tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37707549306221697552024-03-05T11:06:58.476-08:00Magic City ThistleFrom rent to own, and house to homeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger147125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-43457559679567384322014-03-20T12:05:00.000-07:002014-03-20T12:05:44.151-07:00From the window, to the wall...Do you ever start a small update and then it just grows and grows and grows into a big honking expensive update. Well, that's exactly what happened with the living room. It started with selling the old sofas and buying new ones. We have wanted to update the carpet since we moved in so hey, why don't we do that now too? For a second there I thought about just replacing old carpet with new carpet. Then Murph got sick. I mean projectile vomit sick (think Exorcist - only smaller and fluffier). After that swift dose of reality, we decided to replace the carpet with some kind of wood or laminate flooring. And while we're replacing the floors, we might as well paint the walls, right? And that's how we ended up redoing the whole living room.<br />
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In for a penny, in for a pound!<br />
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I liked the teal, but I didn't think it would look good with the new dark grey sofas. Dark sofa, dark-ish walls and dark-ish floors was going to be, well, too dark! So out came the testers. <br />
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I LOVED not having to cover the carpet before starting to paint - I just pulled it up around the edges so I could get low into the baseboard. The flooring guys were going to remove the crusty old carpet as part of the new floor installation. We literally painted the walls on Saturday and the flooring guys arrived on Monday so it wasn't too long to deal with the chaos.<br />
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We heaped all of the big pieces of furniture into the middle of the room so we could get around the outside of the room easily.<br />
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And two coats later we have a much brighter room. It's a light taupe/grey colour that really changes depending on the time of day.<br />
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Do you like the floor lamp smack bang in the middle of the room? It's a new trend I'm starting.<br />
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Next up are the floors..........<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-42686984891423293032014-03-14T05:41:00.000-07:002014-03-14T05:41:25.735-07:00Sofa so good!And we have new sofas! We lived with the hand me downs for the last 6 years so it was definitely time for something our own taste. I tried my best to disguise the lumps and bumps with pillows and throws.<br />
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But ultimately, they looked like this. Holy 80's Batman! They did, however, wear really well, were a nice neutral colour and were super easy to clean. I had a load of interest on Craigslist and they ultimately went to a good home.<br />
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And for their replacement we chose the Luxe Sofa from World Market. I shopped around loads online, I must have ready about a million reviews. The Luxe Sofa is slip covered so we can take the covers off and wash them (important with a mischievous little dog) and it means we can change the colour easily if we want to update the look of the room. We took full advantage of World Market's post Christmas sale and managed to get a 3 seater frame, a 2 seater frame and both slip covers for $600. <br />
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To save on shipping costs I ordered them at the store to be delivered to the store and picked them up using a Home Depot rental truck. I saved about $200 doing it that way so it was definitely worth it.<br />
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Here's a little sneak peak.<br />
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Next up are the floors. Oh yes, and the walls too. It's all change around here! <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-43809279782626674652014-03-05T06:33:00.000-08:002014-03-05T06:33:37.969-08:00Around the HouseToday I wanted to share a few smaller updates that we've been working on over the last few weeks.<br />
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First up is our shiny new fridge. We had always planned to update the appliances at some point, but when the freezer section of the old fridge stopper working completely, we were forced to act sooner rather than later.<br />
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I can't believe we managed to fit this beast in the same space as the old one. As you can see, it has French doors and is working out really well so far. It's waaay quieter than the old one, has loads more room and is energy efficient. We bought it from Lowes and managed to qualify for the military discount which was a major saving. Plus they offer free delivery and free haul away of the old one.<br />
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Sold!<br />
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Next up is a sneak peak of the new family room rug. Excuse the terrible pic - I was trying to hold it up with one hand and take the pic with the other. Rugs are HEAVY! I thought it was a little bit like the <a href="http://www.westelm.com/products/souk-rug-b865/?pkey=cpattern-rugs-flooring&cm_src=pattern-rugs-flooring||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-" target="_blank">West Elm souk rug</a>? Maybe? If you squint? I picked up this guy at HomeGoods. We've made some major changes to the family room - updates soon I promise.<br />
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And of course I couldn't buy just one rug! I grabbed this little one too. It's like walking on velvet. Seriously. In the morning I'll pop into the guest room just so I can stand on this rug!<br />
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I bought the radio you can see on the nightstand during Targets after Christmas clearance. It was only $10 and reminded my of the <a href="https://www.crosleyradio.com/ProductDetail?Cat=3&pk=CR8006A&colorID=0" target="_blank">Crosley radios</a> you see (only this one was way cheaper!). Perfect for guests.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-21119393432630297002014-02-19T07:00:00.000-08:002014-03-02T16:13:30.114-08:00Metallic madness!Happy Wednesday! I hope you all had a great weekend. I wanted to stop by to show you how our mantel is looking these days.
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After taking down all of the Christmas decorations, I decided a change was in order. This was how it was before. A little pink and a little spring-y and a lot thrown together!<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">And here it is after messing about with it this weekend. You might recognise the star burst mirror from around the blog world. It's the Martha Stewart mirror from Home Depot. It's a complete steal at only $35. For that price it was only a matter of time before I bought one!</span></div>
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This pic from <a href="http://handmaidtales.com/tag/marthat-stewart-sunburst-mirror/" target="_blank">Handmaid Tales</a> shows the original colour it comes in..</div>
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I spray painted this little one Champagne mist by Rustoleum. It's just leaning above the mantle for now (there is painting to come in the very near future), but we do plan to eventually mount it.</div>
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If you look closely in the mirror you can just about make out our new sofa. We managed to lug the old ones into the garage and they're currently lurking on Craigslist waiting for a buyer.</div>
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More living room updates to follow! Big plans I tell ya, big plans!</div>
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Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-29848868778643840702014-01-31T05:54:00.000-08:002014-02-03T06:09:22.973-08:00DIY Chalk PaintI made something! Ok, technically I didn't make it, but I did refinish it which is close enough.<br />
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After a bit of a dry spell craft/DIY wise, I decided to chose a nice easy project to kick off 2014.<br />
