Imagine Design Blog - Interior Design and Decorating: August 2009

Makeover Monday: Insider tips, tricks & expert advice

A way to add art on a budget

It is the end of summer and you probably have some snap shots from a vacation that you just don't know what to do with...

Turn your vacation shots into wall art

Print your digital vacation snapshots onto photo transfer paper and transfer them onto a canvas.

Mount the canvases onto your wall, unframed.

Art is in style, no matter what the season!

Flickr images from: ariehsinger, Muskoka Family Vacation

Sunday Fun-day!

Oh, yeah! Who doesn't love a good mimosa on a Sunday afternoon?

Pineapple Mimosas

Ingredients

1 12-ounce can frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
1 6-ounce can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
2 cups cold water
6 cups pink champagne and/or champagne and/or sparkling apple juice, chilled
Strawberry Ice Cubes (optional) (recipe follows)

Directions
Combine pineapple juice concentrate, limeade concentrate, and water. Chill well. Before serving, carefully add champagne or apple juice. Add ice or, if desired, Strawberry Ice Cubes to each pitcher before serving. Makes about 3 quarts or 12 servings.

Strawberry Ice Cubes: Fill two ice cube trays with cleaned fresh strawberries (halve or quarter any larger berries if necessary). Add water. Freeze until firm.

from: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/drinks/pineapple-mimosas/

Fresh Find Friday!

DecorDesigns on Etsy {courtesy of Miss Elizabeth Kate}

Wow! Aren't these fun? I've seen these before, mostly in yogurt shops and in commercial applications, but these example are appropriate for the home and very inexpensive and easy to change if you desire a new look. I found some decals on their webpage for only $24.99!

Check out the rest of their products at: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7510650

"Here at Decor Designs Co. we specialize in creating beautiful vinyl decorations perfect for any home or office. We use a durable high grade matte finish vinyl which gives a painted look and feel to your wall. Decals are easy to apply and easy to remove, leaving no residue behind."

"Wall decals are half the expense, but twice the fun of traditional wall coverings. Save time and money and have some fun!! Budget friendly and removable in minutes, perfect for renters. Dorm rooms could transform in minutes and decorating nurseries no longer meant applying wallpaper only to have to strip it down when baby grows up."

"Take a look around. We have hundreds of designs to choose from, something for everyone. If you don't see what you are looking for, we love doing custom work!! Contact us with a detail description of your custom order and we can get started!!"

Which one is your favorite?

The Mud Maid of the Lost Gardens of Heligan

As I was clicking through my inbox, this image from PointClickHome had me going back to it several times. It is a part of their series, Surreal Estate: Gardens, and she is the "Mud Maid", the blossoming land sculpture by Susan Hill. Haunting, in a way, but this image had me wanting to find out more. Here's the website to check out the rest of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Mevagissey, U.K.

~ www.heligan.com ~

"These spectacular gardens were once part of a family estate that fell to a state of neglect after World War I. In the 1990s, Tim Smit and a group of enthusiasts restored the space, incorporating a spectacular display of rhododendrons and camellias, a series of lakes, and the Mud Maid, the blossoming land sculpture by Susan Hill seen here. Now one of the more popular botanical spaces in England, the once lost garden has not only been restored to its formal glory—the tourism it's garnered has helped revive the local economy.—LK"

from: http://www.pointclickhome.com/image/tid/5052?mag=PointClickHome&page=5&pause=1

The White Living Room

Is anyone else out there loving this room? I love all the white on white. One may believe that an "all white" room may be boring, stark or cold, but just look at these images! There is depth and many layers have been created by all the sumptuous textures.

I love the black accents: the ceiling, the elegant chairs set against the wall of windows and the ottomans positioned directly in front of the massive fireplace. Just enough black to create some interest!

So much white, but so much to look at! Visualize interest exists in this space because of all the unique accessories, beautiful wall covering, the soft textures in the rug & furniture and the balance & symmetry of the fireplace wall. Nothing is too "matchy-matchy", but everything looks balanced and put together.

I guess I can keep dreaming though...there is no way that I could have this white of a room when I have these two little monkeys running around our home!

June, our beagle

Johnny, our puggle

room from: http://www.traditionalhome.com/design_decorating/showhouses/room-bathed-white_ss1.html

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve

imagined.

As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.

-Henry David Thoreau

from: http://www.realsimple.com/magazine-more/inside-website/daily-thought/dreams-00000000008537/page7.html
photo: Andrew McCaul

Makeover Monday: Insider tips, tricks & expert advice

Cool! Our mail tends to pile up all throughout the week on this corner of one of our countertops. It drives me nuts! But I dislike opening mail even more, so I let it accumulate until Monday mornings when I do the weekly paperwork. In fact, I'm procrastinating the completion of this task as I type...

I found this flea market find as I was perusing the Better Homes & Gardens website:

"Create a mail center from an old shutter. To reuse a cast-off shutter, sand and paint or stain the piece deep brown. Remove the slats from the top half with a handsaw. Screw a piece of plywood over the back of the open area, then glue a layer of cork over the wood. Cover the cork with decorative fabric. Use pretty thumbtacks to display notes on the corkboard. Stash mail in the bottom slots."

from: http://www.bhg.com/decorating/budget-decorating/flea-market-finds/from-flea-market-finds-to-savvy-storage/

Sunday Fun-day!

Minted Strawberries with White Wine
Ingredients:

6 cups strawberries
1 cup sugar
2 bunches fresh mint
2 to 3 cups dry white wine
fresh mint sprigs

Directions:

Halve large berries; leave hulls on a few berries. Place berries in a large bowl; sprinkle with sugar and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour, stirring once or twice.
Remove mint leaves from one bunch of mint. Stack 6 to 8 leaves together; roll the stacked leaves. Slice across the roll to create narrow strips. Repeat with remaining leaves. Add the shredded mint to strawberries just before serving.
To serve, evenly divide the minted berries and juices among 8 glasses; pour wine over berries until just covered. Garnish with mint sprigs. Makes 8 servings.

*For a nonalcoholic version, use white grape juice instead of wine and reduce the sugar to 2 tablespoons.
from: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/desserts/minted-strawberries-with-white-wine/

Fresh Find Friday!

These are so cool! No more worrying about hiding your cell phone cord in inconvenient places that are hard to reach. They are from the Japanese company iida. Maybe you'll be less likely to leave your cell phone adapter behind!

Modern Bathroom Designs

A bathroom renovation represents one of the home's best resale investments. Here are 12 inspirational images from Metropolitan Home to get you going on your next home improvement project!

Which bathroom is your favorite? My favorite is the third one down by designer Frank Roop. I love how they installed the subway tiles vertically and how the bench flows "through" the shower wall. Also, I'm really enjoying the towel storage in the 9th image. How clever!

photos by: Annie Schechter, Ellen Silverman, Eric Roth, Erik Johnson, Gordon Beall, John Ellis, John Granen, John Reed Forsman, Nathan Kirkman Alper, Peter Murdoch

http://www.pointclickhome.com/kitchens_baths/articles/met_home_s_luxury_bathrooms

Don't you just love the farmer's market?

As I opened my windows this morning, I felt autumn in the air. It is bittersweet - no more lazy days by the pool...catching up on magazines...sipping cockails. Sweaters, Uggs, apple cider and the holidays are right around the corner.
photos: Bluebird0927, DaveP_MN, Don3rdSE, half pint, jippolito, ljellis, Martin LaBar, monitorpop, Natalie Maynor, purplewon2000

Looking for Book Recommendations

"The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it."
-James Bryce

Does anyone have any great book recommendations? I'm heading to the library with a list.

from: www.RealSimple.com