dwell and tell

New Home Tour, Part 2 - Upstairs (iPhone Photos)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 03:44:00 +0000

Dwellers! Enjoy your 4th of July weekend?

We headed out to the Florida.... WE WERE READY TO HIT THE BEACH! And celebrate my 29th.

But.... we ended up getting a half day of sun, getting rained out the second day and going to see a movie, then (thankfully) getting one more enjoyable day... Then, eventually the weather forecast looked so bad Seth really thought we should head back home early to get some work done. Better to get some work done in the rain at home, than sit inside at the beach, right? Well, we repainted the bedroom. You're about to see the before and I'm sure we'll share the in-progress fairly soon.

Ready for the 2nd floor tour?

Master bedroom. You remember the stairs from this post? They lead, well, upstairs. :) You turn to the left and see a linen closet, right beside the master.

Now, standing in the doorway of the master bedroom (I told you these were photos on my phone, sorry!)....

This is a better image of the paint color.

The door in the top-right of the photo below leads to the hallway...

Real-life side note: I just lost about an hour's worth of bloggin'. Instead of punching the internet, I'm going to zoom through this next part.

Upstairs porch: It's big. Love it! And will take awhile to furnish... only one photo on my phone though, so here's a corner. :)

Master bathroom:
Likes: his-and-her sinks, the lovely custom feet on the cabinets, extra closet space, etc.
Need to: repaint, more up-to-date color palette, repair the shower door, repair the tub jets, and a few more things.

Laundry room: Just a few steps down the hall.
Pro's: it's on the second floor (with all the bedrooms)! And it's loads better than our tiny laundry area inside the kitchen of our condo.
Con's: No appliances (boo, our checking account will surely hate us for that)

Hurts-my-eyes Bedroom / Eventually our office. Bad color, bu the natural light is nice enough (even though I think the window placement is kind of weird). Moving on...

The "other room". I think it's the south-facing windows... but for whatever reason, I really love this space. I hope when our family grows (we hope to adopt fairly soon) we'll use this for a nursery! PLUS, I ASK YOU THIS: What's not to love about the lovely butterflies all over the dang place? I mean, you want those in every room, right? :-/ Hahem, noooooo.... those need to go.

The other baths are nice enough, This sink (below) is right beside the purple room, then there's an adjoining shower/toilet area, that takes you to an identical sink area (right by the office/annoying-ly green room). We love the size of them.... and the closet size. They need a little work, for sure. Like removing those wonderfully stubborn caterpillar decals, for example... but that will happen in due time!

And that concludes the tour! We love this house, but/and we have a long list of to-do's. I sometimes wish I was a professional DIY blogger so these things could get done more rapidly... but our pace is a real-life pace that just has to work amidst real-life obligations and activities.

Any advice? Or experiences moving into your home, conquering or prioritizing projects?

Hugs!

Erin

The new house, before moving in (iPhone pics) - First Floor

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:37:00 +0000

We're due for sharing a photo tour of the new house! Beware: These were taken during very short viewings, during lunch breaks, etc. And while I was of course considering the blog, I hoped that I could make time for actual photos with a camera... but things moved more quickly than expected so camera photos are all we got. :)

I've already shared a similar view of the entry/hallway...

Here's a view looking to the left, into the Dining Room. We really fell for the heavy pocket doors with window panes.

And here's a view from the other side. This room might be a little bit of a challenge. It's darker than I like, but generally a great space. Also the lighting isn't our style. But as we know, that can be fixed!

The entry hallway leads into the living room, which is open to the kitchen.

That's my awesome daddy on the left, pulling his phone out of his pocket I think (?)... Goofy shot but it's all I have. :)

So here's the kitchen. Unfortunately the fridge didn't come with the deal, but the bones are good. And the tall custom cabinets with pretty classic lines are a great feature.

We also loved some details like the stained glass above the kitchen door.

This leads into an area with the dining room straight ahead (that's the door with the window panes) and downstairs bath to the left. The pantry is on the right and the guest bedroom is that one with bright ligh on the right.

Here's the downstairs bath. It's a full bath, which makes sense for this house since our guest bedroom is downstairs. ButI do love the idea of decorating a powder bath! One day... :)

Here's guest bedroom. This is a fairly cozy space but kind of a challenge with furniture placement. The room is long and the windows are kind of strangely positioned for a bedroom. We shall rise to the challenge though, friends. And it will be fun! I've already made a good bit of progress on this room and can't wait to share.

Check back in for photos of the second floor!... :) I hope you all had a great weekend and Father's Day!

By the way, I love and treasure your email responses. If you don't mind though, leave a comment on Dwell and Tell. :) Just plug in your name and e-dress.

Is anyone else moving? Unpacking? Advice on getting settled in? :)

Three porches, Zero Chairs (But Spring is Here!)

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Fri, 31 May 2013 17:40:00 +0000

I snapped this photo while taking a few for our last post, and thought I would share. It might not look like it, but we're slowly getting ready for Spring and Summer.

... Unless you consider "having two large porches, one patio, and not owning a single piece of outdoor furniture" not being ready. ;-)

Coming from a condo, we didn't have a place for patio furniture, so we have some catching up to do! Some things will just have to wait until the budget allows. In the meanwhile we're just enjoying the opportunity so spend more time outside watering plants or working in the yard... While constantly hunting some good deals for quality pieces. Hopefully some great sales will pop up in a couple of months!

Any tips on buying patio furniture or getting your outdoor space ready?

Newels and Hardwoods, a Peek (Before & Kinda-After)

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:52:00 +0000

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

As I mentioned last week, we decided to refinish the hardwoods before moving in. Boooo for the checkbook, yay for the floors!

As you can see in this snapshot, the previous owners left a few scratches from their own sweet pets.

We decided to make the plunge and enjoy the opportunity to scratch newly refinished hardwoods ourselves. Why scratch floors that are already marked up? There's no fun in that. It's much more interesting to spend lots of hard-earned money and watch your dog scratch them twice, really bad, in a week. (Not that I know what that's like or anything...). Ha!

Moving along... so I decided to switch out our stairposts. Apparently, whether I wanted them to or not, the hardwood company was going to take the stair posts down, and replace them with new unfinished rails of the same style. (It's easier than trying to get all that finish off from little nooks and crannies.)

Hardwoods + Newels BEFORE

So I'm thinking, this is an opportunity to make this minor upgrade that (I think) makes a big difference aesthetically, for the money. It was probably a difference of about $300 for two newel posts, versus them replacing them with the same style we had before.

