From Tacky to "I LOVE IT!"

The wonders of spray paint!! Any home decorator will tell you SPRAY PAINT is a miracle worker in our world. It covers, hides, updates and transforms all in a matter of minutes! Check out this brass lamp I picked up on CraigsList for $25 for the PAIR. It's SOLID brass, but NOT my style and probably NOT YOURS either, right?

BEFORE

Blasted the lamps with a can of hammered texture spray paint (aprox: 15 min. each) allow to dry between coats... and voila! NEW LAMPS!

available at any major home improvement store

The result was: AMAZING transformation!!! I couldn't WAIT to share them with my client! I KNEW she would love them too! 

AFTER:    

FINAL RESULT

The one thing I get asked all the time... that looks great, but how do I know what to look for? Look for quality items. The heavier the lamp the better the quality. Just about anything can be transformed with a quick wash in soapy water and mist of fresh spray paint. Even vases and outdoor furniture can benefit from a fresh coat of paint! Check out one of my favorite Decor Bloggers from The Lettered Cottage... here is her link on updating her wicker furniture for the summer! WICKED WICKER UPDATE

The Napping Porch

The one thing I LOVE LOVE LOVE about this house is the little spaces designed to hide and escape from it all. Lets face it, as a mother of two young boys sometimes it's nice to run and hide and sneak a sip of wine in the evening or enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning. undisturbed. Here is my view... beyond the 100+ year old oak tree are the peaks of the San Bernardino Mountains. Simply beautiful. However, the PORCH.. not exactly a retreat... YET....

PORCH BEFORE!

Now.. if you are to have a place to put up your feet and take a sip of joe you need something to park your tush on, right? Now, if you know me you know I LOVE the bargain, and the hunt of finding a good bargain. In fact, Saturday mornings you WILL find me sitting on my napping porch scrolling through CraigsList on my IPad! With that being said.. usually I can find what I am looking for, but in this case I couldn't find a bench, or daybed that was the right size SOOOOO here is what I created.... A place to rest my mommy buns.... 

Looks comfy right??? Well this is just the start.... 

I got the headboard on CraigsList for $30, lucked out that it fit PERFECTLY between the windows (I always forget to measure). I then drove over to the Habitat for Humanity Retail Store and purchased this SOLID wood door for $15 bucks and cut it down with my skill saw. The cement blocks were behind the garage when we moved in! SCORE! 

   NEXT, I secured the door with some L-Brackets and deck screws... 

   THEN, ripped apart some old bed pillows for the batting, secured it to the door with spray adhesive, covered the door with fabric from IKEA ( 4 yards) on sale for $4.... used my staple gun, to secure the fabric on the underside of the door and tossed some pillows on top! PRESTO!!! Napping BENCH!

Picture isn't perfect, but you can get the gist of it!

Here is the full view of the porch... which is still a work in progress as I am hunting for some beautiful flower boxes for the ledges and perhaps a nice indoor/outdoor rug to sink my toes into.

Don't you want to come over and have a cup of joe with me?

Total spent:  aprox: $75 including new pillows from Ikea

Dream House Come True...

STREET VIEW

 

This winter Stuart and I walked through an open house (picture I sent to my cousin from my phone THAT DAY! on what I referred to as my "dream street". Beyond the mauve wall to wall carpeting, and what my girlfriend referred to as "dead flesh" colored paint, I was in awe of the stained glass, floor to ceiling french windows and original beams in the living room. Instant love...Little did I know this would soon be our dream home!

Now, anyone who knows me knows, I am a real estate junky, getting my fix browsing through homes all around the country online. In the early evenings I go for walks in my neighborhood when the sun is slowly sagging in the sky and the curtains have yet to be draw, this allows me to glimpse past the manicured lawns into the windows. Lights twinkling from chandeliers, it's easy for me to see artwork, draperies and silk shades.... Ahhhh bliss.

HISTORIC ENTRANCE to Armsley Square!

Now that we are in our dream home and have upgraded from 1400 sq.ft. to 3,600 sq.ft. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. Of course it's exciting, but any decorator will tell you decorating for a client is one thing but decorating your own home is something entirely different.

Recently, I discovered a blog online... http://theletteredcottage.net/ written by a girl after
my own heart. She too is a bargain shopper, thrift junky who drools over architectural salvage,
scours flea markets in the early morning and isn't afraid to weald a hammer. A do it yourself kind of girl! Love her! Her blog is all about how she and her husband redecorate and redefine their dream home. So, inspired by Layla and Kevin.... I am tackling one room at a time... No more "Dead Flesh" in the living room, a fresh coat of Behr Paint and Primer in one.. "Cream Puff" to be exact... Pics to come soon!