Bookcase Styling Tips

I love client homes that have bookcases.  The design possibilities are endless! Styling a bookcase isn't always as easy as it seems.  In fact, it can be overwhelming and somewhat intimidating.  A well-styled bookcase can transform a room, often becoming the focal point, whether it be good or bad. House Beautiful and HGTV have provided us with some great design styling tips for bookcases. Check these out and then give yours a try!

1. Start with a clean slate.  Remove everything from the shelves, discarding any damaged books.

2. Decide on a backdrop.  The bookcase itself can serve as an excellent backdrop to showcase your masterpiece.  You can use paint, fabric, wallpaper, wrapping paper, etc.

pinterest.com

3. Decide to book or not to book. Do you want to use all books? No books? Some books? Experiment with different ways to stack them-- vertically or horizontally-- in a pleasing pattern. Horizontal books can even act as bookends.

4. Decide on the color of your books. Do you want to use books that are a certain color? Do you want to sort them by color? (You can always wrap unattractive book covers in a paper colors of your choice.)

ciaonewportbeach.blogspot.com

5. Personalize the space. Add a favorite collection, shapely vases, decorative boxes or baskets, and family photos. This helps keep your display visually interesting. You don't need to use all of these different items.  Just pick the ones that work for you.

houzz.com

6. Vary the heights of your objects. Nothing says boring like lining them up in a neat row.  The exception to this rule would be in a case where all books are used.  In that case, make it intentional! Have unity in the lined up books with commonality.  For instance, all books on each shelf are the same height, color, etc.  Or stack them horizontally from top to bottom and fill the shelves that way.

7. Use a few horizontally stacked books as a pedestal to highlight a particular object.

cianewportbeach.blogspot.com

8. Go big and bold.  Small items get lost and tend to send a knick-knacky feel.  Accessorizing anything with little knick-knacks is so out. A bookcase is a great place to show off that quirky horse head or abstract art piece that maybe you weren't bold enough to display alone.

9. Don't be afraid to mix in art work.

10. Add a little sparkle.  Glass and silver accessories are great options for adding this extra touch.  Propping a mirror as the backdrop can be another great option as well!

11. Don't over clutter.  Very important.  Keep in mind the open space around the objects.

Here are some of my favorite inspirations...

centsationalgirl.com

chinoseriechic.blogspot.com

Better Homes & Garden

dreamgreendiy.com

myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com

Did you find anything inspiring? Let me know!

-Amy

I'm Back/ Happy Fall... (Ya'll)

It's the most wonderful time of the year! (And yes, I am aware it isn't Christmas.) Fall time is my favorite season! It always excites me to see the stores starting to put out mums and pumpkins for sale. It is a sure sign that autumn is upon us.  And I don't know about you, but we are in desperate need of a change in season.  Our summer was long (and HOT!). There were definitely many highs to our summer, and unfortunately some lows. But I can tell you one thing for sure, this pregnant gal is sure glad the 100 degree days are gone! 

I am getting back in the groove of things, and hope to start posting regularly again. I cannot wait to share the many exciting things from our summer! We kicked off the summer with a fun, family vacation to Europe for three weeks, celebrated our little girl's 2nd birthday, celebrated the discovery of having another little girl, many nesting projects completed around the house, a few client installations completed, a fun 4D ultrasound visit revealing that our new little girl looks like my dad (go figure!), and finishing our new nursery while updating Sophie's room to a "big girl room". Whew! Things have been a little busy to say the least. 

Hope you all had a wonderful summer time! Good things are in store this fall! 

 

{TGIM} Giant Family Photos

Nothing makes me happier than seeing a picture of my sweet Sophie. In fact, I feel that way about all of my family photos.  There used to be a time (not long ago, btw) where designers frowned upon displaying one's personal family photos in their living rooms, family rooms, hallways, etc.. But that attitude is slowly shifting. There are emerging more and more great ideas (and creative ones!) on family photography.  This week I am featuring one of my nearest and dearly loved truly great ideas...

The photo featured came from Mary Schannen Photography.  This is in her home office.  I just love the gallery wall behind her desk!! Can you think of a perfect spot for such a display? Wanna get started? I found a great giant photo tutorial on-- where else? Pinterest! 

Have a photogenic week!

