Category Archives: Dining Room

Living Room Updates

Posted on April 10, 2013 | 2 Comments

I about gave Ben a heart attack last week by making several big purchases including a BOB jogging stroller, maternity pics, a loveseat and a dresser! The Craigslist gods were smiling down upon me, what can I say?! Let’s begin by taking a look back at what our living room looked like before…
living_room_oldI’ve never felt like we had adequate seating in our living room. This was confirmed when we had some friends over and I watched a movie sitting in our chair. Most. Uncomfortable. Chair. Ever. We’re about to have a lot of company in the next few months when our little girl is born so I was on a mission!
pottery_barn_loveseat1Enter Mr. luscious microfiber Pottery Barn loveseat. This guy was sitting outside the PB Outlet last week begging for me to take him home! I kind of love that he only has 1 arm because it opens up the room. We decided that the other arm would have raised his price about $800 in the PB world, so we’re content:)
pottery_barn_loveseat2We just moved the couch down several feet and I sold the chair from Hades slipper chair on CL – good riddance! Ben has deemed it “his loveseat” since he can watch TV on it without turning his head to the side like on the couch.
craigslist_dresser1I’ve also been on the hunt for the perfect dresser to go under our TV for 6 months! I wanted it to be between 60-70″, have lots of storage, legs (instead of being flush with the floor) and to be dirt cheap. Every single time I found the “perfect” one on CL someone would snatch it up out from under me.
craigslist_dresser2This one was listed for $50 and after sending 3 emails without hearing anything back I decided to try something different. I offered the seller $20 more for it, they magically called and we picked it up that afternoon – whew! I’m thinking it would look great with a chalk paint makeover, but right now I’m loving it as is.
dvds1Confession: every CD and DVD we own has been in stacks on our guest bed for about 3 months now – the horror! These used to be stored in the dresser that we’re using in the nursery and it’s been driving me absolutely crazy!
dvd_storageThe BEST part about this dresser is the storage – 9 beautiful drawers! I plan on emptying our filing cabinet which is still in the nursery into a few of them and keep the bottom ones empty for toys. Also, no cords show behind this piece!
pottery_barn_console_table1Wonder where our cute PB console table went? We moved it to the dining room even though it’s a little squished in there. I plan on using this piece behind either the couch or loveseat in our next home which HAS to be bigger. Right now we’ll pretend that it’s a fancy buffet. I do love the blue under the frame montage.

I still have a couple of small projects in mind for the living room. What do you think about the updates? Anyone else hit a Craigslist wall trying to get a particular item? Am I in full-fledged nesting mode or what?!

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Posted in Dining Room, Living Room

Christmas Musings

Posted on December 14, 2012 | 5 Comments

It’s beginning to look at lot like Christmas at our house. First of all, I have a big blog announcement after the beginning of the year – I hope to add some spice and a new direction for this blog! Let the Christmas tour begin…
christmas1I picked up that robin egg blue plate at Homegoods. I already had the sparkly JOY letters from the $2.50 section at Target last year, so I just used a command strip to temporarily attach it. I love how the blue compliments the red Santa!
christmas2Our kitchen rooster even got a little Christmas makeover:) Have I mentioned that Ben picked out this guy for our home as a gift to me? #whoknew
christmas4Moving on to the dining room. This is identical to last year except for I added the oversized brown ornaments I picked up at Target’s after x-mas sale. Notice my ginormous shiny red purse hanging in the background? Love.
christmas5We should start calling our tree Old Faithful because it continues to look exactly the same year after year. My plan is to add like 100 more ornaments next year and I’d love to incorporate some burlap, but it just didn’t happen this year.
christmas6I did switch up our “mantel” this year since it had a burlap background from this project. I added some greenery at the top and opted for that snowflake rather than a pic. The colors remind me of Katy Perry’s last tour.
christmas1Last but not least, I was super excited to pull out my star ornament candle toppers which make me happy. Well, that’s our little version of Christmas.

