Imhoff Homestead :: Ginger Jars, A Spring Addition

You All .... I was cleaning my house yesterday and I looked over at my kitchen table and my hydrangia centerpiece, which I love, but have always felt like it was missing something,.  It was bare really and needed to be elavated.  I kept cleaning but almost immediatly I knew what I wanted.   The picture of blue and white vases popped into my head and I could see it visualy.  I needed three ... didfferent heights... more flowers, etc.  So off to the interwebs I went ... Ummm, these "blue and white vases" I wanted were not vases, they were Ginger Jars and to my surprise, they were extremely expensive.  I don't know if anyone has priced them out recently, but OH MY GOSH!  I really didn't want to spend $200+ on just a few, and I knew the look wouldn't be complete without all three.

Once I got over the fact that these babies were EX-PEN-SIVE, I came across a post from about a year ago where somone found the blue and white ginger jars at Home Goods.  I happened to be headed in a similar direction this morning and thought, "Oh what the heck, I'll just run in and see."  I searched all the normal areas one would search in Home Goods and N O T H I N G!  I had been telling myself not to get too excited about finding them, as this post was a year+ old, and well, let's face it, when you're looking for something specific, you NEVER find it.  Am I right?!  With my head held low and ready to walk out - I turned the corner and right in front of me was a HUGE display of them.  YES!  I wanted to shout and do a dance right there in the aisle, no joke!  I took my time and picked out thee different designs at different heights and high tailed it right back home.  I am SO so excited to see this vision come to life!

They were the perfect addtion to our kitchen and I am little obsessed with them!

Aren't they fantastic!  What are you decorationg with this Spring?!

Imhoff Homestead :: Interior Selections

I absolutely love picking out the finishes of homes, it's therapeutic to me.  I love playing with tile and textures and seeing what goes with what, or what makes something "pop." When it came time to select our own homes designs, it's a bit harder.  I am such a perfectionist that I get SO worried I am going to mess it up and hate it for life!  I just have to keep reminding myself, "You know what looks good, and there are no wrong choices when you select the classics."  I never go too trendy, I always try to choose something that I not only love now, but will love in 20 years from now.  I think that's the key to my design!  Some people may call it boring or monochromatic, but I did a lot of subtle selections with black as my accent.  I can't wait to share how it all comes together!

#imhoffhomestead #imhoffhome #building #interiordesign #interiorselections #homeconstruction #celina #texas

Used Frames Turned Equestrian Style

It's no secret that my interior design style has turned slightly towards an Equestrian Approach.  Think Country Club meets French Farmhouse.  I love the rustic look with a little sophistication.  I have been tweaking the house over the past few months to really capture the look I wanted, and I have to stay, I am more and more in love with it every single day.

Some of you may assume that I have a past with horses in some shape or form.  The truth is I actually I have very little.  No more than a handful of times.  I have more of a relationship with cattle than I do horses, but I have always been drawn to the majestic, beautiful side of the animal.  There is something so peaceful about these creatures, that creating space with their presents has been therapeutic in some ways.

A few years ago - yes I said YEARS, I founds these photo frames with some type of old floral artwork.  I think someone was going to throw them out and I knew I wanted them just for their frames alone!  They sat in our guest room closest for most of their time with us, until I really was able to develop a plan.  That plan came into fruition over the past few weeks and I am SOOOO happy with how this little project turned out.

So here are the frames with the artwork that I was able to get for fa-reeee! ... they are beauties aren't they!?

These babies have a silver-gold brushed frame, with a tiny black interior trim.  They included a cream mat with a gold stripe.  Not exactly what I wanted.  I took these two frames apart so that it was just the frame and the glass like so ...

On Ebay, I found these re-produced horse racing images for less than $10.00 each!  I took the old cream mat to Michael's and hand them cut me a new white mat to go to inside the frames and to go with the new horse racing photos.  The mats themselves were a stock option and they have a small black trim on the inside to match the frames.  The mats cost me $15.00 each.

You can see I got real techy and used an avocado peeler to lift up the old mat and to push down the old staples.  I'm just cool like that!

It really doesn't get any easier! The new mat and photo are placed into the empty frames. I added the previous backing to hold them in place. You can purchase brown paper backing if you like to create the dust backing, however, I already had some at home, so I used that to the back of the frame.

I picked the images at random from Ebay. I wanted horse racing photos, so I chose on from Seabiscuit and the other is Secretariat with Churchill Downs as the backdrop.  The hardest part was deciding which wall to add them to. I had a few options, but ultimately chose one in-between the kitchen and dining room.

So for a grand total of $50.00 - I was able to get a high-end Equestrian look for pennies on the dollar.  It's hard to believe I didn't have anything on this wall before hand, and each morning when I pass them, I instantly get a smile of my face!

Moral of the story - if you have old photos or artwork that you think you should throw out because they aren't in style anymore, make sure to take a long hard look at the frames themselves.  You never know what you can create by switching out the art!

