Color Coordinating with Kuler

Hi everyone,

I am so excited to share with you a handy little tool I am in love with. Introducing Kuler made by Adobe. This tool will solve all of your decorating dilemmas. Simply go to the following site.  (https://kuler.adobe.com/) and all of your dreams of color coordinating will come true! Kuler let's you perfectly coordinate a color palette for a  party, a room, a project, just about anything you can imagine using color theory formulas. With set color combination formulas like monochromatic and complimentary you can never make a mistake!

1. Create an account for free and login.

Here is the opening screen. Notice all of color combinations others have made below. Next click on Create on the left side of the screen under the search box.

2.  Play with the color wheel. You have several choices. I personally like the monochromatic option which provides different shades of one color, but you may like the triad or compound options. Try them all and see what color combinations you can make. After you find a set of colors you love, you can save it! Some combinations have the cutest names, like Vintage Beach or Italian Bistro.

3. Finally you can upload a favorite image and voila! Kuler will instantly analyze the colors from the image and give you the pefect color palette. Simply print the colors from your printer and take it with you to the store to color match items you want in your room or event. Better yet, use Kuler on your smart phone and just take your smart phone with you!

The colors match the image!

I hope you have enjoyed this post and will try out a new tool online for your next project.  It is so easy to use. You'll be decorating like a pro!

Happy Planning!

~Jenny Meier~

Subway Art for Military

I have seen this done in many homes, but I have yet to try it myself. I wanted to capture all the places my hubs has been so far in his military career as well as create a memory of some of the moves we have made together. You can create your own for FREE at picmonkey.com Here we are...

Now we have a long way to go, as this is just the first 6 years of this army career and 2 of these years we have been together. We pray for a long, safe journey. I wonder where we will go next????

Wishing all military families a safe journey home!

~Jenny Meier~

Last Minute Easter Party

This Easter many of you will be hosting gatherings for your friends and loved ones. I have compiled the top three tips for you to have the best Easter party ever. Even now, you can pull together a well-styled event everyone will enjoy.

1. Use what you have! Don't buy anything unless you really have to! Look around your kitchen and recycle glass jars or aluminum soup cans for storing utensils, party napkins, or even flowers!

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2. Don't forget dessert! You can whip an easy dessert within 30 minutes, no need to start from scratch when you can use that cake box you have sitting in the pantry. These desserts look delectable and can you believe they were made using a mix?!

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3. Mix and match! Don't worry about buying a party kit or running to Party City. Simply, mix your plate sets and see what you can acheive with the colors you have at home. Better yet, borrow a dinner set from a friend and layer different colors together.

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Once you have flowers, dessert, and place settings, you are ready! Call all your friends and potluck a great Easter party you whipped up in no time at all!

HAPPY PLANNING!

~Jenny Meier~



Happy Easter!

Wishing you and your loved ones a HAPPY EASTER!

Love,

~Jenny Meier~

Super Hero Party

So, my gal pal Maria just celebrated her son's 4th birthday in Super Hero Style. Both her sons are wild about super heroes, so this was the perfect theme!!

She decided to style the entire event with a vintage comic book party kit she found on etsy.

She even managed to find these adorable straws to make this kool-aid and water station.

Since Maria is also an avid baker, she whipped up some yummy red velvet and confetti cupcakes. Guests even sneeked into the kitchen for more!  To find her yummy recipes, you can find them here. She decided on a pb and j station for the kids. How thoughful!

Here we have IRON MAN generously offering candy from mason jars!

The whole super hero entourage adorns the living room cabinet.

One of her best finds was at Office Depot where she made this giant-size poster of son. She took the photo herself! Can you believe she paid only $3.00? The trick is you have to order it in black and white and print it on drafting paper. It is LIFE-SIZE so kids can easily play "Pin the mask on Parker" ! Genius.

Maria thought of everything. She even had a photo booth ready for kids and adults to play Super Hero!

I am so happy the hubs and I were able to be there for Parker's big day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARKER!

~Jenny Meier~

p.s. If you liked this post, please let me know. Your words are so encouraging!

Framing 101

Hello Friends!

