When you know..you know

So I've been in a little creative funk these past couple weeks and haven't had much going on. I'm excited to report that the creative juices are flowin' again and I've been reawakened! You will learn it doesn't take much to get me excited, and this week, all it took were two adorable pillows I found while out on my lunch break.

If you've been out shopping, you'll notice geometric prints are all the craze right now and bold colors. It's so easy to keep things neutral at home, but ask yourself, "Does my home really reflect my personality." If your answer is "No", make some changes. It can just take a couple gallons of paint and some new throw pillows.

Can look vibrant and colorful!

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{image via studioten25}

Or can look a little more subdued and soft.

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{Image via designsponge.com}

Since we moved into our new place back in August, I'm still trying to finish up our front living room. It's such a great space and I've been struggling at finding pieces that speak to me. I bought these great chairs and they've been dying for some pillows to liven them up.

{Needs Something}

Last week, I took my weekly gander at Weir's down off Knox Street. And long and behold, there sat two adorable pillows I knew would work perfectly for our chairs. They were definitely speaking to me and I snatched them up in 2.2 seconds. Took them home and viola... Perfecto!  You can also find these great pillows at Z Gallerie online right now in multiple colors.

{After}

You'll learn that I love a great find and one that's reasonable too! Throw pillows aren't cheap you'll find. These bad boy pillows were $60 each, which I was happy to pay, especially for something I love. It was worth the wait! It's amazing what a couple great pillows will do.

Have you tapped into the craze?? Any prints at home your loving?? Have an awesome weekend!!

Secondhand shopping...Be Cautious!

So here is my two sense on any secondhand shopping you do...BE CAUTIOUS! Some can be so OVERPRICED. You have to be savvy and have an idea on what things cost, or you'll get ripped off.

I love a great find at a great price. I'm willing to pay you what the item it worth. When you shop on consignment, at garage sales, on Craigslist, or estate sales, your shopping there obviously to pay less than the retail cost would be somewhere else. Your looking for a fair price. Remember folks, we're talking secondhand. We're not talking brand new, never worn, or never used. If it's been out in your backyard for 20+years pieces, price it accordingly.

Now this was a great find on Craigslist. Beautiful, dining set for $330.00. Solid wood, with the glass table top. You can't beat it. Yes, I had to reupholster the chairs, but that was an easy, DIY project. It was worth it!

Why I bring this up is ALL because of two pagodas my dad and I checked out an estate sale this week. These we saw were made of concrete and very small pagodas. Average price for a brand new one, made of concrete at these small sizes can go for $40 and up.

So with that in mind, we are looking at two, used pagodas from an estate sale.

Here is the first one being sold for $40.00. This tiny thing should be no more than $20.00.

The second one we saw was a whopping $80.00. Again, should be no more than $30.

Really?? My dad almost fell over when she told us the price. We were pretty astounded and her answer and reason why it was that price is because, "It's so heavy". Really?? Yes, it's concrete, and it comes apart. I have a feeling she didn't even realize that. For both of these, my dad and I would have paid $50.00 max. She had the nerve to ask us if we wanted to place a bid on it. Really?? What happened to just negotiating. I hope this is not the direction we are heading when shopping at estate sales or any other secondhand shops. It's SECONDHAND for crying out loud. I realize it's trendy these days, but still, most of the stuff out there is junk.

Just saying..... HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND &  HAPPY HUNTING!

{image via zazzle.com}

                                            and remember...

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing you a wonderful day filled with love!

{image via google}

XOXOXO,

Allison

Refurb Projects

When Chris and I moved to Virginia in 2009, I had some time on my hands before finding a job. Having the time can be a good thing, and other times, not so good. For me, when I have too much time to myself, I have a tendency to over analyze my life and not in a productive way. I think about all the things I should be doing besides, for example, watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills or some other junk reality TV show. Honestly, it's really awful television, but sometimes it's so hard to turn it off:

Back to Virginia...So with my time, I found several pieces of furniture that we had that I wanted to redo. Some pieces took longer than others, and I thought I'd never finish. I can't say enough how rewarding it is once you get done finishing a piece. No matter how big or small, it's always awesome to see the transformation from before to after. Also, you basically have a brand new piece of furniture, and it didn't cost an arm and a leg. Love that!!!

{Before}

{After}

Here is the first piece I took on..A cedar chest a friend gave to my mom, in turn, gave to me. My dad and I made the mistake of putting a polyurethane that turned it yellow after we painted it originally. UGGGLYYY!! I lived with it like that for years. Finally, having the time I refinished this piece and decided to stain it rather than paint it. This one took me the longest. Stripping, sanding, conditioning, and staining, and sealing...it was never ending.




The second piece I did was a dresser I acquired from my grandmother's garage. I absolutely LOVE this style of furniture and the fact it was my grandmothers. Very Art Nouveau.  It was in pretty bad shape. Originally stripped years ago and painted as well. I ended up painting this one an off-white and now looks so much better. Just a little paint, huge transformation.

{Before}

{After}

My last piece was a small chest my parents purchased for me at an estate sale. It was a pinkish stain that I lived with again for many years. I decided I wanted something fun for our entry in VA, so I decided to paint it a  pretty apple green. I then added some fancy knobs from Anthropologie and what a difference.

{Before}

{After}

{Knobs from Anthropologie}

Here is a recent piece I acquired from a sidewalk sale.

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{After}

By no means am I finished with furniture refurbs. I was definitely on a roll in Virginia. Now, I'm at a point where I have no other furniture pieces that I want to change anytime soon. I ran out:) If you like to see more, visit my Facebook page!

I'd love to hear about pieces you've refinished and transformed yourself. Don't you agree, it's pretty rewarding, right?? Hard work, but somehow really enjoyable.