Easy Peasy Chic

2012-05-29T09:47:00.004-06:00

Well I finally am to a point of feeling satisfied with my formal living room make over. I seriously wonder sometimes about my mental health though. You see I was at Home goods this weekend, minding my own business, when out of no where I spotted the most wonderful yellow and grey pillow. For one split second I felt the overwhelming urge to re-design my room based on this pillow. You know change everything...paint etc. Then reality struck and I realized that I needed to finish and then ENJOY my room with my new aqua-turquoise-shabby chic-beachy colors. So part of my enjoyment will include some picture posts. I am especially liking how my pillows turned out. I made them yesterday. And a special thanks to Katie at Thesewingnerd.blogspot.com. She totally transformed my red chairs into neutral masterpieces. Thanks cute Katie! You are wonderful!
But first, just incase you forgot...here is a before pix (I had started with painting). I must say the new look is much more soothing to me.

(I got these two awesome PB accent chairs from my local classifieds!! Katie's slipcovers make them look NEW!)

(Throw is from Home Goods. BTW don't you just love my pillow. I just need to add a large rustic wood button and Viola!)

(Have I mentioned how much I love Down East Home? This PB sofa was less than half original price!!)

(Lamps are from Home Goods I was in love at first sight. so are the small plates, the inspiration for my color palate, as well as the cute little white artichoke on the bottom of the shelf. The mirror is from Lowes, the vinyl lettering on the mirror is from iasign.com and lastly the sofa table is from Rod Works.)

Well now that the formal living room is to the 'enjoy' part I will focus my attention on B's room. We are doing a real TWEEN room. Here is a glimpse of our plans. Watch for more to come. This will be the first time I paint chocolate brown walls. Exciting.

2012-05-08T20:14:00.002-06:00

Well, months ago I found 5 absolutely beautiful chairs for $50 on my local classified ads. They were each painted a different color. One plum, one red, one green and one gold. Great for a tuscan old world style but not the direction I was going in. I wanted light, airy and fresh. So I started by finding a killer deal on refinishing them. (We were able to work out a deal with the first guy we hired to do our built-in entertainment center. It's a long, long story but he ended up never delivering said built-in but at least he did my chairs, right?!) Next I found some darling fun and modern aqua floral fabric at Hancock fabric on the closeout shelf. It was only $9.99 a yard! Another super deal. Then last night the hubby helped me finally finish my project...and alas.... the beautiful, light, airy and fresh chairs I had envisioned finally came to fruition. They make the perfect combo with my Sumner Pottery Barn Table I got for less than 1/2 price (that's another great story) (oh, and the chandelier I also found for $110 on my local classified ads). Anyhow here it is. I couldn't be happier. Whatcha think?
BTW: If you are wondering about the 'shine'...well, I have kiddos so I added a clear vinyl so I could just wipe chairs off and it wouldn't damage my fabric. Well worth an additional $8! :)

IN case you can't remember here are a couple BEFORE photos:
ORIGINAL COLOR: EEEK!

Here is what the chairs looked like BEFORE: EEK

(found this picture only local classified ads)

NEW COLOR: Becoming CHIC! :)

Now for my slipcovers in my formal living room makeover. I dropped the chair off to Katie at THE SEWING NERD today. She said it should be a few days until I get them and Ic annoy wait. My red chairs are gonna be a thing of the past. I'll post when I get the room put together.

Linking up at

title="TDC Before and After" target="_blank">

2012-04-18T09:54:00.000-06:00

Sneak peek of things to come...
Goodbye red...hello aqua!

2012-04-12T16:24:00.000-06:00

Some cute furniture I have found piece by piece on my local classified ads. Korrie from red hen home did a marvelous job painting my tables a fresh white. I originally wanted to use them in my great room but they didn't work as I'd hoped so now that they are refinished I will try to resale on the local classified ads. So much fun! Wish I had 10 sitting rooms to decorate. I just love so many different colors and styles! :)

2012-03-09T23:16:00.000-07:00

So I found a 40% off coupon on any Martha Stewart/Avery product at Staples.com. Who knew she had darling adhesive labels? I didn't! I ordered these yesterday and they were on my doorstep today. I was SOOO impressed with Staples!!! I was also impressed by the chalkboard labels. They were only $5.99 for 6. I purchased the clear glass jars at Walmart. And Viola!! So easy and so chic!

