I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything… here’s the latest in the furniture category. Remember that old un-upholstered chair in one of my “Love at First Gasp” posts? (click here to see it) Well, I found one almost like it on Craigslist recently for just $5. Yup! The ad said my chair is from the 1920’s. You can see the inspiration “Love at First Gasp” photo on the left below and my fantastic new find on the right. This is me making lemonade out of lemons – a tight budget is always more challenging, but THAT much more fun.

I don’t know about you, but I see beauty in roughed-up furniture pieces. To me they are ever more beautiful in their beat-up, distressed condition. If you don’t share my tastes then bummer for you, but I look at these 2 chairs below I see beauty! Hope you’re inspired.

I’ve been on the hunt for a doormat for a while now. This list is the result of all my searching. These doormats really are the cream of the crop, in my opinion. Such wonderful finds in this top 10 doormat list… I love them all! I’m leaning towards #6 (the Pink Cosmos Bed, Bath & Beyond Doormat) for myself. Reasons: tight budget & my life lately is in much need of some girly pink. What girly girl couldn’t use a little more pink, don’t you agree? If budget wasn’t restricting me then #4 (the Delightful Doormats – Crown from Wisteria) would be my top pick. I’m really into that heavy-weight coir material that most of these rugs are made of. I’ve had one in the past that shed a whole lot, but I’d still buy another – they’re so beautiful. There are two rope doormats & even a cast iron one in this list that have won my heart. All lovely in their unique ways. Which is your favorite?

1. Telegraph Hill Doormat: $27.99, purchase at www.modcloth.com
2. Coir Knot Doormat: $19, purchase at www.potterybarn.com
3. Garden Party Doormat: $24.95, purchase at www.crateandbarrel.com
4. Delightful Doormats – Crown: $34, purchase at www.wisteria.com
5. Ocean Plait Rope Doormat: $50, purchase at www.etsy.com/shop/KnoticallyInclined
6. Pink Cosmos Doormat: $9.99, purchase at www.bedbathandbeyond.com
7. Who’s There Doormat: $24, purchase at www.chiasso.com
8. Delightful Doormats – Compass: $34, purchase at www.wisteria.com
9. Half-Moon Large Cast Iron Doormat: $42.99, purchase at www.overstock.com
10. Birdie Doormat: $38, purchase at www.chiasso.com

Ok, so Princess Meme (my 4-year-old) wanted her bedroom pink. I’m almost at the point where I can embrace that idea happily… something in me has just never been a fan of pink walls. So, before I completely give in to her persistent request I’d like to feature her room while it’s still the gray that mama chose. I’m a HUGE fan of gray walls. I told Meme that she got a pink chandelier instead & that there’s pink in her bedding & curtains. For some reason, she’s still not sold on the idea that her room has enough pink in it. Ugh! Thank God Princess Shiloh (age 2) is too little to have a say or else I could be outnumbered in favor of the pink.

So, let me tell you what I like about their shared bedroom. For starters, all the mix-match. I love mixing & matching. I like that each girl doesn’t have the exact same pillows on their beds. I like that their night stands don’t match. I like that their rugs don’t match. Are these things similar in a way? Yes. Similar, I can do. Matchy-matchy I can’t. Matchy-matchy makes me want to scream, no offense to you matchy folks. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, remember?

If you’re dying to know: the duvet covers are from my beloved Target. The curtains are from Pier 1 – got them on clearance. The mix-matched pillows are from the local Goodwill (my 2nd favorite place to shop other than Target). The rugs are from Brazil – just a random little bedding store in a city called Valinhos (I have family that lives there). The beds are from a guy in Fort Lauderdale named Ray that sells second-hand furniture – mostly through Craigslist. Oh, the picture frames are thrift store finds as well. Unless it’s a gift for someone I don’t buy frames new – NEVER! Waste of money. I can buy a perfectly good frame at the Goodwill for $2 (or less) that would cost $10-$15 new. Trust me, being thrifty is always better.

