"Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity"


~Plato

Monday, January 31, 2011

Lights....Tampa....George

Well today it's back to reality...

we are home from a wonderful
time in Tampa!

The hotel was gorgeous...
I took a couple of pictures to show you...

These were my favorite chandeliers...
they hung in the lobby


Isn't it beautiful...I may have to add shells to
my chandeliers now!

And these were hanging in the Tommy Bahama store..
they also had great big pineapple lanterns hanging
outside of the hotel...but I forgot to take their picture.


My girlfriend Sondra and I loved
 all the white coral that was everywhere...



We had a great time with our friends....
and of course I had a great time seeing my
favorite cowboy in the whole wide world.....
Mr. George Strait!



He sure puts on one heck of a show!

I even threatend to try and sneak backstage...
and can you believe sweet husband even
offered to post my bail money if I did.
He is so good to me...
I'm sure he wasn't worried...
I would never be crazy enough
to try such a thing....Darn!



Time to unpack and then catch up
on all the new blog post I missed
while I was away!

Happy Monday
y'all

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Dining Room Shelves

After weeks of staring at
empty shelves....
not knowing what to
put up there....
and thinking maybe
I should just take them down

the thrifting gods gave me
the inspiration....
I came across these corbels at our
for only $3 dollars a piece!
Definitely the deal of the day
This was the shelves
BEFORE


This is
AFTER





Now i'm happy!


Thursday, January 20, 2011

Slipcovered Chair

Having a very small budget to redo a room
 can make you do crazy things...

For instance it can make you think
you are a seamstress and that you can just
 whip up a slipcover for a chair

Here is a picture of the moment I realized
I was NOT a seamstress and I just
might be in big trouble with this project


Okay...let me start from the beginning

We are in the process of redoing our daughter's bedroom.
One of the things she asked for was a "fluffy" white chair
This is the one she wanted...

Can't say she doesn't have good taste...
yes I would love this chair too!
However this 900 dollar chair from
Pottery Barn is out of the question.

So off to craigslist I went and found this chair for $25
Perfect size, great price, well made and
 the legs are the right color


I attempted to make a pattern with left over wrapping paper...
it helped a little bit when it came time to cut the fabric.

Then I started to pin the fabric pieces together....
and that's when I realized I have no idea
 how to make the corners meet correctly. 
The arms on the chair are curved going up to the top.
At this point I need help....
so I go get sweet husband
 and between the two of
 us we are able to piece it all together. 
While he starts sewing the slipcover...
yes he can sew better than me!
(he's going to kill me for telling you this)
I start making the box pleats


Finally after two days of cutting, pinning and sewing
and a few comments from sweet husband
about making him work in a sweat shop
this is the outcome...

Not bad for our first attempt
If I am ever crazy enough to do this again
the only thing I would do different is
make the box pleats a bit shorter...
other than that I think it's perfect!

It made for one very happy little girl...
and  a very happy dad who saved
$845 dollars!

Last night she informed me she would
 like the butterfly mobile from Pottery Barn Kids...
Looks like i'm off to Michael's for another project!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Bella Treasures

Last week I had the honor of being asked by
 Londen at Sixty-Fifth Avenue
to share 15 fascinating things about myself.

Now I would like to pass this honor along
to someone who is very dear to me...

Kerri 
at


I would have never started blogging if it wasn't for her
telling me to give it a try.



For 10 years now I have been blessed to have her as my (very best) friend



She is so very creative and talented
And I can always count on her to have the perfect solution
to whatever problem I have going on...
be it a party planning, crafting, or decorating issue!



Head on over to
and see what she is up to today!

Monday, January 17, 2011

15 Fascinating Things....

I feel very honored to have been tagged to share
15 fascinating things about myself
by one of my very favorite bloggers

Londen
at
Sixty-Fifth Avenue

she never fails to inspire me with her beautiful home and projects
And she always has a kind word to share
with me on the things I do.
I honestly never realized when I started blogging that I would
get an opportunity to meet so many
wonderful, smart, kind and creative
women and men. 

Okay now on to the 15 fascinating things you might
not know about me...and I use the word fascinating very loosely
...cause i'm not sure just how
fascinating you might find them....but here it goes


