DIY - Adding Fabric Trim to Lamp Shade

With the holidays behind us, it's always fun to change up some things around the home with simple and quick projects! I recently added some new grosgrain trim to my lamp shade, giving a little pizazz to our guest room corner.



Here are the quick and easy steps:

1. The only materials I needed for this project are grosgrain ribbon and fabric glue.

2. Before cutting the trim, I placed it around the shade, making sure I left a little extra to work with. (I could always cut the extra ribbon later.)

3. At first, I applied the glue to the trim, but ultimately ended up appyling right on the shade. It worked out better that way.

4. I continued to make my way around the shade, pulling the trim tight while also pressing firmly on the shade.

5. With one ream, I had enough trim for the top and bottom of the shade, with some left over! And here are some more afters:

This tacky glue is very strong and stays really well, even on this overlapping fabric shade. If you look really close, you might see some waves, but it's pretty secure. I hope this simple project inspires you to add some trim to your lamp shade!

Will you be tackling any projects at the start of the New Year??

Our Guest Room Revealed!

We have been tackling this project for quite some time, and I'm happy to reveal the after photos of our guest room! In the rest of our home, the colors are neutral and muted, so I wanted to try something different in this space and go for a brighter, cheery vibe. Here is the before shot, when we were adding the stripes to the bed wall:

Before:

And after:

With a simple palette of blues, greens and yellows, I wanted to achieve a fun, cheerful space for guests. The room's wall color is Yarmouth Blue by Benjamin Moore and the white stripes and trim work are painted Moonlight White also by BM. I found some great deals on the items in this space and have acquired them over time. The lamp was a great Target score at only $20, including the shade! The chevron pillow is also from Target and the rest of the throw pillows are from Pottery Barn. The green frame was a great TJ Maxx find, but still has the original image of Valerie Bertinelli that came with the frame. Now if you've been reading this blog for a while you're probably thinking: Really?? She hasn't changed that out yet?? But like I said in yesterday's post, I tend to procrastinate with my own home and will eventually switch that out with a photo of someone I actually know! The night stand has been around forever and plan to eventually change that out with a pedestal style end table. The room is small enough already and could use the extra visual space. The wall art behind the end table helps to bring in the vibrant colors in the space, making it a fun, whimsical piece. And the art above the bed was made by me in college! I took an art class and this piece was made with 3 different sized black paper dots, to show the variation in a newspaper print image. Since the piece is small, I plan to add more of something above the bed.
As you all know, a room is never completely done, so I plan to add a bit more in the future. Here's the breakdown:

- Add a charcoal trim to the lamp shade.
- Add more art above the bed.
- Add a drapery rod and curtains above window.
- Maybe add a bench or small seating option.
- Do something different with the end table.

That's where we're at for now! I am definitely getting motivated to do more with other areas in our home! More to follow...

Guest Bedrooms on the Brain

I have been making some changes and updates to our guest bedroom, and it's almost there! It has been fun coming up with a cheery color palette, adding whimsical touches and fine tuning/tweaking the space. I like to start a room, then step back and take a look to see what else it needs. It ends up being a long process. (Partly because I tend to procrastinate when it comes to my own spaces!) But, we're almost there and the big reveal will be tomorrow. For now, here are some lovely bedroom images from pinterest for this Monday!

Source: favoritepaintcolors.blogspot.com via Simple on Pinterest

Source: erineverafter.blogspot.com via Simple on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Simple on Pinterest

Source: cococozy.com via Simple on Pinterest

These images give a hint in the direction of the room's color palette. The first two images are very similar to my room's wall color and the last image almost has the entire color palette of the space. Stay tuned for tomorrow's guest room reveal!

Horizontal Stripes - Before and After!!

I have been talking for a while about making some changes to our guest room. I have so many ideas in my head for this space and I am super excited to cross one job off the list! I wanted to add two horizontal stripes to the bed wall, making this the focal point in the room. The space was already painted Yarmouth Blue by Benjamin Moore. While reading Sherry's blog a while back, she added two, wide horizontal stripes to a friend's master bedroom wall and I loved the outcome. I love a quick project with big impact, so I knew I wanted to try it! I decided to use some extra trim paint we had lying around and added two creamy white stripes to the blue wall:

