One Room Challenge Week 1- The Hall of Mirrors

 I think of Versailles every time I think about my upstairs hallway which is the location of my latest One Room Challenge, which is my 11th time to participate!

 Versailles is very grand and one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. My upstairs hallway is none of those things :) But I am going to use a collection of mirrors that I have on hand in this hallway and that is where the comparison starts... and ends - Versailles has a very beautiful, famous Hall of Mirrors. My hallway will be much less opulent!

So this is about as much of a before shot as I have. The hallway was dreary and dated with very old, poor quality beige carpet. I had done a few superficial face lifts over the years but nothing all that great, honestly. You can see the dingy carpet above left. We are ripping it up and replacing it with the DIY plywood flooring hack that has been around forever. The hallway is our first space to get new flooring upstairs. I just want glossy white painted floors so this was the most reasonably priced way to go. (FYI during this process - in less than a week- this type of plywood went up almost $20.00 a sheet!)

Oh boy. This is quite the uninspiring space to share on social media!

You can see the handrail (and dirty handprints) in the picture below. We come up the stairs from the lower level there and to the right is the laundry closet (more on that later.) To the left is a small landing area and doorways to two bedrooms. The doorway across from the top of the stairs leads into the hall bathroom. The black door at the end of the hall is a linen closet. At one point many years ago this space was faux painted and the attic trap door was painted to look like a skylight. Everything is getting a coat of glossy white paint.

In the picture below you are looking back toward the landing at the top of the stairs. The laundry closet is to the left. It is handy to have it upstairs but because the hallway is narrow it had to have bifold doors. They were the jankiest things in the world. I pulled them out and quickly hung a curtain in the opening moments before company arrived (obviously that was a few years ago!) Not great but anything was better than those bifold doors.

As long as I live here those janky bifold doors will be stored in a dark corner of the basement. I plan to hang another curtain treatment at the opening. I'm going to go higher and wider than the opening and it will camouflage the opening and the mechanics of the opening much better. It will also add a textural and warm touch to the bright white space and the "hardness" of the flooring and mirrors.

As for the mirrors I have a stack of thrifted bamboo and faux bamboo mirrors of all shapes and sizes. I'm going to use them in natural bamboo, gold tone and painted finishes. This hallway is dotted with annoying things like thermostats, switches for fans and lights and more. Hanging anything in a symmetrical or balanced way would be impossible so the mirrors will be a great solution. I love mirrors - I hung all 4 walls of the first bathroom I ever decorated on my own with a collection of thrifted mirrors. That was almost 40 years ago. Here I am doing the same thing again.

I literally have no idea how I will photograph this space with all those mirrors. It may look more like the mirror room at the circus funhouse than Versailles. We'll see!

I thank Linda for all of the motivation to improve our spaces each challenge.

You can check out my previous One Room Challenge posts here:

Fall 2020 - My Family Room Fluff which was a very simple, budget-friendly, shop the house "fluff" of this space.

Spring 2020- My 9th-ish ORC and Wash Your Hands!

Fall 2019 - I attempted to complete my kitchen. I had started it in the Spring 2019 ORC but life had other plans than a kitchen ORC!

Fall 2018 - I worked on our Screened In Porch.

 

Fall 2017 - Come On In! The Entryway

Spring 2017 - Our Guest Bedroom.

 This was the second time I ORC'd this space. It was my first ORC I ever attempted and I never felt like I had really pulled it off so I just gave it another go!

Fall 2016 - Yes, There is a China Cabinet in our Bathroom!

Spring 2016 - Black is Back Library! 

The title is in reference to a lot of design hype at the time that 'black was back'

 but it never left at my house!

Fall 2015 - #motherdaughterorc

Mollie was transitioning home post-grad and beginning a new job in the area. Her bathroom needed an update so we took it on together. 

Spring 2015 - My first ORC and the first attempt at the Guest room. Looking back over 10 ORC's is amazing. It's a great opportunity to refresh, re-design, etc. any space in your home. It can be a gut job or a very budget minded project. I encourage everyone to give it a whirl. I have learned so much since this first, very basic attempt!

Be sure to follow along with all of the other ORC'ers here.

And be sure to check out my Instagram account for updates in between the weekly posts!

Also, the rest of my ORC posts will be shorter than this! Promise!!

Thrifting for Your Home is the Ultimate Recycling

Thrifting home decor is the ultimate recycling or, at least, that is how I feel about it. 

We celebrate Earth Day this week and focus on greener, cleaner practices and think about sustainability, fair trade, repurposing, reusing and recycling. Hopefully there are things we all do that go far beyond this single day to positively impact our planet. But it's always a good time to reevaluate our practices and plan to do more in our efforts to preserve and conserve.

