Summer Bedroom Refresh–Chinoiserie Inspired

June 17, 2016

I’ve been thinking about giving our bedroom a refresh for a while now and I think I’m going to pull the trigger.

This is the current look of the bedroom–a mix of wood, black & white accents and pops of color.

My love affair with blue and white has me thinking of a look that incorporate navy, black, white and pops of color.

Here’s the Chinoiserie Inspired inspiration board I came up with…

Since the black armoire and chair will be staying, I need to find a duvet cover that can tie the navy and black together. About a month ago I spotted a Ralph Lauren set at HomeGoods but decided to pass on it. Now I can’t get it out of my mind. I’ve been searching for it again but so far I have only found it in a king size and we need a queen. The pattern is called Tamarind and I did find it on Amazon (more expensive) so if I don’t have any luck at HomeGoods I have another option.

When it comes the accessories, I’m planning to change the black drapes to a dark navy and I’m looking at this pink pillow…

and some chinoiserie inspired artwork from Etsy.

And of course I’ll incorporate some blue and white ceramic pieces into the mix.

As always things may change before it’s all said and down but I’m excited to create a fresh new look for our space.

DIY Chinoiserie Playing Cards

May 20, 2016

You all know I’m having a love affair with all things blue and white chinoiserie. A couple of months ago I picked up a pack of blue and white scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby and have had so much fun crafting and creating with all the beautiful designs.

I’m also kind of addicted to custom monogram stickers from Zazzle. I’ve ordered several sets and I’m using them on everything from stationery to tabletop decor. This green and white design with navy monogram is my most recent purchase.

And my latest craft project was to transform one of the many basic decks of cards I own into something a little more stylish.

What started as this….

Got UpStyled into these…

It was really simple to make these cards and it only took a couple of supplies.

How to:

Step 1: Coat the back side of a piece of 12″ x 12″ decorative paper with Mod Podge. It will take several sheets to cover all the cards in the deck. You’ll notice that I used several different paper patterns to make my set.

Step 2: While wet, place the playing cards onto the Mod Podge surface with the number side facing up.

Step 3: Let the adhesive dry and then cut out each card.

Step 4: Flip the cards over to the decorative side and adhere monogram sticker in the center.

This is a fun project that would make a great gift so give it a try.

Round Top Antiques Market–An Inside Look

April 6, 2016

I’m back today with at look at my trip to the Round Top Antiques Market in Round Top, Texas. If you’ve never been to Round Top before, this post should give you an inside look at the market through the eyes of an avid antique and vintage shopper.

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Attending Round Top has been on my bucket list for some time now. I’ve heard so many great things about the market and was excited to check it out for myself.

Here’s what I thought of the market, what I saw and a few things I purchased.

The Round Top Antique Market spans over about a 15 to 20 mile stretch of road. There are buildings and tents all along the route selling antiques and vintage goods and even some vendors off the main road selling odds and ends. Unless you attend the show for a number of days, there is no way to stop at every shopping spot. If you are only attending the market for a day or two, you’ll definitely want to plan ahead and determine which spots you want to shop.

La Bahia Antiques Show is one of places we stopped and shopped. This area is made up of permanent buildings and tented vendors and you’ll find all types of vintage decor and housewares here. I spotted lots of great items and although many were in my opinion were over-priced, most of the dealers were willing to negotiate.

This outdoor vendor had an amazing selection silver-plate items but most were very over-priced and when you asked for his best price he seemed offended. Needless to say he didn’t get our business.

One of the best blue and white tabletop dealers is located at La Bahia and his selection of items was impressive. His prices were a bit stiff but he was willing to negotiate which gave him two thumbs up in my book.

After La Bahia we stopped at a barn along the road where ‘Poor Richard’ was selling goods. He had a mx of items including large furniture pieces and miscellaneous tabletop and decor items. And Richard was a nice as can be so shopping with him was a pleasure.

This oversized brass urn was $25 dollars but was a bit worn for my liking so I passed.

I did buy these beautiful ironstone bowls for practically nothing! A definite score!

Poor Richard was also selling these amazing tree stumps…so gorgeous!

