The Case of the Missing Camera

I am happy to say that the case of the missing camera has been solved.  I initially pinned the theft on the wily Baby Jaguar.  However, after lots of cleaning and searching, I discovered the camera in a toy bin in C's room.  The damning evidence were the numerous pictures C took of herself in poses such as this one:

How can I stay mad at that cute little thief?  It's impossible.

On to a little before and after.  Check out this cute table I got at the thrift store.  It is solid wood and heavy, very well made, but in rough shape.



I primed her with Kilz, gave the legs a coat of gray spray paint, and painted the top white.

I have seen so many cool projects lately where graphics have been transferred onto wood.  I thought I would give this technique a try.  I found a little bumblebee design at the Graphics Fairy that I thought would be perfect.

According to a bunch of websites, all you have to do is print out the image on a laser printer, tape the image down, wet it with a solvent called Citra-Solv, and burnish the image onto the wood.

This is going to look so cute: vintage French distressed coffee table.  Ready for the big reveal???

It didn't work!  As you can see, all I was left with were some smudgy black lines.  This technique has been successful for many others, so I'll give it a try again in the future.  I think my paint may have been too glossy...there wasn't anything for the ink to cling to.  Does that make sense.

On to plan B.  If only there were a plan B.  The table sat for a few days and here's what I finally came up with:

I'm donating this table to an enterprise called Cavalcade.  It is an art/performance space that recently opened in my town.  They have all kinds of interesting programs, classes and performances.  They even have an open crafting/sewing time where you can bring in projects and work on them with others and get help making things.   I'm happy to be able to support Cavalcade and the work they do to bring intellectual diversion and art to my community...something we are all in need of!

If you haven't linked up to my weekly House Party, now's the time to join in.  It's so fun to see what everyone has been working on.

I'm linking this coffee table to some of these great blogs:
Today's Creative Blog, Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, Reasons to Skip the Housework, Bella Before and After, Primitive and Proper, Home Stories of A to Z, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, Tip Junkie, Type A Decorating, http://sistersstuff.blogspot.com/, The Thrifty Home, Domestically Speaking, Primp,
A Diamond in the Stuff, Restore Interiors, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Beyond the Picket Fence, Fireflies and Jellybeans,My Simple Home Life,
Addicted 2 Decorating, Just a Girl, Remodelaholic, Miss Mustard Seed, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming, Thrifty Decor Chick, Coastal Charm, Junker Newbie

Suzy's House Party #11 - Link Up!

I love easy little projects.  These cute pumpkins from Katie at Craptastic fit the bill - sweet and simple, but make a big impact.  Just paint your house number on some little pumpkins and you're done.  Can't get much easier than that.

I thought this desk from Ethereal Plus What I Love is beautiful.

Check out fleur de lis.  Unexpected details like this are what makes a piece special.

Party Time!



<div align="center"><a href="http://savedbysuzy.blogspot.com" title="Saved by Suzy"><img src="http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd408/lizzygal18/Savedbysuzypartyblogbuttonchevron-1.png" alt="Saved by Suzy" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

•Link up your home decor project. Pretty much anything to do with you house is fine.

•Please provide a link back to my blog. A text link is fine, or feel free to grab my "Saved by Suzy" party button from the sidebar. The more people that know about the party and participate the better for all of us.

•Be sure to share the love and leave comments for others.

•That's it.

What's a blogger without a camera?

Lost!  My camera is missing and I don't know what to do without it.

The missing camera was last seen in the claws of the this Baby Jaguar:

Mommy Baby Jaguar, yours truly, took the camera away.  Either I hid the camera so well from Baby Jaguar that I can't find it or Baby Jaguar snuck it away back to her lair.  Either way, it is nowhere to be found.

I am about to start a frantic housecleaning effort in an attempt to find the missing camera.  Wish me luck.  I actually have some finished pieces that I would love to show you.

As for the whole Baby Jaguar thing, we have to play this game from sun up to sun down.  I'm Mommy Baby Jaguar, Mary is Baby Jaguar, and the dog is Grandpa Baby Jaguar.  This game NEVER gets old.

E-Design Update

Wondering when I was going to get crack-a-lackin' on implementing my e-design from Sadie+Stella?  Yeah, me too!

As you can see, coral is my new color.  So, I thought I would start with a little DIY project using coral.

