Thanks for joining me!
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
How To Make A Bold Decor Statement In Small Bedroom
So you have a small bedroom but a vivacious personality. Well then, start your day waking in a small bedroom that makes a bold decor statement. Here are five elements you can use.
- Invest in a dynamic piece of art. Hang it strategically behind a bed, next to it or even an empty side wall.
- Accent a wall with a modern grand-sized mural. Paint it yourself, get someone else to do it or apply the stencil yourself. (It’s easier than you think.)
- Paint an accent wall. It’s a tried and true and cheap. Just be sure to use a vibrant color!
- Add textile that has large commanding patterns.
- Add at least one outrageously, gorgeous statement piece, such as a chair, a lighting fixture, a rug, a sculpture.
source 
source
If the expense of a dynamic painting is out of the question, you can use a folding screen. Many are available with contemporary city scenes, over-sized portraits and wild life animals. See my post on A Case For Divider Screens: Five Great Reasons.
source
When the word “mural” is mentioned, often images of an idyllic pastoral scene comes to mind. But thankfully, the concept of a mural has been reinterpreted for modern life styles, and excitingly so, such as this gigantic rose and the soft undulating mountains in shades of grays and blues in the following image.
source 
source
Of course, an over-sized world map on an accent wall grabs attention here. So too does the modern light fixture. Its straight-line design is emphasized in an overly-extended pole arm and semi-round metal light, almost comically, positioned over the bed.
source
This vibrant Caribbean blue accent wall really pops contrasting with the white, white walls and white accents. I love how the blues in the painting, the jug, the bed cover and the chair extends the accent wall color. This is really tiny bedroom with a big feel.
source
Again, here a rich coral wall pops when contrasted with the white tufted bed, chandelier, side table and window frame and door. The neutral cable knit throws and wood flooring cools the whole color scheme just enough to keep you from visually floating away.
source
Afraid to use dark walls in a small room? Don’t be, it a decorating myth that long ago should have been abandoned. Dark walls, particularly when contrasted with lots of bright accenting elements, in fact make a room feel larger. Notice how all the critical pieces pop against the dark walls?
source
Patterns such as Ikat, chevon, plaid and stripes are timeless. When woven or printed as over-sized patterns, they make a dramatic statement
source 
source
Perhaps you are of a mind that says the more color and patterns, the better. This small bedroom is fabulous example of how to make it work. All the colors are vibrant and in the same value. When mixing patterns, it can some times become too busy. Give the eyes a place to rest by adding solids as well. Here too, you can see how the repeated use of white acts as a cohesive color, keeping all of the elements together as a whole.
source 
source
In Short . . .
Small bedrooms can be created to give a big and bold statement when using just one or all of these five elements: color in art, on the walls and textile. Mix up the patterns but keep everything grounded with solid colors as well. Add at least one dramatic statement piece.
Related Posts And More Ideas
- Create Wall Drama With Stencils (Part I)
- For more mural ideas, see my Pinterest board on Walls
May I Suggest A Mother And Daughter Tea?
May I suggest a Mother And Daughter Tea? Some of the most endearing moments of being a woman, are the intimate tête–à–tête moments between mother and daughter. Such moments often occur at any time: over a casual cup of coffee, shopping together, a lunch, a birthday–even a short ride in a car.
In the U.S., there is an official day to honor and celebrate Mother’s Day, and an unofficial day to celebrate daughter’s day. But I say, any day you’re alive is a good day to celebrate the relationship between mothers and daughters. Do it with a special tea!
Setting Up Your Own Mother And Daughter Tea occasion can be up scale or simple or somewhere in between. It can be for a late morning, lunch or afternoon.
To Create A Basic or Somewhere in Between Tea Occasion
Here’s a list what you’ll need to create a successful basic or somewhere in between tea occasion:
- A plan with a schedule is really critical!
- Number of guests and invitations
- A Menu (see menu ideas below)
- Tea (see how to make a pot of tea at the end)
- Arangement of flowers for a centerpiece (Optional: add several bud vases with a flower that become a take away gift for your guests)
- Chinaware to include a lovely tea pot, tea cups and saucers
- Flatware to include teaspoons and butter knives
- Servers (three-tier or cake plate/platter), sugar and creamer, and a small bowl if you are serving plotted creme
- Linen to include cloth napkins and tablecloth
I always like to have sufficient small plates for just the tea sandwiches and then another for the dessert
If you want to serve a grand finale, which I highly recommend, serve a beautiful cake or a fabulous torte.
