Further Proof...

...that money can not buy good taste.





I was horrified to see this monstronsity on the main page of P.E. Guerin. They are a metal foundry that makes the most beautiful cast pieces for doors at outrageous prices. I shutter to think the cost of this swan from hell bathroom fixture.

This thing will haunt my nightmares.

$%#$!

When one of my favorite magazines of all time, Blueprint, folded a year ago I accepted it. It wasn't that popular. It never got off the ground. Sure it was a fun magazine but I guess its a hard business.

That didn't mean I was very pleased to start receiving Martha Stewarts Food Magazine instead of getting my money back. How is a magazing full of recipes I can get for free a good replacement for eye candy like Blueprint?? But I digress...

But now I hear Domino is going out of business? Can someone explain this to me? That entire magazine is one big advertisment. And its hugely popular. Anyone who is a magazine junkie like me subscribes to it. So double ka-ching for them. Are they burning $5 bills in a bonfire over there?

In all seriousness, Im sad to hear about this. Domino was always a little too trendy for me to apply most of their styling into my own home but doesn't mean I didn't read it cover to cover. You will be missed.

Are there any good magazines left?

Art for the loo!

You may have noticed my obsession with all things that can be classified as "art". I have more things to hang than wall space but that doesn't stop me from buying more. What can I say? Despite that, my bathroom walls are lonely and bare. Its not my intention to leave it that way, Im just a little bit sidetracked with other projects.

While I was innocently browsing last weekend, I spotted a series of 4 paintings that caught my eye.

I don't know why but they reminded me of the work of oft mentioned and admired, Janet Hill. They don't really look like her work but rather have that everyday-object-is-beautiful quality about them I find fascinating. If I could paint, I would paint with this in mind.

I must break here to post some of Ms. Hill's most beautiful pieces (in my humble opinion). I have no clue what she charges as they are ALWAYS sold out well before I get there.

Ok, back to reality. The paintings I purchased are not one of a kind of originals. They were probably done up in a huge factory in China. Nor were they painted by someone who has a repetoire of mesmorizing pieces. At least not that anyone knows of. But they are mine. So there!

Now I just need to decide where to hang them. I'm thinking in the parlor bathroom.

They are about a foot square each. What about the set of four horizontally positioned on the short wall over the tub?

I never intended to outfit this room with something so literal. My original plan was to hang a few large, matted, black and white photos of New York. (Marble bathrooms remind me of old world New York sites like Grand Central, etc...so thats where I got that idea from) So what do you think? And if I do hang these in here, how to I address the other walls once these paintings are up?

PS: In case you're curious, the soap paintings were from Home Goods at $13 a piece.

Still working..

Not sure what I was smoking when I estimated I would have a finished nightstand to show today. Clearly, I vastly overestimated my ability and underestimated time available. But I am not deterred! I just need a little more time to finish up. In the meantime, he is what was done so far.



I'll apologize for my crap photos. The lighting in the box room (which you will notice is no where near cleared out. Oh procrastination, you are my nemesis!) isn't ideal and I didn't want to reposition while I was painting. I'll get a better photo when its all finished.

First off came those beautiful little handles. After a brief pass with an old toothbrush, I let them soak in hot water to loosen the paint.



Then I turned my focus on the nightstand. I started off with a rub down of TSP solution. (Sounds sexy, doesn't it?) Thanks to Jennifer for the tip. I'm not sure the scientific explanation of what this stuff does but its certainly a good cleanser. After the cleaning, I broke out my hand sander and roughed her up (Again, hot furniture loving!) to prepare for the paint.



As for the paint color, I thought about going out and getting a medium gray shade. Then I remembered I had an unopened can of a gray laying around. Back in April, I bought a quart of Martha Stewart's Bedford Gray to use on the guestroom desk.

I guess my procrastination is a theme in this post because I never did get around to painting that desk. So this can of paint was waiting for me. It's a little lighter than the chip would suggest or what I would have preferred but so be it.

After the sanding dust cleared, I used a brush to get into all the nooks and crannies that a roller wouldn't cover.

Then I put on two coats with the roller so it was entirely gray

I'm pretty happy with the color as a base.

Then as I was watching paint dry, I got the idea in my head that I might as well paint the chair too. I always meant to paint this chair a solid color and then reupholster the seat with the custom fabric from Spoonflower I ordered as a test many months ago. (See what I mean about procrastination!)

What a pain in the ass! There are so many crevices in that chair.