Happy Saturday! Hope you’re inspired today

Super COOL! My “gallery wall” got featured today on Apartment Therapy’s site. Woo-hoo! My friend Reina texted me the good news just a little while ago. I’m so delighted! This made my day. They featured it for the indoor mailbox. Sure… whatever they feature is fine by me, I’m just delighted to be featured there. That site has brought me SO much inspiration in the past. I’m happy to return the favor! Check out what they wrote about my mailbox idea: here (By the way, don’t mind the not-so-nice comments.) In life there are ALWAYS mean comments – nothing new, nothing worth losing sleep over either! Click here to see my post on the indoor mailbox. Hope to inspire you!

Not only is this love at first gasp photo awesome because it’s just awesome… it also has floating bookshelves, like the ones in my tutorial. Super cool! I’m seriously tempted to recreate the book-pages-wall look in maybe the powder room in our home? Hmmm… I can’t decide which wall to do this to. It’s just so fun looking. Would require A LOT of tape and a very boring book, one not worth rereading. I hope to one day have a before & after photo showing you where I recreated this wall in my home, but today I’ll only share the idea with you. It for sure would have to be a wall where the air conditioning vent is NOT directly aimed at… LOL! That would get annoying very quickly. Can you tell I have an air conditioning vent aimed at a wall in our home, I confess, I do.

Like I’ve already mentioned – I love the floating bookshelves in this photo. So me! The little side table is just precious. I like how the inside back wall is darker than the rest of the table… such a small detail, but it adds so much character to the little table. The girl in the photo is pretty too – I guess as this photo was intended maybe she was the focus. To me the focus is the wall behind her, LOL! I do like her outfit – I’m currently on the hunt for skinny jeans. I’ve recently lost some weight & would feel comfortable wearing them now. I may hit the local Goodwill this week – praying to God that someone donated a pair just my size. Who knows! I’m not a boots gal – flats mostly, but I do like her boots as well. Hope you enjoyed this post!

Oooo… benches! So, originally I wanted this post to include only the kind of benches that you can pull up to a dining table, but I made it include ALL types of benches instead. The type you stick at the foot of the bed, the type you’d use in an entry or foyer, and yes, the type that can pull up to a dining table for that cozy picnic feel. These are benches selected only for their looks – with no cap on price, space or size (makes it more fun that way, doesn’t it?). My favorite from this list depends on the mood I’m in… if you can understand that! They are all in a way a favorite of mine or they wouldn’t be in this list. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Who knows, maybe you’ll even end up feeling inspired!

(If you enjoy these top 10 blog posts, click the “top 10″ category link in the right column of this blog & you’ll see my top 10 picks for sofas and headboards. Enjoy!)

By the way, don’t forget to sign up for my first blog photo card giveaway. To enter, click here.

1. Jacoby Bench: $798, purchase at www.anthropologie.com
2. Petal Tufted Bench: $699, purchase at www.horchow.com
3. Reclaimed Wood Bench: $530, purchase at www.surthrival.etsy.com
4. Malaro: $69.99, purchase at www.ikea.com
5. Seagrass Bench: $399, purchase at www.potterybarn.com
6. Blue Bench: $1,500, purchase at www.horchow.com
7. Bowery Bench: $1,095, purchase at www.jaysonhomeandgarden.com
8. Vintage Wooden Bench: $699, purchase at www.wisteria.com
9. Linen Tufted French Bench: $349, purchase at www.wisteria.com
10. Village Black Armless Bench: $399, purchase at www.crateandbarrel.com

So, my “Ask me a Question” blog section was a total FLOP! No big. Live & learn, Fern! Maybe one day if my blog audience is larger more people will have need for that section & I may bring it back. For now, it’s adios! I think what you, my blog readers, would enjoy more than an “Ask me a Question” section is a “Blogroll” section. So, let’s link away folks! Send me an email at 31everything[at]gmail.com if you’d like to be included in my blogroll. There are a few of you out there that are regulars & I’ll link to your automatically – unless you don’t want me to, in that case please let me know via email too.

