Holiday Open House @ 11 Magnolia Lane

Happy Sunday, everyone! I'm quickly popping in today to let you know 

I'm thrilled to be sharing my Christmas Home Tour with the lovely group of

bloggers and talented ladies over at 11 Magnolia Lane for their Holiday Open House.

They have a great line-up of inspiring holiday posts that are sure to inspire you!

Here are a few snippets of what my friend's have shared so far...

Heather @ Southern State of Mind shared her beautiful, vibrant Christmas decor.

Emily @ Eleven Gables shared her family's awesome tradition of giving.

Summer @  Simple Stylings shared her  whimsical table setting.

Thanks so much for stopping by, hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

guest post and giveaway...

Hope your weekend is off to a good start!

I'm popping in for a quick Saturday morning post to let you know I'm thrilled to be 

over at Julia's @ Cuckoo 4 Design joining her Living Pretty with your Pets series here. 

Julia's love and compassionate heart for animals is second to none, you can't help but 

adore her when you read her touching stories of kindheartedness.  

If you're a cat lover you'll be amazed the outdoor cat enclosure she created out of

compassion for her indoor cats! 

If by chance you're not familiar with Julia, and think she's just a crazy cat lady,

think again! She was recently named a Top DIY blog by Domino, quite an impressive 

honor and on top of that she's one of the sweetest in all the blogosphere! I'm always

 blown away with her unique projects, you can check out her beautiful house tour here,

 which is chock full of them! Here's a little peek... 

  

A huge thank you to Julia for having Mikko, Rio and me! 

One last thing before you head over to Cuckoo 4 Design, if you haven't

entered the giveaway for the beautiful canvas print you still have time!

Canvas Print Giveaway click here

Enjoy the weekend, friends! 

a favor for a friend...

Today I'm over at my friend Julie's @ T&G Inteiors. I know I speak for many when I say

one of my favorite things about our blogging community is the friendships and support we

 all give each other. I've seen it happen over and over, when someone needs a favor or prayer

the support is overflowing. My heart goes out to Julie who has been consumed with caring

 for her aging parents and all that goes with the overwhelming and sad circumstances of

 their health issues and Alzheimer's. 

Julie is a talented interior designer in Southern California, I wanted to share a bit of her

 home and work before you head over to check out what piece of furniture I'm hunting

 for to include in our home (you may not realize you need one, too)!

This is Julie's gorgeous dining room, although she says it's not finished, she'd like to change

 out the side chairs, new chandelier and drapes. The before is pure inspiration, if you happen

 to have a dining set you're not thrilled with get out some paint and DIY a new one like

 Julie did! 

  

I know you're scrolling back and forth! :)

Here is the before of those gorgeous dining chairs, she found them at an estate sale,

that fabric and placement of the pattern was brilliant!  

This is one of my favorite transformations Julie did for a client, a simple built in

 cabinet goes from ho, hum... 

to this incredible statement!! Isn't that trim detail amazing?!

Pop over to T & G Interiors to check out my post here, 

and say a prayer for sweet Julie and her parents. 

spring home tour...

Good Morning! 

I don't usually post on Sundays, so you know I've got something special going on.

I'm so excited to be over at 11 Magnolia Lane today!

My sweet friends, Amy, Christy and Terry are having a Spring Open House,

each Sunday throughout the spring a blogger will share their home.

One of our favorite friends with fabulous style, Kristin from Bliss @ Home,

 kicked off the fun series a couple weeks ago, here.   

via

If you're not familiar with their blog, these three cute girls are have something

for everyone! Stop by 11 Magnolia Lane to check it out here! 

The tour will be up at 9am EST.

Happy Sunday friends, thanks for stopping by! 

my craigslist tip and a friend...

After I showed you my Craigslist finds last week a few of you asked for my 

tips. Ask and you shall receive! But before we get to the tip I'm over at my friend
 Beth's @ design POST interiors today. She is the cutest mom to three little ones,
 a blogger, and interior designer - whew! I don't know how she does it, but she makes it
 look easy, calm and collected. I'm dishing about life in her fun series 'Take Two'. 

Don't miss

two crazy-good $5 Craigslist finds that I'm sharing here!!

I love her new Ikea shelves, her serious styling skills, and green thumb! 