I think thrifting and shopping vintage definitely qualifies as a sound, sustainable practice. Items are kept out of landfills and impulse purchases of trendy items are hopefully reduced. It is educating to see vintage and antique items that have been around a long time and were well used but are still be viable, desired even. 

One of the things that I feel checks all the sustainability boxes is thrifted bamboo furniture.

 It's a lesson in, and of, itself:

"Eco-friendly, strong and stunning, bamboo is ideal for creating sustainable furniture. Bamboo grows rapidly, requires no chemicals to thrive, offers maximum strength and durability and shines in its warm, rich tones. Bamboo creates eco-friendly furniture of the finest magnitude."  via

I don't think you could find a better argument than above for bamboo furniture's many earth friendly qualities but when you add in thrifting that piece of furniture then you add in another positive layer.

Vintage bamboo items are proof that not only is bamboo easily and responsibly replenished but it lasts and has style and appeal that spans the decades. If you think it is 'trendy' right now then, yes, it is popular with lots of people in lots of styles but bamboo furniture is a classic. Cultivating and building with bamboo can be traced back 7,000 years. There are examples of many styles of bamboo furniture in many different cultures. 

I love when I find an amazing vintage or secondhand bamboo piece for my home. I love its qualities, warmth, and texture. 

I truly believe every room could use a touch (or more) of fabulous, sustainable, thrifted bamboo!

My motto is #nobambooleftbehind when I go thrifting :)

All images are from my home - inside and out. 

There are many items that can be thrifted and repurposed or put to good use in our homes. What's your favorite? You know mine, bamboo furniture!

Happy Easter!

 I'm up early (4:30!!!) to get ready for Sunrise Service this morning so I thought I would share some  of my favorite Easter images. 

(If you follow on Instagram you have already seen some of these!)

Mostly chinoiserie eggs, azaleas and some little bunnies I've had for years for our Easter decor this year. It was all what we had on hand but it was cheery to have a round - especially because the two weeks before Easter were rainy and unusually cold! March went out like a lion!

This little moss bunny was very popular on IG. Lots of questions about where to find one like it. I bought this years ago at Pier One. It was listed as a bunny pick in the floral area. Somebody needs to make one next year - it would sell like hotcakes!

This simple one is from Palm Sunday but I'm including it as well.

I hope that however, wherever and with whomever you celebrate that today is full of joy!

Happy Easter!

Punch!

 I love punch.

 It isn't served at events anymore like it was when I was growing up (and now we may feel differently about a community punch bowl altogether.) My grandmother had a frozen punch recipe that she was famous for - it had a steeped tea base with delicious fruit juices and she froze it and then whipped it with a hand mixer before serving. It was so refreshing and she often made it just for our family to enjoy during visits but it was definitely the highlight of all showers and wedding receptions. My mother would make punch for us to have in the Summer when a large group of friends would be in our yard playing in the playhouse or swinging. She used grape juice as a base and there were always maraschino cherries in it!! It was the punch of her childhood - my grandmother used to make a similar punch, when my mom was a child, in a large white enamel container and serve it to the children and anyone who stopped by.

I have very fond memories of happy times and delicious punch. I still have my punch bowl and silver punch ladle. I haven't used it in a long time but I'm hanging on to it. Maybe someday...

The other day I was scrolling through Flower Magazine's beautiful website and one of the editors, Amanda Smith Fowler, was sharing her Almond Punch recipe. The article said it was a family favorite for Easter! It sounded delicious and fun (you can top it off Ginger Ale or  Prosecco for the adults!)

(Do you see Cooper? He's trying to figure out how to get a cheese straw!!)

I really wanted to try it. As I don't have any events in the near future requiring the quantity that this punch bowl filling recipe would serve (see Amanda's family recipe here), I decided to try and reduce the recipe so we could enjoy it relaxing on the porch on a sunny Spring weekend - even if it's just us!!

Marcie's "Small Batch" Version of Almond Punch!

32 ounces of water

1 1/4 cup of sugar

12 ounces of pineapple juice

1/4 bottle of almond extract

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 ounces frozen lemonade, thawed slightly

ginger ale or prosecco

fruit garnish, if desired

Dissolve the sugar in warm water- be sure sugar is completely dissolved. Add the pineapple juice, lemonade, almond extract and vanilla extract to the sugar water mixture. Stir well. Pour mixture into a large freezer proof plastic container  Freeze. Pull container out, allow Almond Punch to become slushy and scoop into glasses - about halfway full. Top off each serving with ginger ale or prosecco. Garnish and enjoy. 

