What? It’s Already Mid-December!

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

Does anyone else feel like the holiday season is flying by very quickly this year? Thanksgiving falling so late last month, probably had something to do with things. I just can’t conjure up much enthusiasm for any holiday decorating, and December is already half way gone. I haven’t brought up any tubs or trunks from the crawl space. No big tree up. And I don’t plan to do either of those this time around.

My mood is quite deflated. Hubs has had two health emergencies since mid-October, which included an ambulance ride to the Twin Cities, surgeries and a stay at University Hospital there. Fortunately he is fine at this point, and life is calming a bit. But decorating is not at the top of our list right now.

I haven’t become a complete Scrooge though. I’m just using some of my 1-2-3, EZ-PZ decor ideas instead. Sharing some with you today, too, in case you’re in the same frame of mind. Most are made with things you probably already have, without digging too deeply into your storage containers.

1. ORNAMENTS in Anything

Simply put a few colorful ornaments in any container you have;

a basket, a bowl, any glass jar or vase available.

EZ PZ with things you already have.

Below, the ornaments are in a beautiful, giant copper leaf piece, a gift from one of my daughters. The little “Russian Doll” snowmen another daughter and I saw years ago while shopping at Sears. They were on the check-out counter and I said how cute they were. So the clerk said “Here, you can have these!” A memory moment for sure.

YES … you know it. Even my bathroom gets decorated.

BLING belongs everywhere. . . you knew that, right!

2. PLANTS, PINES & BRANCHES

Pointsettias are everywhere. Buy one or two for important spots in your room. I’ve noticed great prices on these at Aldi’s and Wal-Mart this year.

Pine branches are easy to come by and so are fake pine garlands.

A small grouping of pine, a faux flower and a Holiday item are an instant little vignette.

See, you don’t need a lot. Sometimes simplicity is elegant, effective … and FAST. And putting that blue plant container in a Christmas colored basket would be great too! The table runner is paper and ribbon. See below

3. BASKETS, BOXES and PAPER

Put one of your houseplants in a bright basket. Wrap some empty boxes in varied sizes and papers. Only takes a few minutes. OR you could wrap small items you’re giving as guest favors and throw them in a big basket. NO TREE . . . take a bamboo basket or tub, and put all your gift-wrapped presents in them. Lots of bang with what you have already.

4. RIBBON

This is one of the most easy and fun ideas. No pictures but just use your imagination. Make one big bow for a centerpiece. Make several small bows to scatter here, there and everywhere. Make a quick tree garland or wall banner with thick ribbon and a few unbreakable ornaments. Wrap jars with pretty ribbon and use as serving pieces … hold candy, silverware, extra napkins, etc. HAVE FUN.

5. CANDY

?? Candy ?? YES, that’s what it says. Hey talk about multiple duties: decor, gifts, food AND inexpensive. C’mon people, candy is perfect!

Stores have tons of beautiful foil wrapped chocolates and candies for the holidays. USE em! OR Candy canes are cheap, pretty and edible. Hang them on the tree, put em’ in a jar (with a ribbon tied round it).

The next shot includes Paper, Fabric, Pine Branches and Ornaments, used in pieces I already owned. AND this arrangement carried me during Fall through New Years that year!

TIPS: Re: After Christmas sales: 1. Look for designs that instantly catch your eye. For banners and many other projects, you’ll want variety so choose cards that have several designs in the box. These screamed my name right away. The design is big, colorful and generic themed AND the images are glittered = sparkle and interest. 2. Look for cards with COLORED ENVELOPES. That’s just more colored paper for any crafts!
3. Faux Flowers: Bushes of flowers rather than single stems, give you more bang for your buck. Just snip off individual blooms to scatter through the house.
4. Wrapping paper: I always buy the widest, longest rolls … not the short, skimpy ones. I look for paper in colors that can be used ALL YEAR ROUND not just seasonally. I buy as many coordinated patterns and colors as I can afford. Paper doesn’t spoil, right! 5. DON’T MISS your local thrift store sales, both before and after Christmas. TON’S of deals there and you’re supporting your community, too! 6. Always start with my golden rule . . . house shop first, use what you already have before buying more!

Christmas cards & colored envelopes Wrapping paper Fabric remnants Unbreakable Christmas Ornaments Houseplants Candy Christmas decor pieces (you already have) Already owned vases, jars, holders, etc.

FINALLY . . . here’s the EASIEST.

Take down some of your wall art pictures; wrap them with pretty paper and ribbon, then hang em’ back up. There you go … instant Christmas decor.

CLICK THIS TO FIND MORE EASY IDEAS.

Have fun with these. Hopefully you’ll be more enthused about the holidays now. I am 🙂 We’ll talk again soon.

I love getting comments and YOUR ideas too. Send em’ my way.

Later – Cheryl

Say WHAT! It’s October … already?