I showed inspiration photos to our hardwood guy who very fortunately had two on-hand!

Why these newels?
1. Box newels look a little less "builder" to me than the style that was installed (I'm not talkin' nasty about "builder" homes. HEY. We all have builder homes! But you guys know what I'm sayin....).
2. The lines seem more classic architecturally... and suit the style of the house
3. Antique or custom newels would have been wonderful, but I didn't have the budget or time to investigate that as an option.
4. I was able to get them in our timeline (and not wait for shipping)
5. They're affordable.

Ready for a look at the "almost" after?

Newel posts, (dwell and tell)

From anothah angle...

Newel posts, (dwell and tell)

I'm really happy with the result so far! And I love the hardwood color!

Why do I say "so far"? Well, it all looks pretty good, until you zoom in a little...

Yup, my friends, there was a LOT of mess (hardwood stain that was slopped onto the trim) on the stairs, all over the trim and even the doors and door frames. Fortunately, the hardwood company is paying to have them repainted. I'll try to keep you posted on that.

So what do ya think? Agree with the update? Do you have a preference about newel styles or stair rails? Do you have any experience with hardwood floor refinishing--good or bad?

Staircase Inspiration + Hunting Some NEW Newels

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:38:00 +0000

I have some lovely eye-candy that I found as inspiration for our first "project" that had to be tackled at the new house, even before we moved in.

One of the things the inspector (and our own eyes) identified at the inspection was that the hardwoods really need to be refinished. The planks were cupping from moisture under the house and they were pretty scratched up in a few areas. Sure, it could have been put off for awhile, but anyone who has had this done will tell you it's best get this done before you move all your furniture inside!

The hardwood company said they have to replace the stair rails (apparently it's easier to do that than sand down the existing post and re-stain it). I wasn't thrilled with the shape of the current stair posts, and figured, hey, may as well update those suckers now! How often will I have the opportunity to do this sort of work for me?

I started doing some digging on the posts that I wanted for the stairs. I had to make a decision within a couple of days to fit our timeline for the move so I immediately started hunting inspiration. Here are a few examples of a few of my favorite images that show what a difference a lovely stair post (newel post) can make!

First up, this dramatic, large newel post. Totally drool-worthy...

by Rachel Rider Interiors, via Houzz

...but our entryway isn't grand enough to handle it. AND my timeline and budget didn't allow to go this route!

I quickly focused on another alternative: box newels. They are beautiful, can be very cost-effective (especially for the simpler designs), and I think they have a classic, polished appeal.

Here's an example of a box newel sained the same color as the stairs and floor...

Here's one with a white base and a stained top...

via House & Home (April 2008 issue)

And painted black, with a matching stair rail...

via Lonny, Sept/Oct 2011 issue

Isn't she pretty painted white, and dressed up for the holidays?....

Maison and Demeure November 2010 issue via House & Home

In the end, I opted for the box newels and I'm so happy with how they turned out! I shall share the results next week!

What do you think about box newels or stair posts? Do any of these appeal to you more than the other? Which would you prefer for your home?

Lots of Catching Up, And a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 03:12:00 +0000

I've been MIA recently, I know. Wait until ya judge.... Wait until you hear how much we've had going on!

Fortunately, most of them are housey things I can pass on. Like, how about this...

Yup. Packing.

And Moving.

We bought a house! After considering lots of areas and options, we found a great house in a really wonderful neighborhood... and somehow managed to list our condo for rent and sign a lease within a week-or-so of listing it. (With this market, there's just no way to come close to breaking even, so this seemed like the best plan for us, for now.)

We've been kind of pinching ourselves, even while we were knashing teeth at times, with all these changes!...

And then, suddenly, one of the most important people in my life passed away.

My grandfather, Papa, met the Lord last week. He was an inspiration to me and anyone who really knew him. Even after losing most of his sight (everything except some peripheral vision), he continued living life as fully as possible, finding ways to go about his daily life. He was active, mowed his lawn, walked, helped my Gran around the house. He was known for his stories, which got longer and more interesting with age. All full of amazingly accurate details.

He was a God-fearing, God-loving, World War II veteran who saw the flag raised at Iwo Jima! I planned on interviewing him this fall about his time in the war (and his incredible stories from those experiences), and will regret putting that off for the rest of my life.

Papa made me want to be a better person. He constantly made me strive to make him proud. And fortunately, I did. I could hardly get the words "I love you so much" out of my mouth because he would immediately start telling me how much they (he and my Gran) love me, and how proud they are. He left the most beautiful legacy of love and strong family.

It's been quite a mixed bag, this last week. The stress of packing and preparing to rent our condo. The excitement of moving. The sadness of this sudden loss. And especially worrying about my grandmother now.

These housey things seem a little silly right now. But then I think about my DIY grandfather, and think he would want me to continue pursuing my interests, hobbies and passions... just like he did his own (fishing being the first on the list).

So I will continue to chronicle our tales, progress, and obsessions as best I can. Stay tuned... :)

Fabric-adabra Crush! (Manuel Canovas Misia)

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 03:59:00 +0000

I've been fairly in love with a designer fabric for about a year...

Manuel Canovas Misia - via

In case you haven't seen it before, meet Misia, by Manuel Canovas.

Here she is, used as the most adorable laundry room skirt.

home of Sarah Tarthill - via Design*Sponge

I first spotted it in the blog header of Bijou and Boheme... I emailed Christine (the writer) and she was very gracious to share the name of the fabric. She found a remnant on eBay if memory serves, and had it made into a pillow.

via Bijou and Boheme

But I couldn't find it anywhere! It's typically only available to the trade. BOO! And it's from overseas, making it more difficult to locate.

Here's another glimpse at the (pricey but beautiful) possibilities...


via Housetohome

One last detail shot..

via fabrick.com

I finally found a source, and bought it online! The plan is to frame it as wall art. I love how well it plays with so many other colors, and is elegant but modern and vibrant all at the same time.

I will share the results soon.

Until then, I will Misia you. ;)

Happy Dance! Guess what's coming back?

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 03:55:00 +0000

When I was in middle school, a few close friends of mine had a very embarrassing, but entirely expressive "happy dance" whenever something exciting happened. I just busted out my moves again becaauuuuuuuseeee.... MILLION DOLLAR DECORATORS IS COMING BACK for a new season!

