Pointers for Arranging Shelf Displays

Today over at Amanda’s blog, Serenity Now, she hosted a Decorating Dilemmas party.  Participants linked up with areas of their home that wanted help with.  One participant needed help arranging some display shelves; I really got into that and practically wrote her a book in reply.

That got me thinking that it would be fun to take a look at some shelf displays and point out some tips and ideas.  Now, I am in no way an expert on this; I just enjoy it and I’ve done it many times.  There are no hard and fast rules.

My friend Dixie has these built-ins on either side of her fireplace.  Many years ago (like, 12) I spent a day at her house helping her accessorize them with things she already had.  We shopped her house and laid things all around us and started picking and choosing and grouping.  This picture was taken within the last year, so some things have changed in 12 years, and some have not.

I’m going to point out a couple of things in the above photo.  On the right side, 2nd shelf from the top is a collection of clocks.  As the pile of stuff around us grew, we noticed there were several clocks, and then we decided to look around the house for more. It’s not as easy to see, but there is also a collection of paper weights on the 4th shelf down.  Group like with like.

Books feature prominently.  Notice that some are vertical by height, and some are stacked horizontally with an item displayed on top of the stack.  Use books to add and vary the height of displays.  I often buy books at thrift stores just for display purposes.

Below is the living room of our red house, before we bought it, with the previous owners’ stuff.  This isn’t my style, but I think it works.  The collection of large duck decoys is dispersed throughout the display and gives a bit of a theme.  In this case, if they were all grouped together it would be too heavy.  Also notice how they aren’t all facing the same direction.

Here is the same shelf, left side, after my sister helped me paint and arrange our things.  You know what, I don’t think this is my style anymore, either!  However, we can get a couple of things here.  Three clocks, one on each shelf, kind of a theme again.  They also zig-zag from side to side; if they were all positioned to one side of the shelves  it wouldn’t look right.  On the middle shelf, a few teapots and a creamer are grouped together, creating a little collection (like with like).  Books are used for height.

Here are the shelves I helped Dixie arrange last fall.  The same principles apply.  Obviously like with like.  This was meant to be a very cohesive collection of white dishes. 

Height is varied:  notice the sugar bowl set on top of another little dish which is place upside down as a pedestal.  Also note how on the bottom shelf the teapots slope down from tallest to shortest.  The candlesticks and bowl on the opposite end do the same, as do the pitchers on the top shelf.

Below is a photo from Better Homes and Gardens.

Above, we can see:

• like with like the white dishes grouped together in the middle of the 2nd shelf up, and echoed on each of the shelves above it, as well the rustic bowls on the bottom shelf
• books  vertically, and horizontally used to add height to objects

And a couple I haven’t mentioned yet:

•  framed art or photos either leaning against the back, or as in my first photo of Dixie’s shelves, hanging on the back wall
• plate(s) either on an easel as here and on Dixie’s shelves, or hanging on the back wall

Well, this was not exhaustive by any means, nor are any of my displays perfect, but I hope you were able to pick up a few helpful ideas for your shelf displays!

Choices, Choices

Nester is having a giveaway!  Dayspring has teamed up with Danielson Designs to offer totally customizable signs, frames, plaques, etc.
I had some fun over at the design studio .
I’ve always wanted this verse displayed somewhere in my house.  In fact, just a few verses later, Deuteronomy 6:9 says “Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” , so I think it would be a good thing to do.

A monogram like this would make a nice gift for newlyweds.  Or oldlyweds who have trouble remembering their anniversary. (Ha ha, the joke's on me!  After I posted this and went to bed last night I suddenly remembered that July 30 is not our anniversary!  It's July 31.)

The first time I read this quote, years ago, I about wet my pants I laughed so hard.  It was just so perfect for me.  I’m down here treading water in the ocean of reality, and I really wish more people would join me! 

It’s a joke, people!  And I wouldn’t really display this one in my house.  But I still think it’s funny.

 

Go have some fun with this, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

Powder Room Makeover, Phase 1

See Phase 2 here.

