Can You Relate?

Boy, I sure can!  Ugh!

 

You still have time to enter my giveaway!

French Country Cottage Guest Room/Office: (A Decorating Makeover Story)

Grab your coffee or tea and get comfortable because this post is a long one.

My only “baby bird” (aka Daughter) left the nest a couple years ago.  Because I had absolutely no direction whatsoever on how I wanted to redecorate Daughter’s vacated bedroom, the room sat untouched for about 1 1/2 years.

Uhhh…and just between me and you…I was also kind of waiting to see how she would adjust, financially,  to living on her own.  It’s a cold, cruel, and very expensive world out there these days, ya know?

I know it’s customary to show “before” photos of the project for “Metamorphosis Monday” but this makeover occurred about 8 months ago…before I became a blogger.  If you had/have kids, you can probably imagine what it looked like anyway…messy.  Then, to make matters worse, it became my temporary “dumping ground” for anything and everything  I didn’t know what to do with while I was redecorating all the other rooms in my house.

Anyway, once I made the decision to start redecorating, I had two primary goals:

1. move the computer out of  the dining room into Daughter’s old room and …

2. get the treadmill out of the storage shed and set it up in there.

Beyond that, I was stumped.  I had absolutely no ideas about  how I wanted the room to look as far as style, decor or colors.

Then, one day while browsing through a Ballard Designs catalog, I saw this desk/hutch combo and fell in love.

                                      Photo source:  Ballard Designs

Since I’ve gotten into Cottage Style, I’m preferring the lighter, brighter look of white painted furniture over dark woods but there was something about this desk and hutch that spoke to me.

Oh, can’t you just hear all that shelf space calling out to be decorated?!  Yeah, I thought so!  Me too.  And NOT with ugly, functional  “office stuff”!

With the desk decision made, I needed to focus on some of the other elements of the room, like wall color and bedding.

I’ll be honest…yellow is not my  favorite color…at least when it comes to using it in my house.  I always love it in other people’s homes, but not mine.  So guess what color I decided to paint the walls in this room?  Yep, yellow!  A pale, buttery yellow.  Go figure! 

And once I decided on yellow walls, it seemed only natural to use blue and white bedding. Toile maybe?   It was then that a French Country Cottage look was beginning to come together in my head and finally emerge as my decorating direction.

Next, I started hunting for a chest of drawers and a nightstand.  A two-tone finish was my goal…wood on the top (to coordinate with the desk)  and white painted  bottom (to keep the small room from becoming too dark with a lot of dark furniture).

The photo below  was my inspiration for the finish but not so much for the style.  I was hoping to find something less boxy and more curvy.

                                        Photo source:  Unknown

I found almost exactly what I wanted advertised for sale on my local Craigslist…a matching French Provincial chest and nightstand…only $95.00 for the two pieces but, as you can see, they were not two-tone.

                              Photo source:  previous owner

Ahhhh…but no worries.  I knew that was easy enough to remedy with paint.

Nightstand before…

                    Photo source:  previous owner

 

Nightstand after painting, distressing and adding new iron hardware…

 

So here are the final results with close ups and purchase info on some of the little details in the room.

All photos (above and below) should enlarge when clicked on. Maybe.  Hopefully.  If I did this right.

 

Paint color:  Waverly Collection “Soft Cream”  (Lowes)

Yellow matelasse shams, square pillow & coverlet:  J.C. Penney’s catalog

Blue & yellow floral sheet set:  Goodwill

“Brighton Toile” blue & white matelasse floral/stripe coverlet:  Linen Source

“Brighton Toile” blue & white stripe dust ruffle:  Linen Source

 

Blue & white candle lamp:  LampStore.com  $70.00

 

Yellow rose & lilac picture:  Goodwill  $20.00 

Set of 7 hanging plates with ribbons:  eBay  $22.00

White iron queen headboard:  Craigslist  $125.00

 

Framed prints:  Goodwill  $2.00 each

Yellow & blue floral/stripe valances (2):  J.C. Penney’s  $48.00   (buy 1/get 1 for 1 cent minus $10.00 off coupon!)

