From the time we are toddlers the world tells us that we need to "match".  Match your socks.  Match your shoes.  Match your pants and shirt and headband.  Match, match, match, match, match.

Well I don't know about you, but personally, I think matching is overrated! Especially when it comes to interiors!  Whoever came up with the idea that furniture & artwork needed to match each other??  I mean, sure, you don't want things to totally clash in your living room, but when it comes to actually "matching" your artwork to furniture?  DON'T!! 

Many designers and artists have claimed for years now that ART CAN & SHOULD STAND ALONE!  A beautiful piece of art doesn't need an area rug, a sofa, or another painting on the wall to make it blend and look good with everything else---- it has a powerful enough presence on its own!  Isn't that the point of displaying art anyway?

So next time you're in the market for a new piece of art------ instead of buying something that will match your sofa or go with the color of paint on the wall, listen to your heart and invest in something you really truly love instead!  Because if you really love it, it will look good no matter what. 

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Have you seen those cute felt ball garlands that seem to be the rage right now?  Not only are they darling, but they can also cost you a pretty penny!  I wanted to get one for our nursery, but didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for it, and so I decided to make my own!  Holy cow it was as easy as sticking a slice of bread in a toaster.  Honestly.  There is no reason to buy a pre-made garland when you can make your own in about 20 minutes for a fraction of the cost!

If you're really ambitious you can make your own felt balls (it seemed like WAY too much work to me), or you can purchase them in bulk online.  I got mine from etsy, and paid $15.00 for 50 2CM felt balls.  They have every color under the sun, and they are great quality.  I went with a multi-mixed variety.  At first I thought I would just pick out the blacks and browns, but in the end I think the contrast really made the colors pop!

Once you have your felt balls, here's how to whip up a little garland:

1. Get some embroidery thread or twine and thread a quilting needle.
2. Start puncturing the little felt balls and guide them onto the thread.  After you get your first ball on, tie a knot at the end for good measure.  If you want to tie a knot after each ball you could, but I found that they stayed in place just fine without one.  I spaced them about 2-3 inches apart.  
3. Once you've strung on all of your felt balls (I tried to keep the order of the colors totallly random) tie a knot on the other end and you're good to go!
4. Get creative and hang it up!

 Here is the finished product hanging on the wall of our nursery!

 What do you think? 

Most trends come and go, only to eventually make their way back again years later.  This spring, it looks like macrame, the art of knotting cord or string into intricate patterns, is emerging from the 1970's!  You won't have to look very far this season to find a plethora of macrame jewelry, clothing, plant holders, or wall hangings!

What are your thoughts?  Love that macrame is coming full circle, or do you think it's a trend that should stay in the 1970's?

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I love so many things about Easter.  One of which is our traditional Easter menu we seem to have every year-- honeybaked ham, homemade rolls, fruit, and best of all- my grandma's potato salad.  I've tried many potato salads in my day, and this is hands down the best.  It could have something to do with the fact that I've loved it ever since I was a little girl- but it really is delicious.  Just a word of caution: Even if you follow the recipe, it's always better when my grandma makes it!  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!

Grandma's Potato Salad

Since we live in a tiny house, our two babies (my 22 month old son and our newborn baby girl) are going to be sharing a room.  I always get mixed reactions when I tell people this.  They either say, "You are totally CRAZY" or "Oh, we did that with our kids and it worked out great!"  I'm hoping that it turns out to be a postive experience and we all get on a regular sleep pattern eventually:)

As far as kids sharing rooms go, I personally think it's a great idea.   I shared a bedroom with my little sister until I was 12.  As most kids do, we drew an imaginary line down the center of the room at times and complained about sharing, but when I finally got my own room I actually missed her.  Some of my fondest childhood memories are of us talking while lying in our bunk beds at night.  

When I found out we were adding a little girl to the mix, I decided I wanted to re-do the nursery and make it more gender neutral.  I didn't want it looking too boyish, or too girlish.   Here are some of my favorite photos that inspired me as I planned out my new nursery design..... they are amazing!

By the way, any advice from you seasoned parents on how to successfully have two babies in one room would be greatly appreciated!! What are the do's and don'ts that you've learned?

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Today's guest Post is by Laurie Waite.  Laurie is one of the craftiest women I know.  Whether she's designing her own jewelry, sewing halloween costumes for her nieces and nephews, or decorating her house- she's always got a project, and you can bet that it'll turn out fabulous.  She also is the expert when it comes to new product at RC Willey because she works in our buying department.  Thanks Laurie!

I recently embarked on an update for my living room.  My furniture budget wasn’t as much as I would have liked, but I was determined that just one new piece of furniture and a few minor changes would be worth it.  I repainted the living room and decided my one purchase would be a NEW SOFA.

This is the one.  Isn’t it so great?

I had it delivered and it couldn’t possibly be more perfect!  The RCWilley delivery drivers were friendly, professional and had my sofa unwrapped and in the right spot in no time!!  I am thrilled with my one new piece of furniture.  It has transformed my living room!

If you are looking to update your living room, I invite you to check out our new upholstery catalog.  I think any of these sofas would be the one perfect item to inject your living room with new life!!

CIA Oatfield 3948160

 
JLS Diana 3918327

HMR Crysall 3931749

HMR Churchill 3944956

JLS Cassi 3917673

JLS Wesley 3918432

JLS Clarice 3917835

Everyone's got design pet peeves.  It doesn't matter if you're a design professional or not!  We all have those little things that make us cringe when we walk into a room.  After picking the brains of a bunch of friends and family members, I've compiled a list of thirteen common design pet peeves.  In no particular order, here are some things that seem to bug a lot of people...

1. Overly Formal Rooms.  They feel sterile and you don't feel like you can sit down anywhere, let alone breathe!

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 2. Sofas that have too many pillows.  Where are you supposed to sit?

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3. Rooms that are decorated with too much "stuff".  Clutter is not relaxing- it's nerve wracking!  You can get a headache just trying to take everything in!

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4. Rooms that are too modern.  They feel sterile instead of homey.

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5. Empty picture frames hung on the wall.  What exactly is the point?  

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6. Vinyl lettering sayings all over the wall.  

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7. Decorating with too much animal fur.

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8. Too many dark colors together in a room.  It just looks gaudy.

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9. Desks covered with too much "stuff".  Where are you supposed to get your work done?

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10. Enough with the fake taxidermy and animal heads!

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11. Those really expensive clear plastic ghost chairs.  Why buy furniture if you can barely even see it??

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12. When the TV is hung too high to watch comfortably.  I'd rather not get neck problems, thanks.

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13. Too many ugly fake plants.  Yuck.

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Do you agree with any of these?

What are your design pet peeves?  I'd love to hear!!