Exciting News

As you have seen in the previous posts we have been busy making, painting and refinishing some furniture, which means that our garage is now full to the brim.  (I am certain our neighbors think we are crazy.)  Just over a week ago Michael and I were in one of our favorite antique markets and inquired about the possibility of leasing a booth, so that we had a place to sell our furniture along with some of the tables that his dad has made.  We were thrilled when they said there would be an opening March 1st.  I was a little caught off guard, because we have asked before but there was a long waiting list.

I am beyond thrilled for this little adventure, and excited to see where it takes us.  There are all sorts of booths in the Antique Market, but I am determined to make ours very different from all of the others.  Of course our tables and larger furniture will be on display, but I am hoping that the space will be well designed so that people will be able to envision the furniture and accessories in their home.

We begin the transformation of the space tomorrow, and the space currently has striped yellow walls and a reddish brown floor.  There are no windows in the space, so I am hoping to lighten the space with neutrals and lots of texture.  Here is what I am thinking...

BM Swiss Coffee OC-45 for the walls to create a clean backdrop for the furniture.  It is one of my favorites, because it has a slight gray undertone, but it is still warm.  

Either BM Sandy Hook Gray HC-108 or BM Texas Leather AC-3 for the floors.  I am leaning more towards Sandy Hook Gray so that the space stays light and airy.

A Seagrass or jute rug on the floor for texture, but most likely with a brown border, so that the dirt won't show.

Our booth is located at the Antique Market of San Jose.  We will be moving furniture in this Saturday, and would love for you to stop in sometime and see what we have done.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Happy Friday Ya'll! 

So, everyone knows how much I love to bring life into old furniture by giving it a coat of paint.  Today I wanted to share with you a few pieces of furniture and accessories I have been working on.  If you follow me on Instagram you have seen bits and pieces of these. 

It all started several weeks ago when I purchased some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP).  Lets just say it is my new best friend.  I absolutely hate the sanding and priming process, because it takes days, and projects just seem to go on forever.  ASCP is a complete game changer, because there is no sanding or priming (can I get a hallelujah?)  The flip side is that the paint is not cheap; it is $34.50 a quart.  In my opinion time in money, so the time saved by not having to sand or prime is well worth the price.  Not to mention the paint is full of depth.  ASCP distresses beautifully and then you finish each piece with a coat of clear or dark wax.  The wax will deepen the color a bit and cure the paint. 

Enough about the paint and on to the furniture...

I was given this mirror, and it actually had smaller mirrors attached to the sides that I removed.

Before:    

After:

{ASCP Duck Egg with Clear Wax}

{ASCP Duck Egg with Clear Wax}

{ASCP Duck Egg with Clear Wax}

I am selling the mirror for $150, so if you are in the Jacksonville area and are interested email me at juliannecarrierkelly@gmail.com

The other project I have been working on is a solid Pecan wood table and set of 6 cane back chairs.  The table still needs a coat of wax and the chairs need to be upholstered, but here they are during their face lift...

Before:

During:

{ASCP color Old White}

{ASCP color Old White with distressing}

In this picture the table is still wet, so you cannot really see the color well.  It is a warm grey with streaking through it.  I distressed the edges and it will be getting a coat or two of wax this weekend.

  

{ASCP color: mixed Old White and French Linen}

I will also be selling the table and all 6 chairs once they are completed.  I am torn on what fabric to use on the chairs, because I would love to use something more modern like the ikat below, but I am tempted to go safe and neutral for resale purposes.  What are your thoughts? 

If you are looking for a table and chairs and would like me to custom upholster this set to match your home email me at juliannecarrierkelly@gmail.com.  I will be selling the completed table and 6 chairs for $900. (Price is dependent upon what fabric you choose)

Well that was a little long, but hopefully you stuck around! Have a great weekend! 

Love Never Fails

 Happy Valentines Day!  Hope you have a L-O-V-E-L-Y day and tell those around you just how much you love and appreciate them.

{fun chalkboard}

{Great little reminder}

{Cookies and milk are the way to my man's heart}

{via}

I'm In Love With...

THE FRESH20!

Have you ever heard of it?  I hadn't either until a week ago.  I read about it on The Nest the Laws Built and I bought the subscription the following day.

About the Fresh20...

"We are a meal planning service.  Our meal plans rely on simple, healthy and homemade dinners using just 20 fresh, seasonal ingredients per week.  No more grocery lists with 80 items that will eventually go to waste.  Our meal plans are carefully created to utilize everything on the list so you can stop throwing money down the drain. We don’t just grab 5 random recipes and call it a meal plan.  The Fresh 20 mixes and matches a small list of ingredients to create 5 balanced dinners that play off each other.We include detailed guides to meal prep, original recipes everyone will enjoy (even picky eaters) and motivation to help you stay the course on busy weeknights." 

