Hello Friends

Well, we decided to take the plunge and move over to blogger, until we can get all our content moved over, please head over to www.decoratinginsanity.com to find out about our past.  Until then, we will work out the learning curve with blogger and you will now see us here.

xo,

mONICa & eLAINe

The Must Have Mom Basket

After getting super tired of running up and  down the stairs a thousand times a day I decided to do something about it.  The perfect place for a basket is at the bottom of the stairs,  that way anything that needs to go back upstairs can be put in your handy-dandy basket and taken up in bulk.

Any old basket will work, but since my stairs are in my foyer I opted for something more decorative. I scored this basket at Wal-Mart for under $10 bucks.

 

Here it is in place

xo,

Monica

Retro Kitchen Redos

The kitchen is the heart of the home.  The smell of fresh-baked cookies, the meat and potatoes, moms apron.  I think when we think of a homey kitchen we picture June Cleaver pulling something just delightful out of the oven.



Nothing else speaks June Cleaver like a retro kitchen.  Retro kitchens are no longer a thing of the past.  The green world has really done something great by encouraging people to save what they can, especially when it comes to remodeling.

Personally I love retro kitchens.  The removal of some cabinet doors to give a more open feel has become very popular.  Dark paint colors and chandeliers have added a punch of personality to some kitchens.  Also, using modern countertops (granite, quartz, marble, stainless steel and wood) have brought these kitchens back to life.

I love the dark blue walls against all the white, and also the touch of modern cabinet hardware.

Little Green Notebook Home Tour

 

The openness of the cabinets, and the solid surface countertops along with the glass tile back splash gives this kitchen a modern feel while maintaining its integrity and charm.

Good Home Construction

I absolutely love the hollywood regency style glass cabinet doors and the stainless steel countertops.  The hanging lanterns give this kitchen a whimsical touch.

Apartment Therapy: Colorful Kitchen

xo,

Monica

Blog Swapping with The Country Chic Cottage

I was very excited yesterday to be able to visit Country Chic Cottage.  We had some fun blog swapping.  Head on over to her blog to check out the post.   I got to visit a good friend of mine yesterday who has a beautiful house in the country.  Her style is so fun and eclectic, it really inspired me as does The Country Chic Cottage blog.  I hope my next house has some built in character so that I can explore the country side of my personality.

Meet Country Chic Cottage

Hello my name is Angie with The Country Chic Cottage and I am thrilled to be here on Sisters' Stuff!  The Country Chic Cottage is all about decor, transformations, crafting, and tutorials...all while on a budget! I started blogging after a new year's resolution to spruce up my home decor. The twist? No budget to do it with! :) Come on over and follow along with my adventures!  Some of my favorite projects are below...
Pottery Barn Knock Off Lamp
I love to knock off designer home decor at a fraction of the price!  

Paper Ephemera Gift Bags

Turn your paper ephemera into a gorgeous gift bag!

Rose Petal Chandy

A perfect gift for any little diva!

Burlap and Ribbon Pillows

The ultimate in texture for any home!

I also run an etsy shop full of vintage and handmade items for your country home!  Plus tons of sheet music, maps, and other vintage paper ephemera!
Stop by the cottage any time for a visit!  I would love to have ya!
Thanks so much Monica for having me here today!

~Thanks!~

~Angie~

Thanks Angie for visiting us today.

If you would like to highlight your blog or Etsy store or have some blog swamping fun drop us a line at frugaleclecticchic@gmail.com

3rd Generation Decorator

It all makes sense now. Decorating is just in my blood. I was looking through some old pictures today and what did I find? A picture of myself as a small child helping my mom put up wallpaper. A little background on my mom...a pretty great decorator herself.  I grew up helping her move around furniture and have had a paint brush in my hand since I can remember.  She always had a vision and although she didn't have a huge pocket-book, her house always looked amazing. Who am I kidding, her house is still amazing...it's just a different house. I learned how to thrift shop and how to repurpose things at a young age, and for that I'm truly grateful.

