(P)inspiration Time!

It's time for a PINTEREST update! Oh yeah. Don't think I haven't been pinning away during these hot summer days. I don't think the world wide web is going to run out of pinable items any time soon!

Psst - don't you love that you can add anything after the prefix "pin" and make it into a new cool word related to pinterest? Great, right?!

So, here are some of my latest diggs...

1. Bathroom Inspiration: I've pinned a TON Of bathrooms recently. Probably because our full bath is due it's major remodel in the next 6-12 months. So, I'm already schemin' and dreamin' (and rhymin'). I'm loving white, bright, and lots of pretty subway tile.

2. Living Room Inspiration: Sooo many living rooms I LOVE! From wrap-around bookcases to stone fireplaces and awesome pendant light fixtures to beautiful board and batten walls and wood-planked ceilings, these living rooms have so many elements I love! The last pic is my favorite though.

3. Organization Nation: I love the idea of creating a little cabinet on the side of the fridge to hang a mop or hold some cleaning supplies. It wouldn't have to be very deep to store a lot of stuff.

Have extra wall space in the closet? Install wall-mounting brackets and set baskets on them for storing socks, scarves, purses, or other belongings.

And here is a cleaning schedule I would follow if I didn't have to go to work all day. As of now, I cram most of this into the weekend. Boo.

4. Tips and Tricks: I'll share the one tip I tried recently - Miracle Laundry Whitening Solution

Here is what the article calls for: Hot Water, 1 cup Laundry Detergent, 1 cup POWDERED dishwasher detergent, 1 cup bleach, and 1/2 cup borax.

It recomends filling the laundry tub so that the water is just covering the items and let it soak for a while (like a couple hours or overnite for bad stains). Then run the wash as usual.

Here's what I did...

1. I used all the ingredients except the borax (cuz I have no clue what that is and I was too lazy to go to the store and find it).
2. I poured the ingredients into the washing machine first
3. Then I filled the machine with hot water about 1/2 way - then insterted the laundry - then filled it the rest of the way. I had a big load. So, I needed a lot of hot water.
4. I then let the tub churn around a couple times - just to mix everything together and get it a little sudsy.
5. Then I stopped it and let the items soak for about 30 minutes.
6. Then I ran the load as usual.

I did this for my white King-sized sheets and pillowcases which I've had for 8 years and are now a slightly grayish/off-white color. It worked wonders! Nice and white again!

I need to try this on our not-so-white socks, undershirts, towels, and washcloths.

Not sure how well this will work on badly stained items. And not sure how much the missing borax ingredient would make a difference. But it's worth a try!


So, there you have my favorite recently pinned items. Now it's your turn to pin away!

Pins in order: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10

Tool Time: Chip It! by Sherwin Williams

Ever need help picking out the right paint color? Ever see a great inspiration photo and wonder what paint colors were used in that room?

I'm sure most of you can answer "yes" and "yes" to both of those questions. Well, in case you haven't already heard, Sherwin Williams created a website designed to help pick out paint colors for you! Genius!

The website is http://letschipit.com/ will let you turn any picture online into a color palette.

There is an instruction video (which I did not watch), and you can see there is a tool you can drag to your tool bar (or right click and add to your "Favorites" if you use Internet Explorer) and it will place a little "Chip It!" tool onto your internet bar (much like the "Pin It" button for Pinterest).

Once you have the Chip It! icon on your toolbar, pull up a favorite picture on the internet... I used one I saved Pinterest... and with the picture pulled up, click the "Chip It!" button on your toolbar. Your page will then look like this...

Once you hover your mouse over the picture you want to use, a little Chip It! button will appear for you to click...

And once you click it, a pop up box will appear with coordinating paint colors from Sherwin Williams...

Ta Da! Shop away for your paint!

Here is another Navy room that I love...

...but it is a slightly different navy than the first room...



Chip It! suggests the color "Dark Night" for this second room, and when comparing it with the "Bunglehouse Blue" in the first room, I think Dark Night seems more like a true Navy color. It's a bit deeper with less gray undertones to it.

