What's Up

Can you guess what I'm up to?

Yep. I'm hanging things on the walls again.  Do you like?

Don't worry. Framed bird prints will soon take the place of the cut-up grocery bags. But, I like to visualize...




Remember my bird prints?

They were such a steal. Good thing, because framing them is not. I went to Michael's where they were having 60% off custom framing plus an additional 10% off, and I still did not like the price. So imagine the grocery bag wall with only 6 grocery bags, because I'm only framing 6 of these puppies birds.

I chose a gold bamboo frame with no mat. It was exactly what I had in mind. But, for some reason I woke up in the middle of the night and worried that the frame was too thick, that I should have matted it, that I made a big mistake. Ugh! I couldn't shut my brain off.

Does that happen to anyone else? 3am seems to be the time of day that I have to worry about everything under the sun. Are the baseball uniforms washed? Are the kids eating enough vegetables? Let me tell you... at 3am the smallest things become earth-shattering.

At least my husband sleeps soundly. Good for him.


I picked up a garden stool at Home Goods.

White wasn't my first color choice, but that's what I found and the price was right. It was less than one frame.

Here's to sleeping through the night!

Black and White Beauty

The 96th running of the Indianapolis 500 is today and our city is decked out in black and white checkered flags.

In honor of race day, I like to do a post on black and white rooms to rev up your design engines. Let's take a look...

via Country Living

via Pinterest

via decorpad

via Style at Home

Adrienne Vittadini's Home via Pinterest

Adrienne Vittadini's home via Pinterest

Elle Decor

via shelter

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Atlanta Homes Magazine

via Pinterest

via decorpad

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

My husband is at the race with three of our sons. God bless him... it's going to be 97 degrees today. Ugh! I don't know about you, but I'd rather be here...

via Pinterest

For more black and white goodness, check out my Pinterest board or last year's race day post..  Have a great day!!

$15 Mirror Makeover

Hey there! Hope your week is off to a great start!

School's out for summer (Can you hear Alice Cooper?) on Thursday, so I'm trying to get lots done before then. I am thrilled to be working on some client projects, which I'll fill you in on soon.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a simple mirror makeover I did last summer but haven't blogged about yet. Because I am so on top of things :)

Our guest bedroom has a small entryway before it opens into the larger room. I'd call it a vestibule, but that sounds much fancier than it actually is. There is a closet on one wall, and I wanted to put a bench and mirror against the other wall. I wanted a full-length mirror, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money.

I found this large, heavy mirror at a local thrift store. It was part of a bedroom furniture set that the shop owner was refinishing. She agreed to sell me just the mirror for $15.

It was a bit scratched up and not very attractive, but I liked the shape and knew I could make it pretty.

The makeover began with a coat of Annie Sloan chalk paint in Old White that I had in my stash.

I then dry-brushed AS French Gray over it, lightly sanded the edges for a distressed look and sparingly applied dark wax.

And, now it hangs in my guest room.

There you have it! Easy and inexpensive. My kind of project.

Have a super Tuesday :)

Sharing at 

Shades of Amber
Tuesday's Treasures

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall ... Finally!!

Thank you to everyone who weighed in on my mirror decision. I really loved getting your input! I know it's been ages, but I thought I'd show you the "winner." Or should I say winners...

A couple of you asked if I planned to paint the cabinetry. Originally, I was hoping not to. I thought I'd go for the rustic look. Unfortunately, the cabinets aren't giving off the rustic vibe. Just the boring oak vibe.

I thought it would be really cool to sand the cabinets and lime them to look like the "Restoration Hardware" wood. But, since it took me nearly a month to hang two mirrors, I seriously doubt I have the time for such an involved process.

Plan B is to paint the cabinets. I've made my color decision. Now, I just have to do the work.

Wish me luck :)


Sharing at
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Transformation Thursday
Wow Us Wednesday
What's It Wednesday

Dining Chair Contender: Chinese Chippendale

This weekend I am finally listing my dining table and chairs on craigslist. That means I really need to step up my search for dining chairs.

You may recall that I purchased a dining table and host/hostess chairs, but I'm on the hunt for 8 side chairs. There are so many great options out there, and I'll be featuring a few of my favorite contenders.

First up: the Chinese Chippendale chair...

Katie Rosenfeld Design

via Bamboofurniture

via House Beautiful

via Cote de Texas

via Pinterest

via BHG

via Pinterest

via Harper's Bazaar

via Pinterest

Sherrill Canet

I love the intricate detail of the fretwork, the fun color options, the style and the texture these chairs add to a room.

I know I don't need any armchairs, but how cool are these wingback ones??

via Greige Design

What do you think of these Chinese Chippendale chairs? Are you a fan? I'll be back with some of my other dining chair options soon. 

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day!!