ORC Lucky No 7 - Week 5

I almost titled this post 

"Sheer Panic!”

What the heck - let’s go with it!!!

This has been slow going and there hasn’t been a lot to show up until this point but it was so awful to begin with that I feel like every little thing is great progress!
 Or that’s what I keep telling myself!

 I have painted everything white that needed to be fresh, glossy white including the swinging bed and now I’ve moved on to the gorgeous green floor.

We have had a green porch floor for years but a friend recently gifted me with Amanda Lindroth's book Island Hopping and I'm obsessed. Like, can't put it down. And it confirmed that this fabulous green was just the color we needed for our porch floor!

I have a thrifted, vintage bamboo mirror for the fireplace wall. 

And I’m covering a lampshade.

And that's about it.
Here's hoping I get a lot completed in one week!!

See more ORC participants here.

 

ORC Lucky No 7 - Week 4

As I stated last week, I've been in Charleston SC (lots of pretty porch inspiration!!)

 and the Virginia mountains 

for the last 8 days so nothing much has happened physically.

I used all my travel time to think, visualize, source and plan 

so I can hit the ground running this week.

Time is flying by!!

One thing that did actually happen was my handy husband worked on the "box" for the gas fireplace insert while I was away.

There is still a lot to be done but I'm excited to see progress. 

We salvaged that fireplace mantel from an old house in Marietta GA over 27 years ago that was scheduled for demolition.
Every time my husband mentioned getting rid of it because I hadn't done anything with it yet, I resisted. Then several years ago we added this section onto our screened porch and we "installed" the mantel as a focal point. Then we started looking for a gas insert and one finally showed up at Restore ages ago and now it's close to being a reality.

We certainly took our time on this one!

Things still look pretty rough but there is actually progress. 

I have the floor paint ready to go now that I'm back in town!

Gorgeous green!

I just need good weather so I can roll it on and show y'all some actual progress. 
Please check out everyone else's progress here and if I haven't bored you too much please come back next week and see if I might actually get something done!!

ORC - Lucky No. 7 Week 3

Week 3 arrives so quickly!

I am traveling to Charleston, SC this week so I am the lucky one!!

Not a lot has happened since last week's post except that I painted all of the trim, fireplace surround and the walls shiny, fresh white!

The last big painting push will happen next week when I return from Charleston!

I'm doing this in real time with a week's absence in the schedule so it's a bit boring at this end. Hopefully once the painting is over and the fun part (furniture and accessories) starts it will be more interesting!

So I leave you with some gorgeous porches to drool over and be inspired by!

Bonus points for the blue ceiling and the cute pooch!

via

I've got a little zebra in my inspiration board.

via

This image takes me back to the porches of my Southern childhood. I don't know where it is and cannot find a source but it could literally be one of any porch in the Lowcountry.

This is what I see in my mind's eye when I think of  big, southern porches!

I love a palm on a porch more than anything!

via Pinterest

I would never leave this porch. Ever. 

via Pinterest

This is fun. I'm definitely incorporating stripes into my porch project. 

Any guesses where?

Have a great week and be sure to see what all the other ORC "Challengers" accomplished this week!

ORC- Lucky No. 7 Week 2

This week is all about painting plus my inspiration and direction for this ORC challenge.

The "befores."  It can only get better!
(if you are just joining in you can read here  how this space ended up in such a sad state!)

First up - paint. 

The roof repairs are finished and the ceiling got a coat of blue paint. 

In the South we paint our porch ceilings soft, pale blue.

It's a Southern gal's Southern porch so the ceiling is blue - it's a given with me. 

SW Swimming it is!

I know it doesn't look like much progress but

it's been so messy and overwhelming for so long that this coat of blue paint has really given me hope that this porch will be looking so much better in a few short weeks!!

Next up, last (yes, last) November I found this beauty:

It was sitting in front of my Restore/Habitat for Humanity Store. 

I did not "need" it. The porch was under a layer of tarps.

It was in perfect condition. Perfect. 

It was 50% off furniture day. This wicker lounge was marked $120.00

 (already a great deal - it's huge and beautifully upholstered in this creamy yellow chinoiserie fabric)

 and it was marked through and labeled $60.00.

So I figured that was the 1/2 price already marked. 

Nope!

It was an additional 50% off. 

Yep, it was $30.00.

Okey dokey, coming home with me.

So this chaise is hopefully going to find it's rightful spot on this area of my porch. There is already a swinging bed on one side and it is staying, definitely staying. 

It is the best reading/napping spot ever. 

So we have to make the two work together in the space.

(a picture from before the leak invaded the porch!)

And see the fireplace on the center back wall? And the gas insert just sitting there?

My husband found  the gas insert at Restore at a different time. We want to fit the gas insert into the antique mantel/faux fireplace we have had on the porch for years. 

I will want to orient the wicker lounge chair and the swinging bed toward the fireplace. 

The swinging bed used to hang across the opening but we have moved it to the side of the space to allow for better furniture arrangement. Still plenty of room to gently swing and relax!

And then I'm hoping to add a few of these elements in a variety of ways so stay tuned!

