Coming soon....

photos of our work in progress (aka: the den we have been re-decorating for the past 2 weeks).

I managed to convince Mike to go back to Home Goods (after a nice brunch on the patio outside BJ's Brewhouse in Glendale & a few beers in his belly -- best fried mozzarella sticks in town, BTW). We were on a mission for a pair of side tables, possibly 2 new lamps and an arm chair. Shockingly, we found it all! The side tables were way more money than we wanted to spend....but they were perfect! We needed something "open" at the bottom so as not to block our AC vent, which is near the floor in the den. The side tables are black with 2 open shelves on the lower portion & a small drawer up top, which will be nice to hide the various remote controls we all seem to accumulate! Each drawer has a brushed nickel knob. They were not cheap at $79.99 each, but they were perfect & frankly, Mike was tired of shopping for them. We found a pair of inexpensive lamps ($20 each) complete with shades that were nice & tall. They looked good on the side tables....although one of them had a crooked shade, I am hoping it can be "squished" back into shape! *wink* (My man is sick of hearing me whine about the crooked shade!)

Lastly, we stumbled upon a chair. It's armless, which is the opposite of what we intended. It's a blue-grey faux suede with espresso legs & silver nail-heads trimming the fabric. The back has a unique shape that I cannot describe & it's tufted, which I love lately! It's really comfy, considering it's armless look & shape. We have affectionately named the chair "Edith". If you are a fan of the old Archie Bunker TV show, you will get the reference...as Mike lounged on the sofa & I sat in the upright chair. :) Those of you that know me are probably puzzled by the "blue-grey" color. We painted the room a warm medium yellow. The trim is Swiss Coffee White. The floors are super dark brown. The drapes we went with are a silvery-blue-grey faux silk with a brown diamond stitched pattern (looks like they are tufted). So, the chair could not have been more perfect as luck would have it. It's far smaller than even the smallest arm chairs, so it also takes up less space, which is another added perk. The grand total for our Home Goods adventure was a tad more than we had hoped....but we could not be happier with the stuff we found!!

The area rug is off-white with a diamond "tufted" pattern woven into the yarn. I think it's actually a carpet remnant. The sleeper sofa we purchased the week earlier is a tan/mocha color faux suede, with espresso base & feet. It's far more contemporary than our usual style. It has some square-patterned tufting in the cushions. We found some faux silk silvery-blue-grey pillows to toss on board. All of the framed art & a giant mirror have black or espresso wood-tone borders. We are contemplating adding crown molding eventually.

So, the bulk of the design is done & in place. I am on my own for the fun part, which is the set-dressing of the room with accessories, as I find them. It's coming along even better than we had envisioned & once it's more "done" I will share photos, I promise! I know I keep using the word "faux" with my fabrics, but I assure you, they don't look cheap or cheesy. ha ha! And, when the drapes are drawn closed, the room illuminates in a soft, cool blue that makes you feel like you are in a cool swimming pool (oh how I wish!!!). It's wonderful and we are really pleased with the outcome, the added space & the general clean look.

If you have not shopped Home Goods for your home furnishings, I highly recommend it. Most of the stuff is reasonably priced, but know your merchandise so you don't end up getting ripped off. Anyone can put a "compare to" price on a tag, but it does not make it true. I know a lamp for $20 is a steal...try finding one at Target for that price WITH a shade! You won't. The Home Goods we frequent is in Glendale, a stone's throw from the Americana. Check it out!

And, Happy Shopping!

Friends: large & small

This one goes out to one of my smaller friends & his mommy.....I just had to take a time-out & do a little something I seldom do.....I wanted to wish my dear friend Dianna's son, Daniel, a very happy 2nd birthday today!

