Craving Some Color In My Home For Spring

(minus the orange of course.)

Maybe it is the dreary foggy days we have been having lately that has me craving some cheerful, happy colors.

I am a Springtime gal at heart and the colors in my home reflect that.

Blues, greens, mixed with black and white is always at the base of my personal décor. 

This base has allowed me to add other colors easily. Two colors that I want to add for Spring are the colors I predicted as this years colors of the year.

PINK AND YELLOW

In looking around at rooms that incorporate these colors as well as the other colors in my room I have actually found a few that I like….

When adding a new element or color to a room, it is a good idea to clip ,or pin images of rooms you like, and then dissect them to see what it is that you are drawn to in each image. 

For instance in this image I am drawn to three things, the overall color scheme, the landscape print and the graphic black and white pillow on the center of the couch.

Below you will see a list of elements, and colors that I need/want in my room. This list was made by analyzing every picture in this post.

This is a process I use to take my clients through in order to determine what they truly loved and needed to have in their environment.

In doing this you will see puzzle pieces emerge and then there will be a definite element or color that is a constant as you will see in the following images that I pinned for my own study.

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The rug is the first thing that catches my eye in this image. I also love the colors, bright pink, blues, greens with a base of black and white. The blue and white porcelain seems to be a constant in rooms that I love as well.

Again we see the same rug that I have in my family room. In this room I am struck by a couple of things.

The nod to the beach with the large clam shell which holds a pink orchid, just the right amount of pink. 

The emerald green lamps with touches of gold are also quite appealing to my design senses.

This image has many of the same elements I am attracted to in the other images, except there is an addition of one more color, YELLOW!. I love the way it makes the room happy!!

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Love it all in this collage. Colors, textures, patterns.

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Again, pink flowers, graphic print in the candle box, blue, green, pink and a touch of turquoise.

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Graphic patterns in stripe and pillows. A nod to Greek key pattern in the green pillow. Colors, blue, white, pink green turquoise.

There is definitely a pattern that is happening in my way of thinking about what I like in a room!!

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Colors, patterns and large artwork.

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Bright emerald green is the star here, with touches of pink and a citron yellow. 

Chinoiserie is another favorite look which would tie in with the preppy side of my brain.

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Navy and white, pink and white on a blackish bench. Graphic pillow patterns and Greek key motif. Touches of gold.

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Blue and white with greens and pink. Touches of Chinoiserie, and graphic patterns.

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You know the drill by now, all the colors and elements are here! This makes me smile!!

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This wallpaper is a favorite of mine as are all of the colors here. Notice the art piece with the yellow background the two Chinese porcelain urns and pink flowers. LOVE that!!!

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I won’t be using any gray but I will be using the other colors in this image in some shape or form.

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I can not think of the addition of pink in my room without thinking of Jennifer from Pink Pagoda blog.

She has used the blue and white with pink in her home for as long as I have read her blog. 

She does an impeccable job with this color combination. Always with a classic touch. 

The above picture is of her recent re-do of her entry hall. Be sure and visit her blog and you will see how talented she is, and why she is a good one to follow if you love pinks and blues, and just good design!

Below is the list I told you I was making of all of the elements,colors, and textures that are appealing to me. I created this list as I analyzed each picture in the post. 


This is a very easy process to do and you will see a pattern emerge as you analyze your favorite images.

I have found this to be a very good method to really come to terms with what a client, or in this case, what I will love in my rooms additions.

1. Large graphic artwork

2. black and white graphic prints

3. blue and white porcelain

4. black and white graphic rug

5. nod to the beach

6.  fresh pink flowers in the room

7. the introduction to some bright emerald
    green

8. add happy yellow in at least one area

9. Chinoiserie influences

10. Greek key motif

11. touches of gold metal


I hope this little exercise will help you out with some of your future projects. It is a really fun exercise to do, and it is one that will only work if you are being completely honest with yourself what you truly love in a room.


Stay tuned to how I plan on adding some of the above elements into my family room for Spring!!

All of the above images can be found on my pinterest board……

Color Inspiration, HERE!

How Long Does It Actually Take?

 

I am a great procrastinator. I know, shameful.  I have read that we perfectionists are also very good at procrastination because we don't want to start anything until we have everything else perfect, or at least have all the perfect tools to do the job.  Sound familiar? 
 
I started thinking of the little household tasks that I put off everyday.  How long do these everyday chores actually take?

Here are a few of the task that I do daily that I am going to time just to see how long they actually take. 

