Sally Hansen Airbrush legs- How-to

The Airbrush legs is very easy to apply.

I started with a previously lotioned leg, just in case dry skin might make this creepy.

I rubbed in to even out as seen in the above video.

And was left with an evenly slightly tan leg!

This easily removes from your hands with soap and water... as well as your legs.

These images came from my post on this product and the ability to cover spider veins. Find it HERE!

Thanks to Sally Hansen and Influenster for offering a complimentary tube of the Sally Hansen Airbrush legs for testing purposes.

Trend spotting- color in 2014

I have always loved trend spotting- be it for color, style, or trinket! In going though the trade magazines, I started to notice the many shades of yellow and it is a natural progression from the oranges in the past few years... though I still get compliments of my orange hand bag at least once a week since I purchased it about five years ago. (Perhaps it is time for a new handbag after five years of hard labor!)

Back to yellow. Sure there are signal yellow home accessories out there (see below), but they are sometimes hard to bring into an already designed space. They tend to look very graphic. So if you space if stark black and white, contemporary, or low on "knick- knackery", they might be just for you.

Karen Robertson yellow sea fan

Yellow on yellow houndstooth pouf from Surya

Glossy yellow bust of David

However, if you have a "traditional" space, stark yellow can be a bit harsh. There is still a yellow for you Trad' folks as well!

Circa table fiesta lamp

sunny yellow tray from Etsy

Yellow mini trunk from Hunter's Alley.... and a perfect remote box if ever there was!

 

Then, for those who would like a little yellow, but just cannot do YELLOW, there is yellow metals a.k.a. brass and gold. Always a great way to add warmth to a space. Especially great for the contemporary spaces that can look cold!

Frank Flush Mount lighting fixture from Circa lighting

Gold and white Florentine tray from my collection on Hunter's Alley

Hawes Sconce from vanCollier

Chilewich placemat is the perfect gold contemporary! It's how to do glitzy austere... in a good way.

What trends are you spotting? Do tell!!!

DIY: Valentine's Doily tags

Doily tags are a steady seller in my Etsy store. They work well for gift tags on brown paper packages as well as place cards and wedding decor! They would be so cute as a garland mixed with doilies for a wedding or baby shower! Though I am happy to make them for you, you can make them yourself. Here's how!

Start with shipping gift tags, English 4 inch doilies, a bone folder, and envelope glue (or your preferred general purpose glue, Elmer's works too. It is just a bit runny). Optional equipment includes very clean slightly stiff paint brush and heavy items like bottles of glue, staplers, steel scissors, pattern weights, etc.

Begin by separating your doilies and removing any "chads" still stuck in the filigree  I like to use the stiff paint brush to remove the chads by pushing the bristles into the shads and brushing them off from the back. Once the doilies are separated, place the doily on the tag as shown below and fold the doily around the tag.

Using your bone folder, press a crease into the doily from the back. Use the flat part of the bone folder, so you will not tear the doily. I have shown my Martha Stewart bone folder, which has a sharp beveled edge. Other bone folders have a smooth bevel, which I prefer. However, this was the one close at hand!

From the back of the tag, you now have fairly solid spots to glue from. Place the sponge tip on the inside of the solid piece of the doily and then press the glued side to the tag. Repeat on the other flap. I like to lay the doily face down on my work table and weight the glued edges until they dry.

Now you are ready to use your tags for gifts, wedding notes, place cards, table number tags... you name it!

Want to pin these Instructions to Pinterest? Here's a quick step-by-step perfect for pinning!

Holiday gift wrap - The 12 Wraps of Christmas

As my other business is selling gift wrap and crafting supplies on Etsy, I thought I would blur the lines between interior design and craft for the 12 Wraps of Christmas. 12 days, 12 different package ideas in a handy pinterest friendly version!

Gold foil doily pillow box is as ease as peel, cut, form, trim! I used double stick tape to glue the doily in place, however you could use glue stick, hot glue or just a roll of tape!

Scaring up Easy Autumn Floral Arrangements

Autumn is the best time for easy flower arrangements... even for those with the least amount of gardening experience. If you have a tree or a shrub near by, you most likely have a floral arrangement moments away. Sine floral arrangements do have have to be flowers, you can use leaves, bare branches, berries, and grasses.

The one- two- three of floral arrangements-

ONE~ choose your tallest spiky pieces for the center- no more that twice the height of the vase should extend beyond the vase.

TWO~ pick something from the outdoors that drapes in order to cascade over the edge of the vase

THREE~ Place a medium length branch (no more than one times the height of the vase should extend beyond the vase) , at a 60 degree angle to your work table. This piece is your "fill line" and your guide for the foliage extention area.


So your one- two- three formula will look like this to the left!



Now... what to choose!  Here are my picks for leave, berries and grasses! *Please know that none of the images below are my images and I do not have any claim on them as my own. They are used as illustration on for educational purposes.

Leaves-

7-bark hydrangea ( also known as oak leaf hydrangeas)- great reds to purples

maple- yellows, oranges and reds

junipers- adds lacy greenery and sometimes they have an ashy-blue berry


Berries-
Oak- if your acorns fall off before the leaves turn the color you want, you can glue them back in or wire them to the branch... discreetly!

Beautyberry- fantastic purple berries. If you grow them yourself, please leave some berry branches from your local birds to have some variety in their winter diet.

Nandina- if you do not have pets of small children (the berries can fall off and make very sick tummies)

Grasses

Cattails- once dried will keep for years!


Red fountain grass- great purple color

Dressing up what you already have- pillow makeovers

Sometimes design and decorating is about altering what you already have. It is a form of green design! I  think it is akin to switching out your clothes each season, you are see what you already have and love differently. Here are a few ways to dress up the pillows and other accents in your home!

What a great crocheted hair clip from Innov8ive Knits on Etsy! You can certainly wear it as intended. However, looking at it differently, like would be cool centered on a pillow or in a group with other flower pins. Nor only are you dressing up your pillows, but you are also finding storage alternatives!



This pretty flower pin would look great with the hair clip above on a pillow with maybe a third flower. Always work in odd numbers when designing a space, it is more pleasing to the mind! Rosy Posy Designs from Etsy brings us this great pin!





The perfect accompaniment to your flowers in your pillow! This lovely vintage rhinestone brooch is from Relics4you on Etsy. Vintage pins are a great item to collect and display in clusters on pillows. Make sure these are not pillows that you use often, because that could damage the pins!





Pillow Slipcovers are also a great way to go to update a space. This slipcover from Victoria Hayden on Etsy is featuring the hottest trend in design- the ruched fabric look.



For a funkier or folksier look to your decor, this folk design pillow slip cover can take a functional but tired pillow to a different place! See RustiqueCat on etsy for other folk inspired items!