5. November 2011 by Parker.

Yes, I know it has only been 2 weeks since I wrapped up this year’s party. Trust me, there are still remnants everywhere! Especially the pirate ship outside my window that my husband does not want to dismantle. Either way, my goal every year is to look at all the materials I gathered from this year and figure out how I am going to repurpose them for next years’ theme, therefore forcing me to come up with a theme pretty quick. Luckily I always have tons of ideas sitting on the backburner which made choosing the next party theme very easy. Are you ready for it?

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, Tim Burton and his wonderfully eccentric world is my theme. Comical Horror is a great way to play with creepy decor without making it scary. It also allows the creator, me, to have as much imagination as possible worked into the decor. Disproportionate  characters, whimsical lines, crazy towns, and all in black in white. My goal is to create a completely grayscale party where there is no color anywhere. So here’s a look at some my inspiration pics for the year:

There’s plenty more where these come from. My file already has over 400 entries for costume to decor to food inspiration. It’s time to start collecting materials and planning out a timeline to make sure it all comes together next October. Wish me luck!

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25. October 2011 by Parker.

That’s it. It’s over. Another year done. Last weekend was our annual Halloween party and I must say that I was fairly happy with the final product. After a year of hard work and bringing ideas to life, our guests seemed genuinely impressed with the array of decor we provided.

We originally built a cave out front that guests had to come through to enter the party. I would have included a picture of said cave but we hit dew point the night before and so the entire thing sagged by the morning of the party. I managed to make it presentable by evening but there is no picture worthy of posting.

When you got inside the house, you were greeted by a large ‘X’ on the floor. This was the beginning of the treasure map of the party in which you followed all the dashes through the event until you reached the final ‘X’ at the treasure. So here’s a look at some of the things people saw along the way…

This was the Captain’s desk inside his quarters, where we had a leather journal for people to glue in their pictures from the photo booth that was in the room and leave us a message. As the night went on, the pics and comments got quite a bit crazy.

In the kitchen, I covered all the cabinets in cardboard painted to look like wood plank and added port holes lit by twinkle lights. The overall effect was very dark and cool which I loved.

In the courtyard, I set the large table for the Captain’s feast, complete with baskets of bread and fruit and a very, very large candelabra in the center.

At the fire pit, there were hand made canvas pop tents, bottles of grog, hay bales, and blankets where the pirates had landed on shore and made camp.

Once you made it to the pool, we covered the diving board in a 14 foot long plank that people could pretend to walk.

Of course, next to the pool, was the main attraction: The Ship! This piece was 60 feet long and 42 feet tall. As you can see in the foreground, I also cut planks of wood, stood them upright, tied rope to each of them, and gave the illusion of a dock.

The pool also had a series of floating candles in it as well as I pirate on a raft that was lost at sea. I need to put that pirate back in the pool and take a good picture of it to post.

At the end of the line was the treasure chest, a large steamer trunk lit from inside and overflowing with treasure. You can see the final ‘X’ in the picture as well.

Here’s a close up of the treasure. You can see that I even included a spray painted Chambord bottle in there.

My husband is always such a good sport about my obsession with Halloween. This is my favorite picture of the two of us from inside the Dollface Photobooth.

I need to mention my wonderful brother, Brian, who made the trip up for the party and wound up working all day to help me set up.

At the end of the night, I had my photographer take this picture as if I am ready to take my own life with my sword since the party was over and there just wasn’t anything left to live for! I hope y’all enjoyed it.

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17. September 2011 by Parker.

To my husband’s dismay, I’ve been collecting old doors for awhile now. They are stacked neatly in the garage just waiting for me to pick a project for them. In the interim, I’ve compiled a folder of some pretty cool repurposed doors for inspiration. Let’s take a look…

1. Benches

2. Shelf

3. Headboard

4. Tables

5. Chalkboard

6. Arbor

7. Room Divider

This last one is by far my favorite. I’m leaning toward manufacturing this one for Halloween this year by painting each door versions of black , white, gray, and silver with black and silver hardware. If it comes to light, I’ll post some pictures.

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4. September 2011 by Parker.

In honor of all the kids that just went back to school, I thought a quick post on libraries would be fun.

My husband and I are avid readers and have books in every room of our house. The library is overflowing into the hall and end tables are becoming cluttered with book after book. So it should come as no surprise that I am enthralled by beautiful libraries. Here’s a look at my current top 5:

As you can see, I love the blend of traditional and ornate when it comes to libraries. And the bigger the better! When I was a kid, I would have my mom drop me off at the library on her way to work and pick me up on the way home. Eight blissful hours surrounded by the smell, the feel, the stories, the knowledge…it was heaven!

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4. September 2011 by Parker.

My best friend, Jules, is getting married in November so I wanted to help throw her an amazing bridal shower. A shower that emphasized all the things that she loves. Her wedding theme is Paris meets India so I decided to concentrate more on the Paris side of things for this shower. Think Eiffel Towers, Pink, Shopping, and more!

