Gorgeous New Old Stuff!

Where would I be without eBay and Craig's List?  So many of the things I bought for Coast Awhile Cottage  were purchased secondhand from these websites or they came from 

flea markets.

Two reasons for this:   (1)  I can afford better goods if I buy them used  and (2)  the house will have more character, look more collected over time, if some of the things are vintage.

When I looked over the pictures of the dining room to select some to share I realized that almost everything in it was owned by somebody else first.   I wanted a pagoda chandelier for the dining room.  I love the bamboo look--it's beach-y and elegant but not stuffy.  Most of the ones I looked at were out of my price range.  So I began searching for one on  eBay.  It took some time but patience paid off and I found this vintage tole pagoda for an amazing deal!

A coat of spray paint (Rustoleum aqua) and boom--it looks fresh and ready for it's new life at Tybee!

 

Peter and I couldn't wait to take down the old fan and put it up.

Source:  Jane Coslick

My dining table and chairs were scored by searching Craig's List.  I paid for the table and six nice, heavy chairs with rush seats less than I would have spent for one chair new. The wicker chairs at each end of the table also came from another Craig's List search.

I wanted a buffet or sideboard piece for the white sheetrock wall and this one came from a flea market.  The gorgeous vintage Imari lamps also came from a flea market and I was able to get them for less than I would have spent at a discount store.  They came with wonderful black silk shades but I bought some white ones--it's a beach house after all. 

  I'd have put a pretty painting above the buffet if I had not sold the house.  Maybe one like this one by Bellamy Murphy.  Here's a link with some of her paintings--what a talented lady!

Source

Remember the fabulous shell mirror from this post?  It was a special anniversary gift from my husband Henry.  It wound up coming with us to Doc Holiday when we sold the house but I originally planned it for this dining room.

T

Now let's put these things all together....

The curtains are from Ikea--this style with grommets is called Merete.

  

 My designer Jane Coslick arranged these shells in an antique bread bowl.  Aren't they fantastic?  It's the little details that make everything magical.

 

Source:  Jane Coslick

 Don't you love the oyster shell candlesticks....Jane's son made them!

Source:  Jane Coslick

Source:  Sandy McCloud

Source:  Sandy McCloud

What do you think?  Pre-loved stuff is not so bad, huh?  Sometimes old things used in a new way can look fresh and beautiful.  Who wouldn't like having dinner in a dining room like this?

Treasures Galore!

I'm a clutter-bug.  All you have to do is check out my closets and you can tell.  Apparently other people suffer from the same affliction--only their extra stuff is more exciting than mine--and they are consigning it at a store in Savannah.  The store is appropriately named Clutter.

Clutter is no Goodwill-type store where you pull up to the curb and drop off your old stuff.  In order to consign your wares, you have to pass the screening by emailing photos to the owner.  She is very selective and the result is an assortment of amazing goods.  It's such fun!
 Let me show you what I was drawn to the last time I popped in for a look!

Somebody had a fabulous collection of coral (real, not faux).  These were my favorites...

  Look at these gorgeous mirrors!

 And there were some really great chandeliers...

There is an artist in Savannah who makes these cool industrial chandeliers--this one could have been on somebody's roof top at one time!

And I'm crazy for this shell chandelier!

Not sure how practical it is but this table covered with shells is certainly a conversation piece.

This display of authentic Amazonian Indian headpieces stopped me in my tracks!  My husband, with American Indian in his blood, loved it!  The feathers had such vibrant colors and each piece was so artfully crafted. It was better than a museum because you could handle them 
if you wanted to.

There is always something new every time I visit.  Treasures galore!  Love.

Where do you go to look for treasure?  Do you have any favorite haunts?  Any great spots for bargains?  Do share.

Tybee Here I Come!

IKEA.  When our closest IKEA store opened a few years ago it was announced in a huge headline by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  What?  I thought it was strange that they 

should herald one store opening.  What's the big deal?

For weeks it was reported that you needed to make an appointment to see the new IKEA store.  The lines were so long that you had to have a reservation to get in.  Really?  I thought it was strange that anyone would be willing to stand in line just to see a store.

