Our Tage Sale - Today & Tomorrow!

Our huge TAG SALE is today April 30th from 3pm - 7 pm and Saturday May 1st from 7 am - 12 pm. I ran out of time to take more pictures but here are some of the other items that will be for sale:

- Corner Armoire, painted black
- 2 chair & a half's with twin sleepers - covered in periwinkle blue slipcovers
- 4 green farmhouse style chairs w/rush seating from Italy
- overstuffed upholstered chair (think 80's but super comfortable, great for rec room or family room)
- ottoman
- suede upholstered chair
- blonde maple desk from Hold Everything (went out of a business few years ago)
- silk dupioni drapes (yellow green in color)
- lots of framed artwork - some oversized
- and so much more. You can go this post to see more pics.

To all the bloggers who left comments that you may be coming - thanks! Sorry that I didn't get back to everyone personally. Definitely ask for me when you come to the sale - would love to meet you.

Attention, Shoppers

Today I had the luxury of spending some time with one of my best friends, Arrione, who recently moved back to town. Did we have lunch at a fabulous restaurant then hit a boutique for some shopping? Not exactly. We ate Chick-fil-A in the car while her baby napped in his car seat, then we hit Target. But we didn't care - we were together and having fun.

Now, like most trips to Target, this one started with the mundane - socks for my daughter, a rug pad and paper plates. Somehow, I came home with much more. The dreaded Target effect.


First of all, I had to see if "her" Target (in an outlying suburb) had more of the Cynthia Vincent sandals. It did. Oh, happy day. I grabbed two pair. Arrione grabbed the same two pair (luckily we don't wear the same size; she has normal size feet whereas mine are huge).

I loved this yellow pair. They fit pretty well and are comfy to boot. The next pair, I think I might have to return.

These are super cute, but they're a half size too big and once I got home and walked around in them I realized they're not gonna work. Bummer.

 

Next, we hit the clothing department, and I found this cute tunic . . . 

Don't mind the mess behind me in my bedroom. And I would wear this with white jeans, not the cargo pants I just happened to have on.

And last, we had to make a quick stop in the jewelry department. I can't remember the last time I bought jewelry at Target, but there was some really cute stuff. I ended up choosing this . . .

Okay, so this isn't the best shot. Sorry. But basically, the white things are pearls. Kind of edgy for me, but Arrione talked me into it. In fact, she talked me into everything. It's all her fault. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Friends + shopping = bliss. Hope you had a great Thursday too!

I Won!

It's a miracle . . . I won something!

Do you remember this giveaway I mentioned a few days ago? Well, I won! And, I never win anything. This is one for the record books.

Julie from Monkey Grass Hill and I have exchanged a couple of emails, and she's thrown out a couple of ideas for my very own piece of her jewelry.

I am so excited. There's nothing quite like jewelry to perk up a girl's day. I'll, of course, share photos of the finished item once it arrives.

Thanks again, Julie, for the opportunity to win an amazing piece of jewelry! Check out Monkey Grass Hill to see more of Julie's beautiful creations and read about her journey to make her house a warm and inviting home.

Michael Angus's Apartment on H & H Online TV

There is serious eye candy on this week's episode of House & Home Online TV. Designer and store owner Michael Angus gives a tour of his fresh and tailored home, highlighting the use of space expanding mirrors, beautiful moldings and antiques.

A Spanish Courtyard Extraordinaire

Back in Oct. '09 I posted about Lorenzo Castillo's beautiful Madrid home. Now here is the equally stunning courtyard. Aren't the black and white tiles incredible?
I particularly like the photographer's choice of photo here - with the reflections in the antique mirror.

All images from Nuevo Estilo, here, name of photographer not known. Hope you have a great start to your week.

Friday Flea

I had an hour to kill between a meeting and picking up my son at noon, so what's a girl to do when the Flea Market is free on Fridays? Plus, the weather was beautiful, whereas tomorrow tornadoes are threatening. So, off I went. At a breakneck pace, I might add.


