I think we can all agree that birds on stuff has become quite the trend.  Birds are on everything – dishes, bedding, accessories.  The top searched item on my blog are my Bird Silhouette plates.  And I saw this video a while ago when Melissa @ The Inspired Room posted it and if you haven’t seen it – you will thoroughly enjoy it. 

 

Now my question was this - are birds on stuff still in or on the way out?  Based on the evidence that I am finding out there still for sale – it doesn’t look like  it.  Just take a look at the latest Pottery Barn catalog for proof of that!  And don’t even get me started on the latest phenomenon of owl merchandise. 

So in honor of the beloved bird accessory – I found eight options for you to get your bird on! 

For starters how about this kitchen set that features a graphic bird print.  Reminds me of woodblock prints!

5 pc Kitchen Set from Target – $19.99

How about a darling little bird to perch on your jewelry dish?  Leave your bracelets in the dish and your rings on the tail!

Bird Jewelry Dish from Pottery Barn – $19

Need a cute way to display more snapshots?  How about this “Bird on a Wire” photo holder.  This is seriously cute!

Bird on a Wire Photo Holder from ZGallerie – $12.95

These white bird frames have a rustic feel.  Love the distressed look.

White Ave Bird Frames from World Market – $12.99 – 14.99

Take your bird a little more tropical and grab a parrot pillow from Pottery Barn.

Pineapple Bird Pillow Cover from Pottery Barn – $29.00

This is probably one of the only ways birds would be welcome at your dinner party – on the napkin rings!

Bird Napkin Rings (set of 4) from ZGallerie – $19.80

Make a “bird” bath in your house!  (Sorry – that was a horrible pun, but I couldn’t help myself!)   These birds are based on flower patterns found from old books.  Which actually sounds pretty cool.

Bird Collage Shower Curtain from West Elm – $39.00

And if you thought birds couldn’t be put on anything else – how about on the top of these glass canisters? 

Glass Bird Canisters from Pottery Barn – $29 - 44

So there you go – eight fantastically featherful accessories.  Now I wanna know – do you love bird stuff?  Or are you over this trend?  Sound off!

Who doesn’t love a good summer BBQ?  With Father’s Day this weekend and the 4th of July around the corner you may be planning a summer party of your own.  If you are – let me share some great entertaining finds that I have seen browsing online!  All of these are under $25 so you don’t have to break the bank while keeping your party looking good.  And as always – I am not being compensated at all for sharing these – this is just me finding great deals for you!

I think having one of these great drink dispensers is always handy during a party – it keeps you from having to refill a pitcher multiple times and the built in ice tray is perfect for keep it cool!

Drink Dispenser from World Market – $19.99

I am loving this next set of ketchup and mustard bottles!  So vintage and cute!!!  And you can’t beat the price!

Ketchup and Mustard Bottle Set from World Market – $3.99

You need a good serving tray and this bright Melamine one is the perfect touch!

Multi Floral Melamine Serving Tray from Target – $9.99

Love these Stars and Strips placemats and napkins!  The placemats are cork!  How cute are those! 

Stars and Stripes Napkins and Placemats from World Market – $5.98-9.99

Love this vintage print on this green melamine dining set.  Very groovy!

Green Geometric 12 pc Melamine Dinnerware Set from Target – $21.99

I adore the print on this Party Tub!  Such a pretty pallet!

Summer Goddess Print Party Bucket from World Market – $19.99

Another handy cute item would be this steel utensil caddy!  Perfect for keeping all your flatware organized!

Steel Blue Utensil Caddy from Target – $9.99

Finally – having a couple of these mesh food guards are a godsend when you have an abundance of pesky critters that also want to enjoy your tasty treats.  And for a set of three – you can’t beat the price!

Set of Three Collapsible Mesh Food Tents from World Market – $8.98

So there you go – eight great summer entertaining essentials!  Find anything you had to have?  What is your must have accessory for a good BBQ?  I wanna know!

