Painted furniture...weekend activity, anyone?

Give me a DIY project and I am all over it - everything from building a fort to repairing a fence to patching up holes in a wall - I love all of that, but I especially love the project if it involves painting. Creating art is a favorite hobby of mine and I hardly enjoy anything more than beautifying my home through this median. Unfortunately, I have been so busy since just after Big Squish arrived that doing his nursery was pretty much where I stopped! I have the painting bug in a bad way though, so I am about to embark on some new home projects.

There are so many different options when it comes to sprucing up an old piece of furniture or giving new life to a hand-me-down, and I wanted to share some of my favorite images with you. I hope they give you some inspiration for a new project of your own! Do you like undertaking home projects? If so, what is your favorite you have ever done, or what do you look forward to doing? Look to these photos for some guidance, and then put your own twist on it to make it suit your home and personal style.

Painting Big Squish's nursery ceiling at 36 weeks pregnant. I hired a painter originally {because who in their right mind paints an entire ceiling...full of stripes at that...when 9 months pregnant?}, but he quit after an hour and said it couldn't be done. Too hard to get the tape straight or some baloney like that. Well, now Mr. Painter, don't even think of telling me that something can't be done because I will prove you wrong.

Finished product. The whole thing - measuring, taping, and painting - only ended up taking two days.

I also painted this old chest to match the color scheme. A little sanding, a couple coats of paint and some new hardware later...

Voila! Perfect for all of those extra baby items you never have enough storage for.

All of these images below have been on my computer for quite some time so unfortunately I do not have a record of where they are from. I know I know, I am a bag blogger. If anyone knows where credit is due, please share!

One of my absolute favorites. Everything about this room is amazing to me. The painted floor in four different colors {yes, there are four - very subtle}. The mismatched beds and bedding. The striped nightstands. The imperfections of the entire room make it perfect! I am not a big fan of "matchy" rooms, with regards to both fabric and furniture layout. Anyone with eyeballs can pick out two of the same sofas, same tables, lamps and a rug - where's the fun or creativity in that? Make it special and mix things up. Don't be scared - just go with your instincts!

What I wouldn't give for a bright orange table like this. Sigh. Might have to make this happen somehow.

Another great table option. If a uniform, bright color is too bold for your taste, splash a little somethin somethin on the legs.

Ooooh another favorite. The whole setup is what makes this work though. Electric blue paint - check. Vintage perfume collection - check. Hot pink peonies fresh from my garden - check. Enormously large and cheery photo - check. Very hip lamp, all set against a deep chocolatey purple wall - don't mind if I do!

What a clever way to tie in the color scheme in both pieces of furniture without them being too matchy matchy. Paint the drawers on a chest and the inside of the bookshelves - perfection. If you are feeling energetic, go for the molding as well.

This image {I think?!} is from The City Sage...maybe Pink Wallpaper...oh I don't know! But I am head over heels for the hot pink drawer sides {I mean how cool is that! Gimme gimme} as well as the zig zag yellow floor AND the bright red door. Someone please do this to their house and call me for tea and scones.

Some more bright orange amazingness to close. That could have been the ugliest, oldest, out of date piece of furniture you have ever laid your eyes on. Drenched in orange and as lacquered up as it can get, it is incredible. I heart you shiny drawers.

Have a fabulous Friday and a sunny weekend everyone! Love to all.

xoxo Sheridan

Back to Basics

Head over to Nursery Notations to see my newest brother/sister outfit compilation. I highlighted Smallable.com. It is is a fabulous site! I'd go so far as to say it might be my favorite children's stop for ideas on fashion, design, decoration and toys. Their clothing in particular, for 0-10 years, can hardly be beat. One of their great brands is Bellerose - which I highlighted in this post with most of the pieces - a smart casual label from Belgium using high quality materials, comfortable cuts, and subtle tones that create a chic vintage effect. What's not to love? Check it out!

xoxo Sheridan

p.s. I don't know why this is underlined. HTML is the enemy.

Breathe.

I am desperately missing London right now.

My love affair with the city began when I started working there during summers once I was at university in Scotland. I was instantly in love. I was fortunate enough {via crashing in friend's flats} to live in some of the nicest areas of London which of course did nothing to spoil my perfect view of the place at all.

I truly miss everything about it... Walking to work every morning along Brompton Road and passing Harvey Nicks and Harrods {the tube is too hot and stuffy during the summer most of the time}, seeing the big red double decker buses go by, looking at the most amazing architecture I have ever seen and being so envious that people get to call those flats home, strolling through the parks and gardens on the weekends and watching everyone play with their dogs, the style of the individual neighborhoods like Notting Hill, Holland Park, Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Mayfair, spending time on the Kings Road every weekend, Old and New Bond Street {especially the Miu Miu store....TO DIE FOR!}, eating the most amazing breakfasts I have ever had at Baker and Spice, lunch every day in Green Park...I could write a novel about this.

