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The big selections have all been made in the living room and it's time to accessorize.  I had high hopes there would be enough in my own recycle bin to accomplish this, but that turned out to be only partially true.  The coffee table I purchased from a consignment shop needed a change of color. I took the base from a dirty brass to a medium silver.  The glass top was fine except for a few scratches. I tried a few displays on the top before I resigned myself to the fact that I might have to add a tray to pull it together.  I rather liked the openness of the glass itself but it just wasn't working with the pieces I wanted to use. So, I pulled a large round brass tray from the next garage sale pile.  In my haste to freshen it up, I forgot to take a before shot.  This is a picture of the back.  The front looked about as ugly. Here it is with my favorite, "sticks to everything", Magic spray paint in gloss black. It does co...

While my house was on the market I occupied myself with buying things for the "new place."  When the "new place" went to someone else, and I took my house off the market, I was left to deal with those purchases. One of those forward thinking buys were these two pillows.  I LOVE these pillows. (Thank you Home Goods.)  The problem is, I have "NO WHERE" to use them in this house.  I thought they would make a nice accent in the living room.  They are perfect for these chairs. They tie in nicely with the pinks in the dining room. However, the living room took on a life of it's own as projects like this do.  And pink accents were just not happening.   My solution---use the cushy inserts and cover them with something else. I found this fabric at one of my favorite local fabric stores. If the opportunity arises and I want these pillows back to pink----it's just a matter of changing the cover. For now they are the perfect back s...

I am excited to tell you, I finally made a decision on another pair of chairs for the living room. I found a pair of chairs with, of all things, a handle on the back.  I was smitten, not only by the handle but...   by the shape of the back and...   the detail on the legs and arms. Although the finish wasn't horrible, it was dated. I have to admit, they were pretty before too. Sometimes I question my tendency to paint everything but I am committed now to....white? you ask. Nope!  That was the primer.  Don't ask me why I chose this color other than the fact that I like this color, I don't have a reason.  I didn't have a fabric or a chosen room to put them in when I chose this color.  In fact, at this point, I thought I was going to sell my house and use them in the next place. But, as many of you have heard, I'm staying put.  So, just recently I made the decision to use these chairs in my living room and ...

As you know I have been playing musical chairs with the furniture and this time the hutch from the dining room has landed in the living room. I have had this piece for about 18 years.  I really like the lines and I love the storage. This is what it looked like in the resale shop before I bought it. I went to work on it with a new color scheme and... some stenciling detail. Now it is in the living room and it needs could benefit from a new color scheme.  To be honest, I still love it the way it is but I know it could look better than it does in this location. I decided I wanted some color behind the dishes. You can see where I tested a green I had on hand.  It doesn't get much light and it seemed too blah. So I bought a quart of Benjamin Moore in Savannah Green. The left one is Savannah Green.  Mind you, I had not selected the colors for the outside of the piece, but that didn't stop me. I forged ahead...