Fourth of July Foyer Reno

So instead of heading to the beach this weekend, (damn oil spill!) I have decided to begin my home transformation and begin working on the first room you see in my little rental house, which is the foyer. 

 Not much to right home about but I am excited at the challenge nonetheless!

The home we just sold had a a huge, GRAND  foyer with 25 foot ceilings but no walls to hang or place furniture on.  The formal living room and formal dining room flanked the foyer so my only options were to add a rug, hang a chandelier and call it a day...

So while it was much larger, I actually prefer my new little foyer instead.  Plus I love the challenge of changing my style which before was more formal (ummm uptight) and because now I can experiment with a simpler, more modern country style that fits the "big little grey" house perfectly.  Plus my mother and my husband keep reminding me not to spend too much on a home that I will be in for a year max.  I plan to do all my decorating on as tight a budget as possible :).

Ok back to the post..here is the picture that started it all. 

This is the adorable foyer/entry of my blog crush, Donna from FunkyJunkInteriors.  You have to check this girl out!  See her before and afters and you will be blown away.  Her space is larger than mine but I love the mix of rustic elements with soft touches of color.  And that bench??? Can you believe it was to be used or was used in the back of a pickup truck? How creative.  So stop over and say hi and tell her I sent you!!

Here is more foyer/mudroom inspiration that I also like...

SouthernLiving

All of the following pics are from

CountryLiving

Design Inc Ca

All of the remaining pics are from

Better Homes and Gardens

So what do you  think?  I really would like to use the two white chairs that I just picket up somewhere in the design...maybe instead of a bench?  Hopefully I will have a reveal within the next couple of weeks....

Stay tuned.

xoxo

Karen

Let's Party!!!

LINK PARTY!!!!!!

Country Living

Kick off the holiday weekend by joining fellow blogger's Centsational Gal's Red, White and Blue Link Party.  Click on the flag button at the top left hand corner and submit your creative Patriotic decor or craft. 

Have fun!!!

xoxo,
Karen

Simple White Chairs....LOVE

On Sunday I went back to the GW to pick up a small bench for my foyer redo (upcoming post) and of course the bench was not there but these two cute chairs were!   Not sure if I can use them in my foyer or not but I will find a home for them somewhere.

I love their simple lines and chippy white paint.  After cleaning them off, I put them in the foyer to look at them in the space for a couple of days.  Not sure if the scale works....stay tuned!

xoxo

Karen

Dazed and Confused

Friends, bare with me...I am trying to decide on a look and feel for my blog.  I spent most of yesterday playing with pictures and fonts on Picassa and I am still not satisfied. 

Thanks for your patience. 

Junking Expedition

Unfortunately my shopping trip did not go as planned this week.  Instead of waking up on Thursday ready to hit the stores with my mother, who just arrived into town on Wed., I woke up instead with the worst stomach ache.  I am not sure if I completely over did it the day before by painting in the "hotlanta" heat, but I felt awful.  I did manage to pull myself together and hit a few stores later in the day.  Here is a recap of a few of the items...

A pair of vintage milk glass lamps which will be adorable in a little girls room once I am finished with them.

Cute antique milk jug

Vintage bottle

And a cute shell...

That's it for now.  I spent most of my weekend not feeling well but still managed to get a little work done.  

XOXO

Karen

Junking in Atlanta!

Hi Ladies,
With my mom and dad on their way to Atlanta, I thought I would map out our shopping trip for tomorrow and Friday. If you have never been to Atlanta, I think we have really great shopping for the junkin enthusastist! Our first stop will definitely be the Goodwill store in Marietta...why you ask? Well first of all the Goodwill opens at 9am so I like to be there bright and early when no one is there and because the antique shops and flea markets aren't open yet..duh.


Now I am extremely focused when I go into the goodwill...I know what I am looking for and make a bee line to my favorite sections. Every week the goodwill changes their promotion to a different color and if the tag has this color then the item is an additional 50% off...score! I don't buy things (typically) unless it is 50% off. Hey I need to keep my costs down in order to make a higher profit right? I have found though that the prices tend to be a little higher at the Goodwill then at other thrift stores like Value Village for example. Anyway back to the hunt...i immediately scan the furniture, then the sporting stuff...then into housewares...this is where you have to really look and move stuff around. The perfect little jar or wire basket may be pushed way to the back. Finally I head over to the artwork, frames and lamps...this is where I spend a lot of my time. I love solid wood vintage frames and this is a great place to find them.
Next it is over to my absolute favorite place ( I probably shouldn't let all my secrets out but oh well I'm a giver:) ) A Classy Flea. It is in the same shopping center near the Goodwill and has been around for TEN years! It is definitely a local favorite. It looks so deceiving from the outside..you would never know how big and how wonderful this place is until you get in...I really hope to one day be able to set up a booth here...so if anyone from there is reading this...hint hint, I am available...wink wink. They keep a wait list of dealers wanting to set up shop. The shop turns merchandise quickly because the items are priced so well. The dealers buy low and sell low. They have created a very loyal following and many dealers come from out of state to purchaser items. I go at least once a week and usually do not leave without something. So if you're ever in Atlanta, check them out. Tell them I sent you!   Check out their website Here .

Next it's over to the Value Village where you can find some hidden treasures. Pricing is really good here. After this I head over to the newly managed Cobb Antique Mall which is large but the pricing is definitely higher which is only to be expected since they are mostly selling to the public and not dealers.




