Showing posts with label Guest Blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guest Blog. Show all posts

Guest Blogger: Jessica from Arcadian Lighting - At Home Coffee Bars!

Happy Hump Day, all! We have another guest post today.  Anna and Jessica from Arcadian Lighting reached out with a request to do a post here on Swoon, and we welcomed the chance to feature them.  Take it away!


Hi! I'm Jessica from Arcadian Lighting, a blog and website where I get to write about the latest interior design trends and all the beautiful lighting fixtures that go with them. I'm delighted to be guest posting today on Swoon today because I'm going to be sharing a collection of inspiring interiors that are definitely swoon-worthy. If you're anything like me, you love coffee, and what's more amazing to have at home than your own elegant coffee bar? I hope you enjoy!
Coffee Bar
A brilliant, warm red wall color makes the white coffee cups and rustic black chest really pop. The bold colors are certainly fitting for a coffee bar.
Coffee Bar
The crisp gray color of this kitchen is so chic and contemporary, and the open shelving makes it easy to show off beautiful color coordinated cups and saucers.
Coffee Bar
This cozy space has everything for making coffee and tea right within reach. Plenty of storage is necessary for a good coffee bar, and the oversized industrial pendant light is an interesting contrast.
Coffee Bar
Sometimes simplicity is the most beautiful design aesthetic. This lovely neutral coffee bar is so neat and tidy, with only the bare essentials and no clutter.
Coffee Bar
This weathered table creates such a dreamy, romantic coffee bar in the dining room. The vintage cake stand and sprig of cherry blossoms are beautiful touches.
Coffee Bar
This elegant coffee bar demonstrates what a beautiful effect under cabinet lights can have in a kitchen. The mosaic backsplash adds an extra bit of texture and detail.
Coffee Bar
A wrought iron baker's rake can be re-purposed as sophisticated shelving for coffee mugs and dishes. The cupcake coffee pots are certainly charming and playful.
Coffee Bar
I love the rustic French country style of this coffee bar. The distressed French menu and the wicker wrapped jugs are beautiful authentic accents. Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Which of these home coffee bars is your favorite? Let us know in the comments! And be sure to stop by Arcadian Lighting for a light fixture or two to brighten your very own coffee bar!

Guest Blogger: Christina Johnson - Seasonal Decor in the Home

Wow - we are really touched!  Not long after Patricia Hall emailed Jamie and me asking if she could submit a post for the blog, Christina Johnson did as well.  We are thrilled to feature our readers' submissions!  Christina offered to post about seasonal decor in one's home.  What a perfect fit!  Christina works remotely for Elliman Prudential in the NYC Rentals market and uses her journalism major to combine what she loves most:  writing and her career. Her specialties include home decor design and DIY home improvement projects.  Take it away Christina!


Your entryway and living room greet you and your guests when you enter your house, giving the first impression of your home's look and feel. After a long day at work, you want a sense of peace and contentment when you get home. You also want to welcome guests in a creative, well-designed space. Adding seasonal touches and accessories is an inventive, economical way to give your home an original and harmonious feel throughout the year. You don't have to spend a fortune, either, especially if you know when to shop.

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Whether your entryway is cozy or grandiose, you can find or make seasonal decorations and change up the ones you already have to reflect the time of year or upcoming holidays. Wreaths on the front door, both outside and in, are a stunning way to welcome each season while you welcome visitors. To keep the cost down,create your own wreaths for each season. Buy plain grapevine or greenery wreaths and use a hot glue gun to add silk flowers for spring and summer; autumn leaves and gourds for fall; and silk holly sprigs, ornaments, red berries and gold ribbons for the winter holiday season. You can also create specific holiday wreaths for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, 4th of July and other holidays through the year. Wrap or drape matching, seasonally themed swags and garlands over the front door and around any mirrors or pictures on the walls of your entryway.