A couple of years ago I caught the season premiere of this reality show featuring designers Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, Mary McDonad, Kathryn Ireland and Jeffrey Allen Marks. Totally hooked. Gorgeous rooms, high-end (sometimes celebrity) clients, complete eye-candy combined with a glimpse of a luxurious world. Watching them deal with the same issues as many designers out there (declining budgets, surprise one-week deadlines, materials not being delivered). And on top of it: they were all friends! .None of them hated each other. No-drama, but lots of drama. You know, design draaaaamaaaaaa.....

For the last year, I've literally hoarded the last issue of MDD in my DVR because (a) It's amaze-balls and (b) I've been so scared it would be cancelled (maybe fewer high-end clients in our current economic environment?)

Season premiere TODAY, November 13th @ 10EST/9CST on BRAVO. Check them out on facebook here.

Happy dance!

Have you seen Million Dollar Decorators before? Watching the new season???

How to Make a DIY Abtract Painting... By Monet-Erin. MonErin.

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:41:00 +0000

Do you remember when I mentioned the idea of trying some DIY abstract art for the bedroom? Now do you remember rolling on the floor and bellowing "Gooooohoohoood luck! Bahahaha!". Well I don't totally blame you, Doing this kind of project can be sort of intimidating, I know. I speak-eth from experience. But I tried it out on a small canvas this weekend and want to share some tips I discovered with my step-by-step process, as it evolved.

Disclaimer: I do not consider myself an visual artist. I'm not even claiming this looks really great. But it's a starting point for those of us who may want to pick up a paintbrush and try something. I'm not pretending to know more than I do. So please, please do not keep calling me Picasso. It's embarrasing. Call me Monet-rin. MonErin.

Step 1 (Optional): Find an inspiration painting. Don't feel like it has to be a replica! It doesn't. I chose this guy, as a practice for my bedroom painting:

from designer Leslie Strauss via decorpad
If anyone knows how I can credit the artist above, please let me know.

Remember, only "based on' this painting. I like the color and composition, but replicating it exactly isn't nearly as much fun (and it's impossible).

Step 2: Paint your canvas the background color of your choice. Mine was used for testing paint colors for the bedroom, so I just kept it as-is.

Step 3: Start layering with your primary "foreground" color.

Step 4 Add more pops of color, a little at a time.

How to Make a DIY Abstract Painting :)

Step 6: Enjoy your work!

The biggest thing I learned was it's a lot more fun if you're not too critical of yourself. Have fun and enjoy it.

Have you tried DIY art of some king, painting or otherwise? Were you pleased with the outcome? Did you learn anything from the experience? Or would you rather just buy something?

Kelly Packer Q-n-A (Art Crush Part 2)!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 01:34:00 +0000

As promised, I'm bringing you a round-up of some favorite art pieces from Kelly Packer, an artist I found two years ago on Etsy. You've met Billy and Brigit, but I would like to bring some more pleasing eye-candy. I'm also so thrilled to feature an interview with Kelly about her process as an artist, and especially her use of color and materials, among other things! Kelly was so gracious and her answers are awwwweeesommmme.

First, I want to give you an idea of why I love Kelly's work so much by sharing a few favorites I found on her site. In addition to the composition itself (and some intangible characteristics I'm to impatient to try to articulate), it's her use of color.

For example, here are a few from her series "40 Saints". Each accompanies a poem written by her husband Adrian Kien (like many pieces of her work... we'll get to that in the Q&A...).

Saint Goosipher, via Kelly Packer

And...

Denis is heedless instead of headless, via Kelly Packer

And...

Hippolytus, via Kelly Packer

She made an insect look wonderful. I want him.

Title Unknown, image via

I adore Joseph Smith...

Joe (Joseph Smith), via Kelly Packer

"My name is owl. If I wake you up in the middle of the night you won't care. You will look at him and say something like Hey Mr. Owl, you are awesome. Thanks for waking me up. Let's hang out with yo' bad self and check out all your jazzy feathers!"

Instead of pennies for your eyes I have hamburger, via Kelly Packer

I'm not going to go all Roll Tide on you. That isn't why I love this guy. But I'm just sayin'... (P.S. This is the test if my husband ever reads my posts or not. Because this is where he would comment.... Testing...)

Saint Symbiosis, via Kelly Packer

Another favorite series of hers is the "Rue Series", which she composed while in France.

Rue Series, via Kelly Packer

Kelly also emailed me some photos of some new, abstract pieces. Lurve.

Interview with Kelly Packer

Dwell and Tell: What is your typical creative process like? Where do you start and how do you move from there to creating your work?
Kelly: I always work from either pictures (either ones I've taken or found photos) or actual objects. It's important to have threads of recognizable structures within the drawings and paintings. Lately, my husband has been bringing me back bones from his hikes around Boise. I have been using them in a lot of my work. I also have a stack of reference books to draw passages from: radiology, MRI, and various other anatomy books.

From there it is pretty intuitive: I pull things from these sources and start to build up layers of shapes and colors.

Dwell and Tell: What inspires you work?
Kelly: Buildings with history. Spines. Alleys. Dirty things. Taxidermy. Mines. Entropy. Rooftops.

Dwell and Tell: How do you use and select color?
Kelly: That too is a very intuitive process. It's not something you can really explain. I just work at it until it doesn't look "wrong." I work at making colors vibrate and clash and push and pull. For some reason I don't use a lot of "green" green, makes things get too rainbowy. But that is generally my only rule.

Dwell and Tell: How do you consider how your pieces may look in someone's home? Do you have any feelings about how your pieces might affect the interiors/homes/enviroment of people who purchase your art?
Kelly: I am always honored and amazed when people want to live with my work. It's so wonderful. But I can't really think about it. I can't go that far down the road. That's not my job. After it leaves my studio, it becomes something new. The new owner puts their stories and interpretations into it and it takes on a new life.

Dwell and Tell: I'm so curious about how you collaborate with your husband on each body of work. How exactly does your art become a perfect partner to his poetry? Does one come before the other?
Kelly: Our collaboration is very independent. I really loved Adrian's poem title Monopoly that he wrote before I even knew him. So I made a bunch of paintings based on the poem, one for each stanza. I really like those paintings and I still really like that poem.

And then somehow I roped him into writing titles for some paintings and the words fit the paintings so well; they gave each other depth. It depends on the project we are working on, whether the words or paintings come first. With the saint series, including Brigid and Billy, I did 40 drawings and he wrote a poem for each. But we usually go to our corners of the house and then come together to compare what we have come up with. And amazingly, it usually just works.