It's nice that you can compare similar colors with this tool! The website will also let you create an account and save your color palettes online.

And of course, you don't have purchase your paint at Sherwin Williams. You can grab their paint chips and take them to any other store to color-match for you. We do this at Menards most of the time.

So what do you think? Helpful? Fun? Try if for yourself!

Note: All opinions are 100% mine. I was not paid to advertise/comment on this website tool.

Pin It!

Sorry, I've been MIA all week. There are a lot of personal reasons for that, including the passing of one of my best high school friends last week, but hopefully I'll be back next week with some new updates around the house. In the meantime, here are a few my latest Pinterest additions.

Art and Photography: Paint Chip Art

Paint chips are becoming a hugely popular, free way to create your own art and decor for you house. The image below was crated for a little girl's bedroom using a heart punch, paint chips, and foam stickers to attach them to a canvas.



Bedroom Inspiration: Green is a Go!

If you ask me my favorite color(s), I'd say blue and yellow. BUT I'd have to say green is my favorite color to decorate with. It's a bit warmer than blue and a bit cooler than yellow. Right smack in between them on the color scale. I heart it.



Bathroom Inspiration: White Subway Tile

Joey and I are in the pre-planning stages of our full bathroom remodel. White subway tile is a definite, and I'm considering running it 1/2 way up the wall as shown below. I love the tile on the floor too.



DIY Ideas: Stenciled Artwork

I may try something to this extent soon. A few horizontal boards painted with a stencil. Could even add a framed picture in the middle or something else creative. Endless possibilities.



Entry, Hall, & Stairs: Striped Runner

Don't know why, but this is my favorite board on pinterest. I love stairs, I guess. And this striped runner is hott. I love the overall craftsman feel of the space.



Tips and Tricks: How to Decorate Shelves

Beth gave a great tutorial on her blog about how to decorate shelves using the triangle method. Very helpful!



Happy Pinning!

Side Brag Note: This week, one of the Pinterest pictures I posted on my blog back in July 2011 (seen here) made it's way to the world wide pin market and received about 1,300 repins...



...most ever for one of my blog pins. Whoop Whoop!

To see items pinned from my blog go to:
http://pinterest.com/source/jkhomestead.blogspot.com/

Shout Out: 2 Pretty House Tours

Want to see some super awesome home design? I highly recommend checking out the house tours these lovely ladies below posted over the last 48 hours.

First up is Julia from Hooked on Houses.

  

She gave a tour of a new house with turn-of-the-century style (for realz). The architecture is lovely.There are many, many design ideas I’d like to steal from this new home…

 

 

 

 

Want to see more of this house? Click HERE.

 

Next up is Erin from House of Turquoise.

 

Today, she showcased a lovely house designed by Jeanette Van Wicklen. This house has an airy, beachy feel. The pool is AMAAAAAZING!

Want to see more of this house? Click HERE!

I know I’ll be doing some serious pinning on these houses tonight!

Which house is your favorite???

Pinterest Update

It’s been a while since I’ve shown you some of my latest Pinterest finds. I gotta say that I’m still as in love with Pinterest as ever. It never runs out of creative ideas. I’ve done a little bit of reorganizing added a few new boards (along with a lot of pins) to my Pinterest collection. Here are a few many of my latest digs.

Art and Photography

1. “The Best of Times” wall display : the clocks are stopped at the time each child was born. So cute and clever. Very unique display.

2. House Stories : frames displaying a picture of each house/apartment you’ve lived in and label it with the address. Great memory maker.

 

Bathroom Inspiration

1. Green and White Bath : I’m loving the subway tile. We’re in the pre-planning stages of the eventual remodel of our main bathroom. I think subway tile will definitely be used. Instant classic.

2. This-is-so-me Bathroom : I love the white subway tile here. The vent is on the bottom of the wall is identical to the vents in our old house. I adore the vanity and accent colors. Perfect.

 

(NEW) Color Combos – many of these come from the website Design Seeds, which puts together different combinations found though every day items. A great resource for putting together colors for room.

