Beautiful Friday morning........

Gosh it is so pretty today....but I ask you here in the south....what the heck happened to spring.  It was 83 yesterday!

No winter [just a few cold days] and now what....no spring????

The other day I was reading Emily's blog and she did a post on Overstock pillows.  I was so impressed that I took a little trip over and was so surprised what I found.

I have been working on a bedroom for some clients so I was looking for bedding and pillows.

Check out what I found.

Pretty huh!

So great for doing that little spring fluffing....

I was thinking of using this one for my client.....yeah I know...blue, but maybe pairing it with gray and a tad of chartreuse!

Could maybe add this one....

Then I saw this little number....Love that touch of lavender.....not sure that the husband would go for it though.....:)

Ditch the blue and go for gray and yellow.....

With a tad bit of zebra in gray.....

Most of these pillows come in both sizes.

Of course...a little black and white chevron love.....

Here are just a few more that caught my eye!

Could be a nice color combination....with that little pop of pale orange.....

Then I saw these duvets......

And these...which if I remember were dirt cheap.....

Kind of a blurry picture.....but isn't this bedding pretty?  Not saying to use the whole set but love the duvet and the zig zag shams.....

And since I have been on a red and navy kick lately......I could use parts of this set.

And you know that you will be needing some great outdoor pillows....

Navy

with orange maybe...

There were so many....

Throw in some yellowness.....

And splash it with green.

I could go on but you get the point right????

Don't you think it is time to lighten up???

And just because I love you.....World Market is having a 50% off rug sale right now...

Here are a few to get you inspired...

What about these colors.......!!!

Might need this one for the beach!

You likey?

There you have it...some retail therapy for you!!

I was skypeing my sister last night [the one who had the surgery] and she showed me her leg where they harvested the veins.....OMG people.....from right below her knee all the way to her "hooha" it was black from bruising.  Black like the night sky y'all.........She was telling me about her bruises but I had no idea!!!

The visual made me weak and nauseous.

She is so brave.....in fact I think she got all the "braveness" that was available to dish out for our family.  The rest of us are "weenies".....

Have the bestest weekend ever!

Sha weenie

Spring forward.....

I  hate when we lose that hour in the spring...it really throws me off because I keep saying when I get up...."it's really 5 AM"....and then I psych myself into thinking I am tired all day.  

The brain.....it likes to mess with you huh????

Don't get me wrong...love the extra daylight in the evenings.....

Everything is blooming around here....

These were in my neighbors yard.

No one lives there so I think it was OK....right?

Snip...Snip

  I mean someone needs to enjoy.

I think I am going to paint the console under this table skirt.  It has a black marble top.  Yup.....just now deciding this as I write.

More on that later.

Remember the room with the reclaimed fireplace???

Well....here is the plan for the Mitchell Gold sofa and chairs....

Uh Oh...there I go with blue again.....I need to get out of the loop.....there are a gazillion other colors...WHY?????

Do I need an intervention?  I have tried to show other colors....even emerald green and no one bites.

I am doomed to be a "one color" designer.

To answer a few questions from the last post.  How did the chalk paint workout with those furniture pieces?  Well lets put it this way.....I did not sand or do any prep...just started painting.  It did take very bit of 2 coats...3 in some places.  I did put the clear wax on it.

I will let you know when we go back in May as to how it holds up.

The round navy lamp came from Marshall's.  It was a Ralph Lauren.

Think that was it.

One more thing.....Friday a week ago my sister went in for a check up.  She had been having some shortness of breath.  They admitted her that day and she had to have OPEN HEART surgery last Monday!  Yes...tripple bypass.  She is 58.

AYFKM?????  He said that she had a 30% chance of having a heart attack within a month.

All is well...she is home sporting a 5 inch scar.  Back to her feisty self....

I am just saying that one day you can be doing something as mundane as picking lint out of your belly button and the next day having open heart surgery.

My Dad died of a heart attack.....and numerous other relatives.  Now we all have to go get tested.

Great....me with my fear of all things associated with doctors, needles, blood.....hospitals.

Just what I needed.

Sha scared.....

I'm done celebrating.....

Ok...so maybe I wasn't celebrating all that time.  You know how that goes.  Well....not you really dedicated bloggers....you guys don't miss a beat.  Like a paper route...the paper always gets delivered.

For me it goes like this...after 2 days I think "oh I can go one more day..." and then so on and so on........

Next thing I know it has been 9 days.  WHAT?????  I can hardly believe it myself.  But I knew y'all were in good hands because you have plenty of blogs to read out there.

I don't even know what has been going on in "blogland"  Like is emerald green still hot?  Everyone still into wallpaper????  Sunburst mirrors are out?

After I write this post then I must take a look around and see what I have been missing.

Yes...it is official.  I am 60.  And all of your sweet comments that went something like this.....that bitch is old "Oh girl...your not old!".....or she must have photoshopped her picture "You still look good!"

