Friday Favorites: Easter Egg Inspiration

When I was a kid decorating Easter eggs consisted of staining them with colored water and spoons. These days people are using anything and everything they can get their hands on to spruce up their Easter eggs - paint, washi tape and even sharpie markers!

With Easter just a few short days away for my Friday Favorites post I set out to find some unique and easy ways to decorate eggs. Lucy isn't quite old enough to start this fun tradition yet, but I'm definitely collecting of ideas for future egg decorating. Here are a few of my favorite finds.

Also, why didn't we try decorating brown eggs before? I love the look!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

I seriously want to try them all. Luckily Lucy and I have years of egg decorating ahead of us! Is anyone working on any last minute Easter decorations? 

Today I have some friends coming over to help me repaint our downstairs (living room, kitchen and entryway). It's a bit of a monster task but I'm so excited for a fresh look downstairs. Plus I'm having some family over this weekend and it will be nice to have the house looking pretty in time for guests.

Happy Friday!

Black Friday Find (A Few Months Late)

It wasn't until I was taking photos in our living room this past weekend that I realized I never shared this great find from before Christmas. Let me begin by saying I'm not a Black Friday shopper. To start, I usually work on that day every year. I did do the whole Black Friday shopping things several years ago and while I scored some great deals, I didn't get the desire to do it again.

Here's a photo from several months back of one side of our living room. Ever since we've been in our home we've had this leather chair and ottoman set.  Jordan brought them from the apartment he lived in before we moved in together.

 

It's a great set and I really love the contrast of the wood against the leather. It's been a nice spot to snuggle up with Lucy and watch a movie or sit during the day with a view of the creek behind our house.

 

While the chair has always worked fine in the space the ottoman often got in the way, specifically once Lucy came along and claimed the rug as her personal play space. After some time the leather itself started to get a little beat up due to age, animals and a toddler.  However, none of these were reasons to get rid of them.

This past Fall I happened to go to Home Depot last minute, late at night on Black Friday. Like I said, I'm not Black Friday shopper, but I had a handful of things I needed to pickup for various projects I planned to tackle that weekend. I literally stumbled upon this leather chair way in the back of the store behind the paint aisle.

 

My first thought was 'Home Depot sells furniture?'

 

Second thought, no we didn't need another leather chair, but seriously who can turn down a great one like this for only $99? I immediately texted a photo of the chair to Jordan and he agreed it was a great piece for the price. What I really liked about this chair was that it seemed a little 'fancier' in comparision to our other one, and I liked the idea of having a more 'grown up' looking chair in our living room.

 

 

I purchased the chair on the spot and the next day my Dad helped bring it home.

 

I. Love. It.

 

This chair is so comfortable and fits in the space perfectly. I find I actually sit in it more than I did when we had the other chair.

 

Seriously, Home Depot? Who knew? P.S. Pillows are from West Elm. You can find the larger one here. The smaller one doesn't seem to be available anymore.

 

In case you're wondering, we didn't get rid of the old chair. It now resides in the corner of our master bedroom. While it may seem a little big for the space, I actually really love it in this spot. I'll admit at times the chair serves as my personal laundry storage (sorry Jordan), but I've had a few mornings snuggled up on that chair skimming my emails and blogs before getting ready for work. I feel like it cozies up the space in our room and provides somewhere to relax other than lying in bed.

 

 

Does it remind anyone else of the chair Aiden sold Carrie??

 

image via Apartment Therapy

 

I may or may not admit to sitting in that chair and pretending to be Carrie Bradshaw.

Paint Dipped Stool

I tackled another paint dipped project this past weekend. This is by no means a new idea or project for me. Almost a year ago I dipped this table for our guest room. I really love this trend because it's so simple to achieve, yet makes a huge impact on a piece of furniture. 

 

For a few months now we've had this old chair in our living room. It was actually one of the chairs from my family's kitchen set we had growing up (so there is some sentimental attachment to it). We have this awkward piece of wall that sticks out into our living room/kitchen. As far as I know it serves no real purpose. I've had the framed animal menagerie on that wall for a while now and I had the old chair against the wall underneath. I thought I was pretty clever using this chair to stack my collection of design books. I figured it could double as both decorative and extra seating when we had people over. Of course none of our guests ever asked if they could relocate my 27 design books so they could sit on this low, hard chair.

 

Lucy also grew fond of this set up and started taking the books off the chair and either 'reading' or just relocating them. After a while I figured it was time to change things up a bit. I had a better place for the chair anyway, but still needed something to put under the frame, preferably something with a little more height. 

I purchased this stool from Target for $19.99. They had a $15 version, but I was afraid it would be too low in our kitchen. I already have a stock of spray paint and tape and didn't need to purchase any additional supplies, so $20 wouldn't be breaking the bank for me.  

