Monday, December 23, 2013

Merry Christmas from Number Fifty-Three

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! Thank you so much for all the love and support this year, friends. I will be back January 2, 2014 with loads of new projects, furniture, decorating ideas and product reviews. It will be amazing! I promise!!!
 
Now, I'm off to celebrate Christmas with my family, plus two birthdays...my oldest will be 12 on December 28th and my youngest will be 10 on New Year's Day. We will be busy for sure!
 
 
 
 
P.S. A huge thank you to Treat and Tiny Prints for providing our cards this year!



Sunday, December 22, 2013

Top 5 Posts of 2013

Hey there friends! I cannot believe it is almost Christmas and another year is coming to a close. I think it was a pretty fantastic year here at Number Fifty-Three and all of you who have stopped by, commented and supported me are amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
 
Can you guess what my most popular posts of 2013 were?  Let's take a look!

My Modern & Fresh Home Tour!

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Christmas Dining Table...Deconstructed

Hey all! I hope you're all well! I've had a couple of those, "Oh My Gosh this cannot be happening!" (and not in a good way) moments this week.
 
First, our old house is having some plumbing issues which resulted in a little bit of a flood coming though the ceiling and into our entryway. So not pretty.
 
Then, that evening I realized that my posts weren't updating on Bloglovin'. I totally thought it was a glitch on their part, but it ended up being a problem with my RSS feed. Gah. I think we have it all fixed now, so if you're here reading this, you may want to go back and see what I've been up to for the past week and a half!
  
And you know, bad luck always comes in threes, so I am completely sitting here waiting for the third thing!
 
Enough with the gloom...lets talk happy Christmas things, OK?  When I was putting together my Blogger Stylin' Home Tour I had so many pictures that I ended up putting some of them in collage form. I think that my favorite spot in our home from that tour was the dining room table, so I thought I would share it more in detail with you all. Pour yourself a glass of wine, grab a snack and lets get started!
 
So, here is my dining table, if you were looking into the dining room from our living room. I love how the room looks so warm and glowing from the candles and Christmas lights!
 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Inspiring Bloggers Series: Vintage Prairie Style

Hey all! It's time for my next feature in my Inspiring Bloggers Series!  I am so, so thrilled to have Keya from Vintage Prairie Style here today! I'm trying to think of when I first discovered Keya's blog and I'm pretty sure it was after she left me the sweetest message on one of my posts a long, long time ago. It doesn't hurt that she has awesome style! I find so much inspiration from her painted furniture and it just kills me that she lives so far away from me!
 
 
Hi everyone, I'm Keya and I blog over at vintage prairie style, which is my little corner of the web where I get to share all of my creations and inspirations. I think of my site as an ever evolving series of projects, so when you visit (and I hope you will) you never really know what you will find; my world can be a bit chaotic - in the best possible way... I cannot tell you how excited and surprised I was when Angela asked me to participate in her inspiring bloggers series! I have to say, as soon as I found Angela, which feels like many moons ago now, I was smitten. We share a love of thrifting, furniture re-dos and crafting. I could go on for days... Her style is so amazing, she has such creative ideas and her positivity and outlook on life are truly inspiring.  

This is the story of two thrift store chairs and the riot they caused in my living room. Maybe some of you will relate to this experience, and for those of you who don't, well, bare with me... You see, when I spotted them (my new chairs) I knew they were special. Diamonds in the rough, and I mean r-o-u-g-h! But, with a price tag of $15, I had to have them. I brought them home, fixed them up and proudly brought them up to our living room (I plan to do a before/after post over on my blog in the new year).




And this, my friends, is where it happened.

The RIOT.

These chairs were not playing nice with the other pieces in the room. Obviously I had to address this issue immediately. So after an afternoon of furniture shuffling I came up with something that is going to work for all of us. For the time being, of course.

So lets take a look.



When you walk into the room from the front entrance this is what you see. You might notice that I like to mix old and new; that I've never met a stripe I didn't like; and that I love to layer, but you need to know that I also HATE clutter.

Below you can see my new chairs in their new home. These chairs were truly a labor of love, as were so many other elements in this room. The wall sconces, for instance, were way too brassy; but after a hit of antiquing wax they were invited to join this crew (no fear of mixing metals in this house). All of the pillows were made by me using drop cloth remnants, linen scraps and even some ikea rugs.


Here is the new view of our book case wall, an area that sees regular changes (you can see some of the incarnations of this space here, here and here). I've mixed our hand-me-down wing backs with more hand sewn pillows, graphic Ikea plates and a lot of vintage treasures. I am pretty nuts over my new/old bowling pins. Not sure that the husband and kids understand that these are decorative...


I like to make things look interesting; no matter where you are sitting. So when we are relaxing in the wing backs this is our view. The gallery wall has stayed the same for over a year, a record in this house.


And finally, here is  my favorite spot in the room.


It is completely separate from my new chairs, but had the chairs not caused a shakeup then I never would have put this together. This little polka dotted cabinet is a favorite, I painted it up to sell but in the end I had to keep it (you can read all about that here). And no, that is not a real mouse scaling the lamp shade - it's a bronze. Made by my aunt. I have been coveting her pieces my whole life and finally acquired one - did I mention that I love him!


So there you have it. A harmonious end to a wild overhaul. I will admit that I have no idea if this will last much past this holiday season; things never stay the same for too long around here; but I can tell you I am enjoying it right now.

Thanks so much again to Angela for having me, and I hope that all of you will pop over for a visit soon!
 
 
Thank you so much for sharing Keya! And friends, be sure to stop on over to Vintage Prairie Style! 
 
 











Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Updates & All That Fun Stuff...

