Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Outfit Inspiration: Great Shoes for Spring

I completely love when the weather warms up enough to pack up all the boots and winter gear and pull out my spring shoes. It's such a fun way to add a little interest to an outfit.  Here are some that I've recently found while browsing online.  By the way, I'm pretty sure I need to buy those gold moccasins ASAP!
 
 
 
 
 Ruche  2 Gap  3 Lands' End  4 Merrell  5 ModCloth
 
 
Enjoy your day!
 





 


Monday, April 29, 2013

Antique Red Dresser

I totally lucked into this dresser a couple of Sundays ago when I quickly ran out to Lowes to pick something up. I hardly ever go there because I always use Behr paint and there are two Home Depots each within a few miles of my home. But, I really needed a certain primer that was only at Lowes and it totally worked out awesome because I stumbled upon a yard sale right on the main road and out of the corner of my eye I spied an antique dresser. I love a quick and unexpected purchase like this! I offered $10 less than asking, it was immediately accepted and loaded into my SUV and within minutes I was on my way!







Sunday, April 28, 2013

Mixing Vintage W/ New: Living Room Tour

I recently made it my mission to update our living room on a seriously small budget and using as much vintage furniture as I could.
 
The updates started to come into play a couple of months ago when my husband and I decided we finally were going to buy a new couch.  We've needed one for a couple of years now, but we were able to stretch the old sofa by using a slipcover and removing the back, dated and bulky cushions.
 

 
My husband wanted new, well-made, but not expensive. I wanted vintage. We even went to look at a sofa we found on craigslist. Totally. Did. Not. Work. Out. Seriously, how do people judge what good condition is? If you list your couch as excellent, then the arm should not feel like it is about to fall off!
 
 
We were totally at a sofa standstill when I happened upon a really great couch, that was very much like our number one pick from Pottery Barn.  It was new, gorgeous and priced at an incredible discount at a local store. I went back the next day with Martino, praying that it would still be there and it was! So excited!
 
 
 

Friday, April 26, 2013

Things I'm Loving This Week...

Yikes! I totally dropped the ball last Friday with my Things I'm Loving This Week... post. And it's one of my favorites to compile because it's my little weekly-online-window-shopping-guilty-pleasure that I get to share with you all.  I think I slept about 75% of the day last Friday thanks to a virus passed on from my sons and the rest of the time I was glued to the television watching Boston news coverage. Seriously heartbreaking stuff.
  
On a lighter note, here are my picks for this week. Does that pillow put a huge smile on your face, too? And who doesn't need a silver fortune cookie? I think both would look pretty awesome in my office!



1 JamaliGarden.com  2 PB Teen  3 Made Goods 
4 Joss&Main  5 Anthropologie


I have a busy weekend ahead. Saturday, I'll be making a furniture delivery to Village Primitives in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, and then, hopefully, scoring some good tag sale finds as I make my way home.

Have a great weekend and be sure to stop by on Sunday when I'll be sharing all the updates I've been making to my living room. It's chock-full of thrifted goods and I love it!




 

 



Thursday, April 25, 2013

Easy Moss Garland & Simple Spring Mantel

Since the weather took a dramatic turn from in the 40s on Tuesday to the 70s on Wednesday (yeah!) I thought I would spring-ify my mantel a bit.
 
 
 

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

[Project Notebook] Color Trend: Marigold Yellow

I'm no stranger to decorating with bold marigold (as I've recently seen it described) or mustard seed yellow.
 
Remember my gossip bench from last year? You can check it out in my fall entryway here. That was actually my most popular post ever!  And my $24.99 gold thrift store chair has been a comfy staple in my living room since I brought it home close to a year ago.
 

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Spring Beauty Trends

It's nearly the end of April (already) and I think we may really be on trend to enjoy spring here in Massachusetts! Last weekend was just gorgeous!
 
Here are some new (and some not so new) beauty products that are perfect for gearing up for warm weather season. (The Jergens Natural Glow is a repeat fave of mine!)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 

 
 
P.S. I got my hair cut!  Can't wait to share pics!
 
 


Monday, April 22, 2013

Bold Peacock Vintage Dining Chairs

The weather was so gorgeous on Sunday, and I was so far behind in painting that I spent a good chunk of the day outside, enjoying the weather and working. (I'm totally suffering today though as my allergies and asthma are horrible!)
 
I can't wait to share the custom order dining set that I am nearly done with. I've also almost finished a desk and the second dresser I picked up last weekend. I think today will be spent adding those finishing touches to each piece so they can be sent back to their owners and/or listed for sale.
 
Did you stop by yesterday? I shared my once again updated dining room. If you missed it, you can check it out here.
 
My big pop of color were these two chairs that I refurbished to add a bit of vintage to the room.


Sunday, April 21, 2013

Dining Room Updates...Again...


If it seems like I am always updating and changing things around in my dining room you're right.  Because, no matter what color the walls were or what accessories I used, I still was not happy. Why, you ask? Because I felt so stuck, design wise, with our massive 1990s hutch since it was never supposed to be in our redesigned dining room.
 



