Marbled Papers

I am officially in LOVE with these marbled papers from Paper Mojo.

Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Elise on Pinterest

Aren't these boxes made by Centsational Girl gorgeous?

How about this amazing bookcase makeover from Gorgeous Shiny Things?  I love everything on Danika's blog.  If you're not a reader already, check it out RIGHT NOW!

I had hopes of framing a few sheets for these empty frames in my bedroom.

We're getting a little tired of  this anonymous family staring at us x6.  I would much prefer looking at this beauty.

Source: danielleoakeyinteriors.blogspot.com via Christen on Pinterest

While the Paper Mojo is reasonably priced, I found the shipping a bit too much for my teeny-tiny budget.  I hate it when shipping costs more than the item I'm purchasing!

Hmmm...looks like I might be experimenting on making some of this paper myself! 
Here's a Martha Stewart tutorial.

Source: marthastewart.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

And this one from Skip to My Lou looks similiar, but a bit simpler.

Source: skiptomylou.org via Lauren on Pinterest

Have you tried this?

Bloggy Olympics: Paint Project

Have you been following the Bloggy Olympics?  I decided to take part in an event this week: the paint event.

I've had this wooden mirror in my garage for a while.  I got it as part of the dresser set that I painted for Chloe's room, but didn't need the mirror for her room.  I didn't really have a purpose for the mirror, but was afraid it would break if it sat in the garage much longer.  Not like I've ever broken anything in the garage in the past!

Emma and Tyler were very interested in those two dogs in the mirror.  This is the yucky little corner of the backyard where I like to do all of my spray painting.  It's really a dog run/kennel area that we never use, so I don't mind getting paint all over it.


Painting mirrors is so easy.  There is no need to tape off the mirror...get as much paint on it as you want.  All you have to do to get the paint off is to use a razor blade to scrape it off.  It usually comes off easily.

This is after one coat of Benjamin Moore Stunning.  See the primer sprayed right on the mirror and the blue paint?  No problem!

 I was inspired by these gold corners on picture frames by A Thoughtful Place.

Source: athoughtfulplaceblog.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

I used some Martha Stewart metallic paint to add gold corners onto my mirror.

I like the way it turned out and how it looks with the other gold and navy stuff on my mantle.

Here's a little before and after of the mantle:

I still love the Gino Hollander painting that was up there.  It's just found a new home in my living room.  I'll show you more of my living room on Monday, if you want to check back.
Linked to the Bloggy Olympic hosts: Gwen (A Bold Abode), Cassie (Primitive and Proper) and Katie (Craptastic).

Also linked here: Liz Marie, House of Hepworths, My Simple Home Life, Happy Hour Projects

Friday Find

My town has a community thrift store that I stop into frequently to look for furniture to paint.  While I don't always find furniture, I inevitably find something...especially since their prices are crazy cheap. 

My last trip did not disappoint.  I found this brass bamboo tray for only $1.00.  It's engraved "Neiman Marcus" on the bottom, so I'm sure it originally cost much more.

I have a newfound love of all things brass.

I thought the roses were pretty, so I couldn't resist taking a few more photos.

I've also been loving simple black and white art, so I tried creating my own.

Here's what inspired it:

Source: paloma81.blogspot.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Julia at Pawley's Island Posh made these herself too:

Here's one last look.  I love this little table.  It's from the turn-of-the-century and was from the hotel where we got married.

Happy Weekend!

Source: pinterestschunt494.blogspot.com via Myrle on Pinterest

Pink Flamingos

If you had asked me what I thought of flamingos a year ago, I probably would have responded that I thought they were kind of creepy with their long scaly legs, beady eyes, and knobby beak.

What do you think of flamingos?  Does it bring to mind Hawaiian shirts or a yard filled with plastic birds?

Source: google.com via Pamela on Pinterest

Kitschy decor?

Source: google.com via Pamela on Pinterest

Pretty colors?

Source: design-seeds.com via Roxanne on Pinterest

Or one of my favorite rooms?

Source: etsy.com via Sara on Pinterest

The more I see flamingos, the more I like them.  Maybe it's my newfound love of all things pink?

If you need a little flamingo in your life (or at least a pop of pink!), I rounded up some pretty items for you.

1/2/3

4/5/6

1/2/3

4/5/6

What do you think?  Are you feeling flamingo?

Suzy's House Party #35 - Link Up!

Let's go right to the features from last week.  There were lots of great links.  Thank you!

You've seen this.  You love it and so do I.  Nice work Sam at The Junk House!

Lauren at West Furniture Revival made her own chalk paint to redo this cute little bookcase.  I like her collection of vintage cameras too.

