fun friday finds!

It’s been a crazy week but I managed to sneak in a little treasure hunting during my son’s basketball practice at one of my favorite bargain hunting spots….TJ Maxx.  I can’t say I’m quite at the level of being a TJ Maxonista or Fashionista…or whatever their ads say, but I have scored some great deals at TJ Maxx and thought they had some really great home accessories this week!

Here are some pics of my favorites:

First is this cute driftwood inspired bathroom cabinet. The wire cubbies slide out and are lined with lightweight washable canvas fabric. Best part? $69.99

elementary school pride

Seriously? What the heck happened? Wasn’t it  just Halloween? I have been up and down I-5 and all over the place this week, so I haven’t been very good about getting new posts out. Sorry about that… but I do have several projects in the works but not finished, and at the rate I’m going I should have my house decorated for Christmas by February. 🙂

Yesterday I spent the afternoon teaching art to my son’s fifth grade class. I think this is my fifth or sixth year teaching art in our elementary school and it is so much fun. I won’t deny those lessons seem to pop up on the calendar when I have the least amount of spare time, but when I scramble into the classroom and see how excited the kids are to see me (okay, maybe its more because they get out of math) it makes it all worth it.

During yesterday’s lesson I held up one little boy’s project to show as a great example to the rest of the class and the look of pride on his face was priceless. He wasn’t the most confident “artist” in the room, but the feeling of accomplishment he immediately felt was awesome. I soon had several other students asking me to show the class their finished projects too. How cool is that? I love the way these kids aren’t afraid to try something new. They just go for it. The results can definitely vary, but at the end of the lesson they all have something they created on their own and are proud to share.

As adults we seem to lose a little of that confidence to try something new. Or maybe we don’t feel it’s okay to be proud of the work that we do. I know I can struggle with focusing on the flaws of my projects rather than feeling a sense of accomplishment when they are finished.

So tap into your elementary school self… take a look around and find something you’ve been meaning to try and go for it! Then be that kid tugging on the teacher’s sleeve to proudly show your work!

Happy friday!  I did sneak in some fun friday finds – so I will get those out later today!

two more trees

I love decorating for Christmas…and I do a lot of it. Unfortunately, my own house still needs a little more attention, but with Thanksgiving and both boys playing in basketball tournaments all weekend…I just didn’t have the time to finish it.  I did however, manage to hit the road and head up to my parent’s place yesterday to fulfill my annual tree decorating duty at their house. I don’t know how many years I’ve been decorating their tree or sometimes trees…probably as long as I’ve lived back in Washington. But its fun to do and always feels good to share a little Christmas spirit.

Their tree never looks exactly the same from year to year, sometimes we add something new and other years I just decide to rearrange and try something different. I guess I don’t always have a plan, but just start hanging “this” and working in some of “that” until it feels done. They have some gorgeous ornaments, so making it beautiful doesn’t take too much effort on my part!

Here are some pictures of one of their trees this year…Unfortunately, the sun was shining brightly through the window and making it tough to get good shots without a lot of glare. But it was sunshine in late November, so I won’t complain!

Need a little help with your holiday decorating? Contact me at kmillerinteriors@comcast.net.

fun friday finds!

Today is fun find friday, not to be confused with “black friday” or any other post-thanksgiving doorbuster frenzy.  Can you imagine those pictures? I think they might have resembled something closer to a crime scene photo than any kind of “fun find” 😉

As part of my fun finds series, once a month I would like to feature a small business and thought in honor of tomorrow’s Shop Small Business Saturday, this week would be a great time to feature one of my local favorites :  NEST Home & Gifts in Mill Creek Town Center. Susan Stone, the shop owner is a fellow Mukilteo resident (go MUK!), and I always love stopping in to see her and all of the beautiful things she has displayed in her store.

Here are some of my favorites:

First on the list has to be the new milk paint line by Miss Mustard Seed. I have been waiting  to try this paint for months and so excited that its available locally! The Nest is one of only two shops to carry this paint in Washington. The display cabinet shown is painted in the color Kitchen Scale and the inside another called Grainsack.  I picked up a box of Mustard Seed Yellow and will be posting a review soon!

