Mirror Love

(Image from Better Homes and Gardens)

Isn't this mirror gorgeous? I love the way the little
mirrors sparkle and the style is worldly and glamorous at the
same time. When I saw it, I wanted it.
Turns out it is discontinued and was over $300.00.
I wouldn't have been able to afford it even
if it had been available.

All of a sudden, I had an idea.....
How can I re-work this old mirror?
I have had this for a few years, picked it up
next to the dumpster outside my old apartment.
Score!



I went on line and found little
mirror tiles at factorydirectcraft.com
It still amazes me that you can find almost anything
you want on the internet. Then, I picked up
this ugly little mirror at Goodwill for $2.00.

A bit of Superglue and they become "one".
I painted both with craft paint and hot glued
the little mirror tiles.
And soon, I had something sparkly of my very own.....

All for less that $30.00!
I know it is not the same but it gives a similar effect.
I think it looks great!

Now we wait for the DH's approval...:}

Meet the Neighbors....

A few weeks ago, as Fall was sneaking in, we were enjoying ideal temperatures and breezy afternoons....it was the perfect weather! We decided it was a great time to invite a few neighbors over to get to know them a little better.

Luckily, I had just begun my Fall decorating, which included collecting a few bare branches (one with beautiful golden leaves) to place in the dining room. My DH's first reaction was "You can't bring those DEAD TREES in here!" Oh, please. Let's calm down shall we? You know, I guess I should have a little sympathy for him. Living with me can lead to some unpredictable decorating projects but I thought maybe he'd gotten used to it by now :) I put the branch in a "holder" we made for our wedding way back when. It is a simple terracotta pot with a bamboo pole cemented into it. In the past it has held oriental umbrellas, signs and now Fall foliage. What a useful invention it has been for me and my crazy ideas!

I found this great covered glass compote at TJ Maxx for $12.00 and I already have many ideas on how to use it. I can picture floating peonies in the spring or whole fruit, etc. but for now I filled it with pine cones for Fall.

We had a great menu of hot artichoke dip with crackers, edamame, southern deviled eggs, bruchetta with melted gorgonzola cheese, drizzled with honey and an amazing blueberry molasses cake topped with whipped cream! Here is the link for the recipe from 101 Cookbooks...

It was a great afternoon of good food and friend making. We feel lucky to have such fun and interesting neighbors! As the sun went down, we said our goodbyes but at the same time we were already looking forward to hanging out again soon...

Enjoying Our Porch

Finally, the weather the past week has been glorious! Cool, overcast and perfect for relaxing on a porch and enjoying the fall breeze. So all I needed was a porch to sit on. However, visually my porch looked lonely and quite frankly, a tad ugly.

OUR PORCH BEFORE:

I had a choice, either go sit on someone else's porch or fix mine up. Since no invitations were on the horizon, I knew I had better get busy. I had a few things already: a natural fiber rug, a pair of resin adirondack style chairs in a dark green color, two iron dining chairs, a little cafe table and a few old wood side tables that were in the garage sale pile. (Note to my DH: I apologize I keep pulling things out of the garage sale pile.) However, none of the pieces were the look I was dreaming of, colors and fabrics were all wrong.

IRON DINING CHAIR BEFORE:

Of course, it was the same old story...little cash and a big dream. Wah, wah, wah. I must admit I felt a little discouraged for a while until the usual happened. My undeniable desire for beauty took over and I became resourceful.

PORCH AFTER:

ANOTHER VIEW...

So here's what I did: First I spray painted the iron chairs with a bronze metallic color and then I simply reupholstered the seats in an inexpensive vinyl. As for the resin adirondack chairs, I found a spray paint at Lowe's specifically for resin chairs (who knew?) and painted them black. Easy as pie! There is a great discount remnant fabric store in this city and I found a yard of a beautiful gold damask for $2.00 (!) and recovered the seat cushions. Thank you to my friend Lester, as he gave me the curtains with black fringe ( he had used them for a restaurant party and was getting rid of them). The "head" planters finally found a new home, we picked them up at a yard sale for cheap a year or so ago and the tablecloth is actually just a big piece of vintage fabric.

All said, I spent about $20.00. I re-worked what I had and invested a little time. I know it is not the most beautiful porch but for me, for now, it is just right. Can't wait to show my DH the transformation and sit together for a while with a cool drink....I can almost hear the ice in my mojito clinking. :)

Making a Plan

There are only a few things more exciting to me than dreaming up ideas to decorate a space. When my friend A asked me to help her with some decorating decisions...well...let's just say she did not have to ask me twice. I was thrilled to help. She lives with her DH and their beautiful daughter in a big old Victorian house. It is awesome! Below is a photo of the room as it is now. The wall colors are newly painted and will stay and I think they are fun. They have a few cool pieces, it is just a matter of making a plan of how to pull it all together and what will stay and what will go...

