A Booth & a Dresser

Hey there everyone! It has been too long. Between working full time & the day to day stresses of life, I started neglecting my blog. Shame on me!

Things have been exciting around here recently. Hubby & I became vendors at De'France Antiques and Collectibles in Fort Walton Beach! I have been over the moon. Its so exciting to be able to follow my dreams & passions.

Current Booth

Original Booth

That being said, we've had A LOT of extra DIYing going on to keep up with the demands of the booth. I'm pretty sure our neighbors think we are nuts with all of the loads of furniture coming in & out of the house.

Here is my most recent furniture makeover. This dresser was actually a gift from Micah. I loved the wood tone, & it was in very good shape, but I had to give it a little more oomph!

For this beauty, I took out the drawers & used a white spray primer to coat the body so I wouldn't have to do any sanding. Then, I simply painted 3 coats of flat white latex paint over the whole thing. Once that was dry, I used 100 grit sand paper to lightly distress the edges & raised areas. After wiping it down to remove any dust, I applied two layers of clear furniture wax {buffing in between}. I'm still planning on adding a little extra something to the recessed areas on top two drawers, but its lovely as is.

It now has found its perfect spot in our master. I am itching to get my hands on our other dresser, but its going to have to wait a bit.

So what do y'all think of my newest furniture addition?! 

Also, hubby & I would L-O-V-E it if you would go "like" our new Facebook page for our booth. Its called Southern Vintage, & I promise y'all with love it!

Shabby to Chic

Have you ever had something in your house that you didn't just love, but it was free & useful, so you kept it? Even though it was U-G-L-Y {"You ain't got no alibi!"}? That was the predicament that I was in with these practical baskets under our coffee table. The one on the left is a very nice rattan one from my dorm room days that currently houses our growing board game collection. The little beauty on the right {ugh} is something that ended up in my apartment after my grandmother's open heart surgery a couple of years ago. It served its purpose as a snack basket for my family at the hospital then wound up with me. Its a great basket, don't get me wrong & perfect for DVD storage, just not the prettiest. And I was not loving the way it looked when paired with the other. So what is a DIYing girl to do? Spray paint it of course!!

I perused the very limited spray paint aisle at Walmart & decided on Krylon's Global Blue in a glossy finish. {Disclaimer: While I love the way it turned out, I don't love the color with the rest of my living room. I'm planning on repainting it in a red, I just haven't found the time yet!}

I made sure to wipe the basket down with a damp cloth to remove dust & pet hair {thanks Zinga}. Then I took it outside, laid down some newspaper, & went to town. I used the entire can just to make sure that I had good coverage. I sprayed the inside of the basket, as well. I let it dry a full day, since the humidity down here in Florida is worse than Hades. 

To make it coordinate better with the other rattan basket, I added burlap to the handles. I doubled up a piece & cut it down to size. Using my hot glue gun I kept burning the you-know-what out of my fingers carefully wrapped & glued the burlap. To help keep it attached {because it was kind of refusing to lay down in some areas} I tied thin strips on each edge. 

At first, I liked the bows.  

Then, decided to cut off the tails to make it a little more streamlined & not so "country-ish". 

And there ya go! A totally new looking basket for only $3!! Plus it brings a pop of color to the space. As soon as I find the time {& the rain lays off down here} I'm going to repaint it to match my vision a little better. And, of course, I'll post an update!!

You're the Only Ten I See

Hello y'all & happy Friday! I've been slowly working on a collage wall for our living room {which is why I still haven't posted about it yet}. Its still a work in progress, but I'm very pleased with how its coming along!

There are tons & tons of fabulous free printables available online, & I finally decided to take advantage of them. Hubby & I both are from Tennessee & have lots of state pride, so what better way to honor that than some state art for said collage wall?! 

I downloaded this free state printable from Q.A. Design, which also offers every other state as well as many countries. 

Now, I love me some Rocky Top Orange, just not so much in my living room, so I used Picnik to tweak the colors a bit to match with our decor better. 

I printed my final image at Walgreens as a 5x7, which cost me under $2. The frame is from Walmart, costing under $2 as well, & the mat I already had. 

Which brings this lovely little project to a grand total of a whopping $4!!

