He tweaked my Den!

With just a few days off I've managed to cram in a little mini vacay and help the Mr. finish off a few changes around the house.  Earlier today I shared a post about our lodging on our trip to beautiful Asheville. NC.  While I love the style I shared with you today about our hotel, it's quite different from what we have here at home.

  So tonight, I want to share a few changes in the den for Metamorphosis Monday.  We still have several other rooms in transition, funny how it all happens at once.  However, I want to share this one with you because this room is the closest to being finished with the exception of a few painting and refinishing details.

Here is our den as it looks today.

Here's the den from last summer.  Notice anything?

That's right!  We removed one of the sofa's and relocated it to the loft area upstairs.

Well, I say we.  Actually it was the Mr. that got this change started.  I came home one night and he had moved the sofa back and pulled the club chairs around facing the TV.  

 He said, he was tired of sitting on the sofa and really just wanted to sit in the club chairs to watch television at night.  See what happens when you leave a man at home alone too much!  

After I let this big change settle in, digest, swallow, and gulp... because I really do love my double couches.   I decided to just go with it and make a few additional changes myself.

I brought down my old office chair that goes with a beautiful desk from upstairs to fill an empty space by the fireplace.  It's temporary, but gives me an idea of what I might want to look for.  I love the pop of color it adds too.  

Then I dug around the attic and pulled out one of our very first tables.  It's an English pub table that my husband purchased when he was a bachelor and has been returned to us last year from our son when he moved and didn't want to keep it.  Like our other two tables, it also needs a little TLC and a new coat of varnish.

We do have the chairs that are original to this table but these are not it.  I thought these would be more comfortable and cozy for this room.  I am going to paint them black, unless you have a better idea on what you think would look best.  I am open for options on this.  I am excited to have a table in the den now.  The Mr. and I eat in here all the time on TV trays now that it is just the two of us.  I hope we will use the table now too.  If we don't it will be a great place to set up games and or puzzles.  

I felt like it was needing a centerpiece so I pulled out this green bowl I bought a few years ago.

Unlike the hotel we just stayed at, I didn't have any green apples on hand even though I usually do because I love green apples.  After being sick with the flu during the holiday though, I have been keeping oranges around instead.  So, they will have to do for now!

So, what do you think?

Do you like the new look?  I think I can live with it a bit.  How do you handle things when the hubby decides to decorate on his own? Also, If you have any suggestions for the chairs I would love to hear them.

I am joining the following parties today because things are changing around here for;

Metamorphosis Monday

and 

Tabletop Tuesday

Thanks for stopping by again today!

I hope you all have a great week!

Our trip to Asheville, NC

This past weekend my husband and I had a two night get a way up to Asheville, NC.  I was so excited to finally have some time off and to be able to get away.  The weather forecast in Asheville, NC was calling for snow and I was determined I would get to see Biltmore like this.

Unfortunately or fortunately (however you choose to look at it) the snow did not arrive but by passed these mountains which I am told happens often due to their location.

The snowy scene above was taken off of our boxes that we brought our wine home in.  LOL!

I will show you more of Biltmore in a later post.  I have very few photos due to they do not allow photos to be taken inside of the actual home.

Today I just want to share a few photos taken going up the mountain from the car, and of our hotel.

I am always amazed at how close these gorgeous mountains are.  After only about a 2 and half hour drive from our home it seems we round the corner and are met with this gorgeous view.

We are truly blessed to live in the middle of SC where a few hours one way takes you to the coast and few hours the other way takes you to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.  It's always so breath taking and yes, you can feel your ears pop going up.

For those of you who are like us who do not enjoy spending a lot of money on hotels I want to share where we stayed.  I would love to stay at the Grove Park Inn one day hands down.  However, I just cannot swallow even their cheapest rate which is around $270.00 a night.  No offense for those of you do and can but I just have too many other choices I'd rather spend my money on then lodging, especially when it's only for a few nights.  And to show you that a higher price isn't the only way to get nice accomodations I'd like to show you where we ended up so you can be the judge for yourself.  

This was the decor we enjoyed upon entering the lobby of our hotel.

To say I was totally pleased with the new updated decor would be quite an understatement.   For those of you who may want to know we ended up choosing to stay at the Hampton Inn on Tunnel Rd. We even landed a great weekend rate even though we went on Thursday and Friday nights.

The fireplace was a popular spot this weekend. Many times I passed by to see people sitting here reading either a book or newspapers quite happily.

