Weekend Recap: Fixer Upper Chic

Saturday was CJM's first day home in over a week. He's been wanting to investigate the idea of building a live edge dining room table for us, and I've been needing to figure out a solution for our lack of drawers in our bedroom, so we decided to go adventuring to look at some furniture and some project wood!

We went to Rincon, which is near Savannah, to stop by The Rusty Nail Home Market and The Vintage Nest, two shabby chic/farmhouse styled shops. Some of the pieces are redone, and some are custom built by various vendors. The trip did not disappoint! We gathered lots of ideas of things we'd like to try to make ourselves {I totally forgot he has a large chest of drawers that we painted once in college!} as well as some pieces we'd like to incorporate in future spaces.

These are a few of my favorite finds:

I love the contrast of the metal container and that soft, fluffy cotton! I need more cotton in my life, stat. 

CJM and I are obsessed with barn doors. I'd love a piece like this in our bedroom to double as a place for the TV, and for shoe storage. 

Does anyone else imagine their classic family furniture with an updated look like this side board? 

I've made my own chalk paint in the past. Not the most difficult of projects by any means. But I want to try this kind that doesn't need the wax sealant! Anything that helps a project go faster is a product for me. 

CJM's chest of drawers is just like this, but we painted it a dark gray color to match his "boy room" in college. I'm thinking it needs a fresh look with a white coat of paint! I usually spray paint the handles a contrasting metallic color, but I kind of like how these add an unique texture to the piece. 

While personally not a huge fan of the chicken wire, the painting technique on this china cabinet is very unique! It brings a more casual feel to an otherwise formal structure. 

Besides of course loving the detail on this chest, I also love this Mr & Mrs sign! 

We also visited Denmark's Furniture in Brooklet which has the Magnolia Home/Fixer Upper line of home furnishings. We loved these looks! 

It wouldn't have been a trip to the furniture store without testing out almost every recliner in the "recliner world." I'm not sure that we'll be incorporating this piece any time soon! 

CJM Creates

My sweet husband is so talented. He's brilliant in so many ways, but there is a creative streak in him that comes out in the most unique ways. Besides being one of only two bagpipers I know {his precious grandfather being the other}, he's developed quite a knack for woodworking in the last few years.

He started out making coasters out of wood from his family's abandoned saw mill, and has upgraded to making larger pieces like coffee tables. We constantly dream of having our first house with a space for him to make even bigger things. We would love to build a live edge dining room table, extra long, with room for all our family and friends.

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I love the "rustic chic" look inspired in part by everyone's favorite Fixer Upper show. His talents definitely lend to that look. Here's a few pieces I've pinned to the ultimate "honey-do list" Pinterest board, CJM Creates.

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Prepare 2017

Well hello, 2017. Ten days later, and finally getting around to a "new year" blog post. Oops. No excuses other than an amazingly busy start to the year which is clearly going to be setting the tone for the months to come.

I spent a lot of time the week before January 1 thinking about this next year. It'll see us celebrating our first year of marriage, Christopher's first full year as a pharmacist, and many more milestones. In some ways I was worried that after the wedding, things would just become kind of blah. That's definitely not going to be the case!

Instead of setting resolutions for the new year, I know a lot of people focus on an all-encompassing word the focus their minds and actions, which seemed right up my ally. I'm very futuristic, and focus a lot of my time on planning...everything. From what I'm going to wear each day of the week, to when I'm taking my next trip, or going to work on the blog, it's a never ending calendar and checklist of things going through my head.

Sometimes that can seem negative, but I'm trying to focus that energy into something positive. That introduces my word for 2017: prepare. I love being prepared. I hate being caught off guard. As much as I enjoy surprises, I don't like to be surprised by a problem or a situation that I don't feel comfortable tackling immediately. This part of myself, this resistance or fear or whatever it is, can be refined through preparation.

I also want to prepare my heart and my family. Christopher and I don't see each other every day, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to prepare to be the best wife, housekeeper, cook, laundry person, etc. I want to prepare my home to be ready for guests, and to be enjoyable for us to spend time together. I want to prepare my heart to love my husband and my family in the most Christ-like way I can. I need to prepare time for friends and investing in relationships around me. I pray for a warmth and acceptance to flow from me to all those around me.

Yes, yes, this is probably the most "safe for a Type A person" word of the year. But it's practical and attainable. And is something that my heart craves. I'm so thankful for those of you coming on this ride of a lifetime with me in 2017!

"Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave and strong." -- 1 Corinthians 16:13