 

Sunflower arrangement:  HomeGoods   (?? $18-20.00 maybe)

Forget-me-not teacup & saucer:   eBay  (?? less than $10.00)

 

Jar candle and ribbon (sold separately):  Michael’s Crafts

 

Blue & white covered butter dish:  Goodwill  $4.00

 

French Provincial chest & nightstand:  Craigslist  $95.00

Blue & white ceramic basket:  Goodwill  $6.00

 

Framed oil painting:  local antique store  $50.00

 

Blue pitcher:  Goodwill  $2.00

Daisies:  Hobby Lobby  ($ ??…but cheap)

Schaub Select Rustica Collection Matte Black Bail Pulls:  MyKnobs.com  $9.19 each

 

Blue & white oblong tray:  I first saw one of these on somebody’s blog and then found one for myself on eBay.  $10.50

Blue & white creamer:  Goodwill   76 cents  

 

Desk & hutch:  Ballard Designs  $$ an arm & a leg $$

 

Blue & white plate:  TJ Maxx  $3.00

Set of 4 French Country prints:   eBay  $12.99 

 

Floral print mounted on wood:  Goodwill $5.00 

Blue & white pitcher:  Goodwill  $3.00

 

Yellow clock:  HomeGoods  $19.99  

Blue & white candlesticks:  Goodwill  $2.00 each

Yellow flower arrangement:  Michael’s Crafts  ?? $4.99??

 

Now that the room has come together and I see it as a whole, there is really only one thing I would have done differently.  I wish I had bought a black iron headboard instead of a white one. I think black would have coordinated better with the black iron hardware on the dresser and nightstand, and looked more French Country.  I may change that at some later date if I happen to come across a good deal on another headboard. 

I’m also still looking for a cute desk chair to replace the basic office task chair.

And I guess I should add that when the room was finished, I wasn’t able to accomplish my goal of setting the treadmill up in here.   I didn’t have room for it. 

Oh darn!  ;)

 

If you want to see more transformations head over to Between Naps on the Porch and check out all the  Metamorphosis Monday links.

8/17/10  I’m also joining Layla @ The Lettered Cottage for her guest bedroom re-do party.

“Mom Makes Everything GREAT!” …. Or Does She?

With this post, I am joining in Foodie Friday over at Designs by Gollum. 

The theme this week is “Train Wrecks and Bloopers” in the kitchen.  Be sure to pop over to Gollum’s lovely blog and check out the other bloggers who have experienced mishaps while cooking.  But apparently not everyone has experienced klutzy kitchen moments so there are some great recipes offered too.

I often get many compliments from family and friends about what a good cook I am.  However, I felt the ultimate compliment was when Daughter gave me a cute  potholder for  Christmas the year she was in the 6th grade.

It said,  “Mom Makes Everything GREAT!

Awwwww…..isn’t that just the sweetest?

Unfortunately, there was a little…ummm…shall we say…“accident”…with that particular potholder.

It caught on fire when I got it too close to one of the burners on the stove.

Oops!

Obviously I don’t use that potholder anymore but I still keep it because it warms my heart to think my sweet girl apparently thought I could do no wrong…at least in the kitchen.

The irony of it also  makes me laugh and blatantly  reminds me that life is full of train wrecks and bloopers … in and out of the kitchen.

Now come back tomorrow and I’ll share one of my GREAT recipes with you.

Just kidding!!

 ***Don’t forget I’m having  a big giveaway as part of the 3rd Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway Day.  Prize winners will be selected on May 30th  so you still have time to get your name into my drawings, as well as drawings of the 40+ other bloggers who are participating in this giveaway event . 

Celebrating With a GIVEAWAY!

THE TIME TO ENTER IS NOW UP! 