Here I am 30 years ago, and that's my mom up on the ladder.

Here I am now working on one of my many projects.

And here's my daughter Daniella, following our footsteps.

Introducing our 3rd generation decorator, Daniella.

xo,

Monica

A Well Staged Home

So the staging is complete.  Since we are still living in the home, I wanted to try to keep things simple, but functional.  I followed my own Staging 101 post as best as I could.  If we were childless, I would've followed  it 100%, but had to make some adjustments for the needs of our children.

Thanks to some simplifying and some great photography, this is what our home now looks like.

The family room

Family room 2

View from the kitchen

The kitchen

The study (Keep in mind, I still have to work in here)

The Formal Living Room

The Powder Room

The Master Bedroom

The Master Bath

Boys Room

Girls Room

Our Real Estate Agent did a great job taking photos.

Anybody want to buy a house?

xo,

Monica

Finally figured out what to do with my Laundry Room

Ok, here it is....my laundry room.

For months (ok more like a year), I've been wondering what the heck to do with this space.  I've been coveting beautiful laundry spaces with custom cabinets.  Like this one:

I looked on craigslist to find some decent old cabinets, but couldn't find just a few (everyone wants you to buy the whole kitchen) and I also really wanted glass doors. I finally gave up hope, and since I was in desperate need of linen space I went for the plastic bin look.  Well I think I finally found a solution.

Can you imagine all t he possibilities? What a great way to repurpose the hutch from a china cabinet.  Believe it or not I find these hutches by themselves sometimes without the bottom sometimes.  I thought this was very smart and creative.  Check out what they did with the sideboard.

xo,

Monica

Here is a great laundry coupon website http://www.laundrydetergentcoupons.com/

Staging 101

So our house is officially on the market.  The FSBO sign is off and it is now on the Multiple Listing Service.  Since the internet is where most buyers start their home search, having pictures in your listing is vital, and a properly staged home will attract more buyers to your photos.  So here are a few tips when it comes to staging.

1.) Get rid of your clutter- I have 2-year-old twins so their junk is always all over the place.  My trick...stratigically place boxes and pretty baskets that I can throw stuff in pretty quickly.  You never want to say no to a last-minute showing.  Start storing personal items like photos and keep your counter tops in your kitchen and bathroom clear.  There is nothing worse than walking into a home with the owners personal junk all over the place.

2.) Less is more- Start moving now! Only keep key pieces in the home.   Too much furniture can actually make your house look smaller.  Rent a storage facility or utilize some storage space in your basement to temporarily put things.

3.) Set the stage- Define the areas and set a mood.  You want a home buyer to be able to picture themselves living there.  Shy away from placing all the furniture along the wall.  Putting the furniture in the middle of the room actually helps with the flow of traffic and makes a room look larger.  Make sure each room has a purpose because contrary to popular belief not everyone has an imagination.  Put dishes out on your table and set up a faux cocktail bar if you like.  Put a cushy robe on a hanger in your bathroom or set out a bottle of sparkling cider and 2 glasses and light candles.  If some of these ideas seem too over the top for your geographical area or your personality, think of something that is practical for you and makes sense.

4.) Paint- Nothing against you people who love white walls, but the majority of us out there would prefer some added warmth to our homes.  Paint is the cheapest yet most eye-catching upgrade that you can make to your home.  Keep it someone neutral to appeal to the masses, just don't forget neutral doesn't necessarily mean beige.  Some greens and blues are pretty neutral, and if you must go beige darken it up a little with a latte colored brown.

5.) Make a first impression- Don't avoid your foyer or your front door.  Most people get a feeling about a home when they walk into the front door.  So make sure your foyer and/or living room are well staged and immaculate.

6.) Lighting- When you have a showing, make sure you turn on your lamps to create warmth.  If you have a fireplace, light it.  Also a few candles for light and scent are good, just avoid the strongly scented candles because they may be a little over kill.

