Pepper Design Blog

A Little of This & That... Renovating, Decorating, DIY Projects & Family

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2012 Mother’s Day Round Up

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I have a neat kitchen project to share with you, but before I jump into the recent home progress happenings over here, did anyone else just recently realize that Mother’s Day is sneaking up on us?

It is! and less than a week away at that. I’m trying to decide what special little family outing I’d like to plan…. but I also couldn’t help but put together a round up of a few gifts that I think would be loved by many mama’s alike (even if the best gifts do come in the form of breakfast in bed and a handmade card that makes your heart melt).

But, just in case you’re looking for something more tangible to recommend to that special someone, here are a few favorite ideas of mine.

*Crystal drop earrings that look universally beautiful on all
*A heart print that would make me smile everyday
*A floral tunic for the perfect Mother’s Day brunch outfit
*Memory keeper boxes from Paper Coterie that I’ve begun collecting family keepsakes in (one for every 3-4 years – this makes me pair down just my favorite knit baby caps and travel souvenirs to pass down to generations to come. I’ve been purchasing the Petite Pattern, and they can frequently be found on sale through sites like Hip2Save.com)
*Everyone loves a steaming cup of delicious tea and I’d reuse this tin again and again
*Ahhh beautiful stationary – these colorful rosette cards are some of my favorites

*A beautiful bouquet of anemones! Flowers always win
*Large face grandpa watches that can be worn with anything and that stand the test of time (I have worn this affordable Timex into the ground and still love it)
*Back to those crystal earrings… here’s a shorter, minty-er pair for everyday wear
*A beautiful Ella Moss number for summer adventures to the zoo and park
*A favorite lip gloss for years – just the right amount of light pink shine
*I’m really falling for bracelets this year and these are three that have caught my eye: continuous gold beads, seven bead wish bracelet and the very beautiful but simple gold initial bracelet. Any woman would be charmed by the thought put behind one of these as a gift.

*Speaking of initials, how lovely is this hand formed necklace?
*An organic nail polish in red that’s perfect for summer
*I would be amiss if I didn’t include a few favorite home items that I’ve been eying… such as this floor lamp in gold, this fantastic urban map of San Diego and this beautifully made paper mache bowl
*Decorating lovers would probably be equally keen on the new Decorate by Holly Becker – a must-add for my bookshelf
*Last but not least a pair of summer flats that are both comfortable and in style. Perhaps one on the list for mama’s to treat themselves to (this mama is seriously thinking about it)

There you have it! My top suggestions for a gift that is both thoughtful and very unique for this Mother’s Day. What is the best Mother’s Day present you’ve ever received or given (handmade or otherwise?) Any of the above resonate with you? I was a big fan of ‘coupon books’ as a kid and I can’t wait to get them from Liv when she’s a little older! 5 minute back massage? Help unloading the dishwasher? Yes please!

PS you can find all gift guides posted here at PDB by checking out this link.

Oops! Server Down, + YHL Reader Redesign Feature!

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My apologies to everyone who has had a hard time getting through these last couple of days! Our server seems to be acting up but things should get back to normal very soon.

In exciting news, our kitchen makeover recently appeared as a Reader Redesign on Young House Love! The swing in traffic has caused a minor overload on the back end but we’re working to straighten everything out. It’s the best sort of problem to have!

If you’re joining us from YHL, welcome! A nice little introduction to this blog and more on our family can be found here, and it’s easy to get caught up on all of our home renovating projects here. (Here’s an even quicker guide to all posts related to: den to kitchen, three closets to a new bathroom, Liv’s nursery, building an office/guestroom, our living room, our master bedroom, curb appeal).

This site is a little journal chronicling the renovation our 1930s home… we’re demoing, drywalling, decorating and creating a lot of dust! PDB is a creative outlet for me as well, and I love to share all sorts of beauty and general crafti-ness over here – on any given day you might find inspiration in the form of favorite entertaining ideas + crafty projects + wardrobe finds + family anecdotes thrown into the mix just for fun. (you can find most of these categorized over in the left sidebar in the form of big pink buttons, too.)

Sidebar buttons on the right will allow you to search the Project Gallery (projects posted here and uploaded by readers) and last but not least a series of interviews I’ve held with favorite bloggers (YHL is right here!).

Thanks for stopping by!

Easy Vase Terrariums

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I’ve been so inspired lately with all of the decorating ideas on bringing the outdoors in. One trend that has especially caught my eye is the glass vase terrariums that we’re seeing on dining room tables, in kitchens and even in outdoor spaces.

I was rummaging through my buffet recently, attempting to reorganize, clean it out and cut down on what I no longer use, when I came across a few vases and vase fillers that I thought would be perfect for a couple of indoor terrariums for our dining room. In fact, I didn’t buy a single thing for this project – everything was either from under the buffet (where lots of vases live), in my craft bin, from around the house or from the garage.

Here’s what I managed to find to put these guys together:

*A large clear vase (you could also use a fish bowl or punch bowl)
*Several smaller, shorter vases for holding the potted plants (I used votive holders)
*River rock (this can be purchased in mass at a home improvement store in the gardening section, just hose off those dirty river rocks and you should find beautiful black ones! these are left over from my wedding as vase fillers, believe it or not)
*Dried Spanish moss (also from my vase filler collection – can br purchased at any craft store)
*Dried or live green moss (mine came from the craft store as well, also left over from a wedding)
*Succulents for planting (from Ikea and our yard)

First up was to replant my little succulents in the votives with a little potting soil and a little water.

There are actually three little votive candle holders in the bigger vase above, though it’s hard to see that last one.

Then I filled in rocks around the votives:

Next up was a layer of Spanish moss:

And finally a thin top layer of the rich green moss:

Put it all together, and what do you get!

Lots of layers or prettiness!

I ended up ‘planting’ a few more cactus varieties from our yard to add a little color, and I added a few rocks to the top after bringing these guys inside.

The smaller one was super simple – same as the above but just one votive of planted succulents.

I’ve been playing with styling these guys – maybe with a cloche? He’s holding on to a few left over clippings.

I think they look great in the dining room. The terrariums would be neat as a centerpiece for the table over a burlap runner and surrounded by simple white flowers for a dinner party. Oooo, I can see it now.

Again, the layering is what really makes these guys. Though some sort of tinted vase might be kind of neat as well.

I love that I had all of the supplies on hand, makes for a super easy weekend project!

I kind of have a thing for collecting and holding on to great vases and different filler decor. It all started with my wedding five years ago and has grown to help plenty of friends with their big day centerpieces (yes, that many vases. times three). So that little stash in my garage is actually a cabinet that really needs to be emptied out… one indoor terrarium at a time.

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