Daniel is an amazingly cute little guy that Di & I affectionately call "my boyfriend" because even at the tender age of roughly 7 months, he was quite the flirt when we met at another friend's baby shower. He's a beautiful little boy with a mother so wonderful that I hope he is aware of how lucky he is....if not, Auntie Sue will be sure to tell him so someday! *wink*

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY B.F.!!!! Auntie can't wait to see your b-day pix and hang out with you & Mommy real soon. Big hugs to you and to Mommy, too! I love you both! XOXO Auntie Sue

Giving in is not always Bad

In follow up to my last post...never made it to the Rose Bowl Flea Market last weekend. I could have gone. My hubby was more than willing to indulge me, but we FINALLY bought a home office desk (last Saturday), so there was really no "need" to shop Sunday when we had a room to renovate!

We ended up shopping around on Saturday for the illusive desk we needed for our PC. We wanted white & never looked at or considered anything else. We found ourselves back at a local Office Depot store staring at an antique black/dark wood desk that we previously ignored due to its color. We had been to Office Depot & places like it numerous times on this quest. We were going insane trying to find what we wanted & needed! We gave in! We ended up buying the dark colored desk w/ hutch & a new leather office chair, all for around $300 with tax. MUCH better than what we anticipated spending. (Pix to follow once the room is done.) So, while we settled on color, in the long run, it's going to work out great. Besides, all of our home furnishings are dark wood & this probably makes more sense. What a relief that we finally found something!!! Size-wise, it's a perfect fit, too.

After the Office Depot trip, we called a friend & "donated" our comfy futon to her and hauled it to her house. (She is a new home owner in the Rancho area of Glendale and, as luck would have it, was in the market for a futon for some house-guests coming in August. What a coincidence!) Having that giant (but comfy) futon gone really opened up the room & we decided we would paint the following day in light of all the new-found free space. Our back patio looks like a yard sale....everything went out there! The living room is also a bit cluttered with items formerly in our den, but in due time, it will be gone.

The room was re-painted (the walls anyhow), the new desk & chair were assembled & we crashed hard Sunday evening. Now, we just anxiously await the next weekend so we can continue on. The dark trim all needs to be painted Swiss Coffee (translation: white). That's my job. I will start tonight & I am very excited about it!!! (Yes, I am a freak -- I love to paint!). We may be adding white wainscoting in there, as well plus crown molding. Wish us luck....it's an OLD home with VERY crooked walls & ceilings! We have purchased new drapes that will hopefully go with the new color scheme. We bought a cheap rug, even if it's just temporary. We have to find a home for our former area rug (as well as another one in storage). We have to find a home for the old desk/table and possibly our gorgeous armoire we built several years ago (that one will be tough to part with & I am hoping it can relocate the outdoor living space for storage). Out with the old, in with the new!

This project will likely not be finished this weekend if all that wainscoting & molding is still part of the plan, but I am confident I can get all my trim painted white by Friday night (Mike works late). YAY!!!

Yes, I will share pix once it's all done....may take some time. Once the room is "done", we still need to shop for a sleeper sofa & either a new chair or have the old one re-upholstered. :) LOVE this stuff. I'm in hog heaven getting to paint, shop & decorate.....it's like the Triple Crown of a perfect life. ha ha!

Happy Shopping!

Really?

Why is it SO difficult to find a simple home office type of desk for the computer with a hutch deep enough for items like our printer?? We have been on a mission & totally unsuccessful. *sigh* Sure, there are far bigger problems in this world & I know I have suffered through my fair share of them, but I am really getting frustrated. Furniture stores are closing, thanks to Ikea & a poor economy -- what are those of us supposed to do that need to buy something when Ikea does not even have it? ARGH!!!

We have not given up hope yet & if all else fails, we can build it, right??? On the upside, we plan to hit the Rose Bowl Flea Market on Sunday.....maybe someone there can hook us up?

We are re-decorating our den. Why? I guess it's pure boredom & the simple desire to change things up every now & again. We will strip the room bare & re-paint all surfaces. We will need to find new homes for some gorgeous area rugs, furniture & the like. I think one set of drapes can get recycled into the laundry room window.....everything will be gone! Any buyers out there? ha ha!!!

So, hurry up, weekend & get here already!!! I am anxious to shop w/ Mike and find some fun stuff to begin the re-design of a perfectly good room.

Happy Shopping, Everyone!