LIVING ROOM NOW:

They are such an amazing family and have traveled all over the world. We had fun talking about how they wanted to use the space and which pieces that they already owned that would be incorporated. The room is to used as a semi-formal living space for entertaining (i.e. vodka martini anyone?) and the antique cabinet you see in the photo will be outfitted for use as a serving bar. They want to include ethnic and traveled elements in a fresh way, all while staying within a budget. Right up my alley!

INSPIRATION FOLDER:

After a little bit of on-line shopping and research, we had enough picked out to make an inspiration folder. This is such a good way to see if all the elements being considered come together visually. In this folder I included a floor plan, a casual perspective sketch of the room, an inspiration collage of items being considered and measurements of her windows for having window treatments made. All in all its a handy package to take along on shopping trips and keep the plan in mind.

CASUAL SKETCH:

FLOOR PLAN:

We also are planning for off-white linen - type curtains trimmed on the inner edge with a black 2-3 inch border. I suggested a chaise in front of the fireplace for sipping cordials, watching the fire or reading a book. The sofa will have accent pillows in ethnic inspired patterns. Stay tuned for final photos...:) Thanks!

Summer Supper

This big old house is too hot! I am totally over Summer. I have spent the last week searching out cool places to visit and I don't mean cool as in hip but COLD: the library, the grocery store, my DH's office, etc. just to get out of our hot house. This has been a bit of a bummer as I love to be at home puttering around. Hopefully, next year we can afford to have central air installed. (Note to self: probably need to play the lottery.) I am really ready for Fall to arrive but in the meantime I am brainstorming and searching the Internet for recipes that don't require having to use the stove.

This morning, I went to the Food Network's website for ideas. Giada De Laurentiis is one of my favorite chefs. I have tried many of her recipes and I really can't think of one that hasn't been delicious. I decided on her recipe for Vegetable Rolls with Chili Mayonnaise. You can see the recipe here.

They look as pretty as they tasted! The sauce (inside the roll) was delicious. I almost stayed true to the vegetarian recipe but for the love of my DH, I added some cooked shrimp (purchased from the deli). For me, I added fresh avocado. It took me a bit to get the hang of rolling the rice paper but I think I got better with each attempt. I rolled alone but next time I think this would be a fun dish to prepare with friends.

Along with the summer rolls, we had a classic chilled Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Salad. I know this simple combination by heart but here is a link just in case. I know, I know, these recipes originate from two different countries but my theme was CHILLED, so it was perfect. Enjoyed with very cold Dos Equis beer and we were in heaven. Very cool. :)

A Visit to M's Nest

I am back in Richmond after three weeks in Florida. As you might guess, I am thrilled to be back in my nest! Before I made the trip home, one of my last visual treats was a visit to the home of my dear friend M. She is one of my interior design mentors and was the person who first introduced me to the joys of thrifting.

She has an eye for romantic details and has created a home of enchanting vignettes.

Everywhere you look you see beauty. She taught me that one should love every piece in their home. There is no excuse for an ugly cup, an uncomfortable chair, an unappealing view. She collects mostly from thrift stores, estate sales and flea markets.

She is also very talented at giving new life to cast away pieces. The above chandelier has been dressed by M with extra crystals and little red hearts for love. She inspires me (and many others) in that her magic is created without over spending. She is cost conscious while having a dedicated vision of how she wants her surroundings to be and a true desire to share this beauty with those she cares about.

The way she lives her life is in the details. When I enter her home I can not help but be transported to a world where it seems as if time has stopped. I always stay longer than I thought I would. Dear M, I am forever grateful for the memories!

I Love Silhouettes!

Silhouettes have become popular again in the past few years. I have personally been attracted to them as long as I can remember. I love their graphic simplicity. To me, somehow they seem vintage and modern at the same time.

I really like them in mass collections, like this arrangement below from the blog Inside a Black Apple:

Emily Martin's, of (Inside A Black Apple), dreamy bedroom

Silhouettes first became a sought after art form in France in the 1600's with the tools being simple and often easily accessible, a candle, black paper and scissors. It is now somewhat of a lost art.

I decided to try my hand at painting a man and a woman silhouette for our bedroom. I bought inexpensive canvases from the craft store and acrylic paint. I penciled a silhouette shape and painted it black. Easy enough! (If you squint, they could be me and my DH?)

OUR BEDROOM:

At first I hung them with the woman silhouette over the man silhouette but my DH requested a switch. I was surprised he noticed this detail! I think it is important to balance the feminine and masculine details (energy) in a home, so I rehung them. Now they are near each other...on the SAME eye height level, as equals...marital bliss! :)

I have gathered some other silhouette images which are inspiring below...

INSPIRATION PHOTOS:

via Brown Button

via House Beautiful

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