Anyone want to venture a guess about my new blog direction? What’s your favorite thing to get out of the attic for Christmas (a good friend of mine adores her mini snowman nativity scene:)? Who else is done with their x-mas shopping?
Thrifty_Decor_Chick_thumb[2]

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Posted in Dining Room, Kitchen, Living Room

I’m Calling It: It’s Fall

Posted on August 31, 2012 | 2 Comments

Are the temps still in the 80′s and 90′s? Yes. However, tomorrow is Sept 1st and that means only 3 months of fall decor before, eek, Christmas!
You know what that means… time to give my shelf a warm, spicy makeover. I did reuse a few pieces from my fall shelf from last year. I love how the colors from the antique tray are like a fall color swatch and I love me some Dr. Pepper:)
I did add a few pieces that I’ve picked up throughout the year. The tray came from a friend’s yard sale, the metal pitcher was 1/2 off at Michaels and the votives were on clearance at Target for 99 cents a piece.
I also threw together a little fall tablescape. I broke a staging rule and used an even number of items, but I was ok with it since they were all varying heights.
For place settings I stacked a couple of my new square white plates and added some fallish napkins I picked up at Pottery Barn Outlet. I’m contemplating turning the napkins into pillow covers… we shall see.
Here’s a wider shot of the table. Simple. Just the way I like it.

Anyone else ready to defy the weather and decorate for fall? Who thinks I should turn those napkins into pillows? Any other DP lovers out there?

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Posted in Dining Room, Kitchen

Living Room Refresher

Posted on April 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

I’ve been eyeballing our living room lately. Not like you would ogle at Ryan Gosling, but more like if someone has a tag sticking out of their shirt. This is the first room I tackled when I started this blog and I’m ready for a change! I love the soft gray walls + hardwood floors combo, so my focus will be accessorizing.
One of the first projects I tackled was making these curtains out of tablecloths. They were an awesome solution at the time, but I’d like to find some fabric that speaks to me and redo these babies. I’m thinking something like this…I’m leaning towards light and airy because I want these rooms to have a fresh vibe. We spend a lot of time in this main area reading, writing, and brainstorming about our businesses, so this needs to be a creative space!
Another easy, but impactful, change would be adding more pillows to the couch and chair. I really love these West Elm pillows I got for a steal at a house sale, but I’ve never found the perfect accent pillows to go with them.
The new curtains would extend to the dining room as well. I’d also like to add some ribbon around the lampshade I attached to our ceiling fan awhile back.
Thanks to my avid blog reader, Denise, I balanced out the pops of color on our frame wall – great tip! This wall makes me smile every time I look at it. Oh, and look who finally found a non-reflective camera angle – Oh Happy Day!

Just writing this post makes me want to sprint to the fabric store! Who else has a bee in their bonnet about a room in their home? Should I attempt pillow making for the first time (gasp)? Do you have a thing for paisley too?

Curtain image found here (they’re no longer on etsy.com).

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Posted in Decorating Dilemmas, Dining Room, Living Room

Elephant Art

Posted on April 17, 2012 | 3 Comments

This last Friday we decided to be artsy fartsy and venture down to the Broad Avenue Spring Art Walk. We got to see my friend Hillary Butler’s art displayed and my friend Myla Smith perform – these ladies are both super talented artists! But little did I know that I would be leaving with this…
They had a booth set up for children where you could make your own screen print artwork. You could choose from several different animals, what color of acrylic paint, and actually create an original piece of art – so cool!
I knew exactly where I wanted to display my new piece, so I grabbed a frame we already had and carefully placed my yellow elephant on our frame collage wall. Doesn’t he look like he’s always been there and fits right in?
I love this view from the kitchen. We recently had a super fun family photo shoot in downtown Memphis, so I’d like to switch out some of the pics on the wall. The best part about this update is that it was absolutely FREE!

Where’s your favorite place to buy/create art? Anyone else have a heart for elephants? Who admits to standing their ground when a 3yo tries to cut in front of you in the screen print line (hypothetically speaking, of course)?

