Life is Forever Evolving…

For those of you wonderful friends who visit often, you know decorating is my passion. Being able to to decorate other’s homes has just been icing on the cake to my wonderful life. I have met such great friends in my decorating journey. I have been able to work in some unbelievable homes as well. In this day’s economy, design and decorating jobs in my area has been pretty much obsolete, since long before the holidays.

(This picture has nothing to do with my post, but it’s from my favorite store and it’s pretty. Thought I would share.)

Having a full-time (sorry Honey) two full-time incomes sure does come in handy with a family of five, four cats, and a dog that eats everything. So, waiting around for the next decorating job is out of the question for me. I am stepping up to the plate, so to speak, and starting a course on Medical Transcription. Yay me! I have always been a good juggler of sorts. I believe that I CAN have my cake and eat it too. I can study, paint my artwork on Etsy, work a part-time job, and do design consults while still caring for my husband, house, and children. Yes, my time will be stretched as far as it can go, it will be a challenge, but I am up for it! We have a son starting college in two very short years, a van that is getting older, and many, MANY things that we all want and need. I don’t know about you, but, my want list never gets any smaller…

( These are so on my wish list…)

Anyway, my point is…that life is short. The economy is downright scary and I am taking charge of my life. Medical Transcription will give me the freedom to work while still being home for my boys when they are out of school. And…I DO love being at home. It’s my very favorite place to be.

I will need you all to cheer me on as I venture into this new journey! If any of you have been teetering on trying something new, venture out and do what is right for you and your family. This is a huge step for me. I am not giving up anything else that I normally do, just adding a few things to the routine. Mixing it up! Challenging me to be my very best.

Now -don’t worry. I will still be bringing you decorating inspiration and season-by-season words of Misti wisdom. You know I can’t give that up! Blogging is MY happy place. And, I hope my blog is a happy place for you.

Coming soon- Just a few things to be watching for:

• A beautiful southern home tour
• inspiring burlap artwork
• my mini bathroom redo

I would love to hear from you if you have been inspired to make a major change in your life. Please feel free to share as a comment or send me a private email.

Thanks to all of my sweet new friends… Life is good.

~Misti

Hooked on Unique Furniture

Julia over at Hooked on Houses is having her weekly “what are you hooked on?” Friday. This week I am serving up some great finds.

While surfing the net,  I came across some beautifully unique furnishings. Pieces that can only be found in some of the most high-end homes… I am sure. Check out the website called Napa Style and prepare to be in awe…

This couples only chaise lounge is made of 100% cotton duck fabric. Now, that…is the ultimate Spring coziness!

I’ll take one of these in my bedroom and the leather one in the family room.

Check out this REVERSIBLE Red Leather Dining bench. Have you ever seen anything so unique?  The back of the bench actually swivels from front to back, so you can stay comfy when the conversation area changes. Pure perfection…

 

This dining set is a beauty! Rustic Acacia wood and iron. Incredible workmanship. I’ll have a glass of merlot, please…

Have you ever heard of a Bocce Ball Console Table? Now you have… Rod Stewart would call these “Hot Legs”! I would love to stack several coffee table books underneath for added interest.

Need a unique side table? How about this personalized  Vineyard Cart side table…

Almost done…but I have 2 more cool things to share.

A Double Adirondack bench… complete with a built-in table for your raspberry tea.

 

And this is super cool…..A gorgeous Wardrobe Rack with hangers.

So many uses for this. If I had a house big enough, I am sure I would have to have it for something!

Go visit Julia at Hooked on Houses to see what everyone else is hooked on today!  It’s the place to be, every Friday!

Have a great weekend!

~Misti

Oh, and for those who are interested… I am not sick, and so NOT pregnant…just taking some classes and I am very excited about it. My life is taking a bit of a turn, but a turn for the better. Definitely a post coming soon!

Love you guys!

A Wee bit of Easter Decor and Rambling

I have been so busy reading about all of your awesome Spring decorations that I just put mine out last night! Too much blogging and not enough doing. Not a whole lot to see, but, there is my one favorite black cabinet in the kitchen that gets decorated for every season.

There have been a few changes in my life recently and I have had a few extra things on my plate. Normally, I would have all of my Springy things out front and center, all dusted off and adorning every room. Those '’extra things” will be another post for a different day.

So here is my favorite kitchen cabinet decked out for Spring. You will find no pink here, I stick with my greens and reds…

Oh… this Windows Live Writer is so awesome! I just figured out how to write on my photos. I know, I am so far behind the times…

Are you blown away yet? Not much going on, really.

Love WLW! Did you see that? Up there…Misti’s Kitchen… cool.

Yep, I am having too much fun here. Let’s see what else I have…

hmmm… Not Easter decor, but, here are two urns that I was bored with. They got a little spray paint treatment.

