Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Napa Countdown Begins...


In a week, I will be in Napa with my husband and a handful of our closest friends.  My husband and I are both celebrating monumental birthdays this year.  We were sitting around on Superbowl Sunday trying to think of where to have our big bang...and somehow this party grew from being hosted down the street at 'our local elks club' to moving West to a completely different coast.   

Well, what can I say.  You only turn thirty , OK forty, once (and if you're me...you manage to milk it for about 6 months beyond your actual birth date).  And you bet your bottom dollar you'll hear more about this little excursion, but here's a sneak peek into what we have planned...

.... a little barn-like setting

with fresh farm to table ingredients...


a little nostalgia thrown in for friends we have known since grade school through college (and beyond!)


maybe a bit of burlap and twine...



 
 
Of course color, patterns and texture....        




 
Fresh, lively fun...
 


With non-traditional use of fall colors...think eggplants, lime greens, creams (rather than reds, oranges and browns). 



Hopefully plenty of beautiful napa nights, with lots of catching up with old friends and drinking excellent wine and 'making wonderful memories.'

 
I'm excited to share details and photos when I return!  (And I hope to post a few more times before we venture off).  But if I don't accomplish that, you'll know where to find me and I'll give a holla back when I return! 
 
xoxo  Heather
 

Saturday, October 27, 2012

I'm in Nantucket!

 
Hey wait a minute!  The week escaped me and I didn't get to share some exciting news with you guys!  I'm in Nantucket!  What?  With all of this talk of Hurricane Sandy...I have decided to escape over to My Crafty Home Life for Linda's 31 Days of Nantucket Style

31 Day Challenge
 
For those of you that have never met Linda, or her fantastic blog, I discovered her with her infamous One Room Challenge .  She is the brainchild behind this wonderfully creative and fun 6 week challenge.  And she is also notorious for finding incredible things on craigslist
 
I am truly honored that she asked me to participate in her series...
Here is a sneak peak of what you'll find over on her blog when I transformed some of my rooms into Nantucket style..., Now get on over there and check them OUT
 
 

If you've never been to My Crafty Home, please pop on over there and leave a comment under my post to let me know what ya think! 

And Thank you Linda for the opportunity!! 

xoxo

Heather

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at flickrPhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at flickrPhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at flickrPhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Flickr

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Guess Where I Am Today?

Hi ya'll, guess where I am today? 

I'm over at Jennifer's from The Pink Pagoda!  She asked me to participate in her 31 days of pink series for the month of October.  And of course, Vivid Hue doesn't use just any ole pink...we're having Fun with Fuschia!  Come on over and check me out on her blog today! 

 

xoxox

Heather from Vivid Hue Home


Monday, October 22, 2012

Maria Barros launches online shop

Ya'll know that I have a major design crush on Maria Barros.  I love everything about her colorful and cheerful design style. (See here and here).   


She has long offered wonderful style at her shop in Cascais, Portugal.  And recently, she has officially launched her ONLINE store! 

Announcing, www.mariabarroshome.com

Cover Photo

Here are some of my favorite things from Maria's online store: 
Maria's Pinterest

Fabulous Wallpaper Selections






Flamingo Silverware Maria's Pinterest
Marria Barros for Vista Alegre


The Endless Assortment of Napkin Patterns!



Juju Hats, which are Maria Barros's signature style


JuJu Hats 500.00 €


Rio Wallpaper by Maria Barros

 
Necklaces framed on colorful backgrounds


Maria, we wish you the best of luck in your online endeavor! 
We love your style and we love your products!  Shop Maria Barros here or visit Maria Barros on Facebook or pinterest

Maria Barros Design de Interiores - Cascais, Portugal

Vivid Hue Home readers, do you have a favorite MB home product?  What do you think about the Juju hats?  Definite YES! Or no way!?

xoxo Heather

Visit Maria's wonderful blog, Addicted to Style here.



Thursday, October 18, 2012

DIY Removable Wallpaper Bathroom

 
Recently, OKL had a sale on Wall Pops removeable wallpaper stripes and I got a wild hair and decided to purchase some for the kids' bathroom.  I turned their all khaki bathroom into a khaki and red striped Dr. Seuss* looking jungle!  Here's an after shot (sometimes I think it's fun to show the finished product so I can lure your interest).  *btw, I was not intentionally trying to make it look like Dr. Seuss but now I can't get this out of my head.
Keep reading for the nitty gritty....
 
 
Removeable wallpaper is the coolest thing since 3 day wash out hair dye... it allows the non-commital humans to try a style, and then take it all back down if not happy with it.  I've written about it before here but have never actually gotten my hands on the material itself to see how easy it is to work with. 

