The In-laws are coming ~

My in-laws are coming for a visit next week.  They have lived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for

over 25 years, but recently moved to Atlanta, GA to be closer to my sister-in-law. 

Their anticipated visit has been a great excuse for me to freshen up the guest bedroom.

I recently posted about adding some 'blues' in my dining room, and now I've added them to the guest room too.  These shams and curtains were a birthday gift to myself from Pottery Barn.  I've never used blue in decorating, but I'm really starting to like it!

This bed belonged to my husband growing up and used to be brass, but I spray painted it black about 10 years ago.

The chest of drawers in here was one my brothers used in their bedroom growing up.  

It belonged to my dads family.  I have no idea how old it is, but it's pretty rickety.  

I've often thought about painting this piece, maybe a blue?  I've always had a hard time

painting old furniture that has been passed down to me from my parents.  It seems

a little wrong to change the authenticity. 

(With that said, I'm working on a piece that I've wanted to paint for over 20 yrs. I'll post about it soon.)

Look at the detail.  They don't make furniture like this anymore, do they?

 Most of the pictures/accessories in here have special meaning to me.  They are either

pieces that remind me of the MS Gulf Coast where I grew up, or things I inherited

from my dad when he passed away a couple of years ago.

The dog on the chest belonged to my dad.  He always liked dogs and we had several 

different ones growing up.  This piece has been around as long as I can remember.

This dog statue survived Hurricane Katrina, but my dads house didn't.  He had to re-build.

 This plate above the mirror is also something I kept from my dad.  It was a souvenir from 

Watoga State Park in West Virginia.  My dad was born in West Virginia and we 

vacationed at the State Park.

 The other pieces in the room are reminders of the Coast.  Two of the black and white photos 

were a gift from Ken Murphy, a photographer on the Coast.

These photos are my kids playing on the beach when we visited.

 And, lastly, the print on top is a drawing of Scenic Drive in Pass Christian, MS.  Much 

of this beautiful area has changed since the hurricane.  This was a gift from my in-laws 

years ago, and a real treasure.

This framed picture is one I took out of a book.  It's a magnolia, the MS state flower.

 We have a magnolia tree in our backyard.  I cut off one of the branches for in here.

Looking forward to our visit.  I hope they'll feel right at home!

I'm linking to the following parties:

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Creative Writing ~

My son came home from school the other day with a black and white photo of his hands.  He said it was a project his teacher did in class that involved taking a picture of every students hands while they were writing their names.  I thought it was a cool black and white photo and decided to frame it.  

(Love that he's wearing his silly bandz....I think he's since outgrown these?)

I liked the idea so much, I decided to have my daughter pose while writing her name.

 Here's hers framed.

Seemed only fair that they each have a spot on my newly "tweaked" entry gallery wall.

I'm linking to the following parties: 

Under $100 linky party at Beyond the Picket Fence

 Flaunt It Friday at Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Dining Room Progress

Do you ever get so far with updating a room and then just let it sit until the next creative idea strikes you?  That's where I am with our dining room.  I've made some changes, but it doesn't quite feel complete.  I think most good designers tell you a room shouldn't look like you pulled it all together at once, a room should look like it was developed over time, right??? 

This is a before (please excuse my daughter's bday decorations)

 And after...

As you can see I went with lighter walls and lighter curtains that I posted about here.  

(Sorry for all the light from the window, but we don't dare complain about sun shining in the NW :)

  This is my moms silver.  I like having it out on display.

 I got this mirror last week at Joann's.  It was on clearance, marked down to $20 from $69.99! 

There's a tiny scratch on it.  Can you see it?  I couldn't either.

 This is the side of the room that's bothering me.  It's a little too plain.

The tablescape needs a little love too.  Since I introduced some blue into the room with 

the curtains, I also want to incorporate some blue into the tablescape eventually.

I bought these plates at the Goodwill for $1 each (set of 8).

Hope you enjoyed the tour of my incomplete dining room.  

My in-laws are coming to visit in a couple of weeks, so I've moved on to sprucing up the guest room. 

Have a great week!

I'm partying with:
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays 

Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Becca at Blue Cricket Design for Show and Tell