Iconic Decorative Panels

If you tired of wallpapers and usual wall panels than iconic panels from B&N Industries could be right for you. They are created using an innovative process of formed laminate over a carved wood core to fit together to form a seamless wall of pattern. The panels are not just decorative but extremely durable, they can be sawn, nailed, screwed or glued. They can then be painted to achieve any effect you desire. Textures range from history’s most popular typefaces - Helvetiva, to a clean interpretation of the natural bends and battens of bare birch branches from Nordic landscapes. The panels also could have pre-installed Puck inserts to accommodate Puck System hardware (shelves produce by B&N). There’re also series of iconic panels made of reclaimed and recycled wood veneer. B&N Industries

Make Your Own Decorative Boxes

I have a post coming up soon entitled "Feathers In My Food." I think you'll want to see the creation I made. ;-)
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Many years ago when I was crafting every single day after coming home from my office, I decided I wanted some boxes covered in beautiful papers and fabrics. Understand now that I absolutely devoted most hours outside of work to crafting. I absolutely loved it. So today I thought I'd share how to make these kind of boxes below. I'll give you the dimensions and instructions. The rest is up to you. You can use fabric or paper; it's up to you. I've shown you two of ones I've made. The purple roses box is fabric, and the red and pink roses is that gorgeous paper I love so much from The Gifted Line by John Grossman.

They are approximately the same size. I'll give you the instructions and measurements but it's up to you to do the construction. These little boxes are more for show than actual storage boxes; although, I keep pencils in them or my sealing wax and Dyno Label Maker in the other one. But I wouldn't keep anything heavy in them. Again, just for show. ;-)

You'll need foam board. I used 3/8" so that I could "score"—meaning to go a bit of the way through the foam board without cutting all the way through so you can bend it. You'll need to bend it but keep it together. For my size box below, I cut a piece 16" long and 8 & 3/8" wide. I scored it at 6 & 1/2" from the one end and then 9 & 1/2" from the same side. Or in other words, I scored it 6 & 1/2" from each short side. I then bent it carefully as to not split it. Be very careful. Then I cut another piece of foam board 28 & 3/8" long and 2 & 1/2" wide. I scored that piece at 6" and at 7 & 3/4". Using glue to attach together the 2 ends of the LONG piece I scored.

You cover it with your paper or fabric before you start making it, just after cutting it out. Then you glue. I used a glue gun. You can use any glue you want that sticks though. After covering the large piece and the long piece, you glue it together. Then I hot glued a ribbon around it to secure it.

I've read this so much I'm not sure if it makes sense to you, but if you want to try this and it's not clear, email me and I'll help you all I can. It truly is easy.

These boxes are 6 & 1/2" front to back and 8 & 3/8" wide and 2 & 1/2" high or deep.

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I love this living room setting. Just the way the homeowner has everything arranged, very cozy.

A beautiful approach to a rustic door.

Okay, no privacy here at all. I'd feel like Sasquatch was always watching me.

Just simple eye candy for you.

Be still my beating heart. However, I would keep wondering when it is going to come crashing down on my head. Looks a bit heavy.

Smiling at ya!

I don't know whether this is a fabric or a painting but it's one of my favorite photos of roses.

Just a beautiful setting for you. Very peaceful.

Sweet vignette at a bistro.

An old Victorian in San Francisco, my favorite city in the whole world. I love shopping there.

Did you hear that the mailboxes in the hometown of an Olympic Gold Medal Winner in the UK gets its mail boxes painted gold? Usually the boxes are a bright red. But what a sweet idea to help the hometown men and women celebrate a hometown victory. Bless their hearts for doing this for them!

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Another Travel Story

As I stated in a recent post, my son was in Scotland golfing while his son was in Europe seeing the sights of several countries. Son's girlfriend just graduated University and wanted to see the sites of places she would be teaching about: arts and sciences. Grandson went along to protect her and keep her company.

One country, which is known pretty much for its snobbishness, lived up to their expectations. They would ask for directions and knowing these people speak English, as most European countries do, they refused to answer in English. The only people who would help them were other tourists. It left a stain on their reputation along with many other stains. And truthfully, they don't come any kinder or sweeter than my grandson or his girlfriend.

When grandson's girlfriend—let's call her Miss S—went into a restaurant to order a sandwich to go, the waitress put it in a paper bag, Miss S reached for some napkins on the counter and almost got her hand smacked, and did get a finger wagged in her face. Rude beyond words! She was told not to touch anything on the counter, in English this time.

