The winner of the Royal Design Studion Stencil is....

#6 - commenter "Mreffey"  Mreffey, please conact me at ashley [at] decorologyblog [dot] com and we will hook you up with your stencil!

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An easy furniture repurposing idea and an AMAZING GIVEAWAY!

So remember last week when I revealed my kitchen after stenciling it with a Royal Design Studios stencil?  Well, I have an addition to that kitchen to reveal - and am announcing a giveaway hosted by Royal Design Studios!  To enter the stencil giveaway, go to the Royal Design Studios site, peruse the amazing stencil selection, and come back here and leave a comment, or email me, with the stencil that you would like to win. To comment on this post (scroll to the bottom of this post and right above "Labels" you will see a number followed by the word "comments." Click on the word "Comments." Or, you will see a link, "Post a Comment," which you click on to comment.

If you receive posts in your email feel free to respond to the email noting that you'd like to be entered in the drawing. Then, go to Royal Design Studio's facebook page and "Like" them.  For this giveaway, the stencil you select must be under $50. 

Here is my kitchen and the easy furniture repurposing idea:
For this project I repurposed a medicine cabinet into a spice rack.

Here is the mirror situation that was in our bathroom when we moved in.  It has since been amended. The medicine cabinet, on the right, was not my style at all, with the carved flowers and dry brush metallic silver paint treatment.

I unmounted the cabinet, and removed the door/mirror. I also gave the cabinet a wash with a cloth and mild soap.  I decided to leave the holes where the door was attached and the magnetic closure.  I liked that it added some history/story to the piece.

I painted the cabinet in an eggshell white with a roller.  A roller creates a smoother finish than a brush.  I used a brush to get into the corners.  Note to the wiser than me:  If you're not sure the finish of the furniture you're about to repaint/refinish - sand it (and wear a mask in case the previous finish is nasty), and PRIME.  Turned out the paint didn't stick to well to whatever finish the cabinet had on it originally, so I had to go back and prime it.

voila!  The finished medicine cabinet turned spice rack in our new kitchen!

It looks like a custom piece, and the white contrasts nicely off the navy blue, I think.

I'm working on another kitchen DIY which I'll reveal next week. I'm very excited about this one - as it's going to free up a cabinet's worth of space.

I'll end by leaving you with some stenciling inspiration from RDS. Remember to comment with the stencil you'd like to win and "like" them on facebook! (They also have a Twitter feed). The drawing closes Nov. 2nd at 6 PM EST. I'll announce the winner the following day. Good luck!

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A happy Friday to you and gorgeous book giveaway

The weekend never comes soon enough - except when I have a Friday deadline. So I figured there is no better time to do a book giveaway.

This is a unique one - "Classic Swedish Interiors," by Lars Sjoberg. The poetic photos are by Ingalill Snitt.

I'm going to quote Amazon as they describe the book better than me -

"Lars Sjöberg has made it his life's work to understand and preserve the Swedish manor houses of the 17th and 18th centuries. Here, exquisitely photographed by Ingalill Snitt, are the eight houses (and one church) that he has acquired over more than 40 years. The book focuses on Sjöberg's first, most complex project: the manor of Regnaholm. Unoccupied for about 40 years when Sjöberg arrived in 1966, it allowed him to experiment with interior decoration and refurnishing, copying old furniture, reweaving, and reprinting old fabric patterns.

His other projects include Ekensberg, a three-story Italianate villa near Lake Mälaren, built in 1788-90, and Salaholm in Västergötland with a garden laid out in the first half of the 17th century. Odenslunda, a small manor from the 1770s with a panelled exterior and a säteritak or manor-house roof, is his family home, while Sörby, a scaled-down early 17th-century manor house, was reproduced in its entirety for an exhibition in Stockholm. Full of insight and inspiration, this is a deeply personal summary of everything Lars Sjöberg has learned in his years of working and living with classic Swedish interiors." - via Amazon.com

Here are some of my favorite photos from the book -


One day I will have an antique Swedish grandfather clock!








As usual, all you have to do to enter the drawing is leave a comment! To comment on this post (scroll to the bottom of this post and right above "Labels" you will see a number followed by the word "comments." Click on the word "Comments." Or, you will see a link, "Post a Comment," which you click on to comment.

If you receive posts in your email feel free to respond to the email noting that you'd like to be entered in the drawing.

Contest closes Friday July 1st at 5pm. Good luck!

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And the lucky winner of "Downtown Chic" is...

Megs723
Congratulations! Please contact me at ashley [at] decorologyblog [dot] com with your shipping address and I will get your lovely prize, "Downtown Chic" off to you in a jiffy. Thanks to all who entered. If you didn't win, you'll have another chance at a great book giveaway next week, so stay tuned!

Winner selected at random by Random Number Generator.

I simply count the number of entries and plug that number into the generator. Once it generates a number I count in order from the first to last comment, and the entry who matches with the number generated wins.

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Yay! A book giveaway!

It's been too long since I've hosted a book giveaway?  So I wanted to make this one super good.  Just by commenting on this post - you'll be put in the drawing to win the book Downtown Chic by Robert and Cortney Novogratz of Sixx Design

I've been flipping through this book on and off all day - they give some really good advice for making your home yours, and flea market shopping tips!


This is just a little nibble of the content:

How to Flea by Robert and Cortney Novogratz

• The great stuff sells before 6 AM; get there early, before the dealers snatch up the best things
• Get a large cup of coffee - it's too early to be up on a weekend
• Negotiate. You can always walk away and go back later
• Be sure to bring the measurements of the spaces you are furnishing and a tape measure when shopping.

