Pottery barn tray

Now that all signs of the holidays are gone, my house looks a bit bleak.  So I moved a few things around and added some trinkets.  What I really needed was a tray for the ottoman I made last year so that we would be able to place drinks on top.  My friend kristin got an email saying that the William Sonoma outlet in Long Island was closing down, yipee!! We excitedly drove for over an hour to get there and to our startling surprise the store was completely empty.  What a bummer!  Thank goodness there was a Pottery Barn, it would have been a total waste of a long trip.  I found the perfect tray, it was made with distressed wood and iron handles, perfect match with my desk in the livingroom.  I grabbed it along with  a few other tchotchkes and we headed to Homegoods for a little more shopping.

I filled a little urn with some corals and starfish

I bought a gorgeous white orchid to add to my pink orchid, they are my favorite flowers!

Accessorized the tray with my orchids and shells, I really like the way it looks…

I love my starfish and corals!

Have a great day!

Linking to:

Fingerprints on the Fridge
Simple Home Life

Distressed and beautiful!

Here are some great tutorials on distressing furniture from some very talented people at Sawdust and Embryos

Source: sawdustandembryos.com via Beverly on Pinterest

Source: sawdustandembryos.com via Randa on Pinterest

To get this beautiful driftwood look, soak steel wool in vinegar overnight.  You can see how the tutorial here.

Source: ouradventuresinhomeimprovement.blogspot.com via Dawn on Pinterest

Check out this very simple and inexpensive way to get a crackled effect on objects with glue instead of crackle medium.  Head on over to here to see how its done.

Source: makethebestofthings.blogspot.com via Dawn on Pinterest

Beautiful two toned buffet from Euro paint finishes

Source: europaintfinishes.blogspot.com via Shauna on Pinterest

Have a wonderful day!

Welcome Tasha!

Congratulations to my friends Kristin and her family on the new addition to their family!  They had been waiting over a year for their adoption to go through.  Her name is Tasha and she is one lucky girl… She has been adopted by the most wonderful family.  Tasha is a beautiful eight week old German Shepherd that is going to be treated like a doggy princess.  She is the cutest little puppy!!

My daughter fell head over heels for Tasha

Tasha's beautiful blue and white dog bowls!

So while I was visiting Tasha I couldn't help but notice some changes in Kristin's home, remember the post on Kristin's beautiful home.  

Her tall glass vases filled with gorgeous sea glass... I've never seen so many handpicked sea glasses. That's a lot of walks on the beach!

She changed her diningroom table from round to rectangular for more seating.  Still beautiful and more functional.

A driftwood garland placed on the table adds nice coastal flair.

Little puppy is pooped from all the excitement.  She is soooo sweet!

Have a great day!

Coquillage mirror in the making

One of my favorite things to make are shell mirrors… That being said, this is one of the mirrors I am working on lately.  The shells that I use are the ones I have collected on the beach and shells I have ordered from all over the world.

This mirror is still incomplete, even though I have it hanging up.  I needed to get it off my table for the holidays.  I like the way it is manifesting so far… I want to add some more textural shells and finish off the edges.

How to make the Coqillage Mirror

I started with a 1/4" plywood, cut it to size using a jig saw.  Painted the back and added hooks for a heavy duty cable wire to hang. 

I added a beveled edged mirror to the front center with mirror glue (sorry I don't have pictures of that, but you get the idea).  I wanted to have a focal point on the top, so I adhered bunch of coral around a beautiful large abalone shell.  Then, continued to place different kinds of shells all around the mirror.

 

























I have it temporarily displayed above my checkered cabinet along with my sea inspired arrangement.

I love living near the ocean and enjoying all the beauty it has to offer.  I like taking walks to find treasures that has washed up like beautiful sea glass, driftwood, old pottery and of course beautiful seashells.  Normally, it is freezing here at the New York beaches during this time of year, but it has been surprisingly mild… So we took advantage of the weather and took a walk on the beach to find some goodies and to have our doggy Ringo go for a run.

 Found tons of oyster shells and quahog shells.. . I can't wait to make a oyster shell mirror!

What do you think? Do you like shell mirrors?  I would love to get your opinion on it… Please leave me a comment, your comments mean so much to me.

Have a great day!

I've linked to:

Home maker on a Dime
Coastal charm
Boogie board cottage
You are talking too much
Restore interiors
My simple home life

Comfort zone

I usually don't get much of furniture redo or crafty things done on the weekends because my family is home from work and school.  So here is some really beautiful photos for inspirations.

Source: blog.blinds-wizard.co.uk via Diane on Pinterest

Source: harmonyandhome.blogspot.com via Chemere on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Source: housebeautiful.com via Michelle on Pinterest

I would love to cuddle up and get into a good book in here!

Source: zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com via Elina on Pinterest

Source: zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com via Elina on Pinterest

Soooo grand!

Source: zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com via Leigh on Pinterest

I love this room, it has so many different style in one space.

Source: zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com via Kim on Pinterest

Source: zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com via Kim on Pinterest

Source: southernpiphi.tumblr.com via Jean on Pinterest

What a glorious place to have your meal!

Source: Uploaded by user via Jean on Pinterest

Well, that's a wrap for now!  Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!

Staircase makeover

My husband is a home improvement contractor and so I should have tons of how-to projects to show you.   I always ask my dear, dear husband to take before and after pictures of his projects... But he always get so caught up that he forgets to take the before pictures and we are left with only after pictures.  Case in point with this fabulous staircase makeover project which I don't have before pictures of to show you, so this is where our imagination comes in… Imagine the risers of this steps were so scuffed and damaged that the only thing was to do was to rip it out and replace with new wood risers,  carpet it or tile it.  The owners wanted something different, artistic and durable, so my husband suggested tiling the risers and staining the  treads.  They loved the idea!

First, he stained the treads in a dark stain, I love the combination!

He put a layer of thin set especially made for wood with a trowel on the risers, "buttered" the tiles and placed them on the risers.  Accent tiles were placed to give it the artistic flair that the homeowners desired.

It looks beautiful!

Linking this post:
Restore interiors -Restored-it-Wednesday
theshabbycreekcottage.com
ablondesdiylife.blogspot.com