Thursday, December 8, 2016
Monday, December 5, 2016
The Real Deal: Green Valley Christmas Trees vs. Big-Box Store Christmas Trees
This is a sponsored post.
Growing up we always had real Christmas trees and it has been a tradition that I have missed since becoming an adult. So, I was over the moon when Green Valley Christmas Trees asked me to partner with them this season.
Friday, December 2, 2016
Easy No Sew Boho Table Runner
This was originally a contributor post on Jennifer Rizzo Design Company.
If you've followed my blog for any length of time than you know that I love adding in unique elements to my décor.
If you've followed my blog for any length of time than you know that I love adding in unique elements to my décor.
Recently, I made this no sew boho table runner and it was so simple! And, really, the options are limitless depending on the fabric and trims that you choose.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Friday, November 25, 2016
Fab Furniture Flippin' Contest with Velvet Finishes
This is a sponsored post.
I'm so excited to share my latest entry for The Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest with you all! This tends to be my very favorite part of each month as we have some amazing sponsors; many of which are new to me.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Budget Friendly Boho Christmas Tree Decorations
Every free moment I've had this week has been devoted to getting our home ready for an upcoming Christmas home tour, and I wanted to share some tips on getting the look you want for your Christmas tree on a budget.
Today, I decorated our table top tree that is in our living room. I'm going to be honest...Christmas decorating stresses me out. It just seems like you have to add so much to your home and the colors never really seem to mesh with our existing pieces.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Modern Wood and Acrylic Bookends
This post was originally shared at Jennifer Rizzo Design Company.
I am so excited to share this modern little craft with you all!
I am so excited to share this modern little craft with you all!
I have long loved the combination of antique with modern and I think this little area of my living room perfectly embodies that.
Friday, November 4, 2016
DIY Bohemian Winter Wall Hanging
Despite my actual complete love for all things autumn, I know, being a blogger, I pretty much have to dive into Christmas as soon as Halloween passes in order to have our home camera ready in time.
So, I've spent these last couple of days since I returned from the General Finishes Expo in Chicago (it was so fabulous, by the way) getting my winter craft on.
One project I tackled was to create this boho inspired winter wall hanging. The lovely, warm white yarn makes it perfect for months of decorating.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
DIY Boho Mandala Stenciled Artwork
This is a sponsored post.
I love adding in quirky little touches to my home whenever I decorate. A couple of weeks ago I removed our mirror gallery wall from our dining room (I did like it, but really felt it wasn't giving me enough flexibility with decorating the space. And, if you know me, I'm in a constant state of moving things around and changing things up.)
Anyway, I added molding and painted the wall part white to match our trim to give the entire space more definition.
I have it really simply decorated right now...just a pile of white pumpkins, a plant, books and candles. All kind of moody, with hints of fall. I love using black in later autumn, because it does seem like a darker time of the year; it's cold, the trees are bare and daylight is short.
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Antiquing Road Trip: New Hartford & Canton, Connecticut
This is another post in our Antiquing Road Trips series. To see more, click on the tab above.
It seems like the last few months have been a whirlwind of work + home renovations, with very little opportunity for relaxing and play.
This past weekend, we headed out on one of our antiquing road trips to some of our very favorite stores to unwind and I am so excited to share them with you all!
Thursday, October 13, 2016
DIY Wood Candlesticks
Earlier this week I was testing out some decorating ideas for the holiday season (yes, I know...way too early, but Christmas is not entirely my thing so I need plenty of planning time).
Anyway, I'm kind of smitten with these super easy wood candlesticks I made. I intend to do more, in various sizes, but I thought I would share my first batch with you all....BTW, totally thinking these would be amazing for Thanksgiving on either my dining table or mantel.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Turning Antique Bakery Carts into Usable Storage
You might remember a couple of months ago we bought an antique bakery cart for our dining room (here). I had been looking for one almost since around the time we bought the farmhouse, about a year ago. So, I was super excited when I found this one at a great price, with chippy paint in the perfect color and that was still in sturdy condition.
