Two girls with a passion for decor and design working together to create beautiful things! We believe in being good stewards of what the Lord has blessed us with and hope to help you fill your home with what you love!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Pristine Provence...Is It Love At First Sight?

If you've been following our facebook page, then you know we've been making lots of promises for several upcoming reveals.  Well...here's the first one... 

Fall in love with Pristine Provence!








 
 
Did you just pee a little?  This beauty is painted with Annie Sloan's "Provence" Chalk Paint and is just oozing charm and personality!  She is a solid wood piece with gorgeous new glass knobs from Hobby Lobby and lots of fine distressing.  We have listed her at $175--please message or Facebook us if you are interested!
 
I have to admit, that before she was even painted, I wanted to keep her.  The only way to make me feel better is to know that she's going to a good home!  More inspired designs coming your way! 
 
Have a Blessed Day!
 
Megan  

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Inspired Thought for the Day

 
A nest that's truly blessed!
 
 
 "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NAS)

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Yes Please!

It was a dreary and blustery day in Honesdale, PA.  Snow was falling in heaps and bounds and a cold wind was sending chills down my spine.  I heard my mail carrier arrive and went out to get the mail when I saw it sitting there!  Could it be?  I did not notice any trumpets blasting or cymbals clanging and yet, there it was--my free sample of milk paint

Isn't the packaging cute!

As you know, here at the "Nest", we have a passion for paint and are so excited to have the opportunity to try out milk paint for the very first time!  Many thanks to Anne from The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co. for sending us some of this amazing product to sample.  If you have ever heard of milk paint or seen anything painted with this product, you know that it does amazing things to furniture.  It also comes in 20 luscious, rich colors that you can sink your teeth into.


I already have a special piece in mind for the Lexington Green color that I chose.  I cannot wait to get my hands on a paintbrush!  Of course, you'll all be the first to see the big reveal and read all about my experience using it.  Good things to come! 

Blessings,

Megan

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Turn the I Can't Do's Into Can Do Too's!

If you are anything like Stacey or myself, you know the full meaning of decorating on a dime.  I've read countless articles through the years telling me that if I have a tight budget I can redecorate my bedroom, etc... for only $500 or something like that.  That's all well and good if you have $500 to spend, but that's not me.  My goal in redecorating a room is usually trying to spend the least amount of money or none (if possible).  Quite honestly, even if I had $500 to spend--I probably wouldn't.  Please don't misunderstand--if you've budgeted any amount for an upgrade or redo, go for it and enjoy the process.  This post is geared towards those of us who would like to redo something, but can't spare the change.  I have come up with a few "Rules" if you will, to guide you along the thrifty but fabulous way to redo your home, room or whatever you need to redecorate on a dime.

I remember back to my first apartment...  the 70's chandelier, the orange fuzzy carpet...sigh!  All in all, it was a really cute apartment, minus some of the easy to fix uglies. The walls were painted a neutral cafe Au lait color and the carpet in the rest of the apartment was a neutral brown (the orange fuzzy carpet was in the living room and I actually embraced it and loved it).  I moved in with my bedroom furniture, a TV cart, a storage barrel, a trunk, some plastic patio chairs and a really ugly brown plaid love seat.  I had just spent four years in college studying Interior Design and thought that all of my stuff wasn't good enough.  I quickly racked up the credit card with "new" wonderful things to make my apartment a thing of beauty.  What I didn't realize, was that I could have saved myself a world of debt and misery, by just using and redoing what I already had.  Instead of buying new (new to me, but used) bedroom furniture, I could have just painted what I had for a new look, scoured garage sales for dishes and decor or just done without for a while instead of buying all of those unnecessary things.  It always boils my biscuits when I watch first-time home buyer TV shows and they don't want the adorable house that's within their budget because it lacks granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances (ughhh).  This brings me to Rule #1)  Don't go into debt for a redo if you don't have it to spend already....use what you have!  Chances are that you'll still be paying for your "new" stuff long after you've already become tired of it.

Rule #2)  A coat of paint goes a long, long way!  Stacey and I have built up quite a supply of paint, and we came by most of it fairly cheaply.  Sure, we buy paint now and then in specific colors, but we had to start somewhere.  We've gone shopping in our own basements for leftover paint, asked friends and family for any paint that they want to get rid of and we always check out the boo boo paint at our local Home Depot.  At Home Depot they only charge $7 for a gallon of boo boo (mess up) paint instead of the usual $25-$35 per gallon.  You just can't be too picky about the color.  We've also mixed our own color if we couldn't find what we wanted.  Just make sure that you don't mix an oil based paint with a water based (acrylic/latex) paint if you try this!  If all else fails, a gallon of paint is usually still less expensive than buying a brand new or used piece of furniture and it's also a terrific way to wake up the walls in your room.

From shabby cup marks and dings to chic satin black!

Rule #3)  Another man's junk is your treasure!  Every year, Stacey and I look forward to the best shopping season...Yard/Garage Sale season.  You can find all sorts of goodies if you take the time to look and pick through stuff.  The key to getting the good stuff is checking your local newspaper for listings the day before the sale, making a plan and getting there at the beginning of the sale.  Don't be afraid to haggle over a price or make an offer.  Yard/Garage sales take a lot of work and most people don't want to pack it all up at the end of the day.  In most cases, you'll make a deal.  If you don't have the moolah for yardsaling, then go shopping in your own home (I know you've got forgotten stuff in your basement or attic).  You can also ask "Aunt Marge" or "Grandpa Joe" if they have any stuff in their attic or basement that they'd like to get rid of.  Help them clean out and maybe find a few treasures or family heirlooms along the way.  Some of my most favorite decor pieces came from my Grandmother's house when she decided to move into an apartment...and they were FREE!