For our latest project, Look Up, I created ten 12x12" drawings and he wrote a poem for each. We had an exhibition and self-published them together in a book (listed here).

We must have been in the same mind-space because I think they really compliment each other.
A photo from the exhibition:

Dwell and Tell: What mediums do you work with? Is there anything you appreciate most about them (control, blend-ability, richness of color, texture, so on)?

Kelly: Lately, I have been using acrylic and a grab bag of oil pastel, oil bars, markers, colored pencils and whatever else is lying around. I really like drawing on matboard or thick paper. I really like how the paper absorbs the drawings and allows for really dark, fine lines.

Dwell and Tell: Are there any particular brands that you've found work best? Choosing art materials can be an intimidating process for so many people, like myself, who are drawn to create and explore, but find it really confusing while at the store ("$20 for a tube of paint? Is it any better than the cheap stuff?")
Kelly: Over the years and I have become more and more particular about my materials. Unfortunately, more expensive = better materials and it really shows during the process and in the final product. More pigment means the colors are significantly bright. Anything with the word "hue" in the name means it's considerably less vibrant. At times this is what you want, but mostly you probably want the real deal.

I have been burning through these oilbars. and each one varies so much in transparency and viscosity. It's a lot of trial and error. Which contributes to the "mistakes" that end up being the interesting parts. I was enticed by the $8 Lemon Yellow Hue, but it's a bit thin. While the Cadmium Red Medium is divine, but twice as expensive.

Winsor Newton Oil Colour

I also use these Artist's PaintStiks a lot and they are totally different than the oilbars. They are less buttery, but go on smooth (and a bit cheaper)...:

Shiva Artist's Paintstik Oil Colors - via

I never used oil pastels before because they ones I got were always chalky and very hard to work with. Then I found Caran d'Ache Neopastels:

Caran d'Ache Neopastel sets, via

Talk about buttery (and pricey). But they are worth every penny.

Also Prismacolor colored pencils are all I use because they have such concentrated color and you can get such a great line with it. And always keep my mechanical pencil stocked with lead.

I could go on, but that is probably long enough - I didn't even get to the paint (!)

Don't forget, you can buy Kelly's book, Look Up, here

I loved Kelly's work before, but I am just enthralled with her now. What great advice for the DIY artist, or crafty gal that is really lacking confidence to try something new. Thank you so much, Kelly, for contributing!

Is there a piece or two you like most (maybe one I featured here, or one you found yourself? Are there any helpful tid-bits from Kelly you found helpful or inspriring? Have you ever considered creating some art on your own, but struggled with choosing materials, or deciphering whether one brand was better than another (or worth the cost)? Are you as in love with Kelly's use of color as I am?]]

Just Ordered... + Anthro Pillows!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 03:59:00 +0000

Just thought I would share a recent purchase, thanks to my Mom & Dad for a gift card they gave me for my birthday!

She's a wild card, but a beautiful one. Packed with color and graphic interest, no wallflower. Introducing...

Colorfield Cottage Pillow, Large - Anthropologie

While I'm at it, here are a few other pillow lovelies I spotted while shopping at Anthropologie online.

A wonderful combination of earth-tones and bright colors, the "Bhanded Dhurrie Pillow" in the large square shape. (My favorite version of the Bhanded Dhurrie was a longer version which is discontinued). But I love this one!

Banded Dhurrie Pillow - Large Square

Love this elegant-yet-bold little pillow with an adored teal (robins egg blue more accurately describes it?) shade, layered on black, durlap and olive. Lovely. And look real close and you'll notice those tiny hand-stitched white threads on the black portion that make it feel so plush.

Gather & Glean pillow, small - via Anthropologie

This next one is too rich for my blood! BUT isn't it pretty?

Gather & Glean, Rectangle - Anthropologie

The colors and gray fringe sing a happy song, but look at those precious, tiny hand-sewn beads in the Jacinto Rectangle Pillow.

Jacinto Rectangle Pillow - Anthropologie pillow

Isn't it amazing how one little pillow can make an impact on your space? Any favorites from the selections above? Or any you recently found?

Billy & Brigid (Art I Fancy: Kelly Packer, Part I)

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:09:00 +0000

I bought a print on Etsy a couple of years ago that I haven't tired of one single day. And (for a good reason, that I'll mention later) I realized the world just has to know about this artist. Back to my art for a second. Spot it on my bookshelf?

Kelly Packer's "St. Billy on My Birthday" - via ME! (Dwell & Tell)

There he is. Hello, handsome.

Kelly Packer's "St. Billy on My Birthday" - via ME! (Dwell & Tell)

Introducing: St. Billy on My Birthday, by Kelly Packer. I rarely call him "Billy" or short-hand the name. Quite surprising to some of you, who know that I have a habit of either making words longer, or making them shorter. Because I own the English language. Or something. The phrase "St. Billy On My Birthday" just feels good on my tongue. And (even better) St. Billy on My Birthday feels wonderful on my eyes.

Kelly Packer's "St. Billy on My Birthday" - via ME! (Dwell & Tell)

So, I was recently scrolling through some favorites I bookmarked on Etsy. There are too many empty walls in our home. And it's driving me crazy. So when I saw this saved item...

Brigid, by Kelly Packer

...I just had to have her. I love how Kelly uses color (colors I'm immediately drawn to: magenta, teal, yellow, brown... Brigid just wouldn't seem the same without her teal leg.

Look what I found in the mail today?

I bought her for a spot in our living room, but our bedroom loves these colors too. So we shall see!

Part 2 will feature a few of my favorites from Kelly Packer.

Are there any colors that particularly appeal to you when looking for art? Or any features that appeal to you when looking for art ? Have you purchased anything recently? Any advice for some that are looking?

Artsy + Barfsy (2 Estate Sale Finds!)

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 01:17:00 +0000

Are you an estate sale shopper? I've been to a few, but honestly haven't found a lot of luck with them. They're either too pricey or they don't have anything I'm looking for. Plus, if you're a serious estate sale person you wake up at 6AM to get the goods. But I'm not willing to do that. So there.

But recently, on my route to work, I saw an estate sale. I convinced two colleagues (aka partners in crime) to go with me over lunch and I found a couple pieces of "art".

Primarily, this great solid print. I loved the muted colors, the "regal" frame and matting. It's kinda' Restoration-Hardware-looking, don't you think? For those of you that are interested in the details, it's a sketch of a castle in Siena, Italy./

Sorry for the sub-par iPhone pics...

