White Pottery Collection

I've got a thing for white pottery. Well, pottery in general if truth be told. There's something about the sculptural lines of hand-thrown pitchers, pots, bottles and bowls. And when they're all white, a collection looks so clean. So artistic. Soothing in a way.

Wouldn't you agree?

How about the forms of these from West Elm? Sooooo pretty!

We recently purchased a set of open shelves, and I've struggled with how to arrange my collections on them. I have a lot of dark brown pottery, and had most of it on my shelves - with a lot of other stuff, too. I never really got that "aha" feeling when I looked upon them.

The shelves are made from gorgeous reclaimed wood, and with so many items on them, the eye never really laid upon the shelves themselves. So, I removed everything and started fresh. With shades of white. And discovered less really is more. Especially with a few pieces of white pottery. Now, I love looking at my shelves!

And today, my friend Mary gifted me with a few more white pieces to add to the collection. Thank you Mary!!

Do you have a collection that's on display? Please do share!

Simply Said at The Empty Nest

Today I had the pleasure of doing a Simply Said party with Janet from The Empty Nest - a delightful  shop that sells Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Janet and I go back a few years -- I had met her during Annie Sloan's US tour, when she was in Leesburg, VA. I was attending and brand new to chalk paint. Someone introduced her to me as my local stockist (back then she was a booth-holder in an antiques shop). Now Janet has a gorgeous shop full of amazing furniture and goodies in Old Town Warrenton, VA. When I was painting furniture I was in her shop almost weekly. Talk about inspiration - check it out!

Ahhh - the mother lode!

Janet's shop is a feast for the eyes! She has chalk paint, antiques, painted furniture, hand-crafted items, repurposed items, lovely textiles, and so much more! I could browse for hours!

She was so kind in offering to host a party for me in the shop. I set up in the back and we had a nice crowd join us to learn how to use Simply Said in their decorating. Here's a few shots from the party!

Janet put out quite the spread!

 I loved the welcome sign!!

My Simply Said display included a few painted items, as well as Simply Said's accessories and designs.

 In this picture I am removing the grid paper from the back of a design.

Here I am demonstrating how to easily hang a design on the wall. 

I had such a nice time chatting with the women who came. I loved hearing their ideas for using Simply Said. One lady, named Sue, is planning on creating a custom design using Simply Said's online tool, called Your Way. She's going to make a back-splash design that I have no doubt will be the conversation piece of her kitchen!

This was certainly a fun venue for a party! Big thanks and appreciation go out to my friend, Janet! if you're in the Warrenton, VA area, be sure to check out The Empty Nest!

More on color - choosing wall art colors

Now that I am a Simply Said design consultant, and doing home parties, I am getting a lot of questions about how to choose the color of their wall designs. So, I created this little guide to help. While this sheet talks about vinyl designs specifically, the suggestions are applicable to any wall art - paintings, prints, metal art, etc.

First - match your art with an accent color. If your room is mostly neutrals with a pop of red in your couch pillows and curtains, then red would be an ideal wall art color. Look at the photos in the top half of the page. Notice they chose vinyl colors to match their accents: a lime green accent wall, a red pillow and red in the rug, teal pillows, and a brown bedspread.

Another option for choosing color - go with the same color as your wall - but in a few shades lighter or darker. So, if your wall is light blue, like in the photo above, then use a darker navy blue color for your wall art. The use of one color family in various intensities is subtle and beautiful.

When in doubt, going with black or white is usually a safe bet, too!

What's you decorating style?

Do you know your decorating style? It's okay if you don't. For many of us - myself included - it is an evolving thing. Your tastes and preferences can change.

Years ago, I had a very country-Americana thing going on. My first home had a lot of red, white and blue colors, and antiques that I scored at auctions or yard sales. Nothing was very valuable - mostly just old. You know, the stuff a 20-something can afford.

Today I'd say my style is a bit of a mixed bag. I still like some antiques, especially french provincial pieces. I love the clean lines of mid-century modern, too. The mirrors and tufted furniture of the Hollywood Regency era speak to me, too. In the same room I might pair rustic wood and zebra prints. You just never know.

No one says your style has to fit into a neat little box. Love what you love and embrace it in your home!

For those who really like labels, and prefer to know what their style is, I created a little magazine-style quiz. Just circle the answers that best reflect you, and then tally them at the end.

Now tally up your letters. If you have mostly A's, your style is Casual. Mostly B's, your style is Contemporary. If you have mostly C's, then you lean toward Traditional. If you're like me, you have a mix of A, B and C - then your style is called Eclectic. See the descriptions below.

 I always love taking little quizzes! It's fun to see if you match what they say you are!

A simple Welcome Sign

Looking for an easy-to-make "Welcome" sign? I made one today and thought I'd share the simple steps.

First, find an old kitchen cabinet door. You can get them a few places. Try searching Craig's List - a lot of people give them away for free when they are redecorating. Or search your local Habitat for Humanity restore. (find a list of stores here)

Then paint it to your heart's desire. I used Annie Sloan's chalk paint. Here's a video of Annie on The Hallmark Channel doing a tutorial.

The next thing I did was apply a Simply Said vinyl "welcome" design. And here's a video showing you how easy they are to apply. This is so much easier than the way I used to apply designs or enhancements to my painted furniture, which comprised of time-consuming transfers or stencils.
Here's my Simply Said website, where you can order a welcome design. I think this would be a great idea for personalizing with your family last name and the date you moved into your home, i.e. "Peterson Est. 2010."  Or even a sign for a wedding, with a design that says something like, "Matt and Nikki, April 21, 2014."  You get the idea - the possibilities are wide open!

My last step was to drill two holes through the wood with a standard drill bit, and run a ribbon through for hanging. Voila! A simple, fast way to spruce up a front door, entrance, or anyplace in and around your home.