These are a Few of my Favorite Things

~Good Evening~

Here are some of the simple yet beautiful things that I enjoy in life. I've been having fun taking pictures lately with my new blogging hobby in mind. ;) Enjoy...

I got this cute Creative-Coop soap holder at TJ Maxx/Homegoods in La Crosse. The verbena scented Pre de Provence soap that sits in it is some of the BEST French soap out there in my opinion. They have many different wonderful scents, it is quad-milled, and it feels really good on your skin. I get my Pre de Provence soap at Ahlgren's in Hayward, WI where I used to work.

I love these little bronze hair clips that have pearl accents. They make me want to do my hair...and I am pretty lazy when it comes to doing my hair! Funny how it's the "pretty" things in life that motivate me...

My newest favorite thing! I got this adorable pair of earrings at Kohl's the other night. They were on super clearance for $3.80, marked down 80%...good ol Kohl's! Oh how I love a frugal find - especially one so beautiful and romantic.

Roscato - this is also a newer favorite thing for me. My husband bought this bottle of wine for us for Valentine's day. It is an Italian sweet red. YUM.

I love this cable-knit sweater blanket I got over the summer from JCP. It's nice and light-weight. The texture of it looks great no matter where I move it to in my little apartment. Also, this really cute crocheted pillow is from Treasures on Main in La Crosse. So cuddly! I love reading a book in this spot with the window cracked and some Chai tea. <3 Refreshing!


Blessings to you this evening,

Olivia


I will be sharing at...
Show and Tell Friday
Sundays at Home

Desk Re-Do

Good Afternoon!

I wanted to share one of my first ever furniture refinish projects (and get some pictures on this blog!!). It is not exactly my favorite piece anymore...there are a lot of things I would have done differently looking back, but you live and you learn! I think for it being my first major piece of furniture this desk turned out pretty decent.

I got this desk at a used furniture shop in La Crosse. It was $25! And uuuugly! When my husband and I first got down to La Crosse two years ago for our first semester of college, we didn't have much furniture in our room - just a bed and dresser. I thought we would need a desk for all of the homework we would soon have (I think I used it once for homework...right now our microwave sits on top of it!). Anyways, we went out searching for something cheap and found this beauty. 

I didn't like that it was asymmetrical and that the drawer wood didn't match the rest of the wood. Also, the hardware was outdated and not in proportion to the piece. Oh, and the top of it was horrible! It had huge gouges and scratches and the stain was clumpy and missing in some spots. 

I think I picked the color out based on the name. "Bittersweet Chocolate" ...yum! I don't mind it, although my tastes have evolved some more since then, and although it's a neutral it doesn't exactly go with the rest of my light and bright furniture. 

In order to save some money I chose the Wal-Mart brand paint. I highly DO NOT recommend this for anyone. Four coats of paint later and it was completely covered...although I suppose it doesn't help that I chose a semi-gloss (the glossiest of all paints). Which, looking back I wish I would have just chose a satin paint. Semi-gloss really emphasizes the scratches and gouges in furniture. I was trying to make it look more high-end, when I think I should have just embraced all of the imperfections and maybe even distressed it more so that the scratches and whatnot looked like they belonged. 

Like I said though...I learned from this project. One thing I don't regret though is the hardware. It was a steal! I had already thought it was a good deal and then when we got to the checkout at Menard's it was discounted even more! I think it was a little over a dollar a piece, and it's nice, heavy-duty stuff. 

Overall, I think it is a much better look for the desk, and the top looks A LOT better. Oh, and afterwards we traded in that crappy $3 Goodwill chair. We now have a $5 thrift store chair that is is narrow enough to actually fit in the opening! Can we say upgrade!? ;) Not that it matters, as it now functions as additional counter top and display space at the efficiency apartment. Maybe someday it will be used as a desk again, but I'm guessing that will be when we live in at least a one bedroom place. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Olivia

  

The Newby

Hello everyone (aka...mom),
Welcome to Romantic Country Living! I absolutely love finding a good blog, specifically a home decor one, when I'm surfin' the web. I've always wanted to start one of my own, and I finally did it...it was so stinkin' easy too! My hopes for this blog are to share some of the home decor in my life (warning: will be minimal as I currently live in an efficiency apartment) and also any beautiful or interesting home decor images I come across. I have an appreciation for all decor styles, but my favorite style can be described as romantic, french, vintage, country, farmhouse, and shabby chic. Basically I love old, pretty things and simple living! I also enjoy refinishing furniture and giving something ugly and outdated new life. So, my posts will pretty much be about that kind of stuff, and if I think anything else in my life is blog worthy, then I'll post that too!

More is to come...

Please check back!!



XOXO
~Olivia