Vintage cane chairs get a makeover!

Yikes. Another 3 weeks have gone by since my last post! But these three weeks have been eventful. More to come on all that. Right now, I just have to give you a glimpse of my latest project! It's been a big one. Multiple trips to Home Depot (sometimes in a day). Lots of elbow grease (and hopefully more defined arms!!) And even some casualties. Like our deck. And a lawn chair. But it's been worth it! 

I found these chairs (which came with an amazing octogon side table) at a little, hole-in-the-wall garage shop off the side of the highway. All three pieces were in pretty stinky condition. But with a price tag of $50 for the set, I couldn't resist.

It's been a labor of love. But I'm on the home stretch now. All I need to do is decide on fabric and have these beauties recovered. Of course, making a decision on fabric could take me months. I've already gone back and forth. And back and forth.

Help! All suggestions are welcome!
At the moment I'm leaning towards keeping them light and neutral.
Like these.

What do you think?

LOST AND a new FOUND treasure

How has it been an entire month since my last post? Things around our house have been nutty. Too much happening all at the same time. And since giving birth, I've completely lost my ability to multi-task (translated means I've been nutty too.) Organization, I'll make you a part of my life one day. One sweet day.

But time has flown. I feel like it was just spring break week on MTV.  (I did not watch spring break week on MTV. Do they still do that?) While you've been productive in blog land, I've been lost in a cluttered mind.  I've missed you lovelies!

I'm excited for today's post! You know by now that I'm a sucker for anything DIY. And it's a lucky day for us, ladies, because the talented Anna of A Newfound Treasure, stops by to spill her to-DIY-for tips on how to create a look for less, do it yourself Dorothy Draper duo of chests.

Enjoy! And don't forget to stop by Anna's blog where you'll find more tricks, time-savers...and of course, treasures. You're welcome.

 

Hey y'all! I'm Anna from A Newfound Treasure, and today, I am sharing about my latest Ikea hacks. I have admired the Dorothy Draper chests for years and knew that the DIYs I'd seen online were perfect for our bedroom nightstands!

I started with 2 Ikea Rast chests and painted them in Rustoleum's oil-based glossy black paint.

I then used painters tape to section off where each gold inlay design would go. (This part took forever!) Once my rectangular boxes were all taped up, I got to painting. I used Liquidtex's iridescent rich gold (heavy body) acrylic paint. It took a few coats, for sure!

I free-handed the rounded corners. 

Next, I replaced the old wooden knobs with these gold ring pulls. And voila!

Lastly, I sealed up the dressers with a coat of polyurethane. Now, they are nearly indestructible! I should've done another coat of the gold paint, but I got excited. You can see where it's a little patchy in places if you look closely. They aren't perfect, but I am very satisfied with my looks for less.

What do you think??

[Please excuse the humidor and ugly cords in my pictures… this is real life, people!]

parlour art

My walls are in need of original, professional pieces of art. I may be just dangerous enough with a brush and some paint to put something reasonably interesting on canvas, but enough is enough. It's time for me to be a grown lady, and invest in some eye candy. Nichole at Parlour has an eye for this kind of thing. I found some beautiful pieces, thanks Nichole!, and thought I'd post a couple of my favorites. If you're into aesthetics, you'll be quite pleased over at Parlour. 

 

Dreamy DIY (Y? Because it's amazing & apparently I'm crazy)

All I want for Christmas is time. More specifically...a little extra time to devote to outrageously insane DIY projects like Two Thirty-Five Designs fish scale wall art. At first glance I would have never thought this was a do-it-yourself project. It looks lavish. And expensive. Not so, my friends. Unless you attach dollar signs to blood, sweat and tears. From what I've read, this is a tedious task. Am I bat street crazy for thinking I have the time (and ability to concentrate) on such an endeavor? It's too late to back out now. It was love at first sight. I saw it - it saw me seeing it - and now I'm being pulled in by it's tractor beams. Read all about it. Here.

sincere thanks + street style

And now for some Sartorialist inspiration...from the stylish streets abroad. All this street style gets me thinking I should retire my usual "grocery store, post office, Walgreens" uniform of sweats and t-shirts. I may not have glamourous errands to run, but it wouldn't hurt to feel glamourous while scoping out the best sale on toothpaste every now and then, would it? 

smoke-break style on the streets of london

mother & daughter perfection in paris

a serpentine silhouette in milan

ladylike lovely in paris

Maybe high heels and hats are a bit much for a trip to Target, but I could at least put on something that doesn't have an elastic waste band. 

And now in unrelated news, I have a HUGE SINCERE THANK YOU to announce...

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the fabulous ladies over at reFINEstyle. ACS was just recently featured on their blog, The Style Book! Their musings, moments and must haves will be your new "must have" morning read...enjoy!

Backing Black

Love this inspiration for braving the dark side...of your home. Amanda at {re}cycled consign and design is backing black, if you will, for home design and decor. I think she proves her point quite well, don't you think? Check out the rest of her bad ass post - and blog!

More motivation to explore your dark side...

via Small Place Style 

via Kelly Wearstler

via Abode Love

via Kelly Wearstler

via Design for Mankind

Ferreira Design via Marcus Design

via Atlanta Home Magazine

via Fresh Home

via Fresh Home

via Fresh Home

via The Decorista

via The Decorista

that 70's series

Free-spirited, gypsy style. I've always loved it. And I'm tickled pink it's one of the top looks for fall.

Why is it that I'm so fascinated by the 70's? Maybe it's because I secretly want to feather out my layers like Farrah Fawcett. Or perhaps it's because...if given the choice to own any single wardrobe from that decade...I would choose my mother's.  (Photos to come. Although she would never admit it, she was the epitome of style for her time...)

I think it's a combination of both mixed with the fact that I'm just a little bit gypsy at heart. Regardless, I'll be wearing my poncho, bell bottom, fringe, boho, floppy hat, tailored trench look delightfully this fall.


Then and now.

*images via google

Inspired by Pinterest

I'm no artist. But I love projects. This past week my project was messy and I loved every minute of it. Inspired by Pinterest, I gave this crayola craft-time creation my very best. Do I like still like the photo on pinterest better? Yes. But am I giddy with pride that I tried it and (sort of) pulled it off...you bet.

I love color. In fact, I love it so much that I find myself putting more and more brightly colored decor around my home. Jonathan Adler tells me it's okay to be bold.

I flip through home interior magazines and adore the photos of neutrals and soft, subtle pops of color. But what do I find myself actually decorating my home with? Whites and brights. Maybe one day my living room will look less like an elementary school art class and more Jan Showers...but for now...I'm having fun being bold.

Note: Several items were damaged during the production of this artwork, including one casualty of a trusted friend, my glue gun.