2011-11-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

So I am a bit slow! I think I finally have figured out how all those creative women out there end up with such beautiful tablescapes on Thanksgiving Day. They start the day after Halloween. Then they get to enjoy their tablescape all month long and it serves as Thanksgiving Decor all month long. Duh JEN, what were you thinking??? Sheesh no wonder my tables never come together. I am the queen of wait till the night before and then try to be creative and think of something. Anyhow this year I am trying to get a jump start. Granted it is already the 10th of November but it is definitely not the night before. Here are some of my favorite tablescapes...

(Sources in order: The Gypsy Corner, Bunny Jeans Decor, Sweet nothings & Stonegable (X2))

2011-10-22T10:53:00.000-06:00

I am having a hard time choosing a rug for my great room. I have narrowed it down to 11 choices. Would you like to cast your vote. Keep in mind I have brown leather sectional and black and cream accents. However, I could totally paint them out. Also, #11 is the rug in my entryway and the color scheme for the two formal rooms in the front of the house. Anyhow what do you think??

2011-10-19T09:35:00.001-06:00

I am loving my Halloween vinyl decor and just had to post. I found some pine cone Christmas tree ornaments that I thought would work perfectly as fall accents on my sofa table. Then in December I will hang them on my tree. :)

Now that I have my Halloween decor up it is back to my ksl deals. HOLY COW!! I am SOOOO HAPPY!!! I found my dream chairs at a fraction of the price this week on ksl.com. The set has been gently used by a cute mom and daughter and is in excellent shape. I am just beside myself as I thought owning a set of this quality and style would forever remain a dream. I LOVE KSL.COM!!!! IN fact, today a lady will be driving to my home to purchase an organizer unit I no longer need. Wahoo!!

Here is a sneak peek of my 'new to me' dining set...

I can picture a thanksgiving table scape on it now.

2011-10-15T21:23:00.001-06:00

I finished my banner tonight. I made it reversible so I could get double use out of it. On the other side it says our last name. So after the holidays I can still use it. I am planning on making another reversible banner with my remaining pennants for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanks again to Korrie from RedHenHome! :) Also, a big thanks to iasign.com for the great back vinyl lettering and graphics for my pumpkins. I also ordered jack-o-lantern faces for the pumpkins on my porch. That way I can keep the pumpkins for the Thanksgiving season as well. Anyhow, that's what I have been up too.

2011-10-10T21:41:00.002-06:00

Thank you Risa for organizing such cute fall crafts!! I finished my witches shoes just a few short moments ago and couldn't be more pleased. (Risa got these and other cute wood projects from her e.) Now I am ready to move on to my banner project I picked up from Red Hen Home! Man I love living by such creative ladies!

2011-09-30T10:53:00.000-06:00

A little Halloween decorating. My kids LOVED LOVED LOVED this.

We did it for a 'Family Home Evening' activity. I got the idea from Kami G., a darling and very creative neigbor who lives in the neighborhood behind me. Every year she puts out the most darling ghosts and my kids beg me to drive by her house just to see them. So this year we decided to try our own. (To all of our present neighbors I apologize for our art skills and recommend you drive by cute Kami's to see how it looks when done with actual artistic ability.)

2011-09-28T21:28:00.000-06:00

Time for topiary's again...this year I am thinking I will use just white pumpkins and put them on the fireplace hearth...we'll see. Until then here are a few photos from last year to help me get motivated. I better get my order in to iasign.com for my vinyl graphics. They added so much last year. Then after Halloween I just pulled them off and had Thanksgiving worthy topiary's.

2011-09-26T11:05:00.002-06:00

I bought pumpkins!! Let the fall decorating begin!

2011-09-24T12:24:00.000-06:00

Okay...I am in LOVE! Check out these cute bead-board banners created by cute Korrie over at Red Hen Home. Could you just die?? I think these are so cute and modern. The options are endless too. She sells them already made. Check out her blog!!

2011-09-23T11:12:00.002-06:00

I am back!!! It has been crazy busy around here. Along with creating a new fall look for my blog I have been searching for craft ideas for a church project I am working on. anyhow I have found myself engrossed for hours looking at all of the wonderful ideas out there. Then I made the mistake of joining pinterest and well...the rest is history. Today I just wanted to post some of my favorite craft ideas I found...many of which I hope will soon adorn my home. Hope you enjoy.

http://livingwithlindsay.com/2009/11/librarians-please-avert-your-eyes.html

Hopefully you can see watermarks in photos. I snagged these from google images and I am not sure who the original creators are...if you do a google search for Pyres etching you should be able to find them.

http://www.iasign.com/default.aspx

http://www.instructables.com/id/Advent-Calendar/

http://organizing.yourway.net/organizing-your-way-to-a-simple-christmas-scheduling/

2011-09-14T09:47:00.001-06:00

I saw this on my local news site this morning and I just had to share. All I can say is WOW! What a talented couple and what lucky children that get to enjoy their work.

