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!

Bamboo Friday with Jenny Wolf Interiors

Bamboo chairs painted blue to the left.

Natural bamboo Bar Cart to the right.

Lots of blue and white wonderfulness in the middle.

Beautiful Sun Room from Jenny Wolf Interiors.

Blue and White Garden Thoughts...

I've always been a fan of blue in the garden.

After white flowers, blue hydrangeas and morning glories are my favorite.

(A bloom from this year's garden.)

We had a bumper crop of hydrangeas this year 
even though our weather was crazy last Winter

 and it has rained so much this Summer.

(I don't mind when they are a bit purple-y either!)

I also like blue and white in the garden in other forms.

Here are a few goodies from my IG feed.

I love a blue and white garden stool anywhere.

 This one is in good company- look at those woven chairs and fabulous topiaries. 

And this is perfection:

Fabulous fish bowls planted with pretty pink blooms and on amazing wooden stands.

 (Notice the designs on the bowls aren't matchy-matchy)

And if you are not familiar with the intriguing story of Jim Thompson then here is a link to a good article. But be forewarned you may end up down a rabbit hole of googling about Jim Thompson because the story is full of mystery, speculation, Asian art, blue and white, the silk trade and more!!


Not technically "outside in the garden" but this conservatory is fabulous. 
I found it on M.O.Endres  amazing IG feed.

And this is quite the entrance. 

How would you like to see that every time you come and go??

There's more blue and white fabulousness (indoors and out)

 on Elizabeth's blueandwhitehome IG account.

So, blue and white in the garden gets a (green) thumbs up!!

Bamboo Friday and It Smells So Good

I have been wanting to put a diffuser in my family room for quite some time. 

But I didn’t want it to look like a diffuser. 

I wanted it to “blend.” (My Cousin Vinny, Anyone?)

Mollie has been using Young Living Oils for ages 
(Christmas gift from me three or four years ago 
and I'm still messing around looking for a diffuser! Seriously!)

And then I found this one on Amazon a few days ago. 

How perfect that it's simple and BAMBOO!!

I put it on a little blue and white saucer on a side table in our Family Room 

and just plugged it in!

(We use those little saucers as coasters all over our home!)

It's obviously not a vintage item and still stands out a bit but it's working for me. 
Some are quite modern and large so this is better than most. 
It's wonderful to be able to add some oils to this diffuser 
and have our whole downstairs smell wonderful. 
Plus there is the added benefit that we can choose oils that help us relax or feel more energetic or even combat germs (no worries this Winter!)

If you follow me on Instagram you know that right now our family room
 is full of sweet scented roses!
But once they fade I'll be diffusing oils non-stop!

Summer Memories

A bamboo shelf.

Blue and White.

Shells.

Coral.

Inherited seascape oil paintings.

Photos of beach vacations through the years.

A glass float purchased in Charleston.

Hand painted bowls from mission trips.

A few of my favorite Summertime memories.

Current Room Crush

I am currently obsessed with this small (800 sq. feet it says) apartment
 located in Charleston SC.

I was born in Charleston and head to the Lowcountry every time my landlocked self gets a chance.
 I consider one of my greatest parenting successes to be that I raised Mollie to be in love with Charleston and everything about the Lowcountry 

(except the extreme Summer heat which I do not mind but she does!)

Anyway - back to this room. It is in the latest issue of House Beautiful.

It belongs to J.P. Horton, a local Charleston decorator.
 He is renting. Doesn't look like the rentals of my past!

There are so many things I love but the first thing that caught my eye was the turquoise curtains.

I have been considering putting these turquoise curtains 

(along with bamboo blinds) at my family room windows for at least a year and a half.
 Yep - I'm speedy on these types of things.

 My curtain choice is obviously the low end of a high/low knock off situation. 

Believe me I will post a picture on my IG if I pull the trigger any time soon.