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I found this little cabinet at our local thrift store for $25.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnrPQx59UZ6kfH1AaHNyGHoJb0FgNzJuQnQcvWa5eM8H9T_5i5f9xNkzYWhBNfHNRnPr_LCN-GOSoTu3N347jhZ6BFy_vqHXVbFianSjoTbWzwEALHNzYFfpqeXjoqp_-ayFq9PFz8hDA/s1600/IMG_0733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnrPQx59UZ6kfH1AaHNyGHoJb0FgNzJuQnQcvWa5eM8H9T_5i5f9xNkzYWhBNfHNRnPr_LCN-GOSoTu3N347jhZ6BFy_vqHXVbFianSjoTbWzwEALHNzYFfpqeXjoqp_-ayFq9PFz8hDA/s1600/IMG_0733.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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It had a couple of scrapes but nothing major and the top glass panel is in perfect condition which is a major bonus. It's made by Lane so is a good quality piece, is really sturdy and ridiculously heavy. I thought it would make a perfect tv cabinet. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidy6G4DaBRWB3k6DSwjP3gTx6HLKmFNXAiFOjOjMVTULQ9odtcRHNn4mszwFMUJtEs_ET3R5Gd8xpUjd9k2Gp1NhkvZF7szKqjCGsXJrhh-nRW6dLVHZLmJjQas65gyD72DW53H6QxK-g/s1600/IMG_0738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidy6G4DaBRWB3k6DSwjP3gTx6HLKmFNXAiFOjOjMVTULQ9odtcRHNn4mszwFMUJtEs_ET3R5Gd8xpUjd9k2Gp1NhkvZF7szKqjCGsXJrhh-nRW6dLVHZLmJjQas65gyD72DW53H6QxK-g/s1600/IMG_0738.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've seen chalk paint all over Pinterest and the blogosphere. I Googled a couple of major brands, and making my own (while saving a few pennies) seemed to be the best way to go. Plus the 'no prep required' really sweetened the deal - you know I love a shortcut!<br />
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I picked up a tester, a couple of mixing cups and a box of plaster of Paris all from Lowes. I mixed:<br />
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1 Lowes paint tester (221 ml)<br />
75ml plaster of Paris<br />
75ml cool water<br />
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These measurements are all in milliliters because that is what's on both the tester and the measuring cups. Much easier than having to Google conversions!<br />
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The mixture itself was like slightly watered down paint - but not to the point where it would run or drip more than usual.<br />
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I removed both doors and the hardware, then used a regular cheapo paintbrush to apply 2 coats - no sanding or priming needed. It went on unbelievably easily with each coat dry to the touch in about an hour. I'm not sure how well the mixture will last, but I had enough paint left to refill the tester jar so I'll let you know!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQxpisqTfVZ71G9S_-7TgpAu21oVhVd18lyTAx_2cvuzQhvlKsVIVhT5q9MdoFAp55lTT_0kXg9sI1LBfgsypogjr8NU0mLgP9iCA2X4EA1QCuGycoctp65mWpmVYo-hvxgpmAaWvz18/s1600/IMG_0741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQxpisqTfVZ71G9S_-7TgpAu21oVhVd18lyTAx_2cvuzQhvlKsVIVhT5q9MdoFAp55lTT_0kXg9sI1LBfgsypogjr8NU0mLgP9iCA2X4EA1QCuGycoctp65mWpmVYo-hvxgpmAaWvz18/s1600/IMG_0741.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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I left the cabinet overnight to dry completely, then applied a coat of Minwax finishing wax with a cloth to seal the piece. Next up I spray painted the hinges and pulls using Rustoleum in Champagne Mist.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJ4ufX6Z9QABjlE5rStqbg6GVUpwvzKFgQURoiMvjngSekfQIVGc9XHxgae3kTQZ2fd8I8T5F7XXUvhVfMqXrtUcCXRuL9QRt0DK2q57Aa1Am2SpgtL01ohDvg-d1pqcd87et4g4ga9c/s1600/IMG_0743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJ4ufX6Z9QABjlE5rStqbg6GVUpwvzKFgQURoiMvjngSekfQIVGc9XHxgae3kTQZ2fd8I8T5F7XXUvhVfMqXrtUcCXRuL9QRt0DK2q57Aa1Am2SpgtL01ohDvg-d1pqcd87et4g4ga9c/s1600/IMG_0743.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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I picked Almost Charcoal for my color, but failed to take into account the fact that the plaster and water would lighten the color. So it's not quite as dark as I wanted, but I'm still pleased with how it turned out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnZy6MRv1acGCav7lLKCHvyck0LDU_AN3YDmfOW6Jv63gN710KFXoeN0I7wBFIc07iBxZ9eJcHcH1t3bBL_Uh5D0tiE6LBd37jaZhkszQuSuyWx0_6Pu73h_YbMsgn0zqkWRFuTgA1q4/s1600/IMG_0753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnZy6MRv1acGCav7lLKCHvyck0LDU_AN3YDmfOW6Jv63gN710KFXoeN0I7wBFIc07iBxZ9eJcHcH1t3bBL_Uh5D0tiE6LBd37jaZhkszQuSuyWx0_6Pu73h_YbMsgn0zqkWRFuTgA1q4/s1600/IMG_0753.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGtjbi7hgrDA482Xo6o-xtXlza_lLzHWo4jqld0qc2og_xH8q2GhDMmM-oe6j2xSg-kHwTQbShgut-o5qQJvKjndvKsYCw8vRRs8I_ZPGBd9nNWfjF3aJq8rKbVzINkFuik6RucZqgjU/s1600/IMG_0754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGtjbi7hgrDA482Xo6o-xtXlza_lLzHWo4jqld0qc2og_xH8q2GhDMmM-oe6j2xSg-kHwTQbShgut-o5qQJvKjndvKsYCw8vRRs8I_ZPGBd9nNWfjF3aJq8rKbVzINkFuik6RucZqgjU/s1600/IMG_0754.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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I'll snap some more pics once we've heaved it upstairs. We just need to drill a couple of holes in the back for the cable wires to run through and we'll be all set.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
<center><a href=“http://wwws.somuchbetterwithage.com”><img border="0" src="http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n596/rainonatinroof85/GiveMeTheGoodsMondaynewbutton_zps121b9e82.jpg"/></a></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-39290726884504030852013-12-16T06:27:00.000-08:002013-12-16T06:27:07.533-08:00And the winner of the 2013 saddest un-christmas christmas ornament is...this amazing creation from <a href="http://www.westelm.com/products/knit-animal-ornament-fox-d1461/?pkey=e%7Cfox%7C7%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C2&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-" target="_blank">West Elm</a>. <br />
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<img alt="http://www.westelm.com/products/knit-animal-ornament-fox-d1461/?pkey=e%7Cfox%7C7%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C5&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMae5xMARwONU6Imy0UQVYYu6LBN_wJpiAVDoBONdflhsqLn1MtAZFRm6x6mJeEyG6JokpmOICQDqrR7b38R8wkMhY-yxdeGxBvQ9PHjFn_ppkd1Pq0hyphenhyphenaVVEaaHBO88eFMCqxGML23M/s400/westelm+fox.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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Can you guess what animal it is?<br />
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It's the same colour as a Zeigler hot dog with the face of a pig. Clearly it can only be one thing, a fox! And it can be yours for only $4. Ha, it had me laughing for hours. I'm all for hand crafted but seriously West Elm!<br />
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How about choosing this little cutie from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/165014846/christmas-foxy-fox-tree-decorations?ref=favs_view_1" target="_blank">Etsy</a> instead. Ah, much better!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74AhSDOumsY2_P-aqlAq5Fm-356nu-1qHaZUAHbGnEeJYoyDLm7k85VGvL6y3OPGgTuRSlS3-fX67z0T8FuH39XkDSG1aeNm-v2d31EerrD0TklkFS1Ub3qCHppABpDqg05jHlWncAWo/s1600/etsy+fox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74AhSDOumsY2_P-aqlAq5Fm-356nu-1qHaZUAHbGnEeJYoyDLm7k85VGvL6y3OPGgTuRSlS3-fX67z0T8FuH39XkDSG1aeNm-v2d31EerrD0TklkFS1Ub3qCHppABpDqg05jHlWncAWo/s400/etsy+fox.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-92160272977782638902013-12-10T12:02:00.000-08:002013-12-19T05:41:20.695-08:00Holidays are coming!Can you believe Christmas is less than 3 weeks away??!! Time for panic buying Christmas presents - keep your gift receipts people!<br />
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For the 5th year in the row I dusted off our sad little 5ft tree. By the time I had attached all of the branches, there were more papery pine needles on the floor than on the tree. It had more than a little of the Charlie Browns about it! There was only one thing for it, I hot footed it to Target and picked up a half price 7 footer. Weirdly it didn't look that big in the shop, but in our living room it is a complete whopper! As in, I had to move the furniture to fit it in, whopper!<br />
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When it comes to Christmas decorations I'm more of a buy rather than make. Each year I have great intentions of crafting my ornaments from string and bits of twig (or something like that) and each year I completely run out of time.<br />