Check out that triple-picture-matting action. Word up.

Also bought a new plant. This little corner has always been asking for one, but it doesn't get great light. So when I saw this at Home Depot with the specification that it can be happy in low-light, I grabbed it up1 It's grown a lot recently! A couple of new "shoots" have grown since this photo was taken. But you get the idea. :)

As much as I love this completely legit piece... I have another. A better prize....

WAIT FOR IT...

I. Could. Not. Let. This. Weirdo. Go. We found her and found ourselves laughing so hard tears were rolling down our cheeks. I realized this had to be mine and bought her for my office at work. She's really more stunning/scary in person, I promise you. Please notice the (1) Smile (2) Smile, again. Cause it's awesome (3) Pretty neck, pretty back (4) Also, I love her. She is a wreck but I love her.

Pssssst. To my friends whose family photos are in this image. You are welcome.

Find anything good recently at an Estate Sale or Yard Sale? Or new piece or wall art? Use some green for some green (ha-hem, "buy a plant")? What are you hunting for?

I Love Thrifting Day in Alabama - 2012 Recap!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 03:49:00 +0000

I was proud to host a party for Alabama to be represented in this national "event" on Saturday! I Love Thrifting Day was the brain-child of Mr. Goodwill Hunting, Rashon Carraway. Rashon is an incredibly talented blogger and has even been featured several times on the Nate Berkus Show! His segments are hands-down some of my favorites on the show.

I know there were several of you who wanted to come out but were on vacation as it was the week of Independence Day, but we still had a nice turn-out and had so much fun! Ready for a recap?

We started out at Goodwill in Homewood, Alabama in the morning. One of my favorite thrift stores!

My awesome mother-in-law has incredible taste, and found this adorable bamboo chair for $15. It folds up for easy storage, so she's going to use this when she has extra guests and has the option to store it in a closet if she wants.

I spotted this lamp and it looked just like something my friend Lindsay would like. She scooped it up for $3.09! We're planning to paint it a fun color for her kitchen!

It was so good to see Susie again, who I met last year. She is 9 months pregnant but still came out in this heat to enjoy the day with us!

(L to R: Susie's sweet mom, Susie, me)

We found this brand-new kitchen table and chairs for $125 (originally from Target). As you can see below, everyone pitched in to help Lindsay decide if it was right for her. What great team-work (a real advantage of I Love Thrifting Day!).

Next, we headed right down the street to the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Homewood. It's less than 1/2-mile down the road so it was an easy choice to make. :) Also, my mom scored some jaw-dropping pieces during I Love Thrifting Day last year. So why not try it for our event again?

MIL found this awesome print (it's soooo good lookin' in person) that we think is an oriental watercolor print of women washing clothes. She thought it would be perfect for her laundry room. $5 or so. Done, suckahs! :)

#ilovethrifting I Love Thrifting 2012 - Birmingham, Alabama

Another great art find from my Mom!

#ilovethrifting I Love Thrifting 2012 - Birmingham, Alabama

And a little piece that Lindsay decided to pass up... :) It's nice to take time to apprecite the random objects found only here. Like a ceramic pig with eight huge, suckling teats.


#ilovethrifting I Love Thrifting 2012 - Birmingham, Alabama

Our group at Salvation Army (a couple more would join us later) :)

We found some other great things too... a Christmas cookie dish (super-classy), a kleenex cover (again, super-classy), and Susie's mom found some preeeeecious clothes for her toddler grand-son. I should have gotten some photos of those.

Nexxxttt.... MEXICAN FOOD! We had a fun lunch at a local place right down the road.

Then we headed to Mission Possible Bargain Center in Homewood. It's so wonderful how close these places are to each other. Lindsay's fiance and brother joined us here. The more the merrier!

#ilovethrifting I Love Thrifting 2012 - Birmingham, Alabama

Susie shopping in the front of the store...

Look what I found! I kinda-kitschy little lamp with a map lamp-shade for $4.99. The base is peeling paint and the map is even peeling off the sade, but with some help it could fit perfectly in our guest bedroom/office (details on that coming soon).

#ilovethrifting I Love Thrifting 2012 - Birmingham, Alabama

Such a great party. We had a great I Love Thrifting Day in Birmingham, Alabama!

My favorite things about the day.

- Shopping with sweet people that have similar interests, and amazing personalities.
- Learning from the group. And finding more!
One of my favorite things about I Love Thrifting Day is that you seem to find more because you have everyone keeping their eyes peeled for a piece with potential.They might spot something, but it's not right for them. So they make sure someone else leaves with the deal!
- Great deals on great pieces! Duh. Right? :)

Remember to follow the recaps on your social networks with the hashtag #ilovethrifting.

Find anything recently on a trip to the thrift store or a yard sale? Did you participate in I Love Thrifting Day in any part of the country? In Alabama? I want to hear from you!

Deets for I Love Thrifting Day 2012 - Birmingham

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 03:01:00 +0000

Hollah, ya'll. Ready for this weekend?! I Love Thrifting Day 2012 is this Saturday! As the host in Birmingham, I've decided to start in the late A.M. to give you sleepy-heads a nice Saturday morning.

What: A Day of Thrifting! With friends. Friends you may or may not know yet. It's not weird (And if you're wondering... I totally get it, but it's not weird). Dress casually. This is a no-fuss "event". No door prizes, no catering. Just people that love the joy of a great find. If you have an I Love Thrifting T-Shirt, wear it. If you don't... you'll be in the majority. So come on! :)

When: This Saturday, July 7th | 10:30 a.m.
And I know, have mercy it's hot. But if you're as lucky as my mom last year, you won't care. She bought a dresser for $60 that she could easily re-sell for $800. With zero work.

Where: Goodwill, 2350 Green Springs Hwy; Birmingham, AL, 35205
That's where we'll start. We'll move onto the thrift store down the road right afterward, followed by lunch at a local Mexican joint, if you feel like it. (And because I'm so cool I can't imagine you wonnnnn't feel like it.)

LET ME KNOW IF YOU'RE COMING! Comment below!

Dining Room Chairs Repainted! Weekend Project

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 22:28:00 +0000

Remember this post about the chairs that needed some TLC (terrific-licious-carefromerin)? ... That was dumb. Whatevs.

Chairs BEFORE

The dark chairs clearly didn't work with the new table, and the solution was obvious. They needed a paint job. We needed to "get our paint on". We needed to work. it. out. with our spray paint, ya'll. And with our place on the market to sell, it needed to be done real quick-like.

