Creative Decor With Scrapbook Paper

Loving, loving this tree! Melody Riches painted this darling tree and created birds out of scrapbook paper. She used digiscrap birds and printed them out on regular paper. She then used those as templates.
Melody: I used templates/stencils for the birds I wanted. Gathered my green and blue scrap papers and started cutting the shapes out. Each of them are mounted on foam-core and sealed with a good dose of mod-podge.




Isn't this clever? Melody also created this valance from scrapbook paper, foam board, velcro and spray adhesive.

This funky lamp got Melody's touch with spray paint, scrapbook paper and mod-podge. Before photo and here's the after:

Great job! With a little ingenuity it's amazing what can be transformed. Thanks Melody for your ideas!

Magnetic Wall And Fun Shapes!

Wallframe is a company from Europe that manufactures educational foam shapes. The wall shapes are easily attached to a magnetic wall, due to the magnetic circles on the back. Since the wallframes aren't available for purchase here in the USA, make your own foam shapes with craft foam and magnets. Craft supplies sells foam with a magnetic back in various colors or you can purchase the extra thick foam and glue the magnets on yourself. Magnetic foam letters or shapes to make cars -would be tons of fun for the kids - not to mention educational. Find the perfect wall or cabinet somewhere in your home to paint the magnetic paint. Fun project to make with your kids this summer. The Tangram would be a fun puzzle to make with these foam shapes.

Safari Baby Nursery

Melissa Pyne was kind enough to share her sons safari nursery with us. Wow... this room is such fun! What an exciting room to wake up in every day. Great color choices for a boys nursery and also perfect for a gender-neutral baby nursery. Clever idea to paint the murals on canvas - this way you can move them to another room, sell them (when baby grows up), etc. When the murals are permanent it's a little hard to do.
Melissa's room description:
The paint color used in Sawyer's nursery was Duron Relaxed Khaki (this was already on all walls), we just painted over it. No primer was used. The green walls are Valspar Fiddlehead Fern. Valspar Milk Chocolate was used for the monkeys and vines, as well as the darkest stripe. The stripes were the Relaxed Khaki, Milk Chocolate, Fiddlehead Fern, Valspar Delta Sandbar (lighter brown), and Valspar Ginger Bite (peachy/orange).

We had a local artist, Jessica Rollins, paint the murals, the monkeys, and the vines. She drew everything in pencil, and then painted over her pencil lines. I knew I wanted monkeys "hanging" from the curtain rod, and we took it a step further to utilize the bamboo as the curtain rod. The roman shade on the window is a Matchstick Bamboo Shade from Lowe's.

We also carried the bamboo over into our wall hanging of "Sawyer". His name was made by fashioning the pieces of bamboo into the various letters of his name. We used two five-foot long pieces of bamboo (purchased for $4 each at Hobby Lobby) to create all of the letters. We glued the pieces together with hot wood glue (it's just like hot glue, except made especially for wood). We then tied raffia around the joints/glue to add a more rustic look to the letters and cover the glue. Once dry, we hung them from the pole using jute twine.


The murals were loosely based on the Lambs and Ivy Cocoa Baby line. I wanted friendly looking animals to greet my baby boy each day. Sawyer loves to look at the pictures while he is being changed.

I liked the animals in the Lambs and Ivy line, but I thought the bedding would be too busy for the room. I chose Pottery Barn Baby Pique Nursery Bedding in bright green to complement the paint colors. The curtains are also from Pottery Barn. I know Pottery Barn still has the Pique Bedding, but I don't think the bright green color is available anymore.

The furniture is from Babies R Us and is the Baby Cache Manhattan collection."

Thanks to Melissa for sharing such a fun, creative nursery. The monkeys hanging from the curtain rod are the best!! I love her idea of the bamboo name - it works perfectly with the safari nursery.

Winner of the Flag Banner

Thank you to everyone for entering the contest for the Giggleberry flag banner. A big thank you to Giggleberry for her darling creations. Don't forget... to check out her site if you need a darling flag pennant banner.

Historical Mansion Boys' Room

What does the 4th of July mean to me?
It's more than bar-b-ques, fireworks, friends and family. It's a time of remembrance of those who have given, and continue to give to help make our country free. I'm really grateful to be from the land of the free!
This room was the perfect room to share with Design Dazzle readers a couple of days before the 4th of July. This Mural was painted in a Historical Mansion near Jockey Hollow National Park, in Morristown, NJ. Jockey Hollow was the winter encampment sight of The Revolutionary Army, under George Washington, in the winter of 1779. The mural is painted by Pat McWhorter and the design of this room, with Interior Designer Dawn Mullins, shows scenes of the soldier huts and the farm during that cold winter, as well as some of the uniforms worn by the soldiers and drum and bugle corp. Pat also painted a trompe l'oeil border of patriotic bunting to tie the room together. Adding modern touches, the room and design was brought up to date. The boys room is entitled "The Yankee Doodle Dandy Room."
Pat's website is www.lanesenddecorativearts.com. She is from the New Jersey area and is one talented gal!