If you want to see the sweetest little girl's room, you have to check out the woodland-themed room Cassie from Primitive & Proper created for her daughter.  It's filled with all kinds of DIY projects.  Two of my favorites are her chalkboard doors and toadstool table pictured here.

<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.

Pinterest Challenge: Customize a Builder-Grade Vanity

So many projects in my house have been inspired by things I've seen on Pinterest.  Sometimes they turn out well, sometimes not-so-well.

The kids' bathroom has a few Pinterest projects.  It all started when I saw this tiled mirror tutorial:

Source: thesitsgirls.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Here's my version:

Once this project was completed, I didn't like my wall color or vanity with the glass tiles.  So, I searched for gray vanities on Pinterest and found this beautiful version from Ten June:

Source: tenjuneblog.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

And here's mine:

Source: savedbysuzy.blogspot.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

My most recent project was adding feet to this vanity.  I was inspired by Centsational Girl's transformation:

Source: centsationalgirl.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

I bought bun feet and trim.  I didn't think the bun feet alone would be tall enough to reach from the floor to vanity.  So, I drilled a hole in the trim and screwed the feet into the trim.  Then I cut the trim down so it would fit under the vanity.

I added a couple coats of Martha Stewart's Cement to match the vanity.

And, wedged the feet under the vanity.  They sit so flush with the floor that I didn't glue them in.  If they start moving around, I will just add some wood glue to keep them in place.

Adding the feet to the vanity is not my favorite Pinterest project.  To make it look as great as Centsational Girl's, I would have had to completely remove the vanity and take off the toe-kick plate, build a frame to support the vanity, and add the feet.  Wow...that's a lot of work!  More work than I was up for, so I took the lazy lady's way out and it kind of shows.

Here are a couple other Pinterest projects that I really like.  First up, is the half-striped wall.  The inspiration from The Happy Home:

Source: thehappyhomeblog.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

My version:

Source: savedbysuzy.blogspot.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

I loved the cute artwork from Joe and Cheryl as soon as I saw it and knew that it would look cute in my daughter's room:

Source: joeandcheryl.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Here's my version:

Source: savedbysuzy.blogspot.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Linked to the Pinterest Challenge at Hi Sugarplum!

Please feel free to pin any of the pictures taken by me to Pinterest. However, if you would like to pin one of the other pics, please go directly to the source and pin from their blog/website.

Office Obsession

Just over a year ago, we turned our office into a bedroom for our 7-year old. She had been sharing a room with her older sister, but they both needed their own space.  Since then, my husband has moved his desk into our bedroom and my stuff is scattered all over the house.

The busier I get, the more I realize I need a dedicated space for my stuff: computer, files, supplies, etc.  Right now, I move my laptop around and have my files in plastic storage bins.  I've also been known to leave important files on the kitchen counter, the kids' craft table, my dresser, or just about anywhere.  It's only a matter of time before something gets lost or ruined.

Here's my dream office:

Source: blog.poppin.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

However, since we don't have an extra room for an office, I've been obsessing over "cloffices," closets turned into offices.  Here are a few that I really like:

Source: thebloominghydrangea.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

This one from Ange at The Blooming Hydrangea has everything I need: a desk, a filing cabinet, and some shelves with boxes to hide other supplies.

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

If only I had a little closet in my bedroom.

Source: homestoriesatoz.com via Lea on Pinterest

How pretty and functional is this space from Country Living?

Cassie at Primitive and Proper also made a fun craft closet:

Guess what?  Much to my dismay, I realized that I don't have a closet that can be spared to make a cloffice.  How about a hallway instead?

This hallway is really just a useless, wasted space in our home.  I brought in a table to see how it would fit.

I would need to be the size of a toothpick to fit in here!
The hallway is narrow, so I need something small.  I brought in this little table from the garage to see how it would feel.  This table is only 18 inches wide.  I don't think I could use anything much wider.

This size is much better.  I'm still trying to decide if I could work here, or if it might be too claustrophobic.

If I decide to make my "hloffice," I'm hoping to DIY a desk out of two file cabinets and a board.  I also want to mount two or three shelves on the wall above.  First up, finding the file cabinets. 

Stay tuned.  Hopefully this idea will be taking shape soon.  Unfortunately, "hloffice" doesn't have the nice ring of "cloffice."


Here's a sneak peak of something else I worked on this weekend:

In other news, Sarah at Pewter+Sage is hosting another edition of Mood Board Monday today.  The challenge this time was to design a room around one of three choices of art from Etsy.  Unfortunately, I didn't have time to design a mood board this time, but I'm definitely stopping by to see what everyone else created.