Found: Former Floral Living Room Pillows

Up until a couple months ago,  pre baby Theron, we had a living room that looked like this:

It was a bright & cheery space in our home that got us featured on The Nate Berkus Show, St. Louis Magazine, and St. Louis At Home Magazine, too! Pretty sweet.  Perhaps the most emailed question {second to the farmhouse table plans request} is: "Where'd you get the floral pillows?" and "Would you be willing to sell your floral pillows to me?"

If you're a long time reader of NVD you know that the "fabric" was just a lucky dish towel find at TJ Maxx!  I was lucky enough to have a sweet mom who was willing to sew two pillows for me!

The "fabric" was a stepping stone to discovering my inner decorator --- corny, but true.  The pillows are no longer in our living room but I can't seem to part with them.  They remind me of how I fell in love with decorating.  Too much sap for one post? I think I just went there.

But, the real point of this post is to let you all know that I found the same exact pillows of the towels turned pillows on this website!  I was so dang excited!

The only problem is that the store is located in Australia and I'm not sure they'll ship to the USA.  However, you could always call them and inquire more about the pillow and maybe they would have some manufacturer info they'd be willing to share.  When I came across it I couldn't believe it and wanted to share it with everyone who ever inquired about my pillows.  I hope if you wanted them you are still reading this!

xoxo

Flirty Flower Table Setting

Awhile back I bought an awesome box a fake flowers. I know what you're thinking. Joi's off her rocker; no such thing exists.

Well I am here to tell you I would've thought that too, but they do exist! These faux roses came in a box fashioned as gorgeous jewel -toned potpourri. I had envisioned using them as part of a tablescape but since I had only purchased one box the outcome would've been sort of puny. So my beauties sat in our buffet just waiting for a purpose.

Fast forward to last weekend and during our fun little Mint Julep Jaunt I found another great box of fake flowers.

Yay, me! I'm kicking myself for not buying another box because I think more would've ultimately been better, but such is life.

Inspired by this photo, I decided to make my own flirty flower tablescape with my great fake flowers!

via

I'm not a party thrower nor do I entertain {although I wish I did} so please excuse my less than stellar presentation. I'm a complete novice when it comes to this stuff!

I used some craft paper for the table runner, plain white plates from Macy's + silver rimmed plates from Target, vintage etched drinking glasses, IKEA planters, votive holders from my wedding reception {how nostalgic! ; )} and pink paper napkins for the first look:

I wasn't totally sold on the greenery in the IKEA planters so I switched them out for my tissue paper flowers that I ♥ so much!

I took one final stab at this tablescape thing and took away all of the tall pieces to just focus on the roses. I liked this look a lot, but I'm kicking myself for not buying just one more box of those lovely roses! One more box would've been the icing on the cake. 'Tis true friends.

I really love this little get-up and am wishing I had guests on their way over! Mental note: must make plans for my girls to come over and enjoy my tablescaping ways. So tell me peeps....do you fancy yourself a tablescaper connoisseur? I'd love to see your creations. Send 'em my way, por favor.

Enjoy your weekend, friends! I've got a dinner date with my yas, shopping, homework, doggie sitting, and a family reunion on the agenda. What about you??

xoxo

Fun Find: Floral Dish Towels

The other day David and I were perusing TJ Maxx when I came across the perfect set of hand towels. They immediately caught my eye because 1. they were pink and 2. they were the perfect floral pattern which was so reminiscent of the colors of my favorite alabaster chiang mai print.

The icing on the cake was the pink ball trim that made them so whimsical. I scooped up the only two packages they had left in the store. Unfortunately, three towels came in each set but only one of those was the floral print.

So now I am completely torn between using them on the kitchen island or turning them into pillows. I'm definitely on the hunt for more so I can do both! : )

xoxo

I'm A Sucker For Pink & Black

When I saw this image on Little Green Notebook I knew it was just the piece to finish my art wall in the living room.

There are numerous other downloadable images and for use in-home and not for profit. I rigged an old Z Gallerie desk frame to be on the wall and I love the shiny silver bamboo with the black and pink floral.

And, at just under $3 [printed @ Walgreen's One Hour Photo] for the 5x7 print I couldn't be happier!

Thanks LGN and New York Public Library Digital Gallery!!

xoxo

Spring Has Sprung

The weather's gorgeous and school's almost out, but I know Spring is here more than ever because of my scratchy throat and non-stop sneezing. Anyone else with me? Anyhoo, I thought since our frost chances have almost left, it'd be a great time to fill our DIY planters with some greenery!

This year I chose some boxwoods for the old hampers and some bright pink whoknowswhat for the concrete planters.

Cross your fingers for me that they live. I have a special talent of killing off pretty much any plant I come in contact with--go me. : )

Oh, and I didn't take a picture, but I think our peony bush may just flower this year!!! I am so excited especially since it hasn't bloomed in the last2-3 years since we planted it.

I'm also still loving my fabulous Overstock geometric rug {mine's black--but they only have brown left in the size I bought}.

They come in a multitude of different sizes and are so stylish and affordable. : )

xoxo

Don't Hate On Carnations

I stumbled across this little tutorial awhile ago and used my Spring Break time to make 2 lovely little paper carnation flower arrangements. I love them, even if they took almost 5 hours to make! The first one was smaller you can see right here and the second one is a lighter shade of pink.