Here's what I spied in my hour at the Flea Market at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds:

I loved the Chinese Chippendale details on this and the X base. Would be great as a sofa table and painted with a lacquer finish. At $165, it was a little pricey for the flea market, but overall a great piece for the money. 

These had no price on them, and I couldn't find the owner, but I was drawn to their unique shape, and the fact that there were two of them. Very fun.

I have no idea where I would put this peacock (or fan back or throne) chair, but it was only $10. I would obviously paint it some fabulous color. Oh, wait it could go in the corner of my bedroom. Hmm. May have to go back.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but this huge, metal "P" had great chipped paint and a very industrial vibe. It would look cool in Pierce's room, and for $25 the price was right. The only problem, there was no huge "M" for Meg. And believe me, she would notice that her brother got a gigantic letter and she didn't (whether or not she really wanted one is beside the point). To get an idea of how big it was, my big toe is in the lower right corner.

I just liked the lines on these bedside tables and the gray color was nice. Anytime you can have a drawer and a shelf on a bedside table it's a bonus. He was asking $150 for the pair, but I'm sure he would have come down a little.

Just thought this was a cool little side table, especially for a screened-in porch. No price, but I would imagine it was cheap.

Six bentwood chairs (one of which had a broken seat) - $5 each!! I didn't really need these, but I thought they would look great painted black (or your favorite color).

The upholstery on this chair was not great, but it was sturdy and a pretty feminine shape. At only $15, I was tempted, but reminded myself it would cost a lot to reupholster (especially with the curved back).

This could have been the deal of the day. I swear the guy was selling these four rattan chairs and table base (with no glass) for $15! Unless I misunderstood him, which is possible. I think he was just trying to get rid of them. The chair backs reminded me of tennis rackets, otherwise I may have just bought them on principle although I doubt they would have fit in my car. 

Once again, these club chairs would need to be reupholstered (unless mauve is your color), but they had nice clean lines and were pretty comfortable. At $30 each, I thought the price was right until I considered the price of reupholstering two chairs. I really need to learn to upholster!

And lastly, this is the piece that went home with me. A Syroco-style sunburst clock for $10. I plan on changing the clock to a mirror. I got the idea from A Perfect Gray and Caitlin Creer's blogs who did the same thing with a sunburst clock. Check out their finished products. Hopefully, I can achieve the same results.

So, do you think there are any treasures in the bunch?

Huge Tag Sale!: My friends and I

My friend Lori is moving to Georgetown - "downsizing" in the most chic of ways. The tablescape above gives you a sense of her style and great eye. She'll be selling the majority of the pieces from a staging business as well as selected pieces of furniture and accessories from her home. I'm joining her, along with fellow design enthusiast friends, to host a HUGE TAG SALE Friday April 30th 3 pm - 7 pm and Saturday May 1st 7 am - 12 pm.
Items for sale from myself, Lori and my other friends include: upholstered chairs, sofas, dining room table, accent chairs, rugs, desks, mirrors, lamps, framed artwork, pillows, bolts of fabric including designer names, accessories, custom made duvet covers, and more!

Here are just some pictures -will post more this weekend. The armoire above will be for sale.
Cane back dining chairs Lori bought while on vacation in Bangkok


4 terrific framed prints of Paris
Pillows...
Pairs of lamps, lampshades
Stool upholstered in a Kelly Wearstler fabric, ABC Carpet & Home chair, bedding that was used for staging so no one ever slept on it!
An absolutely beautiful comforter.


More pillows, bedding and table runners.



Custom made king size duvet cover with 2 european shams.
Gorgeous black see-through fabric purchased at ABC Carpet & Home. Would make beautiful drapes. I'll be posting more items that will be for sale in the next few days.

Hope to see you at our HUGE TAG SALE! Friday April 30th 3 pm - 7 pm and Saturday May 1st 7 am - 12 pm.

