryl P.S. I just couldn’t come up with a catchier title 😀