First Celebrations

Back in August, we celebrated our second daughter's first birthday.

I went with a Beatrix Potter garden theme, as the girls' room is all Beatrix Potter and we are big fans of all of her precious literary endeavors. Also because I could get and grow a lot of gorgeous produce at that time of the year to keep costs down, and I'm a cheapskate like that.

So check out the adorableness of these invitations. Unashamed plug here. You have GOT to check out Shortcake's Signs custom invites and have her work something up for you. Granted, it might spoil you for anything ordinary from Vistaprint from here on out, but here's my area of choice to splurge on.

She does custom lettering in any type of font that you wish, and her drawing and art is unreal. She recreated this iconic Peter Rabbit scene for these invitations. Also, she's my sister, so that's where this degrades into pure nepotism. Believe me, it's entirely to your advantage here...

Fall Fruition

Some things take a long time to come about.

I started upcycling furniture quite by accident. I couldn't find a coffee table I liked, and in browsing internet pictures, I happened across a picture like this.

A little wild, I know, but I loved the vintage vibe. And I found a similar table on Craigslist and started my learning journey on the coffee table we still have and use and climb on daily, and in the process I started messing around with other pieces of furniture:

But it didn't come with a hexagon end table. They are hard to find, apparently. I drove all the way out to Anderson one day to look at one, only to discover that it was molded plastic and not wood. I came across plenty of others that were too plain, or just too pricey for me to spring for. So I was ecstatic to finally snag this little pair at an auction recently...

I wanted something with plenty of detail and ornate design that would stand out with all of the glazing goodness I had planned. So, finally, three years after my original inspiration, I finally have my vintage end table.

In peacock blue, of course. Put on your surprised face. 

Raise Your Glass

I LOVE sewing machine cabinets. I have two in my living room right now, one as an entry table and one as an end table. The variety of styles and the versatility of function never fails to please my heart.

This particular table had a non-functioning machine unit that I gutted at the beginning of this transformation. The original hardware was just peachy, though I gave it a face-lift with a hammered copper paint job. A couple of coats of poly are in place to keep this piece pretty for the long haul.

This particular shade of a pale bluish green, called "Irish Eyes", is perfectly soothing and sedate under that lovely espresso glaze--don't you agree? I'm loving Irish Eyes right now. This transformation also got a moderate distressing, especially along those lovely legs.

But that's not the best part. This piece is hiding a secret. Underneath that quiet, sedate exterior lies a wild party animal just waiting to burst forth. This end table doubles as a frivolous drink station!

OK, maybe not that wild...

With a little rigging on the inside, a heavy-duty rubbermaid container sits sturdily within and can be easily removed and replaced for ice removal and cleaning. It sits just below the surface so that with the top closed, you'd never guess the crazy secrets lurking beneath.