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I've been meaning to tell you, my mom is a genius. Of course I knew this already, but let me just share with you her latest example of genius-ness.


I am generally happy with my dining room and the church pew works like a charm to corral the girls during dinner but there was one small problem with the layout. When anyone over the age of 16 sat at the pew, they had a good chance of knocking their head against the mirror before dessert was served.


So often I would blather to my mom on the phone about wanting to put something behind the bench to create a bit of breathing room between guests and the big O (that would be the mirror, not Oprah). A console would be perfect, but I can't find a console that is as long as the bench and isn't thousands of dollars. Blah blah blah. It was probably around this point in the conversation that my mom would tell me she had to go so she didn't have to listen to this conversation...yet again.


Then we were downstairs (pre-family room makeover) and she said, "What about this console for behind the pew?" Uh, that's not long enough mom, duh. And it's too deep. To which the smarty pants said, "not if you cut it in half."

Mind blown.


I should clarify that this woman is a furniture lover of the first degree and doesn't normally condone furniture mutilation. But this particular piece was a random HomeGoods buy (we all have a few of those around the house) and is by no means precious.

So of course I took that sucker outside as quickly as I could, measured to find the exact middle of the table and asked the hubs to buzz that sucker in half. We kept the tape down as he cut to prevent any splitting and in no time flat I had myself one. long. console.

Although each side of the now super long console still had two legs to hold it up, it was a bit wobbly. To remedy this we just screwed each side of the console into the wall to hold it in place and we were done.


So nothing earth shattering but now all of my dinner guests can enjoy themselves without bonking their head in the middle of an animated story. (we host a lot of animated storytellers at our house). And really I'm a fan of little updates to a room. It feeds my constant appetite for change without chucking a room and starting over again every few months ($$$$$$)




The runner is a temporary one I made from fabric leftovers and extra ribbon. It will hang out until I find a more permanent replacement one day.





What about you? Do you make a lot of little changes around the house to pacify the 'itch'? Ever cut a piece of furniture in half? I'm willing to rent my mom out to anyone who needs her, although maybe I should ask her first.

Morning sunshines! I hope you all had a great weekend. I have a long overdue update on the entry for you. So let's jump in, shall we?

To jog your memory, here is where I left the space back in June. Yes, I said June. (read parts 1 and 2 of the entry makeover here and here)


We all agreed at the time that the placeholder mirror wasn't doing anyone any favors and it didn't really add anything. I'm trying me best to be a thoughtful and slow caretaker of this little house and wait for the right thing rather than just buying the closest thing. I looked on Craigslist, thrift stores and antique shops and found a big fat nothing.


Then I went on vacation and made a stop in one of my favorite antique stores in Sarasota. And this little gem was just waiting for me in the corner. A cool shape and the right size to not dwarf the bench or the narrow wall where it would sit. The man at the shop told me he had just bought it at an estate sale at the oldest house in Sarasota (which is why he hadn't hung it up yet) but he is also quite a shyster so who knows what the real story is.

At any rate it is the same store I got my coffee table and one of the raspberry dressers in my living room from, and I like that I get so many of my orphans from the same spot.

I've drifted off topic..where was I? Ah yes, the mirror. So the paint job on the mirror was not in good shape and it wasn't the right color. So I sprayed it black and bam - I'm calling this entry done.


I had originally wanted to add some sconces to either side of the mirror but all the ones I liked were too wide for the space. Then my genius mother suggested we go to a shop we are lucky enough to have downtown that sells nothing but vintage china.


We found this great pattern with all the colors of the entry and the living room. Love that pattern and that woman.





Feels good to have that wrapped up.

Have you held out for the right piece before? Has it taken forever to find something to fit in a spot in your house? Want to borrow my mom for her problem-solving skills? She's good.

So the bench.


When last we left our story (read part 1 here), it looked something like this.

