Another Makeover with Rub'n Buff

I have been wanting a pair of these French country style lamps for some time and I finally ordered them a few weeks ago when the website had a sale. The photo below,from the website, is very bright and gold, but that isn't how they looked when they arrived. Instead of the pain of sending them back I decided to keep them. I figured I could make them look better without too much work.

Welcome to another makeover with Rub'n Buff.

photo from kathykuo.com

Spring Farmhouse Style Bedroom

I believe this is my favorite version of the spring farmhouse style bedroom. I shared the other guest bedroom last week decorated in white with blue accents and this room is done in blue and white, too. 

Blue and white is good anytime of year, but I am drawn to it even more in the warmer months. I also wear it all year. 

A New Light for the Master Bath

A few months I ago I bought a new light for the master bath. The original one I chose just wasn't cutting it. Marie Kondo says if it doesn't bring you joy then get rid of it. 😉

White and Blue Spring Bedroom

I know normally we say blue and white, but the room is actually mostly white with some blue accents added so that is why I said white and blue spring bedroom, k? 

I started not to even decorate the guest bedrooms for spring, but who am I kidding. I love decorating bedrooms and changing up the bedding and pillows. I don't know how this obsession even started. I think it started from browsing Pottery Barn store displays except I cannot do a messy bed like they do, but theirs look so good. There's just something about layers of pretty bedding and pillows with ruffles or even no ruffles and mixing patterns. Thoughts of combinations pop in my head and then I start implementing those or playing house as Mr. Savvy calls it.

 This spring, in this guest bedroom, I worked with the bedding I had on hand and added one new pillow.

Spring Yard Progress and Is a House Ever Done?

While some of the country has had a return of winter weather we are enjoying some pretty nice days here in the south. Bad thing is these nice days will soon turn to very hot and sticky days and I DO NOT like that at all. I love spring and the return of leaves on the trees and green grass. Less than two weeks ago I shared what our yard looked like after a weekend of doing some yard work which you can view here and today I'm sharing how quickly it has changed plus some things that aren't looking very good on the house.

The Spring Sun Room

Did y'all have a good weekend? My son and his family came Thursday afternoon from south Florida, then left Saturday morning to go visit their old friends in Nashville, then back to our house Sunday night and then they left very early this morning to head back home. Whew, I would hate to be on the road that much in just a few days time, but it was so good seeing them again and the grandkids have grown a foot.

I shared the sun room a few weeks ago and since then a few things have been updated to bring in a lighter fresher look for spring. Pillows, of course, were swapped out as I always do seasonally and beyond. Pillows are the easiest change you can make to freshen a room. A fresh green plant adds some life in the room. Now I'll see if it stays alive.

The Spring Sun Room

Spring Kitchen and Breakfast Room Tour

Welcome to my spring kitchen and breakfast room tour. It's been some time since I've shared these rooms. The lighting is poor in here during the winter months so I don't bother photographing it much. After cleaning the kitchen really good it was the perfect time to take some pictures. You'll notice right away one change we made. I bought this oversized black rustic lantern that I found in a home decor shop while out of town. Mr. Savvy looked at me like I was crazy, but I knew it would be perfect in the breakfast room over my antiqe French farm table. I love the old rustic charm over the previous smaller brass colored lantern. The old lantern was moved to a new spot.

Spring Yard Work

Two weekends ago we painted the master bedroom which just about killed us. Then last weekend we started working in the yard which was very much needed. All the bending, trimming and putting out eighty bags of mulch just about did us in. I keep telling my husband that eventually we need to let the younger stronger ones do this. He hates to pay anyone to do what he can still do. He said he's keeping me young. I'm not so sure.

Spring Yard Work

Last April I shared the yard after we put out a few truck loads of large bark chips as our ground cover and it looked nice until recently as it turned silver over time so this year we went back to the brown mulch.

Spring in the Great Room

Adding spring around here means switching out pillows, removing heavy throws and sprinkling live plants around with a mix of faux flowers. Simple, simple, and done. Today we are going to see how I added spring in the great room.

The Brighter Master Bedroom Reveal

I coud have titled this the power of paint because the room has certainly transformed with the new brighter color. Now, I walk in and go ahhhhhh. Seriously everything looks better in here now whereas things blended in with the previous darker color. This room can be pretty dark through the day until the sun gets around to this side of the house and the old dark paint didn't help that any. Now this room is so much brighter and even Mr. Savvy made the comment, while we were painting, that the room grew. It does feel bigger. This room got a whole new look without buying all new things, too. 

Welcome to the brighter master bedroom reveal.

The Master Bedroom Through the Years

If you have followed my blog for the last nine years or for just the last few months then you know I love changing up the bedrooms. I love a pretty bed and I have fun creating them. I have updated the master and the guest bedrooms many times which was usually seasonally. Before I share the reveal of how the master looks now with the new paint color I thought I would share some of my favorite looks of the master bedroom through the years.

