Pinterest

Ashlie has been raving about Pinterest for months now, and honestly, I just kept rolling my eyes. I thought, "what was the point?". I know the point now. I totally get it. I have no idea what spawned me to actually investigate it further a few weeks ago, but I did. And, was actually a little pist (yes, p-i-s-t.. dont ask) :) off, because after all the hype, I wasnt allowed to sign up! Are you kidding me? I signed up to be on a waiting list, and that was it. I thought it would be months before they accepted me, and I also thought by then, who would care? I dont need Pinterest.

About one week post-investigation, I receive an email from Pinterest, inviting me to join. How nice of them. In fact, I ignored it for a few days. I guess the same curiosity that got me to look into it a few weeks earlier, reared its ugly head, and swallowed me whole. This was yesterday. And since then, I have been living in the realm of Pinterest. I love it.

When cruising through the blog world, I often find things and think "How cool is that?! I could do that!" But, then when I finally have the time, I can never find that one single thing again. It can be quite frustrating. However, lucky for me, I will never have to have this worry again. Check me out over at Pinterest, and here's a few things Ive already spotted.....

Source: inthefunlane.com via Shelby on Pinterest

I HAVE THIS EXACT CHAIR. Ok not the exact one, but actually a cooler one. I cant even remember where Mom found it, but she did, and I love it. She almost sold it for $50 a few months ago, (way more than she paid) but somehow I convinced her not to, and to let me have it! Its been living in her barn since we were in between states at the time, but Im ready for it. And, if you follow the link back to In The Fun Lane, youll see why. :)

Source: emilyaclark.blogspot.com via Shelby on Pinterest

I cannot wait to take down my gallery wall I worked so hard on and re-align it around the TV.

Source: houseofturquoise.com via Shelby on Pinterest

I've been carrying  around this idea in the back of my head for a few months now. I think its awesome... This is in a laundry room, but it would also be perfect in a bathroom, or minus the hooks, and about a foot taller, in the bedroom. <3

Im off to tag more things for my boards on Pinterest, wish me luck. Please, follow me on there, and if you would like to join, Ill invite you! (Im not sure if its any different than being placed on the waiting list, but its worth a shot!) Im just getting started, so dont judge my lack of images!!

What Ive Been Doing..

I know it feels like I abandoned you again. But, I really havent, I swear!

I have been super busy the past few weeks. In light of a recent situation where things didnt quite work out the way we planned (do they ever?), Ive been committing more time to... ME. Well, to you. Well, to my blog/ design/ business/ funness/ all of the above.

Since I havent paused to write blogs (sorry!) I thought Id just show you what I have been doing.

A very dear friend (and the Best Man at our wedding) has started/ is starting up a little shop in Cut Off, LA where he and his wonderful wife live. They are specializing in camping and kayaking gear and outdoor clothing. We are super excited for them, and are stoked about being part of their journey!

My mom has been one of my longest standing clients, rightfully so. However, she has never actually used anything I have ever designed her. (Nice, right?)....Until now. Check out her new logo! She is totally in love!

 

My sister Ashlie started a blog a few months ago about what she knows best....fashion. And turns out, she is actually getting a lot of traffic! (Not that we're surprised, Ash!!) :) Reading about fashion is hardly my cup of tea, but when I finally headed over to her site, I knew it could definitely benefit from a little TLC. Her site / logo is still a work in progress, but feel free to check it out!

Last but certainly not least.... My own make over! Heres the new logo, and a peak at the business card as well. A full website update is in the process too! Stay posted.

LOGO!

FRONT OF BUSINESS CARD

BACK OF BUSINESS CARD

Can you tell I really love logo design??

The Bedroom

We have lived in our new place for almost a month now. After having moved three (or maybe four..?) times in the last few months I have intentionally not been decorating/ projecting. Knowing we will be here for almost a year, and having a small yard to work in, means its time to get busy!

Our bedroom is slowly coming together, piece by piece. The headboard lived as a door in another life and we picked it up at this cute place in Swansboro, NC. After we got it, we cleaned it up, sanded the crap out of it, and painted it. Blake had painted the teal squares while I was at work one day, and they turned out a little too teal. (I know, its hard to believe). Last week I took the sander and went to town. It definitely helped.

The most recent additions are the cedar chest (you can view its original condition here) and the blue throw on the foot of the bed. The cedar chest has done a 180. Its still not in fantastic shape, but we stripped all the veneer off the top and restained all of it. Its a good solid piece, and at least it looks great!

