diy fail.

I had nothing but good intentions when I stumbled across this amazing chair at one of my local antique shops.  The bones were good-nice and sturdy-and the finish on it made my heart skip a beat!  It looks like it was painted at some point and someone along the way stripped the paint creating this gorgeous white wash affect.  I have recovered a chair similar to this before with my aunt, so I felt confident I could do it again.

Well, months and months have gone by and it still looks like this...

Scary, right?  Yeah.  The more and more I look at it, the more intimidated I am of it.  I'm sure if I really focused on it, I could eventually get it done, but it's more of a job than I have time for right now.  I still can't decide if I am ready to part with it yet.  I didn't technically fail if I never tried though, right?  Hmm...I might pay to have it recovered, or just sell it at a consigment shop. 

It really does have amazing features, and I will probably never come across another piece like it at the price I paid for this one.

While I decide it's fate, here is how it sits in my office so that no one loses a limb from those wicked coils. 

 (sorry for the crappy photos)

Yeah, scary.

One Click Winner

Woohoo!  Thanks to Ebay, I am the proud new owner of this sweet little top!  At a whopping $6.50, my quick finger won the bid at the last second!  

I have no clue what the brand of this top is; I found it while searching Anthropologie items and I'm sure it's some sort of knock off, but for $6.50 I'm sure I'll love it!  I always have a bit of anxiety when waiting the last few seconds of an ebay auction!  I've lost many coveted items to not being quick enough, or not bidding high enough that I regret!

Another recent Ebay purchase was a gift for my husband who turns 29 this May.  It was a watch that really had me sweating because there were many last minute bids, but I got the victory once again with my strategic bidding! ;)

Do you Ebay?  Have you found anything amazing?  My favorite purchase was a pair of shoes that I walked away from at Anthro a few years ago and always regreted, then was able to find them brand new in the box on Ebay last summer for an incredible steal! 

I'll let you know how the top works out once it arrives!

Red and Turquoise Styled

Hello, friends!  I hope you all had a lovely Easter!  We spent ours with the family-brunch with mine, and dinner with my husband's. 

I have a fun feature for you today!  It's time for another "Silver Lining in Real Life".  I am showcasing the gorgeous Tricia from Tricia's Take wearing one of my favorite Silver Lining necklaces!  If you haven't already visited Tricia's blog, you must check her out!  This girl has got style.  She always puts together classy outfits with a fun flair to them that I just love, and she's a girl after my own heart because she loves Anthro!

So here's the necklace Tricia ordered:

 
And here is how Tricia styled it for her Easter outfit:

Isn't she cute?!  The combination of red and turquoise have been a favorite of mine and I love how crisp and clean she kept the look with the white blouse and nude shoes.  Again, you can see more of Tricia here! 

I made one of these necklaces for myself and I wear it ALL the time!  It goes with alot more than you would think! 

If you'd like to be featured wearing your Silver Lining jewelry, send your photos to silverliningdecor1@yahoo.com!  I'd love to showcase you! :)

Happy Monday!

Sale, sale, sale!

Hello ladies!  I have some exciting news for you(and me)!  As you may already know, Silver Lining Decor's 2 year anniversary is this Sunday, April 24th.  So in celebration I am offering an exclusive sale to my blogging buddies!  10% off your entire order this weekend!  How's that sound?  Fun, right!

Pick up anything your little heart desires!  No minimum purchase.  Use coupon code "SILVERLINING" upon checkout!  Offer ends midnight EST April 24th.

Hope you have a wonderful Easter!  Happy shopping!

xo Rachel

New Arrivals

I have added some new pieces to the shop and thought I'd share them with you!

In this first piece, I used the most unique vintage enamel flower.  I've never seen anything like it in all my time spent antiquing!  I am loving the dramatic black.

This necklace is one of my favorites!  It takes hours to make, but the end result is well worth it!  A dramatic statement piece that can be dressed up or down.  I can picture this necklace with jeans and a t-shirt or a fancy party dress!

Lastly, a cool combo of gun metal gray and amber topaz for a unique piece!  Another necklace that I feel can be dressed up or down.

Happy Tuesday! 

Sweet Shopping

My husband had the last couple of days off which is always so nice to spend time with him.  I'm sad now for it to be over!  We ate, ate, and ate some more, did a little shopping, and alot of relaxing! 

Thursday morning was especially sweet.  I woke up to a bouquet of roses and then red velvet cake for breakfast!  Yes, I said we ate, didn't I?  Don't worry, that's not the normal breakfast around here, but it's okay every now and then, right? 