Yep, I Got this sweet little metal chair at Grandma's House "R" Us!

Rule #4)  Do the unexpected!  Go ahead, hang that rug on the wall, make a coffee table out of an old trunk or make an old wooden box into a plant stand.  The possibilities are endless!  With all the how-to DIY blogs out there today, you can easily find how to make that free pallet you scored into a decorative shelf!

Old wooden boxes--stacked in a corner and plant-standified!

Rule #5)  Stop saying "I Can't"!  I'm here to tell you that you can!  With a little imagination, a lot of patience and a pinch of elbow grease, you'd be surprised what you can accomplish!  Anyone can pick up a paint brush and get 'er done--I find that most people just lack the motivation to get started.  I have to say that not everything that I've put a paintbrush to has been successful.  Many times I have a vision for something and it turns out to be a horrible monstrosity.  That's where the patience comes in.  Sand it down and try, try again!

Happy Redoing!

Blessings,

Megan       

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Hooray for Knobs!

What inspires you?  Is it a picture of a whimsical bedroom, or a distressed drawer on a dresser?  Do you get giddy over throw pillows and paint finishes?  Stacey and I took a trip to one of our favorite inspiration stores today....Hobby Lobby.  The entire store is droolworthy and we could easily get lost for hours in the aisles of awesomeness--this being said, one of our most favorite aisles for inspiration is the knob aisle.  They have an amazing supply of colorful, gorgeous knobs (not your average Home Depot variety), AND TODAY THEY WERE 50% OFF!!!!!!!  SCORE!!!!!  Here's a sampling of our haul.
 
 
We could barely contain ourselves....oh the furniture we will create!  Honestly, knobs are as to furniture as shoes are to an outfit.  You can create a look based on a knob or finish a look with the perfect knob.  By the way, did you notice that we really love knobs?
 
Here is one of our current projects that will be receiving a set of new knobs and a few finishing touches.  Then, Viola! she will be ready for display and a new home.
 
 
We can't wait to reveal this beauty to you.  In the meantime.....
 
 
 
Blessings,
 
Megan
 

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

If You Don't Use It....Lose It!

Do you find yourself putting off filing that stack of school papers, bills and more?  Do you completely avoid trips down to your basement?  Is your guest room really a storage room?  Do you still have storage bins of clothes waiting for you to "fit" into them again?  Are you overwhelmed?  I could go on and on about how much stuff gets accumulated over years and years of saying, "but I might need that one day."  NO MORE!  This year Stacey and I started out with complete home "detox's".  Our new motto is "if you don't use it--lose it!"

One of our detox projects included getting rid of our storage unit (and the rent) and storing it in Stacey's basement.  Of course, we decided to do all of this two days before the end of the month to avoid having to renew our lease.  What were we thinking.....  Let the adventure begin!  In order for our plan to succeed, there were several things that needed to happen.  Stacey had boxes and bags full of donation items that needed to get from her basement to a local thrift shop.  I also took advantage of the donation run and put all my boxes and bags in the mix as well. 

Day 1 (of 2) found us loading stuff into our vehicles (minivan and jeep).  They were packed so tight that I'm not sure how we fit ourselves and the kids inside.  As we started to unload our goods, one of the ladies at the thrift shop made the comment that they were going to need a bigger store.  Hmmmm.....

Day 2 (of 2) we rented a U-Haul (totally worth the $36.00 we paid for the day) and the two of us spent an entire day moving what seemed like endless pieces of furniture from our storage unit to Stacey's now cleaned out basement.  Here's a picture of the last few pieces getting unloaded from the truck.  Originally, we planned to use my minivan to accomplish this task (we'd probably still be unloading to this day).  All in all it only took us two trips with the U-Haul to get the storage unit cleaned out and we were even able to use the truck to donate a few pieces to our local Salvation Army (trust us, there was just no hope for some of them).  Moving furniture is not for the faint of heart!  We had quite a few not so graceful moments (most of them mine) and a lot of "are we insane?" moments.  Fortunately there was also a lot of laughter and fun as well.


As many of you have previously read, we have been looking for the perfect workspace to accomplish our furniture re-do's (and sometimes re-don'ts).  What we didn't realize was the perfect little space right under our noses.  With a lot of elbow grease and a lot of de-cluttering, donating and determination (on Stacey's part since it is her basement), we have honed out a sweet little workshop for all the wonderful things to come, as well as our new storage space.  We even installed hooks in the ceiling for all of the chairs that we keep stockpiling.  We now lovingly refer to it as the "Chair Closet". 


You'll have to forgive the picture quality.  It's a bit dark 'cause we're still working on lighting solutions.  After all, organization awesomeness doesn't just happen overnight.

There is still a lot to be done, but we've gotten a great start so far and had a few adventures along the way.  Working together certainly made all the difference (that and several pots of coffee!).  I think Mary Poppins said it best--"Just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down...".

And the moral of today's story...  Don't let clutter rule your roost! 

Wishing you a blessed day! 
Megan