My awesome CL find!

I apologize for being a bit absent from the blog. We are doing fine, but I have been super busy at work & have had a lot weighing on my mind lately. And, unfortunately, I haven't been DIY'ing or crafting as much, so I'm sometimes at a loss on what to post. But, one thing I have been working on lately is finding a newish desk to refinish or paint. I was looking for a desk that met the following criteria:

1. Cheap
2. Wood
3. Ability to fit in a small space, but have sufficient storage space.
4. Cheap (opps, did I mention that already?!)

So, off to Criag's List I went to search the hundreds of desks posted there every day & I saw a cute, small desk that looked perfect for my project! And, the best part about it?! It was only $25 for the desk & a small wood chair that came with it! So, I shot the seller an email & couldn't believe she actually still had it for that price. We headed over a couple days later to scoop up this awesome find. Oh, the awesomeness...can't take it. Behold:

 (This is the seller's image)

Isn't it so cute?! Doesn't it have so much potential?! I'm excited for several reasons about this, but mainly b/c it's the first piece of furniture I'll be re-doing for my house, yipee!! So, in the next few days, I need to decide if I want to re-finish or paint it, pick out colors, then get to sanding. It'll be going in our basement, at the bottom of the stairway & I have lots 'o plans for this to be my new & improved craft area. A huge step up from my current one, which is basically just a blue plastic bin at the end of my guest bed (I'll have to take a pic of that one day for you guys), lol. I'll keep you guys appraised of the situation! And, thanks for hanging in there with me...I hope to have more exciting things to blog about soon!

My very 1st blog award!! :o)

Yay, yay, yay! I am so thrilled to have won my *first ever* blog award - given to me by Lisa over at mrs. messi's musings! Lisa has become a great Nestie friend & fellow NOVA girl!  I started following her blog once she set it up - she blogs about lots of great stuff, including books recs & her upcoming little bundle of joy!! Thanks so much for giving me this award Lisa - it means so much to me! :o)

The Sunshine Award is given to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blog world. I am now going to pass along the sunshine and present this award to some of my favorite bloggers who make my day "A Sunshine Day!"

The rules, once this award is received, are as follows:

1. Post the logo on blog

2. Pass the award on to 12 fellow bloggers

3. Link the nominees blogs so other can get to know them

4. Let nominees know they have won this award by commenting on their blog

5. Share the love and link to the person who received this award from.

Thanks again Lisa for nominating me!

I follow sooo many amazing blogs of women (and a couple men too!) from all walks of life - it was so difficult to pick just 12! Some of them I have been following for a while, some I just discovered. But they all have one thing is common - they are all positive and uplifting ladies! BTW, to anyone I did not list, please know that if i follow your blog, i def get something out of it, so thanks for doing what you do!

1. Making Lemonade

2. Craftaholics Anonymous
3. Good Food, Good Friends, Good Life
4. Our Dream Come True
5. A Day in the Life of Karen
6. Life Happens When You're Making Other Plans
7. Nolan's Story
8. The Webb Family
9. A Life in Progress
10. Beneath My Heart
11. Conceive This
12. Domestically Speaking

Congrats to all my Sunshine Award Winners! Pass it along!

Pillow talk...

Not in the traditional sense of the phrase, but literally. I have been thinking about getting some new pillow covers for my Target Solid Color Silk Toss Pillow. The ones I currently have match my old LR color scheme - the deep, warm orange & since I lightened it up a bit at least for now, I'm looking for some covers to put on the pillows I already have to add some more character to my newly re-decorated LR! I want something unique, but nothing too overboard with pattern since I already purchased some paisley print lumbar pillow from Home Goods to go along with my chocolate button pillows.

Enter Etsy. Ah Etsy, how do I love thee...let me count the ways:

 

Etsy seller pipdesigns  

Etsy seller Elegant Touch

Etsy Seller Simple Linens 

 

Etsy Seller Marie's Cosy Cusions

 

Etsy Seller Emma Dear 

All very cute right? I really like love them all, but I'm really leaning towards the rufflly white one! I love the contrast bright white brings to my choclate painted living room. Now I just need to convince the hubbs to let me buy a couple! 

Great giveaway over at Making Lemonade!

By now you know I'm a sucker for a great giveaway, no? Well, I just had to tell each of you about my bloggy friend - Carrie's Stork Report Giveaway over at Making Lemonade! It's a full month of baby + other giveaways!

Carrie is the proud momma of one precious special needs little girl (she's on the button above - so cute :o) & has another on the way - she's due this May! So, IHO her impending bundle of joy, she is hosting this month-long giveaway that will include weekly giveaways for a "parent, a grandparent, an aunt, a someday-parent, a like-a-parent, or are expecting your own baby"! Here's a little look at the giveaways that have already begun:

Beautiful bird prints from Belli Ucelli:

 

Cute custom onesies from Lee Marie:

And since I have major BOTB (babies on the brain), I'll be entering every single one! Head on over & check it out!

Living Room Updates!

IDK if you remember what our LR looked like before, here is a reminder:

I can honestly say that I loved my LR. I liked the colors & everything, but as soon as winter came around, the deep oranges were no longer working for me. I felt like we needed something a bit more neutral. So I made a few small changes & wha-lah...looks like a whole new room:

In the photo above, you can see that I added insulated curtains from JCP in ivory beige. These curtains were such an awesome buy. They were inexpensive & definitely good quality. The window they are on tends to be a little drafty b/c the spring thingy on it is messed up (we need to get it fixed), but when you close those drapes, the draft is GONE! They are awesome.I also used JCP's Ancient Broze Clip Rings to hang them - 14 did the trick!

Under the wedding photo, next to our front door, I added the Target Storage Ottoman in dark brown. It was originally $80, but when I went to the store, they were on sale for $65 & I found a damaged one on the shelf (nothing the hubby couldn't quickly repair), and got $15 off!! The dark brown pillows on top, I purchased a few months ago at Burlington, for about $7 each, but I'll include them in the cost for this makeover. And the small paisley print pillows on the couch & ottoman were $13 for the pair at Home Goods.

The candles/pillar holders to the right of the TV, I used to have in my DR, so those were re-purposed & use here to add a little something to the entertainment center. IDK if you can see it well in this picture, but the remote caddy (awesome invention!) is so great because it keeps the THREE remotes we have to the TV/entertainment system/Verizon Fios Box all neatly in one location....it evens comes with a set of four leather coasters, which is great for me since I loathe when people sit sweating glasses on wood tables! And it was only $20 from B,B&B! We used one of our 20% off coupons we got in the mail & saved $4!

I got this pretty new white framed mirror from Home Goods for $30, which was a steal b/c it is really high quality & pretty sturdy. I put it in the entryway between my LR & DR, right across from my entryway table & I think it's a perfect fit in this area.

The sign I got for free from an awesome blog friend's giveaway! I decided to keep it on the table until I decide on something else to put there. :oP

New for 2010 at the World of Dennifer, I am going to start providing a cost break down on my makeovers b/c I thought it may be helpful to some of you interested in doing something similar somewhere in your home. So here is the cost break down for this mini-makeover:

• Curtain panels: $35/pair
• Clip rings: $20
• Storage ottoman: $50
• Dark brown throw pillows: $14/pair ($7/ea)
• Paisley print pillows: $13/pair
• Remote caddy: $16
• Mirror: $30
• TOTAL: $178

So what do you think? I really like it & the LR feels a bit larger now with the couches rearranged, so that's an added plus! And at less than $200, I think these small changes made a huge difference in my LR!