Closet Inspiration

Happy Friday! Today is going to be a busy one because we just got hit with a lot of snow overnight - the heavy kind, and I have to shovel the walk ways. Abigail will be happy though because she loves snow and all the joy it brings like snow angels, forts and snowmen!

This weekend I am going to be transforming our hall/linen/utility closet. It seems to be a catch all for everything with no real organization and I decided that I need to do something about it.

As with any new design or decor project I begin, I always look for inspiration photos to get some ideas and a sense of aesthetic that I am drawn to. I always recommend this step to anyone beginning a project.

A few things that I know I want are two shelves for storage and a series of hooks for hanging items. Other than that - I'm open. Let's face it, I just want to open the closet door and not have things fall on me :)

Here a few pics that caught my eye:

All images via.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Stacking Stool Transformation

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend!

I decided that this weekend I was going to tackle a DIY project that I have been putting off out of fear of failure. Yep, I said the f word - don't we all feel this way at times? I have decided that in 2012 I am going to push through my fear and have a positive attitude in all I do.

Really isn't that the secret of success? A positive attitude?

Image via

One day the mister came home with 2 retro stools that he found in the ditch.

As soon as I saw them I knew that I would be able to update them. Sure they are tired looking and dated but they were still very sturdy - and free!

As I mentioned here I am planning to entertain more this year and it seems as though whenever I had entertained in the past I was always scrambling to find a few more chairs. Well these little stools are perfect for extra seating during a meal or during a serious winner take all family game of monopoly!

I started the transformation by purchasing some fabric with a feminine pattern, two packages of floor protectors for the legs of the stools and gathering the rest of my supplies which included a drill and bits, white spray paint, twine, stapler and staples.

I took the seat off of the stools so that I could spray paint the legs and attach my fabric. The cushions were attached to the seat by four screws so that part was easy peasy.

I  sanded the legs very lightly with a sanding sponge and spray painted the stools legs by applying several thin coats of spray paint so that I didn't get any drips during the application process and that I achieved a nice even coverage.

While the legs were drying I decided to upholster the seat cushions. I must mention that the original cushions were covered by a vinyl material that was in fine condition and because the material I was recovering the seats in was heavier weight, the vinyl pattern didn't show through so I didn't see any point in removing it and it adds a bit more cushion.

I simply placed the cushion on the fabric and cut around leaving a few inches of fabric on each side to fasten the fabric with staples to the cushion. I attached the fabric using a staple gun and 5/16" staples stretching the fabric so it was tight before I stapled it.

Once I had both seat cushions upholstered and the legs were dry, I found some twine and thought that I would wrap twine around the legs of one of the stools to add a bit of a rustic touch to it and for added interest. I then reattached the legs with 4 screws per stool in the same manner as they were attached originally.

Because we had most of the materials already this was a very inexpensive project. The only costs were the fabric and two packages of floor protectors total cost of $25.00 taxes in .

I am very happy with the way these stools turned out and it proves that one persons trash really can be another persons treasure!

Book Storage is Child's Play

I am in the planning and design stages of my toddlers big girl room and one area that I really need to address is proper book storage.We read a lot in this house, and that is certainly something that I want to encourage as Abigail gets older. Abigail has a lot of books and I want her to be able to access them safely and on her own when the desire strikes to read and imagine.

I have been scanning the web and books in search of great children's book shelf ideas and I can honestly say there are so many creative people! Here are a few of my favorites in no particular order :

I really appreciate how this shelf although simple in design, is painted in a vibrant shade and accented with a decal to add interest. The size of these particular shelves is also nice because they work in small spaces without overpowering the room like some of the larger shelving units can.

I like that this book case is similar to a piece of furniture so it can be used in other rooms and still look great. Because of the shallow design, it doesn't take up a lot of floor space. I also like that it provides easy access of the books for the child.

Isn't this book shelf fun? It is really a conversation starter and would certainly add interest to any room, particularly a child's bedroom. You can choose to paint it a vibrant color as demonstrated here or keep it more neutral - both would be fantastic!

People are so creative! Rain gutter as a book shelf? I never would have thought to use it in this way but doesn't it look great? I like the functionality of having the gutter installed at a level that makes the shelves accessible to the little ones.

Although this unit is quite shallow it does have great height to store numerous books and small toys. Because it is wall mounted it takes up no floor space and because of its depth it doesn't pose a risk of bumping into it.

I will keep you updated as the big girl room design progresses and I am certain one of these bookshelf designs will be in her room!