Maybe a little zebra ...

 Some floor paint...

Bamboo, elephants and blue and white are always welcome on my porch! 

And some fabulous fabrics for pillows...

I'm scheming this week!
Follow along on my Instagram and Facebook as well!!

And be sure to see what all of the other ORC Guests are working on here.

One Room Challenge - Lucky No.7

Here we go! 
This is my seventh One Room Challenge since I decided to participate
 in my first ORC in the Spring of 2015.
So, Lucky No. 7 it is!

I have found the ORC to be a great motivator 
and apparently I like the crazy pace and deadlines!

Let's look back in case you haven't been following along through the past ORC's and then we will jump right in with the project for this Fall.

My first One Room Challenge was my guest bedroom. 
Improvements were definitely made but I hadn't quite hit my stride - 
as you will see when we get to the Spring 2017 ORC :)

My second ORC (Fall 2015) was a Mother/Daughter project as Mollie and I redid her bathroom and incorporated all of her favorite things! Literally, we made them all work!

My third ORC (Spring 2016) was the "Black Is Back" Library.
We had morphed our Dining Room into a Library over a decade before and it was time for an update - and more bookshelves!
I painted everything, I mean everything, a glossy black to create an American version of  a cozy British "snug."


My fourth ORC (Fall 2016) was our Master Bathroom where a faux bamboo china cabinet that was a thrifting find of a lifetime became a gorgeous coral linen closet. Yes, we have a china cabinet in our bathroom.

My fifth ORC (Spring 2017) is my first ORC. 
Don't be confused - I never felt like I had really nailed it with my first ORC. I was a newbie and I got bogged down and while the room had been improved it needed a revisit. 
Much better this time!

My sixth ORC (Fall 2017) was our entryway. 
This room was a lot of fun to do, gave us a fresh look in time for the holidays 
and contains some of my greatest thrifting scores of all time! 

So, here we are ...
Lucky No. 7.
(drum roll, please!)

It's going to be our beloved Screened In Porch. 
Yes, I know it's Fall, but in the South there are still porch sitting days to be had. 
And if any spot ever needed ORC love it's this porch in this moment.

Sparing you too many details on an already lengthy post but this porch was once lovely. Then we had some storm damage, a repair was made (we thought) and then sneaky, leaky, hidden damage occurred, insurance did not cover even though it began with storm damage (story of my life!), contractors were backed up for months in our area (and, you know, $$) 
so we took this on ourselves. 
It's been a huge project taking most of our Summer weekends, 
evenings and any spare moment. 
But we have finally arrived at the "fun part!"

It's time to make this porch gorgeous again!
BUT, 
this is the current reality!
Does't look like we have poured a whole Summer of blood, sweat and tears into it to get here but we have. 
It's all the structural, not pretty stuff that had to happen first.

We do remember how pretty this porch can be (proof below!!) and I am dedicated to having this fabulous, much-loved, much-used family favorite back to being the best room "in the house."



I hope you will follow along on the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE 
to see how we revive this porch. 
Next week- more on my inspiration, changes we are going to make and a couple of creative DIY's!
And, as always, in real time and on a "real" (or no) budget!!

One Room Challenge. It's A Biggie! Week 6.

Week 6 is Reveal Week. 

I have been missing from the ORC since Week 2.

#insertsadface

Sadly, I had to step away due to situations beyond my control. 

Two different out of town trips, new responsibilities at my "day job" 

and an unexpected hospital stay for Mollie (she's on the mend!)

meant the room had to take a back seat. 

Another challenge with this challenge was that it was not at my house - it's a 30 minute drive. 

On a good Atlanta traffic day!

But I am determined to finish this room for the clients to enjoy.

I have a storage room full of goodies I'm planning to use!

I will post on my Instagram when I get going again and when I complete it!
I hope you will follow along on IG and see how it all finishes up!

My previous, completed ORC's are my entryway,  my guest bedroom (again),  my master bathroom, our library (formerly a dining room), mollie's bathroom - a fun mother/daughter project, and my first ORC, my guestroom - the first time, many lessons learned. 
Six One Room Challenges (excluding this failed attempt).
 Five rooms greatly improved and now functioning beautifully for the way we live. 
I'm still a fan of the ORC - such a great motivator!

And now I'm going to work my way through all the inspiring rooms

 on Calling It Home Blog 

that are completed!!

One Room Challenge - It's A Biggie! Week Two.

My tombstone will probably say: 

"She painted everything white. Everything!"

Luckily Mollie helped. 

We quit counting how many coats of primer and paint.

Sometimes it's better not to know :)

They don't call it a One Room "Challenge" for nothing!

Hopefully we can get all of that red and yellow covered

 with white fresh white paint and move on to the fun stuff.

Please come back and see.

It's going to get better. Promise.

Bamboo Friday- Kitchen Table Edition

Today's Bamboo Friday is about my kitchen table. 

Pretty mundane stuff, the kitchen table, except I hunted and hunted for mine.

And I love it. 

You can read the story of how I found my table at Goodwill here.

