Best of the Nest Features - April

Happy Friday, friends!!

A huge thank you to our Guest of the Nest, Mary Ann @ Casual*Classic*Home, for
joining us this month!

Jennifer @ Decorating Delirium participated in Home Depot's Patio Style Challenge,
and shared her amazing makeover. This is just a corner of her stunning yard and the
fabulous outdoor room she put together for her family to enjoy for the summer!

Veronica @ The Naked Decorator created an inviting morning room starting with these

 comfy wing backs she owned, her gorgeous drapery fabric is such a pretty statement! I

 can picture myself cozied up in there with a nice stack of design magazines! :) 

Brandi @ Do Not Disturb This Groove gave her laundry room a refresh this month and

 added lots of great details that are as functional as they are stylish! One of my favorites is

 her new lighting! Such an inspring budget makeover! 

Cindy @ Rough Luxe wowed us with her stylish powder room reveal! She stenciled

 a popular cheetah pattern to give this small space lots of personality that  flowed with the

 rest of her beautiful home. Btw, it's featured in the current issue of Tuscan Style!!  

Claire @ Claire Brody Designs quest for a statement lamp on a budget led to her

DIY Statue Lamp, she claims she's not a DIYer but I'm not buying it! Her great 

tutorial shows how to easily convert any item to a lamp. 

Mark you calendars friends, the next Best of the Nest Link Party is
Friday, May 29th!

Hope your weekend is the BEST!!

one room challenge - week 5

Hi friends, thanks for stopping by again to follow along with the One Room Challenge. 

Woo hoo, we're on the homestretch! Wish I could say we're finished and just 

hanging out waiting for the big reveal, but we're still waiting on some deliveries and will

 be working down to the wire to finish up my client's Master Bedroom. If you missed

 previous weeks and would like to catch up here's what happened:

Week 1 - The Plan here

Week 2 - Fresh Paint & Craigslist Finds here 

Week 3 - Fabric, Chairs & More Craigslist here
Week 4 - DIYs

Our thrifting find for the week is this vintage tufted gem, in the perfect color citron velvet!

We decided we needed an interesting little chair for an empty space, and while I'm sure it

 would be loads of fun to walk into a store and choose a new custom piece, I'm addicted to

the thrill of the hunt, finding something unexpected and the bargain!

We love it! 

We shopped for lighting, and brought a few home in hopes of making

 our decision easier.  

And, shopped for more lighting, and brought more home! 

While accessory shopping for our room at Homegoods I got distracted by this beauty and

 picked it up for their family room, which we're also working on, and has nothing to do with

 the ORC other than I know you like to see pretty stuff people buy and their plans for it!  

We focused our attention on the fifth wall (aka the ceiling) and knocked out this

random pattern nailhead treatment. Eeeek, it's cool! :)  

See you all next week for the big day!  

I'm off to check on the progress of my friends, so much talent and amazing makeovers!!

Head over and see what they've all been up to this week: 

Jana Bek

Autumn Clemons

                                  Coco + Kelley                                   

The English Room

Vanessa Francis      

Greige Design         

Hi Sugarplum          

I Heart Organizing

Jenna Sue Design   

Stephanie Kraus     

The Pursuit of Style

Julia Ryan

         Savvy Home            

Simply Grove

6^th Street Design School  

Jill Sorenson 

                               Swoon Worthy                                

Waiting on Martha

Kimberly Schlegel Whitman 

  Don't forget the One Room Challenge Linking Participants share

their progress tomorrow over at Linda's @ Calling It Home.

 Over 150 room makeovers not to miss!  

I Spy a Craigslist Buy...

Hey friends, I've been thinking about doing this fun series 

"I Spy a Craigslist Buy"

for awhile and it's finally happening. A good friend of mine always says,

 "You have good 'Craigslist karma' because you always share your finds with everyone." 

 Yes, I do send friends Craigslist links, and am so happy when something works for them.

 I would delight in knowing one of you scored a great piece on CL for your home, too!

So, in order to keep the 'karma' flowing this is what I've come up with. :) 

I'll show you actual items available on our Denver Craigslist as of the time of my post,

with the price and a link to the Craigslist listing.

 Also, inspiration photos showing how the pieces could be both functional and stylish, 

since visualizing can be hard with some of the lovely Craigslist photography.   

decorarchive.blogspot.com

Great for a global patio look!

Set of 2 Hand Painted Moroccan Middle Eastern Settee and Chair - $245 (SE Aurora)

http://denver.craigslist.org/fud/4941849161.html

A sophisticated masculine vibe...

thestylesaloniste.com

A unique entry bench, the perfect piece to mix up styles...

