how to add a pop of color to your home + a giveaway
you'd think, being a blogger who always talks about entertaining, cocktails, and quick ways to spruce up your home, that i'd have a fabulous looking bar cart. nope. well, we have one… it had just become a dumping ground for anything remotely related to cocktails or parties, and not just the pretty stuff. i honestly just never made the effort to style it and make it look presentable, or even useful. my main problem was that it was intended to be an outdoor bar cart, so it was made out of a wicker material, and things just didn't like standing up on it straight. that totally bothered me.
wayfair asked me to share how i would add a pop of color to my home, so i thought the bar cart would be the perfect project! i literally spent about a half hour on their site, a few minutes pulling my own pieces at home, and voila… i had a snazzy new bar cart that i'm actually going to be proud to entertain around. but first, the before:
i'd say the front of our house (formal dining, entry and living/pool table rooms) was stuck in our "rustic/vintage/black and brown phase". you remember that look right? most of our house has changed A LOT since then as we've added modern touches and brighter colors. i never focused too much on those rooms in the front of the house though since it wasn't where we spent much of our time. that will be changing now though. just since updating this one little area around the bar cart, I love how it catches my eye when i walk through the front door. and it just feels so much happier! i don't get bummed out because it's collecting dust and junk.
crazy how long it takes you to update something when you have all of the tools just sitting there right? most of the things i added to our cart were things i had in my closet. i don't collect many colorful things though (mostly white and glass), so my goal when visiting wayfair was too find those fun, colorful pieces. i really loved the collections that they put together. browsing a curated collection (my faves were via hgtv rooms) makes it so quick to find those pieces you've seen, love, and want in your own home. of course, i had a few ideas going in. i new i wanted some bright candles and some sort of cocktail napkins, so i did a quick search and found the perfect ones instantly. i also filled my cart with about $1000 worth of other stuff. my bank account won't support that kind of spending yet, so i was able to save them to my favorites for shopping sprees in the future! love having that ability on my websites i frequent.
so, whether you are also updating your bar cart for spring and summer, or you need help on any little vignette in your home, here are some tips you can try at home:
- always, always, always… candlelight. always. it's so flattering, it adds instant drama, it makes things sparkle, and if you go for tapers, the colorful dripping wax the day after makes those candles so much prettier when they are not lit! when i spotted these hot pink tapers, my heart skipped a beat. i've been looking for the perfect colorful taper FOR. EVER. and a lot of times, they don't even fit in my candlesticks. these pink ones have a pretty fat base and stood straight up in all of my holders.
- skip the cheap coasters and invest in some quirky glass versions. these are my new obsession. i also use them as tiny bowls when we are not entertaining with them. i put beads and little things in them when i craft. i just always want to use them. i spotted these jonathan adler coasters that have been on my wish list, and there was no question they were going on the cart.
- keep cocktail napkins and bar towels on hand. when you pull bottles out of the ice bucket, keep them from dripping all over your pretty cart and set up. i always put a towel next to the bucket for that purpose. i thought these yellow striped towels were a fun way to have a sort of 'two in one' piece on your cart. folded up, they're super adorable around your cocktail glass (they're small enough to do so and not be bulky), or, lay on the handle of your cart for spills. double duty.
- always add at least a small touch of something from nature. i don't want to say flowers because there are so many other options! pull some giant leaves from your yard, pop a succulent in an old vintage cocktail glass, or sprinkle edible flowers in a bowl to garnish and decorate! i had to have this jonathan adler banana vase to add one color rose to the mix. award for most awkward vase ever? winner!
- stock several types of glasses. always champagne, wine and a low ball glass.
- fun cocktail stirrers! and i love reusable. i hate adorable things going to waste, so invest in some fun ones like these pineapple guys, or go plastic like my flamingos (ps. flamingo cocktail stirrers coming to the shop soon!!)
- have the essentials handy. we always have vodka and whiskey. that is usually all we need when we have a few friends over. but you know your guests, so stock accordingly. booze is expensive, so start with the basics and you can add a bottle every now and then to fill out your collection!
and to help you get started in updating a space in your home, i'm giving away $100 for you to shop with at Wayfair! just leave a comment on this post sharing the link to a piece you have your eye on over at Wayfair. One, randomly chosen winner will be chosen next Tuesday morning (please make sure to read rules below before entering). Remember to leave your contact information so that we can send you your credit. Good luck!
[ this post was made possible by Wayfair. thank you for supporting sponsors that help me continue to create and share fabulous things here at a fabulous fete! ]
No purchase necessary. By leaving a comment you agree to the rules of this sweepstakes. Each comment to this post equals one entry and must include a name and valid email address to be eligible. A comment must link to a product from Wayfair.com to be considered for this sweepstakes. One entry per household. Limited to entrants over 18 in the US and Canada, residents of Florida, New York, and Rhode Island are ineligible to enter. Contest begins as of the time of this post and ends on Monday, April 28th at 11:59pm. The winner will receive a Wayfair gift card/promo code, a retail value of $100 US. The number of eligible entries received will determine the odds of winning. All comments will be numbered in the order they are received and the winner will be chosen randomly by Lauren Saylor using the Random Number Generator at random.org. Winner will be notified by email at the address given in their entry and must respond within 72 hours to receive their prize. If the winner does not respond within that time, a new winner will be chosen. The prize will be provided by Wayfair.com. A Fabulous Fete is not responsible for any problems with receipt of the prize. This contest is governed by the rules of Massachusetts, void where prohibited. This sweepstakes is sponsored by Wayfair LLC, 177 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA, 02115.