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Festooning our tree this year we have a London bus.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyRa7na-yLaKXVDUTw6H7BpZ-MWzXRopWpim6CqHp1TgLqKORV7nI-RJDX7uXzIL5nD7ZT549ig8o23uBDXZO2JZYzJstyswHfB25gRAgt8LtxpoW8vprl03-zQc1ygHdE4o1SR1t33s/s1600/IMG_0718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyRa7na-yLaKXVDUTw6H7BpZ-MWzXRopWpim6CqHp1TgLqKORV7nI-RJDX7uXzIL5nD7ZT549ig8o23uBDXZO2JZYzJstyswHfB25gRAgt8LtxpoW8vprl03-zQc1ygHdE4o1SR1t33s/s640/IMG_0718.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some cute string ornaments that were from the Michaels dollar section last year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJd72I2LHhXWEl4gnH0TDKMBrOUPjly8-fYrK9LnL_Pq8YHPBZMFhlLRvuF0-tPY-PuZAwnO9_RqsprdKApuqSWuLq3FekllXnU7G5iudducWk6QuqvvzGFb9WldoGKJ2AGZtHEuBfys/s1600/IMG_0720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJd72I2LHhXWEl4gnH0TDKMBrOUPjly8-fYrK9LnL_Pq8YHPBZMFhlLRvuF0-tPY-PuZAwnO9_RqsprdKApuqSWuLq3FekllXnU7G5iudducWk6QuqvvzGFb9WldoGKJ2AGZtHEuBfys/s640/IMG_0720.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And some vintage style glass ornaments from Target.<br />
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I used some glittery gift boxes to jazz up the mantle, along with some white ceramic accessories that I already had around the house. The white window frame was only $5 from Habitat for Humanity and was the perfect height for hanging a feathery wreath.<br />
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And of course no Christmas mantle would be complete without a teeny tiny Santa.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDObDYmOlXnblNi9W80PxPex-q9dQkY-hvjoBEWprvVNWuep28ZALsSA9l0eubdobSyF0wtF12TCP_j4K4AeMpulzN93HLlk8soX5QwhipgXS1sH4iYwMXe6t2r_zz0OIj1_llnAVRLkg/s1600/IMG_0731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDObDYmOlXnblNi9W80PxPex-q9dQkY-hvjoBEWprvVNWuep28ZALsSA9l0eubdobSyF0wtF12TCP_j4K4AeMpulzN93HLlk8soX5QwhipgXS1sH4iYwMXe6t2r_zz0OIj1_llnAVRLkg/s640/IMG_0731.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx<br />
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<a href="http://www.itsoverflowing.com/2013/12/all-things-christmas/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=all-things-christmas" target="_blank"><img alt="December-All-Thing-Christmas-Link-Party_300" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-20228" height="200" src="http://www.itsoverflowing.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/December-All-Thing-Christmas-Link-Party_300.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-32241147191384692772013-12-04T19:52:00.001-08:002013-12-04T19:52:27.502-08:00Lime ChairAnd the newest member of our household is this little beauty:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQh81cEm41PndbC7bkC2P6neRYqOs9o-Oet9nRvsDUJ-EEfi4uoStfQMKoqLVcEQI7I5-B4DPDrY0cgPstr5BH0Y-Li6uYjvV4fQs_JMyFrq9fs1haYR9-hYkw31ro6RHhiWMWPxUcYf4/s1600/green+chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQh81cEm41PndbC7bkC2P6neRYqOs9o-Oet9nRvsDUJ-EEfi4uoStfQMKoqLVcEQI7I5-B4DPDrY0cgPstr5BH0Y-Li6uYjvV4fQs_JMyFrq9fs1haYR9-hYkw31ro6RHhiWMWPxUcYf4/s400/green+chair.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'd been eyeing this chair on the Target website for weeks. It went from regular price, to sale price, to clearance, to gone!! Ugh, don't you hate it when you wait too long to buy something then it's no longer available. I know, I know, 1st world problems! <br />
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So when I saw a stack of them at our local Southeastern Salvage for only $50 I knew one of them had to be mine. It was super easy to put together: plop seat on base. And it's really comfy too.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-12082349988898900252013-11-20T20:04:00.002-08:002013-11-20T20:04:57.845-08:00Runner Runner!Can it really be nearly 2 months since my last post??!! Where does the time go! In short it's been filled with work, a surprise trip to Vegas, a not so surprise trip to England, and finally some booth space. The booth is only just beginning to take shape so I'll post some pics later this week. For anyone in Birmingham it's at Urban Suburban in Crestline. <br />
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It's been a little quiet around here on the jazzing up the house front. Sorry about that folks, but we have made a few small updates.<br />
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I nabbed this black and white striped runner from Target the other day. I can't remember the exact price, but it was under $20, which seemed like a real steal.<br />
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It's a little Beetlejuice, humbug, Halloween-ish, but I really love it.<br />
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For a cheapo, it's surprisingly heavy duty. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-22027591058568232032013-09-23T18:23:00.000-07:002013-09-23T18:23:52.420-07:00Headboard HistoryHappy Monday, and Happy Autumn! Today I wanted to share the transformation of my $30 head board. This is how it looked when I first brought it home from a local flea market.<br />
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After an allover coat of cream, this is how it has looked for the past year.<br />
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It seemed to be the perfect candidate for a chevron paint pattern given that the wood was already carved into that shape - so no measuring or taping needed, yippee!<br />
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I used the existing cream as one chevron colour, and picked a colour 2 shades darker than the wall for the second chevron. I wanted to make sure the tone would work in the room, so using a colour on the same paint chip was the easy option. It only took a couple of coats and it was evenly covered.<br />
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It's like a little hidden surprise when you lay the pillows down, and is a much more interesting than it being in one colour.<br />
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<div align="center">
Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-40375009353660466432013-09-10T07:37:00.000-07:002013-09-10T07:37:12.299-07:00Guest Room Before and AfterIt's fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinished! Ok, so the ugly black ceiling fan is still up, but everything else is D.O.N.E! About a week later than planned, our Guest Room makeover is complete.<br />
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Sit back, because this post is pretty photo heavy.<br />
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The bedding was from Ross, lamps from JC Penney, throw from TJ Maxx, nightstands from Target and crazy cat pillow from H&M.<br />
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I've had these 2 wall shelves sitting in a cupboard for months, so it was great to finally get them on the wall.<br />
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I mixed some vintage family items with thrift shop finds and a few new pieces.<br />
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The camera was my Grandads, the print was from the Christmas Tree Shop (for only $4!) and the little bowl was from a thrift shop.<br />
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You can just about see the newly painted headboard behind the pillows. I left 2 of the panels in the cream, and painted the rest 2 shades darker than the wall colour.</div>
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I tried to add something to read and a place to put rings or coins or watches on each nightstand.<br />
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And of course no nightstand would be complete without a felt owl.<br />
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Can you believe my mum made this? Love him!<br />
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Every time I see this pillow it makes me laugh.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9oBuudVAFRevsSpx-YfLWXnmgh5kDiwL71pyBNtEsJOVs94U0oPvjrS5XVAsfdXWS0h2ybRSr2RmbtQ0QKHzjQlr3FL1YorXNYcsJ5xGEGjRa0upYBcOOsJ5XIxDCzFXs4Dcl-kANhA/s1600/IMG_0673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9oBuudVAFRevsSpx-YfLWXnmgh5kDiwL71pyBNtEsJOVs94U0oPvjrS5XVAsfdXWS0h2ybRSr2RmbtQ0QKHzjQlr3FL1YorXNYcsJ5xGEGjRa0upYBcOOsJ5XIxDCzFXs4Dcl-kANhA/s640/IMG_0673.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And now for a good old before and after.<br />