Then I went to IKEA....

And then I got it.  Love at first sight.  This is the perfect place to shop for high style-reasonable quality- low budget goods that don't have to last for a lifetime.  Perfect for our beach house.

It took a couple extra days to obtain a U-Haul truck--seems that June is a busy month for many people to move.  No matter how many times I have driven a big truck, it always seems to be a little nerve-wracking especially when I have to drive to Midtown Atlanta!  This pictures captures my feelings pretty well!

 It was mid-week and the hubs was not available to drive me since he was working so I asked Loretta to go with me for moral support and because she is very strong (IKEA is self-service.)

We shopped my list and thankfully, Marvin, one of IKEA's finest, was available and came to our aid.   Good thing because we had 4 huge, heavy shopping carts to maneuver!  Marvin loaded the big boxes onto the carts and helped us get everything to the cash register. 

 Then Tiffany checked us out at the cash register.

 Did I mention there was a lot of stuff?

Oh yeah...gotta pay.

At long last we got our things out and loaded onto the truck.  A nice employee came over and offered to assist Loretta in getting the larger pieces on the truck.

And we managed to get out of Atlanta before rush hour!  Next comes loading all the Tybee goods that are at home--then the drive to Doc Holiday!  Tybee here I come!

Shop What You've Got!

Coast Awhile Cottage is a biggie--5 bedroom house and a 1 bedroom apartment all under one roof!  It took a lot of hunting and gathering to fill it up!  When the house was ready for decorating, Jane Coslick and I placed the furniture in the rooms and then we put most of the decor items in one spot--like a store where we could "shop" what we needed.

 

Here is the Pillow Department...

 

 

The Bedding Department (some of the fabric remnants I got at a sale are there waiting to be made into pillows...

 

 

Let there be light...the Lamp Department

 

 

Mirrors and Artwork Department

 

 

And last but not least,  Hooks (an important thing for beach houses)

 

I'm crazy about my fishbone hook!

 

It is good to lay everything out so you can see what you have and what you still need.  Sometimes when you have a chance to play with all the pretties, you can come up with fresh ideas and combinations that you might not have considered at first.

 

Next post I want to finish up what we started in this post and this one as I show you how the living room at Coast Awhile Cottage turned out!

 

Window Shopping aka Shopping With Windows!

I am a good shopper...at least a good window shopper.  Back in the day when we were all young new homeowners, friends would call me to tell me what they needed and ask what I had seen.  I usually would have some good leads for them to follow and could narrow down the selections by store, style and price.

Now I window shop on my computer screen--maybe I should call it shopping with Windows!  I like it because you can find more options with less trouble and then once you've made your choice, you can find the best price and possibly an online coupon!  Even better--your purchases are delivered to your home and often with free shipping!  Can you tell I like a bargain?

Flash sale companies have become very popular--you know, companies that send you emails about discounted products that will be available for a very short time.  You can find some great deals but you have to be careful that you don't buy something just because it's a great deal--it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of a bargain and buy something you regret. 

Since I am remodeling a cottage, I joined a flash sale site called Antique Farm House that sells lots of "cottage-y" goodness.  I get an email each day with temptations galore and most of the time I let them pass by...

Until yesterday, when I saw this sale called   "Funky Ceramic" ...

Ceramic deer head with holes for antlers--available for desk top or to hang on the wall--you supply the twigs for antlers!

It's quirky but attractive and I could see myself using it at Christmastime in our cottage or even at my primary residence to lighten up a more formal mood.

These cups also caught my fancy!  I could just imagine how much fun they would be to use with my grandchildren...if they drank all their milk they would get to the dog, horse, pig, or rabbit in the bottom of their cup!

How fun is this?!

Here are a couple of other items I am drawn to in this collection...

Gives new meaning to "dog bowl"--great idea for the spot where someone empties their pockets or leaves the spare keys to the car.

For all the owl-lovers!

Cute twist on the traditional monkeys doing "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".

Just thought I'd share this with you...these items may still be for sale--sometimes 
Antique Farmhouse leaves the sales open for 2-3 days.  If you think you might enjoy shopping for cottage-y goodies that you haven't seen anywhere else, then have a look!  This link will take you to an invitation to join!  Happy window shopping!

