The Domino Effect

Isn't it funny how one little purchase can catapult you into a full blown decorating frenzy?  When we bought this secretary (which I transformed from Mahogany stained secretary to "Pure White" - transformation here) ...

(to which I then just added a coat of "Duck Egg" on the back of the inside), I never realized that that little purchase would cause me to go into ADD (Attention *Decorating* Disorder) overload!

You see, because of where we placed the new secretary, that meant I had to find a new home for the buffet that had lived there for a few years.  Glancing around, the only logical place to put it seemed to be in the alcove beside our fireplace.

Once we placed it there, my husband then decided that we needed a larger TV to balance better with the newly added buffet (LOL ... love how he actually tried to use that for his argument).  Actually, we had been planning on replacing it, anyway.

But, because of the new TV, I thought it'd be nice to have more seating in here  ... so, in came the love seat from the sitting room:

Of course, a few pillows *had* to be added:

And, then, as I was sitting at our breakfast table, peering into the great room with its new arrangement, I thought to myself "if only there were enough room to add a sofa table behind the sofa.  I've always wanted to try that, but just never have ... that was, until now!

I grabbed the table that I had recently added to the sitting room and placed it in its new spot.  I then added a basket underneath, which serves as a great place to hide the *not-so-pretty* woofer to the TV's surround bar system:

I kept one of the accent chairs in here ... brought the blue lamp back in (the beautiful lamp my Mom bought me is now in the office) and added another garden seat (from TJMaxx):

This sweet pillow from Home Goods was a fun, inexpensive addition, too!

While I wish our great room was a bit wider, I'm enjoying the cozy feel that this new *decorating frenzy* arrangement brings:

What decorating frenzies have been going on in your house, lately?!

Thanks for stopping by,

(I'm linking up with):

French Country Cottage/Feathered Nest Friday
Jennifer Rizzo/Fabulously Creative Friday Linky Party
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Tuesday's Treasures

Becca

*Bare* Can be Good!

As much as I love bringing new life to an older piece, sometimes it's fun to bring life to a brand new *bare* piece!

For awhile, I've wanted to retire our two wrought iron barstools from our breakfast bar and add four matching wood ones in their place but, the ones I found were either the wrong style or too expensive.  It was then that I remembered a sweet reader of mine mentioning "Bear Naked Furniture," an online store that sells unassembled, bare furniture for an extremely reasonable price!

Here are two of the barstools being introduced to Annie Sloane's Pure White:

After the "Pure White" dried, I then decided to add "Chateaux Grey" so that they would tie in with our island and dry bar (which are painted the same color).  And, then, out came my paint pen and sanding blocks:

My sweet hubby then mounted the rush seats:

And, voila!

I love, LOVE having four stools here now and thank our friends for breaking them in last night at our Superbowl gathering!

Did I mention that chairs weren't the only thing I ordered?  I'm *almost* done with my other purchase and hope to share it soon!

What about you?  Have you ever purchased bare furniture?

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Lovin' in the Kitchen ...

Yes, folks, the tree is still up!  

Out went the Christmas elves and gingerbread men ...

and in came the hearts.  There are flowers embellished with hearts ....

hearts that say "I like you!"

one with a simple word of:

and, ones that don't say anything at all.

Of course, there are *YUM*mies to indulge on ...

because they're nice and ...

Annnnd, there's a reminder of what we all want ...

along with a big reminder of what we all need!

So, is there "lovin'" going on in your kitchen?

Thanks for stopping by!

Sharing with:  

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style/WUW

Becca

Our *Wanna Be* Sanctuary

Some of you may remember when I redecorated a few rooms at my parents' house this past summer, to include their sunroom.  In this space, I replaced a wicker loveseat, two chairs (all with red cushions) and *yellow-y* walls with a relaxing 4 chair configuration dressed in blues and creams, with a few pops of coral and a big ol' boat that appears to be floating on the beautiful Atlantic Ocean, which is right in their backyard.  Once I was done, my parents named their "new" room "The Sanctuary." 

Ever since then, I've wanted to create a little "Sanctuary" in our sitting room; however, it's not as big as my parents room, NOR does it overlook the ocean (bummer)!  Still, I'm determined ...