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<img height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyum9KOnDDCm3Rk3K3twdGr-Om_FhSornDp3APwTB8fdOCMY5Z2KBPSh2sKEKYJSAtlo_Qy3H8SXPrzDoAk_MhERjT2sf0t0-1BP-29zYedUBR1KrVTYf-CmQ6hgtpsLkV_PhN6ZYVN8/s640/test+2+IMG_0434_zpsd85acf6a.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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And after!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-65196487997391217382013-09-06T18:32:00.002-07:002013-09-06T18:32:45.587-07:00Finishing upIf you follow me on Instagram you'll have seen that the curtains in the guest room are finally up. Here's a sneak peak at the texture - can you believe they were only $6 a panel from Lowes? I couldn't make them for that! The curtain rod was a steal for only $10 at Ross. Somehow I always find good deals there, despite the fact that their shelves are usually half empty.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7B7QnyHKP0Bg1Rbux5_BMpSD1QcIesViArsPQ6Me1xHljU7I4AaWV8Ckwh3G7Q6DkjKY2mxsqD5kUK3OD0tBXzaELR7f7Hx-Mu8A3psicfqTAbl731e3xX27tPANgFDZgf7jXTLMwI2I/s1600/IMG_0656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7B7QnyHKP0Bg1Rbux5_BMpSD1QcIesViArsPQ6Me1xHljU7I4AaWV8Ckwh3G7Q6DkjKY2mxsqD5kUK3OD0tBXzaELR7f7Hx-Mu8A3psicfqTAbl731e3xX27tPANgFDZgf7jXTLMwI2I/s640/IMG_0656.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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We've also had a new queen mattress delivered for the master (thank you Macys Labour day sale). Look at how ridiculously tall the bed is now, ha! You can't even see the nightstand because it's so high. Poor Murph man needs a pole vault to get on there. Seriously though, we'll be removing the box spring this weekend to take it back down to a normal height. <br />
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We moved the old mattress from the master into the guest room (which is sooooo close to being done). I have professional supervision arriving this weekend (ie my father in law) for the great 2013 fan switcheroo, one more coat on the headboard and I'm calling it. Pics to follow on Monday.<br />
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Have a great weekend - and if you live in Birmingham check out the annual <a href="http://www.birminghamartwalk.org/" target="_blank">Art Walk</a> downtown.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-26881809256417541032013-09-04T07:37:00.001-07:002014-03-02T20:30:56.283-08:00Living it up!So how was your Labor Day? I'm officially starting the campaign for a 3 day weekend at least once a month - who's with me?<br />
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Our Labour Day weekend meant having friends over for the first college football game of the season. And that also meant we had a massive tidy - so I quickly whizzed round and snapped some shots while the place was looking halfway decent. I've shown you bits and pieces of this room recently, so I thought it was about time we had a look at how everything has come together. <br />
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So here is where it all started - our hot dog family room (mustard and ketchup!) we inherited from the previous owners:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wGkteaXdMh1Out05WolCHTFJ5MBgDc4ucpmXCzQAW-4K30JD2Q0HnoEhU0aP2HORS5VmPZ7qH-a95zKxCYAoryzuCaMqbvmFP_RJ2wpR19WNTEZ_4bHkGJSiRiU-32Eo5DVj3D5QQt8/s1600/Fireplaceandfrenchdoorswfurniture_zpsd5c9d218+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wGkteaXdMh1Out05WolCHTFJ5MBgDc4ucpmXCzQAW-4K30JD2Q0HnoEhU0aP2HORS5VmPZ7qH-a95zKxCYAoryzuCaMqbvmFP_RJ2wpR19WNTEZ_4bHkGJSiRiU-32Eo5DVj3D5QQt8/s1600/Fireplaceandfrenchdoorswfurniture_zpsd5c9d218+(1).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here it is now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrrBCVWxhcBDe9jkMbHMc-duSFPqnBfsSYpkTApIkznAWxrEVhrO3_5cK_8LgBxR6EIpum1nVWPiyBgnKiJM2rcephFw56PxTlS8NtwkS0FeHh-S-suhrhYGMlQy-_odrFcrpLyVz9V0/s1600/IMG_0614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrrBCVWxhcBDe9jkMbHMc-duSFPqnBfsSYpkTApIkznAWxrEVhrO3_5cK_8LgBxR6EIpum1nVWPiyBgnKiJM2rcephFw56PxTlS8NtwkS0FeHh-S-suhrhYGMlQy-_odrFcrpLyVz9V0/s640/IMG_0614.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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My favorite piece in the whole room is the DIY Union Jack coffee table. See more of it's journey from $30 craigslist find <a href="http://magiccitythistle.blogspot.com/2013/06/coffee-table-before-after.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. Here's a little snap shot of the before/after:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigaSBhnB57abIUgRmnLcsb8EN_lW_szz5WFGp5bhiM95bkI51mNSA8yP_iIvnxS-r0DFHK4M8K394B08CU9GhfQO-zUAAb2j4TPJ904LVBbefYPhKxJbXnhTSOgy1ton7efCasCgnp-aE/s1600/kate12_zps5d3792bc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigaSBhnB57abIUgRmnLcsb8EN_lW_szz5WFGp5bhiM95bkI51mNSA8yP_iIvnxS-r0DFHK4M8K394B08CU9GhfQO-zUAAb2j4TPJ904LVBbefYPhKxJbXnhTSOgy1ton7efCasCgnp-aE/s1600/kate12_zps5d3792bc.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
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And here it is front and center in our family room. I bought two big baskets from HomeGoods to go underneath and it's worked out great for storing magazines.<br />
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My triangle paint chip art is going strong. More on that freebie art <a href="http://magiccitythistle.blogspot.com/2013/03/third-time-lucky.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. We're still rocking the hand me down sofas, but maybe next year we'll upgrade and pick something more our style. Until then, I'm disguising the 80's style lumps and bumps with pillows and a strategic throw. Sometimes you just have to work with what ya got!<br />
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Our crafty desk (made from wire shelving, cardboard and contact paper) is nestled next to the french doors. Taking thrifty to whole new level! Find more details on that transformation <a href="http://magiccitythistle.blogspot.com/2013/01/countertop-fraud.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div>
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Our mantle is a springy little treat, and I just love the pops of pink against the teal walls. I really don't change it much from season to season so it'll probably stay like this until Christmas. It's a mixture of high street and flea mall and thrift shop. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4FpX8V7ThnvGfNx7fNgjhlPiBUUsp27gvMQSkFWMUGShgOPHujZ4fLG275QhJIwcad9u51vz5rSWGqJg-XGxx8h8XN5E2odoJesM5qfJZGY6sWoB_4LOynkodinZHrPoPe7NBKWsIn8/s1600/IMG_0622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4FpX8V7ThnvGfNx7fNgjhlPiBUUsp27gvMQSkFWMUGShgOPHujZ4fLG275QhJIwcad9u51vz5rSWGqJg-XGxx8h8XN5E2odoJesM5qfJZGY6sWoB_4LOynkodinZHrPoPe7NBKWsIn8/s640/IMG_0622.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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The little 'love' is a Christmas decoration and the glass owl is vintage Blenko.<br />
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I'm still loving our JC Penney floor lamp. I'm telling you, JC Penney wins every time for budget friendly modern lamps.<br />
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And there you have it :-) I finally feel like it's starting to come together and is a room we love to spend time in - which is really all you can ask for.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-81113014362605540652013-08-28T06:25:00.001-07:002013-08-28T06:25:56.034-07:00Chevron-and-onMy latest creation for the <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/apartment-therapys-style-cure-192429" target="_blank">Apartment Therapy Style Cure</a> guest room makeover is a chevron frame. I picked up a large square frame with a huge plain mat (on sale for $5 at Michaels). It's usually used for people to sign at weddings.<br />
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I love a good chevron, it came a very close second in the <a href="http://magiccitythistle.blogspot.com/2013/06/coffee-table-before-after.html" target="_blank">coffee table pattern stakes</a>, so it was a easy choice when I was contemplating how to decorate the mat. Plus, I thought if it looked really bad I could always cover it with a fun fabric.<br />
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It looked a bit dodgy halfway through, but I reasoned that I was going for a hand drawn look and not perfectly symmetrical lines. <br />
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Here's a closer look at my not-so-straight straight lines!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHG3mUndGs9bEzh6HX1wAiYikX0EaIKrws5PpSQSdaQyGuzXK68OqMZDM3VIe76XeAf2lV3Qitn7HAZe-I_xNDBSwQwWT2t__ePLdB1frzQir6KO22NXWsq656Nl1f0i0vPDUl3J6VISM/s1600/IMG_0598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHG3mUndGs9bEzh6HX1wAiYikX0EaIKrws5PpSQSdaQyGuzXK68OqMZDM3VIe76XeAf2lV3Qitn7HAZe-I_xNDBSwQwWT2t__ePLdB1frzQir6KO22NXWsq656Nl1f0i0vPDUl3J6VISM/s640/IMG_0598.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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I went back and filled in some of the thinner chevrons, and added vertical lines to the wider chevrons to help break up the pattern.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTc8Nj05MB6TVrbfKYFyyJXDXEqRqWaRtoF4nhxnm3cG9NdK-6wWRR5D326r88BtyV5LwyC3pe1XQgdRXTWLXWc_5I5S5k9JAclkamAQ-vMb-_07Q8VECTF8IssuPZAEZVLNTIPVBSh-o/s1600/IMG_0604-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTc8Nj05MB6TVrbfKYFyyJXDXEqRqWaRtoF4nhxnm3cG9NdK-6wWRR5D326r88BtyV5LwyC3pe1XQgdRXTWLXWc_5I5S5k9JAclkamAQ-vMb-_07Q8VECTF8IssuPZAEZVLNTIPVBSh-o/s400/IMG_0604-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Left on the to do list is to:<br />
