Alexander's...it ain't no Goodwill!

I'm back with a report on our trip to Alexander's Auction.  Let me start by saying I am so glad I went and it was a really neat experience.  The amount of stuff they had to auction was CA-RAZY!!!!  I think it went until around midnight...but this old lady left around 9:30. 

The guy doing the announcing was LEGIT!!!!  It basically went like this... blablablablabla bid bla bla bla bla $150 bla bla bla do I have $155 bla bla bla.  It was frightening and we were scared to death to jump in and place a bid. I was terrified to scratch my head, point to something or really even make eye contact with the auctioneer in fear of him thinking I was bidding!!! 

We didn't end up leaving with anything but we did make a few bids to be quickly squashed by someone with much deeper pockets.  So here's some of the things we liked or bid on.


Love the campaign style, of course, but didn't love the leather top.  Didn't bid but it went for $150ish


LOVE!  This was gorgeous.  My sister nearly wet her pants but placed a bid on this puppy.  Ended up going to someone else for $325


My sister's friend Hilliary bid on these but didn't want to spend the $200ish since she was going to have to reupholster them.


Be still my heart!  This was my one and only bid.  Isn't she purdy!!!  Went for $250 and not with me :(


Most of the items were really beautiful, minus these really weird chickens!  And someone actually paid $35 for two of these!


This went for $95 which I thought was a pretty good buy.


There was a hidden shotgun in the handle of this cane.  Apparently it was just on some HGTV show.  Went for a silly $750!!! 

If you are in the area I would definitely go check it out and place a bid or two, unless you see me there, then only bid if I'm not bidding ;)

Stay tuned this week for the buffet reveal.  I am so in love!!!  Can't wait to show you!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Alexander's Auction

I'm so excited for my night out tonight!  I'm going with my sister and her friend Hillary to a place called Alexander's Antique Auction.  They are the LARGEST gallery-type auction on the Eastern Seaboard, and have been serving the Richmond area and beyond for over 17 years (can you tell I copied that from their web page!).

I'll let you know how it goes!  I know their prices will be nothing compared to my Goodwill finds but I think it will be fun to see some beautiful antiques at affordable-ish prices!  I wonder if we will get to use one of those paddles.  Oh, and I hope they don't serve wine there...me, wine, and auctions never end well ;) 

I'll let you know how it goes!

Thankful Thursday

Hey everyone!  I'm guest posting over at the fabulous Oak Ridge Revival today!  Andrea very kindly asked me to take part in her Thankful Thursday series and I couldn't be happier.  Come see what I'm thankful for, it's probably not what you expect.  And make sure to peek around her blog.  She is such a sweetheart and has the most gorgeous home!

I Heart Pallets

Weird, right!  I have this new found love for pallets.  Yes, the things trucks carry goods on!  I'm in the middle of attempting to make a coffee table from some old pallets and wanted to show you what else has caught my eye lately...

Pallet Display Case via...

http://amandacarverdesigns.com/?p=1446

U-MA-ZING wine storage/buffet via...

http://webecoist.com/2011/03/28/rustic-modern-reclaimed-free-13-diy-pallet-projects/

Fab coffee table made from pallets

http://www.craftynester.com/

Gorgeous Pallet Headboard

http://www.creaturecomfortsblog.com/home/2011/3/21/diy-wood-pallet-headboard.html

So what do you all think?  Are you feeling the pallet love or am I off my rocker?

Dolled Up Deck Furniture

Do you all remember my friend Katie who had some deck furniture she wanted to spruce up? 

Here is her BEFORE

And here is her newly painted AFTER:

She used  Valspar satin paint, color: indigo from Lowes. It took around 8 cans to do it all.  I love the color!  I thinks it's different and unexpected but not too wild.  Also loving the cushions and how the blue stipe coordinates with the paint color!  Super Cute! Hope you are enjoying your "new" furniture Katie.  Personally I don't even remember what my deck furniture looks like.  This heat is K-I-L-L-I-N-G me!  I hate sweating unless I'm exercising so this weather is just not working for me!

Sofa Steal!

Do you have children - check

Are their cute little paw prints all over your once lovely sofa- check

Do you pine for a slipcovered sofa you can bleach and make like new - check

Do you despise paying Pottery Barn prices- check

Do you want me to share my secret- ?

Well if you live in Richmond (sorry non RVA readers) I think I've found the perfect solution!

Let me introduce you to this beauty.  Cute, right (minus my blurry photog skills!  sorry!)

Feather Nester's $575 ($25 delivery)

I found it at Feather Nester's on Lakeside Ave.  Its down filled and looks to be really well made.  And it's a C-R-A-Z-Y $575.  

So lets compare to some out there on the market, shall we!

ballarddesigns.com

999.00 + 100 delivery + slipcover!!!

potterybarn.com

on sale for $1,199

So my sister purchased one for her new apt and I will fill you in on how she likes it. 

So what do you think?  Anyone own a white slipcovered sofa?  Love it or hate it?

Out and About- Goodwill

I was out this weekend with my sister Meghan and friend Emily and we hit up a few local thrift stores.  I found this buffet at Goodwill for $40!!!  It was originally $150, then that price was scratched out to $80 and it was the color of the week taking it down to $40!!!  Can you stand it?!?

It's far from perfect and needs some TLC but think it can be revived!  It definitely has good bones!