I promise you, there won’t be a crumb left!
To Create An Upscale Tea Occasion
To create an up scale mother and daughter tea or any tea occasion, follow the list above. But here is where you break out the fine china ware, the sterling silver flatware, and the very best linen. Definitely include a statement bouquet of flowers. Your menu items may even be more elaborate. Without a doubt, I strongly suggest a three-tier tea tray. Use the very best and elegant tier tray your budget can afford. In short, pull out the stops.
Styles And Where To Buy Tea Sets, China and Flatware
When it comes to styles, you won’t be disappointed with the wide range of designs from the very traditional to contemporary and minimalist to Asian, material contents and price points. You can go with a very traditional style and purchase so that every piece matches as a unified collection. Or just have a lot of fun and create a tea collection that is eclectic, such as different tea cup designs.
White there are so many designers and companies to choose from, here are just a few to get you started:
- Royal Albert of England for the traditional flower patterns in fine china. The company has been around since 1904 and the selections are simply divine.
- Lenox ™ carries beautiful fine china tea sets in the traditional floral and butterfly patterns to the solid colors for the more contemporary look.
- A. Raynaud & Co from France offer an exquisite limognes collection
- Wedgewood Tea & Teaware, since 1759, offers a selections tea china that is simply to die for!! You’ll find selections from the traditional to the traditional patterns with modern interpretations to contemporary.
Replacements, LTD is a company that offers an extensive selection in finding replacements pieces for china, crystal and silverware, old and new. You will need to know the brand and pattern name.
Menus Ideas
One of the fun activities for a mother and daughter tea is deciding what to serve. A classic serving will of course include a tea often black or green. Herbal teas are also available. But frankly, I must say black is the first choice with green coming in second. Why waste a perfectly good tea occasion with a herbal tea. Okay, I’m probably just a tea snob!!
Want to know how to make the perfect pot of tea? Start with instructions from Yorkshire Tea, U.K. There are of course instructions on the box of tea bags, which I would recommend. If using loose tea, The Tea Spot is a great site that even breaks down how much to use based on the type of tea.
Next high on the menu list should be scones, jam and clotted cream. In the U.S., clotted cream can be difficult to find, especially when you don’t live in or even near a big city. I did find a wonderful recipe on All Recipes.com for a ‘mock’ clotted cream. It was labeled easy clotted cream but that’s simply not the case. I made it and followed a reviewers suggestion to strain the sour cream over night. I loved it.
Ingredients for a mock clotted cream:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 Tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
Preparation: Using a wish attachment on the mixer, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Remove from mixer. Hand wisk in sour cream and confectioner’s sugar until just combined. Store in refrigerator.
Tea sandwiches and pastries are an absolute must. Your choices are huge and will depend on your taste. Here is what I had included in my mother and daughter tea party above.
- Vegetable Medley (from MyRecipe.com): thinly sliced cucumbers, summer squashes and radishes on *white bread. Bread should be buttered then add a layer of mayonnaise. Arrange vegetables on bread, slice to form two triangles and top with salt and coarse white pepper.
- Egg tea sandwich: Sliced hard boiled eggs. Cut bread into rectangle about 3″ long for (for 3 slices of eggs) and 1-3/4″ wide. Butter top of the bread and one side. Add a layer of mayonnaise to the top. Dip the buttered side into finely chopped curly-leaf parsley. Top with sliced eggs, add salt and coarse white pepper.
- Smoked salmon: Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out a piece of white bread (or try a lovely wheat bread). Top with butter, then mayonnaise, smoked salmon and garnish with dill. Or try a garnish of thinly sliced of the part of a spring onion.
- Miniclub sandwich (idea from Traditional Home magazine, May 2001): Generously butter sliced white bread; spread mayonnaise on both top and bottom slices. Layer bacon, lettuce, tomato, and turkey on one slice. Add the top bread layer. Cut each sandwich diagonally in quarters to make four triangles. Use a decorative tooth pick if needed to hold the sections together. I had used garnished each section with spouts.
