What Inspires Me today!

Just recently I stumbled upon, the website of the design team Solis Betancourt and Sherrill!

Just love how they use all the elements in interior design, balancing the modern and the traditional, to create comfort.

Here are some of their interior designs!

They have a great concept of how space works in interior design. Doesn't hurt that they have a lot of space to work with!!

LOL



Homemade Febreze!

I can't live without Febreze! I have dogs, my mom and son smoke, and that just drives me crazy!!

 

So I found this homemade recipe on Pinterest!

 

 

What you'll need:

1/8 Cup of fabric softener (I used Downy April Fresh)

2 tablespoons Baking Soda

Hot tap water

Spray bottle (I used my empty 27 oz. Febreze bottle)

Preparation:

Using a funnel, pour fabric softener and baking soda into your spray bottle. Fill spray bottle with hot tap water and shake well. Don't forget to twist the nozzle over to the LOCK position if you're using a Febreze bottle, or you might fall on your hiney. Now go spray every fabric surface in your house and take a nap on your very comfortable and now un-stinky couch. :)

Store-bought Febreze: $5.59

Homemade Febreze: $0.15

Total Savings: $5.44 OR 97.3%!

 

Can't wait to try it!!



Caught Up In Cottage Love!

The first thing I think about when I think about getting away or downsizing my life a bit I look towards a cottage! A return to a less formal and structured existence, to be more like the imperfect cottage garden. A theme carried indoors as well as outdoors.

Since I do not have a cottage, nor is it in the forseable future, I'll have to be content with dreaming about one!!

Here are some of my favorite cottage pictures!



And of course every perfect cottage would have a view!!

The spirit of a cottage is infused with nostalgia, a charm recreated by colorful weathered paints, warm stained wood, cosy built-ins, planked walls, and vintage accessories and details!

I would love to live in a cottage, because to live in such a small space, you would need to be very organized to avoid clutter! And that just suits me to a tee!!

Happy Cottaging!!



Saving Mr. Banks!

Over the weekend I had a chance, finally, to catch a few movies, especially those creating such a buzz around Hollywood these days!!

 

 

Saving Mr. Banks was the first one!

 

And immediately fell in love with P.L. Travers' London "cottage" as she describes it in the film!

 

It's gorgeous, and I immediately wanted to see more!!! I loved everything about it. Muted greens and yellows, plants staggered here and there. And those lamps, the ones you see in the picture, and there are also two wall sconces on either side of the window, the drapery is beautiful, and a bookcase to the left, Oh my, it was just a "spoonful of sugar"!

 



 

The story is good too!!

 

A bit of a heartbreaker, because it appears "Mary Poppins" didn't arrive to "save the children", Mary Poppins arrived to "save Mr. Banks"; the real Mr. Banks!

 

I won't be telling you more except to say, that I never expected Travers to be so unlike Mary Poppins!

 It's quite puzzling because you see in flashbacks what a richly imaginative childhood she had back in Australia where she was from.

 

So what the heck happened!

 

There's you're movie and quite extraordinary!

 

I really did love it and Emma Thompson played her "practically perfect in every way"!!

 

 



 

P.L. Travers on the right of  Walt Disney.

 



 

I would recommend this movie to anyone that loved Mary Poppins. The story behind the making of the film is priceless!!

 

2 thumbs up for me!

 

 



Shaking The Winter From The Home!

You know what's it like. Those January blues set in and you're already tired of winter, going south isn't an option at this moment, and you're ready to scream "I want Spring"!

Well yesterday I went to the dollar store and bought these lovely green balls and decided I needed to  bring spring in!

So here is what I did, so far! Not finished as I'm only just beginning!! I just placed them on top of some candle holders I have and voila! Looks nice eh!

So that got me thinking about other "green" ideas we can do to make the home feel fresh and alive. Personally, I don't really have a lot of "real" flowers/plants in my home. I am a gardener but I leave the real stuff for outdoors! Inside I use fake plants! Sad eh? But I just find I move things around so much I just can't commit to one look for very long and everything has to be interchangeable.

Anyway, here's pictures I hope will inspire you!!

I am soooo ready for Spring!! I think these changes will make the dullness of winter a whole lot better!!