One Kings Lane

As I posted yesterday, I LOVE a good a sale.  I was introduced to this site a while back that I absolutely love.   I love it for the inspiration, the unique finds and the great buys that are to be had.  It's is unique in that they have closeout sales that are up to 70% off but they only last 72 hours per sale, and once an item is gone, it's gone!


 

One Kings Lane caters to all walks of life...whether you like funky or traditional, have a large budget or a small one...I bet you can find a unique piece here.  They make it really easy on you too, you can have emails delivered daily to see what is up for sale for the day and what is coming up as well.

You can also use as a great guide to finding a great deal.  You KNOW they run great specials, and if you happened to see the same or similar piece somewhere for cheaper, than you can sleep easy at night knowing you got a great deal.  Also, they tend to run quite a few of the same designers and brands multiple times, so if you missed it the first time (or you saw it somewhere else and found that it cost more : )), you can make sure you are ready to purchase the second time around.

Here's an small idea of the variety you can find...

gorgeous stationary, $46 $24

colored baker, $36 $18

Ralph Lauren Home, goes up for sale in this morning

Set of 2 stainless serving trays, $70 $29

Antique English coffer, $4500 $2699...isn't it GORGEOUS?

This is just a small sampling of what they have...so, I dare you...go take a peak and see if you are as in love with One Kings Lane and all it has to offer as much as I am!

23 Design Co. : : Name, part II

I didn't mention this one in my last post, well, because it was Valentine's Day, but there is another reason that 23 Design Co. made the final cut.  Right about the time I began search for the perfect name, our kids  began memorizing Psalm 23 (mentioned in this Sunday Meditation).  I was reminded that I have every single thing I need and in this world of wants and trying to keep up with styles (both in my home and in what I wear), I felt like having the constant reminder of Psalm 23 will help me keep focused.

How have do I try and live this while decorating?  (And I do fail often so I'm not claiming to have this down yet...that's why I need the reminder!)

• Re-purpose what I already have...I have taken a can of black/white/silver spray paint to a ridiculous amount of surfaces in this house.  Whether it's to touch up or to create a new look, this is a great way to change it up for almost free.

This beveled mirror that came with our house was a gaudy gold...much better now!

• Shop thrift stores, garage sales, etc.  Keep an open mind....some of my "ugliest" finds have become some of my most-complimented items with a little touch-ups.  Also, with clothes, especially for kids, you can have them looking great on the smallest of budgets!
• Think outside the box. For example, I needed to revamp my kids homework and project center.  I decided to take my old silverware caddy that has not gotten much use at this house and organize it all probably better than any product I could have bought.



This caddy works so much better than trying to keep all these in their boxes

• Shop your house...when focusing on one room, instead of making a list and heading to the store for your accessories, look what items can be better used in the room you are working on.
• Check the clearance racks first in every store you go in...whether it's Target, Ikea, Pottery Barn, or wherever you are...you may find exactly what you need for a fraction of the price, just by finding the clearance bin....and remember KEEP YOUR MIND OPEN! : ) 

Pottery Barn luminaries, $29.00 down to $1.97

This list could on for quite a while, but I'll leave those few thoughts for you all to think about for now.  There is nothing wrong with spending a good amount of money on a piece for your home (if you have it, of course), but keeping focused on remembering that you have everything you need and the rest is just icing on the cake can help keep it all in perspective.

I'd love to hear your ideas...I know there are some thrifty and creative minds out there!

23 on 14

Being that today is Valentine's Day, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to explain the meaning behind the name I've chosen for this website, 23 Design Company.

A few months ago, I began toying with the idea of trying to get my foot in the door of interior design.  I had quite a few opportunities come my way in this area recently, and not only did I get great feedback, but I LOVED it.  But trying to figure out what the next step was somewhat daunting...even the idea of starting a blog gave me quite a bit of anxiety.  I would try to "forget" about it or put off trying to figure out a name or find some other way to stall because I just wasn't quite sure I was up for it.  That's where my 23 comes in...Trey, my husband, was so encouraging, giving me the extra push when I needed it most.  He believed in me and helped me muster up the confidence to get this up and running.  Without him, I most definitely would have left this dream behind.  And the 23?  It's our anniversary date, February 3. 


I know I'm only 2 weeks into this, but I am loving every minute of it.  So, on this Valentine's Day, I'm extra thankful for my Valentine.  He puts up with my constant projects, my garage space used for all these ridiculous projects, my thrifting, and all my other crazy ideas.  He is exactly what God knew I needed and I couldn't be more thankful for him...especially this year!

Just another Friday night...

My sweet husband ended up being gone for the night, so what's a girl to do when she's home alone with 4 kids on a Friday night?  Why paint her kitchen, of course!

My kitchen hasn't been featured on here yet...I've done quite a bit of work in there, but nothing to write home about, but I'm so excited about the mini-transformation I did tonight.  Originally, it  had some precious country blue wallpaper & wainscoting to match the cabinets.  All signs of the 80's have been stripped away, but it has been pretty basic tan (one of 3 tans from the same family I've used all over the house.)




Since, for right now, I'm keeping the cabinets as is, I need to keep the paint on the lighter side to not make the room feel like it's caving in on me while I'm cooking.  I decided to step it up a notch, by adding some stripes using that same family of colors (lucky for me, I have extra of all those colors on hand, so this was an almost free project!)