On the opposite side of the lounge area was the dining area.  It was so cozy and inviting as well.  It offered several different seating options just like at home.  You could sit up high on the barstool tables in the middle or on regular chair and tables shown on the right or get much more cozy in the sofa tables on the left.  A hot breakfast was served every morning in a buffet area located just beyond the doors beside the TV.  OMG!  Where the eggs ever so good!  

There was also another beverage station set up near the front desk that was open 24/7.  You could get hot coffee, chocolate or  cold water here anytime.  Sorry yall, but some of these photos I took with my cell phone.  

I just fell in love with this sofa and lamp for that matter too!  It was a truly devine magenta color if ever I have seen one.

The fresh apples also sat on the tables 24/7 as well.  This lobby became a bustling place on Friday and Saturday when the crowds came in.  It was clear this hotel was a favorite for many and I highly recommend it.  The clientele ranged from older to younger, with singles, families and business and college students as well.  It was definitely what I would call a thriving business.

Here is our room.  If you can overlook the suitcase and clothes everywhere you will see a very cozy room.

Our king size bed was very comfortable and was complete with a down comforter and duvet.

This little sticky note was tacked on the bed frame upon our arrival.  

There was a big screen TV and a microwave and refrigerator in the cabinet.

The heater was quite sufficient and had a thermostat on the wall that we cranked up to a toasty 72 degrees after trompsing around Biltmore in temperatures that were in the 20's.  By the way those jeans are on the floor because we had them near the heater for the legs to dry up.  They got a bit  of dampness from the rain soaked areas we walked around in at the winery.  I know were kinda slobby too, right?  LOL!

In the bathroom was the most appealing wallpaper I have seen in some time.  It was my favorite shade of green with tiny blue pinstripes was textured to the touch and almost had a bit of a silky feel to it.  I would love to get some of this wall paper for myself.

The wallpaper was the perfect match for a very well designed bathroom.  You all know how much a fan I am of black so it should be no surprise why I like this bathroom.  It was so clean and I regret that I did not take photos of the tub surround tile which was a tan lined tile.  Gorgeous!

Anyway, I really wanted to share all of this with so you could see what some well priced (moderately budget) motels are offering and how they are updating to stay ahead.  We dined like kings and queens on this trip and had a wonderful and very cozy time.  

Again, I do apologize for the photos as I ran the battery out of my nikon and had to resort to the cell phone for the rest of my trip.

Well thanks for stopping by!

I would love to hear what you think of the decor at this hotel.  I would also love to hear what your priorities are when it comes to choosing a hotel.  Do you look for the best of the best, or have other methods for choosing.  I also used trip advisor and this one was ranked up there as no.3.

Not to shabby for a great deal, huh?

Hope your having a great weekend!

My Favorite Valentines Projects Past

I am in LOVE with all the cute Valentines decor I am seeing out here in blog land.  You ladies have my heart with all of your sweet touches of red, hearts and roses everywhere all over your homes.  I don't think I'll be putting out too much this year as I have done in the past. 

I'd like to share a few of my own favorite creations from 2011.

This by far was my most all time favorite!

 It was so easy.  I simply put cling on hearts from the dollar tree to my glass block that is filled with lights....

...added some decorative ribbon and I was done!  I really LOVED this one so much!

You can see the original post by clicking HERE.

Here's when I first bought the little clock I showed you in my recent post.  The cherubs were older collected pieces. Aren't they sweet?

I jazzed up some pink Mercury glass Christmas trees to become Valentine trees.

and made a garland for my mantle using graphics from The graphic fairy with paper pink heart doilies.  You can also see the original post for this decor HERE.

And finally in 2012 I painted hearts on a table runner from the dollar tree for a tablescape.  Not to bad, huh?  Speaking of Tablescapes, I will try and share my previous Valentines tablescapes with you later.  They are some of my favorites too.

As I said, I really don't think I'll be doing much this year but you just never know.  I say that and then I start looking at what you all are doing and I'm get so inspired.

I hope I have shared a little inspiration with you today as well. 

  That is why I have decided to join;

Seasonal Sunday 

and

Gratitude Sunday

Pop on by both the above links for more inspirational ideas and blessings.

Have a great week and thank you all so much for coming by!

What TIME do you have?

I am sure by now you have all heard me talk about not having much time.  So....with that in mind let me show you my "I don't have TIME mantle".  Tah dahhh!

I say that because these clocks literally do not have the real time on them.  Haha!  They are lacking batteries and quite possibly a little more.

