And With The Blink Of An Eye...

...Christmas was over.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2015 just around the corner.

Fondly,
-Lisa

Tartan, Tartan How I Love Thee.

So I have fallen in love with anything tartan.  Last year I saw the photo below and immediately pinned it because I just knew I had to recreate a similar look in my house somewhere.  Well the other day while decorating our living room it hit me like a ton of bricks---I had the perfect place to recreate this look.
Have a look for yourself. 

This is my inspiration photo, so quaint and cozy.
Photo found via google tartan search--no direct source link could be found :(

This is my piece that was begging for a holiday makeover.

This is how it came out!

Exactly the look I was yearning for.

This was a super simple, super budget friendly project that took all of 20 minutes to complete once the fabric was purchased.  I do not recall how much the fabric was but I know it was under $10.  I did also make a matching pillow cover for the same room with the remains.

For the shelf backing all I did was remove the shelves, measure the back and cut the fabric (leave it rough because no one sees the edges).   I used 3 3 inch self adhesive Velcro strips evenly spaced at the top to adhere the fabric.  Replace the shelves, style them, add some light and voila a festive piece of furniture.

This backing will be removed later in the winter and replaced with the same method using linen.  

I'll post on the rest of the room decorated for Christmas soon.

Ho Ho Ho!!!

Fondly,
-Lisa

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Liberace Christmas Tree

I have a tacky gorgeous silver Christmas tree in our piano room.  Isn't it ok to have a Liberace tree in a piano room?

Well I am superbly happy with our Liberace tree.

Fondly,

-Lisa

My Living Room Christmas Mantel

Such a busy holiday season filled with entertaining, shopping, decorating, baking, reflecting and what I like to call controlled chaos.

On this quiet drizzly day as I rest up for a non-stop next few weeks I walked around my house and snapped a few pictures with my iPhone.  I thought I would share just a few today on my blog of my living room mantel.

I hope you are all taking time to take care of yourselves this exciting time of year...

Fondly,
-Lisa

Mid-Century Onyx Coffee Table

I take my time furnishing and decorating my home.  I will wait... and wait... and wait to find the perfect piece.  I won't force anything into a space or buy something just for the sake of filling an empty spot.

Case in point, we've lived in our house for close to 2 years now and the coffee table we were using in our living room did not work.  It worked perfectly in our previous living room but here it was very out of scale.  My living room is good size with high ceilings and substantial furniture so our existing coffee table looked a bit shy and timid.

Nothing spoke to me until last weekend when the stars aligned and I made eye contact with the edge of a table amidst piles of amazing estate sale furnishings housed in a huge barn in Hampton NH.  

Introducing my new coffee table...

We had spent the weekend away at the coast with dear friends and discovered an auction house on the way home.  Within seconds we screeched the car to a halt and turned in.

The new (actually mid-century) coffee table is onyx and I can't even lift one end on my own because this little beast weighs a ton.  It is an amazing mosaic of onyx with the exact colors of my living room decor.

The brass railings and fluted legs are darling and help balance out the heaviness of the onyx.

Below is the former coffee table.  While I absolutely love this, it really didn't work and is tough to realize in a picture.  The size was just too small.  

It has a great story and I do have a final resting spot for this little fella however it will go back to it's original purpose, it will be a banana box-no longer a coffee table.  This was built to transport bananas starting back in April of 1937.  The box is stamped with the date 4-37.  Mr. 16 L Street and I discovered it a few years back and were smitten.  We were both born, raised and presently live within an hour of Boston so it meant even more to us.  

It has taken on a beautiful aged color that is deep and warm.  The font is perfectly 'retro' and the galvanized strapping is the icing on the cake.  

We turned it into a coffee table by adding vintage casters and topped it with glass.  All of that will be removed and it will either sit atop our kitchen cabinets or atop our bedroom armoire so it will still be cherished.  

A special shout out to a good friend who drove back out with me to go pick this piece up!  

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Fondly,
-Lisa

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