<br />
Paint the headboard<br />
Change the hideous ceiling fan<br />
Hang the curtains<br />
Hang a couple of shelves<br />
Add accessories<br />
Finish and reupholster the chair <br />
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So, as you can tell, progress is slow. The aim was to have the room finished by the end of this week - but I'm thinking it's looking more like the end of next week. Mainly because I need some serious adult supervision before monkeying around with the ceiling fan!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-75789634350303552772013-08-20T13:02:00.001-07:002013-08-20T13:02:58.331-07:00The Style CureApartment Therapy has been running the <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/apartment-therapys-style-cure-192429" target="_blank">Style Cure</a> in August, and I'm all over it.<br />
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They send out daily emails throughout this month with tips and motivation to make over one room in your house (spoiler alert - I chose the guest room). Up until now there has been a lot of listing and planning, but this weekend I began implementing my grand plans. I'm still not entirely sure how everything will come together, but I'm keeping the faith.<br />
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Here's a look at the guest room from the MLS listing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7f2d73hveQJWm3MjR1uAyITWFW5oVCttMPkH3_Fl-ZGHBGGP4G5X324pQT49ZitKEsH4XRz79odJRS5mYxu6WZZlTtJP5biDYZiMtSCmPsmQnXB55097pEHnDV6cNy6Fw7BOP7hrS2jk/s1600/take+2+guestbedroombrown_zps7c99de82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7f2d73hveQJWm3MjR1uAyITWFW5oVCttMPkH3_Fl-ZGHBGGP4G5X324pQT49ZitKEsH4XRz79odJRS5mYxu6WZZlTtJP5biDYZiMtSCmPsmQnXB55097pEHnDV6cNy6Fw7BOP7hrS2jk/s640/take+2+guestbedroombrown_zps7c99de82.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And here it is after we moved in. All we really did was get a few key pieces of furniture and called it a day. You'll notice the bed looks suspiciously low. Well, that's because we don't actually have a mattress for that room (yet!). It's not terrible, but it's hardly a show stopper either.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIeUwjrCLdVGqHWbPY6S6y2fzdjMAUuGkPhSnItxj-5R9G-ufYfq24tXQ4m9iQRG3HIhR29GFbFUpCVhRMkWiYKUrDetKFVlO8yEwk8VambO_G6lFBVvtYv1U-n8l7ZTv3Oys-ckjEls/s1600/take+2+DSC04065_zps233210de.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIeUwjrCLdVGqHWbPY6S6y2fzdjMAUuGkPhSnItxj-5R9G-ufYfq24tXQ4m9iQRG3HIhR29GFbFUpCVhRMkWiYKUrDetKFVlO8yEwk8VambO_G6lFBVvtYv1U-n8l7ZTv3Oys-ckjEls/s640/take+2+DSC04065_zps233210de.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Sadly it didn't stay quite so tidy for long. All of our unwanted furniture seemed to end up in there. And the clothes for donating. And the ironing board. And the random artwork. And it quickly became a hodgepodge mess. Now you can see why it was an easy choice for the Style Cure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyum9KOnDDCm3Rk3K3twdGr-Om_FhSornDp3APwTB8fdOCMY5Z2KBPSh2sKEKYJSAtlo_Qy3H8SXPrzDoAk_MhERjT2sf0t0-1BP-29zYedUBR1KrVTYf-CmQ6hgtpsLkV_PhN6ZYVN8/s1600/test+2+IMG_0434_zpsd85acf6a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyum9KOnDDCm3Rk3K3twdGr-Om_FhSornDp3APwTB8fdOCMY5Z2KBPSh2sKEKYJSAtlo_Qy3H8SXPrzDoAk_MhERjT2sf0t0-1BP-29zYedUBR1KrVTYf-CmQ6hgtpsLkV_PhN6ZYVN8/s640/test+2+IMG_0434_zpsd85acf6a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This weekend it was time to paint. I knew I wanted something light and fresh and decided on Pearl Ash by Olympic from Lowes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGzd9hbXiPWBlH755Lyw0qkGN5AHvxXnG5g2YNjsy5uOSStFPSJzeMLVVfx_5Bv-lgBcDz_tCihFB_d6Vk5LSCtPSxb1WGTWcam5MjW-XImF1qsB1RNm8Oqt29_yz1djMk8s_lJ7d1rs/s1600/olympic+paint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGzd9hbXiPWBlH755Lyw0qkGN5AHvxXnG5g2YNjsy5uOSStFPSJzeMLVVfx_5Bv-lgBcDz_tCihFB_d6Vk5LSCtPSxb1WGTWcam5MjW-XImF1qsB1RNm8Oqt29_yz1djMk8s_lJ7d1rs/s1600/olympic+paint.jpg" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately, whoever last painted the room did a really shoddy job and the existing beige paint was all over the baseboards and ceiling. I decided to go over the baseboards with white first, then I could cut in with the Pearl Ash and get a nice crisp line. It took a little extra time, but was totally worth it.<br />
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I did 2 coats and it turned out great.<br />
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I'm just starting to collect some accessories. So far I have 2 of these amazing lamps from <a href="http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/for-the-home/college-living/room-decor/lighting-lamps/glassacrylic-table-lamp/prod.jump?ppId=1dfe3d1&catId=cat100240024&deptId=dept20000011&Ns=PLH&pageSize=96&dimCombo=null&dimComboVal=null" target="_blank">JCPenney</a>. They were marked down to half price, and I had a $50 giftcard, so they only cost me about $20 for the pair. Bargain!<br />
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<a href="http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/for-the-home/college-living/room-decor/lighting-lamps/glassacrylic-table-lamp/prod.jump?ppId=1dfe3d1&catId=cat100240024&deptId=dept20000011&Ns=PLH&pageSize=96&dimCombo=null&dimComboVal=null" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uagZ837TIO2fLvROZgLqDlow1EA8s0slItDiWT9qDjRc_6C0dstPN-x5MC9AQmPSSkTJuWhcF2jy4H9AwZmmgDEXscELLWXA9Xing7muI5utBsr-BC7UuwZ0p4GbAn2aWMFDCv-YJT4/s320/0900631b81e7ec6cM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Stay tuned to see how it all comes together!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-13470255468918207212013-08-16T07:36:00.000-07:002013-08-16T07:36:51.386-07:002 for joyDuring my trip home I inherited some fantastic retro/vintage family goodies. Most of it was too big or heavy to bring back this trip, but I did manage to squish my favorite thing in my case (carefully rolled inside a cardboard tube).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jF1-gQPQoP_pi45mT74-Sg9xbPNNKywZufwKeiK6fqep4C8AoUeazsTTCbXJvmDBKuKPtu6D1puT5L4W9pUgpvGsUMqp225A88202Yi7Cc3E8VmkDtuIODbcE-Bthz-lHoN7l2i9xV0/s1600/IMG_0560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jF1-gQPQoP_pi45mT74-Sg9xbPNNKywZufwKeiK6fqep4C8AoUeazsTTCbXJvmDBKuKPtu6D1puT5L4W9pUgpvGsUMqp225A88202Yi7Cc3E8VmkDtuIODbcE-Bthz-lHoN7l2i9xV0/s640/IMG_0560.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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My mum did this pen and ink drawing of 2 magpies in 1984. She is one talented cookie. Any shred of creativity I have has definitely been inherited from her. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjMDw4tE_eGEvfhfbJhAJ7ur33cf4e_GfHRKdOWICCjwSrw9jVlhqH_usBD8EGFWUMGvDLJTPOW4o8IvrvMNFMOz_zjDwd7_SwrOaVjKbe6B7liHCv91NW0CMr2Ax-mxW0Qh_l6bE1sc/s1600/IMG_0567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjMDw4tE_eGEvfhfbJhAJ7ur33cf4e_GfHRKdOWICCjwSrw9jVlhqH_usBD8EGFWUMGvDLJTPOW4o8IvrvMNFMOz_zjDwd7_SwrOaVjKbe6B7liHCv91NW0CMr2Ax-mxW0Qh_l6bE1sc/s640/IMG_0567.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Its now hanging in our living room, above the little shoe cabinet that used to be in the kitchen. Along with my latest knick knack - a $5 sale vase from TJ Maxx. I thought it was kind of Jonathan Adler-ish. Maybe?<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-4500591229094434472013-08-14T07:18:00.000-07:002013-08-14T07:20:16.450-07:00Bargain Alert!If you're anything like me and you love amazing home décor at a bargain price (and lets face it, who doesn't!) then keep reading 'cos you're in for a treat. <br />
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Last year I shared these fantastic pillow covers I ordered online from H&M UK. I had to order them on the UK site then have my mum post them on to the US. As you can imagine the whole ordeal was a royal pain in the arse (especially for my poor mum). But in "better late than never" news, the <a href="http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/HOME" target="_blank">H&M</a> US site FINALLY has online ordering.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMbdSYqNKk2a9AQeS9J3_Hy223Sb1Zvqh3Hamd8sFO_gHXSEE4g3jX8A-XWwskOiKGjKHeDUZTXQIYQd7kpqbBqSwmxFwIXdV5uEjLDCOmv6BbdwyPbBFvjUaltIwdTYNexNmjkEBCtc/s1600/DSC00475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMbdSYqNKk2a9AQeS9J3_Hy223Sb1Zvqh3Hamd8sFO_gHXSEE4g3jX8A-XWwskOiKGjKHeDUZTXQIYQd7kpqbBqSwmxFwIXdV5uEjLDCOmv6BbdwyPbBFvjUaltIwdTYNexNmjkEBCtc/s640/DSC00475.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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Everyone knows H&M for their fashions, but check out the pics below for the fantastic home décor offerings. <br />
