Inspiration Challenge: July{Home Decor}

Yay! It’s month two and I actually followed through on something. It helps that I have such great support in my friend, Melissa (of Simply Sweets By Honeybee), who is doing this challenge right along side me. I know we are meant to be good friends. Do you know how I know? Not only is she as obsessed with baking as I am, but she would also prefer to text rather than actually talk on the phone. So very few days go by that we don’t text each other at some point about something we have baked, or something awesome that someone else baked.

Anyway. We originally chose this month’s theme based on something that Melissa bought that she wanted to “cookie”. She did change her mind, though, so I have no idea what she is actually making. I am as excited as you are to find out!

I was originally going to do a bunch of different clocks, but then I saw these incredible cookies by Ali’s Sweet Tooth, and I knew there was no way I could do cookie clocks justice after seeing these.

So I wandered the aisles of Target hoping to be inspired. When that didn’t happen, I began to wander my house. We have lived here for two years as of this month. And this is still what the majority of my walls look like (the two items are only where they are because that’s where nails happened to be already):

My Pinterest boards are full of gorgeous gallery wall inspiration and I hope to do that here someday. I have a few things waiting to be framed and hung (like the amazing portraits we had done in the spring by JM Portraits, the talented photographer who happens to be Ellie’s Girl Scout Troop Leader). But, while I was pacing my house, I kept coming back to this mirror that I fell in love with at Target (I got the subway art at HomeGoods). I was suddenly struck by the inspiration to do a mirror gallery wall out of cookies.

These definitely are not my favorite cookies ever, and I know they are not my best work. But I do kind of like the effect they have when grouped together. I searched Google for some cute mirrors, and I tried to go back to the source so I could link my cookie to the mirror that inspired it.

I was able to find most sources, but where I couldn’t I am linking to my Pin. If anyone finds an original link, let me know and I will fix it.

1. Off to a bad start. I copied this almost swirl for swirl then I could not remember where I found it. I even forgot to pin it 😦
2. The mirror in my living room from Target
3. French Mirror Company
4. My own imagination. I cut out a shape I liked before doing my search. Then I couldn’t find anything to match my shape.
5. I searched far and wide for an original link here, but couldn’t find one. I pinned it from an About.Com article.
6. Another from my own mind. I wanted to try a simple scalloped design using a small star tip.
7. This sunburst mirror was from the same About.Com article, but I was able to trace it to Lighting Showroom.
8. Mosaic Mirror from Stoneage Arts
9. Ikea mirror

I also experimented a little to see if I could find a technique to make a “reflective surface”. All cookies were based coated first with a light turquoise.

1. Painted with a full coat of Wilton’s silver pearl dust.
2. Sprayed with Wilton’s pearl color mist and sprinkled with rainbow disco dust.
3. Brushed lightly with a mixture of Wilton’s silver pearl dust and vodka, then brushed again with some silver disco dust (also mixed with a little vodka)
4. The same as #3 but without the silver disco dust.

I think I liked #3 the best.

So, now go check out Melissa’s post. I can’t wait to see what she did! And while you are there, make sure you link up your home decor inspired cookies to her linky party.

Thank you so much to everyone who linked up last month. I loved seeing what you came up with!

Next month’s challenge is a little broader. As an homage to the ridiculous heat we are experiencing everywhere this summer, get ready to link up your cookies that represent “staying cool”. I know it will be fun to see how everyone interprets that one 🙂

Thank you for joining us this month!

Past Challenges:

• June {fabric} Ellie’s Bites, Simply Sweets by Honeybee