7.) Yes people open things up-  Make sure your closets are de-cluttered.  You should store about half of your clothes  and leave half in your closet (the stuff you use everyday) so that people can actually see the back of your closet.  It is also important to keep drawers organized, especially in the bathrooms and kitchens.

8.) Not everyone loves your furry friend- So I'm a big animal lover, but not everyone is.  Nobody wants your furry friend at the showing nor do they want their hair or scent.  Remove all signs of pet presence.  This means hide the cat litter box, the pet bed, and vacuum up all the hair.  Use a pet neutralizer to try to neutralize the odor as best as possible.

9.) Don't let them drive away-  This means curb appeal.  People will judge what they see outside and already have an impression in their heads before they go inside.  You could have the most updated, upgraded home in the neighborhood and potential buyers may just drive away.  Touch up your paint, stucco, or siding wherever you might spot damage. Make sure your lawn in mowed, your flowers are manicured, your mailbox and house numbers look good, and that your mulch has been redone.  To add a designer touch, add a couple of urns with plants flanking your doorway, and I always suggest to purchase a new welcome mat.

10.) If you have no clue what you are doing hire a professional- Like I said earlier, not everyone has an imagination.  So if you are one of those people get yourself a Lisa Laporta or a Sabrina Soto.  There are many interior designers out there who specialize is staging. If you home is vacant don't leave it that way. Get yourself a staging company that you can rent furniture from or buy some key pieces on craigslist on the cheap.

Here are some examples of well staged rooms

Kitchen design by Touch of Class in Northern Kentucky.

Living room design by Moving Mountains Designs in Los Angeles, CA.

Master Bedroom design by Sensational Home Staging & Design in Danville, CA

Now I must be off to do some staging myself.

xo,

Monica

Tot to Tween for your Princess

We all want things to endure the test of time.  Your children growing happens so amazingly fast.  You start with the nursery, then go to the princess room, and next thing you know they are teenagers.  There definitely is a way to decorate that will withstand all those phases.

Now I know some of you don't mind decorating, and redecorating, and redecorating again.  In fact, I'm probably the last person to be talking since I'll probably decorate my little girls room 15 more times until she turns 18.  But for those of you who want their girls room to go from Tot to Tween and then to a guest room here are some ideas.

#1- Start with a color that is not pink or purple.  The best way to not age the room is with a coat of paint.  Go with neutrals like sagey greens, light blues, greys, and browns.

#2- Skip the toddler bed.  Of course you will need a crib and some may opt for a crib to toddler bed conversion, but to save money skip the toddler bed and buy some rails for a big girl bed.

#3- If you must use pink or purple use it in the accessories.  Comforters, lamps, pictures are all easy to replace.

#4- Get a teenagers opinion.  I know, kind of funny.  The last opinion you want is a teenagers, but this way you know if your little girl will like the room when she is a teenager.

#5-Use multipurpose/ functional furniture. For example a vanity can easily become a desk and an ottoman can be used as a step stool.

When I decorated Daniella's room she was 18 months old.  The twins had shared a room in California, but now that we were in a larger house we had the room so split them up, plus I thought it would be fun to decorate a boys room and a girls room.  So I started searching the internet for inspiration.  This is what I came up with:

Designed by Lisa Epley for her daughter.

I started with some pale blue paint and a upolstered headboard from Target and went from there.  I did some Craigslist shopping and got the dresser, nightstand, and vanity for $60 bucks.

The Eiffel Tower is a wall decal from Amazon.

This is one of the dressers I got from Craigslist.  Although it was already cream color, it was kind of dingy and needed a fresh coat of paint and I decided to paint the hardware metallic silver.  The Paris painting was painted by my mom and the two little ballerinas were a thrift store find for $1.50.

Here is her little dressing area.  Vanity was part of the Craigslist furniture.  The stool I purchased on clearance at Value City for $20 bucks.  The mirror is from Lowes -$14.99.  The lamp and pictures are from Home Goods (each $29.99).  The little end table I stole from my Family Room.

