Stephanie
Time to get ready for 4th of July
Now that Father’s Day is over it’s time to start thinking about the 4th of July. It’s only a couple of weeks away can you believe it? I tend to go all out with the food and decorations for the 4th of July. I’d might even go as far as to say I love the 4th of July more than Christmas. There is just something about having your friends and family over for a bbq, surrounded by flags and lots of red, white, and blue. I am always on the look-out for decorations and fun recipes to try. So when I saw on Facebook that CostPlus is having free shipping, I clicked over and checked out what they had, since they are my go-to for 4th of July decorating. {not a paid post here folks, it is just where I shop}
I see they still carry the Americana Fabric Garlands I purchased two years ago
It’s a different pattern, but still a great price $15.98 for two strands {I used two strands on my umbrella}
Of course I found some things I couldn’t resist adding to my cart
Those red baskets are mini baskets which are going to be perfect for holding napkins and utensils. I tend to make too much food and desserts, {major understatement if you know me!} so those take-out boxes will be perfect to send home with my guests
Navy and mint laundry room
I have been wanting colored washer and dryers ever since they came out with them years ago. Even though I hated my old washer and dryers I couldn’t justify buying new until I actually needed to. I am super lucky to be able to have two washers, and two dryers in my laundry room, but that also means double the cost when you have to replace them. So when one of my washer recently broke, I was over the moon excited to finally get new colored washer and dryers. I chose the Electrolux Mediterranean Blue
I love the combination of navy and mint, so I painted my walls Sherwin Williams Reclining Green.
It is very hard to photograph this room since it has no natural light, but the color reminds me of a Tiffany Blue.
I didn’t have the pedestals on my old machines, but the new ones were just too low without them. I lost my folding area on top of the machines and my under counter lighting is pretty much useless now, but I’m ok with that. I could raise the upper cabinets but to me it isn’t worth the expense.
I also got a new rug from Lulu & Georgia, it’s called the Chanda Rug. I love, love love it. I saw it on Emily Hendrson’s blog and new it was the perfect color combination I was looking for. I love the texture, the colors, and how soft it is. I thought since it was more of a flat weave it wold be rough, but it wasn’t at all.
Poufs
I haven’t been on Etsy in a long, long time, I blame that on Pinterest. I totally forgot how you can browse for hours staring at pages and pages of eye candy. {which I admit I did} I was originally looking for outdoor poufs, I didn’t find very many, but they had a ton of indoor ones that were super cute. Here are a few that caught my eye
1. Pink and white chain pouf 2. Contemporary Modern zig zag pouf 3. Yellow circle pouf 4. Blue Square Pouf
They are so adorable and functional in a nursery
This picture is to die for…I think I might have to get me a pouf just to have my newest grandson’s picture taken on it like this little guy did
Since I didn’t find too many outdoor poufs on Etsy, I checked my go to source, Target, and found some great priced outdoor poufs all for under $40
Poufs have been popular for a while, so I am wondering, have you bought any poufs for your house or your outdoor space? Do you like them? I used one in a room for “Project Nursery” but never heard if she liked it or not. I would love to hear your input before I pull the trigger and buy one for myself.
Framed agate slices
I fell in love with the idea of framing agate slice as wall art after I saw what Erica from Moth Design had done with hers.
So on a whim, back in February I ordered two on Etsy. And they just sat on my desk. Then Tanya from Dans le Townhouse just recently framed her agate slices and they are stunning
This was the motivation I needed to get my rear in gear and do mine. I wish I would of been able to hand pick my agate slices, rather than order them on line. The agate slices I ordered aren’t half as stunning as Tanya’s. And they didn’t have that pretty gold around the edges, which makes them look so much prettier.
My plan was to order the frames at Pottery Barn like Tanya did, but I got lucky and found two at where else…HomeGoods! They were white 11 x 14 frames with a nice mat, I wanted black frames, so I just sprayed them black. I quickly gold leafed the edges before I assembled them into the frame.
I attached my agate to a canvas panel, which is a thin canvas board with the texture of a stretched canvas, but more sturdy. Canvas panels were my staple when I was in interior design school for presentation boards.