Update: The Nursery is finally finished!  Hop over and check out the full reveal!

was everyone’s weekend?  I hope it was great!  Ours was fantastic – we made a LOT of progress on the nursery!  I should be able to show you the final reveal next weekend!  I only have two projects left to finish and it will be ready to show off! 

One of the nursery projects I did this weekend was to makeover a nightstand I found at Goodwill for $15.  Here she is below.  I loved the iron work on the sides and the fact that it had a nice open shelf.  But the gold on white was just not working for me.

So I decided that I would try something that I haven’t done before.  I decided to spray paint a piece of furniture.  Now – I have sprayed tons of stuff – but I have never tried it out on a piece of furniture.  I did learn a few things so I will share my tips. 

First, I decided to prime the piece.  Now I normally don’t use a spray primer – but this piece had a really smooth finish that didn’t seem to budge much when I first sanded it.  So I used Krylon’s spray primer to give it a nice even coat and then sanded that down to make it smooth.  Here is what the piece looked like primed.

Now on this little piece – I used a whole can of primer.  It can take a little bit to get a good finish so be prepared and have an extra can.  Next – I sprayed the metal work on the nightstand with a little ORB (Oil Rubbed Bronze).  Once that was dry – I taped it off and layered on my first coat of color.  Now, my color of choice is Krylon’s Ivy Leaf.  This was the perfect color to pick up on the green accents that we have going on in the nursery.  While using the primer did help to give the piece a nice finish – but it also took almost 2 cans of spray paint to get a nice even coat of color on. 

The last touch was to add a little detailing and a touch of brown paint to the grooves.  Ready to see the final result?  Check it out!

I love it!  It is going to be the perfect touch in the nursery!  I know that green looks a little extreme – but trust me – once you see it in the room you will agree that it is the perfect color!  What do you think?  Love the green or waiting to reserve judgment for when you see the full room?  I wanna know!

 

Linking this up to

Metamorphosis Monday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch
Thrifty Treasures with Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality
Get Your Craft On with Kim @ Today’s Creative Blog
Tip Me Tuesday with Laurie @ Tip Junkie
Tips and Tutorials with Beth @ Home Stories A to Z
Power of Paint Party with Maryann @ Domestically Speaking
Transformation Thursday with Gina @ The Shabby Chic Cottage

Hooking up with HOH with Allison @ House of Hepworths

I had the best birthday weekend!  For starters – some girlfriends took me out for dinner Friday night and we had a great time and lots of laughs!  Then on Saturday morning – I got up and headed out to meet up with some local mid-Tennessee bloggers!  Some were old friends and some are now new friends! 

Photo via Angie @ Country Chic Cottage – Pictured Jennifer, Kristen, Me, Gina, and Tobi

I got to hang out with this great group of ladies that included Gina @ The Shabby Chic Cottage, Kristen @ Ahoy Graphics, Angie @ Country Chic Cottage, Tobi @ Dr. Baby Mama Drama, Jennifer @ Designs by Jennifer, and Deneen @ Dreaming in Color.  We ate, talked blog tips and tricks, and all learned from each other.  I learned I need to bring a camera and that I can’t make silly faces around Angie – she will post pictures!

We headed out to get our shop on next!  Of course I scouted out a local Goodwill next to a Hobby Lobby on the way in!  The Goodwill turned out to be a good stop for me!  I got this adorable faux tin stamped mirror for $7.99.  I am thinking a nice coat of white spray paint and a little rub and buff will make this into a beauty! 

And then I picked up a few more frames for my gallery wall.  These will just need a quick shot of silver spray paint and they will be ready to go up on the wall!  The larger frames were just a $1.99 and the lil one was just 99 cents!  Love it!

I had to scoot – but the other ladies stayed around to get the hook up on some fantastic burlap coffee bags!  But I had to run some other errands and then get back to the house so I could gussy up for a date night with the hubby!  We had dinner and then saw Water for Elephants.  I loved the book so I was a little nervous that the movie wouldn’t end up as well – but I was not disappointed!  I would highly recommend that book for your summer reading list if you haven’t picked it up yet. 

