Quick fix for Dated Bathrooms

Thank you Luci Terhune for a great idea. I've recently painted my guest bathroom vanity black and I love it! Stop over and visit Luci's staging ideas at www.bungaloweshomestagers.com As of late, I've been seeing a lot of dated oak vanities in the bathroom. They are usually in good shape and most homeowners don't want to replace them. A good solution is to consider painting in in an Ebony or black finish and adding new hardware like in this photo. This usually updates the bathroom and costs very little. Rustoleum's " Canyon Black" is a good choice, just make sure to prime first.

Shabby Chic Farm Weddings

You will either love this idea or hate it. I personally love it (it makes me want to suggest to Mr. Well Loved Husband that we renew our wedding vows!)I recently had an email from a lady that visited my booth and is planning a shabby chic wedding for her daughter. She is trying to find over 100 chairs for the reception like the ones pictured in the photos. If anyone knows of any for rent or sale..anywhere...please contact me and I will pass on the information to her. She is also having benches made for the ceremony because she couldn't find old church pews. I think there might be a market for barn wedding supplies! I wonder if the couple will ride off on horses into the sunset. I would like to ride off in a 1955 Chevy pick-up. White, of course.

A farewell luncheon to summer...

Oh, I'm so ready to bid farewell to summer. Won't you sit down for a drink of sweet tea with me to toast to the end of long, hot, sweaty days? I won't miss painting in the garage with the heat index reaching 110 degrees. The paint globbed and thickened and my brushes dryed while I was painting with them. I know that I'm being a bit premature in bidding adieu to summer this early in Alabama, but a girl can dream. I'm dreaming of crisp fall air and pumpkins and the smell of neighbors burning leaves. Swoon. Oh and I almost forgot....football! Roll Tide...right into the fall.

Has anybody seen my Seamstress Goddess?

Carolyn has spent so much time at the beach this summer, I thought I would set up her own special work station down there. Wouldn't it be nice if we really could work where we love to be?

Where we work... a look at Helen Ballard Weeks

If I could order up my decorating style from a catalog it would be Ballard Designs. And Helen Ballard Weeks is the founder and creative force behind the Atlanta based mail order catalog and stores. Helen founded Ballard Designs in 1993. "It brought together all my interests including design, traveling, photography and business", she states. She traveled as a child with her mother and grandmother, who both collected antiques, porcelain and silver. Today, Helen has a busy schedule with meetings, trade shows and photo shoots and spends very little time in her office. She says that her office is her "personal domain" and there she is surrounded by her favorite old chipped mirrors and arts and objects given to her by friends. Her office is also used as a style lab for the business. Many of the pieces are there for product development and inspiration. The room holds architectural salvage finds, paintings, photos, magazine tearsheets, ribbons, and fabric. She calls it her "stylish nest". I thought I would share some photos of her workspace with you.