What's in your Vase?

           Remember the tall beautiful Morticia Addams from the Addams family? While she showed us how to pull off goth with style, she also had some unusual practices like cooking eye of newt and giving her sweaters three arms! And oddly enough I'm basing today's tip on her practice of snipping off the buds of roses and filling her vases with the rose stems! Yes! Take a little bit of inspiration from Morticia and fill your vases with something that's uniquely you. Hopefully, not a lot of you will go in the slightly twisted direction Mrs. Addams took! :)

(Source: Pionik)

          Drawing directly from Morticia, how about giving your flower arrangement a swirl and placing them upside down in your vase? You can even place just a bunch of twigs and some fairy lights in a vase for a rustic effect. And a refreshing option is adding just leaves to your vase instead of flowers.

(Source: Chase)

(Source: Pinterest)

(Source: Etsy)

     Filling your vases with fruits, dried or fresh is another fine option. Pumpkins and pine cones can be just what your home needs for a festive flavour. Additionally they can be spray painted for added effect. Keeping lime in a vase might seem absurd, but it stocks up on scent as well as can keep your flowers fresher for longer if you choose to keep flowers and lime.

(Source: Pinterest)

(Source: The Budget Decorater)

                                 

(Source: lilaccandylilyfloraldesign)

     If you want your vases to really stand out, move away from the flora towards the fauna. Feathers can be colourful, rustic or bohemian in a vase. The look is up to you!

                    

                                                                    (Source: SoulMakes blog)

(Source: juliasvitadrommar)

            Want to find a way to store stationery fashionably? Vases are your answer!

            

(Source: Oughton Limited)

                 

                        (Source: Good Homes and Garden)                                  (Source: Pinterest)

 

              Variate your vase, variate what goes in the vase! 

                  

Magazine Art

         Ever look at a picture in a magazine or a book and think, "Now that's art!"? On the other hand ever looked at a painting on a wall somewhere and wonder, "That's art?"? Well, lucky for you we are in the 21st century and that means, we make our own art. Especially if it's in our homes or office spaces!

        Magazines, books and newspapers can be unending sources of creative images. If you find a picture that you like or a piece of poetry that strikes a chord with you, or even if it is a beautiful black and white photograph of your favorite musician, turn those articles into art!

       You can hang these cuttings simply in frames around the house or you can try some of these crafty art projects:

Modge Podge Canvas:
   

(Source: www.craftedlove.com)

         All you need for this project is a bunch of your favorite magazine cuttings, some modge podge or watery glue, a canvas and some paint brushes. Layer your cuttings onto the canvas, adding generous amounts of modge podge over and under as you go. Let the glued on paper dry, and voila! You've got yourself a piece of art. You could make a collage of your favorite pictures, of your favorite comic strips or a bunch of your favorite poetry clippings. You can also use the collage as a background and paint something on top of it.

(Source: www.mrkate.com)

Magazine Stripping Art:

        This colorful project is a twist on the above project. All you've got to do here is modge podge the magazine strips into a shape or silhouette you like. 

(Source: Linda Jacobs)

(Source: Etsy)

Magazine Wallpaper:

       For the bold ones out there, this project is for you! This project might take a little longer and may be a risky one, but is so worth it! Especially if you have an uncluttered blank wall staring at you! 

(Source: www.brit.co)

  Don't let those old magazines or newspapers take up unwanted space in your house any longer. Find the art in them and let it out!

                                          

The Good Ol' Bunting

        At a friend's bachelorette party recently, the maid of honor had decorated the venue. While there were the usual before/after boards and quirky photo props, what caught my eye was the lengths of white buntings stringing across the ceiling. Simple white chiffon flags on a gold ribbon coupled with a length of fairy lights and the maid of honor had changed her sitting room into a fabulous fairy tale themed setting!

      Colourful plastic buntings being the decoration of choice for small outside parties, religious functions and the like, we've encountered them our whole lives but hardly ever consider them the decor item of choice in our homes. Let's take a look at these images showing how buntings work around house:

KID'S BEDROOMS:
     Colourful buntings are perfect accessories to brighten up your kid's rooms. Hang them against a wall, a bunch in a corner or let them crisscross below the ceiling.

(Sanctum)

(Sanctum)

LIVING ROOM:

     Subtly colored buntings work better in a living room setting. You can add sheer cloth ones across a window for a little play on light or add seasonally themed buntings across your hall!

                                                                             (Pinterest)

UNIQUE BUNTINGS:

(Pinterest)

         Step away from the conventional triangle shaped buntings and try out the unique ones available in the market. Or spare and hour or so in your day and sit down to make yourself one!

                                                                   (Pinterest)

        Don't take the bunting for granted, it's guaranteed to liven up any room it swings across!

Let the Pieces Fall in Place

      Remember those good ol' rainy afternoons when a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle kept you company? There's something almost beautiful and calming in the way a jigsaw piece fits into place. The completion of a jigsaw puzzle produces the sweetest sense of satisfaction. To me jigsaw puzzles symbolize fulfillment, patience and a whole lot of childhood memories. What great symbols to put up around our house!

      WALL ART:

(Misanthropy Creations)

       You can paint a jigsaw pattern on your walls or makes a jigsaw puzzle pattern by fitting in different pieces, be it crockery, photo frames or painted jigsaw tiles made of a material like MDF or ceramic.

(Puzzle Projects)

(mary@ home the bay)

(Useful Diy Projects)

FLOORING:

(Pinterest)

    The geometric pattern on your floor need not necessary be the traditional round edged jigsaw one. It could be sharper, bolder or something more soft. If you're considering tiling your entire floor with a puzzle pattern make sure there aren't any contrasting designs happening on your walls or furnishing. A rug or carpet is an easier add-on.

(Pinterest)

OTHER DECOR ACCESSORIES:

      Throw in a a puzzle patterned cushion or a curtain between some solids for a geometric look.  You can also use cushions shaped like a puzzle piece! Smaller decor accessories like a photo frame or a painting can be easily diyed. Just gather up your old puzzle pieces, paint them (or not!) and hot glue them to create a piece of art!

 

(Pinterest-all above images)

      Look around your house for the perfect spot and let those pieces fall in place!