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<a href="http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/HOME" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtvUCkko8vSaNPsjBt8V2MGIUZJDFjvApQRmgaHKloMDji4QW8BTlNtcpBZcO6hKjam_IQTFxg75tsVIoDm-kQ_QJlT8iX3vLZUtmUGGafDT_RFndwK_AGCmimimpEmoJsYxOS-XJBwQ/s640/handm+5.jpg" width="546" /></a></div>
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They currently have some amazing opening offers for online orders - $4 cushion covers anyone?<br />
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<a href="http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/HOME" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4J8zFFfva-h8LPhhMTRUeZPBypDi6v5dV0b4AufiJdTdei27uqIkX_BKZy9jOfrowJSxv6pjNTA67fDYqNhqopBrGZjb1z4-KKmjan18oxMo8SZ1ltQKhMPEuNTmOubez_-_wkyAY8U/s640/handm+8.jpg" width="546" /></a></div>
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You can never really have too many intense staring owl faced trays, right?<br />
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<a href="http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/HOME" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSGUoqLVLtUrhyphenhyphen02oFhk_XBBogVJVG6oOlFzBadiyPHcfP0oYkz0TZ9GOPmZFMKvM6TL5LxJCGfhaPn3eO_PeN0RUze1TbvzvQTk-uCNOg1d7gfYebU1r_5zMpl7DiOpXmeSS0bKOI5Y/s640/handm+7.jpg" width="546" /></a></div>
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And who doesn't love a good metallic.<br />
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<a href="http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/HOME" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQkHEgsg4YlR86KgOfY-oV82-AXCquoKm1B9J45vmrWV6Mi5b-fz0Pu1_K85p6KocvkxkECOZNgy8VqUSRGqVkN8031uwy5IUmcqUUecKdsSVxLtoD9N5N-FavXHofrY7gWU8sKMG03A/s640/handm+3.jpg" width="546" /></a></div>
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Plus their styling is impeccable.<br />
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<a href="http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/HOME" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEfosPczm5ygEuuLn5DAMhbM9mwPyMDhLxxPbrpfh06pNbdpERE5uo1F8AIjRz9NrD4QKRBmawCvBkyl-yXHkwbpWWYJdf9DdTxFfDY2NczIaGe5lIgSh0ACbU1CQpuGdPbPzN6S_Vrs/s640/handm+4.jpg" width="546" /></a></div>
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There are a boat load of bathroom options.<br />
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<a href="http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/HOME" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8kk1ewmSp1P31O40pd_XdfldaK3qPVdO3fLKNZCdAlqKSciB2AtQH9J_J2itGz4b83Rs6H92t64hX6CkoKcGm3gl8DI45Wg4IdndrRXk4_TUeyrvivbmf1HEMZ1zRW8VZb2DSKA1qWA/s640/handm+2.jpg" width="546" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/HOME" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyyigm9sjBwoZs287BhNKWNiOuZvlss5soXj5ms_biffqF2VjDRe4lZVS78_zcoIEfJJ6a28fA0H1MTc9qq6GWYoaoI9U3AEK8f7IMZPi0O5nKqsOyTYtTSwSs20H4c3xntVbPgNIbCKc/s640/handm+6.jpg" width="546" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/HOME" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtl4EWeXxiIB6S87cF5OdkKgZlzd9-jEloAEacJe3Bxkupc0cVtnXuuHY_qm5y2NkjifBDhyp9C_lXobTZ8BBF9tRJpAtlaIyEo6C9EdMmns1Vo_vwmJ0ssXbaGzz8u-hNXaTdlsp45w/s640/handm+1.jpg" width="546" /></a></div>
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See, I told you. Pretty, pretty, pretty! Now you better order quick before I buy everything. If you sign up for their newsletter you also get free shipping.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Please note - this post is 100% NOT sponsored by H&M (in fact, I think it's safe to say they have absolutely no clue who I am). I just really love a bargain.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-47637266382647285312013-08-12T07:41:00.000-07:002013-08-12T07:41:11.256-07:00When chair stain goes bad!On Friday I promised you a look at the Danish chairs I picked up at a local thrift shop. They have possibly the worst DIY stain job I have ever seen. It looks like a lot of hate went into the staining and upholstering of these chairs. <br />
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Here they are together. I'll admit they don't look too bad from far away. A little lumpy maybe, but not ready for the scrap heap yet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFloOs1YS0YDiIKG7nwWz_FShMmVFtS5zned8f3E9_AUeZpSgxKaAoVe6T457rFMNdoJ2cIIkwHdSH9EHY0rKMJnV-3eDdTa-7sfTCjbmLdrTwLQV8QRgthn-jAf1qrA3put7mdpN4V68/s1600/IMG_0547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFloOs1YS0YDiIKG7nwWz_FShMmVFtS5zned8f3E9_AUeZpSgxKaAoVe6T457rFMNdoJ2cIIkwHdSH9EHY0rKMJnV-3eDdTa-7sfTCjbmLdrTwLQV8QRgthn-jAf1qrA3put7mdpN4V68/s640/IMG_0547.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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But take a closer look and you can really see the shoddy job that someone did on these poor chairs.<br />
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I can't stress how terrible they look. The stain is right over the brass sabots (yes, I totally had to Google to find out what the little brass feet on mid century furniture is called!).<br />
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I felt so sorry for them. The upholstery job is almost as heinous as the stain.<br />
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And I don't even want to know what this is. Bleugh! Now do you see why they were only $12 each :-)</div>
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It was easy enough to separate the seat from the wooden frame. I Googled around and decided to use Citristrip (from <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Citristrip-1-Qt-Safer-Paint-and-Varnish-Stripping-Gel-QCG73801T/100208204#.UghKnpKTiHQ" target="_blank">Home Depot</a>) to try and bubble up the horrific stain job so I could scrape it off easily. </div>
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I did a small text spot on the back of one of the chairs before layered it on the rest of the frame with an old paint brush. I waited about 30 minutes and it seemed to work really well - cue lots and lots and lots of scraping.</div>
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And that's pretty much as far as I got this weekend. Fingers crossed it's a case of getting a LOT worse before it gets better.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-17568882485878848452013-08-09T07:25:00.000-07:002013-08-09T07:25:26.024-07:00Viva Las Vegas!Ok, so this time I'm really back. I promise! Just in time for the weekend :-)<br />
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But before all things DIY, a quick recap of this week because we were in ............. Vegas!!! <br />
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Check out the crazy round field things I spied on the flight over. Is that a thing in the US? Round fields? I spotted them as we were flying over Texas (thank you flight tracker) and they just amazed me - every single one was a perfect circle.<br />
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The flight was painless. A few complimentary nuts and a Sprite later and we were there. Can you tell what this huge sculpture was made of? Boats! Hundreds of boats. Strange but impressive.<br />
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I'm not a big gambler, but I love seeing all the hotels and crazy lights. We stayed at the Vdara (part of the new city centre development) and this was the view from our room. Not to shabby.<br />
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Of course no trip to Vegas would be complete without a visit to one of the mega buffets. We stopped by the Bacchus buffet at Caesars. There was a bit of a wait to get in, and that's where I spied these unusual light fixtures. They were made of upturned glasses with fairy lights running behind them. Seemed like a pretty easy DIY if you have a pillar the size of a double decker bus that needs jazzing up. Who doesn't?!<br />
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In thrifty business news, before we jetted out to Vegas I picked up a pair of Danish chairs at a local thrift shop. They are looking soooo sad so I'm hoping to transform them this weekend - weather permitting! Check back on Monday to see whether they look amazing or even worse - yikes!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-91635262844972102332013-08-01T06:20:00.001-07:002013-08-01T06:20:16.312-07:00Homeward BoundI'm back! Sorry about the humongo break in posts, but a few things came up including an unexpected trip back to the UK. Sad circumstances but good to see fahhhhhhmly - said in my best Peggy "Get outta my pub" Mitchell voice (if you don't know Eastenders, its a long running British soap that irritatingly got cancelled in the US just as I moved here. Why BBC America, whhhhhhhhyyyyy??). <br />