This is a big one that used to be brown. 

This little urn used to be weathered and gray. I decided to have some cream in my life.

My ugly lamps were black (and long ago were brass) now they are cream and are about to be transformed with burlap. I’ll post that little transformation later…

I have three of these guys. When I bought them 5 years ago they were verdigris (weathered green). I had my eye eyes on them, and waited until they were $1.89 on clearance at Michael’s and snagged them up with gusto! A few years ago they got an espresso colored treatment, and now they are cream. I DON’T like them! So, I tried a little gel stain. Still not liking them. They kind of remind me of Grandma Sadie’s 1960 carport rails in this color. So, they are now on their second coat of espresso, but this time they will get a touch of antique gold over the brown. AND… I have a special art project all set for these. You will have to come back soon for that!

Now- this next subject has nothing to do with Spring sprucing or Easter decor but you may find it interesting.

Update on my chair repair project. No, this is not the before photo…this is the “after he did again” photo.

In Cisco’s defense- (my husband made me say this)

I will admit, this is my fault. I did not properly stitch this like I should have. It was done in a hurry late on a Sunday night, right before bedtime.

 It was attacked again 2 days later. This is his chair, and I think he likes it better this way. All of the new foam is gone, but I still have 2 arm covers…and another bag of foam.

If you would like to read to original post about my chair, check it out at  Chair Repair: A Dog Story.

Thanks for reading my rambling. {smile}

Hope you all are having a great week. Stop by again soon!

~Misti

It’s a Toile Party!

Hi everyone!  Come on in whether you are joining from the Ultimate Blog Party or stopping over from the Pretty Organized Palace.

Pretty Organized is having a toile party today and I thought I would post my kitchen again, for those of you who haven’t seen it before. When we moved in to this house I did not want blinds on the windows because we are practically surrounded my woods, but, I do have one neighbor that is fairly close. So, I decided to use inexpensive toile panels from Target for the kitchen windows. They work well with my “Ballard Designs” green walls and can easily be pulled closed in the evening. If you would like to read the original kitchen post click here.

This sweet little gift was made by Kimba over at A Soft Place to land. I was the big winner in her holiday open house giveaway! To see this original post click here. My magnetic memo board is great for leaving myself notes!

 

And just a couple more things… this tan and cream fabric was once used to cover my fireplace in the Spring and Summer. I just used a simple spring rod and whipped up a no-sew treatment in a matter of minutes. Covering the fireplace with beautiful fabric is a great way to lighten up the room and add color. I wish I had a picture. Maybe I will used it again OR…it could become a pillow for my bed…

Last item- PANTS! My wonderful husband once redeemed his Amex points and got his wonderful wife a $1000 gift card from Sax Fifth Avenue, uh huh…awesome choice for those reward points. These pants were so gorgeous until their first trip to the cleaners, they faded instantly! Some issue with the dye, anyway, I didn’t bother to return them, it wasn’t exactly the easiest trip to make, so I kept them, and someday they too will become a pillow. A very small bolster pillow, but none the less, a pillow.

Look at this print, gorgeous!

Definitely needs to have another life as something! What do you think? Can you give me a clever idea of what to make?

Happy toile hunting!

~Misti

BTW- I am thinking of throwing a linky party about our childhood bedrooms. Anyone interested? I think it would be a blast to take a stroll down memory lane. I found just a few old pictures to scan. Let me know if you are interested!

M

How do you define “Spring” cozy?

 When Spring finally arrives, as it has here in the South, we have just a few weeks before the pollen sets in to open all of the windows and whole-heartedly let the sunshine in.

I have seen so many pretty pictures on your blogs showing all of your pretty Spring makeovers, but sometimes I like to put what I feel into words.

Fall and Winter have a different type of cozy feeling, like wool blankets, and roaring fires. Well, it’s high time we celebrate Spring coziness! How do I define Spring cozy?

A beautiful chaise lounge next to an open window with the shears blowing in the breeze…

Sipping a tall glass of raspberry iced tea…

Fresh flowers in the kitchen…

Dining outdoors…

And dreaming of summer to come.

No, he’s not mine. If he were mine the chairs would have no fabric.

How do you define Spring cozy?

~Misti

Photo credits: House Beautiful, Southern Living, Country Living, and Pottery Barn.

Giveaway Prize and The Ultimate Blog Party

 

Hello and welcome to those of you cruising through the Ultimate Blog Party! Hope you will stay awhile and get to know a little about me. For my buddies that always come back for more, I thank you! I love and appreciate my followers and have met so many wonderful friends through blogging. If you would also like to follow me, I would be honored.

