From Aspiration to Inspiration

My husband and I spent this past weekend in the beautiful city of Savannah. If you've never been there, it almost defies description. Gorgeous, ornate old row houses, historic homes everywhere you look, live oaks draped in spanish moss- it is truly one of the prettiest places you could ever visit. It's also only a three-hour drive, which makes it perfect for a quick getaway.

We had lots of fun strolling through the squares, perusing the shops and art galleries, and eating in fantastic restaurants. But the highlight of our trip was easily the apartment that we rented. It was GORGEOUS!! It was on the first floor of a converted row house, so it had all the high-ceilinged charm you could ask for. And the colorful, eclectic decor was right up my alley. I literally circled through that house about 20 times, just looking at all the amazing art, and admiring the way they'd paired formal with casual to create an interesting, elegantly whimsical space. I kept telling my husband "This is how I would decorate if we had money!! (Take the full tour at http://www.southernbellevacationrentals.com/vacation-rental-home.asp?PageDataID=99477  Tell them I sent you!!)

The thing that I adored the most was a china cabinet in the parlor. It was filled with books, art and all kinds of interesting little objects. It was a literal feast for the eyes, and I wanted it. Bad.

We got home Sunday afternoon, and I found myself wondering how to incorporate some of that Savannah style into my house. Problem is, I've spent the last year doing every room- I couldn't start over, right? Well, no, not on a large scale. But there was a small room that could use a makeover....

Our downstairs powder room was one of the first rooms I painted. It's tiny, so I wanted a bold, saturated color. I wanted to turn it into a little jewel box of a room, but when it was done, I felt like my efforts had fallen flat. The robin's egg blue paint was just a bit on the tacky side, and I never felt like everything came together, but I didn't know how to make it better. Until Sunday.

This is the most accurate representation 

of color. My cell phone photography is lacking.

All of a sudden, I knew what that room needed! It needed a dark, rich paint, and I had just the color. Benjamin Moore Calypso Blue. I fell in love with this one a few years ago after seeing these pictures.

 I even used it in the master bath in our old house. It was time to bring back my beloved dark, teal blue.

But what to do about my need for charming antique objets de' art? That was easy. I spent an hour in two of my very favorite antique/junk shops, and I procured everything you see here for $30. The cabinet was $20, and all the tchotchkes, (minus the Titanic model, glass bottle, and rose paperweight that I already owned) and the two framed pictures were $10. I feel like we need to take a moment to honor my fierce junking skills. 

I started painting Monday afternoon, and here we are 24 hours later.

The color is far more teal in real life-

much like the inspiration bathroom.

 I'm 100% in love with it. I wish I could pee standing up so I could admire my cabinet of delightful curiosities every time I visited that room. The dark color makes it seem cozy, and it makes the antiques and the snazzy gold mirror (thanks, mom!) pop. It's hard to get great pictures since the room is the size of the handicapped stall at your local gas station bathroom, so you'll just have to trust me. But it's finally the little jewel I knew it could be. Now if I can just keep the boys from peeing on the wall...

Desk Job

I've been on a desk quest. Our guest room, already a hodge-podge of things that I love but don't have room for, was home to the world's biggest, ugliest corner desk. It was a hulking laminate monstrosity left by the previous owners. At the time, we appreciated it. We intended to use that room as an office, and even though the desk was ugly, it gave us lots of working space. However, the desk in the kitchen became our center of family computer activity, and that's worked out much better because I can keep an eye on what the kids are doing online. So, our intended office has evolved into a guest room/refuge for whichever spouse is kept awake by the other's snoring.

It's also home to my collection of dollhouses, and all the cool concert posters we've finally started collecting. A few months ago we added a twin bed with some fabulously funky bedding, and furnished it with some great pieces and art that just didn't fit anywhere else. But still, that massive corner desk lurked, taking up way too much space in that room. Since I was finally ready to pick a paint color and tackle the weird, glossy white paint in that room, the ugly desk had to go. It freed up a ton of space, but we still needed something- hence the desk quest.

I was not looking to spend too much money, so I decided to hit up my favorites, Goodwill and Habitat Re-Store. Goodwill was a bust, but Re-store had this interesting little piece.

What is that? Linoleum? Contact paper??

It was in rough shape, but it had promise. After haggling the originally proposed $30 price down to $15, it was mine. I also found this great chair and didn't even argue the $20 price tag because it was totally fair.

As soon as I got home, I got started on the make-over. My minions helped me scrap the weird wood-look linoleum off the top.

