blissful home winter 2013/2014

BLISSFUL HOME MAGAZINE 1

BlissfulHome

Winter 2013/2014

brought to you by:The Blissful Bee Blog

your furniture

4 fab furniture findsfor under$200!

Blog Talk & blogger spotlight

Christmas lamp makeover

Transform

page 10 & 14

page 25

page 22

page 9

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Welcome tofo

llow

me h

ere

Meet

Editorthe

amy the blissful beeHi friends! I’m Amy; The writter and designer behind the blog, The Blissful Bee. I am a graphic designer by trade but share a passion in home design, photography & much more!

BlissfulHome


sarah m. dorsey designs

rain on a tin roof

cuckoo 4 design

sarah

jenna

julia

FeaturedBloggers:

Sarah blogs at Sarah M. Dorsey Deisgns. She is an Interior Designer, DIYer, Graphic Designer, wife to the most amazing husband, and puppy mom to their happy, spirited Annabelle!

Jenna blogs at Rain on a Tin Roof about DIY projects, junk décor, thrifty finds, crafty creations and other decorating dilemmas.

Julia blogs at Cuckoo 4 Deisgn and believes that art and design are truly her passion. She’s known this ever since she was a teenager and enrolled in art school in Germany.

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page 9

page 22

page 20Bargain Furniture FlipUp Cycle diy

Fab FurnitureFinds


contents6

9

10

14

20

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25

26page 20

Color Trends

Transform Your Furniture

Blogger Spotlight

Blog Talk

Up-Cycle diy

Fab Furniture Fnds

Christmas Lamp

Kitchen Remodel TourUp Cycle diy

winter 2013

what would YOU

like to see inThe Buzz?

Email yoursuggestions!

[email protected]

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colortrends

seafoam

grey

2013of


mint

seafoam

coral

What colors have YOU been loving this year? My “go-to” color choices

have been a mix of Seafoam Blue, Grey, Coral and Mint. I have always

loved these colors, but for some reason I have really embraced them

this year. I especially love how they all work together so effortlessly.

THEBLISSFULBEE.COM8


I eventually ran into a pair of bamboo console tables at our local Ross. The first time I saw them,

I hated them. But after a few times around the store, I went back to take a second look. I still

hated them, but saw potential. At $49 a piece, I finally ended up bringing them home in hopes of a

beautiful transformation. And I must say, I LOVE them now. Amazing what a little paint can do:)

I recently re-arranged our living room

layout and had been looking for 2 matching

console tables to flank on either side of

our window. There were a few online

that I loved, but to purchase two would

have been a little pricey. Especially

once you factor in shipping and taxes.

There are two tables I had to paint, and I'll just say this... the first attempt did not go over too well!

When I started the project, I thought it would just take 1-2 coats of a white spray paint. Well, I

was WRONG. I'm a furniture painting pro, so I was shocked when the project didn't go my way.

The stain kept seeping through the spray paint and would turn the white paint to brownish color.

It was awful. I even started sanding a few areas to see if it would help... it didn't.

So after realizing the spray paint wasn't going to work, I decided to try another approach.

Although it was going to take a long time, I was going to brush paint the tables. It took about 4

coats (at least) but eventually the brown no longer seeped through. Brushing on the paint for

some reason worked better than the spray paint. I'm not too sure why, but hey, it worked!

After all that hard work (and a LOT of paint), I'm super happy with the end result. The project

might have taken me much longer than anticipated, but I think it was well worth it!

Bargain

click here

flipfurniture

to see more

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rain on a tin roof

to see more

Meet jenna!

Hi, I’m Jenna! My blog is Rain on a Tin Roof and I blog about DIY projects, junk décor, thrifty finds, crafty creations and other decorating dilemmas. When I’m not

trying to keep my kid from climbing out of the circus ring or making sure my husband’s shirts are taken to the dry cleaners (so I can get out of ironing), I can be found with a paintbrush in one hand and a cheap beer in the other. But if you’re buying, I’ll have a cosmopolitan.

You can email me at [email protected]; or you can connect with me on Facebook, Twitter @raintinroofblog or at my blog.

BLOGGERspotlight

click here


BLOGGERspotlight

cuckoo 4 designMeet julia!

click hereto see more

Design and art are truly my passion. I’ve known this since I was a teenager and enrolled in art school in Germany. I loved anything

that had to do with creating! I also love being a mom and creating our home.

So many of my friends and family have told me that designing, painting and creating things is what I should be doing and I know they are right. We live in a small home and I’m a firm believer that in this case, size doesn’t matter. You can make the smallest apartment and home beautiful and functional. If you would like to see my home and creations, make sure to visit my blog, Cuckoo 4 Design!


Hi I’m Sarah! I’m an Interior Designer, DIYer, Graphic Designer, wife to the most amazing husband, and puppy mom to our happy, spirited Annabelle!