Other things I love that could be pulled from this room on a budget are:

1.The Palm   I love big plants, I cannot lie.
I've never met a palm I didn't love.
The one in his apartment is a Banana Palm. 
I have blogged about my love for them before.
Isn't this botanical of the Banana Palm fabulous?



The palm is elevated on a wooden stand and in a huge glazed pot. 

Palms are currently everywhere in Atlanta and are available for $10.00 to $30.00 depending on size. If you have to go smaller with the palm then you could simply place it on a taller stand to give it more impact. 
Small tables and plant stands can be found in thrift and vintage stores.

Pots are available in every size, color and finish in every price range at discount stores and home stores like Home Goods and At Home.
Of course, I think you could put it in a blue and white chinoiserie planter as well!

2. That Picture centered over the neutral couch! It is a framed piece of hand painted wall paper and I'm sure a bit pricey. One way to have something similar is to find a scene online that is free to the public and can be reprinted without copyright infringement. Then you can upload and print in a large format. I use a site called Poster My Walls. You can quickly design and download a large scale printable. I send it off to my local Walgreen's and have it printed 24 x 36 for under $20.00. If you go with black and white you can do an engineer print for under $6.00. Spray an inexpensive poster frame with gold spray paint like I did here and you've got a pretty good knock-off!

This image is an instant download from an Etsy seller.
Find something you love on Etsy or the many copyright free sights and print it in a large format!

There are lots of options to give you a look similar to the one in the inspiration room.

3. Ghost Chairs  IKEA has some great looking clear chairs for under $100.00. I've seen them in person and they are nice and not flimsy or wobbly.

This chair is only $39.99. I've never seen it in person but what a price for a clear chair!


It is from Classroom Essentials.


I love so many things about this gorgeous, elegant and inviting room. 
There are so many great elements to examine and use for yourself.
I can't stop looking at the room and finding new details to love and use in my own home.
What's your favorite detail?

Bamboo Friday

I'm not a trend follower per se, but I am intrigued by trends and predictions.

I love reading the design forecasts at the beginning of the year and I love seeing what the "color of the year" is and if I'm going to embrace it at all :) 

I also like it when I'm already "on trend."

You know- I was doing this before it was cool.

(Remember "I was country before country was cool," etc?)

Here's one I'm pretty happy about for more than one reason. 

1. I love using it in every room in the house and 

2. We sell this stuff @elizabethandpayne so this trend is good for business!!

According to more than one source Bamboo and Rattan 

are strong for 2018!!

(In my opinion they were never out but whatevs!)

This article on Quintessence Blog says we will see rattan staying strong in 2018.

And Apartment Therapy said rattan furniture is "super chic" here.

Apartment Therapy

This article talks about "why" bamboo furniture is a good choice and popular as well:
Affordability, Versatility, Durability, and Sustainability. 
Plus, it adds fabulous warmth, texture and if its older - a vintage vibe to a room.

And the trends in this article are all strong for 2018 and bamboo is at the top. 


Coastal Living

The thing about Bamboo is that whether you are just starting to use it in your decor because it's "on trend" or whether you were already embracing it in your house
 (The British have forever!!!), 
I don't think you can go wrong. 

Bamboo furniture and faux bamboo designs are classics 
and used well they will always be a wonderful, textural addition to a room.
So its a win-win. 


See this faux bamboo china cabinet turned linen closet here.


Look at all the wonderful texture subtly added to this room:


Chinoiserie Chic


Less beachy and more formal use of bamboo furniture:


One Kings Lane

I hope your Bamboo Friday includes a touch of bamboo in your own home.

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

Best Nine

Wrapping up 2017 with the my Best Nine from Instagram. 

It's interesting to see what has gotten the most "likes" and attention in social media.

It's also interesting that they are probably not the nine
 I would say were my "best" of the year.

They don't include family or friends or time we spent together (except for a sweet photo of Chloe and Mollie near the end of our time with Chloe) or any of my travels to work in emerging countries or high risk areas here in the US. 
I think these are some of my "best" times.

