Before and After Office Chairs

I was debating for awhile about recovering and painting these office chairs I picked up at the thrift store for $15 each! Here they are before with a yellow dingy floral fabric:




I decided to go ahead and recover them and see how that changed the look instead of painting them. I'm super bad with spray paint and paint--I'm impatient and it always comes out streaky or spotty. So just recovering them made all the difference. I got a yard of this fabric for $11 from Calico Fabrics. I like the subtle pattern and the gray color. Here they are after:



Much better! Old but new with a pop of pattern. I am finally starting to love patterns. Ridiculous I know. Even my wardrobe could use a little of this kind of makeover.

Starburst?

No, not the sweet chewy candy, the mirror, which is all the rage, right? Well now I'm on the bandwagon, and I want one over my bed. Like majorly.

I've looked high and low on the internet, but they're all so expensive, and I'm constantly changing my decor. So I found this on Ebay from West Elm, no longer sold in the store.



Can anyone tell me if it's nice? I want gold, and I want it to be classic looking, not too flashy. Or if anyone else has suggestions, I'm open to them.

Luckett's

It's always your lucky day at Lucketts store! Sorry for the cheese, but it's true. I drive almost 45 minutes to Lucketts, VA to go to this vintage hip store. They have great stuff! When I was there on a Thursday they were delivering and carrying in all kinds of goodies. It's 3 levels, and there are lots of individual rooms with various decor. Some rooms are packed full (especially upstairs on the top floor where they have vintage clothing). And then other rooms are sparse. Take this room for instance. I gasped when I walked in. A bed frame in the middle of the room.



And then the ceiling decorated with this thick fabric.



Swoon. Actually I think I noticed the ceiling first. Stunning and such an easy idea.

Then there were other rooms full of great finds: horns, antlers, old glass bottles and such. My pictures do not do this place justice (crappy camera phone).







Seriously, if you live around Northern Virginia, it's totally worth the drive. I ended up buying a nice satin pillow, an iron upright organizer for papers with a cute bird on top, a few old glass green bottles, and two votive holders with a crackle gold finish. Beautiful when lit.

Wedding Ideas

I've come across some amazing blogs. Some solely dedicated to brides, others decor and style. And they are incredible. Some of the most inspiring DIY ideas, images, etc. I say this because Brian and I are on an incredibly limited budget, so these ideas have really helped me to think outside of the traditional wedding box... And they're cheaper, handmade, and unique.

So here are a few:

From August and Everything After--Photos in Mason Jars





I love how easy and vintage looking this is! All you need is old mason jars, a bunch of 4 x 6 photos, vegetable oil, and dried flowers (optional). And by the way, check out her blog. You will totally die over the images from her wedding.

From Peacock Feathers--Seating chart idea



I love this idea, and will hopefully steal it, if I find the windows. It's so easy, plus you aren't using a bunch of paper that you will eventually throw away. It's the same with invitations--I know when I get wedding invitations in the mail, I think oh so pretty, but do I keep them? No! Maybe for a little while, but eventually they go in the trash and that makes me feel bad. But it's true. So I'm hoping to cut down on paper costs, too, maybe using some sort of postcard as the invitation, and RSVP to our wedding blog (yet to be created) or by phone. There's something nice about getting a phone call saying "yes we're coming!" Is that a total faux pas?

So there you go. Two great ideas. I also like the idea of having a neat birdcage and guests write on small cards and drop them in the birdcage (sans bird, of course). The list goes on and on...