Urban City Kate

I have been daydreaming about the makeover for my princess Gracie's

bedroom for sometime now while she made it clear to me that

she is not about butterflies and hearts " no not my girl"

she is like her mama beating to her own drum...

so after much thought and sticking to my frugal decorating style

I decided to play off my girls love for horses and give her a fit for

a princess room Urban City style...

I put together my inspiration vignette to begin my design plans

It started with the Craiglist petite antique dresser

that had me at first sight...

it was so perfect for a little girl

I then started hunting for the elements of this room

I wanted that rustic urban feel without cowgirl

I had purchased these beautiful pillows from

my friend Princess Rose of The Tarnished Crown

 I am still deciding on which linen bedding for her room

I want that expensive look and yet be kid friendly

and who doesn't love a hubby who finds sweet

birds nest for me & Rose...

I gathered old school books from estate sales and

added my mama's gardening scissors that she used

when she was a young girl

I want Gracie to know she comes from strong women

the prop chair is made by Tori West

who sells her pieces at Vets & Irvine Flea Market

once I saw that chair

{swoon}

my inspiration vignette includes

beautiful paper princess crowns made for Gracie

and I by my friend Amy of  Mittens

and a vintage tin given to me by two sweet

sisters who are regulars at Country Roads

to celebrate my one year at the store

I hearts these ladies...

this vintage suitcase will be part of Gracie's room

given to me by my dear friend Jo Lee who gave me

the name " Salvage Dior " for my blog

I will be using shutters that I salvaged from the trash

and reclaimed wood on some of the projects for her room

to keep the cost low

her makeover budget is less than 300.00

and that includes paint, bedding and furnishings

I picked up her vintage school desk for 5.00 along with

a vintage chair and hamper for 20.00

here is the vintage chair for the school desk

I will be posting as we make progress in her room

wait till you see the head & foot board I found

to go along with this dresser

many of the vignette items will be at Country Roads

this week along with vintage furniture

This is Deb and I lounging at the show yesterday

Deb gave me the most incredible day out filled with

shopping, food and most of all her friendship...

love you girly...

then I go the added surprise to see my friend Missy

of Chateau Chic Boutique and her sweet hubby

my mama will be drawing a winner on Wednesday

so there is still time to enter the giveaway in my

previous post

lots of love from

me and my Gracie girl

Finding your soul Kate & my giveaway

remember my new twill "goodwill" sofa that I scored for 42.07

I am pairing her up with some other fabulous makeover

projects that I have completed

over the past week...

this discarded table I picked up at a yard sale for a few

dollars and gave her a good scrubbing along with

some black stain wash and topped her with clear coat

for a rustic finish

I found some shutters that were put out curb side

so they got a gray white wash from me

that adds a bit of color to the corner spot

the lamp sitting on my "frenchie"

was a 2.00 goodwill find that I gray washed as well

and topped with a new 7.00 clearance linen

shade from the local Marshalls store

I love how this vintage lamp has such a modern feel

now with a coat of paint and new shade

I picked up a stack of very old algebra books for a few

dollars at a yard sale and they are so unique

remember that vintage headboard from my space at

Country Roads

I brought her home and sanded most of that gold paint

she was wearing and gave her a more subtle dress

then I placed her with a distressed coffee table to give her

a new look as she returned to the STORE

I hung another old shutter for depth above her

and added some dried branches for texture

I have a thing for dried branches

and twigs along with rust...

and for the finale

one lucky reader who leaves me a comment will

receive a 50.00 dollar gift certificate to use at

Country Roads

for the Memorial Day sale

and for my out of state readers

you will receive a 50.00 gift certificate

to the store of YOUR CHOICE

Good luck to all of you!!!

if you send over someone make sure they

reference your blog in my comment section

and I will include another entry for you

xoxo

linking up to sweet Kathleen's White Wednesday

Style Inspiration " simply Kate "

I received three emails this week from bloggers who needed
a bit of inspiration when you are on a budget and using what you might
have in your own home...

I usually dry flowers from the garden and tree branches, using

our own nature to decorate is always cost effective

other items include old bookpages, moss from the dollar store

and even broken discarded pieces that I have found

in a trash pile at a yard sale...

I am just a simple girl at heart

who loves a clean and classic look

with some dramatic punches

you can always find old inexpensive tables at yard sales

that just need paint and a bit of sanding

juxtaposition is always a winner...

I added strips of linen that I had to these

99 cent glass candlesticks from the goodwill..

just a splash of paint and sanding will

transform an empty frame into

a show case for another piece on your walls

I will even use a piece of furniture that is missing

a door and drawers to showcase items

that I want to display in my home or at

Country Roads

Layers will always add such depth to your rooms

I am also quite fond of willow

which is very inexpensive yet gives texture

when decorating...

