All this white stuff has got me thinking....

Not about more snow! Our oak wood floors are in need of refinishing. I would love to have them refinished in a dark espresso stain, but I have neither the money, or the time or energy to move all of our upstairs furniture downstairs and evacuate the house for a week. Also to consider is the fact that we have 2 dogs, one who has white fur and constantly sheds. You pet him, and your hand leaves with a furball. So though the dark floors would be pretty, they would never look clean and nice in this house! So I have started thinking about whitewashing the floors for a number of reasons. I believe I could do it myself and go room by room as the finish is a little more rustic and not as sleek as the dark stain. Also, fur and dirt would not be so easily seen, and my house would appear a little cleaner! And lastly, If i can do it myself, that makes it an affordable endeavor. So perhaps this summer or when my son starts kindergarten in the fall, I will take on this challenge and document it. For now, I am going to leave you with some images of whitewashed floors. Feel free to leave your opinions- positive or negative- on what you think of this idea.

Courtesy of Country Living

Courtesy of Marley & Lockyer

Courtesy of designevolutionblog.com

Courtesy of Lindsay Docherty

Courtesy of Flickr.com

Recent Shopping!

Two weekends ago, we had the fortunate opportunity to attend a party at Chuck E Cheese.... Do you sense my sarcasm? The kids love it, but it is one huge petri dish of germs! What was actually fortunate about it was its proximity to my favorite store, Anthropologie! Of course, I can't really afford anything there unless it is on sale, but I was so excited to pick up these little number spice jars for just $1.95 each! I can't wait till spring so I can fill each with flower buds!

I also picked up this adorable "Maison" sign. My daughter is really getting into "Fancy Nancy" so we take any chance to throw in "un peu de francais!" (All those who really know French out there, don't kill me! It has been years since my last French class in college!)

My mom and I hit the road this weekend and ventured out to one of my favorite monthly sales at Chartreuse & Co where I found some great small items for my house, such as this awesome vintage locker basket!

I was in need of a mirror for my bathroom and this was the perfect size (to cover up the hole left behind by our hideous rusty old medicine cabinet). It was gold, but I gave it a semi-gloss white painted finish for a nice fresh and clean look.

I also found these vintage theater style numbers and purchased 3. I was able to remove the back brackets on 2 of them, and need to just get them off the last so I can hang them. I plan to place them inside one of the frames behind my couch.

And I could not resist this hand made "Bonjour" banner for my daughter's room! It is pink and aqua, sparkly and French, and just perfect!

Our next stop was my favorite antique store in the whole world- The Old Lucketts Store in Lucketts, VA. There I found a couple if neat pieces... such as this bowling pin. I can't explain why I wanted it, but don't you just love it?

I also purchased this stack of old books to place on the table in my family room. I was an English major in college, and our whole family loves to read, so I couldn't resist. To top it off they are my favorite color- blue!

This next piece was not a vintage find, but I liked its industrial style, and it will be perfect to hold paper clips, tacks, etc in my office space.

I also saw a few replica birdie bottle openers, just like the one I purchases at Goodwill a few weeks ago, except that mine is the real deal- a true vintage tarnished, imperfect birdie bottle opener. And it was only $4. Love it!

What have you found lately that you just love? Share!

Dorothy Draper Dresser Do-Over

Have I got your tongue twisted?
I found this adorable little Dorothy Draper knock-off on craigslist recently for a mere $10!

I was so excited as I had seen the one that Kate of centsationalgirl.com had redone and simply loved it! She painted hers a slate blue, and highlighted the grooves with white, and painted her hardware white. I loved its vintage modern shape, but clean and cool color scheme. So when this little green guy popped up, I just had to have it! Unfortunately, the original hardware was long gone and had been replaced with glass knobs. I generally like glass knobs, but they weren't set in the right place on the drawer. This piece really needed some drop-ring hardware! With all the refinishing I do, you can imagine how much vintage hardware I have on hand that I save. I had the perfect little pulls that came from an antique British dresser. They are a little more decorative than the originals would have been, but worked well enough. I sanded mine, primed it with 2 coats, and gave it 2 coats of white paint. I highlighted the grooves on mine with the same soft gray I just used on my office chair, and primed and painted the hardware with the soft gray. And here she is, working as the perfect end table to our new gray couch!



I love that this room is really starting to come together. decorating is definitely something that is constantly happening, especially if you are using vintage finds. Good things do come to those who wait, so don't hurry your room together as it won't feel done. Wait for the right pieces, and you will genuinely be happy with the results. Toodles!

Good Will Desk Chair

I was devastated by a recent craigslist tragedy..... OK so maybe I am over-dramatizing a bit. But here is what happened. I fell in LOVE with a fabulous blue pair of chairs, each monogrammed with the letter "G" (which is the first letter of my maiden name). They were kind of far away, but I just had to had them for my new desk area. I made an appointment for when my kids would be in school and was so excited! That evening I received an email from the seller- "Sorry, the chairs have sold." I was so upset!
This chair doesn't quite measure up, but for $6 at the local Good Will Store, I figured I couldn't go wrong.

