First Come Flowers

6 Free Online Decor Magazines You Don't Want To Miss

Looking  for fresh new decor ideas, but don't want to plunk down the hard cash for the magazines?

 

 
via les than perfect life of bliss

 

Or maybe you have the cash, but don't want to wait for the magazine subscriptions to arrive at your house.

I've been on the hunt for some great online sources for you. Places where you might find good ideas for incorporating flowers and plants into your home.

 

Here are 6 links to free online decor magazines to inspire you. So sit back, relax and enjoy:

Sweet Paul Magazine - Decor, crafts,  food, entertaining.

Heart Home Magazine - A British magazine of decor, flowers, and great ideas for entertaining.

Rue Magazine - Decor, fashion, and fun.

Lonny Magazine - Fresh decor ideas.

Matchbook Magazine - "Field guide to a charmed life."

Ivy and Piper - Bold decor from around the world.

 

Looking for more articles and images of flowers and decor? Follow my my "Living A Floral Lifestyle" pinboard on Pinterest.

 What other great online decor magazines have I missed?

Mimi

Linking to:

2805

At The Picket Fence

Beez Rental Designs

Beyond the Picket Fence

Chic On A Shoestring

Common Ground

Debbie Doo's

Elizabeth and Co.

Finding Fabulous

French Country Cottage

Home Is Where My Story Begins

Ivy and Elephants

My Romantic Home

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

No Minimalist Here 

One Artsy Mama

Primp

Redoux

Rose Vignettes

Savvy Southern Style

Serenity Now

Simply Sweet Home

Stuff and Nonsense

The Charm of Home

The Not So Functional Housewife

The Shabby Nest

Three Mango Seeds

 

 

Even You Can Spruce Up A Room With Flowers

Look at any designer room online or in a magazine or book. What do the pictures have in common? Flowers! 

Elle Decor

 

But not just any flowers. Simple flowers. 

The flowers are rarely in fancy flower arrangements put together by floral designers. Well okay, maybe they are. But they're simple flower arrangements you can make yourself.

 

Here's How To Get The Look:

1) Buy one type of flower in only one color. A bunch of green spider mums. Three stems of orange lilies. A handful of white carnations. Get the idea? The attention goes to the flowers. The texture, color and shape of this simple flower arrangement stands out.

 

Elle Decor

2) Buy one kind of flower in different colors. Three colors works well, but buy as many colors as you like.  Just stick to one type of flower. 

3) Place your flowers in a simple yet interesting vase. It doesn't have to be expensive. You can get three of the same vases and line them up in a row. Or use a jar if you like.

 

Kathryn Wiens

4) Cut the flowers to the right length. Depending on the flower, I like to cut them so that the blooms sit just above the neck of the vase. Why?

• Shorter flowers generally last longer, because the water doesn't have to travel up a long stem.  
• Flowers cut short make the arrangement look more lush.

 

How does having a simple flower arrangement around make you feel?

Mimi

Time For Flowers On The Dressing Table

 

Image:   This is Glamorous

 

I still have my aunt's dressing table. I don't recall it ever having flowers on it though. When I saw this image on Roseline's blog, This Is Glamorous, it brought back great memories.

 

Image:   Market Publique 

 

As a child, I loved going into her walk-in closet. There was an amazing assortment of handbags. And beautiful cardboard hatboxes lined the shelves. She had pretty fancy stuff. 

I was named after my Aunt Muriel. I guess I'm a little fancy too. Because when I started taking French in junior high, I began spelling my name  M-ur-i-e-l-l-e.

My older cousins couldn't pronounce Muriel. So they just called her Aunt Mimi. I got her name and the nickname.

I loved going into her closet. The mirrored tray with all her fancy bottles of perfume. The ornate hairbrush and comb. I guess that's why I love vintage ladies stuff so much.

Image:   At Home With The Farmer's Wife

My mom had some of this stuff too, but since Aunt Mimi didn't have 4 daughters she could keep it all out on display.

I recall the wonderful scent in that closet.The beautiful old suitcases.

She had a little stool at her dressing table. But I didn't want that. Just the table.

