Tag Archives: Create

It’s Time to Mix it Up in the Kitchen!

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9852_San-Circle_tabsite_015Are you thinking about updating your kitchen or perhaps you have the luxury of building your dream home and are working on the design of your kitchen!?! Mixing cabinetry finishes and counter tops has gained major popularity in the last few years! Not only does it create a custom look, but at times it can actually be an advantage to your design budget! I personally love this look because it adds character to your kitchen plus it can look as if you placed a piece of furniture in your kitchen – for example, if your island is stained in a dark color and your cabinetry is either white or a lighter stain, then the island pops and literally looks like a piece of furniture has been set in the center of your kitchen! If you want to take the mix of design up a notch then consider also installing a different countertop on top of the island than in the rest of your kitchen counter space! Mixing cabinet finishes and different countertops does take extra thought and planning, however if done correctly, your kitchen –  one of the main rooms used in every home – will be the ultimate conversation piece and entertaining space amongst your family and friends!

***Fun Fact: All of the photos in this post are kitchens from my Real Estate Listings!***

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I’d love to hear from you! Tell me about your great design ideas in the kitchen!

Keep Dreaming, Designing & Dwelling!!!

Cheers!

Cortney Bailey

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For Like Ever!!!

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photo 2Valentines Day to me is all about LOVING Your Space, everyday! Make your home your wonderland by filling it with furniture, art and items that make you feel HAPPY! In honor of “The Day of Love” here are several prints by Super Rural that will be a great addition to your space or a fabulous gift to yourself, your love, your friend, your kids or your family! As you can see the prints come in a rainbow of colors and several neutral options that will all look amazing in any space from Modern to Traditional to Collectic!

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“For Like Ever” Prints

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“& Love”, “For Like Ever” and “You + Me” Prints

What do you LOVE about your space?  Do you do anything special to your home for Valentine’s Day?  I’d love to hear from you and know your ideas so leave me a comment below or swing by one of my listed social media sites below and share your ideas with everyone!

Keep Dreaming, Designing & Dwelling!!!

Cheers!
Cortney Bailey

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What’s Your Threshold? New Spring Collection for Target is Out!

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Threshold for Target has done it again!  Mixing elements such as faux shell, brass, wood, tufting, scalloping and sophisticated color, Threshold provides gorgeous options to update your space for Spring 2014! Their collection of Gold, Ivory, Black and Fuchsia is almost endless so I narrowed it down to some of my favorite pieces.

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 Honeycomb Gold Foiled Table Lamp with Butterfly Shade · Faux Shell Inlay Tray · Ranuculus & Peony in Gold Vase · Tufted Bench · Gold Honeycomb Accent Table · Oblong Velvet Pillow · Wood & Brass Finish Bar Cart · Scalloped Wall Mirror · Pink & Gold Tufted Ottoman · Color Block Woven Baskets · Faux Shell Inlay Decorative Box 

Do you like this new collection?  What are your favorite pieces?  I’d love to hear from you and know your ideas so leave me a comment below or swing by one of my listed social media sites below and share your ideas with everyone!

Keep Dreaming, Designing & Dwelling!!!

Cheers!
Cortney Bailey

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Lip-Smacking Good! The Final “Must Have” of Eight for Winter 2013!!!

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The eighth and final “Must Have” for Winter 2013 are lip-smacking but simple snacks!  If it’s just you, yourself and I or if you have an entire heard to feed these munchies will be yummy to everyone’s tummy!!!  Don’t forget the presentation of your scrumptious snacks is just important as the treat itself. If you are having a party for one be kind to yourself and put a little effort into the arrangement of your goodies. It goes without saying, if you are having friends or family over, staging your snacks is key to the overall vibe of your event – no matter how casual or grand your get-to-gather may be, remember it’s all about the appearance.

If you pride yourself in your culinary abilities or if you pat yourself on the back for being able to make popcorn I promise, you will be happy with the following ideas and so will everyone else!

Weelicious is a fantastic and over-the-top creative site for delicious, yet easy to follow recipes.  Here are a few amazing ideas for this winter!!!

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 Next, are some of my favorite snacks from Trader Joe’s and everyone loves them. 

  1. TJ’s Pizzas are great on a cold night and are super easy to pop in the oven!  After the pizza is cooked simply cut it into small slices and believe me, if you are entertaining several people, the slices will be gone before you can pop the next pizza into the over!!!
  2. Raisin Rosemary Crisps are great with cheeses and dips and are a little more unexpected than the normal, ho-hum cracker!
  3. The Three Layer Hummus by TJ’s will bring a little spice to your palate! It’s great with veggies or small pitas or pita chips.
  4. The last favorite item from TJ’s is their fantastic selection of cheeses!  My mouth is watering just thinking about their options – make sure you try the Italian Truffle Cheese – OMG it’s amazing!!!

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Speaking of cheese…next is a cheese board! If you have always loved cheese boards but are not sure how to put one together you can easily follow the example board posted! The more comfortable you become with boards you can begin to add meats, pastes, honey and various olives!

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Last are just a few tools to help make your snack presentation gorgeous! All the items are from Crate & Barrel and obviously they have hundreds of other options for you to choose from.  From top to bottom: Olivewood Cheese Board (small slices of pizza would work on this as well.), Set of Six Cheese Markers, Set of Three Cheese Tools and Large Rectangle Slate Board.

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Looking for great cheeseboards & tools?  Check out some of these great options:

Wood Cheese Board: Click Here

Slate Cheese Board: Click Here

Cheese Board Tools: Click Here

I’d love to hear from you! What are your favorite but easy to make winter snacks?  I’m always looking for new ideas so leave me a comment below or follow me on one of the social network sites below and share your ideas!

Keep Dreaming Designing & Dwelling!

Cheers!

Cortney Bailey

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Let There Be Light! The Seventh “Must Have” of Eight for Winter 2013!

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The seventh “Must Have” for this winter season is pretty simple, candles!  Who does not love a great candle?  Not only do they make fantastic gifts, everyone looks like a super model in a candle lit room! If you want to bring a cozy feeling and achieve the look of warmth into your environment during the winter months, then crab your matches and light a candle.

Ideally, I’d love to fill my home with dozens and dozens of candles without having a fire risk, but since that is not possible here is an easy tip.  I like to purchase flameless candles and use them in the background or place them in  gorgeous votives like mercury glass.  Then, I use one good candle in each room of my home to give my “wonderland” a heavenly scent that is not too overpowering. I accomplish the perfect effect without much risk – this is especially important if you have kids, pets or are throwing a holiday party – no fire risk – perfecto!!!

Most of the candles shown in this post were found at Anthropologie, Target or Candle Delirium.  The rest can be found at unique boutiques.  Costco and Target offer good selections for flameless candles!

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Capri Blue from Anthropologie 

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Flameless Candles great selections at Target & Costco

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Aquiesse from Candle Delirium 

photo 1Melt a Target Exclusive 

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Voluspa from Candle Delirium 

I would love to hear from you!!! Leave me a comment below or on any of the social media sites I’ve listed below and let me know your favorite candle!  I am always looking for new ideas.

Keep Dreaming Designing & Dwelling!

Cheers!

Cortney Bailey

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Natural Beauty! The Sixth “Must Have” of Eight for Winter 2013!

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Create natural beauty indoors this winter by using influences from the outdoors to create a beautiful homey wonderland indoors. Natural and organic elements now rule the roost!  From a single natural object, that can introduce a vignette to the current winter trend to an entire home filled with organic winter influences your house will echo the perfect blend of warmth and style that blur the line between outdoors and indoors! Bringing nature inside is my sixth “Must Have” for Winter 2013!

If you love the Earth’s no-fuss beauty, then simple displays of natural design is perfect!  However, if you tend to be drawn to more glitz and glamour then you can easily achieve the natural look by adding some shine – this is simply done by enhancing the natural design with anything from ribbon and bells all the way to glitter and lights! Just like applying make-up to a natural face, you can simply add a little mascara or you can layer on the fake eye-lashes, there is no right or wrong and the sky is the limit!!!

I have pulled all the “Must Haves” for this post from: Save On Crafts.

photo 2Tree Slabs Round Natural Wood & Reversible Wood Tree Slices

photo 5Preserved Boxwood Garland, Perserved Boxwood Wreath & Perserved Boxwood Topiary 

photoSilver Birch Branches, Curly Willow Branches & Brich Branches with Red Berries 

photo 4Ponderosa Pine Cones

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Birch Bark Tubes

I would love to hear from you! Leave me a comment below or follow me on one of the below sites and share what natural designs you bring into your home – I’m always looking for new ideas!!!

Keep Dreaming & Designing & Dwelling!!!

Cheers!

Cortney Bailey

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Toss Me a Throw! The Fifth “Must Have” of Eight for Winter 2013!

