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Adorable and Easy DIY Gifts For Girlfriends

October 10, 2018 by Dagmar Bleasdale 3 Comments

These are the most adorable gifts for girlfriends that you can make yourself!

Make these Adorable Gifts for Girlfriends

I love making and giving gifts, like gift baskets, to my friends and sister-in-laws.

Since they all have different styles and favorite colors, it’s fun to personalize their gifts to their tastes.

In this post I’m featuring 5 ideas to get your creative wheels turning.

Why not make your girlfriend a handmade gift for her birthday or for Christmas?

Let’s make some fun gifts! [Read more…]

Easy DIY Project: Bleach Art Fabric Napkins

September 27, 2018 by Dagmar Bleasdale 4 Comments

Bleach Art DIY Napkins

Can’t find the fabric napkins you are looking for?

Then make your own bleach art napkins to match any decor!

I want to encourage you to take the time to break out the special linens and dishes not just on special occasions.

It’s so nice to sit on a nicely set table with fabric napkins, instead of paper plates and paper napkins.

An added bonus of decorating your own napkins: cotton napkins you can wash are much better for the environment!

If you put your own stamp on an otherwise plain cotton napkin you’ll want to use them every day.

I decorated a set of napkins with bleach art, and I could see how this could get addicting.

The result is instant, and you get to make something unique and one-of-a-kind. [Read more…]

Decorating With Vintage Amber Glass Bottles

September 22, 2018 by Dagmar Bleasdale 1 Comment

Have you ever decorated with vintage amber glass bottles? They look especially lovely when used for them for easy fall decor!

I love showing you my latest thrifty or vintage finds every week.

Last weekend I drove to the Elephant’s Trunk flea market in Connecticut.

This is one of the flea markets where the show Flea Market Flip is shot.

It was such a hot day, but I had a blast. I hadn’t been to a flea market in a long time.

There were so many items I was interested in, and I had nice chats with people who were selling their items.

I ended up buying several vintage glass bottles — three white and three amber ones. They were only $2 and $3 each!

Decorating With Glass Bottles

My late father collected vintage glass bottles, and I have some of them and have added to my own collection over the years.

Amber glass bottles are wonderful to decorate with for fall.

Can you see mine in our bookshelf in the the first photo? That’s a photo from last year’s home tour of how I decorated out Blue Cottage for fall.

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience – read more.

Like this look? You can buy amber glass bottles for little money on Amazon in many different shapes:

And these green glass bottles are so pretty — and inexpensive!

Do you want to see my cottage all decked out for fall?

Here is my fall tour:

Blue Cottage Fall Home Tour

Amber Glass Bottles Decor

Scandinavian Decor – 11 Beautiful Examples

September 17, 2018 by Dagmar Bleasdale 25 Comments

Scandinavian Decor for the Cottage & Farmhouse Look

Growing up in North Germany, I was close to Scandinavia: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.

I actually never visited any of those countries — my parents instead took my brother and me to Tunesia (beach vacation) and Italy (ski vacation) every year when we were growing up.

But I was surrounded by Scandinavian decor because IKEA is so popular in Germany.

This Swedish company is obviously known all over the world.

We’d go there to enjoy their affordable lunch and buy a few things, and when I moved to Los Angeles, I thankfully had an IKEA store just 15 minutes up the street from me.

I spent A LOT of time there strolling through the rooms and marketplace, and bought a lot of their small furniture and storage items over the years, plus plants and home decor.

Infusing Scandinavian decor combines perfectly with a farmhouse or cottage look, which is how I like to decorate.

What do you think of first when you think of IKEA furniture, or Scandinavian decor?

I think of the light brown color of pine furniture. I had several of them in my room growing up.

You might think of white walls and floors, neutral color accents, and overall calming interiors.

For this post, I compiled the most beautiful examples of Scandinavian decor I could find on Pinterest.

[Read more…]

Decorating With Nearly Natural Silk Flowers and Trees

September 7, 2018 by Dagmar Bleasdale 1 Comment

{This post is a collaboration with Nearly Natural. All opinions are my own.}

If you are like me — you can’t keep a plant alive more than a few weeks.

I mean, I even kill succulents.

So when I was approached by Nearly Natural — the company that creates stunning silk plants, silk trees, silk and artificial flowers, wreaths, and more — I couldn’t wait to choose a couple and decorate with them.

I spent over an hour looking at the endless options on the site. There are so many flowers and plants, with many different beautiful containers, that would look lovely in our cottage.

I finally chose two of the 29” Topiary w/Decorative Planter and a Double Phalaenopsis Orchid in White Vase. [Read more…]

Make these Adorable Gifts for Girlfriends

Bleach Art DIY Napkins

Decorating With Glass Bottles

Blue Cottage Fall Home Tour

Amber Glass Bottles Decor

Scandinavian Decor for the Cottage & Farmhouse Look

Create a beautiful home on a budget!

Thank you!

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