"Are you from Tennessee? 'Cause you're the only ten I see!"

After: Our Foyer

Hey y'all! I feel like its been too long since I've posted another installment of the "after" of our little place. I know my parents are dying to see more! So, I thought I'd post a few pictures of our small entryway. It might be tiny, but I think it gives a great 1st impression & also works double duty as a bit of storage. 

There was a very slight alcove right by the stairs, & it was just asking for something to be put there! I was keeping my eye out for something on Craigslist. One night, I came home & there was a solid wood {albeit, slightly dirty} bookcase there! Turns out, Micah scouted it on the side of the road, just like he did with the nightstand for our guest room. Another "dumpster chic" piece. And totally FREE!! After a good cloroxing & wipe down with some Pledge, it was good to go. 

Most of the decor items are things that were previously in my college apartment. The exceptions are the 'Good Friends, Good Times' sign & the decorative plate. Both were wedding gifts & came from a boutique called Half Moon Bay in my hometown. 

This candelabra is super special to me. We used this & other similar candelabras as centerpieces for our wedding reception.

This area also functions as storage for Ella & Zinga's toys {in the cream basket}, our shoes, rain jackets, Micah's very worn Atlanta Braves hat, keys, wallets, my purse {that's from TJ Maxx, if anyone was wondering}, & my 'Indiana Jones satchel' {as Micah calls it} for when we ride his Harley. You can also see a glimpse of our 'Harry Potter door'. Yes, that is right. We actually have a cupboard under our stairs. Although, no, we do not have a wizard nephew that we stash there. 

So there is it! I'm really pleased with the arrangement. The wood finish works great right now, but I'm itching to paint it eventually. We will see how that turns out. What do y'all think?!

Table Re-do

Today's post is all about the end table {at least that's what I think it is} that I painted for our guest room.  This table was completely FREE. Which is the best kind of table if you ask me! We picked it up off of the side of the road in our neighborhood. I know that sounds sketchy, but our waste management people pick up furniture, appliances, etc on Saturdays, so people throw out stuff that they don't want anymore on a regular basis. And you know what they say… one man's trash is another man's treasure! My dad calls it "garbage chic."

The face of the bottom drawer was broken {hence the reason it was tossed to the curb, I'm guessing}, so Micah did a quick repair job on it. It was two toned, which I love right now, but it was yucky thin laminate that was peeling off in areas. So, of course, I decided to paint it. There are a lot of colors going on in our guest room, so instead of doing a pattern on the table like I had originally wanted, I stuck with a solid color. I was leaning towards a very light turquoise, but Micah hates that color {& he threw a mini hissy...}, so I went with a pretty green called Apple Orchard. 

I'm not sure if I went about painting the "right" way, but it worked for me {this isn't a valuable piece of furniture that we are planning on keeping}. I wiped it down & then just went to work. I was afraid that if I sanded it the veneer would rip off, so I didn't. It took quite a few layers to get an even coat. You have to make sure each layer is completely dry before you put a new one on. Once it was all dry, I reattached the drawer pulls back on & put the drawers back in. And ta da!

This isn't a paint job that's going to last for a long time or be super durable, but it works for us! And I love the way it looks in the room. 

{Sorry the pictures are a little blurry…my iPhone failed me on these!}

Fur Babies

WARNING: This post contains an extreme amount of cute. Proceed with caution. 

So this doesn't really pertain to home decor or DIY-ing, but I also want this blog to be a place where I can share ideas & things I love about my home in general... including family, entertaining, possibly even a bit of fashion... And one of the things that I love about our little nest, that really makes it feel like a home to me, is our pets! Plus, what Southern girl doesn't love her fur babies?! 

I grew up with dogs only. I come from a long line of cat haters {sorry to the cat lovers out there}. In my defense, I asked Santa for a kitten every year from approximately the age of 3 until I was 10. {Guess what bit of reality slapped me in the face that year!} Anyhoo... like I said, I grew up with dogs. And I LOVE them. Like whole heartedly love. Cried hysterically the first time one died {I was 16 by the way...}. So when I got to college, I was super homesick for Izzie and Lulu, our Australian Shepherds. I had also always wanted a small dog. So I started browsing PetFinder.com & BAM! I saw her. And I was in love. It was a Maltipoo that was at a foster home type shelter in McMinnville, TN, about 3 hours from my hometown. I begged and pleaded with my dad. He said no. I sobbed. I was mad. I gave him the silent treatment. And he gave in. 