So that was that!  What about you guys?  Get into anything fun this weekend?  I wanna know!

Linking this to

Thrifty Treasures with Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality

Update: The Nursery is finally finished!  Hop over and check out the full reveal!

So way back in when I went thrifting with some other mid-Tennessee bloggers in March – I found the cutest little name plaque at Goodwill.  Of course – it was a little girly – but I figured for $3.50 I could work with that!  And it had the right number of letters for our Lil Man’s name – which was even better.

I had an idea of what I wanted to do with it – and the first step was to change out that mat from pink to a different color.  Ever wondered if you can spray paint one of those?  Well the answer is Yes!

I still had a little of my Bahama Sea Blue spray paint from Krylon and that blue went well with the other colors in the nursery.  So I sprayed away and got a nice even color going on it!  I think the blue looks much better than the pink! 

Next I picked out some cardstock in my nursery colors from Hobby Lobby.  I decided to use a base chocolate color and then “layer” on the bright colors on top of that.  After I picked out a font I liked (Georgia if you are wondering), I cut the letters out with my Silhouette machine.  Then I decoupaged them on to some plain white cardstock.

Once I got the base letter color on, I added the brighter color on top – creating a shadow look.  I really like how it gives it a little depth.

Ha!  Thought I was going to slip and revel our Lil Man’s name?  Nope – I actually made a blog version and a “real” version!  Sorry guys – but that one is going to stay private!  I will just switch them out for when I post pics of the Lil Man’s room!  :)

So anyways – here it is all together!  I love the way it looks!

And yep we are using the crib for storage of clothes and blankets!  That is cause hubby is working on getting that dresser refinished!  Hoping to have that to show to you guys soon!

I am going to hang it back behind the crib!  Should be the perfect addition for back there!  Stay tuned for more updates soon!  Did you work on anything fun this weekend?  Lemme know!

Linking this to

Metamorphosis Monday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch
Thrifty Treasures with Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality
Get Your Craft On with Kim @ Today’s Creative Blog
Tip Me Tuesday with Laurie @ Tip Junkie
Show and Share Day with Chris @ Just a Girl
Tips and Tutorials with Beth @ Stories of A to Z
Creative Collage with Denise @ The Cottage Chick

Spray Paint Party with Sarah @ Thrifty Decor Chick

There is nothing in the world that is as classic as black and white.  It can be traditional, contemporary, modern, country – you name it.  That is one of the reason that black and white accents are always popular.  So I found eight great black and white accents that cross all design spectrums for you guys to enjoy! 

Love this rug!  You should hop over and see the “in room” picture.  Looks fantastic. 

Room Essentials Starburst Area Rug, 60x84” – Target – $52.49 on sale

Love this shower curtain – Overstock says it is one of their best selling pieces and I can see why!  The little pops of green are the perfect accent!

Perry Ellis Asian Lily Shower Curtain – Overstock.com – $24.99

How about some lovely storage?  These boxes from Ikea are perfect for storing clothing in your closet.  Can’t you just see a perfectly organized closet with black and white storage?  Hmm … I may need to add that to my wish list!

Ikea Malla Box with Lid – Ikea – $9.99

Go traditional with damask drapes!  I can totally see these in dining room can’t you?

Waverly Home Damask Window Panel, 54x84” – Target – $24.49 on sale

Sometimes black and white art can be the most beautiful touch to a room.  This print is so beautiful! 

Jamie Cook ‘Fog Tree Study I’ Framed Art Print – Overstock.com – $41.49

Need organization in your office?  I love these magazine holders – the black and white pattern looks a little like pinstripes!  A perfect masculine touch for your office space!

Magazine Files KASSETT – Ikea – $3.99/pair

This duvet is beautiful!  Love the contrasting black and white pattern! 

