If I were a hoarder...

I would be all over this 'butlers console' found craiglist. Id paint the base a rocking shade and use it for all the odds and ends that seem to pile up on the dining room table. (The price seems a bit high to me but maybe the seller is willing to negotiate?)



Unfortunately , Im not a hoarder (ha! don't think i've uttered that thought before) and I already have something very much like this already so I don't need another.


Check out my DIY mail center to read all about it.

On a completely unrelated note Im quite impressed with this sellers bold choice in wall color. Too bad my eyes are bleeding from the carpet!

Have you restrained yourself from scooping up some craigslist or flea market find? How do you stay disciplined?

Easy Easter Centerpiece

I hope you enjoyed last week's guest post by the always amazing Matthew Mead. Im so happy to have him back this week so he can share a fun centerpiece for your Easter celebrations. If you like his simply beautifully classic style, be sure to check out his new book-a-zine, Flea Market Finds.

Title: Easy Easter Arrangement


Every spring event needs a floral flourish, and this one for Easter is oh-so-simple and can be made using items you have around the house.

We selected a mix of spring flowers in a dual color palette: shades of white and green. We shopped a local grocery store for a selection of tulips, mini calla lilies, freesia, ferns, and bear grass. We spent $19.95 on the bouquet.

From my vase shelf I found a tall cylinder vase (it might have begun life as a candle holder) and a pretty mid-century dessert bowl with a blue glaze on the inside. Floral tape, ric rac, and a chocolate robin's egg rounded out the supplies.

The first step was to wrap the cylinder with the foliage. I placed the bear grass and fern fronds against the cylinder and held it in place with the sticky floral tape.

I bundled the blossoms in mixed clusters and added them to the side of the cylinder and continued to wrap with tape until the entire vase was covered.

Floral tape is a really useful craft supply that can be found at Michael's in the floral supply aisle.


To hide the floral tape, I bound the entire bouquet with vintage ric rac, but twine, ribbon, or new ric rac will work just as well.

I selected a modern salad bowl to hold the arrangement and keep the flowers hydrated. Place the cylinder in the bowl and fill with water (replenish daily with water for longevity).



I found these blue chocolate robin's eggs at my childhood candy store and instantly loved the color and nod to Easter and spring. I purchased a half pound for $3.95.

This detail of the arrangement shows how the flowers ring the glass cylinder to create a perfect nest for perching a bowl of candy or even floating candles.

Fill a dessert bowl with candy and place the arrangement on a side board, entry way, or dining table.

This arrangement is ideal for a gathering; a truly beautiful floral show-stopper that also offers up a fun Easter treat. Be sure to have more candy on hand to refill the bowl!

I can make my own cheese?

Much like the revelation that you can make your own vanilla extract blew my mind, I was pretty shocked to hear you can make your own cheese pretty easily. Of course I had to try it.

I bought this kit from Amazon and followed along. As far as I can tell, any kit would do or you could just buy some rennet, citric acid. I won't bore you with every detailed step because you can find those easily online but let's just say Im enjoying some delicious Brooklyn Limestone cheese right now.





warning: cheese making is much harder when trying to photograph it without getting curds on your camera! do this at your own risk.

I think it would be pretty fun to mix in my own cheesy creation into the cheese board at my next party. Granted, it won't win any awards but its a fun conversation starter.

What do you think?

Take it Outside: Backyard in progress

We had some incredibly warm weather last week. Naturally that inspired me to turn my gaze onwards and outside. The plants in the back bed has filled out nicely hiding the less than stellar view. Time to use this space! (I think the last time I mentioned it was nearly 2 years ago when I got my deck together)



After much proding from Mr. L, I ordered an outdoor dining set last year. Sadly it took the company 4 months deliver making it just in time for winter. So after sitting in a box for a year, we pulled it all out, hex wrenched ourselves into a coma and voila. Outdoor dining room.



I wanted to get cracking on some DIY projects, outfit a firepit and add accessories but mother nature turned sour and it drizzled most of Sunday. So that will have to wait til next week. So lots more to do out here but its a start.



Big Cat isn't pleased with my slow progress. He is quite judgemental.

Steal this Idea*: Subway Sign Dresser

Its Friday (yippee!) - time for another Steal this Idea* feature - a tiny show of appreciation for a well executed tutorial.

I still absolutely love my the original subway sign I have hanging in my dining room but I'm not usually a big fan of the DIY kind. For me, the coolness quotient goes down when they weren't actually used in an old timely subway back in the day. All that said, there is a time and a place for everything and this is totally it.

The talent behind Lindauer Designs whipped this one up for sale and also kindly shared how she did it. I especially like how she took the idea and then altered it slightly to suit her purpose. She did a great job keeping the font sizes and layout balanced without being boring. Bravo.

I'm loving it.

I notice she used Annie Sloan chalk paint. It seems to be all the rage now but no one can seem to tell me why its worth so much more than regular latex paint so I've never given it a go. Im really digging the look of this treatment so I might just have to try this fancy paint out for myself.

Check out Lindauer Designs for all the details on this project.

postscript: *When I say steal, I really mean borrow nicely and give proper credit!

**If you have an idea/tutorial you would like me to consider for a feature, email me. I'd love to see!

Paris?

I might just break the golden rule of not braving Europe in the summer months with a trip back to Paris. I've been before (one of my favorite trips ever!) so I've done the typical tourist sites. I might have to revisit a few of my favorites like the fleas and Deyrolle but I wouldn't mind a few more suggestions.


photo via swedotorp

So for those in the know, what should I do this time around?

