Another cozy, red Christmas in our house! (Scandinavian inspired Christmas decor)

 It's that time of year again! And I LOVE it!

There's nothing quite like the cozy feeling of Christmas decorations for  me :) 

I kept it simple this year, and didn't buy anything new (ok...ok....just one little cushion and a red reindeer)....does that even count?

I'm hooked on red. It's just so festive, and warm, and inviting!

Our mantel is very similar to how it was last year, but I added a new "Tis the Season" sign that I painted last night :) I kind of like the fun, "not-too-serious" vibe it gives off!

Our little haphazard Christmas village....mostly from the thrift shop.....which the boys LOVE. They play with it non-stop, and I don't have to worry about the odd breakage because the whole bag of little figurines cost about $2! :) 

Anyone else getting ready for Christmas already? We've got carols playing and the fire lit....and it really is "beginning to look at lot like Christmas"! ;)

xoxo

Tufted Wing Chair Makeover (Painting Upholstery)

It's been wayyyy too long since my last furniture project!

I seem to have lost my "oomph". 

When it comes to making changes/improvements around the house, it seems like my inspiration and motivation comes in spurts. I'm either super into it, and working on little projects in my spare time....or I'm just not into it at all.  

We've had the new flooring (a sort of white-washed wood-look laminate floor) in our basement/lower level for about 6 months now, and I still haven't finished decorating the space! Unbelievable. 

It's still nowhere near being finished, but at least I've started!

ok...now...on to the chair.

This lovely big wing chair was picked up by my sister in law, Dayna, for me at our local thrift shop's collectibles sale. How awesome is she!!!?

 :)

It was a great burnt orange colour, and I tried to make it work, but the room was sort of "rejecting" it ;)

so....I did what all good little bloggers do, and started googling/pinteresting (is that a term now??), etc and found this link.  The amazingly innovative Kristy, over at Hyphen Interiors had the guts to paint an upholstered chair.

heck....if she's brave enough, then I should be too, right??

So...I gave it a go.

Now...before you start wondering why mine doesn't look as vibrant as hers.....this is only one coat of paint (so far).

Here's the clincher....I kind of like it like this! 

What do you think??

It has a vintage-y "worn leather" look, reminiscent of copper that's turned green. 

I'm still debating whether or not I'll give it a second coat, to end up with a more solid, vibrant turquoise hue. Not sure. Still deciding.

This is the "before" shot :)

The big piece of driftwood that we're using as a little "side table" came from the beach...hehe.....you know...borrowed ;). Dustin was such a good sport and carried that sucker all the way to the car! VERY heavy. But totally worth it.

I'd love to hear your thoughts/opinions :)

A little light decorating.....vintage mirror, gallery wall, paris map...that sort of thing.

Once again....it's been weeks since my last post...

that must mean we've been having an action-packed summer.

Or....maybe I've been off doing all sorts of glamorous girly things like having spa days and afternoon tea parties.

Or...more than likely I've just simply been caught up in life with two little boys...riding bikes and splashing in paddling pools....wiping sticky popsicle hands.....that sort of thing :)

Isn't that what life's all about? 

Oh....and giggling.

We do a lot of giggling.

And in the odd fleeting moment where I have 3 minutes to myself, I sometime like to switch things up a bit....decor-wise :)

So...I went around our house just now and photographed a few of the little changes that make me smile when I see them......yes.....little "fresh" things around the house do that to me.

First of all.....this mirror was a recent thrift shop find ($8).....I gave it a quick coat of white, and then another quick coat of light grey....a quick bit of sandpaper distressing, and up to the living room she went. (*quick* being the key word here). Our little Finny has turned into a chronic 20 minute napper these days (he just learned to walk), so this project literally took 12 minutes from start to finish. Who needs dry paint between coats?....I mean...REALLY.  That would be a luxury. My trick.....paint outside in the hot sun and by the time you get around again to the second coat, the first is already basically dry. :)

So.....I had all these paintings gathering dust, and an ugly wall that needed cheering up. I know they aren't exactly hung in a way that would be "correct" design-wise....but it works for me, and I kind of like the haphazard gallery look. There....a new design term for you ;)

When I painted our bedroom, and moved the pink camellia painting, I needed some quick art for the living room. This is a vintage-style piece of wrapping paper that I found at a little boutique for $5. It's verging on being a little "generic" for my liking, but I like it none the less. The subtle pinks and blues sort of work well for our room. It's a good "stand-in" until something else comes along :)

I found this globe at our local thrift shop (really....do I ever shop anywhere else?)...hehe.....well, ahem....my husband might beg to differ, after I broke the news about a new little Nicole Miller dress that I just couldn't leave behind. C'mon...the thing fit like a glove. And you know that feeling when you zip up a dress and it's like it was just meant to be?.....well.....that's how it was. The dress....not the globe. 

Well...ok....maybe the globe too. I mean, look at the colours in it! Perfect!

And this is where I sit....right now....in that very spot :)

This vintage Paris map was also a piece of wrapping paper from the same boutique as the living room Eiffel Tower, and I fell in love with it. I like how it adds a little softness to our kitchen, alongside the black chalkboard wall.

I like this view a lot better now.....looking from our kitchen into the hallway.