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When you move on into the living room, artistically designed pillows on your couch, loveseat and chairs give you an eye-catching way to celebrate each season. Purchase seasonal or holiday themed pillows at the end of the season to take advantage of low sale prices. Buy shawls or throws that complement each groups of pillows to drape over your couch and chairs. Add seasonal touches around the room, such as candles and candleholders, candy dishes, statues and miniature houses. Stores have come out with lines of decorative items for virtually every occasion throughout the year, so the possibilities are endless. If you have the artistic touch, you can make silk flower arrangements and baskets to grace your front window, coffee table and end tables. If ready-made items are more up your alley, once again, you can buy them at the end of the season or after the holiday at inexpensive sale prices.

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Through these simple touches, your creativity will let family and friends enjoy each season and holiday in the comfort of your home.

Guest Blogger: Patricia Hall of Serenata Flowers - Valentines Day on a Budget

Happy Monday, all!  And Happy Valentines Day-Eve.  Today we have a guest blogger for you: Patricia Hall.  Patty is a reader of our blog and contacted me a few weeks ago, asking if she could do a Valentines Day post for our readers.  We were thrilled and of course agreed!  Patty works part-time for a florist and flower delivery, Serenata Flowers, but loves to surround herself with flowers at any given point of time. Even in her free time she loves to involve herself with everything flora and fauna.

I hope you enjoy her tips, and take it away Patty!


Floral Decoration on Valentine's Day on a Budget

Valentine's Day is the one day of the year when everyone should make an effort to show their loved ones how much they care with a special gift or action. Flowers are often the perfect way to express love and devotion. Not only are they attractive with a beautiful floral aroma, but they are a gift that is associated with romance. Women and men of all ages and cultures love to receive flowers any day of the year, but on Valentine's Day it is really something special. Unfortunately, some flower delivery services are rather expensive if the buyer is not careful. In order to pick out the perfect Valentine's Day flowers on a budget, use this helpful guide to make the right flower choices and save money, all while making an impression on any loved one. 

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Affordable Flower Selections

The first thing to consider is which flowers will be most affordable this Valentine's Day. Don't worry yet about which company to order from or where to (though might I suggest Serenata Flowers!), but focus on the most affordable types. Ideally, there will be some local flowers which are in season which can be used. However, in many areas of the world Valentine's Day, or February 14th, comes during the winter and therefore the selection is minimal. Whenever possible, research if any flowers are in season locally, which will be the cheapest option most of the time. The most expensive flowers are usually anything white, because they have to handled very carefully and often bruise during shipping, or cultivated types like orchids and gardenias. The cheapest choices are often things like daisies and carnations. 


DIY Arrangements
When it comes time to purchase the perfect Valentine's Day flowers, the buyer may realize that it is the labor involved to arrange the flowers which are the most expensive part of the purchase. This is often the case, as the florist needs to charge for his or her time spent arranging the floral display. To cut this cost, considering arranging the bouquet alone on Valentine's Day. When purchasing the flowers, don't pay extra for things like wraps, ribbons or matching greens to accent the flowers. Just pay the bare minimum for the individual flower stems and do the arranging yourself. DIY floral arrangers will need to find some large green items like fern leaves to fill out the bouquet. Instead of wrapping it up in an expensive material that will only be thrown away, invest in a cheap or secondhand vase instead and present a loved one with the whole display at once. 


Budget Purchasing Options

Although it may seem logical to find an online or local florist to purchase Valentine's Day flowers, that is certainly not a necessary requirement. In fact, many people can save money by heading elsewhere for a more affordable selection. For those are looking for a large amount of flowers and live in a city, consider heading to a retail flower seller. These wholesalers sell to the florists themselves, so it is possible to cut out the middle man and enjoy the bargains. Don't forget the option of local grocery stores and even gas stations as well, which sometimes offer bargains on flowers leading up to Valentine's Day. For a special display, unwrap the packaging and add a personal touch to make it a more unique bouquet or floral arrangement.