No. 1
The house we live in is a rental, I know can you believe it...all the things I do to this poor house and it's not even ours! But we love the area and the home and hope that one day the landlord will want to sell it 
No. 2
Sweet husband and I meet when we were 18.We married 3 years after that and this year we will celebrate our 13 year Anniversary
No. 3
My love of white comes from these beautiful white curtains that my Aunt had in her home when I was growing up, they were so pretty blowing in the breeze and the fresh clean smell from the curtains and the breeze left such a memory.
No. 4
I do believe I could be a full blown hypochondriac if sweet husband would allow it.
No.5
One day I WILL have a Tea Room. I figure if I say it enough than it will come true
No.6
I am horrible at returning phone calls.
No. 7
I have lived in the following places: Atlanta, Georgia; Jacksonville, Florida; Savannah, Georgia;
Ocala, Florida; West Palm Beach, Florida and Charleston, South Carolina. 
No. 8
I stunk at school. 
No. 9
I almost never have a plan when I start to make something...a vision yes...how to do it not so much! 
No. 10
Growing up I loved to play name that song on the radio with my Dad.  I still love games that involve naming the lyrics, song or artist. 
No. 11
Which I guess is why I always have music on.  I didn't realize that until a friend pointed it out to me one day when I didn't have it on, she wondered why!  If i'm decorating I usually have on Yo-Yo-Ma, Dinner time is most likely Chris Botti or Michael Buble, Cleaning is anything country.  Any other time you can bet it's Jimmy Buffett...because I am a Parrothead!
No. 12
My ideal home would be an old southern plantation on lots of acres with animals and an orchard.
No. 13
Husband and I once camped out overnight to buy tickets for a George Strait concert.  That was almost 15 years ago.  This month I will get the opportunity to see him in concert again...AND I AM SO EXCITED!
No. 14
My favorite show of all time is Designing Women
No. 15
I most certainly do not have a Green Thumb! 

If you made it this far...i'm really impressed. 
I guess I should add a No. 16...I talk to much!
OPPS


Since i've already bent your ear too much as it is
I'm going to share with you who I am tagging on my next post
But here's a hint



Friday, January 14, 2011

Friday Treasures

I was able to get out and do a little thrifting today
and there was lots of cute stuff out there

here is what I found.....


Love this little tin.
Do you really think it was used for worms?

Because one can never have to many creamers or gravy boats.


The globe is for my son's room. 
He is such a boy! 
 I hand him the globe and tell him it's for his room
and he says.....great this is my favorite globe now.
It's like everything is floating in the great black abyss.
Yikes
Then there is the side table.

Ummmm....nope didn't need it.

But I couldn't leave it there....it's just to cute.
I promise you it weighs as much as my dining table.
My vision was that it would be so awesome in our master bathroom
with towels on the middle shelf and apothecary jars full of soap and bath salts on the top.

Ummmm.....nope didn't fit.


So I put it here instead. 
Now I can't decide if I liked the other table
that was there better.


While we're at it...the verdict is still out on this new rug.
It's a lot of pattern for me to get use to.



This is where the magnifying glass has been placed.

Thank you Linda I received my flashcards and they are wonderful.
They came super quick and were wrapped beautifully
and I love the vintage bingo cards you sent with them! 
Thank You!

Check out Linda's blog at
and also her etsy store!

I hope everyone has a great three day weekend

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Pink and Black Bedroom

When my daughter started
Kindergarten three years ago
we redid her room from
baby to little girl. 

I found this sassy little line at Target
that was hot pink and black......
and I built everything around it



I really ran this color combination into the ground


I even went so far as to take the fabric bag the
comforter came in and use it to cover the
chandelier shades


But she loved it.....
until about the time she started second grade
then she changed her mind.  And became very
opinionated on what she wanted to do different.
Since I agreed it was time for a change we have
been in discussions on what she would like.

So for two weeks now we have worked on her room....
it's not finished quite yet.  Hopefully we will
get to Ikea this weekend for the final touches.

Until then here is a sneak peek.....


Monday, January 10, 2011

The definition of Style

Style   
–noun

1. a particular kind, sort, or type, as with reference to form, appearance, or character
2. a particular, distinctive, or characteristic mode of action or manner of acting:
3. a mode of living, as with respect to expense or display.
4. an elegant, fashionable, or luxurious mode of living: to live in style.
5. a mode of fashion, as in dress, esp. good or approved fashion; elegance; smartness.



I've been pouring over this book lately


it's a book on finding your inner French girl
and I have been trying to adapt these philosophies into
my everyday life

The words on page 75 really made me stop and think

What it takes to be poor
and
still live in style


Now i'm sure there are many ways in which
 you could interrupt those words. 
 But what I read is this...

you don't need money to live well

an old thrift store linen is as
precious as any fine Irish Linen that
you may pay dearly for

my chipped teacup is more beautiful
than any prestigious bone china pattern
I may wish for...had I the money

If you can take the things in your life....
even if it's the most mundane chore in your day
and make it special and beautiful
then you really are living with style

because living well
isn't how you spend your money it's
how you choose to live your life


My New Year's Resolution this year is to
buy fresh flowers for my house every week

They make me so happy...
and I truly feel that I am living well
when they grace my table.

And honestly the eight dollars I spend on them
is wiser than the eight dollars I would have
spent on a bag of chips and some Oreos


who knows maybe I will meet my other resolution of weight loss
without even trying....all thanks to beautiful bouquets of flowers.

Are you living well and in style? 

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Orange Marmalade

The canning process I have learned
 today can lead to drinking....