He was much happier to help than he looks. 

He's giving you his best Blue Steel. 

Even bare plywood beats woodgrain linoleum!

On closer inspection, I realized this desk is totally a homemade, scrap wood desk that some daddy or grandaddy made for a little girl. April Nicole Edwards to be exact. According to her under-desk graffiti, she loves N-Sync, 98*, and Jesus. I hope she did, in fact, have a wonderful summer.

 A coat of primer and fabulous peacock blue/teal (Jade Garden by Benjamin Moore) made it awesome, but it still wasn't quite glam enough. I am crazy about anything with Indian flair. Bring on the gold, mirrored bits, or sari prints. I got the "Ali Baba" Folk Art stencil and some gold paint and went to town. It was easy, but very, very tedious. But in the end, it was worth it because look at this fancy thing!!! 

Gorgeous, right? And the whole project took about four hours. So that's a pretty quick makeover. The chair was in such good shape that I didn't have to do anything other than recover the seat with a lovely brocade.

 I didn't want to paint the chair because it's a totally decent piece, and I like the eclectic look of pairing them this way rather than making them matchy-matchy. The trim on the chair complements the trim on the desk, and the brocade picks up some of that beautiful teal.

And it's the perfect partner for this colorful bed. Stay tuned for the guest room reveal once I get it painted next week. Which color did I choose?? Neither of those!

And I hope all you wonderful moms have the best Mother's Day!! I will be spending it with my fantastically fabulous mom, and my two awesome sisters, so it's bound to be a good one. Now if I can just convince my husband and kids to shower me with gifts and do all the chores, I'll be in business!

Rug Addiction

Lately, I'm obsessed with rugs. I mean, rugs are great, and I've always liked them- who doesn't? They're like pretty clothes for your floor. But in the past few months, it's gotten out of hand. I have purchased five- count 'em, FIVE rugs in as many months. And I've looked at probably five thousand online. Literally every google, amazon, facebook sidebar ad I see is for rugs. Big Brother is watching, and he knows you're a rug junkie.

And much like a drug habit, a rug habit can get expensive awfully fast. But thanks to my months of online shopping, I can show you how to save a little money, and still have incredibly stylish floors. Before we begin our magic carpet ride, I want to assure you that this is not a sponsored post. I wish it was. If anyone would like to give me money or free stuff for this drivel, feel free. But no one is giving me squat for this one. You're getting all this questionable advice for free, you lucky dog!

Let's begin our tour, shall we? When you walk in our front door, you're greeted by a lot of yelling children, a massive hound dog jumping on you, and this cheerful beauty.

 Our foyer is really, really small, but that doesn't mean it should lack charm. We just have to find it on a smaller scale. After trying and returning several sizes, I realized that I couldn't go any bigger than 4x4 round if I wanted to be able to open the door. That's not an easy size to find, but Wayfair came through for me. This baby is 100% wool and ran me about $125. And I think it finishes the space beautifully.

From there, you can walk into our living room and behold the world's most glorious rug. You can't fully appreciate its beauty through the magic of my crappy cell-phone photography, but trust me, this rug is the cat's pajamas. It's massive, wool, incredibly soft, and the most gorgeous mix of aqua, teal, rust, and gold. I would marry this rug and live happily with it forever.

I found it at a discount furniture store near here that has rugs as far as the eye can see. And while it wasn't cheap, it was an amazing bargain for the size and quality. And you can't put a price on true love!!!

Then, we get to the kitchen where the true bargain magic happens. We have not one, but two rugs in here. Both 5x7, different but complimentary patterns.

And guess how much the two of them cost together? Guess?? $100!! Yup, $50 per rug. And that, my friends, is an unbeatable bargain. Here's how you find such a sweet deal for yourself. These guys came from www.rugsusa.com and they have an infinite selection of rugs. Some are very high end, some are very..not. These two are definitely more on the low end of things. They're indoor/outdoor, so they're easy to clean. And that is VERY important in a high-traffic kitchen. But the secret to the RugsUSA website is the sample sale section. They don't automatically link you to it. You have to type "sample sale" in the search bar. But there you will find all sorts of closeout sales, and some really great bargains.

And let me tell you, though I don't swoon over the kitchen rugs like I do the living room rug, I totally love them, as does everyone else in my family. The dog spends most of his day there, moving from sunny patch to sunny patch, hoping someone will drop food or give him a treat.

