A Hot Mess

Saturday was a productive day for me.. I cleaned the house AND cleaned/organized our closet which feels really good. I love when things are nice and organized (now if they can stay that way??)

Then on Sunday, we tackled the wallpaper in the powder room. What a hot mess!!!!! I'm pretty sure this wallpaper (and floral border) were put up when the house was built in 1990. Why do I think this? Because the wallpaper was adhered straight onto the drywall !!!! No no no.



We started on the large wall to the left, and the pieces were coming off easily in huge pieces. As we kept working, the pieces kept getting smaller and smaller and harder to take off. I'm not sure what was going on. We finally were exhausted and frustrated and gave up for the day.





I know what you're probably thinking... we should have paid someone. But we are saving money buy doing the removal ourselves.

So maybe some of you out there have some tips? We are using DIF in a spray bottle. We are following the instructions: score, spray, wait 15 minutes, spray again and wait again, then spray again before removing it.

I think we are having problems because of the drywall issue. So we'll just have to keep working on it piece by piece.

In the mean time, I'll be thinking about the final product...

[ image via better homes and gardens ]

Little Guys

I stopped by the thrift store on Wednesday hoping to find another amazing score. There wasn't any furniture that wowed me, but I picked up these four little guys:



They are all less than five inches and they will each make me smile scattered around the house.

I love the pretty brass swans (?) especially the one with her head raised high. And who wouldn't love a glass pineapple?

I just had to get the little mallard because it reminds me of my grandma. My grandparents used to always have mallards scattered all over their house in upstate NY. As a kid they sort of fascinated me.. I had to pick up this little guy because it made me smile.

Happy Friday! This weekend will be spent CLEANING the house. It's gotten to be sort of a mess. And we don't even have kids! I never understand how that happens....

My go-to for solid pillows

I love fabric & throw pillows... it's one of my favorite things about decorating, as you know. I often share with you fun pillows that I am loving, but today I'm sharing with you my go-to place(s) for SOLID pillows.

Solid pillows are great for anchoring and works as a background for the more fun pillows.

Here are some examples from this great House Beautiful article:



I often use Room & Board for solid pillows. They have a GREAT selection and good prices.

Their mohair pillows are GORGEOUS and they have the best colors. Here are some of my favorites:





If mohair makes you a little nervous, they have beautiful velvets as well:






These solid linen pillows add some great texture:





Crate & Barrel is my go-to for solid woven neutrals:




And West Elm is great if you need solids that add a bit extra. Here are some West Elm solid pillows I used for a client's sofa:



The middle pillow is the statement maker (a splurge from Luxe), so I kept things simple on the sides. But I like how the nailhead and button details add a little bit of interest.