Form vs. Function

My husband and I took a recent trip to Destin, FL. We toured the neighboring towns and landed in Watercolor, FL and Seaside, FL. I totally want to live in a town named Watercolor!

You may have heard of Seaside before since part of The Truman Show movie was filmed there, starring Jim Carey. We came across this interesting piece of architecture. It was a spiral staircase headed to nowhere. I immediately was like "hmmmm, is this form follows function or function follows form?" I assume you can see the ocean when you reach the top.


According to Wikipedia...
"Form follows function is a principle associated with modern architecture and industrial design in the 20th century. The principle is that the shape of a building or object should be primarily based upon its intended function or purpose.


In the context of design professions form follows function intuitively seems like good sense, but on closer examination it becomes problematic and open to interpretation. Linking the relationship between the form of an object and its intended purpose is not always by itself a complete design solution. Defining the precise meaning(s) of the phrase 'form follows function' opens a discussion of design integrity that remains an important, lively debate."

I think this could strum up a "lively debate!" Interesting huh?

~MB

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Charming Victorian for Rent in Winston Salem

This house had me at charming! I recently had the pleasure of helping a client update a charming Victorian which is conveniently located in Winston Salem. It has so much character. The fireplaces, yes that is correct, I said fireplaces, are so unique and beautiful. The rooms are also a good size and there is a lot of storage space to boot!

We updated with some fresh new colors throughout.


The kitchen is now so bright and cheery!

Here is one of the fireplaces. The other has a beautiful tile surround.

You are seriously like 30 seconds from Christopher's fine Dining that offers Global cuisine. And, just minutes to the new Dash baseball stadium.

If you are looking to rent a great home that is full of charm, than look no further. Here is the flyer. Just double click the link to enlarge. Did I mention that they have priced this at an extremely affordable rate? Give them a call today, I don't think it will last long!

Happy, Renting
~MB
www.addressingspaces.com

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Designer Finds Occasional Sale this Weekend

If you are local, we hope you can make it. We have some great stuff!

~MB
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Decoupage Easter Eggs - As seen on TV

I had the honor of joining Triad Smarty Pants on the news to share some Spring related crafts that you can do with your family. Here is a clip of the 5 segments on Fox 8. Check out Spring Craft segment #4 - scroll down, it is NOT the Southern Ideal clips but the Spring Craft clips.

Decoupage Easter Eggs

Embellish your Easter Eggs with some festive and seasonal images. For more dimension…go 3-D!

Supplies Needed To Decoupage Easter Eggs

• Decoupage glue – I use Mod Podge
• Easter Eggs (I used the ornament kind found at Home Goods, TJMax, Joann’s, etc. because they were pre-painted. But, if you are feeling adventurous, you can get plain ones to paint yourself)
• Foam brushes
• Small scissors
• Decorative Paper: Scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, color copies, magazines, fabric etc. (I used butterflies found on the internet and printed them on a color laser)
• Wax Paper
• Sponge, soap and water
• Glitter and Q-Tip (Optional)

Step 1

Protect your work surface with wax paper. Use the small scissors to cut out your image, I love manicure scissors because they are rounded. Do not leave any border, cut along the outline of your image.

Hot Tip: Turn the paper when you are cutting verses turning the scissors. It makes it easier.

Step 2

To attach a flat butterfly: Once cut, lay your image face down on the wax paper. Coat the back of your image with decoupage using a foam brush. Place the image on your Easter egg face up. Smooth out any air bubbles. Protect with a couple of coats of Mod Podge, allowing it to dry in between coats.

Step 3

Move over Avatar we are going 3-D!

How to attach a 3-D butterfly: Once cut, Fold the cutout along center. I usually make two folds leaving about 1/8” of the center so there is more flat surface to glue. Apply glue to the flat, folded surface and adhere it to the egg. If you want to make it double sided, just glue two butterfly images back to back then do the same fold and glue process. Let dry.

For a little more bling, add some glitter before you adhere the image to the egg. Coat the edges of your image with Mod Podge using a Q-Tip for more precision. Sprinkle with glitter and shake off the excess.

Let dry.

Hang your eggs or display them in baskets to enjoy. I hung mine on a beautiful heather plant I got at Fresh Market.

Happy Easter,

~MB
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New Year, New Resolutions

Living Room ensemble available at Meg Brown Home Furnishings in Advance, NC

Happy New Year! I hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday season. With the new year ringing in, so too comes the resolutions. According to Wikipedia, a New Year's resolution is ”a commitment an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous”. Many people set goals to improve their health, weight, finances and even your home. Ugh, the pressure!

Here are some easy fixes and simple resolutions that can help dramatically change the look and feel of your home.