About the chairs, you guys. I liked the lines of the chairs (Roger Chairs from Ikea) which is one of the reasons I focused so hard on them. I knew these would look great painted any color. So I stalked them on Craigslist until I found them for $75. Hollah! Even if we did have to rent a car and drive a couple of hours to get them, it was a step in the right direction. And I knew they could work with various styles, should my tastes change down the road.

I've painted a few pieces of furniture (like this one and this one) and I love spray-paint, but I've never painted furniture with it before, only accessories. This is mostly because during the winter, I can't use spray-paint outdoors (it won't cure properly if it's too cold outside). As you know, because we live in a condo we lack a climate-controlled option indoors, like a garage.

The second reason has to do with the color limitations. Typically the colors I'm wild about aren't available in ready-made, spray paint form. But I remembered Centsational Girl's favorite white and settled on Rustoleum's Heirloom White for this project. I'm happy with the color! Especially considering if I had chosen another color and hand-painted this project, I would have spent a LOT more time on it.

First, for an overview of the process. Here's a quick how-to:
Step 1: Clean your furniture well. Wipe it down to remove any obvious dirt.
Note: I didn't sand before priming. Many people do, some say it isn't necessary. The chairs have held up really well so far.
Step 2: Spray 2-3 thin coats of spray primer (I used Kilz spray-primer)
Step 3A:: Use a fine sandpaper to lightly sand in between coats. How do you know when you're done? I just rub over it with my hand to make sure the surface feels nice and smooth.
Step 3B: After you sand, wipe off the dust (I used a microfiber dust cloth)
Step 4: Spray about 2-3 thin coats of spray paint
Step 5 (for the jobs you want to last awhile: Seal with a protective finish like MinWax Polycrylic. - I omitted this step because this was a quick, temporary fix.

Prepping the project
You obviously need to spread out drop cloths to protect the surrounding area. Since it was really windy outside, I used some 2x4's that I found behind our condo to keep the drop cloths from popping up and messing up the finish of the paint.

Ikea Roger Chairs - Before Painting

Priming
Here's what it looked like after two coats of Kilz spray-primer, with light sanding in between for smoothe finish. I could have made these coats even thinner.

And after a couple coats of spray paint...

It's looking much better.

By the way, I've been meaning to take that lamp on the left down for weeks. After seeing this pic I FINALLY AND IMMEDIATELY took it down to our condo's basement.

Again, I typically would have finished this project with a protective coating. But this is a quick fix, to get our place sold and remove this eye-sore for a temporary period.

Do tell, Dwellers! Any questions about painting furniture? Have you tried spray-painting recently? What do you think? How do you think it compares to painting it the old-fashioned way? Any temporary or "quick fix" projects you've approached recently?

I Love Thrifting Day 2012 - In Birmingham July 7th!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 01:18:00 +0000

I had so much fun meeting great people at I Love Thrifting Day last year, how could I pass up the opportunity to host an event in Birmingham?

So we're on!

When: Saturday, July 7th, 2012
Where: Thrift Stores in Birmingham, AL (Locations TBD, see below*)
Who: Thrifting Lovers.
What: Thrift shopping, meeting people who enjoy a great find as much as you do. They are cool, and it's not awkward. Really! :)

As I described it last year... No fuss. Just meeting people with similar interests and shopping!

On Twitter? Follow the fun on Twitter with the #ilovethrifting hashtag. Psst... While I manage three Twitter accounts for myself alone, you can follow me on twitter here for updates about #ilovethrifting in #bham.

*Regarding the location... I hosted last year at my two favorite thrift stores. Do you want to shop at different stores, or are you happy with the same? The ones I chose last year are good because they are really close to each other and I've had some great luck at them. But let me know if you have any specific store requests!

Are you coming? Or attending in your city?

Update: Find details for the event right here.

Inspiration - Chris Barrett Design

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:32:00 +0000

It's funny how a few select issues of our favorite magazines seem to harness the most powerful inspiration, when others are simply temporary (although very pleasant) nourishment for the decorating-brain cells. I found one of these issues a year ago, during an annual birthday trip to the beach.

I also keep this particular issue on the top of my coffee table because I love the colors and the cover image... deep wood tones, bright whites, the texture of the pink flowers and the turquoise masthead.

House Beautiful July/August issue - Chris Barrett's home - via Chris Barrett Design

This isn't breaking news by any means. But for those of you who missed it, and those of you who may have forgotten about it... I thought you would appreciate a few photos from this feature of designer Chris Barrett's home in the July/August issue of House Beautiful. Every room seems so stylish, and very cozy at the same time.


House Beautiful July/August issue - Chris Barrett's home - via Chris Barrett Design

House Beautiful July/August issue - Chris Barrett's home - via Chris Barrett Design

My favorite room is the kitchen

House Beautiful July/August issue - Chris Barrett's home - via Chris Barrett Design

I think it's interesting to note that a huge reason for my adoration for these photos is the styling. I'm not down-playing Ms. Barrett's technique, taste or execution at all... but rather applauding how the stylist utilizes vibrant pink flowers and orange hues from the freshly cut cantaloupe to make a couple of these photos so intriguing.

By the way: I want these paintings! Really, really want them! Any idea where they are from?

House Beautiful July/August issue - Chris Barrett's home - via Chris Barrett Design

Do you recall seeing this feature before, or this is your first glimpse? Does any element in particular appeal to you the most? What do you think about the use of color? Or about the styling in the photos? Would you do anything differently? Please share!

Succsies on the Brain (Succulent Inspiration)

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:19:00 +0000

I had a couple of fairly clever post titles that played on the word "succulent". Fortunately, I allowed the hubs to convince me they were semi-inappropriate or potentially offensive. :) So I'm creating a new word. Succsies. "Succulents", without that annoying third syllable. Who needed that last syllable, anyway?

I literally dreamed of succsies a couple of nights ago. Bright green succsies, purple succsies, droopy succsies and plump succsies. All just a-floatin' around in my dream-noggin'. Probably because I bought two succsies in the last few weeks and am probably going to make a.... okay, I can't keep this goin all day... succulent garden for the dining room table. I did a little pinning and also found some google-inspiration last night. Here a few inspiring succulent arrangements.