My sister Ashlie is always sending me links during the day (Does she even work...?? jk!!) of projects to do. I liked this one so much I actually decided to do it! Kojo Designs did a great job at showing step by step instructions that made it look so easy! However, I made it even easier. Instead of cutting 12" x 12" squares, sewing the knots onto them, and then sewing the squares back together, I just left it whole, graphed out my knots and went to town. Granted, she had way more control over the end size of hers, I was still pretty satisfied with mine. After all, I wanted it more as a throw than the actual blanked for the bed.

This dresser has been every color. Literally. Just about anyway. I remember it being Ashlie's probably 12 years ago before it became mine. Its old, solid, and wonderful-- it had been another family members previously. I can remember it being white, crackle-paint-green, white with sunflowers all over it, black, and teal (to name a few). My friend Meredith came to visit this weekend and she thought it was new! We were friends from college and she spent many of nights at my house, so I laughed that she didnt remember it. But, oddly, it had been living in a closet.... This one of our first projects a few years ago, and I still love it!

It took everything in me to keep her off the bed while I was trying to take the first few pictures. Silly Monsters. I cant keep anything in my house dog free. But shes so sweet!! Look at that face!

The Bed

Remember this little piece?

Well, you should see her now......

 Initially, I was going to simply paint her white, then distress her by removing parts of the paint, (like I did with the dresser on the left). The only problem was, I was afraid the puke green would still show through. My mom has been glazing the pieces she has redone and they have all turned out really nice, but I was skeptical, and scared.

 After I painted this white, I was very content, and actually didnt touch the piece for about a week. But, deep down inside, I knew it needed something more.

 I had already purchased the glazing/ antiquing items weeks earlier, so they were already on hand... It was just a matter of finally doing it.

 Once I started, I actually liked the look. A little here, a little there..... and I was constantly wiping and smearing with a clean, wet rag. The entire process took about 10 minutes. (Which was the best part.)

 I am very happy with how she turned out. Hard to imagine what she looked like before! And the best part, is my guest room is finally looking like a guest room! At least until these items sell.... :) Speaking of, be sure to check out the link to my new "For Sale" page at the top! Please help me get this business up and running so my husband will let me keep buying new furniture to restore!!

The Grey Buffet

I am kinda ashamed to show you these pictures. (Hence the reason the project has been done for several weeks and you have yet to see it). The only spot for the buffet (or dresser- its a versatile little piece) in my house currently is the foyer. Which is great, I love it there! However, there are no windows. And its a long way from the windows in the rest of the house. So, basically, there some really crappy lighting that my camera hated, and I had to do some major color correction on them, so I apologize. In advance.

Heres the before, just as a reminder:

I do absolutely love the way it turned out, and I hope you do too! My mother-in-law was actually the one to suggest the grey, and I thought it was perfect.

I have been in the midst of repairing/ repainting the puke green headboard/ footboard... They are both completely painted, but now I have to start on the rails, then I think Im going to apply a glaze.... :) Ill keep ya posted.

On another note, we are looking forward to our Florida trip this weekend, where much junking will ensure...! Hopefully Ill have plenty of new projects!

The Little White Dresser

I have a confession. I have been neglecting this little blog. And this little dresser. I finished it about a week ago, but have dreading photographing it due to its surroundings. My office / guest room / storage room has been slightly overwhelmed lately, with stuff everywhere. Since we live in an apartment, its hard to find somewhere to store all my furniture that's waiting for some love, so it ends up here. Today, I finally went in and got it organized (only because my husband gave me an ultimatum... get it cleaned, or he was going hunting on the first weekend I havent had to work in 6 weeks!!... silly him, he didnt think I would get it done!)

Anyway, the point is, I was finally brave enough to snap a few photos of the lovely little white dresser. Shes so cute and feminine. I just love her.

Maybe when I move I will actually photograph her in her entirety... ;)

Quick Fixes

Heres a few examples of some quick projects I completed recently.

I picked this up last week when Kelly and I went impulse junking after work one afternoon. I know its hard to see the fabric, but its a dingy tan and the pattern is circa 1980. When I flipped the chair over, it had some school markings, and the fabric is definitely reminiscent of a school waiting area (20 years ago).

I simply recovered the existing pieces (I didnt even remove the old fabric) with canvas drop cloths from Lowe's that I had bleached. I loved the worn stain on the arms, and really didnt want to tackle stripping that off of all those rounds surfaces, so I had to choose a fabric that would coordinate. It doesnt show in the photo, but the stain is actually pretty red.

No sewing necessary here. All I did was staple the bottom seat, and hot glued the back of the top!

Mom and I found this a few months ago when she was up for my birthday. I loved the screen printed quality, and of course, the subject matter, we just couldnt resist it! The only problem was the blaring red sun that just wasnt going with the other colors.