You all, this thing is massive!  My annoyed sweet and supportive husband helped me lug it out of the car this morning and you should have seen me!  It was a debacle!  I really thought my arms were going to break in two...it was crazy heavy!  But by the grace of God we got it into the garage.  I was very proud of myself!

So I was thinking I would try to sand it down and re-stain it but then I remembered my major designer crush Tobi Fairley's amazing dressers.  I think I'm going to take a risk and do something like these:

http://www.tobifairley.com/

http://www.tobifairley.com/

Remember my first attempt at this?  I still adore it, so I'm thinking I will like an even bigger version as well!

I'll keep you updated on how it turns out, of course!!! 

PS.  My sister found this great lamp for $15 for her new apartment.  I love it!

(**shade she got from Target)

Space Update!

I've added a few new things to the Garden Gate space...

Campaign nightstand (I think it's priced at $68, can't remember for sure!)

Cute little desk/vanity with glass knob ($60)

And the zebra print rug ($54) I think it's 5 X 7

Laundry Room Quick Fix

My friend Jennifer had me over the other day to ask some advice about her laundry room.  You have to pass through coming from the garage so it is very visible part of the home.  She had a bookshelf she wanted to paint but wasn't sure what color.  After a little thought I've come up with...drumroll please...gray.  Her walls have a great yellow and cream stripe which I love!  And she has some fabulous built-in's to conceal clutter (not that she has any!  She is crazy organized!).

Here is (a blurry) photo of Jennifer's laundry space

 Here are a few ideas of what the gray might look like up against the yellow and cream walls.

http://housewears.blogspot.com/2010/09/design-trend-stripes-and-stripes.html

http://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm?photoId=13009&index=18&currentPage=1&searchQuery=Yellow%20strip&searchType=photos

http://charlotteannette.blogspot.com/2009/07/painted-stripes-inspiration-and-such.html

Then I was thinking in order to tie in the gray you could make one of these boards with some fabric that has yellow, cream and gray (should be easy to find, its a very popular color combo!) and hang this using 3M Velcro strips on the door and could hang the kids work from it.

Above two photos from
centsationalgirl.com

I also think hanging 3 of these horizontally on the wall above the book shelf would look great to tie the colors together.  I happen to know the girl who made these (me!) and could cut you a deal ;)  The great thing about these is you can pick whatever paper/colors you want to put behind the chandelier. 

Making your laundry room fancy is all the rage these days.  Anyone folding laundry in a pimped out space!?  Do you think it makes doing laundry more enjoyable? 

Design Dilemma- Huntington, WV UPDATE

Do you all remember my husbands (and my!) friend Jim from WV with the kitchen predicament!  Well here's a reminder...

I sent him a few inspiration photos after they told me what they were thinking and look at what he's done!!!

When I got the email my jaw dropped!!!  I could not believe it was the same space!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! He said he was about 1/4 of the way done and I can't wait to see the rest.  I'm SO proud of him, because we all know painting kitchen cabinets is not a walk in the park!!! 

Doesn't the white look so clean against the blue walls...LOVE IT! 

My Sister Has Arrived!

I'm not sure if I told you all or not but my sister Meghan just moved to Richmond last week...and she might have been here all of 5 minutes before we hit Class and Trash to start decorating her apartment!!!  She was looking for lots of items including a nightstand and found this pitiful thing tucked in the corner for $30 bones!

We loved the size, storage space, and hardware and knew some paint would fix it right up.

So here is her BEFORE:

And here is her AFTER:

And here it is in her new apartment.  She is living in an old Tobacco Building so she has these AMAZING brick walls in each room.  LOVE!  Looks very tranquil and relaxing, doesn't it!

And just for fun, here is a picture of her IN PROGRESS living room.  Anyone recognize the TV stand from a previous post!?! 

Considering she's only been here a week, her place is looking pretty cute, don't you think! 

Oh happy day! I'm keepin' it!

You guys know I was struggling with giving my whitewashed trunk up.  I couldn't bring myself to take it over to my vendor space.  I just needed one more day with it!  Then it dawned on me...I don't have to give it up!  I'll just sell the one I currently have in that spot and it can live with us, happily ever after! 

I think it suits the space better and really lightens up the room...and it's becoming bff with the highboy so how could I tear the two of them apart?!?

What do you guys think? 

New Look:

Old Look:

Sorry I didn't take a picture at the same angle! My husband took our kids to the gym and I'm going to drink some wine enjoy some peace and quiet so I just used the pictures I already had loaded on the computer.

Dining Table Redo

I found this lovely round dining table a few weeks ago at Goodwill.  It was my lucky day because someone was just returning it because it was too big for their space!  Score!  I knew it could be something of a beauty with a little TLC...

Here is my BEFORE:

(I've been so forgetful with taking before pictures lately but I caught myself right as I was starting to prime it and snapped a pic!)

And here she is AFTER:

I primed it with oil based Zinsser (two coats on the table top to be safe), painted it white in eggshell finish, and then gave it some distressing and applied a water based poly for extra protection.

Then I had to hunt down a similar one online and show you how a little paint and a Goodwill find can save you hundreds of dollars!

Pottery Barn $699

So, since I already have a kitchen table I put this one for sale in my booth at TTGG and it will hopefully go to  home with someone who likes Pottery Barn style on a thrifters budget ;)

PS.  Did anyone watch the first episode of Design Star?  What do you think?  I thought it was okay but didn't notice any stand out personalities!  Can't wait for the white box challenge!