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I took a couple of quick snaps while I was home - mainly to prove to my doubting Thomas of a husband that the sun does come out in the UK. Most times we go back home it's cold and wet, so here is exhibit A. Beach, sun, people. See, I told you so, ha!<br />
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This was taken on a random Wednesday. I'm not entirely sure why these people weren't at work - I get the feeling there were a lot of sickies pulled that day!<br />
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Things around to the house are moving along. I've been on a window treatment kick with new faux wood blinds in the kitchen and new curtains in the dining room. Pics to follow once I take them down and iron them (the curtains, not the blinds, clearly ironing faux wood would be madness!). I was hoping the rumples would drop out once they had been hanging for a while, but no such luck.<br />
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I've also put my name on a couple of waiting lists for booth space in flea markets around Birmingham. I am beyond excited about getting my own little shop. Ok, maybe shop is a bit of an exaggeration, but that's what I'm calling it. And I plan on packing it with amazingness. I'll keep you posted as soon as I hear anything.<br />
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Phew, feels good to be back!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-36665727610542564962013-07-03T05:39:00.001-07:002013-07-03T05:39:20.957-07:00Picture thisAre you on Instagram? I'm becoming slightly obsessed. It's like a behind the scenes look into my fave bloggers and celebrities everyday lives. And I'm all for being nosey!<br />
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Some of the photos people post are so creative. <a href="http://rhonnadesigns.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Rhonna Designs</a> and <a href="http://www.thehouseofsmiths.com/" target="_blank">House of Smith</a> are always adding amazing graphics and fancy lettering to their pics. I'm sure you can print them out, but I thought I'd try a more crafty option.<br />
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I started with one of my own photos. I printed it though Walmart photo center as an 11x14 poster. It's great quality and because it's poster paper you can't see any nasty finger prints. I took the picture out of the plane window as it was coming into New York when I was moving to the US, so it has some sentimental value.<br />
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I searched the web for some inspirational quotes and found the perfect one "adventure is worthwhile" by Amelia Earhart. I thought it fit my photo perfectly. I picked up some letter stickers at Michaels (they had loads to chose from) and just stuck them on.<br />
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I also found this frame at Michaels - it was on clearance for only $10.<br />
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Now all I need is somewhere to hang it!<br />
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Have a super happy 4th of July whatever you have planned.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-11192577864897583452013-06-26T21:02:00.003-07:002013-06-26T21:02:58.044-07:00Be with you in a minute!Just stopping by to say hello, and that business as usual will be resumed very soon.<br />
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I broke my computer. Like, completely broke it. Broke as in cracked the screen so I couldn't read anything or see what I was clicking on! Don't ask me how, I have no idea. Luckily I started backing up my pics a couple of weeks ago, so had just enough time to frantically save everything else before it packed up. Lesson learnt in a big way!<br />
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So, no photos or fun posts, but plenty in the works as I get this new comp up to speed.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-88171795834363834542013-06-22T15:04:00.002-07:002014-03-11T18:13:54.087-07:00Coffee Table Before & After<br />
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Here is my starting point - a $30 Craigslist coffee table, in all his gingery glory!<br />
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This was definitely a well used table - and it had the rings and stains and scuff marks to prove it. Some were just on the surface and others were deeper ridges and nicks in the wood.<br />
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There was only one thing for it - invest in a sander! (hmmm, he was looking extra orange in this shot. Lovely!).<br />
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I sanded and sanded and sanded. You can tell how long it took me by the fact the table was in complete sunshine when I started and complete shade by the time I had finished. It was totally worth it as I was left with a nice smooth clean surface to work with.<br />
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I knew I wanted to paint the legs white. I gave them a rough sanding by hand and then layered on 2 coats of white paint. <br />
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Next up was the table top. I was really torn between painting or staining. In the end I went for stain. Mainly because I've never stained anything before and thought, at only $30, this was the piece to experiment on. And also because I wanted a more muted/subtle finish.<br />
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Now for how to tackle the staining process. I could have gone with an allover dark finish - but where's the fun in that! Since I had decided on stain, I thought I might as well go all out and try something different. I considered a chevron pattern, but the idea of trying to tape all those zigzags really didn't appeal. In the end I came up with a Union Jack. The table had the perfect dimensions (44" x 26"), and being from the UK I figured I should own at least 1 Union Jack based piece of furniture! <br />
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A quick stop a Lowes and I had picked up 2 tins of Minwax Wood Finish (Golden Pecan and Dark Walnut), a roll of painters tape and some foam brushes.<br />
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I started by applying an allover coat of the lighter pecan colour - this would represent the white in the flag. I used a foam brush to apply the stain and rubbed any excess off with an old rag.<br />
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Next up was taping off the white areas to build up the darker colours that would represent the red and blue. I used 1" painters tape. There was a lot more measuring involved than I had bargained for (the chevron wasn't looking like such a bad option at this point!), but I wanted to make sure it was as to scale as possible and not off center or wonky. For anyone interested, I used a 1" outline round the larger middle cross, and 1.5" and 0.5" on the smaller diagonal cross. The large cross is 6" wide (including tape) and the diagonal cross is 3" wide (including tape).<br />
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I Googled to see how the painters tape would hold up with stain instead of paint, but I couldn't really find any info on leakage/bleeding/tips etc In the end, I just went for it. For this stage I used Minwax Dark Walnut. I would be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little alarmed when I began to sponge on the wax. It was much runnier than I thought it was going to be and looked like oil, and I felt certain it was seeping right under the tape. I powered on regardless, following the directions on the tin. I didn't let it sit for very long as I was paranoid it was going to be a blotchy mess.<br />
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But unbelievably, after wiping away all the excess, I peeled of the tape to reveal crisp clean lines. There were a couple of spots where I hadn't sealed the edges properly (mainly around the outside lip of the table) where the wax had gathered, but with a bit of elbow grease it was easy to blend in.<br />
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Next up was the second layer of Walnut to make the blue area of the flag a little darker than the red. This was much easier than the initial taping as all of the measuring was done. I simply ran the painters tape around the existing triangles, trying to stick to the lines as I went.<br />