I then head over to either Roswell or Woodstock depending on how much time I have. Both have great thrift stores and antique malls. Roswell has a wonderful antique mall called called Roswell Antiques in Historic Roswell. This mall is a little smaller but has wonderful French and Swedish antiques which are two of my favorite styles. Again pricing is a little higher but it is great for getting ideas and inspiration. You can visit their website here Here   Note: If you are ever in Atlanta, you must visit Historic Roswell.  It is such a quaint little place with fabulous restaurants and antique shopping.  A must!

Woodstock is one of my newer favorite spots...maybe I can take some photos tomorrow depending if we make it there or not.  Woodstock is a northern suburb of Atlanta, as is Roswell and Marietta for my out of towners...


Anyway I am off for now..headed to the Depot (Home Depot that is) to pick up more paint. 


Tootles!
Karen

Made by Me!!!

I know I mentioned that I would post a few pics of the progress with the "big little grey house" but I thought I would first show a couple of my most recent projects.  

I recently completed my Swedish grey/blue coffee table with new oil rubbed bronze hardware.  I sold it relatively quick which I am always grateful for!  Sorry for the hazy photo...I am still in the process of mastering Picasa.

Next is a lovely baroque mirror that I painted a dreamy white and sold within a week.  I was kind of sad to see it go...oh well mirrors come and mirrors go...

Here is one that I showed you at the beginning of my blog.  This is by far one of my favorite chalkboard pieces.  I loved it so much that I am keeping it!  Plus I am sure that this mirror is an antique.  I scored it a few years ago at a Buckhead estate sale in an incredible home.  I didn't think I would be able to display it in our current rental because as a mirror it was just too formal for our space.  So I did what any handy dandy DIYer would do and I gave it a more casual look by making it a chalkboard!  I love the juxtaposition of the two finishes.  Plus I have been wanting one of these ever since I saw this photo from one of my favorite all time magazines that is no longer with us...Cottage Living.  It was this photo that caught my eye:

I am not sure who the photographer was but if you shoot me an email I will be sure to credit you!!!

On that note, I decided to score another large (and I mean large) chalkboard and give it the same treatment.  I am having a tougher time selling this one though...I think it may be just too big for most people..  If anyone out there is need of an extra large gold ornate framed chalkboard, send me message!!!

Here is my first stab at painting a lot of vintage frames and then aging them.  I was pretty happy with them.  I have a lot more of these to do...see my fancy work studio aka the screened in porch with my plethora of frames waiting there turn to be re-vitalized!!!!

Check out some of my other goodies from my junkin trip last week...the adorable wire basket (I can never get enough of these) and how about this little lantern?  I was thinking of painting it red and making it into a little lamp or turning it into a pendant light and giving it to my girlfriend who just had a baby boy.  Any other ideas?

Tomorrow my parents are coming into town and I am sure my mom and I will hit the antique stores and flea markets.  

Of course I will share with you all!!  

XOXO,

Karen

I just recently started following Teresa Smith over at TimeWornInteriors and I love, love , love her blog!  She is having a give away to promote her new IP blog address.  Please head on over there and give her a shout out!

Teresa has great taste and eye for detail and since I am aspiring to eventually have a little booth of my own, I will be following her closely!!!


Keep up the good work Teresa!
Karen

Welcome! Come on In...

So it appears that most of you started off by giving a tour of your homes.  Since we just moved in I don't have a lot of "afters" but I can certainly show you my "befores".  So come on in and make yourself at home!

 Here is the "little big gray house."  I haven't lived on one level since I was a kid but I must say that I could get used to this!  Living in such a small space has really forced us to be extremely organized.  There is no extra room for just stuff...everything has a place and I love it.


So here are the before shots:


The exciting foyer (NOT)

The formal living room...although there is nothing formal about this one!

The dining room....have you seen enough yet?

 

  The guest bath/Jordan's bath/powder room...don't you love rooms that have multi purposes? 

 

Ok that's enough for now.  You really don't want to see the master bath...it's a little scary.   In the next post, I will show you the progress.  Whew....


Karen

Hi There,

My name is Karen (you can call me Mrs. Rubbish) and I am married to a wonderful man, and we have one son and one yellow lab, Brody.  I am a full time real estate broker and my husband has just started his own business.  See pic below of the ...fam.

We just sold our very large home and are currently renting while we figure out our next move.   We moved from a huge 6000 sqf. home to a small one level ranch with rustic details that I absolutely love.  I don't miss the big house, in fact, I am having a ball decorating this little home and the change it represents.  I have deemed it the "little big grey house" :).

Why blog? This blog is a way for me to share my passion for decorating on a budget.  I enjoy the challenge and feel that I have finally found my voice.  And while I didn't ask for the turn of events that happened over the last three years, the struggle of finally living within a budget and below my means has restored my soul, my faith, and the belief that beautiful design does not have to be expensive.   The words that most resonate with me these days is

I now spend my days scouring flea markets, thrift stores, and antique booths looking for items that I can add my personal touch to.  I love reading designer magazines and then recreating those very looks for a fraction of the costs.  There is nothing I enjoy better than reading all of your wonderful blogs and feeling again as if I am home.


My hope is to become part of this wonderful organic community, and share some of my insight and ideas in the process.


Thanks for having me!
Karen