Spark

Bookshelves from Lonnymag.com

There’s a Texas Tornado’s song that goes, “A little bit is better than nada, sometimes you want the whole enchilada”. Maybe it’s my craving for TexMex or maybe I’m just consoling myself, but these lyrics keep popping up in my head. When I think of all the decorating projects I want to do, the mundane tasks I need to do, and all the stuff that falls in between, I realize that I’m not getting the whole enchilada on my proverbial plate. Rather than be put out by the work I’m not getting done (hello, blog posts) or the items still on my “to do” list,  I’m going to settle for little “bites” of success. After all, a little bit is better than nothing at all.

If you feel like you aren’t making much progress in your home, I encourage you to find quick and easy ways to instantly gratify your decorating cravings. Those tiny triumphs add up to big changes and fuel your appetite for bigger projects. Just for now, try one of these simple ideas and then bask in your glory:

1. Rearrange your bookshelves. Turn books sideways, group books by colors, or add found objects to the mix.

2. Never underestimate the impact of fresh flowers (from your garden or grocery store). Arrange similar color flowers in tight bunches in small vases, old pitchers or vintage glasses. Place single buds in glass votives or teacups sprinkled around the house.

3. Change out your accent pillows on your sofa or bed. Buy inexpensive pillows at discount stores or make your own from leftover fabric.

Pillow Assortment from Lonnymag.com

For a “little bit” more inspiration for little updates . . .

1. Simple Updates for Old Furnishings

2. 100 Quick and Easy Ways to Freshen Home

3. 99 Cheap Decorating Tips

4. Fun and Easy Decorating Ideas

5. 8 Quick Decorating Changes

6. Quick and Easy Updates for Your Kitchen

Okay, now don’t just sit there and do nada. Make something happen . . . then sit back and celebrate with a margarita.

If Kathryn Ireland has color, Jeffrey Alan Marks has flair. Another designer featured on Bravo’s Million Dollar Decorators, Marks says that he tries to add an element of surprise to every room. After seeing his master bedroom with the vintage Abercrombie & Fitch rowboat suspended from the ceiling, I was hooked. Expecting more “unexpected” details, [...]

The premiere of Million Dollar Decorators would get me blogging again after my mid-May hiatus (busy month,eh?) Really, there’s so much to say but it all comes out sounding rather catty. The decorators of the rich do not live in the same world as I do. I’d be much more concerned about my client’s well [...]

Ready to add a pop of color to your abode but don’t want to paint an entire room? You can always paint a piece of furniture like a bookshelf, table, stool or even the legs of an upholstered chair! The book shelf above is bright and unexpected. The entire unit is painted white, but then [...]

Just like an unfashionably late wedding guest, I’m sheepishly posting my British inspiration piece a few days after the royal rustle. But just because we’ve gossiped about Kate’s dress and witnessed “the kiss”, our glance across the pond doesn’t have to shift just yet. And the cool, drizzly weather today has me feeling especially English [...]

Color inspiration is all around if you just pay attention to the cues. Keeping up with the British theme for the week, this color palette is gathered from a charming English style garden. Warm, rosy pink is contrasted with a lavender tinged blue and slightly lemony white. A lush deep green compliments a bright yellow-green [...]

 English gardens always seem so cool and fresh and charming . . . maybe that’s why I’m craving one just as the brutal heat of summer approaches. I, the novice gardener, am attempting to design a gardenscape for the front of my historical home and I’m hoping for an English garden approach despite the Texas terrain. I [...]

Q: So I was just in my kitchen baking a cake from scratch and wondering to myself. . . where can I possibly receive free advice to help me in my decorating dilemmas? I get stuck obsessing over paint colors and picture placement until I simply can’t sleep at night (unless I take an Ambien). [...]