Thrifter's Challenge

The quickest way to know a woman is to go shopping with her. ~Marcelene Cox

About the time I started blogging, I started budgeting $20 a week for decorating projects. I call it my thrifter's challenge.

After a month of no thrifting, last week I ventured out to our local "antiques" stores. A couple misses, but one major hit.

Set in a two story building dating back to 1876, Clossman's is like one of those Antique/Flea Market Shows. They have a little bit of everything and the prices are affordable; not Goodwill affordable but still within my price range.

On my first trip there, I spotted a couple chairs with potential and was preparing to do a closer inspection when the owner told me he was closing early. Poor guy didn't feel well. So, I left without a fight but not before telling him in my most convincing Schwarzeneggar voice, "I'll be back".

The next day, I returned to claim my prize; a {slightly different} pair of mid century-style chairs.

The cost? Just two weeks of my thrifter's challenge budget. Yes, I overspent....but hey, it's been a month of no shopping.

$40 (for those of you just skimming down to see the picture)

Now as much as I'd love to show you the beautiful AFTER photos...I can't. Things don't happen that fast around here.

So, rather than show you the same chairs in their new space, I'll just show you a couple pics of similar chairs I found on Craigslist. {Besides, if you're like Hubby, I have to convince you that these ugly chairs are a good deal}

Same manufacturer as mine {Hill-Rom}

Asking price $250

Pair of "danish lounge chairs"

Asking price $245

I found a few other things, but I'll save that for another post. If you'd like to see more thrifty finds and projects, please check out the links below. Have a great weekend!

Sincerely, Lisa

Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous

Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed

Change of Season

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance. ~Ecclesiastes 3:1, Ecclesiastes 3:4 (KJV)

I want to thank you all for accompanying me through this season of sadness. Your thoughts, prayers, and comments were greatly appreciated.

Despite our grief, I have many favorite memories of that experience. Memories of how kind and compassionate people can truly be. Thinking back to the eve of January 11, 2006. As Hubby and I sat in the hospital spending our final moments with Morgan, a childhood friend came to visit. I'll never forget the way he held and loved our baby just as he would his own. Before leaving he said to me, "God will bless you". Without pause, I responded, "He already has." Even then, in the face of hurt and pain, I chose not to focus on our loss, but the life we had been blessed to share. Four years later, I'm still blessed.

Today begins a new season of THIS new year. I'll continue to talk about Morgan. She was part of me and that experience affected who I am today. But for now it's now TIME to dance, more specifically, it's time to do the Happy Dance!

I got my first Blog Award. Yay!!!! The beautiful Michelle at A Little French Loven has nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger award.




As part of the award process, I have to list 7 little known facts about myself. So I'm going to tell you seven reasons why I have a blessed life.

1. I have three siblings; two of whom I was raised with by our mother. Hope and Josh are 11 and 12 years my junior, respectively.


2. I've been married to my best friend for 13 years.


3. I've been to Mexico, Canada, Spain, Hawaii and a few Caribbean cruises. Oh how, I love to travel!


4. I have a Master's degree in Clinical Counseling and worked in community mental health for 10 years. This experience continues to remind me of how great my life is.


5. I've been home for the first years of my boys' life.


6. I plan on moving closer to the beach when Hubby retires in six years and six months. Hence, the SECRET meaning to the title Destination Seaborn:) and FINALLY...


7. I have a group of "friends" who understand and appreciate my need to make the world a beautiful place...one space at a time. Thank you all for being in my life!

Okay, so now it's my turn to nominate seven people for the Kreativ Blogger award. As a recipient you should follow these simple rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you and copy the Kreativ Blogger logo


• Link back to the person who nominated you for the award {Destination Seaborn}


• List 7 things that people may not know about you


• Nominate 7 creative bloggers by posting their links and leaving a comment on each of their blogs.

Here's a list of my nominees...

• A Doctor in the House
• At Town Square
• Cozy Cape in the Burbs
• Yoga Gal
• Retro-Luxe
• Sweeter Homes
• Beach Brights

If you're reading this, please take a minute to visit these gals. I'm sure they'd appreciate it!

Sincerely, Lisa

An Angelversary

When someone comes into our lives and they are too quietly and quickly gone, they leave footprints on our hearts...and their memory stays with us forever.

Four years today, I delivered my precious baby girl, Morgan Rose. In the face of grief, my mother wrote this poem that was read at her funeral.