There was a lady near Poor Richards selling items for $1.00 and my shopping mates scored big with her. They had picked over the table by the time I made it over there 🙁

Our next stop was the Big Red Barn. This is one of several sites at Round Top that charge a fee to get in ($10 at the Red Barn). If you are shopping for high-end antiques this is definitely a place you want to check out.

Check out this antique ribbon holder. So many beautiful details including some of the most beautiful brass pulls I’ve ever seen.

This scale was amazing and I think it was around $2700.

I had a vintage paper roll rack on my shopping list but every one I came across was several hundred dollars. This one was amazing because it held three different size paper rolls.

There was lots of ironstone (check out the prices)

After the Red Barn we traveled up the road and stopped a several different places.

Lots of beautiful Staffordshire Dog statutes…

Beautiful blue and white antiques…

Isn’t this the most beautiful chamber pot you’ve ever seen. I really, really wanted to this piece but couldn’t pull the trigger on the price.

Old doors with lots of charm and character…

I spotted several dealers that also show at Scott Antique Market here in Atlanta and was happy to see that they didn’t increase their prices on some of their tried and true items.

The one place that we didn’t stop at but I will be sure to check out the next time I’m there is the Warrenton area. This area was loaded with tented vendors and the selection of items appeared to be good as we drove through.

All in all, Round Top Antiques Market is a great show and has something to offer everyone. Here are a few tips I have for shopping the market:

TIPS FOR SHOPPING ROUND TOP ANTIQUES MARKET

Create a shopping list so that you stay focused on the items you are looking for. Doing a little research before hand will also help you think about what you’re willing to pay for an item and it will help you when negotiating with dealers.
Take a camera or make sure your phone is fully charged so you can take pictures as you shop. You can always turn around and go back to a location you saw an item at and picture of the piece and location will help.
Take cash. I did see some vendor accepting credit cards and checks but cash is king and you’ll get a better deal if you are negotiating with cash.
Carry a tote bag or rolling cart. Many of the shopping areas are large and you’ll want to be comfortable carrying your purchases as you shop.
Take it with you or have it shipped. There are several shipping business located throughout the show so if you see something that won’t fit on the plane or in the trunk, consider having it shipped.
Dress in layers. Our shopping day started out nice, then it rained a bit and then it got super windy and cold.
Visit the free shopping areas and by-pass the paid spots like the Big Red Barn and Marburger. I promise you won’t miss anything and you’ll find everything you can image in the free tents and buildings.
Negotiate. Most dealers are prepared to negotiate on the price and many of them will offer you a fair deal. Several times I looked items up on Etsy and Ebay in front of the dealer and they offered better pricing because they saw I was up to speed on the prices.
Plan to spend a little time in downtown Round Top which as some cute shops, restaurants and outdoor vendors that set up during the show.
Like most antique markets these days, you’ll see lots of vintage and antique reproductions of if you’re not sure what you’re looking at, ask the dealers to tell you a bit about the history of an item. And, keep in mind that in most cases when you see a true antique, you’re not going to see multiples of the same item. Multiples of an item often signals a reproduction especially with furniture, lighting and some tabletop pieces.

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So, I know you’ve been waiting to see what other goodies I bought so here’s a look at a few of my favorite purchases…

A beautiful brass tray

blue and white ironstone plates

a larger ironstone mold

Bucket List: Round Top Antiques Market √

On Monday I’ll be sharing the rest of our road trip including our visit to Magnolia Market in Waco.

Swap It Like It’s Hot–Blue and White

April 5, 2016

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It’s an exciting day around these parts because I get to share two fun projects I worked on for Swap It Like It’s Hot.

If you’re not familiar with Swap It Like It’s Hot, let me tell you a little about it.

Charlotte from Ciburbanity had this brilliant idea a few years ago to get a group of bloggers to trade thrift store finds with each other and then transform the (in many cases not so pretty) treasures into something beautiful. It’s kind of like Cinderella’s transformation when she put on the glass slipper except in our case it involved our DIY skills. Each participating blogger was to spend between around $10 on whatever thrift store item(s) they wanted so our shopping skills were put to the test.