My blog is a place to share my husband and I’s home and DIY adventures in trying to make our rental our own. Together with my crazy/grand ideas and David’s creativity and ability to figure them out, we spend a lot of our weekends (and some week days) adding personalization to our home. I believe that with a little creativity, time and effort, you don’t need a lot of money to make your home look fabulous!

click hereto visit her blog

Q.A.


Blog Talkwith

designssarah m. dorsey

sarahmdorseydesigns.blogspot.com

What drove you to start blogging?

I had been following several blogs a few years before I started blogging and was amazed at all of the creative, low cost, high impact home solutions that bloggers were coming up with! I was itching to try some in our own home, but since we were living in a rental - I didn't want to invest much money till I knew that it would work in our "forever" home. Well a few years went by, we moved to California, and I realized that I had to find a way to make a rental our home for low cost. I decided to start blogging as a way to connect with our family on the east coast and as a job that I could pack up and take with me when we moved for my husband's job. I decided to focus on low cost, DIY projects that I could take with me when we moved or sell prior to moving. I've been loving it ever since!


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What is your favorite part about the blogging world?

The supportive blogging community! I've made so many great friends through blogging.

What advice would you give to new bloggers?

Do and share what you love! If you're genuinely passionate about something - it will come through to your readers.

What would you consider your design style is?

I would say modern with an eclectic/vintage touch - bright, fresh and fun.


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When did you realize you wanted to become a designer?I think I’ve always known I wanted to be in design. Since I was a young child, I would constantly rearrange my furniture and re design my room. Not much has changed .

What is your all time favorite project that you’ve created?A glass mirror created from an 80s chandelier - love that I was able to take something that was originally intended as trash to make one of my favorite pieces! Click HERE to see the project!

Are there any projects that didn’t quite turn out as planned? Any advice for “project fails?”Lots! Learning from experience, I'd recommend spending lots of time planning! Create material lists and create detailed drawings of the building process and how the finished product will look.


Although this room might look like designer pieces from floor to ceiling, Sarah has managed to DIY or makeover almost every piece you see while sticking to a budget.

Are there any projects that didn’t quite turn out as planned? Any advice for “project fails?”


Up-Cycled Bottle

Ever wonder what to do with old glass bottles you might have lying around? Most of us probably just throw them away... but wait! Instead of throwing it away, keep that beautiful bottle and turn it into a vase!



This project was basically free and took just about 15 minutes!

First, I had to take off the whiskey label. I filled the sink up with warm soapy water and let it soak for about 10 minutes. By that point, the label had become soggy enough to peel off. I used a dish washing brush to scrape off most of the label. For the glue that didn’t come off with the brush, I used my fingernail to scrape off the rest. Once the label has been removed, the bottle takes on a completely new look. So elegant and simple! I topped off the look with a little starfish peeping out of the mouth of the bottle. I’m really happy with the final product - a little bit of simple elegance paired with some coastal charm!


1.

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What a fun pop of color! If you have a neutral kitchen looking for some sass, consider adding some seafoam blue bar stools.

These navy and blue ikat patterned dining chairs (set of 2) will class up any dull dining room.

home decorators

target

1. homedecorators.com 2. target.com 3. ikea.com 4. Ikea

$180

$199


4. Ikea

findsfab4 furniture

3.

4.

This console table is sleek and elegant all for a reasonable price. Don’t miss this opportunity for some big bang for your buck.

Looking to add some texture to your room? These wicker chairs are quite versitile. They can be used as an accent chair or a statement piece in your dining room.

ikea

ikea

for Under $200!

$130

$104


christmasLamp

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3.4.

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makeoverStep By Step:Take the lamp shade off and unscrew the bottom part of the lamp.

Once the lamp is separated, you can begin filling it with your decor (through the bottom of the lamp while it is gently placed on its side.) The driftwood I used came packaged as a garland, so I had to cut the wire and un-string the garland first. I then placed the desired amount of driftwood through the bottom of the lamp base.

I then screwed the lamp back together and sat it up straight.

Next, I had to string the moss and decorative red accents together. I used a needle and thread and alternated the red and green accents. Once they were finished, I added the red berries to the bunch and also included a starfish to top it all off.

With a decorative ribbon, I tied them all together and wrapped it around the neck of the lamp.


Kitchenmakeover

When redesigning this kitchen, the plan was to make the space as light and bright as we possibly could. We had a great space to work with - large and open with a ton of opportunities for improvement. Are you lookng to update your kitchen without a complete remodel? Although there was a lot of work that went into the transformation of this space, you can accomplish a similar update with just a few simple steps.


Before

After!



Paint the cabinets a bright white or creamy tone. I would suggest taking off the cabinet doors and spraying them with oil an based paint. Tape off the remaining cabinets and do the same.

Paint the walls a consistent lighter tone throughout the kitchen. Use a lighter backsplash along with a medium toned granite or marble countertop to make the space feel larger.

My Reno Suggestions:


specialthanks to:

Sarah from Sarah M. Dorsey Designs

Jenna from Rain on a Tin Roof

Julia from Cuckoo 4 Design

thanks for reading

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Amy Walton, Editor

e-mail:[email protected]:www.theblissfulbee.com


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