Posted on October 3, 2018 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

Needless to say, it’s been a while. In the interim, I’ve had some major health and life adjustments. It took a bit to get right with it, and things are good now, but I can hardly believe it’s Fall, somehow.

So, today, pulling up favorite autumn pics just seemed to be a fun thing to do. Be warned that I LOVE the color orange, one always associated with this time of year.

(TIP) While it brings Autumn to mind, orange is a color that can be used in decor nearly year round, except possibly in December. Today, we’ll have fun with Fall.

A unique discovery ($4.75) from our local thrift store. I learned this is called Blendo, and comes in several other colors and pieces.

It’s a known fact that I decorate the tops of my kitchen cabinets, and the set above has been displayed there, both in Summer and Fall.

(TIP) Sometimes a small change, a pillow or throw, and adding color with accessories like a vase, tin or even a book, can give the feel of the season. Below, a branch and a gourd were natural (and free/inexpensive) elements used.

Many of my (TIP) collected and thrifted pieces are in Autumn hues. So I’ll share some of those here, with you too. FireKing plates for sparkle, an Obert’ painted plate and a MCM C & S set for color. A spray painted, dried floral piece & a little block of walnut from my Hubs’ shop, were added for height and a bit of bling.

(TIP) Use what you have when you decorate. Below, a scarf is a table runner, an old Avon perfume bottle and a small glass ball add shine and interest. A bouquet of items from the yard is casually arranged in a little orange vase, and a pottery server and bowl add texture and ground the entire vignette.

This post alone, has shown you my love of Autumn colors, and shiny things LOL. (TIP) Another easy decor item is plants. They’re very affordable, add beauty and interest, and are down right good for you to have in your home, AND . . . they’re fun.

Everything in this easy little group was found on thrifting trips, except the plant & it’s vase – the vase was my mom’s. The Avon bottle, mail box wall hanging, a scarf and the candle holder were very inexpensive things I found ITW (in the wild LOL).

(TIP) When thrift shopping for decorating items, don’t shop for a specific thing, just buy things you like. Doing that means they will work together with other things you already have.

Remember last time’s post with the plate rack? Before I sign off, here’s a display for Fall using it.

Many thanks for stopping by today, and I really like getting your comments so feel free to leave a note.

The next post will be a little sooner, but until then I hope all is well with you. It’s often very hard to be/stay positive, but I’m trying and hope you can, too 🙂

Later – Cheryl

From Gloomy to Good

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

For a host of reasons, I’m always glad to see
the third month of the year disappear.
Though someone in my life seems to be
on a mission to start a new tradition
to brighten my March with cheer.

It began last year with this little lovely.

And late afternoon today … another knock at my door … brought this beauty.

Though March will be my least favorite month … forever,
my daughter Bri is determined to make it better.

Thanks, Breezer. Luv Ya lots! … Love, Ma

Later, Readers.

With a Little Time and a Little Space

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

You’ve got a nice little update for your place.
And don’t worry … NO SEWING today.

Lately, I’ve been talking “decorating” with lots of lovely ladies … in lots of age groups. Nothing too unusual, but it interesting to hear two commonalities across the board. The first, and most discussed area was Color; how to choose it, where/when to use it. This is such a key part in décor, but clearly one that’s a huge cause of concern for many. It’s a topic that could consume thousands of posts and today we’re talking “time” so we’ll visit Color another day.

The other issue popping up often was Space. Funny, but not one gal complained about TOO MUCH SPACE. No one said “My place is just too big to do anything with!” You may agree with the real problem though, which of course, was not enough space … for furniture, for storage, to show off all our stuff.

Let’s tackle an easy tip today, on using extra spaces that people often overlook.

Now … you’ve been bad … so I’m making you sit in the Corner!
Seriously, corners are the most available, yet ignored, wasted spaces. We all have em’ but few of us use them effectively. And there is so much more we can do with corners, besides send the bad kid there! No dunce hats now!

Artzzle Feature: Little Time & Little Space

Here’s our corner; pretty tiny with the longest wall at 49 inches from corner to window, and the smallest at 34 inches . The smaller section is on the primary wall, the one you see directly when viewing or entering this room.

I began with house shopping, to find a few possible things to use. Then we considered the furniture pieces presently in the room, along with others in different rooms. Let’s try three different items.

Doesn’t work. Much too small.

Better but still not right.

For a change, we decided to try the clock … something different. This is fine. Nice scale and balance

Included this next photo (below) to demonstrate what I call “The Dance Hall Effect”. When I was little, my dad had a band that played for Saturday night dances throughout the county. Many times we would either find them, or move them ourselves … chairs pushed up against the walls, way off the center floor, to open up enough space to dance. It’s a must for dance halls but a big No-No for homes.

Don’t you agree that the angle works better, at least in this instance?

