La Casa Azul Decoracion

I'm not sure how I became Facebook Friends with LA CASA AZUL DECORACION CARTAGENA as I can't find a website for it.  Nonetheless, I have found them on FB and I do get these wonderful images daily on my newsfeed.  I highly reccomend it both for visual inspirations for both interiors and exteriors.  If you search for it and "like" it here is a sampling of what you'll see:

Home Office rendition

Here is some inspiration for a home office which if you have a spare room- could be very cool- especially if you work from home or just dream about working from home (I do!)

My favorite from Houzz:

[houzz=http://www.houzz.com/photos/42139/Home-Office-Inspiration-traditional--other-metros]

Ballard Designs (as does Pottery Barn) has a great tool to help you design your space- you can check out their website for more info:

I can see adding some salvaged gym locker baskets like these to the shelves:

Here are some good ideas from Pottery Barn:

And one for a DIY maybe with Annie Sloane Chalk Paint:

I also brake for yard sales, flea markets, and ok maybe a dumpster!

I am really enjoying reading Lara Spencer's book, "I Brake For Yard Sales"- I feel like I have met a kindred spirit.  And she proves that its more fun to reuse and refurbish, have a piece with a story and uniqueness no matter what your budget.

Recently, my daughter and I did some yard "sale-ing" (Lara's term) to find some inexpensive furnishings for her apartment.  I wish I had taken a before picture of this before, but trust me it was not a looker! For $20 we bought this, painted it black and added new knobs and voila!  You could probably use this in any room of the house but like most 24 year olds she discovered it makes a great bar/liquor cabinet- ok, that works too!

Not a great picture but we got the coffee table for $40- it was actually a nice quality piece and painted it black- for the walls we picked up the black with accents of sepia framed beach prints in black frames.

And while I haven't actually "dived" into any dumpsters...I did rescue this piece from the side of a road, painted with leftover paint and its a cute piece that cost nothing! It must have been in a baby's room as it was white and decorated with decals and now is an our home office and holds our printer.

Three easy steps:
1- Find a piece with solid bones
2- Paint and coat with a finish or wax to protect it
3- Change hardware

Wanted: This House!

Where are you?  I have been looking for you forever! Every time I go on to realtor.com you are not there.  We could be so happy together! I was close once, and then, when I brought my husband to see you, you were taken from me.  It was painful...and now this time I am really coming to get you.  If anyone knows your whereabouts - please contact me!

More on Paint....Chalk Paint

Last week I had so much fun learning how to use Chalk Paint.  I attended a workshop at a wonderful shop called Maison Decor in Malden, MA where you can buy amazing one of a kind painted vintage finds or learn to create your own works of art.  Amy, the talented artist and shop owner, held a class where we brought in our own "objet" and she taught us how to create unique finishes to take our pieces from "drab to fab".  Amy is also a dealer of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint where there are just 7 simple steps to transform your originals into a work of art.

Here is my yard sale vanity (also has a small stool) covered in stickers and painted green- I bought it the day before for 20 buckeroos

After one coat of Coco Chalk Paint

A lighter second coat with a wet brush and then apply wax

Finished piece- with a graphic added to the stool- voila!

 Amy's lovely shop Maison Decor in Malden, MA- inspiration for future projects!

Paint Inspiration!

I found this great blog today with great paint ideas and information on the paint choices used...check it out....www.favoritepaintcolorsblog.com

Accessory Love

I recieved my new Ballard Designs catalog in the mail today and it is so much better than ever- even kind of Resoration-y! Here are some pieces I adore.  Suzanne Kasler is giving this brand some great updates.  Weathered gray and eco- green....

The Durham collection- with planked wood tops and an aged steel finish

cool right?

Storage bench with burlap seats- numbered from 1-99!

Bookplate botainals

I love succulents- this is a great display idea