School Decor 101- Part 2

8.13.14- 

  Welcome Back to day 2 of class, School Decor 101.  Hope what I shared yesterday inspired you & that you looked around for something that made you happy & excited to decorate or show it off in your home.  Hopefully today's lesson will add onto what I shared yesterday & give a different perspective on decor.  

Part 1 of today's lesson is:  Keep it Simple!  I really enjoy decorating & changing up decor frequently in our home but sometimes I get overwhelmed, busy & just plain too tired from all the other things going on to have time to decorate.  

{I know, you probably don't believe me but it's true!} 

Whether I think about decorating for any time of year or holiday I think about it ahead of time & you know what, sometimes the day I think it's going to happen just doesn't work.  Or if I try to force myself to decorate I end up hating it & it feels like a chore.  It's not fun or relaxing to me.  So whatever you do, don't force trying to do it if you don't want to.  Be easy on yourself & give yourself time.  Sometimes we need inspiration to come to us & if we force it, it won't.  Trust me!    

One way I've discovered that helps me when I really, really want to decorate but am trying to fit it into 100 other things going on is three little words, Keep It Simple.  Today I'm going to show you two spots in my home where I did just that this year & I love the results.  

- Our upstairs mantle 

-The ledge by our stairs 

Part 2 is: Use what you have! 

If you have collections that you like, you them!  Find ways to incorporate them into your decor & show them off in unexpected ways.  I'll show you what I mean. 

Our upstairs mantle is a bit more formal than the downstairs mustard yellow one I showed you yesterday.  It calls for a little bit more sophisication when it comes to decorating it.  I like to keep it pretty simple, clean & classy.  So I took two collections that I have & brought them together to make an simple statement.  Books & Globes, two of my favorite things.  Books, you probably have a bunch already or you can easily purchase them as thrift stores but whatever you do... get some!!  They can be used countless ways.  I'm always looking for books with great titles, awesome covers or that are unique sizes because they will come in handy one day, trust me.  

The first time {last year} I set up my mantle I put the books with their covers out.  Walked away from it, looked at it & just didn't "love" it.  So I gave it some time & guess what.... just like I told you yesterday, INSPIRATION, came & I walked over & turned the books around so that the pages were facing out & that was it.  Just what I was wanting.  Simple yet sophisicated!  

 Book end the books with some colorful globes & there you have it.  The globes turn into the spots of colors & the books are the coolest backdrop to the display & the perfect stand for our family picture.  Easy, easy easy!  

{I will say that I did organize the books, just a bit, so that the height was all in the middle & then went out from there, evenly of coarse so that it all looks balanced but other than that- so simple!} 

Another place in our home that always gets decorated is our stair ledge.  I love this little    wide spot.  It is always something unique & unexpected to look at.  This time all I did again was combine two collections I have to create one fantastic display.  Chalkboards {of all sizes, colors & shapes} & 
large wooden chunky numbers 
{that I rescued from a throw away bin years ago. Oh, I'm so glad I did!}  

This is the perfect example of keeping it simple.  Sure I could have written lots of stuff on each chalkboard & probably spent half the day doing it but I didn't & I like it.  Sometimes I think we over think, we add a few extra touches too many when less is usually best.  People ask me all the time, when I buy vintage things, "What are you going to do to it?  Are you going to paint it?  Refinish it?"  My answer is usually always, "Nothing."  Part is because I'm lazy ;) & the other part is that why??  I buy things because I like them the way they are, why would I change them.  Another example of keeping it simple.  

-Here's a peek at last years stair ledge. I like to challenge myself each year & set things up just a bit differently.  Makes it exciting & fresh!- 

Hope these two days of decorating class have helped you a little bit the next time you think about decorating your space.  It really is a great formula to follow: 

-Have a theme 
-Use what inspires you 

-Keep it simple!

-Use what you have

I have a GiVEAWAY going on right now. Since I've shared so much of my own home decor with all of you I would LoVE to see your school themed decor in your homes.  Tag me in a picture on Instagram using @hollyhocksandhoneybees and the hashtag #beeschooled to enter or leave a comment telling me what you love about this time of year. So easy!   I'm going to give one lucky person a little starter kit of some of my favorite school inspired items to get them in the spirit of this wonderful time of year.  You have until Tuesday the 19th to enter & the winner will be announced on Wednesday the 20th.
{My girls first day of school!} 


{M}