Mercury Glass Globe Tutorial

I'm so excited to announce that I've added the title "Houzz Contributor" to my rap sheet.  Starting this month I'll be writing for Houzz.com as a regular contributor.  My first feature went live today.  I'm sharing a step-by-step tutorial for turning a common household object into unique, high-end looking holiday decor element.  You may recognize these Mercury Glass Globes from my Master Bedroom Christmas Decor post the other day. Please click on the photo below to see how and why I created them…

Shine Up Your Holidays With DIY Mercury Glass Globes

Kitchen ideas, bathroom ideas, and more ∨

Ideas for your living spaces, lights and landscape design.

With the help of a bath designer, revamp your bland bathroom with a walk-in shower, multiple bathroom sinks and a new bathroom vanity.

Happy Holiday Decorating!

 For information on my affordable online design consultation service, please click here. 

© Copyright 2013 The Yellow Cape Cod

Sentimental Christmas In The Bedroom

Each year I decorate our master bedroom for the Holidays.  I love starting and ending my day surrounded by reminders that it's Christmas.  In the bedroom I like to use items that have special meaning to my husband and I.  Some of these things technically are not Christmas related, but can be incorporated into conventional holiday decor elements such as the tree. 

One year, I decorated our tree with our Great Grandmothers vintage costume jewelry.

This year the tree is dedicated to mementos from when our children were babies.  

(Click here for a tutorial on the DIY Illuminated Mercury Glass Orbs shown on my dresser)

I hung the first baby shoes worn by each of our three children on the tree with a bow.  A special hat knitted for our fourth baby in Heaven reminds us of our Christmas angel.  A gold frame ornament with a photo of each baby on their first birthday and the family Christening gown are also part of the display. 

In addition to our baby mementoes, ornaments used to decorate the tree are a combination of thrift store finds and vintage balls.  Last year, I wrote about the day I hit the mother load of Christmas ornaments at the Goodwill.  It was a fun day of thrifting with my family that I'm reminded of every time I look at our tree.  

Under the tree, I placed my glittered antlers on top of a DIY tree skirt (the companion curtain panel to the one used to cover my slipper chair).  These real antlers were a yard sale find that I painted and covered in glitter (tutorial can be found here). 

For the scent of Christmas, I placed a simple bouquet of fresh greens (evergeen, cedar and boxwood) on the bedside table.  

This angel was made for me when I bought my first home by my Aunt, folk artist MShaw.  She sits in my vintage slipper chair that I recovered with a curtain panel. 

The snow globe below was a craft project my mom created with a cheese plate and glass dome found at a Habitat Re-Store. 

To cozy up the bed for winter, I covered our toss pillows in faux fur and nubby chevron pillow covers found at Hobby Lobby.  

Thanks for stopping by our Christmas bedroom. 

 To take my full 2013 Christmas home tour, click here.

Merry Christmas from my home to yours. 

Paint colors used in this room are "Brown Fox" by Ralph Lauren and "Tailors Chalk" by Martha Stewart.  For details on my brand new "wood" floors from Sams Club, click here. 

 For information on my affordable online design consultation service, click here. 

© Copyright 2013 The Yellow Cape Cod

Our New Floors~Goodbye Carpet!

Okay guys, before I blow your mind with today's project, I've got to tell you that this is a sponsored post. I was given flooring in exchange for writing this product review.  However, the feelings I'm about to share are 100% honest.  The first time I installed Select Surfaces flooring from Sams Club in my home, it was not a sponsored project.  I simply fell in love with Canyon Oak hand-scraped, wide plank laminate flooring the moment I saw it.  The unbelievable price tag sealed the deal.  I immediately ripped up our stained, builder grade beige carpet and had Canyon Oak installed in our entire main level.  

  Many of you contacted me letting me know that after seeing it on my blog you purchased it and love it also.  Apparently, the folks at Select Surfaces noticed.  They called me a few weeks ago to see if I wanted to do a product review for their new laminate product, "Cocoa Walnut".  I still had carpet upstairs and the thought of replacing it was exciting, but only if the product was right for our home.  I ran to Sams Club to see it in person.  The color was gorgeous, very similar to the Canyon Oak that I had installed downstairs, just a bit more chocolate brown.  It had the same amazing hand-scraped detail and extra wide planks that makes it look like real wood.  The price at my local Sams Club was $1.69/square foot.  (Seriously). 

