Week Three This post contains updates to the Chinoiserie Master Bedroom – Paint and Wallpaper Edition. You can review where the fun began here: Week One Week Two Chinoiserie Master Bedroom Makeover – Paint and Wallpaper Edition This. Is. So. Much. Fun. (Except the few moments where the “challenge” portion of the project try to…
Week Two This post journals the progress of our Chinoiserie Master Bedroom Makeover – The Color Edition I’ve not been so excited about a project in a long time. Thank you for following along on this Chinoiserie Master Bedroom Makeover – The Color Edition. Week 2 was big on planning and small on completing projects.…
This post explains the steps for creating a DIY Succulent Birdbath Garden. Who doesn’t love a beautiful flower garden? And there’s something so sweet about a birdbath, right? In this post I’m going to walk through a fun combination of the two. You’ve seen them before, and thought you might like to try it. You’re…
Better Homes and Gardens — One Room Challenge There is a Master Bedroom in my home that wants to be with the “cool kids”. It’s not a big mess, or unappealing design at all. It just wants to be “one of the gang”. So, I’m joining Better Homes and Gardens — One Room Challenge, AGAIN!…
This post contains fun Kitchen Decor Ideas – Colorful Accessories add the pow and zip to your space. Nobody loves a beautiful , pristine, elegant, white kitchen as much as I. In January I revealed our updated kitchen in this post: Elegant White Kitchen with a Splash of Chinoiserie. However, when spring and summer role…
This post is a DIY: Adding Trim to Drapes or Curtains. This is a popular subject for DIY enthusiasts. Because let’s face it, custom drapery, althought beautiful and elegant, can also be a budget buster for home decorating. There are ways to customize a quality store bought curtain or drape and achieve the elgant window…
This post will provide ideas for How to Style Bookcases — No Cost Decorating Recently I polled my Instagram users to discover their challenge areas for decorating. The number one request, was requesting help with How to Style Bookcases. There’s no better time than a quarantine to do projects that are free and do not…
This post explores an Indoor Hydrangea and Azalea Garden Ideas. Can we can agree that while we’ve been quarantined to our homes during this pandemic, we appreciate just about anyway that we can add some beauty to the space? So, when I spotted these beautiful plants pushed along the wall at the check out counter…
This post shows how to put together Simple & Affordable DIY Spring Centerpieces. You don’t have to run out and purchase all new items to make yourself a couple of Simple & Stunning DIY Spring Centerpieces. (Full disclosure, I did purchase the gossamar faux white ficus tree in January, and the trailing blue wildflower). There…
This post contains 3 Easy Steps to go from Chinoiserie Spring to Easter Tablescape. Today I’m joining a new to me group of talented bloggers to present our Easter Table Designs. They will be linked below; I hope you will check them all out. I You can read more about me HERE. Easter is a…
It’s A Colorful Life Spring Home Tour – 2020 This post contains Spring Decor Ideas for the Southern Chinoiserie Home. Today we will review DIY projects and tons of other simple tips that will help bring spring’s cheerful vibe into your home. [Currently, our world is being held hostage by Covid-19. My hope and prayer…
This post will discuss How and Where to Style Ginger Jars. There are lots of ways to style one of the hottest trends in home décor, ginger jars. There are so many design styles where they work including Chinoiserie Chic Style, Traditional Style, Southern Homes, Palm Beach Chic, and even American Farmhouse. If beautiful, elegant,…
This post contains 6 Home Decor Trends for 2020 you will love Today I’m sharing home décor items that work in any style home, AND never go out of style. Whether you love Chinoiserie, like I do, you have a traditional style home, or you love American Farmhouse, these 5 Home Décor Trends for 2020…
This post reveals an Elegant White Kitchen Makeover with a Splash of Chinoiserie. We purchased our home new . . . . in 1996, that is. We love our home, and are very thankful for the years and the memories we’ve made here. Several rooms have received updates throughout the years; however, until this makeover…
This post contains 6 Simple and Elegant Valentine’s Day Table Settings A romantic, elegant table for two can be created in your own dining room. If you’re not in the mood for cooking, you can order your (and his) favorite food and serve it up in the cozy comfort of your own home. Here’s some…
This post will contain directions on how to fold napkins for the Christmas Table. One of my most popular post of 2018 was the Christmas Tree Napkin Fold. I’m bringing it back along with directions for folding your napkin like a Simple Chistmas bow. Check out these Simple Christmas DIYs from earlier this year: Christmas…
