2 Pinterested?

For many of us, the pinterest phenomenon is occupying an extreme chunk of free time, and let’s be honest, a fair amount of time that should be dedicated to workplace responsibilities…I won’t tell.

While I did my best in taking my sweet time jumping on the pinterest bandwagon for fear that I might just reach overload with one more online addiction, the inspiration and organization had me intrigued. But the hook? The part that really keeps me coming back for more? Finding my home’s doppelgangers! Knowing that somewhere out there, others also enjoy:

A painted white fireplace…





A dusty ladder moved indoors…

 

…and (most likely) expensive wall art that I whipped up DIY style for my own casa…

If you aren’t already pinterested, this is my official endorsement. It’s ridiculously fabulous.

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2 Hanging It Up

There are two major problems with the photos below…

 
Issue #1: This little birthday beauty from my sister and brother-in-law is not currently hanging in my house.

Issue #2: While lovely as a candle-powered lantern, this friend needs to be juiced up and transformed into a light fixture for above my living room mantle.

Fortunately both hurdles are completely rectifiable. Check back soon to see!

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4 Ladder Up

About a month ago, while scurrying around underneath the house (Missed that adventure?), I stumbled upon this find…


Who knows how long this ladder had been hanging out under the house, but one thing was for sure. I could tell he still had a bit of kick in his step and it was time for him to live out the rest of his years in my living room…after a good dusting and an excessive amount of antibacterial disinfectant.

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0 Thrifty Find: Nerd Love

Disclaimer: If you are not a fellow nerd (or are deep down in your soul but have a hard time coming to terms with such an admission), this post is not for you.

Now that we’ve cleared out all the cool kids, eat your heart out at this fantastically thrifty nerd find. Can you spot the new nerd-tastic addition to my den?

Did you find it? Well, of course you did! My fellow nerds can sniff out a dewey decimal system a mile away. Welcome my very own chunk of an old-school card catalogue! As a proud holder of a frequently used library card, this find rocks my page-turning socks off.



Happy Friday, y’all!

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5 I Get It From My Momma…

While I rant and rave and thank my biological mother every day of the week for passing her DIY genes my way, this post is about another momma of mine…previously mentioned biological mother is surely confused at this point. I have some explaining to do.

There is nothing I love more than texts/emails/facebook messages/phone calls from friends, family, clients and strangers alike picking my furniture flipping brain. But when one of my best pals, and Delta Delta Delta pledge mom, Erin (cue the “Ahhhh. Gotcha.” from bio mom) sent me her before and after pics of a project she’d been working on, I was over the moon. Not only do I love seeing my friends join me on the thrifty, DIY side of life, but Erin’s table also proves another point I enjoy drilling into the brains of those unfortunate enough to throw the but-I-just-don’t-think-I-can-do-it card my way: A little paint goes a long way.

Let’s take a look at Erin’s table before. With chipping paint and a few birdie deposits on the corner, there is definite room for improvement…



A quick sand and a coat of primer…



…followed with a turquoise base coat dry brushed with a pale ivory-yellowish hue and Erin’s old-made-new table is up and running in no time!



Great job, Mom! A fabulous addition to your outdoor space for practically nothing. I’m coming over. What’s for dinner?



Have a before & after you are dying to share? I’m just itching to see! Click here to email me your fabulous creation.

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4 Karma Loves Stalkers

We all know I love a good magazine hoard. One quick run through my house would tell you that. We’ve discussed this. For inspiration, decoration…they are everywhere. As a result a good 95% of the magazines in my house have sporadic corners turned down to remind me that, at one point in time, I probably became really excited about something on that page and need to relive the experience when I come back later to re-stalk that page. True, 85% of the time, I don’t remember what that something that excited me was, but that’s a moot point.

You see, something magical happens around these parts when the DIY stars align and not only do I find magazine inspiration that I have to have in my own casa, but when I already have the materials to make it? I lose my mind with excitement.

Fortunately, a few months back, I pilfered a pile of old fence wood from the side of the road…

I thought up a number of ideas for making this hunk of decrepit lumber into something fabulous, but nothing felt quite right…until now.

After years of flagging pages and collecting needless junk in need of rehab, karma threw a bone my way in the form of page 74 of the July/August Traditional Home magazine…

It’s happening and I have the rotting fence wood to make it happen.

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2 I Wanna Stop…And Thank You, Baby

After a wonderful weeklong birthday blog hiatus paired with a holiday weekend, I’m back! But we definitely have some catching up to do. A serious agenda for today’s post, crammed full of gratitudes…

Since it’s the first of the month (6 days late), I want to give a big thank you to all of the fabulous folks who’ve linked to this little blog of mine. Big blog hugs & kisses coming your way!

A Touch of Arkansas
AJW Design Co
At Home in Arkansas
Bellatina Creations
Brixton Nole
Bubbles and Money
Building Moxie
Cara Beth Photography
Casa Sugar
Charlotte John Real Estate Co.
Custard By Design
Dabe to Dream
Details Weddings & Events
East Goes West
eHow
Five Little Rules
For the Love of Painting
From the Front Porch
Frugal with a Flourish
Home Decor News
Home Sweet Home
I design, you DIY…e-decorating
Jessica’s Journey
Keeping Up with the Joneses
Life Lessons
Live the Life You Love
Lovely Tonight
Modern Maizy
My Life as a Mrs
Oh The Place I Want To Go
Our Family
Our Happy Family
Providence Ltd Interior Design
Quaint Oaks
Rachael Jones’ Blog
Rambles with Reese
Remodel This House
Re-Nest
Show Home Staging & Design
Simple Tips for Life
Splendid Twenties
Take Life with a Grain of Chocolate
Tearing Up Houses
That’s What She Said
The Buies
The Cape on the Corner
The Dooses
The Deacons
The Divine Mrs. EM
The Flipping Couple
The Good Life
The Hopper House
The Jones Family
The Lowe Down
The Married Life Diaries
The McNulty Family
The Muddy Truth
The Phillips Pham
The Road to Delightful
The Rich Hard Life & Sons
Two Dogs & a House
Two Poms and a House
UAMesSing It Up
Well Nested Home
Zesty Nest

AND an even bigger thank you to my lovely friends and family who helped me kick off my 26th year on this planet. One week in, 26 is looking pretty fine.

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