Unless you’re a pastry chief, I strongly suggest that you go to a good bakery and buy a cake and pastries until your heart’s content. As you can see, I had purchased petite fours and a chocolate torte. I had planned on baking scones (even had dry ingredients already mixed) but ran out of time and found myself dashing off to Starbucks!
*A note on the bread: use thin sliced bread and always, always, always slice off the ends! Did I stress this enough? So now you know my second pet peeve on tea occasions.
Blog Post Wrap Up
I so hope you enjoyed this blog post on mother and daughter tea parties. Don’t wait just for mother’s day or some special occasion. Make any day you’re alive a special get together over tea. Have fun and dress the occasion if you like. What’s the fun dress attire? A lovely dress, an adorable hat and white gloves. Okay, in the U.S., white gloves may be a bit over the top depending upon where you are (home, a friends or some lovely swanky place.) However, if the spirit moves you, do it!!
But If you have never experienced a tea occasion, first go to an upscale hotel that serves tea, particularly those in major cities, such as New York, Chicago and Washington D.C.. Admittedly, even some upscale hotels can be wanting on serving a good tea. (I must decline to name the one that comes to my mind.) If you’re fortunate enough to travel to England, don’t miss an opportunity to go to tea. You’ll find many excellent places for tea. (Perhaps some of my English readers would be wiling to name one or two places? On please do!) I can also suggest, the Ritz Carlton at Pentagon City in Washington D.C.
Please do feel free to share your experiences in having had a mother and daughter tea
or any other occasion you took to have tea.
Comments can be left in the little boxes below!
XoXo
Shirley
How To Stylize White Place Settings For Every Day
Often used for formal occasions, white place settings may seem boring for everyday use. I say they’re equally exciting for everyday use, especially when stylized with the right table accessories. Moreover, white place settings are versatile.
The pattern design of a white place setting is what really matters. How it’s used with other place setting pieces, such as chargers, flatwares, glasses and table accessories.
Fashionable Hostess
How To Make Best Use Of White Place Settings
Think of buying table setting accessories that complement seasonal uses, such as spring to summer. For everyday use, keep your flatware a simple design. But for a more formal or just to add an element of surprise, use more decorative flatware.
Don’t be afraid to just go wild on these accessories: glassware, placemats, chargers, napkins, and vases (large and small), For a fun change up, add seasonal ornaments and name places. Most of all, don’t be afraid to mix up white place settings with other pieces. Here are 20 examples.
Spring To Summer
source unknown
Use clean design white place settings for a modern or minimal look. You can easily add themes reflected in accessories, such as the coastal look in the placemats and chargers in the above image.
source 
source 
source
Adding color in your table accessories with white place settings is always the easiest and often best way to make an everyday meal more exciting.
source 
source
When the style is very casual, country, shabby chic or even vintage . . .
source 
from Gracious Home NY 
source
Need to Dress Up or Dress Down Your White Place Setting?
It’s really a matter of adding to or taking away. From At The Picket Fence, in the white place setting below, accessories make it more formal with a gold charger, crystal wine glasses on a tall stem, full flatware setting, and a lovely collection of blue and white ceramic centerpiece. But notice how in the image below, for a dressed down look just eliminate the charger. Even the blue and white striped table runner offers more casual dining decor.
Fall To Winter
When seasons change is so easy to continue using white place settings by simply changing up the accompanying accessories, particularly with theme accessories for holidays or just everyday use. Rich, dark colors in placemats, table runners and full table cloths; acorns and pine cones; ornamental pumpkins; and mum plants are all just a few examples of table accessories that complement a fall to winter white table setting.
source 
source 
source 
source 
source 
source
Recap
- White place settings are not just for weddings and other special occasions.
- They’re very versatile and can be mixed with other dinning pieces.
- Designs are available in a wide range of styles, solid colors to accented colors, as well as materials from fine china to stoneware.
- White place settings are best suited for use when there is limited storage space for dining ware.
- White place settings absolutely love being paired with other colors.
This is not an argument against pattered place settings by no means. There are so many absolutely beautifully designed place settings. When storage and budget are not an issue, by all means, indulge your dining experience with decorative place settings. Otherwise, opting for a white place setting and a variety of complementing table accessories is the way to go.
