The weekend wrap-up

All in all, I suppose I had a pretty productive weekend. First, I put a new coat of white paint on the fireplace. Then, I repainted the wall around it in Refuge by Sherwin-Williams. Yes, you heard it here folks! We finally chose a color.


I scoped out an estate sale on Saturday morning, then returned on Sunday morning and successfully made a low-ball offer on this antique beauty...


...which I hope to turn into something like this.

photo from Eddie Ross — read the whole post here.

Not bad, eh? And I even squeezed in a short nap!

All-a-flutter

Can I just say I L-O-V-E this Bird & Branch Decoupage Chandelier from Anthropologie? Behold its awesomeness...

Here's a detail shot...


Unfortunately, my love affair came to a screeching halt once I caught a glimpse of the price tag on this 34" x 20" beauty: $2,298.00. What the what???

But before we give up on this dream, consider for a moment:

Birds Nest Tissue Paper from Ribbons and Favors – $0.56 per 20" x 30" sheet

Blue Birds on Green decorative paper from The Paper Studio – $3.50 per 22" x 28" sheet.

Bird & Nest decorative paper from The Paper Studio – $3.75 per 22" x 28" sheet

Or you could resize some of these lovelies from Vintage Printables and send 'em over to Kinkos to be printed as color copies.

Now hold on to your Mod Podge, because I believe any one of these decoupage options would work wonders on a chandelier like this one being sold on my local Craig's List for around $25:



Seriously, think it over. It could totally work.

P.S. Anyone see Man Shops Globe on the Sundance Channel? I don't do cable but I've been hoping they'll offer the episodes online after they air.

Weekend finds

For some reason my September "10 things that make me happy" post didn't...um, post. While I get to the bottom of these technical difficulties, here are two yard sale finds from last weekend:


A faux bamboo and cane chair ($10), currently upholstered in coral chintz. Not sure what this chair wants to be when it grows up, but for the moment I'm not opposed to it in its current state. I have a weak spot for coral, after all.


A 15-bottle wine refrigerator ($40), never used. Hells yeah.

Ten things that make me happy - September 2009

A-ha! Better late than never, I suppose. Great success. For the record, I'm keeping the original date stamp on this post to remind Blogger that I did attempt to post it on that date! Take that, Blogger.

1. White Truffle Oil – Elevates even a humble serving of mashed potatoes to something extraordinary.
2. IKEA PS Krona Bowl – Like a crown for your table!
3. Vienna Necklace from de jarnette
   
4. Chocolate Cosmos – I love dark plants in the garden.
5. Hermes Orange – I don't need a scarf. I just want the box.
   
6. Cross Twig Table from Overstock – Unfortunately, I think this sold out.
7. Venetian glass mirrors – Can be had at estate sales and sometimes at Homegoods too. Would love a whole wall of different shapes and sizes.
   
8. Wonderland Pearl fabric from housefabric.com – Create your own Pottery Barn chair with this print and a thrift store cast-off.
9. Saucer Knob from Anthropologie – I've been eyeing these for an old beat up dresser currently in service as a buffet.
10. Circa Pillow from Z Gallerie – Also available in lovely shades of brown and green.
    

Floor pics, finally

Since I recently realized I probably won't be done shuffling furniture around for a while, I decided I'd go ahead and post the "naked" pics of our new-ish bamboo floor. More to come when I'm ready to properly unveil the living/dining room.

A wall of a different color

Much thought has been put into the dilemma of what color to repaint the fireplace wall in the living (well, currently dining) room. As you may recall, it began back in July (yes, it's really taken me this long to address the issue) with the patching of a softball-size hole created after I removed the largest wall anchor I've ever seen. Once the patching was complete, I realized there was no leftover green paint in the carport closet.

I do like the existing green and I could just match it as closely as possible and keep it the same color. But when the opportunity, nay necessity, to repaint it presented itself it opened up a whole spectrum of new possibilities. We're currently auditioning five samples of blues and greens and I'm sad to report that my gut tells me none of these are the one.


I think I've decided my color inspiration is coming from the pattern on a favorite teacup and saucer, which was a gift from my dear friend Amy of Artichokes & Lemonade.

And so the search continues...


BTW, I realize that in professional design circles the debate rages on as to whether or not the painted "focal wall" is a faux pas. There was even a couple pages devoted to the topic in a recent issue of House Beautiful featuring designers weighing in on both sides of the issue, and they both had some good points.

I'm going to add my voice to the choir and say I'm just fine with a focal wall. Why does it have to be all or nothing? In my house, the living and dining room are one big space, so from the paint purist's perspective if I want some color on my walls I'd either have to commit to it for the entire ginormous room or do without. Poo poo to that, I say.

While I acknowledge that painting all four walls (and sometimes even the ceiling too) in the same color can make a gutsy and powerful style statement, it isn't always a practical choice depending on the shape and size of your room and how you've designated your space. As someone who is just as willing to change paint colors as I was to change hair colors as a teenager, I'm fairly sure that if I put a strong color on every wall in the living/dining room I'd tire of it rather quickly. Besides, most design rules are made to be broken, yo. Or at the very least challenged.

Antique store prowling

Some items I spied at a favorite local antique store...

Painting of a young lady, circa 1930's – $20 (I think)

Seashell plaque – $18 (I think)

Pair of wood chairs with brass details – $100 for the pair

I've never heard of a "Tong" chair (Should I have heard of this?) and all my Googling turned up zilch on the subject. Still, despite their unfortunate upholstery, I suspect these could be the deal of the century. Why, why did I not buy these on the spot? Ah yes, because I don't plan on building an extra wing onto the house anytime soon.

Ginger jar – $20

Am contemplating this as another orange accent (along with my new World Market pillow on the sofa) in the living room.

Gold and turquoise painted tray – $20

Nifty jar from a bakery in Niagara Falls, NY – $25

I already have a cookie jar (although it holds cat treats, not cookies) but am wondering how I might use this in the kitchen.