Last week I mentioned my powder room makeover, but at that point the only thing that had been done was paint. Which was still pretty huge for me, because it’s been builder beige ever since we moved in over 18 months ago. I was beyond thrilled when Craig busted out the paint supplies last weekend.
We used Restoration Hardware’s Silver Sage, for one main reason: we had a gallon of it sitting in the basement. Also, as it turned out, of all the colors I was considering, it actually looked best with the Benjamin Moore Natural Linen that is in the adjoining room. So this is now the fourth house in a row in which we have used Silver Sage.

Here is the only before picture I could find, and actually it’s after we put down the vinyl “wood” floor. But you can catch a glimpse of the typical unframed plate mirror which was over the vanity.



The mirror, of course, had to go. My plan was to use the mirror that belongs to my great-grandmother’s dresser (click on the link for an explanation of the bad photo below).




Craig hung it over the vanity, and then I got thinking, wouldn’t it be cool to make it look like a piece of furniture! The bracket that attaches the mirror to the dresser was too big for the vanity, and there was no way I was cutting it up. However, as luck would have it, I had this other mirror bracket from a different old dresser that we got out of our neighbor’s trash. It’s been sitting in our basements for the last 8 years.



This one was also too wide for the vanity, but since there’s no emotional attachment to it, I laid out my plan for Craig and he got out the saw.

First, he pried the strip of molding off the bottom. It was 11” too long for the vanity, so he cut a piece out of the middle, leaving the finished ends intact.



Then he cut the arms off the bracket. They had to be cut at a certain point to allow the one on the right side to fit between the mirror and the wall.



A few dabs of Liquid Nails put the whole thing together.



Now it looks like the bracket is holding the mirror and the whole thing appears to be attached to the vanity. (A piece fell off the top of the mirror in the last move; it’s around here somewhere and we’ll reattach it when we find it.)



I added a couple of knobs that I got at Hobby Lobby for 50% off, and I think the whole thing really gives the feel of an antique furniture piece! Even if it is a decidedly modern sink and faucet.




As funds become available, I’d like to change the faucet to something with a more traditional feel. Maybe something like this:

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I’ve also got some basic decorating to do, but I’m very happy with my new "antique washstand”!

Joining DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land and Trash to Treasure at Reinvented.

It’s the Little Things

 I'm linking this up with Amanda's Decorating Dilemmas Party.  Now, I don't want anyone to think that I'm handing out solutions and not asking for help with any dilemmas because I have no dilemmas!  Far from it!  My dilemmas are so great that I wouldn't know where to start asking for help!

When we toured the builder’s model of our house, I knew that it was full of upgrades that we would not get, like hardwood floors, stainless appliances, fancy lighting packages, and so on.

However, there were some things that turned out to be upgrades that never would have occurred to me, and were therefore a surprise when we discovered the lack of it in our house.

This bathtub, for instance.  This is a photo of the main hall bath in the model home, with what appears to be a pretty standard fiberglass tub.



This, however, is what we ended up with in our bathroom.  It was already installed when we saw it, and even if it had not been, we did not have extra money to throw at any more changes.  (They did clean it out before we moved in.)



You know those corners that most bathtubs have, including the model tub?  The ones where you set the shampoo and stuff?  This tub has none.  The closest thing to it is the ledge the bottle is sitting on, but they were just not wide enough and the bottles fell off if you even looked at them funny.



I tried the thing that hangs over the shower head, but it’s too high for my kids to reach.  So the bottles ended up on the outside ledge of the tub, behind the shower curtain, inconvenient and messy (think water dripping out of the shower onto the floor).
 
Suction cup things wouldn’t work because a) they never really work anyway, and b) the tub and surround are textured, so there would be no suction.  I couldn’t even use one of these tension poles, because, oh yes, there are no corners for the bottom of the pole to rest on!



It drove me crazy!!  Like I said, it’s the little things.


On a recent trip to Walmart I discovered this caddy , for about $8, no suction or tension required.  Yay!



However, it still ended up being behind the shower curtain, so not ideal.



A brainstorm sent me down to the basement workbench for these cable ties.  They come in different sizes and colors and we use them all the time for all kinds of things.