I have had this mirror FOREVER.  It started out an aged gold/bronzey color.  But, I can never let things remain in their original state for too long.  It was most recently this aged white color that blended right into my walls.  It was most recently shoved behind a dresser because I didn't like it.

I used Krylon spray paint's "Coral Isle" to repaint the mirror.  Here it is now:

It's hanging in my entryway that leads into the living room.  I wasn't sure if my husband was going to like the pinkish color, but he does!  Looks like the Coral Isle is going to be sprayed liberally around the room now that it has the thumbs up.

Just a little tip - Coral Isle doesn't seem to be sold anywhere.  I had my local Ace Hardware special order it for me.  I had to order six cans, but shipping was free.  I found the color on Amazon and they were charging almost the same amount that I paid for the six cans in shipping alone.  I've also heard that Sherwin Williams can special order colors for you, but my store wouldn't.

Good thing we like the color because I have 5.5 cans to use up!

Update on other e-design items:

• I have ordered the greek-key trim for my curtains.  It's coming all of the way from Turkey!
• I am planning on buying the paint for the piano this week and getting started on it.  Wish me luck!
• Maybe I'll use the coral isle on some candle sticks.
• We are going to Denver next month for a gymnastics meet.  World Market, Z Gallerie, Home Goods, Crate and Barrel and Ikea, here I come!

Wallpaper Inspired Mood Board

I'm participating in Mood Board Monday hosted by Pewter+Sage.  For this challenge, we picked one of four wallpapers to design a room around. 

Before we go any further, let me just say that this is my first ever mood board.  I am not a designer.  In fact, I'm an attorney...pretty much the opposite side of the spectrum from design. As you might know, I just like to paint furniture in my spare time.  In no way does this qualify me to be dispensing design advice.  I'm just showing you what I like.  So, please be kind to me in your comments!

At first, I tried designing a living room around this wallpaper:

This proved way too difficult for my limited design skills.

So, here's the wallpaper I chose instead:

This paper is much more "me."  I typically gravitate towards geometric patterns.  I also liked this wallpaper because it provides a muted backdrop with subtle interest where the furniture and the art can really pop.

So, here it is:



1.  The art - I adore everything about this piece....the colors, the texture.  It was a great starting place.  I decided to pull the mustard yellow and blue from it.

2.  The cabinet - painting furniture is what I do, so I had to include a painted piece.  I also like the mix of modern and traditional elements in a room.

3.  Vase - pulling out that yellow.

4.  Metal Side Table - the darker color of this table anchors the room.

5.  Lamp - the sheen on this lamp is pretty.

6.  Rug - the geometric shapes echo the wallpaper.

7.  Sofa - I liked the classic shape.  The neutral backdrop is great for colorful pillows.

8.  Ikat pillows - I'm always a sucker for ikat and am loving the blue and yellow combo here.

9.  Rosette pillow - the circles echo the shape of the circles in the wallpaper.

10.  Devon Mirror - again, the circles.

11.  Blue side table - just a fun piece.  Plus, I don't like matchy-matchy side tables.

12.  Lamp - There's alot going on with the table, so the clear glass doesn't add more clutter.

13.  Chair - pretty yellow frame.

14.  Curtains

Mood Board Monday Challenge - THIS MONDAY!

Hi!  I hope you are having a good weekend.  We've been busy with gymnastics meets and soccer games.  Our town also hosts its annual "Fall Fest" this weekend.  So, we've been outdoors enjoying some of the beautiful fall weather.

As I was browsing through my Google Reader full of my favorite blogs, I came across a post about "Mood Board Mondays."  This is a linky party hosted by Pewter and Sage.  You can link up a mood board you created based on an element chosen by the hostess.  The element this week is wallpaper.  Head over to Pewter and Sage, where she has chosen 4 wallpaper designs to get you started on creating a moodboard.

Here's the wallpaper I chose:

I like the geometric pattern and also the fact that it is so muted.  Think of all of the bright colors that could be used OR the I think it could make a beautiful, elegant and serene bedroom.  Guess what I'm going to do???

Tune in Monday to see my very first ever moodboard that I will be linking to the party.   I'm kind of nervous to showcase my nearly non-existant design skills, but that's not stopping me!