It's a good story - I really could not make this up.

Here it is the day I found it at GW.

A couple of small dings on the table. Fixable.

The leather wrappings had a bit of wear 

but I'm fine with vintage bamboo looking a bit vintage. 

And they were all original and nice and tight. No loose wrappings.

All 4 chairs were sturdy. 

But...

Changing the seat fabric was no problem.

The bottom of the chair back was worn on every single chair. 

This might prove tricky but the price was so, so low because of this. 

I thought I could figure something out. 

I bought it. 

I mean, it was exactly what I wanted.

And then I did nothing. For like a year. I know.

I couldn't quite figure out how to replace the back without possibly damaging the bamboo around it. If that happened then I would have to do some serious repairs and probably paint the whole set. Not the end of the world but still.

And then one night it came to me how to take out the old broken woven insert

 and replace it with a fabric panel!!

And then because it was just a few days before our annual Christmas Brunch

 I decided to give it a whirl!

#lastminutemuch?

It worked. My husband cut out the old woven insert very carefully. I made a pattern, cut the fabric, slid it into place and edged with blue cording I found at Wal-Mart (yep!) on a small roll for $1.00 per chair

I love it when a plan comes together. 

The fabric was supposed to be used during my Entryway makeover 

during the previous One Room Challenge but it didn't make the cut.

Lucky me.

It was perfect for the chairs and I had just enough!

Looks good with animal print too!!

Happy Bamboo Friday from my kitchen table to yours!

For The Birds and a Budget DIY

Audubon prints are everywhere. 

They are even being billed as a popular new "trend" on some of the trendiest blogs.

I grew up with Audubon prints so I find them neither new or trendy but classic, timeless and, to me, part of Southern decorating. Always.

But it is fun to see my favorite Audubon prints being used on favorite blogs and sites.

#itsthelittlethings

I'm obviously partial to the shore and tropical birds.

I have the Flamingo in my downstairs powder room. 
I've changed things around in there over the years but the big, pink bird stays!

The most recent change in the Powder Room was to paint the mirror and cabinet to match each other and in a fabulous, rich pink. 

SW Grenadine.

It changed the whole room!

The image below was on a favorite blog, Chinoiserie Chic,

 but it is actually in the home of Junell at Seekers Bazaar.

I have the American White Pelican in my Library.

It's a One Room Challenge from a couple of years ago. 

Everything in there is black - the walls, trim, bookcases- and he's the perfect moody guy to watch over things.

Here is Mr. Pelican in a post from a great blog, Forever Cottage.



Designer Holly Mathis uses BIG Audubon bird prints like nobody's business!

(That room plus such a cute pooch!)

And just recently, I redid my Entryway and a favorite Audubon print found its way in!

(Sorry for the reflections in all the pictures. The photo shoot trick is to take the glass out. I'm happy I got it framed the first time so that wasn't in my plans.)

I have always loved this pink bird too. 

This one was a DIY and under $25.00!
Yes, big and gorgeous and under $25.00.
Keep reading!


Audubon prints can be expensive but if you want the look without needing the print to be old or rare then this DIY is for you. 
I first found out from the Painted Hive blog about free high resolution downloads from the Audubon Society.
The Roseate Spoonbill in my entryway is 20x30 and  cost less than $15.00 to print on matte photo paper. I spray painted an IKEA frame gold that cost about $10.00.
I sent the image to Walgreen's photo center, added a coupon code for 40% off (they run online coupons constantly!) and picked it up an hour later. 
I popped it in the frame and it was ready to go!

I'll definitely be doing this again!!
#itsthelittlethings

First - Get Organized.

So much of social media and blogging right now is all about getting organized after the holidays. 

I feel inspired to purge, paint and organize at the start of the year. 

I'm off to a slow start because I missed the first several days of 2018 

because I had the plague :(

No kidding - worst flu or whatever. Ever.

But back to organizing.

I bought a faux bamboo china cabinet a couple of years ago. 

From seeing it online to texting the seller to loading it in my husbands truck 

was about an hour and a half. 

I do not mess around.

However, we had already turned our dining room into a Library.

Did we need a china cabinet?

The plan was always to put it in the Master Bathroom!

Yep, you read that right.

We do not have a linen closet or any storage space in the MB but we had a good sized L-shaped layout that would accommodate a big bamboo china cabinet.

My husband was less sure about this plan but we loaded it up, got rid of the cigarette smoke smell and carried it up to the MB.

And then a coat of fabulous coral deliciousness!

Sherwin Williams Ravishing Coral. 

And suddenly that dingy yellow-y cream china cabinet was ravishing.

I wanted the openness of the glass doors so I started collecting every wicker and rattan suitcase I could find. They all came from yard sales and thrift shops 

and not one cost over $5.00.

They hold a multitude of not pretty items and are easy to pull in and out. 

There are stacks of towels and a few decorative items but mostly 

there is just storage for all those odds and ends that are necessary in a bathroom.

This is one of my favorite storage solutions ever- china cabinet turned linen closet.

#itsthelittlethings

See more of this Master Bathroom here,