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Decorating the Home

Rather than spending a large amount of money on a bouquet, consider arranging the flowers in your home in a way that any special someone will truly love. Often, a one of a kind touch this like will mean more than even the most expensive bouquet delivery. Consider the colors in the home where the flowers will be displayed in order to decide on the perfect complementary colors. Add in budget accessories like a ribbon for the vase or a card, banner or even cheap balloons that will make the whole arrangement look more upscale and luxurious.

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With these helpful tips, anyone can create a floral decoration on Valentine's Day with even a limited budget. Remember to focus on what will make the recipient happiest, whether that is vivid colors, a DIY touch or just a thoughtful card given in conjunction with the flowers. 

Happy Valentines Day!

Guest Posting Today at Life on Mars!

Happy Monday all!  I'm guest posting today!  Woo hoo!  Just pop on over to my bloggie-friend Maury's blog, Life on Mars.

I am sharing the big before and after from my craft room transformation back at the old house.  Remember this?  


Go take a peek!  I hope you like Maury's blog as much as Jamie and I do!  Click HERE to head on over to Life on Mars!

See you swoon,

Mid-Summer Swoon {Day 5} Guest Blogger: Richmond Thrifter

Today is the fifth and final day of our Mid-Summer Swoon guest blogger series. We hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have enjoyed hosting it, and we really hope that you found five new blogs to read each day!

Rounding out the week is Erin from Richmond Thrifter.  I just love this site and I just love Erin!  Erin scours thrift stores in the Richmond area and manages to find amazing deals on things that have clearly seen better days.  She has an eye for style and can see past the flaws of a piece ... and with a little vision and a lot of elbow grease and patience, she transforms sad, sorry furniture into amazing, gorgeous, swoon-worthy items! She even has a little shop in Richmond where she sells her lovely finds.



So many of Erin's projects have made my jaw drop to the floor! Like this lamp base turned side table or this mid-century china cabinet transformation.  Head on over to Richmond Thrifter for a daily dose of inspiration! And now here's Erin!


A hideous Ikea dresser!  Not what you expected right!
RAST 3 drawer chest, pine Width: 24 3/8 " Depth: 11 3/4 " Height: 27 1/2 "  Width: 62 cm Depth: 30 cm Height: 70 cm
Ikea- $35.00

Isn't it one of the most pitiful pieces of furniture you've ever seen!  Like, put in the Goodwill giveaway pile, pitiful! 
But look what you can transform these little $35 Ikea drawer chests into! 

IKEA Hack
I have to give mad props to the ladies who inspired me through the above makeovers!  I am so madly in love with these I want drop everything and run to Ikea immediately.  Don't they have childcare there too?  Cause there's nothing like leaving your child with a complete stranger at a furniture warehouse! I'm sure they are insured right ;) 
So that's what I'm swooning over lately, a boring, bland, unfinished set of drawers...with sooooo much potential!  Thanks for having me today!  I'm honored to be among such talented ladies this week!  And happy Friday everybody!

Mid-Summer Swoon {Day 4} Guest Blogger: Home Preferred


Up today in the fourth day of our fun Mid-Summer Swoon series is Noelle of Home Preferred.  I think Noelle and I connected online in a link party and I am so glad we did because she has become such a great bloggie-friend!  Noelle is the mom to five (yes, 5) children and wife to a husband who will move a dresser down a flight of stairs after 12 hours of work to make his decorating-savvy wife happy (love.that). She loves to blog about decorating, baking and entertaining ... and let me tell you, her parties look absolutely incredible (like this one and this one, oh and this one).  The party-planner-wannabe in me loves it when she posts her parties!

Home Preferred

So without further ado, here is Noelle!



Today I am honored to be guest posting here at Swoon Style and Home! This blog has all the things I love.....wonderful home design advice and ideas, good food, and of course fashion. I love how beautifully Shanna and Jamie has put it all together on such a beautiful blog! Thank you so much girls for having me here today!!!

