This looks sssoooo official! I got the frame and inlay/background (or whatever you call it) from Michael’s on sale for $14. And since the samples are free…..my grand total is $14 plus tax!!!!!
Exploring the Treasures of the Nation’s Capital
Today I went to the National Botanical Garden in D.C. for inspiration and it was a breathtakingly beautiful experience! I took great pictures of flowers and plants of all colors, textures, shapes, and sizes and loved every minute of it. Stopping to enjoy the beauty in nature can be rejuvenating when you’re surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the world daily. It’s amazing how a few petals and stems can capture and communicate a mood, even tell a story, fill you with calm, and clear the chaos in your mind.
Something about these orchids scream whimsy and romance. My favorite flowers next to lilies.
The bold color and shape of this flower says passion and erotic to me. It makes me feel vibrant and feminine.
There’s something organic and harmonious about the combinations of colors in botanicals. Colors are naturally blended and the pairings of vibrant and subdued shades can give you inspiration for color palettes to use in your home. Nature gets it right every time and seeking out its natural palettes is a great first step in decorating your space.
Corals, tans, and greens work so well together. I love the subtlety of the palette. It makes me think of a sunset in the desert.
The textures and shapes of the plants can give you ideas for art projects, lighting fixtures, and types of fabrics and patterns you may want to incorporate into your space to capture the feel of the plant or flower.
love the cream colored stripes against the deep green, great pattern for a pillow
polka dotted leaves! love the almost black spots on the brighter green leaves, such a bold pattern
We all have those days when we are trying to find something to do but can’t come up with anything, right? I say, those days of boredom have officially been named “Getting Lost in the City” day. Start with your city and branch out from there. I can almost guarantee that there are places in your hometown that you either knew was there but never visited or that you never knew was right under your nose. I’ve lived in the DMV area all my life and, out of 23 years, today was the first day I went to the botanical garden and look at how creatively stimulating that trip was! I had been missing out! You don’t have to miss out, though, so start tomorrow and find those great hidden places and all its treasures. This day has shown me that beautiful things don’t always have to be created, built, or manufactured, they exist naturally and can beheld without spending a dime! Look around you, there’s so much to see and use the things you see in anyway that works for you. I hope this is useful to someone and, if it is, please “like” this, comment, and/or let me know about your exploration adventures.
With love,
–Eyeofthebargain
NYC: The City that Never Sleeps Because it’s Full of Creativity!!!!
Hello all,
I know it has been a while since my last post and I apologize for being away. I went without the internet for a while and now that that debacle is over, I’m Back! And I am taking an impromptu trip to New York this weekend with my business partner to explore and soak in any inspiration the city has to offer. I will be tweeting pictures (follow me @eyeofthebargain) of my fabulous finds and all things wonderful on my trip soooo stay tuned for that! I’m super excited and I encourage you all to take every opportunity to step outside of your city, state, continent, where ever, for inspiration. You would be surprised what a new environment can spark. Looking at the foliage, people watching, peeking in store display windows, visiting stores you know would make your wallet cry but just to look around (these expensive stores may encourage you to recreate the look for less) is fun and provocative. Just the general feel of a city can be enough to make you want to create something to capture in order to capture it. So don’t be afraid to take a day trip to look around, get lost and find your creative voice! I will talk (or write lol) to you all from NY, until then…
With love,
—Eyeofthebargain
Paint Samples: Beyond Paint Colors!!!!!