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Who does not love to snuggle under a warm throw during the winter?  Well, I know I sure do!  Even in Southern California we have super chilly nights and one of my favorite things to do is to wrap myself up in a cozy throw and either sit by the fire, watch a movie or enjoy a nice glass of wine or a mug of hot chocolate, and yes sometimes I get to do all at the same time!

Having a collection of throws literally tossed around your home is such a great way to embrace winter and is my fifth “Must Have” for the 2013 season! Throws always give a home a comfy feeling and make every one feel welcome.  Besides the practical use, throws are a great way to add a pop of color, texture and layering to almost any room.

Below you will find four amazing throws that will dress up a couch or chair! A quick tip is that I love to snatch up throws right after the holiday season is over as many of them will be on sale – score!

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CocoCozy Logo, priced at $333.00

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Furbish Studio, Herringbone in Pink, priced at $90.00

Unknown-2Serena & Lily, Pom-pom Aqua, priced at $128.00

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Jonathan Adler, Zig Zag Alapaca, priced at $295.00

I’d love to hear from YOU! What are some of your favorite ways to cozy up during the winter time?  I’d love to hear your ideas so leave me a comment below or on one of the site’s listed below!!!

Cheers!

Cortney Bailey

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Jewel Tones for Your Table: The Third “Must Have” of Eight for Winter 2013!

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Simplicity_colors_fsWant to add festive winter glam to your table this season?  Jewel tone glassware is the perfect accessory for various occasions during the winter months.  Amethyst, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald and Amber are examples of deep jewel tone colors that represent reflections of the winter season. These colors will enhance even the most basic white dishware for not only winter but also during the holidays as well! If you love one color like Ruby Red then stick to it, but if you want to be a little more adventurous then think about using three colors or all five and watch your table or holiday party come-to-life!

Here are some great ideas to make your table come alive! Again, I have given you various options and many of the options are competitive!

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Horchow: “Iris” Glassware Blue, Red Amber and Green, priced from $33.75 – $43.50

photoTarget: Glassware Collection in Blue, Red, Amber and Green, priced from $28.19 – $32.59

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William-Sonoma: Holiday Red Cut Crystal Highball or Double Old-Fashion, Set of 4 $119.95

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William-Sonoma: Organic Green Wine Glass, Set of 4 $24.99

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William-Sonoma: Amethyst Double Old-Fashioned, Set of 4 $35.95

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Mark & Graham: Orange/Amber Monogrammed Wine Glass, Set of 4 $49.00

How do you add sparkle to your winter table? I’m always looking for ideas and I’d love to hear yours.  Leave me a comment below!

Cheers!

Cortney Bailey

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Top 8 “Must Have” Items to Make Your Home Ready for Winter 2013!

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The Winter Season means something different to everyone!  Maybe you are looking forward to January 1st when you can start fresh with new goals or perhaps your kiddos will be home for two to four weeks for winter break.  Maybe you celebrate Hanukah or Christmas and are looking forward to entertaining family and friends or you simply love to cuddle up by the fire during the plummeting temperatures … or if you are like me who grew up in Northern Texas where it snows and freezes but you now live in Southern California you find any excuse to light a fire and buddle-up in a cozy blanket and create your own winter!

Over the next eight blog posts I will list the top eight items to have to make your home ready for Winter 2013!  No matter if you just want to have your home ready for yourself and a couple friends or if you are having a huge winter bash these eight items will leave your home memorable and inviting!

Cheers!

Cortney Bailey

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Splash of Glass!

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Want to make the ultimate splash to your Wonderland kitchen backsplash? Consider using glass!

For the past few years, white subway tiles have been all the rage in kitchens.  While I still love the all-white look and absolutely adore subway tiles, the newest trend for kitchens is glass! Designers and homeowners are taking the leap in using more exotic backsplash finishes as they are becoming bolder in expressing themselves in their kitchen design. Some are even starting to use stainless steel and brick!

To help you achieve the exact look you want, the glass tiles come in endless shapes and colors.  Even if you do not want to bring in a vibrant color into your kitchen you can choose a neutral glass palate.  Remember, using a decorative backsplash is a safer choice than painting kitchen cabinets a bold color. If you are looking for a non-risky way to update your kitchen I would recommend a glass backsplash as it will instantly modernize your Wonderland.


I would love to hear about your favorite kitchen designs!  Leave me a comment below or send me a photo!

Keep Dreaming, Designing & Dwelling!

Cheers!

Cortney