4.28.2010

My new venture!

I haven't been blogging as much as I would like, but there is good reason.  In addition to being a quasi-decorator, I have ventured into the world of photography!  

I did my first photo shoot last week for a friend's dance company.  It was a grueling 3 hour shoot, but so much fun!  They wanted edgy photography for their website.  

Here are some of my favorite images from the shoot!
























Of course it's really easy to take good pictures when you are working with such beautiful subjects!

It will be interesting to see where this leads me!





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4.25.2010

Shop The House Sunday!


Sorry this is up late this weekend.  It's been a whirlwind couple of days, but I have some exciting news to share later this week!  Stay tuned...

"Shop" your house (in your pajamas if you wanna!) and create something for free!

Projects can be ANYTHING,  like repurposing an item, moving something to a different room for a new look, a recycled project, painting projects, organizing projects, tablescapes, rearranging furniture...the sky's the limit.

THE ONLY RULE?  

YOUR PROJECT MUST USE ITEMS YOU ALREADY OWN. 
We're sharing projects that cost NO MONEY.  

Can't wait to see everyone's ideas for FREE decorating!
Link up and party!  
1.  Use the link for your POST, not the link for your blog.
2.  Link back to this party, with the button on the right side or a text link.

Linky will be up through Tuesday morning, to give everyone time to shop, create, show and tell!



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4.21.2010

More patio progress!

My cushions came in today!  

Remember the Frontgate chaise lounge chairs I found in the trash?!  I haven't repaired them yet, but couldn't resist putting the new cushions on to see how they looked!  I need a little table in between them to hold my afternoon margarita(s)!

This is the bamboo dining set I bought on Craig's List for $45 and painted/stained.  I love the way the chair cushions look!

This is the Frontgate teak chair I found in the trash!  It needs a little throw pillow.  I found the ceramic garden stool at Big Lots for $15.

Now here's my next project....

Shield your eyes!

This is the settee I bought on Craig's List for $65.  I'm lovingly calling it my Holly Hobby couch.  Dontcha just LOVE that little ditzy floral print?!  Ha!  Rudy, our puppy, thinks it makes a really nice bed!

My dilemma is how the heck I'm going to recover this thing!  

It has a fabric back with curves behind the pillows...

...and across the back.

Mrs. FYN does NOT sew....yet.  I have a sewing machine, but still trying to figure out how to use it.  Any ideas for how to recover this thing with no sewing?

Also, should I sand and re-stain the wood finish or should I paint it?  White?


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My newest decorating dilemma!

I'm so excited to be participating in Amanda's Decorating Dilemmas party at Serenity Now!  

This is my most favorite party because I get to post a decorating "opportunity" and get free advice from my talented blogging friends!  I've posted about my master bedroom, my patio and now my newest dilemma....my KITCHEN!

So, here we go!

Exhibit A - The "master planned community basic kitchen"


It's a big space that is open to the family room.  This house was already built when we bought it so I didn't get to pick out anything.  I actually like some of the features, like the backsplash...
The dark tile is a bronze color with a nice patina

And the granite color (although if I had it my way, I would have marble!)

Don't get me wrong, I "like" my kitchen....LIKE.  But, it looks like every other kitchen in the neighborhood and I want to LOVE it.  

So, my dilemma is....

How do I make my kitchen "WOW" on a bird-sized budget?

I've thought about removing some of the cabinet doors to create open shelving.  I would paint the inside of the cabinets.  I have a lot of pretty dishes and serveware that I could display.


1.  Do you think I'm crazy?  Mr. FYN does.  "Those cabinets were an upgrade and they're solid maple!  Are you crazy?" (that's me doing my Mr. FYN impression)

2.  Do you think I'm on to something?  If so, how many cabinet doors would you remove?  Both sides, left side, right side, left side and the corner cabinets?  What color would you paint the insides?  Keep in mind the wall paint color is a gray-blue.

This is from the kitchen looking into the breakfast area.  We are going to have an L-shaped banquette built for the breakfast area and change out the round table for a trestle style, to seat more people (which will come in handy since we are making our formal dining room a sitting room soon!)  The dresser we are using as a "bar" will come out of the room.  
I'm going to change out the blinds to bamboo or seagrass.

This is the other issue.  Standing from the living room facing the kitchen this is what you see.  It's supposed to be a bar, but the family room is so small I think it would be too crowded if I put barstools here.  I've thought about building shelves in that space underneath to look like a built-in bookcase.  I've also thought about some sort of bin system built-in to hold the kids' shoes and backpacks, since we don't have a mudroom. What do you think?

Oh, one other thing to consider:  in the next couple of months, we are replacing all the tile and carpet with wood plank flooring.  Yes, I'm putting wood in the kitchen!  I know, I know, I'm taking a gamble, but I love the way it looks.  Plus, we don't cook!  Ha!

What else would you do in here to make this kitchen a showstopper?  Help!



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4.19.2010

Patio Table DONE!

I finally have something to show you from my back patio project!

The patio table is finally done!  This is the bamboo dining set I found on Craig's list for $45.  I painted the chairs and stained the table.  

The glass top was found in the trash....FREE!

I had the Indian fabric and think it makes a cool runner.

I painted the chairs turquoise and after a spray paint mishap, this is the result.  I ended up going over everything with brown stain and adding some orange/bronze glaze that I mixed up with paint I had.  The color in the runner ties into the finish on the chairs.

More to come on the patio.  I'm working furiously this week so I can post more at Amanda's party!  Stay tuned...



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4.17.2010

Shop The House Sunday!


It's the weekend, YAY!  Hope everyone is enjoying some beautiful weather!

Here are my favorite "shops" from last week's party!

Desk makeover at The Charm Of Home

Scrapbook Paper Magnets at A Crafty Escape

Be sure to grab an "I Was Featured" button if you are showcased this week!

So now it's your turn!

"Shop" your house (in your pajamas if you wanna!) and create something for free!

Projects can be ANYTHING,  like repurposing an item, moving something to a different room for a new look, a recycled project, painting projects, organizing projects, tablescapes, rearranging furniture...the sky's the limit.

THE ONLY RULE?  

YOUR PROJECT MUST USE ITEMS YOU ALREADY OWN. 
We're sharing projects that cost NO MONEY.  

Can't wait to see everyone's ideas for FREE decorating!
Link up and party!  
1.  Use the link for your POST, not the link for your blog.
2.  Link back to this party, with the button on the right side or a text link.

Linky will be up through Monday morning, to give everyone time to shop, create, show and tell!




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