                                     

There is frequently a child sprawled behind me while I'm cooking, and I've had a surprising number of lovely chats with my almost-teenager lying in the middle of the kitchen floor. The kitchen rug is a family hot-spot, and a rather unexpected gathering place. And sometimes you get some amazing stuff like this going on!

Finally, we head into the utilitarian hallway that leads to the garage. It's hard to get style in a narrow space with an overabundance of doors. I'm actually still trying to figure out how to inject a bit more panache, but this runner (RugsUSA) is helping. It will have to suffice until inspiration strikes.

This concludes our tour. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to shop for an outdoor rug for our deck. And maybe one for our bedroom. And you know, the bathroom looks a little plain...

Pick Your Poison

Our house was built in the early 90s. That being the case, it had some totally 90s design choices. Most of them have since been updated, but I'll occasionally spy an old paint color or scrap of wallpaper peeking out from behind a fixture. Despite the fact that our house has changed hands a surprising number of times in its 25-year existence, and has undergone who knows how many design changes, one upstairs bathroom remained untouched. It still featured its totally 90s peach and green wallpaper, and builder basic oak cabinets.

I'm really bad about before pictures,

so just imagine a whole room of this

Mesmerizing, isn't it...

I'm not sure why this bathroom never got a makeover. I don't think it was because all 7 previous owners loved the wallpaper so much that they couldn't bear to take it down. Maybe it was because they knew what a complete pain in the butt it would be to rip down that stubborn old paper, and they just couldn't get the motivation to tackle it? Who knows? Whatever the reason, that monument of 90s style had to go- mostly because that tiny repeating print was giving me vertigo every time I passed by it.

So about four months ago (or five, or six), I decided the day had come and the wallpaper was coming down. I set to work, and promptly destroyed the drywall. I scored it, I used hot water to loosen the glue- I did all the things you're supposed to do, but that paper had been on that wall for 25 years, and it wasn't coming off without a fight. Once I saw what an epic disaster I had made of the walls, I gave up. I couldn't even think about the work that it would take to fix them, and I spent the next four months averting my eyes when I walked past.

Then we were forced into renovations by ToiletFlood 2017. Since almost everything else upstairs was getting a facelift, I decided it was high time I returned my attention to that poor, ravaged bathroom. Or, more accurately, paid someone else to do it. As my dear friend's very wise mother once told me, "Sometimes you just have to call the man." This was one of those times. So I took GiGi's advice, and let the pros handle the damage I had inflicted on the walls. And then I did nothing for another two months. They sat there, patched, but naked.

That was because I had only destroyed the part of the bathroom that held the sink. The other part with the shower and toilet, still had that stupid paper hanging, mocking me, daring me to try to remove it. The day came that I was finally ready to do battle. I had been planning to leave the wallpaper, and just prime over it with oil-based Kilz. (a horrible job in and of itself) But as I was cleaning it to prepare it for the primer, it seemed to be loosening, and I started to think, "I bet I can get it off...."

You can guess what happened next. Yup. Destroyed those walls too. But this time Matt decided he could handle it. He was fresh off his popcorn ceiling semi-victory, and figured he was up to the task. And he was! Sort of. I mean, he's not giving up the IT world to become a fulltime drywaller, but it was good enough for a bathroom used only by an almost-teenager.

With the walls in okay-ish shape, it was finally time for paint!!! But what color?? I had already decided that I wanted to go with a great indigo blue on the cabinets- especially after I found this snazzy shower curtain. (It also helped that I had a half a can of indigo paint leftover from a previous door project!)

lovely shower curtain inspiration

But what color to complement it? It needed to be bright because that bathroom doesn't get much natural light. And it's a small space, so I didn't want to go too saturated. I thought about white, but it's a bathroom used by boys, so I nixed that quickly. Then I pondered yellow, but I wasn't loving it. Then I got the "pops of color" issue of HGTV magazine, and found what I was looking for- beautiful, bright pear green.

I found just what I had in mind at Sherwin Williams. I was so sure, in fact, that I bought a gallon without so much as bringing home a color card to test it. I was stillsure as I started putting it on the walls. I wasn't quite so sure when I got that first coat on, and stepped back, and went, "hmmmmm." My gorgeous green (Gleeful by SW) was looking a bit more poison than pear. But dangit, paint is expensive, and I just wasn't willing to throw in the towel yet.