And the Winner Is . . .

No, I'm not announcing the winner of some super giveaway because, well, my blog's just not that popular yet (however, see below if you're interested in a giveaway). 

I'm actually announcing something much more exciting (well, to me anyway) - the paint color that will go in most of my house. Okay, so it was never really a competition, but it kind of felt that way. 

So, without further ado . . . the color will be: 


Wheeling Neutral by Benjamin Moore.

Sorry, this photo is not great. I tried to download a swatch off the Benjamin Moore website but it didn't work. So, this is the sample I painted on poster board. 

Special thanks to Marianne of Haven and Home for suggesting the color!

Honestly, after a while all the paint started to look alike . . .

And, after 11 samples, I was a bit bleary-eyed . . .

But, after all was said and done (and painted), Wheeling Neutral emerged as the favorite for its lack of pink or yellow undertones. If anything, it might have a hint of green but overall it's a clean, crisp neutral that I believe I can live with for years to come.

Armando (my favorite painter) is booked for Monday, and I can't wait. Don't you just love saying "Armando"? It makes me think of some hunky guy from a Telemundo soap opera. Trust me, he's not.

In other news (that I hinted at above), there are a couple of great giveaways I've run across on other blogs in the past couple of days.

Julie over at Monkey Grass Hill is offering a fabulous jewelry giveaway. The best part - she makes this jewelry herself, and it is beautiful! Very vintage-inspired and unique. I love it. 

Plus, while you're over there, check out her blog as she shares before and afters from her home and muses over whether or not she has too much zebra stuff (something we all can relate to). She's very unpretentious and down-to-earth - my kind of girl.

And the second giveaway is a great Gold Sunburst Mirror (who wouldn't love one of these?) from From the Right Bank.

Ally of From the Right Bank has clocked some serious travel time (she seems to be almost as well-traveled as my father), and has recently hosted a spate of guest bloggers as she has been in India - poor dear. Her blog is very entertaining, check it out here.

That's all for now. I'll keep you updated on how Armando's doing next week!

Showhouse Preferences? Pushing Boundaries or Playing it Safer

There have been alot of posts recently about showhouses in DC and other cities and it has me wondering about about the classic debate:

Should a showhouse be a cohesive presentation of beautiful but somewhat predictable design or should it push the boundaries and go for the wow factor, even if the rooms don't flow? When it comes to the wow factor, where do you draw the line between unique and innovative and too edgy and impractical?

Considering the expense, in today's economy it's understandable why designers may choose to create rooms that potential clients can relate to. In fact, some people prefer the showhouse that's not too far from what they could imagine in their own home. But, when is it that too conventional?

I think this 2009 Hamptons Designer Showhouse sitting room designed by Ellen Hamilton Design pushes the boundaries of safe in very successful and exciting way. The large scale Osborn and Little wallpaper by Suzy Hoodless is matched with the strong colors of the upholstery, carpet and drapes for a very exhuberant and committed look.

(First image via Emily Evans Eerdman, second and third image via The Smoking Nun, photographer unknown)
For me, this dining room designed by Marshall Watson, is pushed past beautiful to fascinating by the seagrass shades dripping with illuminated glass balls, the black outdoor lantern sconces, the oversized wire urns and the tobacco glazed and stenciled walls. Chair slipcovers are embroidered with guest names and even the uber-wide edging on the carpet strays from the trend for a narrow band.

So , if you were forced to make a choice between only two options, which one would you prefer:

(1) the wow factor, even if it means some impractical design and rooms that don't flow together
or
(2) beautiful design, even if it means more predicatable rooms with few surprises


If you fondly remember a designer showhouse room that achieved a great balance between the wow factor and relatable design, please mention it in your comment or leave a link. I'm curious to hear what you think...


For a complete virtual tour of the 2009 Hamptons Designer Showhouse by Edge MediaRE go here.