Black Friday Haul

Hi Everyone!

My daughter and I ventured out early this morning (4:30 a.m.) to partake in the Black Friday hoopla.  We aren't the kind that go out for the doorbusters or anything like that - we just enjoy the festive atmosphere and look for some great deals. This year we even bought matching long sleeved "Black Friday" screen tees, lol!

(Super bad photo taken with my phone!)

The mall we went to had opened at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving (boo to that!), so it was very quiet when we arrived around 5 a.m. (after our Starbucks stop!) and we scored a fantastic parking space to boot!(Important since it was lightly snowing AND only nineteen degrees (with an eight degree wind chill!). After lunch, we ventured to another mall - big mistake! It was i.n.s.a.n.e.!  I let my daughter go in while I tried to find a parking spot.  By the time that happened, she was already done - so we got out of  Dodge and moved on to the nearby Target - ahhhhh, back to tranquility.  

I was really excited to find flannel sheets in a red plaid at Target.  The last two twin sets, and at $16.99 each, they were quite the bargain in my estimation! They will be fun to add to my black, white, and gold guest room beds for the holidays.  We also scored a great deal on holiday candles at Bath & Body Works - love the Balsam Fir & Evergreen this time of year.  Their Black Friday deal was buy three - get three free, plus I had two ten dollar coupons, making it truly a deal.

Also, if you bought $40 worth of products, you could purchase a tote bag for $20 - along with a large tote bag, it contained a smaller makeup case that says, "Sparkle" on the front,  a yummy, seasonal 3-wick candle, body spray, lotion, soap, and perfume.   Great score!

My little Elf on the Shelf guy is especially excited about my Philosophy  purchase today - "Hope for the Holidays." It contains three products tp help with wrinkles...."hope" it works is right!!!! And lastly, I picked up two cute, vintage-y peppermint lollipops to add to my Christmas decor.....if you come over, please don't eat them (although they are edible!).  I have a lot of peppermint candies that I save from year to year to use in my kitchen Christmas displays...so most of them are probably a bit stale!!

Anyway, we had a super fun mother-daughter day together - shopping, drinking Starbucks, and lunch at The Cheesecake Factory - o.m.g. delicious!  Now we are home, propping up our "toesies" by the fire, and hanging out together as family.

How about you? Did you venture out into the Black Friday world?

Black Friday Fun

Hi Everyone!

Hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday.  Ours was a laid back kind of gathering this year, just five total.....very relaxing and fun! I usually host a crowd, and will definitely do so next year, but for 2014, this was just the kind of Thanksgiving day I needed.

Tomorrow, of course, is Black Friday! My daughter and I are heading out in search of deals at the crack of dawn.....I have my eye on some cute, wintery-themed flannel sheets for our guest room.

One of my buddies is helping me out with scanning the ads.......

Thanks for stopping by,

Jane

Look for Me November 28th!

Hi everyone!

I have been terrible at blogging lately - life has just gotten in the way and I just have not made time to post.  So, I have made an "executive decision" to just take the  month of November off, lol!  My plan is to come back in a blaze of glory the day after Thanksgiving with tons of holiday ideas, decor, recipes and such. Look for a post almost daily.  I am hoping you will be there when I throw the doors open once again.

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane

Color My World (Kitchen Chair Reveal)

 Hi Everyone!

I am finally going to share how my chalk painted kitchen chairs turned out.  It has been a long time!!!  As I was painting them, I shared with you that this was my first attempt at chalk paint and because of the original finish of my chairs, it was neither a fun or easy process.  In the end, however, they turned out EXACTLY as I have envisioned !  I am really liking the brighter change.

As you can see, the main body of the chairs are all creamy white, with a dark wax over top.  The decorative chair backs each received a different chalk paint to coordinate with the different colors I use throughout the main floor of our home.

  Here is a  before photo of the chairs before their re-do.  The black lacquer finish was such a pain in the pa-toot - look at all those hand prints! I could never win the war with these chairs.

And here is one of the chairs in it's new paint job and fabric seat.  The fabric is outdoor grade so it will withstand any mishaps or spills. (I hope!)

I still have one more chair to finish, but that one I am simply going to paint all in the creamy color - including the decorative area. Even for me, five colors might be a little too much! I am also going to be taking down the dreadful vertical blinds on the kitchen patio door very soon and re-hang my Pottery Barn panels.  We had hoped the blinds would help our dog with his thunderstorm/lightning anxiety, but it has not....so back to pretty instead.

Just putzing around the house today - cleaning and getting things done for the week before I head off to work tomorrow.  How about you? What's up?

Thanks for stopping by,

Jane

Linking with these fun parties:

Wow Us Wednesday

Party in Your PJ's

The Fall Few

Hi Everyone!

Just popping in with a few fall pics from around the house.

A rustic green shelf filled with old things....

Little glimpse of the mantel featuring a cute wooden rooster on a vintage scale....

Fuzzy teddy on an old child's rocker near the hearth....

Kooky collection of Happy Meal Halloween McNuggets from long ago (and a Ronald "Frankie")

My Wal-Mart olive bucket knock off holding an old basket filled with a pretty plant and mini pumpkins...

Cute pumpkin basket filled with fall floral, attached to a country quilt....

Me putting the final touches on my pumpkin - Mr. Bluebird's is on the right....