Hey friends! The days have just been flying by! Yesterday we took the boys to the Museum of Science in Boston and it was amazing. (We've been there tons of times, but yesterday was particularly cool.) I even survived watching a sheep eye get dissected with Antonio. And, if you know me in real life, you know that was a serious accomplishment. Ick!
 
I just wanted to hop on and share a few things with you. First, I recently participated in the Blogger Stylin' Christmas Home Tour, which was ridiculously awesome!  There were a couple of glitches (things like that happen when you have 50+ bloggers participating over a 5 day period), so I just wanted to make sure you all had the links to see every last one of these fantastic tours!

Monday, December 16, 2013

Festive Paint Chip Garland

Hey friends! I'm just on really, really quick to share a little, festive project I did a couple of days ago. We promised our boys a fun day today and do not want to disappoint!
 
 
 

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Guest Tour: A Primitive Christmas

Welcome! I'm super excited to be sharing my Mom's home tour with you all today. I love to periodically photograph her home and the Christmas season gave me the perfect opportunity to do just that!
 
 
As you can see from my Christmas Tour last week, we have wildly different styles. But, we actually love a lot of the same things and frequently share decorating ideas and home décor items.
 


Friday, December 13, 2013

Things I'm Loving This Week...Gifts for a Cause

Isn't it awesome when you can buy a gift for a friend or loved one and help someone out all at the same time?  I've been searching around online for some of my favorite gifts that also contribute to those less fortunate.  It's a total win-win!
 
 

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Finger Knit Winter Wreath

 Hey friends! Have you ever tried finger knitting? I first gave it a shot last winter and completely fell in love.  It's fast and easy and super addictive. I just get comfy on the couch, which is sort of mandatory with my sprained ankle, (oh yeah, I totally missed the last stair carrying laundry into the basement), turn on my favorite show (are you all obsessed with New Girl, too) and get crafty.
 


Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Pinterest Love...Christmas Trees

Hey everyone! Did you check out my Christmas home tour yesterday? I have the links to all of the 50+ bloggers participating this week at the end of the post. Be sure to check them out! It's only day two and I am already completely blown away.
 
There are so many fun ways to go when choosing and decorating a tree, don't you think? I tend to be more on the creative/take a risk side (no surprise) and my family is more in the traditional side.  Here are some of my favorite Christmas trees that I've pinned on Pinterest.  Which do you like best?
 
 
1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5
 

Monday, December 9, 2013

Blogger Stylin' Home Tour: Christmas

 Welcome to my Christmas Home Tour, friends! I have been primping, arranging and decorating and some (ahem, my family) might say obsessively, but I just wanted everything to look festive for your visit, so come on in! And, if you just stopped by from Sarah M. Dorsey Designs, she is amazing, right?
 
 
Our entry has a bright, open and decidedly vintage feel, thanks in part to my gold stenciled wall and two-toned painted dresser. I placed my new flocked tree (oh, how I love it and have coveted them forever) into an owl vase that was a gift from a friend. I didn't think this tree needed much so I simply decorated it in aqua, green and blue vintage ornaments.
 
 
 

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Easy, Glittery Pinecones

Hey all! I have a couple of fun crafts to share this week that are perfect for Christmas, but are neutral and wintry enough to decorate with long after the holiday has ended.
 

 

Friday, December 6, 2013

Things I'm Loving This Week....Pretty Gift Ideas

Hey everyone! Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? I am totally not even close, but that's OK! I have some super cute gift ideas today that I am really loving!
 
1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5
 

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Chalkboard Clipboard Picture Holder

Welcome friends!
 
You all know that I love when something is simple, inexpensive and makes a huge statement, right?
 
Well, today I have two fantastic things to share with you!
 

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

My Favorite Christmas Ornaments - 2013

Friends, I have been scouring my favorite websites to create a definitive list of fantastic Christmas ornaments. Bonus: I noticed that many are free shipping and lots are already on sale! Which is your style?
 
 

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Pinterest Love... Christmas Inspiration

Hey friends, I'm getting a late blogging start today after bringing my oldest to the orthodontist and delivering a table to a client. Then we had a quick lunch and headed over to BJs to stock up. Seriously. Why does good-for-you food have to cost so darn much!?! Not fair at all!
 
I have a little bit of time to relax with my cup of coffee and all things bloggy before I'm off again to drop the oldest off at his art class. You totally know I'm going to be spending a good part of this time on Pinterest! Most likely finding inspiration for holiday ideas and decorating.
 
Here are some of my favs this week:
 
 
1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5
 
 

 
 






 
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Monday, December 2, 2013

Budget Christmas Decorating

If you're like me and you love to decorate (and redecorate) then you always have this tiny, annoying, little thing called a budget looming over you. Right?

This is especially true around the Christmas season when there is so much to do and so many other expenses. Yet, I always want to create fresh and new holiday displays around my home. What am I to do! Well, I have created a little system filled with tips to decorate beautifully on a Christmas budget.

First, use older holiday items in a new way. For example, I have an extensive collection of vintage ornaments (all found for free or just a couple of dollars a box at tag sales) that, some years, completely decorate my tree. This year, I have used them differently, piled in a vintage bowl in my entry. It gives them a totally new and unexpected look!


Sunday, December 1, 2013

Book Page Chistmas Wreath

We usually put our big Christmas tree in our dining room each year. It's probably atypical, but it seems to work out best for us and for the layout of our home.
 
Anyway, about a month or so ago I found this vintage bamboo ladder at a tag sale not too far from us. I was super excited because I had actually wanted an antique ladder for next to the sideboard in our dining room. This one, though, more than fit the bill.  It was the right size and color, the bamboo gave it a cool, modern edge and, get this, it only cost $5. Five dollars!