I’m doing my very 1st giveaway! My Etsy shop is called Thirtyonedesigns. There’s a link to it in the right column of this blog. That’s where (if you don’t already know) I sell custom photo cards. This Etsy shop has been such a blessing to me. Here are some samples:

To ENTER this custom photo card design GIVEAWAY, you:

1. Leave a comment in this post with your name & email address
2. Follow me on Twitter
3. Tell me which is your favorite design in my Etsy shop
4. Tell me which design you would like to WIN

Fine print info (LOL!): My photo cards are for all occasions – from birthday parties to birth announcements to save the date cards… if you DON’T have an occasion for me to design a card for right now, I can “save” your winning/prize for a time that you DO have an occasion. Also, if you like the design of a birth announcement card, for example, but you would like the text & colors tweaked to make that design a birthday invitation, it’s SO doable. Just tell me what you’d like & I can make it happen.

The WINNER will be announced here in a blog post on Monday, May 17th. I’ll put all the names in a box & let me 4-year-old pick a name. Winner will email me at: thirtyonedesigns[at]gmail.com with their photo card specifics.

I hope you all enter! I’m looking forward to this giveaway!

What a beauty! Who would’ve thought that so much gray could look so romantic! Such a sweet room. I imagine that either this is a single woman’s bedroom or possibly a guest room. Imagining that it’s the latter, wouldn’t you feel honored to stay in such a room? So precious. So cozy & homey. Wouldn’t even matter to me if the mattress was comfy or not, the room is just pretty to look at & that works for me! I’m one that, when it comes to decor, I’m willing to give up comfort for beauty. I wish I could say that about my diet… ah, that’s another topic! I’m working on that.

If you’re a sucker for quilts as I am, you’ll cherish this simple bedding. It reminds me of the movie “Little Women” – set in the late 1800s. I conclude that quilts are timeless. Pottery Barn just had them in this month’s catalog. The mix-matched pillows are the perfect combo with the quilt. Each pillow so well chosen. This is the first time I’m seeing lace at the foot of a bed like this. I just love it! How clever… I was brought up with lace table clothes & table runners. My mom always had the most delicate handmade lace. At the foot of the bed is new to me & I like it!

Also worth pointing out in this photo: the linen curtains, the pillar/column end table, the rustic metal stool on top of the table, ALL the books (I love books!)… there’s so much to be admired in this room. What’s your favorite part?

Photo from: www.loveyourchaos.tumblr.com

Wait! I know what you’re thinking. No, this is not a clothing or fashion related blog – it’s a furniture, home decor one! BUT, I must share Taylor’s Closet with you. It’s a beautiful organization started by a 14-year-old girl, Lindsay, that gives brand new, donated designer clothes to girls in the South Florida foster care system in a gorgeously renovated, donated building for FREE! You can totally re-read that sentence if you need to… pretty remarkable, isn’t it? I had the privilege of helping decorate this gorgeous donated building and am excited to share some of the finished photos with you. I worked with Lindsay (Taylor’s Closet Founder), Linda (Lindsay’s mom & Taylor’s Closet Executive Director) & Shannon (Taylor’s Closet Designer & Artist)… super fun group of women to decorate with! They are all Anthropologie-and-Urban-Outfitters-loving women like me!!! I thoroughly enjoyed this project. Not to mention the greater good in it all – helping to love on precious foster girls!

Check out these BEFORE photos…

Now brace yourself for some of the AFTER photos…

Amazing isn’t it? The goal with the decor in this building was a welcoming, upscale, girly, Anthropologie-like space where foster girls could get new clothes and feel like royalty doing it. Oh, and these photos don’t include ever room in the building – there’s still at least 7 other rooms that we just as beautifully decorated. Each as amazing as these shown above. The other rooms are more private rooms – mostly offices, just trust me on this one, they look remarkable too!

By the way, the black and white striped bathroom with the red chandelier is my favorite room in the whole building. So stinkin’ pretty! The decor in this bathroom makes me want to wear pretty high heels & put on shiny lipstick! And I’m a simple flats & neutral lip-gloss kind of gal! LOL! Do you see how a room’s decor can make you feel?

“Over 50 companies and individuals contributed over $250.000.00 to renovate this building” – quote from Taylor’s Closet’s website. Such a God-thing! What a beautiful vision God gave Lindsay for these foster girls. What greater beauty came out of her obedience and faith! No thrift store hand-me-downs for these foster girls – only the best… brand new donated designer clothes in a brand new gorgeous donated building and all for FREE! How divine!