Winners will be announced 5/30/09.  Thanks to all who stopped by and entered.  :)

 

Edited on 5/28/09 to add:

Since there is still  a little more time before I draw the winners of my giveaway, and one of my giveaway prizes is a lamp, I’m participating in The Nester’s Lampapalooza event.  If you love lamps of all shapes and sizes, click on the button below to see all the other participants in this event.

 

Girlfriends, are you ready for a PARTY?!

It seems it is quite customary in Blogland to have a giveaway on milestone posts or blog anniversaries but before I had even hit the “publish” button on my first post, I knew I wanted to have a giveaway almost immediately to celebrate my new blog!

And since I had already decided on a giveaway, I thought it would be fun  to participate in the 3rd Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway which is being hosted by Kim at Twice Remembered. 

After you sign up for my giveaway, don’t forget to pop over to Kim’s  blog to see the entire list (and links) of all the other bloggers who are holding giveaways too. New giveaways are being added daily through May 29th so this should be quite a spectacular event!  While you are there, you might even decide you want to be a giveaway hostess too. 

 

So what am I giving away to celebrate this momentous occasion, you ask?

Because I’m really, REALLY, REALLY excited about finally making the decision to blog, I’ve decided to have THREE giveaway prizes/gifts.

#1:  For all you blue & white lovers out there, I’m giving away this brand new ceramic accent lamp.  It’s approximately 16 inches high.  Do you think  you can find a place in your home  for this little cutie?

 

 

 

#2:  And for those of you who don’t use blue  in your home, maybe you’d  like this Yankee Candle plate and jar candle topper.  Just look at the variety of  pretty colors.  There is a little blue in it but it also has spring green, pinks, corals, lavenders and yellows!   And this isn’t the small size, ladies.  Oh no, no, no!  It’s the large size to fit the larger jar candles.  (It will fit any brand of jar candle … not just Yankee Candle jars.) 

 

#3:  Now of course, I can’t forget my pink and shabby lovin’ sisters!  Just for you I have found a vintage, ceramic planter styled like an old-fashioned telephone.  It’s adorned with light and dark pink roses and greenery.  I think it would be adorable with a little English ivy planted in it but since ya’ll are much more gifted than I am when it comes to growing things, I’m sure you can come up with other ideas of what to plant in it.  Perhaps you really creative souls can think of another use besides a planter.  ???

In addition, I am including this Bavarian plate which is hand-painted with little pink flowers, green cascading ribbon and a touch of black accents.  So cute!

 

The “rules” are simple.  All you have to do is leave me a comment on this giveaway post telling me which prize you’d like to win.  Can’t decide?  No problem!  Tell me to enter you in one, two or ALL THREE drawings! 

If you don’t have a blog, you are still welcome to enter and I hope you’ll also tell all of  your blog-reading friends.  Non-bloggers, please don’t forget to leave me an email address so I can notify you if you win.

Unfortunately, due to the size and weight of these items, I will have to restrict this giveaway to those residing in the United States. 

You have until  Midnight (Eastern Time) on Friday, May 29, 2009  to enter.

The THREE giveaway winners will be announced Saturday,  May 30, 2009.

Good luck!

 

Topics of Interest

Okay, so now that I am officially a blogger, I have been thinking about what types of topics I would like to cover on my new blog.  I've come to the conclusion it will probably be a mish-mash of things....things that are near and dear to my heart.

Most likely, there will be a lot of decorating posts. Decorating ranks high on my interest list. My house isn't big or fancy but I would like to feature the many make-over projects  I have done over the past couple years as I have redecorated my home room by room, mostly in the budget-friendly cottage style. Before and after photos of furniture I have painted, whole room makeovers, or little vignettes around my home...you'll probably see all of that...plus decor-related things that inspire and excite me from other blogs or the Internet, like this fresh and pretty room below…

Photo source: Cottage Company

Occasionally I enjoy shopping the thrift stores. Unfortunately, it seems I have more misses than hits but once in a while I do get lucky enough to find a pretty "treasure" or two, which I will probably also share. Browsing eBay for cottage-style accessories is also fun and I have scored a few things I was thrilled to win for a song.