I'll never forget the day we got her. It was Good Friday of 2009... the day that middle Tennessee got ravaged my tornadoes. And where were we, you might ask? Oh, just out in the middle of it all picking up my sweet baby. 

I decided to name her Ella after one of my favorite books when I was a kid, Ella Enchanted. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that book... shame on you!... its an excellent. The real reason I thought it was cute for a dog was that Ella gets "blessed" with the gift of obedience by a well meaning fairy when she is born. Of course it ends up being more of a curse than a blessing. However, I thought it appropriate for a dog, plus Ella is such a cute name in general. Little did I know that I was adopting one of the most stubborn little dogs on the planet. So much for obedience!

The above picture was taken the on our ride home after I picked her up. This was after the tornadoes & before she got carsick all over me. Twice. It really was love at first site. She's my baby. Micah thinks I'm ridiculous. She's my little shadow & has been right from day one. We were meant for each other, right down to our unruly curly hair. 

She has a about a million nicknames, too. Her formal name is Ella Belle {because she is tres belle!}, but she more commonly gets called Ella, Ell, Ells, Bella {thanks, Trisha}, Bells, Ellie Wellie, Bellie, Ellie Bellie, Ells Bells {my mom's fave}, & my personal favorite, Lovey. And now Micah calls her a little ewok, like from Star Wars. 

Her favorite things include going on long walks, getting lots of attention, & most importantly, having her belly rubbed. I know... she's spoiled. 

Now for our 2nd fur child… my very first cat! Finally, after years of wanting one {kinda}, I have a little kitty. It was Micah's idea to get him, actually. Of course, he refuses to admit that to anyone, but it really is the truth. I searched for a bit on Craigslist, & we went to every shelter in the area {this is while we were in Virginia}, but we weren't having any luck. Then, BAM! a post on Craigslist pops up with a picture of the cutest little kitten in Richmond, about 30 minutes from us. I was actually a little hesitant, but Micah was like "let's do it!" so I set up a meeting time & before I knew it we were headed home with a precious little ball of fur!

His name is Bazinga, after The Big Bang Theory, a must see if you've never experienced it. HILARIOUS. Actually, we thought he was a 'she' at first… Good thing we picked a unisex name! Usually, we just call him Zinga. Or Zingy. Or "The Zinga." Yep, he's that cool. I mean look at that face!

 He was super clingy when we first got him! I was expecting a snobbish cat, but he loves being around Micah & me. Now that he is a bit older, he likes to roam around outside {chasing & killing lizards has become his favorite past time, eek!} & nap in odd places so you can't find him. But, boy, does he love a good cuddle. I always thought Ella was cuddly… she has nothing on Zingy! He's the sweetest, most mischievous little dude, & I have to say I am quite attached to the little booger. Micah likes him, too; although that is another one of those things that he would never admit!

It was not love at first site with Ella & Zinga though. My nerves were on edge for days. I just knew I was going to come home one day & one {or both} of them were going to be dead or injured. A little irrational, I know, but I'm a protective mama, what can I say?! After about a week, though, they were just fine & starting to be best buds. They don't quite sleep together, but they play & get along like good little siblings. 

I took this one Saturday morning. I got up to go get some coffee & came back 5 minutes later to find my spot completely taken. I just thought it was precious. And then, when they wouldn't move to let me back in the bed, I thought it was a little less precious…

So here we are, one big happy family! Do you have fur babies? If so are you as obsessed with yours as I am with mine??

The Sparest of Spare Rooms

Hello, all! I know I promised after pictures of our place & now I am delivering! Instead of showing you thing whole thing in one huge post... I thought it might be better {& a little less overwhelming for us all} to go room by room & show you that way. So here is my first complete {ish} room.... our upstairs guest room, or as I like to call it, the spare room! 

