Weigh In??

We all have our fave lil' boutique shops we like to visit. One of mine is The Old Oak Cottage. 

We all love shops that have tons of eye candy!

The kind of eye candy that keeps you wanting more! The kind of eye candy that makes ya wanna go home an rearrange your entire house!

So here is what I need ya to weigh in on and no do not worry I am not asking y'all to hop on the dreaded scale and share! Heavans no and doubt I would have any takers on that anyways! Ha! Here is my question -What makes ya keep going back to your fave gift boutiques?

What are your fave items that they carry?

What items do you wish they would carry and they do not? What makes them so special?

Just trying to do a lil' research for a friend of mine!:) I know we all are a bunch of shopping ladies  so I figured there was nobody better to ask than y'all!! So please share your thoughts and let me know what ya like, what ya don't like, what ya are tired of seeing, or what ya wish you were seeing!! It will be very much so appreciated!

This all has to do with a very exciting opportunity coming up for me which I will share with ya soon!;) 

Linking up to Metamorphosis Mondays!

The Metamorphosis of a Fireplace & A Score

Okay so I have been in a mediocre mood lately. Our home reno is taking much longer than I would like. I try not to complain because trust me I know how fortunate we are and I know that there are soooo many families out there that have lost there homes in the past month but I would be lying if I said the state of my home does not get to me from time to time. I am kinda at a stand still. I am not able to fluff my nest and it drives me insane. Well it was driving me insane until last night when I decided I had had enough and was going to fluff what I could. I decided even though our reno is not completed I was going to share where we are at this moment and not care that we are not done yet. So come along with me as I share the metamorphosis of our fireplace!

This is how our fireplace and living room looked when we purchased our home almost two years ago.

Threw some paint on the walls and WOW what a difference!

I then decided I wanted to attempt fauxing the fireplace to give it an aged appearance. It was okay but lasted all of an evening before I adjusted it.

Yes, I liked this much better. In fact I LOVED how it turned out. That was in the Spring of 2010.

Here we are April 2011. What were we thinking!!!??? Somehow some way we got it in our heads we were capable of redoing the fireplace and laying down new wood flooring ourselves. We have never done any major home reno projects before. Painting has been the extent of it. Can we really accomplish what I have pictured in my head??

I think thus far it all is turning out very nicely! It is taking soooo much longer than we had hoped due to life and work but that's okay. I am now hoping to be completed by August with all of the flooring. Majorly keeping my fingers crossed. 

We not only replaced the granite tiles with ceramic tile that looks like rock but  we also extended it out by about 2 inches all around. I love the border we added.

I need to touch up the inside sides since the new tile does not come out as far as the old tile. 

Though it is not done 100% done I am still in love. 

And just in case you were wondering just how far we are. This is the reality of our home reno. 

Even the dining room is in disarray but I am learning to deal with it. In the end it will all be worth it!

Now on to my major score!! I just ran out and purchased this mirror off the local yard sale site. Can you believe it was only $20!!! Now I am trying to figure out where to put it. Should I put it in the dining room above the buffet and sell the black mirror that is there or should I swap out the mirror above the fireplace and use this one for awhile?? What would you do??

Thanx for stopping by and taking a tour of our home! I hope that your holiday weekend is going well!
I am linking up to the following linky parties:

Metamorphosis Mondays

Show Off Your Cottage Monday


Wow Us Wednesdays

Open House Party Thursdays


Transformation Thursdays

Inspiration Fridays

Feathered Nest Fridays