Another great item that is new at the Nest is this line of very cool candles upcycled from wine bottles. LOVE these! The packaging is so clever with different wine varietals and smell amazing. Such a fun alternative to a bottle of wine for a hostess gift.

I just couldn’t take my eye of this wall…couldn’t decide which I loved more, the pair of sconces or the horses in this piece of art. The sconces have adorable numbered shades, but also include an extra set without the numbers if you want to switch them out for a different look. But the horses….I think they wanted me to take them home.  🙂

I have a set of “HIS” and “HERS” pillowcases by Faceplant and love them. Soooo soft… but look at this pair of Christmas cases. One reads “Merry” the other “Christmas”.

Have you heard of Sid Dickens tiles? They are collectible tiles handmade in Canada, and are just beautiful. They look amazing grouped together as a collection, or would be beautiful hung centered inside an open frame.

I love the colors of this tile:

You know me and great furniture…so I have to include this amazing piece. I love the combination of materials and THOSE CRATES! The possible uses for this table are endless…use it as a console, island, or project table. I would love this in my laundry room.

And finally…I’m thrilled to announce that you can currently find two one of a kind furniture pieces by beachglassblonde at the Nest! I’m so excited to have my work featured at such a beautiful shop! 

Happy Friday! Don’t forget to shop small business on Saturday!

giving thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays filled with family, football and pumpkin pie! It is also a great opportunity to take a moment and be thankful for all the blessings in my life. It’s easy with all of the hustle and bustle of every day to focus on the challenges we face, problems to solve or just things that need to be done. Today is the day to set that all aside, take a deep breath, and just be thankful…and I’m thankful for all of you!

Thank you for all of your support and taking the time to check in with me each day at beachglassblonde! I appreciate every comment, Pin on Pinterest, “Like” on Facebook, and every word of encouragement you have given me.  Thank you.

Wishing you and yours a great day!

jumping the gun…

Yep, I’m jumping the gun and decorating for Christmas.  I know there are a few of you out there that think you need to wait until after Thanksgiving – but I’m not one of them! I say bring on the SPARKLE!

Since our house was a mid-remodel disaster last Christmas, my decorating was limited to just the Santa basics… stockings and the kiddie tree.  It was actually kind of nice to take all the fuss out of the holiday, especially when it came to putting it all away. But the simplicity didn’t stick…and I’m ready to deck the halls!

So for the next few days I’ll be putting down the paintbrush and reacquainting myself with all my ornaments and other decorations.  I have a feeling all of the changes we’ve made around the house will spark some holiday changes as well. Hmmm…I may have to get crafty! Stay tuned!

fun friday finds!

It’s already time for another Fun Friday Finds! It seemed like I was just out cruising the aisles, but you won’t hear me complain about a short week or an excuse to shop!

I never really plan ahead on where I’m going to go looking…I just see whatever I have going on throughout the week leads me. This time I was inspired by a Friends and Family email from University Village in Seattle offering me a 20% off discount at participating stores. Why not? U Village is one of my favorite shopping spots and well, according to this email…we’re practically “family”.  🙂

There are so many great shops to choose from at University Village, many of my favorites have nothing to do with home decor. But I’ll make a special trip to go to Anthropologie. This store is just pure girly goodness. However, when everything in the store is 20 percent off – there were a few too many other “girlies” in my way!   But I battled…and managed to find more than a few great finds to share. Don’t worry, I won’t pull an Oprah and pretend some of these “favorite things” aren’t a splurge. (didn’t you love it when she would list $150 candle sticks and call them a great hostess gift?)

First on my list has to be the amazing knobs, pulls and other antique reproduction hardware they sell at Anthropologie. Love them and such an easy way to give personality to a dresser or other piece of furniture in need of a little lift.

Here is a sample of what they have to offer and a shot of some of my favorites. Most knobs are about $8 a piece, with the more ornate ones (like the blue detailed flower petal one) being a little higher, around $12.

