Two Kubu Chairs

Some of you may remember that about a month ago I bought a Kubu chair from

 World market for my family room.

They sold me the floor model, but I was really hoping they would get more.

I wanted two Kubu chairs so they could flank my buffet turned TV stand.

Since they were on sale when I got the first one they gave me a rain check in case they got more in.

There rain check consists of them putting your name and phone number on a list.

To be honest I didn't think they would ever call me.

But they did!

So I now have two of my beloved Kubu chairs!

I still have the plastic on the cushions because they are pure white and they would get grubby 

so quickly in my house.

I need to find someone local  who can make me washable slipcovers for the cushions.

I also have some chunky frames I need to hang on the wall that will be filled with vintage botanicals.

My boys got me these lovely Pink Oriental Lilies for Mother's day.

They smell heavenly!

I took these photos yesterday and another flower has opened today.

So nice!

I've been getting some questions about how comfortable the Kubo chairs are so I thought 

I would address that here.

We don't sit in these chairs very often.

They are for extra seating when we have a group over.

They are definitely not "kick back and relax" chairs, but they are not horribly uncomfortable either.

They sit a little bit high so if you are short your feet may dangle.

I am about 5' 7 1/2" and the seat is a little high even for me.

I personally wouldn't  recommend them for everyday seating.

p.s. Pillows are old ones I got from Restoration Hardware. They are meant for the patio.

Linking up to:
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

My Savior's Love!

Beautiful Farmhouse Kitchen!

Have you seen Emily's farmhouse kitchen makeover?

She's worked really hard on it and it turned out so beautiful!

I especially love the light fixture's she made out of wicker food covers.

Head over to The Wicker House and check it out!

Sunflower Tablescape

I keep looking for pretty spring flowers at the florists, but I haven't found any I like.

And by florist I mean the floral department at the grocery store.

I did find some happy sunflowers though and decided to bring them home.

Most days it feels like summer, here in Houston, so I thought I'd set up a little summery

 tablescape in my breakfast room.

Things have been pretty busy here the last two weeks, but in a good way.

My older son Grant was inducted into the Junior National Honor Society.

I am so proud of him!

Not sure where he gets his smarts from.

What is really great is the kids are never just chosen just for their grades, but also for their character.

Good grades are great, but being a good kid is so much more important.

For the ceremony and for his 8th grade dance, Grant needed dress clothes, which he did not have.

He needed everything.

Shirt, tie, pants, belt, socks, and shoes. Everything.

And at the rate he's growing his new duds probably won't even fit him for very long.

But he sure did look handsome for the induction ceremony and dance.

The pictures make me cry.

I really don't want him to grow up because that means some day he'll move out.

My four year, Levi, started gymnastics.

Since I'm braggin' on my kids I'll tell you, most kids at his gym start at yellow level, 

but he went straight to blue.

This kid is strong!

He started riding his bike without training wheels at three and half, while an eight year old neighbor boy was still using training wheels.

And he doesn't wobble around he rides! 

When he's at the playground he grabs the bar and flips himself backward.

When he jumps on our bed he does a somersault in the air.

He hoists himself up on things all the time.

I figured I'd better put him in gymnastics so he could learn the do all this crazy stuff the safe way.

His classes are an hour long and he loves it and doesn't want to leave when they're done.

I thought it would be a nice quiet time for me to sit and read a book, but I like watching him too much.

It brings me such joy to see him shine.

So that's what's been going on at the ol' Fern Creek Cottage the last couple of weeks.

Grant is out of school in about 5 weeks and then summer, glorious summer, begins!

I love it when my kids are out of school!

We have such fun together.

Which is not to say they don't drive me crazy too, because they do.

But at least we have the sweet freedom of summer.

BTW: I set up my comment section so I can now reply to you.
So if you have a question I will probably answer it in the comments,
 especially if you are not hooked up to an email account.

So check back if you've asked me something. :)

Have a great week!

