I have finally got around to dressing my Spring/Summer mantel.  I meant to do this the day after I took down my St. Patrick’s Day mantel.  Fate however, had other plans for me.  First we had out-of-town guests stay with us.  Next, we all had a bout with the stomach flu. And then I got a nasty kidney infection.  So finally after a month, I think (fingers crossed) I can get back to business-as-usual.

This year I recycled a few items, including this bird and DIY piece of art from last year’s Summer mantel.

I made the mossy “S”.  I just cut a sheet of moss to fit my purchased S. The rest of this side was borrowed from other displays I have around the house.

Next, I want to tackle the front porch.  It needs some Summer-izing!  I have not decided on a fun Summer theme yet though.  There are so many possibilities.  I need to narrow it down and get goin’!  Happy Weekend everyone!

My favorite dessert is baked bananas.  It’s quick and easy to make and it is easy on the waistband too at just under 150 calories per serving.

Baked Bananas

one large banana

1 teaspoon sugar

two tablespoons non-fat Cool Whip

Peel banana, cut in half and gently squeeze the banana.  The banana will split into thirds lengthwise, lay banana on baking tray and sprinkle with sugar.  I bake my bananas for ten minutes at 350 degrees but, they would probably be better broiled for a few minutes.  I just can’t keep a close enough eye on anything under the broiler, I always end up with charcoal bits.  I like to garnish the bananas with Cool Whip and a Maraschino cherry but a sprinkle of nuts or coconut would be a nice garnish too.

Scale is a principle of design that evaluates the size and visual weight of objects and the way they relate to each other.  Scale may be small (child’s room), medium, large (average American home) or grand (think public places, like a museum or hotel lobby).  I used the picture above because I think it is a good example of scale (sorry about the quality, this was taken with my old phone).   I love that a queen sized bed was used.  It fills the width of the room just right.  I also like the size of the headboard.  It fills the height of the room just right. Everything else relates to everything else. Nothing overpowers anything else, they all support each other. I know most of us do not have a blank slate or an unlimited budget to work with.  But you can play around with what is already in your home.

Here is a good example of playing around with scale.  The flowers are huge but they work on this table because they fill the visual void between the table and the light.  They help everything in this dining area relate to each other. I think that is the big take-away for me, don’t leave glaring voids and make sure that this relates and supports that (whatever your this and that may be).  Which brings me to why I am doing this “Design Elements” series, I want to share (and review for myself) the lessons I’ve learned in design school.  I really hope I don’t sound preachy or like a know-it-all.  I started this blog with a sincere desire to share tips and tricks I’ve learned the hard way (or had to pay someone a lot of money to gain).  My hope is to empower and inspire you to create your perfect home.

For this week’s “Inspiration” I wanted to share pictures from the “Tangled” house. This home was an entry in the 2011 Salt Lake City Parade of Homes.   It was built by J. Brown Homes and interior design was furnished by Courtney Carlson.

 This is my real life princess playing in the tower.

Can you believe the attention to detail?  The tower is amazing.  The mural is amazing.  Ahhh, can you just imagine how many requests the lucky little girl who lives here gets for sleep-overs?

Okay, I know I just posted a design board but this design board was created for more than just fun.  This board was created to give me direction in my bedroom redo (and give Handy Hubby a glimpse inside my madness creative process).  The weather looks promising this weekend, hoping I can start refinishing my nightstands.  The rest should come together fairly quickly and easily, except for the wood floor.  Our carpet will have to do for a bit longer (sigh).