Monday, July 25, 2011

The One That Almost Got Away

I got this "thing" at an auction a few years ago and never quite knew what to do with it.  I only paid $5 for it but I loved how unusual it looked with all of the pretty detail.


It's a stand of some sort.  Too small to be an end table.  I thought about putting a round glass top on it and making it a coffee table.  But where?

It ended up in the Sitting Room off of the Master and has stayed there until I recently decided to list it on Craig's List.


It really was useless.

But I LOVE useless stuff!!! I CRAVE useless stuff!!! I HOARD useless stuff!!!

So after coming to my un-senses, I took it off of CL and gave it a facelift.  It was white before which limited the space where I could use it.  After giving it a couple coats of Minwax Stain in Provincial and two coats of clear Poly spray the lightbulb went off and I knew exactly where to put it.  (I should add that this is some sort of resin material - not wood. But I've learned that you can add stain to just about any old thing.)

Here it is in it's new home.


I love how the stain creeps into the crevices bringing out the wonderful detail.  It looks so much prettier now.

Stacked with books:


Done!


It works in my Family Room, which is a mix of Tuscan and Traditional.  I have a lot of different pieces in here, none of which match, but I love that look.  Kind of eclectic.

A lot of wrought iron.


I also changed the mantle up a little bit.  It used to look like this:



But I moved these from here:


to here:


And now it looks like this:


The large finial I got at a yardsale recently for $1.



Another view of the Family Room.


Pretty soon there's gonna be a toddler shaking things up in here and it's all gonna go...... to the island (of misfit decor).  Temporarily.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulicious day!
xoxo,
Kim

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Are They Real Or Fake???

Don't you just love how fake fruit looks so deliciously realistic these days???  I've had more than one set of kindergarten fingers reach for the apples on my kitchen table.  I usually wait til they get that "Eww-that's-disgusting" look on their faces before I tell them they aren't real.  JK.

I will insert my tip of the day here:
DO NOT buy fake fruit at Michaels!  Even with your 40% off coupon they are way too overpriced.  You can buy a whole container full of 'em at Marshalls/Ross/TJ's for as little as $5.99.  And they have all different varieties.  Not sure about Hobby Lobby as I'm not lucky enough to have one nearby, but I'm sure they are cheap there too.  JS.

Moving on.  With the exasperating heat here in the Mid-Atlantic region, I've been forced to stay inside.  And while walking aimlessly around the house looking for things to move/paint/alter in any way that makes a reasonable amount of sense,  I discovered that I have an overwhelming amount of fake fruit.  I've heard a lot about how taboo it is to have fake flowers (not that I listen to that nonsense), but I haven't heard any mention of fake fruit.  Anyone?

Regardless, I'm liking mine and thought I'd share a sampling.


Here a pear....


there a pear...


everywhere a pear pear...


Grapes anyone??


Yummy green apples!


Lots of mixed fruit too.


Love that container from Tuesday Morning.  I gave it a coat of ORB spray paint.  Notice the little birdie on top??  How tweet!


Just got that basket above from Michaels.  Spent way too much for it, but I loved it.

Moving into the Dining Room:


I made the arrangement in the cachepot I got from Tuesday Morning.


Red pears for good measure!


What I love about decorating with fake fruit is the pop of color it so easily adds to any room.

I even use it outside! 



Guess what!  I bought fake lemons from Marshalls and they smell like real lemons!!!! How.cool.is.that!

Back to my kitchen hutch which I can't seem to stop tweaking these days.  Denise, if you're reading this, just scroll to the very end....  
I meant to post this while she was on vacation, but time got away from me.  Crap!!  
She got this tole tray at a yardsale last weekend and it was supposed to go on our Etsy store, but I stole it decorated with it instead.   


Don't judge - it goes perfectly on my hutch. 



And not to worry, I took this tole tray from my stash and listed it on Etsy in it's place, cause I'm nice like that.


And not to worry, I took this tole tray from my stash and listed it on Etsy in it's place, cause I'm nice like that.


It's actually in better shape than the red one.  And Denise, if you want it, you can have it ;)

Have a fabulicious day!
xoxo,
Kim

Monday, July 18, 2011

Design Schizophrenia

There was a commercial on HGTV recently for last season's Design Star winner Emily Henderson's new show where she tells people their "Design Diagnostic".  Fortunately for me, I don't need Emily to give me mine.  It's called Schizophrenia.  The entire main floor of my home screams Traditional.  The basement is Contemporary.  The kid's bathroom is Beach Cottage.  Their bedrooms are a cross between Eclectic and Buried-Alive-Hoarding.

And then there's the Master Bedroom.  It started out as shabby/cottage chic in various forms, starting with this:


And with the addition of the chandy, it became this:


Now, it's more on the Beach Cottage side with these changes:


And my newly painted dresser with some beachy accents.


I also just added this sweet chippy shelf I picked up over the weekend at a yard sale.


Love it!


It's so lightweight and I love how it goes with the rest of the room.


My adjoining Sitting Room has gone through it's own metomorphosis over the years, but has stayed on the vintage side with French Country accents.  

At one point it looked like this:

I then added my new love, this antique cabinet:


And my new Frenchy chair:


And remember this table that I just refinished? To see how it started out, go HERE.

 Well, there's a lot of baby-proofing going on in this house lately, which means no small tables.  Sooooooo, I transformed it again into this:


I gave it two coats of A.S.C.P. in Old White and then distressed it to let the olive color show through.  I love it so much better now.


More Frenchy.


So, what's your style diagnostic???  Are you a Schizophrenic like me?  And me? And me?

Have a fabulicious week!
xoxo,
Kim


Friday, July 15, 2011

Blooming Bliss


It occurred to me, that I have yet to post any outdoor pictures this year.  Shame on me!  

I got this bakers rack last year from Craig's List and filled it with mostly yardsale finds and goodies from Ross/Marshalls.





Early last Summer I found out I was pregnant.  It was also the Summer of endless heatwaves.  Put the two together and I stopped even going outdoors by mid-July.  Even more reason for me to enjoy gardening this year!




Just a random sampling.
Have a Summerlicious weekend!
xoxo,
Kim