Happy Couple

{The Smiths}

Three years ago today, Brian popped the question!

~ and I'm so glad he did ~

To celebrate we'll be heading over to Bistro Niko after work for a glass of champagne and oysters on the half shell.

{Photos: Heather Forsythe}

Elephant In The Room...

{Can You Spot It?...Here's a Hint: It's PINK!}

So I'm sure I know what you're thinking, "Oh look, Michelle found this hot pink dresser that they're going to makeover." I wish I could say you're right, but nope ~ this unfortunately, is the final product.

Here's how this hot pink mess went down:

While on a recent trip to a local trift store, I came across this old Sligh Furniture Co. Dresser. After searching for a primitive buffet ~ I figured this piece would work great in the dining room holding kitchen linens and silver flatware. I originally wanted to keep it in it's original stain, but there were too many scratches and dents to keep this piece as is.


We started with an oil based primer, then Brian went to work with wood putty repairing damaged edges.


The top of the dresser was also significantly damaged. Brian added a thin piece to conceal the damage while also adding a slightly more interesting molding.

Now this is where the project turned a bit crazy. After this post~ shown here ~ I was inspired to paint the dresser a bright bold high gloss color. I know, I know! The only way I can articulate my rationalization is by quoting Lily in How I Met Your Mother:

OK, yes it's a mistake. I know it's a mistake, but there are certain things in life where you know its a mistake but you don't really know it's a mistake because the only way to really know it's a mistake is to make the mistake and look back and say 'yep, that was a mistake.'

After contemplating color swatches ~ shown here ~ I decided on Eddie Bauer's Dark Mango {photo: top left} available at Lowes. Thinking it would be this rich salmon, it started drying a pepto bismol pink {photo: top right}.

We decided to change out Dark Mango {drawer on the left} for Laura Ashley's Marasca Cherry {drawer on the right} also available at Lowes. After brief deliberation Brian proceded to paint well into the night. It wasn't until the following morning that we realized how pink our dresser can look in certain lighting:

While I have nothing against pink, this is not what we had in mind for our somewhat mature dining room. We'll keep you posted on any dresser updates ~ in the meantime we're getting a good giggle over our pinkest mistake yet!

Have any home improvement mistakes yourself? We'd love you to comment about it!

Antique Sligh Dresser

{Old Sligh Dresser}

Recently found this dresser from a thrift store in Atlanta. Inspired by our post here ~ check back to see where this goes next!

Kitchen Metro Shelving

{Metro Shelving}

While we're still in progress on our kitchen reno ~ see it from the beginning here ~ we've loved having extra storage space with our metro shelving. And of course you'll see that we still haven't decided what color to paint the kitchen ~ we'll keep you posted on this work in progress!

Offically Unpacked

{Home Sweet Home}
It's official ~ 14 months after we moved in we've finally unpacked the last of the boxes!

Antique Drafting Table

{Wooden Drafting Table}

On our roadtrip to Greenville earlier this year ~ shown here ~ we came across this old drafting table. Brian and I had been in search of one for sometime and couldn't resist this guy. We're loving it's industial blend of cast iron and wood and of course noticed a slight resemblance to Restoration Hardware's version seen here.

Brightly Painted Dresser

{Photo: birch and lily}

{Photo: Lonny}

{Photo: Centsational Girl}
I'm currently loving the idea of bold bright color in the form of furniture. Check out these vibrant choices above or head over to Maine Cottage for instant inspiration.

Vintage French Binoculars + Case

{Vintage French Binoculars + Case}

Another vintage find that we'll plan to display on our Ikea Expedit ~ shown here.