“the table”

If you have been following my blog lately, you may have heard me mention “the table” a few times. It was a custom job I was working on for quite some time. Well that baby was delivered today! Woot Woot!!  Is it happy hour yet?!! 🙂

The table was a challenge for a few reasons, but mostly because I’m a little borderline neurotic (ok, fine Mom, not so little and maybe I’ve crossed the border) when it comes to having things look a certain way. I’ll fuss and tweak until it not only looks right, but feels right to me as well. This table took a lot of fussin’!  I had in my mind how I wanted it to look in the end… and I could see the potential. But it had a long way to go from point A to point B and there were a few battles in between.

The table definitely won a battle or two, my sander has the worn spots to prove it…but I’m proud to say I think I won the war.

Here is the table before:

and After:

rainy day dreamin’

 Happy Veterans Day! Thank you to all of our veterans and current brave men and women serving in our U.S. Military!

 

 

 

 

My mind wants to daydream today. I think I’m still trying to recover from a crazy weekend with great friends followed by the punishment of my workout at boot camp this morning. (ugh, still a bit nauseous)  Or maybe I’m just buzzing a bit from that last coat of polyurethane I just applied to the infamous table…

Whatever the reason, I’m spending a lot of time thinking about my business today and the wild ride I have been on the past several weeks. Starting this blog has been fun and a great way to spread the word about what I do and share some project ideas for others to try. I am absolutely loving it. But I really want more…

I’ve dreamed for years about opening my own shop. I’ve even named it a few times and have peeked in too many vacant buildings and storefronts to count. But there has never been the “just right” situation to make me take the leap. Both of my parents owned their own businesses while I was growing up, so I’m all too familiar with the time commitment it requires, and I just don’t think I can balance it all along with the current demands of my mom/taxi service job.

But my current set-up is too limiting… I want more.

I’ve spoken to a few local shops in the area about consigning my pieces. I think consigning  would be a great opportunity to do more of what I love, which is finding furniture with fabulous potential and making them beautiful again. But it’s really only a part of what I do. I still want more…

Or maybe I’m just a big dreamer… 🙂

I think for now I would like a corner somewhere…rent a little space within a current shop. A place that would allow me to mix new, old and upcycled together and create and offer the type of look I love. I’ve also read about small business owners running a type of retail co-op together within a larger space.   Hmmm…

All something to think about on this rainy day.

But for now, I need to check on that table and investigate the crash I just heard coming from the basement. I’m pretty sure there has been a nerf gun war casualty.

Happy Veterans Day!

fun friday finds!

Round 2 of fun friday finds! I’m loving this new addition to my blog…gives me a great excuse to get out there and shop! 🙂

This week I went to World Market. I’m a huge fan of this store, and think it’s a great place to pick up some inexpensive current trends to update your home.

Here are some cell phone shots of some of the things I liked:  (and yes, I look like a crazy person taking pictures all over the store)

Lamps! The mix and match options here are fantastic. Lighting is something many people overlook, but it is a very important functional and design element in your home.  But you don’t necessarily have to spend a fortune to get it! Here is a great example how a very simple lamp base (although very cool) can give you a different look by switching out the shade. I think the black shade looks amazing, and could see two of them on an entry table, console or buffet. Use the black now and then switch out to the linen or lighter colored shade for spring!

Lamp base: $ 59.99 reg. price

Shades: $19.99-$24.99 reg. price

How about this area rug? I love the color combination of grey, yellow and cream…but I’m instantly drawn to anything grey and yellow right now. Could be interesting decorating for Christmas 🙂

5’x 8′ Jacquard Cream Rug

$249.99 reg. price

New photo frames are a quick and easy way to make a change and they have some good ones right now at World Market. Here are some of my favorites…

Great colors and if you are sick of looking at the same family photos, they even have interesting photo prints already in them!

Isn’t the green one cool? Prices varied, but the 5×7 was $29.99 reg. price.

I hit the brakes when I went past this bar cart. Such a fun piece and currently on sale for $172.49…seriously!

Sloane Wine Bottle Bar Cart

And if you get the cart…you need to fill it 🙂

World Market is kind of like Macy’s, you shouldn’t pay full price for anything. If it isn’t on sale, it will be soon. Or they have some sort of coupon out there you should use. And with the money you save, you can buy more wine! 🙂

Happy Friday!