life happens.

After an exciting weekend away to celebrate our two-year wedding anniversary we're back home facing projects galore. The most recent: painting the kitchen cabinets white. Fortunately, I've come across some amazing inspiration and beautiful (as well as cheap) finds lately.

Coming across Pottery Barn's "classic ticking stripe" duvet and euro shams in blue, on (say the magic word) clearance has inspired me to take our master bedroom in a beach cottage route. I've always said my soul belongs by the sea, so how perfect to have a romantic and soothing bedroom that takes my heart there.

Imagining our master with this bedding:

is what is keeping me motivated to finish our other projects at the moment so I can move on to creating this retreat. I imagine matchstick blinds and long flowing sheer curtains, inspiration drawn from this room. As well as possibly the lovely little Goodwill find from last week. A (faux) crystal chandelier! However, getting our BIG bedroom furniture painted black would be first on the list of bedroom changes so I better stay on the ball with:

painting the kitchen cabinets white

installing new kitchen and foyer trim

installing hardware for new kitchen curtains

helping handsome hubby with the photo ledge I want

and

having everything look presentable and spooky in time for Jack's Halloween birthday!

Whew, I need a nap. But, instead, I think I'll go pick up a paint brush.

Happy Inspirational Thursday!

riddle me this.

What do you get when you have:

a dear friend (Ashley) who knows you well,

a helpful goodwill manager and mother-in-law (in the same city),

twenty bucks,

a dad with muscles and a big truck,

left over from a previous project RL 'roadster white' paint,

black spray paint,

and a nifty little gravity-fed spray gun from a very sweet hubby?

this!...

I didn't distress this piece as it was pretty beat up to begin with and looks so elegant now that I couldn't bring myself to tear up it's pretty new paint. Hubby supportively agreed. (Love when he does that.)

With all the projects happening around here and me always being frugal, I simply bought new knobs for the top drawers since one was missing anyway, and coated all hardware with primer and spray paint so no splurge there. However, I actually really like the way the simple knobs look in contrast to the ornate pulls.

Considering this now multi-functional beauty started out as this:

 

I'd say it turned out prettier than even I imagined.

(do you see those pretty little legs? ahhhhh.)

And just so it's clear that things have been very hectic around here with projects still. Here is a before shot of what our newly dubbed "sitting area" looked like.

It took on a yellow hue from the flash at night...

Dear Santa (a.k.a. handsome hubby), please bring me a new camera. ;)

But if you look past that you'll notice what a big difference new carpet, a pretty new piece for organization, and a little black spray paint on an otherwise not so pretty light fixture makes.

I have spooky plans for this area in preparation for our little pumpkin's Halloween birthday bash so it won't look like this for long but hopefully it turns out equally as pleasing to our eyes.

See a similar dresser used in another not-so-ordinary (yet unique and beautiful) function here.

my toes would be so toasty.

...and yours could be too. head on over to enter for a chance to win free ugg boots.

that's right, "free" and "ugg boots" in the same sentence.

how nice of a surprise that would be as the weather so quickly turns frigid.