 





Don’t forget to comment on this post (scroll to the bottom of this post and right above "Labels" you will see a number followed by the word "comments." Click on the word "Comments." Or, you will see a link, "Post a Comment," which you click on to comment)

If you receive posts in your email feel free to respond to the email noting that you'd like to be entered in the drawing.

Contest closes Thursday the 16th at 5pm. Good luck!

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Great giveaway for all you art lovers out there!

I have a really great and unique giveaway for you guys.  I haven’t held a giveaway since before I left for Spain, so I figured I’d make the return of the giveaways a really good one. 

The giveaway is a chance to win a framed print of your choosing from the carefully curated print collection at Thumbtack Press.  Thumbtack Press is an “online art enclave that exists to create a community of like-minded art enthusiasts,” and features some really talented artists.  The focus is illustration, which is very near and dear to my heart, as I graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in Illustration in 2006.  I even recognized names of fellow RISD grads and professors on the Thumbtack Press artist roster!

The new owner personally curates the collection and looks forward to expanding to even more genres in the future. In fact, be sure you visit again in June when they will be launching a new and improved Thumbtack Press site.

To enter all you need to do is leave a comment on this post listing your favorite work/artist from the Thumbtack site (I really love the “Randomizer” feature which shows you an array of various artwork), and then make sure you “Like” Thumbtack Press on Facebook.  This is very important because they will be contacting the winner directly this way.  Click here to go to the Thumbtack Press Facebook page and “Like” them.

Below are a few works I really admired

“Born” by Gina Triplett

Ken Wong’s “Stay and I Will Love Thee”

I like anything octopus related..

Linzie Hunter’s  “Spam One-Liner’s: Happy Life”

“Amsterdam” by Matt Mills

“Tree of Joy” by Paul Barnes

Luis Melo’s “Empty Beach” 

You have until May 31, 6 PM EST to enter.  Don’t forget to both comment on this post (scroll to the bottom of this post and right above "Labels" you will see a number followed by the word "comments." Click on the word "Comments." Or, you will see a link, "Post a Comment," which you click on to comment), and “Like" Thumbtack Press on Facebook.  Good luck!

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And the winner of Stealing Magnolias is...

David a bouchers! David I don't have your contact info, so please contact me at ashley [at] decorologyblog [dot] com with your shipping address and I will get the book to you asap!

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A truly special book giveaway - Stealing Magnolias

The cover alone would be wonderful to have. But you have a chance to win the whole book just by commenting on this post. You have until January 3, 5PM EST to leave a comment. The winner will be chosen by a random draw and announced the next day. Good luck!

Here's the editorial review: Debra Shriver tells the story of finding and restoring a house in the French Quarter of New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. Part love letter, part scrapbook; readers are given a rare tour of this enigmatic city. The book is a cultural guidebook and historical reference of America's most European city, featuring the work of more than 20 photographers and artists. Chapters highlight food and entertaining, decorating, gardens, landscapes, local traditions, interiors, and architecture. via Amazon

The gorgeous aforementioned cover

so chic



perfect


We had a huge magnolia tree on the farm where I grew up and just looking at this picture I can literally smell the blossoms.

The book can be purchased here.

All photos from Stealing Magnolias by Debra Shriver, copyright © 2010, published by Glitterati Incorporated. www.Glitteratiincorporated.com.

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And the winner of Country Living's "Aged to Perfection" is...

Tori! Happy Friday to you! Please email me with your shipping address and I will get your book out to you asap!

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As promised - another beautiful book giveaway!

Lucky you guys! I'm reviewing two amazing books recently released by Country Living, Restore. Recycle. Repurpose and Aged to Perfection And one of you will win Aged to Perfection! All you have to do for your chance to win is leave a comment on this post. The chance to enter ends on 12/16, at 5PM EST. I will draw a winner at random and announce the results the next day.

PLEASE leave a way to contact you on your comment-an email address will work, or link your name with a way to contact you.


So, here are some lovely pics from Aged to Perfection which one of you will win. This book is great for the shabby chic and wabi sabi enthusiast. It features many white interiors, wonderful patinas, antiqued linens, and creative texture combination ideas.

The back jacket reads "Create a New 'Old' House. New houses offer modern conveniences, spacious rooms, and efficient infrastructures. Yet they often lack the charm that makes older homes so much more appealing. Now, through hundreds of photographs, ideas, and tips, Aged to Perfection shows how easy it is to give any contemporary home a gracious, rustic feeling."


I adore this living room! Unfortunately my dogs think that they're doing me a favor by letting me sit on "their" couch, and this couch would not be white very long.


Love this chest of drawers.


What a great collection of canisters.

One of the dreamiest bathrooms
Aged to Perfection can be purchased here on Amazon.

The second book is Restore, Recycle, Repurpose. Here's a description: "

Renovation that’s eco-friendly…AND economically smart. From Country Living contributing editor Randy Florke (Your House, Your Home) comes a gorgeous guide to decorating sustainably and inexpensively. Providing inspiration as well as instruction, Florke shows how everyone can achieve a look that’s both harmonious with the environment and beautiful.

Color photographs show examples of rooms, all radiating country charm, created on a budget, and designed with the three “R”s in mind: restore, reuse, and repurpose. Florke clearly explains why going green is so important, how to use what’s already there, find a focus for every space, and determine what makes something environmentally friendly. Anyone hoping to transform a home from ordinary to extraordinary will find eco-friendly, thrifty, and stylish ideas." via Amazon

I can't get enough of the couch upholstery - the pattern is illustrations of old furniture. You can click on the photo for a closer look.




A good mix of patterns is achieved here through a unified color scheme.

This book also has a great section in the back full of green and eco resources. It can be purchased here on Amazon.

Comment away for your chance to win!

disclosure: I received these books as a sample

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