I knew right away that I wanted to dip the legs of the stool. The wood alone was just too plain for our taste. Plus when do I ever leave something as is?

 

Now I'll start by saying I had big plans for this stool. To start it was going to get completely sanded and stained a darker color. Honey wood isn't my taste. However, I asked Jordan's opinion and he nixed that idea, saying he liked the lighter wood (and I do seriously take his opinions into consideration). Plus the other table I dipped was darker and I was a little intrigued as to how it would look with light wood. I also really wanted to do a double dip, where I did white paint first, followed by yellow paint a few inches lower.

 

Before I could start painting, I measured how high I wanted the painted legs to be. In this case I chose the one foot mark. I marked with a pencil on each side of each leg, then taped the lines using painter's tape. Since I wanted to do spray paint I used some old grocery bags to cover the rest of the stool that I didn't want painted. We lucked out with decent weather, minus the wind, so spray painting outside was easy.

 

A few coats of white later and I had a 'newer' new stool. Once I painted the stool white and took off the tape I just couldn't convince myself to add the yellow. I really love the contrast of the white and wood. Part of me feels that this stool might still need something, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

Who knows, in a few weeks I may decide to add the yellow, or more white on the seat, or something else. For now I'm loving the new addition to our living room/kitchen space.

 

Have you tried the paint dipped trend, yet?

Friday Favorites

 

image via Pinterest

 

I'm off to NY this weekend to see some of my gal pals from college. We only get to see each other a few times a year, but each time we do it's like we never left.

 

Meanwhile here is a roundup of my favorite things from around the web this week:

My new favorite blog that I'm just a liiiittle obsessed with.

I plan on trying this recipe over the weekend.

This makeover is getting me excited about the sofa table I'm painting for our bedroom.

Am I crazy that this apartment tour makes me want to downsize?

Sending a big CONGRATS to Holly for some wonderful news this week.

I really don't need another iPhone case... or do I?

I've been wanting to do this to our house for years. Just having a hard time choosing a color that goes with ugly brown siding. Maybe our next house.

The gallery wall in the back of this post has me thinking of stepping up the one in our living room after our downstairs gets a fresh paint job next week.

Did you see Bri Emery's living room makeover? I'm craving some bright punches of color in our home now.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Spring Has Sprung

Spring is finally here! Although it doesn't feel like it around here today.

Picture borrowed from here (with a floral crown tuturial!)

 

images via Pinterst, here and here

 

Now that spring is here all I want to do it wear pretty flowers in my hair from now through the end of summer. How about you? 

Jewels On Display

Jewelry storage can be a tricky thing to tackle. These days necklaces are bigger, earrings more flashy and delicate, and bracelets can be the size of your arm.

I'm personally not a fan of having a large piece of furniture dedicated solely to storing jewerly. I've tried jewelry trees and they just look like a mess to me. Even some of the DIY jewelry displays I've seen around the internet don't seem to satisfy the storage solution I'm looking for. I prefer to keep my jewelry storage a little more simple.

I love the idea of hanging necklaces on the wall. Not only are your most worn pieces easily accessible, but they double as pretty wall art without looking too cluttered.

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My necklaces hang on small metal hooks on one of the walls in our bedroom. We previously had our bed against that wall and when we decided to move it between the windows, there was this huge empty space to fill. Limited on storage space in our bathroom and hating to tuck my jewerly into a dark shelf in our closet, I decided to take our sofa table and make a small vanity area to store my accessories. I'll admit I'm tempted to switch up the arrangement a bit in favor of the above styles where the necklaces stand alone spaced out along the wall. For now, I'm pleased with the way my necklaces hang and actually like how they are layered on top of each other.

As far as the rest of my jewelry goes, I honestly only have a small selection of earrings. I rarely wear earrings that aren't my round black studs or gold initial studs. I just can't get on board with large or dangle earrings, I feel like I look awkward in them. My bracelet selection isn't large either as my wrists are so skinny I have to stick to certain styles and fits. I generally wear my gold Michael Kors watch almost every day or a large gold adjustable cuff. All the bracelets I own are stored in the white Pottery Barn jewelry box I received for my birthday two years ago from Jordan.

What are your favorite jewelry storage solutions?

PS. See that sofa table? It's undergoing an emerald makeover! Can't wait to share with you all.

A Simple Kind of Life on Bloglovin'

The buzz is going around that Google Reader will be nonexistent as of July 1st. Good news is you can still follow A Simple Kind of Life on Bloglovin'! What is Bloglovin'? It's a great and easy way to keep up with your favorite blogs. Head on over and check it out.

 

Follow A Simple Kind of Life on Bloglovin'!

 

 

HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT MY OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA?

 

Facebook 

Blog updates and some sneak peek photos.