Beth @ design POST interiors

My simple Craigslist tips:

1) Search: Furniture, Owner
(Our Craigslist is flooded with stores selling merchandise, I find the best deals from owners, so I only search that criteria)

2) Leave the 'Search' box BLANK  
Yes, you get EVERYTHING that is listed for sale under furniture, but...
Let's say you're searching for an ottoman and the seller lists it as a 'stool', it won't show up in
 your search. You're searching for an upholstered chair but the seller calls it a 'cloth chair'
 won't show up. The seller calls a collection of vintage furniture 'estate sale old stuff'  Get it?
WARNING: You may end up with awesome finds you don't need! :)

3) Choose Gallery
This displays the items as shown below, the most efficient way to quickly scroll through.  

4) MOST IMPORTANT TIP
Leave the Craigslist tab OPEN and refresh whenever you're on your computer, or
 every time you walk by (if you're addicted). That's how I keep up to date on the most
current listings.

Do you guys see that cool hexagon end table with marble top for $35,
so cool!  Someone in Denver go get it!!

Do you have any Craigslist tips - do tell!

Don't forget to stop by Beth's and check out my finds here!

guest posting...sew a fine seam

Hey everyone, hope you had a wonderful weekend.

I got to hang out with all of my favorite people. :) Our extended family spent the 

weekend in the mountains celebrating my dad's 75th birthday! We had a great time

just hanging out together ~ cooking, eating, playing games, watching football,

nothing big, just a perfect low key time lounging around! 

Today I'm happy to be over at my friend Jill's blog, Sew a Fine Seam.

Don't let the name fool you, while she does have crazy amazing sewing skills, she

 also knocks out some fabulous diys, all while home schooling her three daughters! 

Here are a few snippets from her blog...

If you've ever had an inkling to paint your fireplace this beautiful makeover

 will have convinced in no time! She used Annie Sloan chalk paint on her

 mom's fireplace, it went from red brick to fresh and updated here....

   

a pretty vignette styled on an industrial cart...

tutorial for Roman Shade here...

I forgot to mention she has a photography business, too...

Stop over at Sew a Fine Seam here where I'm sharing a favorite

crock pot recipe that our family loves on cool fall days.   

home tour at 6th Street Design School...

I finally have a Home Tour!
All the credit should go to Kirsten at 6th Street Design School, she features blogger's homes
 every week in her Friday Feature and was so kind to ask if I had one...umm, not really
 but I can get one!
I'm thrilled to be sharing it over on her blog today.
Some spaces will look familiar, and some have had a bit of re-arranging
after the Christmas decor came down.

If you're not familiar, Kirsten is a popular blogger and talented designer with her own
 design firm, and mom to two of the most adorable kiddos, Jett and her new baby girl Jane.
Here's a peek into her sweet nursery, you can see the rest here.
(If by chance you're not into nurseries, you've gotta see the precious baby!) 

This room redo is a favorite, she has such a great eye for mixing color and pattern.
 BEFORE...

A peek at the vibrant new room, check out the AFTER here.



Have fun visiting 6th Street Design School,
and don't forget to check out my Home Tour, too! :)
HERE

Enjoy the long weekend friends,
we're taking advantage of the extra day off to play in the mountains.
I'll see you on Tuesday!

dreaming of nyc...

Today I'm honored to be a house guest at Powell Brower Home here,

Nancy and Bethany are the mother-daughter design team behind the blog.

If you're not familiar they not only design beautifully creative spaces,
 but they're talented artists, share inspiring diy projects, and couldn't be more delightful.

Bethany's Master Bedroom redo is a top contender in Apartment Therapy's
Room for Color Contest! Congrats Bethany!
Today is the last day to vote, if you'd like you can head over here.


Before
  

I showed you a snippet, for more fabulous photos check out the Bedroom Reveal here.

A Yoga Studio they recently designed.

 
Before


I've never done yoga, but this beautiful entry would make me want to join a class.



I'm sharing my Dream Space over at their blog...thus the title NYC...hint, hint...

I'm thrilled they've invited me to help kick off a fun new series,
head over to check it out here.
My prayers and thoughts are with them and all of you in the
 path of the storm, may you, your families and homes be safe.

fall vignettes at primitive & proper...

While you're all casually enjoying your morning latte and blog reading,
(that's what it's like at your house in the mornings, right?)
I'm at jury duty!

Onto something more fun...

I'm also over at my sweet friend Cassie's blog, Primitive and Proper here.
She's the queen of rescuing furniture pieces and giving them new life, her vision
and style make for some extraordinary makeovers. You can always count on a surprise,
 maybe a fun pop of color, classic style and gorgeous hardware, or a bold unexpected
fabric choice.