 

luxeandlillies.blogspot.com

Rattan desk & chair - $100 (broomfield)

http://denver.craigslist.org/fuo/4986919418.html

Paint the desk and chair different colors...

apartmenttherapy.com

Use next to a bed as nightstand...

apartmenttherapy.com

Paint the frame, leaving the drawers and top natural... 

alfrescoemporium.com.au

Glass Top Dining Room Table with 4 Chairs - $250 (Denver)

http://denver.craigslist.org/fuo/4977659931.html

Leave the chairs and table base as is and reupholster the seats in a fresh pattern... 

 ehomee.com

Paint the chairs a lively color...

 traditionalhome.com

Splash a coat of white paint on the chairs and table base...

decorpad.com

 Trunk, brass finish, used 19.5x15.5x16 inches - $40 (Golden)

http://denver.craigslist.org/fuo/4993038626.html

The perfect side table with a great reflective finish...

EmilyAClark.com

I would love every single one of these!! 

If you're not from Denver I hope you'll be inspired to look for items on your

local Craigslist, if you are a Denverite ~ good luck and let me know if you score

something you love! 

  

Best of the Nest - April Link Party

Whoa, you guys, I'm in project mode big time! If you haven't been following along
with my One Room Challenge bedroom makeover it's in full force with the reveal in less
 than two weeks. It's a tad stressful, but the motivation to finish a room is unbeatable. I feel
 exactly the same about Best of the Nest, only on a smaller scale. :)
 It's the perfect incentive to knock out a project and link up!
As always my lovely co-hosts and our guest are sharing our favorite projects of the month.
Guest of the Nest ~ Mary Ann @ Classic * Casual * Home 
a favorite in the blogging community, she couldn't be more delightful and is a talented
 designer, whose charming cottage in Southern CA was featured in
Better Homes & Gardens here.
Now living in San Francisco, it's been fun following along while she decorates her new home.

Living room in Southern CA home

Mary Ann shared her beautiful dining room refresh, she gave a traditional stained wood set
 a modern update with freshly painted white chairs!

 Mary Ann {Classic*Casual*Home}
Blog | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin’ 

As the BOTN date was closing in I considered what I'd love to cross off my list, our

living room update won out. A new furniture arrangement was necessary to accommodate

some Craigslist finds I couldn't resist, and then it snowballed... :)   

Pam @ Simple Details

Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin' | Twitter

Lisa gave us a sneak peek of her One Room Challenge makeover for a client. I love that  

she's giving new life to tired pieces, you'd never guess this gorgeous mirror was a dated

accessory found in the attic.      

 Lisa @ Shine your Light

Blog | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin' | Twitter

Kris shared her incredibly gorgeous acrylic curtain rods with brass hardware!  I don't
 think I've ever seen a more glamorous curtain rod, and against the black paint, oh my!

 Kris @ Driven by Décor

Blog | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin' | Twitter | Google+

Jennifer's Spring Home Tour is a lively, fun filled burst of color around every corner,
and of course, her signature green stylishly incorporated!

Jennifer @ Dimples & Tangles

Blog | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin' | Twitter

 Now it's your turn:

Bring your Best of April

Anyone can enter - not just bloggers!

Enter through Instagram by using hashtag #bestofthenestparty and tagging at least one of your hosts.

Only ONE link per person to show your best work from April
Additional links will be deleted.
If you're linking up with a blog, link back with a text link or grab the party button.

We'd love you stop back next Friday
 when Mary Ann, Lisa, Kris, Jennifer and I will feature our favorite links.

living room refresh

Who knew a couple innocent little Craigslist purchases would create such a
staggering domino effect! I've been arranging and re-arranging furniture for the past
 two months, hauling it downstairs and back up and have come to the realization that
clearly we need a bigger house! :)
 I thought I'd share a few of the changes to our living room so far.

Remember when these vintage chairs popped up on Craigslist, and I couldn't resist them?
 I always knew a pair of chairs would fit perfectly in our bay window, and they did, but it
was the beginning of a domino effect I didn't see coming! The sofa had always been there
 and the only other option for it was against the wall - I wasn't sure what I'd think, but I'm
 loving the new look after placing the mirror from the dining room above it and creating
 an eclectic gallery wall.  

I love how the bay windows are more visible without the sofa obstructing the view, and
 the comfy down cushioned chairs tuck into the space and create the best reading nook.
 