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I was a little more confident this time around when applying the stain.<br />
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Between each stage I allowed the stain to dry for 24 hours, and I sealed it all with 2 coats of Minwax Fast Drying Polyurethane. The new knob was a $2 Hobby Lobby find.<br />
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I'm so pleased (and surprised!) with how well it turned out. <br />
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Now for a good old before and after shot. No more ginger coffee table for me!<br />
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More pics to come when I get it off the ugly driveway and into the living room!<br />
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Kate</div>
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xxx<br />
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I wanted to stop by to add just 1 last pic of the table in its new home (excuse the quality - its a phone snap!).</div>
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<a href="http://www.oneprojectcloser.com/before-after-link-party-2013/" title="The Humble Brag Supporting Habitat for Humanity"><img alt="The Humble Brag Supporting Habitat for Humanity" src="http://www.oneprojectcloser.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/H4Hbutton2013.jpg" style="border: currentColor;" /></a><br />
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<img alt="Funky_Junk's_Party_Junk_link_party_150" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1607" src="http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/1-Funky_Junks_Party_Junk_link_party.29-AM.jpg" height="150" width="150" /><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-19932564642513869522013-06-21T06:30:00.001-07:002013-06-21T06:30:40.251-07:00Adding some StorageI'm trying hard not to turn our house into an Ikea showroom, but its really hard. Their furniture is just so functional and well, cheap!<br />
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On one of our recent trips we picked up 2 white Expedit . I initially wanted to use them as nightstands in the master but they looked terrible. They were waaay too big for the space and quickly made their way into the <strike>junk</strike> guest room.<br />
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This weekend I decided to move them into the kitchen to see how they looked, and I kind of like them there. <br />
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This is how it was looking before, with the extra slimline shoe cabinet also from Ikea (of course!).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyrr1Cwj2y_-ahaAkthFxGCvqSsj5-Z52lXCC-N4jfuzfRrNVhwgs0RblAe93BapBV9ASuMS5Bekt5sk0AneSZcEXoJV85ZK88BbUDwgYQBBMhu1VFk59qUH6xoloc5FvzwoJebt3ZAY/s1600/DSC03896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyrr1Cwj2y_-ahaAkthFxGCvqSsj5-Z52lXCC-N4jfuzfRrNVhwgs0RblAe93BapBV9ASuMS5Bekt5sk0AneSZcEXoJV85ZK88BbUDwgYQBBMhu1VFk59qUH6xoloc5FvzwoJebt3ZAY/s640/DSC03896.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anything that gives me extra surface space for all my knick knacks is always a winner. You can never have too much storage especially in a kitchen, and there is still plenty of room to sit at the table.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhij9by15EEX6qPbCjfm6J0WBo9TsOtwUPAFAdlN1g-Br-fCh1ZtmTP_LybBceZHM7f1xDW09YCS-KGrtGxuH7UVJS3kYJyu7vFrhM2xtwqlWozK9gNTkPwEB8TOmJBoUTpo2evVdMXCr8/s1600/IMG_0463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhij9by15EEX6qPbCjfm6J0WBo9TsOtwUPAFAdlN1g-Br-fCh1ZtmTP_LybBceZHM7f1xDW09YCS-KGrtGxuH7UVJS3kYJyu7vFrhM2xtwqlWozK9gNTkPwEB8TOmJBoUTpo2evVdMXCr8/s640/IMG_0463.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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Yes, that is a real plant and no I haven't killed it (yet!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2SnKxZkzSNhdBoV23W98TM6Uk9wzcH9aAcbqo_Dr5RL7C9Pma0aRQgHQcQRn-6rRibmko2nXNAHSu00CVeA2_OKuf5pbXbzn5tP2uJh2xTc1fDRXIv1AN04bxYmMa8xw_W8gRbXby38/s1600/IMG_0471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2SnKxZkzSNhdBoV23W98TM6Uk9wzcH9aAcbqo_Dr5RL7C9Pma0aRQgHQcQRn-6rRibmko2nXNAHSu00CVeA2_OKuf5pbXbzn5tP2uJh2xTc1fDRXIv1AN04bxYmMa8xw_W8gRbXby38/s640/IMG_0471.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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This sweet little pear shelf was a couple of dollars from J&J Junk. Any ideas what I should fill it with?<br />
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I love that I can finally display my green Catherine Holm bowl (even if it is just plastic!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUeBOL63BkgqEpq16LlV-e6g-hl_EgHpYAyTu6EQif_zLGPIdoTMyuJDXQozrl6Cw6lefrvzD-YLVg44qaAL4WBtQQ8NtI25Z56-bv6m150MoR6z56mslrRSjSoqCoRKL8GStX7v4ZrA/s1600/IMG_0480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUeBOL63BkgqEpq16LlV-e6g-hl_EgHpYAyTu6EQif_zLGPIdoTMyuJDXQozrl6Cw6lefrvzD-YLVg44qaAL4WBtQQ8NtI25Z56-bv6m150MoR6z56mslrRSjSoqCoRKL8GStX7v4ZrA/s640/IMG_0480.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Extra points for spotting the wonky white lid, ha! I didn't even realize it was at a jaunty angle until I uploaded it. Note to self - must pay more attention to detail!<br />
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I collected most of my treasures from thrift stores and flea malls over the past year. The Cafe print was only $7 from The Christmas Tree Shop and the round orange geometric tray was from Michaels. It's definitely an eclectic jumble.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8g023TDEF35y7Vs6dBP_LpscrneDOySepgUBhWqHbiJ-JNbHXZfJnQ9av1jYjOVeNa9mbo1JC5M0CwMRpN1cfM8gPKKKNHgOUi5mfGBmAIPtSpueJcb-cyhzJiYhXOHPJrl-xZIiqJ48/s1600/IMG_0474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8g023TDEF35y7Vs6dBP_LpscrneDOySepgUBhWqHbiJ-JNbHXZfJnQ9av1jYjOVeNa9mbo1JC5M0CwMRpN1cfM8gPKKKNHgOUi5mfGBmAIPtSpueJcb-cyhzJiYhXOHPJrl-xZIiqJ48/s640/IMG_0474.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And I promise the big coffee table reveal will be on Monday, because I know you've all been eagerly awaiting the amazing unveiling, ha! Just one more coat to seal it and it will be finished.<br />
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Have a great weekend whatever you have planned.<br />
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Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770754930622169755.post-66128010869457707692013-06-18T07:32:00.002-07:002013-06-18T07:32:55.413-07:00Table TimeI've been a busy bee over the past few days working on my first furniture project (about time, right?). I mean, I've tackled the odd flat pack here and there and changed out some hardware, but this is my first real furniture transformation, and I'm loving it!<br />
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I even splashed out on a sander! Good grief, I think I aged 10 years just typing that, ha!<br />
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This is a sneak peek at the before. <br />
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There has been a lot of drying time involved so hopefully everything should be sealed and ready to show off by the end of the week.<br />
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In the meantime, here are some pretty flowers that are defying all the odds and surviving in our garden (see Mum, I told you we had flowers!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_0aulSGNzfzzahFY-Dine7mDydfH0-_a2nEfj1OAEPtbKDnCdcE0RyKHwniIHyPuxOV08rtOG40ieE6OFUKtD2ZSYYtYTvwBwOBfvm-vDymxUVTLcYpojnRLlN8PLawPVKm9nL-B0vE/s1600/IMG_0430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_0aulSGNzfzzahFY-Dine7mDydfH0-_a2nEfj1OAEPtbKDnCdcE0RyKHwniIHyPuxOV08rtOG40ieE6OFUKtD2ZSYYtYTvwBwOBfvm-vDymxUVTLcYpojnRLlN8PLawPVKm9nL-B0vE/s640/IMG_0430.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Also, has anyone else noticed that everyone in blogland is moving? I can't wait to see how they all approach their new spaces and transform them. Here are some of my faves:<br />
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<a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/" target="_blank">Young House Love:</a><br />
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<a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Little Green Notebook</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://www.houseofhepworths.com/" target="_blank">House of Hepworths</a>:<br />
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I'm also keeping an eye on <a href="http://www.yellowbrickhome.com/" target="_blank">Yellow Brick Home</a> as they will be revealing their new pad any day now - and it sounds like it's going to be a mammoth renovation converting 2 apartments into 1 family home.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0