It was at this point I had to decide how Im going to detail the nightstand. Should I use a cream or gold paint? Despite my obsession with gold paint, I picked cream in honor of my inspiration photo. So once that was all dry, I broke out a container of cream acrylic paint and tiny brushes. Trying my best to keep a steady hand, I started to apply some highlights to the details.


This is what is really holding up the works. Its slow going. At about 6pm last night, I realized I needed to put the brushes away for now as I had a stiff neck and Mr. Limestone was ready with dinner and a movie. I'll need at least another day or two of focus to get this all completed but its coming along. I'll be sure to update you when I'm all done.

After the movie was over and I checked that the chair paint was dry, I decided I should just finish this one project for my own sanity. I quickly cut and stapled the batting and fabric to the seat and voila.

Its the exact same color as the nightstand but I'm not nearly as pleased with it. Scratch that, what I really mean is I hate it! The color is all wrong. So after all that, I now know I need to paint this chair black. I guess that doesn't mean the work was entirely wasted but its no less annoying!

Oh well, try, try again.

Tickled!

I'm so flattered that my office was featured on one of my favorite inspirational blogs, House of Turquoise. The author, Erin, was way too kind in saying its her dream office. Especially sweet of her because her blog is filled with the most beautiful interiors featuring various shades of this signature blue shade.

I have Jennifer, of The Magic Brush, to thank for mentioning my office in the first place. Just reading her blog has given me inspiration to try to gussy up my granny nighstand with more than a simple coat of paint. Check out some of her work:

As if the mention wasn't sweet enough, Jennifer also gave me some technique tips on how to best paint the nighstand I picked up last week. Ive been smitten with this dresser from Wisteria for a while.

On closer inspiration, my nighstand just so happens to have some of the same features this dresser does. Notice the feet, and the detailing. While I do love this color, its too close of a match to my bedroom walls so I'm going to give it a go with some gray paint I have laying around and see what happens. I also don't want my version to look quite as dirty as this one so that will probably make it a lot easier on me. Wish me luck!

I have to admit, I'm a little afraid of the term "faux finish". I get chills thinking of middle of the night informercials and hideous 'ragged' walls on Trading Spaces. Decor gods, lead me not into ugly faux finished hell and deliver me from the ugly!

A little privacy, please!

Before he got that Fox game show gig, Jeff Foxworthy got rich off the whole "You just might be a redneck if..." schtick. Well, I don't think I qualify as a redneck but Im sure I'm in some other derogatory camp. Why?

*** insert dramatic evil sounding music here ***

My living room still doesn't have window coverings!! Oh, for shame.

We've been fully moved in for nearly a year and my neighbors can still see me watching The Bachelor or playing Wii. I'm sure they have had enough. Hell, they probably know the color of all my pajamas by now.

At first, I wasn't concerned. I was working on getting a scrap of furniture in there. We all know how long that took. And then it was other things that had my concentration. But all of a sudden, it dawned on me that my temporary blind eye to the bare windows has gone on far too long.

(Thankfully, my living room is about 10 feet above sidewalk level so its only the neighbors who are on the same floor in their house that can see in. And my windows have some sort of coating that reflects the light during the day so you can only peek in at night. But still, its a little silly at this point.)

At first I thought I'd put up shutters allowing the light to come in while allowing privacy from wandering eyes. That was until I got a few estimates for the shutters I wanted. I just about collapsed from sticker shock. Scratch that idea. (I did look into those internet companies that sell cheaper diy shutters but it seems like you need a doctorate in carpentery to even get a straight answer from any of those companies no less actually order the correct size with the appropriate hardware).

Fabric shades was another consideration but because of the height of the windows, they would need to be custom made. I could probably sell my kidneys on the black market to pay for them but they would create a permanent darkness in the room I'm not too crazy about. The room faces north so the light isn't that strong to begin with and the best quality light comes from the top of the windows. The last thing I want to do is cover the tops of the windows permanently.

Blinds are not an option. I intensely dislike them. Apologies to anyone who loves them - they are just not my thing.

So that leaves me with draperies. They can be opened or closed with ease, sheers can be added to allow privacy without blocking out all the light and they provided a little insulation. And after spending a few winter months here, I wouldn't mind that at all.

But what kind??? Any readers out there expert window dressers?

Do I do something neutral like a gold that doesn't contrast too much? Do I try to find gray draperies to offset all the beiges in here? Do I do black drapes for more drama? Or do an entirely different color as an accent? While I think some colorful drapes might look nice, Im leary of making that sort of investment as I don't plan on buying new everytime I tire of an accent color. But other than that gut instinct, Im a bit at a loss here.

