If You Give a Girl a Gift Card

So, I was given a $100 gift card for the work I did on a project and it's been burning a hole in my pocket.

I went to TJ Maxx to see if there was anything interesting.  There was.  First off, I encountered a woman who was berating the poor store manager, demanding an additional markdown and asking to speak with his boss.  I think she was either drunk or crazy.  Or both.  But it was interesting.

Moving on, I browsed the pillow department and scored some pretty pillows for my sectional (finally), and I'm test driving them to see if I like them in my family room.  And if I don't, they're so pretty, I'm sure I can find another home for them.

But who can go home from TJ Maxx with just throw pillows, when you have a gift card in your grubby hands?  Not me.

I also found a pretty hand towel for my powder room and one of those "bags 'o goodies" that has a bunch of fun and funky things like balls wrapped in twine or made of twigs, to put in an apothecary jar or a glass bowl.  You've seen them.  Right next to the bags of shells and glass pebbles.  You've bought them.  I know you have. 

Since I had my pillows and my hand towel, the beachy bag o' goodies just seemed like a good idea.  And since I had these beachy goodies, I might as well restyle my bookcases since I recently repainted the walls and all.

Here is the entire space.  I still haven't decided what color to paint the beige insets here.  I'm thinking white, to match the trim, and then paint out the back of the bookshelves in another color.

I started with one side - this is where it began:

And here it is now: 

And a beach photo of the boys seems appropriate, along with shells from that very beach.  The candlesticks were spraypainted in a glossy aqua.

The books on the top shelf are the same ones I had before, just covered with scrapbooking paper.  Well, almost covered - they're on the top shelf, so you can't see that the two laying on their side aren't completely covered.  Shhh.  No one needs to know.  The clock is another TJ Maxx find from awhile back that I just couldn't resist.

You can see the Beachy Bag 'o Goodies found a home...

So there you have it.  Now you know what happens if you give a girl a gift card...

I'm also participating in Thankful Thursday at Oak Ridge Revival.  If you haven't checked out her blog, you must.  Unless you're not into whole house renovations with amazing kitchens...

Linking up to:

Remodelaholic - Remodelaholic's Anonymous

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday

The CSI Project - Beachy Vignettes & Projects Challenge

Shabby Apple Dress Review

Oh boy, I'm not holding the camera today! Yikes! I am certainly more comfortable behind the lens than I am in front of it, but after reviewing a Shabby Apple dress, I am stepping out from behind the camera just for today! :) I have always loved wearing dresses, so an entire website dedicated to them is just my type of thing. Not just dresses though, they also have skirts, dresses for girls and maternity dresses too.

I chose a dress from the Set Sail collection, very summery. This is the Ahoy! dress, it comes in white too (Lighthouse), but I loved this green and of course I couldn't resist a turquoise bow! I love how this dress fit me, Shabby Apple celebrates all shapes and sizes of women, and I believe it. It is comfortable and is not too short on me, that is a plus in my book.

I love the color, don't you?

There are a lot of cute dresses for summer, be sure to visit Shabby Apple. click HERE.

Thanks Shabby Apple, I love your dresses!
(Thanks to Keegan for taking pictures for me! :)

If you would like to enjoy a 10% discount on your purchase, use the code "sweetsomething10off"

Monaco Breeze Tablescape

So I have been on a small sewing kick lately, or I should say, I've been on a: I just bought another yard of fabric kick, so I think I'll make something....and since my sewing skills don't go much beyond a straight stitch, I've been making table runners. So for someone like me with a fetish for dishes and playing pretty with them, that's a good thing.

I found this fabric and just fell in love. I don't usually go for true/navy blues, I'm more of a turquoise gal, but combined with the brown and green, it is great. Later, it dawned on me that it reminded me of THIS duvet cover at West Elm, that's probably why I bought it.

I kept the centerpiece really simple because the fabric is super busy.
I found these candle holders at Big Lots (you might have read that yesterday) and took too many pictures of them used them. White pillar candles and moss not only for interest, but I love that green.

Some milk glass vases with hydrangeas complete the simple centerpiece, I love how the ribbing on the candles are repeated in the ribbing of the vases. Cool.

I used a couple different styles of charger plates, isn't that the fun of setting a table? Mixing it up? I found two dark expresso colored wooden chargers at the Goodwill and combined then with some inexpensive plastic ones that I spray painted green. Ivy Leaf Green? Yep. Krylon? Yep.
Here's the expresso ones, the green are pictured further down.

I love these plates, I found them at Dollar Tree last year. They've got a neat starburst slash ribbing effect and a little age around the edge. They look very Summer-tiki to me, I'm not sure why. I pulled in the ottoman to seat six, I won't have to worry about that anymore since my chair score this past weekend!

Did I show you the candle holders yet? :)

The napkins are from World Market. They have a fantastic array of colors and come in a set of six. This color is called Lagoon Blue, so pretty.




The glassware I've had for some time, from Nell Hill's.

I used a starfish at each placesetting for even more summer details.

Some evening photos.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you're inspired!



Joining Susan

*Edited*
In case any of you guys want to know where I bought the fabric......it's from fabric.com. Name and item number: UJ-231, Magnolia Home Fashions. Color: Monaco Breeze

Tuesday {Six}

Isn't it amazing how fast the days go by? I mean really.
1.) I wanted to share a few tidbits that have gone on this week, a couple I am super excited about. We will start with this first picture. Do you notice anything different in the dining room eating area? Big. Goofy. Grin. Yes, I knew you would guess. New chairs, well, not new....new to me chairs courtesy of a quick trip into the Goodwill this weekend. I have my MIL to thank, she is the one that saw them, I can't believe my hawk eyes didn't catch them first! Please ignore the junky table.

