Weekend Fun!

Happy Monday, Y'all! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! I sure did! I had the BEST day on Saturday. It all started with a coffee table that I found on Craigslist. When Shelli suggested a round coffee table in her board for my living room I was on a mad hunt for one. With the new round mirror over the mantle and the lines of the sectional, I agreed that a round coffee table would be ideal. BUT, I have been searching for weeks and weeks without any luck finding one in my price range (which was, oh, twenty bucks!). I was really hoping to find something at a yard sale or at the flea market for super cheap. However, my stalking on Criagslist paid off as I found one for $15! It's not solid wood of course and it's probably not my 'forever' coffee table, but it will certainly work for now and the price was unbelievable! One small problem was that the seller lived about 100 miles from me. The seller was willing to hold it for me through the weekend and so I decided to make a day of it! I called my mom and my grandmother and we planned a fun day together. It was the best! We rode out to the country to get my little table (which I forgot to get a picture of! I left it with my stepdad who is going to paint it white for me. Thanks Poppie!), then we went shopping and had a fabulous lunch and shopped some more. It was a full day and I savored every minute of it! And MAJOR props to my awesome hubby who kept the kids all day by himself! (Literally, I was gone before the kids woke up that morning and they were in bed when I got home late that evening...we ladies like to shop it down!)

I had these white letters that I wanted to paint silver to hang over the stove. While we were shopping my stepdad painted them for me (thanks again, Poppie) and I hung them up using some adhesive putty. So far they are staying up! I think they look cute!

Here we all are in Franklin enjoying our day together!
Will post pics of the coffee table soon as well as the NEW chair that Santa got for me! Merry early Christmas to ME!

Main Bathroom

There is one main room in the house that everyone sees that also needed some love. The main bathroom. Plus, I've been spending A LOT of time in there lately as we are in the midst of potty training the triplets so I didn't want this room to get left out! This is one of two bathrooms in our home, the other being the master in our bedroom.

I hung these beachy theme pictures in here that were in our bathroom.

Funny how moving things that you already have around gives them new life! This antique medicine cabinet belonged to my mother-in-law. She used to collect old vintage medicines and medicine bottles and had them displayed in the cabinet. When my in-laws moved several years ago we inherited the cabinet along with the medicines. My husband was attached to this cabinet and the medicines. He remembers admiring them when he was a child. But, when I moved the beachy pictures to this bathroom I decided that I wanted to make the cabinet more neutral and keep the beach theme going. I removed the medicines and filled the cabinet with seashells and soaps and some other bath essentials. The glass canister on top of the commode is filled with seashells that my husband and I collected on a trip to Jekyll Island, GA which is where he proposed to me 11 years ago!
A closer look at the cabinet...

Look at all of the potties all lined up! Seriously? How cute is that!
I eventually want some new rugs for the bathroom along with new towels. I'm also thinking that the tub needs a shower curtain to soften and warm up the space....but, that is way down on my wish list!

Buffet DIY Project!!!!

I am so super excited about tackling my first ever DIY project! My mom is super crafty and talented when it comes to all things DIY, but I unfortunately did not inherit that gene. However, I think I'm ready to give it a go! I've always loved painted furniture but my husband does not believe that ANY wood piece should be painted. Even still, I was drooling over images on Pinterest and fell in love with some of the funky colored pieces of furniture that I found. Here is an example of one of my favorites. Ahhhhh, love at first site....

via Pinterest

So, my mind started racing. I just HAVE to have a fun funky colored piece of furniture in my house. What if I had a piece of furniture that was super cheap or old and had no sentimental value...then my hubby wouldn't mind if it were painted? Maybe I'll check around at some yard sales or on Craigslist and see what I can find. THEN I remembered this little gem that my mom has had in her garage for several years just begging for a new lease on life. My uncle found it abandoned along the side of the road. He painted it white but apparently didn't sand it or prime it properly (again, I'm a clueless DIYer!) and the paint is peeling off. Every time I've visited her though I've seen it sitting in her garage and I always think that it could be cute. I shot her a quick email casually asking about the said piece. She became curious as to why I was asking about it and so I told her my idea and she said that of course I could HAVE it! Here she is:

What do you think??!?! Do you see the beauty too?!?! Am I totally nuts?? Haaa! Can't you just see it in a fun color and shiny new knobs?? I actually can't wait to get started. Of course, my mom and stepdad are going to help me with this first DIY project or I may end up with peeling paint too, but I'm so pumped and can't wait to see how it turns out. I already have the perfect spot picked out for it in my living room. I'm definitely digging the funky green color of the chest of drawers above. What do you think? Too much? Or just go for it??