London was also instrumental in forming who I became as a person, and in particular my style. I didn't even know what style meant, let alone what style even was, until I began working in the city. Of course, working in the Prada press office and being around so many different people from different cultures certainly helped, as I really learned what it meant to express YOURself, but London fueled the changes and supported the creativity.

Every once in a while, and I'm not sure why, I get so sad that I am not there. I decided to leave - and I do not regret the decision one bit - because I wanted to come back to Texas to raise a family......but a part of me - a big part at that - has never left. It is like a family member you have ridiculous amounts of fun with, really connect with and long to see every day, but you never get to. Sads. My goal is to one day have a flat there so that I can spend a couple of months there every summer with my children, and be able to really share with them the city that has a little {BIG} part of their mother's heart.

Kensington Gardens from above

Holland Park

Beautiful flats off the Kings Road

Baker & Spice

My walk to work every morning along Brompton...

I loved the chaos of the streets!

Ok now you're just going to be flat out jealous. This is the route I took to get to the Kings Road during my last summer there when I lived in South Ken. It is also my dream street, and THE street I WILL live on when I have my flat.

So I turned the corner and saw this:

Which went on to this:

Then this!

And you continue on around the bend to this:

And this. My heart melts.

These photos do not even come close to doing the street justice. Y'all, it is so fabulous. So chic. So awesome. Just walking past all of the beautiful colors puts anyone in a good mood! My favorite is probably the bright blue, or the candy colored all in a row, but I wouldn't say no to any of them ;)

Of course, I also miss St. Andrews. Bucket loads. But I think I mainly miss my friends.

That scarf I am wearing is actually a table cloth. Ha!

Endless laughter.

The May Dip. A bunch of crazies go jump into the North Sea at sunrise on May 1. It's still 40 degrees in Scotland on May 1 {for the Celcius crew reading this, that means ice cubes}. The water is negative 47,000.

Don't ask.

Now, the text below the following photo is purely for the person in the picture with me. Phelpatron. None of it will have any meaning to anyone except for her...and probably every other female who attended St. A's...

A lap - n. (derived from the french term le lap) to hit up every bar in town as fast and as friendly as possible so that everyone thought that you were out on the town that night and on really good form, but then swing by Tesco and get some Finest chocolate chunk cookies and watch Finding Nemo in bed in pj's.

I wonder how many AA miles we have right now....................

xoxo

Sheridan

Palm Springs Style

One of my best friends recently got married in Palm Springs, California. It was such a treat to have everyone together, but the icing on the cake was seeing all of the fun clothes! For those of you who have not been to Palm Springs, as far as color goes - ANYTHING is acceptable. Silly neon prints abound, so you know I adore the place ;)

I snapped a lot of photos during several of the wedding events leading up to and including the Big Day, and I am very excited to be able to share "real" style photos with you all. There were several hundred to choose from {and obviously I wasn't remotely annoying taking all of these pictures during the parties...obviously...} so I narrowed it down to some of my very favorites. No stylists, no hair and makeup, just creative individuals putting together fabulous outfits. I also included a few detail shots of flowers and some decor ideas. Enjoy!

Mother of the bride rockin' some Chanel

Jelly beans in a silver dish. What a perfect way to add a pop of color to a room!

One of the bride's sisters. Fab.

Gorgeous Jan Barboglio candelabra.

Love you Valentino!

Ze beautiful bride-to-be in Pucci

Some of the bridesmaids <3

(p.s. my Panama hat - J.Crew - favorito. Invest).

Me and the gorgeous bride at the rehearsal dinner. I wore DVF, and it was actually the same dress I wore to my own rehearsal dinner :) My necklace - obsessed with it - is from Bizzle via Henri Bendel. Bizzle is my husband's actual name so that's cool. The bride wore one of her grandmother's old Pucci dresses. Fit her perfectly!

{Great. It's 3:01 on a Saturday afternoon and I'm tearing up. I'm such a lightweight.}

Breathtaking and beyond outstanding in Monique Lhuillier.

{What do I have to do to get a hanky around here?!}

Bizzle actually let me post a picture of him on here! Never thought I'd see the day.

Bridesmaid dress from Lula Kate, necklace Vera Wang.

Happy weekend everyone!

xoxo Sheridan