Foyer & Staircase Redo

Hello everyone!

I hope that you had a good weekend.  It was nice to finally get some much needed rain and cooler temps here.  Our grass is smiling big now!

  Since it rained most of the day on Saturday, I decided to do some painting inside.  I have been wanting to get rid of the orange/brown color stain on my stair treads for a long time.  I finally got up the nerve to get my white paint out and just tackle it!  My knees are feeling it now too!  But, I'm very happy with the outcome.  Here is what my stair case looked like before.

I was getting ready to paint them in this picture.  That's why the furniture is pulled away from the wall.  

And here is what it looks like now.

I'm completely smitten with the new cleaner look!  Good-bye ugly stain color that did not match anything in my house!  Hello glossy white that fits right in!

Here is a view from the front door.

See?  White is right!

  You may also have noticed that I did some swapping around of other things too.  I swapped my blue and white knit rug (that was in the foyer) for this grey and white one (that was in my bathroom).  I also swapped my blue chest (that was in the foyer) for the white chest (that was in the sitting room).  Did you follow that?  

I changed some of the accessories around as well.  I added texture to all the white by bringing in curly willow on a wooden pedestal and a wall basket filled with greenery.

Even my dining room got some changes with an ottoman in place of a chair and some striped pillows.

Who knew that just by changing the color of my stair treads that so much else would get changed as well?    One thing always seems to lead to another.

Of course, now I keep asking myself why I waited so long to do this!  Isn't that always the way?  I had the paint on hand and everything else so this was zero dollars redecorating!

Hope you have a great Monday!

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Dian Mayasari ~ 

Industrial Style Faucet

Happy Friday!

I wanted to share my newest love with you today.  Can you really "love" a faucet?  Well, I'm here to say you can!  I loved my old faucet (which was an oil rubbed bronze bridge style) but the sprayer that came with it stopped working properly.  I use the sprayer a lot so that was an important feature to have.  So, as I was contemplating just replacing the sprayer, I started looking at new faucets altogether.  That's normal isn't it?  Anyway, I have always thought about what I would have in a new house (in the future) so I thought about this faucet!  It must've been meant to be  since my consignment store check covered the cost of it too.  So, it was practically free!

This is the faucet that I got.

What makes this faucet so nice is the double sprayer mechanism in the faucet part itself.  One button (which is also the default) is an aerated spray.

The other button is a hard spray.

I like that the sprayer is attached  by a spring instead of a flexible tube, too,  since I've tried some with the flexible tube (that pulls out of the faucet mechanism) and they don't always retract all the way back up.  This one fits back into a slot.  

The other thing I love is the built in soap dispenser that came with it!

I spend a lot of time in this kitchen, so anything that makes it more enjoyable is a plus in my book.

And, just in case you want one too, you can find it HERE.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Dian Mayasari ~

Linking to:  Best of the Weekend

Share Your Style Party #19

Hello everyone!

I hope you're having a nice week so far.  It has been very hot here, but I believe things will finally start cooling down in the next few days.  Thank goodness!  I'm so happy that you're here and I look forward to seeing what you're sharing this week.  Barbara from 21 Rosemary Lane is your host this week.

Hi everyone and welcome back to another Share Your Style link up party! This week your party hostess is me, Barbara from 21 Rosemary Lane, and I am absolutely thrilled to be here hosting. Remember there are 7 other blogs also hosting this party so when you link up with one host you will be linking with all 8 of us from the Share Your Style team!!

 Sherry @ No Minimalist Here

Debra @ Common Ground 

Barbara @ 21 Rosemary Lane

Lynn @ The Vintage Nest 

Dian Mayasari @ Dian Mayasari Style 

Martina @ Northern Nesting

Ron @ Uptown Acorn 

Amanda @ Dixie Delights

Myself and our little family are spending a few lovely days relaxing at the beach enjoying the surf and sun, so there was plenty of time for me to sit and peruse through all of your fabulous links from last week's SYS party.

This week I am coming to you

Well summer is off and running and so is the incredible amount of inspiration from all who linked up to SYS #18. There was an amazing number of creative DIY projects, room makeovers, recipes, fun ideas and much more from last week's party, that I really had a tough time narrowing down just what to highlight. So without further ado, here are a few links I hope you will enjoy checking out!

From Beyond the Portico Sheila shared some tips on how she created this darling throw pillow for her screened in porch.