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Posted in Dining Room, DIY Projects

A Teal and Green Tabletop

Posted on April 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

Spring has definitely sprung in Memphis! The birds and the bees have inspired me to bring the happy into our home. I know everyone has been highly anticipating my seasonal spring table, so without further ado…
I should have warned you to turn the brightness down on your screen first with all those pops of color! My creative vision began with those beautiful teal placemats I found on clearance at Target for 88 cents a piece (don’t worry, I bought them long before April 1st so I didn’t break No-Spend April).
The tall vase and fancy sticks from our backyard have become a dining table staple. I just took out the moss rocks and added some fake Granny Smith apples. The chevron box came from Target (I patiently waited until it was 70% off) and that orange flower candle is like a hot potato in our home.
The pink Hallmark Kisses book was a gift I apparently gave Ben back when we were dating – cue the collective “Awww”. I love decorating with books!
The place settings were easy-peasy. I just stacked a couple of my favorite new bone white plates and threw a lime green napkin on top to tie in with the apples. I may have grabbed some of those plates out of the dishwasher… guilty!
Once upon a time I thought I was a neutral girl, but obviously I was dead wrong. This springy table makes me smile and I love how it turned out! Check out how it compares to last year’s spring-inspired tabletop.

What do y’all think – too crazy with the bright colors? Am I the only one who pulls dirty dishes out of the dishwasher for staging purposes? What other ladies out there have bought your significant other a “love” book?

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Posted in Dining Room

Burlap-Inspired Projects

Posted on January 24, 2012 | 1 Comment

I’ve been on a burlap kick lately. There’s just something about that soft, brown texture that warms everything up! It all started around Christmas when I was doing a craft project for my mother-in-law inspired by this Pinterest pic:
My MIL mentioned back in the fall that she would love some of the red leaves pressed from the tree in our front yard. We also happened to take a family pic at Thanksgiving in front of their house which was perfect timing!
All I needed for this project was a white frame from Target, a yard of burlap from Hancock’s and some white picture tabs from Michaels. I googled how to press leaves which involved wax paper and some heavy books. She loved it!
Next up was adding some texture to this white leaf platter I got at T.J. Maxx.
See how it would have been white on white? I simply laid the platter on top of my extra burlap, cut out the exact shape and attached it with scotch tape.
Y’all, I have wanted to frame our wedding invitation for 8 flippin’ yrs! I could never find a frame and mat that would fit it exactly. I found this simple black frame at Wal-Mart for $3, took out the mat and replaced it with burlap and promptly hung that baby up on our frame collage wall!
Here it is happily hanging beside its friend, black T:) I’m liking the look of mixing the white, black and silver frames. This collage is a work in progress – I’m already contemplating switching out some of the pics.

What projects have you incorporated burlap into – table runners, napkins, curtains? Any other homemade Christmas presents? Stay tuned on Thursday for a bathroom-related project we’ve been working on!

Burlap leaf frame image found here.

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Posted in Bathroom, Dining Room, DIY Projects

A Fresh Beginning

Posted on January 6, 2012 | 3 Comments

We finally tackled Christmas yesterday! That doesn’t sound quite right, but some of our dear friends from Ireland were coming over and we were well past the “Christmas decor” statute of limitations. Since I’ve been doing more seasonal decorating, I couldn’t just put all our fall decor back up in its place.
Our kitchen shelf went from this…
to this! There wasn’t much non-Christmasy stuff I could leave except for the votive bowls with acorns. It’s still winter, so they work for me. I brought back the white ceramic pitcher from my fall shelf along with some candle holders from our guest bedroom with turquoise candles to add a pop of color.
Our dining room table centerpiece went from this…
to this! You know simple is my middle name, plus I knew we were going to play cards with our friends so I didn’t want to busy up the table too much. I left the neutral placemat, vase and infamous sticks from our backyard. I added some moss rocks from the Dollar Store and a star ornament I got on clearance at Tarjay. I thought the star could represent hope for a New Year!
Our coffee table went from this…
to this! I replaced the star ornaments with fake crabapples I got for $2 a piece at Stein Mart and used a piece of tape to hold them in place. There was a sparkly candle on the left which I replaced with a bright, dare-I-say, springlike candle. It’s 68 degrees here today, so I’m going to pretend to skip winter all together:)

Overall, these minor changes make me feel happy and refreshed whenever I walk into our home! Who shamefully still has their tree up? What’s your favorite after-Christmas clearance find? Who else plays musical decor after the holidays?