This nightstand is also part of the Craigslist furniture, but I opted to paint it metallic silver just for the fun of it.  It actually didn't match the other 2 pieces anyway, but the guy I bought it from threw it in.

The ottoman I got on clearance at Value City for $40 bucks.  It's great for storing blankets or toys and helps Daniella climb into bed.

Here is another angle.  The curtains are panels from Wal-Mart for $14.99 each.  There is a white outdoor roll-up shade underneath them for under $10 dollars at Lowes.  The Chandelier is from Ikea for $39.99.

If this room is not your style here are some other rooms that will grow with you from tot to tween.

I love the wallpaper in this room.  Now these are toddler beds from Ikea which I probably would skip, but a nice iron headboard would do the trick as well.  There is a great post about wallpaper at Making it Lovely.

Here is a fun and graphic route.  I love the bright colors that are used.  See more at Turquose L.A.

Finally for a more luxurious look, opt for this textured room.  Mustard would be the last color a lot of you would use for a little girls room, but it really adds depth and texture to this room.  I love the rug and the faux fur used on the bed.  There is a great post about luxury girls rooms at DigsDigs.

Last but not least, have fun.  Your princess will love it!

xo,

Monica

 

To Serve or Not to Serve?

In the spirit of staging our home for sale, I starting moving around furniture yesterday.  In order to "set the stage", I put a serving table in our formal living room.  Now, I had a credenza in there previously and had toyed with the idea of putting a television in there, but it is such a taboo for me in a formal living room.  If we were staying here, I had envisioned it as a girl cave.  You know,  reading a magazine having a martini and relaxing.

Our living room is more of a lounge and we use it for entertaining.  So I moved the sofa table out of the office to make the office look less cramped, and put it in the living room and took the credenza out of the living room.  I decided on the sofa table verses a credenza because the room is so small and I liked the idea of flow and floor space.  Seriously though, why did I not have one in there before?What a great space to put cocktails and appetizers in the event of a party.  I'd much rather people gather in my living room than around my small kitchen island.

I think everyone should have some serving space in their living room.  I mean I'm all for gathering in the kitchen, but when you have a small kitchen like I do, sometimes it's not the best option. Here are some other sideboards that I think are awesome.

For the luxury look, try this one from Molimo Design.

For the environmentally friendly look, check out this awesome repurposed wine storage/server from daffadowndillys.

For a splash of red, how about a repurposed dresser?   Here's a great one from two carolina nesters.



Think outside the box and get your party on.

xo,

Monica

Mixing in Mid Century Pieces

I absolutely love mid-century modern pieces, but I also don't want to live in a time warp home that looks like I just stepped into the 1950's. Don't get me wrong, I would buy a mid-century house in a heartbeat. In fact if I had my choice of buying a dream home, my first choice would be a large mid-century ranch.


This is one of my proudest craigslist finds. I love it because it has a story. I bought it from the original owner who in the late 1950's purchased it as her and her husbands first piece of furniture after they got married. Isn't that so cute? They were finally selling their house and moving on to retirement and were ready for a new style. I got it for $40 bucks. Now, it is actually a 3 piece wall unit that you can retrofit to suit your needs, but my needs were something to flank the fireplace so I split it up into 2.


I actually think it gives our traditional home a more modern flair then some built-in book shelfs. I'd also love to pick up a drum shade chandelier, but I can't convince my husband to let me block his TV view from the kitchen (as if he is always in there cooking).

modern family room design by san francisco interior designer Cecile Lozano Interiors

I love the built-ins in this room that flank the fireplace as well. I also love the neutral pallet with tones of green and beige and pops of red and orange.

eclectic living room design

This room makes great use of a repurposed mid-century dresser as a TV console. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the ceiling fan (punt intended). Not that I don't like it because I almost bought that exact one for my bedroom (upstairs bedrooms can be quite warm in the summer), but I think a hanging light fixture would've been more well suited for the room. Of course that is just my opinion.

xo
Monica