GOAL ACCOMPLISHED: The Pottery Barn Table and Chairs

On Christmas Eve, we got an awesome table and chairs from a family I work with. It was from Pottery Barn Kids, and needed some help. (Click here to see the original post and read the full story.) This is what it looked like:

It needed help. 

In March I started sanding the chairs and put some primer and paint coats on them and set a goal to finish the set. I was inspired by Shine You Light blog's Before and After Party. (See that post here.)

The table was next. It took some time. I don't know what was on that table, but it had to come off. (See that post here).

After 3 coats of Martha Stewart metallic paint, I finally finished it in April. It's been done for a while, and you may have spotted it in my chair cushion tutorial (click here), but I had yet to do a true "Before and After" post. So, 5 months and 4 blog posts later, the Pottery Barn Table and Chairs is finished!!

For some reason Ivy is planking on it in her underwear. This photo was taken just moments before nap time...

One more "before":

And here it is in Ivy's room "after"! 

Here's some other fun shots from our outdoor impromptu tea party we had with it.

And finally, I can say, I'm linking up to the Before and After Party at Shine Your Light!! Check out the party. I love Before and After photos, and they've got plenty over there! 

Aloha, Rebecca

Vintage Aquariums - my new obsession

I was at my grandma's house last week looking at her home decor magazines and came across this photo:

This image has been stuck in my head ever since! How awesome is a vintage aquarium?! It just took me back to another time... another world... and I thought, "Wow, people of old wanted to enjoy fish back then too!" I know. I'm crazy. Most people would never think that way. I do. I tore out the photo from the magazine (sorry Grandma) and keep taking a peak at it. 

Maybe it takes me back to a few movies I loved in high school. Remember this scene from Romeo and Juliet? Unforgettable.

The Great Expectations remake in 1998 with Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke also comes to mind. I can't spot any vintage aquariums in any photos from the movie, but I envision them in there somewhere, haha. I have no idea why I liked that movie. I can remember walking across the highway to Premiere Video and renting it. I was 14. 

There's not a ton of info about vintage/antique aquariums online. Here's a few I found that aren't round:

I like these ones too.

 

I still can't get the original one I found out of my head! I want one! I don't know where it would go in my 700 sq ft cottage, but I'd find a place! We don't need a dining table, right?

Aloha, Rebecca

Home tour - my Aunt's adorable little cottage

My Aunt has lived in the same 2 bedroom cottage in a suburb of Los Angeles for over 30 years. Just a freeway or two from LAX, we've stayed in her extra room many many times. This cottage has so much character, and I love what she's done with it in recent years. Enough explaining... let's just show some pics!

This is not my aunt. It's my best friend, Mapuana. She lives in LA now and met up with us for lunch. 

The couch she is sitting on used to be mine. It had striped upholstery that wasn't half-bad. I got it at a garage sale for $40 back in 2003. Then I moved away from CA, and gave it to my brother, who gave it to his dog. Then he moved away from CA and gave it to my aunt. She took it to get re-upholstered and now it is amazing:

I love the shade of pink on this mirror! So feminine!

How awesome is this vintage sewing machine?!

Two little reading nooks:

This is a photo of my grandparents: 

Here's the guest room, which used to be my cousin's room. I think when I was younger it even had a water bed. Gone are those days. Now it's a delightful haven.

What's crazy is a few years ago I had the matching duvet for the pillow on the left:

The bathroom is another adorable section of the home.

I love the knobs on the dresser. I also love that there is a dresser in the bathroom! Genius!

Vintage scale

The kitchen was done back in the 50s. Blues, yellows and reds.

What's crazy is my mom and I both have this clock. My mom's is also red, and mine is aqua.

She also did a little shabby-chic project. If you're interested in this door, done in a great blue with a vintage door knob, I think she's selling it! 

And here is what she's reading, if you're curious:

She's got quite a few of these vintage make-up boxes. She gave me one in a dark aqua!! Isn't her home great?! I love what she's done with it, and every time I visit, there's something new (but probably a little old) to see!! Thanks Aunty for letting me gloat over your home!

Aloha, Becca