You can see their website here.

You can see their blog here.

Enjoy...

2011-09-12T09:44:00.001-06:00

So now that the kitchen is well on it's way I want to put some energy into my great room. As you remember I was recently featured on COMMON GROUND with a plea for design ideas. My dilemma is a HUGE tv (courtesy of the cute hubby) that is taking focus away from the focal point...the fireplace. I got lots of great advice from a lot of wonderful bloggers. Thank you! :)
Since then the wheels in my brain have been turning and I have been trying to come up with an idea that would fit into my budget!

Anyhow last night I was looking at my dresser from THE FROSTED GARDNER and thinking how much I did not want to get rid of it. I LOVE it. But I realize that the scale is not working in this space. Then it hit me...**SHWAAAAHZZAM**...why not build a custom top to this dresser that I already LOVE???
I could create it so it looks like an armoire that was custom made for this niche. ( I could even contact THE FROSTED GARDNER and see if Melanie would refinish the top pieces to match the bottom.) Then with some paint color changes to the walls and possible photo frames I could help the poor fireplace again take center stage. Hmmmm....I better pitch the idea to the hubby and see what he thinks. I think we could complete this project for minimal cost and end up with exactly what I want.

Stay tuned!

2011-09-10T22:37:00.003-06:00

FINISHED!! YEA!!! I am sooo happy with how it turned out. Hubby gets lots of extra points for this one! This was around $45!!! One step closer to that clean white kitchen. I am thinking I like this better than white cabinets. The wood grain seems to really help that wainscoting pop and the blue grey is perrrrfect!

2011-09-05T18:40:00.001-06:00

HAPPY LABOR DAY! Hope you are enjoying the day and doing the things that make you happy!

This weekend the paint job in our kitchen was finished!! YEA!! Now we are ready for crown molding! Wahoo!

But first my sweet hubby is outdoing himself with our faux wainscoting back-splash! It really pays to have an engineer hubby. I was going to just 'eye-ball' it but he saved the day and has meticulously planned the layout of our wood slats. Just look at his diagram...so left brained!!

I am excited that this week will bring caulking and paint touch ups.

Ooops I almost forgot I gave our garbage cupboard a fresh coat of the same paint as the walls. I LOVE how the blue-grey looks with those wood handles.

Now it is time to clean up and get the hotdogs on the grill!

2011-09-01T10:20:00.001-06:00

So it is no secret that I LOVE WHITE CABINETRY in kitchens.

So So So bright, fresh and clean.

When we built our present home 4 years ago that is what I wanted to put in the kitchen but lacked the courage to really fight for it. The hubby did not want want white. (And I love the hubby. :) )The hubby wanted the knotty alder cabinets which I too really liked. So in the end we kept the peace and went for the knotty alder with a cocoa glaze.

Then what happens? Everywhere I look white cabinets are popping up and they are BEAUTIFUL. Now if I was infinitely rich I'd not even blink at the idea of redoing my cabinets however this it so not the case...If I was crazy I'd paint over my beautiful knotty cabinets, (I meant to say if I was crazier than I already am...lol)...but that is not an option either.

So I got to thinking...'there has to be a way to bring the 'white' I like into my space without getting into debt to do it.

So you may remember I painted my kitchen island WHITE!! I must say it had made such a big difference. Even the hubby likes it better.

He especially liked the cost...$45!!! :)

Then, as you know...slowly I have been changing ALL my accessories to WHITE and I am really liking the progress...

1st: I painted my french country rooster WHITE!

2nd: I painted my other kitchen accessories white

3rd: I bought a White Pottery Barn Fruit Bowl for the center of my island off of ksl.com for $20!! :)

Then last weekend I painted and painted and painted. Now my backslash and breakfast nook are all white and ready for the trim to be installed for the faux wainscoting (craftsman style). I cannot wait and hopefully will finish this weekend.
Here is a before peek...