What I liked most was what I saw on the packaging… 

Flooring suitable for "High Residential Traffic"is exactly what our house needed.  I couldn't wait to get started so I grabbed the flooring and called Gordie Cook from Design Floor Covering (the same awesome guys that installed the Canyon Oak in our lower level).  

Installing this click together style laminate flooring is often approached DIY style.  Since I was tackling the entire upstairs, I let Gordie and his experienced team handle the project.  They were able to knock it out in just a couple days.  Not to mention they did an amazing job with tricky areas like the staircase and angled walls.

Before I share "after" photos, let's take a look at the "before".

This is the part of the post where my cheeks get all red and I think to myself, as an interior design professional should I really be showing the world how disgusting my carpet was? (Disgusting only because it was heavily stained.  To clarify, I'm not saying that carpet in general is bad).  Luckily this is "Interior Design For Real People" and I can be totally real here.  This is what beige, builder grade carpet really looks like after eight years of hard core living in a house with three children and a puppy…

The Master Bedroom

*blushes*

The Boys' Room 

*cringes*

The Hallway

*hides behind hands*

The Laundry Room 

*dies inside*

Hannah's Room

*dies a little more*

Phew, glad that's over.

Are you Ready to see what it looks like now?  

Hold on to your hats…

Aside from the practicality of this flooring and the amazing price tag ($1.69/square foot), what I love about it most is the way it looks.  It has fantastic detail and texture which makes it look similar to real hard wood plank floors.   I will be sharing a post with more after photos of the kids bedrooms and the staircase to show how we transitioned from Canyon Oak downstairs, to Cocoa Walnut upstairs while maintaining flow.  

Thank you, Select Surfaces for letting me try your new product.

We absolutely love it.  Next to real hard wood flooring, in my opinion, this is the next best thing.  This product has changed the way I feel about laminate.  As I designer, laminate was never something considered for my home, until now. 

You can check out this product at your local Sams Club, or click here. 

For information on my affordable online design consultation service, click here. 

© Copyright 2013 The Yellow Cape Cod

*I received product in order to facilitate this product review.  All opinions expressed are completely my own.  

Holiday Housewalk Link Party~Christmas Source List

I'm sure there is a lot of holiday decorating going down this weekend.  If you're looking for inspiration, we just wrapped up the week long Holiday Housewalk tour of homes organized by Jennifer Rizzo.  Every home on the tour is dripping with Holiday Home decor eye candy, it's impossible to pick a favorite.   

It was so much fun being a part of this tour of over 30 homes.  If you would like to get in on the fun, join us on Monday for a Holiday Housewalk Link Party at Jenniferrizzo.com.  If you missed the tour, you can take it from beginning to end, here.

The Yellow Cape Cod was the surprise house on day one and house number 5 on the tour (click here if you missed it).

Since posting my home tour on the housewalk, I've received requests for the sources of some of the items used in my holiday decor this year.  Here is a source list of most of the items.  If something is not mentioned here, please leave a comment and I'll do my best to help you find it.  

1. Mantle Decor:  

"Simplicity" Real Preserved Boxwood Wreath~The Yellow Cape Cod Collection

Alphabet Block Letters (Red/Black)~Ballard Designs

Antler Stocking Holders~Ballard Designs

Stockings~Ballard Designs

2.  Extra Large Iron Sconce~The Yellow Cape Cod Collection

3.  Red/Silver Outdoor Garland~Potterybarn 

4.  "Classic Black/White" Wool Rug~The Yellow Cape Cod Collection

5.  Large Potted Real Preserved Boxwood Set of Two~ The Yellow Cape Cod Collection

6.  Buffet Decor:

Black Buffet~The Salvation Army

Black Kirsten Arch Mirror~Cooper Classics

Red Boxes~HomeGoods

Striped Canvas Totes~Hobby Lobby

7.  "Simplicity" Real Preserved Boxwood Wreath~The Yellow Cape Cod Collection 

8.  Murphie's Christmas Sweater~Amazon

Thanks for stopping by.  Stayed tuned next week for more Christmas decor at The Yellow Cape Cod.  Happy Decorating!!