Chinoiserie Chic Christmas Dining Room Ideas are featured on this blog. My dining room is small on size, and large on style. There are some of you who follow along on my decorating adventures who are “less is more” type decorators. I see and appreciate you and your style. This space would undoubtedly give you…
This post will disclose A Christmas Revelation–The Elegant Little Tree and a surprise confession. Beautiful elegant Christmas trees are the centerpiece of Christmas decor. I’ve shared a post with a step by step video tutorial on how to acheive the look, and links for the products (some of them pricey): Elegant Christmas The Chinoiserie Christmas…
Use 3 Items to Create a Simple Christmas Centerpiece with everyday decor items; learn how in this post. We’ve all done it. We’ve fallen in love with a spectaular faux floral Christmas Centerpiece, only to regret it when it comes time to store it away in our limited storage areas. Today we are going to…
In this post, I share Five Elements to Create a Chinoiserie Style Christmas. Aren’t we all thankful that we have so many options for Christmas decorating? The traditional reds and greens of Christmas will always be a crowd favorite. Elegant silver and golds have a secured place in the Christmas decorating space. We all will…
Unique, thoughtful, pre-planned gifts are the best. That is what you’ll find in this 2019 Christmas Gift Guide Ideas for Any Budget blog post. This guide was meticulously curated with the Southern Nell fan in mind. If you miss Black Friday or Cyber Monday, no fear! Some experts say the items that remain after those…
“Stockings were hung by the chimney with care…”, that simple phrase from one of our all time favorite Christmas poems takes us right to the heart of decorating for Christmas, the fireplace. This post will provide Christmas Decorating Ideas for the Mantel and Hearth. Of course, stockings will be included. You wil lwant to check…
So we’d love to buy all new every season, but most of us (hand raised) are not independently wealthy. Thus, I’ve created this Fifty Something Women’s Holiday Fashion 2019 with a stretch your dollar theme in mind. Yes, these items are Fifty Something Women’s Holiday Fashion 2019. However, they will take you through the winter,…
I’ve collected some Simple Fun Vintage Christmas Ideas from former posts I think are worth another look. You can find more details by following the link on each photo. Five Spaces in the Home Where Simple Fun Vintage Christmas Ideas Can Be Added Living Room Kitchen Dining Room Stairway Master Bedroom Vintage Christmas Living Room…
In this post I’m sharing ideas for decorating an elegant Christmas tree with ease. Products are linked on my Shop My Home Page Menu. The ideas for themed Christmas trees are almost as endless. Whether you dream of an all white Christmas, or gold and silver, blue and white, or all the colors of the…
“Prettify the Privy” is ready for her close up! Finally, the DIY – Small Bathroom Makeover — The Reveal day is here. The powder room is “back in business”, pun intended. If you want to start from the beginning of the Small Bathroom Makeover on a Budget, here are the links: Week One Week Two…
Week Five – Curve Ball Edition The DIY Small Bathroom Makeover on a Budget continues with Week Five – Curve Ball Edition. The beautiful ceiling was slated to be completed this week. The bad news: it is not. The good news: We did make contact with the curve ball that is ceiling tile installation. BONUS:…
Week Four – Cabinet Knobs and Light Fixture Our DIY Small Bathroom Makeover on a Budget continues with Week Four- Cabinet Knobs and Light Fixture choice. This has been a productive week for the One Room Challenge sponsored by Better Homes and Gardens . The quest to “Prettify the Privy” has rounded second with a…
Week Three of Small Bathroom Makeover on a Budget – DIY One Room Challenge sponsored by Better Homes and Gardens , has been a lot of desk work and less physical work. This “Prettify the Privy” Makeover on a has all the”behind the scenes” work of a large makeover, or so it seems. If you’re…
Welcome back, friends to the Lacquered Furniture Statement – Week Two of the Prettify the Privy – Makeover. We’re humming along during this One Room Challenge extravaganza that is ponsored by Better Homes and Gardens. If this is your first time on my blog, you can easily catch up by reading week one’s blog post…
Week One – Prettify the Privy Folks, I’ve been blogging for four years now, and I’ve known about the Better Homes and Gardens One Room Challenge for that long as well. I’ve always wanted to jump in, and this fall the urge to participate overcame my impending anxiety. If you found me through the one…
This post will help you Create an Easy Fall Harvest Table Setting. A quick trip to the refrigerator, and you can have a beautiful focal point for each of your individual table settings this fall. Flowers and pumpkins are the usual suspects, but why not step out of the box and try using some of…