  One King's Lane happened to be selling Wallpops and, on a whim, I decided the red stripe would look super cute in the kids' bathroom with the circular red mirrors already in there.  I have been on a semi-DIY kick lately and this seemed like just the right amount of elbow grease I usually like to put into my projects (read, little to no effort). 

Here's the before:  (and yes, I was too lazy to fix that towel...besides, before photos are supposed to look bad aren't they?)
 
 
The first stripe goes up.  I decided to work from the top of the ceiling and go down.  And no, I did not space the stripes exactly apart.  My plan of attack was to just visualize where the next stripe would look the best.

 
Once I visualized where the next line would look best (let's say 24 inches down from the ceiling), I did use a tape measure and measure from the ceiling down the wall 24 inches and put a small dot on the wall in several spots across the 24" mark so that I could be sure the stripe would be straight across the wall.  The great thing about these stripes is that they easily peel right back up if they happened to be going crooked up the wall. 


 
 
 
 
Helpful hints:
1. I cut the width of my stripe longer than what I needed across the wall.  I used an exacto knife to cut a straight edge at the corner so there was a better ending.  (This still did not stop my husband from making a remark that the bathroom looked like a dorm room project.  "Are you sure you don't want to hire a professional to do this job?"  ....He spent about an hour in the dog house but after some serious kissin up to me, I decided to forgive him, plus he took the comments back after the exacto knife edges were cut...and I may or may not have flicked that exacto in his direction.

2.  Work from the ceiling to the floor

3.  Use an exacto knife to 'edge' the corners

4. If doing more than one wall, use measure tape to keep stripes consistent with each other

5.  You'll need more of these wall pops rolls than you think you will!  An entire bedroom will eat at your budget!  Stick to smaller spaces.  I had to go back and order more of these babies and the OKL sale was over.  These things can add up quickly. 

6.  Do some, walk away, then do some more.  It's easy to feel like it looks cheap when you're in the midst of this project but if you step away and give a fresh set of eyes, all of those little mistakes you were privy to the first time, can't be seen when you walk back into the room.  (unless of course your husband points them out to you.  In which case, find that exacto knife and flick it.  Works like a charm). 


xoxoxo

Heather


Monday, October 15, 2012

One King's Lane Stylish Holiday

 
I received a One King's Lane Holiday 'Catalog' in the mail the other day and it was filled with fun and festive photos for the holidays so I thought I'd snap some photos of my favorite pages and share.   This is my first time receiving a mini booklet from them in the mail.  As their sales are limited and numbered to a few days at a time, this is more of an idea book and nothing is actually for sale.  Still uber fun to look through. 


"set a warm and welcoming mood with pretty details such a flowers...choose one color family for an artful arrangement"


Linen towels in the powder room add a special touch for guests.  Swap out white for a flax linen for extra flair. 


Fill a guest suite with the same amenities that they would find in a hotel.  Leave them wanting for nothing.  Make their stay feel warm and cozy with a stack of blankets, extra pillows, a water carafe.  A small table in the bath can hold jewelry or fragrances.  A desk in the bedroom can give guests a convenient space to write a note. 




Beautifully wrapped gifts can become the display. 
The booklet provides handy tips for how to wrap a beautiful package and ribbons to have on hand to do so!



Think outside the box when gift giving so that your gift is tailored perfectly for the recipient. 

 
"One table. Three Ways
Your dining table will be the center of attention this season.  Create a dramatic, distinct look for each holiday meal by putting a twist on traditional decor."


Choosing one large scale print makes it easier to blend in accents that have smaller patterns. 

Bold and Bright- selecting deeper shades of blue and red and adding in a touch of gold led to a dramatic and festive palette on which to play with a bold pattern. 


Exotic Escape- "our resolution for a New Year's table?  Take guests on an around the world trip.  The inspiration was India."  The key is strategic texture and color. 


Forced narcissus bulbs scattered among votives infuse your entry with a light, sweet scent.

Deck your halls with greenery!  The moment you bring greenery into your home, the color and scent announce that the holidays have arrived. 



unusual vessels- this is the perfect time to show off new or vintage objects and vessels that you love! 



Ornaments are the quickest and easiest way to fill your house with cheer, and they're not to be confined to a tree!  Find any place that needs a hit of color and shine and hang a few or a few dozen for the season! 


Fruit and candlelight.   There's no quicker way to add ambiance and make everyone look great over the holidays than with candlelight.  Clustered pillar candles make an instant centerpiece, while tapers can be arranged sparingly or in groups to suit your style. 


Arrange fruits and nuts on a huge antique bowl on the table.  Layer the trays for volume. 


I thought this was a fun little guide!  It won't be long before these holiday decorations will be adorning our mantles! 

xoxo
Heather