Unpainted woodwork and stained trim is trending now! Says who? We the decorators! In the last year I have noticed that the popularity of original, unpainted woodwork seems to be on the rise, and the bloggers who are showcasing their homes with original or stained trim are just on the verge of this huge trend. I have also noticed more and more homes with light, neutral walls and unpainted woodwork turning up in decor magazines after at least a decade of all white rooms. As much as I love white, I find this stained woodwork trend very refreshing!
I consider myself a very lucky homeowner to have original woodwork. After years of living with all white decor and trim, it was a bit of a transition to decorate with stained trim and it took some getting used to. When we first put in an offer on our historic yellow brick home a few years ago, we loved many things about it— but the stained woodwork was not really one of them! We had originally planned to paint it once we moved in, but later decided that we just couldn’t erase 96 years of history with a few coats of paint. The darker woodwork was new decorating territory for me, so I headed to Pinterest for inspiration. It was there that I stumbled upon Finding Silver Pennies blog, and my passion for unpainted original woodwork (and a true love of our home) really began.
Spring has sprung and it is time to change up my chalkboard! I know we have been seeing chalkboards for a while now in home decor, but I am still crazy about them! When they became “all the rage” a few years ago I fell in love with using them as decorative accents, but I figured their popularity would be short lived. Instead, creative decorators and crafters are continuing to come up with new designs for chalkboards using drawings and gorgeous hand lettering techniques. Old furniture pieces, windows, mirrors, and all sorts of fun junk can be transformed into beautiful works of art with the simple addition of some chalkboard paint.
Are you intimidated by faux flowers, wreath making and floral arranging, or are you an old pro? It was only in the last few years that I really started crafting and decorating with faux flowers, and I have to admit I was a bit overwhelmed when I decided to start making wreaths on regular basis. One day, out of nowhere, I decided I was going to be a “master wreath maker,” so I headed to the craft store thinking I would just luck into some perfect combination of materials. I almost always find something amazing on my junkin’ adventures, so I thought surely the flower shopping would be no different. I normally avoided the “tacky-fake flowers” section however, so I was shocked at how gorgeous and realistic faux flowers had become. And there were too many to choose from! I realized I just needed to use a method of design that has always worked for me in the past, which is to base my creations around some sort of decorative item or accessory.
It’s early spring, and that means that gardening time is fast approaching! Already my oregano, thyme, and lemon balm are making appearances in the herb garden right outside my kitchen door. Herbs are one of my deep passions, and I use them in all their forms. Whether growing them, drying them for use in recipes or decor, or using them holistically in herbal medicines, diffusing oils, or organic beauty and homemade green cleaning products, herbs bring me so much joy! I have a green thumb, and the fragrance of fresh herbs is one of my favorite scents on earth. So why am I using faux herbs in my kitchen instead of growing my own?
Wait…did you realize those weren’t real???? Shhh….don’t tell…
For years I grew many varieties of herbs both indoors and out, but over time I developed lots of crazy allergies to all kinds of things, including mold spores on foliage and in soil. I also found that all sorts of critters like fruit flies and fungus gnats seemed to always find their way into my beautiful potted rosemary and oregano on my kitchen counter. Combined with the allergies, it just wasn’t worth it to me to keep them indoors anymore. Recently I made a trip to A.C. Moore to get some ideas for spring wreaths, and I was amazed when I happened upon these adorable little faux herbs in jars, terra cotta pots, and plants in burlap bags. I knew I could style them to fool the eye with the addition of some vintage gardening and farmhouse accessories.