 I think the party sounds like a lot of fun and encourage YOU to design a board too.  The party goes down Monday at Pewter and Sage.  And, if you are like me and have no idea how to start a board, head over to Olioboard.  I just was playing around on the site.  It's super-easy and fun to design a room!

My Dining Room

My dining room is a work in progress and continues to change.  I'll show you what I've got so far.

In the spring, I attempted to stencil a wall.  "Attempted" is the key word.  It was so hard and turned out so poorly, that this is the only photo I could find.  How people can stencil a wall amazes me!

I think C was the only one happy with the results!  Needless to say, this was almost immediately painted over.

Being a bit of a cheapskate bargain shopper, I didn't want to buy new paint, so I just used the same color that I had on hand from the stencil fiasco.

The buffet/console is a midcentury piece that I painted.  The blue is called "Plumage" by Martha Stewart and I absolutely love it.

The mirror used to be a dark brownish black, but I spray painted it gold for a little glamour.

I recently purchased the sunburst mirrors at Hobby Lobby for 50% off.  That little piece in the corner is something I painted that needs to be sold.  It's just hiding out in that little unloved corner for now.

We all love Mr. Foo, our little turquoise Fu dog.  The candle is from the Missoni collection for Target.  I love the colors.

The colors and the message in this print are awesome.  It's from a seller on Etsy called The Wheatfield.

I need some sort of table runner to add a little color in here.  For now, I just folded and put down a scrap of fabric.

 I throw all kinds of knick knacks in these little canisters - stray game pieces, hair ties, and barettes seem to be the most common residents of the canisters.

A few weeks ago, these doors went from boring old white to dramatic glossy black.  I don't like the trim painted black, so I am planning on repainting it white.

The room is fine as is, but I love color and pattern and this room seems to be a bit lacking.  Here are a couple of things I'd like to add to the room:

• Two of these prints, one on either side of the gold mirror
  Source: cozamia.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Source: cozamia.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Source: cozamia.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Source: madebygirl.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

• I'm thinking about putting faux Roman shades on the French doors to add a little more interest and color.  Here are three very different fabrics that I like.  Maybe I'll make a table runner out of one?  I'm open to your suggestions.  What do YOU think?

Source: fabric.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Source: fabric.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Source: fabric.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Linking here:

What does 100 pounds of tomatoes look like?

100 pounds of tomatoes looks like 4 of these boxes.

100 pounds of tomatoes looks like 28 of these quarts.

Yesterday, I headed out to a pick-your-own farm and picked tomatoes.  Once I got home, I had a long day and night of canning!  Canning is time consuming, but the taste of these tomatoes does not even compare to the cans you buy at the store.  We use these jars all winter long in chili, soups, and sauces.

I didn't can all of the tomatoes.  I used some to make fresh salsa.  This is so good on chips or over grilled fish.  I got all of the ingredients at the farm.  To make this, mix together chopped tomatoes, white onion, a jalapeno, cilantro, garlic and fresh lime juice.  YUM!

Guess what's for dinner tonight?  Yep, more tomatoes.  This time in a caprese salad: fresh mozzarella, basil that I got at the farm, tomatoes, and a drizzle of balsamic and olive oil.

Suzy's House Party #10 - Link Up!

The quality of the projects you have been linking up just keep getting better and better.  I'm so happy to host this party because I have been introduced to so many talented people and their projects through the links.

OK, OK, enough gushing, right?  Let's get on to the features, shall we?

The amazing ladies from Tres Chere have done it once again with this colorful outdoor living space.  Everything in this space is just perfect, from the bright yellow sun to the fab fabrics.

Take a little (or a lot) of chevron, add in some ombre and I'm swooning.  Check out these curtains made by Owen's Olivia.  Ah-maze-ing.

Last, but not least is this sweet little marble table from Flower Hill Design Company.
I think I need to add a little marble to my home...so classic and pretty.

Party Time!



<div align="center"><a href="http://savedbysuzy.blogspot.com" title="Saved by Suzy"><img src="http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd408/lizzygal18/Savedbysuzypartyblogbuttonchevron-1.png" alt="Saved by Suzy" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

•Link up your home decor project. Pretty much anything to do with you house is fine.

•Please provide a link back to my blog. A text link is fine, or feel free to grab my "Saved by Suzy" party button from the sidebar. The more people that know about the party and participate the better for all of us.

•Be sure to share the love and leave comments for others.

•That's it...NOW START LINKING!!