Before we jump into the makeovers, let me share what my swap partner, Christy from Our Southern Home sent me. I received an ice bucket with a wood grain vinyl cover and a top that was showing its wear plus two picture frames with images that were definitely not my style.

After looking at the items for a few days, I came up with a game plan on how I wanted to transform these pieces and give them a new life.

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DIY Monogram Notecards–Chinoiserie Style

March 30, 2016

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One of my favorite online stores is Zazzle. I discovered them a few years ago when I was looking for business cards. Boy was I amazed at the enormous offering of card designs and how great the prices were. Since then I’ve bought a variety of paper products from Zazzle including address labels and wrapping paper.

Most recently I ordered some monogram stickers so I could make my own monogram notecards.

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Blue and White Spring Tablescape

March 23, 2016

Don’t you just love spring? The bright colors, beautiful flowers, birds chirping and all that sunshine. Spring is one of my favorite times of year and the season always pushes my creativity to new heights. Over the weekend as I was moving the accessories around, the creative bug hit and I decided to pull together a spring tablescape featuring blue and white.

It’s been a while since I’ve shared seasonal table decor with you so I’m excited to unveil my Blue & White Spring Tablescape!

Blue and white tablescapes have always caught my eye but until recently I never owned enough blue and white decor to create one of my own table setting. Over the last year or so I’ve collected a handful of blue and white porcelain pieces and together with some new items I picked up recently, my spring table was easy to pull together. Let’s take a look…

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Blue and White Decor at Target

March 15, 2016

House Beautiful

When was the last time you went looking for something on a stores website only to find yourself going down a rabbit hole of endless surfing? It happens to me more times than not. The other day I went looking for a specific item on Target.com and an hour later I found myself looking at completely different things.

During my search I stumbled upon some fantastic blue and white decor pieces and knew I had to share them with you along with some design inspiration.

Tobi Fairley

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SHOPPING TARGET FOR BLUE and WHITE DECOR

@TARGET.com

Shop these items:

Dinner Plate—$1.49 ea / Ginger Jar–$22.95 / Blue Seersucker Pillow–$16.99 / Ceramic Lamp–$47.24

Kensington Rug–$229.99 / Sheer Curtains–$24.99 to $29.90 / Snowdrift Pillow--$47.50 / Paisley Rug–$79.99 and up

Floral Pillow—$47.50 / Solana Pouf–$216.00 / Ceramic Vase–$26.35 / Skyline Ottoman with Storage–$99.99 /

Parson Chair–$171.00 set of 2 / Natasha Ottoman—$649.99

House Beautiful

*** this is not a sponsored post, I’m just sharing the things I love

Thrifting Finds–All About The Brass

February 17, 2016

On Valentine’s Day the hubs took me out for a day of thrifting. Lately when we’ve gone thrifting we’ve shopped at my favorite antique stores and flea markets so this time around we decided to stop by several of our local Goodwill stores.

Shopping Goodwill is definitely hit or miss experience. Sometimes you can score some great pieces but more often than not, the shelves are filled with undesirable pieces. I’ve also noticed that over the last year or two, Goodwill seems to be increasing their prices so the deals you once could find are harder to come across now.

The stars and planets must have aligned for Valentine’s Day because I found several awesome brass pieces and a few blue and white gems.

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This tulip shaped brass planter was in perfect condition and I’m thinking I’ll put a maiden hair fern or orchid in it.

I also found these brass containers and will most likely sell these in my Etsy shop.

Here’s some vintage brass inspiration for you…

via

These blue and white tea cups were too cute to pass up especially for less than $3.00.

I love this Chinoiserie blue and white flower frog/brick and can image it filled with tulips. After doing some research I discovered this piece was made in Portugal and was designed for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

And I scored these petite brass pots for .50 cents and think they’d be great for succulents.

a little something like this…

via

While I was thrifting, I also picked up a few pieces that I’m sending off to a fellow blogger as part of the Ciburbanity #SwapItLikeItsHot blog swap. I super excited to be participating along with a slew of other bloggers and can’t wait to share it all with you in April.

If you haven’t honed your thrifting skills yet, you can read my thrifting tips here and my flea market shopping tips here.

Happy hunting!