So I went to Home Depot yesterday and went a teensy bit crazy swiping an assortment of paint samples. Perhaps I took too much but FREE IS FREE lol and they really should consider putting a limit on how many customers can take because I’m sure I cleaned them out completely. I grabbed a lot of cards from the color families I love, blues, greens, pinks, neutrals. I have sooo many ideas I cannot contain myself! I’m going to do a cool mosaic design for a table top and cover it with glass, I’m making cool cutout shapes that I’m going to cascade on top of each other and put in a nice frame, I’m making a mobile for a nursery too! See, these tiny cards can serve any purpose you want it to! Using paint samples as art is a great way to incorporate the bold colors you love but you don’t want them in a large scale in your space, like on a wall. Plus, it removes the chore of having to paint! I encourage you all to get very liberal with the free stuff and get as much as you can whenever you can. I hope this inspires you all to be creative too. Let me know if this is helpful and feel free to share your ideas in the comments. I will post pictures when I complete my first project with the paint samples. Until next time…
With love,
—Eyeofthebargain
Framed Frenzy
Bare walls deserve some life and hanging artwork is the easiest way to spruce up the place. Putting anything in a nice frame and hanging it on a wall instantly transforms it into art and there’s no limit to what can be placed in a frame. When looking for custom pieces and original works sometimes “looking” is all you can afford because they can get quite pricey. But fret not, I have some ideas that can give you a custom look and it will look like you paid big bucks for it.
Capture your Personality: Framing items that represent your interests, hobbies, style, and mood is a great place to start. For instance, I recently got into running and have a few tags from my races and I plan on making a collage using a paper mache technique and framing it in a contemporary frame. Choose pieces that speak to the part of you that you want reflected in your home.
Create your Own: Canvas is inexpensive and the potential for creativity is endless. All you need is painter’s tape (that blue tape) and paint, outline the pattern you want, and paint until your heart’s content. You don’t have to wait for a famous artist to paint something, be your own artist!
Frame your Favorites: We all have items that we love but don’t quite have any use for it anymore; just place it in a nice frame and you can still look at the things you love. Example: If you’re a scarf collector, you can frame colorful scarfs and hang them gallery style.
I loved this fabric so much that I framed it.
Going with a Theme: If your creating a themed room, consider extending the theme to the walls. For instance, if decorating a toddler’s room, frame vintage toys in shadow boxes. Some more ideas: Framing your favorite vintage dress in a shadow box when designing your closet or framing baby clothes in a nursery.
The family tree. I did this for my mom in her mom cave.
Finding Frames: Looking in the art section in the thrift store and buying them solely for the frame. Don’t let the picture that’s in the frame stop you because you can always replace the picture with one of your own.
The outlining frame was from a mirror I loved that broke and I saved the frame and used it to off set the other art I wanted to display
Making Arrangements: Figuring out how to hang art on the wall can be a challenge. The last thing you want to do is hang the pictures only to change your mind and, twenty holes in the wall later, you’re hanging pictures anywhere just to hide the damage. To avoid this, lay your art on the floor in the way you want it to go on the walls so you can see it before committing to the placement.
Go Beyond the Wall: Art doesn’t have to only be on the wall. Using painting techniques on the ceiling, using dress mannequins on the floor, a decorative rug, a nice chandelier, beautiful floor pillows and pouffes, are all options for ways to incorporate art into your space.
Please let me know if this was helpful and, as always, feel free to share your ideas too.
With love,
–Eyeofthebargain
New Year, New Moves!!!!!
Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been thoroughly inspired by a great friend of mine to be bold and daring–go big or go home! Sooooo today I am on a mission to go big! I am going on an Inspiration Expedition in D.C., taking pictures of all things beautiful, visiting every antique shop I come across, and even stopping by some interior design studios to get my foot in the door. I am making 2013 my catapult into the world of social networking like never before. Leaving behind reservations, I am no longer sitting behind my laptop waiting for things to happen. I am leaping out into the world of uncharted terrain and touching life in order to mold it to the way I want mine to go. The great thing about interior design is that you can tailor your world around you and, with the unpredictability of the world outside, everyone deserves some place where everything makes sense. A home where you decide what comes and goes, a place where you can be whatever “you” you want to be! This is the year of endless possibilities! This is the year to buy a bright yellow chair just because it’s quirky and makes you smile. This is the year to buy something no one else believes is worthwhile and transform it into something that is unprecedented and fits you. I am challenging all of my 5 readers (lol) to do what makes you happy without explanation or regret (as long as it’s for the greater good or course lol)! Be bold, create what makes you happy, find beauty in everything you come across, and don’t be afraid–apprehension has no place in creativity. Today and tomorrow are days for top dreams, top style, and tiny wallets to take charge!!!!
