Adorable Mothers Day Ideas

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Happy Mothers day! Today we celebrate those fantastic women who gave life to us, taught us the meaning of family and continue to be the motivational cheerleaders of our lives. Here's a little post dedicated to all those wonderful women on this special day. The great thing about these little but creative ideas are that they can keep going well after mother's day into the rest of the month or year, making everyday an exciting occasion. A real treat for moms out there! 

1. Nothing says I love you mom like an adorable berries and juice platter. 

Replace the juice with some wine the next day and have a romantic dessert. 

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2. Why not brighten up the morning with neon stencil gift boxes? 

Change up the lettering on the boxes to suit any occasion. 

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3. How about some indulgence in a little care package for moms who like a bit of dining? 

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4. When have delicious cupcakes never been a good idea? Bake a few cupcakes making sure to do the icing when they are cool. Display them on a cake stand and decorate them with little flags / labels with personalised messages for dear mom.

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5. Miniature gardening gift anyone? Carve out the center of a wine cork using a small knife. Fill the hole with cactus soil and plant a succulent cutting. A magnet strip glued to the cork back would easily allow it to be attached to the fridge or any metallic surface! Neat little project!

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6. Flowers! Flowers! Flowers! Get a fresh bunch of them. Get a glass jar and cut the stems of the flowers to the right length. For more of a color pop, wrap some differently coloured ribbons around the glass jar and secure neatly with glue. Custom jar done!

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7. No one can say no to a relaxing bath especially with these bath accessories and salts. 

Get three little jars create a stencil with the letters M and O. Place the stencil over the jars and paint over with white acrylic paint. Take of the stencil and let it dry. Pour a different scent into its own jar and you're done. 

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8. A little herb gardening in the kitchen will go a long way. Mom will definitely appreciate it and so will you at dinnertime. Follow the source below to learn how to go about it.

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9. For those of you who like full-on DIY projects, this one's for you. Create an applique pillow such as this one by Anna Joyce. Follow the source for the instructions on how to make this lovely home accessory for your mom.

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10. I certainly know just how messy ones jewellery can get when not properly organised. Here's a more practical yet decorative solution for that problem. Your mom will thank you for years. First select a picture frame suited to mom's taste and attach lengths of chain from one end of the back of the frame to the other. Secure them as tightly or as loosely as you would like. Hang your jewellery in whatever way seems pleasing and voila!

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Happy mothers day!

Indulge, appreciate life and those around you. This one's for you Mom!

Christina.

Mirror Makeover

What once was a boring accessory I have had for ages is now something that looks more valuable with no more than a lick of paint and 30 minutes. Here's how I took a boring and cheap mirror frame and transformed it into a stylish home accessory.

What you need:

1. Take out the backing cover and the mirror from the frame. 

Paint a thin coat of acrylic paint onto the frame. Dont worry if it is messy.

2.  Concentrate on covering the corners of the frame with the paint as that is where the details are.

3. When the first coat of paint is dry, paint another coat onto it. Repeat this process until you get the desired coverage.
4. Place the mirror and the backing cover back onto the frame and finish off by accessorising the frame with jewellery or whatever you like.

Result:

Christina.

Mid-Mod mood.board

'Mid-mod mood board' - now that's a bit of a tongue twister but fear not, creating this look is easier done than said for once. Here's how it works: Start by picking a sofa and a credenza whose legs lift the furniture off the ground. Go for a more vintage leg in similar shape or finish. The key to this look is to lift everything heavy off the ground, therefore select a more dainty or delicate looking base (leg). Add some colour and geometric shapes through artwork, accessories and light fixtures. Dont be afraid to go a little crazy because that's what really ties the room together. Lastly, create a balance between the wooden, metallic and plastic finishes in the room. One thing to remember is that the mid-century modern look is all a balancing act struck in shape, colour, texture, size and material.

Christina.

MOOD.BOARD - OMBRE

OMBRE

Here's an ombre mood.board that draws inspiration from the dip dye season. Here's how it would work: Just like nature's ombre effet in the sunset, choose warm tones for the room's overhead lighting, curtains and pillows. Ground these with a darker charcoal grey furniture and a light hardwood floor. Keep your walls light for an open and airy feel or darker for a more sensual feel. Bounce off the light and color in the room through silver accessories and finishes, just as the water reflects the light in the photograph.  

Christina.

World Class - Africa!

Kicking off the 'World Class' series is Africa; my favourite continent and a source of inspirational interiors or myself and many others. From the calming shores of Lamu in East Africa to the rich souks (markets) of Morocco in North Africa comes all sorts of colour, vibrance, texture and variety. We embark on our exciting journey around this rich continent beginning with Morocco, then onto Lamu and last but certainly not least to the Cape in South Africa. Looking for a sense of adventure in your home? Go on and bring the inspiration of the African interior into your space. Happy travels!