I'm linking up to:
Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

My Boys Beach Bathroom

I think it's fun to have a theme in a kids bathroom, but my kids are 9 1/2 years apart so it doesn't work to have something going on that is too babyish.

The bathroom is also used by overnight guests.

So a light beach theme works well for this room.

My teenage son is very embarrassed by the "salty kisses" part of this sign.

He'll get over it. ;)

I found it at TJ Maxx.

The sign was missing one of the star fish so they marked the price down for me.

I actually prefer a cleaner look, so took the other star fish off as well.

I used a knife to scrape the glue residue off.

It  took off a little paint, but the sign already has a rustic look so it didn't bother me.

I originally bought blue towels for the bathroom, but it was a bit of blue overload so I got fresh white towels, which always look great in a bathroom.

The little green stool was given to me by my friend Heidi.

She said I could strip it or paint it, but I like the little pop of sage green.

My four year old uses it when he brushes his teeth.

We have a really old fence in our backyard. The wind has started knocking down some of the boards.

I'm so happy when that happens! I just pop up a new board and hoard keep the old ones for projects.

I love the weathered gray patina of the wood.

I simply stenciled "Seaside" on this one.

Luckily there is lots of counter space in the boys bathroom so I have room for a little accessorizing and

 I don't have to worry about the boys knocking things over and breaking them.

I found this little star fish plant stand marked down at Marshall's.

It was starting to fall apart so I simply took of the legs.

Instant wall art!

A little collection of glass bottles sits in the corner.

The color reminds me of sea glass.

We are renting this house so I couldn't make any big changes to the room.

If this were my house I would change out the faucet, the mirror, and add  handles to the cabinets, 

but instead I focus my energies elsewhere.

The art work above the toilet is a little small for this spot.

Eventually I have some more signs I'd like to make for the room and this piece will go in another spot.

The shell planter is filled with a succulent and so far it's doing really well.

The "Every Day I Love You" print  is from the Etsy shop  Kiki & Company.

It is hard to tell, but there is a wood grain pattern in the background. It is really cute!

The frame is from Aaron Brothers, although I've seen this style at Michael's and other stores as well.

My favorite thing in the room is the shower curtain.

I found it at Lowe's. It was really cheap, about $20.00.

The shower curtains are not sold with the other curtains at Lowe's, you need to go over to the 

bathroom section.

I was worried my teenager would think it was too feminine, but he likes it.

Yay!

There's a little window in the shower where I've placed an old beach sign I've had for years and 

a piece of driftwood.

The bath mats are from Target.

I bought them last year and they are holding up really well.

I made up a little collage of some of the fun accessories in the room.

All the accessories are from TJ Maxx, Homegoods, or Marshall's.

I can never keep those stores straight and they are all owned by the same company so a lot of times you can find the same stuff from store to store.

I love having all the products my teenager uses in this cute basket from Target.

It is nice having them out where he can easily grab things in the morning instead of having to open and close drawers and cabinet doors over and over.

If company is coming over I can simply place the basket under the sink.

He's probably be embarrassed that I'm telling you this, but he doesn't read my blog so....

He kept forgetting to clean his ears after his showers so I put the Q-tips in a little bucket and now they are right there for him to use and he no longer forgets!

So there you have it! My sweet boys beachy bathroom. Thanks for stopping by!

Linking to:
Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style
Treasure Hunt Thursdays @ From My Front Porch To Yours

Frame makeover and more

I am still very slowly working on my family room.mily room

I've found some really cute gray frames for the room that I thought I'd share with you.

The frame in this picture is my favorite, but it didn't start out looking this way.

I found it on clearance (as you can see).

I really liked the rustic wood, the crown, and the cool shape of the cut out.

But the red doesn't go with my decor and the "Believe" is kind of random.

Believe what?

I started by painting over the red with French Linen chalk paint, but it was looking really blah.

So I dry brushed on a bit of white and used a french script rubber stamp here and there.

I ordered the stamp from a friend several years ago and unfortunately do not remember the name of the company I got it from.

I believe you can find similar ones on Amazon.

You can also Google "French Script Rubber Stamp".

