Vintage Table Redo

As I've said before my husband and I are currently trying to furnish our first house and being that A) we aren't rich to the point where we can go out and furnish our whole entire house at once, and B) neither one of us had a whole lot of furniture to begin with, the process is slow going. The good thing about this is that we get to live in a space and get a feel for how different areas of our home can be used and the house comes together naturally and doesn't have that "DONE" look to it. The bad thing is that sometimes this means we have to eat on the floor, picnic style. Now, don't get me wrong, we have bought a few pieces of furniture like the chocolate velvet Linden sofa and chair from Z Gallerie that we saved for months to buy and my mirrored vanity from Pier 1. We have also inherited a few pieces from various family members who were upgrading or didn't want that piece of furniture any longer. Recently my husband's grandmother moved in with his mom and was giving away some of her furniture and as soon as I saw her kitchen table and chairs I knew I HAD to have it! The table and chairs are very similar to the style below with the oval shape, scalloped edges, and curved legs. The only difference was that her table was stained a medium brown instead of painted white.

Image via {Google}

As soon as I saw the table I knew I wanted to paint it a super glossy black and reupholster the chairs in this cheetah print fabric by P. Kaufmann called Cheetah Earth. 

I LOVE this cheetah print because its not furry like some others I've seen and because of the slightly textured feel of it. It is elegant yet understated and is super versatile as well. At first, my husband questioned my sanity when I told him my plans for the table and chairs but I just said, "Trust me. It's gonna look amazing." So as soon as he relented I began searching on the internet for techniques on how to paint furniture and I ran across this gem from Bryn Alexandra Interiors, a very informative and helpful blog post on how to paint furniture. Here is a picture of the desk after she was finished painting it:

Image via {Bryn Alexandra Interiors}

I think she did an amazing job!!!! After reading her blog post I went to Lowe's and gathered my materials to begin my new project. I am currently on "Day 3" and am writing this post while waiting for paint to dry and hope to be finished soon so I can share the results with you!!! Wish me luck!!!

Happy Weekend

Here's hoping everyone has a truly wonderful weekend! Get outside! Enjoy the sunshine! Blow some bubbles... Run... Play! Be a kid again!

Via {Captivate Me}

Gilded

 Today I'm loving the color combination of minty blue-green and gold! The combination reminds me of warm, sunny afternoons at the beach spent just lounging around. Relax and enjoy!

 Via {Captivate me}

 Source unknown

 Via {DecorPad}

 

Source unknown

Via {The Lennoxx}

 Via {Snippet and Ink}

Via {Traditional Home}

 

Via {Traditional Home}

Wonderfully Romantic

Over the weekend I visited one of my favorite blogs, Style Me Pretty, and found this wonderfully romantic Gatsby inspired, springtime wedding. GORGEOUS! I'm loving the freshness of white paired with green, and the peachy-nude colors that she incorporated help to keep her wedding feeling soft and romantic instead of the stark, crisp feeling you sometimes get from pairing white and green alone. I think this is just what a garden-themed springtime wedding should be- lush, romantic, and soft- but I'll let you decide for yourself.

For more of this lovely wedding check out Style Me Pretty!

Wanting...

 God, I want these shoes so bad its making my head hurt!!!

 Boutique 9 Illy Espadrille

Living Room Inspiration

My hubby moved into what would become "Our House" in February of last year with little more than a bed, two big screen TV's, and a La-Z-Boy recliner- nice because we had a VERY clean slate to start with but not so nice because I had absolutely NOTHING to work with. Since acquiring furniture takes money and our funds are limited (especially since I have no job at the moment) the process is slow going and requires a little DIY elbow grease (I am currently repainting a table for our breakfast area, but more on that later). A year later and our house is far from complete but is coming together nicely. The first thing we bought was this fabulous sofa from Z Gallerie:

 

Z Gallerie Linden Sofa in Beluga

It is upholstered in a plush chocolate colored velvet fabric and is sooooooo comfy- its perfect for snuggling with your sweetie for Sunday night movie watching. Since this purchase we haven't done much else to furnish our living room so that's my current obsession. Below are some of the images I'm using as inspiration.