Fresh flowers are beautiful for a centerpiece, but have a limited life span. If you are one of the home decor enthusiast who loves to decorate your home each season, but wants a simple approach and one that will last the entire season, I have a plan for you. This post will share how to…
We’ve determined my personal design style to be Chinosoutherie, a collision of the bold, colorful, eclectic Chinoiserie aesthetic with the elegant and classic style of the old south. Don’t look for my style in the design books, you will not find it. However, that does not dissuade us. This fall I didn’t back away from…
Burgundy, pink, fuchsia, turquoise, aqua: these are all top of the mind colors for autumn, no? If not, welcome to my autumn and fall décor ideas for the home. I love the traditional orange, brown, and cream palate of fall décor. But, nature has more to offer, so why not expand our fall color palate?…
You may not have an entire weekend to devote to decorating your home for fall. But, I’ll bet you have the thirty minutes, or less, it will take and just 3 Steps to Organize Your China Cabinet for Fall. This is an easy DIY fall décor idea. You will find lots of fall décor inspiration…
It’s fall y’all! (So sorry, it’s overused I know, but I couldn’t help myself.) This super simple Budget Friendly DIY Fall Centerpiece will get you ready for flannel shirts and knee boots. Elegant fall floral centerpieces are great, but so are fall decor ideas that don’t break the bank. The later is what we’re discussing…
You will need just 4 Items to Create an Elegant Fall Decor Centerpiece. These easy to find items can combine for a charming fall centerpiece that will work for a dining table, entry table, or a coffee table. For the cost of a couple of small pumpkins and some grocery store flowers you will have…
You only need Three Flowers to Create a Beautiful DIY Arrangement that will last in your home for days. You can even grab flowers from the grocery store. I’ll show you how.
We do it everyday: set the table for dining. It is not that hard or expensive to add flare and fun to this otherwise mundane chore. Here are Ten Simple Everyday Tablescape Ideas that will not break the bank. One of my favorite areas to feed the need to create is on a dining table.…
Updated: 2/2/2020 This post shows 5 Steps to Customize Ready Made Drapes I’ve recently completed another Drapery DIY. As I’ve written before, if you can sew straight lines, you can make beautiful, simple drapes. But, if you don’t own a sewing machine, this post will explain 5 Steps to Customize Ready Made Drapes for a…
This post is a Lacquered Furniture DIY. I will share the Six Steps to achieve Beautiful Lacquered Furniture. I have recently completed two pieces and I’m over the moon excited with A) how Easy a DIY it was, and B) how beautifully they turned out. Spray painting is simple and easily applied to lots of…
Updated: 2-20-2020 This post contains directions on How to Spray Paint a Ginger Jar in Moments. Ginger Jars are enjoying a magnificent comeback in décor, and I understand the appeal. They are so classically beautiful. They can, however, boast a hefty price tag, especially if they are a fairly large in size. If you are…
This post is about a Chinoiserie Inspired Room Makeover For two years, I’ve worked on updating my living room. Now, if you’d imagine a drum roll, please….. Here is my Chinoiserie Inspired Room Makeover. These posts of my home contain Chinoiserie Chic Style elements as well: Chinoiserie Dining Room, How to Lacquer Furniture , and…
This post contains Ideas for Creatting a Colorful Eclectic Dining Room. It’s reveal time! I’ve been working on my dining room for several months, and I can’t wait to share the updates with you. This may be my favorite DIY makeover to date. In this post I will share Ideas for Creating a Colorful Eclectic…
You have landed in the right blog if you are looking for a simple DIY Easter Décor Idea. In this case, I’ve updated everyday décor with a few inexpensive seasonal touches, and for about $10 created a beautiful Easter vignette. You can find additional Simple DIY Easter Décor Idea in previous posts : Three Tips…
Updated 3/28/2020 – This post contains ways you can Make Easter Decorating Easy. This year you can Make Easter Decorating Easy by using one element of Spring Decor, the beloved Easter Egg! This post will show how one decor element, the Easter Egg, is used in five area of the home. What could be easy…
Updated: 2/24/2020 – This post explains how to Update a Built in Bookcase with Foam Board and a little spray paint. You can update a built in bookcase with foam board and paint. I get your hesitancy to throw paint on custom built bookcases. But, here’s a way to tame the trepidation and add color…
Updated 2/24/2020: This post shows How to Customize a Decorative Tassel. I love to “guild the lily” as much as the next DIYer, and tassels are an easy way to do just that. There are lots of guides on the web for making your own tassels. However, you can tweak a simple store bought tassel…
