Browsing Archive: December, 2012

Light Up The Mantle...Without Sconces

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Thursday, December 27, 2012, In : DIY (Do It Yourself) Projects

If you don't have sconces and want to light up your mantle, all you need is a pair of lamps!

Mantles are not usually very deep, so you'll need to come up with half shades instead of full size lamp shades. Custom half lamp shades can be ridiculously expensive so I'll show you how to make a couple.

I happened to have an extra lamp shade that I used for this project. You can usually pick up an inexpensive shade at Target, Cost Plus, or Lamps Plus.

First cut the shade in half using either bolt cu...
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Merry Christmas!

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Tuesday, December 25, 2012,

Merry Christmas

May you all have bright, beautiful, and healthy holidays!

XO...Lori

Quick Mirror Transformation

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Tuesday, December 18, 2012, In : DIY (Do It Yourself) Projects

Are you in desperate straights to find time and resources to decorate for the holidays? I am!

What I had over my mantle just wasn't making the cut. As I have several mirrors that I pick up at junk shops because they are so easy to re-do in so many ways and can be used for so many things, I thought I'd re-do one quickly and easily to start my mantle decor. Mirrors are always a good fall back for making a big statement.

This mirror was no exception. I picked it up for $5. at my local junk shop....
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How Does Your Garland Grow?

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Wednesday, December 12, 2012, In : Holiday Decor

Naturally! Garland (a mass of plant material) is the basis for most holiday decor, whether it is wired together or just strategically placed on your mantle, in the middle of your dining table, or hanging from your light fixtures.

It's nice to match your holiday decor with the environment in which you are living. For example; in Hawaii place a shell wreath on your door but in Alaska use antlers, decorative snowdrifts, and large pine boughs!

Use what is abundant in your particular area during...
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The 10 Minute Wreath

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Saturday, December 8, 2012, In : DIY (Do It Yourself) Projects

Wreaths are one of the easiest things to pull together for the holidays. It will only take you 10-15 minutes and you'll have exactly what you want.

You can either start from scratch (with a wire form) or take much less time by starting with a plain, unadorned, pine or boxwood wreath. You can pick them up in the grocery stores, at the Christmas Tree lots or even at Trader Joe's (where I purchased mine) for $9.

I just started with some greens that I picked off a Laurel bush on the side of my ...
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Don't Be Someone Else's Doormat

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Wednesday, December 5, 2012, In : DIY (Do It Yourself) Projects

...Customize your own!

It's fairly simple to customize your own doormat. I needed a new one and just could not find what I wanted (ridiculous, I know, as it launched me into an entirely new project). If you just can't find what you like then purchase a plain doormat that you can usually find at your local hardware store and design away!

First you'll need a piece of paper the same size as your mat to make a stencil of your design. I used cut up grocery bags that I taped together.

Draw your des...
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Tech Talk For The Holidays

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Saturday, December 1, 2012, In : Gifts

It has been raining all day so that DIY project that needs to get done is on hold until I have a few hours of dry weather because it just will not work to do it inside! So I'll interrupt the scheduled post to bring you some fun and unusual gift ideas for the holidays.

This is the X-Mini II Capsule Speaker that plugs into your iPhone, laptop, or mp3 player to give you a big fantastic sound anywhere you go. It's available in several fun colors and about a third the size of your iPhone for only ...
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About Me

As an Interior Designer, I am constantly looking for new ways of re-purposing and re-using what people already have as well as finding new resources for affordable furnishings. This is just a place to share great resources, ideas, information about the trades, and ways of doing things yourself to help make your own home fabulous!

- Lori Pepe-Lunché, more about me...

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