All images via.

Peacock In Decor

Hi, thanks for stopping by Kelly Day Interiors!

I love peacocks, I think they are strikingly beautiful with all of their vibrantly colored feathers - greens, blues, browns, oranges - a true natures palette.

Peacock is a bold pattern in both home decor and fashion right now. I wanted to show how using the peacock feather as inspiration in the decor of your room or home and have great results.

For someone who is fearless in their decor and want to really make a statement with peacock you may choose to paint your walls in a bold turquoise, wallpaper an entire room with peacock patterned paper or upholster a piece of furniture in a shade of green, orange or purple.

For most people, we want to use the peacock pattern or color palette as an accent only. A great way to do this is through a fabric story, infusing color in a few toss cushions, drapery fabric, on an accent wall or through accessories such as a vase, bowl or piece of art.

When using a bold color in a room or home, I suggest you temper the rich saturation or bold vibrancy of the color with whites and creams so that it doesn't overwhelm the space. We want to draw inspiration from the peacock not make everything in the room peacock!

Peacock is a bold pattern but as you can see in the photos you can incorporate any pattern or color that you love in a space - you just have to know when enough is enough.

In what way have you used bold pattern or color in your space? Please leave a comment, I would love to hear from you!


All images from pintrest.

Exterior Autumn Decor

Hi there, thanks for stopping by!

At The Rustic School House we have a large covered entry that is fairly spacious. Sometimes spacious can translate into cold and barren. Case and point?

Yes, this has been what our front entry has looked like since spring - of last year. We have been busy the past two years working on the exterior of The Rustic School House - re shingling, new trims, staining, etc. Although the exterior is not quite finished, it's almost there and since we spent all spring and summer without a planter or even an exterior mat - I needed some outdoor decor!

This newly decorated entry brings a smile to my face every time I come home. It is very warm and welcoming. I love the mums, the pumpkins, the wreath - everything. The welcome mat has all the colors in our outdoor scheme so it ties right in.

The wreath was made from pine cones, the mums and planters were from the home depot. If you look closely you may notice that there is something different about those planters...yep, I took plain green cheapo planters and attached moss that we collected from the woods to them. It was super easy, fun and inexpensive - a great DIY!



Have a great day!

Autumn Wreath

There are so many great fall wreaths being made with many different items from yarn to leaves and everything in between. I really like the rustic nature of using pine cones, and because pine cones are readily available in the forest around our cabin, we made collecting them a family adventure!

I gathered my supplies which included:

straw wreath form
can of brown spray paint
roll of harvest color ribbon
glue gun
glue sticks
lots and lots and lots :) of pine cones of various sizes

I began by spraying my wreath form with brown paint to ensure that any areas that didn't get completely covered by the pine cones, still blended in.

After the paint had dried, I began gluing the pine cones over the wreath from starting with the outer edge and continuing to the inside of the wreath. Any spaces that were not filled in I used small pine cones that I had gathered.

One I was finished affixing the pine cones to the form I made a bow with the ribbon.  I really like the texture of the pine cones against the smoothness of the ribbon.

There you have it a rustic pine cone wreath for under $15!

Have you made a wreath for Autumn yet? What materials did you make your wreath out of ?

Warm Up!

Fall is here and I am sooo happy! I love making (and eating!) all the comfort foods one associates with fall such as stew, roasts, apple pie, etc. And of course partaking in fall activities such as pumpkin carving, raking leaves and hot cocoa by the camp fire!

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Now that autumn is upon us, it is now time to update our decor from the cool, light fabrics of spring/ summer, and infuse our homes with warmth, great texture, and fall color.

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Here's a few easy and inexpensive tips to help you welcome fall in your home:

1. Bring out the heavier weighted fabrics. Add a warm throw in cable knit or plaid to a favorite chair in the living room, or change your bedding to a heavier fabric such as flannel- and add that duvet or comforter!

                                                                        
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2. Add rustic, nature inspired touches such as pine cones, leaves, branches and cinnamon sticks to your decor and tablescapes. And of course light those wonderful scented candles we all have and enjoy so much!

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3. add rich colors of fall to your home either by painting a room or piece of furniture. You can also incorporate fall colors in simple inexpensive ways such as changing towels in your bathroom to a cranberry, mustard, or pine color.

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4. Fall cleaning. I know- it just seems like yesterday when we did the spring cleaning thing but nothing really makes me welcome fall more than a clean, fresh home.

How do you welcome fall? Let me know!