If you are an Anne of Green Gables fan like me, then you will understand the importance of a spare room. Mrs. Barry told Diana that we might sleep in the spare-room bed.  Think of the honour of your little Anne being put in the spare room bed. Anne idealized spare rooms & after accidentally jumping on Diana's rich old aunt, Aunt Josephine promises to put Anne in her very sparest spare-room bed to sleep. So when I had the chance to decorate my own spare room, I knew it had to be special. 

I wanted a cozy & fresh space that made people feel welcome. And, I have to say.... I think I've accomplished it. 

Pretty much everything that is in there is from my college apartment, my room at my parents', or things that I DIY- ed. The bedding is the only new thing in the room. I am very happy with how it looks so far, but there are a few things that I am still looking to add {like a head board}. And, I am not completely, entirely happy with the arrangement over the bed.... but it works for now. I recently had a few friends visit for a night, & I got the best compliment on this room... She said it was Southern casual... Perfect. 

Embroidery Hoop Monogram

I know I promised an "after" reveal of our house.... but I have a few projects in the works, & I don't want to show you a half done place. So, instead, I'm going to go room by room. I think that's going to be much less overwhelming for me & everyone else! Today, however, I have a glimpse of our living room! I wanted to create a gallery wall behind our couch, & what gallery wall would be complete without a monogram?! {I told you I became a bit monogram obsessed after getting married!}

My first idea was for a framed monogram, but then I wanted something a bit more original. After browsing through JoAnn's for a while, I saw some embroidery hoops & genius struck!

I grabbed the medium sized one & hurried home. The hoop was raw wood, so I decided to paint it white. Then, I cut a piece of fabric left over from my button pillow project, fitted it, trimmed the edges & secured it to the back with hot glue. 

I'm obsessed with ombre right now. Obsessed. After seeing this project done by Mandi at Vintage Revivals, I decided to do a modern ombre on my K {which I picked up from the craft section at Walmart}.  I don't think all colors look good ombre.... but blue is one of the ones that do {at least in my opinion}, & I really love navy blue right now. I divided my K into 3 horizontal sections & painted the bottom section with a navy acrylic paint. Then mixed in white until I got the medium & light tints of blue that I wanted & painted those next. After everything was dry, I hot glued the K to to the fabric on my hoop & voila!! Custom, unique monogram.

Our New Nest: The Before

Hey y'all! I'M BACK!!!!


We survived the move & have gotten settled into our little place. However, we just got internet TODAY. Can you imagine no internet (or cable) except your smart phone for 2 whole months? Anyone?? Yeah, I didn't think I could do it, but we survived, & honestly, it was kinda refreshing. Hubs & I had a lot of great time together... Scrabble, Jenga, Uno Attack... those have been our favorite games... And we've even been crafting together! Weekends at our house are like "joint project" days.
I'm going to be posting a few of Micah's creations soon... he's pretty darn good!

Now for the fun stuff... our house!

As far as rental houses go, this place is a little gem. The owner recently recently made some cosmetic renovations. All of the rooms are painted the same neutral light brown (much better than all white walls or some crazy neon color!) with bright white trim & doors. The main floor has hardwood laminate, the upstairs has new carpeting, & the bathrooms have real tile flooring. The only things not updated (unfortunately) are the kitchen & bathrooms, but everything in them mostly works, so I can't complain too much. There is a pretty sizable fenced in backyard, which is a huge plus because we have a small dog & our kitten loves romping around outside, too. And, did I mention that there is a fireplace?! An actual wood burning fireplace! Pretty awesome, huh?

These pictures were taken right after we got here. We only had the few things that we brought with us from Virginia. Everything else was still in storage in Tennessee.

Here is it!

I had to get a close up of our rug!

My flowers. 

Our white picket fence! I have a feeling that its going to need some Ella proofing. 

View of the living room from the front door.

The living room again.

Our teeny tiny kitchen

The downstairs bath & laundry.

The upstairs guest bedroom. (The mattress topper is where the bed is going to go!)

Yes, that is a KING sized bed! We are obviously Vols fans!

My closet...

Micah's closet!

Let it be known that this horrible shower curtain was here when we got here.

Well, there you have if folks! We love our little abode! I CANNOT wait to show you guys the "after" pictures. We've put a lot of time into making our nest into an actual home. But of course, it's still a work in progress! Check back soon for another post!