Our table has elegantly carved wooden legs. It's been painted many times since I loaned it to my daughter. She thinks it's hers now. But not yet.

We used to re-decorate her bedroom every 6 months. But now, at the ripe old age of nearly 17, she has returned the table to its original splendor.

 

Image:  Urban Nest

Gone are the neon picture frames, stenciled graphics and multi-colored pencils. Mirrored trays and dainty dishes of earrings have replaced them. Colognes, pearls, and vintage-style jewelry now take center stage on this family heirloom. It's come full circle.

Every once in a while, I place a small cluster of pale pink carnations (her favorite) in a little vintage vase on the dressing table to surprise her. I smuggle them in from the flower shop.

Soon that dressing table will officially be mine again. And there will be a constant parade of the biggest, palest and most beautiful pink and white roses you've ever seen gracing it.

But for now, pink carnations will do.

Mimi

 

Image:  this is glamorous

 

5 Tips For Displaying Decorative Birdcages

You've seen these decorative birdcages everywhere. If you're like me, you probably own a few. But once you buy them, what are you supposed to do with them?

Here are 5 tips  for displaying those decorative birdcages:

Ruffled

1) Hang them from a tree like a chandelier. Hang many of them. They can transform a hum drum tree into a work of art in seconds.

Well probably not seconds. There is the attaching of the wire or cord to the birdcages so they hang straight, getting of the ladder, and getting someone to climb the ladder or at least hold it...

 

Ruffled

2)  Fill it with flowers and use it as a centerpiece for a special event or wedding.  Use a great contrasting color for the flowers so they don't blend in with the birdcage.

 

Miss Gracie's House

3) Get one or two exquisite blooms and place them in a simple vase or jar in your home.  Large headed roses, peonies, chrysanthemums or a small bouquet of your favorite flowers would add a nice touch to any room.

 

via Weddings on the French Riviera

4)  Place a wide-mouthed vase of water in the birdcage and just stick flowers into it.  After you place each flower step back and see where the next flower should go.  That way you won't end up with a giant blob sticking out of a cage. 

 

Wedding Bee

5) If the cage is MADE OF METAL you can put lighted candles in it.  Do not try this if the birdcage is made of wood. It might look nice, but not for long. Battery-operated candles would work well in any type of birdcage.

What ideas do you have for decorating these birdcages?  

Mimi

 

Linking to:

Simply Sweet Home

Common Ground

My Romantic Home

Stuff and Nonsense

At The Picket Fence

French Country Cottage

The Not So Functional Housewife

No Minalist Here

5 Tips For Displaying Poinsettias

 Poinsettias! They're not just red anymore!

Image:   Southern Hospitality

Poinsettias come in a wide array of colors. Red, white and shades of pink. Poinsettias  are also available in colors nature never intended.

You can find poinsettias in almost any color. You can even buy one to match your couch. Those poinsettias have either been tinted or painted. You can see some here.

Most of us just take the traditional red poinsettia and plop it down on the nearest table. That's okay, but you may want to consider a few of these ideas:

 

Image:  BHG

1) Super-size your poinsettias. Get really big ones that will make a statement in your space. Imagine how the room above would look if they had two dinky little poinsettias on the floor.

Image:   via Boutique Paoeny

 2) Consider a color other than the standard red. And place a bunch of them in one spot. This is where you use the smaller poinsettias.  

 

Image:   BHG

 3) Cut a few stems and place them in small vases.  Place them on a cake stand or two to give them height. You can also place them on a tray or in a row down the center of a table.

 

Image:   Southern Living

4)  Place potted poinsettias in a basket or large bowl with other potted plants. You can even add cut flowers in a vase tucked down inside or in water tubes.

 

Image:   BHG

 5)  Put your potted poinsettias down into decorative pots and set it on a mantel or table. Add a few accessories in complementary colors to create a vignette.

So those are my ideas about how to display poinsettias. What are yours?

What do you think of tinted, painted and glittered poinsettias?

Mimi

 

Linking to:

French Country Cottage

At The Picket Fence

Coffee & Conversations

Chic On A Shoestring Decorating

Common Ground

My Romantic Home

Primp

Stuff and Nonsense

 

31 Days of Orange: Day 25 Orange Room Done Right

 

A space for true orange lovers!

