Tara Guerard: Champagne and Pink

Have you seen how Tara Guerard's set her dining table for Thanksgiving in this month's issue of Southern Living.  I'm head over heels for it and am loving this color combination of champagne and pink.

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Don't you love the bench with the pink pillows?  How fun and unexpected!  In fact, I love this color palette so much it will be the inspiration for my daughter's quilt that my mother in law promised to make for her.

So pretty.

I love this tablecloth with the wide contrasting band!  So dramatic!

Ironed on monograms - brilliant!!  Love how the Lindt chocolates add the pop of pink!  Great styling. 

Love the self serve bar!

So, now I'm on the mad hunt for champagne colored fabric for Elizabeth's quilt!  If you have any recommendations, let me know!  

In the meantime, I wish you all a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving.  

My Dining Room (as it stands now)

First, a huge thank you for your sweet comments on yesterday's post.  I was flattered.  Many of you commented on the colors and I was lucky to have an interior designer help me choose the colors of my dining room walls and furniture.

Now, onto our dining room, I wasn't able to completely finish my dining room.   Don't get me wrong - I think our dining room has come a long way, but the finishing details are definitely lacking.

If you remember, this was the inspiration.  

The goal was to lighten up the room.  So, how did we accomplish that? 

- We painted over the current wallpaper.  

- Purchased a natural jute rug.

- Installed custom made roman shades.

- Painted dining room table and chairs.

- Painted sideboard. 

What did NOT get accomplished?

- Painting of chandelier, hanging my federal eagle mirror and accessorizing.  So, here is our 

Dining Room BEFORE:

Dining Room AFTER:

It definitely is brighter and softer.  The wall color provides a calming backdrop, the natural rug is perfect for everyday use, the roman shades (more below) provide that much needed dose of color and pattern and the painted table and chairs help break up all the gold tones in the room.  

Another picture of the painted sideboard with the unhung mirror.  You can see the chandelier I was suppose to paint and never got around to it.

The DwellStudio Gate Citrine fabric used for my roman shades.  Isn't it lovely?  Melissa from Windows by Melissa really did a fantastic job (yet again).  They're perfect for our dining room.

If you need window treatments, don't hesitate to contact her!  She is a pleasure to work with.  Well, that is our dining room - What do you think?

Stay tuned for tomorrow, because I will be hosting an amazing giveaway from Melissa!!  It's a doozy!  

Before & After: DR Sideboard

With all the craziness, I've been slow to post some of my finished projects.  And, once the baby arrives (due this Sunday) I know I won't have time.  So, here is the sideboard I found at a tag sale for $25.

BEFORE (Post Sanding)

It wasn't the best quality, but it was the perfect size for our small dining room.  If you remember from this post, I decided to paint it BM Pale Avocado and add this hardware.

I haven't hung my antique gold federal style (eagle) mirror above the sideboard because we're moving in less than a month and I really don't want to put new holes in the wall.  So, here is the sideboard now.

AFTER

The other day, I placed my mirror on the sideboard to see how it would look.  I'm dying to hang it - I think it would go perfectly above the sideboard.  

AFTER

I found that mirror at an antique store for $45.  I love it.  The sideboard has a collections of items which I love and found at various places.  I know my orchid looks in bad shape;  I can not for the life of me keep orchids alive.  

And, do you spy some DwellStudio Gate Citrine fabric in the reflection of the mirror?  More on that tomorrow - I will reveal my dining room (as it currently stands) and will show you what an awesome job Melissa from Windows by Melissa did on my roman shades!    Stay tuned!

Looking for an affordable yet soft natural rug?

Over the past couple of months, I've been helping my friend with her dining room.  It's been lots of fun seeing progress being made.  I hope to do a before and after at some point, but in the meantime I wanted to let you in on a little tip.

Jewel Jute Rug

I suggested this particular rug, pictured above, for her dining room.   She wanted a casual look, low maintenance and wanted it to be soft underfoot.  (I remember seeing this rug on another blog, but I can't remember where - sorry.)

Well, I saw it for the first time yesterday and it's wonderful.  Not only is it affordable, but it's low pile and soft!  And, it has the killer diamond pattern!  She loves it too.  And, if you're worried about durability -  she has 2 kids under the age of five, a dog and a cat.  It's perfect for her household.  Anyway, if you're looking for a recommendation - this one comes highly recommended!!  You can purchase it here.

PS:  Natural Area Rugs did not sponsor this post in anyway.  This is strictly our own opinion.