1. Winter Cabin : beautiful combo of teals, blue-grays, and browns.

2. Olive Hues : greens and blues with a pop of orange.

 

Entry, Hall, & Stairs

1. Ship-inspired Hall and Stairs : I love so many things about this picture that I don’t really know where to start. The boarded walls are sensational – especially in that pretty blue. The moldings on the columns and ceiling are beautiful. The plank floors add some rustic-ness. But my favorite item? Oh yes, the stair runner. I seriously want this exact carpet for our stairs. MUST FIND!

2. Architectural Beauty : Pay no attention to the bare walls that clearly need some artwork. Check out the elements that make this entry hall stunning – wainscoting on the walls, wood beams on the ceiling, an inlay wood floor, double doors with arched windows. Expensive, but lovely!

 

(NEW) Master of the House – full of ideas for our Master Bedroom.

1. Vaulted Ceiling : Love the wide horizontal planks and exposed rafters. Our ceiling will likely have a couple of odd angles like this one shows. I love the fireplace in this picture too.

2. Area Rug : I would eventually like to get a really large area rug for our bedroom. I love this one with an all-over pattern. It adds color and texture but it’s not too graphic.

 

Organization Nation – here’s a collage of a few new items I pinned - a DIY lazy-susan shoe rack, a pot/pans/lids organization rack from Lowe’s, T.P. rolls to keep wrapping paper from unrolling (great idea), and a “dust”, “mop”, “scrub” shelf system for cleaning supplies…

         

 

Some pretty good Pinterest finds, no? Oh and there’s soooo much more I could show, but I’ll save that for another time. What are some of your favorite pins?

Texture, Organization, and a Reminder

Thought I'd share with you a few new additions to my Pinterest Boards. I keep coming back and looking at them because I love them so much.

1. I'm assuming this first photo is a shot of an entryway or mudroom in the house. But what captures my eye is the chevron-patterned boards on the wall. In fact, it hypnotizes me. It's rustic and gorgeous. Give me chevrons. Give me boards. I heart.



2. This hallway is all about simplicity meets texture. From the wainscoting on the lower 2/3 of the walls to the grass-cloth wallpaper on the upper walls to the hardwood floors with the carpet runner in the center, you can't get much more texture than that! Yet the color scheme is neutral and not much decor is even needed to make it beautiful. The wall sconces and pendant light add warm charm. I also love the archways. It's all so interesting.



3. This next image was an instant re-pin item for many people. If I someday have a large laundry room, it will include an island for folding laundry and 1 laundry basket per family member! The picture below shows a clever way to store them all.



4. I LOVE this outfit. I love ruffles. I love orange and brown. I love trouser jeans. I want that purse. Pinterest has definitely helped me think about clothing in terms of whole outfits rather than just individual pieces. And yet every item below could be versatile and used with something else.



5. This quote below is an oldie (when it comes to my boards), but a goodie. I seriously need to print this quote, frame it, and hang it on the wall where I can read it every day.




Happy Pinning!

What Are You Falling For?

I'm falling for ... ALL THINGS FALL!

No, I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm done with summer and fall is calling my name. Big time. In fact, this past weekend I purchased 4 (very-on-sale) fall shirts/sweaters in preparation for cooler weather. I'm ready. I'm waiting...

Apparently, some of you are with me on this one because Pinterest is ablaze with fall-related decor, fashion, and themes. People are pinning away, and it has me, once again, inspired.

All I have to do is read the words below and I find myself craving the fall season like I crave chocolate on my ... well, you know what I mean.


If that doesn't get your heart beating for the next season of the year, here are a few more pictures that might do the trick. These pins sparked my interest and have me thinking about how I might implement the ideas in my own home.




And don't forget about using pumpkins to decorate the inside and outside of your home. There are so many inexpensive, DIY ideas to copy-cat this year.






What are you looking forward to the most about fall? The cool weather? The colorful trees? Breaking out sweaters and scarves? Hot Cider? Tell me I'm not alone here!