I kept going, and it started to grow on me. It also helped when I changed out the ugly yellow bulbs on our totally 90s stripper-dressing-room light fixture. Changing the dusty old clear bulbs for some frosted white ones softened the light and brought the beautiful juicy pear out of the murk. Before long, I loved it! It's a bold color, and I know it might not be for everyone, but it tickled my fancy.  And it met with my son's approval, so success!! New towels, new art, and new 98- cent knobs for the vanity, we were done!

At least, done-ish. I'd love to someday change the faucets, the fixtures, the tile, the toilet, the tub insert, the stupid carpet in a stupid bathroom!!!! But that's going to have to wait a while. It's as done as it's going to get for a while. So I'll leave you with pictures and you can decide for yourself if it's poisonous, or "pear-fect." Either way, it's better than 90s wallpaper, or mangled drywall.

And for your bonus listening pleasure, here's the song I was singing the whole time I was painting. Much like the color, it might not be for everyone, but once you get used to it, you'll love it!!

Oh Ma'am

Today I was the victim of a verbal assault. Okay, that's not totally true. Actually, it's not even remotely true, but a guy said something to me in the grocery store aisle that hit me like a slap to the face. What spiteful thing could have possibly been so hurtful? He said, "Oh, excuse me, ma'am."

It wasn't so much the "ma'am" that did it. I live in the South- I've been called ma'am with some regularity since I was 14. It was the speed with which this college-age guy said it. It was an automatic ma'am, which means I officially look old enough to warrant an instant, old-lady, ma'am. Ouch.

When did that happen? I mean, sure I'm poking 40 with a VERY short stick, but I'm still cool!! Nevermind that my shopping cart contained wrinkle cream and hair dye to cover all my gray, I am young and fabulous! I went to a rock show last night! On a TUESDAY! I didn't get home until AFTER MIDNIGHT! So what if my knees hurt today and I could barely drag myself out of bed this morning? I am a happening chick, not some dowdy old ma'am.

But the whole thing did make me wonder, when do you start feeling your age? I have all the trappings of adulthood- marriage, house, kids, minivan, but I still feel like the same person I was at 20. When do I become a proper matron? Will I exchange my ponytail for a beauty shop rinse and set? Will I phase out graphic t-shirts and retro dresses in favor of a sensible pantsuit? Will I stop swearing like a sailor???

I don't know, and I guess only time will tell. But I can say this for certain, the generation ahead of me, my parents and their pals, give me great hope. They're cool. They're pushing 60 or more, and they're cooler than me! Better dressed, better social lives, better travels- they are doing life right. So while I may officially be "ma'am," I'm not hanging it up yet. And when you see me in 45 years, I really hope I look like this.

You Should Make this for Dinner Tonight

"What are you making for dinner?" This is a regularly asked question in my daily 4:00 phone call with my sister. We both love to cook, love to eat, and love to find new recipes. Everybody needs new recipes, right? So I'll occasionally share one that I think is particularly yummy- like this one...

It's been rainy and cool the past couple of days. And I don't know about you, but the only thing I want to eat when it's rainy and cool is grilled cheese and tomato soup. And sure, you can crack open a can of Campbell's, and throw some Kraft singles on some Wonder bread (I'm not knocking it- that's delicious!), or you could get a little fancier. We picked fancier tonight. 

Tomato soup, man, that stuff is the nectar of the Gods. And while I have eaten many varieties in many places, this recipe remains my perennial favorite. It's not my recipe, so I don't have to type it out. I can just give you this handy dandy link, and you can thank Mrs. Ree Drummond for that treasure.  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/sherried_tomato_soup/

Now let's get to the real deal- the grilled cheese. The jalapeno popper grilled cheese, to be exact. I don't know where this recipe comes from because I got it from my sister, and she got it from...somewhere. So, sorry if I'm I'm infringing on someone's copyright. Just take it as a compliment, because your sandwich is delicious.

There are several ways to go about this. My sister uses roasted jalapenos in hers. I don't because I like to keep my tastebuds unseared, but you do you. If you like it super spicy, substitute jalapenos for poblanos. But please, for the love of God, use gloves when you are peeling and de-seeding them. And if you don't, DO NOT touch your eyes, nose, or other sensitive bits. And if you do that, well, you're dumb. 

Without further ado, Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese!!

(Serves 4-ish)

Ingredients:

2-3 poblano peppers (or 6-8 jalapenos if you're brave)

jalapeno cream cheese

apricot jam

sharp cheddar cheese

good sandwich bread

1. Roast the peppers on a foil-covered cookie sheet under your oven broiler. Turn them a quarter turn about every five minutes until the skin is blackened on all sides. Put them in a large ziplock bag and let them cool. Then you'll be able to slide the skins off easily. Cut off the tops, scrape out the seeds, and slice them into strips. 