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Posted in Dining Room, Kitchen, Living Room

A Ceiling Fan Makeover

Posted on December 9, 2011 | 2 Comments

When we first did a walk-thru of our house, we thought it was odd that there were ceiling fans in every bedroom. After moving in, we quickly realized they were necessary for air flow! In fact, when we started replacing all the light fixtures we opted for a ceiling fan in the dining room.
We love the practicality of it, but I missed the staging aspect of defining our dining room space with a chandelier (according to Sabrina Soto).
This globe that came with the fan was always “eh” in my book so I’ve been on the hunt for a good solution. That’s when I stumbled upon a blog with the perfect idea to add a lamp shade to our preexisting ceiling fan!
I already had a lamp shade with a spider fitting that I wanted to use (borrowed from our guest bedroom). Then I took off the globe to determine what I’d need to do in order to attach it to the fan.
All I needed was to make the connector longer so it could reach the fitting on the shade. Thankfully, the blogger tipped me off to go straight to the ceiling fan department at Home Depot instead of searching aimlessly.
Once I had the correct hardware, I simply screwed it on – so easy!
Then I attached the shade and the same pieces that held the globe on.
Look at that beautiful shaded ceiling fan in all her glory! I squealed to told Ben that I completely changed the look of our home for under $4!
I still can’t believe how easy this project was! The only problem I ran into was having to go back and re-screw everything correctly (it was a little off and caused the shade not to be level).
Since the shade hangs down lower than the globe, I decided our dining set needed some rearranging to be centered underneath the light. I like the new setup even though I’ve always tried tucking the table in that back corner.
I knew everyone would want to see the new view from the kitchen where I seem to take a lot of shots from. The shade is a ‘large’ size Room Essentials brand from Target for anyone interested. I absolutely love this simple change!

What do you all think? Is it wishful thinking wanting both the practicality of a fan and the look of a chandelier? What simple makeovers have you done lately?

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Posted in Dining Room, DIY Projects

A Christmas Tablescape

Posted on November 30, 2011 | 6 Comments

When the holidays come around, I just don’t know where to begin in decorating (as you know from my previous post). I thought it would be a good idea to eat this elephant one bite at a time and decided on our tabletop.
I opted for non-traditional blue and green accent colors and love how it turned out! I know what you’re thinking – what happened to my “natural Christmas” theme idea? What can I say, I just love color too much!
It all began with these adorable monogrammed ornaments we spotted at the West Elm Outlet a couple of weeks ago. The only problem was that they had a “B”, but no “M” so I improvised by flipping a “W” and restitched the string.
The centerpiece was super fun to throw together. Here’s a rundown of the items: tall glass vase: Ross, ornaments and placemat: Wal-Mart, jute x-mas tree: Hobby Lobby, small green vase: $2 from a house sale, sticks: my backyard.
One of my favorite things I did was use powdered sugar for “snow” filler – I think Will Ferrell would approve:) I also like the look of the silver mini ornaments in the green vase which I grabbed from the $1 section at Target last year.
I wanted this tabletop to be a little fancier than the vibe our everyday dishes give off. I was scratching my head wishing I had white fancy dishes when it dawned on me – um, I have completely neglected china! The icy blue napkins are from Target and I added a simple silver ornament for some sparkle.
Here’s my traditional “from the kitchen” pic. I love how the tabletop looks with the new frame collage! Whether I’m decorating a tabletop or an entire room, I always try to keep in mind my “less is more” rule. I like to keep it simple.

So what do you all think – does it put you in the Christmas spirit? Anyone else like to decorate with sticks and sugar? Have you blogged about your Christmas tablescape? Feel free to join the link party below!

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Posted in Dining Room, Holiday