We then made our way out to one of my favorite shopping destinations:  Marshall's!  Oh yes, Marshall's is the best!  I have been shopping there for years finding amazing home accessories, as well as great designer clothing at a fraction of the cost!  I sound like a commercial don't I?  But seriously, if you don't already shop there, you must try it out!

I found this adorable dress for $19.99!! 

It has an elastic waste which allows the top half to be a little billowy but still giving you a shape at the same time.  I love it!

I also picked up this dress, but am sadly returning it because I think it's an "irregular".  The top is all wonky and mis-shaped.  I didn't notice it or try it on in the store, so it's going back this week. 



My next pick will be worn all summer long.  Old Navy is a great go-to store for inexpensive, wardrobe staples like pants, cardigans, and shorts.  I like their shorts because they have several lengths to choose from.  I'm not 15 anymore and am definitely not wearing booty shorts, but I like a "short" rather than a capri or walking shorts.  I picked these lavendar shorts with a 5" inseam because I think they will go with alot and I was just really drawn to the color!  I am pretty fair skinned, will tan a little throughout the summer but not a ton, so I feel like the lavendar will work well with my skin tone.

At $19.50, I'm happy!  Plus, Old Navy will do a price adjustment if an item goes on sale up to 14 days after purchasing!

So that was my mini shopping haul!  How was your weekend?  Did you do any spring shopping? 

Drumroll, Please

First, I just wanted to say thank you to all who commented on the lamp shade dilemma!  You all had great suggestions, and I really appreciate your input.  I have decided I am going to go with what my gut is telling me to go for which is....drumroll, please....

I don't want the shade to compete with the other patterns, and there are quite a few patterns in that room-which I am totally okay with!  I like it that way :)  So I ended up choosing the white background with the red polka dot.  I think it will be subtle...as subtle as a cherry red polka dot can be...in the mix with the rest of the patterns.  Plus my major worry in using the red background polka dot that I already had was that it was so close to the euro shams in the same fabric-and an almost solid red shade can be dark.  I was hesitant to use the window treatment fabric for fear of overkill.  So, I think this one will work well! 

I should have shown you this before, but here's a close-up of the other lamp and shade I already did using the window treatment fabric so you can get a better idea of the pattern.  Yes, there was a very, very slight fabric shortage in the back of the shade on the inside seam, but we'll just pretend you don't see that, k?  Okay then ;)

So now I'm off to order the fabric and I'll be sure to post photos once it's done! 

Are you interested in seeing the step by step process of covering a shade?  Or just the final product?  If there's any interest let me know and I will share the process with you!

Opinions, Please!

Okay, so my "red room" is constantly a work in progress.  It's one of my favorite rooms in the house-though it's only a guest room!  It's just so light and airy.  It's on the front of the house so the best light comes through those windows at all times of the day. 

It's constantly a work in progress because I am always looking for that perfect balance of red, aqua and crisp white.  I'm very particular about the reds matching in there perfectly, and for the most part they do. 

See the plain, boring lamp to the right of the bed?  It's actually from PB Teen.  I searched and searched for the perfect lamp to complement the one on the left side-and never found it!  I settled for this one which I'm not in love with, but it does the trick.  It's shorter than I thought it would be so I had to give it some height by sitting it on top of a metal container. 

Anyway, I have been putting off covering the shade in fabric because I'm not quite sure what print I want to put on it.  One thing I know-it NEEDS a print.  I would love your opinions!

I have considered using the red background with white polka dot I used on the euro shams, only because I have a bit of it left over. 

Here are some other options:

The white background is nice because it keeps the look of the shade light.

It's hard to tell on my computer monitor which red would work, so I will most likely need to order memo samples of whatever the final pick is-but I would love your input!  Tell me which one you like the best, pleeeease!  I know which one I'm leaning towards, but would really enjoy hearing what you think!



Extended Offer

Looks like the wonderful temps are here to stay!  Yesterday we were in the 80's and today is looking like a comfortable 75 degree day!  I love it.  And in honor of the beautiful spring weather, and of course my 2 year anniversary, I have decided to extend my free gift offer in my shop for another week!  Offer will end on April 18th.

These little earrings are the perfect every day posts to add a little vintage charm! 

I went to a bead show this weekend-which was a first for me.  It was loaded with all the beads and findings you could ever imagine.  I have been really into chunky stone beads lately and they were all the rage at this show! 

I ended up coming out with these amazing faceted glass beads that I turned into a few necklaces.

I love the simplicity of this one.  The milky colors are so soft and soothing.

This one is so sparkly and pretty!  It's still very simple and easy to wear, but adds just the right amount of umph to an outfit!

