It’s finally spring! We had such a warm winter, it’s hard to complain about spring being a little late. In fact everything started blooming so early, most spring flowers are done.  My lilacs bloomed weeks too early and only part of the bushes had flowers.  The sun is shining this week and I wish my garden was filled with these beautiful, luscious blossoms. No interior design is complete without a bouquet of fresh flowers on the table.

I saw these saw blooms at Buckingham Palace. The Queen has quite the garden!

A very traditional English garden in Bath, England. I bet Jane Austen walked by this very spot!

Gorgeous shades of puple and blue lavender in the gardens at the Grand Trianon, Versailles.

Of course, no one does a flower market better than the Parisians.

My peonies are just starting to bloom. They're even lovely when the petals start to fall.

Once the bridal wreath is finished, honeysuckle fills the air with a lovely fragrance.

Tulips are my favorite.  Maybe this fall I’ll plant a few bulbs.

What’s your favorite flower?

Of all the design elements found in a home, the chair is probably the most used, the greatest in number and whose style is the most diverse. Think about it  I bet you own more chairs than any other piece of furniture. I know I do: kitchen, dining room, living room, family room, porch, office, bedroom, even the bathrooms. Wow, I just counted them up. We have 41 chairs in our house! That doesn’t include lawn chairs, folding chairs or the misc chairs undergoing a transformation.  So what’s one more chair added to the mix? My office has plenty of space  and the interior design calls for one.

You know me; I love flea markets, antique stores and shopping at Goodwill. I love the challenge of the hunt, a bargain and the opportunity to take something old and re-purpose or make it new and beautiful.

Last summer, Bonnie and I went to the Walworth County Flea Market in Elkhorn, Wisconsin and I found this fabulous arm chair for $20.00! Although it was in great condition (sturdy, all parts intact, didn’t sag), it was upholstered in an atrocious orange crushed velvet fabric.  Not even a nice velvet, but a cheap, icky fabric. However, the style had charm and possibility and did I mention the price?  Bonnie thought I was crazy, but I could see the potential.

It’s a sexy little chair with a curved channel back and slightly flared legs.  I chose an all-over embroidery fabric in a medium turquoise.  A bold pattern would have been swallowed up by the channels . The original nail head trim was a bit masculine, so I left that off the re-do.

I’m a do-it-yourself kind of woman, but I don’t do upholstery.  I love the results. It’s updated and modern. A perfect addition to my new office.
Count your chairs and let me know how many you have. I think you’ll be surprised.

If your Mom isn’t the breakfast-in-bed type, treat her to a family dinner complete with a lovely table setting.

Pink may be for girls, but it gets an updated look when paired with unique black accessories.

I like the contrast of new black chargers with the vintage pink dinner plates.

These Blue Ridge dishes from the 1960s, have a black crackle paint finish and were a bargain at only 99¢ each.

The most successful table settings have an element of the unexpected.  The black iron trivets don’t really serve any particular purpose when placed on the plate; they’re just for fun.  They become little gifts or party favors for your guests.

If you can't find glasses like these, paint your own.

I love these feminine hand painted wine glasses.

  For a casual, floppy look tuck the napkin in the glass.

Or pleat them like a fan and use the trivet to anchor them across the plate.

Make your own confetti with dominoes!  Use them as place cards.  Give each guest a tile and let them find the mate at the table.  They can play a fast game while waiting for dinner. 

Treat Mom to a relaxing dinner.  Taking the time to set a fabulous table is half the gift!

Glam-up your Easter basket this year!

What could be more fitting than to use feathers to cushion your Easter eggs?  You can find packages in every color at craft stores.  I used a feather boa I found in my costume box.  Perfect for the glamour girl!

Egg-Cellent!

A fast and easy way to decorate hard boiled eggs:

Wrap them with rubber bands before dropping them in the dye. Experiment with various sized bands and twist them around the eggs in fun patterns.

Remove bands after the dye has set.  Try adding another layer of color by dipping them in a contrasting dye solution.

After I picked out  fabrics, I  choose paint.  It isn’t a large room, but the two windows provide lots of natural light so I didn’t have to worry about a darker shade making the room feel cave-like.  Don’t be afraid to go dark in a small room. It becomes intimate and cozy.
I went with a dark, rich turquoise from Sherwin Williams called Underseas. 
(My next job is going to be choosing names for fabrics, paint and carpet!)

I had hoped to keep the old carpet, but too many years in a kid’s room took its toll.  

There are lots of carpets available in shades of beige and taupe, but those are not my colors.  I love grey and wanted texture or pattern but there are very few grey options out there, which in the long run made my decision easier.  I had 3 choices and settled on a medium-dark shade called Evening Surf with a wave pattern. It’s perfect.

The old bedroom had a fan with a down light.  Yuck! That had to go. 

I wanted something pretty, feminine and vintage.  My friend Ron,”The Light Doctor”, at Exclusive Lighting Gallery in Milwaukee helped me out.  He takes old light fixtures and parts, rewires and re-paints them to and creates gorgeous lamps and ceiling lights.

The bronze finish and crystals add the perfect touch of elegance to my office.  I love it!

Next step is doing something different with the built-in bookshelves and moving in.