I like to cook and bake so I might even throw in one of my favorite recipes now and then.

Of course, I’m sure I’ll  be including some posts about my family and/or our pets...in particular, my daughter, whom I'm very proud of, and her horse(s). She has had as many as three at one time but currently she has just two. She also has two kittens and a Blue Front Amazon parrot (my “grandchildren”). With her menagerie and all the other things she's involved in (such as  recently being contacted by somebody in the entertainment industry about the possibility of using one of her horses in a movie) her life is much more interesting than mine. ;)

One topic you probably won't find me addressing on my blog is gardening. I'm a "wannabe" gardener but sadly, I do not have a green thumb. I can’t keep any plant living for more than a few days so in order for me to enjoy greenery and flowers in my home, I must resort to the big decorating no-no... FAUX!

:::hanging my head in shame:::

If any of this sounds like something you'd be interested in, I hope you'll visit me again.

I also have a BIG giveaway planned soon…with at least THREE winners (maybe more!)  so I hope you’ll check back and sign up for that too!

Happy Mother’s Day

Ever  since this little girl was born… 

 

26 years, 10 months and  24 days ago…

I have been celebrating Mother’s Day every day.

 

 

As far as I am concerned…

 

absolutely NO other gift is necessary.

EVER!

 Happy Mother’s Day to all!

To Blog…Or Not To Blog?

That is the question that has been plaguing me for probably at least a year and a half.

I actually stumbled upon my first decorating blog, My Romantic Home, two years ago when I was researching something on the Internet. Immediately after seeing Cindy's beautiful blog, I was hooked!  I was an addicted blog reader.

As I became more familiar with other blogs, I was completely overwhelmed and amazed by how many creative and talented women are out there. I would be sitting with my mouth hanging open in front of the computer screen thinking…How cool is that? Or…How did she think of that?

I also noticed the blogging community I knew and loved appeared to be made up of a warm, friendly, accepting, mutually supportive, and close-knit network of ladies. They seemed like a genuinely nice group to be affiliated with so a few random thoughts of becoming a blogger started to cross my mind then.

At the same time, I was hanging out on the HGTV’s Rate My Space website (as "susiehomemaker") and when many of the ladies I was familiar with left RMS to start blogs, I really became even more intrigued with the idea of starting my own blog too.

But I've been dragging my feet.

Honestly, I've been more than just a little intimidated.

Indecisive.

Conflicted.

First, I'm not exactly the most computer savvy individual! That aside, I know there is so much to learn about being a good blogger. To do it well is truly an art! I've been in complete awe of the many talented bloggers I visit daily and wondered if I could even come close to creating a visually appealing blog of my own. After all, I think we all enjoy beautiful "eye candy" so I would want to strive to include beautiful photos in my posts like my favorite bloggers do...but my photography skills are only so-so, at best.

My favorite bloggers’ posts are so interesting and inspiring! I have fretted whether I would even have anything remotely interesting to write about on a regular basis. Would I ... could I... be an inspiration to anybody? 

Oh! And what about "bloggers block?"  Many of my favorite bloggers post almost daily...certainly at least several times a week. What if I can't think of anything to blog about after only a month or two? What if blogger's block hits me after only a few posts? Yikes!

Then I have pondered over the question of how much time blogging would take. I’m sure creating regular and interesting posts must be time-consuming and I already spend more than my fair share of time on the computer! Just ask my husband...he will tell you! Is it prudent for me to devote more time to sitting in front of the monitor?

Many bloggers write about how addicting blogging can be. Will I become so obsessed with blogging that I end up shirking my daily responsibilities to blog? I readily admit I am already prone to some obsessive/compulsive tendencies. ;)

 

What to do? What to do?

Finally, I woke up one morning and decided to stop over-thinking it and just jump in and do it! So here I sit, writing my first blog post. I really don't know where this will go but...

Hello Blogland! Here I am!