Master Bedroom Target Love!

As I've learned since I started stalking, er, reading some of my favorite design blogs, little things can make a big impact. I have picked up tons of ideas and inspiration for my own home and one of the things that I became instantly in love with were sunburst mirrors. I've actually always loved the look of them, even as a kid, and now that they are everywhere I knew that I wanted one or five for the house! I purchased a large one for the space above the mantle that I am absolutely in love with. I still wanted another one for our bedroom to hang above the bed, but I shot my wad on the one for the mantle. Thankfully, good ol' Target came through for me! I found this lil cutie for $24.99! I LOVE how it draws your eye up over the bed and helps the windows not look so crazy tall. That empty space above the bed was just begging some attention and I love the results!

Yesterday the kiddos and I went on yet another trip to Target for diapers (at least that is my excuse!). Of course, while we were there I just had to swing by the pillow department. I had my eye on a certain pillow, but they were sold out. Thankfully, this round pillow by Dwell Studio for Target was sitting there staring at me and begged me to take him home. I felt sorry for him so I bought him. He's so happy on our bed!!!! I actually like him so much better than the first pillow that I had my eye on!
So, for just over fifty bucks I feel like I have a new bedroom! Score! Thanks Target!!! Love ya!!!

Just My Luck!

I'm really bad about saving up things for a special occasion or deeming something too special or too nice for everyday use. But, I try to remind myself that not using something that you have is really pointless and that you should enjoy your things. Case in point, this Tiffany vase that was a wedding gift 9 years ago. I've NEVER used it. It stayed in the box for a couple of years and then I finally got it out and had it sitting out in our guest bedroom. My sweet mom surprised me with some fresh flowers yesterday (thanks mom! I love em!) so I thought, hey I'm going to go get that Tiffany vase and use it! It has never even seen the likes of a drop of water so I was excited to finally use it!

But, guess what? While filling it up with water (for the FIRST TIME EVER, mind you) I hit it on the side of the kitchen sink and dinged up the bottom. REALLY? Seriously, that is the kind of luck I have.
Oh well. Unfortunately, the piece that chipped off was in four pieces so there is no hope of repair. At least the floral design is on both sides of the vase and I can turn it around and no one will ever notice. But, REALLY?? But, if that is the worst thing that happens to me, life is pretty good! Happy Monday, y'all!

Fun Finds

Happy Friday, y'all! I thought I'd share some of the things that I have found for the home lately for Operation Spruce Up and Add Color!

First of all, my living room mini-makeover is at a complete stand still. One of the main things that I need (hear me, neeeeeeed? haa!) is a lighter colored chair to set beside the fireplace. Currently I have a black wicker chair and it's not doing anything for the space. My designer friend Shelli suggested a linen colored chair. I've looked and looked and can't seem to find one on my shoestring budget. Plus, I'm worried that a linen chair would not be triplet friendly so I'm open to a chair with a pattern. I found this cute chair while at my weekly stalk to Homegoods...but I'm not sure...is it really cute, or am I settling? The colors are perfect, just not sure if I would get bored with this pattern? Opinions please!!!!

I found this happy little dish towel at World Market for under $4!

For some reason I have always wanted a fun, bright colander. Is that weird? I found this turq-waz one at Pier 1 and just knew I had to have it! Since my kitchen and living room are completely open to one another and I've been adding turquoise accessories to the living room it was a must and now sits atop the fridge along with a Pottery Barn serving tray that I found on clearance eons ago and a vintage cake carrier that my mom got for me.

Lookie at this cute little silver vase that I found at Tuesday Mornin' for $9! I absolutely love it!

I was completely tired of the "pile". You know the one. Chances are, you have one too. You know, the pile of mail, keys, sunglasses, cell phones, etc. Ours is always on our kitchen counter and constantly in the way. I cleared off this little section of counter space and designated this area for the pile. This little sectioned doodad from Pier 1 keeps it all organized with compartments for the phones, keys, mail, notepads and pens. So much better than a 'pile'!!!
Y'all have a great weekend!!!!

Fall Wish List

Yesterday was the first day that we've had that has been below 90 degrees which made me immediately look forward to fall. Fall is definitely one of my favorite seasons. I love the cool weather, the color of the leaves, the smells of pumpkin and spice, but most of all, I love getting out all of my favorite comfy sweaters and boots! Here are some things that I am pining for this fall:

I've been drooling over these Frye boots for years. A classic that will never go out of style. Via Piperlime

How stinkin' cute is this tweed dress??? Via Piperlime

I've been obsessing over these jeans for months. Just saw that they are on sale 50% off? I'll take 'em!!!! Via Shopbob

It..it t'was...cashmere! Anyone else watch Seinfeld? Every fall I swoon over the cashmere sweaters at J.Crew

How caaaa-ute is this yellow pea coat? Love love love!!! Via Old Navy

Foyer Free-Design

So, in keeping up with my desire to spruce up the house, I decided that our foyer was too dark (a big problem with my house that I'm trying to resolve) and needed a small change as well.

