ORC: Sunroom

Hi Friends! I am so excited to participate in the ORC this spring! I have participated in the past (bathroom that I didn’t finish, and guest bedroom), and I am so happy to be working on our sunroom. My husband and I have been working on our house (#littleyellowhouserefresh) for about two years now and it is coming along! We have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and the living room/dinning room on their way to be our home. But for this challenge we will be working on the sunroom!

So as you can see – this room has been a dumping ground for all things that have no place….and furniture that I have rescued.

It’s a nice space but it does have some quarks about it. First this room was an edition probably sometime in the 90’s we are guessing. When they added this on it became a secondary front door. We have another front door, but this room is really now the front door. Weird. I know.

You can see the front door here on the right.

As you can also see in the above pictures there is always a door opposite the front door that goes to an outdoor patio. So we have that to overcome.

My goal is to create a space in this room that can be used for many different things. I want a secondary dinning area, mixed with the ability to use as a craft space (see my sewing table above), but has some storage so I could use for my crafts and pack up quickly to then use for a dinner party. And it has to seem ok as a front door….challenge accepted.

List of things to do:

Paint Whole Space: it’s currently a weird cream color that just looks dirty

Re-upholster the valances: I do like the window treatments they just need updating

Lighting: make not so ugly, found an old chandelier plan on painting it

Table: Found one on craigslist a couple weeks ago but I need to re-finish

Rug: need to find a rug to soften the space

So we have a lot to do in the next couple weeks, but it will be worth it to have another dinning space (with all those windows) in time for spring and summer.

Next week we will be working on the painting and I will be sharing my inspiration board!

This is such a fun event, be sure to check out all the other participants here!

Vintage Soup Tureen

Today’s post is a love affair with a vintage soup tureen.

This weekend, I had the pleasure of making a flower arrangement for a good friend’s party for some work colleagues. I had just helped her spruce up her living and dinning room recently and while we were talking I thought how pretty it would be to use my vintage soup tureen for a flower arrangement.

Isn’t it so fun? I love using different vessels for bouquets and this one is literally perfect! It’s really big, but creates such a statement.

I got this piece for a wedding shower gift. It’s vintage, and I love love love it. It’s just a pretty on display in a cabinet as it is for flowers.

I’ve used it in the past for Christmas Bouquet…

Here I did red roses, mixed with poinsettias. I was in love!

Such a Statement!

I have also use it for my guest bedroom with orchids in it.

And for this fall tablescape….

So any, PSA if you see one in a vintage shop. Run, Don’t walk, and buy it! You can use it for anything!

Also – Anyone participating in the One Room Challenge this week? I haven’t participated since the previously mentioned guest bedroom, and I am pumped to be taking on our sunroom. It has literally been a storage/junk collection room. So check back in Thursday to see how we are going to transform it!

Outdoor Inspiration

To say I have spring fever would be an understatement. This whole weekend was rainy and cold. Since we moved in we have focused a lot on the interior, but we haven’t done anything outside at all. And this summer I am hoping to change that!

daybed/lowrise iron planters/navy high gloss planters/trestle table/blue and silver chairs

I want to fill the backyard with a couple planters and make it feel a bit like a dinner party out there.

I got a similar chair last year form CB2. But they were green. So I think that would be really fun. Isn’t the color fun and spunky! I love all the green in our background and these chairs help create a fun pop! So far we haven’t used the outside because we don’t have a table. But I can’t wait for dinner parties outside this summer!

Giveaway! Dinner Party In a Box

Hey Friends. I hope you had a great weekend. It was rainy around here. I am hoping that all this rain is making spring come faster.

So we all know I love a good dinner party. So I decided to start a new Monthly Feature. Dinner Party In a Box. Once a month I will create a fun new table scape and giveaway a portion of the creation!

I thought mixing a bunch of blues together would be a great place to start! I have just been loving mixing all sort of blues together, and layering them to make great depth on a table.

Ginger Jars are a great alternative to flower for a centerpiece too. Pull them from your living room to spice up the table and then move them back. Am I the only on that moves her accessories around all the time?? I am constantly re-arrnging them. So why not use them on your table!

I am also loving this print. I originally made a crib skirt for a good friend of mine, and she had a bit left. So I used it to make this table runner! It adds such beautiful life to the table.

The giveaway includes the above, and below. 4 Glasses, 4 B by Brandie Plates, 1 Hand Made Table Runner

To win the giveaway, there are a couple things you can do to enter. One entry for each thing you do! Entries will be accepted through Monday April 3rd. Good Luck!

1. Leave a Comment on the post and tell me what you like about the post, and what you would like to see for next months inspiration!

2. Follow the blog to get email updates sent right to your inbox!

3. Follow me on Instagram! lianna_utley

4. Re-post a picture from the story on instagram to share with your friends, and tag me in it so I can see!!

So excited to do my first giveaway. I just love dinner parties and thought this would be a fun way to inspire all of you to up your dinner party game!

Cocktail Hour: Cucumber Gin Martini

So I love cucumber cocktails. And there was this great one at a bar downtown that I just loved and they stopped making it. So for a while now I have been trying to figure out a great alternative.

So after much practice I think I nailed it. Be careful because these things go down too easy.

First pick up a seedless cucumber. You can buy a seeded one too, but it will be easier to get all the juice out with the seedless.

Use your food processor to get the cucumbers down to a puree.

Then take the puree and use a strainer to get the juice out.

Now that you have the juice you can make the drink!

Cucumber Cocktail

1 Shot Domaine Canton Ginger Liquor

1 Shot Hendrick’s Gin

1 Shot Cucumber Juice

Shake till cold

it’s good to strain it a second time to make sure you get all the pulp from the cucumber out.

splash the top just a bit with prossecco and enjoy!!

Projects

So I’ve been blessed lately in helping a couple friends decorate their beautiful new homes. Moving into a new big house can be overwhelming with all the space and figuring out what to do with it all. I know because I felt the same way when we moved into ours. I’ve had so much fun starting one room at a time to create a beautiful space for my friends. Check out inspiration for the first room.

Couple fun pieces in this space. First the console is just a placeholder. I found a great one at a consignment shop and I will be lacquering it Kelly Green for them. It will be so pretty!

Art: The print I just love love. My brother in law and I took the picture in a harbor in Maine right before we went sailing. It’s a gorgeous pic! I am so happy they wanted to use it in their home. I am also mixing in Vintage Danish Christmas Plates. Have you ever seen these? They are Royal Copenhagen and very special to me, my mom as always decorated with them, and I thought they would be just perfect in the house.

Chandelier: I plan on looking for a vintage chandelier and then painting it for them. Wish me luck that I find one!

I will keep sharing progress over the next couple months. I think the space is going to be prefect!