MOROCCO

Morrocan Living room

Two toned wall with Ornamental mirror and cabinets

Decorative lantern

Quick tips for a moroccan style: 

1. Light but warm coloured walls... like soft pinks with brown... corals etc.

2. Accent colour with shades of (green and red) or (pink and gold) or hues of blue.

3. Metallic ornaments such as trays and tea sets, mirror frames, lanterns.

4. Intricate textures and patterns.

For more on the Moroccan style see my previous post 'Take me to Morocco' here.

EAST AFRICA: LAMU

Wall niche and stair details of a Swahili home

Stone detail and ornaments

Bedroom in a Lamu house.

Quick tips for a coastal Lamu style:

1. Off-white plastered and textured walls to keep the house cool.

2. Warm browns and rusty red accents.

3. Flowing and/or sheer white fabrics draped casually over bedposts or as room dividers. 

4. Intricately carved wood and stone features, and patterned ornaments.

SOUTH AFRICA

Sectioned-off reading area

Living room with a fireplace

Indoor-outdoor fireplace

Quick tips for a South African safari style:

1. Neutral or ochre coloured walls with a bit of texture.

2. Rich and warm colour accents.

3. Dark wooden furniture and decorative elements.

4. Soft lighting through table lamps and fireplaces

Must haves: A must have for an African inspired interior is pattern. From intricate and delicate to bold and graphic, patterns are the consistent element in African decor. Select an inspiring pattern, see which of the above styles it compliments and transform your space instantly. Explore your sense of adventure!   

Christina

Air of Romance

With each new year we all make resolutions that we swear to see through. There's always that thing we want to do or that thing we want to get or something we want to change. We make promises to eat healthier, sign up for that gym membership, quit smoking, get our lives organised...the list is endless. This year I realized that life needs, well, more life! More laughter, inspiration, spontaneity, purity, sensuality and last but not least more romance. 

Romance I fear has been somewhat lost to our generation, only to be found in books that hardly anyone reads. Furthermore, romance has become associated to many teenagers' delight with fictional characters in Vampire movies and series. Anyway, that's besides the point. Whatever your idea of romance is, pursue it... Consequently, In my pursuit, I have compiled some images of inspiration of the 'air of romance'.

romantic style bedroom in soft cream

The key to a romantic setting is light. Soft light seeping through light and sheer curtains that billow in the slight breeze.

gold gilded dining room

The second key to romance is in the details and embellishments. Hand-carved, hand-painted, hand-stitched and hand-drawn artifacts give the impression of time and care put into them. Additionally, they imply that each one of them is unique to its owner, its time and place. 

embellished bedroom

Sometimes romance is simplistic.

white and silver bedroom

Other times elaborate. 

fairy tale inspired cradle by Giusti Portos

Romantic bathroom designed by Servio Firmino

Other times mysterious.

romantic canopy bed

Sometimes innocent and playful.

countryside romance

softly draped yellow curtains

There's so much more to romance than we can possibly imagine or put together. Our idea of it varies from one person to the other. I hope however that we all seek it... after all, what harm could come of it? Thus with these few words I bid you all good wishes for the new year and a year full of romance.

Disclaimer: I do not own these images and I have not referenced some because I collected them a while back. I have referenced those I could. 

TREND: ACID...dare to be Bright

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Alas the sunny days of summer are gone and a nippy autumn creeps in to take its place. Skies once clear and bright are now dull and grey, and our sunnies have been stored away. But fret not boys and girls because we're bringing in the brights! And not just brights but really bright brights!!! So get your sunnies back on because its about to get ACID bright!

As you may have noticed by now the key word today is bright. Bright colors are now bang on trend for home decor. For those that love color in abundance, this is definitely for you. For those that don't I say...come on, live a little. There are so many ways of infusing color into a room. Through paint, furniture, wallpaper, lighting, accessories...the list is endless.

Bright yellow and purple wallpaper by Kimberly Lewis

Use bright little accessories to brighten up your space. Try different combinations of color to really achieve a bold effect.

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acid bright wall and furniture, source unknown

Gold and green damask patterned wallpaper with Lime green chaise

I absolutely love everything in the setting above. The wallpaper is as exquisite as the color of the chaise. And those tasty little cakes on their stand are a lovely feast for the eye.

Green glass chandelier

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Bright purple wall paper by Kimberly Lewis

Contrast. Contrast. Contrast. That is the one way of ensuring that color pops. As you can see, the purple brightens the yellow of the lemons. 

Z purple table lamp

This delightful lamp in purple would suit a yellow or orange background and brighten up your space. Speaking of bright colored lamps, this season there are some great lamps available in a variety colors at BHS. So don't hesitate to check them out.

In season bright lamps from BHS

When playing with bold color, try everything. you might be surprised by the results. Mix and match color and textures to achieve the best and brightest effects. For more modern looks try white walls and have only furniture and accessories in color. For more classic/quirky looks try bright vintage wallpaper and vintage accessories (as below). 

Acid bright mood board by yours truly

Try different color combinations to make things pop. Try yellows with purples, greens with reds, blues with oranges... Embrace this season of color and dare to be bright. Happy coloring!

xx christina xx