I love decorating and finding new and budget-friendly ways to beautify home sweet home. Painting is also a hobby, if you would like to see some of my creations check out my Etsy shop in the sidebar and click on the pretty red button “Studio M creates” to shoot you on over to my Etsy store.

Laura at Life’s Greatest Adventures, the giveaway winner from my Etsy reveal, decided on a hand-painted canvas for her prize. We worked together to come up with an original piece of artwork for her daughter’s room. They have ordered the bedding (which I could not get the photo off of the website…I tried hard) and she sent me a picture of these other canvas art prints that were purchased for the room…

 

So I painted a little something to coordinate with them. I used several colors pulled from the quilt for the color scheme. Beth’s room will be very colorful and fun!

Hope Laura and Little Beth like the painting!

How come I haven’t heard of this party? Where in the world have I been???? Anyway, come with me to check out a gazillion blogs from all over the place. I can’t wait!

Oh, and if I am a winner, PLEASE send me a Target gift certificate!

THANKS!

Come back to visit again soon…

~Misti

Featured Store: Southern Charm Home Decor and Gifts

 

Today I want to share with you my real life friend Jennifer of Southern Charm.

Jennifer and I have known each other for a little over a year now and we have become great friends. She had a cute little store right down the road from me and I went to visit way too often. Well due to the economy in our small town, Jennifer sadly had to close her doors after the holidays. The two other stores beside her had to close as well. Very sad state this economy is in!

Anyway, she had such wonderful things to offer and she has decided to continue her online store, so I am proud to introduce  you to her. All of you…this is Jennifer…

She has an online store just full of great gifts and treasures! Next time you need a fabulous gift check her out instead of the “big box” stores.  Here are a few of her goodies:

This rooster tapestry would  look great in my kitchen. Green, black and roosters…so me!

My sister-in-law got this wonderful baby picture frame for Christmas. It measures 20x20 and is 1 1/2 inches deep! I bought it for my mother to give to her…sometimes you just have to be forceful like that…

Her whimsical tea towels are perfect gifts for friends and family, oh and teachers too. Bet they would really appreciate this one when school is finished for summer!

And…one my favorites… it is signed Cinderella. Cute.

Stop by and check out Southern Charm sometime and tell her Misti sent ya! Jennifer’s blog is Southern Charm, I’m sure you have seen her around. Happy weekend everyone!

~Misti

Chair Repair: A Dog Story

 

This is a story about a dog… and my favorite chair.

It’s about a recliner that doesn’t scream “recliner”. No Archie Bunker or Martin Crane (complete with duct tape) kind of recliner, but a very stylish one.  Bought it at the Lane Furniture store, I got to pick out the fabric and everything! Matches my sofa perfectly… can you tell I really like this chair?

What? You see nothing wrong with this chair? That’s called trick photography. Or hiding the flaws. Yesterday, for my pillow parade post I told the world that we do not have many pretty pillows around here…now let me show you why….

  Need a closer look?

NICE huh? It’s a good thing that I love this doggie so much! You see, one day when I came home from being gone for a few hours I could see through the pass-through window from my kitchen to family room, my favorite chair was out in the middle of the floor. I was afraid to move any further into the room. I could only imagine why my chair had been dragged to where it was…

My insanely cute puppy had dragged this chair about 5 feet away from where it originally sat in my family room. I guess he was bored.

I was trying not to laugh at the thought of what he had done, and trying not to cry at the same time. He was so happy to see me when I got home, that I had a very hard time fussing at him! What are you gonna do? He was so happy to see me. No complaining, no whining about his day, no fussing about the cats, didn’t ask for food or anything. Just happy that I was home.

So I pushed the chair back, called my husband and gave him the news…and guess what? He laughed too! I’m telling you the thought of this puppy dragging our chair across the room blew us away with laughter!

Let me just add that if your dog ever actually EATS the foam on your furniture to keep him outside for a few hours afterwards…

I had to figure out a way to repair my chair…

Did you know that the extra piece of fabric that comes with furniture is really not meant for a headrest, it is there in case your dog eats your chair!

 

So I got out my handy staple gun, scissors, and thick foam and fixed it.

 

Uh huh……….. Cisco tried to help. He really likes foam!

I stuffed in more foam to cover the wood, yes, he chewed down to the wood… I stapled it in place…

Then folded the extra headrest fabric to align the pattern, stapled to the back of the wood, stitched it together, and now it’s back to normal. Let’s see how long it lasts!

  There! All prettied up again. 

And…for those of you who checked out the pillow parade yesterday, here is one I forgot. My mother gave it to me.

I hope this inspires you all who have chewed up furniture to attempt to mend it back to beautiful. Oh, and email me pictures if you do!

 

Hope you all have a great Wednesday.

Ruff Ruff (that’s from the dog)

~Misti and Cisco