Be Inspired Features and Link Party #30

Happy Tuesday! Welcome back for features and party day!

I'm avoiding my garage for a few days and catching my breath after our summer tag sale. I can't wait to see what you've been up to. But first, here are just a few of the awesome projects that caught my eye from last week...

Allison from The Golden Sycamore shared this fabulous blue and white herringbone dresser. The detail is so amazing! I can't stop staring at it.

Excuse Me While I Buy This Junk totally transformed this retro sideboard with a great color combination. I think this would also make an awesome TV console!

Cassie from Primitive & Proper brought us another gorgeous shade of orange this week with this beautiful rustic dresser.

And if you're going to paint furniture, you'll need a variety of  hardware options. Check out this super cute nautical knot from Dear Emmeline.

Kathy from Life on Lakeshore Drive shared this gorgeous chair transformation. It's just perfect!

And I just love this window box house number sign from Alderberry Hill. What a wonderful way to say welcome!

Thanks so much to everyone who linked up and linked back! If you've been featured, feel free to grab a cute little button from the sidebar!

Now on to this week's party! The guidelines are simple...

* Link up your furniture makeovers, DIY projects, home decor, crafts, recipes, thrifty finds, etc... We want to see whatever is inspiring you at the moment!

* Grab a party button and add it to your post or link back in some way. You must have a visible link back to be considered for a feature!

* And be sure to follow along with us!

We'll be back next week with features and a brand new party.

Now let's share some inspiration!

Our summer sale is a wrap!

A huge thank you to everyone who came to our summer tag sale! We have the very best friends and customers! It's because of you that we get to do what we love to do!

And this sale was a hot one for sure! I think we were already melting by the time we hung up our sign!

But Roxane and Susan managed to keep smiling in spite of the heat!

Pat, Susan and Sandy were our very first customers of the weekend and as you can see, they did not go home empty-handed.  These girls know how to shop!

And you remember I promised there would be cookies right? I've already shared the recipe for the chocolate cookies that have now become a tag sale favorite. Roxane also makes a lemon version that is very popular. Both recipes start with cake mix and are super easy to make!

And a few weeks ago at our Be Inspired link party, I featured a recipe for "The Best Sugar Cookie Ever" from Barbara at 21 Rosemary Lane. I promised to make them for the tag sale. Well let me tell you, they lived up to the name. They are simply delicious! And when I was baking them, my whole house smelled like Christmas in July!

And I just have to share this photo. We don't usually get a whole lot of boys at our sales, but I think the cookies eased the pain of shopping for these guys. They seemed quite content to just hang out in front of the cookies!

All in all, it was just a wonderful weekend. Our little house is almost empty and that's a good thing. After a few days rest, we'll all be back to work. Our fall sale will be in Steptember and that's just a few short weeks away!

Thanks so much for sharing this experience with us!

Inspired by a Country Living cover!

The inspiration for this furniture makeover came directly from the cover of Country Living!

As a long time reader, I love the way Country Living has been able to stay current and relevant, while maintaining that casual, comfortable and eclectic look that I find very appealing. The new look of Country Living is cleaner, lighter and brighter. And this issue is a perfect example. It's from May 2011 and I loved it so much that I saved it. It just represents a look that make me smile!

This beautiful Ethan Allen drop leaf table complete with two generous leaves and six matching chairs was an amazing Craiglist find. An couple in our area was selling it in preparation for retirement and a move across the country to be closer to their grandchildren. We actually ventured out in a nasty storm with a tornado warning to make sure this one didn't get away! (Not something I would normally recommend, but it also came with a matching corner cupboard that you'll hear about later!)

I knew in an instant exactly where I was going with this makeover!

The table is painted in Behr's paint and primer in one in Silky White mixed with the chalk paint recipe. I love this white because it's clean and bright without being stark. And it's a true white without the creamy undertones.

The chairs are a custom shade of blue (meaning I mixed two colors together), both Behr paint and primer in one in a satin finish (my favorite) without using the chalk paint recipe.

I like the way the table has a bit of a flat, chalky finish, while the chairs have just a hint of sheen.

All the pieces were lightly distressed by hand. The table was finished with a coat of Minwax Finishing Paste Wax, while the chairs were finished with two coats of Minwax Wipe-On Poly.

And just for fun, I had to stage the table a bit like the cover too! The only thing missing is the cookies!

I'm really excited about the way this one turned out! It looks like a table just meant for family gathering!

You can check it out in person this weekend at our summer tag sale! All the details are on the sidebar. Hope to see you there! And like I said, there will be cookies - all homemade and yummy, of course!

I'm linking to...

Jennifer Rizzo

Making the World Cuter

Be Inspired Features and Link Party #29

Happy Tuesday! Welcome back for features and party day!

As I hit publish last night on the summer tag sale preview post, I saw the number 300 pop up. Oh my goodness, is it really possible that I've written 300 posts? Let me just say that everything about this blogging experience has totally exceeded my wildest expectations. I never really had any expectations at all. The fact that you are here and take the time to follow along, leave such positive and encouraging comments and share your talent and creativity just amazes me. A huge thank you from me to you!

Now let's check out some fabulous projects and see what you've been up to this week!

First up, this old dresser (a freebie) turned into a portable bar at Bliss Ranch just totally knocked my socks off!

My friend Cassie over at Primitive & Proper is giving her kids bathroom an update and I love the big bold color she chose. It's called "Orangeen" and it sounds as yummy as it looks.

But just painting the vanity wasn't enough for Cassie. She also painted the ceiling orange - how much fun is that!

Have I mentioned that I love Creamsicles?

Another beautiful color choice came from Saved by Suzy. She picked "Coral Isle" for this desk that doubles as a bedside table. Now that's pretty and multi-functional! 

You'll have to check out the happy accident responsible for this really cool lamp makeover from The Concrete Cottage. Oh yes, definitely squeal worthy Jeannine!

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And Shari from Turnstyle Vogue shared the complete tutorial for these wonderful caddies along with the cutest little tags!

Shari made a whole batch of them with wonderful housewarming gift ideas. My mind is already skipping ahead to Christmas gift ideas. Time to break out some tools!

Gosh, you know this is really hard right? You are all so worthy of a feature! I love you guys! Thanks so much to everyone who linked up and linked back! Feel free to grab a cute little button from the sidebar if you've been featured!

Now on to this week's party! The guidelines are simple...

* Link up your furniture makeovers, DIY projects, home decor, crafts, recipes, thrifty finds, etc... We want to see whatever is inspiring you at the moment!

* Grab a party button and add it to your post or link back in some way. You must have a visible link back to be considered for a feature!

* And be sure to follow along with us!


We'll be back next week with features and a brand new party.
Now let's share some inspiration!