And what about finding something beautiful and budget friendly? I need 6 of them in 108 inch lengths plus sheers and rods. I'm getting woozy just thinking about it. Custom drapes are out of the question and budget entirely. Restoration Hardware has lovely options but the drapes alone would cost me $3000. Really, Restoration Hardware? Really? Are they made of solid gold??? Pottery Barn is slightly better priced but still pricey for a limited selection. JcPenney seems to have a reasonably priced option but Im not sure about their colors or quality. I'd rather not order from a random internet company so that rules out most of my google searches. Gah! Now I see why I've been putting this off for so long!

What do you think about style, color and source? I could use all the help I can get!

Garden State continued...

So off to familiar Red Bank we went. We've been here many times before so no uncovered gems to share. Its a nice spot to go antique shopping since there are a few different big warehouses right next to each other and its in a cute little town with other restaurants and stores.

Our first stop is our favorite one of the bunch, Monmouth Antique Shoppes.

This along with the others we visited in Red Bank are set up like an unmanned flea market. The big buildings are divided into stalls where antique sellers leave their pieces for sale and let the one or two people manning the front desk close the deals. Its a lot of fun to browse and when we are very lucky, we've even found a few great pieces here like our dining room chandelier and a set of vintage cameras.

Its distinctly much more upmarket than Englishtown in terms of organization, pieces for sale and prices. Thankfully, the prices aren't so out of control that its defeating to shop there. And its certainly not a snooty place at all. Its just not the kind of place where you'll find an amazing deals - more of a reasonable deal on a nice item. They have more one of a kind sort of things that are worth their bigger price tag but you only need occasionally.

Case in point, wouldn't this giant Lemonade sign be fabulous in the right kitchen?


Very briefly considered taking this dress form home with me. I have an unnatural desire to own one as I neither sew nor would this be an accurate representation of my body.

Aside from the physical impossibility of fitting anything this large in the car with my earlier finds, I decided I just don't need to spend $200 on something so completely useless regardless of how cool I think it would look :)

Ultimately, we left empty handed.

Next we visited the Antiques Center of Red Bank Buildings II and III. Wondering out loud where building one was, I was told that it no longer exists. I'm glad I didn't look too hard for it.

This place has things a little more fancy, a little more merchandised, a lot more expensive. (At least Building II is set up this way. Building III has more knickknacks and random stuff with the prices all over the place).

Apologies for not taking any interior shots. As before, I was too busy shopping to document properly. The visit wasn't wasted as I found this pair of portraits.

I stopped in front of them and saw a price tag of $150. I mumbled, "too expensive" when the stall's proprietor happened to walk by and hear me. Evidently his wife set the price on those and he wasn't in agreement with her valuation. Long story short, we settled on a price of $40 for both. I guess he just wanted to get rid of them but I was happy to take them off his hands. Not quite sure where they will live just yet - I think they would look nice in an asymmetrical collection of small art. Note to self: find perfect spot for asymmetrical collection of small art.

Also picked up a couple of other milk glass vases to go with my $2 find from Englishtown.

Everything looks better in sets of 3, right?

And finally a duo of these new-meant-to-look-old brass easels.

Wouldn't these be a the perfect spot to hold a dinner party menu?

So that concluded our antiquing portion of the weekend. Naturally, a visit to the 'burbs wouldn't be complete without the requisite visit to Target and Home Goods. Also known to me as the mother ship of budget shopping.

Target was having their Home Event that has been much covered by much more timely blogs than mine. But now that everything is 30% off, I couldn't resist showing you some cool lovelies. Loved the logo this year.

And the theme of the year seemed to be gray. Be still my heart.

The finish on these pieces were a little too rustic for my house but they would be great for a more beachy type feel. The color makes it modern without being too stark.

This bird candle holder was just too big for me to store easily so I passed on it. But at less than $12 - these would make such a great centerpiece for a party.


Aside from the usual practical items we bought like toothbrushes and soap, I picked up 2 Thomas O'Brien mirror picture frames. (Um, why does the baby in the photo look like the StayPuff Marshmellow man? That is freaky. Thankfully, the frame didn't come with that photo!)

Gosh, that was a really long post. Hope you're still with me. In total, I kept the damage to under $200 including the two pieces of furniture, portraits, vases, easels and frames. Not too bad for a carload of crap and I'm doing my part in the economic recovery!