#imhoffhomestead #imhoffhome #equestrianstyle #horses #racehorses #horseart #horseartwork #ourhome #crosbie #murphy #wallart #diy

IH ::Before + After Painted China Cabinet

Ok, tell me I'm not alone. You're in a antique market and a piece catches your eye.  This piece is a one-of-a-kind with the price to match.  You LOVEE this piece, but #1 it's out of budget and #2, you want to end up painting it ....

Now, how to explain your thought process + "need to have this" to the hubs.... insert [bat the eyes, ask pretty please, and construe confidence].  Now, if your hubs is anything like my hubs ... doing these things [no matter the order] does not get me what I want. It usually has the opposite affect, which is why I was so blown away that he was totally into this piece.  Maybe not the painting part, but he fell in love with the rolled cabinets just like I did, and on a whim ... we bought it. 

So basically this is a replica, made to look distressed, french bread cabinet.  I've looked them up and couldn't find anything similar, even remotely close by.  We had space for it, but I knew it would take up ALL the space we had.  And with the black color and deep brown inside, I felt like it would draw in all the positive light energy and look like a big dark hole consuming our dining room.  I know, call me crazy!  After bringing this beauty home, I quickly got to work giving it the face-lift it needed.  Once completed, I was in love all over again!

Okay, so here is the beautiful piece pre-paint ...

This cabinet is huge and just felt so dark, so I knew I needed to lighten it up to go with our existing home color scheme.  I used the Shiplap Paint Color by Magnolia Home in flat.  I was instantly giddy when I started putting on the first coat.  [Ok, maybe I was a littler nervous and saying over and over to myself, "Please don't mess this up, please don't mess this up."

This was about 2 coats in when it really started to take shape.  At this pointed I hadn't touched the rolled cabinets yet.

But I am SO thrilled with the overall product!  It took me 3 - 4 coats total and worth every last minute I spent painting it!  It looks like it belongs now and was made for the space, almost as if it was built in.

One of my favorite parts of this whole process was designing + staging the items inside.  So many of these precious hold special memories from our family.  Our wedding china, toasting glasses from our wedding day, my parents pie dish they received as a wedding gift, and our cake stand collection. It's all beautifully displayed, as opposed to stashing under cabinets in the kitchen.  To continue to marry the equestrian theme in our dining area, I incorporated some of the horse photos I had taken this year inside as well in tiny Kate Spade silver frames.  I purchased mine at Bed Bath and Beyond a few years back.

It's amazing what a little paint can do!  Welcome Home French Bread Cabinet!

#imhoffhomestead #imhoffhome #imhoffreveal #diy #magnoliapaint #shiplappaint #diningroom #windsorchairs #restorationhardware #potterybarn #bedbathbeyond

Imhoff Homesteads :: Christmas Tablescape 2017

After all my Christmas Decor is taken downstairs to carefully unwrap, before I put up my trees, before I hang my wreaths ... I open my table settings bin for Christmas.  It's one of my favorite joys of the season, creating another table for a special meal with family and friends.

This year was no different, however, there were a few pieces that I received throughout this year to make this table even more special.  You'll notice the same snowflake china as last year, even the same centerpiece tress.  However, You'll find something really special in the center, Ryan's Grandmother's Silver Candelabra.  She gave these to me last Christmas, and I have cherished them ALL year, waiting for the perfect opportunity to use them.  Her silver candelabra goes perfectly with our Silver Snowflake theme, and I am so honored to hold on to this piece in our home.

You'll also notice Ryan's Grandmother's Silver Flatware that she also gave me to hold.  It's timeless and beautiful.  I am so lucky to have it to cherish and remind me of family when they are so far away.  It's just little pieces like those that give me the greatest joy this holiday season!

I found these amazing galvanized chargers on the CHEAP this year.  I had been eyeing Pottery Barns for quite some time, but the steep price tag always turned me away.  These are $20 for 8, and they are perfect for this setting!

Thank you for taking a peek at our table this year!  You can find last years setting by clicking HERE.

#imhoffhomestead #imhoffhome #christmas #christmastablescape #tablescape

#restorationhardware #windsorchairs #target 

Imhoff Homesteads :: Christmas Tree Print - The Final Reveal

Remember when we made that cute little Christmas Tree Print?!  We'll the original plan was to put it on canvas ... which still will happen in the future, however, I am one of those people that hate WAITING!!!  So I went and got it printed at our local Staples, put a pretty Silver Frame around it, and stuck it right on the mantle just as soon as I could.

You know what ... I love it!  It's perfect, and I love that it's custom to our family as well!  There is still time to get your custom print too!  Just email imhoffhomestead@gmail.com to place you're order!  $99.

So what do you think?!  Find more information HERE.

#imhoffhomestead #diyprint #customprint #Christmastreeprint