Here's what it looked like this time, last month:

And, here's what it looks like now:

Like my parents' "Sanctuary," I really want to have 4 white accent chairs in this space (possibly EKTORP Jennylund chairs from IKEA) and position them  around this perfectly-sized round ottoman I recently snagged at Home Goods:

And, while I won't be painting our walls Wythe Blue like I chose for my parents' sunroom, I've added pops of blue back in ... like with this fun, new, geometric fabric,

along with bringing back the blue accent chest that I replaced during the Christmas season:

Also, I'll re-introduce pops of coral once Spring draws near ... for now, I've kept a bit of red for Valentine's Day:

Bessie (the cowhide that *was* in our breakfast area) is now enjoying this space that is filled with lots of white, to include a sofa table that was oak stained a couple of weeks ago, but is now Annie Sloane's "Pure White,"

a pretty, white garden seat I recently scored at TJMaxx,

  

lots of white pieces in the bookcase:

and, okay, a few shells ... just because.

Here's hoping that I can find the perfect chairs to fill this space, without overwhelming it. Until then, I suppose I'll just enjoy our "Wanna Be Sanctuary." (lol)

As always, thanks for stopping by!

And, be sure and come play with us:

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Tuesday's Treasures

Savvy Southern Style/WUW
From My Front Porch to Yours/Treasure Hunt Thursday

French Country Cottage/Feathered Nest Friday

An Unexpected Valentine Mantel

Greetings, friends!

Gone is the glitter, faux snow and reindeer; however, one thing that didn't have to leave after Christmas were splashes of red ... thanks to Valentine's Day! 

After running into World Market a couple of weeks ago to grab one "little" thing, I found myself unexpectedly loading a NOT-so-little thing into my car.  That purchase then became the surprise focal point for our Valentine's Day mantel:

Of course, I *then* found my car driving on auto pilot to Michael's to find a few goodies to complement such unexpected purchase! First, I spotted simple, inexpensive red vases to add faux florals (already had on hand): 

Next, while there, I found a pack of red and pink hearts, which I would later embellish with smaller Martha Stewart adhesive hearts and hang at varying heights across the mantel:

And, what's Valentine's Day without Cupid?  These cuties were actually part of a gift bag ... I simply detached them from the bag and gave them a spot on the mantel, as well, along with a few, scattered rose petals:  

Plain, white candles were given a bit of Valentine whimsy by adding layers of decorative ribbon:

Lastly, after finding these cute, adhesive tiles, I thought it'd be fun to frame them:  

One last peek at our unexpected Valentine mantel:

Thanks for stopping by ... hope to see your unexpected additions, too!

Come play:

Savvy Southern Style/WUW
French Country Cottage/Feathered Nest Friday
Jennifer Rizzo/Fabulously Creative Friday Linky Party

A New Addition

Greetings, friends!

While I should be putting our house back together after taking Christmas down last week ... SOMEhow, I found myself with a paint brush in my hand.

You see ... I've wanted to add an antique secretary to our great room for quite some time now, but, have never found one that I liked ... that is, until the other day (thanks to a rainy morning and Craigslist).

Here's what *she* looked like after we brought her inside ... in pretty good condition, despite dings here and there.  Still, I could practically hear her begging me for a makeover ... so, that's exactly what I did.

And, here's how she looks now, thanks to a can of Annie Sloane's "Pure White:"

Of course, I had to distress her a bit to honor peeks of her history (love the ball and claw feet):

I also decided she needed to be a bit fancy, so I replaced her rather nondescript wooden knobs with fun, clear *vintage-y* ones:

Lastly, to add a bit of pizazz, I painted on a simple, French graphic (thank you, again, Graphics Fairy)!

Before:

And, AFTER!

I truly hope she approves of her new look!

Now, back to vacuuming up glitter and finding everything I tucked away for the holidays!

And, come on over and play with us:

Savvy Southern Style/WUW
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Tuesday's Treasures
French Country Cottage/Feathered Nest Friday
Jennifer Rizzo/Fabulously Creative Friday Linky Party
From My Front Porch to Yours/Treasure Hunt Thursday

Thanks for stopping by,