How to:

• measured the entire wall and divided by 5...I knew I wanted large stripes which would be 3 of the original wall color and 2 to paint
• measured out all around the room and marked off with a pencil
• connected pencil lines with Frog tape
• checked and reapplied tape in a few areas...overall this method worked really well!

• took an almost dry PURDY brush and blotted all the edges with paint and then filled in (you could roll it, but I didn't feel like dirtying another thing to clean : ))

• immediately took off tape when finished
• touched up a couple areas

Really, this project took me about 3 hours (my kitchen isn't huge) and I even managed to make the kids some cookies mid-painting....ok, and clean up spilled milk. : )  I'm excited about finding some ways to add some color and pizazz to the busiest room in our house!  There will be more to come on this project!

Hope you enjoy!

It was like Christmas morning...

So yesterday morning, I got up and took the kids to school and on the way home I drove through this neighborhood I had heard had some well-kept older homes, which I love to look at & dream about their potential.  As I drove through, something caught my eye and I tried not to get too excited, but I did...and it was SO worth it!  What did I find?? This fabulous ugly chair. ; )

I love a good wing back chair.  Oh the possibilities have been flooding my mind since I got in the car.  I'm so excited at it's potential.  Here are some possibilities...

via House Beautiful

via Pink and Polka Dot

via House Beautiful

via House Beautiful...love the nailhead trim

via Caitlin Creer Interiors...gorgeous fabric

via Caitlin Creer Interiors...more gorgeous fabric!

So many beautiful designs to choose from...I LOVE those bold prints but the idea of a white/neutral slipcover seems so family friendly and versatile.  I can't wait to get started on this project...think I need to brush up on my sewing skills because I don't think my hot glue gun will take me the distance this time!  : )

Bathroom Remodel

after







before

This is our kids' bathroom and it was one of the last rooms to be touched in our house...probably because once I got around to it, I was so sick of stripping wallpaper.  But one morning this fall, Trey and the kids headed off to school and I decided to tackle it (oh and I sorta forgot to mention this to him ; )).

What was done :

• spray-painted gold mirror black
• sanded, primed, and painted the cabinets black (I already had the paint from another project)
• stripped the wallpaper, textured and painted walls (already had paint and texture)
• hit Ikea for cheap knobs/pulls ($1.99/6 pack of knobs)
• already had the tile (bought extra accidentally for our other bath - Score!)
• spent $100 to install tile (would've figured it out myself, but I was having a party that weekend and didn't have the time : ))
• ordered shower curtain from target.com (animal print was a MUST with my 7 & 9 and year old girls : ))
• shopped the house for frames and accessories
• picked up my towel bar and toilet paper holder at Wal-Mart of all places and I LOVE them...installed myself
• installed new electric outlets and light switches

 
I still have a few things I want to add to it...some hooks that hold towels better, maybe something above the shower,  couple pieces of trim, maybe a cheap counter top, and couple other little decorations.  I love the results I did on such a small budget and I've got a couple of really happy little girls with this makeover...love to hear your thoughts and ideas! ; )

FURNITURE FACELIFT : : Chairs

Last fall I went on the search for some occasional chairs for our living room.  I knew that like my TV console, in order to get what I wanted I was going to have to look for a fixer-upper with some good bones.  We have so many neutrals in our living room...tan walls, brown leather sofa, cream colored rocker.  So, these chairs not only had to provide seating when we had guests, but they also had to add the punch of color that this room needed.

 Since this was "pre-blogging" days for me, I don't have an exact before pic of my chairs, but they were something ugly like this....



 

Mine started with a basic wood finish and some hideous 80's blue floral upholstery.  I'm sure we can all visualize something like that from maybe a grandma's house or something. ; )  Here are the steps I took for my transformation.

1. I checked thrift stores and CL (Craig's List) every chance I got for a couple of weeks.  I kept either finding things I liked but were too expensive for the work they needed (some people really think a lot of their junk, don't they?? ; )) or they just weren't quite right.  When I found this set on CL, I jumped immediately.  I usually try to talk a price down, but $30 for both was too good to mess with.
2. Found some fabric I loved at Hobby Lobby in the upholstery fabrics....love the color it brings and I'm hoping to add some reds and oranges and maybe a bit of green.

3. Got them home, sanded all the wood parts down...just enough to get the sheen off.
4. Spray-painted them with primer and then a satin black (about 2-3 coats).
5. Took off all the upholstery and watched carefully as I did it.  Reupholstering was new to me so I wanted to see how they were constructed.
6. The chair without fabric on the back was first since there was no piping, I just cut the fabric to size and began stretching and stapling the fabric underneath the chair.  I did it side by side starting with the front, going from the middle to the ends.  The other chair was a bit more complex. I cut the fabric to exact size, stapled it, and then added the piping with a hot glue gun.  I was able to salvage the piping insert from the previous chair and I cut a long strip to hot glue around it.  

7. Ready to use.  : )

 Finished results:



So, for under $50, I have my extra seating I needed and a bit more color added to my neutral living room...and although professional upholsterers maybe cringing at my methods right now, they look great and have held up so well!

What do y'all think??