Seafoam End Table

No Living/Dining Room paint pictures yet. I'm sorry, I have been a very lazy photographer lately! Well, that's not true. I have been a very lazy personal photographer, but I have been very ambitious when it comes to doing some marketing for my photography business. I made my own business cards and sent them to be printed yesterday {yipee!} and I created some mock-ups for Christmas cards to advertise for upcoming Holiday photo shoots! If you'd live in the Philadelphia or Wilmington area and are interested in doing a shoot or just tto view some of my pictures, check out my website: natalie wagner photography

Anyhoo, I won't leave you with nothing. Here is one fabulous little project I finished a few months ago. It started out as a nightstand of sorts that I discovered at Goodwill under a pile of old frames and covered in dust. After a good scrubbing, it looked like this:

I believe it used to live in the castle on the movie Beauty and the Beast. Seriously, doesn't it look just like the huge wardrobe? That's what Ben said, too! Actually, his exact words were "What the heck is that ugly piece of crap and why is it in our Living Room?" ... "But doesn't it look like that wardrobe from Beauty and the Beast?" ... "Yes...when can I throw it out?"

I can understand his hesitation to keep this piece. There was some definite wear and tear on those beautiful legs.

However, here is after I primed it and painted it a soft aquamarine:

 BAM! Our formerly ugly duckling of an end table is now a beautiful swan! Wow, that was pretty lame...

I loooove these intricate details. They really set it apart and remind me why it's so much better to buy used furniture than drop a bunch of $$ on generic stuff from a department store that everyone else has {haha, that reminds me of the episode of Friends when Ross and Rachel bought the same apothecary table from Pottery Barn} and that will probably just fall apart anyway. Used furniture is great because it has already held up to the test of time, so you know it is built to last.

I am obsessed with the top; it's so unique!

I tried it as a nightstand for a bit. Though it looked pretty, it just wasn't right for the space. Plus, I needed the storage provided by my current table {for my Bible, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, etc.}.

Ahh yes, this is juuust right. It now serves as an end table in our Living Room and Ben and I both love it! The color is unexpected and, though subdued, it gives just the right amount of oomph to the space.

Of course, since these photos were taken, we painted the Living Room a warm, light gray color...stay tuned for more photos! :)

Have you completed any projects lately {or not so lately, that you have been too lazy to post}?

Candle Sconces

I'd really like to purchase some contemporary candle sconces to place on either side of the mirror in our living room. Most of what I've found online are a bit traditional for our taste. John and Sherry's sconces are just what I'm looking for:

Unfortunately, it appears that ZGallerie no longer sells them. Wah wah wah.

This one is fun:

...but it might be a little too blingy for my husband's liking.

I love the modern design and color of this one:

...but it's about 5 times more than I'd like to pay.

Any ideas?

Also, who would like to buy me this fabulous rug from CSN for our living room?

The 5'x8' is only $532...

I never know how often I should wash our sheets. It ranges from once a week to every other week. I normally wash them in cold water so they will last longer, but this article really has me wondering.

How often do you wash your bedding?


{I've also added this question to my weekly poll, located at the top, right-hand corner of this page}

Pillow Talk: Part 2

hmm... "Pillow Talk: Part One" was somewhat of a flop. Everyone was so dazzled by the Twinkle Living ZigZag pillow {which, I'll admit, it is beyond incredible} that no suggestions were made regarding my pillow cover dilemma!

Just to clear a few things up:

We will be purchasing gray slipcovers as well as new, smaller throw pillows {like the zigzag pillow}.

I absolutely LOVE the Twinkle Living pillow. It's just not in our budget right now {*sniff sniff*}.


Does anyone have any recommendations on how to fit 24" pillows into either 20" or 26" pillow covers? If not: Any ideas where I can find gray, 24" pillow covers for $25 or less?

Moving right along...

As I mentioned earlier, to complement our "new" gray pillows, we'd like to add one pillow to each end of the couch  in our living room {2 pillows total}.

I am a huge fan of neutrals {gray and white are my absolute favs} and we currently have a very monochromatic living room {cream, white, beige, grey, black...you get the idea}. So, we need to all some COLOR to the space. As I mentioned earlier in the week, here is what our oatmeal-colored sofa resembles:

What color/patterned pillows would go with the aforementioned color scheme for $25 or less? I am not very fond of red and my husband despises orange, but we looove all shades of turquoise and any other punchy colors. All patterns are fine except for flowers {our home is a "no-frills" zone}.

Here are a few options {those not specified are from Target}:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

{etsy}

9

10

CSN {hehe, had to throw that one in there ~ my all-time fav!}

So, which pillow(s) do you think would look best in our Living Room? If none of these will do, feel free to share other ideas! We are definitely open to suggestions.

Pillow Talk: Part One

The husband and I are in the process of sprucing up our monochromatic living room. We have ecru-colored walls {we live in an apartment and don't plan on painting}, an oatmeal-colored sofa and chair, and a creamy beige rug. We'd like to use throw pillows to inject a little color {stay tuned for Part Two), but first, we'd like to add my favorite color to the mix. So, are are going to add cushion covers to the pillows we currently have. Here is what our sofa looks like {just to give you an idea of the color/shape}:

We have 2 large {24"} suede/linen pillows from West Elm by each arm of the sofa:

I like brown, but I love gray, so I would like to purchase gray pillow covers for them. IKEA has these to offer:

felicia

sanela

Unfortunately, the "felicia" cover is only 20" and the "sanela" cover is 26". Any ideas on how to make either size fit our 24" pillows? If not, feel free to share where we can find some 24" gray pillow covers.

{...}

Speaking of pillows, be sure to stop by the DIY showoff for your chance to win up to $80 at CSN Stores! If I win, I am definitely going to buy the pillow I've been dreaming of for the past 4 months:

Twinkle Living ZigZag Pillow in "Seafoam"

This giveaway ends March 13th!

Lovely Living

Well, I spent more time lounging by the pool this past weekend than I did working on my collage for the guest room/study. So, I don't have an update for you - but I do have some gorgeous living room pics that I have found to be particularly inspiring...

Our new lamp!

Finally, some pictures!

Ben and I totally lucked out in finding this gorgeous, modern lamp at TJMaxx for just $49! We love its neutral colors, gourd-shaped, textured base, and large, linen shade. It's just perfect for the end table in our living room!

View from the front

View from the back

View from the side

Overall view

So, what do you think? :)

Lamp Love

The lamp hunt is on!

If you refer to my previous post, you'll see the Peace Lily I gave my husband last year when he was sick. He loves it and so do I - but I just don't think it looks right next to the couch. I have been wanting to replace it with a large, modern lamp, but Ben (my husband) insisted on keeping his little plant friend there. Last night, I showed him how much better it would look by the entertainment stand and he finally saw the light (no pun intended). Thus began the great lamp search.

The lamps at Target are too traditional and the lamps at Walmart are much too small, but the lamps at Bed Bath and Beyond are juuuuuust right:

Rekha White Table Lamp

Black Chrome-Finish Ceramic Table Lamp

Polished Chrome-Finish Ceramic Table Lamp

Leandra Black Table Lamp

Contemporary Table Lamp

So, what do you think? A few of them might be a little too creamy since our couch and chair are already oatmeal colored. There's also a gorgoeus lamp at TJMAXX, but I don't have a picture of it.

Ben (my husband) and I are going shopping this weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to show you all my new lamp next time I write a post!

Happy Friday!!