I really appreciate your effort to be kind.  

So enough about that.

What did I do my birthday week.  Painted and decorated.  Yup.......see what you have to look forward to?  Even when you are my age you will still have the sickness.

I got the chalk paint out the first day.  This furniture came with the place when we bought it.  Ugly right?

I know what you are thinking...how in God's name have I not painted it before now [7 years].  Well.....notice the leather accents?  

Why oh why did they have to be there.  Now in my defense when we are here most often other people are with us and I can't just go  and tear the room up.....

I wasn't raised in a barn.

This time it was just my husband and I.  

Let the games begin.

So I painted......and painted...and painted.  Practically 3 coats.  I could not figure out what to do with the leather straps so I just put them back on.

I was spent people.  I figured that I would give them a rental season and see how they weathered.  

They were not easy to paint.

My friend was down there redoing her bedroom so she gave me her castoffs.......the curtains, the rug and some white Pottery Barn shams.  So now the room went from this:

To this...

And yes....don't you hate when builders just throw a window on a wall.  For the record it irritates the living crap out of me.  Is it too much to ask to center the darn thing????

I spent the least amount of money I could.  Those pictures came with the place ....I did manage to find the pillows at World Market [friends and family discount weekend}, and the lamp at Marshalls, along with navy bedskirts.

The I got a wild hair.....OH YES I DID.

Let me remind you that I was at the beach and everyday looked like this....

Gor....geous!  

Where was I?????  

Painting a bedroom white.

It has been years since I actually painted anything other than a piece of furniture.  

What.  Was.  I.  Thinking.

I will admit now that I was extremely crazy over ambitious.  

I googled the best "paint and primer in one".  Home Depot.  Really.  Cause I HATE Home Depot paint.  But OK.....one coat and you are done.

NO

That is a lie.

More like 2 and a half coats and every last ounce of my patience.  

Before....

Reused pillow shams from other room....and again...Jan's castoffs.  

I did find the cutest bathroom rug.

All of the stores are about 25 miles away...so there was a lot of driving in between coats.

So OK....neither one is ready for the cover of a magazine or anything.....but they look so much better.  I could not paint the bathroom.  I just did not have it in me.  Next trip.

I wanted to paint the headboards.....but again....just say no. 

I need to replace the art...you know...paint my own.  It would be a heck of a lot better than what is there... 

Oh yea...I did manage to have a pretty sizable meltdown while I was there.  Scared my husband so bad...he had to take a nap.  I was trying to hang a curtain and ended up with a hole the size of Texas.  Followed by screaming, crying, stomping......maybe I threw the broom......maybe I scared my dogs so much that they would not come near me for 2 days.

Who cares.  It was my damn birthday week.

I'm back and hopefully regular posting will follow.

Sha Wreckingball......

Is this pretty or what?????

I had a whole other post but got so sidetracked with these photos from my favorite magazine Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles

Seriously, you are going to drool.....and maybe faint.

Beth Ervin is her name and serious design is her game!  I know...corny.  Whatever.

Photography by Erica George Dines

Check these out.  But first....remember to be happy with what you have.  I know I had to pinch myself out of the trance a few times.

Let's just start with the dining room.  Could you die?  So soft, the rug, the blue doors.  It is me!  I love everything about it.  It is traditional, but not in a stuffy way.....

If you weren't convinced...then feast your eyes on this sunroom.  What is NOT to like here.  That bench...those pillows.  The ottoman.  I. Feel. Dizzy.

Call me crazy, but I love that apron over the sink.  And this door.  oh ma ga.....

Wait...there is more!

Dining area...help I need a crash cart....having a heart attack here.

I feel my blood pressure going down in this room.  Just a touch of blue........the perfect place to have a glass of wine and look at beautiful pictures in a magazine.  Just sayin.....

Uh Huh...now I have your attention.  Yes siree.......The walls, the doors, that coffee table. 

Perfect

And now for the powder room.....

Love the vanity, the only thing I would have done is put a basket under to hide the plumbing....

How cool is that paper???

Beth.....you busted it out on this one.....Who are you?  I googled and found nothing.....

On the other hand....this months issue is all about color!  

And it features work done by Brian Patrick Flynn....

Check it out.  Photography by the talented Christina Wedge

Framed wallpaper samples.....against that gorgeous blue wall......

So fun and out of the box.....love the painted table!!!

Brian....you rock!

I have said this before...AH&L is one awesome magazine.  

I am so happy to know that I am not alone with wearing my pants backwards.....so many of you shared your little secrets with me and I appreciate it.

I am going to the beach on Sat to celebrate my birthday. 

 It's a big one......somewhere in between 59-61.

Yeah...that one.  Honestly I am in shock.  Remember me telling you this......as Cher once said.....

"Getting old sucks."

Old Sha Ray.