Well of course I too "swoon" over stylish homes, good food, and pretty fashions!! Today I will give you some "swoon" worthy style tips for your home, on a budget of course! I am a believer that we all can have a beautiful home, even on the tightest of budgets. I know because I am a mother of 5 kids, and having a pretty home was always important to me. Although the budget did not allow me to just go out and buy from the catalogs, furniture stores, etc. I learned to re-do, re-purpose, and imitate the things I would see on a very small budget.

Here are several tips to get you started or keep you going on your quest for a beautiful home......


  • Fresh flowers- flowers bring life to a space! If you are lucky enough to have a garden and a green thumb, cut some flowers and bring into every room.. If not, the market has very inexpensive flowers in all kinds of varieties and colors. I used these in a vase for a spring party, they cost just under $10, and they set the tone for the table!

  • Go Big-large scale accessories add drama to a space! Look for apothecary jars, large candle holders, even a stack of books can accessorize a table nicely. I found these chunky candle holders at a garage sale for $5, they were black, and I needed them to be antique white...solution, invest in a $3 can of spray paint and they were perfect, again under $10

  • Pillows,pillows, pillows-I love how changing pillow covers can change the feel of an entire room. These are covered with Dwell Studio for Target.....dishtowels, yes dishtowels. They were 3 towels in a package for $9.99, I just broke out the sewing machine and some scrap fabric, and did some straight stitches for seams around the sides and bottoms. I just fold over the tops, you could velcro or button them too. Beautiful fabric covers, for under $10

  • Add a little bling-I love some shine in any room! You can invest in a can of chrome spray paint and turn mundane items into sparkling accessories! I picked up this Conch shell at a garage sale for $3, and a couple of coats of chrome later, a statement in the room. I've seen these at discount retailers for $20. With the cost of the spray paint, about $3 with a coupon, my cost well under $10.



  • Turn anything into art-I made these vinyl numbers in just a few minutes on my Cricut Machine, but you can buy vinyl numbers in the hardware store for just a couple of dollars each. 



I could go on and on, but I hope you have enjoyed these tips and I hope to you soon! Thanks again, Shanna and Jamie!

xoxo
Noelle

Mid-Summer Swoon {Day 3} Guest Blogger: DIY By Design

We hope you're enjoying our Mid-Summer Swoon series!  Up today is the uber-crafty (in a good way!) Judy from DIY by Design.  Judy blogs about home projects, decorating and loves to host link parties.  We envy her boundless energy!   We love her blog and are inspired by the things she does both in her home and in the blogsphere.  Take a look at her Trash to Treasure post, which is probably one of my faves.  Take a gander at her blog - we know you'll love it!

DIY by Design

And now here's Judy!


Hi, I'm Judy from DIY by Design.  When Shanna and Jamie asked me to do a guest post on what I am swooning over this sumer, of course I said yes.  I love Swoon Style and Home!!
We just got back from a ten night Disney Mediterranean Cruise.  I am completely swooning over that vacation.  It was the most amazing vacation we have ever taken.  Click here if you would like to read more about it.  While on the cruise I indulged in a facial at the onboard spa.  That's where I got introduced to some products that I am just swooning over.
On the cruise the spa used LaTherapie Paris products.  They are THE BEST!  I had never tried them before (or heard of them for that matter).  First they started with the gentle cleansing milk.  It easily removes makeup without drying my skin.

Next the toner...equally awesome.

Next they applied the mask.  My face looked and felt so good after this.

When we got back from hanging out with Mickey and friends on the Mediterranean, I quickly went online to see where I could buy these products.  Happily I found out that there were plenty of websites where I could buy them...and at a discount!  Gotta love that.  

Thanks again to Jamie and Shanna for inviting me over today.  Please stop by to visit anytime.  I love making new friends.

-Judy