Have a Safe and Happy 4th of July!

DIY - Memo Board From A Cabinet Door!

Remember my post about what to do with old cabinet doors? Here's another fantastic idea of recycling cabinet doors and transforming them into memo boards. Memo boards are perfect for kids/teen rooms. When you're making your own memo board it's easy to match your room decor.


Centsational Girl has a tutorial on how to transform these doors. A few helpful tips:

Remove door hinges and knobs
Iron fabric
Use two layers of batting
Attach fabric to door with staple gun
Lay out ribbon
Use rubber mallet to pound nail heads






Check out Centsational girl for step-by-step instructions.

HELP Wanted!!

HELP! So I need to hire a web designer! Well maybe I should say programmer. I do not need any graphics done (at least for now) but I do need someone who is good at coding/html. Someone who is familiar with hosting provider Merchant Moms would be great. I don't mind waiting until you can get to my project. Please email toni(at)designdazzle(dot)com for details.

Also...
Thank you for visiting and reading Design Dazzle! I especially appreciate all the comments posted on my blog and all the wonderful emails I receive. It's been quite a joy seeing all the creative endeavors that end up in my inbox. I love showcasing the talents of so many - thank you for sharing!!
I'm also very grateful for all the write-ups and shout-outs for Design Dazzle on your blogs and websites. All of you inspire me!

Whimsical Inexpensive Furniture

Looking for a whimsical, fun and inspiring kids room furniture and to not have to take out a second mortgage? Look no further than Ikea's Mammut line! It is an line that has been around for some time now and seems to change a little from year to year but is an Ikea classic. With bold and bright colors, curvy smooth edges and oversized knobs, the Mammut Collection will be a parent, child and crowd pleaser for years. Offering boy and girl version in pink and blue, the collection consists of beds, dressers, toy/clothes armoire (that is to die for), shelves, bookcases, play tables, chairs and stools. Starting at $6.99 at Ikea.Com
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Mermaid Party Ideas

When I first laid eyes on this mermaid doll, I had to have her!! Thus the mermaid party was born! This was such a fun table to create and figure out for an under-the-sea celebration. Some of these decorations are Christmas ornaments and picks from the floral department. Keep a lookout for after Christmas/holiday sales - items that don't look "Christmasy". In planning a baby shower or birthday party, knowing far in advance what you're looking for sure can help keep costs down.

Doesn't every mermaid need a sea shell crown? To make the crown I used the following supplies:
plastic birthday crown
shower curtain rings (star fish)
christmas ornament (shell)
Christmas glitter floral pick
gold spray paint
bright colored spray paint
wire
hot glue
glitter, glitter, glitter

Taylor (a friends daughter) is the mermaid model - isn't she adorable? I know, I know the seahorse is the bomb! It's paper mache and no I didn't paint it, it came that way. I also designed the mermaid costume - fabric was purchased for cheap in the LA fabric district. Starfish shape was cut out of the confetti glitter fabric and ironed on to the top with fusing fabric.

Isn't glitter better on everything? Weeeell... not on my husbands face (especially when we're sitting in church) the poor guy...having to live with a crafty wife will do that to you. Glitter can get everywhere...

The dolphin ring toss game is available here.

A seahorse Christmas ornament and ribbon are made into a napkin ring holder. If you don't want to spend money on fancy plates, concentrate on making napkin ring holders a little fancier. Plain dinner plates can be dressed-up with napkin ring holders.

Starfish shaped chocolate lollipops - image from here.

Floating mermaid balloon sculpture from here.

The following images are from LA Sweet Settings.

Adorable appliqued under the sea tablecloth.

Molded seashell chocolates dusted with luster dust.

Someone is a very talented artist. Oh my goodness..I LOVE the seahorse, fish and bubbles! The seaweed is made out of crepe/tissue paper and the white lights add the perfect touch.

Add crepe paper and ribbon to a stick to create mermaid limbo - image from here.


Little Dance Invitations creates the cutest invitations from your child's photo. Email this company your child's photo and they will make unique invites for your special event. LDI is located in Australia but do ship internationally.