As for me, yes I do have very contemporary white with a taupe rim stoneware place settings from Denby. And then a more formal white place setting with gold accent by Vera Wang. I love them both and often set them out with varying table accessories.
How about you? What’s your favorite or wish list place setting?
Please do share. I would love to hear it!
XoXo
Shirley
15 Apartment Balcony Decors From My Pinterest Collection
Wow! I’m really excited that so many of my readers are as interested in apartment balcony decor as I am. Clearly, we apartment dwellers love our apartment balconies. So I thought I would share with you more of my favorite balcony decors from my Pinterest board.
What great ideas they all have in common are
- lots of color;
- lots of soft seating, back cushions and pillows;
- lovely places to eat and drink;
- a jungle or near jungle of plants; and
- creative outdoor lighting.
For more ideas and inspirations,
- follow my Pinterest board Annsliee Apartment-Balcony Porches
- see my popular post “Tips And Inspirations For Your Apartment Balcony And Porch Decors“
- Cool Apartment Balcony Lighting Ideas
For my apartment balcony porch, I have a head start from last year. The hostas I planted in pots are just starting their new growth and my red bark maple has already leafed out. I’m just waiting for the pollen slow before I get into the full swing of freshening up my balcony. I promise to share pictures on a future blog.
In the meantime, how sharing your plans with me.
Would love to receive pictures of your balcony decor and plantings
XO
Shirley
Part 2 How To Satisfy A Serious Gardener’s Itch But You Live In An Apartment
In Part 1 How To Satisfy A Serious Gardener’s Itch But You Live In an Apartment, I discuss becoming a volunteer master gardener. The benefits of this type of gardening is that you gain a wealth of horticultural and agricultural education and experiences, as well as provide invaluable services to your community.
Part 2 on satisfying a serious gardener’s itch is about participating in community and urban farms. This too is generally a volunteer service. The focus, however, is to grow and provide fresh produce in urban communities where such foods are simply not available.
Moreover, it empowers a community through agricultural and environmental hands-on education. (I once heard a little boy’s first exposure to an urban garden say he thought food just came from the grocery store. He had no idea that a seed is planted in the ground, is cared for, grows and is then harvested!)
The American Community Garden Association, which serves the United States and Canada, is a great place to start to learn more about community gardens.
Shout Out to Growing Power Inc.
This gardening project was started by Will Allen. His project is located in my old home town, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Perhaps I’m just bias. But here’s why:
“In 1993, Growing Power was an organization with teens who needed a place to work. Will Allen was a farmer with land.
Will designed a program that offered teens an opportunity to work at his store and renovate the greenhouses to grow food for their community. What started as a simple partnership to change the landscape of the north side of Milwaukee has blossomed into a national and global commitment to sustainable food systems.
Since its inception, Growing Power has served as a ”living museum” or “idea factory” for the young, the elderly, farmers, producers, and other professionals ranging from USDA personnel to urban planners. Training areas include the following: acid-digestion, anaerobic digestion for food waste, bio-phyto remediation and soil health, aquaculture closed-loop systems, vermiculture, small and large scale composting, urban agriculture, permaculture, food distribution, marketing, value-added product development, youth education, community engagement, participatory leadership development, and project planning.”
Rent Space For Urban Garden For Your Own Consumption
Another type of community gardening is where a municipality rents small plots of land to individuals to grow food, herbs, etc. for their own consumption. Often a large plot is allocated, such as the corner of a block. The plot is shared by renters with individual spaces separated with a short fence, such as a chain link or chicken wire.
These types of gardening plots are difficult to find given the value of land in a city. But it’s definitely worth looking into. Also, there may be farmer(s) with land just outside of the city who rent small plots of land to individuals. Check with your local municipality, county master gardening office and other local community gardening programs.
Okay, in short you could say that Parts 1 and Part 2 on How To Satisfy A Serious Gardener’s Itch But You Live in an Apartment is all about volunteering and giving back to the community. And you’re right! But what better way to learn so much about horticulture, agriculture and the environment? You meet and work with a fabulous group of people. You share what you’ve learned with others. You enrich your own life.
In Part 3 on satisfying a serious gardener’s itch I will focus on a variety of ways you can actually garden on your apartment balcony porch.