-Amy-

{TGIM} Faux Furniture

Another week, another Monday. I hope you all had a very Happy Mother's Day! I am so excited to present to you this week's truly great idea. In my opinion, it truly is a great idea; definitely one I am gonna have to try soon!

I love for a bed to look clean and crisp. We have an upholstered platform bed that we bought about 3 years ago. I wasn't sure how I would feel about having no bed skirt and tucking my bedding under the mattress and all. Well, I LOVE it! I love the clean lines it creates, as well as the modern look. This week's truly great idea offers a twist on a bedskirt: a faux bed! Sarah Richardson, a Canadian designer and television host, offered up the brilliant idea of putting furniture feet on a box springs and upholstering it!! YES! I said it. Take a look...

Urban Nest

I love how both box springs look like a piece of furniture! The projects cost around $50 for fabric and feet. (Depending on how expensive the fabric, of course.) Furniture feet are available at most home project stores, such as The Home Depot or Lowe's. Sand them, prime them, and then paint them...

Urban Nest

Here's the step-by-step to this cute little trick: (As told by Rachel of Urban Nest)

Urban Nest

1.) Start with a long strip of fabric that will fit around the box spring (you will probably have to sew 2-3 pieces of fabric together to get the right length). To determine the width of the strip of  fabric, add 7 to 8 inches to the depth of the mattress. Finish the top and bottom edges with a zigzag stitch to prevent unraveling. Wrap the fabric around the box spring to determine the exact length and pin to mark where you'll sew the two ends together.

2.) After you have sewn the two ends together, stretch the fabric over the box spring leaving 4 inches to fold over the top of the box spring. Stitch the fabric to the top of the box spring to hold it in place. (You'll need to mitre the fabric at the corners.)

3.)Flip the box spring over and prepare to attach the fabric to the bottom side. In this case, I wanted to make sure the strips were level, and then I pinned it into place.

4.)  Staple the fabric to the bottom of the box spring, pulling it taut as you go.

5.) Trim the box spring padding to create a space to screw in the furniture foot. I attached 3 feet on each long side of the beds (6 total).

6.) Drill a hole that is slightly smaller than the width of the screw on the furniture foot.

7.) Cover the hole with the fabric, and use a pin to mark where the hole is.

8.) Cut a hole in the fabric for the screw to go through, and

9.) Screw in the foot.

10.) Repeat for the remaining 5 feet.  

Tip: If any of the feet are wobbly, remove the foot, squirt some wood glue in the hole, and reinsert the foot into the hole.

Happy Fauxing!!

-Amy-

TGIM is Back!! Customizing Roller Shades

So, after a long and whirlwind weekend, I am sharing this week's(and last's... and the one before that... and maybe the one before that...ok, so I haven't posted a Truly Great Idea Monday post in awhile, my apologies!) truly great idea brought to you straight from a blog I avidly read! I thought this was so cute, I had to pass it along! So, be inspired by this week's truly great idea...


Emily Clark as in emilyaclark.blogspt.com shared this great idea on her blog not long ago! Using a $5 roller shade, she completed this project for the guest bath/powder room. Want to create this cute idea? The details are here. The finished project looked like this...

She goes on to suggest using this idea for a window that you want to soften the look of, but not something where the shade need be necessarily functional.  The fabric caused the shade to be too thick to easily pull it up and down easily.

If you are needing a functional roller shade, but still want to dress it up, here are some great ideas...

Better Homes and Gardens

Or, maybe add some ribbon trim...

What The Vita

Good Housekeeping

Or, try painting the whole roller shade...

Better Homes and Gardens

Or, how about a stencil that looks like fabric...

Velvet Toolbox

(And, I just found out that Lowe's sells a chevron stripe stencil!!)

And lastly, my favorite...

Dress up roller shades with trim and decorative pulls! Details here.

For a look divine!

Isabella & Max Rooms

Be inspired and create!! 

-Amy-

Whew...

Happy Monday! Life has been very hectic (and very tiring) for the Pendergists.  I'm booting this week's TGIM post with a "catch up on life with us" post....Surely you can find a truly great idea in here, somewhere! *wink*

I had a major job installation a couple of weeks ago.  It went really well, but we are working at finishing up some last minute things.  My photographer, Amy Hough Photography, came out and did a photo shoot of the finished room.  I am excited to get pictures back from that. I hope to get them posted soon!!


