We’ve owned this laminate and particle board media center for about fifteen years.  It was purchased in the leaner years from a discount furniture store.   Back in the 90s, we used it in our family room to store all of our media equipment, but then we eventually moved it to the kids’ play space.  For the longest time (like most moms) I was just grateful for the storage it brought me and I didn’t care what color it was.

Then all of a sudden I just couldn’t take it anymore.  I was staring at the faux maple laminate last week and I decided the day had come.  It was time to paint it!  It’s not that I don’t like blonde wood, I just don’t like faux blonde wood.  It’s the fakeness that bothers me.

So it was time to rid my world of the maple tone and give it a fresh coat of white paint.  This is a relatively sturdy piece, so rather than go out and buy a new system, or build one myself, I determined the best way to save it was to simply paint it.  The best part of all is, I changed the look of this piece in 48 hours!

Here’s the Before:

Here’s the After:

Here’s how I painted my laminate storage center.   

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Well, top of the mornin’ to ya folks, hope your weekend was fabulous !  Mine was exceptionally great, especially since I had the opportunity to go to the Antique Faire here in town, the one I mentioned here that was written up in Country Living a few short months ago. 

The weather was perfect and so was the company – check out these lovely ladies who drove from all over the Bay Area to pay a visit to our Antique Faire !

Emily and Jillian; moi; Marie, Pauline from Struggling to Be Stylish; Claudia from Viva Frugality, and Kim from Yep They’re All Mine.

The group split up to hunt for treasures but met up later for a fantastic lunch.  Here’s a glimpse at some of the cool antiques I spotted.

This gorgeous bow front chest with bonnet top hutch.  It was a soft gray, I loved it !

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Many towns across America have their festivals every year which draw the local crowds.  Ours happens to be the ‘Butter & Egg Festival’ on the last weekend in April and it draws folks from all across the county to the tune of 25,000+ people.   The ‘Butter & Egg’ title has something to do with our town’s long poultry history, but I choose not to dig into the details.  Anyway, the ‘Butter & Egg’ kicks off with the Cutest Little Chick in Town contest before the big parade. 

When we first moved to this town twelve years ago, we never would have dreamed we’d be interested in a contest like this.  But then you go and have offspring of your own and something snaps inside of you, and all of a sudden, you want your kid to be crowned the Cutest Little Chick in Town.  It’s a small town pageant where nervous parents parade their ‘chicks’ before judges for the title and $50 bucks in cash. 

Many nails are bitten.  Grandparents pace back and forth.  The competition is fierce.  Every parent wants their critter named The Cutest Little Chick in Town.  I often wonder what the parental penalty is for not smiling on cue in front of the judges. 

A sampling of the candidates before their debut, and their secret thoughts:  

“I’ll endure the paparazzi as long as the lollypops keep coming.”

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Oh happy Friday, everyone !  I’m excited about this weekend’s giveaway, brought to you by my new sponsor Recessionista !   I’m pleased to introduce you to this online shop that brings you stylish jeans and beautiful accessories at the best prices !

Everyone needs a special piece to upgrade their wardrobe, and pretty accessories always do the trick.  There are plenty of choices for every lady over at Recessionista, including these favorite necklace and earring combos I’m personally loving. 

Perhaps you like hats, I know I do, especially in colder weather.

Are you more of a scarf kind of gal ? 

Take a peek at a few of these beauties !

And shoes, shoes, shoes galore !   You’ve got to check out the collection. 

Every gal needs a perfect handbag – I’m having great difficulty deciding ! 

Denim is on sale through Wednesday – all jeans are $39.99, but hurry up and shop, because the special lasts only until Wednesday April 28th.  

There’s a lot to see and plenty to shop for over at Recessionista !   Think Mother’s Day, birthdays, graduations, or just think about enhancing your own wardrobe.

Today, the store is giving away two $50 dollar gift certificates !  Yay, shopping !  If you’d like to get your hands on one of the two $50 dollar gift certificates, then here’s how you can.

Eligibility to win one of two $50 dollar gift certificates to Recessionista Online:

1) Hop on over to Recessionista Shop and pick a favorite item.  Anything at all !  Then come back and tell us your pick in a comment.

2) For a second chance to win, post this giveaway on Facebook, and come back and leave your FB profile link in another comment.

3) For a third and final chance to win, link to this giveaway on Twitter, then come back and leave your Twitter profile in a comment with the words “I tweeted!”

Giveaway ends Tuesday April 27th at 8 p.m. PST.  Two winners will be chosen by Random.org

For those who feel like shopping right now, use the code centsgirl  for a 20% discount (not including jeans) through Wednesday April 28th !    Shipping is only $5 dollars, flat rate, anywhere in the United States.  And be sure to follow along with the Recessionista schedule to stay updated on the weekly giveaways.  It’s good to be in the know.  :-) 

Good luck everyone and enjoy your weekend ! 

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So I’m knee deep in the middle of sprucing up my son’s room.  Poor thing -  I never ever really decorated his room when he was born due to 1) exhaustion and 2) ongoing remodel.  But don’t feel sorry for the lad, he had some cute plaid linens when he was still in the crib.  And pale blue walls.  Yay, I did something. 

Anywho, I recently painted his room a very bold color and am still waiting on a few accessories but I’m impatient when it comes to decorating around my house and I can’t sit twiddling my thumbs to wait for a few accessories, no sirrrrreeeeee  ! 

I have now turned my attention to the living room.  I’ve never really featured this space because it’s a little hum drum too traditional for my changing taste.  Yes, I’m feeling the need, the need for some ooh la la moderne décor.  I’m inspired to start a makeover, just needing to figure out how to do it in a cost effective way !  ‘Diamond style on a dime’ – that’s what I always say.   Hey, that rhymes.

So here are my inspiration photos, and you’ll spot our living room as it is way down below.  Notice the colors I’m drawn to are this cool blue and warm gold mixed with cream to lighten and brighten up the space.  I’m terribly addicted to this color medley right now.  I must have it. 

Loving these botanical prints with moss velvet gold leaf settee. 

 Liz Williams

Here’s what I say to this turquoise lamp.  “Hello lover.”

Thibaut

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