The old Joi would have turned up her nose at carnations, but bunched together they look quite lovely. I have plans for their new home, but that info will have to wait for now. ; )

I'm not the best at giving step by step blog instructions {even though I am a teacher-imagine that!}, but we'll see how it goes.

If you decide to undertake this fun DIY projects you will need the following:

1. Some sort of glass with a diameter you like
2. Floral ball {ours was purchased at Walmart}
3. Container {ours was a milk glass flower pot I already had}
4. Tissue Paper {4 whole sheets folded once}
5. Floral Wire
6. Push Pin
7. Scissors

Trace the diameter of the glass as many times that will fit on the tissue paper. {I used the sheets you see here and about 1/2 of another set}

Cut the circles out and push the pin through the circles {all 8 layers of them} twice.

Thread the floral wire through the holes and twist underneath like you're making a stem.

Push up the tissue paper one sheet at a time in the shape of petals...the more random, the better.

At the end, your flower should look pretty similar to this. At this time I cut the floral wire to about 3 inches on the end.

Push the wire into the foam and arrange the bottom layer first. Then fill in the rest, row by row.

Last step: Enjoy and admire your finished product. I just love it! : )

If anything was unclear, post your questions in the comments and I will make sure to answer them.

xoxo

Pretty Peonies

I'm a sucker for a pretty peony. I have a little plant on the side of our home that comes back every year, but never blooms. I bought it pretty small so I just keep waiting for the Spring/Summer when the first blooms will arrive. Even though it's growing and coming back alive and well, it doesn't look like any blooms are going to grace me with their presence this year.

Anyhoo...the house diagonal from us has multiple peony bushes that I never knew existed until David and I were talking to our other neighbors across the street {who we ♥}. Sadly, the little couple who used to live there died last year and the house has sat empty without a new buyer{s} to take it over ever since. The little old lady would always tell Sharon, our neighbor friend, to cut her some peonies because there were so many!

Well, the peonies have been staring me down {I swear!} and I finally broke down and trekked over to the house and cut some off for our home. They are absolutely gorgeous and just happen to be two of my favorite colors of pink {who am I kidding, every shade is my fav ; )}!

They are looking quite lovely on our entryway table and I'm kinda hoping that the next potential buyer extends a peony offer too.... : ) !

xoxo

April Showers Bring May Flowers

This girl is more than ready to be done with the dreary days we've been experiencing lately! I do so much better with sun...so be gone showers! I only like you when you bring thunder and lightning, and I really love you when you bring it during school. : )

In the couple minutes of no rain today, I managed to pull out the camera and snap some pics of our tulips and daffodils {my mom's favorite!}. They are nearing the end of their prime in our neck of the woods!

I am desperately trying to learn a thing or two about aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. I swear, at this rate, learning my camera will take years. The pioneer woman's blog has been a godsend and a wealth of information for my beginner self. If you haven't seen her blog, get your little booty over there now. She's an amazing cook, home schooling momma, wife, photographer, etc. Basically she does it all, and offers up amazing advice with simple explanations and lots of humor. She is fabulous! Additionally, she offers up FREE photoshop actions to make your pictures look pretty darn near perfect!

My plan was to go on a little town adventure but of course, the rain put a damper on that idea! David and I did get to snap a couple pictures in this city garden before the rain and wind picked up again. It looks awesome in summer and I can't wait to get out there and experience with the colors and flowers! Hopefully by then I will have learned a little bit more!

xoxo

Summer Makeover!

I promised myself that I was going to stay busy this summer and this weekend lived up to that promise. Besides enjoying Independence Day, I've really started some improvement plans for our home. Yesterday and today I finished painting the trim and front door in the living room and our bedroom white. I've wanted to do this for awhile but it is such a long process. The front door is not my pick and I want a new one, but it is very low on the priority list. David had painted all the trim in the house except for the rooms I did this weekend and the office and guest room. I'll give myself awhile before I tackle those rooms. Here's what the trim looked like before...it's close to an orangey-brown hue in real life--soooo not pretty:

And here's what it looks like now:

After painting, David and I took a trip to Market Basket and picked up some flowers to re-do this space:

I know, it's a sight for sore eyes, but I think I can work my magic! Here's some of the flowers I chose for the area:After Market Basket we headed to Ace to pick up new bricks to outline the area and then went to Rural King to look at more flowers. Turns out RK didn't have any, but we found a new flower place across the street that we never knew of--sweet! They were having a 1/2 off sale on their annuals and I picked up two big pots to go on our back patio/shed. Here's a pic of them potted all pretty! They are huge--and I only paid $12 for the both of them! : )

I also cleaned up the patio after some birds had decided to make a nest in our shed and poo all over the place. I power-washed it down and cleaned the cushions and furniture and we should be good to go to enjoy the space for the rest of the summer! I'll probably stop back by that flower place to get some more annuals for the baskets on the wall! And then finally, I decided to move all the old pavers from the area next to the house and clear out the weeds to make room for the new pavers and flowers that will be arranged tomorrow. Here's what the space looks like now, just waiting for the a.m. and me! Should be an interesting challenge--I'll blog all about my progress tomorrow night!

Oh, and one more thing, I have to brag on my hanging basket plant that I picked up on the way home from our family reunion last weekend! It was only $5--and it's gorgeous! I hope it makes it through the summer and my lack of a green thumb!

Thanks for reading this insanely long post! :-)