Tiffany Blue

Is there anything more uplifting than Tiffany Blue? My stomach always flips when I see that little box (hint, hint honey.) :)

Which is exactly why I had to put it in my entry way. What better way is there to greet all those that enter my home? So, off to ReStore I went, hunting for an appropriately sized table to place in the entry. I found an old, wooden "country-style" sofa table. The knob on the drawer was awful and I hated the color, but the shape of it was beautiful. (Once again, no before picture.)

With a little paint (in Tiffany's blue, of course) it brightened my entryway!

I found a perfect mercury glass knob at Anthropologie.

In my opinion, every entryway should have a little sparkle.

Lovin' the Summer

Summer is here and making itself very well known in the Carolinas! We are taking in every moment of the hot days and warm nights and all the fun they bring.

I hope you are making every moment magical as well!

A Little Nest

Looks like someone else enjoyed my ferns while I was away in Dallas.

I mean, seriously? Since I put the ferns up, I have been running outside every time I see this darn bird trying to make a home out of my fern. Two years ago, I thought it was cute and let the little guy (or girl, I don't know much about birds) proceed with the nest building. That fern ended up dying. This year he's been back at it nonstop. I guess he figured out I was gone (FOR 3 DAYS!) and found the opportunity for Mrs. Bird to do her thing.

I can't disturb them now-I'd feel too guilty. I guess we're going to have 3 little friends soon!

Make cleaning dishes easier!

I went through a phase where I refused to boil pasta or potatoes because I could not stand to clean the dishes afterwards. You know what I'm talking about-that slick....dare I say it....slimy feel that boiling a carbohydrate leaves on your strainer, pots, etc. You scrub and scrub only to find after rinsing that you need to scrub once more. Such a pain, and so not worth it.

Seriously, who has the time?

However, I am married to a man who loves his potatoes, and I love my pasta, so I knew I needed to find a solution. And low and behold...I found it....

VINEGAR!!

Yes, good old distilled vinegar is the answer. Just before you wash that dish (or, like me, stick it in the dishwasher) pour vinegar on a paper towel and wipe the dish with it. The vinegar will allow you to simply wipe away the residue, and then you can clean it as you normally would. Why? Vinegar breaks down the carbohydrate just as it does when you are making a vinaigrette. (I thought of trying vinegar after Rachel Ray suggested mixing vinegar with different jellies to make fruity vinaigrettes.)

Hopefully this tip helps you save a little time so you can spend it doing more important things.

Dining Room Sideboard

I wanted to find the perfect sideboard for my dining room. I took measuring tape into the room and measured out my "perfect" piece of furniture. Several days later, I found a dresser/sideboard (look at all the drawers!) in ReStore with the EXACT measurements I had created! It had to be mine.

All it took was a little black paint and stain (for the antiquing)

and it became the exact sideboard I was looking for. I added a polycrylic topcoat to make it durable (LOVE Minwax Polycrylic....it's all I use.) All of the drawers hold serving trays, silver, linens, etc. It's functional and well, just pretty to look at.

Dressing up a Dresser

Another project! I needed a piece of furniture for my living room.

One to hold the plethora of toys that my little boy plays with downstairs.

I had this old dresser (I remembered to take the picture after I had already removed the FLASHY gold harware.)

I added a coat of Annie Sloan's chalk paint in "Paris Grey." Should I mention I'm OBSESSED with this paint? No priming. No sanding. Heaven.

A bit of distressing....

(I also painted and distressed the hardware.)

Just the look I was going for.

I got the idea to clip pictures to this old shutter I had from my friend Whitney (the girls KNOWS pitctures!)




And I found this old finial at The Depot in Concord. I love it and it was perfect for the dresser!

The room is comfy for playing...




.....and resting. :)

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Feed Sack Chair

I bought this chair a LOOOONG time ago at a thrift shop. It has a great shape, but I thought it was boring and wanted to "dress it up."

I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with it. For months, it sat in my guest room. (Ok, more like a year and a half.) This past week, I've been in my "projects" mood. So I got busy on this chair and.....

Voila!

It became a vintage "Feed Sack" chair.

With a little white paint and aged burlap upholstery, it became JUST what I wanted.