(oh ya...I painted that little birdie recipe holder white as well. And used a coupon at Rod Works for the white utensil crock.)
If you do not know what I mean by faux craftsman wainscoting....look at my inspiration from House of Smiths...

http://www.thehouseofsmiths.com

Finally the pop of color I have decided to add is the cool and calm "UPWARD" grey-blue from Sherwin Williams as see on House of Smiths as well. (Thank you Shelley for your great taste!!! And thank you Patrice for telling me of Shelley's blog!)
I decided to hire a professional painter to come and paint my ceiling white and behind my cabinets the 'Upward' blue and he comes tomorrow morning!!! I CAN HARDLY WAIT. (Best of all after getting more than one quote I found this guy who'll do the work for $150!!! Great deal considering the pain he'll save my back. If you do not have a herniated disc as I do I would recommend saving the $$ and painting yourself! )

So there you have it...progress towards a lighter and brighter kitchen. Check back next week for the "Before and After" pictures. I can't wait!

2011-08-26T21:32:00.000-06:00

So have you ever been stuck on a design project and really needed the advice of some other design enthusiasts? That is how I am feeling at present.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!

My poor fireplace is lost in sea of beige and NOT the focal point it should be!

I told Debra at COMMON GROUND I needed help...creative help...from some fresh new perspectives and she agreed to help me out!

Debra at Common Ground has a wonderful idea for us to help one another with our design dilemmas. In fact I am soooo excited but she has agreed to help me this Saturday. So be sure to visit her blog and give your design advice.

I need it!

Also, submit your own dilemmas to Debra for tasteful guidance on your design projects. Be sure to check out her blog at the link above and spread the word to your blog friends!!

Happy Saturday Everyone!

2011-08-23T10:29:00.000-06:00

Well I am back home after a wonderful trip to the beautiful Oregon Coast with family. We succeeded in making lots of fun memories.

The next morning after we arrived home the kids went back to school.So that leaves me and the lil' mutt at home. Yep that is right. I have no kids at home. The house is soooo quiet. I find myself even more into deep and wandering thoughts. Thoughts of 'how did the time pass so quickly?', thoughts of 'was I a good enough mom while I had little ones at home? did I give them enough attention and love?' and then thoughts of 'what project can I do next? what can I sell or buy? what furniture arrangement might look good? how about some color changes?' etc. etc.

I am not sure where the next 9 months of school and a quiet house will take me, our family or our home decor. But I am sure that there will be ups and downs and creating a comfy, inviting, living space for those I love the most will most definitely be a part of it. How about you and your home?

2011-08-09T16:35:00.000-06:00

I am so excited. I WON the Quilted Bear contest!!! Yea!! I get a $50 gift card to spend as I desire. If you are in Utah and have never been to this craft mall I high recommend taking an afternoon and checking it out. There are all kinds of home decor and furniture items for every style and budget and be sure to check out the Hungry Bear snack counter they have AWESOME chef salads and homemade rolls and cookies.

2011-08-06T17:18:00.001-06:00

We did it!!! YEA!!!

We are finally all cleaned up and showered after a long...HOT...garage sale day.

It feels sooooo good to have cleaned out the basement, the kitchen cupboards, the kids drawers and closets and the mudroom. Now when school starts I can hit the deep cleaning & dusting (and actually have it stay clean for a while). Granted when all said and done it took me a few hours each day all last week. But overall sooo worth it. It really was an amazing experience. I think it was emotionally as hard as it was physically. As I cleaned out all my kids outfits and toys from when they newborns till last years out grown items. I couldn't help enjoy floods of great memories as I went through the items. It was a great reminder to me that it is NOT the item that I am attached too...it is the memory of the loved one I have with the item. For example...my kids shoes when they were toddlers. Sure I had to shed some tears as I got rid of them but it was more for the memories of my kids when they were little. I was so overwhelmed with a thankful heart. I realized that the last 11 years of my life have been wonderful. All the ups and the downs...I wouldn't change anything. I realize how much family and happy times with family means to me. When all said and done that is all we will really have is our love and relationships for/with others. Cleaning out all of these items that represented days gone by gave me new resolve to try to 'ENJOY THE MOMENT' focus LESS on "THINGS" and MORE ON "PEOPLE" in my life at present. I am so thankful for my family. I have the best husband in the world. He has the kindest heart and takes such good care of me and the kids. I have the best kids in the world. I love them soo very much. I am thankful for the daily experiences in life that help me remember what is most important. So again..."YEA" for garage sales.

2011-08-04T11:10:00.001-06:00

I am soooo in love with the NEW ISALA coffee table at IKEA! Who knew you could get something so cottage chic at IKEA! The gray is so modern but the lines are so traditional cottage. Hmmm....but where would I put it??