Fantastic Decor

Off To The Big Easy!

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I am so excited to let you know you that I am off to New Orleans for a shopping trip for some of my clients. While I am there I will be meeting with a few great talents!!!

First, I am headed to Julie Neill Designs - The wonderfully creative and artistic Julie Neill, will be meeting me and showing me some of her exciting new products and designs.

Veranda

I'll also be meeting with the stylish and talented Tara Shaw! We'll see some of her new shipments from Europe and she'll share with us her visions for decorating the home.

Decorpad

I'll also be meeting the famous, Suzanne Kasler as she launches her elegant new line of furniture for Hickory Chair, and get to see her new designs in person.

Also, get ready for some exciting information on an antique collectible that is gaining in popularity, (which you are going to just love), as well as several other goodies and surprises along the way.

On Thursday and I'll announce the winner of the gorgeous, antique grain sack pillow. Thank you all for entering - Kym Fraser of Three Fine Grains and I are absolutely overwhelmed by your response!

On Friday I'll begin my series on my trip to "The Big Easy" - I hope you are excited as I am!!

See you in few days!!!

xx-Gina

Baseball card collage table

It's a Saturday and perhaps you'll like a round of baseball too. This one's from Matthew. Happy weekend.

He says, "I discovered an interesting way to give the Lack side table a baseball make-over using a bunch of vintage baseball cards, glue, gloss, and resin. The end result is a beautiful table which will add some character to any sports themed room. I’ve found that people love to sit and look at the old cards, even if they’re not into baseball. And for sports fans, it’s a great conversation piece.The resin coating keeps the cards preserved under a durable, clear finish."

See how it's done in this vid.

Malm bed goes glam

Robin transforms the birch Malm bed into glossy glam bed.

"This is our Ikea hack of a Malm bed, formerly in birch effect finish, and now a glossy black custom-looking addition to a swank bedroom in Hollywood Regency style.

That Malm bed took us many days to complete. We primed it first using a special high-cling primer followed by several coats of black semi-gloss oil-based enamel in a custom thinned-out formula.

Trial and error proved the best way around this challenge. As soon as we found the exact amount of turpentine thinning we needed, we enjoyed a smooth-as-silk brush-on experience, and the rest of the paint went on "like buttah."

Spring Magic at the Mansion

After our visit with Mr. Hadley on Tuesday, Grant and I did a little shopping, mostly window shopping, on Madison Avenue. Of course, that was after fueling up at JG Melon. After that, our first priority was the Ralph Lauren Mansion. There is chic and then there is Ralph Lauren Chic. The home floor was decked out for spring and couldn't have looked more beautiful! I could move in there tomorrow and be happy forever and I bet you could too! Bon Weekend!

How to install a dimmer switch.

If you read this blog waaaay back when, you know how much I luuuuv me some dimmers. I think lighting is one of the most inexpensive and easiest ways to create a mood in your home. And I just cannot express how much a dimmer switch will change the lighting in your room -- for as little as $7.

OK, now STOP shaking your head, thinking, "This Chick has gone and lost. her. mind. I cannot (and will not) do anything electrical."

Yes, you can! I swear. Just look at how easy it is.

If the light you are placing the dimmer on only has ONE switch that operates it, you'll need the single pole dimmer, like this one. This is GOOD because these are CHEAP -- less than $7. Dimmers come in a mad selection of styles and you'll pay more for more bells and whistles:

If your light is controlled by more than one switch, you will need the 3-way version. You need to look when you purchase -- the packages are almost identical.

When you open it up, this is what you'll see:

(Stop shaking. It's easy, I SWEAR.)
The only tools you should need are a Phillips head screw driver and a flat head screwdriver:

Go to the switch for the light you are changing out and turn it on -- first so you can tell if you get the right breaker and second, it's a real PITA when you've run down a set of stairs, through the house and to the garage, turned off the breaker, run back through the house, up the stairs and then realized YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHICH SWITCH YOU ARE WORKING WITH! Whew.

Go to the breaker box, and turn the switch to off:

Make sure the light is NOT working. Now you are free to use your flat head screwdriver to take off the switch plate. This is what you'll see:

Stop hyperventilating. It's going TO BE OK!!