As much as I loved the bold floral pattern I was a little skeptical if it would mix with
 what I had. You guys know I don't stray far from my neutral base so I can change things
 up on a whim. Well, it all came together and the only new items I bought were the citron
 ikat pillow and the artwork on the bottom right.
Remember the day I showed you how to shop Goodwill, both were finds from that
 outing, the coral chevron ikat pillow was a steal from there last year that inspired
  my family room spiff up.

(sorry about some of these bad pics, my weather app didn't forecast clouds till later)

I dug out this DIY Rope Vase I made a couple years ago for my Cinco de Mayo party
  centerpiece. I love the texture and the casual vibe keeps some of the traditional pieces
 from looking too stuffy.  

 

The other irresistible find that added to the chaos was this HUGE ornate mirror,
 originally finished in a dark stain giving it a heavy appearance. I lightened it up
 with two coats of Gold Rub 'n Buff, applying with a toothbrush so it still had some
 variation in color vs a solid painted look. See below.
My  DIY framed batik gallery wall that was here is piled in the dining room in the process
 of being re-hung, the good news is it gives the room a fun unexpected jolt of color, looks
 great with the chairs, and ties everything together without being matchy!  
 

You can see the finish on the mirror here, I'm still tweaking it, I think it needs a few
more brighter highlights throughout.
 The shelf and greenery hide our thermostat. :) It worked before, but now looks a bit off,
the thought of an ugly thermostat right there in the middle of the wall gives me hives!

Progress should be picking up over here after the One Room Challenge is over in
 just two short weeks! I'm thinking of having a sale and parting with a few
Craigslist treasures ~ you'll be the first to know!

one room challenge - week 4 diys

Hey friends, thank you so much for popping in again to check on our headway. 

Oh my gosh you guys, this was the week of ADD DIYs, meaning

we were all over the place jumping from one project to the next and I can't

even tell you how many trips we made to Home Depot. Can anyone relate?

If you missed the previous weeks and would like to catch up:

Week 1 - The Plan here

Week 2 - Fresh Paint & Craigslist Finds here 

Week 3 - Fabric, Chairs & More Craigslist here

We have some progress in the form of this wonderfully wild texture!  

I had my mind set on a simple metal base for a long bench at the end of the bed, 

and remembered the infamous Target bench.The hunt was on and we found two,

that together will be the perfect length. They were a simple reupholster job.  

We worked on a weathered finish for the dresser my client's dad made for them,

this is the base coat for our texture and layers of paint. 

After I painted a few sample boards, and got the imperfect random technique down we

 were on a roll, you'll have to wait and see if we went light or dark. 

 
 

 

Remember this is our inspiration piece from Anthropologie, we tested about seven knobs

 and pulls and just weren't feelin' it for any of them. My brilliant client suggested we try

 Anthro and they sell the exact pull on this dresser! That put the wind back in our sails! 

Equestrian Handle 

We also have an Ikea Besta hack in the works for the nightstands, like I tell my boys

"It's not finished, just wait!"

We got them painted and were having the same 'not feelin' it' issue with hardware when

 I noticed this rustic box at Hobby Lobby had the perfect over-sized ring pull I'd been

 looking for. We removed them to use on the nightstands and the boxes will become planters

 on their outdoor table.

I always check around my clients' homes to see if they have any cool pieces they're 

not using, and this is exactly why!! Isn't this the perfect patina - Grandpa's chippy old

 stool we found in the basement will be incorporated somewhere! 

Remember a couple weeks ago when I posted about my visit to the beautiful Arhaus

store, I was holding out on you, we picked out a pair of these fabulous Lewis Table Lamps.

I can't wait for you to see how gorgeous they are all styled up in the room.     

 

We received a beautiful drapery and hardware order from Loom Decor 

and got them installed (more about them with pretty pictures to come).  

They're being trained so we'll have nice pretty folds for the big reveal in two short

weeks. Yikes!  

This week we'll be finishing up these diys, and starting a BIG diy project.

I may give a peek on Instagram on Friday if you'd like to follow along.  :)  

Stop by and check out what my talented friends have been up to this week: 

Jana Bek

Autumn Clemons

                                  Coco + Kelley                                   

The English Room

Vanessa Francis      

Greige Design         

Hi Sugarplum          

I Heart Organizing

Jenna Sue Design   

Stephanie Kraus     

The Pursuit of Style

Julia Ryan

         Savvy Home            

Simply Grove

6^th Street Design School  

Jill Sorenson 

                               Swoon Worthy                                

Waiting on Martha

Kimberly Schlegel Whitman 

  Don't forget the One Room Challenge Linking Participants share

their progress tomorrow over at Linda's @ Calling It Home.

 Over 150 room makeovers not to miss!