Hot Tottie.... Birthday Bash

Hot Chocolate on a cold winter night.

Table decor, simple but elegant.

All the Fixings

Mixing spoons

Chocolate Champagne desert cups

Chocolate cover spoons

And Baileys, Ahhhhhh

 I am a winter baby, my birthday is in November right around Thanksgiving. This year I will be turning the big 3-0. In high school thirty seemed so far away, almost as if it would take a life time to get there. Well I'm finally here and I'm ready to celebrate. I never get to have a cool summer luau, beach party, or even a lovely spring brunch to celebrate my big day. It's okay because winter is definitely my favorite time of the year, cold crisp air, a warm sweater, and all the boots i can afford to buy. The best part of winter is the Hot Chocolate, yummy. Hence the Hot Tottie, how awesome would it be to have a party themed around Hot Chocolate. Chocolate color decor, chocolate deserts, and chocolate give aways.  I can see it now, fire going, limitless hot chocolate and all the fixing. Some people like marshmallows in theirs, and some like whipped cream. I like mine with a bit of baileys for an extra kick. Sounds delicious and ultra cool all at  the same time. Let's see if I can make my chocolate dreams come true.

Images courtesy of: Two hearts together, Bride and Groom.com, Celebrations.com, Things we heart,  Grazier Photography.

My,My, My..... Bedroom Love

 Designer: Troy Beasley

 Designer: Troy Beasley

Euro Sexy

Designer: Belle Noir

Candice Olson

Designer: Unknown

One of my really close girlfriends just recently got married to the man of her dreams. To hear her speak about how happy he makes her, and the love she feels just warms my heart. As my wheels are turning, and I am slowly drifting into my own daydreams it hits me. The Newlyweds need a sexy new love nest. Here are a few bedrooms that made me want to fall in Love, be in Love, and stay in Love. Hope this is a bit of inspiration for the Newlyweds. Love is in the air.

DIY Fun..... Hang it Up...

I decided to down size the furniture in sons room to make more room for a very rambunctious little boy. The bigger he got, the more useless the dresser with the changing table became. While taking the dresser apart to move it out of the room I thought to myself, these dresser drawers can be used for something fun. I decided to use them as coat racks. I never seem to have anywhere to hang my coat or purse for that matter when I walk in the door. These dresser drawers would be perfect for that task. With a few coats of  paint and some mounting tape I had an instant coat rack. This was so simple and so easy I was a little upset with myself that I had not done it sooner. 

After

Added a cute little bench I had in the garage that I refurbished. A few hand sewn pillows for some flare.

And then My things

Cool Breeze.....

Daydream 

Hemisphere

Today was a very hot day in southern California. With a high of 113 degrees in Downtown Los Angeles I could not help but think how nice it would be to hang out by the pool with a cold drink and a cool breeze. California Designer Richard Frinier's designs of luxury patio furniture just makes you want to get away. These pieces are from his Dedon collection, are they are just beautiful. 

Cheshire Chair

Sampon Day Bed

Dayang Chair

Melon Outdoor Chair.

Over at Hospitality Design Source they manufacture gorgeous indoor and outdoor furniture. These are a few of my favorite chairs from their Outdoor line. Can't you just picture yourself relaxing with a good read in one of these unique and gorgeous chairs.

DIY Fun.....

Before

After

I love to bring new life to items that others may see as dead. I am currently redecorating my bed room and needed a new chair for my desk. While on a search for the perfect chair I came across this one at my local Good Will store for $5.00. At $5.00 this chair was a must have. I immediately got to work on transforming this chair into an eye catching piece. I started by stripping the finish off the chair with a stripping gel. This process takes a little time and a lot of elbow grease. When I was done striping the chair I sanded it down really well to get rid of any imperfection. I then used two coats of white paint and a clear finish, which gave the chair a crisp look. To recover the seat cushion I used a fabric that I've been wanting  to use for a while now. I was waiting for the right project, didn't want to waist good fabric. This project took longer then i expected but it was well worth it. In the end I am very pleased with the final results.

Go Wild.....

Marilyn-Olsen

 

Trendir

In my opinion animal print can never go out of style. This year animal print seems to be a big trend, and I'm loving it. There are so many patterns and styles to choose from.  There's cow, zebra, snake skin, giraffe (my favorite) alligator and so on. Animal print can be the perfect accent to any color theme. It can transform a dual living room into a fancy space, or bring sexy back into the bed room. How ever you choose to use it, it's almost impossible to go wrong with it. Now I did say almost impossible. To much in one space can be down right scary. While roaming around on the Internet today I came across these wonderful animal print pieces. Just a few of the newest animal print trends out there.

My DIY Finds... Paint just about Anything.

Wallpaper Stencil

Have you ever thought about trying wallpaper, but didn't have the money in your design budget. Here's a fun DIY trick for you, try using a stencil. Find a stencil that you would like to use. Put on your creative hat and stencil your heart out. Use random patterns on the wall to create a wallpaper effect that's not only beautiful but also affordable.

Painted Rugs

Rugs are one of those must have items when decorating an interior space. They help bring the space to life, and in some cases bring pain to your wallet if you want a really nice one. Team DIY has come up with a great way to save you some cash without skimming on style. Here they have recycled scrap linoleum flooring and turned it into a new stylish rug. Using the side of the tile without the pattern a few coats of paint and a funky design you can create your own custom rug for a low cost. This technique can also be used on hard wood floors.

Painted Fabric

Fun, Fun, Fun. If you are working with fabric that just seems to be bland and lifeless a little paint may just be the boost that it needs. With fabric paint or acrylic paint you can turn pillows, curtains, and table linens into show stoppers. Stencils can be used to create a more dramatic effect or free style with a free hand pattern of your own. 

Painted Glass

I've never painted glass before, really never had a reason to. After seeing this photo I think I'm going to try it. If you like this project and want to try it there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Painting glass is different compared to painting paper or wood. The surface should be clean, and dry. The inside of the glass should be taped off if it is not to be painted. Glass paint should e used and applied in thin layers with an artist brush to achieve the best results.

Images and resources courtesy of DIYIDEAS.COM

Wallpaper Fun....

Wallpaper is not just for walls now days. Here are a few great ways that you can use wallpaper to spice up any DIY project. Monica Ewing over at Craftynest has transformed a few old pieces into new fabulous pieces using wallpaper as an accent.

Vanessa De Vargas also uses wallpaper in a really cool way. By framing the wallpaper you have an instant work of art. This is a great idea if you are low on cash but have high hopes for great artwork on the walls. 

This piece by decorator Shannon Fricke is a great way to revamp and old cabinet that you may have and are not sure what to do with. Give it a once over with a coat of white paint and go to town with really cool wallpaper patterns.

 

Images courtesy of Craftynest, Turquoise,and Decor8

Hello and Welcome

Hello world. I am My James the author of this blog. To tell you a little bit about myself, I am an Interior Decorator based out of Los Angeles Ca. I love to make the old look new and the new look fabulous.  I had the pleasure of interning for a wonderful designer by the name of Vanessa De Vargas of Turquoise-LA Interior Design. The time that I spent under Vanessa’s wing inspired me to live out my dreams as an Interior Decorator. There is a place in my heart that beats for great design, and crafty DIY projects. This blog is my way of expressing the passion that I feel and to pass on great design ideas for other decorators and DIYers. Come along with me on this journey through Los Angeles on my hunt to find great places, unique design, and awesome craft project. Hope you enjoy.