Mirror mirror on the wall, you're the fairest of them all!

Well, I got the mirror finished, and I am going to go ahead and put it out there that I LOVE IT!

When I started out, I really didn't know where I was going with it {not a good plan}. I did however know what colors I wanted to incorporate. However, after the stool debacle I was a little hesitant to jump off of the neutral train. Forging ahead the mirror first got some more life with the same green paint that was used on my coffee table tray. That's a pop of color for you!

The room has a more rustic look so I watered down the grey used on the stencil walled entry and formed a glaze. This glaze was rubbed all over the mirror.

Some stain is then applied to the detailing in order to give the piece some more depth. And there you have it!

Sometimes it's just a free simple change that makes a room fresh!  I am still thinking that I want to do something more with those plates, but I'm not sure yet.

Musical Wall Art

Ugh, we still haven't figured out the computer thing! Apparently it is pretty common with Dell's around this age, so we have a checklist of things we need to do in order to get it up and operating properly. However, it was the weekend and I took the opportunity to use the hub's computer to upload my pictures for the week:)

Remember way back when I wanted to find some thrift owls to makeover? Well, I didn't find any, but I found some cute plates that I knew I could do something with! Originally I thought they would go in the kitchen, but it was too crowded. So I decided to put them on this wall that I've been struggling with for awhile.

Here is a map of where I wanted to place everything. {I strongly urge you to do this if you don't want tons of holes in your walls}!

This is how it looks with everything hung up. That mirror is contrasting too much, and the room is too brown and black. I think I am going to makeover that mirror to give the room more color. Maybe do something with those plates too!

Eventually I would like to swag the light fixture to be centered on that short wall, and add a buffet. When I figure out how to plant a money tree I'll get all of my wish list completed ;)

Stay tuned for how I transform the mirror, and hopefully it won't be as much of a mess as the stool.

Pottery Barn Style Typography Placemats

Having been inspired by all of the typography going on around the design world, as well as my yearning to finally get around to sprucing up some of my old household items I updated some bland place mats cheap-o style  without spending a penny!  

Insert hubby saying "old, we just bought those this summer".  Truth be told, I should have listened to my mother and got a color that contrasted my dining room table more.  Then I went and washed them and they turned out like this! 

They have sat in a drawer since, never to see daylight again.  That is until  I  decided after New Years to try ironing them to see if they would go back to normal or purge them!  

These next steps are for the other cheap-o's out there {come on, I know I'm not alone here} so if you have one of those handy dandy cutters skip the next steps.  I went into my standard word processor on the PC and found a font that I liked.  Then taped some stencil paper to the screen, traced and cut with an Exacto knife.  Taped the stencil to the place mat and went to town with a stencil brush and some acrylic paint.

I think they turned out pretty well, and I don't have to worry about those sweating glasses {as you can tell I am a little psychotic afraid of people putting their glasses on my wood tables}.

Don't mind that empty hole there!

Thank you to Michaela Noelle, Carly at Honey and the Moon, and  Rachie @ A Chi Chi Affair for honoring me with the Stylish Blogger Award!  So the rules are that you must tell seven things about yourself and then pass the honor on to 15 other bloggers that inspire you.
1.  I HAVE to have coffee in the morning, the more the better and it has to have lots of fruffy creamer in it!   2.  I sometimes stay in my pajamas all day until right before my hubby comes home, sometimes I stay in them even after he comes home 3.  I am a horrible speller, thank God for spellcheck!  4.  I use ! and :) way to much while blogging.  5.  Met my hubby when we were 17 and married him when we were barley 20.  6.  I don't eat my veggies.  7.  If I had a choice between traveling or doing a home project I would choose home project 99% of the time.

The award now goes to other blogs that inspire me:

A Thoughtful Place
Honey and the Moon
Michaela Noelle
The Little Brick House
The Way We Are
Creative Index
A Chi Chi Affair
Danielle Oakey Interiors
Hi Surgarplum!
Honey We're Home
Stephanie@Home
Sixty-Fifth Avenue
Restored Style
On the Banks of Squaw Creek
Lauren Lane Decor

 Where I'm Partying Today:

Beautiful Thanksgiving Tables

I am getting so excited for Thanksgiving this year, it will be the second Thanksgiving that we will be staying at home for.  It will probably just be my hubby, little man and I as our families can't make it down here.  Even though it is just the three of us I like it to be a special day of family, feast and football!  I am loving these table scapes and they are giving me inspiration for our table, and the challenge is going to be making ours look just as great with what we already have.  The little man was picking up tons of acorns from our lawn the other day and I though about throwing them back into the yard when we were done, but I brought them in and I think they'll find a way onto our table.

 Traditional Home

Better Homes & Gardens

Better Homes & Gardens

A Layer of Character

Janell over at Isabella & Max Rooms has inspired me to find a way to use stencils in my home. She has done such a great job of bringing stencils into her home in a modern way that just helps bring some character and personality into a space. It is easy to have too much going on in a home and it starts to look cluttered, and the way that she incorporates these throughout her home just adds a feeling of texture.

I have been just standing back and thinking about where I could incorporate this into some prominent space. Then I realized that it could give my entry wall some definition since it really only has one wall, and that wall is shared with the Living Room. Now my only decision is do I use a darker color for the stencil or a lighter? I am leaning towards the lighter, but I don't want it to look to feminine and I think that the contrast of a darker color will keep it from looking to much like lace (see this is why it is so hard to decorate your own home).

Dining Room in Transition

As with many homeowners your home is always a work in progress. Mine is nothing different, in fact I wonder if I would ever feel finished even if I were to have a million dollars and do everything I wanted to at once. I feel like such an adult, I can now have more people around my dining table without bringing in the camping chairs or patio furniture. Below is a photo taken a couple days after we moved in. Shockingly this was not the worst room in the house, you should have seen the bathrooms! Our home had been a rental for a few years and so most of the fixtures hadn't been update and mini-blinds, YUCK, adorned every window in the house.

Before

Below is a picture from last winter when I finally upgraded the dining table to a longer one that I could fit six, gasp, people around at dinner. Only problem was that I only had four dining chairs. And so the problem loomed until last week when I finally got two more dining chairs. I have been sick all weekend otherwise I would have had a dinner party just to break in the new chairs. The only thing that has stayed untouched in the original room is the four chairs (and those will eventually get touched). The biggest party for me came when the mini-blinds came down and the natural woven shades went up. The walls getting painted were a close second, and I mean a CLOSE second.

Tansitioning

Okay, so for a game of I spy can you tell the changes other than the two gorgeous, wonderful, couldn't be better chairs from the transitioning photo and the after photo?

After

Okay, I give you a hint. I painted the store bought cabinet black and painted to back panel of it blue/gray to coordinate with the drapes (they have a woven thread of blue, gray and green in circles throughout). I also took the glass off of the light fixture and replaced it with a drum shade. I think this really softens the look and gives off more light. Like I said before, it is always a work in progress. However, this work in progress is much improved if I do say so ;)