This painting has been hanging in the foyer since we moved in. I like the painting, but honestly, it was too big for the table as it was actually longer than the table, and the frame was just too formal. Sorry, I didn't get a picture of it hanging there before I took it down!

Last week we replaced the painting with this mirror that was actually over the mantle. I love how it reflects more light into the space and really helped to brighten up the area. But, I still wasn't in love with the accessories that were on the table.

Recently, my grandmother passed away and I was given one of her bibles that she had treasured for years. I am honored to have it and I wanted it out on display somewhere. Since my children are still at a very curious age, I put the bible under the lamp to not only give the lamp some height but also keep the precious bible safe from little hands who love to rip paper into shreds. The orchid was also a keepsake from her funeral. Purple was her favorite color. I've never had an orchid so I hope that I can keep it alive! I love the color that it brings to the space. I also changed out the lamp. This lamp was in our bedroom and I love how the chrome base and white shade also lighten up everything. The drop-leaf table has been in my husband's family for generations. A keeper for sure!


So, not a very exciting life altering makeover, but it was all done for FREE! Gotta love that!

Can. Not. Wait!

I am sooooooo looking forward to the new Missoni for Target collection that will debut in stores on September 13!!! The collection will contain over 400 pieces with everything from shoes and clothing to home decor and even cute office accessories! I literally want it all! It's all so super cute and everything has their signature chevron design. In love! Be sure to check it out!

Here are some of my absolute faves that I will be begging for:

Oh, how I lurve these trays...

and these towels.....

and these scarves....

and I love any opportunity to wear black tights. Seriously, how cute is this outfit??? I die!

All images via Pinterest. You can see the entire collection here. What are your faves that you will be rushing out to scoop up?

Mismatched Dining Room

Disclaimer. I am noooooooooooo interior designer. I love to look at pictures in magazines and I stalk many of your fabulous home design blogs, but I am completely new at this. I am constantly finding new ideas and inspiration and reading all of my favorite design blogs has inspired me to spruce my house up a bit. I'm learning as I go so don't laugh at my little dining room, mmmkay?!?! I just want my home to be comfortable and surround myself with things that I love. My husband and I are both extremely sentimental and our dining room is a perfect example of that as all of the pieces in there were given to us by our dear grandparents who have recently passed.

This corner cupboard was my husband's grandmother's. We both absolutely love it. It houses all of our wedding china as well as a complete set of Christmas china that she gave to me.

Okay, so this little bar is not really sentimental and has actually been with my husband since his bachelor days along with the framed art. But, it's working for now so we've left it in there.

The dining room table and chairs were given to me by my stepmom (which I hate calling her that since she has been my 2nd mom for going on 30 years). They belonged to her dad, who I adored, and she recalls eating many holiday dinners around that table and so do I as a child. When I received the set last year the chairs had the original cushions on them which was a lovely velvet in a shade of mustard yellow. I wish that I had taken a picture of them before having them recovered but I think I was so ready to see the mustard cushions go that I didn't even think about it. Here they are now. So much better!!! I am also contemplating painting the chairs white. What do you think?

This pie safe was also my husband's grandmother's. She gave it to us when we first bought the house. It is currently our bar housing wine, liqueur and wine and cocktail glasses.

Someday I envision a cool drum shade chandelier hanging over the table.
So, even though none of these pieces match, they all work for us and it makes us happy to have something that was treasured by those that we loved dearly.

Fashion Friday!

When it comes to fashion, I often struggle with my identity. I love so many different styles and trends that sometimes I'm not sure what my true fashion identity is. I admire people who have "a look" that is their own, like Nicole Richie for example. She will always be boho chic. Or Jennifer Aniston who always looks amazingly classic. I get inspired by trends, old and new, and more often than not, what I wear ends up being my mood for that day or where I'm going. But, there is one style that I have always been inspired by and that is classic Audrey Hepburn. She was beyond beautiful and whenever I have the opportunity I love to snuggle up under a blanket and watch Breakfast at Tiffany's. I'm not kidding you when I say that my heart skips a beat when I see some of her clothes in that movie. Anyone could put on any of those outfits today and look instantly pulled together and timeless. I would like to think that if I had an endless wardrobe budget, I would buy nothing but classic sheaths and full skirts and crisp tailored white button-up blouses. And perhaps I would. But, I'd save a few bucks for some bellbottom jeans! I just get too bored to commit to ONE style!

