Fashion Friday. {swoon}

We are all waking up to bad news with the quake in Japan and Tsunami warnings for the west coast.  While this is scary and devistating, we need to make the most of our day.  Here in my neck of the world, it is gorgeous out.  It is also my Anniversary!  Two fabulous years of wedded bliss.  So in preparation of a little night out with the hubbs, I share some fashion inspiration and love for the weekend to come.  Doll yourself up a little, put on a brighter red lipstick, throw on that extra necklace... nothing wrong with a little glamor and beauty.  Nomatter what the occasion.

 

I think these are so romantic!!

 

 

 

Jacket envy.

 

and just because I am a photographer and this is ah-mazing.

The Painted Chair {a shabby chic project}

Remember this chair?

My $30 purchase that I had every intention of re-upholstering but never found the energy or know-how.  The couch I tossed, the guy was supposed to send me the missing foot, but never did so it wasn't worth the keeping.  The chair, however I could not part with.  It has always been in my head to paint it.  This is a task that made me VERY nervous.  As a once avid watcher of Trading Spaces, I have seen many episodes where they end up in tears because the furniture was ruined because of such a project.

This weekend I started on the guest room and knew I wanted the chair in here.  I had only the intention of painting the dark wood trim white but found that once I did, the chair took on this mustard yellow color, much like the color of the foam in the above pic.  So I took a deep breath and said, what the heck, and started slathering away.

Here is my beloved chair now.

Fabulously white and shabby chic.    

A few things before you take a brush to your furniture.  

This is in no way perfect, but to me that is sort of the point in shabby chic.  It is also not intended for your everyday furniture.  The fabric is stiffer, but that is to be expected and softens in time, but you will not be pleased (and sending me hate mail) if you do your comfy living room couch.

It takes a lot of paint.  This chair took an entire quart.  The fabric just drinks it up and at one point I was tempted to pour the can of paint right over it, but refrained.  It also took two coats to get a true white.  

To really make the paint on the chair to hold up to buns on the seat, setting the paint with heat while wet (either a hair dryer or heat gun) is recommended.  It is ready to be used in 48 hours.

Overall, I am greatly pleased with the results.  Perfect for the direction I am going in this room. What guest wouldn't want to say here?!  Final reveal (which you are getting a teeeeeny sneek peak of) on that later when it is finished!!

Have a wonderful and inspired week!

I must eat it! {by: Max Evans}

We are at the stage where I find myself constantly saying "Max get that out of your mouth!"  It doesn't matter what it is, if it is near him, he will eat it.  It will be your face if you are holding him, your shirt, the wall.. no matter.  He demonstrates below.

PS. please excuse the boogies in my child's nose.  It happens to the best of us.

We do occasionally feed him stuff he is supposed to put in his mouth (just kidding. we feed him daily.) to which he ends up looking like this.

He then has a bottle, holding it himself I proudly add. (just learned this one)

To which he promptly turns around and tries to eat.  

A day in the life of Max.  Gotta love it.

An entryway worthy of Pottery Barn {at a fraction of the price}

FAMILY IS COMING!

My first reaction to this is "YAY!!  I love visitors, especially family!"  Then it sinks in and have a mini freak out because that means I have until Easter to finish this house! Busy busy busy I will be until then.

I did manage to finish my entryway.  Ignoring the bad light fixture, everything else is groovy.  Inspired from a picture I saw in Pottery Barn that I just fell in love with.  I looked at it and drooled for a while and then realized that I can do this Evansville style, Pottery Barn look on a non-Pottery Barn budget.  So off to work I went.

My inspiration:

 Lovely right?!

Here's mine:

All done for about $100.  

Frames: about $20 total, they were on sale 50% off a Michael's.  Most of them I had already though.  Please ignore the picture frames that do not contain pictures, or even better that contain pictures of people that are not us.  Some are new and some I had used in a display for my business.  Rest assured the appropriate pictures are at print and will be filling the frames shortly.

Mirror: Free.  This hung in our house growing up for as long as I could remember.  Never liked it.  Then  my mom says she still has it, brings it to me and I paint it gold (well white first but that did nothing for it). It did have this funky top piece on it which I immediately popped off.  Wha-la a revamped vintage mirror that I love.

Lanterns:  Already had them from Wal-mart about two years ago on clearance.  

Art Pieces: the old window and iron piece was $15 for both at my favorite thrift store.  The birds were $10 for both at Michael's.

Baskets: $6 each on sale at Michael's.  Those are little chalk boards on the fronts!  They read nothing because, well nothing is in the baskets as of now.  Super cute though.

So there it is, my non Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn entry.  There is one thing Pottery Barn which you may have noticed from the original picture above and that is the pot containing my (fake) flowers (I know a decorating fo-pa.) that were $1.99 each on sale at Michael's.  A fabulous purchase (the pot not the flowers) made with a Birthday Gift Certificate (thank you Lynsey Loo).  Oh and the shelves!  $15 each at Wal-mart.  And sadly no Mad Max this post but Sammyboy insisted he make an appearance.  Hello Sammyboy!

Happy first day of March!!