This cute little barrel was in a workroom but we needed a side table here. A copper tray in the kitchen cabinets, fit perfectly on top.

In most instances, I feel a side table AND lamp, are needed for each seating area. Here the lamp was not necessary and wasn’t working with the table, so it was removed. Add a little pretty and a little texture … that’s my mantra … well at least one of them.

Still not quite right. Let’s add a little texture and more height for interest.

This is our final look for the corner.

All told, this project really took very little time, and uses space that had been had been empty.

I’m often speaking about my collections and favorite items. Since there’s Time in the title of this post, before I go, thought I’d share with you some of the clocks hanging around our place.

Just a teaser for next time …

Contemporary Living Room contemporary-living-room

See more contemporary living room designs

Well, guys and gals, as always, don’t stress too much about it, just start that project.

Gracie says Good Night.

Later – Cheryl

Mum’s The Word

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

Yay, my camera is BACK! Seems it just needed to dry out.

So there’s new stuff today and MUM’s the WORD.

Chrysanthemums are everywhere in Fall. I bought four plants for $6; two mid size @ $2 ea and two smaller @ $1 each. But I didn’t plant them outside. I’m using them for some quick indoor spruce ups.

A favorite thing of mine is in-house shopping. This time I rounded up some “Fall-ish” colored scarves,

a basket, a pretty copper tray, some silk flower odd’s and ends, and fruit.

Lots and lots of fruit AND veggies. Real ones, glass and wooden F & V’s.

These make the collectibles list because

1. They’re small enough to easily store
2. Fruit and veggie themed pieces are generic and can work year round in so many displays
3. Everyone can relate; it’s a comfortable item

Now, get ready … this is a 1-2-3 DONE project.

Line the basket with plastic wrap.

Pop in two mum plants.

Stuff in your silks and berries, for interest, height and filler.

Spread scarf on table and top with tray.

Add finished basket and finally, some small items for pop and more interest.

TOLD YOU it was quick and easy.

Next I just added a small mum to existing vignettes through the house. This one also includes some rose hip berries, clipped from my garden. Plants are a wonderful, live pop of color anytime of year. Mums relate to Fall so there you go.

SUMMING UP

TIPS for working with live plants.
1. Protect your surfaces from water seepage.
2. Water frequently, especially with very small containers.

These are important for any plants, but I left my mums in their flimsy plastic pots, which dry out in two minutes, so daily checks are an absolute. I also added a little extra potting soil in some where needed. The plastic wrap basket liner, and the tray are good protection for my table.

HINT: With these little mums, if they do start to droop, remove them from your containers, set them in the sink, and gently water, letting water drain through well until the soil is good and wet. They should perk up quickly for you.

More fun soon. Hope this was helpful.

SEE, you really don’t have to stress about decorating, just do something … I keep telling you it’s easy 🙂

P.S. re: CAMERA

I had left my camera outside … yes, overnight … I know, DUH.

I put it on a shelf for a few weeks, gave it another try and seems to be fine. My daughter dropped a hint for next time though. Put your camera … or in her case, your kid’s phone, in a zip-lock bag filled with rice (uncooked of course). Zip it up and let it sit a day or two until it works again.

PLEASE leave a reply. I LOVE to hear from you. Mark to follow the comments and you’ll see my note back to you!

Later -Cheryl

Spring Arrived …but We’re Still Inside

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

Hi All.

Calendars say it’s Spring but weather has many of us still stuck inside . . . and our brains are fried . . . with boredom. What I do for this malady, is rearrange, a lot! It refreshes the spaces in your home and your mind. Best part is, it doesn’t cost anything!

Just be careful with heavy stuff. You don’t want any ER trips for a back out of whack.

Today, I have hints on how to improve your furniture groupings.

Let’s pretend you’re looking at one of your main living areas, and you think “it’s not so bad, I like my stuff in here.” But there’s just a little something off and you wish you could fix it. Consider the area below, a conversation area in an average sized living room.

Nice things here so what’s wrong?

Maybe because most of our first places are small, we want to push things out and use every inch of space when we graduate to bigger rooms. It’s almost a natural instinct, but spreading out dooms arrangements. The group above is dead because of the spread.

Tighten Up

Move pieces closer together, making it a more inviting arrangement. Below, notice how we pulled the chairs closer together, angled them and centered things, table and all, under the wall clock. This is a conversation area, but now you won’t have to yell across the room to converse! Make your pieces communicate, so that your guests can too!.

Add More . . . Sometimes

YES . . . me, the “no clutter” freak . . . I just told you to add more stuff here. Key word here is “sometimes”. The solitary plant gets some company with another plant and vase. And all are moved closer to the seating. By using three items instead of the one lonely plant and positioning them beneath the picture, you create more interest and also better flow for the eye, connecting everything in your arrangement. The blue keeps going with the second planter. We also added the matching ottoman for the easy chair. I mean, what would you do with it otherwise?

