New mattress demands new bedding...and I oblige!

After a month of sleepless nights, I finally decided it was time chuck my old memory foam mattress (thanks for the memories) and trade up to a luxury model by Stearns & Foster (thanks Mattress Warehouse).

But when I got the luxury mattress, my old bedding looked...well...old in comparison. So, I figured why not break the banks and go all the way with the new Plumeria Collection from Style & Co. at Macy's. I got a great deal at 55% off and suddenly my bed looks fresh, springy and modern. (As opposed to the decidedly grandma-ish floral it was sporting before the mattress switch.)

I'm really happy with the new mattress (not a sleepless night since) and the luxuriously weightless Plumeria bedding. It's funny how one thing always leads to another...now I think I need some new pajamas.

The Pink Elephant in the Bathroom

When I bought my 50s era ranch-elow five years ago, the bathroom was without a doubt, the ugliest room in the house. It had 50s era pink and black tiles (not my taste for sure but in excellent condition), a black honeycomb floor (which sucked every ounce of usable light out of the tiny room) and a hideous combo of 70s-era floral wallpaper and a Vegas-style vanity. In a word, it was the bathroom equivalent of a pink elephant. You can see the before photo for yourself below...

My job, on a very tight budget as always, was to keep what was good (the pink tiles) and do what I could to transform the rest from a nightmare into my own little dream of a bathroom. It's taken me five years to finally complete the transformation, but with a lot of personal elbow grease and a little help from my friends at Target, Home Goods and Lowe's, I've created a bathroom any girl would be proud to pamper herself in.

How did I do it on a budget of about $600? Well, I covered the black honeycomb floor, with a 12" marble-look peel and stick tile from Lowe's ($69). I found the adorable cottage-style, marble-top vanity at Home Goods for $279 (similar models sold for more than $1,000 at Restoration Hardware) and added vintage-style Price Pfister faucets from Lowe's (around $100). I replaced the dated (and completely useless) fluorescent 50s sconces with a vintage Price Pfister pair from Lowe's ($79). I removed the wallpaper (it came off like a dream, thankfully) and, after several failed attempts, I found the perfect hue for an accent paint, In Her Eyes blue from Benjamin Moore ($35 a gallon) . The rest was just a matter of bringing in some of my own collection of Shabby Chic accessories and adding great new finds, like the french-inspired metal tins below, available now at Target ($9.99) and aqua and pink Turkish cotton towels from Home Goods. Oh, and of course, my ever-present sanitizing hand soap from Bath and Body Works.

Ah...I think I hear a bubble bath calling my name now.

Quick Change Artist

Have you ever been in a situation where your house needed a quick face lift for a big event and you had no time and even less money to do it with? That's where I found myself today, but, once again, Home Goods and Simply Shabby Chic sheets saved my day!

I'm having a little open house tomorrow to celebrate my big debut as a Mary Kay sales consultant, and my living room was just crying out for a makeover of its very own. As I was wandered toward the checkout line at Home Goods with my mom, my eyes were drawn to the pink sparkle of a little bag of glass knobs, 4 for $7.99. I couldn't resist...I bought two bags of the precious pink knobs and hurried home to give the vintage pieces in my living room an instant makeover. In addition to my vintage green side table, I added the pink flower knobs to my tv stand and my pine coffee table...so cute!

And, just for good pink measure, while I was at it, my mom helped me quickly recover a white upholstered side chair I had found years ago at an estate sale in Charleston. We just used a nice scrap of leftover pink roses Simply Shabby Chic sheet fabric, which was leftover from a pillow project I did last year. Suddenly, the sad chair looks fresh and happy in blushing pink roses.

The results? Well, for about $15 and an hour's worth of labor my living room is all decked out in pink accessories in honor of Mary Kay herself! I'm so proud. :)

Juiced up!

