Let the Magic Begin

I'm sorry I've so lax about blogging lately. This past week has been crazy with my children's end-of-the-year festivities AND preparing for our Disney trip. It's true. Today's the day. We're leaving for Disney World! 

The kids are so excited they can hardly stand it, and so am I. My excitement is just tempered with the usual anxiety that accompanies traveling with children. This will be the first flight for my son, and the first my daughter remembers (we flew when she was 18-months-old).

We'll be gone for six days, so hopefully I will return with some posts the following week. Until then, wish me luck. And if you have any tips about Disney, please feel free to share them as this is our first trip there with the kids.


Watch out, Mickey, here we come!

All That Glitters

Gold is back in a big way. Whether it's brass light fixtures or gilt-covered furniture or accessories, designers seem to be going for the gold lately.

And a little bit of glitz can go a long way. Just a hint of gold here and there can add life to a room.

Mid-century modern or traditional. Gold knows no bounds.

I think a lot of the gold fervor can be attributed to this lady:

Love her or hate her, Kelly Wearstler has certainly upped the shiny quotient of interiors. While some are confounded by her groovy 70's aesthetic, you could certainly never accuse her of being boring.

I've been getting into the gold rush too as evidenced by some of my more recent flea market and antique mall finds.

As well as some pieces I've had for a while:

And my latest acquisition . . .

this $10 light fixture from eBay. I bought it to replace the builder's special in the hallway behind it. I was going for something similar to the first photo above.

So, do you believe in the golden rule?

Sources:  Christina Murphy, Jan Showers via D Magazine, Christina Murphy,  Ernest De La Torre via Thirteen and South, Molly Luetkemeyer, House Beautiful and KWID

The (Not So) Big Reveal

Sorry it's taken me a while to post any photos of my new and improved downstairs paint job. It's been done for at least a couple of weeks now, but with the flood and the school year drawing to a close, I've been a little preoccupied. And although I think it looks great, the before and after photos are honestly just not that dramatic.


But, without further ado . . . 


Here's the BEFORE:

And, wait for it . . . the AFTER:

 Sorry I didn't get around to hanging up the emperor before snapping this shot.

SO much better, right? Okay, I won't feel hurt if you can't tell much of a difference from these photos. However, it is much lighter and brighter. I swear. And not so much the color of peanut butter anymore, but instead maybe a frothy latte.

You might be able to see more of a difference in the next set of photos:

BEFORE:

And, AFTER:

Since this is a before and after post, I'll also share a semi-finished project. Remember this sunburst clock I found at the Flea Market?

Well, I've really been wanting a sunburst mirror lately. When I read that A Perfect Gray and Caitlin Creer had transformed sunburst clocks into mirrors, I was sold. The only problem? I can't figure out how to get the clock out. But, never fear, in APG's post she mentioned another blogger who simply silver-leafed the glass clock front. So, I thought it was worth a try.

Confession: I've never "leafed" anything in my entire life. But off I went to Michael's to search out the proper materials. First, I applied the adhesive and let it sit until it got tacky.

Then, I applied the silver leaf with a dry brush. Really very easy.

I think it looks decent. Although, I'd really like to get it fitted with a real mirror. At least this gives me an idea of what it could look like.

What do you think?