We aren't going all the way back to 2010 as those photos are not very good and they weren't my favorites so we are starting with this change in 2012 when I went from a dark wooden bed to this upholstered headboard and was heading in more of the direction I was wanting to go with the room.

Our Weekend Project....from dark to bright

If you aren't following me on instagram then you may not know what I was up to over the weekend. I have been wanting to lighten up the master bedroom for quite some time, but knew the job was going to be a big one. When I was younger painting a room didn't bother me, but this sixty-three years young body doesn't have the stamina it once did. If I want something like this done though I just have to get started and then there's no looking back.

The best thing is having a partner willing to help because I could not have done this without him. I never mentioned painting the room until he came home last Thursday night and I had paint swatches painted in several spots in the room trying to decide on what color. The next day I decided to use a color we already have in much of the house....French Canvas by Benjamin Moore and it turned out fabulous. I will reveal the room in it's new color later, but for now I'm sharing some phone shots of our weekend project.

I can't believe the last time I shared this room was last fall. It was always so hard to get decent photos  because of the dark walls and lack of light even with four windows.

A Super Easy Money Saving Makeover

 This post is about how I transformed an inexpensive paper mache bowl to look like the more expensive versions that I have had my eyes on. When I find something I really like and the price is a bit too much for my liking I will start researching to see if I can get the item for less. Today I'm sharing one of those items, but it didn't look quite the same as the originals.

A Super Easy Money Saving Makeover

These are all made of paper and I just love the look.

The New Mantel Reveal

Today I'm finally sharing the new mantel reveal. If you don't know why we decided to create a new mantel you can read all the info and see progress photos in this post. I love the new look and I have tried many different decor items out and finally settled on this look for now. It has a bit of a spring vibe with the vintage glass bottles and the pitcher of flowers.

Vintage French Pressed Botanicals Reveal

It's going to be a much better week! The flu bug has left, the rain is gone, cold temps have returned and the vintage French pressed botanicals have been hung. I cannot tell y'all how much I love the change these made hanging in the foyer. The foyer should tell your story and set the mood for the home and this look certainly tells my story. 

I went ahead and took these photos with my phone while it was raining yesterday and I love the cozy vibe these have with the lamps on.

Spring Favorites

We came home from our short trip and I've been sick ever since. Yep, the flu that I thought I would never get has hit hard. I coughed all day long on Monday and then on Tuesday the aches and pains, fever and chills set in plus complete exhaustion. All I did on Tuesday was sleep. I'm a tad better today as long as the Tylenol is subduing the aches and I'm drinking gallons of gatorade. It has been so nice and warm outside and I'm missing out and next week winter weather returns. While I don't want the cold weather to come back we can't stop it, but it has me dreaming of spring. Today I'm sharing some spring favorites from last year.

Navy and Pink Guest Bedroom for Spring

Weekend AnniversaryTrip and Finds

If you follow me on instagram then you know Mr. Savvy and I celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary on Friday. We didn't have anything planned at first, but I took care of that. We went back to Fairhope, Alabama that we first visited last year for a work conference. It's located on Mobile Bay and in town are some great shops. A couple of the antique stores are my favorites because they carry lots of French antiques.

I'm sharing a few snaps from the trip starting with a photo of my first purchase from another cute home decor store, Green Gates, that's on the main road going into Fairhope. If you look on instagram you'll see where we hung it. Yep, hubby hung it as soon as we got home. 

Friday Favorites....Designer Lisa Ruby Ryan

Sometimes while I'm browsing pinterest a photo will spark my interest and I'll click on it and then I may get lost in this site for quite some time. This is one of those sites that I got lost in. The first photo below caught my eye and then I found out it's the work of designer Lisa Ruby Ryan whom I have never heard of before, but I'm sure some of you have. Today I'm sharing some favorites from her portforlio. I'm sure as you look at the photos you will see why I love her designs.

The Current French Farmhouse Style Sun Room

Today I'm sharing the current French farmhouse style sun room since I have made a few changes.

The first change is a new matching leather chair that I purchased when it went on sale a few weeks ago. I bought the other one two years ago when it went on special for one day only at fifty percent off and I was hoping that would happen again, but it never has. I bought the second one at twenty five percent off so still a pretty good deal. Now I just need to wait for the sun to fade it a bit and for it to get some wear to it so it doesn't look so new. I didn't realize how much the first chair had faded over time, but I prefer that look. You can see the old chair in this post. It was a very cheap and extremely uncomfortable chair, but looked good. 

Favorite Things Friday.... herbier pressed botanicals

I love gallery walls, but I especially love a wall full of herbier pressed botanicals. I have seen the prices for them all over the place and I just keep on looking until I find just the right ones and at the right price. I love the thrill of the hunt. 

Below are some examples I found.

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