 Frames are the best for making any picture into something really worth looking at, but let's face it, frames are expensive! If you dare to get your art or photo professionally framed, get ready to pay a hefty price. For a tiny watercolor piece, the hubs and I found at Mont Saint Michel in France, we were looking at $55.00 dollars! We ended up framing it ourselves for $6.00 and let me say it looks great!

So first we must think really differently about framing if we are going to be creative and save money.

1. Try to find frames in unexpected places. For this first wall gallery, I found three of the frames for a total of $4.00 at a thrift mall! All I did was paint them all the same color to match! The tiny frame on left, I bought new at Wal-mart for $3.00 Basically scour your neighborhood thrift store or yard sales for some great deals. Don't wory if they don't match, you can always paint them later.

2. Throw away the glass! All of the frames in this gallery do not have glass. Who needs glass anyway? For this gallery wall, I wanted to be able to fill the wall not the frame. The idea was to create a huge piece out of several small pieces. I simply inserted a mini bunting, a jute wrapped wreath, some craft paper, and even spoons! I could easy change out the accessories depending on the season.

3.  Don't be afraid to mix and match...Wall galleries do not have to be the same color or shape. This wall gallery in my living room is a combination of black and aqua.

4. Frame a sticker? Why not? You've all seen those adorable vinyl sayings and shapes. JoAnn's sells them as well as Hobby Lobby. I have seen antique keys as well as butterflies, the list goes on and on. Here, I decided to write my own message on a piece of vinyl chalkboard sticker, then I simply framed it with an empty frame (remember, throw away the glass). I can change the words anytime I want!

4. Washi tape it! I bought a beautiful hand-painted piece from Paris, but it didn't fit in the matboard! I simply added a bit of washi tape and voila, instant art!

5. Finally, go frameless! You don't need a frame to frame a picture. I used an old window along with some clear contact paper on the back to make the pictures inside appear as if they were floating. I added a  little bit of washi tape to trim out the "frame" and I was done! So easy.


So there you have it, 5 easy ways to frame. I hope you have enjoyed this post. Please write to me and tell me if you found this post useful. Thanks for reading and as always,


HAPPY PLANNING!

Jenny Meier

DIY Breakfast Bar

We spend so much time in the kitchen these days; we really needed a place to both eat and work. After scouring the internet for inspiration, I finally settled on this breakfast bar design. I could have gone for a breakfast nook or table, but then it really wouldn't have given us the functionality of a work station too.

With this design, my husband and I can either work or eat or both!  It also doesn't take up a lot of room in the kitchen. We boght the cabinets from Lowe's as well as the counter top for about $250. The counter top just sits on the cabinets.  No need for nails or glue. It comes off just as easily when we will need to move again.  I had already painted the chairs white and they actually belong to my dining room table. I just borrowed them since they are not in use.

I added this little storage box from Target to keep the power strip out of sight, but still easy to reach when we want to turn on the speaker system. We especially enjoy watching hulu.com or the foodnetwork.com while we eat!

 

When it is time to work, I like to keep my office supplies handy and organized. This is a shot of the left drawer.

The right drawer contents with clear storage and contact paper drawer liner also from Target.

 

 

I keep paper in the lower left cabinet and my labeler, external hard drive, and scrap paper in the lower right cabinet. (Right cabinet not shown) One thing to remember is that if you are buying these cabinets, make sure the doors open in opposite directions, otherwise you will have two cabinets that open up the same way! Oops...(I did this). Again, I used contact paper to line the shelves.

 

 

 Finally, my iphone snuggles nicely in this hanging basket my mom gave me.  I can my charge my phone with a near by outlet. Notice the washi tape label? I have to thank Jen Jones of iheartorganzing for giving me that tip!  

 

 

The placemats are from Target too and the little heart wreath I found at the Goodwill. I glued a doily to the back and perched the whole thing on top of a skewer. Don't forget every breakfast bar needs some LOVE! If you like this post, please let me know. I'd love to hear from you and listen to how you have created a breakfast bar or similar project in your kitchen!

 

HAPPY PLANNING!

 

~Jenny Meier~