I had it decorated really simply, because honestly, the shelving is quite challenging to work with. They are all dowels, some of which roll and all of which are bowed from years of use. I'm not at all complaining, because I couldn't be more in love with the history that are behind these old pieces.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Gold Gilded & Stained Wood Coffee Table Tray
I seem to run into a certain problem more and more lately. I'll have a vision for a certain decorative item in my mind and search everywhere for it with zero success.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Modern Halloween Inspired Antique Ottoman
This is a sponsored post.
This month I once again took part in The Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest and I am so thrilled to share my project with you all! We were so lucky to have the sponsorship of Spoonflower this month! I have been pining over their fabric choices for what seems like forever, so I am just beyond thrilled to show you all my project piece.
Monday, September 26, 2016
Vintage White Dresser with Coral Knobs
I have a little different makeover to share with you all. Whenever I have to replace hardware on a piece we are working on I tend to gravitate towards the vintage inspired glass knobs. They are undoubtedly my favorite and tend to work universally well on all eras of furniture.
However, on this dresser I felt inspired to take it to a really feminine level and use these gorgeous Aged Ceramic Coral Knobs from D. Lawless Hardware.
However, on this dresser I felt inspired to take it to a really feminine level and use these gorgeous Aged Ceramic Coral Knobs from D. Lawless Hardware.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Easy, Rustic Corn Husk Wreath
When you pair a girl who is a life long New Englander with a guy who was raised in Indiana, it's inevitable that we would love to eat corn. It's honestly my favorite part of summer. And, we were so thrilled to have found some really fantastic corn in our new town.
Monday, September 19, 2016
Primitive Autumn Home Tour
I always look forward to sharing my mom's home tour. I especially love photographing her home in the fall. She completely shines with her autumn décor.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Harvest Inspired Autumn Dining Room
Full disclosure: this is going to be complete picture overload because,
1. Autumn in my favorite season and I love decorating for it.
2. I completely missed out on decorating last year because we moved at the end of September and things were so hectic.
3. We are very nearly complete with this room (almost a year later!) and I am truly loving it. (Still left is to make a new dining table with the antique barn board we recently purchased.)
So, here we go! I went with a really natural and organic theme for the dining room this year...lots of pumpkins, gourds, corn, apples and wheat, all in the white, tan and yellow family.
I feel like I sold/donated most of my fall items before we moved so, I actually needed to shop smart to get this room where I wanted. (My mom also shared a lot of her bounty with me!)
The wheat on the mantel is from the craft store and I just bought up all they had during a sale and combined a coupon with it.
The corn husks and gourds are my moms...
Oh, and that adorable white pumpkin with the gold stem was less than $2 at Walmart! It's a Better Homes and Gardens salt shaker.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Gorgeous Stained & Painted Round Dining Table
I would say I am almost always satisfied when I finish a piece of furniture. I'm super critical of my work and often times antique and vintage pieces are very temperamental. Some pieces, of course, I love more than others and this is one of them!
This table came to us as a custom order. It had been purchased painted, but was not withstanding wear at all. In fact, every time it was wiped down after a meal more paint would rub off. The main issue was that it was not prepped properly for painting. I really, despite what I see, do not think that any paint is actually one step. There has to be some level of sanding, deglossing or priming.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Saturday, September 3, 2016
General Finishes September Blogger of the Month
General Finishes paint has remained my number one for several years now, and they have been so super supportive of my craft.
Over the last four years, they have featured me in a variety of ways, from their social media pages, to their website cover picture, to their brochure, and I am so thrilled to share with you all today that they are currently featuring me as their September Blogger of the Month!
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Monday, August 29, 2016
Reviving 1970s Furniture to get the Farmhouse Look
There is something so dated about furniture from the 1970s. They all had that same heavy stain and poly that just completely doesn't work as time passes.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Vintage Mahogany Dresser with Glass Hardware
This is a sponsored post.
This month I took part in The Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest and I am so thrilled to share my project with you all! We were so lucky to have the sponsorship of D. Lawless Hardware. They are by far my number one source for hardware on all my furniture makeovers, so I was beyond excited to be able to work with them again! If you haven't checked them out, I highly encourage you to do so. Not only do they have fantastic prices they have a giant selection of vintage inspired hardware.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Farmhouse Stained & Painted Coffee Table
This is a sponsored post.
This is another one of those times, that happens every so often, that I see a piece of furniture and have an exact and immediate plan.
This coffee table is solidly built and looks handmade with some visible nail heads and distressed over time wood.
That, coupled with the simple lines just called for a traditional farmhouse look and, to me, that means a creamy white base with a stained top and distressing.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Antiquing Road Trip: Millerton, New York
One thing that we love to do is take day trips around New England and New York state looking for antique stores and flea markets. Sometimes we plan these out and sometimes we just get in the truck and drive.
Lately, during these trips Darrell has been encouraging me to document them and share our love of travel and antiquing with you all.
So, I intend for this to be an ongoing series.
This past Sunday we took a ride to Millerton, New York. It's a town we discovered last year around Christmas on one of those random drives and we've been back a few times since.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Late Summer Coffee Table Styling & Unifying Home Decor
I played around with some late summer coffee table styling today and I wanted to share my results with all of you. It's really simple, but flows well with how I have the table and mantel decorated in the dining room. I love to keep my decorating light and simple and to have it blend well from room to room with color, objects and textures.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Decorating a Florida Room with Douglas Elliman Real Estate
I spend an ungodly amount of time perusing Pinterest and Instagram nearly ever single day (you can follow me here and here), so when Douglas Elliman, a global real estate firm asked me to design my interpretation of a Florida room I was all in.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Antique Bakery Cart in the Dining Room
We've been continuing on with finishing up the dining room. It just kind of seems that the space is coming together and we've been finding the pieces that we need all at once, which is kind of amazing since it is all from flea markets/thrift stores/antique stores/etc.
Not long after we moved here last fall I began seeing these antique bakery carts when we were out picking. I completely and instantly fell in love with their industrial + antique + farmhouse feel.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Antique White Distressed Sideboard
How come it seems like every piece I finish is my latest, most favorite piece? It probably comes from the time, effort and in the case of this horrendous weather this week, sweat that is put into every single thing that goes through our workshop.
By the time you have sanded, cleaned, primed, painted (several coats), distressed, sealed, staged and photographed, you get kind of attached.
This sideboard is a piece that we found through a blog reader and had in our stash. It's being done as a custom order for a new client and, I obviously am so pleased with the results!
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Antique with Modern Bar Cart and More Dining Room Plans
I'm sharing another little area in our home today. This time a corner of our dining room. Slowly, but surely this place is coming together!
As a housewarming gift my mom gave us this antique possum belly table. It's the perfect tone of wood with age and patina for our old farmhouse and I wanted to make sure it was incorporated somewhere in our dining room.
Currently, it's serving as our drink station and I'm loving the mix of modern bits with the antique table.
Friday, August 5, 2016
IKEA Kallax as Kitchen Storage (Another Glimpse at our Kitchen)
This was tough for me, even though I purged a ton before we moved. But, at the old house I had some pretty significant kitchen cabinets along with a pantry I had created in a closet in the adjoining office.
During our first visit here I expressed my concerns to the realtor and she suggested I store my extras in the half bath. Granted, it had, originally to the home, been a pantry, but, it's now a bathroom. So that was a no for me, obviously. Blenders do not reside with toilets.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Late Summer Mantel & Mirror Gallery Wall
I've been playing around with the idea of adding a gallery wall to our dining room to add a little more detail and finish.
I'm focusing on the wall where we installed our antique mantel and had initially played around with a plate wall flanking the mirror. Loved it/hated it/left it up for a few days and then took it down because it just wasn't right.
Really what I wanted was a mirror gallery wall. Remember when I did one at the old house (here). I miss that dining room SO much. Seriously. That was dining perfection to me and I wanted to add a little touch of that vintage inspiration to this home.
Monday, August 1, 2016
July Recap
Despite the ridiculous heat here in the northeast this month we got a ton accomplished! This is a sampling of what I created/painted/designed. Of course, there are always other custom orders and small pieces of furniture that seem to fall through the cracks and never make it on the blog. (To see literally everything I do be sure to follow me on Facebook.)
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Our Living Room Window Garden
I love when collections are grouped together. Multiples always make everyday objects look intentional and more impressive.