In case you haven't heard, we found out about 6 weeks ago that we are having another little one! Yay!! We are super excited, slightly surprised, and oh so... ..TIRED!! I am finally starting to gain some energy back and my appetite is beginning to show up (which isn't a good thing)! But part of my "hiatus" has been from EXTREME exhaustion!!! I don't remember being quite this tired when I was pregnant with #1... oh wait! I wasn't!!! I didn't have a toddler to chase around!! But all is going very well.  Our first doctor's appointment went great and little peanut no.2 is growing rapidly!

Now, if I can just get back into the swing of things...




Bill turned the big 3-0  the end of March, however, I planned his birthday celebration a week later. I booked the picnic area on opening night of the Arkansas Travelers'baseball season... (that should earn me wife of the year, right?!) We had a blast! The picnic area came with catered, all-you-can-eat good 'ole American baseball game food and soft drinks. I had his birthday cake made in the shape of a baseball. Seriously, an actual sphere shaped ball! We also got stadium seats to watch the game. We invited our closest friends and had an absolute "ball"! (hehe sorry.. ) And all during the 6th inning, they scrolled "Happy Birthday, Bill!!" across the scoreboard. I think I made my man proud.

And all of this and I have NO pictures! Yep. Pitiful. I am SOO not a picture taker. I always get caught up in the moment talking, or whatever and I always forget! I am trying to get better.. especially since I am blogging about these things. But I dropped the "ball" (hehe sorry...again) on this one. But you can enjoy the image of the invitation I sent out for the party... I designed it myself and stuffed them into red envelopes.....

Hope you all had a fantastic Easter weekend! We sure did! We had an excellent service at church Sunday morning, ate a yummy lunch prepared by my mother-in-law, and hunted eggs with Sophie! She was so cute! She caught on quickly...

I hope you all had a blessed Easter weekend!! Happy Monday, everyone!!

-Amy-

When was the last time you cleaned...

Spring cleaning. Seriously, my second favorite time of the year.  My husband thinks I'm nuts, but I love that feeling when I can sit back and know that things are cleaned out, reorganized, and in their proper place. So as you are tackling your spring cleaning, here are some helpful tips to approach areas in your home that you may not think of.

...your hairbrush?
 The When: The best beauty experts recommend washing your brushes about every two months.
 The How: First, pull out all stray hairs with a comb or your fingers. If the brush has padding, boar bristles,  or a wooden handle, you want to keep it from getting waterlogged by swishing it back and forth in a sink full of soapy water. Rinse and tap off any excess water. Otherwise, soak it for 15 minutes in a sink filled with warm water with mild soap or shampoo.  Rinse and lay on a towel to dry.

...the inside of your coffee machine?
The When: It is best to try and clean your coffee machine after every dozen brews. Old coffee grounds and hard-water deposits can cause coffee to taste bitter.
The How: Insert a paper filter and fill the reservoir with two parts white vinegar and one part water. According to coffee expert and vice president of The American Barista & Cofee School, run the machine through a full cycle, then repeat the process twice with wold water and paper filters.

...your bed pillow?
The When: Every six months, your down or polyester pillows should take a spin in the washing machine.
The How: Wash them two at a time with detergent on the gentle cycle. Try an extra spin cycle to remove excess water and keep bacteria and mold away. Tumble dry on low, fluffing pillows every so often. Spot-clean foam pillows with warm water and soap. Lay flat to dry.

...your TV screens?
The When: Depending on the climate you live in and the kiddos and their fingerprints, but typically, your screen could use a good wipe-down every two to four weeks.
The How: For plasma screens, dust it gently with a soft, dry microfiber cloth. Paper towels can scratch the surface of your screen. For LCD screens (which have glass fronts), use a soft cloth and a little water.

...the produce bins in your fridge?
The When: Scrub your bins every few months to keep produce flavors fresh.
The How: Empty the drawers, then take them out of your fridge. Dip a cloth in a mixture of 4 tablespoons baking soda and 1 quart warm water; wipe down the inside and outside of each bin. Avoid household cleaners which can contain harsh chemicals and cause your food to taste funny.  Rinse bins in warm water and dry.