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!!

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!

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,

Bamboo Friday #11. I Can't Choose...

The November issue of Coastal Living Magazine

 has two of the most amazing bamboo items ever. 

I cannot pick a favorite so you decide.

Which do you think is the most fabulous??

First, this hanging chair/bed/?  

However you identify it, it is the perfect spot to read/relax/ sleep/ daydream.

I'd like to spend every Bamboo Friday in it :)

And the other image that grabbed me is this "rounded bamboo sofa" in this dreamy Caribbean home designed by the amazing Amanda Lindroth.

I mean, really. 

That is my dream bamboo find right there!!

I could definitely be happy sitting on that couch on Lyford Cay for the rest of my life.

Have a good Bamboo Friday 

and if your weekend involves some thrifting then I hope you find something bamboo!!

Bamboo Friday #2

Bamboo Lovers Unite.

Apparently there are quite a few of us.

The first Bamboo Friday was a hit so maybe BF is a thing!

Last time we looked at bamboo in its natural state.

This week we are going to focus on painted bamboo.

Labor Day is around the corner which signals the end of Summer 

but there's still time to talk about white painted bamboo furniture.
I don't think white painted bamboo is seasonal - just classic and timeless.

If you've been around any time at all you know I love to paint things white!

This white faux bamboo cabinet in AL's entry way is the backdrop for all the color and texture Amanda Louise can throw at it.

Check out the tassels and striped candles?? Love them.

Amanda Louise Interiors

The glossy white bamboo chairs are fabulous.

Lined up in a row at a fantastic table (it's marble!!):

via

And painted checkerboard floors are one of my favorite things.

I "pinned" this image ages ago. How relaxing is this spot?

More glossy white faux bamboo chairs.
And Holy Guacamole - look at this place!
It's in the Bahamas and you can rent it!! 
I'd say 'let's go' but if I ever stepped foot in there 
I would never want to leave and they would have to evict me :)

But glossy white isn't just reserved for bamboo chairs...


Look at that cabinet from Lilly Pullitzer.
There isn't a room in the house where you couldn't use that cabinet.

And then there is the enviable faux bamboo dresser.
There are a variety of desirable makers-Thomasville and Henry Link to name two.
I think all faux bamboo is desirable so I'm not concerned about the maker.
via




So gorgeous in white with the brass bamboo pulls.


via

I have the faux bamboo dresser I mentioned last Bamboo Friday but I have another one I plan to paint for the Master Bedroom. 
I told myself I wasn't going to paint it white but these glossy white images are making me think about it!
Don't you love white painted bamboo??

More Thrifty Decorating - The Reveal!

This apartment was decorated as part of a housing program with MUST MINISTRIES to help move veterans from homelessness into a transitional housing program.
There are more details in these previous posts but all of the furnishings were thrifted or free!

Here is the finished apartment.

See the "befores" here.

Looking in from the front door- 

Looking to the left from the front door- you walk right in to the Living Room.

 (Yes, I found that amazing wicker trunk at the Donation Center!

Remember that this apartment is pretty old (vintage itself!) and the goal was to make it welcoming for someone moving from homelessness to transitional housing.
It is a long and involved process that requires a great deal of work on the part of MUST Ministries and the fabulous staff there.
I have been lucky enough to help with this in a small way and it has been an eye opening experience in many ways.

(The curtains are two very nice tablecloths without a spot on them. I sewed a band of fabric  that I had in my stash along the bottom so that I could hang the curtain rod closer to the high ceiling.) 

Lucite nesting tables. Free. Happy dance.

Bold gallery wall to fill up the space and integrate the TV a bit since that is the only place it could be located ( remember: quirky older building!)

All contemporary art painted by me on big canvases and frames that had been donated and were not the look I wanted. 

Paint, marker, chalk, gallery wall. bam!

Front bedroom:
It's large and look at the light in these rooms. It's gorgeous!
What a cheerful apartment to move in to from a shelter!

And on the wall opposite the bed

My $4 chair that you may have seen on IG.

The little footstool came from the donation center. I recovered it with a scrap of fabric I had on hand.

(Look at that perfect marble lamp from the donation center!!)

Bedroom 2: 
Much smaller. But still bright and fresh. 

The Hallway:

The Bath:

(I googled "free wave pictures" and these popped up. I printed them at home and popped them in frames I found. They just "made" the little bath. I added some small blue and white dishes for soap, etc. but forgot to take a picture after I finished it up!)

And the biggest challenge- The Kitchen:

Looking in from the back door.

Looking in from the hallway:

And a little lamp to use for a night light.

This was a fun apartment to work on and I got an email a couple of days ago 

that it is now occupied.

Yay!

More Thrifty Decorating

This is my second apartment decorating/styling project for MUST MINISTRIES.

#morecreativitythancash

You can check out the first one here.

This apartment complex is smaller and considerably older than the first one but it has some unique and charming details to work with.

Again- zero budget but freedom to grab anything I need 

from the Donation Center or MUST Marketplace Thrift Store. 

Before photos:

 

 Same donated rental company furniture but I found that fabulous and huge wicker trunk at the donation center and snagged it to replace the matching coffee table. It also ties in the oak desk that won't fit through the hallway (I told you the apartment is old and has some charming quirks I have to work with!)

 Front bedroom. 

It's huge. 

Sliding closet doors - long gone.

And I can't do anything about the scary ceiling fan :(

The Bathroom.

It's tiny and has the original tile but it is fortunately a nice neutral instead of a scary color.

 I'll take it.

Second bedroom.

Much, much smaller. 

There is a strangely shaped hallway with all of these rooms coming off of it

 but it has this cool bookshelf closet thing that is going to be fun to incorporate storage and decorative items both.

I've started placing "my finds" in here.

And the kitchen. 

It is very dated and the cabinets are not that well painted but it is functional 

and has fresh white paint on the walls. 

My time frame is very short because every day that this apartment isn't ready

 is a day someone is staying in a shelter and considered homeless.

So painting is not an option. 

The apartment is clean, dry, has working appliances and all the amenities.

We are working with what we have to create a welcoming home!

The kitchen cabinets are black. The kitchen floor is beige as are the bathroom tiles.

The rental furniture is black and brown tweedy fabric with black end tables and lamps. 

The bedroom furniture is oak. 

With those "givens" I have decided to go with a sort of boho neutral/natural look with lots of texture and neutral fabrics and art.

I am off to find everything I need at the donation warehouse, 

the MUST Marketplace, Goodwill and my basement. 

I will have a post with the finished apartment soon!!