Elephant Love

While I was pregnant with my newest little peanut, I became obsessed with elephants. They were everywhere! PJs, onesies, blankets–they all had cute little elephants on them with their trunks raised for good luck.

Once the peanut was born and we decided to name her Elyssa (Ellie for short), my obsession kind of exploded.

I mean, how cute are they?!

clockwise from top left: Agatka, Moxie Mandie, Jasper and Ruby, Ringoston

clockwise from top left: Viva Sweet Love, Ropes of Pearls,
Next Door to Heaven, Brick House Studio

Love them!

Of course, Ellie is slowly acquiring an elephantine (ha?) elephant collection. She’s even going to be one for Halloween (pictures to come because the cuteness is unbearable).

I’m also loving the big girl elephant pieces, like the pink bracelet here. The best part about this particular bracelet is that 100% of the proceeds go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Isn’t a piece like this even prettier when you know your money is going to a fantastic cause? It’s the perfect excuse to buy it!

Do you have a cute animal obsession? Owls and foxes are everywhere and right up there on my cutesie animal list.

Vintage Luggage as Home Decor

I’ve been thinking about storage solutions a lot lately– specifically a solution to hide Samantha’s ever-growing pyramid of toys. While Barbie legs and My Little Ponies peeking out of every corner of the house might be somewhat expected when you have two girls, I’d love it if my living room didn’t look like a volcano erupted in it, spewing pink lava as far as the eye can see.

So like I said. I’ve been trying to think of creative (inexpensive) ways to store her mess that doesn’t involve buying more plastic bins. My hunt has led me to the wonderful world of vintage trunks and suitcases.

via Country Living

It’s perfect! Cheap, eco-friendly, and interesting–which is always a winning combo in my book. Better yet, they’re the perfect size to hold dolls and tea sets while keeping them all together and out of sight.

Plus, she and my nephew love to pretend they’re going on trips whenever he comes over to play (usually Africa by boat or train but sometimes they take a plane to California). When they inevitably dump all the toys on the floor, they can use the suitcases as toys too (I’ll just have to bribe them with chocolate to make sure all the toys end up back in the suitcases in the end).

Suitcases also happen to be a perfect big girl storage solution. I love the idea of stacking them to make a bedside table like in the photo below.

via Elements of Style

It’s a great place to store extra blankets (lord knows I have a never-ending supply of those!) or off-season clothes–just make sure you don’t put something you use a lot in the bottom. That would make this look go from cute to unbearably annoying in no time.

via Design*Sponge

I think my favorite idea is the one above from Design*Sponge. They give an insanely easy DIY tutorial on turning a vintage suitcase into a table. How cool is that? It makes for a great conversation piece with lots of charm and it lets you stash your junk out of site. I love it!

Here are some vintage pieces that I found on Etsy…

1 via The Vintage Treehouse :: 2 via Simply Chic Treasures :: 3 via This Other Thing
4 via California Senora :: 5 via The House of Oliver :: 6 via West on Cole

Shopping for… Kid’s Wall Art

My older daughter just turned five a few weeks ago. Sometimes I look at her and just can’t believe how big she is. From the way she carries herself to the way she speaks–and the attitude that flows so freely from her already! It’s obvious that my baby isn’t a baby anymore (tear).

The older she gets, the more often stomps her way down the hallway and shuts herself up in her room (I know, it will only get worse) to demonstrate her individuality and give a metaphorical middle finger to my husband and I. Each time I make my way into her room to discuss her latest tiff, I can’t help but notice how woefully underdecorated it is (yes I just made that word up).

So now while she sulks, I find myself poring over photos of kid’s bedrooms…

via Home-Designing

via House to Home

via Home-Designing

Samantha’s room is purple (actually, it’s almost the exact same color as that second photo). This is not about to change–not only because I don’t have the time or patience to do it, but because Miss Thing is not big on change. She’s fine with beautifying, but don’t you dare move her pencils from the spot she keeps them in. Because of this, I’ve decided to focus on artwork for her walls for the time being.

The color of her walls is light and airy and a little whimsical. I think art that plays off of that would be perfect.