I even used old rope and ornaments

that I had in the garage for this vignette...

when I wanted a headboard and funds were low

I used this old cabinet door and mounted it to the exisiting frame

to create a rustic headboard for my loft

then I painted the opposite side so that I had

two different back drops when I needed a change

just unscrew and flip

I love that

Always follow your heart

I purchase what I love even if hubby can't

see the vision that I have in my mind..

this settee is still one of my favorite makeovers

that I have ever done

only because Mr. Dior thought I could not make it work...

no shame in my game right ladies...

Well to my favorite girls out there

MUAH xoxo

Our fight against Lupus...

When you prepare for battle you need strength, wisdom and determination...


As my middle son approached graduation last year he shared with me
his passion to help others build strong healthy bodies. After my diagnosis
he began a mission to help me fight Lupus with him right by my side...

He enrolled in the academy and became a personal trainer and certified
nutritionist. He is also CPR and first aide certified as well. His goal to help seniors &
others with disabilities learn how to strengthen their core and gain mobility
back into their lives living to the fullest.

Battle was something Christopher was all to familiar with. His Asthma since youth
lead me on a mission during his four years of varsity wrestling in high school. We worked
as a team as I watched him struggle till he won his champion titles his Senior year.

Now we are a new team as he is leading the way...

He has a heart that blesses me each and everyday.

Pride of a lion just like his mama...

Most people see me smiling and bouncing around at

Country Roads, the flea market or when I am

in the midst of planning a wedding or event

Christopher sees me at my worst when the Lupus

takes me to the ring and the gloves are off

Lupus like any auto immune illness is very cruel to the body.

It steals like a thief, it breaks down, attacks and destroys

the good. It is a fight and a mental one at its best. My son

has taught me through nutrition and supplements to help

restore some of what Lupus repeatedly takes from my body.

I fought kicking and screaming as he went through

the list of items that I needed to remove from my diet

 I still have to have some from time to time

Of course I give him warning " mom's eating junk "

The one thing that I never realized was how much meds I

did not have to take due to his knowledge and that I

could achieve the same benefits from food without

using drugs that the pharmaceutical companies push.

Christopher and I have shed many tears together

especially when I look back to the woman I once was

who could do just about anything to the woman now who is

smiling when she can fly a kite with her precious

Gracie on a windy day.

Gods grace is the one weapon that will never fail me and the

love and support of my family.

Gods blessing through this illness is priceless...

Last week I was chatting with Sue at the counter

at Country Roads and when we left I looked

at Mr. Dior and I said " if I did not have Lupus I would have missed

out on all of this " He replied " I know " as his eyes filled with tears.

I have another Family now that gives me an incredible

amount of love and support along my journey...

Sue's daughter Katie will know just by looking at me

when I walk in the door and will say to me with her

beautiful smile " todays a good day Huh Kate?"

" Yes " it is a GOOD day...

 the friendships that I have made

through the business, well words cannot express how grateful

I am. So many wonderful women and bloggers have blessed

my heart tremendously.

The mornings that I cannot move and the pain is unbearable

I have an angel who has to carry me to the bathroom.

He does it like its nothing and first sentence out is

"how's my girl this morning?" thats when the river of tears flow

His love never fails. When you stand there taking vows you

never really think about the " for worse ".

this little diva reminds me everyday there is a

whole lotta Better!!!!

My love and grattitude to all of you

and to my Christopher

my cup runneth over

We start training next week at his new facility

Wish me luck! I want to look like Demi Moore by

summer! I think I forgot to tell him that part.

Photography by the father of my children

Rick Maxwell our anchor in the storm...

White Wednesday " Gracie Girl guest post "

Good morning ladies

I am guest posting for my mommy today...

my favorite snuggle spot with mommy

we love lots of linens and yummy pillows

from The Tarnished Crown

and the Simply Shabby Chic line @ Target

salvaged door headboard painted & distressed

by mommy...

mommy picked this darling hamper for

my room makeover in progress at

Country Roads

its the perfect size for me...

our favorite snuggle blanket from the

Simply Shabby Chic line @ Target

she loves to use florals in her chandys...

I can't wait to see what chandy mommy finds for my room...

maybe this one that she just finished

she loves to decorate with coral...

we love to paint & sand...

we made this bird tray together this week

then mommy had glass sealed on top. It sold a few minutes

after she placed it in her space

at the store

more spring goodness

lots of projects getting ready to be placed

at Country Roads

our wall sconce project that we did...

and this beautiful white ironstone collection

is from one of the sweetest person Carol in 55C

who is part of the  Country Roads family

well ladies please join the lovely Kathleen

for her White Wednesday #94

Of course mommy placed me on a chippy salvaged table

for my daddy's photo shoot!

Peace out xoxo

Gracie Girl