Diamond King Size Mini Duvet Cover Set – Overstock.com – $36.99

This lamp is perfect for a desk or bedside table – so cute! 

Room Essentials Stick Lamp Damask – Target – $16.99

So there you go!  Eight great black and white accents!  Have any favorites?  Do you have black and white accents in your home?  I wanna know!

I had some of my best friends in this weekend for a little girls weekend!  It was a blast – we had so much fun.  But that gave me a lot less time to work on any “big projects” this weekend.  So instead – I want to share with you something “small” that makes a big difference to me.

So this was our Living Room the last time I shared it with you guys.  I had just added the art behind the couch – centered of course.

Now at this point – I said I had two things I wanted to do.  One was to replace those ugly vertical blinds – that is still in the works due to the loss of some necessary parts from a trip to Ikea.  The other thing was to get some new baskets for the coffee table. 

I have looked high and low for baskets for about 6 months straight.  Never was able to find any that I loved.  Until just recently.  Check it out!

They are so perfect!  I love the neutral liners and the multi colored woven look.  Here is a closer look.

Aren’t they lovely?  And you wanna guess where I found them?  You will never believe that these beauties came from Kroger.  Yep – we have a fancy Kroger Marketplace with a full home goods section.  So these were on sale for about $7 a piece and I knew I had to have them.

Love em!  They are going to be perfect for the lil man to keep his stuff in once he gets into the crawling phase!  They really make me so happy – sometimes it is just the little things!

So what about you?  Made any little changes in your house recently that you are just in love with?

Linking this to

Metamorphosis Monday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch
Make It Your Day with Carolyn @ My Backyard Eden 

Before and After Party with Sarah @ Thrifty Decor Chick 

This weekend I met up with a bunch of wonderful mid-Tennessee bloggers this weekend for breakfast and thrifting.  Besides myself, we had Amy @ Positively Splendid, Gina @ The Shabby Chic Cottage, Michele @ The Scrap Shop and Cha Cha @ Sit, Relax, and Read.  It was a fantastic time and we talked for almost two hours straight – lots of info sharing, craft tips, and a little venting! 

After our yummy breakfast we ran over to a local Goodwill and did a little thrifting!  Several of us found some little treasures!  I had been on the lookout for a new lamp for our master bedroom – and while I found a bunch of cute stuff – no lamp.  We took a picture and then our little group broke up at that point.  (Amy took off before then so she is missing from below!) 

Michele @ The Scrap Shoppe, Me, Gina @ Shabby Chic Cottage, Cha Cha @ Sit, Relax and Read (thanks for the photo Cha Cha!)

I had to head home to be back out that afternoon – but I still really wanted to find a lamp.  So I decided to stop by my Goodwill and see if I could find one.  Well don’t you know – there it was.  Just sitting there – still available on 50% off day at 1pm!  At that point, I knew it was meant to be.   So I paid my $2.19 and took it home. 

Ok – so here was our old lamp.  A couple problems.  One – I really disliked the uber modern shape of the base.  Two - it is REALLY tall and stood almost as high as my headboard.

So what did I find to replace it?  Well I wanted to find a chunkier base that I could spray paint a heirloom white color.  Imagine my surprise when my little found lamp was already a perfect off white color all on its own!  Here she is!

Isn’t she beautiful?  I just love the lines!  I am really glad I didn’t have to paint her because it was way too cold today!  Oh and the shade?  I got the drum shade a while ago from Wal-Mart for a different lamp.  I just love the two of them together!

A perfect little lamp!  I have decided I HAVE to get my all my Master Bedroom projects done before I start working on the nursery.  So I am declaring March to be Master Bedroom month!  What about you?  Do you have Master Bedroom projects you need to do?  If so then let’s commit (and commiserate) together and get those projects done! 

Linking this to

Metamorphosis Monday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch
Before and After Party with Sarah @ Thrifty Decor Chick

Show and Share Day with Chris @ Just a Girl
Frugal Friday with Wendy @ The Shabby Nest