home decor and garden are very famous in the world

last week i was working on a job in nashville with some fellow designers and during some of our free time we explored the city.  we wound up in east nashville which is somewhat of a cross between inman park and little 5 in atlanta.  it’s very artsy and very cool.  this was where i found the most adorable hot dog stand that i think i’ve ever seen.  i’m not sure if adorable and hot dog stand should be in the same sentence but this hot dog stand was pretty stinkin’ cute.  and, it had the best name…check out the weenie sign.  i had already eaten by the time i found this little gem so i wasn’t able to try one.  maybe next time.

the hot dog stand caught my eye and made me stop, but i was lucky to find an antique shop right beside it. 

this antique shop had some of the best prices i’ve seen for mid-century pieces.  the furniture they had was also in mint condition.  no scratches or dings anywhere.  unfortunately i didn’t have my camera with me.  i did have my blackberry so i snapped a few shots.  sorry about the quality of the photos.

i fell in love with this john stewart china cabinet.  the 4” knobs were real turquoise. 

here’s another mid-century china cabinet that they had.  it was massive.

the best find was this sofa.  we all fell in love with it.  i was so close to buying it but my hubby turned it down…said he wanted a new sofa instead of an antique.  in all actuality i would have had to completely change the whole design of my family room to get this sofa, but it would have been so worth it.  it was on sale for only $1250.  there are similar ones in atlanta for more than $3000.  it might not look it but it was one of the most comfortable sofas that i’ve ever sat on.

i wish i would have taken more photos of the lamps, the jewelry and everything else they had but i was in such awe of the store i completely forgot.  if you are in the nashville area you should definitely make a point to stop at wonders on woodland.

Do you ever go to those Japanese restaurants where they cook at your table?  You know......i.e. Benihana's or Kobe.  If not, they usually give you this delicious salad to start your meal with this amazingly delicious ginger dressing. 


I almost lost my mind when I tasted this and even better yet - it's a "lite" dressing.  Wooohooooo!  I'm not much of a salad girl, unless it has buttermilk ranch dressing, lots of cheese, bacon and croutons and then what's the point, right?  But this stuff is great and would be so, so, so tasty as a marinade for grilled shrimp, chicken or veggies.  If you are at the store and you feel the same way about the Japanese salad dressing as I do, you must give this a try!

A few weeks back I mentioned my daughter’s bedroom had been scouted for a Better Homes and Gardens photo shoot. Sadly, her room was not chosen.

The good news, however, is now I am free to share pictures of the room and all the ideas I used to transform her space from a little girl’s bedroom into something a bit more grown-up. So over the next few weeks I will be highlighting various parts of her room and showing how to make some of the projects I used in the redo.

To give a frame of reference for this and upcoming posts, as well as the final room reveal, here is where I began. The color palette inspiration came from this beautiful linen fabric from Calico Corners.

Although I fell in love with this fabric the minute I saw it, my daughter needed a little convincing. Previously, her room had been green and blue – a Laura Ashley bedding ensemble left over from my college days over twenty years ago. Now, she wanted pink, pink and more pink. (I will be showing before pictures in a future post). After much discussion (and prodding) she gave me the OK and the room redo began.

Project #1 - Bulletin Board Makeover
This bulletin board was purchased from Ballard Designs many years ago. The off-white color no longer worked with the new color scheme and I really wanted to do something “different.” I started by painting the frame white and spraying with a semi-gloss varnish. It looked better but the board still needed some color.

My solution – add pink ribbon secured with silver push pins around the outside edge of the board.
Simply cut four pieces of ribbon approximately 1 ½ inches longer than the length of each side. Fold and press under (with iron) approximately ¾” of each unfinished edge. Place on bulletin board and secure with push pins in each corner.
Continue adding push pins – spacing evenly – around the edge.
So simple and very cute! Here is a close up (below) of the bulletin board hanging in her room. The second picture gives a wider view of the space and a bigger hint of what is to come!

Sources:
White shelf below the bulletin board – Target
Three vintage milk glass vases – Thrift store purchases
Upholstered and slip covered cubes – Target
Pink throw – Home Goods
Monogram pillow – available in my Etsy Shop
Chalkboard arrow – Favors by Lisa (from a giveaway I won)

In case you missed it, here are some previous posts highlighting other projects in my daughter’s bedroom redo:
Marble top night stand
Ceiling embellishment

Linking up to some of these parties