With love–
Eyeofthebargain
Hidden Potential
How many of you want a unique piece of furniture in your house but whenever you go to the store you can only find cookie-cutter pieces or furniture that is so ugly it should never be sold? Well here is the answer to this puzzling dilemma, create the look for yourself! Shopping at consignment shops and thrift stores is always the best place to start because there are always items that can be revamped with the right creative approach. Each piece has the potential to be transformed into something spectacular, all that you need to do is look beyond the surface and be imaginative. My television barely budges from HGTV and the hosts are always saying to look for pieces that have “good bones”, meaning, look at the shape of the item, i.e. clean or curved lines, nice legs on a chair. These “bones” are the starting point to the transformation. To get the creativity flowing, ask yourself questions like, “would this look better in a different color?”, “could I take the doors off this cabinet and insert glass instead?”, or “could this be reupholstered?” Think outside the box and don’t shy away from having to put a little elbow grease into the project because it’s worth it in ways you couldn’t imagine. Below are a few of my transformation pieces. Please feel free to post any ideas you have on how to revamp your finds!
Before: $15 antique table
- After: $1 for sandpaper, $5 for stain, $3 for spray paint. Total: $24 for table no one else has!
- $5 from a yard sale. Originally a black chair with an awful white cushion. After reupholstering, the chair was still under $15!
With love,
–Eyeofthebargain
From Doormat to Headboard
So I was in Target tonight and I saw these beautiful wrought iron rubber doormats and I had a stroke of genius! The mats made me think of those really romantic beds that have iron posts and I had the idea to use the mats as a headboard!
Taking the mats and giving it a metallic paint job, preferably with a copper colored spray paint, to give it a rustic, slightly aged look. Then nail the mats to the wall behind the bed, one on top of the other (with a space between the two or not, depending on your preference). And BAM! you have a romantic bed for under $40! (each mat is on sale at Target for apprx. $21). Use wonderfully feminine bedding, i.e. lace duvet and plush pink pillows, to finish the look and you have a serene getaway that people who aren’t as creative as you could never have! Conventional eyes would have only seen the mats as a way for people to avoid tracking mud into the house, but looking at items through eyes that see endless possibilities will help you re-imagine the way simple things can be used to make a strong style statement. If anyone is willing to try this please post pictures of their interpretation!
For anyone that has doubts about their ability to make their own headboard, if I can do it, you can do it! I made my own headboard by buying a plywood/cardboard like material from Lowe’s (I don’t know what the material is called, it’s brown with tiny holes all over it), using batting (cushion from a fabric store), and fabric. I cut the fabric and batting to the size of the board I wanted, used adhesive spray to glue the batting to the board, wrapped fabric around the batting and the board and stapled it to the back of the board. I secured the headboard to the wall with nails.
sleek, simple, and modern headboard from scratch. Super easy!
Stay tuned to see how I recreate a jewelry box inspired by this beautiful jewelry box designed by the talented Nate Berkus. 
With Love,
Eyeofthebargain
Where the Bargains Reside
I live in the DMV and I have begun to map out where to find the best bargain items nearby. Here is a little bit of information and tips on the great places my adventures into the world of second-hand treasures have led me.
Map out the terrain: It’s always good to be prepared when venturing out into new territory. Often thrift stores have specials and customer appreciation days. These day vary from location to location, for example even though the Goodwill near you may have 1/2 off on Tuesdays, another location may have 1/2 off Fridays. Calling ahead of time and asking around are great ways to start. Below are the thrift stores I frequent:
The Value Village (sister stores called Unique): located at 4917 Allentown Road
Suitland, MD 20746. Has special deals on Mondays, often 25% off with membership card. Thursdays are also 25% off entire store with membership card. This location has fantastic furniture selections! I bought a couch for 43.71 from here!