The Curator's Collection revived two gorgeous 1920's chairs with MMS Milk paint and a grain sack striped upholstered seat cover for a romantic shabby look.

 Another chair makeover came from A Stroll Thru Life. Marty was brave enough to remove the rush seats from two of her beautiful 1972 dining room chairs and replaced them with stunning new seat cushions. She gives a wonderful step by step tutorial on just how to achieve this look.

Michele from The Joyful Home shared her sister's stylish formal living room of which she helped to decorate with some of these beautiful elements.

 Back Porch Musings enjoyed a delicious scoop of French vanilla ice cream with a fresh strawberry and some milk chocolate pretzel bark, all in a pretty yard sale glass. Now how simple yet elegant does that look?

And finally Julie from A Little Farmstead shared the most adorable old fashion baseball themed birthday party for her 6 year old son.

Complete with hot dogs, Coca-Cola, the cutest party favors you ever saw, a rousing game of baseball and even a Babe Ruth cardboard cut-out to help welcome guests to the party.

If your link was featured this week please make sure to take our "Featured My Style" button to proudly display on your blog.

Now on with this week's party. Please remember to have a link back to one of our 8 hosts and to be a bit of a social butterfly by visiting some of the other party goers!

XO



An InLinkz Link-up

Cool Summer Sheets

Hello everyone!

Recently, I was contacted by Perfect Linens to review some sheets.  These aren't just your standard sheets that are sold in stores either.  Nope!  These are extremely well made, well designed sheets that have a lot of science put into them that make them  amazing to sleep on!  

So, the first sign that they were going to be special was how they arrived.  They believe in a good presentation.  Fed ex delivered them promptly and lots of soft tissue paper greeted me when I opened the box!

It truly feels like you're opening a gift.  Lots of care instructions and a bottle of linen wash were included with this package.

These sheets should be washed using a gentle linen wash.  Standard laundry detergents are too harsh and should be avoided.

These are the sheets that I received.

The sheets are called "second skin" because that is what they feel like.  They are silky soft and have a nice sheen to them.  I found they were generously sized so I had plenty of sheet to cover my mattress and myself.

One of the first things I noticed was the embroidery on the sheets.  It goes all the way through to both sides.

These sheets are very comfortable and keep me from getting too hot while I sleep at night.  I may never go back to my old sheets again!

Here are some facts about Perfect Linens and why they are so unique.

What Makes Perfect Linens Unique, and Why Should You Shop For Sheets with Perfect Linens?

1) We use state-of-the-art technology to find superior, most-comfortable sheets.  We combine it with over 25 years of experience selling sheets to the best retailers in the world. 

2) We are the only retailer that tests how sheets feel after they have been washed. Buying sheets on PerfectLinens is therefore more reliable than buying sheets at a store, even after feeling them.

3) Nobody knows sheets like we do, because we specialize in simply bed sheets. This is unlike most retailers, who sell 500 types of products.

4) We are sheet curators. We don't want shoppers to have to go through hundreds of products, dozens of websites, trying to figure out what material, what weave, what thread count works best. We offer a simple selection so shoppers can be sure they're getting the best."

5.) More tests are underway and more products are coming!

So, if you would like to give these sheets a try, contact them HERE.  They are offering my readers a $50 discount too!  Just use the discount code:  Essence21

I promise you will not be disappointed!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Dian Mayasari ~

Friday Ramblings

Hello everyone!

Are you glad it's Friday?  I'll be honest.  Since I'm on a summer schedule (of no school for my son) I find myself losing track of what day it is from time to time.  But, I do like Friday's since everyone seems to be more in "weekend mode" thinking. 

Today, I wanted to just share a few different things so I titled this post as "ramblings" since that is mostly what it is.  

Our garden is doing very well!  We've already used our first tomato from it and cooked some squash last night from it.

 I forgot to take a picture of the squash before I cut it but here is how I like to prepare it.  

I cut the squash into slices.

Then I dip it in an egg and milk mixture.  Then, coat it in a corn meal and flour mixture.  

Then place the slices in a pan of hot oil.

Cook until lightly browned.  Pull them out onto a platter covered in paper towels.  That's it!  I know it's not the healthy version of boiled or roasted, but this is the southern way!  We don't eat squash year round and we rarely fry our food, so it is a treat to eat it this way.  