Now I know these may not intially hit you as being my style, but picture this...

....glossy white and a turquoise linen fabric as a possibility. They will be painted and I am loving the caning. I think with the right paint and fabric, they will lean on the coastal/beachy/mod/vintage side. Initially, I was on the fence about them, they are A LOT taller than the chairs that came along with our vintage dining set, annndddd they are a little fancy (for me). Luckily, the legs are straight, or they would have been a lot fancy for me. But in the end, not only do we have a need for them, but I visualized them painted and I went for it. The caning is in fantastic shape, the little metal detail might go altogether, or might be painted a fun color.

Possible fabric choice:

One thing though, don't hold you're breath on seeing the afters of these anytime soon, I know they will take me forever to do....plus I'm in the midst of a dresser project for the master bedroom.

2.) This next picture is a sneaky peaky, I have some more sanding and of course the priming and painting. I'll let your imagination go with this one, but it should be done very soon and I'll show you the inspiration and the finished product all in one over-pictured (I'm sure) post. You might guess what the inspiration is already.

3.) A big thank you to the folks over at Be @ Home for featuring my blog as one of the best on the web, I really appreciate it! Click HERE to take a look at this great website, some great information going on over there.

4.) I have been on the hunt this style of candleholders for some time now. I finally found them at Big Lots. I noticed they had a smaller size, but they had them marked down the same price so I bought two large ones (they are about 14 inches tall) and if I want different sizes, I'll just raise one up on a book or box or use two different sized candles like I did here:

5.) If you have been a reader for any length of time, you know I have been sick and as of late, recovering from a recent surgery. But finally, I am feeling up to creating again and I have listed a couple of wreaths in my Etsy Shop. It's been over 9 months since I listed anything, so I am so happy about this. I feel like creating again, thank the Lord!! My sister and I decided that when I felt creative again, I was on my way to recovery. Not every day is good, but the other day I felt good. I mean really good, it was such a dawning on me, it's been a long time. So. If you feel so inclined to take a peek at the shop I'd love you to (button at the end of this post).

This is the large shell wreath and I did a smaller version too (below).

6.) I want to thank my top referers for this month too, I always forget to do this, thank you ladies!

Jagodowy Zagajnik

Eighteen 25

Between Naps on the Porch

Mamie Jane's

Just A Girl

Beyond the Picket Fence

Cozy Little House

Chair Up

Finally, I am doing a review on a dress from Shabby Apple and I will be giving you my opinion this week. It is a really cute dress, you're going to love the color.

Oh, and I am having a fun time pinning everything too, are you?

A Table Transformed

Happy Monday!

I have had this table that I picked up at a garage sale for awhile now, knowing that I could do something with it.  I mean, don't you always have a place for a cute little side table, somewhere in your house?  Well, I do anyway.  Or at least I can find a place for one...

Here is a quick before/after:

I debated about the color and whether I should add some sort of embellishment.  A stencil maybe?  Once I decided I was going to put it in my son's room, the decision got a little easier.  And when I came across some fun, navy blue gloss spray paint, it sealed the deal.

My oldest son's room is in the basement, and since he is on the verge of becoming a teen, I have spared you his room (and will continue to do so for the moment).  Pre-teen mess aside, his room is a funky shape, making it a bit of a design challenge. 

To orient you a bit, his room is off the media room area of the basement from the tour I gave awhile back:

There are double-doors to his room, similar to the ones that lead to my office on the other side of the room.  As a result, there isn't a lot of room for a decent bedside table in his room, so this table definitely fit the bill!

It works perfectly in his room when I shoved the mess aside put it lengthwise next to his bed.

See, a little room to spare when you open the bedroom door.

I had the lamp in his room already, sitting on his desk, so it fit in nicely.

As for the design - it was simple, really.  First, I spraypainted the top of the table in a glossy white.  Then I taped off the square with painters tape and sprayed the entire table in the glossy navy.

It just gives it that little bit of added interest, don't you think?

What have you spray painted lately?

Linking up to:

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesday Treasures

Not Just a Housewife - Show Me What Ya Got

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday

Remodelaholic - Remodelaholic's Anonymous

Easy Hurricanes

This is one of those projects that a little bit goes a long way. A super simple way to light a walk way, dress up a porch or create a centerpiece at a holiday BBQ.
Whatever you decide to use them for, these hurricanes couldn't be easier.

I have a real sickness when it comes to glass jars. I refuse to throw them away and literally argue with my inner recycler over whether to throw that spaghetti sauce jar out or not, because I can use that for something. Like eventually all glass jars will be nonexistent, and the leaders of our country smile and nod at me because I've been saving all jars, bottles and containers....you know, because plastic has taken over the world or something like that. So from mayo jars to pickle jars, they get put in the garage until I find a use for them. Let the record show (and let my husband know too), that I have found a use for some of them.

I used the large (restaurant size) pickle jar and mini flags. I found the flags at Target, 3/$1.00-that's the cheapest I've seen.



Remove the label and clean the jar, soaking works best for me. Take the the flags off of the sticks. spray the back with spray adhesive and apply to jar. I just eye-balled it.
To seal the flag, I put on a coat of Mod Podge, careful not to get any on the glass.

I used two flags per jar, and that is it! I put a little sand in the bottom to hold a votive cup level and I lined them down the walkway.
I took this at dusk, but you can barely see the flame....


So some evening shots are in order, although it's tough to get a good night shot.


Aren't they festive?



I like the simple look of them, but you could certainly embellish them more. Tie some jute or ribbon around the mouth of the jar, or if you are into the primitive look, coffee stain the flag first and then apply to the jar (after it's dry of course).


Thanks for stopping by, I hope you're inspired!