Monday, May 18, 2009

Guest Blogger: Two Ellie

I was super excited when Jennifer asked me, Paula of Two Ellie, to guest blog today. She asked me to share a room in our home that we loved. My home is an open layout so I feel as if it works better as a whole, but since I had to choose I went with my dining room. It's where we have family dinners, do craft projects with the kiddos, and do the most entertaining. I feel as if my home is always a work in progress, but here it is as of today...


This buffet we bought from Pier 1 on super discount for about $100 dollars when we first moved into this home 2 years ago. We came from a home that was much smaller and we were in need of economical furniture choices. I loved the scale and lines of this piece, but originally it was a very light blonde wood which is not my fave. So we painted it Stratton Blue by Benjamin Moore. We then did an easy glaze type treatment over that. The hanging lanterns (grown up balloons as my daughter calls them) I put up for my mother's birthday dinner recently, but we all liked them so they remain.


The letterpress print is from SeeSaw Designs. I just love the colors and it added a bit of fun. The vase, rocks, and candle I got from Hobby Lobby for half off. I think the whole project cost me about $15 dollars.


The dining table is not my favorite, but it works for us. One day I hope to own a new one, but having a 2 and 3 year old makes this one quite practical. The benches which I recently recovered for under $20 dollars help us seat up to 10 people for a dinner. The wooden trough was my grandmother's and it now holds our many napkins.


The old window frames are from my old college apartment. They were replacing the windows and trashing these so I took a few. We then framed 6x6 photos and placed them behind the glass.


This is where I do bills, where my hubby edits photos for a shoot, and I blog. To see before photos and the changes that were made over the years go here.


Finally, I hope to replace the standard light fixture with something unique. I love the idea of converting an old basket or a wire basket covered with a fabric into a light. The two images above are my source of inspiration.

14 comments:

paula said...

Thanks Jennifer for letting me do this, had fun!

bluehydrangea said...

I love getting a peak inside real homes and yours was a treat! Thanks for sharing!! P.S. If you find that hanging basket light for a reasonable price (I mean cheap) let me know!!

Brooke @ Blueprint Bliss said...

Paula- Thanks for letting us inside your house! I love seeing people's spaces. It looks great! -Brooke

~ ennui ~ said...

love your traditional chair with the modern desk- love everything really!

Haven and Home said...

Paula I loved seeing your dining room! It is fabulous! The new color of the painted piece is perfect!

Rachel said...

Love those paper lanterns, of course!! And I love the idea of those basket pendant lights!

LindsB said...

Paula, I love your house! The buffet with the grown up balloons over it is beautiful, I love the color you painted it.

Sarah said...

I actually really love your table and benches. It's definitely chabby chic, and gives you great seating options! Love the covers as well.

Aline said...

such a lovely room!

megan @ a life's design said...

Great post! I love your window frames!

Christina said...

beautiful space paula, i especially like the window frames w/the photos. so creative!

Rachel Follett said...

Your dining space is so lovely! I wouldn't expect anything less from you. Great job!

angela hardison said...

It's really lovely... and thanks for the shout-out to my letterpress print :)

belinda said...

paula that buffet is gorgeous. have been searching for something very similar for under our plasma but no such luck over here yet!