New Home Decoration Ideas

So, we bought our first home! We move in at the end of May! Although that seems like a short time away, the time is SLOWLY ticking by... every day seems longer than the last. I have been looking at new home decorations/crafts/home improvements ever since and I can't stop!

I have been pinning, googling, and searching on eBay and Etsy for the best items for our home. My mom bought me this rug for my birthday (which I was eyeing up for a few days and I got the last one!). Our hardwood floors in the living room and kitchen are blonde, so the rug will be tied in with that yellow feather color. For the past year or so, I have discovered the loveliness of brass (and I realized most people do not like brass.. I have seen more projects trying to cover up brass than actually display it's beauty). This is perfectly fine with me, because I have found several lovely brass items at the thrift stores, untouched and deeply discounted.





Theme colors for the new house:
Kitchen: aqua/caribbean blue, white, black/dark grey, dark hardwood (other than our floors).

A beautiful Indian Brass Peacock Bowl by LillyQueenVintage on Etsy

Living Room: Brass, dark hardwood (other than our floors), earth tones, and grey.

I would love this mirror for above the fireplace - art deco, brass style. From Anthropologie

Steve will be taking on some manly building projects:

• building a coffee table
• building a book shelf
• eventually a kitchen table

and I will be doing a fair amount of crafting and decorating:

• finish crocheting a huge chevron throw blanket
• rewiring vintage lamps
• crochet a huge rope doily rug, crochet a cotton bathmat

I don't expect to fully complete our house decorations within a month of moving in... although I get antsy, I know to make it the perfect home we are looking for, it's going to take time and patience. Plus, finding special, antique or vintage items will be much more important and loved than buying new.

Items to acquire in the next year or so:

• a workbench or console table
• a kitchen island with a dark hardwood top
• a mirror for above the fireplace
• lots of brass details - lamps, middle eastern figurines, bowls, and picture frames

Family Treasures, Past and Present

I have always had an obsession with organization, containers, and nick-nacks. Put them all together, and I have a problem decorating table tops, shelves, and end tables.

My decorations are finally, after lots of years, coming together cohesively. Brass and antique colors are some of my favorite, so here are photos of my home decorations.

Kitchen Table: Pastry stands as wedding presents, my grandmother's picture frame with a photo from our wedding, found and dried pinecone, a locally made cutting board, found brass candle holders and vase, dried flowers, and home made napkins by my mom. I am planning on refinishing our kitchen table soon - sanding and staining a dark antique brown.

Living Room Bookshelf: Collection of fabulous books including my mom's copy of The Hobbit and my dad's college copy of the Iliad, more found and dried pinecones, mercury glass candle holders from our wedding, a found brass picture fram with a wedding photo, a skull I bought Steve from Mexico, and the cutest brass elephant Steve bought me for Christmas.

Up close details from bookshelf: My mom's copy of The Hobbit, the beautiful details on the brass elephant Steve gave me, our wedding photo in an ornate brass frame, and my favorite detail- a gold pin with two hearts and my Grandma and Grandpa's names carved in :)

Bookshelf in my Craft Room: Brass picture frames with Steve's Mommom and Poppop on the left, and my Grandma and Grandpa on the right (in a frame from my Grandma), A gold and pearl brooch from Steve's Mommom, Steve's wedding boutonniere, more mercury glass candleholders from our wedding, and lots of art and sewing books!

Bedside table in the Craft Room: A beautiful photo of my Grandma in a brass frame, found wedding vases used in our wedding, antique lace from my mom, a vintage inspired blue glass perfume bottle, all on a handmade wood shelf by yours truly in 7th grade!

Kitchen Nook: Dried roses al from Steve (including the rose from the first bouquet Steve gave me in 2009), a vase from Poland which Jay bought me, an antique syrup canister, more candle holders, a vintage heart shaped sugar dish, a cutting board from my parents, a photo of my brother Chad, a wedding photo of Steve's parents in a brass frame, and found vintage postcards of Paris and London in a frame.

And Mr. Peabody enjoying his 4th birthday - cupcakes for Steve and I, and a can of tuna fish for the 4 year old!