yard sales and discounts stores....

so if you don't go to yard sales, you are just missing out. now i am not going to lie and say i totally love going. and if you had been with us last weekend when we went, i would have sworn that i would never go back. but, you have to take the good w/ the bad- and when it is bad, it's REAL bad (last week happen to fall in this category). but i am constantly reminded why it is good. for example, this awesome Pottery Barn puppet theater/ lemonade stand. this is something i would have never bought for full price but when GiGi spied it at a yard sale, it was a must have... especially w/ the price tag of $10. i cannot tell you how much fun taylor and my mom have had putting on puppet shows....which brings me to my next subject: discount stores. we all go to TJ and Marshalls but when was the last time you went to Big Lots (i have no idea the last time i was there)...but my parents were wasting time while their dog was getting groomed and stopped in. and guess who they ran into....Martha. now do you think martha stewart is dying knowing that her line is now at a discount store? well, they scored these adorable puppets for $2. i happen to be on the phone w/ mom while she was there and i asked if they had the tissue pom poms and they did....again $2. i want to put them over taylor's bed (a quick, inexpensive way to add something interesting to her room). so think yard sales and discount stores the next time your child is bored....you just never know what you are going to score!!

*oh and i couldn't help but include a pic of taylor playing at the computer last night....notice anything missing...her mullet! i got her haircut for the first time last week...major improvement :)

Sneak Peek: Office

My office went from nothing to something special in about 5 hours yesterday. Total dollars spent = $45, and 40 of that was for this behemoth...



I have to run off now to a furniture auction I just heard about called Dixon's in Crumpton, MD. It's supposed to be amazing. But please come back tomorrow for the full recap on my office face lift...

carefree...

these pictures make me want to be a kid again! i love the yellow thrown in there w/ pink...

speaking of kids- please keep your fingers crossed that mine doesn't get kicked out of school today....i have so much i need to do!! have a fabulous tuesday.

* images courtesy of ciao tay, maree homer, glam lamb

Z Gallerie Aluminum Table (and Accessories Sale)

For those you bummed about missing out on the aluminum side tables I blogged about before, Z Gallerie has them for $99. If you buy them now with the promotion code M20, you'll get an extra 20% off.


What else am I loving that's on sale now at Z Gall?

Palmer Stool ($129.95 pre-sale price)


Ceramic Pineapple ($29.95 pre-sale). I scored mine at Home Goods, but lots of readers have asked about it and said they struck out at their local HG. So here you go!


I know it's trendy, but I still think clam shells are cool. ($49.95 pre-sale for the large, $99.95 for the X-large)


I've used these mother of pearl frames (from $19.95-$29.95 pre-sale) in a couple of projects they are so pretty in real life.


Studded Umbrella Stand ($79.95 pre-sale). I'm dying over the orange!

emerson made.

hello...i am officially obsessed with emerson made. have you seen her blog? not only is she adorable but she makes the coolest flowers to add onto any outfit or wedding dress...i want all of them. so here are some inspirations, inspire by her beautiful creations.....

*images courtesy of emerson made, meg braff, emerson made , hannah maple, emerson made, domino

Fun With Photoshop

I love the direction this client's family room is going in. So bright and fun! Here's a little photoshop mock up for you:

Before:


After:



Isn't it crazy what a little wallpaper and some accessories can do for a room - even when they're just photoshopped in?? Can't wait to show you pictures of the actual room once it's finished...

Black Interior Front Door

Looking for a quick and inexpensive way to spruce up your entry this weekend?

When I was helping with my mom's living room updates, we decided to painted the inside of her front door black and we both love the difference it's made in the room. Suddenly her front door has a presence...

Before


After


This was a very fast project, accomplished in a single afternoon. Just a couple coats of black semi-gloss interior latex paint. (She also switched out the old light fixture for this sassy polished nickel chandelier from Lowes that was on clearance for $37)


I hope your weekend is already off to a great start!!

love,
Jenny

oh hey.

fancy meeting you here. see my day hasn't turned out the way i planned....

i woke up feeling awful, i drive tay to school, visualizing getting back in bed...*ring, ring- hello, we have an agent who wants to show your house today at lunch time {insert cuss word here}...seriously, my house is a disaster. i race home to clean and call mom (for some reason, it is easier to clean if i am talking on the phone), i get a beep, i continue to talk for another ummm 30 min....i hang up the phone. i check my messages...hi this is taylor's teacher, please come and pick her up, she is sick. my kid got kicked out of school. so i did what any mom would do in an ackward situation, i made warren go and get her :) i didn't want the wrath. i meet up w/ warren (i was sitting on a park bench sweating b/c my oil was being changed) and head to lunch...tay and i sit and stare at our food. neither of us are excited about what is in front of us. we finish lunch- still have 30 min to kill until the people who are looking at our house leave. drive in circles and stop at one of my stores- score an alabaster lamp. finally, we make it home (of course tay falls asleep in the car right when we are pulling into the neighborhood). i thought i could pick my child up and she would go effortlessly back to sleep once we were in the house...i attempt this.

*heavy sigh* peace and quite at last. i change clothes (a vintage sorority shirt...i mean do y'all still have those...this one's bid day 1998, it's HOT). i pull out the cupcake that my sweet husband brought me home and sit down to eat it. i am excited about the cupcake and my new lamp...

oh wait, fancy meeting you here: hey taylor, ohhhh you don't want to take a nap. GREAT. ohhhh you want some jello. hummmmm, sounds perfect. sweet, is that jello you are rubbing all over my leg. nice. oh and barron, would you lick that red jello off of the seagrass rug. thanks- that would be great.

you know, my day isn't working out the way i planned it. but hey, i hope yours is terrific.....

common denominator.

it became very clear when searching through my pictures, that i have a thing for zigzag's right now. i think they are fabulous and are a much needed addition to my home....i am thinking that zigzag rug (it was painted over seagrass...a DIY)! or maybe i should keep this....

*images courtesy of apartment therapy, lindsey harper, bellasugar, cottage living, brilliant asylum, windsor smith/ house beautiful, brown button

lots of windows please.

ever since i saw a post that things that inspire did on bringing the outside in, i have become obsessed with the idea of windows taking the place of upper cabinets in a kitchen. it is just amazing how beautiful it looks to have all of that space open. i am a huge fan of not using upper cabinets and this allows so much light into a space. then i saw this picture of the shower enclosed with window panes and i think it is just genius! so if you are building think windows...and lots of them!

*images courtesy of things that inspire, southern accents, things that inspire, delight by design, meyer davis studio, searching for style

back...

i'm back from a long wedding weekend....we had lots of fun, lots of rain, and lots of good friends to hang with....now i have LOTS of work to do (and a sick child to take care of)....happy monday.

* images courtesy of flickr, where the sidewalk begins

wedding weekend.

we are off to a wedding for our great friends lee and keri...their first date was our rehearsal dinner a little over 5 yrs ago...(wow, we have been married for a long time warren). lee and keri live an exotic life in costa rica and have for many years....so they decided to bring the wedding stateside...we are excited to see them (although going back to costa rica would have been a lot of fun too). have a wonderful weekend :)

*images courtesy of a cup of joe and v.