In honor of her inspiration, I'm sharing the makeover of  'one' of my
 dining room chairs shown in three different fall vignettes here.

Before you head over to her blog, check out some of my favorites from Cassie...
(actually I think it's a surprise, but she might be giving me this one for my birthday!!)

Is she CRAZY talented or what?!

No wonder she's been nominated for Country Living's
Blue Ribbon Blogger Award!



If you'd like to vote for her look for this button on her blog,
there are only a few days left and it would make her day!

HAPPY WEEKEND SWEET FRIENDS!

a friend, her entry and paint...

Kristy from Hyphen Interiors recently moved to a new home in Austin.

It's been fun watching her put personal touches on everything. I've been so

impressed with her ability to make decisions and implement them quickly,

creating a beautiful and unique space oozing with style.

She has a great eye for finding treasures on Craigslist and transforming them!  

One of my favorite spaces is, or I should say 'was' her entry...

She started with this amazing chair, a Craigslist find, and gave it a glam

coat of gold paint, but then she changed her mind. It's so nice to know I'm not the

only one! Yep, she turned right around and sold it on Craigslist! 

Check out her fabulous new piece she chose to replace the chair.

Hint, she transformed it with paint, in a totally great color here!

Don't miss her cool paint color on her family room ceiling, too!

And, speaking of paint while you're visiting Kristy, today she has an

 informative series on 'Favorite Paint Colors.'

  I'm participating along with several other bloggers,

you're sure to find a color that will have you wanting to break out your paint brush!

Head on over here!

effortless styling...

Hope everyone enjoyed a great weekend, we spent more than the usual amount of time in
front of our tv rooting for USA, and especially our hometown girl, Missy Franklin!
 We also knocked out some big pieces in detail boy's room (sneak peek on Wednesday).

One of my favorite parts of decor is styling tables, mantles, bookcases, etc.
Today I'm sharing tips on where I start, and my go-to items I include for effortless 
compositions over at my sweet friends, Nancy & Bethany's blog,
Powell Bower Home here.
They're a dynamic duo, a mother/daughter interior design team with a passion for
 art, design, blogging and four-legged friends!

I'm assuming you've all heard the advice, use odd numbers of items...3,5,7
and that you know, books and trays are your best friend.
For my other four favorite elements that make it simple to put together a
display and where I start.... head on over right here.

Books and Trays...

scjohnson.com

heatherbullard.com 

houseandhome.com

adesignstory.com

Jenny Wolf Interiors

Happy styling!

project(s) update...

Did you catch the plural? Yes, I started another one before finishing the bench!

But first, a special Congrats to Lauren at A Commoner's Castle, she's celebrating
 one year of blogging! She's the sweetest blogger and mom to four year old Olivia
 who's about to get a fabulous new pink room.
Check out this amazing entry wall she and her husband completed!

I'm helping Lauren kick off her Blogiversary week by sharing the redo of our coffee table,
stop by to see my favorite paint that's not only pretty, but withstands daily life at our house!


Project Update
It wasn't pretty...sanding, paint remover, scraping!

Friday morning I was out for a run and spied this wicker settee at a garage sale, it's from
 Pier 1 and was $30, in good condition except for the cushion covers. Since the inserts were in
 great condition, I knew it wouldn't be expensive to replace the covers, just a little time.  Ha!
(check out the background - almost done!)

I found this fabric on the clearance rack at Hancock, $5/yard!

I couldn't wait to get started on something fun and pretty after the bench,
 are you tired of me whining about the bench...it was a bear...I'm really not a wimp!

I wasn't able to purchase enough fabric to match the pattern perfectly, but I'm happy with
doing it for $20, and guaranteed chances are I'll be up for new fabric next year!

Don't forget to stop by Lauren's and wish her the best!

careful what you ask for!

You were all so kind and encouraging about my first fashion post,

so here's #2, by the way, thank you SO much!!

Today I'm guest posting for my darling friend, Katie @ Miss Dixie, here.

I've mentioned her several times, she chats about diy, design, food, fashion, fun weekends

boating and eating in her home town of San Diego! She's celebrating her second anniversary
 in the Bahamas this week. Congrats, Katie, hope you two are enjoying every relaxing minute!

I'm sharing several ways to freshen up a basic 

EVERYONE

has in their closet!

 (Even The Duchess of Cambridge has one, isn't she the cutest?)

thecollinshome.blogspot.com 
Pop over to Katie's blog and check out the new ways you can add some
zip to an old favorite!

Have a wonderful weekend my friends, you're the BEST!!