Thursday, April 18, 2013

Buying & Decorating with Thrift Store Art

Morning everyone! I just wanted to hop on real quick to share some of my recent thrift store/antique store finds with you all.
  
I've had a couple of crazy weeks. Last Wednesday was my birthday and yesterday, my 15th wedding anniversary. Our new couch was delivered this week, which, of course, caused a major rearrangement/redecorating of furniture and accessories in the living and dining rooms.  I'm also working on a huge custom dining set for a client. And, I got my hair majorly cut.
 
Did I mention that my husband really doesn't like change? There was definitely more than one time, this past week, where I sent him an email at work to try to prepare him for what was going on here before he got home!
  
Anyway, I have so much that I want to share, and I promise that updated living, entry and dining room tours our on the horizon.
  
For now, though, here is a little gallery wall that's in process in our living room...
 

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Mid-Length Hair Ideas...

Let me just start off by saying that I, in no way, have mid-length hair. My hair has gotten super, super long and is currently a few inches past the middle of my back.
 
Also, my hair is impossible to maintain and has always been that way.  It's curly (and I don't like to straighten it). Unless I do a very involved routine every day it is complete frizz. I have a ton of hair, yet it is super fine.
 
Add into that the fact that I have never really been able to find someone to cut it properly besides my Mom.  Seriously, I either have stylists who straight up tell me they have no idea how to style curly hair or stylists who neglect to listen to the fact that my hair curls very, very unevenly so you can't just cut it all the same. (The top layers of my hair are curly, the underneath layer is just wavy.) So, I frequently end up with very distinct layers that do not mesh.
 
There is my hair rant. And I'm probably (much to my husband's dismay) going to get it cut. Example number one is my current fave.  What about you? Any hair troubles?
 
 
 
1 Source  2 Source  3 Source  4 Source  5 Source 
 


  
 
 


Sunday, April 14, 2013

Antique Peacock Dresser

I had plans to go to some thrift stores on Saturday afternoon, but before I left, I hopped on craigslist and found an ad that was just placed in the furniture section for a tag sale about 20 minutes from my house with an awesome antique dresser.


Seriously, I couldn't get there fast enough. When I finally found the house (it's a town I'm not familiar with) I was so excited that it was still there. On facebook, I shared that I ran over to it like Phoebe Buffay. If you're a Friends fan will totally get that reference!


Quick Antique Ladder Back Chair Makeover

 Don't you love a good tag sale find and a quick makeover? Tag sales are slowly starting up again in Massachusetts, although I have to say that it is completely freezing here today.
 
 
I went to just one tag sale Saturday afternoon after I saw it listed on craigslist. They were selling the most amazing antique dresser (which I also happened to score), a few miscellaneous items and this cool, antique ladder back chair.


Thursday, April 11, 2013

Simple Book Page Wreath

This wreath took such a short amount of time to make! Usually wreathes take me forever and are way more intricate with punched borders and fancy things like that. Even Martino was shocked when I finished, but I had been planning on doing a simple and basic wreath for our bedroom (since there are quite a few patterns and colors going on in there already) for a while now.
 




Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Spring Wardrobe Essentials


A few springy wardrobe choices. (I kind of have a thing for greens and blues.) 


 

5 Gap


 

 

 

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Our Retro Coffee Table Transformation

 A couple of weeks ago I bought this retro coffee table from someone on craigslist.  It was so funny, because as I'm talking to the girl on the phone about buying it she was trying to tell me about where she lived and, although I really never get lost, I was having trouble placing the streets that she was naming. That was until she said she lived behind HomeGoods. Hello? Why didn't she just say so in the first place?




Monday, April 8, 2013

Cottage Country End Tables

The last couple of weeks have left me in a tizzy. So, the entire refurbishing of furniture thing has taken off way faster than I thought, I've let some of my blog posts and linking fall to the wayside, and my children are in a nightmarish stage.  I really don't think it has much to do with their autism or ADHD or anxiety. Just typical, out of control sibling drama and bad attitudes. The combination of two boys ages 9 and 11 is just not working for me lately.
 

Anyhoo, I won't even tell you the ridiculous price we got these end tables for at the Goodwill. They were clearly mismarked and we snatched them up quickly. Well, that's not entirely true. Martino and I walked into the Goodwill about 5 minutes before closing, panicked because we couldn't make a decision, left without the tables, obsessed about them all night and then got to the store before they opened the next morning and bought them. Craziness.



Friday, April 5, 2013

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

A Trio of Chairs

I recently found three chairs all on the same day. 
 
A barrel shaped chair, which was from the Goodwill and two others that I found at some bizarre, we'll say store, although it seemed like a front for something that I'm not sure what, but I was lured in by vintage furniture displayed out front only to walk into the weirdest place that had nothing really, but two guys and a puppy hanging out. Seriously, I have no clue what was going on there, but I ended up with two chairs and yet another story to tell.
 
This was one of the chairs that I found: 


Monday, April 1, 2013

Grungy White & Burlap

Last week I shared a makeover that I absolutely loved using black paint and burlap (here).  The store that I sell most of my furniture at is country/primitive and the most popular color, by far, is black.