'Five Things' Friday

Yay! We made it through another week! Today I'm continuing my "Five Things" Friday series where I round up and share what's been inspiring me, happening in my life, etc. Please feel free to share something you've been inspired by or anything else happening in your life. Have a great weekend! xoxo - Julie

One. This snapshot caught my eye on Pinterest - I love the open shelving in this kitchen along with the styling of beautiful dishes and accessories! [Image Source]

Two. The best little Valentine who made my day extra special! My husband and I took Luke out with us to an early dinner and we all had a great time.

Three. I've always had a "thing" for striped walls, especially black and white! This just "makes" the entire vignette, doesn't it? [IMAGE VIA IVY & PIPER MAGAZINE]

Four. This fresh little Aqua Trellis Tray is on my list of new "must haves" for our apartment! From the cute online shop Design Darling: The Boutique.

Five. Working on a MUCH NEEDED blog overhaul to launch just in time for Belle Maison's 5 Year Anniversary, which is next month! I've wanted to give this blog a makeover for a LONG time and just haven't taken the time to get it done. I'm also planning on launching lots of new features, blog series and more for 2013 so stay tuned!

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Interior Styling: Faux Fireplace

First, I want to wish each and every one of you a Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you have an amazing day with your husband, boyfriend, best friend, children - whoever it's with, make it memorable :)

Lately I've been noticing fireplaces being used for things other than making a fire, and kind of love all of the creative ideas floating out there! If you have a fireplace that doesn't work or you've never had a reason to actually use it, maybe it's time to spruce up what you have to make it more decorative and less functional? Here's a round-up of some really creative ways to utilize the entire fireplace, sans wood. What have you done with your fireplace if you're not burning wood?

 [IMAGE SOURCES: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11]

Transform Your Furniture with O'verlays

I stumbled upon the fabulous greek key chest (below) and discovered it was a fairly easy DIY makeover  using an incredible product called O'verlays to glam up an IKEA Malm dresser. Have you heard of this company before? I hadn't until yesterday and absolutely love the concept and idea behind these simple overlays. Created by friends Danika and Cheryl, they launched a line of overlay designs in a lightweight composite material that allowed greater flexibility and less splintering, an issue with the original vintage balsa wood panels. They also made sure the product could be paintable to allow for endless looks. Everything is compatible with specific IKEA furniture pieces but you can also use them for any old furniture that needs some sprucing up! Here's a look at a few makeovers that have inspired me to want to redo some of my own furniture! What do you think about O'verlays? Have you used them before? For more amazing DIY projects, visit the O'verlay blog!

{DIY Project by Amanda Carol at Home}

This IKEA Malm dresser was completely transformed by using the Greek Key Fret design from O'verlays, which were spray painted gold. Click here for details on how Amanda transformed this piece! 

[IMAGES FROM AMANDA CAROL AT HOME]

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{DIY Chinoisere Etegare via Sanity Fair}

I found this awesome DIY transformation over on the blog Sanity Affair, where a $70 IKEA shelving unit was painted white and embellished with these fun Greek Key corners from O'verlays. How amazing, right? Click here for the complete step-by-step project.
[IMAGES FROM SANITY FAIR]
 

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Gold painted overlays dress up this simple white chest. Details found on the O'verlay blog.

Custom mirrored GiGi panels via the O'verlay blog

This door was transformed with chalkboard paint and O'verlay's Anne 19" Squares! Details on their blog.

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