It had a pretty awful paint job on it in pale pink with dark pink accents. And it appeared that whomever painted it painted only 1 coat on the legs- it was altogether strange, but had a certain charm, and I loved the applique. Sot that, and a fat little silver vintage birdie bottle opener came home with me that day. Armed with sandpaper, primer, a brush, and a soft gray paint on hand that I had purchased from Home Depot's Oops Section, I went to work! I sanded and primed the whole piece, then painted the caned seat white, and the body of the chair gray. I decided to distress it to show hints of the pink showing through, and am pleased with the outcome. I think the new chair complements the desk nicely!



Of course, if the person who bought my "G" chairs happens to be reading this and wishes to sell them ever, let me know!!!!!

Winter Skies: Blues and Grays

I am not sure if it is this snowy weather and cool temperatures, but lately I am really into blues and grays. Blue has always been my favorite color and it is the one color that really unifies my house- there is blue in every room! Currently I love the calming and relaxing vibe it emanates when paired with soft grays, or even charcoal grays. Check out some of these images of rooms in blues and grays.
What do you think of these images from Country Living?





Or this more modern version from Apartment Therapy?

Snowy Day Craft Project- Ruffly Felt Wreath

When we knew that we were about to get pummeled again with about 10-20" more of snow, my kids and I hit the local Jo-Ann's Store to stock up on some projects. I have recently seen these gorgeous felt ruffly wreaths and was dying to have one of my own. Check out this happy yellow one that Kelly of I Dream of Decor made!

Source: idreamofdecor/blogspot.com/ (for some reason I cannot get links to attach- can anyone help?)
So while at Jo-ann's I found a couple sizes of foam wreaths to use as the base and opted for the smaller 8" size as I knew I was going to hang it on my foyer mirror and didn't want it to be too big. I then checked out the felt selection. I was really envisioning a soft pretty aqua wreath, but alas, could not find the felt to make my vision come to life. Instead I opted for this beautiful gray felt. Since I was using a smaller wreath I only purchased a yard of fabric and have plenty to spare now that the project is complete. I also perused the ribbon section to find a pretty aqua ribbin from which to hang the wreath, but no luck, so since Valentine's day is just around the corner, I used a soft sheer pink ribbon I already had at home.
To view simple and clear directions for this project, visit domestifluff at
http://www.domestifluff.com/2009/11/how-to-make-a-ruffly-felt-rosette-wreath/
Since my wreath was smaller, I did cut smaller circles, around 2.5" in diameter. I also didn't keep my felt pieces in a patter, and kind of turned the pins in every which direction after inserting to help give it a fluffier look. Here is my wreath hanging in its new home!



I am very happy with it, and the whole project took me around 2 hours. Let's put it this way- I was able to watch last night's full episode of "American Idol" and then worked for one hour beyond that

You're snowed in.... Now what?

On Thursday evening and Friday morning of last week, the incoming snowstorm was all the talk around town and on the news. All that talk had people running frantically to the grocery store and Wal-Mart for water, bread, milk (and seriously people, what do you do with your gallons and gallons of milk??)! Not me, folks! I was making a mad dash to the Salvation Army to purchase a china cabinet I had seen 2 days earlier. I knew I was going to need a big project, besides an order I am working on. Here she is.... before.

Now I am not one who typically likes traditional French Provincial style, but I saw this cabinet that Holly at inthefunlane.com did, and just fell in love!

After having to tear down tons of wallpaper in our last house, though, I just couldn't commit to wallpaper, and instead painted the inside of mine in a spa blue I mixed out of some colors I had on hand. And here she is in my dining room!

Mirrored Nightstands

A while back Amber asked me to keep an eye out for a pair of nightstands for her bedroom. I had been to her home to deliver a dresser, so I had an idea of the style she was looking for and what would suit her home on Capitol Hill. I found this great pair of nightstands close to my home, which was convenient! Amber has a definite style, and knew exactly what she wanted- glossy dark blue paint (Benjamin Moore Symphony Blue to be exact), and no distressing. She also requested polyurethane for protection as she knew her husband and she would be setting drinks on them. Now in the past I have not been a fan of poly over paint as I find it tends to yellow over time. So i suggested we get a couple of pieces of glass cut to fit the tops. That seemed like a reasonable solution, but recalling the interior of Amber's home, I then suggested we take it a step further and use mirrored glass which would add much more glamour. Lo and behold, the cost was the same for either, so hands down we went with the mirror. What do you think?


I am so impressed with her style and decor, and a little blog named younghouselove.com happened to take note as well and Amber's home will be featured on their blog soon! They were supposed to photograph today, but due to a little snow, it's a no-go today. I will let you know as soon as it is posted! Also, if you are in the market for a wedding planner or event planner, Amber is your woman! Check out her website at http://www.amberkarsonevents.com/ and give her a shout!

Family Room Redo..... Part 4

Who needs framed art when a frame can be art? If you recall I planned on using a photo my most-talented brother shot as artwork above our new couch. I wanted to get it blown up and put on stretched canvas, but discovered that 20" x 30" was the largest the loca shop offered and it would cost $140. So yesterday I pulled out some frames to paint just to have a project to work on, and my wheels started turning. I had enough frames, plus a couple that I had on hand already painted, to make a collage of antique frames above the couch. The couch is more modern and sleek, so I love the way the antique frames hang above them and offer a classical feminine touch. I decided not to distress them as I wanted a cleaner look. I also had to hang them a little hige than I would have preferred as many little people with little hands wander through our family room, and I wanted the frames to stay put! What do you think? Oh, and that cute little almost triangular shaped antique ladder came from the auction last week, and just completed that corner for me!