Have a nice weekend peeps! I’m signing off but want to wish you a happy weekend but with a bit of a warning: watch out for the Easter candy hitting stores right now. Gracious! Aqua M&Ms, peeps in all shades, lovely packaging, I could not believe my eyes in the grocery store last night. I was equally shocked when these little guys hopped into my cart (I didn’t place them there, oh no!). I figured they were lonely looking for a friend so I brought them home. My home. Now I feel like eating them because that is what we do to candy, but I don’t think that would be hospitable of me because you see, they don’t believe they are candy but actual birds. I feel bad telling them, I mean just look at the faces… it’s hard to resist the temptation but also hard to give in because they are so cute and well mannered. Hmmm. I clearly have a stressful life with very tough decisions to make.
I’ll see you around this way again on Monday. Not sure the peeps will, though. I just ate one while typing this. Tweet!
(image by holly becker for decor8)
You’ll be inspired by this week’s pick for How Much For This Room because it features a beautiful living and dining room clearly pulled together with a lot of love and a great sense of style. It’s also quite inexpensive so it’s within reach. These rooms were sent in by Benita Larsson, the Swedish design blogger behind the popular Chez Larsson, a lady we all know and love for her writing, great organizational skills, home DIY projects, and for the gorgeous blues, yellows and greens in her home! Thank you so much Benita for sharing your world with us today.
I’d like to note that Benita has had some items for quite a long time and was unable to remember exactly what she paid for them so she had to guess at a few of the prices. She feels confident though that they are pretty spot on. Not included is the cost of wall paint, flooring (original to the house), books, magazines and what she calls, “the old horrid TV” which I didn’t even notice until she pointed it out — ha ha! Oh Benita, we all battle with televisions whether they are old and horrid or new and sleek – our goal is always to hide them but it never seems to quite work out now does it?
Seating area: 1) IKEA Karlanda (pre Karlstad) Sofa $499. 2) Junk Shop find Armchairs (20 years ago) $100 + $125 for covers made in Hong Kong (I brought the worn out old covers sewn by myself to a tailor in Hong Kong and he copied them) + $60 for wheels. 3) Sofa table $0 (left to us in our house by the previous owners) + $10 for paint and varnish. 4) Junk Shop find nesting tables (18 years ago) $35 + $10 for paint. 5) Bookshelves self made out of MDF, cost of materials $70. 6) Self made MDF TV unit on wheels $55. 7) IKEA Door mat $8. 8) Floor lamp including shade $75. 9) Art – Half hull boat (produced by my husband Martin) $250. 10) Muji bowl $20. 11) Table lamp $35 including shade. 12) Pillow inserts 8@$6 = $48. 13) Fabrics for pillow covers (all 1/2 yard pieces): Svenskt Tenn Elephants 2@$46 =$92, White corduroy $8, Aqua linen $8, Joel Dewberry Woodgrain* $4, Paula Prass Garden Trellis* $4, Michael Miller Dandy Damask* $5, Denyse Schmidt Basket Weave* $4. 14) Iittala Savoy Vase $123. 15) Iittala Kivi Votive holders 2@$13 = $26. 16) Charity shop finds: Small glass vase and ceramic leaf dish 2@$1 =$2. 17) IKEA Roller blinds (not shown) $40,
Total for seating area: $1,716 USD
*Purchased on Etsy.
Dining space: 1) IKEA Hollow core door table top (no longer available), painted white $25. 2) Dumpster find table base $0. 3) Dumpster find chairs $0 + $12 for fleece fabric, batting and elastic. 4) Charity shop find Orange stools $44. 5) Built in cabinets left by previous owners $0 + $30 for paint and adhesive frosted plastic. 6) Ceiling lamp $200. 7) Cylinder glass vases used as hurricane lamps 2@$9 =$18. 8) Charity shop find bowl $2. 9) Table lamp $35 including shade. 10) Milky white flower pot $8. 11) Doggy art by Martin $0. 12) Ebay Whiskas Cat bed $88. 13) Vintage card boxes left to me by my parents $0. 14) Art: Magnus Carlsson framed art (a gift) $0, Abbey Hendrickson print (a win) $0 + frame $20, Junk shop find Bird print $3 + frame $20, Smelly cat art by my son Wille $3 for the canvas (art itself priceless).
Total for dining space: $508 USD
Fireplace wall: 1) JRG Electrical fireplace insert $850 + self built MDF and scrap wood mantle pieces, cost of materials $25. 2) Self built cube stools, cost of scrap wood, plywood, batting, foam and fabric $30. 3) Yellow canvas, cost for canvas and acrylic paint $26. 4) Art: Matte Stephens gocco print $20 + $16 for frame, Cosas Minimas print $16 + $12 for frame. 5) Charity shop find votive holders and clear flower pot 3@$1 =$3. 6) IKEA Green wooly blanket (no longer available) $25.
Total for Fireplace wall: $1,023 USA
What’s the grand total for fireplace wall, living room seating area and dining space? $3,247.00 USD
Why is this space so cozy, pretty, unique and affordable? Benita incorporated art from her family, built and or painted a lot of things herself, found free abandoned items in her local community that she gave new life to, and this clever lady loves a good thrift store! Good ideas to put into practice when you’re pulling together a room on a budget!
If you would like to be part of the How Much For This Room? series, please send one photo of your space to me at holly AT decor8blog.com with “How Much For This Room?” in the subject line. Thank you!
If you have any questions for Benita about her home please feel free to ask her in the comments section below. Thank you!
(images from benita larsson)
It’s Friday, time to prepare for the weekend and hope for Spring with fresh images from the inspiration folders of Amy Butler Design. I haven’t talked about Amy in over three months so I needed a little of her sparkle and beauty on my site today. I’m so fond of her design work and home in Ohio, but I also follow her husband and business partner David because in my opinion his photos of Amy’s products radiant joy and life. When I look at his recent batch of photos (below), I imagine a charming country lifestyle… a sweet friend winks at you from the porch, asks that join in on a game of cards and whether or not you’d like one lemon slice in your tea or two.
I love single flowers in candle holders, I do the exact same thing with mine too. Just add a few tablespoons of water and your buds will stay beautiful!
View additional larger photos here and to shop for Amy’s products visit her web shop. Don’t miss her gorgeous new stationery, the Lucky Flowers collection.
(images from amy butler design)
It’s official! I’ve decided to follow the lead of my current teacher Susannah Conway and become a bit of a teacher myself. I’m going to start with an e-course in April all about blogging! This fun workshop will cover topics such as: building a presence online through your blog (good for anyone who is a writer, crafter, designer, etc.), how to attract readers, a blog ad how-to guide, photo copyrights, how to make your images look great, blog template ideas, how to write from your heart, and creative ideas when it comes to networking online, organizing your inbox, topic ideas, dealing with negativity, and overcoming writer’s block.
If this interests you please email me (holly AT decor8blog.com) with exact details of what you’d like to get out of the class so that I can potentially work your suggestions into the course materials. The course will also include some videos from me to you, too!
Enrollment will begin March 15th so stay tuned! TIP: You can get on my list to receive pre-registration details before I post enrollment on decor8 since the class will be limited to around 150 students, first come, first serve. Getting on the list will give you a chance to enroll 2 days prior to my official post on decor8.
Yay! I can’t believe I’m about to do this — I can’t wait!
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