"Whale Dreams" by Sarah Jane

I love this print. First of all, blue is her favorite color and this shade will work nicely with her walls. It’s also fun and playful, which is what I’m looking for. Plus, if you know her, you know this print fits her Type A, grab the bull by the horns and boss everyone around personality.

"Carnivale" set of 4 by IS Photography

I also love the idea of dreamy photography and I absolutely adore this set of prints! Not only is she a huge fan of carousels (what little girl isn’t?), but the colors are perfect and it’s something that wouldn’t get old too quickly.

"Once Upon a Time" by Bella Wonderella

This one is also super dreamy–and it features Cinderella’s castle. Sam is obsessed with princesses and Cinderella is definitely one of her favorites so this could be perfect.

While we’re on the subject of princesses…

"Garden Cinderella" by Caramel Expressions

I couldn’t really go wrong with anything Cinderella themed…

Grouping of princess prints by Wild and Free

or princess in general for that matter. Maybe a grouping of different princess prints would work? Wild and Free has a bunch of cute and simple Disney princess prints available.

"Rapunzel" by Lease A Penny

She’s also been really into Rapunzel since Tangled came out. She loves reading different versions of it at bedtime.

"Princess and the Pea" by Stasia Burrington

She’s also a huge fan of Princess and the Pea–in fact, for Halloween this year she wants to dress up as a princess and she wants her new sister to be the pea (can we say slight adjustment issues?).

"Little Red Riding Hood" by Lindsay Brackeen

She’s actually into just about any fairy tale or folk tale. She loves books, just like mommy and daddy.

"Once Upon a Time" by Simply Hue

Maybe a print that reflects her love of books and reading would be cute.

"Where the Wild Things Are" mini poster by Breeding Fancy

Or a quote from one of her favorite stories. I’m always telling her I’ll eat her up I love her so and she’s always pretending to hate that I say it.

nesting doll collage by Green Nest

If we’re going with inside jokes, I could always go with a nesting doll print. My family always jokes that my mom and I are like little Russian nesting dolls and that Samantha is the next doll in our set. This set of three dolls would be perfect!

What do you think? Where do you look for decorating inspiration?

DIY Shipping Pallet Furniture

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of both DIY and repurposing otherwise unwanted things (aka upcycling). Combining the two and saving money in the process is enough to make me salivate.

That’s why I’m sort of obsessing over the idea of shipping pallet furniture right now.

Super cheap (just run over to Home Depot and ask if you can take a few off their hands!) and relatively easy, it’s the perfect way to add a unique piece of eco-friendly furniture–that is sure to be a conversation starter–to the rest of your decor.

The key is adding details that dress up the wood so that your friends and family have to do a double take to realize what it’s made out of. It will make it so much more rewarding!

Here are a few of my favorites:

via re-nest

via re-nest

via Trend Hunter

via Ashley Ann Photography

via re-nest

I love that the pallets have built-in storage space. It makes it that much easier for those of us who weren’t shop class superstars (that would be me) to create something really functional–without pesky trips to the ER.

Related articles from around the web

•  5 Uses for Wood Pallets in the Home (apartmenttherapy.com)
• DIY Vertical Garden From Wood Pallet (beast4romtheeast.wordpress.com)
• DIY Succulent Pallet Table (faroutflora.com)

DIY Headboard Ideas

Do you ever sit in a room in your house and suddenly decide that just about everything in it must go? Do you feel like you don’t even know the person who decorated it anymore?

I do this all the time.

Usually it’s my open living room/dining room area, but today something in my bedroom needs to change.

I’m thinking a headboard could be exactly the kind of refresher I need. As I’ve mentioned before, my budget is kind of nonexistent at the moment so I’m on the lookout for inexpensive DIY projects–extra props if it’s eco-friendly to boot.

