Quick fixes to drab walls

Some days I just want a change of scenery in my own house, but I'm not ready to re-paint all the walls.  Here are a few quick and gorgeous ways to spruce up a room without giving up a lot of cash and time.

Simple mural to dress up a plain colored wall. A burst of color in the tray ceiling.
 

Decals.  Peel and stick these babies wherever you want them go.  When you tire of them, just remove.  No mess!  

Dreamshapers

I had the opportunity to hear Jeff Sheppard speak at a dinner last week. He shared with us the topic of being Dreamshapers. As you've probably guessed, dreamshapers are the people in your life who've helped you achieve your dreams. Each dreamshaper has a different role but all are important in getting you to the end goal.

While he was sharing this message, I couldn't help but let my mind wander to my dream shapers. The ones that stuck out the most in my mind were my dad's parents. My grandparents and I were very close growing up and I still visit them each trip I make back home. They are the reason I am in the decorating industry.

My grandad was a retired school principal who took up real estate (quite successfully, I might add). Most Sundays after church, I would accompany him and my grandmom to his open houses. I had a few particular favorites, one of which was a house designed by a protege of Frank Lloyd Wright. Grandmom would tell me all about the architecture and we would walk through the house admiring it. Grandad would listen as I went room to room telling him how the furniture should be arranged. As the years passed, we went through more houses and I continued to imagine what could be done with each space. They were very encouraging when, circa age 10, my cousin and I decided we wanted to open EZ Architecture when we grew up (EZ was an acronym for our last names as well as a play on words). We would waste countless sheets of paper drawing out floorplans and writing up fake business contracts at the built-in desk in my grandparents den. Obviously that concept morphed a bit since I am not an architect, but the general idea and passion are the same.

Anytime I start to complain about my day or I am slightly put off by having to go to work, I think about my dreamshapers. Then I'm quickly snapped back to a state of gratefulness. I'm feeling exceptionally blessed this week with my feature in skirt magazine hitting newsstands and my days being filled with work. Without the time they spent with me nurturing my love of decorating I would not have come this far. The timing of this post is very appropriate seeing as Grandmom celebrates her 89th birthday today, and Grandad his in just a few weeks. You can bet when I wish them a "happy birthday" I'll thank them for being my dreamshapers.

Happy dreaming!!

Imitation- dangerous form of flattery

When I was a kid, my mom would use her curling iron to style my Barbie's hair. I, being 5, didn't know how to operate the heat styling device, but after watching her do it a few times I thought I could handle the job. So one afternoon I went into the bathroom, plugged in the curling iron and waited. Once it was heated up, I wrapped my Barbie's hair around the rod and held tightly while it curled. My mind was flooded with images of all the pretty hairstyles I could create with the fluffy, curly hair. I was so distracted that I neglected to notice the curling iron was smashed against the doll's face and melting it into a concave form. Of course I was reduced to tears and mom had to remind me that just because I watched her do it, that didn't mean I was an expert.

Much like my five year old self, we watch people build things and renovate spaces on TV and assume that it is a task we can handle ourselves. They make it look so easy! Before you know it we are in over our heads and the project has taken on a life of it's own. We start out trying to save money and be DIYers, but we end up shelling out more cash for someone else to fix our mistakes. Those TV shows overly simplify tasks with the help of editing. They can provide false confidence if you aren't skilled in the trades. It's said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I think it's a dangerous one, as well. Be careful what you get yourself into- you might just end up with your project looking like the doll with the concave face and tears streaming down yours.