Image:   Daniel Romuladez via This Is Glamorous

 

Would you be able to live in this space or is it too much orange for you?

Mimi

 

 

Link to other bloggers in the 31 Day Challenge here at The Nesting Place.

Fall Nesting Party 2011

 

You are cordially invited to the Fall Nesting Party 2011 over at the blog, The Inspired Room.

Here you will find links to other blogs talking about decorating your home for the fall.

Check out our post, "How To Fool People With Fake Flowers"  here with photos of great fall floral ideas for your home.

Let me know what you think about the Fall Nesting Party 2011.

Mimi

P.S. Formal attire not required!

 

Image:  Silky Flower Store

4 Online Home Decor Magazines You Should Know

 

Lots of our favorite home decor magazines have gone out of business. But there are several online home decor magazines that you might not know about.

Online Home Decor Magazines to The Rescue

Tiffany over at the blog, Delightfully Chic, did a recent post on 4 online home decor, often referred to as shelter, magazines.

The New York Times did a feature story on them. You can read the article here.

The 4 online shelter magazines are:

• Rue
• High Gloss Magazine
• Matchbook
• Lonny

Check out these shelter magazines and let me know which one you like best.

 

Mimi

 

Image:  Rue

How Can Flowers and Paint Change Your Decor?

Flower Arrangement and a Painted Cabinet

 

Don't you just love this look?  Sorry I don't have a before picture for this cabinet. But you get the idea? Take something you already own and make it better than brand new.

How to get the look:

• Find a cabinet - You may have a cabinet,  small dresser or nightstand that's been getting on your nerves.  You still like it, but it's not your style anymore.
• Get some paint - Sand, then paint the piece a color that goes with your decor. Love how the inside was painted a different hue for an additional pop of color.
• Add flowers - Buy a small bunch of  flowers. Cut them short and place them in a vase. They generally last longer when you do this.

 

This project would be great for a child"s room or a guest room.

 

Which 2 colors would you paint this cabinet if it were yours?

Mimi

 

Image:  Martha Stewart

Plants At Home 1: Making These 3 Common Mistakes?

Are You Making These 3 Common Mistakes With Your Plants?

Plants Doing Nothing for Your Room?

Are you wondering why the plants in your space don't look like the ones in the magazines and design blogs.

They can do wonders for a room when done right.  But let's face it.  Most plants you see in real people's homes are an afterthought.

 

Common Mistakes and Solutions

Here are 3 common mistakes and solutions to help you incorporate plants into your space more successfully.

There are probably more than 3. If I discover any more, I'll let you know.

 

Mistake 1 You just stick the plants in a bunch in the corner somewhere hoping for the best. With little thought about how they actually look. 

Solution:  Look at the space you have. Place one plant at a time in that area to see how it looks. Train your eye by noticing where plants are placed in rooms created by designers. 

Also pay attention to the type and size of plants they use.  You'll have to research what will thrive best in your own space though. But you get the idea?

 

 

 Mistake 2: You leave the plants in those same cheap plastic pots they came in.  You know who you are! You don't even bother to remove that sticker on the side of the pot.

 Solution: Actually, leaving them in the same pot is a good idea. Just take that pot and place it into a larger, decorative pot or urn without holes. 

Before you do, put some stones or broken clay pots at the bottom of the urn so that the plant will have proper drainage.

 

 

 Mistake 3:  You give little thought to the size of the plant in relation to where you're going to put it. You've got a big space and you buy a plant in a 2" pot. It's way too small for the space.

Solution: Big space?. Get a big plant. Or big space? Get a group of good-sized plants. These could be medium and large sized plants.

The idea is to get plants with a presence. That means the plants are either unusual enough or large enough to make a statement in the room.

This will bring drama to your space and help it look a bit more like a well-designed room.

 

 

What mistakes have you made trying to bring plants into your home or office?

Mimi

 

 

 

 

 

Image:

Crate and Barrel 

Home Interiors

Aha Business

Crate and Barrel