Here it is complete on my mantel. I love it now!

I found this frame at World Market. I really like the gray wash over the wood!

I took these photos of my boys at the beach this fall. I then had Costco print them out in a sepia tone.

Can you believe I haven't changed my mantel decor since my Winter Mantel post?

I can't.

Time to change it up for Spring! 

Finally, I  found this cute little frame at Tuesday Morning.

The perfect size for arranging in vignette's. 

~

Some of you may have noticed a beach bathroom post pop up and then disappear yesterday.

I posted it on accident and had to delete it because I wasn't finished yet.

I will get it posted next week.

I am having the worst luck with this post!

First I took a bunch of photos of the bathroom and after I down loaded them realized I forgot to hang one of the pieces of art, so I had to start over. 

Then when the post was 90 % complete I accidentally published it when I meant to set it for a future date, so I had to delete it and now will have to start over.

Finally last night every.single.thing. I'd hung on the walls fell OFF!

I used Command Strips, which I use all the time, but they didn't like the bathroom walls.

I didn't follow all the instructions like I should have, but I usually don't and it hasn't been a problem.

Until now!

So I'm taking a little break from that room! :)

French Buffet turned TV Stand

I am so happy to have this project completed.

As usual I got 90% done and then got bored and stopped working on it.

But we are in the family room all.the.time. so I was constantly looking at it.
Unfinished projects are so depressing to look at.

So I finally kicked myself in the booty and gotter done. :)

I liked this TV stand in the Home Decorators catalog, but they wanted about $400 for it.
I was pretty sure I could achieve this look for less..

I found this small buffet on Craigslist for $125.00.

I had originally planned to strip the top and stain it and then paint the rest.

Unfortunately the top is made out of yucky press board instead of real wood
so I had to paint the whole thing.
You aren't supposed to have to sand or prime furniture when you use chalk paint, but in this case I should have sanded the top a bit.
It was so slick and the paint kept getting scratched off.
Luckily with chalk paint touch ups blend right in.
Once I waxed the top I didn't have anymore problems with paint coming off.

I painted the whole piece with Annie Sloan chalk paint in French Linen.
I love this color!

I then lightly distressed the piece.

Some of you may remember when I posted two door options on my blog and asked for your opinion.

I thought a handful of people would respond.

I was overwhelmed that so many people decided to weigh in...THANK YOU!!
Twenty five people liked the cleaner look on the left and fifteen people preferred the door on the right
with all the white on it.
(my attempt at a rustic look)

 So I repainted the door on the right.

I did add in some white details but made them much lighter and more subtle.
So both sides win. :)

I love how distressing painted furniture brings out the details, like on these legs.

When my dad came to visit he converted one of the drawers into a shelf so we can keep our
 DVR box in there.

He removed this slider and some other pieces.

I would love to mount the TV to the wall but we are renting so I don't want to
put a bunch of holes in the wall.

My dad cut a new piece of wood to place inside and it is a perfect fit.
(my dad rocks!)

Snug as a bug in a rug, so we didn't have to use any nails or glue.

It could use some caulking in the front, as you can see, but some day I plan on turning it back into a drawer so that is why I've chosen to just let it be.
My dad also cute a hole in the back for the cable box cords to go through.

I changed out the hardware to give the piece a little more contemporary look.

The knobs are from Hobby Lobby and the handles are from Home Depot.

Both were a copper color so I painted them white and then sanded the raised details.

I have to tell you I really love this piece! It turned out better than I had hoped it would.

I am waiting for World Market gets more Kubu chairs in because I want to place a second one
on the other side of the buffet.
I'm toying with different ideas for what to hang on the wall.
Stay tuned. :)

I just had to give you a side by side~ before and after shot.
It is a pretty dramatic transformation!
My family room is really starting to come together, I hope to show you more soon.

Linking up to these fabulous parties:
Before and After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chic
The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Much Ado About Monday @ Huckleberry Love
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Tutorials, Tips, & Tidbits @ Stone Gable
Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch To Yours

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style