But to take it a step further, I added Marie Antionette into the mix.  Since she was the Queen of France and know for her amazing wardrobe, wigs, and accessories; it only seemed fitting for her to be the true inspiration for the shower.

It was these two pictures that served as my inspiration photos for the shower. I had no idea what the space I would be setting up in would look like nor was there a large budget to play with. So here’s what it looked like:

My goal for her party was for all of her friends to bring her accessories as gifts. They were instructed not to wrap them and would be given  pretty hand made tags to sign and attach to the jewelry upon arrival. The gifts were to be used as the decor.

I took 2 mannequins with me to dress in sets of pink lingerie and added a boa for some flair. Then I recovered an old room divider in pink paisley fabric to fill an empty corner.

The food table was lined with silver serving trays with Baroque frames and hot pink paper listing the food items. Parisian boxes were used to add height as well as Eiffel towers and tea sets.

The dessert table was vibrant in icing colors. elegant shoes, cake stands, and metallic candy dishes. If you needed a chocolate fix, this was the table to see.

I purchased some affordable wine, soaked off the labels, and adhered new ones that I made for the bride. Showcased on a high heel wine holder made to look like a Christian Louboutin and sat next to a vintage tea kettle with pearls.

And in the other corner of the room, I set up an Eiffel Tower wine holder with Fleur de Lis rain boots and a black wire mannequin to even out the room.

And here is a picture of the happy bride to be wearing as much of her jewelry as we could possibly put on her. I’m fairly certain she was happy with the final product!

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15. August 2011 by Parker.

You have all seen them. Stacked on the back of a truck going down the highway, painted blue in cubes behind Walmart, or the occasional one tossed on the side of the ride. Pallets are everywhere! And that is exactly why I decided to use this free material as part of my Halloween decorations this year. However, the more I collected, the more ideas I had about how to use them. So here’s a look at what others have accomplished with pallets as well as my masterpiece. Hope you enjoy it!

Pallets as Shelves and Room dividers. A very simple and cost effective concept that would actually give your room so personality. Now I will say that you need to make sure the wood is not rotting or full of bugs. So those pallets sitting in a field for the last 2 years may not be a good idea for these projects. However, a newer pallet with a fresh coat of paint or stain would be perfect!

This has to be one of the more unique options I have found. By simply stacking the pallets, hinging them together, adding a colored glass top, and lights inside…you have a very interesting conversation piece for very little money.

These two are great examples of using pallets for the bedroom. The headboard comes across as very rustic and country themed, whereas the stacked and painted pallets are perfect for a twin bed in a college apartment or vacation cottage.

What I love most about these two is the simplicity behind them. The bookshelves allow you to utilize what might have been wasted space and the wall planked with pallet wood gives the space some depth. Now most pallets do not come in turquoise so I imagine a light coat of paint or colored sealer was used to establish this effect.

Here are some great uses for those pallets that may not be in the best of shape. 1) Fencing around an air conditioning unit. 2) The base for a raised garden. 3) Upcycled outdoor benches. Or 4) A rolling outdoor coffee table.

And this is my masterpiece for the year. A sixty foot wide, eight foot tall pirate ship made from pallet wood. Add the cannons, ladders, railing, and forty-two foot masts and yes sir, you’ve got yourself a pirate ship!

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14. August 2011 by Parker.

I have A LOT of clothes. More than the normal woman would have and that is no exaggeration. My husband and I did an inventory of it once for insurance purposes and figured out that I could go an entire year with repeating an outfit once or shoes more than twice. It’s my obsession, to shop, to find pretty things, to find unique items, to accessorize everything! With all that in mind, I dream about the perfect closet to house all my bargains and fabulous finds.

I like the clean lines and sterile feel of this closet. However, the island is too small and the glass doors would be a pain in the butt. And I understand the desired effect of the chandelier but it just doesn’t do this room justice.

The floor length mirror, the island, and the many shelves for shoes are what attracted me to this picture. Again, I can do without the glass doors as they make the space feel smaller and the tv has got to go.

The idea of having aisles of clothes to choose from  makes me giddy like a school girl. I like the fact that they made it well lit with lots of storage but I don’t like the hard floor as I tend to be in my bare feet when getting dress and that floor would be cold in the winter!Also the off white cabinets were a nice break from all the white from the previous pics.

This closet is extremely practical which is why I can appreciate it. However it does not inspire me to go in there and play dress up like I did as a girl. Ah…who am I kidding? I still like to go play in my closet!

This is a man’s walk in closet. Dark floors, wood stained cabinets, too much light, and no floor length mirror give that away in a heartbeat. I will say this, however, kudos to him for being organized and having a plethora of choices every morning.

This is the super girly, boutique feel closet that would make your friends feel like they are shopping inside your home. While I truly appreciate it and all it’s loveliness, I just couldn’t see this as my every day dressing area.

There is only one thing I like about this closet: the washer and dryer! I have been designing closets for clients for years and one thing I always suggest is to put a washer and dryer in the master closet. Why not? You get undressed and dressed in here every day. Why not be able to launder and hang your clothes right back up in one place?

I’m fairly certain this is part of Mariah Carey’s shoe area. I chose to include it in this post because of the back lighting. With the proper lighting throughout the entire closet, you guarantee yourself that everything will match the same when you walk out the front door.

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25. July 2011 by Parker.

I don’t know about the rest of you but I’ve been dying for a cute laundry room forever. In our first house, my laundry was out in the garage so there wasn’t a lot of prettying to be done. Then, in our second home, our laundry was packed into a small closet that was just big enough to hold the machines and some cabinets. Now, in house #3, I have a huge laundry room (10×12) to work with. So what’s my problem? The room also has to double as a mud room for the dogs and I have 6.

No matter how often I clean that room, it is ALWAYS dirty. From rainy days of mud, to summers of swimming in the pool and rolling in the dirt to dry off, to every day dust and dander that comes with 300 pounds of dog. So my challenge is, how do I create a beautiful laundry room that won’t be affected by all the dirt?

Answer: I’m not really sure that it is possible as the dogs will always be using the space. However, I’m thinking that is I enclose the actual machines and hanging rods behind closet doors, it might solve some of the problem. Then I’ll just have a laundry closet inside a mud room. Not ideal but practical. So here’s a look at some space saving laundry closets that inspire me.

I really like each of these for completely different reasons. Reasons that may make me sound like I have a split personality. I love the orange room for it’s vibrant burst of color which almost excites me at the thought of doing laundry. On the flip side, I have always been attracted to the clinically sterile white laundry room, which would never be white in my world. And while the third option is small, they made excellent use of the door space that I can thoroughly appreciate.

Laundry Basket Storage is another challenge. I currently have a canvas rack that allows me to sort whites, darks, and colors but I need more than that. I need space for reds and delicates and what about dry cleaning?  Maybe I should build a tower of baskets for all occasions within my closet. Hmph. It’s a thought.

Finally, the wish list. I want to add these three items to my improved laundry area. Alright, enough of my rant. Time to go make the money I need to make these things happen.

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12. July 2011 by Parker.

I did a post last month about craft rooms that I thought I would expand upon. A lot of ladies ask me how to go about organizing their space and my number one answer is storage. Be it boxes, canisters, shelving, or my personal favorite, shoe organizers! I’m not kidding on this one. I have at least one shoe organizer in every room of my house. They hold everything from hair accessories to office supplies to medicines to cleaning products. If it can fit it a shoe pouch, that’s where it will be in my home!

With all that said, here are some creative options for organizing your crafts…

Both of these are vintage spice racks repurposed for organizing other small items. So think about saving your empty spice canisters, filling them with glitter, or beads, or leftover paint. Then spray paint a rack, hang it on the wall, and have an interesting piece to look at every day.

The first picture is pretty clear; use shelves, file organizers, and baskets to keep things clutter free AND don’t be afraid of color. It is a craft room after all.

The second photo is a great example of thinking outside the box. These are actually 2 small wine racks pushed together to store yarn for knitting. Keeps the yarn tangle free and creates a beautiful, colorful piece in the room.

I have always found that people neglect the inside of cabinets and drawers. They assume that since guests cannot see inside, it is free range to just toss everything in a giant heap. Great! Your guests won’t see the clutter but you won’t be able to find anything at the same time. What’s the point?

If you don’t have slide out shelves, think about clear tupperware storage that you can label and also see what is inside. Use wall mounted spice racks on the doors to store smaller items. Keep old coffee cans and  labels the tops. As for the drawers, I’ll say it again, spice rack storage can do wonders for your craft room. Pick up a couple of drawer spice racks and keep all your small items off the counter.

Who knew that you could outfit your entire craft room by shopping in the kitchen and closet section of Target? Try hanging scrapbook papers, stickers, ribbons in ziplocs from pant hangers. This way you can sort by colors or themes and easily acces what you are looking for without having to worry about it getting torn or wrinkled.

Multi-pant hangers are also good for ribbon spools. You can easily keep all those stray ribbons at bay by using a straight pin from your sewing kit.

Whatever you do, do not neglect the back of your door, especially if you are strapped for floor space. Vertical space is often overlooked so step back and look to see what you may have missed. And use shoe racks to store fabric swatches or glue or markers. Trust me, for under $10, they can store a lot of miscellaneous items.

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6. July 2011 by Parker.

Just in case there are people out there that have never heard of him or seen his work, I wanted to do a post in Christopher Guy’s honor. This man is amazing. His work is quirky and whimsical and beautiful. Just imagine  a high end Alice in Wonderland furniture store and you’ve got Christopher Guy creations.

Aren’t you in love too?

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