I used Aleen’s Glass and Bead glue on the backside of the agate slices to adhere them to the canvas panel.
I just wish I would of bought new barstools
It’s not like we can’t afford new barstools, the problem is, I’m a die hard DIYer. Buy new? Nah. I can make them look great. So she said.
Here they are right before I took them out of the kitchen for my magic makeover {via a bad iPhone picture}
It was going pretty darn good. I took the chairs apart and took out the million nails on the seat
Wiped the frame down, lightly sanded the wood and then started spraying {heirloom white}
But in reality, it was the wrong time of year to start such a project. It was cold and off and on raining. But I kept going. And I must say they were looking very nice. Until the last coat
This is where the nightmare began. They were a hot mess. But I wasn’t going to give up. So back to sanding, and more spraying. I wanted to tone down the white paint, so I wiped a mocha glaze over the stool. This step went well.
Now it was time to reupholster them. I was being oh so careful…but of course, I cut the dang fabric wrong and had to start over. SO this time I knew my cutting mistake right? I was confindent it wouldn’t happen again. WRONG! I cut the fabric once again incorrectly. What the heck? UGH!
How to wallpaper with fabric using starch
Putting fabric on a wall with starch has been around for a long, long time. I used this technique in my kitchen pantry a couple of years ago and I was shocked on how easy it went up and how easy it is to take down {I still have mine up, but I have pulled back a piece to see how hard it would be to take down, and it just peeled right off like butter}
Last weekend I used the fabric with starch on a bigger area at our river house guest bedroom. This time I did a whole wall and I am so pleased on how well it turned out. Of course I didn’t think before I left the house to bring my good camera. Then once I started the process, it dawned on me that some of you might like to know I how I did it, so iPhone pictures is all I got.
This is how the room looked before
But after 6 years of this, I was ready for a change. I wanted to add a more modern look to the room and use a pop of color and a pattern on the headboard wall. I knew wallpaper was too permanent, and the thought of taking it down when I tire of it was not appealing. And so I came up with the idea of using a bold fabric instead of wallpaper as the alternative. This whole concept is great for renters, or a designer like me who is constantly wanting to re-design a room.
Outdoor furniture and accessories at great prices
My mail box has been over flowing with catalogs full of outdoor furniture and accessories. Now I’m itching to spruce up our patios. So since I have been browsing all the sales, I thought I would share some great deals I have come across.
Target has some great outdoor seating on sale for under $300
Or if you need something a little bigger how about this Threshold™ Conservatory Sofa for $299
Add a matching Chaise for $179. {look at that nice detail on the backside..crazy good for $179}
Threshold™ Conservatory Chaise Lounge
I fell head over heals in love when I saw these benches. Aren’t they fun? Love all the colors. And it is on special right now for $299 {I need to check the shipping costs, sometimes that can be the deal breaker for me}
I love using garden stools for side tables. Or pair them together for a coffee table. This one caught my eye from Grandinroad. The interlocking chains give it such depth and texture
You can never have enough serving space when you bbq and this outdoor buffet is a perfect size for just $299
Yorkshire Buffet {comes in black too}
Overstock always has great prices on their outdoor rugs. This one is 5’3″ x 7’7″ for $99.79.
I love my trestle table and chairs I bought last year from Frontgate
Boxwood obsession
I am getting quite the collection of faux boxwood plants in my yard.
See, I love the look of potted plants around my house, but I’ve realized I am not too good at watering them. They always look good for a couple of weeks and then I forget to water them. So my solution is to use fake. GASP! That is such a no no in the design world. But I don’t care, it works for me, and that is all that matters. HomeGoods is where it all started, they have some of the best looking faux boxwoods at the best prices. I have been posting pictures of my topiaries that I have acquired in the last 6 months on Facebook. But Facebook has been implementing a lot of changes {for the worst}, and half the people that like my page, {if not more}, don’t ever see what I post. Ugh, so frustrating. So I thought I would share them all in one post today. {these are taken with my iPhone since that is what I use for my Facebook}
Here is the view of when you go down our main stairs. As you can see, the patio is very visible through the french doors. Normally you would see half dead plants or just an empty containers sitting out on the patio. But not anymore with my new “live” potted boxwoods .
