Updating Your Antiques...

I recently redecorated a home that was in transition and the client wasn't sure how to reincorporate the antique furniture she had, but still add updated furnitue and decor. The challenge here was that she planned on retiring to her beach condo in a few years and, what she kept as well as what she bought, had to be able to transition into the condo without looking out of place at the beach.  I knew that I had to give her a beach look, but not make the dining room and living room look to beach-condo-themed. 

Where we started...

The client had a ton of valuable antiques, some from Italy and very sentimental, as well as memorabilia from going to the Masters every year since she was little.  So, you had the dark green artwork and then the lighter pastel beach colors needing to work, but not compete, in this big amazing room.  It was simply a matter of figuring out how I could better display these beautiful things, but also add a more modern touch. 

 

 Where we ended...

 

 

I positioned the bar and dark green Masters art to the wall behind you when you walk in, so it didn't clash with the lighter pastels of the living and dining rooms.  It gave the memorabilia a special space to be honored properly.  Then I added teal, green and a burst of pink accents to give the feeling of a relaxing beach space in the living room, but still kept her antique coffee table and end tables.  I finished off the room adding (to the coffee table) the special family crystal candy dish that belonged to her parents, thus combining the old with the new.  For the dining room, I put all of her most important and meaningful glassware in the china cabinet that I decided to swap to the other side of the large room.  I put a tall vase on the table (there was not a chandelier to position the table under) to accentuate the high sealings.  Everything is displayed now so that it can truly be enjoyed and appreciated!



 

Kindergarten Ready!!!


My beautiful little niece, Emma, was preparing all summer for her big first day of kindergarten.  And kindergarten (if you weren't already aware) is no joke these days.  There's reading and spelling and math...it's not all fun and nap time.  So, to send Emma off on her new scholarly adventure, we had to give her a room mini-makeover...AKA, a BIG GIRL ROOM!

Here are the befores...

 

 

And after...

 

We really didn't remove much from the room.  We just swapped out one bookcase for a larger one and added a desk and new bedding.  Now Emma has real organization, and instead of having her books mixed in with her clothes and accessories, everything has it's own seperate area.  She has her primping station, as well as her "workspace" (as I taught her to call it) and is now all set for the homework load in kindergarten! This space is truly made for a BIG GIRL!

 



 

Transforming A Room For $23....

We had painted the living room a gorgeous brown.  I loved it so much that when I went to buy a new couch, I inadvertently bought one that was exactly the same color as the room. 

Solution...the room was a little dark anyways, and though it was a rich beautiful color, I thought I needed to add a little brightness to the room, but I didn't have a lot of money to do it.

Insert "Cozy Cottage" Behr Premium paint from Home Depot (www.homedepot.com) on the largest wall to accentuate the pillows of the sofa.  All the room needs now is to rehang the mirror that we made and it's done!  It just goes to show that a $23 can of paint can totally transform a room!





This is what a $17.50 end table looks like....

I wanted gold end tables, and especially unique ones that would add some shape to the room, as my couch is on the boxier side.  I found these on Craigslist for $35 for the set!  They are gold metal with a glass inserted top.  I loved the shape of the legs and the detail under the glass.  They look great next to the couch and I added these lamps that I found for 50% off at Hobby Lobby (www.hobbylobby.com).  For a total of $105, I got a set of lamps and a set of end tables that look fantastic in the room.  Score!

TIMES OF CHANGE....

I know that I haven't posted in awhile and for that I'm sorry.  Like many of you have probably experienced at different times in your lives, I've recently been going through a lot of change, and even loss.  Work layoffs, the loss of a pet, relationship changes and so on have made this a transition period, but to me, that is why this blog is so important.  Everyone goes through hard times, where material things like expensive furniture or artwork or home decorations are not realistic financially.  They aren't necessities, but instead are frivolous purchases that need alternatives.  That $5000 couch just isn't an option anymore, nor maybe should it have ever been.  I'm a strong believer that situations happen in your life in order to put things into perspective.  Do you need to spend that much on one piece of furniture?  You don't want to sit on the floor, but you need a couch and have budget restrictions that you hadn't expected, so what do you do?  Where do you shop? 

I write this blog for those that want a beautiful home, but appreciate that little red sticker that says "Clearance, $9.99" on the vase that they needed to complete their dining room table.  I write this blog for the overworked and underpaid people that deserve a nice home just as much as their wealthy bosses...the people that take a lot of pride in the $20 coffee table bowl they bought at the farmers market, because they know how hard they worked for that money.  The moms and dads that spend their Saturdays driving around to garage sales to make their house a home for their kids, but can't afford to walk into just any store and buy what they need...that's why I write this blog. 

Surround yourself with the things you love, and know that the things you should really love shouldn't come with a high price tag.  To me, what I love is this sketched picture of my sweet Gretzky, who was my best friend for 13 years. 

If what you love is a $5000 couch, that's your choice, but there are so many more important things you will one day need in life, and you need to plan and save accordingly.  We would all love to walk into a ritzy furniture store in Manhattan and buy whatever we want, but why?  I'd rather be proud of my Rooms To Go couch bargain, hit up Homegoods for some beautiful pillows to make the couch even more comfy and beautiful, and save that money.  Save it for a trip with family to make more memories, or for a rainy day, because I promise you those days will come, but then they will go, and you'll know that you made the right decision on how to decorate your life......

Mirror Mirror On The Wall...Who's Got The Best Bargain Of Them All?...

My friend Kary approached me for recommendations on of how to achieve this wall mirror pictured below for $600, but without spending as much money. Here is what I found....

I visited my local Homegoods www.homegoods.com store to see what kind of bargains that I could find...and boy did I find some goodies!

I found this gem for the low price of $49. You can achieve the above look by simply purchasing 4 of them and hanging them in a square to look like the higher priced option, but at a $400 savings!

This option was a steal at only $22 clearanced out! They had multiple, so you could put 4 together as well for under $100!

Lastly, we have a more rectangular option which you can put 2 side by side to achieve the same effect...and for only $140!

The key to shopping at Homegoods is that you have to snatch up the bargains when you see them, because they won't last and their inventory is constantly changing. If you can only find 3 of the item you need, the store is very willing to call other stores in the chain to track down the 4th one for you to complete the look. So remember, if you are willing to hunt for it, you can save a lot of money!

Spice Up Your Kitchen...In An Organized Manner....

We are a spicey couple, love to cook and love our spices, but needed a storage option that wouldn't consume the limited drawer space that our kitchen has....

Solution: I found these AWESOME magnetic spice holders at World Market www.worldmarket.com and used my label maker to print labels for each of them. We stuck them to the side of our fridge. The containers were $1.99 each and have both sprinkle and heavy dispensing holes.  They are a fun an organized addition to our kitchen!