For information on my affordable online design consultation service, click here. 

© Copyright 2013 The Yellow Cape Cod

Boxwood Tree Tutorial~How To Keep Real Green Clippings Fresh

Today is Day Number Three of the Holiday Housewalk tour of homes.  I was lucky enough to be included this year as the "surprise house" on Day One.  Click Here if you missed it.  I can't wait to see what today brings, day one and day two were just amazing.  You can take the entire tour from beginning to end at Jenniferrizzo.com

My tour included holiday decor in my Dining Room/Home Office.  I created a vignette on our buffet using a pair of trees decorated with real greens.  Today, I'm sharing the steps I took to create them along with my secret to keeping the green clippings fresh. 

Here is what I used to create my trees…

Two small faux trees ($7 each at the Family Dollar Discount Store),

 floral water picks and green twist ties from the craft store (Hobby Lobby),

and fresh boxwood clippings from my local nursery.

Here is how I did it…

The first step was to separate the boxwood branches and place a floral water pick filled with water on the end of each clipping.

I used about seven branches per tree, fourteen in all. 

Using the twist ties, I secured the boxwood clippings to the base of faux tree branches.

I made sure my clippings were evenly spaced before attaching them to the tree.  The nice thing about using a faux tree is that the wire branches allowed me to manipulate them until the tree is balanced.  

Once my clippings were secured to the trees, I placed them into a canvas storage tote lined with plastic grocery bags.  I lined them to protect against any possible drips from the floral picks.  

Since I was going with a nature theme, I decorated my little trees with white birds and snowflakes from the dollar store. I painted the birds' previously orange beaks black.

The floral vases can be refilled once the water is gone.  

I also used the vase trick to create a large scale, fragrant centerpiece out of fresh greens inside my deer vessel.  

In this project, I used a combination of evergreens, boxwood and faux greens. 

I found the large deer vessel at our Potterybarn Outlet last year.  He was just what my dining room table needed (I'm able to hide my office clutter behind his derriere during the day while I'm working).  

I admitted in my Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas article to starting our holiday decorating quite early.  This trick allows me to extend the life of my fresh greens and possibly get away with only switching them out one more time before January.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Don't forget to hop on the Holiday Housewalk tour going on all week!

Click here for the full tour of my home along with product sources. 

For information on my affordable online design consultation service, click here. 

© Copyright 2013 The Yellow Cape Cod

Holiday Home Tour 2013

 Surprise and Merry Christmas!  

Today, I am the surprise guest on the Deck The Halls Holiday Home Tour organized by Jennifer Rizzo.  It began this morning (you can take the full tour from start to finish here) and I'm so excited to share my holiday decorations along with 30 others in this week long tour. 

I am house number five.  The amazing Jeanne Oliver was up before me and let me just say, I knew she would be a tough act to follow.  

If this is your first time here, let me introduce myself.  My name is Sarah Macklem, I'm a professional Home Stylist from Detroit, Michigan.  This blog is where I share daily design adventures and operate my online interior design studio.  In addition to being the title of my blog, "The Yellow Cape Cod" is also my home where I live with my husband, our three children and our dog, Murphie.  

I'm so excited to be the surprise house on this fantastic tour.  Christmas is always a big deal at The Yellow Cape Cod, sharing our decor on the blog is something I look forward to every year.  But this year, I am especially excited. 

As Murphie and I show you around, I'll explain…

…last year, I had the amazing opportunity to have our home photographed for the Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas Magazine 2013.  It was an incredible experience, although it meant that I was not able to share my decor on the blog.  In order for BHG to publish an exclusive spread, I had to keep it under wraps. 

This means I have some serious Christmas blogging excitement, two whole years of pent up Christmas ideas spinning around in my head.  You can imagine my reaction when Jen Rizzo ask me to join this Christmas tour.

The theme of my Christmas decor this year is "Classic Christmas".  The basis of my Christmas design  is black and white hounds tooth, fresh boxwood and hundreds of red ornaments.

