THE MAN CAVE

I was waiting for all the furniture to be in place to show some before and after photos but looks like its going to take a while as Paul is really taking his time. But here is the garage all finished. We went with a darker accent color on one side, this is where the big black leather sofa will go. So far, it is looking really good!  As for my little cottage, it has made a lot of progress the last 2 days. I've been moving and rearranging furniture around with my little strong arms. The dolly has been my best friend!

We had the beams up top painted black and later on decided to add black trimming all around

lighter dusty teal blue was the main color. The floor is finished in grey epoxy with black/grey/white paint chips

before

DIY VINTAGE VANITY

I bought this mod vanity chair from the flea market a long while ago. I meant to give it a makeover sooner but it was one of those things I just kept putting off and its finally done! I used my left over stripe fabric from Ikea and matte black spray paint which is left over from the vintage valet stand.

first i want to show you my new backpack that I bought (from f21) to carry when I go cruising with Lola. It matches my helmet which makes me look quite dorky (i realized it when i saw my own reflection riding by store windows)

I would've kept the gold but it was very rusty

reupholster + paint

LIFE IS RANDOM

A few random things from last week

I received a package from my bff in the mail. It was such a sweet surprise! She sent me these luxurious japanese skincare products to prep my skin for the wedding. Thanks Jenn!

the best creamer ever.... doesn't matter what brand of coffee you use. it makes any coffee taste good!

choosing paint color for the man cave. Im thinking pink paradise?

ok, no pink paradise. We went with 2 of these colors. Cant wait to see it all done!

COTTAGE {home office}

These past few days, I've been cleaning out my back house and sorting through bins and bins of clothes. I've been putting this off all summer because its just been too hot to work in there. Now that the weather is cooling off, I am so ready to get some real furniture and curtains and rug and call it a studio/office/boutique. But first, need to get rid of more stuff, make more space and drool over these inspirations. Doesn't this make you want a little cottage?

i wouldn't mind if this little cottage was my whole house

i wonder what the inside look like

i would take a nap in here

afternoon tea, why yes please!

i can work here all day

such a cute little sewing room

images via google

STRIPES & GOLD

I have a little obsession with black and white stripes. In fact, i wish my house was all black and white but I know someone will be complaining and craving color. Just like bed sheets, curtains are ridiculously expensive as well. One of the things I love about my home is the bright and airy feeling. We have lots of windows and french doors but getting all the window coverings for them got very expensive. Ever since we moved in, I knew I wanted striped curtains (and rugs). We went curtain shopping almost every weekend. We bought and returned a bunch of curtains. Folding them back and getting it to fit back into the package was not easy! But finally saw these stripe fabric from Ikea and decided I should make my own. I liked the way it turned out and made 2 sets (4 panels) of these. With about a yard of left over fabric, I recently decided to make a table runner for the dining table. What do you think? I think stripes look good in any room. I will be making some stripe cushions for the chairs soon! My other obsession is with gold things, especially gold and white combo and particularly kitchen related items. Don't get me wrong, i love love love gold jewelry, i prefer it over silver but for the home, i particularly love gold things for the kitchen. If only I could just get a gold espresso machine and toaster I'd be a happy girl!
Here I show you my new little coffee corner setup in the kitchen.

pretty much looked for everything gold in my kitchen and put it on the tray

I Must thank Sean for saving the Hubert's lemonade bottle which I spray painted gold. Now I want to spray paint everything gold.

Ok, no one drinks coffee out of those teeny tiny gold cups. This is what I really drink coffee out of. Just keep'n it real guys!!

black white stripes + gold.... OH MY!

the curtains in guest room

CHALKBOARD PLAQUE

I've been wanting to try out chalkboard paint and finally bought some to try. I am very pleased with the result. Recently, we put up towel hooks in our bathroom so I made these plaques to hang above each hook to say "his" an "hers" or "mine" and "yours" or "paul" and "emily". So many options I cant decide! So these chalkboard plaques are perfect. I can simply erase and write a new word when I get tired of the old one. They are inexpensive and easy to make. I suggest sanding down the wood before painting so you get a nice smooth surface.

I used grey and black chalk board. I am really loving the grey :) made a few for around the house. These were to test out the paint. I cant wait to make a huge one !

the guest bathroom door

All supplies available at Michael's. I used chalkboard paint by Martha Stewart. After painting the chalkboard, I then painted the boarders white.

THE WEEKEND- on polaroid

Another weekend gone by just like that! This post felt like it was just yesterday. Well, hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was as usual, fun and productive. Here are some Polaroids of my weekend.

Favorite thing to do with Paul on the weekend. Walk to starbucks, sip iced coffee and enjoy each other's company

Saturday: spent 3 hours scrubbing outdoor cushions. Sunday: enjoy laying out on the clean cushions

Finally bought a side table for the living room

while everyone is asleep, Im awake cutting up jeans, shredding the hem, stitching and painting

everything check except for wedding talk. Still undecided. Can someone just plan it for me and I'll just show up ?

A SECOND CHANCE- tea cart

I found this little wooden cart at the thrift store a while ago. Not sure what it was used for but I've been wanting a refreshment cart so I took it home. I knew that if Paul saw this, he would be like "WTF is this thing" so I warned him before he came home from work. He seemed cool about it over email but when he got home, he still had the WTF look. Well, I warned you! :) With a few coats of magic white paint, it can now be used for something! It sat in the guest bedroom for 2 weeks, lonely and useless. It wasn't until a few days ago I decided to make use of it. Not sure if this will be permanent but for now, it is a little tea cart! 

Yes, I know it looks like junk. While i was dragging this thing from the very back of the store to the register which had to be at the front of course, people looked at me like WTH is she thinking?! Well, I wasn't really thinking much but I saw potential in this little wooden thing with wheels

but slap on some paint and......

it could be a tea cart!

HOME SWEET HOME

Since moving in to our new home, we've been slowly but surely getting each room in the house to look the way we want. Its been a fun but long process as Paul and I have very different taste (cottage chic vs modern contemporary). Our living room is the closest to being done. We found the furniture we wanted just a few months after moving in but i am just now getting around to the decorating part.

Glass display box filled with seashells and sea pebbles we found while vacationing in Bali

Keeping the color palette neutral (white, grey, silver) with a splash of aqua

When I get Miffy (my teddy bear dog) I will make her a bed with my vintage suitcase

I have a few vintage suitcases that i may turn into a bedside table

Such a cute idea! this is on my DIY list of things to do. I found this image on a beach cottage blog.