2. Time to assemble!! Spread one slice of the bread with the apricot jam (I know it sounds weird, but trust me). The other slice gets a good layer of jalapeno cream cheese. Top with sliced peppers and a slice of cheddar cheese. Put them together, and grill that sucker in a buttered skillet to golden brown, melty perfection. 

It will be spicy and sweet and gooey and wonderful. Eat until you are so full you want to die a little bit. Then go call your sister and ask her what she made for dinner. 

Photo credit- Ryan Bray- tattoo artist extraordinaire

Cleaning Up the Laundry Room/ Extreme Hutch Makeover

I don't know about you, but I spend a LOT of time in my laundry room. And it's the first room you see if you come in through the garage. So despite the fact that it's utilitarian in purpose, there's no reason it shouldn't be cute. When we bought our house, the laundry room was not cute- it was orange. Very, very orange. I'm not opposed to orange as a pop of color in a room, but the entire room? Yikes.

The laundry room was pretty far down the project list, but once I got the majority of the major rooms painted, I covered the eye-searing orange with a light, calming, greeny-blue. (Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams). We added some shoe storage cubbies, hooks for backpacks, and wire shelving for necessities like toilet paper, and light bulbs. It was functional, but it wasn't pretty.

After several months of living with it, I decided the wire shelves were the problem. Who wants to look at your bulk rolls of paper towels as soon as they walk in the door? The obvious solution was a charming hutch to hide all those unattractive necessities. I really wanted an antique Hoosier cabinet, but all the ones I found vastly exceeded the laundry room budget. I kept searching because I may be cheap, but I'm also tenacious.

I found this promising little gem on Facebook marketplace. At $40, I was willing to put aside my fears of being murdered Craigslist-style, so my husband and I drove the 40 miles to our old hometown to procure my treasure,

 It was a super easy, murder-free transaction, and within two hours I had a big, cheap hutch in my laundry room. It wasn't cute, but I had plans. Unfortunately, I also had 10 other projects going, so it had to wait awhile. It sat in the laundry room for a couple of months, looking kind of blah, but hiding the toilet paper! Last week, after finally finishing the kitchen, it was time for Extreme Hutch Makeover!

The main problem with this piece is that it wasn't solid wood. It's MDF covered with laminate. But I wasn't worried because I've tackled this before. I had two options for paint. The first was chalk paint because it sticks to anything. But it's pricey, and I didn't want to spend as much on paint as I had for the hutch. So I went with option B- primer and paint. I already had a can of Kilz, and I knew I could get by with a $6 sample can of paint. I'd tried this method a couple of years ago with a Goodwill cabinet and it worked amazingly well and has held up nicely.

I decided to be thorough, and apply two coats of primer for maximum stickability. I followed that with two coats of paint in a color I had been dying to use in my house (Drizzle by Sherwin Williams). I had planned to paint the living room this color, but it was just too dark. And while it was too much for any of my rooms, it was perfect for a piece of furniture! Since I knew the hutch would get some dings with a laundry basket, and would regularly be heaped with tools, craft supplies and other flotsam and jetsom, I applied a coat of Minwax clear polycrylic for protection.

I wanted to cover the glass doors so lovely things like my crockpot and cake carriers weren't immediately visible. I had thought I'd use some fabric, but I couldn't find a print that I loved. Then I stumbled across this roll of cool wrapping paper at Marshalls.

 It's great, heavy paper, and I have a thing for globes. (Ugh, I know, so trendy.) All it took was a piece of foam core poster board cut to the size of the glass. I wrapped the paper around it like a present and wedged the foam core into the inside frame of the door. I didn't even have to use anything to secure it because it squeezed in there just as snug as could be. And if I get tired of the paper, or want to change it seasonally, it will be a cinch to pop it out and fix it up.

I found these utterly delightful globe knobs at Hobby Lobby, and snatched them up despite the fact that they weren't on sale. I found some weathered turquoise pulls that I liked for the doors, but I managed to hold off on those until they are half off this week!

So the laundry room is finished-ish. I still want to replace the wire shelving above the washer and dryer with cabinets, but I'm waiting until I find some for next-to-nothing at Habitat Re-Store. In the meantime, I'm enjoying having closed storage and a room that is not clown orange!