Hello dears, sorry for being MIA last few days. Last couple of days have been exciting, very rewarding and also tiring.
I accompanied my husband for his work related conference at a beautiful resort in virginia. It rained all weekend so I took the opportunity to check out some outlet stores in the area. I scored some fantastic deals at CB, PB and WS. At PB I saw a bed skirt that matches the guestroom headboard for like under $20! It was the last piece and I was thrilled to have found it. It fits on the queen guest bed perfectly. I also got AMAZING deals on marimekko fabrics at cb among other home and kitchen items at william sonoma. Talk about retail therapy! Especially when it is home decor related and on sale.
I came back to a messy and cluttered home and decided to take my china off the bookshelves and go scavenging for a good bargain on china cabinets. I found two older traditional styles that I liked and spent all day moving my china into them. Since the style is a bit too traditional for my decor style, I plan to refinish them at some point. But for now, my glasses, dishes and cake stands have a nice little home. And this freed up my bookshelves. I moved them into the study to serve their real purpose – house my magazines, design books, craft tools etc. Spent all day yesterday organizing and sorting through the mess on my desk. An uncluttered house is so much more inspiring to do creative projects in. Oh and I also had my eye on this restortation hardware wing chair that I found at a thrift store for under $50! {someone obviously didnt know its real value}. Its in excellent condition and only needs some glammed up reupholstering. While decorating and organizing, I also got about 6 loads of laundry done! I was itching to share all this with you but decided to finish most of my tasks while I had the momentum going. So even though I was away from you, wasn’t it time well spent?




So how is this week treating you?
images:mdh
This super cool DIY is by Ashley of Ashley Ann Photography. Ashley turned two wooden pallets into a colorful daybed for her daugther’s nursery. She also used an old door sideways as a headboard. Brilliant work!


Via Design Sponge.

Outdoor party lighting idea using glass jars via AT. Recycle those pasta/jam/pickle jars. Or buy them cheap at Ikea. More outdoor lighting ideas here.
Happy Friday everyone! I thought I would finish this week off with some more tea cups. I wish you a good weekend. See you on the other side.

I love the idea of using vintage cups to store jewelry. Thanks Trudi for the link to it.






images: Sandra Lane and Belle Maison via DecoDetective
PS: I will be making some updates to Mochatini site. If you happen by on the weekend and find the site all funky, dont worry that is just me rearranging and reordering the sidebars and things. I like to try different options and if you have any suggestions, please feel free to email me {manvi at mochatini dot org}
ciao bellas!
REUSE + REPURPOSE
Here’s an easy decorating tip from Better Homes and Garden magazine and stylist Donna Telley.

Cheer up dull spaces by adding fern fronts and single flower stems in assorted glass jars. Flea markets, thrift stores are good sources to score inexpensive jars and bottles. A more budget friendly source – your kitchen pantry. Recycle daily use glass bottles and jars. Mix oil bottles with pasta sauce jars and clean wine bottles and milk bottles to create an assortment. A selection of varying shapes and sizes creates an attractive cluster.

I remove labels by immersing the jar/bottle in a pot of boiling water and soap. Scrub label and sticky residue away using a dish brush. For more stubborn spots BHG recommends using an adhesive remover, which can be found at your local hardware store. Let them air dry.

Fill jars/ bottles with warm water and place flower stems and foliage. Viola!

images, MDH, BHG and Matthew Benson
This is what I call a “dinner party table”! If you can’t tell, I have a thing for furniture crafted using reclaimed wood. Hudson Furniture are the makers of these beauties. This table is perfect for 20 plus person summer dinner party. I can imagine it in my garden under a cluster of round paper lanterns. Are you into furniture made from reclaimed wood?

Notice the birch bench on the bottom right corner? I love it!


I want this birch coffee table too!!



via Urbanlifestyledecor
See also furniture made from reclaimed wood by Kings Road Home