 

Twitter

Blog updates and some of my random musings.

 

Instagram 

A peek into my daily life and sneak previews of projects I'm working on.

 

Pinterest

Basically my huge to-do/to-buy/inspiration/wish lists.

 

New Kilim Rug

After drooling over Dana's new rug on HouseTweaking, I realized that I shared with you all my love for Kilim and told you that I was waiting on a rug I had ordered, but never took any photos after it arrived. It can be hard to find a decent Kilim rug that doesn't cost in the $1,500-$3,000 range. I was so excited when I saw that Pottery Barn was selling them for a decent price. Even more excited when I realized I had a gift card leftover from Christmas. 

As soon as I purchased the rug I knew I wanted it to be used in our entryway at the front door as a bright, cheerful welcome to our guests.

The style I purchased was the Kalista Kilim. I seriously love it and get a little excited each time I see it when I was through the door. I couldn't be happier with my Kilim purchase.

If you love this rug as much as I do, go check out Pottery Barn because it's on SALE! The sizes are somewhat limited, but they have so many other Kilim rugs available that you can choose from, too. I actually had to stop myself from purchasing another one last week. 

Did you spot the feather art above our vintage key holder? That was a recent Etsy purchase from Fiddleheads for Fiona. I stumbled across this Etsy shop while bored hard at work one day and instantly fell in love with this feather print. Rebecca offers so many other great designs - antlers, foxes and birds galore. 

(The key holder was a thrift find from where else? Goodeals.) 

Each one is made on a piece of birch wood using vintage book pages and various pretty printed paper. I was quite impressed when I received mine and saw how gorgeous it was up close. Bonus that it matches the rug almost perfectly.

Oh and in case you were wondering about the rug. Lucy tested, Lucy approved.

UPDATE:

The DelVintage Turquoise Vintage Ring Giveaway ended on Friday.

The winner is Jhoanna M! 

Amanda will be reaching out to you to send your vintage ring.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Target Does It Again

Target has really done it again. I am more and more impressed each time step inside (and let's face it I stop by Target at least once a week).

I stumbled upon this great Tumblr and Instagram account, Target Does It Again, a few weeks ago and I've been hooked since. Jen and Laura post shots of great Target finds they spot each day. They even make sure to mention the brand and price of each item they feature. I'll admit I peek every once and a while at the clothing section of Target, but I usually immediately go straight to the home goods and skip the clothes. Once I started following this Instagram account, I have been loving what I'm seeing. So much that I had to take an impromptu trip to Target the other night and stock up on a few things.

Here are some of my favorites that I spotted:

1. Mossimo Cap Sleeve Graphic Tee, $17.99
2. Mossimo Knit Vest with Studs, $27.99
3. Mossimo Sleeveless Black Jumpsuit, $29.99
4. Merona Mali Tassel Flat, $19.9
5. Merona Floral Crossbody, $19.99
6. Mossimo Ombre Crew Neck Sweatshirt, $22.99
7. Xhileration Strapless Sweetheart Fit & Flare Dress, $24.99
8. Xhileration Challis Shorts, $17.99
9. Mossimo Patricia Fabric Cobalt Wedge, $29.99

I picked up a few pieces of clothing for Lucy and myself and also snagged these adorable mugs on clearance for $2.50 a piece.

Be sure to check out Target Does it Again on Tumblr and Instagram. You'll be hooked. It doesn't hurt that they both give me MAJOR hair envy. HAPPY FRIDAY!

Ikea Hack Part 2

Today I'm sharing another Ikea 'mini-hack' with you all. I say mini-hack because I didn't so much 'hack' the piece, but just gave it a good spray paint to change it up a little. No matter how simple, it's nice to see a fresh upgrade to some old pieces we've had around the house.

 

Everyone who shops at Ikea knows the standard Ribba style frames. I have a collection in a variety of finishes - black, white and silver. In our living room we have a small gallery wall of frames inusing the white Ribba frames, including one of the square shadow box-type frames. While I was spray painting yesterday's table, I had a sudden inspiration to add a little gold to this wall to add some pop.

Super easy. I took out the wooden shadowbox insert and simply gave it a few quick coats of my metallic gold spray paint.  

Once I put the frame back together, instant pop of color!

It's a subtle change, but one I feel definitely adds a little something to the wall of white frames. Since these photos I've also added a thin gold frame with a navy blue silhouette print to the wall to tie the gold together. Our walls will soon be getting a fresh coat of paint and I may rearrange the wall a bit when finished.

Check out some great Ikea Hacks here!

 

And don't forget about the Vintage Ring Giveaway! The giveaway runs through Friday and as an added bonus Amanda is offering 10% off any order when you use the promo code SIMPLELIFE10. Check out DelVintage and get shopping!!