Pepper Design Blog - Page 171 of 358 - A Little of This & That... Renovating, Decorating, DIY Projects & Family

Holiday Entertaining: Thanksgiving Inspiration

November 21, 2011

What are your plans for Turkey Day? Next to a delicious meal and afternoon food comma, the Thanksgiving tablescape is high on my list of what I look forward to. Serious about the food comma – my mom’s apple and pumpkin pie… mmmm.

I love a beautiful table because it can be so inviting and it really speaks to how special a meal is. Plus, it’s an awful lot of fun to plan and pull together.

Here are a few tablescapes that I’m especially inspired by this Thanksgiving (and here’s my list for 2010):

Initially found over here, the color palette of this rustic tablescape is what caught my eye. How beautiful is the teal against the rich brown and pops of bright orange? But the details are equally adorable! How creative are those crossword and wishbone name cards? and the newspaper filled cloche? Lovely job, Chris!

Next up? A modern and neutral table backed by a pop of color.

I love the idea of keeping your table simple (with, say, a basic white tablecloth topped with a wide brown runner) and creating a statement out of your food serving area. Pick up a brightly colored fabric remnant and drape it over the existing tabletop decor (such as a large mirror or picture frames) for an fresh display. More details on this party here.

Statement runner. Enough said. Simple, classy and no need for extra decor which leaves plenty of room for all of the fixen’s right there in the center.

This bridal shower doubles as a beautiful fall tablescape. You know what immediately caught my eye though? How ingenius a simple ribbon running the length of the table is. What an easy way to introduce a new color to your table palette and to reuse current craft room items!

Finally, you can’t go wrong with classic white. Give your Halloween pumpkins new life by coating them in a thin coat of white spray paint to match classic white dishware. I would incorporate bits of thrift store lace and my crocheted doilies to balance out vintage with modern in this refreshing tablescape. Thanks, It’s Overflowing for the inspiration!

Many thanks to Pampers, Play Dates & Parties for getting the brain juices flowin’ – be sure to check out more ideas here.

Office Makeover: Finished Fabric Corkboards

November 17, 2011

I thought that these would never be finished. Here’s a project for the office that I started a couple of months ago and have finally completed!

I was really wanting a set of custom corkboards for behind the desk so that I could hang inspirational images, fabric swatches, photos of Liv, and maybe even a work pie chart in there somewhere.

The frames were built from scratch out of engineered wood molding, the corkboards were upcycled from cork placemats from the Goodwill, the fabric is a beautiful Thomas Paul print from Calico Corners (found here) and the time and energy to assemble should have taken a few days tops but, sigh, it took a bit longer than that. (Remember when I shared my round up of bulletin board inspiration?)

I love the colors up against the grasscloth wall and I think the dark brown frame plays nicely with the other lighter wood tones (while complimenting the bronze pharmacy lamp).

This is just a quick sneak peek – it’s on its way to being covered in favorite tear sheets, remnants and pictures and I’ll be sure to take better photos in the morning light. That plus the tutorial of building these guys coming soon.

Yay! They’re finished!

Also, please stop on by Daisy Dreaming and join me as I take part in Kelsey’s wedding series where she asked me specifically about my wedding flowers – I am full of smiles when I think back on that beautiful day and I was thrilled to share my details with her.

For more Office Makeover posts, check out: handmade capiz pendant light, organizing the bookshelves, wall collage part 1, part 2, fabric bulletin board inspiration, (new) inspiration board, new lamps, wallpapering open shelves, finding the perfect credenza, new trim, dining table-to-desk, a new desk & bookshelves, installing remnant carpeting, grasscloth wallpaper, painting the office nook, finding carpet for the office, chocolate brown wall ideas, plastering progress, inspiration for a diy desk, back in action!, desking hunting for under $300, bookcases under $300,inspirational rooms, room layout options, demo part 1 & demo part 2.

Wardrobe Style Boards: Welcome, Maryam!

November 16, 2011

As mentioned last week, Maryam from Milk-Friendly will be joining us as a regular wardrobe style board contributor! If you’re new here, you can find a mix of collages over there in the left hand sidebar under the ‘Wardrobe’ button, and now I’m hoping to make sure it’s fresh and regularly updated with great ideas by inviting Maryam to help me out.

I love Maryam’s casual but fashion-forward sense of style. Blending just the right amount of trend with practical, every-day classics, her looks are very Anthropologie-esq (as evident by her clothing and photoshoot posts on her blog over here). Maryam is great with statement pieces (a big, chunky necklace or fabulous shoes) and they always look so effortless on her, even if it’s for running errands or a trip to the park! Which is why I know that everyone will appreciate the inspiration she shares. (PS check out that adorable family!)

I’ll let her take over from here:

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Hello Dear Pepper Readers!
I am so honored to be able to contribute to Morgan’s already fabulous styleboard gallery. I am a mom of two young boys (22 months & 3 1/2 years) and I am determined to keep my fashion identity throughout these (sometimes) crazy years of motherhood.

We are also in the midst of packing up everything here in San Diego, CA and moving to Oahu, HI. Very exciting and insane at the same time! And as much as I am dying for the warm weather year-round, I will honestly miss all my cold-weather fashion. So being able to create more styleboards pertinent to places with changing seasons is very fulfilling to me. So thank you!

For some reason I was very attracted to this funky chunky sweater. Isn’t it intriguing? I adore pieces like this because they have something interesting to say, without being totally out there. In my mind, I imagined tucking in the tank to the high-waisted skinnies, which I know not every lady is comfortable with. But I truly love the look of it, so I say give it a try (at least in the privacy of the dressing room.)

A great trench is always chic, no matter how much fashion trends seem to change. It’s one of those items you leave on the entrance coat rack, and grab in a rush when the kids need to get out for a change of scenery. I thought this trench was cute and a little untraditional. Also, I am one to wear stripes every single day, but I know that it doesn’t always work for every size and shape. This long sleeve from J Crew has just enough arm stripes without being too overbearing and can be paired with a fun cowl neck scarf or an interesting necklace.

Well that’s it for now from me. I look forward to coming back and sharing more style inspirations with all of you!

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Sources, links (even pricing for all of the pieces) and more inspiration found over here at the full gallery!