I adore lemons...besides milk and parmesan cheese, they are the third most important item in my pantry. If I don't have lemons in the house, I develop a mild case of panic. In the summer, on my precious days off, my favorite thing to do is make a single glass of lemonade (juice of one lemon, 1/2 glass full of ice, 1 cup of water, two packets of splenda) and sit on my deck with an issue of More, Real Simple or Vogue and just chill. What I don't adore is squeezing the juice out of the lemons. I actually injured my wrist this lemonade season using the old fashioned reamer I picked up at an estate sale years ago.

Today, during a particularly successful trip to TJ Maxx, I happened upon the perfect solution: a cobalt blue, hydraulic juicer that takes the pain out of juicing and still looks completely adorable and vintage in my kitchen. Cost: $10. No more repitive stress injuries from juicing lemons: Priceless.

Cha...cha...cha...changes!

What do you do when global warming has made it too hot to stick your head outside? Stay inside and rearrange the living room furniture, of course. One of the things I absolutely love about all my Shabby Chic/Beach Cottage things is that no matter where I put them, they always look right. I can take any piece of furniture or any knick-knack and move it to any spot in the room or any room in the house and it fits right in. So, today, while washing my white slipcovers, I decided I would make some changes.

I mentioned in a previous post that I like to use pillowcases as couch cushions. I decided to go peach and put the peach floral cases on the couch along with a great peach-toned patchwork quilt. Next, I angled my sidechair in front of the old hoosier-style cabinet and moved my hand-me-down lamp table in front of the window.

Four of my favorite changes are 1) putting the Simply Shabby Chic wicker side table next to the couch with my bell jars, sea glass and souvenir shell coasters; 2) putting my souvenir star fish in a McCoy Bowl on the coffee table; 3) placing my all-time favorite 50s aqua, cane style magazine rack in front of the lamp table; and 4) using my Shabby Chic decorating books as accessories on the little green desk.

It's amazing how moving the furniture can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile, a la Mary Richards. I feel sooooooo much better now.

Hi...hi....Ms. American Pie!

All of this phony hullabaloo about the changing 14th amendment and rewriting it so we can pick and choose which babies born on American soil should get the privilege of calling themselves American citizens got me thinking about how incredibly fortunate all of us natural-born Americans are. By some stroke of pure luck, we landed in the greatest country on earth. And one way or another, with the exception of the Native Americans, we are all descendants of immigrants, legal and otherwise. Now, some absolute fools want to change the constitution to say that being born on American soil isn't enough to be an American. I say, "Nonsense!"

In honor of the 14th amendment and the beautiful melting pot that is America, I decided to bake one of my famous apple pies and share the recipe and the photos with you. Enjoy! (P.S. The secret is the buttermilk crust and the sugar on top.)

Buttermilk Pie Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt (very important!)

2/3 cup cold Crisco

3 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/3 cup buttermilk.

Mix flour and salt. Cut in crisco and butter that has been cut into small chunks. Mix oil and buttermilk and pour into flour mixture. Mix just until all ingredients are combine. Divide the dough into two sections and flatten each out to a small disc. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the freezer. Proceed to the apples...

Apple Pie

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash of salt

6 cups of peeled and thinly diced apples

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced into little squares

2 teaspoons water

1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix first six ingredients together well. Roll out bottom pie crust and place in a 9" pie pan. Pour in apple mixture and cover with butter pieces. Roll out top pie crust and place over top of apples. Seal the upper and bottom crusts the best you can. Brush the top of the crust with water and sprinkle with the sugar. Cut about 4 slits in the top so the pie can breathe while it cooks. Cover the edges of the crust with a crust protector to keep it from burning.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes until golden brown and then get ready to taste the most amazing pie you've ever had in your mouth. God bless America and all the babies born here!

Kitchen Counter Soap Opera

Did I say I wasn't anal about matching things like salt to my decor? I may have lied. I have this awesome little vintage "Kitchen Handy" chrome spice rack from the 50s, and I have it mounted just behind my dish drain next to the kitchen window. In it, I always keep a pastel rainbow collection of Bath and Body Works anti-bacterial foaming hand soaps. I just happen to like something pretty to look at while I'm washing dishes. Sue me!

P.S. After Christmas is a great time to stock up on B&BW hand soaps. They are always half price.