Pottery Barn Tivoli Knockoff

I've been quiet for a couple weeks -- these classes I'm taking are kicking my butt! With work and school, on Mondays and Wednesdays I have 15 hour days, which has been an adjustment. But, I'm loving it. If you follow me on Instagram, I've been sharing some photos from class (exciting, I know).

I'm a pro at ripping pages out of magazines and organizing them in books and binders. Mr. VB can attest to that. So, when our teacher told us we would be doing that for class, I was in heaven.

Leafing thru old copies of Elle Decor isn't taxing, but the hours of drawing, measuring, scaling and math for my architectural graphics class are.

I'll try to get myself whipped into shape over the long Labor Day weekend, I promise!

Since I don't have much else to share here, I thought I would share a post I did on our company's blog, Behind the Red Door. Mr. VB recently made a table for a previous client of ours. It's a knockoff on Pottery Barn's Tivoli table. Click here to see the process.

Pottery Barn Tivoli Knockoff

Have an awesome Labor Day weekend! It's hot, hot, hot here in STL. We'll be spending every minute at the pool!

5 on Friday: A Thankful Friday

1/ We have a hole! It only took us 55 frustrating days to start and numerous threats that I would start digging myself. But, it's been a busy week on our lot! As long as the weather cooperates, we're on-track to be framed out by Sept. 1.

2/ My mom bought her first can of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Look how happy she looks! Of course, I had to tweet it. I've been obsessed with ASCP for over a year...so, the interaction that followed totally made my day. I just know Annie was sitting in her little cottage in Oxford, cup of coffee in hand. Doing a little tweeting before she started painting her next project.

3/ Last year, Mr. VB and I participated in a handful of local festivals and fairs, selling our tables and restyled and vintage home decor. But, with the move this year, we've had to put it all on hold. I totally forgot that we were chosen for an Etsy Pop-Up Shop in Oct. This week we received some of the pre-show promo...it's curated by Jessie Miller, a contestant on HGTV's Design Star! We decided that no matter what, we've got to make it happen. We've got alot in storage we can pull out and we'll be doing some last minute searching over the next several weeks to add even more.

4/ At the same time, we were contacted by someone from the very first show we did. She bought a console table from us and now wants another one! We couldn't turn down a returning customer. Here's the inspiration:

The table is 7 feet long...so, Mr. VB wanted to find a single piece of wood. We lucked out this week and found the perfect piece. It's a very large piece of white oak that was harvested about 50 years ago in Ohio. It's supposed to be close to 100 years old! (You can follow along with those adventures here).

5/ To round out all of the craziness...I'm heading back to school! Well, I'm just taking a couple of interior design classes. I thought it would help out as we progress with the house. Who knows where it could lead...

Have a great weekend!

Wayback Wednesday: Zucchini Bread Throwdown

'Tis the season. For zucchini. If you've been searching for THE best zucchini bread recipe, your search is over. Today, I'm digging into the VB archives and bringing out one of our most popular posts: the Zucchini Bread Throwdown.

America's Test Kitchen vs. Paula Dean

Written by Mama VB, it's a squash-to-squash competition between America's Test Kitchen and Paula Dean.

Who will win? Click here to find out!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

We have a hole!

Is this considered "getting ahead of myself?"

5 on Friday: Best Interior Design Reads of the Week

I tell you what...TGIF! It's been one of those weeks. That's turned into one of those months! If you don't follow me on Instagram, here's a peek at our shenanigans last weekend. (Which, evidently involved lots of beer, waffles and a goat). On a side note, I'm going thru fried chicken withdrawals.

So, I'm back for another 5 on Friday. I'll be working on a new project to share soon (involving liming wax. yay!) Until then, I've got interior design on the brain. Not just for the new place, but I'm taking a couple classes this fall that I'm excited about.

Despite everyone being on vaca and taking a blogging break, I found a ton of great posts out there this week. Here's my top 5. I hope they inspire you as much as they have me!

1/ Because I'm Addicted: How to Mix & Match Art Wall

Mr. VB really wants a gallery wall going up our staircase and I'm all for it. Most of our artwork is in  classic black frames...but, I'm loving the mix of black, silver, gold, wood, black & white, color, mixed media, etc. that I've been seeing lately. I'm hoping to pull something like this off for our wall.

2/ La Dolce Vita: Defining Design: Eclectic Interiors

Eclectic Interiors

Paloma does a great job of helping you dive into creating an eclectic room in this article. It's a look I'm hoping to achieve in our house. The number one tip: it's all about layers! This look works good for couples who have different tastes...it doesn't matter! Mix it up -- it's more personal that way and truly "yours."

3/ Joy the Baker: Into Color

What an awesome workspace! Joy give step-by-step instructions on how she painted her walls (actually, it's a video) and I loooove how she uses her own artwork as the focal point. Mr. VB and I are pretty much against buying anything "cookie cutter" to hang. We try to stick to our own photographs, artwork we pick up on vacation, or something we've created. Our rule of thumb, it has to mean something to us. And, because it was on clearance at Target isn't a reason.

4/ Apartment Therapy: Let's Learn About Color

Let's Learn About Color

This is a biggie for me right now! My Pinterest board for the new place has lots of color...when we tend to lean towards light blues. It's going to be a huge step -- but I really want to brighten things up! This post broke down the feelings different colors have and explains the 80/20 rule.

5/ The Mustard Ceiling: Bam or Slam: Colorful Sofas

Colorful Sofas

What color is your sofa? Ours is khaki. Sand. Light tan. Blah. Our walls will be white. Ivory Lace, actually. We've already reached our budget, and while I enjoy painting furniture, I don't enjoy painting walls. The cutting in. The tape that doesn't work. The splatters and spills. My solution: a colorful sofa! BTW: The Mustard Ceiling also has a great recap of last week's Haven conference. I would love to go next year!
 
Do you have any good design reads for the past week? Let me know!

A Case of the Mondays

Mondays are the worst. Today really kicked it up a notch, though.

I was coming off an amazing anniversary dinner with Mr. VB and a fun, weekend trip to Memphis. He's going back to working nights and I'm going back to Breaking Bad marathons.

They STILL haven't dug the hole for our house. And, it's supposed to rain all week.

To top it all off, I consumed way more fried chicken, waffles and pulled pork than one person should reasonably eat in a 36-hour period.

Blah.

Then, this happened....

This pretty little thing listed on Craigslist for $50. No lie.

I emailed the seller in less than 30 seconds. I told her I was in love and had to have it. Is it still available? PLEASE CALL ME!!!

I waited and waited. I checked my email and waited some more.

I looked at the pics online again. I ogled the cute details. I imagined having parties and my friends complimenting me on my fab vintage beverage cart. I would laugh and tell them it's just a little something I found. Would they like another drink? The ice is in the bucket on the bottom shelf.

I checked my phone to make sure it was turned on. WHERE WAS SHE??!? Did she already sell it? Or, did she come to her senses and realize that this is the cutest little vintage bar cart in the whole entire world and that she couldn't possibly part with it?

I mean, LOOK AT IT! I already knew what I wanted to put in those three bottle holders. GIVE IT TO ME, IT'S MINE!

It wasn't fair. You can't post something on Craigslist and then 5 minutes later decide you want to keep it.

It's cruel.

Then...my phone rang. It is mine. I'm going to pick it up tomorrow.

{insert high-pitched squeal here}