Another Habitat Visit

Last Friday, I ventured to my hometown to visit the parents. I ate lunch with my mom (Dairy-O slaw dog and large Cherry Coke. Doesn't get better.) Then we went to the Edisto Habitat for Humanity. What a wonderland! There was so much to see and drool over. I finally chose my treasures and got a special treat at the check-out. 30% off everything!

Here's a little something I picked up for a good friend:



Porkchop loved it!

And I had to get a little something for me!



Crazy. Beautiful. Sturdy. Cheap. Just like me! I think Emily Henderson would be proud.

Coming Soon!

Two words:



Silver leaf. Probs January. So excited to see how it turns out.

Kitchen Curtains

Thankfully, I was able to make and hang the kitchen toppers before company came. I had an image in my mind of what the windows should look like, and this is it:





Up close, with flash:



So weird how different the paint looks in different light. I think that's kind of what I like about it.

Who?

I just realized I forgot to put up the "After" of the owl.



I Googled around to see if I could find a similar one. Here's what I found.



It's even in a green room! The difference is that this little fellow was around $165! Yipes!

The only one I found like mine was this one



That is one evil-looking bird! And he's $60. Think I'll keep my little $15 guy.

Here She Is

Quite a difference.

I lined the back of the bookcase with a coral silk taffeta.



Last night, when I put the curtains up, I hated them! HATED! Today, I kinda love them.



The tiebacks are some cheap beads I found at the Huge Lots (seriously, have you seen the new Rivers Ave. store? It has to be called huge!)



My buffet decorations.



Next, I have to finish the kitchen. Here is the fabric for the curtains.



Because of the little gap at the top of the blinds, this is a big priority. It's making me the crazy!

Then I'll tackle these craigslist beauties:

Sneak Peak for Tomorrow

What the heck am I going with this guy?

It's A Process

I lived in apartments so long that when we finally got a house, I kinda went nuts with color. I wanted a red dining room. And I so got it.



and this got even yellower over the years.



The kitchen and dining room are side-by-side so a little too Condiment City.



What was I thinking? Yeesh.

Seven years later, the color had to go. My Real World Job is kind of chaotic. When I get home at night, I need calm. Peace.

I wasn't really sure where to start. After dozens of paint chips, I narrowed the choices down to these:



So last Saturday and Sunday, my chaotic rooms turned into this:



Ooooooohhhhhh! The ugly cabinets even look good with this. Iffy about the stuff above the cabinets. I have an image in my head about how this room should feel. Not sure all the stuff is in the feeling though.



Aaaaaahhhhhh! You can actually see the wood! Wow!


I am beyond thrilled with the color. It is Martha Stewart's Endive colormatched in Behr's Paint + Primer. I give the Behr 5 stars! Only two coats to cover all that red.

Here are some accents I'm still working out.



Hey, look! Old ugly found a home! Coral is most def going to be an accent color in the dining room as well as the kitchen.

I put up the matchstick blinds in the kitchen last night. After only 4 trips to Lowes and/or Home Depot to find the right ones that would fit these jacked up windows.

Tonight: make the dining room curtains and transform the little bookcase. (It's going to be awesome!) And the tiebacks for the curtains are a little surprise as well.

Well, the curtains aren't going to make themselves. How cool would that be? Gotta scoot!

Projects - In No Particular Order

Metal Footstool



Add the $3 Sequined Top. Hmmmm......



Wicker Footstool....no clue.



Chair found at Goodwill for ..... wait for it..... $1.91!



Red Outdoor Chair



Paint? Sunshine Yellow. Fabric? This:



I'm such a sucker for madras.


Leather auditor case. Meet my new toolbox!



Campaign Dresser/Nightstand.



Owl umbrella holder. Yes, paint.



Printer's box? Jewelry display.



Remember Old Ugly's Sister?



Sorry for the wonky picture. These are elements of the gallery wall for the master bedroom. Some of my photography will go in the different-sized frames.



Here is the wall. Weird shadows courtesy of the ceiling fan.



Master bedroom chair that I've been dragging around for years.



Five yards of this DwellStudio fabric sits ready for re-covery.




These are some of the fabrics I'm going to try to incorporate into future designs.

• A French Connection skirt from ebay. I learned the hard way that UK sizes are different from US sizes.
• A JCrew skirt that split down the side. No, it wasn't too small.
• An Old Navy skirt, size 16,that I bought for $1.99 with the intention of making something else out of it. It's a silver metallic linen-y fabric.
• Old velvet Ralph Lauren lounge pants.

Stay tuned. It should be interesting.

Iwantiwantiwantiwant!

Craigslist, again, of course!

Yet another chair. In this case, pair of chairs for $75.





Gor-Juss! I would put these at either end of a beautiful dining room table. After they were painted and jazzed, of course.

Also, these lamps, Both for $25.



Three words: Red Gloss Paint.

Giddy!

Cannot tell you how psyched I am about Emily Henderson's new show:



Secrets from a Stylist premiers August 29th at 10 PM on HGTV. I'm so there!

Hello, Beautiful!

It's been a long road for Old Ugly. Having her cane back covered like it was an embarrassment, being used as a lowly computer chair, sitting forlornly in a corner. Well, no more! Here she is...



You look fantabulous, darling!



I have discovered that there is a whole tribe of Old Ugly's. I found this one on a website today while I was doing some legwork for an upcoming post.



This is Bad Orange. How I wish for you to be Good and Pretty. You know there's a cane back under that brown. Savages.

Quote of the ..... Everthing!

"someones gotta stick up for antiques. Like PETA, only for nightstands."
-Emily Henderson

I don't know how many people are watching this year's Design Star. It's not the strongest year they've had, but they do have my new favorite blogger, Emily Henderson. She is innovative and quirky and I totally relate to her vintage style and how she feels about making old things new again.

She's the cute one on the right.



We'd have sooooo much fun hanging out at the ReStore. I'm rooting really hard for her to win. I think her show would fit right in with the whole recessionista-make-do-with-what-you-have thing going on right now. You know, kind of what I'm trying to build my fledgling enterprise around.

Go to The Brass Petal and make her a daily read. At least, read this post about where she blogs (I would cut someone for a chair like that), and I think her wedding invites are the most creative thing I've ever seen. Yes, I gush. I lerve her.

Lil Table Revamp

I saw this little table at My Hidden Resource and immediately had to snag it! It was a true bargain at $10. It's sturdy and has simple lines.



Here it is after several coats of high gloss white. Happiness really is high gloss white paint.



The top is Dewberry under glass....



This gem is going in Lovey's Manland. It is painted a deep chocolate brown. I think the white is going to be a great contrast. It is the perfect place for a cold drink and a remote or four. In room photos coming soon.