Antiqued Cream Table

For Mother's Day this year, I wanted to give Mark's mom a new piece of furniture.  She's been talking about redoing her family room so I thought this could be a good place to start.  I found this table at a garage sale for $20 and thought the style was perfect for my first attempt at distressing.  I love the furniture that a local company, Huckleberry Lane Furniture creates and I got my inspiration from some of their beautiful cream pieces.  I hope to be as good as them someday ;) 

Here's the finished product.  Mark's mom at least acted like she loved it!  There are a few things I would change, but overall I really like the way it turned out.

Birthday Surprise

 For my mom's 50th birthday, my dad, brother, sister and I decided to give her a new bedroom!  She has lived with an outdated and overly nautical bedroom for far too long and was ready for a change.  Her favorite color is purple so I found a beautiful comforter at Target (we were on a tight budget) and designed the room around that.  We ended up doing the whole room for under $400.  I was happy with the way it all came together and most importantly, she loved it!   Here are the before and afters. 

  I went hunting for the perfect chair to use for her vanity.  I found this one at a local used furniture store for $12.  The architecture of the chair caught my eye and knew it had potential with just some new upholstery, foam cushioning and a fresh coat of paint.  I absolutely ADORE the way it turned out and even went back to the store to see if they still had its pair so I could have one for my own room.

My Loves

Ok, so I may be a crazy cat lady...I'll admit it.  Actually I never really liked cats until I got my own.  Almost 2 years ago, my boyfriend, Mark, got an internship in Washington DC with an Oregon Congressman and had to leave me all alone for 6 months.  As a birthday gift, and to keep me company while he was away, he surprised me with these two girls.  Precious and Stapler (can you guess which one I named?) are my babies and I wouldn't trade them for the world!

Welcome!

I'm excited to get started on this blog!  Shades of Serenity represents my love for design and my attempt at instilling a sense of calmness and tranquility in my home and life.  Enjoy!