The clam shell is handmade. The shell back was a piece of board cut and painted to look like a shell. A snow toboggan was attached to the board and painted to match the clam back. A small ball was painted for the pearl. Image from here.


Belly Feathers made this inexpensive bubble bath look expensive with cute mermaid tags and ribbon. Great party favor.


Dress your little girl in a mermaid costume for her under the sea/mermaid birthday party.

Free download for sea-star cards. Tricia Rennea created these note cards and also sea-star invitations available on her website.

Make your own... Milk Bottles

Recycled frappuccino bottles....quite genius

Spray paint a Starbucks Frappucino bottle with white spray paint.

Print off some words in a font that you like. I printed off sprout, bloom and grow. Cut out the word in a square so it fits on the front of the bottle.

Place a small piece of carbon paper under the word and using a stylus or pencil trace over the word firmly.

Be careful if you tape the carbon paper and word to the bottle as you can peel off the paint.

Paint over the carbon traced word with any color you wish.

Spray a final coat of clear paint over the bottle. Instructions and photo from Maize Hutton.

It would be so fun to decorate a baby shower, nursery, kids party with these milk bottles. How about painting the bottles bright colors...

Some more milk vases:

Porcelain replica milk bottles, hand-cast from antique half-pint glass milk bottles from Alyssa Ettinger (etsy).

Vintage Glass Milk Bottles w/Carrier

Classic Peter Rabbit Nursery

With home, the home you call your own,
It really doesn't matter where,
There is no place, in all the world,
That ever will or can compare.
Peter Rabbit.

I love that quote! I also love this Peter Rabbit baby nursery created by Whitney of The Glamorous Life of a Housewife. A lot of love and thought went into this baby nursery that is both classic and beautiful! The classic art and books of Beatrix Potter is a perfect choice for both boys and girls.

The attention to detail is sweet! Blue and cream striped walls is the perfect backdrop for this room.






Beautiful vignette with all of Peter's friends:)



This Peter Rabbit wall image and the following image was painted by Cerone Designs.


Vintage style Beatrix Potter postcards - easy and inexpensive way to decorate a room with. Postcards can be framed or decoupaged depending on the look you want.

Beatrix Potter Drawer Pulls

Peter Rabbit Art

12" x 36" Art Print

Peter Rabbit Wall Clock

Sugar & Spice Party

Kara from Karas Party Ideas created a Sugar, Sweet and Spice Party for her bunco group. I would have to say most bunco groups don't get this much fun. She created a candy buffet, dessert and ice cream bar and chips and salsa to go along with the spicy theme.

Here's the ice cream, punch and cupcake table. She made the window awning out of card board (painted it with matching paint) and hung it with fishing line. Loving it...

Aren't these candy rimmed glasses the best? Kara dipped the glasses in karo syrup and rolled them in candy sprinkles~
Cupcakes displayed in cupcake tree stand. To see more fun photos of this clever party - click here.

Design a Kids Bathroom

Designing a Bathroom for Kids

Bathrooms are often the forgotten space when it comes to decorating your home. Your family may not always think about the amount of time spent in the children’s bathroom but this area is such an integral part of your child’s early years. Here are some simple bathroom solutions to keep in mind and you will not need to spend much time or money to create a fun and inviting design:

A bright paint on the walls, a playful shower curtain with coordinating towels and rug and a few fun pieces of artwork and accessories will make the room and instant attraction.

Replace exciting towels rack with a peg board or wall hooks so the child can reach their own towel or robes.

Removable appliqués make for fun artwork or wall borders that can be easily removed as the child gets older and tastes change.

Purchase a colorful step stool that the kids can reach the sink for teeth brushing and washing hands.

Monogrammed towels and accessories will let the kids know that the bathroom has been designed with them in mind.

If your home has a family bathroom, then storage may be a problem in the bathroom with the kid’s products and the adult’s products intermixing. Adult grooming products should be stored out of reach and electrical outlets covered to keep the kids safe.

Whether your children have their own space or share the bathroom with the family, the bathroom should be a fun, safe place for the whole family to enjoy.

Design Dazzle Contributor - Kristin DeMarco.

Need Paint?

Glidden is giving away a quart of paint. Pick out your favorite paint color and Glidden will send you a free quart. What could be better than free? Click here for details.

Gender-Neutral Modern Nursery

Angie Hranowsky a South Carolina-based designer, created this gender-neutral nursery with a modern feel. The nursery's palette is sophisticated and classic. I'm loving the slipper chair and the choice of fabrics. Nice touch with the Roman shade fabric and same color blue trim added to the bottom of the slipper chair. The crib is from Nursery Works and the giraffe lamp is Jonathan Adler.