Decorating with Dina Michele

Well it happened! I'm on a diet. I have got to be healthier. My mood has been grouchy, feeling unmotivated, eating my troubles away. You come to a point where you got to change something! I have to go all or nothing, but I will not deprive myself.  So I started with looking up healthy, low carb meals and smoothies on Pinterest. I started 2 boards    pinterest.com/dinamichele08    I will be adding more to these boards regularly. I don't want this to be too hard and not achievable. It also has to be inexpensive. So I thought let me try what I have on hand in the house that is healthy. I had a box of Carnation instant breakfast and saw a smoothie recipe on the back. So that's where it begins. Smoothies for lunch or my lunch prequel. Something to fill me up so I don't over eat at lunch. Breakfast will consist of a low carb or no carb choice. I had eggs, so lunch is a scrambled egg with a slice of cheese melted plus a cup of coffee. Dinner option was chicken breasts d

Need a kitchen face lift? I would love to say that I was getting my kitchen totally redone, but that's not going to be the case. Instead what I have always done is work with what I have. About 2 years ago I painted my cabinets from builder oak to white. It's held up pretty good. Now I am wanting a coffee bar area, and I really don't have a place to set up shelves, and my house is pretty average size. Last time on the blog I showed you how to set up a coffee bar on your counter. Now, I decided to extend that into my cabinets above the counter. First, I took off the existing cabinet doors. It's not really pleasing inside. Mismatched cups, glassware, etc. I have cheap cabinets so let's just say the shelves seem a bit bowed. No worries. I will address this later. So I skimmed through Pinterest and found a pin that inspired me. That's all it takes for me people, my insane Pinterest addiction! It was of course a coffee bar with all the bells and whistles! Rae Dunn,

Apple Cider, Apple Crisp, Apple Pie oh my! I love the fall season for decorating and baking. Two of my favorite things. Wait I forgot caramel apples and apple Betty but I digress. So let's get started by decorating with apples. Using real or fake apples is a cheap and easy way to get started. Fill up a basket and turn it on it's side with the apples scattered or as shown here. Hay bales are great for fall displays. Here is a tip (Keep them wrapped in their packaging). You can use them year after year and they won't make a mess. Plus my pets would try and eat any pieces that fell on the ground. Take our apple cider mug and apple heart boxes along with our hot apple cider sign. This will go well together. These key pieces are an affordable way to add some charm. What a fun display for a Halloween party or gathering this Fall. You could bob for apples, have an apple dessert bar with cut up apples, chocolate sauce, chopped peanuts, chocolate chips etc. Have pop

Setting up a hutch display may seem like a daunting task, but I'm going to show you how easy it is to accomplish. I start by finding anything related to baking in my cabinets. Everyday things like your mixer, bowls, cookie racks, pie plates etc. and add it to the shelves. I put my kitchen aid mixer on the bottom shelf. Spread out your larger items on all the shelves so it flows nicely together. Next is layering, I try to bring the same amount of items in 2 colors and scatter them among the shelves. I chose a black and white theme with glass and metal accents. Mason Jars, mini bowls, canisters and measuring cups. You will be surprised how many things you have for baking. Now it's time for the cute additions. My DIY Fresh Baked Cookies sign that I made from an old tv stand door. A rag garland made from flour sack tea towels. Using a tiered tray is an unexpected item inside my hutch. Don't be afraid to try something unexpected and in a taller scale. To take it through th

When it comes to decorating for that rustic farmhouse style, I like to take an everyday item and make it into something amazing! Today, I'm going to show you how to set up a coffee bar on your kitchen counter. At Charming Square we sell a handmade, long centerpiece box stained in dark walnut. This will become the shelf to set up our coffee bar. You do not need to take up a lot of space to enjoy this look. I simply turned the box on it's side. Inside the opening I placed 5  coffee cups. I used a coffee sign on the top with a cow creamer and Mason Jar. Added some cute accessories, like Scrabble letters and greenery. Here are some other ways to display using our centerpiece box. etsy.com/shop/charmingsquare    

Happy Fall and Boo Y'all It's about that time again to get out your decorations for Fall and Halloween! It's easy with our collection at Charming Square. Our decorative wooden boxes and blocks will get you started! Place our Pumpkin Spice Latte decorative mug on your kitchen counter for an instant, easy way to bring on Fall. Our pumpkin crate can be filled with fall leaves or jar with candy. Add some pumpkins, because it is Fall Y'all! www.etsy.com/shop/charmingsquare

Styling a tiered tray is a fun way to bring some small decor items to life. I love to find different things around the house to scatter on the different levels. Most of the trays I see on Pinterest have a small, medium and large order. Since I did not have this style, I will just have to improvise! I had a 3 tier dessert tray that I barely used and thought "this could work!" Instead of using dinner plates, I grabbed my 3 glass pie plates. The original tray color was gold, but I thought white would be a better choice. So off to the shed I went.  So at the moment I have been into country farm decor and all things red. This will be my inspiration. Now let's get ready to decorate.Yippee! I used red gingham fabric squares to line the 2 pie plates. For the middle I wanted books with my devotionals handy. They happen to be in red and pinks. Now to find some cute decor items to fill in the empty spaces. I always love to add Mason Jars in my decorating and this was a good star

Today, I want to show you how to decorate from scratch to achieve a cozy inviting farmhouse style. When you are ready to take on that area of your home, there are 3 key points to consider. 1. Pick a theme 2. Choose a color 3. Use unexpected items PICK A THEME Let your imagination go wild! Think of a hobby you like or get inspiration from nature. How about a farmer's market stand, store front or location you love. Gather decor items that pertain to it. CHOOSE A COLOR Start out with 1 color and find  items  or paint  something.   For example,  an empty picture frame or Mason Jar. Use fabric in a garland or tied to a jar. Get creative with flowers and handmade crafts. USE UNEXPECTED ITEMS An unexpected item is something normally used outside or a salvaged piece. Old ladders, shutters, doors, etc. Here is how I achieved this Farmhouse Flower Market Theme I took an old ladder that I found on the side of the road  and painted black. This will anchor the