Chalk Board from a Table Top

Six months ago I found a table top in a pile of junk.

It had no legs and no actual "table" but it was solid wood, with great details, plus it was almost free so I grabbed it. 

I've sat on it for a long time wondering what color to paint it, and when I couldn't decide I chose to restain it. 

Best decision ever.

The wood grain is stunning. 

Love love love.

 The base is stained with Minwax Antique Walnut and the top is stained with Minwax Cherry. 

Available in The Shop. 

PS The little birds are my first attempt at drawing with chalk. 

Jake says the birds look like they're pooping on each other. 

Thoughts?

Friday's Runway Decorate- Week 10 African Style

Friday's runway decorate is back in effect and where bringing some African style to the forefront. The focus of this week runway decorate is to celebrate African fashion and décor check out this week’s decorated rooms represented by African runway style.

Here we have the beautiful model all dressed in animal print ,who is sporting a great outfit long and slender looking fearless and sharp: Check out the matching home office interior wearing animal print on the floor. I don't think you can ever be out of style in a room that mimics great African style throughout. I love how the mid century style is paired with beautiful African style

This model isn't walking the runway but she sure is posing the mountain tops with her elegant African style elegance. I love the orange, purple and pink deep colors the model is wearing and her lovely up do hair style embraces her beauty. Now check out the lovely African interiors that mimics the lovely model doesn’t this room looks like it walked right off the runway? I love it!! This room is working it…

 

Our next model is representing African style to the fullest. Doesn't she look hip and comfortable? Can you get any more African than that? Now if you think the lovely runway model is representing African heritage, check out this amazing bedroom that makes you feel as if you’re in Africa. Look how the room matches the model. The pillows, table and art on the wall is a great match for the runway decorate African event. How about the animal print chairs and the two art pieces over the bed I think make the room scream African Elegance.

Did you enjoy Friday's Runway Decorate African Style? I hope so because I sure have.

Which room did you like most?

Would you try decorating with your clothing as your inspiration?

Let me know in your comment below!!!

Elle Decor, Key Interiors by Shinay, other unknown

Vintage Polkadot Dresser

Pokkadots are one of my favorite things. 

They're playful and feminine and cute and sophisticated, all at the same time.

Just like this little lady. 

I knew a stencil would have been impractical for the spacing and layout I wanted for the polka dots, so I used my secret trick. 

Needle point hoops!

They're super cheap and if you remove the middle hoop you get two stencils for the price of one. 

This little lady is painted in Antique White by General Finishes with dots painted in Bon Voyage, Forbidden Red by Behr and Ballet Slipper by Martha Stewart. 

For more info look in "The Shop" at the top of the page.

Real Estate Snitch Wednesday's- Justin Bieber

“Oh how they grow so fast”. This week the snitch has Justin Bieber purchasing his first house or should I say his first Mansion. Should I say Baby, baby, baby, ohh? The way this house looks I think Salina Gomez should watch out because I think this house is going to be Bieber’s first love.
Bieber weren’t playing when he shopped for his first Mansion. Bieber sought after a home that is up $10.8 million on a modern mansion in L.A, according to the Daily Mail. , the home is made up of glass and steel boxes that appear to float above the home’s large pool and patio. With whopping 9,400-square-feet of living space, the 5-bedroom home has plenty of room for the young singer and the rest of his entourage like his girlfriend Selena Gomez, security crew and managers. Apparently the singer will move in right away as soon as the house previous tenant Ashton Kutcher moves out. That’s right Ashton Kutcher is the tenant who has been renting the home for $50,000 a month. WOW!! I guess Bieber thought taking this home off the market was a smart move and indeed it was considering Kutcher paying a whopping $50,000 a month and Bieber will being paying only $39,979 a month for his monthly mortgage payment if he goes the traditional way with a 30 year fixed rate mortgage while putting down a 20 percent down payment. Well if the Snitch does say so herself I think Bieber made a good choice on this Modern Mansion check it out for yourself... 

What do you think is this a great buy for the young star Justin Bieber?
Which room did you like most?
If money allows would you purchase this mansion for yourself?
What advice would you give to the young Bieber about buying his first mansion?

My home this morning

Back in the very beginning of 551 East, I planned on starting a series called "My Home This Morning"

 where I would showcase GORGEOUS rooms/homes I had found throughout the week.

That series lasted for one whole post.

 (Which actually happens to be one of my most viewed posts according to my stats.)

I'm pretty sure people have thought that was our actual home. 

Ha!

We are not that put together...yet. :)

So I am bringing the "My home this morning" "series" (does one post qualify as a series?) back into action.

Without further adieu, our home this morning. 

All images via

Thanks for stopping by!

How to: Create Decorating Flow In Your Home?

I was compelled to write how to create decorating flow throughout your home because of a very good friend of mine is in the process of building a house and her question to me was. How to create flow when you want to use a different color in another room? The best way for me to answer her question is to show her how. 

Whenever I decorate I always think of how each room will flow together and how I can bring all the rooms together to create contentious flow. 

Let’s say you love the color purple and you want to put it on a wall in your dining room but you didn't want to paint other rooms in your house that same color.  My answer to you would be to, go ahead and paint your dining room wall that beautiful purple color and then pull some of that lovely color in the other rooms with beautiful accessories with that lovely color in it. Check out some of these examples below

I love how this room  flows from one room to the next. Check out the beautiful wall color in the opposite room its done in a lovely eggplant color with gold stencils. Now look at the living room picture we are viewing, are you seeing the flow here? This room doesn't have eggplant color walls but it flows because of the eggplant pillows on the sofa and the accessories around it.

Check out the beautiful art peace of the beautiful African lady with the eggplant and green colors in it and notice the rug the color it convey doesn't it bring the color of the living room into the dining room. This kind of flow is especially needed in one room homes. Did you notice the chandelier shades with the gold inside it? What a subtle way to bring the gold over to that side of the room.

Check out how the kitchen is still flowing even though it has mostly no purple anywhere accept in the lovely flower arrangement.

Now check out the flow through out. Just Lovely

In this chic nap nook with a built-in twin bed, continues the flow with the eggplant color throughout but manages to bring in some beautiful light colors in the pillows and fabric. This is how you keep the flow when you have lots open space throughout the house.

I love the eggplant walls in this room and the white chair breaks up the strong color of the wall in this room. I love the contentious flow throughout this home.

Step1: Remember when creating flow you don't have to be committed to the same wall color in every room.

Step2: Continue flow with using accessories in the same color throughout other rooms in the house.

Step3: Now is the time to eliminate your fair and start to create flow throughout your space.

I hope some questions about creating flow throughout your home is answered!

Are you feeling confident to create flow in your home?
Do you think the photos above depicts flow in a home?
Please let me know in your comment below!!!

Serenity design