Accessorizing 101: The Tray

Serving trays are honestly one of my favorite decorative accessories.When I look around I notice that I have at least one tray in every room of my house! There's one on the console at the entry, one on the ottoman in the living room, one of top of the bar in the kitchen, one on the bathroom counter, in the bedroom on the dresser, etc, etc. Trays are not only a great accessory, they are the best organizers out there!

via Caitlin Wilson

via Diane Bergeron

via Lonny Magazine

Coffee tables & ottomans are a great place to use trays. I have one in my living room and it holds magazines, books, remote controls, coasters and all that other stuff that piles up. Using a tray to coral the clutter makes a normal mess look a little more stylish, don't you think?!

via Isuwanee

via Lonny Magazine

via Decorpad

via Flickr

via Country Living

via The Vintique Object

Trays are also great when you have a 'spot' you don't know how to fill, whether it be on top of a dresser, a counter that just needs a little oomph, a nightstand, wherever. Add a tray and a couple of other decorative accessories and you have an instant vignette!

via Decorpad

via Houzz

via Decorpad

via Decorpad

I like to shop for trays at thrift stores, discount stores or places like Target and World Market in order to find them for as affordable as possible. Check out this round tray I found at Ross for $4.99. Originally it was blue but I spray painted it yellow for a fun pop of color in my bathroom! 

Do you use trays to decorate or for adding function in your home? Where is your favorite spot to plop down a tray and fill 'er up?!

Trend Alert: Antlers

This time of year the only antlers most people are thinking about are those on reindeer. . . . However, I can't help but notice antlers being used as decorative accessories!

via Design Fabulous

Antlers-hanging-on-the-wall have been a popular trend in recent years (like in the image above) but I'm loving the look of antlers being used as accessories. They look great adorning a table top, in a vignette, or as a centerpiece on a dining table, like in the images below.

via Belmont Group

via Thats Chic

via Casa Sugar

via Style by Emily Henderson 

 via Decorpad

What do you think about horned decor?! Love it or hate it? There is something very modern about these rustic accents and I think I need to find one for myself!

Revamped and Restyled Bookcase

I've been slowly but surely redecorating my soon-to-be stepdaughter's bedroom. She has a odd ball assortment of hand me down furniture that I have been dying to paint. Her desk and dresser are solid wood with good lines and have definite potential but I decided to start the furniture makeover process with the bookshelf. It however is not solid wood but one of those laminate, out-of-the-box type deals that dates back 20+ years. I had never painted furniture that wasn't real wood before so I did a little research and luckily found out it is pretty simple! In fact, I would say it's easier than painting real wood furniture because you get to skip the dreaded sanding step all together! Anyhow, here's the 'before & afters': 

 Before

After

What was once brown and ugly is made fresh and new again with a few coats of primer and glossy white paint! As you can see from the 'before' picture the bookshelf was busting at the seams with toys, books, movies, games, art supplies, cd's and more. Jordyn, my soon-to-be stepdaughter, turned 10 a few months ago and proclaimed recently that she is no longer 'into' Barbies. Fine by me! 3/4's of those bins were filled to the brim with the likes of Barbie, Ken, Gabriella, and Hannah Montana dolls which I was happy to box up and store in the garage to save for future daughters/nieces/etc. I was able to relocate all of the crayons, markers and art supplies to her desk after cleaning it out and making space in there. I also sorted through her books and am donating a lot of them. (She's in 5th grade and reading novels now, so there is no need for the baby books anymore!) The only thing I purchased for this make over were the 3 yellow bins from the dollar store which now house all of her DVD's. I love the concealed storage that they provide and the pop of yellow they add! Now her bookcase is not only functional but stylish as well!

In order to paint the bookcase I used primer, paint and polycrylic sealer that I already had in my stash of paint supplies (leftover from several other painting projects like this one and this one.) I am pretty happy with this $3.00 makeover and can't wait to tackle the rest of the projects I have planned for her bedroom! What do you think of the newly revamped and restyled bookcase?!

To see more on Jordyn's bedroom makeover go here or here. 

Bookcase Styling

Styling a bookcase can be a daunting task if you aren't sure where to start or when to stop. The trick is finding the right balance when it comes to the sizes, shapes, colors and textures of the items you are storing and displaying. It's not rocket surgery (ha ha) but it takes practice to create a well styled bookcase.

In my opinion a bookcase should serve two purposes - 1) a place to store books and/or other functional items that you use regularly and 2) to display items and accessories that have a personal meaning to you. I'm not a big fan of just 'stuff' on shelves just because it matches your home's decor. While this is a great way to stage a house, it's not real. Fill your home (and your bookcases) with things that you love and the things that you use and you will create an environment that is unique and personal!

Here's a random assortment of inspirational bookcases that are styled to a T;

I'll be back tomorrow to share some pictures with you of a bookshelf I recently revamped and restyled. See you then!

Quicky

I just wanted to pop in real quick and share with you a flower arrangement I made for my soon-to-be mother in law for her birthday earlier this week. . .

It looked so pretty sitting in my entryway that I almost didn't want to give it to her and keep it for myself to enjoy! The flowers were a $16 bunch I picked up from Costco. I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. See you back here next week for some more design goodness!

p.s. Make sure enter the Saffron Marigold giveaway if you haven't done so already! :)

Tray Makeover

I've been looking for a tray to set on top of my large leather ottoman in my living room. I've always loved this tray below from West Elm but never took the plunge and purchased it.

via here

While perusing the isles of Ross in hopes to find a bargain, I spotted a large black lacquered tray that was in need of some TLC. It was beat up, of course the wrong color, but the price tag said only $7.99 so I purchased it without thinking twice!

I sanded the tray, cleaned it up with soap and water and then let it dry. Next I used a coat of spray primer, and then spray painted it two coats of glossy white. To make it extra durable and also to give it that laquered look that I love so much I sprayed it with a clear gloss to finish it off.

Now I have a gorgeous, white lacquered tray to hold magazines, a cigar box that houses remotes and other little treasures on my ottoman! Since I already had all the materials (sand paper, spray paint, etc.) this little project only cost me $7.99. Gotta love that!

psssst! Want to know a secret? I'm not the best at giving step by step tutorials, but if you are looking for a great place to find directions on how to paint just about anything in your home (from cabinets to furniture and accessories and everything in between) Young House Love is my go-to resource!

DIY Tray

If you'd like a large, colorful tray for your coffee table or ottoman (or heck, just about anywhere!) but you don't want to spend $20-$100 to purchase one, try this inexpensive DIY project! All it takes is 1 yard of fabric, an aluminum rimmed baking sheet, spray adhesive, and a piece of felt for the back. Also, you can have a piece of plexiglass cut to fit the tray for added durability. To see read the full tutorial or to watch the step by step video, go here.

via Martha Stewart

I think I might have to try this out! What about you, have you completed any DIY projects lately?!

LACK Bookcase

 In my living room I have two dark brown Ikea Lack bookcases flanking my fireplace. I have restyled them a half a dozen times and am continually tweaking them. Since my living area is next on my list of rooms to get completed, I have been contemplating changing them up again! Here's some images of stylized Lack bookcases that are inspiring me to take the plunge and re-accessorize mine!