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Friday, March 30, 2012

In the Beginning



When I started this blog the image that stayed in my mind was of the one and only Butterfly McQueen in Gone with the wind when she said "I don’t know nothin bout birthin' no babies". It did not take long to realize there was so much more to blogging than crafting and DIY projects. Taking good photographs and writing interesting content are just as important. I have so much to learn about both.

I thought it would be helpful to write down my thoughts and challenges so that at the end of the year I could look back and see how far I've come. If my blog is not growing and improving I need to ask myself what can I do better and is this really for me. I know the answer to the latter is yes so I need to focus on the first question.
The first challenge I want to discuss is motivation. Before I started blogging I would come home, put on my jammies and watch cable news. I quickly realized I had to rid myself of this habit and become more than a weekend DIYer. I kept remembering that commercial that spoke about building the business you wanted and one line that stood out went something like “so put on a pot of coffee because there are going to be some long nights”, and that’s what I did. I brewed my favorite java, Chock-Full of Nuts, fired up the computer and went to work.  Ever since then I’ve blogged almost every night and have to make myself stop and go to bed.
The other challenge I have is time management. I work full time so it’s difficult to start and complete a project in the few evening hours I have. In addition to taking care of my home I also do most of my DIY projects on the weekend. This includes shopping for supplies, going to thrift stores and photographing my projects. It takes much more time than I anticipated and I'm never able to do as much as I want. Over the coming months it’s important that I improve my time management skills. I have so much I want to accomplish that the way I manage it now is just not good enough.
So, every few months I’ll write a post to journal my blogging experiences. I believe this is a growing process and I want to look back and see how far I’ve grown. I can see already that I have but I know I have a long way to go.
Peace

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Tuxedo (Sofa) Junction

It's a junction where the town folks meet 
At each function in a tux they greet you 
Come on down, forget your care 
Come on down, you'll find me there 
So long town, I'm heading for 
Tuxedo Junction now
-Glen Miller

A classic Tuxedo sofa with it's straight streamlined style calls to mind a time of sophistication and elegance. Think, Myrna Loy and William Powell, Lena Horne, Ellington, Rogers and Astaire. It has been around since the 1920s and was named after Tuxedo Park in New York as was it's cousin the Tuxedo. The arms and back of the sofa are usually the same height and it may or may not have attached back cushions. Often it will have a single seat cushion but can be found with two or three. Here are some pictures the classic tuxedo sofa.


 


1. Agustino Antiques
2. Z Gallerie
3. Nancy Corzine
4. Bernhardt
5. S. Russell Groves
6. Smith & Watson
7. Z Gallerie

Monday, March 26, 2012

I'm Diggin' on: Mirrored Furniture

Don’t cha love mirrored furniture. There’s no better way to go big with the bling than adding a shiny piece of furniture to a room. They add sparkle and shine and frankly are so easy to clean. Can you say Windex. My dream is to own at least one piece of mirrored furniture. An end table would be ideal or maybe a nightstand. They can be pricey or affordable, simple or ornate and are available everywhere from large department stores to discount stores. Here are a few beauties I dream about having someday.









1. CSN Lighting
2. Horchow
3. Horchow
4. Lighting Universe
5. Neiman Marcus
6. Neiman Marcus
7. Z Gallerie

Friday, March 23, 2012

Mirror Makeover


Isn’t this a pretty mirror. Notice anything missing. Right, the mirror. I bought it from HomeGoods for $20 bucks because it was missing the mirror. I loved the filigree cut outs and decided I could do something with it but couldn't decide exactly what. I decided that it was too small to be truly functional so I decided to make it more of a decorative piece. 



I spray painted it silver and then went on the hunt for a round mirror. I had hoped to find one at the thrift store but after a few months had no success. Eventually I found them in the wedding section at Hobby Lobby. They are normally used as wedding centerpieces but they still suited my purpose. I attached the mirror with mirror adhesive and since the opening was a little smaller I filled in the gap around the edges with clear silicone. To give it a little extra zip I attached clear marbles all around the edge which also helped to hide the gap. 

Here is the final product. 

I'm not so sure I'm happy with the silver so I may paint over it again someday but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. 

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

BLACK EQUALS DRAMA

Better Homes and Gardens
What says drama more than black. I've admired black and white rooms for a while. They're crisp, bold, dramatic, elegant and in a bedroom can be  romantic. I'm not ready to plunge into a full black and white room but a few black pieces in my bedroom would be a good first step. My puppy dog always makes her way to my bed and since she sheds there will be no black linen for me. I've have two crystal lamps that I got from the thrift store for about $8 each. I've been trying to decide what to do with them and a black lampshade may be the ticket. My fear is that it will make the room too dark but since I like an intimate bedroom, maybe dark is the way to go. Here are some styles I've checked out. 







