Campaign Uncovered

Hallelujah! The campaign is finished! Campaign desk, that is...

Actually, it's been done for a while. I just finally put the hardware back on yesterday. What can I say? I don't move quickly. Thank goodness I don't write a blog where people expect me to actually finish projects in a timely manner :)

When I found the desk on craigslist, it looked like this...

I liked the green, but it was chipping. Since the desk was for my son's room, I thought I'd go with a more masculine hue.

Benjamin Moore's "Eclipse." 

I've got one more piece of furniture to makeover to complete the "tween room."

So many possibilities for this piece.... hmmmm....

What would you do to it?

Sharing at Tuesday's Treasures

Thankful for Dining Room Chairs

Happy Monday! Hope you enjoyed a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend.

I am thankful that we were able to spend the holiday weekend in Chicago visiting my brother.  He recently moved into a new apartment with this fantastic view...

I'll post pics of his bachelor pad soon.

I'm thankful that my brother hosted Thanksgiving dinner, as my dining room was still missing enough chairs. I bought a larger dining table and host and hostess chairs, sold my old dining table and chairs, and have been on the hunt for side chairs ever since. I had pretty much decided that the oval-back Louis XVI chairs would be ideal.

Locating the ideal chair proved to be quite the challenge. Hickory Chair makes a lovely one ...

if you are willing to spend $1,000 per chair on sale. Thankfully, I am not.

I'm thankful that I didn't settle for the less expensive options at Restoration Hardware, Ballard Designs and Wisteria since they weren't exactly the finish and fabric I wanted. I need stain-resistant fabric. Remember... we're a red wine-drinking, kid-friendly household.

So, that left me with craigslist and Ebay. I found several antique chairs, but once again, they were really expensive. And they had to be shipped. And they needed to be reupholstered. 

I'm thankful that I expanded my local craigslist search statewide and, eventually, to the surrounding states. 

I'm thankful that I spotted this during one of my craigslist searches...

So, they're not exactly oval. And they're more Louis XV than XVI.

But I like them. They are real wood with intricate carving (circa 1930). They are sturdy. They have potential. And they're only 25 bucks each.

I am thankful that I have a husband who doesn't question my potential insanity for purchasing chairs sight unseen in another state.

I am especially thankful that said husband, on the day before Thanksgiving, drove 3 hours to downtown Chicago, dropped the kids and me at my brother's apartment, then braved the insane Chicago holiday traffic for an additional hour and a half to pick up dining chairs that his crazy wife bought sight unseen, and drove back another hour and a half without complaining. That's love, people.

Here are the chairs in the back of his car. I'm sure he was freaking out when he saw the upholstery :)

I've got big plans for these chairs... fresh paint, new upholstery, new nailhead trim. They're going to be great!

 I'm hopeful that they'll be ready by Christmas!

Scored any great craigslist items lately? What's the farthest distance you've traveled for a good deal?

Eclectically Vintage Feature

I'm so excited that Kelly is featuring my home today on her fabulous blog.

You can check it out HERE.

Kelly is definitely the cool chick on the blog block. If you've never been to her blog... Run. Don't walk. It's awesome.
Have a great weekend!!

Tween Room Update

Good morning! Thought I'd update you on the progress in the tween room. To refresh your memory, this is how it was looking last time I posted about it...

BEFORE

And, here's where we are today...

The room has been painted Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter. And, after months of searching, I finally found the right tartan plaid wool blanket. I experimented with a neutral throw first, but it looked too drab. I was very close to ordering a $90 blanket online, when I discovered this Ralph Lauren one at HomeGoods for $40. I swear, if you check frequently and wait long enough, HomeGoods usually delivers :)

I also added a tartan throw pillow from Williams-Sonoma. I considered adding a monogrammed pillow, but decided to keep it simple for now. This is a guy's room after all. I'll be lucky if any of the pillows actually stay on the bed. 

You can get a little peek at the campaign desk on the right. I painted it, but haven't put the hardware back on yet. I'll show you it soon.

I also have a new, old dresser to share next time. After months of searching craigslist, I instead ended up scoring one for free from my brother. I swear, if you beg frequently and wait long enough, a family member usually delivers :)

I'm very happy with how this room is coming along. Hopefully, it will all be done before the tween becomes a teen!

Thank You

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all the beautiful comments and e-mails you sent after my last post. I don't think I can accurately express how deeply your words comforted me.

Blogging about decorating is a funny thing. I write a post about a room makeover, and I look forward to seeing my reader's comments. "Love the lamp," "that rug makes the room," "beautiful color." Readers type their feedback quickly and go about their day, and probably don't realize that their words make me happy, bring me a smile, a validation, and motivation to keep blogging.


I wasn't sure I should write about losing Sadie. I was feeling terribly guilty about her death, and as silly as it sounds, I think I was suffering from some level of post traumatic stress disorder.

But, boy am I glad that I let it all out on the blog! Not only was writing about her therapeutic, but your shared experiences, kind words and prayers really pulled me out of a dark place. I joked with my sister that she was my grief counselor, and I had to call her every day for a therapy session. We marveled at all of your sweet comments... how so many of them made us cry, but how all of them were so understanding and compassionate.

Although "thank you" doesn't quite express my appreciation, I am so grateful for your comments when I needed them most.

I've gone through some crazy emotions in the last month... guilt, sadness, anxiety. Then I became obsessed with checking petfinder.com and the humane society website for a dog who needed us NOW.  I came very close to adopting a 13 year old retired service dog. But, I think God intervened and thought to Himself, "let's slow this crazy train down," because I am finally feeling at peace to just leave things alone for awhile. When the time is right to bring in another four-legged friend, we'll know. I hope :)