So, what do you think?
Are you already participating in a community garden?
Please do share your experiences and where are you located!!
Part 1: How To Satisfy A Serious Gardener’s Itch But You Live In An Apartment
This post is Part 1 of 3 on how to satisfy a serious gardener’s itch but your dilemma is that you live in an apartment. Here are three ideas to scratch that itch.
- You can become a master gardener.
- You can rent a community garden space, if your city offers this.
- And yes, you can garden in your apartment but just on a smaller scale.
First, let me explain what is a serious gardener’s itch:
- you love getting your hands dirty in soil;
- you love planting and watching plants grow;
- you can’t go near a garden center without buying a plant;
- you watch gardening television and cable channels, read magazines and books on gardening;
- you love planning and talking gardening with anyone that will listen;
- you love visiting and touring gardens;
- you make it a point to know a beneficial bug from one that will destroy your plants; and finally,
- you can’t imagine life without a garden–any kind, small or large, ornamental or edible.
Part 1 of this three part series is about becoming a master gardener.
Trust me, being a master gardener is one of the most proudest things you can do, not only for yourself but for your community. I was a master gardener totaling 5-1/2 years over three different states. The more I learned, the less I knew because there was always something new to learn. Being a volunteer master gardener is both challenging and rewarding.
Every county in the U.S. (hope I’m not overstating this) has a Master Gardener program as part of their horticultural extension program. Activities and requirements may vary but basically they have the same goal:
Advise and educate the community in best practices for gardening and provide the latest information in horticulture.
Here’s how it works:
- You submit an application to your county horticulture extension office.
- Once accepted, generally you pay a fee to cover the books and materials you will receive. This can be a bit expensive but the quality of the books and materials are well worth the cost.
- You attend classes for about 3 weeks. Topics cover an introduction to the program; a tour of the facilities; and most important, a wide and very thorough training on plants (ornamental and edible), planting guidelines, lawn care best practices; beneficial and harmful insects, and more. Your education doesn’t stop with just that class but continues throughout your service through monthly meetings and seminars.
- You graduate. Often you are asked to volunteer in the various areas of the program for a certain amount of hours to learn how each area works. After which you can just volunteer to work in a specific area or just continue to rotate and work in the different areas.
- You are a trainee until you complete a certain amount of hours. Then you become a full fledged volunteer. You are expected to volunteer a certain amount of hours (generally 20 a month) to retain your status as a volunteer master gardener.
Areas of service may vary but here are a few that tend to be consistent from one county to another:
- Answer questions from the public. This is done in a variety of ways but is most often done through dedicated methods from answer a telephone hotline to working on the mobile units.
- Work in one or more of the theme gardens from edibles to ornamentals to lawn care to even a bog.
- Assist or even lead in annual or semi-annual events open to the public. Activities can range from plant sales to garden exhibits to field trips to attending or conducting a seminar.
Field trip to the Butterfly Rain Forest at the University of Florida. Did you spot the butterfly in this image?
The white butterfly:
Butterfly chrysalis
In Summary,
There are many bonuses to being a volunteer master gardener. I’ve already a few above. You also get work with groups of wonderful people and you’ll meet a wonderful side of the public. The knowledge and experience you get, you can bring home to create a lovely garden in your apartment–and with less “crop” failure! All the while, you’ll be satisfying that gardener’s itch while living in an apartment.
You’ll find lots of information on becoming a volunteer information on your county extension office website. However, if you have any questions on what’s it like, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact me. I would love to share with you my wonderful experiences of having been a volunteer master gardener.
17 Light Airy Bedrooms With Ideas You Can Use
Whenever I see a light and airy bedroom, I can just feel the calmness oozing out all over myself. They’re just so inviting and comforting. But it’s not just the light pouring in from the windows that gives the feeling of peace and order, there other elements too.
Here are 19 examples of ideas you can use to create a light and airy bedroom–regardless of the amount of natural light you get.
-
Order in light airy bedrooms is one of elements of a peaceful feel. Clutter is not allowed. A half made bed suggests “rest and relaxation” but note here how everything else is in order.
-
White isn’t the only color element. Soft pastels of almost any color can be used.