This post contains an Easy DIY Valentine’s Day Garland tutorial. If simple, easy, quick and inexpensive are words you live for, this post is for you! I hesitate to call it a step by step process because it’s so very simple, so here’s how to make an easy DIY Valentine’s Day garland. You may also…
Updated:” 1/5/2020 This post contains Five Easy DIY Valentine’s Day Decor Ideas – Under $20 You don’t have to break the budget or spend hours decorating, to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Here are Five Easy DIY Valentine’s Day Décor Ideas for under $20 altogether. You may find inspiration for Valentine’s Day from my past posts: Easy…
You can complete this Easy Christmas Tree Napkin Fold for your Christmas Tablescape in no time! I came across a very cute and super Easy Christmas Tree Napkin Fold this season! I know there is “nothing new under the sun”, but this simple napkin fold is new to me this year. When I saw it…
Decorating for Christmas doesn’t have to be daunting. Keep it manageable with these Easy Ideas for Decorating Vintage Style at Christmas. Add a few touches to your everyday decor . My home is Colorful with a Vintage twist, so my Christmas Décor echos that theme. Here is the outcome. Reposted an Update: November 19, 2019…
You can refinish a vintage front door on a budget. This DIY front door makeover on a budget will enhance your home’s curb appeal. Our most popular posts on front entries are found here: Fall on the Front Porch Front Doors of King Lane – Inspiration for Personal Expression I love the look of vintage…
Updated 3/24/2020: This post explains a Custom Drapery Hack-Get the Look for Less. I’ve sewn several sets of drapery for my home. Just so we’re clear, I’m not a “real” seamstress. I can sew a straight line, and that skill has permitted me to make changes to my window treatments through the years. This post…
I live for a budget-friendly makeover! Now, I recognize there’s a slew of you who would rather be eaten alive by a flesh-eating parasite than to do anything DIYish! You will gladly go to Nell Hill’s and purchase this STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL etagere for $$$, and never blink an eye (I can’t say I blame you).…
There are two things on my mind today. Maybe there are additional thoughts floating around, possibly, we can only hope. But, these two are entrenched front and center. First, I’ve succumbed to a complete acceptance that summer travels at warped speed. I get it. I’m powerless to change it. I accept and surrender to your…
I’m not aware of anyone who dreads the arrival of the warmer months (except for maybe those poor allergy sufferers.) Even if you are one of the relatively few who are sad to see winter end, I’ll bet the first signs of spring like birds chirping, flowers emerging, greening of earth, and warm days put a pep in your step.…
Updated 2/14/20 – This post is all about French Inspired Office – The Accessories Not surprising to any of my readers, there has already been several changes in the office. What, has it even been a week yet? I don’t think so, but I’ve never hidden my impulse driven decor brain from anyone. Still, I…
I ask you, what does a baby’s nursery, a guest room, and a French Inspired Office have in common? All I can come up with is they all once lived in this six-walled, oddly angled, roughly 14 x 14, smallest room in our home! My firstborn moved into this space when Tom the Great convinced…
Today, I’ll share three ideas for adding Easter décor to your home. I view this as a prelude to full-blown spring decor, a blog I’ll be writing soon. Here’s your four step guide: Tip #1 for Low Budget Decorating at Easter: Set the Dining Table. You already know that the table is my favorite décor playground. Boy, did…
The only guests joining Tom the Great and I for Valentine’s dinner will be the charming vintage cupids pictured above and below! Although there’s a whole slew of folks we love, and opportunities galore to show love on this day/month of love, for me the most significant moments will be the ones shared between me…
Updated: 1/14/2020–This post contains Cottage Style Decoration Ideas for Valentine’s Day. It’s time again, for the cutest little guy and his snappy red accessories! No, not Santa. He’s taken a well deserved rest. Cupid! I suppose if we need a day dedicated to telling the one’s we love how much they mean to us, we…
Updated December 2019 The French Revolution Master Bedroom Re-do Part Deux – Christmas Home Tour is live. Let’s just put first things first; after 21 years and counting, the ceiling fan in the master bedroom is no longer! Two long years of searching, and just look. whAT. I. FOUND! The center piece, the grand dame,…
You will find inspiration for created an easy colorful fall tablescape for outdoor dining. White pumpkins and eucalyptus create a simple centerpiece.
