New Boots!

I'm joining Ava's 1st grade class on a field trip to the Dallas Arboretum tomorrow and the weather calls for long sleeves, jeans and BOOTS!  YAY!  Finally able to wear the boots I purchased three weeks ago!  I haven't purchased boots in five years!  The weather here has been so unpredictable.  I recall wearing capris and tanks in November last year.  Cold one day, hot the next.  

AnNicole @ Our Suburban Cottage (I miss your posts, AnNicole) shared her Fall Faves last year and when I saw the boots she featured, it was love at first sight!  

Nicole Winchester Leather Riding Boot

The big bummer was by the time I had read her post, it was early Spring and clearly they were no where to be found.  I forgot about them until a few weeks ago, when DSW emailed me a great deal on boots.  I was quickly reminded of them and hopped on their site to search for something similar.  To my surprise, they had almost the exact same pair!  Above is the pair AnNicole posted... here is what I found:

Nicole Ranger Leather Riding Boot

I went to Polyvore in search of some inspiration, hoping to find some pics of the boots I just purchased.  They are my "go-to" site when I need wardrobe guidance.  Sit back and enjoy... I went on a pinning spree!  Loving all of these looks!  

Source:  Polyvore via Alicia on Pinterest

 I'm slowly (very slowly) building my Fall wardrobe to coordinate with these lovely boots!  

I think a trip to TJ Maxx is in order!  :)  Have a great weekend!

My Pinterest Interest

Hi!  Hope you all are having a great week.  We've finalized our costumes for the Halloween parties we're attending this weekend, the kids are SO excited!  Ava will be dressed as Jessie the Cowgirl, Tyler as Buzz Lightyear, "Space Ranger" and Hubby and I as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.  Can't wait to see us all dressed up!  I've always wanted us to have a theme... I'll post pictures!

I'm taking a little break from projects to enjoy all the festivities.
Here are a few of my latest interests on Pinterest...

Source: Infarrantly Creative via Alicia on Pinterest

These felt flowers are precious and SO easy to make, a must do in the near future!

Source: Modern Jane Design via Alicia on Pinterest

Benjamin Moore's New Color of the Year 2012

Wythe Blue HC-143

I just might have to use this color in my home, maybe on a piece of furniture!  

It's classic, calm and soothing, don't you agree?

Source: Homemade Beauties by Heidi  via Alicia on Pinterest 

Gallery Walls... I love them!  So why have I not created one in my home yet? 

Heidi does a beautiful job at displaying her keepsakes and photos.  

Thanks to her creative arrangement, now I'm inspired to make my first!

I love how she showcases her son's sweet message...  

using tin sheeting and a magnetic bullnose clip.

Source: Refresh Restyle via Alicia on Pinterest

I'm swooning over this beautiful Fall table scape!  Debbie was inspired by a magazine, personally I think her version is better!  I have a dark wood dining table and similar pieces, so pulling this look off should be a breeze!

Have you discovered Pinterest?

Click on my button to see other things I've pinned!  

  

Happy pinning!

Goodwill Mirror + Halloween Dresser

Hi!  I hope you're having a good weekend.  Thanks for all your sweet comments about my Homemade Chalk Paint Dresser, it was a fun project and I'm looking forward to trying it again soon!  We attended our daughter's school Fall Ball last night.  It was great to catch up with all the parents and enjoy the fun activities!

I recently posted about my Goodwill finds and wanted to follow up on the mirror I purchased for $15.  Here it is the day I brought her home...

Sanded, taped off and ready for paint...

I used Krylon's Ivory in a satin finish, it took about 3-4 coats.

Before:

After:

Just what this entry needed!  

The lamp shade was a thrift store find for $2.99 and lamp base at Goodwill for $7.99!  

The homemade chalk paint dresser tucked away in the corner...

When I found the ghost at Hobby Lobby a few years back, it started out silver.  I sanded it down, sprayed it white and added Halloween rub-ons.  I created the framed subway art and the spider web pumpkin art with scrapbook paper and stickers.