Come Play With Me

"Come play with me" her grandma wrote

"And we'll make mud pies in a boat"

"Come play with me" her auntie said

"There are babies and books underneath my bed"

"Come play with me" her uncle crooned

"We'll sing silly songs down in my room"

"Come play with me" her mommy pled

"Let me put some pretty bows up in your head"

"Come play with me, Morgan" her Daddy cried

"I'll take my princess on a real long ride"

It was an angel's voice she answered to one night

"Come play with me and we'll take our flight-

away from sickness, pain and grief

to a place of harmony and eternal peace"

It's with great sadness that we now confess,

Morgan's fate from earth is better than the rest.

From Heavenly heights she will cheer us on,

inspire our footsteps and discern our songs.

Until the day each of us can hear,

the whisper of Morgan's voice gently in our ear-

"Come play with me, it's been awhile.

I've been waiting for you and your big, bright smile!

The table is ready and the bride groom is set,

the floors are all shiny and you're not here yet.

Balloons and bubbles will greet you with cheer,

Come and play with me family, I'm so glad you're here!

Morgan, a Rose Planted on Earth To Bloom in Heaven.

January 10, 2006

A Year in Review: Favorite Projects 2009

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential. ~Ellen Goodman

Oh my goodness, it's going to snow! Uh-oh...too late, it already has. I guess that's why I'm posting a THIRD time this week.

The gracious Rhoda at Southern Hospitality is hosting a Top Project's of 2009 Party and I wanted to link up. So here's my favorite projects from the past year.

Curb Appeal

• Our house, affectionately dubbed Seaborn was in desperate need of TLC when we purchased it in 2005.

• This past summer we completed our vision of Seaborn's curb appeal with Hubby-built shutters and window box, painted foundaton and new landscape.
  

• Sideview of house as it appeared in 2005
  

• After the addition of a Hubby-built deck with pergola and landscape, Seaborn now shines.

Christmas

• I adorned these Dollar Tree gift boxes with wire-edged ribbon and hot glue for my Christmas mantel. Aren't they adorable!

• Sewing these copy-cat Ballard's stockings was one of my favorite projects. I loved how they turned out.
  

• And of course, I can't forget Hubby's contribution to our Christmas. He installed these beautiful Christmas lights for us and the kids to enjoy! The snow before Christmas made the lights even more magical.

My proudest achievements

• The newest addition to our family, Miles Alexander was born on April 14, 2009. No epidural for me, he wanted out fast and hasn't slowed down since!
  
  

• My family. Yep, that's me! I tend to be a little camera shy, so you may want to look fast before I have second thoughts.

Well, that's it folks! The first three months of my blog and the last three months of 2009. I hope you'll join me in this New Year, I have some exciting things planned for Destination Seaborn.

Sincerely, Lisa

DIY Design {Introduction}

"Our thoughts create our reality. Where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go." ~Peter McWilliams

For the past few months I've felt like a kid in a candy store. I'm just so excited to have a blog that I haven't really focused on my specific interests and desire to learn more about decorating.

It's true, I only started Destination Seaborn to participate in the cool MckLinky parties. But now that I'm blogging, it's become a great way to improve my decorating skills and share them with you in the process.

But because I'm soo000 OCD and can't do anything for fun, I've developed a strategic plan for my blog. I was tempted to call this plan a mission statement but then I started having flashbacks of Jerry Maguire and I didn't want y'all to start yelling "Show me the Money" if you were disappointed with my posts. So I'll just call it my strategic plan.

Don't worry, there won't be any quizzes or lengthy reading assignments, unless of course, you consider this post to be a lengthy reading assignment. This is just a way of organizing my thoughts and the future direction/design of my blog. And ya thought I was joking when I said I have OCD?

The goal of this plan: To think like a professional designer in an effort to decorate Seaborn on a modest budget. Through a series of steps, I'll teach myself about the design process and the many aspects of decorating like a professional.

Enough talk...let's take a look at my strategic plan for decorating like a pro:

1. Assess to determine needs and budget for project
2. Consult local design firm for ideas and inspiration
3. Develop plan with assistance of favorite Interior Designer
4. Discuss design plan with various contractors (painting, construction, plumbing)
5. Window shopping to familiarize self with likes/dislikes, styles and cost of materials
6. Acquire materials to complete and implement plan
7. Publish work to Design Publication

Now, before you start panicking and saying how absurd this is, you'll have to come back. Trust me, this IS a DIY project! I will be expounding on each of these points....and even using pictures for those visual learners out there.

My goal is to post one step each week until I've completed the list.

So what do you think? For those decorator/designer's out there, how accurate is this list? For those who've worked with a decorator/designer what do you think? I'm open to feedback.

Sincerely, Lisa

Works for Me Wednesday at We Are That Family

Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Remembering...

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity. " ~Gilda Radner
Now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays are over, I'm taking a moment to remember...

Mother's Day 2005. The day I found out I was pregnant with our first child. Due date: January 13, 2006.

January 10, 2006. The day I delivered our first child...stillborn.

The Christmas season of 2005 holds alot of memories for that pregnancy. Although, we hadn't moved into our Seaborn home, we were getting close. The hardwood floors had been refinished and the basement family room had been carpeted. When Hubby wasn't working at his full-time job, he was working on our dream home. He gave the lower-level bath a makeover until the main bath was finished and painted the two main bedrooms.

One of my favorite memories of that holiday season occured on the Eve of Christmas 2005, when Hubby came home after working afternoon shift. He insisted that I go with him, just as I was. He wanted to give me my Christmas gift. So dressed in my long nightgown and wool slippers, we headed to Seaborn so he could assemble the baby's crib.

I'll never forget that Christmas and how exciting it was. What better gift is there than the gift of life? Wanting to fully engage in the joy and experience of expecting, we opted NOT to find out the sex of our unborn child. I wanted a girl and Hubby wanted a boy. Prepared for either, our girl name was Morgan Rose and our boy name was Owen Allan. Who would be right?
Only time would tell. Until then Hubby and I continued to share our hopes and dreams for our baby. Buying Seaborn was only the beginning...



You see that sidewalk out front, I envisioned myself teaching our little one how to ride the retro red tricycle on that very sidewalk. While Hubby wanted to pull him or her, a whoooole block and a half down our Maple-lined street, to the county fair in a little red wagon. Both the radio flyer tricycle and red wagon were my gifts to our unborn child.
Those were just some of our dreams for our baby. It did not include our hopes of taking him or her to Disney World for the first time and watching their little eyes light up in awe of Magic Kingdom. Or perhaps the sweetest and most simplest of hopes...gently rocking our baby to sleep, touching their soft skin or smelling their sweet baby scent.
A few weeks after we buried our baby, I found a song called My Name by George Canyon. Written from the perspective of an unborn child who dies and goes to heaven, it was perfect! I couldn't have written something more befitting of my experience. This song was just what I needed to hear..that my baby felt loved!
Our baby's name was Morgan Rose.
Sincerely, Lisa

Thankful on a Tuesday at Chatting at the Sky

New Year, New Look

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right." ~Oprah Winfrey


This New Year marks four years that Hubby and I moved into Seaborn. And I've decided that it's been a construction zone for too long! Yes, I can finally say that! Now that most of our reno-projects are done, I can get down to the fun part. Decorating! Adding personality! Making this house our home!

Can you tell I'm excited? Seriously y'all, we have one set of prints hanging on our walls...wait a minute...I don't think you heard me!

In our entire 1700+ square feet house, we have ONE set of botanical prints hanging on our walls. The other two items (mirrors) are propped up. No beautifully framed family photos, no snaps of our travels, no cute pics of our cuties. Nada!


So let me tell you what new looks I have in mind for 2010:

The Living Room. Once I removed the Christmas decor, I was reminded of why I dislike our living room. Sure, we've made some changes, but this room feels cold, uninviting and it echoes. Here's what it looked like when we bought it four years ago:






Here's what it looks like NOW, the in-progress, not yet after:

To date, you see the biggest change has been refinishing the hardwood floors. I'm sure this CAN be a DIY project, but it was a little too ambitious for Hubby and I to attempt.

Other changes made to the Living Room include:

• Replacing the mini blinds with faux wood, plantation-style blinds.
• Cleaning the fireplace and spray painting the brass doors.
• Updated electrical outlets and ceiling fan with attached light.
• Removing knick-knack shelf and repairing drywall.
• Taking down wallpaper border and repainting with a fresh coat of paint.

With the New Year, I would like to make this room more inviting to us and our company. So please stay tuned as I'll be posting more information regarding my plans for this room! If you'd like to see more of our before pics, please click here.

Destination Seaborn. Come February I'm hoping to celebrate my birthday with a much needed blog makeover. How timely for me (and possibly you, too) that Designer Blogs is celebrating their first birthday! They're giving away four blog makeovers and offering some awesome discounts off their services. So you too may want to stop by their blog for your chance to win a makeover.

Thanks for stopping by. Please check out the links below for more creative ideas.

Sincerely, Lisa

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

DIY day at A Soft Place to Land

Before and After Party at Thrifty Decor Chick

Power of Paint Party at Domestically Speaking

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage