Making It Homey

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Meet Sandi from Making it Homey.  A mom of 5 who still has time to make things gorgeous.  Well if you haven't blog met her before, you definitely need to check out her blog.

She can turn this

into thisThis chair

into this chairand my personal favorite, this settee

into this settee

and the way she used it outside is ingenious.

I'm sure she would love you to stop by and visit.  So click below and stop by and say hello.

xo,

mONICa

Thrifty Outdoor Ideas

thRifty thuRSDayS

Since this week is a big week where people spruce up the outdoors, I thought I'd share some thrifty ideas to make bring the indoors out.

Here's a great table made of an old door and some ikea sawhorses.  The red chairs go amazingly well with the blue and white table.

via staceyembracingchange

Here is a delightful porch.via Michele Raven Designs

A $15 dollar table painted yellow to use on the patio, paired with this silver chairs.  Super cute.  I love the baskets.
via lindy cottage hill

Love, love, love this patio with the handing candelier.  It's so al fresco.

[caption id="attachment_1104" align="aligncenter" width="274" caption="via annsage.com"][/caption]

A little midcentury anyone?  Okay, maybe this one is not thrifty, but I bet you I can find a way to make it thrifty....really cool inspiration.

 via plainair

Check out this feedsack day bed.via craftomaniac

xo,

mONICa

Gender Neutral Nurseries

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I thought I'd share a dilemma I had 3 years ago when I had my twins.  How would I decorate the nursery with one boy and one girl?  The other problem was that we were in a rental so I didn't want to do anything too permanent.  I had a very small budget and had no energy, so I used vintage pieces for the most part as is.  I also got the cribs from a friend who had twins that had just outgrown them.  The artwork was painted by my mom, one for a boy and one for a girl.

I got the crib sets on clearance at Baby Depot and the cabinet was a vintage piece my sister handed down to me.  I put a changing pad on the top to turn it into a changing table.

The glider was a Craigslist find and the bookshelf I had forever, probably since I was a teenager.The dresser was given to me by my mom and we painted it to match the other pieces.  These pics were taken before my friend sent over the cutest curtains ever....they were green and blue with little flower appliques.  I wish I had more pictures.  I miss that place.

Here are some other gender neutral twin nurseries.

Black and White Twin NurseryIndustrial Twin NurserySophisicated Twin NurseryThe Diva Nursery- This one is Mariah Careys

xo,

mONICa

A Pop of Color

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I love when you see a room with very neutral hues and a pop of color.  Whether it be that bright accent table, or dining chairs, funky wallpaper , or a bright mirror.

House Beautiful

Love Feast Table

Lock Twenty Three

What pops of color have you added to your rooms?

xo,

mONICa

So obviously if you are not looking for a home for sale near Cincinnati, OH  you don't need to read this post.  In a quiet real estate market it's all about posting your house wherever you can.  So I've decided to use the power of social marketing to market our home for sale.

We are 9 miles from downtown Cincinnati in the town of Cold Spring, KY.  It's a really nice community and although close to Cincinnati the tax rate is much better in Kentucky than in Ohio.  Our home is in a nice subdivision called Granite Spring, which is only about 5 years old.  There is a nice city park within our subdivision.  Our subdivision is close to shopping, there are several local shopping centers with grocery stores, home improvements stores, and big box discount stores.  We are also within 15 minutes of 2 malls.  We are also conveniently located to employers such as Northern Kentucky University, Unviersity of Cincinnati, Childrens Hospital of Cincinnati, Xavier University, and Proctor and Gamble.

The home is a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath with an eat in kitchen and formal dining room. There are hardwood floors in the kitchen, maple multi height cabinets with granite and quartz countertops, and a glass tile backsplash.  There is also a downstairs study. The first floor has 9" smooth ceilings.  The master bedroom is large and the bathroom included double sinks and a garden tub.  The home is over 2300 square feet.

For more information click on this link or email me at decoratinginsanity@gmail.com

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Front Exterior"]

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[caption id="attachment_1042" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Family Room"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1043" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="View from Eat in kitchen"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1044" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Kitchen"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1045" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Flex Space Formal Living/ Dining Room"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1046" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Half Bath"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1047" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Master Bedroom"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1051" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Master Bathroom"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1048" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Bedroom"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1049" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Bedroom"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1050" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Bedroom"][/caption]

So if you are relocating to Cincinnati or know someone looking for a home,  once again email me at decoratinginsanity@gmail.com.

Thanks,

mONICa

Yellow Coffee Table

Oh boy,  I'm so glad this weekend is over.  My daughter was in a big wedding and I'm exhausted.  I did, however get the chance to work on this small coffee table last week.  Cute little ornate table that I picked up at a local estate sale site:

It wasn't in this best of shape, some wobbly legs and scuffs and stuff, but I took care of that with some clamps and some wood glue.  I primed and painted it with a warm yellow.  Then I started the distressing process.  I sanded the table at random points, mainly the edges and  I did what I call my sloppy wax on wax off stain technique.  Just slap some stain on and wipe it off.

If you wipe the stain off fast enough you don't need to use glaze.

I decided I wanted a contrasting color for the ornate area on the top, so I painted the center a navy blue color.

Ummm...HATED IT!!!

I did however, like mixed a little bit of blue onto the top to give it a distressed finish. I guess that means it wasn't a complete FAILURE.

Round two....silver metallic.

LOVE IT!!!

An antique piece with a smiley face : )

Don't forget to join us on SHOWOFF SUNDAYS to post projects that you have been working on.

xo,

mONICa

Showoff Sundays #2

sHOWoff sunDayS

Show off Sundays. This is where you can post Home Decor projects you've been working on this week. You are welcome to post Etsy listing as long as the photos are from a blog post and not just an Etsy URL. I know the things you sell on Etsy or other sites still take creativity and work so I don't mind if you post them. Anything furniture or decorating related is welcome.

If you already know the link party drill, feel free to scroll on down and link away!

If you’ve never linked up to a link party before, here’s how it works…

1. Scroll down this page until you see the “add your link” button. Click it, and create a super-descriptive name for your link. Something like, “DIY Floral Rug”, or “Hot Pink Dresser”. That’ll make it easier for folks to browse through all the links.

2. Make sure you link directly to the  Project post you’d like to share- not to the main page of your blog.

3. Please grab this button and stick it at the end of your project post on your blog. Just copy and paste the code in the box below into the html part of your post, and voila!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.decoratinginsanity.com" title="Decorating Insanity"><img src="http://decorinsanity.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/di-showoff-sundays.jpg?w=150" alt="Decorating Insanity" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

4. Last but not least, we love new followers.  To keep up with what we have going on in the ideas world please subscribe to our blog.

xo,

mONICa

Customized Corkboards- Guest Post

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Carolyn at Customized Living make these amazing corkboards.  Today, she is visiting our blog to tell us a little more about them:

When you think about a corkboard, the word "art" is probably not the first thing that comes to mind.  Maybe you're envisioning a classroom bulletin board or a sterile office cubicle.  

I'm writing this to change your mind.  I make framed corkboards and decorative push pins.  They can be customized for any decor and used for multiple purposes in any room of your home.  I make them so that the framed fabric is pretty enough to stand alone as art, adding color to your room.  Here are 5 suggestions on where and how you can incorporate a corkboard to meet your needs.

1. Master bedroom or bathroom:  Take your jewelry out of its box and display it where you can enjoy it.  Start with a frame that fits your decor.  You have endless fabric options, but for jewelry, I like starting with pure white.  It really makes jewelry pop.

Once you've found the perfect frame and fabric, pin on your jewelry.  It will turn it into a whole new type of art.  

2. Your child's room:  Large corkboards are great in kids' bedrooms or playrooms, because you can proudly display their artwork.  Or display favorite photos.  My kids love being able to choose photos to hang in their rooms.  Easily change them out, and use decorative push pins to make your display even more unique. 

3.  A family room or living room:  Display photos without the glare of glass.  Many fabrics showcase black and white photography beautifully.

4. Office (home or business):  Post calendars, to-do lists, and reminders. With the right corkboard and decorative push pins, the most common objects become instant art.  This corkboard is particularly versatile, because it suits a man's or woman's space equally well.

5.  A gift:  There are many reasons to give a corkboard as a gift.  A new baby, a recent graduate, a boss or co-worker.  This summer, consider a corkboard as a gift for newlyweds.  They'll love the unique way to display their favorite wedding photos.

The final touch?  Push pins.  Why settle for thumb tacks, when you can have these?  I repurpose vintage jewelry and create push pins that truly customize your display.

Visit my Etsy shop, CMB Display Designs, to find the right corkboard and push pins for you.  I also sell vintage accessories and housewares.  Surround yourself with things you love in your home.  

You can also find me and my interior designs and fashion ideas on my blog: www.customizedliving.blogspot.com.

Thank you Carolyn for visiting.

xo,

mONICa