Guest Blogging with Style... and Stardust

Is everyone so psyched that the weekend is finally here?!  I am!  I have major plans for this weekend and all I can hope for is that I can accomplish 5 of the gazillion items on my list.  Since one of my plans is to finish up the guest bedroom project, I don't currently have a reveal to share with you.  I do, however have some exciting news.  Olga from Stardust - Decor & Style has asked me to create a guest post for her blog today.  I am super psyched and humbled that this fabulous blogger had even noticed my still-wet-behind-the-ears site.

Just a warning, if you check out her page, you will not want to leave!  It is jam packed with amazing transformations and tips by Olga and other guest bloggers like myself.  Here are a couple of my personal favorite posts by Olga:

Her Living Room - I heart the eclectic vibe going on

Her Hallway Transformation - Oh my goodness!  I may just have to "borrow" this idea somehow.

A HUGE thank you to Olga for offering me a guest post spot on her Amazing Blog!  So, take a gander and don't say I didn't warn you!  Very addictive!

~*Abigail*~

The Comeback of Paintable Wallpaper... Refinished Sidetable

Happy Tuesday!  I'm taking a week break from work and I am getting loads on my to do list crossed off.  It's amazing what 7 hours of no work and my daughter sent off to school will give me: precious alone time.  I am definitely taking advantage of it.

Did I ever tell you how much I love HomeGoods?  Did I?  Did I?  Oh yeah, I have...plenty of times.  Well, let me tell you again - I LOVE HOMEGOODS!  It seems I never walk out of that store empty handed.  During my last trip, I snatched up this baby before anyone else can see the unbelievable clearance tag attached to it.

I whistled and sang some happy "I just scored the best deal ever" tunes during my drive back home.  As I set her down inside the house, I saw this:

A humungo chunk of glass was missing from the bottom drawer!!!  Whhhaaaaaat???  By the time realization had set, I was fuming and bewilderedly yelling, "I can't afford to have that drawer face replaced!" (It's about a hundred bucks around here, kiddos - no joke)  "I can't fix that myself!"...or could I?

I had a light bulb moment and decided not to sweat the minor detail any longer.

Do you remember my Executive Desk Makeover?  I used a paintable wallpaper by Allen & Roth to cover up all the ugly.  I decided this is what's going to save that side table from being smashed into tiny bits from my frustration.

56 sq ft for $17 at Lowes.

I decided on covering all the drawer faces with this fabulous design.  I still have tons of this wallpaper left over from my desk project and I only needed to use a small portion of it.

Yes, I did this while watching some HGTV in my Living Room

 After some careful consideration, I opted to keep the wallpaper white.

 Here she is.  I do believe she looks even better than the original all glass design.  I've set her up in her temporary home in my formal living room until another room is all finished (hint: starts with Guest, ends with Room).

This took approximately 30 minutes from start to finish.

Now I can continue onto my happy dance...

~*Abigail*~

Where Did They All Go? Entertainment Organization Solution

I know, I know...  I haven't posted anything in over a week now.  It's been a little crazy around the Smitten household and I have finally found some down time to share a couple tips with you.  As you all know, coming up with an organizational master plan is not my area of expertise.  That's where my sister, Winnie from Fam Och in the Yukon steps in.  I am the one to find a gorgeous piece of furniture that I MUST buy and she is the one to ask "So... what's it for?"  "Isn't it pretty?" just won't cut it.  It must be functional to be top notch.  

In this instance, I found a small mirrored dresser for my Living Room and wasn't sure how I was going to fit all of my dvds into one dresser drawer since Mr. Smitten's gaming systems and video games already occupied two of them.  I was stumped and needed help.

Naturally, I called the organization guru and asked for a solution...

You've got to check out her ideas and tips on how to keep all that clutter organized and out of sight!  They work for any decor whether you are traditional, eclectic or modern.  Her post also shares pictures of the outcome of my dvd system.  

Also, stay tuned!  I have been asked to be a guest blogger over at the fabulous Olga's blog, Stardust - Decor & Style on some of my transformations.  I heart her blog!

~*Abigail*~

Color Palette Inspiration

It's Monday again tomorrow, folks and I wanted to close this weekend with a bit of sharing.  I've received a few emails from my fabulous followers asking me how I came up with the color palettes for each room makeover reveal that I've posted.

Do I go straight to my paint swatch book and start to randomly choose colors?   

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It helps quite a bit to tie all of my ideas together, but no, that's not where I pull inspiration from.  

I am inspired everyday by everything!  I am very observant by nature and what I'm drawn to, I catch it and keep it locked in my noggin (or my trusty iPhone camera roll) for safekeeping until it's ready to be put to use.

For my guest bedroom, I have a few key inspirations I'd like to share with you...

I've never been one to ask for jewelry as a present - that's one area of my life that I'm not too fussy about.  I have, however (for no apparent reason at all) always been smitten with these dainty little boxes and perfectly tied bows.  

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I absolutely love to garden!  There's something calming about being by myself and getting my hands elbow deep in dirt.  One of my favorite flowers is the tulip.  Although they don't last more than a few weeks here in Utah, I can always count on them to come back year after year to show me that warmer days are ahead.  As I was at Lowes the other week, I noticed a bag of bulbs with the prettiest orange and asked myself why I had never planted these.  Too late for the season, but not too late for a color add-on for the guest bedroom.

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After a much exhausting trip through Ikea on a Sunday afternoon, I bought my daughter a special treat for being so patient with me through the never ending arrows in that store (Mighty clever of them to have a snack bar located behind the cash registers).  Instead of giving in and buying one for myself, I noticed how simple, yet classic the color of vanilla ice cream was.

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With the technology we have today aka: the internet, you can't help but surf through thousands, if not millions of random pictures.  I came across this amazing piece of decor.  The design wasn't what I was drawn to, but the process it took to get to the finished product.  I am loving laser cut metal right now and I plan to somehow (no clue yet, but my determination never fails me) apply this to the scheme.  

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So there ya go.  A tiny insight on what makes my interior decorator heart skip a beat and a sneak peek of what my guest bedroom is going to look like.

Your turn!  Take a look around and tell me... 

What inspires you?

~*Abigail*~