-
A slip cover sofa, lots of pillows and a light rug work beautifully here that adds to the large window and white walls, flooding the room with lightness. But note too the darker accents. Clearly, you don’t have to bleach the room in just white.
-
A tailored look with soft light colors can create a light and airy bedroom. Note here how the turned-down sheet and comforter in white rests along with crisp ironed-white pillows that lay flat.
-
Here’s a wonderful mixture of ornate period pieces in the chandelier and mirror contrasting to the slipcover chairs and a modern platform bed and side table. Note the soft blond colors of the furnishings to tone down the bright white in the rest of the room.
-
Again, white need not dominate the room. Just use soft and pastel colors.
-
You can warm up the room with deeper colors if used sparingly.
-
Note the use of texture, shapes and of course shapes in the furniture in this nearly all white light and airy bedroom.
-
A mirror, particularly a very large mirror, is a great accessory to use to reflect more light into a room.
Admittedly, there are lots of apartment bedrooms that get little natural light. While it can be difficult to create a light and airy room, it’s not impossible. Here’s a recap of elements to create a light airy bedroom even in a dark bedroom ( This almost sounds like an oxymoron!) .
- White walls. Use a paint color that DOES NOT have a gray hue, preferably a pink or blue. It would be best to test white paint on the walls and observe at different times of the day. Most, if not all, paint manufacturers describe on their color charts the undertone color of the white paint. Does it go without saying, be cognizant of when and how the sun comes into the room?
- White sheets is a definite. You can use pastel colors in other elements from blankets, to a duvet to window treatment, to chairs, etc.
- Add as little or none if possible window treatment. But if you must have draperies, keep them light in color.
- Remember, clutter in a light and airy bedroom doesn’t make it so. It’ll just be a light room with a lot of visual-interfering stuff!
- If you don’t get much natural light, be sure to add lots of artificial lighting such as a crystal chandelier, bed side and wall lights. Use daylight bulbs.
- A mirror is a great way to get reflected and ,of course, more light into the room.
- Try to stay away or at least limit using dark wood furniture.
- If you feel like you really need more color, remember a pop of color in accenting will do the job.
Although I love bedrooms with a light airy feel, I’m stuck with dark wood furniture, even a head and foot board. My remedy will be to make light-quilted covers for them but continue to expose the beautiful turned-wood posts. Window treatments will be added to help lighten up the room and probably a white shag area rug.
In short, anything is possible with just a bit of creative thinking. Love those bedroom styles? Get inspired, get creative, then do it! But do let me know what you decide. Would love to chat with you about your final project. Send me a photo. I’ll post it too!
19 Outrageously Fun Bookshelves
Even a book nerd would look up from a book to enjoy any one of these outrageously fun bookshelves. Every apartment home deserves some levity, such as these imaginative yet very functional bookshelves.
These next three outrageously fun bookshelves were found on Cuded.com where there are many more.
Finally, I’m not so sure that this diamond pattern bookshelf should be called outrageously fun. I react to it with the kind of smile one gets when you’re looking at sheer class. The dark slate blue says serious reads here but the irregular placement of the books says, “Don’t be afraid.” I like it, a lot.
I’m curious. What kind of outrageously fun bookshelf would
you put in your apartment? Or would you?
Decorative Throw Pillows On Sale! Change Out Your Covers!
You may be looking around your apartment and thinking how drab it had become. You decide you need color, color and more but you don’t want to paint the walls. A new sofa is not in the plan. And you’re not ready to commit to a big decorating project. Hey, add some decorative throw pillows. Whether or not you already have too many throw pillows or none at all, here’s an inexpensive option.
Invest in a good pillow insert. Then buy throw pillow covers that you can change out with the seasons or even your mood. Start, and yes here I’m shamelessly promoting professionally hand made pillow covers by me, Shirley. I’m having an inventory clear out sales with a great discount because I’m transitioning to fun embroidered word pillows.
Head over to Pillows Sale Out, select a pair of covers (most come in pairs),
then at check out, enter code: winter2016.
Still, not ready? Well you can share this post with a friend.
Or just let me know what you think.
Related posts on decorative throw pillows:
- How Many Throw Pillows Do You Really Need?
- Punch Color Into Your Decor With Accent Pillows
- Decorative Pillows “Pile ‘Em High”
,
annsliees 