Here is my outfit today, a la' Audrey Hepburn. It's still crazy hot here so a tank is a must, skinny jeans rolled up just over the ankles and black flats.

Striped tank: Macy's (on clearance for $4!)

Skinny jeans: Aeropostale

Shoes: Tory Burch

Jewelry: Stella & Dot

Of course, to complete this look, the ultimate accessory is red lips. Here are some of my favorite reds:

Nars, Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella

Nars, Lip Lacquer in Diablo

Mac, Lipstick in Powerhouse

Desk Area Madness!

Okay, I confess. I'm not organized. As much as I WISH I was and as much as I love organizational supplies and gadgets and thoughts of being organized, I myself, have problems with staying organized. Of course, part of the problem is that I am not the only one who lives here. There is always someone else's "stuff" that gets thrown down somewhere and over time it piles up and accumulates and I'm never quite sure what to do with it all so I just turn a blind eye and pretend that it's not there. But, yesterday, while sitting at the computer and looking around in disgust I decided that something had to be done.

First of all, let's take a look at our, um, "office"? As you can imagine, three toddlers are very curious and unite together to get into mischief. They love to explore, especially if they know it is something that they are not supposed to be getting into. Our computer and desk are located in a corner of the bonus room which is also the playroom. On and around the desk there are cords, modems, papers, pens, paperclips and a plethora of other assorted items and choking hazards that are simply too dangerous for my curious toddlers. My walls have not been scribbled on yet, and I'm trying to prolong that as long as possible by keeping all of these supplies out of reach. How do I do that you ask? Let me introduce you to the lovely safety gate. Yup, she's a beaut, ain't she?

Now, let's take a closer look and the reason for my can't-take-it-any-longer moment...YIKES! (I'm embarrassed to even post these pics! Can you believe that a civilized person such as myself can live like this??)

Wait! It gets worse! Look at the pile of remotes, trash, smut magazines, postal boxes, and who knows what else. Seriously, you may see me on a future episode of Hoarders.

I had a plan. I remembered that I had a plastic set of drawers that I was not using that was stored away. It's not pretty but anything is better than the alternative so I brought it upstairs. I sorted through everything....all of the papers, books, planners, random toys and puzzle pieces. I had several piles: keep, trash, move to another room, and toys/puzzles. I put all of the basic office supplies in the top drawer and then I designated one drawer for me and one for my husband. I was pleasantly surprised that it only took me about thirty minutes to get it looking like this:

Much better, eh? I have big plans for this room someday, but right now it is what it is: a junk room, er, I mean a playroom. For now, I must give this room to the kiddos and be happy that I am making the rest of the house look a little better. At least I can breathe a little better with a nice clean, organized desk free of clutter! I'll take what I can get!!!

Flea Market Fun!

Recently my mom and I spent the day at the Nashville Flea Market. We used to go quite often but this was our first trip in over three years! Life is crazy when you have triplets and it's oftentimes hard to make time and arrangements to do things with just the two of us. So, we were super excited about spending the day together!

I absolutely love going to the Flea Market! So many fun finds, but also complete and total randomness! Like, bins and bins of expired medicines, lotions and candy. So weird!?!?! Here are some of my favorite finds:

I absolutely fell in lurve with this guy's letters. He carves out the letters from wood and then covers them with antique ceiling tiles. Gorge! I'm dying for this "M" to hang amongst framed photos in my gallery wall that I'm going to do....one of these days.

More randomness. A wig booth. Just for giggles, I couldn't resist trying on this long blonde wig. I mean, could it be more opposite from my "real" look? The sales lady kept insisting that I looked "more beautiful" with the wig. My mom and I got a good laugh out of that! So funny!!!

I just had to scoop up this old canning jar for $3. It is so Southern and I can't wait to fill it up with sunflowers or fresh cut hydrangeas.

I also purchased this antique compote bowl for $15. The green color is fab! I had hoped to leave it out on the counter and use it as a fruit bowl and add a little funkiness and color to the kitchen, but it's a bit small for that. So, not sure what I'm going to do with it. It may only come out when we're entertaining to hold a dip or salsa, but I'm still happy with it!

And, of course, I couldn't leave the flea market without a complete random purchase! I saw this mirror sitting out on one of the tables and picked it up and looked at myself and I could literally see every single pore on my face 10x bigger! Whoa! And for a buck I couldn't resist! I've already had fun plucking my eyebrows with this little guy.
After the flea market we hit up a few more antique stores and had lunch at a local "Meat and Three". All in all, it was a perfect mother/daughter day!!!