I did a little digging around and found some really cool ideas.

via marthastewart.com

Martha Stewart uses ornate wallpaper to create a really pretty, unique headboard that would look great with simple bedding. While I love this look, my bedroom has painted wood paneling so I don’t think wallpaper would work for me.

via Curbly

Another cute idea is using a shelving unit to define the area behind your bed. I like that it provides storage space but am way less enthused at the idea of having one more thing I’ll forget to dust. Plus, who am I kidding? I’m not about to build a shelving unit.

I need something salvaged!

via HGTV

I love that this one looks so fancy and expensive when all it is is reclaimed corrugated tin cut in an ornate shape. How cool is that?

It doesn’t exactly fit my room, although I would totally consider it if I happened upon some corrugated tin.

My bedroom walls are a light and airy seafoam color so I’d love something either natural or weathered to continue the laidback beachy feel that makes me feel so relaxed.

These next two are my absolute favorites.

via HGTV

via HGTV

I think the rustic doors might be my top pick. They’re so interesting and unique! It’s exactly the kind of kick my bedroom could use.

What do you think? Which one is your favorite? Do you hate them all? Do you have any other ideas for me? Tell me!

Covet: Mason Jar Chandelier

I have a sick obsession with mason jars. I honestly don’t even know what it is about them. I just think they’re so cute (don’t worry my husband doesn’t understand it either). Come to think of it, I like jars and containers of any kind–especially when they’ve got a bit of a vintage edge.

If you open up one of the cabinets in my kitchen, you will find an insane amount of mason jars. What do I use them for, you ask? Well, putting flowers in and… um… collecting dust?

I have plenty of wonderful ideas of what to do with them: I could use them at a fabulous dinner party as glasses with cute little striped straws. I could put candles in them. I could make a DIY terrarium using them–the possibilities are endless!

mason jar soap dispenser via apartmenttherapy.com

Right now I’m madly in love with Pottery Barn’s mason jar chandelier. My friends Aimee and Kevin have it in their dining room and it’s even cuter in person. Sadly, with a new baby and attempting to work entirely from home, it’s not exactly in my budget. But a girl can still lust over it, no?

There are a bunch of mason jar chandeliers listed on Etsy. There are also some great tutorials out there on making your own, but I am way too much of a spazz to start playing electrician.

For now I’ll just have to settle with attempting simpler DIY projects with my little mason jars (soap dispenser, anyone?) and plotting to smuggle Aimee and Kevin’s out of their house while no one is watching.

Turning My Black Thumb Green

I love flowers and greenery, but year after year I kill off my plants. I generally start off being super excited about them, but after a week or two the poor little things begin to be neglected.

By mid-summer my pots and planters no longer hold pretty flowers in a variety of vibrant colors. Instead they hold their scorched remains.

I’m sure that’s why I’m really attracted to succulents lately. These camel-like plants can survive in the driest of desserts. They’ve got to be hardy enough to survive my black thumb!

I really like the idea of using them as decor around the house. Not only does it add a little bit of greenery to your life, but they’re a really unique decorative touch–and you can get the look for really cheap if you’re willing to do a little work.

1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4

There are lots of places on the web where you can find tutorials on making your very own terrarium. I love the DIY idea, especially since you can reuse old things that you otherwise would have gotten rid of. Design*Sponge recently featured a before and after post where someone turned a big old paneled chandelier in to one (below right).

The process seems pretty simple:

1. Find a cool glass container. I love the way apothecary jars look. I’ve also seen some pretty cool light bulb versions.
2. Fill the bottom with some rocks (for drainage), a layer of horticulture charcoal (to avoid a funky stench) and a layer of potting soil. You can also use Spanish moss between the charcoal and the soil to keep the soil from sinking down into the rocks.
3. Next you need some plants in a pretty arrangement. Try to find different shades of green and plants with different shapes to create visual interest.
4. Put in a bit more potting soil in to secure the plants.
5. Water with a spray bottle when necessary.

Sounds pretty simple, no? I think even I can handle this one!

In case you’re a visual person, I found this video via creamylife that shows you the step-by-step process:

Looks easy enough, doesn’t it? I’m going to give it a try. Check back for pictures of my attempt at it!

If you decide to bite the bullet and go for it, send me your pictures at jennifergarrydesigns@gmail.com!