Flea Market Find How To: Turning Tables

Happy Spring! You know what that means: flea markets, garage sales and junk scouring of all kinds is just around the corner.

So it should come as no surprise I'm super excited about the always stylish Matthew Mead's (remember all the great holiday decorating projects he shared with us last year?) next publication , Flea Market Finds. Can't wait to get my copy!

Lucky for me, he agreed to come back and share more of his work with us here. Today he is sharing his multi-tasking makeover of a flea market find into a beautiful and versatile piece.

***

I am wild about tables and I especially like pieces that have interesting details and architectural elements. I found this drop-leaf table at an open air market for $40.00 and was instantly enamored with its elegant lines and beauty. I envisioned it with a gray painted finish against the corner wall in my dining room for use as a side board when entertaining. It was missing a leaf, so I thought it would be best to remove the other leaf and simply engage its minimal surface uses: as a focal point for flowers, a perch for a soup tureen, or a great place to serve punch at a party.

I knew it was a good purchase and I liked its price but decided to negotiate the dealer down to $30.00 dollars, considering the work I would have to do to it. I decided to keep the lone leaf and use the piece in my living room as a curio-type console with the ability to open the leaf to create a perch for a special small supper gathering or as game table for family and friends. It was an easy fix and I am so very pleased with this beautiful refurbished table with its definite Gustavian flair.

The transformation:
Although missing a leaf, the table had sturdy legs and was in excellent shape:

The missing leaf left some holes that needed covering. I used molding to cover the rounded edge that was part of the the leaf mechanics and then a larger piece of molding to cover the apron of the table and its two large holes where the leaf brackets once were.

The side with the remaining leaf had all its parts in working order:

I selected the moldings at Lowe's. To begin, I measured the length of the front of the table and width. Those dimensions helped me select the pieces of molding that would work and also aided in getting the pieces cut to size.

The molding fit perfectly and concealed the blemishes on the wood:

I then lightly sanded the table to rough up the finish and cleaned the entire surface of the piece with a tack cloth. Next, I primed the table with PRIMER 123: a water-based primer that goes over any finish. I gave it two coats to cover the bleeding color from the original stain.

I primed and painted the molding pieces as well and then gave the table two coats of flat-finish latex paint:

I used a shade of gray called Adobe by Pratt and Lambert:

Once dry, I used Elmer's wood glue to adhere the moldings to the table:



I had no small clamps, so I placed glue on the small molding and held it to the the table with electrical tape (this doesn't take off the paint finish) until dry:



For the larger molding, I used the same process, but had a clamp to hold the larger piece in place. I let both pieces dry overnight (12+ hours):

I filled any gaps with wood putty and gave the table a last touch-up of paint where needed.

And that was it!

With the leaf down, I have an attractive console table with a place to perch collectibles, some art and fresh flowers. In this case, I selected the same paint color as my living room in order for the piece to blend well with the room:

For dining, I am able to pull the table out from the wall and expand the leaf to give me room for three guests. It provides the most wonderful and special place to dine when it is a small, intimate gathering:

The transformation cost?
The molding, primer, paint and glue cost me $55.00 in total, so I now have an amazing, new, and versatile flea market find for just $85.00.

***

Don't you just love that? Who hasn't passed up an old table without a second though?

I know so many of you have completed your own flea market find transformations! Want to share? Drop me a line or share a link in the comments. I can't wait to get my thrifting going this spring!

Looney for Balloons {Super 7}

You know I love to throw a party and several of you have asked me to show more of them on the blog. Sadly, I haven't any any party worthy occasions lately so I don't have a new one to share.

That said, I love to mentally store great party ideas like a squirrel putting acorns away for the winter. Lately I've been fixated on balloons. When used properly they make quite a great statement and can be affordable too.


1. set up a fabulous champagne bar via martha stewart 2. create a hanging balloon centerpice for your next party at home by eightfootsix 3. an awesomely sweet 30th birthday party from sara’s party perfect 4. ombre genius balloon arangement by little green notebook 5. a stunning dessert table featured on wedding chicks 6. ballons can be sultry from green wedding shoes 7. a festive photobooth seen on bridal musings


You'll notice something all of these uses have in common: QUANTITY! So thats the tip of the day. When using balloons (or really anything simple) you really need to use repetition and volume to fill the space to get the right impact.

So what do you think? Have you used balloons for a great party?

Lazy bones.

I got back from work trip on Friday (could you tell I was posting from the other side of the world through a haze of jet lag?) and totally wasted the weekend doing nada. That probably sounds pretty good to lots of people but it makes me feel like a wasteful sack of garbage. Oh well, til next weekend.



It just so happened to be absolutely gorgeous here in NY so I did get to savor the first tastes of spring. I think I might have to work on some outdoor projects next weekend if the weather cooperates and I've snapped out of my sloth like funk.

Despite not making any physical progress, I'm mentally working on the shore bedroom, the man cave, a new organization project and a couple of trip recaps. Oh and I downloaded the Breaking Dawn soundtrack which is embarassing to admit but I do love some of those angst filled songs.

I know lots of you accomplished some fabulous projects this weekend - lay it on me. I need some inspiration. What did you do?

Come Away with Me Giveaway [india] Winner

And the winner is...

More on our trip to india here, here, here and here.

...Mindy@FSLBlog

Email me with your mailing address and I'll get those out to you.

Thanks to everyone who entered. Next souvenir giveaway is coming up very soon.