Let me tell you that it is as good as it sounds.  I know how to eat healthy and put together a meal plan, but to be honest life is busy & I rarely take the time to do it.  I am left feeling frustrated at how much food goes to waste, not knowing what to make for dinner because I didn't plan ahead, and unhealthy from the junk food I end up eating.  Not to mention I go to the grocery store and spend a bunch of money and come home with only one or two meals.  

(my first meal)

It has not even been an entire week and I am thrilled about the Fresh20.  The meals are all fresh and very flavorful!  I am on the classic program, but they offer menu subscriptions for vegetarian and gluten free.  If you are interested in subscribing it is regularly $50/a year, but Groupon is having a special for $25/year).

I am determined to focus on what matters in 2013, and subscribing to the Fresh20 is my first step towards doing that.  

*All of the content in this post is my personal opinion.  I was not compensated or asked to write this.

{Beau or Bows} Gender Reveal Party

I told you last post that I would be sharing a gender reveal party, and life got a little busy.  We went on a family vacation and I opted to leave my computer at home, so here I am a week and a half later, finally getting around to posting it.  :)

First, let me say this party was SO MUCH FUN to design!  We did not have a lot of time for planning, so my cousin and I planned out the party over a glass of wine and the Victoria's Secret fashion show...I think it's a new recipe for success.  We loved the theme "Beau or Bows" and we wanted to make the colors really pop so we used navy and salmon as our main colors and accented with mint and tan.

Michael (my handy husband) whipped up this a-m-a-zing chalkboard framed with old barn wood.  We used it to display the old wives tale gender predictions and tally the votes.

Each guest wore a bow tie or bow, depending on what they thought the gender would be.  My cousin handmade each of these and then we glued pins on the back of them.  Aren't they adorable?

And now for the dessert table...

Time to cut the cake... It's a....

GIRL!!!!!!

Congrats Taylore and Jay!  We cannot wait to meet your sweet baby girl! 

Resources: Cake by Publix Bakery | Paper goods, cake topper & cupcake toppers by J. Kelly Events | Chalkboards & lettering by J. Kelly Events 

Christmas Blessings

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas filled with lots of love and family time.  This Christmas was truly a blessing for me.  In all honesty the past two Christmases were hard.  With my mom's cancer diagnosis we all feared that it might be our last together as a family.  There was very little shopping, baking and holiday fun.  Our days were instead filled with doctors appointments, trips to Mexico for my mom's treatment,  and many tears.
My mom has been cancer free for almost a year, and the joy surrounding this Christmas was such a blessing.  It makes me a little teary just thinking about how far my mom has come in the past two years;  from being given the worst possible diagnosis to being cancer free two years later.  Only God could do that!!!
Some funny highlights of this Christmas with my mom:

• Shopping with my mom.  This might not seem like a big deal but she literally shopped one day last Christmas and none the year before.  I have always loved shopping with her and finding all of the perfect gifts, and this year she was back to shopping almost everyday the week before Christmas.  I would drop everything I was doing just to walk around the mall with her and all the other crazies.
• Baking homemade cinnamon rolls with mom on Christmas eve at midnight.  We were delirious but hey turned out sooooo good! 
• Two hours spent trying to find the perfect boots for my sister in one store....we probably tried on 30 pairs of boots.

And a few pictures:

{Christmas Eve sunrise on the beach}

{Love these ladies}

{Christmas Eve}

{Doesn't my mom look fantastic?}

{She even looks great in her leopard pajamas at 8am...dont kill me for putting this up} 

{Christmas Pups}

{Our little family}

{Bailey and Christine on Christmas morning}

I will be back tomorrow with an adorable gender reveal party!
xoxo

Open House and Some Pictures

Like I mentioned last post, we get ALOT done when we decide to have a party or host a holiday meal. So naturally we have decided to have an open house this Saturday.  I always think that houses look best at Christmas, so I am excited to share our home and all of the work we have done with everyone during the holiday season.  If you live in Jacksonville and would like to swing by on Saturday between 4pm & 7pm send an email to juliannecarrierkelly@gmail.com and I will send you my address.  (I am a little weary of putting my address on here.)  Between my etsy shop and trying to finish things up around the house things have been extremely busy, which leaves little time for posting on the blog, but here is my life via my iPhone & instagram.  

{Christmas Decorations}

{My newest employee}

{Etched glass dessert plates are now on etsy}

{our adorable neighbor and Bailey are best buds...they were "helping" Michael}

{the beginnings of our barn doors...ekkk}

Alright, back to organizing, painting, building, and etching.  Hope to see you on Saturday! 

xoxo