I found this set at the Village Thrift Store for $5 each! They go perfectly with my room decor.
Village Thrift Store: located at 6307 Allentown Rd Camp Springs, MD 20748. Has 1/2 off and 25% off select items, marked by colored tags, on Sundays and Mondays. This thrift store has a nice art selection.
Goodwill: located at 2936 Annandale Road Falls Church , VA 22042. This location has 25% off on Tuesdays. They have great coffee and side tables here. Located at 2495 Crain Highway
Waldorf, MD 20601. This location has 25% on Thursdays.
Clock Tower Thrift Shop: located at 2860 Annandale Road Falls Church 22042. This store has fabulously low prices everyday! I got a couch for $40!!!!
Ask Fellow Shoppers:Many of those that shop in thrift stores are well traveled explorers and they probably have a lot of different stores they frequent. Don’t be shy to ask, many people are friendly and love sharing their savings stories.
Look online too: I wanted to find yard sales in my area without having to hunt for signs on the side of the road and I found two great websites where people posted their yard sales, garage sales, and estate sales for all to see. Yard sale posting are found based on proximity to the location you enter in the search. It is absolutely fantastic for finding community-wide yard sales. I found a yard sale in Springfield, VA where EVERYTHING WAS $1!!!! I made an art vignette with all my findings. The websites are: yardsalesearch.com and yardsaletreasuremap.com
All of the black and white pics were $1 each from a yard sale and the other two were $5 each from the Village Thrift Store.
I will add more thrift stores and antiques shops as I find them on my travels. Please feel free to post the places you frequent too. Be on the lookout for my random DIY idea postings soon!
With Love,
Eyeofthebargain
Finding Inspiration
When decorating your space you have to start somewhere and it’s always best to start with the things that speak the most to you. Inspiration can come from something as small as a piece of mosaic tile you saw in a picture online to a salt and pepper shaker that spoke to you. Whether it’s the color, texture, or general feel of the item, you can get an overflow of ideas from the simplest things. The smallest things can be enough to inspire a masterpiece. Look at items through eyes of potential and endless possibilities and you will open yourself up to a world of motivation!
shades of blue, cream, and tan with a natural element; wicker, really works well together.
metallic elements, copper, brown, and gold tones work very nicely together. This story board became the inspiration for my bedroom. (that mirror was $15 from a yard sale!)
Start creating: Creating story boards of items that you think capture the feel of the room you are going for and taking pictures of items that you love can give you ideas of how you may want to recreate the look with your own spin in your own space.
Buy what catches your eye: Building a room around one item can also be a great way to start. Too often you will find something you love but you talk yourself out of purchasing it because you think you have nothing to go with it. I say, buy it anyway (if it’s reasonable priced of course)! I think it’s a crime to walk away from something that you love! I found a sofa that I had nothing to go with but it had great bones and it was only $40 from this adorable antique shop (fancy term for thrift store) in Arlington, VA. I plan on reupholstering the couch for about $300 bringing my total cost to $340 and how many people can say they bought a couch for under $400?! Recognizing that you can make anything fit into your space will help you get the most bang for your buck and it will give you the opportunity to create a piece that is unique to you.
Visit your favorite spaces: Whether it’s a bookstore, a showroom in IKEA, or a walking trail, visit the spaces where you feel most comfortable and try being more observant about what you like about a space in particular. Is it the smell of the place that relaxes you, is the texture and feel of the sofas, is it the colors in nature? Take note of all the elements you like about the area and jot down what you would like to incorporate into your own home.
i love exposed brick and hanging art in gallery style
Look in your closet: Looking at the colors you wear most can give you an idea of the color palette you may want to see in your space. It can also give you information about what you don’t want in your space too. For instance, if you tend to wear bright, bold colors, you may realize that you may not want to lice with those colors on a grander scale and choose a softer color scheme for your home.
I would love to hear how you find inspiration so please reply with your ideas. Look for my next posting on where to shop for bargains. Talk to you soon
With Love,
–eyeofthebargain
Tiny Wallet Top Style 