DECK!

Where has the time gone? We have a serious case of spring fever in our house and decided to tackle a number of projects all at once. We are in the process of a complete landscape overhaul. And when I say "we" I mean a landscaper was hired but that still left us with dozens of decisions to make and half a dozen meetings to finalize the official plan of action.

In the meantime, hubs and I got started on a deck that we designed about a year ago to replace the existing old and too small patio on the back of our house.

Progress:

Yes, I agree. That IS a big ass deck. We didn't even realize how large our plans were until we actually got started. Luckily, we have a huge yard that can easily handle a big deck; my patience on the other hand may not. I joke (kind of) but it is a lot more work, weekends and evenings than I ever anticipated. Good news is that the worst of it should be behind us and the flooring should go quickly now. Of course I made things difficult by picking out a pattern to lay the wood in opposed to just slapping the boards down. Oh well. We are having fun and can't wait to enjoy it; actually we started eating all of our meals outside as soon as we could fit a single rocker on the flooring. We love it already!

I have so many pictures that I promise to share soon. Wait until you see the before and after pictures of the front yard and back yard. We had all of the 50 year old plants removed (the good ones were transplanted in new locations); the concrete walkway was removed, moved and will be replaced with flagstone; beds were reshaped and new beds were added; trees, shrubs and lots of knock out roses are the finishing touches. Hopefully the landscaper will finish up by this weekend.

XOXO

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Reupholstered ottoman

I picked up this little ottoman a while back at the thrift store for $9.

It was in great shape and I finally found the time last week to reupholster it. All I had to do was unscrew the base, stretch the fabric across and adhere with a staple gun.

My grandmother gave me this beautiful fabric and I have no idea how old it is but I love it!

Finished product:

XOXO

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New light fixtures

Who loves pine cones and old light fixtures?

Not me! Our house had two of these fixtures lighting our hallway to the bedrooms. They were too small, gave off poor lighting and boring.

Hubs and I were in Home Depot a couple of weeks ago to get some light bulbs and weed killer when I happened to walk by these that were at a pretty reasonable price...

A spontaneous purchase was made and now my hallway lights look like this thanks to a quick surprise installation by hubs before I got home last night! Cheers for sweet hubbys.

I love them and they give off so much more light! They are larger than what was there before and do a great job filling up the space appropriately. I love the curved glass and it's bubbled texture which gives it a lot of character.

Whose glad it's finally Friday?? Definitely this girl. We received our luggage yesterday that had been delayed since we got home on Sunday. I was so relieved to get things like my make-up, camera and souvenirs. Not so relieved about the mountain of laundry but that's ok; it's almost the weekend.

XOXO

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flower boxes and herb gardens

Before we left for Germany, hubs and I picked up some flower boxes that are going up this weekend (hopefully!) below the windows facing our back porch. I love petunias for warmer weather with a bit of ivy, sweet potato vine or creeping Jenny.

I could definitely handle some of this in my near future!

I'm also hoping to plant an herb garden in the next few weeks. I need some fresh basil, rosemary, mint and thyme in my life STAT!

I can't wait to make homemade lemonade with mint leaves....pesto and caprese salad with basil....veggies with thyme...I could go on. I would love to plant some tomatoe plants as well!

YUM!

XOXO

Landshut, Germany and chandys

During our trip to Germany, hubs had to do some testing at a plant outside of one of the most charming cities I have ever been to - Landshut, Germany. It's filled with cobblestone streets, colorful shops, restaurants, cafes, churches and a palace. The town used to be the capital of Bavaria and, therefore, a rather affluent place.

We had amazingly beautiful weather and we were told it was the first sunny and warm weather that Germany has had so far this year. We stayed at the Goldene Sonne which has a wonderful breakfast and is right in the center of town. How cute is this place? All of the buildings looked like this throughout the town.

Unfortunately, our bags did not make it to the States but hopefully we will get them soon! Of course, both of our cameras are in the suitcase but I did take a couple of pictures on my phone when we were checking out because I was in love with the light fixtures.

Pretty gorgeous chandys and architecture, right?

More soon....
XOXO

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Update on the painted dresser

I got the rest of the ring pulls in that I needed. It still needs to be styled but it looks great!!