Updated: August 19, 2019 All of my past blogs have featured the main level of our home or outdoor spaces. Today, we’re going up the stairs to take a look at the master bedroom makeover. Because it’s currently October, it’s the Master Bedroom Makeover for Fall. For more home décor inspiration for fall and all seasons…
Updated on August 12, 2019 This year I created an Autumn into Fall Elegant Farmhouse Tablescape. It is both elegant with cut crystal and vintage Johnson Brothers English Countryside Dishes, and farmhouse with brown and white buffalo check napkins, and galvanized tin lantern. The secret: it’s also an affordable fall centerpiece. Check out these posts…
Updated: August 23, 2019 — The only thing that remains in this space is the sofa. HAHAHA!! There was a time, pictured here, not so long ago, that I had a very traditional southern living room. When fall rolled around, I used all the traditional fall décor colors. When I say all the fall colors,…
Updated on August 24, 2019 You remember from an earlier post Updating your Front Porch, the door is now washed with my favorite color, coral. With the change of season, I’ve made a few tweaks, that I think look great with the new door color. Here are my Fall Decor Ideas for the Front Porch .…
Updated August 23, 2019 The family room and dining room have had fall updates for the colorful season. These rooms display Traditional Fall Home Décor Ideas. My family room gets a full measure of the traditional fall colors! The beautiful shades of orange on a maple tree will take my breath away EVERY SINGLE TIME! So,…
When you live on the corner of Paradise and Heron, the visual expectations for the dramatic are amplified! My dear friends, and lifelong King Lane Gang members, Rob and Pam reside at that very poetic locale; it profusely exceeds the presumption. When she requested I drive to their Minnesota Lake home to help style her large…
Updated 4/21/2020: This post contains a photographic tour with Front Yard and Backyard Landscape Ideas You know how I make no claims to be good in the kitchen? Well, I’m only slightly above novice in the flower garden. Yeah, I manage pretty well with pots and planters. But with the larger grounds and beds and…
Updated 4/21/2020: This post contains Ideas for Front Porch Flower Containers. We love a beautiful front porch don’t we! If it’s a wrap around porch that seems to have no end, that’s even better. But, those of us with a smaller footprint can create a warm welcoming entrance as well. Here I’ll share some ideas…
Really, nothing says WELCOME quite like a bright and cherry front door! Okay, you got me! Maybe a welcome sign or a welcome mat, but I’m talking figuratively and that’s literal…… sort of. We all know and are thankful for those Homes Associations Rules and regulations that keep the neighborhood free of neon green, bright…
But, as we all know I didn’t spend much time preparing food! I was far to busy adding all the personal touches to the home decor. You know, I love to make it personal! The home was all dressed up with childhood keepsakes and photographs that cajoled family and friends to take a stroll down memory lane.
Updated 3-2-2-20 This post provides French Style Bookcase Styling. I have a confession. I do not have a law degree. Nope, I’ve not even served on a jury! Although business law was one of my favorite college courses, it was the sole class I had in the discipline. The unabashed truth is, I simply love how vintage…
Yes, they are utilitarian, and yes, you may JUST fancy a convenient place to set your drink of choice and a reliable spot for locating the remote control. If, on the other hand, you prefer to have eye pleasing inspiration everywhere your glance, you may find a design idea or two that will help you curate the perfect pieces for a beautiful table top (known in…
I’ve noticed a lot of the social media “moguls” I follow in the blogosphere and on Instagram, are closing out their year with “best of 2016” feature stories. They start something like, “I thought it would be fun to share my most ‘liked’ posts of 2016”; then proceed with a blog or IG post that garnered 475,000 likes and…
Welcome back for the finale of Christmas On King Lane 2016 ~ where together we will tour our family room! Undoubtedly, celebrating the hope that Christmas continues to bring to our world is the top answer to “why we love Christmas”; and with that, another resounding sentiment expressed is time with family. Where better to invest time creating precious memories, than fireside in the family room.
I ask you, is there anything on earth you can do for your loved ones (family, friends, and neighbors alike), that is more meaningful and genuine than sharing a meal? In the south we understand that the magic of relationship happens when you forget the challenges of daily living, push the pause button on the daily…
Let’s just blame mom! She always made the extra effort to cozy up our home at Christmas. She would add a festive touch to most rooms in the house. This year, her 74th Christmas, she has three trees in her home. One of her favorite places on earth is in Gatlinburg, Tennessee (or Pigeon Forge…
Chinoiserie Master Bedroom Makeover – The Furniture
Week Four (Almost Five) This post contains detaisl on the Chinoiserie Master Bedroom Makeover – The Furniture Edition. You can go back to where this challenge started and how it progressed by following these links: Week One Week Two Week Three Week Four of the Better Homes and Garden – One Room Challenge is fastly…
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