Category Archives: House Into Home

11.14.12

A Little Bit of Lilac Never Hurt Nobody.

What should have taken me 3 hours total, ended up being a project that sat in my garage for weeks. It all started with this lamp.

I was wanting a lamp similar to this one, but there were many reasons why it wouldn’t work: 1.) The price. 2.) The size. 3.) The color was a little but more grey than I was looking for.

So, after finding this lamp at Target, I figured I’d make it work. First, I primed it with STIX, painted it with leftover paint (we used that as the base color on E’s walls) and lacquered it.

I topped it off with a $12.99 shade from HomeGoods and here she is now. A perfect match!

Check in tomorrow to see more previews of E’s Room.

11.13.12

Pink and Purple Makeover!

Remember this ottoman from HomeGoods?

Well, she has gotten a major makeover.

And this rocking chair that I bought for $20 on CraigList? The frame used to be a dilapidated brown. (Sorry, I can’t find the original CL pic.) We stripped it and painted it a high-gloss black. Here she is before the new fabric…

And here she is now.

We still have a ways to go, but her room is really coming together. We need to stay on track so that we can make room for her new homework desk that she will be getting for Christmas.

More pics of her room tomorrow!

10.02.12

Family Circle.

Last Summer, I was so shocked to get a call from Family Circle Magazine that they wanted to feature our kitchen for the November issue. Well, it’s out now people, and here are the results….

I had no idea of how much time and effort went into every little shot. This was a 9:00-5:30 day, people… And we were a- hustlin’! It was an honor to work with the entire team at Family Circle. I learned so much. What a fun day we had!

See the before picture here. Get your copy in stores now!

Photos by David A. Land

06.26.12

‘Round Here.

I have been wrestling with the layout of our living room for years. We’ve moved the sofa on every wall in the room. Last weekend we rearranged the furniture once again to incorporate a buffet that I got on clearance at HomeGoods. Interestingly enough, now the sofa is not up against any wall, and we used the buffet as a sofa table that is adjacent to the front door. I LOVE how it opens up the entire room.

Now I will need to work on centering the butterfly prints and find some new items to style those DD Tables. E actually styled them here… not so bad, eh? The most exciting part? I have saved my pennies and the wingback chairs are FINALLY going out for reupholstery in two weeks. H E L L O T U R Q U O I S E L I N E N. They are seriously the best buy I’ve ever made on Craig’s List- so comfortable! We are loving this new setup and spent more time in our living room last weekend than we have in the entire eight years we’ve lived here. Lou has even set up her own restaurant. (Can you see Rudolph above? He was her first customer.) She’s been getting great use out of our new ottomans!

For those of you who have followed the progress of this room, you are probably asking where my DIY lamps are… No fear, they have been repurposed in the foyer.

I just love repurposing items in our house to new spaces… It almost makes me feel like I got away with something!

06.20.12

A Fresh Perspective.

I bought this secretary’s desk a few months ago on CraigList. Mike had to pick it up for me and when he got it home it was covered in scratches and top spindle fell off. I paid about $200 and, I was then convinced that I was a sucker. (Sorry, the only picture that I have is from the actual CL posting.)

I was determined to turn this piece of trash into a treasure. And finally, I found my inspiration via Pinterest.

It was the perfect color composition for the palette that I selected for our guest bedroom.

Here she is.. all prettied up.

The interior is Autumn Red by Benjamin Moore and the exterior is Blackthorn by Duron.

More pics and resources on this room to come!

06.11.12

The Poor Woman’s Gold Leaf Tray.

Most of us were not as lucky to have won the Gold Athena Tray from Vanillawood. So, I took matters into my own hands with a little help from HomeGoods. I picked up this baby for $14.99.