This vertical wall art takes my breath away.

vertical succulent wall art - via etsy

Can you believe these huge succulent orbs? Stunning.

succulent orbs - via Dig Gardens Nursery

This lush arrangement of succulents trim a staircase throughout the warm summer months. During the summer, they move the plants (which are tucked into soil-filled chicken-wire frames) to a heated green house.

via marthastewart.com

I saw this centerpiece first a couple of years ago, and now I always keep my eyes peeled for some lovely goblets like these.

I've searched for the original source. The earliest source I can find is here.

These succulents are planted in a recycled flour sifter. So charming.

succulents - via Fiskars

And last but not least. I must have these. I must have these. But they're $300. If you have the cash and no self control, go do the damage here.

man and woman head vases / planters - photo via oh joy

Are you a fan of succulents? Have you found a favorite spot or two in your home, or a unique way to style them? Or are you new to the idea, but thinking of giving them a try?

If you don't like them, you succsies. (There, I fit it in somehow, ha!).

- Erin

Our Home - For Sale by Erin

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 04:05:00 +0000

I've been totally MIA, but for a reason. A few weeks ago we started talking about refinancing. We've been considering it for awhile but were always hesitant because "we might move" in the next couple of years. Well, we actually might.

We love so many things about our place. The character from an old building. High ceilings. Large rooms (I've taken these for granted, by the way). Our neighborhood. The treetops that surround so many windows. As my mom says when she's in the living room "I feel like we're in a tree house!".

But there are a few things that we've longed for, for several years. A yard to enjoy the weather when it's nice, or cook-outs (we currently have a camping-size grill that sits about twelve inches off the ground for cooking out... and you can imagine how annoying 3+ flights of stairs are when you forget salt or a paper towel!). Speaking of yards, we dream of a place for the dogs to exercise themselves every now and then (between the two dogs, we're talking about 6 - 10 walks/day... even after that George can still ready to drive you crazy with energy). While we're on the subject, I would love a place to tackle some DIY projects like painting and whatnot. It's so much more complicated in our tiny place! And how about entertaining? There's no over-flow area here.

Also, we host way more out of town guests than the average couple. With our 2BR/1Bath scenario I sometimes feel like our guests are a little uncomfortable because we're sharing a bathroom. This wouldn't be much of an issue for the average couple, but hubbie's friends frequently (sometimes two weekends/month0
We're also in need of some storage space. We have a wonderful shared basement, but it isn't climate-controlled. A few treasured pieces were even ruined when it flooded a few years ago. So we pay for a storage unit every month. And with Seth's job, we get a looottttt of material each week that needs to find a place until it's sold. In the meantime, we're receiving several more boxes. It can't stay in the car because of the temperature, so it sits in our living room, dining room, wherever. Let it this way: we have a 5x5 climate controlled facility and even if every piece that's currently in our place were in our unit, we would be pressing maximum capacity.

Basically, we need could use more storage for the hubbie's sales equipment. And our everyday "odds and ends", winter clothes, etcetera.

And in just a week, it turned from "we're crazy if we don't take advantage of these interest rates and refinance" to "we're crazy if we don't take advantage of these interest rates and go ahead and get a bigger house."

So here we are. We decided to list our place, right when it was starting to feel like home.

But that's life. And I'm honestly excited about the prospect of moving. More space! More storage! A yard! But we have to find it, in our budge (that's not a typo, by the way - budge = budget according to the Erin vocab), in a neighborhood we like. And that's not been an easy thing to find.

We love our neighborhood. It's kind of artsy. Somewhat diverse. Urban. But residential. Lots of "things going on" and close to the downtown area of Birmingham. But never a woman running around in a tennis skirt, $500 sneakers carrying a Louis Vuitton bag and chihuahua... Know what I mean? Barf.

But we may end up elsewhere. When we have kids, they would need private school if we stay in our current neighborhood (unless we move again previous to that schooling, which is an option). BUT property taxes are much lower here, which outweigh a LOT of cost. Oh.... *confusion, confusion, confusion*.

I do love my neighborhood.

What are your thoughts?

Yesterday's (Crazy-town) Post is Updated

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 00:38:00 +0000

If you saw yesterday's post and it was all janky... Sorry! I have no idea what happened. It's like blogger took what I had, mixed it up, duplicated portions... (Then again, I was having issues with the draft. Maybe it was me?).... But regardless, the result was blog-land pig-latin.

And if you didn't see it yesterday, well darlings, here's your opportunity:
New (Questionable) Farm Table Addition

Eye-candy sneak peek (no, this isn't my table):


Farm Table + Panton Chairs -,Please let me know if you're aware of the original source?

Hollah,

Erin

New (Questionable?) Farm Table Addition

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 05:42:00 +0000

In many ways, I loved our ikea dining room table (bought on Craigslist for $150 I think). For example, how it expanded to seat up to ten people (although we never used it for more than four), but fit perfectly in it's un-expanded state. I loved the clean lines, the modern silhouette. And the price.

Dining Room awhile back - including our previous table
(ikea's bjursta table in brown/black)

But two things were bothering me more and more: First, it was really dark. The color was called "brown/black" but some people that came over thought it was black. It just seemed so heavy against our light walls and dining room rug.

Leg of the table (pretty dark, see?)

Secondly, my eyes found it increasingly... ikea-ish... compared to some other things in our home. Which is not to say I'm some worldy traveler and collector of goods from around the globe. There are a number of items that have come frome ikea. I love them! But my eyes kept getting hung up on the big-box-store, faux-wood finish. For those of you out there considering this table (the ikea bjursta in brown/black): don't let me discourage you! For months I obsessed over how "perfect" it would be for our crib... It's just dark and stuff! Nuf said. Moving on.

So when my mom mentioned that she was going to kick her own kitchen table to the curb, I took note. The style of her farm table has certainly come back en vogue and the timing seemed appropriate. Not to mention the idea of having a table that had personal history (my fam enjoyed a number of meals together on this table in high school).

A little peek into my mind:

Farm table - Does anyone know the original credit for this image?

I sold our ikea table for probably $10-$15 less than I purchased it for, kinda' semi-impulsively. I had movers scheduled to bring the buffet, remove some other items and bring in others for our guest bedroom/office (you know I'll update you on that) - so I decided to go ahead and get it all done in one fowl swoop.

There were a few imperfections here and there that needed to be remedied. I sanded the sucker. Dad led the charge (this was all happening on my parent's back deck).

And take a look at this was almost definitely result of one of us four kiddos (looks like my little brother, but who knows?):

So here's what I used, in a addition to my dad's power sander (although that's not mandatory):

Materials for the farm table re-do: sandpaper, tung oil, and towels

Dad started to sand the outer edge with the power sander.