Okay, I did take away somethings – the picture was replaced with a larger, more color appropiate one. And a table lamp is substituted for the floor lamp.

Remember to always provide good lighting for every seating arrangement.

More Easy Tricks

Above, simply using a different lamp, and swapping the coordinating lounger for the matching chair, quickly gives you another look.

Below, we added some toss pillows, changed back to the larger lamp and went to a bigger table. Now this group will work for reading and/or TV viewing as well as conversation. We’re beginning to experiment with the floor arrangment and try a third picture.

Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment

No Big Deal if something doesn’t work. Here the plant behind the chair just doesn’t work, AND should be removed 2. The new “two” pillow colors and the added oranges in the floor group and the table lamp, DO work and now you have yet another change.

TIP 1: In furniture arrangement consider communication and conversation. These might seem to be the same things but here, you want your furnishings to communicate, as well as your guests. Pulling pieces together avoids that isolated, disconnected look. Conversation is a given when more than one seating piece is involved, because you are inviting two guests to sit, and they’ll want to talk, so don’t make them shout by spreading things out.

TIP 2: Comfort is always important, whether in a single chair grouping or a conversation area. Remember to include proper lighting and available table surface in any seating arrangement, for comfortable use. And angle chairs towards each other. Avoid pushing everything flat up against the wall.

TIP 3: Use what you have. Everything doesn’t have to match to work together in a grouping. Use what you have and what you love. Relate pieces through color, accessories and good arrangement. Sometimes the differences in pieces are what make the grouping interesting.

Above all, have fun. Don’t stress, just start.

Hey, I love hearing from you. What do you think? Leave a reply below . . . and let me know!

Later – Cheryl

This original article “Spring Arrived but We’re Still Inside” appeared first on Artzzle.com. No included content or photography can be used elsewhere without specific permission and accreditation.

B4 and Afters!

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Cheryl @ Artzzle

We like seeing pictures on blogs … pictures … pictures … and MORE PICTURES, right!

Some of the most popular and requested items are photos of Before and After’s. Today’s post has a bit different slant to the B&A idea. You’ll see during Christmas and then the afters, the January Jazzed-Up look. See what you think.

NOTE: HOVER GALLERY PICTURES for CAPTIONS; CLICK for SLIDESHOW.

Living Room NW Corner, January 2014

The painting stayed in place and was left as-is. Often times, I wrap my larger art pieces in holiday paper to connect them to the rest of the décor. Such as in a previous season … below.

But remember, I had a minimal look going, so didn’t cover anything here. I was just less enthused this time … OK, yah … a little lazy!

This corner shelf is always a “reader favorite”, wanting to see the newest displays there. Here are two holiday looks and the January display.

Christmas “12”

Corner Shelf at Christmas “13”

Corner Shelf (LR) in January

Here are some looks at the cupboard tops. It’s hard to get everything into one picture.

Holiday this past season.

“13” Christmas Cabinets

Cabinet Tops Christmas “13”

2013 Holiday Cabinet Tops

“13” Christmas Cabinets

The Jazzed Up look isn’t too jazzy yet. Kind of bare, but I’m still in contemplation mode.

Cabinet Tops January “14”

The wall by the front door always has a display of three items.
Two during various Christmas displays and the January look.

Christmas “12” Display

Christmas “13” Display

DISPLAY

Before I leave, did you happen to notice the new chairs in the living room? They’re “new-to-me” pieces that I found on Craigslist. Located in the south suburbs close to my son’s place, he picked them up for us. We took them home on our Christmas visit … and BIG SURPRISE … son & his lady made these our present (so no payment needed). Yay! Thanks.

This last gallery will show you the entire LR from corner to corner, beginning in the SW corner with the shelves, and going to the right and around the room. The “new” chairs are on each end of the sofa.

HEY, are you are curious about the price of those “new to me” chairs?
Say yes … say yes! (It was UNBELIEVABLY low)
Send me a reply in the comments section, and I’ll give you the low-down.

DISPLAY

ROOMS

LR, to the northeast

LR to the east

LR at Southeast corner. Note Wall’s Plate display

Until next post, as always, try don’t stress but get started on something.
Later – Cheryl

This original article “B4 and Afters” appeared first on Artzzle.com. No included content or photography can be used elsewhere without specific permission from said originators.

ARTZZLE

Helping with the Pieces in Life's Puzzle of Art and Design

Category Archives: Arrangements

What? It’s Already Mid-December!

1. ORNAMENTS in Anything

Say WHAT! It’s October … already?

From Gloomy to Good

With a Little Time and a Little Space

Mum’s The Word

Spring Arrived …but We’re Still Inside

B4 and Afters!

1. ORNAMENTS in Anything

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