black is the new black July 24, 2009

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about updating my current furniture. I certainly can’t afford new furniture and I enjoy finding new life in the old. My furniture isn’t ugly per se, it’s just a tad dated. And when I say dated, I don’t mean cool retro or vintage, I mean circa 1996.

Back in 1996 I bought four pieces of middle-of-the-road furniture. All pieces match (I’m SO over that!). Each piece has a cherry finish surface with hunter green legs or accents. Okay…don’t judge, it was popular in ‘96. There isn’t anything wrong with the pieces structurally, they just need a face lift.

So, with that said…I’m really diggin’ black furniture in either an antique or distressed finish. Like this:

Funnily enough…the size and shape of the above table is almost identical to one of my pieces. I’m thinking that I can lightly sand the current piece and paint it to resemble the above. Then I’ll replace the current wooden, French country, round knob pulls with the stylish silver bin pulls like above. I’m thinking it would be a piece of cake!

My question to the 2.5 people who read my blog (probably because I never update it and it sucks) is: will I need to prime the wood prior to painting? And…what type of paint do I use to get the above finish? Suggestions? Thoughts?

More cuteness:

All of the above photos courtesy of JCPenney.com

How cute is this? June 16, 2009

Every now and then I visit Ree’s blog a.k.a. Pioneer Woman. Beautiful photography and funny antedotes from her life on a cattle farm. Today I opened it up to this hilarious story about their bassett hound Charlie.

How stinkin’ cute is that??? I just want to eat his little face! I love dogs.

…the window seat May 21, 2009

Yesterday morning I was about to walk out the door to go to work when I looked over my shoulder to this sweet view. Lizzie and Louie in their open window. They just love it!

{on a side note…yes, that’s a bottle of Wisk holding up the window. 100 year old building windows don’t exactly stay up on their own! ha!}

…love, love theme weddings May 16, 2009

I’m intrigued by fun, themed weddings. They just have such visual appeal. Here’s a great themed wedding featured on photographer Robert Sukrachand’s blog.

Every time I see the “Hippies use side door” sign, I chuckle and think of my dear friend Shelly!

dining room inspiration board May 12, 2009

The boyfriend is in need of a dining room remodel. Here’s a little inspiration to help get the ball rolling.

All furniture including rug, art, baskets and floor lap is from World Market. Window treatments are from Bed, Bath & Beyond. Light is from Lowe’s and paint samples are from Sherwin Williams.

…container gardens April 23, 2009

One day I’ll be a grown-up and I’ll own my own house and it’s imperative that it have a deck or patio so that I may plant a container garden! These photos make me foam at the mouth!

1. Container Group at Longwood Gardens, 2. Happy Little Container Gardens, 3. Container Gardening, 4. Container gardening at Vater home, 5. container garden, 6. Container Garden, 7. Side door Container garden, 8. Container Gardens, 9. Container-scape at Bloomtown garden

…cottages April 22, 2009

I have a little obsession with cottages. Not just any cottages…COSTAL cottages. What could be more yummy?

1. Banffshire Coastal Walk 11, 2. Favorite Cottage, 3. Coastal Cottages, 4. Radford Cottages, 5. Cottage at Monks Bay,, 6. Lighthouse and cottages, 7. Untitled, 8. Cottage, 9. Mimosa, 10. McClellanville SC, 11. Bryant Park Cottages – Hilton Head’s first Green Development, 12. folkparkcoastalcottage, 13. is2955.JPG, 14. perfect care, 15. Island Cottage, 16. Dorset Cottage at Eype, 17. South Carolina Sustainable Building Design, 18. Harbor cottage, St Andrews

…hiding April 21, 2009

Lizzie is hiding. She thinks that if she can’t see me, then I couldn’t possibly see her. How precious are these little legs?

fun little time waster! April 9, 2009

1. Damp heather, 2. some of my stuff, 3. Footbridge over Nam Khan river, 4. Big Rig Jig – closer, 5. OIA, handmade houses, 6. My fabric buffet, 7. singing ajoshi at APAP, 8. Think, Create, Experience, 9. thinker

 

My dear friend Gravey-Train sent me a super fun website to play with called Mosaic Maker. Then she gave me the below guidelines to making a fun mosaic all about ME! Try it…it’s fun!

     Rules:
     a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search (http://www.flickr.com/).
     b. Using ONLY the first page, pick an image.
     c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Mosaic Maker. Change rows to 3 and columns to 3 (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php).

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What is your favorite color?
4. Favorite band?
5. Dream vacation?
6. Favorite hobby?
7. What you want to be when you grow up?
8. What do you love?
9. One word to describe you?

And down the stretch they come! April 1, 2009

One of the few joys of my job is the annual fluffing and puffing of hats. Not just any hats…Kentucky Derby hats! If you’ve ever watched the greatest two minutes in sports, you will know that you better not step foot in Churchill Downs that day without a Derby hat on your head. It’s practically a requirement for admission. And there is no greater faux-pas than showing up in a hat like someone else’s. GASP!!!! The best way to avoid this tragedy (sad, but true) is to make your own.

Now, as a native Louisvillian, I don’t go to the Kentucky Derby as it’s next to impossible to obtain good seats. You have to wait for someone to die. Literally. So, instead, I get to dress up cute local sorority girls in fancy dresses and home-made Derby hats. The little darlin’s then stand in the rotunda of our airport and greet incoming passengers with a pretty smile, a smashing Derby hat and of course a Woodford Reserve bourbon ball. If you’ve ever been to Kentucky, you know we pride ourselves with horse racing and bourbon, so of course the two go together! Nothing gives me chills faster than hearing the call-to-the-post or make me tear up faster than hearing the crowd sing My Old Kentucky Home.

My partner in crime, MM, and I made the annual pilgramage to Dee’s Crafts to buy what I like to refer to as “naked hats”. Then we buy the cutest ribbon available, silk flowers, feathers and anything else we can find to turn “naked hats” into custom designed, one-of-a-kind Derby hats!!!

Here are this year’s “naked hats”:

And…the finished hats!

And that’s the fabulous MM in the center photo wearing her sassy orange hat!