1. Declutter. I know, so obvious but so easy and affordable. Clutter adds up over the years and can pile up quickly. Take it one room at a time and start the purge process. Yes, you will have to let some stuff go but it is totally worth it. Set aside some time on a daily basis and once you are done you will feel as if you just shed a few pounds. Bonus!

2. Paint. Changing the color can instantly update and refresh your space. It can bring an outdated room into the now and add some Wow! Find your inspiration and let it guide you in your color selection.

3. Rearrange it. You don’t have to buy all new furniture to get a fresh look. Addressing Spaces specializes in redesign for casual to luxurious homes. Redesign is the art of using what you have to completely transform your space. It is the affordable and economical way to redecorate your home. Check out our gallery online to see some before and after transformations.

4. Shop Smart. That doesn’t mean just setting a budget and sticking to it. It helps to make a list of what you need and take measurements. Don’t just shop blind. Know the approximate size and scale of the pieces you need and the space you’ll place them. So just like Santa, make your list and check your measurements twice to save you from the hassle of returns. We can assist you with a shopping plan if you need it, we love to shop!

5. Get Savvy and Take a Class. Join us for our Decorating on a Budget class on January 21. Learn creative ideas on how to decorate on a budget or learn about color on March 18. For more classes check out my Workshops and Event Page.

I believe creating a home you love is so important for ones piece of mind. Make it your escape, your retreat. At least if you don’t keep up with that New Year’s diet resolution, you can retreat to your beautiful space as you kick up your feet while comfortably eating some Bon Bons.

Happy New Year,

~MB
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I am the Energizer Bunny when it comes to Holiday Decorating

I'm still going! Yes, like my title indicates, I am like the energizer bunny when it comes to holiday decorating. I keep going and going and going...

Here is another little holiday project that I made. I was inspired by Candy over at Junk Sophisticate. She posted a beautiful project using an old window last year and I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. Check out her site, you will find a ton of great ideas for holiday decorating and more. She has the best style and the most clever ideas! Tell her hey for me!


Well, I have had these old windows for awhile and finally got around to using them. I made a couple and sold them at my Whimsical Women show. Here is one that I sold. I loved the retro green paper. It had splashes of red in it and was perfect for the holidays.




But this one with the red paper, I made to keep. I took down my everyday art and hung this in its place for the holidays instead.


I used paper, ornaments, greenery ribbon and some crystals for bling. The greenery is a mix of faux and real. I like how it turned out, so many thanks to my creative little friend Candy for the inspiration! I think of her every time I look at this piece.



May the spirit of the holidays keep going and going and going throughout the new year.

~MB
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Ha-Ha-Happy Ho-Ho-Holidays

What did Santa say to Mrs. Claus when he was looking out the window?

"Looks like rain dear!"

Tee hee.

I love reindeer and have a small collection. Here are some traditional and creative ways I display my reindeer. The shadow trick is something I came up with last year. I love when a plan comes to action and actually works!



Here's to lots of love and laughter in your home this year!

Ha-Ha-Happy Ho-Ho-Holidays,
~MB
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Merry and Bright

I love how silver, glass and crystal looks when it reflects light. Don't you? I especially love it on my Christmas tree. How lovely are these branches?

I bought these new mercury glass ornaments this year and just love them. They came in two different shapes as seen here.

These disco balls are a shout out to the fact that I was born in the 70's. Mama always said, it isn't polite to ask someones age, so don't ask! I bought some last year at Target but I found some more this year at Dollar General to add to my collection.

I also found this snowflake at Dollar General. Much to my delight it looks almost identical to an ornament in the Pottery Barn catalog which costs a whole heck of a lot more! Sweet.

And, here is the cherry on top. I added a wood sign that I made at the top. It looks great with the bright red wood star.

I also bought tin stars from Dollar General and spray painted them red. I tucked them inside the tree to add more cherry pops of color peeking through the branches.

I just love this season!

May your days be Merry and Bright,

~MB
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Vintage Holiday Vignette

Here is my holiday vignette set up on my secretary desk. It has a few elements that I really love.

1. The guest book. OMG. I love it. It is made of wood and the pages are old and it is just fabulous. I found it at Goodwill. It was an awesome find.


2. The vintage light is just plain ole fun.

3. I believe this was an old stamp holder but it is now a vintage ornament holder.


4. Lanterns and oil lamp. The oil lamp was my Grandmothers so of course it is very special.


5. The small frames in the first photo are photographs that I took after a beautiful snow storm in New England a few years ago.

What do you think?