I guess these are my "prettiest" nine  :)

A new endeavor for Mollie and me this year was a booth at Westside Market in Atlanta. 

You can follow along on Instagram to see what the latest and greatest is in our booth!

This is our Best Nine from Elizabeth and Payne and it is obviously all about the bamboo, blue and white and chinoiserie!

Thank you for following along in 2017.

Wishing everyone a fabulous 2018!!

Merry Christmas Eve!

... and the stockings were hung by the chimney with care.

Christmas Tour-ish Part Two

If you are just getting here and are wondering what a "tour-ish" is then catch up here!

Today's tour-ish is of the Family Room and Kitchen. 

We got our decorating completed early for a little gathering that Mollie and I co-host each year. We have a "Get Merry with Mimosas" brunch on the first Saturday of December. It kicks off the season in a good way - with family and friends, motivates us to clean and decorate early, lets us spend time with people who get busier and busier as the month goes on and results in us being less hurried later on. Our decorating is completed - and let's face it, if the party was later in the month I'd be decorating up to the last minute!


A little bonus to this "tour-ish" is that we had
 a very unusual, unexpected 8 inches of snow in the South. 
So, probably for the first time ever, I have snow pictures at Christmas!!

This is a LOT of snow for Georgia. And rare in December!

(The huge Sycamore in the backyard after dark on Friday night!)

So it was very pretty outside. And quiet. Not a creature was stirring.

Now back inside:

Here is the Family Room full of friends at our Get Merry with Mimosas Party!
(and that weekend it was 68 degrees!! Then snow the next!)

(Cute girls but please notice I painted my ugly fireplace brick white and it looks so good!)

This room is not easy to photograph. 

The morning light is very bright as you can see and then it's dark by noon :(

We brought our trees back from our Thanksgiving trip to VA.

They look smaller in the "wild." :)

This one is pretty big - we had to trim. A lot.

Last year we only got lights on the tree before our Mimosa Brunch

 and never went back and added anything else!

This year we got glass ball ornaments on it!

Notice how fabulous they look with animal print.

#animalprintisaneutral

Maybe next year we will get to the "family" ornaments we have collected through the years. #goals

The tree is really the main decoration in our family room each year. 

We do have fresh greenery and palmetto fans on the mantle
 and a few things tucked here and there.
 But not much.
 So much daily living goes on in there that there isn't room for much more!

(FYI  I talk about drapes for the family room all. the. time.  So far - nothing)

(Early Christmas present - blue and white garden stool from my hubby.

Opened early so I could have it at our Mimosa Party!)

The kitchen is fairly minimal as well.
 I use wreaths to give the kitchen it's Christmas cheer.

And we have a second tree on the back porch 
with lots and lots of colored lights in all shapes and sizes. 

Anything goes back here :)

A jingle bell wreath on the back door get a lot of movement so lots of angels get their wings...

"Every time a bell rings an angel gets her wings."  ZuZu Bailey  It's A Wonderful Life

Please excuse the tarped-for-Winter furniture outside on the porch.

 I should have uncovered it for photos but you know, life.)

(I recovered my chairs before the Mimosa party! I love this fabric, Ming Dragon I believe. It was supposed to be used in the last One Room Challenge but got scratched at the last minute. Perfect on these chairs!!)

 I love wreaths and bows and they do not usurp counter space
 so that works in our busy kitchen.

Bowls and bowls of Christmas candy are a must. 

Speaking of busy- my stove top is never, ever as clean as I would like during the holidays 
so I have a quick fix! 
I have a cookie sheet with really cute "faux" gingerbread men on it! 
I actually made this for a Junior League Christmas Showhouse 
that I was part of a few years ago. 
It comes in handy though!

That's about it for our Christmas "Tour-ish." So, we wish you a merry Christmas from our house to yours :)

#hohohomerrychristmas