Look how much better it looks!! Its amazing how that simply fix switched the focus to the appropriate subject (sailboats) rather than the giant sun. And, you can actually notice the bird now! This is hanging on the entry wall, currently. Its patiently waiting its new buffet whose paint is drying as we speak!

Sneak Peak... :)

Remember this....?

Ive had this for quite some time now, and immediately after purchasing it, I painted it white. Well, my motivation stopped there. I just couldnt figure out what to do with it. Last week, I found some awesome heavy weight knobs at Target (10 for $20!!). I thought these dressed it up some. Then, yesterday, I got a crazy streak in me and decided to go to town and start distressing it. The image above doesnt show any of the changes yet-- Im still working on it. But, now I am [finally] very excited about it, and back to working on it! As soon as I finish, Ill post some new pics!

This is where it all started...

This is where it all started. My beloved desk. I found her at the local Goodwill a few months back for $13. I just couldn't turn it down, it was love at first sight! My husband, Blake, was shocked and amazed when I called to tell him he would have to make a pit stop after work to pick it up for me. She was in pretty rough shape, cosmetically speaking. You can see the two- toned paint job, the hardware had tarnished and turned yellow, and sticky labels appeared to have been there for years. Based on her remaining contents, I think her former life was as a school teachers.




I knew immediately what color I wanted to paint her. After purchasing a color that was just too neon, I swapped it out for this perfect shade of teal. Some light sanding, 2 coats of primer, 2 coats of paint, and some finishing wax was all it took for her to shine.



This is the perfect spot for blogging and reading other blogs.. Im in love. xoxo

In Process

Despite it bring 100 degrees outside, and a hurricane heading straight for us, I went junking today with my friend Kelly. It was kind of on a whim, but sometimes those are the best kinds. After Kelly showing me a few new junking locations in town, I found another cool chair.... You might not know this yet, but my Mom and husband sure do: My house is quickly becoming chair hell. But I just cant help it. Acknowledging that I have a problem is the first step, right?More importantly than my chair find today, Kelly found the perfect pub style table for her dining room! A few nicks here and there, and a little repair to the top and she'll be good to go! I cant wait to see what she does with it!




I found this piece for $60 at a huge furniture thrift store. I havent done a thing to it. It has a few superficial dings here and there, but overall its in good shape. Its in our bedroom. I think I may sand down some of the stain and then stain it to match the tops of our new nightstands!




Ok, so this one is actually done. Ill work on getting you a picture. But, theres a matching one, that is reupholstered, but needs the cording on the bottom edge finished up, so technically its still in progress. :) (I think I got both chairs for $17 at Goodwill)




This is one of my very favorite pieces I found. I purchased this from my favorite junking spot, New To You. The salesman actually tried talking me out of buying it because its got some wear and tear. It was designed by Norman Bel Geddes for Simmons furniture back in like the 30s. I just love everything about it-- and it was already teal! It needs nothing more than to find the perfect spot in my house for it. It makes me smile just to look at it.




This is my lucky find today with Kelly. $8 at a local thrift shop. Some new fabric, and it was be cute at my office desk!




I bought this off of lejeuneyardsales.com (a craigslist type site) for like $14 or something ridiculous. It has currently been painted white, and the knobs replaced with brushed steel round ones. (The knobs in the pic are lion heads.. lol)




This was $10 at a fabulous JUNK store in Burgaw. This place was piled high with junk. And I loved every minute of it. This has a skirt on it because of the leg needs replacing... As soon as I con Blake into fixing it, Ill probably just make a slip cover for it. Its eventually for Copper. (Yes, I buy furniture for my dogs) :D




I love this piece! I just bought it for $24 at Goodwill. This one I havent even started on. I want to use it in the dining room or foyer as a buffet. My thought process so far has been white, with the moldings painted a teal or blue. Those moldings stick out almost 2-3inches, they are pretty prominent. Any suggestions??

Eventually I will post about my beloved desk, that started it all.......

BEFORE AND AFTER...

Welcome to my corner of the world! I hope to actually keep posting regularly with new projects and actually follow through with a blog for once. SO. Here we go. Our first Before and After Post. :)

BEFORE: My Mom visited me a few weeks ago for my birthday, and we did some MAD junking. It was awesome. These were one of our finds. Kinda hideous, right? They appear to have been once connected and used as an old vanity. The gentlemen we purchased them said something about having been in a fire or something random. I considered these a bit of a slpurge, $70, but, it was my birthday, right?!


Check it out now!


I vow to take better photos not using my phone anymore. I'll try. I promise.