Wanted: one antique marble top French bistro table with a reasonable price tag. The search has been on now for over a year now and my patient self is becoming impatient.

On a completely unrelated note isn't this photo beautiful?!

I snagged this chair at Goodwill last week for $8. Nick took one look at it and thought I was crazy and the chair was well sorta gross. He said the sight of it made him itch. This just fueled my fire to give it a second life. The seat was busted so I traced around the old one and cut it with a jig saw. I basically took everything apart just to see how it was put together and just replicated it with new cushions and fabric (damask on clearance at Hobby Lobby). I got to test out my new handy paint sprayer too. After a little distressing and a clear coat we were good to go. It's on great casters so I plan to use it as my new office chair but until we move it will live in our foyer. Next up the china cabinet!

Just in case you missed Ms. Fosters' catskills victorian shabby shack in the New York Times yesterday... Grab a cup of coffee and buckle up. You're in for a generous dose of eye candy. Cheers to the weekend!

Who doesn't love a good quiz? This one from Pratt and Lambert will uncover your "Color Personality" and I must say I agree 100% with my results. What's your color personality? Find out here...

Makes you want to host a little dinner party or two... or 10! Happy Wednesday loves!

*images via here

here

grateful

We had a wild night. It all started around Midnight when lightening hit so loud Nick and I both jumped 3 feet. We settled back in and thought nothing much more of it and drifted back to sleep. About an hour later we heard the dogs barking and knocking on our door, then the doorbell ringing. As soon as I got to the hall I smelled smoke. My god was our house on fire? Just so you know this has always been my biggest fear. It was our neighbor Chrissy as soon I saw her I glanced over her shoulder and saw a huge orange glow. It was the strip mall that lies directly behind our homes. I'm talking the neighbors directly across the street are separated by nothing more than a wooden privacy fence and about 100 yards. She told us we should consider leaving because there were hot embers drifting through the air and the wind was blowing everything right this way. After we got our heads straight we piled the dogs, cats and baby safely into our two vehicles and stood in shock at the end of our driveway just starring.

Some neighbors were hosing down their roofs. Everyone on our tiny, quiet cul-de-sac was outside including lot's of stunned and frightened children. It was horrible. You know how everything always seems worse at night too? Well factor that in as well. After almost 2 hours the situation was looking like it was improving so we came back in to free the dogs and cats back into the house.

At this point it wasn't raining and that was the last thing on my mind. I flipped on the TV and there it was another vicious band charging straight for us and just as Nick descended down the stair after tucking in Lucy the tornado sirens went off. At that point tears started to sting the corners of my eyes. I glanced down and realized my hands and feet were stained with the black soot that had been flying through the air. We waited out the next line of storms and made it through safely but with that weather the firefighters were forced to back off and the flames reignited in the strong winds. It was 5 am before I finally grabbed and hour of sleep. We are all ok. Our homes are ok and I thank god he was watching over all of us.

These happy photos were taken just a couple of weeks ago at our favorite mexican joint we all loved to walk over to. You can see that privacy fence I mentioned.

Silhouettes of backyard trees and roof lines frame the fire just beyond our yards.

The restaurant along with all the other businesses were a total loss, I pray for all the owners and their families.

The Hallmark store Lucy and I just walked to to get our Fathers Day cards is gone, so is the dry cleaners where my sweet neighbor the same one that had woken us up to warn us had just dropped off her wedding dress to be preserved.

You can see the reflection of a couple of our homes in the window and that fence again. The fence which was also just rebuilt after being leveled by a funnel cloud last year.

This is what I saw as stood in Sarah M's backyard. The fire set off her smoke detectors. We still have our families our homes and our memories though and for that I'm forever thankful. God bless the firefighters...

Mushy cushy thats my new motto when thinking about our new home-to-be. I want it to be a place thats comfortable, cozy, welcoming, kid friendly, uncluttered (besides the usual toys of course), clean and crisp. All the "stuff " that has been accumulating is slowly making it's way to Goodwill because it ain't comin' with us! If I had a million bagillion dollars I would just hop a plane to the west coast and clean out the Shabby Chic Boutique. A girl can dream... Cheers to a new week!

Happy Fathers Day!!! Hug a dad or three today ♥

friday find: tea party lunch set

So, so, so cute! This little 13 piece cut glass set is perfect for a little girls tea party or for a breezy luncheon with the friends. The set includes 5 matching cups and 5 matching plate + 3 extra matching plates for spares. The plates have a raise ridge to accommodate the cups. The set is in excellent condition and if my daughter were a tad older I'd never let go of this it's too darn cute! Oval plates are 8.25''x 6.75'' in diameter and cups are 2.5'' tall and 3'' in diameter from opening. Set is priced at $35.00 you can go visit it here. Happy Friday y'all!

Perfection, just perfection! Check out those herringbone floors!!!! I could seriously get lost in all the subtle details.

And on a completely unrelated note... did you know Fiestaware came in WHITE? I don't know why it never occurred to me to check, probably because when I think of the brand I think of bright rainbow colors. In our quest to find new lead free dishes I decided to just check and see and when I discovered the classic plates do indeed come in white you would have thought I struck gold! I and for the cherry on top they are on sale at Macy's right now.

Yesterday I was sitting in the living room watching Lucy play when the foyer caught my eye. It sunk in at that moment how much I was going to miss this little house. It will always be our first house full of so many good memories. Light, bright and so cozy. Maybe that's subconsciously why I've been putting off filling it with boxes.

inspired outdoor spaces

I like to dream there are no pesky flies or mosquitos to flick, no humidity and we can lounge around outside all day.

a look inside the kitchen

polar ice

The kitchen has great bones it just needs to be "de-chi-chi'd." Please bare in mind these photos were taken with the old owners decor up. The white cabinets are good to go, they have beautiful bubble glass (thats what is making the weird reflection in the photos) and recessed lighting inside. This is exciting but also scary to think all my dishes and junk may be visible now. We'll immediately tone done the wall color with polar ice by Benjamin Moore. We just did our current kitchen in this color it's just so fresh and clean looking. The countertop and backsplash will be addressed some day down the road until then does anyone know if it can be painted with some sort of food safe enamel or glaze?