Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Quotes by Oprah




Today's post is short and sweet, I'm sharing some of my favorite quotes from a classy woman that ALL of you know and many of you love-Oprah! I hope these 7 quotes will cause you to think about your own life and go after your dreams this year!

'Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.'

'My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.'


'The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams!'

'I believe the choice to be excellent begins with aligning your thoughts and words with the intention to require more from yourself.'

'There's no easy way out. If there were, I would have bought it. And believe me, it would be one of my favorite things!' (on exercise/losing weight)

'Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.'

'The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance - and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.'

~All quotes listed above by Oprah Winfrey.

What is your favorite quote? It doesn't have to be one from Miss. Winfrey, but I'd love to hear which ones you refer to when you need some inspiration!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Fall Decor Inspiration




While the Florida heat continues to blaze into the middle of October with no relief in sight, I decided to hunt down some fall decor images to inspire me to start decorating. With all this sticky humid weather, I started to think about how pumpkins might rot on my porch. So, I'm holding off on any type of outdoor display for another week or so.

In the meantime, I'm going to pull the gorgeous fall wreath (that I purchased at Costco 2 years ago) down from my attic and today's classy ideas will specifically focus on the indoors and are more elegant than themed.



WALL ART




Image from Verosimile.com

What a great way to incorporate some of the outdoors inside your home this fall. Whether it be a bedroom, living room or hallway this soft artwork could blend into many decor schemes. You can switch it out come springtime for something different.


CENTERPIECES




This would make for such an elegant centerpiece for Thanksgiving Day, particularly if you're hosting the dinner. I loved this image because it incorporates beautiful, colorful flowers, candles and bright pumpkins.  The trick here is to cut the top of the pumpkin large enough to fit a small glass vase inside for the stems to sit in.








These little cornhusk votives are a great way to inexpensively add a little fall flair to your table. Simply wrap the dry cornhusks around the votive (you can use some doublesided tape) and then wrap either some ribbon or some raffia around the bottom or middle of the votive. Just pop in some tealights or votives candles and you're ready to go! I aslo love the gorgeous purple roses placed in the center of the table. This would be a great casual tablescape to add for guests dining with you or simply to add some spice to your dining table for everyday use.



Image from MarthaStewart.com

This looked super easy and quick to put together. Simply gather a few smaller platters or one long platter as shown above to create an elegant look with some pumpkins, or acorns and candles, add whatever you like. to add a touch of elegance, add some real flower clippings before guests arrive or use artificial ones so you're centerpiece will last longer.





This is a perfect example of how you can keep your decor very neutal, using mainly earthtones and browns without feeling the need to add a lot of orange if you don't want to. Add some little pumpkins with name tags as place cards and an ultra-simple centerpiece of pillar candles in tall or hurricane vases with some acorns beneath.




SIDEBOARD & CONSOLE TABLE DISPLAYS





I found this image last fall and have been wanting to create these glittery, glamorous little pumpkins. You  can use either real or artificial pumpkins and then add very fine glitter in multiple fall colors to each pumpkin or you can mix some of the colors together. You can either prop them up on large candlestick holders as shown or place them atop cake plates, and even add the domed lid too for a fun kitchen countertop display.




Image from wwwPotterybarn.com

Potterybarn has a lot of great vase fillers and I particularly like their faux acorns. Of course you can use the real deal too, if you have an oak tree on your property. Add some real or faux leaves and a pillar candle and you have a great piece that can be used on a kitchen table, on a coffee table or a sideboard or console. The best part is many have a large glass vase and neutral candles already so there is little to invest.




Image from www.HGTV.com

This is one of the most simple things you can do to add some color in your home. Use candles that you have already or pick some up at the dollar store that you don't mine altering and glue some lentils and beans to th side of some pillar candles or even orange and white pumpkins. The process of gluing might take some time but it is a fun project and if you decide it's not for you, you can peel off the beans and glue for it's natural state once again.






I love glass cloches, cake stands and apothecary jars, so this particular idea is one of my favorites and one that I'll likely be adding into our decor soon. By adding a few gourds, you can really add some great color for a wonderful display. You can keep the glass cloches and reuse them for christmas too by simply switching out the contents.


Image from www.bhg.com

This super easy dried corn vase filler is such a fun idea. You simply pop a candle in and it's done. To update for Christmas, you could replace the corn with dried cranberries.






If you love monograms like I do, you can add the names of everyone in your family or use the pumpkins to spell something specific like harvest or fall. For more information on how to create these visit the martha stewart website.

What are your favorite fall decorating ideas? What have you done so far to add the feeling of autumn in your home? Do you have a favorite display or centerpiece you use or create every year? We'd love to hear all about it, feel free to link us to some images too!