This was my vision of how this beautiful
 Sunday afternoon would go.
My two sweet children gathered around the kitchen table
next to me, peeling oranges and learning how to
make their own orange marmalade. 
Telling me tales about their school week and friends. 
 They would have so much fun...so much in fact
that they would give me lots of hugs and kisses and
tell me no one has a better mother than them!

not even close to how it all went down


It started out okay enough. 
While I was getting everything washed and ready
out they went to play with the husband. 

I get everything all set....so I go outside to get them
Where i'm quickly informed by my two sweet children that
they are having to much fun to come inside right now.
Would it be alright if I started without them?
...minor set back but not a problem.


Once all the fruit has been peeled and chopped
I quickly realize two things

1.  The kids are never coming inside for our
magical marmalade memories
and
2.  All my canning equipment has gone missing

Fast forward to the pot of fruit and sugar boiling over
all onto the inside and outside of the stove.
I clean that mess up

THEN....
the biggest stock pot I have isn't deep enough
for the water to cover the jars.

That's it I give up...
the marmalade can just kiss my.....

Out comes the wine
A little etsy retail therapy
thank you to my friend
Linda at

But don't worry...every story has a knight in shining armor and a fairy tale ending...right

In walks sweet husband,
he sees what is going on and says to me...I can fix this!
Good luck I tell him....let me know how that turns out
.....as I pour glass number 2

Twenty minutes later my caped hero
emerges from the kitchen with
6 perfectly processed jars of Orange Marmalade
Yes girls...I married well!!!

I don't know how he did it...but this afternoon he is my hero.

I'm thinking however at this point I had better just go grab glass
number 3...because now i'm having visions of
the children and I gathered around the table
making lovely scones to go with our marmalade....
I must be out of of my mind!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend

Friday, January 7, 2011

Letting Go and Getting Organized

I did it!!!!!!
I still can't believe how much
I purged out of my closet.

Even sweet husband when he came home
said to me....are you sure you want to
get rid of ALL of this?
yes
I told him
 I do...but don't ask me again I don't
know how long I can stay strong.

Over half my closet...GONE!
And you know what
I feel so good about it.

So good in fact
 i'm willing to show you all the inside of
my closet before and afters
and tell you how I did it.


Before

After
(and I finally painted the drawers)

Before

After


I can't even believe i'm showing you this before picture...
YIKES...this is the bottom of my closet floor

After
Those are wine racks that i'm using as shoe racks
Hey it works...and I already had them so it was kinda free.



All accessories, belts and hats now neatly put away

If I can let go of things and get organized in my closet
than you can to and trust me when I say it goes against
every fiber of my being to let go of something
cause you never know when you might need it.

But here is how I did it....

First off I got really mad....mad that I couldn't find things,
mad that I couldn't even walk into the closet
and super mad that the closet didn't look cute and clean

Next I worked under this one thought

LESS CHOICE AND MORE QUALITY

Anything that was ripped, stained, faded or way
past it prime was immediately placed in the donation pile

Same for the articles of clothing that never fit right
or I was keeping for the day that I lost those extra pounds
 (and while this was hard letting go of that dream I figure when I do lose them I deserve new clothes)

Purses that I never use, belts that I no longer wear,
shoes that are uncomfortable, things I was keeping
 because I felt guilty getting rid of. Out they all went

Then I sorted everything left, organized by color
and placed everything on the same
 color hangers for visual simplicity.

I can't begin to tell you how less stressful it was
 getting dressed this morning
...it was almost like stepping into a little boutique.

Sometimes less really is more!

Happy Organizing

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Searching for simplicity in the closet

I'm still on a mission to simplify my home
and today lord help me
i'm going to work on
my closet.

i've been reading this book
about how to find your inner
french girl
(thanks Patti for the birthday present)
and she says that french girls
only have in their closets
clothes that fit and flatter
(none of that...well one day I can fit into this garbage)
and while they may only have 1 great black dress
they can change it up with lots of different looks.

This is going to be difficult...I have a hard time parting with things

Alright now on to a little inspiration that will hopefully motivate me and who knows maybe you too!


newenglanddesigns.com
This is my dream closet...
i've had this picture in my favorite pile forever
maybe it's the all white cabinets or
 maybe the purse that I covet in the corner
one day so help me i'll have one
(probably a knock off version...but oh well)
But it's my favorite design of a closet!

beautifulinspirationdesigns.blogspot.com
Love the double islands and of course the chandelier


stacieedwardsdesign.blogspot.com

Double chandeliers....can't go wrong there.
And I LOVE the coat hanging on the left...
yes I live in HOT South Florida...
but I have a coat addiction.


beautifulinspirationdesigns.blogspot.com

This is a picture of Mariah Carey's closet...
while i'm not a big fan of hers...I am a big
fan of her closet and design style....
way to go Mariah that's quite
an impressive collection of shoes!
Does this qualify as simplicity or excess??
Nevermind...who cares...
I will never have this problem i'm not a rockstar




I'm going to keep this picture in mind as I go through the closet....
everyone wish me luck.

I'll show you pictures when i'm done...not that mine is anywhere
near as big as the pictures i've shown...
think size of a hall closet big!


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