I was feeling the cool beachy tones as you can see ;)  I think I'm subconciously dreaming of a vacation to someplace like this-

Oh yeah, that would work ;)  Now that we're getting closer to the summer months, do you have any beach vacation plans?  If so, where are you going??  I'd like to live vicariously through you so please share!  haha

This Is How We Do It!

On a beautiful, lazy Sunday afternoon-this is how we do it around this household!

I had an old comforter folded up on the floor while cleaning out the closet and Salem decided it was the perfect place for a catnap!  I couldn't resist snapping a few photos of the "little mess"(which I commonly refer to him as) that was laying beside me.  If only I could find a soft spot to land and nap the day away!

This is his typical pose...just lettin' loose ;)  

Hope you had a great weekend and wishing you a lovely start to your week!

xo

Fab, Fresh, and New!

Just popping in to share some of my new favorite designs!  I am having so much fun with creating fresh, spring inspired pieces!  I hope you will enjoy them as well :)

(click images for more details)

PS~Did you watch The Real Housewives of New York?  It did not disappoint!!  Can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of the season!

Silver Lining in Real Life

I mentioned last month that I am starting up a monthly feature showcasing you lovely ladies who own Silver Lining jewelry and today I'm featuring the adorable Abby!  She has a great style blog where she posts her daily outfits so be sure to go check her out because she really has an eye for fashion! 

So here's what Abby ordered:

(Click image for more sweater guards!)

(Click image for more bow earrings)

And here is how Abby styled her pieces!



So cute, right?  Well, don't forget to send me your photos if you own a piece from Silver Lining Decor!  You can email me at silverliningdecor1@yahoo.com!

Holy Catfight!

Okay ladies, confession time!  I am a Real Housewife addict!  There.  I said it.  Is anyone with  me?  I love them all, but I have a real soft spot for The Real Housewives of New York.  I can't get enough of their drama!

In my real life, I am a fairly laid back person.  I'm a Libra, so I tend to be very even tempered and nonconfrontational.  I really choose to surround myself with like-minded, positive people.  But there is something about the drama that these women bring to the table that is so entertaining to me!

I'm wondering what the new season will be like without the quick whitted Betheny Frankel.  I have a feeling it won't disappoint.  And can we talk about Kelly Bensimon?  C-R-A-Z-Y!!  Last season she went a little off the deep end to the point where it was a little scary.  We'll see what this season has in store! 

Are you going to be watching?  What's your favorite guilty pleasure on T.V.?

One of my other favorites for a good laugh is The Middle.  Ever watched it?  If not, you must check it out!  It comes on Wednesday nights on ABC and has the silliest characters.  Sue-the daugther-is like some form of every 13 year old girl in America.  Totally desperate to be cool and completely hillarious. 

Off to watch T.V. and make some jewelry!  Have a good night!

Fashion File

Today was a beautiful 80 degree day!  I started the day with a little house cleaning-such a glamorous life, I know.  Then I added a few new necklaces to my shop, did a little antiquing to get out and enjoy the weather, and made a turkey for my husband!  I must be insane to have my oven on for 3 long, hot hours but I had to cook it since it had been defrosting in my fridge for a few days already.  Sounds exciting, huh?  I need to get a life! ;) 

Anyway, my shopaholic side is coming out with the warmer weather starting to linger.  Every time the season changes, I start itching for a new wardrobe!  Here are a few things on my current wishlist right now:

Ruche

Anthro

Forever 21

Old Navy

Etsy

Etsy

So tell me, what's on your spring wardrobe wish list??  Favorite place to shop?  I love to hear of new fun boutiques/shops so please share!

Anniversary and a Free Gift!

It's so hard to believe that this month marks the 2 year anniversary for Silver Lining Decor!  April 24th, Easter Sunday, to be exact!  I started Silver Lining not knowing where it would take me.  In fact, the origin of Silver Lining Decor was actually handmade applique wall art (hence the "decor" part) with a little bit of jewelry mixed in.  The jewelry ended up taking over as you can see :) 

I can't tell you how much I love doing this, and even more, I love that other girls are actually enjoying my pieces as well.  It gives me the warm and fuzzies! 

To thank all of my loyal customers, as well as any new comers, I am offering a free gift with purchase from April 1st to April 10th!  Sound like fun?  I thought so! 

So here are the details:  Limit one pair per transaction; come back day after day and receive another free pair with each additional transaction! While supplies last. Offer ends April 10, 2011.

And here's what you will get:

Vintage Turquoise Glass Rhinestone Stud Earrings set in Silver

And here are some charming new additions for your spring wardrobe!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

xo Rachel