Funamals

Refresh

Simplify, Pay Attention to the Details

Left to right, a tuna fish can with a melted candle by Hippychickcandles, a plant growing roots in a vase (from my mom), my wonderful french press from Art of the Table  and my fresh ground, fair trade coffee from Global Infusion.

Your personal time is essential to your health and productivity.  A great way to utilize your "me" time so that it creates a positive and lasting effect on the rest of your day is to rearrange your spaces.  A few things to keep in mind are to work towards simplifying your surroundings, and pay attention to the details.  Often I find myself delighted by the small things I have placed in my house.  Taking time to glance over at them makes me smile.  

Mini Deer are from Rebel.Reclaimed

Sitting on my window sill, next to my succulent plant is a small herd of tiny little deer no bigger than a finger tip.  The area which they occupy is kept simple and clean.  From far away the window sill is peaceful.  Move closer and this small discovery creates a new level of interest.  

Oil Painting on the left is by Cam Decaussin

Not all simple delights in detail need to be small.  Take for example this yellow end table.  This setup is one of my favorite spots in the house because it is simple and delicate.  I bought this outdoor furniture table from a thrift shop for $5.00 and painted it yellow.  Its thin legs and see through top highlight the wood floor underneath.  My decorating often derives from my need to have an "anti-cluttered" space.  Seeing the clean floor through the table as I walk by never ceases to satisfy me.  The picture frame and the lampshade play into the delicateness of the table top.  The elephant figurine complements the rest of it, adding a playful element, keeping the space from being too boring for my taste.  This also allows the house to be decorative, but still child friendly.  My 16 month old nephew enjoyed playing with the elephant this morning.  If there is anything delicate in the house, there are plenty of durable decorations to keep him occupied.

This table is from VintageGoodies.

 Here are a few more examples of some fun details I have added in other places around the house.  The tiny deer shown above sits on a table in the living room while the plastic roosters below inhabit the window sill in the bathroom.

I rearranged the living room this afternoon.  I took out a large coffee table (which was added to the bedroom) and placed three small tables in the room.  This round black table as a find from a local thrift shop.  It had a broken leg that I repaired and then painted it black.  I really enjoy its simplicity and elegance.  I added a mint colored piece underneath from a local shop called Rebel.Reclaimed and placed a fern from my mother inside of it.  The mint colored doily on top is actually a hot pad that my Grandma made me.  We keep our tv remotes in a colored bowl when they are not in use.  "Everything has a place and everything in its place" is a great expression to live by to help you create a nice zen feel to your house. The table in the background was purchased from Vintage Goodies.

design by Bree Veenstra

I stuck a wedding favor from this weekend into my peace lily.  It adds another delightful detail that is a great way to make the memories last.

Even my beta fish has enjoyed my refreshing decorations.  I placed potted plants on different levels next to his bowl.

My grandma makes beautiful dish clothes and I have one in almost every color.  I use them too.  I always keep a clean on inside this ice cream cone dish, another fun detail, this one in the kitchen.