My wonderful husband did all of the measuring and prep work, and I came in and painted! Our ceiling in this room is about 8 ft, so the stripes measure at about 18-19 inches wide. We wanted all of the stripes (both blue and white) to measure the same width, so that is how we came up with this number. After using a level and some painter's tape, the stripes were ready to be painted! I ended up doing about 3 coats to cover the blue completely. After taking off the painter's tape, there were minimal touch ups, but no big deal! I started taking off the tape while the paint was still a bit wet, so the tape wouldn't rip off the dry paint. (It has happened to me in the past, and I learned my lesson!) So here are some before shots with the tape up:

And one with the stripes painted (only 2 coats at this point):

And a couple more afters:

I wanted the paint to completely cure and dry before putting the headboard back and the rest of the room together. The room still needs some art on the wall, throw pillows on the bed and some extra jazz in the space! Stay tuned for a completed guest room!

Oh- Simple Dwellings Interiors is finally on facebook! Check out the facebook link on my sidebar!

How to Style Your Shelves

Shelf styling is something I always work on... for me, it takes some time with editing. I have to look at it, walk away, come back to look again... it's a process for me. I think that beautiful shelf styling is an art and a beautiful way to express your personal style. There are so many ways to style shelves: the main focus can be for organization, or just a place to display treasures and finds. Here are some inspiring ways to style shelves, all via Pinterest.

via Houzz on Pinterest

via Because I'm Addicted on Pinterest

via Simply Seductive on Pinterest

via The Lilbee on Pinterest

via Young House Love on Pinterest

I love the detail added to the last image- painting the back of the shelves a different color is a great way to add more style to the space and help to bring in an accessory color. It also allows the items on the shelves to pop against the different color. I also love the idea of adding a mirror or artwork somewhere on or inside the shelves. It's a creative way to add some different elements to the mix! I have also loved using the shelf space for extra pillows. There are so many gorgeous pillow fabrics out there that look like a piece of art. Why not display them where all can see! And here is my interpretation of shelf styling- these shelves are in our guest room. After some editing, here is where we are now-

What do you like to add to your shelves?

A Steal of a Deal!

I have spoken a lot about one of my current projects- making changes to our guest room! I have so many ideas in my head and have even begun some projects in the space. I have been on the hunt for a new table lamp and finally found one! I have been looking at this lamp for a while, but thought I could find a better deal. Well, sometimes it pays to look again- it went on an amazing sale! I bought this lamp base on clearance for only $14.99!! WHAT! And the shade was also a clearance find for $6.00. A new lamp for about $21.00 works for me.

This lamp was from Target- I love that store! Now, I want to add some decorative trim to the top and bottom of the lamp shade for added interest and to tie in an accessory color. Also on the list, is to replace the lovely Valerie Bertinelli image with an actual photo of someone I know! This green frame on the end table was a great TJ Maxx find for only $10.00, designed by Valerie Bertinelli. (I have yet to take out the original backing!) What I plan to do next in this room:
- Add trim to lamp shade.
- Organize the bedding with some new pillows.
- Paint 2 wide horizontal stripes on the bed wall in a creamy white color.
- Add more art and accessories.

Have you found a "Steal of a Deal" lately? I would love to hear about it- send me an image of your deal, and I'll include it on my blog!

New Pillow Alert and Last Day for Giveaway!!

Some changes are being made at the Simple Dwellings household! One of them being a new pillow for the guest room! I have spoken about my redesign plans for our guest room here and here, and this is the first purchase for the room! The color works well with the walls, which are Yarmouth Blue, by Benjamin Moore. I have some plans for the wall behind the bed- an idea from the wonderful Sherry of Design Indulgence. She designed a bedroom with this wall color and added two wide horizontal stripes in a creamy white to the wall behind the bed. I thought this idea was brilliant and a great way to add some interest and make this a focal wall. The rest of this room will have accessories in navy, green and yellow. So, this room is moving along very well in my head! But I do have one problem... when I brought this pillow home, it also works really well in our living room! What's a girl to do? Maybe I could just keep it in our living room while there are no guests! This way, I can see it every day. When the guests arrive, I can quickly place it back upstairs as if the guest room always looks put together!

I like that the pillow is two sided- I can change up the look when I want something different! It is a Dwell Studio for Target pillow and was bought with a birthday gift card! (Thanks so much, mom!) I love Dwell Studio's prints, and of course- the price! So, this little beauty just might have a place downstairs for a while- it's just between me and you, right?

And today is the last day for the fabulous giveaway from Olive Leaf Stencils! You can enter until 11:59pm EST. Click here to enter!