Then it got more complicated... Here's my dad demonstrating how to manually sand the rest of the wood (the rest of the job was up to me, boo-hoo). Remember, you sand with the grain of the wood. Because this table had wood several panels that criss-crossed quite a bit, it meant a bit of manual labor and patience.

After a lot more sanding, and ended up with this.

See the difference in the color on the top vs. the bottom?

Only the top was sanded at this point

Neeehhxt, we started working some Tung Oil on the wood with a cloth, to provide protection from moisture and give it a slightly richer finish.


Hubs felt like lending a hand this weekend! He's applying the Tung Oil.

After the tung oil dried and we moved the table in... here you go.

"New" farm table in the dining room.

I'm still really split on this one. It certainly has a warmer feel. But it seems to look a little too small. Even though it's only an inch or so shorter and narrower than our last table, it looks even smaller.

The chairs will have to be re-painted or replaced (no surprise there, of course). I can't decide. What do you think?

On Pinterest :)

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

I think I've mentioned it before but never made an official "announcement" that I'm on Pinterest. So follow me for lots of fun and home decor, diy, organization, fashion and food inspiration and shenaniguns! It's like creating and sharing visual file folders.

Via Pinterest

Speaking of which, you may notice a little baby shower inspiration board... I'm planning one for my cousin next month (one of the reasons I've been a little out of touch). I've also been tackling home improvement projects that are keeping me from blogging about said projects. And taking a couple of days to adjust to the news that a very dear friend (seen here) is moving to New York. I work with her every day and am excited for this big step for her family, but will miss her very much. Maybe some pins will help cheer me up. :-/

Anyhow, are you on Pinterest? Amazed by your new obsession? Resentful of real-life responsibilities that are keeping you from wasting time there (haha!)?

Federal Style Buffet - Before & After

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:50:00 +0000

Remember awhile back when I mentioned a few projects that I've been working on? Here's one of several.

A very thoughtful aunt of mine called my parents to tell them she had a buffet in her house that needed a new home, and I was free to do whatever I liked to it (paint it).

No kidding, I've been debating styles for awhile but pretty much settled on this one. Didja' see Michelle Adams's (the editor of Lonny) buffet last year?

Enter federal-style buffet / sideboard. Thank you, Aunt B!

Lovely bones. A little worn. But that's why we wear makeup, right gals? That's all she needed...

So that's what I gave 'er. :) My sweet dad sanded the top of it for me where he noticed some deep scratches, and I appreciated this head-start for sure. But don't get too jealous, because (like any DIY project) I inevitably ran into some obstacles. Durn obstacles!

The first of which was this... I kept getting distracted with all these adorable pets that were enjoying beautiful weather with me on the deck. Case in point: Sammy. A.K.A. Sambo or "Crybaby Sam" (because she's always meow-ing about something, even if it's to say "hello").

By the way, don't mind her beat up ears and nose. It's not because she's neglected. It's because she tries to attack the birds and they attack her back.

Obstacle to conquering project #2: My wonderful mom with Scooter-man! (Funny story... Scooter recently went into the vet for a teeth cleaning and came out with his top front teeth gone. My mom had no idea until she was back home.) It's not often that I get to spend one-on-one time with my Mama anymore so it was hard to focus on the project at hand.

Obstacle #3: To make matters worse for my short attention span (but much better for my afternoon), my wonderful dad joined us for a few minutes. You remember this super-DIY-er from awhile back? I'm lucky daughter.)

But back to the buffet. (See what I mean? I couldn't focus with all this family action.)

I bought a spray painter for this job because I was working outside of our condo for once and was eager to see how it might speed things, but it was no good. I really had my hopes up, but here's how my initial "test spray" ended:

(*Wop, Woooop*) So I primed and painted it the way I've done before, with some flocked rollers that are not as quick as a super-high-end sprayer, but are great for creating a beautiful finish.

I've tried a couple different kinds of rollers for furniture, but these are the best! They're the same ones I used to refinish the dresser last year. The guy at the store where I purchased them, who mostly does work for decorators and contractors, said one of the contractors asked him to stop using them for samples because the customers were complaining about the finished product (without the special rollers) not looking as good as the samples (that my paint guy made with the flocked paint rollers)! They look like this. (If you need to know the brand name, leave a comment and I'll try to get in touch with my guy at the store. I tossed the wrapper.).

After sanding everything down with sandpaper, wiping it down, and priming it, the buffet looked bit like this:

Now for the paint color. Interesting reasoning for the choice here, I think. I realized it was getting colder this fall and I had a very limited time frame to paint this buffet outdoors (on my parents' deck). If I dilly-dallied around choosing a paint color, it could get really cold outside and the paint would be drying in not-so-ideal conditions. So I decided to jump in, without thinking much about it, and use some paint I had on hand from painting our bedroom accent wall.

Kind of a weird angle (for a reason... I was trying to hide the new dining room table... which we'll get to soon), but here it is. Sanding, priming, two coats of painting and some polishin' later:

I have to admit: this is a really bad "after" shot/angle. I'm kinda' mad at myself. But you'll see why. I'm saving another reveal (hint: it may or may not be a successful project) that was in the way of getting a better shot.

So I want to know what you think. Liking this makeover? Do you love some DIY projects but find it super easy to get distracted like I do sometimes? Any painting or projects going with you? What do you think of the color?

Celosia Love

noreply@blogger.com (Erin - Dwell and Tell) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:45:00 +0000

I recently developed a love for Celosia. You know how I adore magenta and fuschia flowers, right? So it's no surprise that I've thoroughly enjoyed having a living plant in our home that brought that color in for awhile.

Celosia - Magenta. Image via me! (Dwell & Tell)

Anyhow, they died. I tossed 'em. But take a look at these pretties while they were here (a couple of months, totally worth a few bucks).

I bought these the weekend after Thanksgiving and loved them until they bit the dust. Apparently Celosia is very finicky, especially inside. It needs a LOT of natural light, and even re-potting can cause it to die. (By the way, this is all Google talkin'... if I'm wrong please let me know!). I put our little plant in the sunniest spot in our home and they hung around as long as possible.

Any experience with Celosia? What's your favorite indoor plant? Or favorite way to bring color indoors? Do you have difficulty with indoor plants? Let me know! *I love your emails! But leave a comment and let everyone know about your ideas/thoughts/love!