Our son made the pumpkin bag using a carrot as the paint brush.  Love it!
The kids love the haunted house.  We light it up at night with LED lights.

Happy Halloween!  :)  

I'm linking up to:

Homemade Chalk Paint Dresser

I did it!  I FINALLY painted something with chalk paint!  I've been dying to try it, but could never bring myself to spend the money.  My friend and fellow blogger Lisa @ A Vintage Vine told me there was a formula for making your own!  What?  Seriously?  I didn't waste any time and let me just say, the results were AMAZING!
Here is the dresser I chose to refinish:

I purchased this dresser at Kirklands several years ago. It's held up great, however, we have a lot of dark furniture in our home... this piece was the perfect candidate for a change!

There are several different ways you can make homemade chalk paint.  You can go to Lisa's post here to get the ingredients.  For this dresser, we decided to mix 2 tablespoons of plaster of Paris with one cup flat latex paint.  When making your own, you can mix any color you want!  My color choice was Dolphin Fin by Behr, a very light gray.  It's important to store your paint in an air tight container.  I used a Ball jar.  Your paint will be very thick, especially after it sits for awhile.  Adding water can decrease the thickness, but only add one tsp. at a time.

I applied the chalk paint with a cabinet nap foam roller.  For the hard to reach areas, I used the end of the roller to dab my paint into the corners.  At first, I thought I wanted full coverage, as I do not have many distressed pieces in my home.  I LOVE the look of distressing, but could I pull off the look?  

After the first coat dried, I lightly sanded to smooth out the rough texture caused by the Plaster of Paris.  I started seeing the wood coming through and knew I had to distress!

After lots of sanding and distressing, the piece was amazingly smooth.  To seal and protect, I used a Minwax Cabinet Paste in Natural.  The waxing gives your paint color a slightly darker tone and really brings out the distressed areas.
I am beyond thrilled with the results!

Before...

And after!

Remember those Anthropologie knobs I mentioned in my recent post?  Swoon!  

This was my very first furniture re-do and certainly not my last.  I really enjoyed this project and cannot thank Lisa enough for her help and guidance!  

I'm linking up to:

Fridays at Remodelaholic
Primitive and Proper - Piece of Work Wednesday - Furniture Link Party
Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday
Thrifty Thursdays @ Tales From Bloggeritaville
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Days of Chalk and Chocolate

Inspired by A Well Dressed Home + Advice Request

I recently discovered Emily at A Well Dressed Home and fell in love with her Vintage Master Bedroom Makeover.  I was especially drawn to the shelf above the bed.  The open frames and mix of neutrals is just stunning.

I wanted to recreate this look using what I had around the house.  The bleached peacock feathers, pearl beaded branch and bird eggs were all found at Hobby Lobby.  They were inexpensive and just what I needed to achieve my own version.  

Here is what I came up with...

Even though I loved the idea of taking old book pages and covering the back wall like she did, my hubby has terrible allergies!  I wanted to spare him from any further issues, especially while sleeping.  :)

So, what do you think?  I'm happy with how it turned it out, however, I'm not sure if above the bed is where it looks best.  I was at TJ Maxx/Home Goods a few weeks ago and fell in LOVE with this beauty.  Thus, making me rethink my decision... 

I think it would look great above the bed too.  Hubby and I did a little switch-a-roo last weekend and hung it there to see if it works better.  The walls will be changing to a gray color (I'm thinking Ashes by Behr) in the near future, helping this mirror to really stand out.   

But for now, this is how it looks.  

I'm torn... I really love both looks.  I'll admit, the shelf was hung a bit high, so should it stay here, we would need to lower it.  There is plenty of wall space in our master, so regardless, I have no doubt this shelf will be featured in this room!  My thoughts are that the distressed mirror looks best above the bed... what say you?

This look...

Or this look?

I would LOVE your advice on which one works best!

I'm linking up to: