Today I searched high and low for a barstool solution for my kitchen peninsula.  Here’s what I found at Pier One:

I found these for $99 each:

And turned them into these fair ladies:

I wasn’t satisfied with the plain wood top, and I didn’t like any of Pier One’s cushions, so off to the fabric store I went to make cushions for comfort.  

Read the rest of this entry »

My little five year old girl loves to throw tea parties for her friends. Mind you, her friends are furry and have names like “Muffin” and “Candy” but I still let them play together.

Last weekend, I was making the rounds at the local thrift store, and also happened to just pop in to this garage sale in the neighborhood. At each stop, I found a little vanity bench and paid $4 for each of them, with the intention of turning them into tea party perches for those furry friends she likes to party with.

Read the rest of this entry »

This dusty old chair was sitting at the local thrift store with a $3 price tag.  I gave her a makeover, and bibbity bobbity boo, now she’s Belle of the Ball.  Or at least, the belle of my office.

Before and After:

If you don’t have a handy magic wand, then gather these supplies:

Read the rest of this entry »

You know how you look at some design element in your home over and over, and it just doesn’t look right, and you just can’t put your finger on why? (Enter blogger helpers…) That’s the story behind my kitchen window valance. It’s a large picture window that looks out into my garden in the backyard, so I didn’t want to obstruct the view, I only wanted to add some soft fabric detail. The wall paint is a dijon color, the wall cabinets are white, and the center island cabinets are this complimentary butternut color:

The original fabric I chose to create the first valance last year was a Waverly rooster toile. The problem with the original valance was that the fabric’s yellow background was the color of American mustard, while the wall color was more Dijon mustard, and with the clashing of these two yellows, the walls finally exclaimed, “Excusez-moi”.

Read the rest of this entry »