Now, I can speak a bit of other languages to get me around a country just a bit, but truthfully, most of the countries I've been to have been kind and gracious. But that's pretty much on this side of the world. The other side? Not so much. But I at least can tell them to speak slowly so I can get directions, but truthfully I've never been treated shabbily by any country I've visited.

Our daughter had a similar experience with some travelers on an airplane coming back from the Mediterranean 3 years ago. Same country, same obnoxiousness. Loud, rude and overbearing. Refusing to be considerate of other passengers. We experienced that once with some Austrian students on our plane. Totally obnoxious.

So my advice to anyone is to not think those countries we lust to visit are sweet, kind, friendly and willing to accept Americans. They are NOT! That's one of the reasons I refuse to travel abroad anymore.
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Isn't this one of those kind of houses that you'd see in Connecticut or Rhode Island? I lived in Newport, R.I. for a very short time when I was very young.

A gorgeous Spanish-style home. Lovin' all those windows.

These are all items from Green Gate in Denmark. I'd love to have some but I truly don't need any more plates.

These little tins are a favorite of mine also. I'll check and see how much they are. I can always use more storage things.

They have aprons, sheets, fabric, towels and storage things in the most gorgeous prints and colors.

Another example of their wares. Aren't they scrumptious?

Pretty fabrics in lovely prints.

They even have soaps and lotions.

And pretty ribbons.

And buckets!

A wonderful secluded area for a private luncheon.

Isn't this patio beautiful with the fabric curtains blowing in the breeze? And even a canopy of canvas to temper the midday sun.

Another quiet area to lull around on lazy summer afternoons.

A simple clean bath area in blue, pink, green and yellow. Well done!

A cute way to show off your garden roses in Mason jars on a rustic vintage bench.

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Washington State and Blue Bedrooms

For those of you visiting from a Linky party, click on my header/logo above to view other posts on my blog. I think you'll like those also. I'm not usually boring and have lots of beautiful things to look at as well as stories to read, which can be quite amusing. ;-)
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I've updated my tutorial on the new blogger interface here. This one is about blogger wanting you to upgrade for more storage space and telling you that some photos and/or posts will be deleted because you're using too much space. You really need to read this tutorial. Go to the bottom of the tutorial for a bit of advice on what other options you have.
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Washington state is the prettiest state I’ve ever seen. Oh, I love California and our new state of Idaho, but Washington has such a lusciousness that it muffles noises. It was one of the first things hubs and I noticed the first time we went to visit our granddaughter when she and her family moved there—the quietness of it. It’s also very, very lush. Foliage everywhere. Wet. Dewy. Lush. I’d live there in a heartbeat if it wasn’t so expensive. But their first home—their starter home—cost them $600,000. That’s beyond my budget. Too expensive for us retirees to live there so we just visit a few times a year. It truly seems as if the traffic is quieter also.

Anyway, we’ve noticed there and in Oregon that they build the house down from the street level. We first noticed it in Oregon when we went over to a niece’s wedding. A lot of driveways off the street to the houses would slope down. Now, I don’t know about you but it would seem to me with all the rain Washington and Oregon get that the water would drain into the houses and garages. Just doesn’t make sense to us. I’d never seen that until then because in California all the driveways I’d ever seen go up or are level but certainly not sloped down from the street.
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I know a lot of women prefer blue so here are a few blue bedrooms for you. Aren't they stunning?

This one is ethereal. Absolutely stunning.

If I had this door, I'd use it as a door on my office, and I love my office door now, but this one is my kind of door.

Cute vintage kitchen items. This is an English kitchen. I can tell because the cookie jar is called biscuit jar. Darling.

I adore this little étagère. The woman has all her little items displayed lovingly.

If only. Right? ;-)

A unique custom paint job on a vintage dresser really gives this pizzazz.

A quaint small bedroom straight out of an Agatha Christie novel.

A pretty pantry with all sorts of items showing through.

A small European apartment patio. They don't come any smaller than this I think.

Pretty garden surrounding a pool

A dream place we all would like to go to relax and while away a bit of time.

I. Love. Polka Dots.

A beautiful entry to a home or to a garden pathway. I absolutely LOVE moss growing between stones on a walkway.

Lots of pink and white.

While this looks like a wedding canopy, it could well be an easy place to have in a back yard.

Just something about this entry I like.

Caaauuuute!!!

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 I like my pancakes with enough syrup to cover my Camry!
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No Minimalist Here
Savvy Southern Style 
At the Picket Fence