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!

Day 8

It hurts to type....my fingertips are hurting from a long day of tiling and we're only half way through! I was a little slow laying on the mortar..I wanted it to look pretty (my inner artist was coming out again!) But today I'm ready to go, we're in the home stretch...well, as far as the tile goes.

We've got a beautiful 12x24 travertine from floor and decor outlets. This is a GREAT resource for flooring..check it out if you have flooring projects.

Now I've got to give props to my very handy parents (they do this for a living) that are up helping me with all this....laying tile, building walls, adding trim, cutting doors....ewww, so much work.

Here's a little advice if your planning a project like this....be prepared to be a little overwhelmed, know that your house WILL be dirty and dusty, plan to eat dinners cooked in a microwave, ALWAYS have a crowbar and hammer near by, your hands and back will be a little sore, and make LISTS!!!!

Can't wait for ya'll to see the finished project...I can't wait to see it too!

I've waited a whole year for this!!

So where in the world have I been?! I am so glad you asked...I have been in serious demolition mode since this past Monday. Will and I bought our lovely home a little over a year ago, and I have wanted to tear apart our kitchen since then... and now the time has come. I have been having SO much fun. I have torn down my first wall, and I smiled the entire time. We have torn out cabinets and ripped (slowly) up two layers of very very old laminate flooring. We were SO excited to find wood floors under the laminate to only be let down again when we discovered that glue had pretty much ruined the wood. Thats okay though, we've got a back up plan....TRAVERTINE!

Now a few months ago I drew up a floor plan for our kitchen. It opens the kitchen up and introduces new seating and more workspace! I'm shooting to have it all done by next Friday!

Here's where we are right now... the wall is down, cabinet doors are off, and floor is up... we are waiting on some fresh paint, granite countertops, new light fixtures, and travertine tile floors. Here's pictures of our progress so far......

Here's the wall that is going down!

I had to razor along the edge to get the crowbar in and take the trim down.

It's gone!!! We also moved the island to the middle of the room... before it was just a cabinet but to save money we turned it into an island.
Yeah he was smiling then, but 30 minutes later that pretty smile was long gone... that is some tough stuff to get up!
Then I had to take over....

So demolition is over, now we have to put it all back together! Stick around for more updates!