Garden State Finds

After the unfortunate incident with nasty Craigslist woman, we went on the road to NJ in search of those infamous juntiques. We were going to be spending the weekend at the Jersey Shore anyway, so it seemed like a good time to sniff out what might be laying around.



Our first stop was a completely random find. When I was putting together the photo mosaic in the juntique post, I stumbled upon a photo of Englishtown Antiques & Used Furniture. Wiley mishmash of all types of crap? Check. Large warehouse like building? Check. Bad lighting? Check. Hmmm...looked promising. We were going to be at the Jersey Shore this weekend so a perfect opportunity to take a detour.



How did it go? Lets just say I found my new favorite store. Its exactly the type of place I had hoped to find. The sort of spot you can spend a lot of time in sorting through all sorts of this and that. And if you're lucky, you'll find just the thing you're after. And that thing won't cost a mint, so it makes it worth the time to find it and the time to restore it into something useful.

Its cold in there, so I brought my coat. And very disorganized, so I brough my patience. I'm completely sure its the type of place that's hit or miss depending upon the day you. Luckily for me, I got a hit this time.

It was one of the few times I wished we had a big pick up truck because I was definitely limited in what I could buy due to the size of our backseat. Case in point, this hutch would be amazing with some TLC, contrasting interior and lacquer paint. Alas, no room at the inn.



I did find two smaller pieces that barely fit in our backseat. The first was this nightstand that looks a little granny now but I just love the shape of it. I probably overpaid at $65 but in the scheme of things, it wasn't bad at all.


pictured in my living room as I was having too much fun to get a decent photo in situ

And of course, I love the hardware as I'm a sucker for ornate brass handles.

Now I just need to decide what color to paint it. Help! I'd love suggestions. Anyone?

I wasn't really looking for a round table but this one caught my eye from its upside down perch on top of a stack of dressers. The top of it needs some refinishing but the base is in beautiful condition. Any suggestions on what I can do to bring it back to its former glory?

Don't you love the little turned in legs? The price tag of $30 was so reasonable, I didn't even consider haggling. (Much to the shock of Mr. Limestone as he knows I drive a tough bargain)

I found this little nightstand that I know I could make great use of but we couldn't fit in the car after purchasing the other two items. Still bummed about that!

As if a cherry on top, I spotted a hobnail milk glass vase on the way out. The price tag had me grinning at just $2!! So that ended my fun afternoon in Englishtown. I can't wait to go back! Then we were off to Red Bank...

Its snowing. Again!

View from the box room window

Not evident from the photo above is that its really coming down out there. Burrr. Got to admit, I'll a little sick of winter already. I know, its only January so I need to toughen up. Truer words have never been spoken.

And speaking of toughening up, I've had not one but two experiences this weekend with people that suck! The first one with the Craigslist seller who promised to hold the nightstands for me and then sold them an hour before I got there. What the &%*#? Its not the nightstand but rather that she knew I was cancelling plans to drive out to pick them up and she could care less. The second person was the 'winner' of one of my ebay auctions who refuses to pay for the item or reimburse me for the fees. What is wrong with people? Is there no personal accountability or general courtesy anymore? I won't go into a rant here but its people like these two that undermine the fabric of a decent society. Grrr... Deep breathes, Count to ten, all that.

On the bright side, had a productive weekend scouting New Jersey for a few furniture pieces as well as a couple of other finds. More in my next post.

"You like me, you really like me."

Even if I am sort of too young to remember this famous Oscar speech Sally Field made in 1985, that doesn't stop it from popping into my head when I headed over to Rate My Space and saw that my office as the #1 top rated!!

Particularly amazing when you consider the "competition". One of them being the the more fabulous offices ever, courtesy of Wanderluster. I mean, come on, how amazing is this built in??

I'm sure its just a freak technical accident that I made it to the top of the list but its still a very sweet surprise on this freezing Friday morning. I admit, I was pretty nervous posting there at first because I was worried about people ripping me a new one. Thankfully, people seemed to genuinely like it. That was a relief. So thanks to everyone who rated giving me a nice little surprise gift this freezing Friday morning.

Ok, I will confess I was a little taken aback by one commenter who suggested I change my doorknob. The doorknobs are one of my absolute most favorite features in my house! In fact, they were one of the reasons I could see the potential in what was a pretty nasty state of things when we saw our house for the first time. But hey - everyone has their own taste so I appreciate the comments anyway.

Ive also gotten some nice feedback on my dining room and kitchen although I don't think I'll be making it to the top of that list ever. :)