This time, I used them to fasten the bath caddy to the grab bar inside the tub.  All my problems solved!  Again, little things.



So this was a really long whiny post just to introduce you to cable ties.  Because my point isn’t really so much about my bathtub woes as it is about these handy little strips of plastic.  You seriously need to get some.  They are cheap (I’ve even seen them in fashion colors at Dollar Tree), have endless uses, and are virtually indestructible until you take a pair of scissors to them.

I have used them to hang garland on the mantel and Fourth of July bunting on the front porch rail.  To hang a wreath.  To wrap up and corral electrical cord out of sight.  To loop up a chandelier chain to position the chandy higher.  To fasten a basket to the front of a little girl’s bike.  Even to repair a shoe buckle!
This is one little thing that you should keep on hand.  You’ll thank me later!

Up to My Old Tricks Again

Can you stand another post about a repurposed thrift store sweater?  I hope so, ’cause it’s comin’ at ya.

You may have noticed that the country is being hit by a cold snap.  I am currently wearing 4 layers of clothing and a hat…in the house… and I’m just comfortable. 

Our dog Lila is cold-blooded, I’m convinced.  When I saw her sitting on the kitchen floor this morning, shivering like a leaf in the wind, I decided she needed a sweater.  We’ve tried coats for her in the past, but she’s not too bright in some ways, and stands frozen like a statue when we put one on her, chained by her own mind.

I looked at Walmart this morning when I was there stocking up for tonight’s big storm.  You know there’s always a run on milk and bread when snow is forecast.  They were out of dog sweaters bigger than teacup.

That’s when it hit me, I’ve got a box full of thrift store sweaters at home.  I’ll just make one!  I picked one that had already been felted:



Cut the sleeves off, turned it inside out, and marked my sewing lines with chalk:



Sewed a seam down each side, cut a piece out of the underside for the “business end” and slits for her front legs:

he looks so sad!

I didn’t get fancy and finish the edges or anything like that, because for my dog, good enough is, well,  good enough.  She’s actually been wearing it all evening with no complaints and is moving freely!



In other related news, puppy Sophie went to the vet today to get “tutored”, if you catch my drift.  She’s looking kinda dopey herself.


Keep warm, my friends!

Favorite Projects of 2009

I was just over at Rhoda’s and saw that she is having a linky party for our favorite projects of the last year.  Sounds like fun!

Here we go, with some of my favs:

Back in March, I used garage sale shutters as art in my master bathroom.

In April, I created a homemade version of ceramic alphabet balls using ping pong balls.  Can U find the one I made?  Do U need a hint?

April still, and I painted these numbered locker baskets.

In June, I redid the chair that sits at the computer desk.  Full disclosure:  the linen fabric has not held up well to constant use, and is in shreds.  I’ll be replacing it again soon.

In July, my sister reupholstered a couple of chairs for me using drop cloths.

In September, I helped my friend Dixie create a display of white dishes.

In November, I made apothecary jars.

 

And some pillows from thrift store clothing.

Finally, in December I made monogrammed vases.

And hand-tinted vintage prints.  (Some have questioned why you would bother to do this when you could just print it out in color.  Well, for one, I rarely have colored ink.  Secondly, I think it looks very cool hand-done!)

It was fun to go back and realize how much I have done over the year.  Can’t wait to see yours!

A Post About Nothing

Well, after all that, I’m at a loss for material today!  I think still having the Christmas decorations up is dragging me down.  Normally we would have packed it all up this past weekend, but Craig volunteered to paint, so I sure wasn’t going to hinder that by asking him to haul all the Rubbermaid bins up from the basement.

Hopefully before too long I will have a powder room makeover to show you; there are still several things to finish up.

Okay, I’ve seriously been sitting here in a half-stupor for the last hour and a half trying to come up with something for you.  All I’ve come up with is a question that’s been haunting me for years:  if possums are nocturnal, and they sleep hanging in trees, how come you never see possums hanging in trees in the day time?

Clearly it’s time for me to hit the sack.

I will leave you with a picture that’s got my wheels a-spinning, which may be a bit of a hint of things to come.  Maybe.

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