Recently, I decided to try my hand at growing real succulents!  I found these at the grocery store (of all places) and set them on my wooden pedestal in the kitchen.  

The scale that was on here moved to another area in the kitchen.  I've heard that these are easy to take care of so I thought I would give them a try.  They are so unique looking!

I've heard that the key to having these do well is not to over water them.  Let the soil become almost completely dry before watering them and give them sufficient sunlight.  

If these don't make it, then I'll just go back to the "fakes" that I've always had good luck with.  LOL!

And last but not least, I'm loving these lilies that are finally in bloom around my yard now.  

They are in our back yard and beside our driveway.  Sometimes, they don't bloom much, but this year they decided to make a grand appearance!

By the way, are any of you enduring the heat wave that Georgia has been in for a while?

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  OMG!  Folks, it's not just hot ..............it's d#@ hot!!!!!!  I am at "the age" that can't tolerate heat very well (if you know what I mean) so I'm not a happy girl right now.  Thank God for air conditioning and small personal fans.  Oh, and ponytails.  I have thick curly hair so I HAVE to keep it off my neck right now.

My poor dog, Max, is a Boston Terrier and is very sensitive to the heat because of his short snout and black fur.  So, I'm sure he would love it if I could let him do this after going outside to play.

source

So, if you're having pleasant temps of the 70's, count your blessings!  And could you please pass them over here?  

Hope you all have a great weekend and a nice Father's Day to all the men in your life.

~ Dian Mayasari ~  

Share Your Style Party #18

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to the party tonight.  I'm hoping to see many "cool and refreshing" ideas shared here this week since it has been so hot here in Georgia.  We have been in a heat wave all week and it doesn't look like it's going to end any time soon.  So, share something that will put some "wind in my sails"!  This week, Debra from Common Ground is your host.

 



Hi Everyone, 

Welcome to Share Your Style!

Thanks for coming over to party with us this week, and sharing all your great ideas, diy's, vignettes, recipes, inspiration, summer home tours, and decor; just about anything that is style related. 

I'm Debra from Common Ground 

and I'm your host for this week's party!

When you link up here

you're seen on 8 great blogs.

In case you missed what I was up to this last week, I found one of my favorite "little girls" and placed her in the Dining Room, and then decided a small white table would be fun to keep a seasonal vignette on in the kitchen. Yay, one more place to decorate!

Features From Last Week:

You all had some great links last week,

 here are a few that I wanted to share with you.

Ellen from Scribbler Unfocused gave us a sneak peek 

into her fabulous Living Room transformation,

 She's an expert in bringing  "color" together!

You'll love this fun little cupboard re-do

from Vicki at 2 Bees In A Pod

Check out Doreen's wonderful Summer Home Tour

at Hymns and Verses.

Lynda at Gates of Crystal

shares a Simple Upholstery Update.

Browse the "Summer Notebook" from Michael Lee at Rattlebridge Farm.

She has beautiful inspiration for Summer tables and several wonderful recipes.

and...

Perfect for a lazy weekend,

Tara from Lehman Lane

shared her Nana Kay's Homemade Waffles

We're so glad you're here,

thanks for joining in!

please have a link within your post to be featured.

Let's get on with some Summer Party Time!!

An InLinkz Link-up

A New Use for a Closet

Hello everyone!

I mentioned in an earlier blog post that I was going to be using my spare bedroom closet for something that I've needed for a long time.  But, before I share that with you, I thought about all of the other cool ideas I could've done with it.  In fact, it would've been much more photo worthy than what I ended up doing with it!

I could've turned it into a compact office.  

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Or a sewing area (if I sewed!)

source

Or maybe just an extra seating area.

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I liked this idea as a place to store wrapping paper and ribbon.

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Yes, there were so many possibilities that I could've gone with.  

I painted the closet interior and added another shelf.

And now, the moment has come to do something wonderful with it.

Are you ready to see it?

Ta Da!  I used it for all my decorative throw pillows that I've been storing in the attic.  It was such a hardship to go up into the attic and sift through bags and bags of pillows whenever I wanted one.  So, now they are neatly organized in this closet from top to bottom (literally)!

So, needless to say, this closet will not be open for viewing.  The doors will stay closed! 

Anyone know of a good pillow sale going on right now?  I don't think I have enough.  

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Dian Mayasari ~