 1. Lamps Plus
 2. Lamps Plus
 3. Bellacor
 4. Target
 5. Murray Feiss
 6. Coaster
 7. Lamps Plus

Monday, March 19, 2012

Another Furniture Steal

Here's my latest little find. 


I spotted this lovely 3 drawer dresser at the Salvation Army thrift store last weekend and fell in love with it. It was marked $25 and they had a 15% off furniture sale so the pretax cost was $21. It's solid wood, slightly weathered with super cool hardware. It's in pretty good shape but the drawers will need some new hardware. No worries. When I get around to painting or staining it, I'll take care of any issues. For now, it's right by the front door and is perfect for holding hats, gloves and scarves. Eventually I want to redecorate my living room and at that time I'll decide what to do with it. Until then, I'll just enjoy thinking of the possibilities. 

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Downstairs Bathroom Plans

My downstairs bathroom is giving me fits. I don't want to spend a lot of money on it, but I only want to do it once and want to do it right even though my funds are limited. It's mainly my sons bathroom and you know what that means. No matter how much money I spend making it look good it will soon be filled with dirty socks, soap scum and toothpaste splashes on the mirror. It's a tiny bathroom but still has to be practical, functional and easy to maintain. This means clean lines, light neutral colors, good storage, no wall paper and no furniture. Here are some bathroom photos that I find inspiring.  

Woman's Day 2008
BHG 2011
Woman's D
House Beautiful 2012
                         

My contractor is a good friend of mine. He'll be ready to start soon so I'd better make some decisions about what I want. 

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

I've had all I can takes, I can takes no more

My home office has way to much stuff in it. A couple years ago I was getting dragged down by having my office in my bedroom so I converted my guest bedroom to my office/workroom. I didn’t use it often enough to justify holding the space for a visitor. It’s one of the best decisions I made because my bedroom is now more serene. More about that another day. So now I’ve got everything in my guest room and well….I’ll let the picture speak for itself. 
                                                
                                                                                                                                                   




I want to totally redo this office but I don’t have any definite plans as yet. For now I have to streamline. Step One…get rid of one of the bookcases and downsize to a smaller 19" TV that fits in the remaining bookcase. I gave the huge 27" TV to my son and told him he was free to sell the old one or give it away but it had to go. Wit h the bookcase gone I rearranged things a bit and now there is much more space. I feel more productive already. Here is my new office. 




Next step is to redecorate, or rather, decorate my office. But how?




 More to come in the future.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Me and My Roxie

My best friends name is Roxie. She is a sweetheart of a girl who is always there when I need her. When I need a hug she's there. When I need to smile she's there. She's the first one to greet me when I walk in the door and the last one I see before I fall asleep. She's my Pug and I love her dearly. Today she is not feeling well so neither am I. Tomorrow we are off to the vet. 

XOXO's


Friday, March 9, 2012

Crystal Lamps

I have a thing for crystal table lamps. New or old I love them and my favorites are the old bell shaped crystal lamps your grandmother may have had.  One of my favorite places to shop for them is at the thrift store and whenever I see one I have a hard time not buying it. I love the way they add sparkle and shine to a bedroom. Most crystal lamps I find at the thrift store have a brassy gold trim. I really don’t like the gold because it can be a little harsh so eventually I will paint the bases to bring them up to date. I haven’t decided if I want silver, white, black, or a softer shade of gold. Also I would like to change out the shades. I like to reuse what I already have so I’ll get creative with my own shades and add some type of embellishment or be on the lookout for a bargain. Here is a sample of what I’ve collected so far.
I'd love some ideas for transforming these. Think I'll check out what's happening around the blogosphere. Stay tuned.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

We go, We go!

When I was a kid my brothers and I would occasionally drive from Chicago to Moline with my parents. We’d all pile in the car and my dad would say, “We go, we go”! Something about that saying always excited me. It meant every thing was set and it’s time to start our journey.  

I have wanted to start a blog for a long time. It wasn’t until I noticed that lots of folks were starting blogs with my ideas and I got really angry with myself. The only difference between us was that they had the gumption to get out there and do what I’ve only talked about. No more talking about it. It’s time to just do it and join the fun. 

I’m happiest when I’m being creative. I like taking used and abused items from thrift stores, garage sales and estate sales and make them look better than when I found them.  I enjoy scanning the internet and seeing the work of other bloggers and am totally inspired by their creations. I hope one day they will allow me to link to their sites. Some of their work is so beautiful that I want to share it with everyone I know. 

Part of why it’s taken so long to get started is I wanted my blog to be perfect and polished out the gate. I’ve come to realize that if I wait until all the details are worked out I may never get started. So be forewarned, the first few months of my posts may be crude but at least it’s a start and something I can build on. No more waiting, no excuses, no procrastination. Let’s get the party started.
 
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