I shared a few days ago that we ripped out our fireplace, all because of a great Black Friday deal on a flat screen HDTV.  So, we were left with a few holes in the wall, some raw drywall and a patch of plywood on the floor.  The pressure was on to find something to put under the TV before the TV arrived, because you know that thing was going on the wall within 8 minutes of it crossing over our threshold.  When I was at Lucketts on Thursday, I had the thumb’s up from my husband to look for a piece that would work.  I kept passing a French provincial buffet, but it looked like it was going to be too big.  After looking around some more and not finding anything else, I went back to the buffet.  I loved the color, the shape, the wood top and the storage

Most people are decking out the mantels right now and getting cozy by their fireplaces. Stockings are being hung and garlands are being swagged… …but not at our house. We disliked this fireplace the moment we looked at our home with the realtor. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good stone fireplace, but this one…well, it was just a bit too rustic. The color of the stone was not really “my thing.” The other problem was the location of the fireplace. We always felt like the fireplace was where the TV should be and for the last five years, our TV has been shoved in an awkward corner. We figured “some day” we would get a flat screen TV and then remove the fireplace. “Some day” ended up being today. We were planning on purchasing a TV in December or January, but as we were sitting around in our

Most people are decking out the mantels right now and getting cozy by their fireplaces. Stockings are being hung and garlands are being swagged… …but not at our house. We disliked this fireplace the moment we looked at our home with the realtor. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good stone fireplace, but this one…well, it was just a bit too rustic. The color of the stone was not really “my thing.” The other problem was the location of the fireplace. We always felt like the fireplace was where the TV should be and for the last five years, our TV has been shoved in an awkward corner. We figured “some day” we would get a flat screen TV and then remove the fireplace. “Some day” ended up being today. We were planning on purchasing a TV in December or January, but as we were sitting around in our

Boy, I have really missed having internet over the weekend. I had plenty to keep myself busy, but it was such a bummer not being able to post or check my e-mail.  It’s such an outlet for me and it was tough not having it.  Anyway, we got a new router today and we are back online!  Technology is such a blessing! We’re getting ready to go to Raleigh, NC for Thanksgiving, so I had several things I needed to finish before we leave.  Aside from the usual things…laundry, packing, cleaning a little, etc., I needed to do a project and photo shoot for the February issue of Cottages & Bungalows magazine.  The project was for a bedroom, so I restyled my guest room for the shoot.  It was amazing how different the room looks just by changing out some of the pillows, fabrics and accessories.   Here are some pictures

Now that the paint is dry on the upper office built-ins (the lowers haven’t been installed, yet), what’s a girl to do but style them? I mean…really?  So, I started pulling things from all over the house that would fit my vision for a vintagey, officey, not too feminine look.  Here’s what I came up with…       My husband looked at them and laughed.  “Aren’t we going to use the book shelves for books?”  Ha!  Men!  What do they know?  Shelves aren’t for books, they’re for pretty things.  The paperback novels can stay in the guest room closet. Tomorrow we’re going on a youth trip to the King of Prussia mall, which is huge.  We’ll enjoy a lunch at The Cheesecake Factory and I’m hoping to get some good inspiration for holiday decorating and maybe do some shopping.  Antique malls and flea markets are more my thing, but