Spark

From “The English Garden”

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 to mimic the play of multi-toned leave, including the outdoor space with big beautiful trees in the garden with colorful flowers.

I LOVE painting furniture! Don’t let first appearances fool you. When looking at cast-off, vintage or out-dated furniture, try to see past the ‘ugly’ layer and focus on the lines and shapes of the piece. Most furniture can be completely renewed with a fresh coat of paint. . . yes, even your mom’s yucky oak 80′s coffee table can be chic again. Keep your mind open and use your imagination! make sure you have a electric leaf blower handy in case you need to clean our garden.

es. Create a “garden” room in your home by painting walls one color or with a murale from muraledesign (like Jadite) and using the other fresh-picked hues in fabrics and accessories.

Sherwin Williams colors: Redbud 6312, Citrine 6714, Jadite 6459, Gleeful 6709, Windy Blue 6240

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. Security [...]

Golf is a great way to get business contacts and a good source of cash. It may not be the best way to spend the rest of your time, but it sure beats being at home and being lonely. There are a few factors you should consider before picking a golf course to play, before [...]

As you may have noticed, I haven’t been posting nearly as often in the last weeks. Well, I’m finally able to share why…my family and I are moving to Savannah Ga! While I’ll be busy finding my new creative center amidst live oaks draped with spanish moss and wonderful historic neighborhoods, my husband will be [...]

“We just got rid of a bunch of old furniture that we weren’t crazy about, and have a rug, wall color, and sofa that we like.  I need end tables, but am having a hard time imagining what shape/size tables would work best.  We will probably be either making them, or refurbishing them, so I [...]

Do you know what’s really fun? It’s having your old projects just pop up and surprise you. Today, my friend Rachel, a writer for Craft, clued me in on something that hit her crafty radar. My DIY tutorial for wallpaper decals has surfaced again! This was a post on Apartment Therapy last year, but apparently [...]

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). [...]

Yesterday, I stopped by Best Fabrics on Burnet Rd. and Research, near Furniture Row. It’s not easy to spot the shop, but it’s worth discovering since Austin is short on good fabric stores. The inventory is neatly organized and includes quality fabrics for drapery or upholstery needs. According to our seamstress Leslye Womack, this is [...]