One of my all time favorite rooms. It is the perfect balance between masculine and feminine, cozy comfort and stylish decor.

Similar chocolate brown velvet couches.

Love the nail head trim on the desk and the "racing stripes" on the chair in the corner!

I want this home office!!!

All these rooms basically have the same chocolate brown, beige, black and white color palette and use glass, silver, and gold to help lighten up the deep chocolate brown. Now, all I have to do is convince my husband that we NEED a zebra print rug... wish me luck!!!

Room images via {DecorPad}

Happy Weekend

Have a lovely weekend!

Image via {Captivate Me.}

Stylish Organization

I don't know about you, but I've been in an organizational frenzy lately! Maybe its the fact that suddenly, as a new bride who is living with her hubby for the first time, we have an over abundance of stuff (read: CRAP) in the house and nowhere to put it. Maybe its because I'm a little OCD and a lot ADD and I feel like to stay focused I need things to be neat and organized. It could even be because I'm attracted to bright, new, shiny objects and want things displayed prettily throughout my new home. I think its a combination of the three. 

Enter Russell+Hazel: an Organizational Nerd's dream come true.

I received their new 2011 catalog in the mail a couple of days ago and I've been drooling over it ever since.

Their Binders are PHENOMENAL! Each one has a dry-erase interior, a spine made of linen or patent leather, and a massive rubber band to hold everything together. They even make them in a Mini version! (I'm a sucker for anything miniature!) And they have an abundance of paper and accessories you can add to your binder to make it completely customized!

Their Wedding Organizer set SAVED MY LIFE while I was planning my wedding! Seriously, take it from someone who was planning her wedding while traveling between two cities at least twice a week, working, and going on interviews for a new job- this thing is a LIFESAVER!!! You can even download free wedding PDF templates to add to the Wedding Organizer on their website! It is fabulous!

Russell+Hazel = LOVE

All above images via Russell+Hazel

A New Way to Waste Time...

I LOVE THIS!!! I recently found this website, Olioboard, which allows you to create interior design mood boards! You can mix and match items from stores like Crate and Barrel, West Elm, Ikea, and CB2 or, you can upload your own photos and use those!!! I love it! Here's an OlioBoard I created recently for inspiration on decorating our dining room:

Furnishings pictured above from: Burke Decor, Layla Grace, Crate and Barrel, Home Decorators, Z Gallerie, 

Circa Lighting, Plantation, Lamps Plus, Laura Ashley, CB2, and Ikea

Changes...

WOW! What a year already! Sorry I've been away awhile I was off getting MARRIED!!! What a fun and exciting time! The theme of the past few months has definitely been "CHANGE!" In December I quit the job I've had for the past 6 years where we were all as close as family. Then,the day after Christmas, I moved over an hour away from my real family (which is alot for someone who went home every afternoon to see her Momma and talk) to move in with my hubby-to-be. A month and a half later the Big Day arrived and I became a MRS.; two days after that we left for our honeymoon in Costa Rica.

So... Here I am. A newlywed starting out in a new house, in a new city, with a new husband and a new last name. I have no family here (meaning extended family because I consider Brad and I a family now) and only two close friends that live nearby. I miss my parents, my dogs, and most of all my younger brother- which is surprising given that at one point in time I couldn't wait to get rid of him. I also have no job to speak of and no one to talk to in this big empty house all day so it can get a little lonely at times.

It's not all sad though! I get to see my sweetie everyday now (MAJOR plus), and we get to have our own little family. I get to learn how to cook and clean and keep a house. I am like a little birdie making her nest for the first time. Essentially, I have a blank canvas to paint however I want!

So, I guess the moral of the story is this... Change is good. Its not always easy, and it is sometimes sad or bittersweet, and there are moments we may feel uncomfortable, but it is always a good thing. Change makes us grow and helps us become a wiser, better person. Embrace it, learn from it, and you will be rewarded. Shucking off that old shell may be scary at first but when we climb into our new one we find it was worth it after all.

Image via {Bits of Beauty}