Our masterpieces, ready to frightfully light up the night......(hint, I use Mason jelly jars to hold the tealight candles - the wind never blows them out)

Hope you are enjoying all the beauty of fall this weekend.

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane

Linking with these fun parties:
DIY Sunday Showcase
Amaze Me Monday
Metamorphosis Monday
Inspire Me Tuesday
Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party

Keeping the Home Fires Burning

Hi Everyone!

I can't believe it has been several weeks since my last post - time has just flown by.  Our daughter was home for about a week, so Mr. Bluebird and I really enjoyed spending as much time as possible with her while she was here.  She has been gone with her job since mid-July.  I am now looking forward to her next visit at Thanksgiving and getting out to do some serious Black Friday shopping with her.  We always have a great time!  I also suffered a fall (as in, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and fell over a concrete barrier in - of all places - my doctor's parking lot.)  Thank goodness they had an urgent care!  No serious injuries - a big goose egg above my eye, which morphed into a big black eye and a bruised lip, along with some minor aches and pains.  Good heavens!! But I'm alright (except for the persistent black eye) and ready to get back into the swing of things.....carefully, very carefully lol!

I am pretty excited about an addition I made to our front foyer.  A few years ago, I added beadboard wallpaper and molding with coat hooks to the space.  You can read about that here.  I  really enjoyed this addition, but I think it now looks even better!

I purchased this electric fireplace from QVC awhile back in a cranberry color - they called it cinnamon, but it is definitely cranberry, which is good for me.

QVC

I placed it in the entry and while cute, I just felt it needed something "more."  So.......time to put Mr. Bluebird to work!  He helped me (meaning he did all of the work) install a stove pipe and elbow on the stove and wall to give it a more authentic look.

 He made a black sheet metal box to affix to the wall and then inserted the elbow into that.

Of course, he had to do a little trimming and refining.  After he had all the parts assembled and ready to install, I gave them two coats of Rustoleum Flat Black spray paint.  All told, this "project" took about 30 minutes, not including the paint drying time....short and sweet.

I just love how it turned out!  We don't really need additional heat in this area which makes the "flame" only feature extra nice.  The unit also has a remote control where not only can you control the heat, but you can choose from several different flame levels - from raging inferno all the way to just a flicker.    Mr. Bluebird likes it because while he is sitting at his desk in the den, he can have a "fire" burning. I think it really ups the cozy factor in both the entry and the den.....money and time well spent!

What fall projects are you cooking up?

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane

Linking with:
DIY Sunday Showcase
Monday Funday
Amaze Me Monday
Metamorphosis Monday
Boogieboard Cottage
Coastal Charm Show & Share
A Stroll Thru Life
Lou Lou Girls
Wow Us Wednesday

Twenty-Something's Bedroom Ideas

Hi Everyone,

I have a super fun post today!  I am using  Modani Modern Furniture to design a room for a fictional college graduate using their products, along with other products I like at retail. What I like about this furniture and home decor retailer is that you can buy online and they also have several brick and mortar modern furniture stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. I was excited to learn they have a showroom in Chicago - a short day trip from my home!

This was a fun proposition for me as my daughter graduated from college just this past May.  I took my design cues from her tastes and style, and had a blast coming up with a dream bedroom for her.  I would LOVE to put it into "real life" here at home.  It is not my style, but it is very young and hip!  I know I would have flipped for a room like this in my first apartment - instead of the cast offs and the make do's that every one seemed to have had back then.  I am also so impressed with how easy it is to design a room these days compared to "the back then" of it all.  Big box stores, thrift stores, and smart shopping has really transformed decorating.

The color scheme I chose was turquoise, black, with a pop of coral to keep it from getting too flat.  I am madly in love with the upholstered bed by Modani Modern Furniturewith the leatherette backing - very clean and sophisticated.  I would love to use repurposed pallet wood for the wall behind the bed to bring a bit of vintage texture to the room to keep things interesting. A patterned broadloom carpet adds warmth underfoot and grounds the furniture.

I chose shiny silver end tables to flank each side of the bed, along with two chandliers in lieu of lamps.  I think this would give the bed wall a very streamlined look, keeping the tables clear for a book, laptop, glass of water, etc. Three shimmery storage cubes would line the end of the bed for seating and much needed storage.  A young professional has tons of shoes, bags, and accessories to store!

Modani Modern Furniture has a gorgeous side table that would make a terrific vanity, paired with an oval mirror, a pair of sleek lamps, and a French style chair upholstered in silver.  A large leaning mirror would come in handy for checking out the many outfits that get tried on in a day! Throw in a cozy, yet modern upholstered and tufted chair and black pouf for lounging, and the bones of the room are complete! 

The turqoise bedding is from Pottery Barn and I just love the ruching.  As for accessories, I chose Modani's black "Love"  and silver throw pillows. Other pillows came from Overstock.com and Pottery Barn.  Pottery Barn also offers the wall art.  

Lastly, since I had my daughter in mind, I know this room would not be complete without some sort of wall decal or framed art showcasing her sorority letters - ZTA!  A custom, oversized wall decal with the letters and emblem would be amazing somewhere in the room.

And that is my rendition of a "just graduated from college, first apartment" bedroom featuring Modani Modern Furniture.  It was great fun!  Please check out their website to see what all they offer  - from dining to outdoor to kids rooms, they have a wide selection.

*all furniture, mirrors, and lighting are available from Modani

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane