Guest Posting at Little Blue Chairs Today

I'm so excited to be guest posting at Little Blue Chairs today.  Laurie has a wonderful thrifty blog where the tag line is "Decorating for real life by real people".  I'm down with that!

If you were wondering what I did with that bolt of chevron pattern fabric I showed you yesterday, head on over to Little Blue Chairs and satisfy your curiosity!

Thanks for visiting!

Design Obsession: Chevron Pattern

In my earlier post this week you may have caught a glimpse of chevron awesomeness...I am absolutely in love with this zigzag pattern!  So in love in fact, I bough a whole bolt of this lovely brown/natural fabric on clearance from fabric.com.

But you will just have to wait till tomorrow to hear more about that!  In the meantime, here are a few lovely chevron projects from around blogland to inspire you!

Chevrons & Butterflies via A Design Story

Chevron Dresser from Twice Lovely

Aqua Painted Chevron Rug via House of Smiths

Chevron Subway Art from Tatertots & Jello

DIY Chevron Pillow via The It Girl Project

Grey, brown, aqua or yellow I love them all!  Do you have chevrons in your home?  Planning any chevron pattern projects?

Thanks for visiting!

Dated to Delightful - My Favorite New Lamp

Recently I shared a little makeover in one corner of our family room.  I was particularly happy with the results because I had most of the items already on hand.  The little Craigslist antique dresser is a great piece but the curvy, turquoise lamp that sits on it stole my heart.  In my opinion it makes the whole thing pop!

(You may have noticed some new, FABULOUS, chevron curtains in this picture...more on those soon!)

I picked up this lamp on one of my many thrifting trips for $8.08.  I couldn't ignore that curvalicious shape!  I had seen so many lamp transformations online and I wanted to make a beautiful (and cheap) lamp for my home too.  But then the lamp sat in my garage waiting for the right project for almost a year.   Here's the dark, dated before.

I followed the usual spray painting steps: tape off non-paint areas, quick degloss, light sanding and then several light coats of Bahama Sea spay paint by Krylon.  Unfortunately, things didn't proceed so smoothly from this point on.  Once a few coats of paint were on, I could clearly see cracks in the wood that were not obvious before.

Boo!

For some reason, my paint projects always take extra time. (whine, whine)  I filled the visible cracks with wood filler and  sprayed a few more light coats of Bahama Sea.  Then I started to have trouble with the finish crackling and bubbling.  I felt like giving up, but I kept at it.  Once I re-sanded the wood and reapplied more paint (I went through 1 and a half cans!) I was done.  And it turns the delightful results were worth the extra work!

What are your secrets for perfect spray painting?  Clearly I need your help!

Thanks for visiting!

Sharing with:

Momtourage Getaway

"The Momtourage"

When my son was just a few weeks old I was lucky enough to join a playgroup with other first time moms. One of the girls dubbed the group "the momtourage" and the name stuck.  Five years and 16 children later we have moved beyond playgroup meetups to our first ever moms getaway weekend!

On Friday night seven of us left the dads in charge and hit the road for Deep Creek Lake.  We had a fabulous time eating, drinking wine, talking and napping.  We even had time to get manicures and pedicures.

Like I said there was a lot of food and wine involved.  The wines were specifically chosen for their clever names - like Little Black Dress and this appropriately named one!

Each of of us brought food to share.  Of all the apps there were two stand out group favorites - one savory, one sweet - and of course I'm going to share with you.  So here you go!

Cowboy Caviar (source Amy S.)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 to 2 tsp hot sauce
3 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp pepper
1 or 2 firm, ripe avocado (about 10 oz.)
1 can black-eyed peas (or black beans)
1 can (11 oz.) corn kernels
2/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 lb. roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Salt (to taste - you don't need a lot)
1 bag tortilla chips or 2 cups finely shredded cabbage

Directions:
In a large bowl mix vinegar, hot sauce, oil, garlic, and pepper.  Peel, pit, and cut avocado into 1/2" cubes.  Add to vinegar mixture and mix gently to coat.  Drain and rinse peas and corn.  Add peas, corn, onion, cilantro, and tomatoes to avocado; mix gently to coat.  Add salt to taste.  Serve with chips as an appetizer or add cabbage (or quinoa and chicken) and mix to make a salad.

Caramel Apple Dip (source Amy from My Sun Shines Here)

Ingredients:
1 brick of cream cheese
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
1 package of toffee bits (like Heath bar bits sold near the chocolate chips)
6 Granny Smith apples, sliced

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and serve with apples.  Looks like chunky peanut butter but tastes like caramel. YUM!


It was a wonderful weekend away with good friends.  If you are a mom I highly recommend taking a little time for yourself (and wine & snacks)!

Thanks for visiting!

Quick Family Room Corner Makeover

As I was getting the house ready to host a birthday party for my husband I decided this empty corner of the family room needed something- anything!  It was just an empty, neglected space.

I put my thinking cap on and shopped my home to come up with this adorable vignette.

I am so in love with this corner now.  I can't stop looking at it.  I want to marry that lamp!

I picked up the chest of drawers from Craigslist for $40.  It was just sitting in the garage awaiting a makeover - every time I pulled the car in I would admire it's curvy top.  So I decided it was too cute not to enjoy it now.  Sure, it's got some veneer and finish problems but I still love it.

Once the chest was in place I dragged the window pane mirror (also a CL score) up from the storage room.  I spray painted the thrift store lamp Bahama Sea by Krylon and added a Walmart shade. Then I finished the whole thing off with some thrift store accent pieces and pics of my kiddos.  I was so excited when my free canvas from Canvas People arrived right before the party so I added it to the window ledge too.

This quick makeover has touched off several more updates to the family room.  I've enlisted my Mom to help with making new curtains and a cocktail ottoman so stay tuned!

Thanks for visiting!