from my iphone 2/16/2017

I think it's been a while since I've done a random iphone photo dump 

so here ya go in no particular order:

I'm all sucked in to Grey Gardens again since it's in the news.

The house and grounds are on the market. 

You cannot help but be intrigued by the story.

I'm already busy prepping for Summer travels and I am definitely ordering  Life Straws. 

I am excited to have this instead of other items I have used 

to make sure our water is safe in emerging nations. 

I love this technology!

We built water purification systems for homes in Honduras last Summer 

and I'm sure the filter situation was similar to this. 

Thank you to whomever nailed this!

I love this pineapple. 

I'm ready for warm weather and delightful drinks 

and this would make all of that even better.

I found this at GW this week. Yay me!

#nobambooleftbehind

Mollie has moved on from pairs to triplets :)

I love everything about this little alcove!!

Bamboo chair. Elephant garden stool.

Palm trees. Blue and white. What's not to love? Let's go there!

I'm a huuuuge fan of IG.

Most of this iphone dump is screenshots from my IG scrolling. 

Quick snippets of pretty. 

Usually no long commentaries - I just gloss over anyway.

 IG is my relaxing, fun "me" time so I don't stop for anything negative.

I'm looking for happy!

Doesn't this just make you happy?

That crusty fountain, spring-y blooms. 

I want to see more of that pink Chinoiserie pillow 

and the colors in that platter!

Have a great weekend! 

Mine is slammed full. Busy!

But we do have fish tacos and margs planned for Friday night!

Bamboo Bar Carts - Not Just For Happy Hour!

 I know bamboo bar carts have been a topic on every lifestyle/shelter/decor blog for years now but they do not seem to be fading in popularity.

I love them and wouldn't care if they were trendy or not.

 (We have discussed this. More than once. )

Of course, it does make you feel good when you google "bamboo bar carts" and this one from 1st Dibs pops up for $895.00.

It's circa 1965 and mine are considerably older!

I've talked about my great luck in receiving 2 antique bar carts 

that belonged to my moms dearest friend.

  I showcased them at Christmas and NYE.

 But we can't party all the time (insert perplexed look here!) 

so I needed to decide where the biggest of the bar carts was going to live

 when we weren't whooping it up.

Enter the bar cart as an end table. 

We had this narrow spot at the end of the couch 

and no place to perch a drink except the coffee table if you are on that end of the couch.

It's on wheels which is actually nice.

It's located directly across from our wet bar closet. 

That is very handy if we do want to style it up for drinks when we entertain.

We use the blue and white saucers and salad plates as coasters.

They work great and are prettier than a lot of coasters. 

And they have all been thrifted!

This is not the first time I've used a bar cart for something other than drinks.

A few years ago I used this one that I found at GW in my Master Bath 

to hold towels and a few bath necessities. 

(Sadly, no pics of it all styled up in the MBR)

Then I replaced the towel holding bar cart with a china cabinet.

Yes, a china cabinet in the bathroom.

We have no respect for "job titles" around here.

So, bar carts aren't just for happy hour.

What have you used your bar cart for?

Hello Yellow!

February can be a gray and dreary month - even in the "sunny" South.

So, hello yellow.
#tryingtoovercome
#februaryblahs

This cheery color sampler came from Country Living's website.

(I've talked about their color forecasts before.)

They call it Marigold and the article says it is

 "the color that is taking over" homes this Spring!

I like yellow, 

and it is Mollie's favorite color (she had a yellow room when she was young!),

 but I don't have a ton of it in my house.

Most of the yellow I DO have is on my porch.

I discovered this new Rustoleum golden-y yellow spray paint late last Summer 

and freshened up a few items from the screened porch using it!

It's called "Tuscan Sun" and since I love the book by Frances Mayes 

and the movie starring Diane Lane, I figured it was a good color to try. 

It's amazing how I make some of my design decisions :)

Then I decided to give a bamboo mirror I found while thrifting a coat of my favorite Sherwin Williams gold-y yellow paint to freshen it up!

I love when I stock up on citrus - especially during the Winter.

In the interest of cheering up a gray February day

 I found some more  inspiration pics that may have us all thinking

 about using yellow ASAP!!

Forsythia is a favorite of mine - it blooms so early here and it gives me hope that Spring is close!! And in that blue and white jar?? Perfect.

And I actually saw daffodils blooming today in Atlanta! 

This article is from Town and Country mag and explains that every house needs Buffalo Checks. I agree. And those drapes are fabulous. So check, check!

Y'all know by now I loooove anything bamboo.
#doubletrouble



And if you want to walk around and spread the cheer, 
how about this cuuuute top from Boden.


So, are you embracing yellow this Spring?

Can't Stop. Won't Stop.

Painting Chinoiserie, that is. 

I'm in a painting groove and I can't stop.

I bought plain white Christmas ornaments in December of 2015.

 They sat for a year :(

Then I made these.

And then I painted these.

And now I'm painting Chinoiserie Monograms!

And loving it!

They are large wooden letters - 18 inches tall.

So perfect for a protected front door, inside bedroom door, baby gift, little girls bedroom, nestled in a boxwood wreath for Spring or in a gallery wall grouping. Anywhere! 

It's the best of two worlds - monograms and chinoiserie!

This one is traditional blue but any color goes!! 

The background doesn't have to be white either! 

Monkey see, monkey do!

Here it is start to finish!!

I'm going to be making it easy to order these on the 

made by mollie's mom Facebook page or madebymolliesmom Instagram feed .

And they will soon be available on the new Instagram feed for elizabethandpayne.

Elizabeth and Payne is a new little adventure that Mollie and I are going to give a whirl. 

We keep finding such great things when we are out and about and finding things to paint in Chinoiserie so we want to share!

We will be hosting Elizabeth and Payne IG sales and maybe a pop up shop or two!!

Be sure to "follow" us everywhere so you don't miss a thing!