The little clock that I purchased last year really does just need some batteries put in the back.  The larger clock was given to me from a friend who thought I might like to try and do something with the frame.  I think she told me the clock was broken but thought I might like it because she thought the frame looked somewhat nautical.   I've had it put away for some time and only recently pulled it out this morning after thinking that maybe I should buy a big clock from work to go on my mantle. 

I have seen clock parts at Michael's recently so I know I can easily buy the part for the back if it does not work.  But upon closer inspection, I suspect that maybe she gave this to me because of the bubbles in paper.  I think I can fix this with a little modge podge.  What do you think?  I would love to hear your thoughts about if MP will flatten the paper facing on the front of the clock.

My "Emerald" green (yay-yuh, I'm on top of it) vases have been sitting all alone on my mantle after I took down the Christmas decor.  After I added the clock, it all came together really quickly.

After pulling in a few more elements from around the house...

...And a splash more of that "Emerald" green, I was done.

I really was inspired by two bloggers for this mantle setting.  I picked up a few ideas from Gail's Decorative Touch and from Saavy Seasons by Liz.  Thanks ladies!  Can you spot your ideas?

I had intended to leave my mantle blank with the vases only but I am so glad I didn't.

 I love how this turned out and I love that I found TIME to keep visiting some of my favorite blogs to peep at and gain such beautiful inspiration.

   I hope I can get these clocks up and running soon.   I still can't believe I actually had all of this just sitting around the house and didn't have to spend a dime for such pretties.  I love when that happens, don't you?

 Please be sure and remember to let me know if you think the modge podge will do the trick on the paper bubbles on my clock, okay?

Thanks so much for stopping by yall!

I think I'll be joining the following parties this week and maybe a few more too;

Tabletop Tuesday

Gratitude Sunday

Have a beautiful week!

Joining in for Gratitude Sunday

Hey Yall!  Did you know there's a new linky party in town with Linda at A La Carte?   It's such a wonderful idea and I hope there will be many who will want to join in.  I know I sure do!  What's it called, or all about you ask?  Well, it's called Gratitude Sunday, need I say anymore?

  I really like this idea so much.  During the month of November I took the gratitude challenge on FB and posted something I was grateful for everyday.   Let me just say it was hard!   I learned that while I am always very keen on how grateful I am about the "Biggies" (you know all the important stuff) I don't really take the time to appreciate all the little stuff in life like I should.  It's high time I slowed back down more, smelled the roses and pay tribute to the little things in life just a bit more and this party is just the boost I need to encourage me.  Thank you Linda!

That being said, I am sharing something with you that many of you may have already discovered.  But... if there is that one chance that there is just one of you who reads this who also loves reading in general and does not know about this then I will be pleased to have shared.  So, what am I talking about?

  It's called Kindle for Pc and I got it totally free.  Did you know you could download a FREE kindle for Pc app for your computer? Well I sure didn't, until just about a month ago.  You can also download this app on your phone too.  I know I am behind the times y,all so humor me okay?  Just go to this link HERE if you also are interested in starting your own little online library.

I have learned that you can also download hundreds of books online for FREE too.   I just googled the words "free online books" and got several links to all sorts of sites to search for books that you download into your kindle for Pc.  I really love to read but find I have so little time to go to the library like I used to.  This app has been such a blessing to find.  Here is how the page of a book looks when you are reading it.  

Since I have a laptop I have been enjoying laying on the couch and reading away.  My latest topic has been a bit of an obsession with royalty.  You know back in the day!  I have been enjoying savoring all the details of royal etiquette, dress and their day to day affairs.  Even if what I am reading is fictitious and slightly slanted towards romance.  It's still quite interesting and enjoyable.  Hehe!

  Do you see the little blue mark on the top of the page in this picture.  That's a bookmark.  It's so cool.  You can electronically bookmark your page too.  How cool is that?  

Yep!  To say I am grateful for this little freebie is an understatement indeed.  I am just so thrilled to have found this for my computer at long last.  Reading in the evenings is a small pleasure I have been missing for some time.  I even enjoy scoping out books online that I may want to read in the future now too and storing them in my library shown above.  This app certainly doesn't replace the feel of a real book but it does keep me enjoying a favorite pastime in a very convenient new way.  For this I am truly grateful!

How about you?  Have you gotten on board with reading books online yet?  If you have I would love to hear of any sites you use as well for finding online books. 

Happy Reading everyone!

Please be sure and pop on over to Linda's and read a few more posts for:

Gratitude Sunday 

Have a blessed evening and thanks for stopping by!