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Happy Friday

Thank goodness it is Friday! I struggled all week with an awful cold that is finally relenting. I had energy yesterday for the first time all week and picked up these funky guys from CraigsList. (that's when you know you're feeling better)

Fun right? And they are huge! I love the shape. They are brassy metal so I might have to paint them something really bold and it might be fun to have mirrors cut to replace the glass; definitely an easy project for down the road.

In the mean time though I've got something else on my mind. I'll give you a hint:

Don't recognize this? I don't either but I will soon enough.
We leave for Munich on Sunday! It's a very spontaneous trip that came up with hub's work and I had to tag along! I know no German and know nothing about Germany. Give me France, Spain or Italy and I could totally handle myself, but I'm really not sure what to expect EXCEPT for awesomeness. Hubs spent 6 months there in college and his mom taught German for 32 years so luckily I have the best kind of tour guide! So if you don't hear from me for a while that is why.

I've also got a new painting to post that I am donating to the Blockhouse Steeplechase to be auctioned off the day before the big event. I've never had a piece auctioned so I'm anxious to see how this goes! I'll try to post the picture before we leave.

XOXO

A freshly painted dresser!

Hubs told me that I have a problem with dressers and he might be right. I picked up this guy a couple of months ago for 20 bucks at a thrift store. Somehow my "before shot" got deleted but it was white and had different hardware. I thoroughly cleaned it with soap and water, applied wood filler in the few scratched areas, used leftover primer and paint from my last project and had this baby painted in no time flat! Seriously, I bet it took about an hour minus drying time. Since the hardware could be removed quickly and easily I didn't have anything to paint around and even used a large roller on most of it so the painting was a breeze.

I purchased some round brass knobs a while back from Ballacor because they were on sale for $2/piece; I didn't have a project in mind for them but knew they would come in handy at some point. Unfortunately, this dresser had 12 knobs and I only had 8 round pulls. I just ordered the extra four from Handlesets because Ballacor has a minimum purchase of 12 now! Notice the bottom drawer is without pulls but I still had to share.

And here is a close-up:

How cute is it? I love it. I can't wait to get it styled with some artwork, a lamp and who knows what else!

XOXO

black windows...

This image from Lonny makes me want to cover every window in my home with a quick coat of black lacquer; except there's nothing quick about painting windows (unfortunately).

These windows are bad arse.....but since I have no patience for painting windows and no budget for repainting windows that we just painted a year ago I may have to settle with a shiny black lacquer for my front door. I took Buddy (my dog that is pure awesomeness) on a walk this morning before work and all I could think about was how much I hate my white front door. It needs a pop of color. I previously wanted to paint it red since hubs vetoed blue, but now I can't get black out of my head.

Speaking of windows, we need new ones! Hopefully in black, but I digress. Does anyone know a good place in the Upstate for windows? We would like to replace them sometime in the next year. It's amazing how drafty they are.

Thank goodness it is Friday! Hubs is off skiing with boys and I have a whole weekend in town with no commitments. That's crazy talk. Maybe I can actually do some home projects or yard work but I don't know because I'm not making any commitments...

XOXO

A different kind of bouquet

My dear friend, Amanda, got married this past weekend and I was her Maid (I mean Matron - I guess) of Honor! So I was in charge of the rehearsal bouquet. I didn't want to do ribbons or flowers and got to thinking about something unique so I came up with a new idea! I had Cupcake on King Street in Charleston make 17 cupcake pops with letters that read "soon to be Mrs. Wicker" These pops are similar to a blow pop but a round cupcake with white chocolate icing on a stick. I used a round piece of florist foam and flowers to create the masterpiece.

And here is the bride-to-be with her cupcake bouquet! Everyone LOVED it, especially once they found out they could eat it!

The pops were a huge hit and were gone as soon as the rehearsal finished - they were amazing by the way. You have got to try these if you are in Charleston. I ordered vanilla cake with white chocolate but I'm sure they are all delicious. It was the start to a great weekend with a beautiful wedding and amazing reception with lots of dancing and celebrating!

BTW - sorry I've been totally MIA lately! Things were hectic with the big wedding in Charleston and hubs left for a boys skiing trip today. I'm hoping to finish up a new painting tonight that I am donating for the Blockhouse Steeplechase. I'll be sure to post pictures of it soon!

XOXO

A new painting

SNOWMAN!

My dear friends, Amanda and Grey, are getting married this weekend, and I am the matron of honor! How old does that sound? ha. Amanda asked me to paint a picture for her to give her "bridegroom" on Saturday. That word cracks me up.

Grey's pet portrait of Snowman needed to match an earlier pet portrait I did of Amanda's dog, Beauregard, where he is lying on a red puppy bed; hence the red sky and reddish grass.
XOXO

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Quick flower arrangements

I snagged some branches from my neighbor's yard and with inspiration from a post last week I made a few quick flower arrangements.

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Secrets from a Stylist

I'm loving this room styled by Emily Henderson, winner of HGTV's Design Star. It's Hollywood Regency meets Country Club chic and I dig it.

That upholstered deco sofa is awesome and I heart the bronze horse statute.

I also love how the curtains show off the amazing architecture of the doors and windows.
You should check out Emily's new show, Secrets from a Stylist, that premiered this past Saturday on HGTV. I haven't seen it yet but can't wait to check it out.

Here is another view of the room (below). The screen on the wall is pretty cool but I would have loved to see a large painting in this room somewhere; something that could bring together the punchy blue, pink and gold.

And here is the room styled differently and in blue. I like both looks.

I can't wait to watch her new series! In the mean time we've turned our "design" focus to the outdoors. We spent hours yesterday pulling weeds and working on a plan for our poor neglected yard, BUT it was a perfect day to be outside and we followed it up with grilling out and a glass of wine on the patio by candlelight. Fun times.

XOXO

Alternative sunburst and new paitning

Everyone loves a good sunburst mirror.

via Decor pad

But sunbursts are hugely popular and can get a little over played. Read these hilarious posts by My Favorite and My Best on design trends/offenses/classics (the first post includes sunbursts mirrors). I warn you that the language could be offensive to some but I find it hilarious!

Post 1

Post 2

Post 3

So here is my alternative to the overplayed/used sunburst:

by Laura Aiken

It is green mosaic and it is rad. It would look great in this guest bedroom at Young House Love. I know Laura, the artist, does commissions and you can get this cute sunburst in any color to match your own decor.

And here is my new painting that I picked up last night after having the canvas secured and new hanging wire attached. It was a thrift store find that I painted over.

It's now hanging over our bed. Our bedroom is slowly coming together!

What do you think?

Have an awesome Friday.

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Spring is in the air, Part Deux

It seems like everything is starting to bloom around here even though winter is not quite over yet. We still have some cold nights but let's get ready to embrace spring!

Snag a handful of branches to place in a vase for your mantel or a table. They look beautiful with just the buds or blooming.

via

Sit down and pick up a paint brush or visit a local artist (or find one online) for inspiration.

via Etsy

Hang some fresh wallpaper that will keep you smiling all year long.

Both wallpaper images via Fromental
(but first seen by this gal on Sketch 42)

Find that perfect blooming rug...

via

Or perhaps make a small investment like a new fresh bath mat from DKNY

Maybe you like something eclectic like this:

via

There are so many ways to welcome spring into your home and life. I know I can't wait to snag a few branches to pluck into my home. I am also excited to bare my legs without tights this week! Thank you 60/70 degree weather. We are going to a wedding this weekend and I'm going to wear a pink dress similar to this one...

How's that for feeling springy?

XOXO

Spring is in the air

It is BEAUTIFUL in South Carolina today. Warmer weather brings lot of things to mind like shaving my legs, storing sweaters, getting ready for a bikini (eek!), etc. It also makes me think about how pitiful our yard is looking. It is in need of some serious work.

via Coastal Living

I wish this was my backyard. Who says design is all about interiors? I could read a book in that plantation chair and before too long I would need this:

So I could then take a restful nap on that daybed.

That's where I wish I was on a sunny spring day like today. I also wish we had plans like this for our yard...what about you?

Have a lovely afternoon. XOXO

Treasure hunting

For the past year our family has been in the process of cleaning out my grandparents' home. We went to help with the process this weekend and grabbed a few great things that had to come home with us.

This rug is HUGE! And I love it. We are still in need of rugs in most of our rooms so it was a welcome addition.

I have no idea what you would call this but it's a bottle with a carved leather casing. I need to find a bar cart to set-up with this little guy.

This cute little ceramic container will easily find a new home.

This ecclectic elephant bookshelf is really unique and will look great when filled with books.

A vintage luggage rack will find a place in our guest bedroom.

And this side table. I haven't decided what to do with it yet but the lovely daisies and flowers will be getting a makeover. We had a busy weekend with traveling and packing up, but happy to come home with a few treasures!

XOXO

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