I am doing this in hopes of making me realize it is much easier to just get to it rather than to keep procrastinating.......

MAKE THE BED

UNLOAD DISHWASHER, LOAD IT; WIPE DOWN KITCHEN COUNTERS AND SINK

 

USE SWIFFER ON The Hardwood  Floors

WIPE DOWN SHOWER WALLS





 GIVE BATHROOM A ONCE OVER LIGHTLY
(No, I do not dress like this for cleaning!)







PICK-UP DEBRIS AND STRAIGHTEN PILLOWS ON SOFA
(fell asleep while watching tv last night)







QUICK VACUUM OF MAIN TRAFFIC AREAS

I like seeing things in black and white, and this little list will help me keep a small part of my life that can sometimes overwhelm me in perspective.
What would be on your list and how long does it actually take you to do those task?
TRY TO:
 "Enjoy the Process"
 Of the Mundane task of the day.


  BTW: Remember it is easier to "Keep-Up", than to "Catch-Up." Sometimes Okay is good enough!

 

 

Wide And White

   

As dreary as it is outside, today I am thinking about some items I want to wear for Spring this year.

 

I have started noticing WHITE WIDE LEG PANTS are being shown more and more. 

This makes me very happy, let me tell you why……

I am on the short side, 5’4” and lets just say I have been blessed with very sturdy legs and thighs that are also on the short side.

Straight leg, or boot cut pants look best on me because of my proportions. 

I CAN NOT stress how important proportions are Ladies. If you are interested in finding out what silhouette and proportions you should wear, check this site out HERE!  I found it to be very helpful in the past.

The other thing that I have to contend with is I can no longer wear  a higher heel/wedge shoe which truly looks the best with a wider leg pant silhouette.

With this in mind I make sure that my pants just graze the very top of the front of my foot, and just barely miss the ground. Longer is better when wearing a wide leg pant

If you have a nice waistline a higher waist pant is also more attractive.

If your waist is not what it use to be than wear a tighter to the body fitting top.

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER:

When Looking for a wider legged pant these are the 5 points I try to keep……..

With all this in mind lets look at some of the wider leg pants and how they are styled.

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A couple of things to notice here. Wearing all white helps elongate the body. 

This model is petite and has chosen the correct proportions. Also, notice how long the pants are. 

One leg looks a bit too long, but it might be the way she is standing. Oh how I envy you long legged beauties out there!! Sigh!!

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Another all white look, which is how I probably will wear it this Spring/Summer most of the time. 

This lady has a cute cable knit sweater in a light weight knit. It fits close enough to her body to give a nice silhouette. 

She also wears her top slightly tucked in to create the shorter top look. this is easy to do ladies and a great look.

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Personally I can not wear a top this short, but I am showing it to you so you can see the concept of how a shorter top will make your legs look longer, if need be. I would wear a black top that fits closer to my body with sleeves with wide leg pants in white.

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Another petite model that has elongated her body by wearing a higher waist pant with a nice long leg. The top she is wearing is fitted and very flattering. This silhouette would be attractive on most woman.

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I wanted to show this image to point out a few things, and also to show you some wide leg pants in a color.

This girl is beautiful, and young so she can carry this off, BUT!  She appears to have a longer torso because the pants are a dropped waist which is not the look you want if you are trying to make your legs look longer. 

She also looks like about another half inch in length needs to be added to the pants. If I were to wear this combination it would be with flats, (of course, sigh), the waist would be higher, and the sweater just a smidge shorter length. Love the combination and the accessories used here.

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Fun combination as far as the elements go, BUT think of how much better it would look if the top were tucked in, and a gold belt was added. 

That would give a longer silhouette, and make her look taller and leaner. Remember it is all about proportions. The jacket nips in at the waist so that is a great choice and the length is the perfect length for this look.

Case In Point!….

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This is the runway show for Ralph Lauren for Spring.

Of course this model is perfectly proportioned so anything goes for her, BUT for us less perfectly proportioned ladies like myself, the jacket would have to be a bit shorter by an inch or so less shoulder pads for me since I have pretty broad shoulders, but the rest I could carry off and I bet if you changed a few things to go with your proportions you could too.

Wide leg pants are not for every one, but they are a fun look that is being shown this Spring, and a look that I have worn in the past so it is a welcomed look in my wardrobe..

Now the hunt begins for the perfect wide leg white pant!!!!

I will keep you posted on what I find!

BTW: To see more of the looks I like go

Here

and

Here