(Click here for a tutorial on these little trees)

As you can see, I started my tour in our Dining Room that also doubles as my home office when we're not entertaining.  

It's one of the first rooms you see when entering our home.  For the holidays, I spiffed it up with new chair upholstery and a brand new rug.  Later on this week, I'll be sharing a tutorial on the little trees shown on the buffet.  I will also share some tips for keeping fresh greens looking fresh for weeks.

One of my goals in decorating our home (this room in particular) for the holidays is making sure it's ready for drop-in guests.  Our Christmas high chair (a thrift store find that I painted cherry red) offers our littlest guests a festive place to eat. 

 Across from the dining room is our powder room.  Red towels, boxwood clippings and a glowing candle keep this little space ready for guests.

Our mantle decor this year was inspired by the deer that visit our backyard throughout the season.  This room provides a nice view into the woods behind our home where deer can usually be seen.  

When I came across these antler stocking holders, I knew we had to have them. 

Our stockings are one of those elements that we will probably always incorporate into our Christmas decor.  We have grown quite attached to them over the years.  

The kids always look forward to hanging them on the fireplace. 

Each year I try to keep our decor fresh and different while using a lot of the same things year after year.   

Many of the elements I use have special meaning to us or represent a family tradition.  

For example, the Christmas tree in our living room is dedicated to a collection of ornaments from my Dad.  He gave us an ornament each year for Christmas until he passed away five years ago.  

This year I changed up the ribbon, accent ornaments and added gigantic snowflakes to put a fun spin on our special tree.

This is one of seven Christmas trees we have in our home this year.  I can't believe I just admitted that. 

In the kitchen, the busiest room in our home, I kept the decor light.  My daughter and I enjoy baking together during the holidays and need all the surface area we can get. 

 I was able to sneak in our festive red Kuerig, a few seasonal plants and a Santa I fell in love with at the Goodwill.   Every year I decorate the chandelier with greens and ornaments for a fragrant centerpiece.

 One of our favorite Christmas traditions takes place in the kitchen on Christmas Eve.  After attending service, Hannah and I come home and prepare Over-Night-French-Toast for Christmas morning.  I love decorating for the holidays, but it is our annual traditions that I look forward to the most.  Thank you, for letting me share our home and Christmas traditions with you. 

I hope you will come back and visit again throughout the month of December.  

I'll be continuing to share more of our Christmas decor along with fun project tutorials. 

I confessed to having seven trees…

if you come back, I'll be sharing almost all of them. 

(Click here for a video tutorial on the monogrammed door wreath)

I would also like to invite you to visit my "Holiday" tab at the top of my blog (or click here) for loads of Christmas projects and tutorials. 

The next stop on the home tour is…
The Handmade Home.  You will enjoy the beautiful decor they have in store for you. 

Below I have put together a list of links to some of the items used in this year's home tour.

If something your interested in is not mentioned below, please leave a comment and I'll do my best to help you find it. 

1. Mantle Decor:  

"Simplicity" Real Preserved Boxwood Wreath~The Yellow Cape Cod Collection

Alphabet Block Letters (Red/Black)~Ballard Designs

Antler Stocking Holders~Ballard Designs

Stockings~Ballard Designs

2.  Extra Large Iron Sconce~The Yellow Cape Cod Collection

3.  Red/Silver Outdoor Garland~Potterybarn 

4.  "Classic Black/White" Wool Rug~The Yellow Cape Cod Collection

5.  Large Potted Real Preserved Boxwood Set of Two~ The Yellow Cape Cod Collection

6.  Buffet Decor:

Black Buffet~The Salvation Army

Black Kirsten Arch Mirror~Cooper Classics

Red Boxes~HomeGoods

Striped Canvas Totes~Hobby Lobby
7.  "Simplicity" Real Preserved Boxwood Wreath~The Yellow Cape Cod Collection 

8.  Murphie's Christmas Sweater~Amazon

Thank you, Jen for hosting this tour and including me in this fabulous line up.
And again, Thank YOU for stopping by.
Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

For information on my affordable online design consultation service, click here. 

© Copyright 2013 The Yellow Cape Cod