I found an old IKEA table runner that I had bought several years ago...and it works perfectly in our kitchen now...thanks to the Paris map :)

I now enjoy sitting down at our table just that little bit more.

Small pleasures.

And who could resist cupcake print tea towels? Seriously.

My new tea-towel "system".....blue buckets :) Sitting out. Easy to reach...no more drawer stuffing.

So there you have it.....it's amazing how little changes can make a big difference to your every day life. 

Ok...maybe that's just me.

Hope you're all having a wonderful summer!

FINALLY....Our new Grey and White Striped Bedroom!

Definitely been neglecting my blog here...

It's been over 2 weeks! yikes.

But.....I promised a newly painted bedroom, and a newly painted bedroom you will get :)

I am LOVING it! 

I just can't believe I didn't paint it 3 years ago!

It's probably the smallest "master" bedroom in the world...but somehow it feels a lot bigger than it did before. Every little bit counts. Trust me.

I had 2 "naptimes" and a short evening to get it done, so there wasn't a lot of planning or preparation involved. I popped down to Benjamin Moore for a gallon of Cloud White and got started.

As for the stripes, I loved the suggestion of using a satin/glossy paint and alternating the paint finish, but as it happened, I had to get the job done before Finn woke up, and I just went to work with what I had. (ie.. some old black paint that we'd used to paint the back steps, which I added to the cloud white to end up with a nice french grey).

I'm not gonna lie...it was a pain in the butt to tape the stripes and make sure they were somewhat straight. But so worth it. I used a foam roller to roll the grey paint, and was informed by a paint-expert friend of mine that it was a good move. The tape didn't bleed much at all, and apparently would have bled if I had used a regular roller.

The quilted coverlet was a $70 Home Sense purchase. I wasn't sure about how it looked with the stripes at first, but once I hung the painting above the bed, it all seemed to come together nicely.

The chandelier was an impromptu IKEA purchase ($50), but when I got it up, it just looked a little too plain. So....I "adorned" it (Dustin's words). And I think it looks quite lovely.

Nothing like some good ol' thrift shop pearls to make a girl feel pretty, right?

The table lamps were a $3 thrift shop purchase (this morning!), and were a sad colour of peachy 80's pastel. Nothing a grey spray bomb and a new WalMart $8 shade can't fix!

Isn't this mirror beautiful? My sister-in-law Dayna nabbed it for me at her neighbour's garage sale a month or so ago. I've been waiting for the perfect spot to hang it.

And yes...I couldn't keep the ballet shoes out of the bedroom. They make me happy :)

So...I'm weird. What're you gonna do? ;)

As for my pink camellia painting, I think this is where it belongs. I was getting tired of it in the living room (I know...already!).

So there you have it.....my little piece of white and grey striped bliss. 

And if you don't remember what it looked like before...

This is what I've been up to lately.... www.gigglesweets.com :)

And I am eating WAY TOO MUCH salted caramel!!

This stripe problem is getting out of hand here...

Ok....I promise this will be the last striped piece of furniture you see here.

Well, at least for a *while*...

We're still in Newport Beach, but I had these pics on my computer, and since Toby is up at the crack of dawn this morning, I figured I might as well do a little blog post :)

This little footstool was another purchase ($4) from the garage sale I went to a week or two ago. It had dark brown legs, which I promptly painted white.

Then, while perusing my local Value Village (Savers), my eyes were magically drawn to this little sweater...is it any surprise? Honestly, I think I need help for my grey and white stripe problem. 

I will be weaning myself off stripes shortly, but for now.....for today....I'm embracing them :)

Sadly, the little sweater was a little bit too small to do a decent upholstery job, but it'll do for now. 

Once it gets dirty, or boring, I'll switch it up with a different fabric.

Today I get to be reunited with my long-lost friend, Ali, who moved away last year!! SO excited!!!!

We'll be home on Tuesday night, but until then....I'm in holiday mode :)

xo

What is it with me and stripy little Tables?

My lovely sister-in-law Dayna called me on Saturday morning to let me know that her antique-collecting neighbours were having their annual garage sale!! 

And her wonderful words went something like this ...."I've already bought you a bunch of nice stuff" 

!!!

So excited!

This little table was one of her scores! LOVE it!

It was painted white, and quite lovely as it was, but you know me....I can't resist a little project. What is it with me and stripes these days??

I think I'm coming seriously close to overdoing it.

Whatever.

I did my usual "green-tape" job...this time alternating thin and thick stripes, to switch it up a bit.

A little distressing....and there you have it. 

A new little side-table. Perfect for a little "tea for two".

The cute little milk/sugar set was a gift from my awesome husband, who came back from last week's business trip with an Anthropologie bag full of goodies!

How well does he know me? :)

I couldn't resist picking the last two peonies from our garden......I just enjoy them so much more inside where I can admire them all day long :)

I sometimes share my projects at: Shabby Nest's  Frugal Friday, Beyond the Picket Fence (Wednesday), Funky Junk, My Backyard Eden( Wednesday) , Tatertots and Jello (Weekend wrap-up), Somewhat Simple (Thursday), Seven Thirty Three (Thursday), My Romantic Home (Friday), Miss Mustard Seed (Furniture Friday), Fingerprints on the Fridge (Friday), Domestically Speaking (Wednesday)