Big, Bold, Colorful and Happy--Thanks Bellamy!

Don't you love beautiful art?  My mom started our art collection when she painted a picture for me and my husband as a wedding present.  

Through the years we have purchased paintings when traveling as a special remembrance of a wonderful trip and we also have collected paintings of our hometown of Savannah.  It always gives me a little lift when I look around my home and see them!

 Back in October when my husband asked what I wanted for my birthday I said I wanted a Bellamy Murphy painting.  I'd been checking her blog, looking at her website and admiring her work for a while and she had become a favorite artist of mine--her work makes me feel good and it evokes such strong feelings in me of growing up along the coast!

Here are a few images used with Bellamy's permission from her blog--pictures of 
her paintings...

"Marsh Near The Isle of Hope"

"Snapper and All"

"Oyster"

All of her work "speaks" to me so I had a difficult time making a choice but I finally decided 
to go with this painting....

"May Day"

Bellamy had painted a smaller version of "May Day" that was on display in her studio and it was perfect for us (mine is 40" x 50"--a good size for our cottage). 

Here's a photo of my birthday present standing on her easel...

The yellow chair in front of the painting is the style we are planning to use at the dining table.

This painting will be the focal point across the room when you walk in the front door.  I wanted it to be big, bold, colorful and happy--with all the beachy colors I want to use in the cottage.  

I think I chose well!  How do you like it?

 

A Little Shopping! What Would You Choose?

It won't be long before the electrician will be starting his job and he will want to know where to place the dining room chandelier.  Since I want to hang it over the center of the dining room table I need to select one so I will have the dimensions.  

I went to the IKEA website and decided to go with a rectangular table that extends.

Which one do you like?

 

My favorites were Stornas in the antique stain (top left) and Ingatorp in white (top right).  Don't you just love the names IKEA gives its products?

And the winner is.....

 

Ingatorp!  

It has pretty legs and it is a bit narrower than Stornas.  Since you need about 3 feet for each chair to pull out and have room to seat someone, narrow is good. Also, in small spaces it is good to let furniture take up less room visually--since the walls will be white, a white table will blend into the background a bit and make the room feel bigger.

Now I need to cross my fingers and hope they still carry it when I can get there to buy it! 

On the Way to Wonderful!

It's taken a long time but our second bedroom at the little Coral Cottage has finally been completed!  Jane Coslick has taught me a lot about how to relax and mix colors.  It's more interesting if everything does not match. This bedroom uses white, blue, lime and coral and the combo is very fresh looking.

We hung white grommeted Merete curtains purchased from IKEA.  Then we put white matelasse quilts on the beds. 

Jane found some beautiful bllue pillows at Home Goods and some smaller lime/citron pillows at Target that we used on the beds.

 

When shopping in Buford, GA at The Queen of Hearts flea market I found this nightstand.  At first I thought we would use it in the sitting area on the sun porch but it seemed to  be meant for this bedroom between the beds.  The lamp was a Target find.

I need to buy some Shabby Chic gathered bed skirts from Target so we can complete the beds. These things along with the coral dresser and the hand-painted window art are all the elements that we settled on to finalize the design.  I'll show you the finished room next time.

It All Comes Together!

After months of remodeling, waiting, planning, waiting, shopping, waiting, painting furniture, and waiting--at long last it is time to put this bedroom together!  I have a very small space to work with in the front bedroom at the Coral Cottage and I had to be selective about what furnishings to use.

So far I have saved and restored this dresser.  Click this link to see the BEFORE. 

I also have this beautiful work of art--a gift from Jane Coslick.

Now it is time for beds!  It is amazing how much the mattress stores will negotiate price with you especially if you are buying several.  I think I will comparison shop from now on when it is time to buy mattresses.  The company I used for the Coral Cottage was called Sit and Sleep.

They brought the last pieces of the puzzle--- twin beds with bed frames.

Once the deliverymen left, Jane and I wasted no time playing with all the pretties to see what would work.  I'll show you next time!