After all the sanding was complete, and my tears were dried, I called over my mom and dad to take a look at what I was working with. After decades of refinishing furniture and selling it, they are like the experts on Antique Roadshow. I bring them things, they tell me the good/bad news and then I jump for joy or kick them out of the house, depending on their answer.

So when I told him a few weeks back that I had plans to overhall the foyer, his response was music to my ears -"Cool". He's a good egg.


Now I may get some slack for this because this little image is pinned quite a bit, but I'm tired of it. That wallpaper was one of the first projects we (aka the hubs and my dad) tackled in the house. Seven years ago. It is faded, scratched and is starting to come off on the corners.

Also, as much as I like the yellow table on its own, I was never in love with it with the wallpaper. It was all a bit too ketchup and mustard for me.

And the third strike, as great as this layout is in theory it isn't real life. We don't come in the door and put our mail and keys down. We come inside and take off our shoes. And 50% of the residents of this little cottage need to sit down and take several minutes to get those little shoes on and off. So its time to pull a Dr. Phil and 'get real' - we need a spot for all of this action.


Enter my new favorite. You may remember I was fortunate to snag my beauty of a bench a while back and it fits perfectly in the foyer. But the wallpaper isn't doing it any favors. This bench deserves a snazzy space.


So the wallpaper came down.


No one in this house is exempt from a good DIY.


Thanks to plaster walls, I was able to remove all of that wallpaper, all of it, with just my hands. No tools needed. See, I told you it was ready to come down. An important tip in removing wallpaper though, once the paper is off the wall, don't think you are finished. You still need to give the wall a good scrub with a wet sponge to get off all of the glue that remains on the wall. That sponge also helped to loosen up those pesky little pieces that hung on.

After about an hour before bed and then an hour or so the next morning I had a blank palette. I'm already in love with how much brighter and bigger the space feels. And let's face it, anything I can do to make this tiny space feel bigger is a thumbs up. So I painted the entry the same color as the living room (Arrowroot by Pratt & Lambert) to help with that bigger space feeling trick.


But fear not, I didn't just leave it that way. You know I can't go without a good dose of color. Next week we'll see where that color went and what to do when DIY goes wrong. (how's that for a tease?)

What are your plans for the weekend? Any DIY projects planned? Any plans to fix a DIY project?

OK, so it wasn't a bar, but it is still a good story. Two good stories.

First, remember this little gem I found a few weeks back?


Well after several trips back to the store to measure, stare and contemplate


the old girl is at home where she belongs. Our messy home. Sorry for the picture, but that's life.


She fits like a glove and I love her color, finish and pretty much everything about her. Now I just need to rip down that wallpaper. And paint. And get a new mirror. And pillows. And rug. Don't tell the hubs, but we've got another project ahead people.

Story #2 is a story of surprise, drama and intrigue. Or, if you follow me on instagram (follow me here) then it's a story you've already 'heard'.

Last Saturday I was on my way to a little store I love to source a table for a client. But I was early and they weren't open yet so I went next door to the Goodwill to waste time search for good finds.

And as I turned the corner I saw this.


Allow me to read the tag for you. $30 people. (ok, I added the 'people')

I took a picture immediately and then took a seat. Comfy. I lifted the cushions. Clean. I looked for stains. Negative (with the exception of one small crayon mark).

So with all of these good check marks I of course...walked away. I went on my way next store and went about my regularly scheduled errands. But I kept thinking about it. And thinking about it. We need a new couch for our family room. We'd been planning on just getting a slipcovered couch or sectional.

Plans change.

That night I googled to find out what time Goodwill opened and made a plan to go and get my little honey. Even the biggest snow storm we've had in 30 years wouldn't stop me. I piled my girls in the car, drove 10 miles an hour thru some heavy falling snow and slapped down my $30.

Whoop Whoop.

She is now were I put all my best couches, the garage. And my head is spinning about what to do with her. What colors would you use with her? What patterns? I think I feel an inspiration board coming on. Prepare to hear a lot more about this girl over the next few weeks.

Happy Weekend!!