Cake Stands

I found a little inspiration at one of my favorite places in Greenville, Knack Studios. Take an old plate that needs new life and glue it to an old glass candle holder or vase! So cute! You can see hers here.

Have a great Saturday!

Color combos that work!

There is a science to color combinations...I teach it everyday to my students. When certain colors are mixed or combined in the right environment and dosage, they can create beautiful harmony within a home.

For example: red and green (you work in varying shades of these colors), orange and blue, yellow orange and blue violet, etc.
These are all complementary colors, that will naturally be cohesive in a room. You can use these colors as building blocks for a room, but it's when you start pushing the envelope in these color categories that things get real interesting.

I've selected a few images of rooms that successfully portray unique yet complementary color combos.


This first one was chosen mainly for the little smiling pup that melted my heart!

Light seabreeze turquoises with white washed wood and creamy white trim.

Yellow, blue, and aqua really sing when they are together.

Deep orange paired again with white washed walls.

A cream almost champagne beige works wonderful with a pale soft blue.

Any more suggestions on successful color combinations? I would LOVE to hear your thoughts.


(*Images courtesy of Kat Burki, Suzan Fellman, Elsa Soyars, and Mabley Handler Interior Design)

Our new addition

I found this little gem at a Goodwill store on Mt. Pleasant. Isn't it lovely? I've been searching a while for a rattan chair like this.. does anyone know the style name? It was a natural color. Sometimes, if you're not sure what color you want to go with, just let the chair sit in a room for a while, move it around the house, then it should come to you eventually.

The chair found a home in the sunroom and white was the color of choice. I brought in the deep orange fabric from the living room to tie the two rooms together.

Have a happy Wednesday!!

Your home's introduction

An entryway is always a challenging space, it also is the statement maker for your home's environment. What is yours saying right now? It took me a good while to figure out my entryway; you can see what I did here.

Here are some key things to keep in mind when creating a statement making entryway:

Storage ( for shoes, keys, jackets, scarves, leashes, etc. Paint an old bureau or small table, and add some baskets, or a bench or chair will do)

Smell (sweet scented candles create a welcoming environment)

Plant or Flowers(also are welcoming)

Color (This can be in accessories, flooring, or walls, to get visitors excited about your house)

Here are a few very inspiring entryways from flickr

New Kitchen Reveal!!

Okay, if you don't know we have been working on a kitchen renovation for the past four weeks. Lets take a venture down memory lane, shall we?

This is how it looked for about a year...

How refreshing is a new kitchen?!! I feel like a food network host every time I cook! (However, a dog and a cat don't make the best audience.)

Cost break down:

Labor... $0 (we did it, along with my parents)

Flooring (hardy backer board, mortar mix, grout, tile)....$1000 (Floor & Decor)

Counter tops (granite).....$2000

Appliances (dishwasher and stove).....$1100

2 Light fixtures.....$50 (Scott's Antique Market)

Backsplash....$50 (Floor & Decor)

Accessories....$40

Paint (ceiling, cabinets, and trim)....$45

Faucet....$140

Sink...$90

Hardware....$56

Grand total...$4571!!

(We will eventually add a new refrigerator to that total)

Changes we made:

Knocked down wall between main kitchen and breakfast area

Tore up flooring

Sanded and painted cabinets

Replaced existing countertops

Moved fridge and added cabinet

Changed fixtures

Updated hardware

Updated light switches

Added microwave cutout

Let me know what your think..opinions or suggestions?

I'm going in the record books people!!

Yeah that's right... they're adding me to the books! My title? The South's Slackiest Blogger. I don't even believe "slackiest" is a word, but they're putting me in there, that's for sure!

I haven't even looked at my blog for the past two weeks because I feel so terribly guilty. I do although, have some freshly completed projects that I am very proud to show off today! But first, I want to share a little update on my kitchen project. The kitchen is a go friends, that's right I am done, done and done! Its funny what your body goes through when doing a major project like this....one night I woke up literally with a fever, cold chills and all because of the junk we were pulling up with the floor, and my nose has NOT quit running because of all the dust we stirred up! But it was SO worth it. I will leave you with the entire list of what we did, what we payed, and how we did it on Saturday.

This past Monday I visited a new client in Charleston, and completed a bathroom renovation! This client is my sister (in law) Susannah Wiksell! Does that count?

Here's what we did with her entry way powder bathroom.

With small bathrooms, especially powder rooms, you want to make a bold statement, and that's what we did by painting the walls a bright and rich turquoise and adding gold floret stenciling.

And after...

For the stenciling, I drew out the pattern on board paper and cut out a small and large flower. These were traced randomly on the walls and painted with gold acrylic paint. I added a little special touch to some of the flowers to give an added interest to the wall.

We spent around $30 for this entire project, by using accessories from around the house for the finishing touches, and only spending money on paint and a brush!

So small a price for such a dramatic change!

E, Myself, and a guest post

Hey sweet friends! I cant wait to share some new updates on my kitchen. We made a wonderful trip to Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta, and I found two great fixtures for over the island and sink and a few other accessories. Of course, I can't show you until they're up!

In the meantime, check out my guest post over at E, Myself, and I, where I share my opinions on top decorating mistakes people commonly make.

(p.s.-If you are ever in the Atlanta area on the second weekend of the month, you've got to check out Scott's antique market, definitly worth the trip!)

Updates coming VERY soon...countertops will be in on Tuesday...thats the last thing we're waiting on!