Happy Vintage Vignette Day,
~MB
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More Holiday Decor

Here is a little vignette that I easily updated from my fall decor to a festive little holiday vignette. You can look back at my Fall Back Decor Post to see what it looked like before. I used the cute mini desk as the base of my display, along with my favorite old "Yankee Girl" crate. I wrapped the package using brown kraft paper and Green twine. I added a fun tag that has the #25 on it for bling and used ink stamps to spell out "To Santa". Check out my little elf. I found him at Goodwill. He is kind of one of those things where he is so ugly he is so cute. My kids love that he moves. I loved that he had the saw, it was so me!

To make holiday decorating easier, have pieces in your house that are a good foundation, like my mini desk and cool crate. You can easily remove, add and embellish for each season.

If you look at my Fall Back Decor Post you will be able to see how I used the same bench and basket on my front steps that I featured in yesterdays post but added seasonal greenery and festive elements for Christmas. Compare it to my "What Gives Post yesterday to see the basic elements that were used and how I embellished them for this holiday season.

Happy Thursday,

~MB
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Sit and Stay for a Spell

I just love a bargain and snatched these great chairs up at a 50% off sale at Habitat Restore. I loved the size, shape and design but wasn't in love with the color, at least not for my space. I knew exactly where they would be set up after a simple cosmetic makeover.


My inspiration? I have a beautiful side table passed down to me that was my Grandmother's. I think it was even my Great Grandmother's. I love that it is black because I feel like that is pretty unique to the times. It is displayed in the bay window area of my living room. I knew I wanted chairs to flank it but had not found the right ones until now. The bay window area is kind of dead space so this serves as a secondary seating area that one can sit and stay for a while. The sunset views from these chairs are amazing!

So, they are now resting peacefully next to my sentimental piece after just a little sanding, priming and painting with a glossy black finish. I love them!


Let me know what you think! I posted in on JunkMarket Style too so stop on over there to check out other cool projects and fun comments.

Happy Monday and all its Makings,
~MB
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Fall Back Decor

I have a love hate relationship with the Fall. I love the weather and all the beautiful colors of nature. I also enjoy creating festive fall vignettes too. But I do not like turning the clocks back. The 5am wake up calls from the kids kills me every year. Waking up to total darkness really hurts!

But, back to my "love" part of Fall. Here is an outdoor fall display I created mixing old and new. I found this great basket at a garage sale. I thought Mum's would fit perfectly in it. My mom got the old bench for free. So cool. I like how it raises the basket up so you can see it better. I am digging the metal pumpkins. They don't grow mold like our current Jack-0-lantern now turned furry science experiment does! The Pick Your Pumpkin sign is a couple of years old but I still love it. And I just picked up the wheel at Michael's yesterday on clearance. It was the perfect piece to fill in that spot. This is set up on my front steps so it makes me happy every time I come home.

I also created a little indoor vignette in my entry.

I found this great old mini school desk. I thought it would get a lot of use because I can use it as my foundation and change out my seasonal decor.

The old crate is a shout out to my northern upbringing. I am a Damn Yankee! But, just for the record it does not mean I am a Yankee fan...I grew up outside of Boston so I am a Red Sox Fan. I mixed faux and fresh veggies and put them in the crate. I like to layer to add more intesest when decorating.

Just wanted to share my festive fall decor! Please share some of your decorations too. Would love to see 'em!

Happy Fall,

~MB
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Redesign - Use What you Have Decorating

I just completed a redesign yesterday with Ava. The homeowner struggled with one wall in particular so she called us in for help. The cathedral ceiling came to a point in the center of the room. But she didn't think she could center her TV on that wall because she felt her furniture wouldn't fit. We used 100% of her pieces and didn't add a single thing, thus the reason we call it "use what you have decorating."

Here is the before shot. You can see the TV is off to the right a bit.

We changed out the art above the TV and added different accessories. The artwork had a basket of apples and a blue and white bowl in it so we mimicked this look with our accessories. It looks great in the room. She has a vast collection of baskets so she was thrilled we worked them into the design. Don't you love this funky lamp? It was in a guest room so we brought it out to the Living Room instead. So unique.

Here is the mantel and room layout before...

We opted to use two pieces of art above the mantel vs. the one because we liked the subject matter better. We also loved the two peacocks and wanted them more visible so we put them front and center on the mantel.

Here is the mantel after...

Well, we centered the TV and still fit all the furniture to make it more cozy. The room was long but not very wide so we had to angle the pieces. It worked. It looked really nice, this picture doesn't do it justice. It flowed much better and made it more inviting! We cranked it too. We finished this redesign in 2 hours and 45 minutes. So she got a whole new room for under $300. How do you like them apples?

We also hung some artwork going up the stairs, which is always a challenge. But, with a trust laser you can do anything!

Happy Tranformation Thursday,

~MB
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