Recently, I decided to do a grouping of plants in our living room. I keep mostly succulents and cactus, but they have been struggling since we moved here as our home is not nearly as bright as my last. (It has a full length front porch and lots of trees.)
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Vintage Farmhouse Inspired Coffee Table
We were out for a drive a couple of weeks ago and stumbled upon this coffee table. (Honestly, last year I moved about 30 minutes away from where I had previously lived for 20+ years and when my Mom comes to visit, sometimes we drive to Targets around Connecticut because they are mostly freestanding and seem to have more, and I can't get enough of Target.) Anyway, this table was in an incredible need of a makeover, but I just adored the shape and, other than needing a couple of coats of paint it was in sturdy and perfect condition.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Old Fashioned Milk Painted Antique Dresser
This is a sponsored post.
This month I took part in The Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest and I am so thrilled to share my project with you all! We were so lucky to have the sponsorship of the Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company. I was particularly happy with this because in all of my years of furniture painting, I never used real milk paint and I have been just itching too!
Ready to see what my finished antique dresser?
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Reclaimed Wooden Spool Coffee Table
We recently happened upon some wooden spool tops and I thought this would be a great opportunity for us to dabble in creating some tables sell (and OK...probably one to keep for our front porch).
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Vintage Upholstered Chair with Best in Show Fabric
The other day I found this P. Kaufman Best in Show Fabric and, honestly, even though I am a tried and true crazy cat lady, I bought a yard.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Farmhouse Kitchen Reno Sneak Peek & Embracing Vintage Storage
The last few days I've been working on getting as much done (mostly paint wise) in our kitchen before we tackle the tough stuff...new island, sink, counters, backsplash, etc... and I wanted to share the progress with you all even though the lighting wasn't fantastic today.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Weathered Gray Dining Table
I couldn't wait to photograph this weathered gray dining table that I recently finished for a client.
It's one of the more unique ones that I have done and is a great example of a layering paint.
It started as a plain wood table.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
DIY Galvanized Bucket Garden Stake Planter
This was originally shared as my June contributor post at Jennifer Rizzo Design Company.
I find that garden ornaments tend to be on the pricey side, so I created this little project to add color and interest to our landscaping with very little money.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Emerald Green & Java Gel Stain End Table
I typically like to keep things pretty simple when I refurbish furniture, but sometimes you are just drawn to a bold color and run with it.
And, I think this end table we recently picked up looks fantastic in General Finishes Emerald Green. It's a perfect bold, true green.
Friday, July 8, 2016
Living Room Secretary Styling
I've been honing in on our living room lately. We've been in this house for close to a year and the progress I've made, decorating wise, has been slow, to put it mildly.
But, in the last few weeks we focused on making an antique coffee table, switching out sofas, and rearranging furniture.
One thing we brought into the room was this antique secretary. It's a family piece that my parents bought when I was a child and probably the only thing I would never get rid of.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
How to Paint Laminate Furniture WITHOUT Using Chalk Style Paint
I honestly cannot even believe I'm writing this post right now. As a general rule I do not paint laminate furniture. Like ever. I just look the other way and say no.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Vintage Apothecary Style Cabinet
Friday, July 1, 2016
June Recap
I feel accomplished this month. This is a sampling of what I created/painted /designed. Of course, there are always other custom orders and small pieces of furniture that seem to fall through the cracks and never make it on the blog. (To see literally everything I do be sure to follow me on Facebook.)
Row One: Simple Rustic Potting Bench | Nantucket Green End Table | Chalkboard Dipped Cutting Board | Pale Mint Vintage Dresser with Milk Glass Pulls | Modern Farmhouse Mudroom Reveal
Row Two: Painted & Stained Square Coffee Table | How to Install an Antique Mantel | DIY Antique Coffee Table | 5 Tips for how to give New Furniture Vintage Charm Using Paint | Navy & White Vintage China Cabinet
Happy July!
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Modern Farmhouse Mudroom Reveal
As Featured on Apartment Therapy
I'm so thrilled to share phase one of our mudroom with you all! (I'll get into why this is phase one below.) Anyway, I've noticed in the nearly 9 months that we have lived here that almost everyone who visits comes through the mudroom (and of course our family is in and out of this space all day) so I really wanted to get the look of the room exactly how I had pictured.