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

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

local Habitat For Humanity Restore...

for only $3 dollars a piece!

Definitely the deal of the day

This was the shelves

BEFORE

This is

AFTER

Now i'm happy!



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!

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

Bella Treasures 

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

Bella Treasures

and see what she is up to today!

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 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

Itsy Bits and Pieces

and also her etsy store!

I hope everyone has a great three day weekend

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.....

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

Entre Nous by Debra Ollivier

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? 

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

Itsy Bits and Pieces

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

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

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!