The Review: Reducing the recipe worked well. It's delicious, slushy and refreshing. It's delicious topped with Prosecco but it's very, very  yummy going the non-alcoholic route and using ginger ale. I tried it both ways :)

It's the perfect, refreshing Spring punch and would be equally delicious with brunch or in the afternoon with cheese straws and nibbles for Happy Hour!

Be sure to let me know if you make this punch!

I Bought the Most Fabulous Plant

 I love a variegated plant more than anything.

Last week, in search of something else but trying to satisfy my serious Spring Fever, I wandered through the garden center at Lowe's. 

I spied this plant peeking out of a brown paper wrapper. It looked familiar but I wasn't completely sure what it was. I was trying to find the tag (and price) and an employee stopped to help. I asked if the one I was looking at was the only one and he said it wasn't. They had just unloaded a cart full from the delivery truck. I got my pick of the bunch. 

It is a variegated Elephant Ear (Alocasia adora 'Variegata')

 Here in the Atlanta area they are a Summer tropical but they are hardy in zones 10-11. I knew I still had some cold weather  ahead but I couldn't pass this beauty by!

           I brought it home and it's hanging out in a corner of the Family Room right now.                  

 See it in the corner?

Read about my newly recovered Leopard couch here!

We are having mild days (even hitting 70 degrees here and there) so I can take it out on the screened porch during the day to get some bright light and fresh air. I joke about "taking my plant out for a walk" but keeping this beauty happy until it's safe to move outside for the Summer is worth it. 

I'm hoping I'll be able to winter it over and have it for years to come. I'm doing some reading to learn more about Elephant Ear care. I love how big the leaves get on even the solid varieties. Do you grow Elephant Ears? Any tips?

Saucer Magnolias

The Saucer Magnolia is one of the earliest signs of Spring here in the South. The trees literally burst into bloom overnight and are covered by the huge blooms. The leaves don't appear until the blooms drop off.

We have two Saucer Magnolia shrubs in our yard. On one the blooms start out a very soft, ballerina pink and deeper pink coloring appears as the bloom ages. The other Saucer Magnolia bursts into bright, hot pink blooms that glow in the sunlight. People walk up into our yard to take pictures of it!

They don't make long lasting cut flowers but I still like to cut a few to bring inside (especially if we are having a cold snap and aren't outside to enjoy the blooms.)

The facts via the Arbor Day Foundation:

A hybrid cousin of America's magnificent Southern Magnolia, the Saucer Magnolia is actually a large spreading shrub that take its name from its wide, saucer-like flowers. It was first cultivated in 1826. The fragrant, early-spring blossoms are white shaded with light to deep pink or purplish-pink. Big, broad leaves are dark green, and the smooth bark is silvery-gray. Medium- to fast-growing, good pollution tolerance. Likes moist, deep, acid soil and full sun. Grows to 20'–30'tall , 25' spread. (zones 4-9) 

The Saucer Magnolia just has one big show of blooms in the early Spring. The leaves are an attractive lighter green than the glossy, dark green leaves of the more familiar Southern Magnolia so it's still a nice addition to the garden even when it isn't blooming. It's a low maintenance, pest free shrub in our area so I highly recommend it. Plus that one week of amazing blooms each Spring will win you over!

Faux Bois

 Faux Bois means "false wood" in French. 

I realize I'm starting to look like a big fake on here - first my "faux pleated shade" post, then "faux-piaries" and now I'm talking about fake wood :)

Never fear, Faux Bois really is a thing and it's getting a lot of attention right now. It's not a trend, though, in my opinion. (I talked about trends here if you want to know my view on trend v. classics.)  I first discovered Faux Bois in my twenties (so, a long time ago!) via a Martha Stewart magazine article. Antique French Faux Bois furniture pieces are quite spendy and rare. Newer faux bois pieces can be the same. Here is the link to an artist in Virginia who practices the 150 year old tradition of making faux bois furniture! Amazing. And my latest Ballard Catalog featured some new faux bois items by the fabulous gardener Bunny Williams.

 Faux Bois can also mean a faux finish technique that makes wood, paper, or fabric look like it has a pronounced wood grain. There is a tool called a rocker that helps create this look. I have a rocker and learned to create a faux bois finish many years ago. I thought it was fun and pretty easy to master. Maybe I'll dig it out and use it for a project soon! I keep looking at this faux bois rug from Martha Stewart!

But this post is actually prompted by a cute little, reasonably priced faux bois candle holder I found the other day. I have a serious case of Spring fever and it seemed like a fun accent piece to display a little plant or some other springy items. Or an actual candle, it's intended purpose!

Do you like Faux Bois? People seem to either really like it or want to give it a definite pass.