I know I've mentioned my love of Pinterest in several previous posts before, but it just keeps growing and getting better.  I mean, where else can you have an central location for ideas and recipes that provide you with a month's worth of breakfast dishes for every meal?  Yes, I DO have a board devoted solely to breakfast foods!

Having a new house to decorate has also kept me glued to Pinterest over the past few months for inspiration.  I can say for sure that there are at least three different designs, for now, in my house that are directly attributed to a pinned photo or idea. I also couldn't keep Pinterest away from my recent housewarming party either -- most of the recipes I used for food, even the cupcakes, are on my "mini food" board.

My point is that sometimes, all people can benefit from a little bit of inspiration every once in awhile, or more often in my case.  And I love it when I am able to take a vision, twist it up so that it better suits my style, and make it happen.  Such a feeling of accomplishment!!

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Idea #1: Painted Furniture

I saw this yellow table (left) on Pinterest and was obsessed.  I searched second hand and consignment shops, and unfinished furniture stores, in the area and was surprised at how much the furniture I found, especially considering the amount of work that would be required to get it to this finished state, cost - very expensive relative to new and complete furniture.  Searching on Target's website, I found a console table on clearance that had just enough decorative detailing to give a suggestion of the original photo.  Additional decor used to complete the design include: framed artistic street maps of LA, San Francisco, New York City, and Paris; a ceramic umbrella stand in the shape of black riding boots from Z Gallerie; a ceramic "bag" vase and pears from a local home decor store; a wire basket from Pottery Barn; and a white framed etched glass tray from Target. 


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Idea #2: Chalkboard Art


The End Result - My Chalkboard Art












I saw this idea of chalkboard walls on several Pinterest boards, but I didn't like the thought of all the dust from using real chalk nor the idea of actually painting the wall with chalkboard paint.  Instead, I thought a nice framed chalkboard would be perfect, and my friend pointed out the existence of chalkboard erasable ink to add a pop of color to my black and white kitchen.  I ordered the ideal size board, 60"x30", to fit the space from Billy Boards.  After planning the layout -- using quotes I saw on Pinterest, some favorite recipes, and a few silly drawings -- it took about 3 hours to get it all together and looking good, then lots of fractions math to get it perfectly hung on the wall, and voila...kitchen chalkboard art!

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Idea #3: Cupcake Liners as Decoration


Speaking of pops of color, I saw these two photos on Pinterest that demonstrate a clever way to store your unused cupcake liners, rather than keeping them in the bulky original containers.  To inspire me to bake more, and to add something fun to my counter, I got the glass jar from Target and the cupcake liners from Michael's, Sur la Table, Target, and from my own leftover stash.  Love it!


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Idea #4: Housewarming Party Cupcakes



 I saw these cupcakes and fell in love!  I knew I had to attempt to recreate them ASAP!

They ended up being a little harder than I thought, but not bad for my first try.  Since this was more about the decorating than the actual cupcake, I cheated and got the boxed cake mix and can of frosting.  The frosting, after applying to the cupcake top, was gently rolled in a plate of green sparkle sprinkles, then I used a knife to slowly make a hole, the "bite," in the sprinkles.  The seeds are chocolate sprinkle jimmies, the stem a piece of pretzel, and the leaves were made from melted green candy molds from Michael's that were piped on a piece of parchment paper using a leaf tip.


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And, finally, one design idea all my own...take that Pinterest!

Owl vase from Z Gallerie, flowers from Target, lamp from Restoration Hardware, sideboard from Crate and Barrel.