Use your Phillips screwdriver to take the actual switch off the wall:

Then pull the whole switch out. There will be a wire connected to the green ground screw, and two wires connected to the switch -- either stuck inside it or tightened under the screws:

See that little bitty slat below? You'll want to use the flathead screwdriver and push it in while you pull the wire out of the little hole above it. (If your wires are in there. See above.)

Next, just follow the directions. Wrap the copper ground wire around the green wire on the dimmer:

Cap it off with the enclosed nut. Just stick it on the end and twist it. This ensures the wires stay connected and protected:

Then simply connect the other two black wires to the two left over wires. Twist together and twist the nut on:

Gently push all the wires back into the wall box:

That's it!! Told you it was easy. Screw the dimmer switch back onto the plate:

Go to turn on the breaker switch to make sure it is working. Then get completely sidetracked by your Decorating ADD and peruse the new Ballard catalog that just came in the mail:

Sorry. Make sure the light works:

Then go ahead and put the plate back on. Make sure all the little screws go the same way:

Oh, sorry. That's just me. I think I like this way better:

So many issues, so little time.

That's it! You are done!! I have installed dimmers in pretty much every room in our house. The kitchen:

The dining room is a necessity!!

I have all of our ceiling fan lights on dimmers. Our master bath light is on a dimmer -- FABULOUS on dark mornings. All of our recessed lighting is on dimmers. I tell you what -- they say dimmers save on electricity and I believe it. We've been in this house five years and just last week changed out two recessed lights. They lasted FIVE years people!

You won't be disappointed! I challenge you to make this a quick and easy weekend project!

Disclaimer: MAKE SURE SURE SURE the breaker is turned off. Please!! :)

On a completely different note, I need to show some love for my friend Kimba:

I know many of us have struggled with the amount of time we dedicate to blogging --whether it be writing a blog or just being obsessed with looking at them! Kimba challenges all of us to unplug tomorrow from anything (like the computer!) that we feel is taking up a bit too much of our time.

I have made some changes of late that have made a BIG difference to us -- for example, I don't get on the computer in front of our son anymore. It has been a great change for us -- he was starting to hate the computer. ;) If you unplug tomorrow, share how it went for you at Kimba's on Monday.

Customised bay window desk

Lee does a customised desk to fit a bay window using a Plywood panel and two Ikea Apa storage boxes.

He says, "I had a big trestle table in my bedroom that I was using as a computer desk. Behind my bedhead was a bay window, which was wasted space. I decided to build a custom-fit desk to use that space and claw back some space for myself. I had a thick plywood top custom-cut very cheaply, then used two Ikea Apa storage boxes as the legs. By leaving the inserts out of the narrow sides, I have made spaces for my two
towers that I can easily get at.

I covered the leftover panels with the same fabric I used on the plywood top to make two folding screens. These sit outside of each box and hide my computer cables and a waste bin. I used the lids of the two storage boxes as extra legs in between the two boxes. I now have a great computer desk and about 2 1/2 square meters of extra space in my bedroom."

Grain Sack Pillow Giveaway!!!!

We have had so much interest in antique grain sacks over the past few weeks! First with the different ways you can use linens and grain sacks in your home, and, secondly, rare, antique grain sack pillows and upholstery from textile artist, Kym Fraser at Three Fine Grains.

To celebrate the launching of her new website and on line store, Kym is offering one of our readers their choice between two rare, antique pillows.

Would you like this lovely German grain sack printed with stripes? As you recall many are printing reproductions over grains sacks to get this look, but this pillow is a true original! An antique German grain sack from 1849. Very rare salmon and blue coloring.

Or this German Grain sack with roses which are very rare and usual? It has a wonderful original patch at the top which is amazing. This is the only one she has ever seen with roses before. This pillow is from 1899 Authausen, Germany.

Just leave a comment below and you will be entered to win one of these pillows. I will randomly select one winner from the comments next Thursday and Kym will ship you your choice of one of these two pillows.

Here are a few more of Kym's new items. Check out these gorgeous new stools!