Oh. My Gosh! What a trip it was. I can’t tell you how exhausting and exhilirating decorating this beach house was. We had a blast and were just about delirious with fatigue by the time we were done, but standing back and looking at the finished product was SO totally worth it all. And it was such a joy to see the homeowner walk in with her two little girls and just be totally awestruck at the difference in her new beach house. She LOVED it! My designer friend, Mary, has been at this for a long time now and has many clients all over Birmingham. I have had so much fun getting to know her. She is a precious Christian sister and we have a blast together and work well together. She has a wonderful eye for doing this and I’m learning SO much from her and soaking it all in. I told her she is my mentor. We did this entire beachhouse in 2 days and while we didn’t get much sleep and couldn’t believe we were still walking around at times, we persevered and made it by the deadline. I’m learning first hand how hard a project of this magnitude is. She spent about 3 days last week shopping for this project and had it all in her van and a rental truck that had to be driven down too. You should of seen us tooling down the highway, she in the Budget truck and me driving her van. It was a hoot! She amazes me how she can just take on a project like this, focus on it, get it done and then move on to the next one. I can learn a lot from this incredible designer. She doesn’t even make lists, but rather goes in the stores, grabbing things that she has in her mind will work. She gets a plan going in her head of color schemes and then goes to town shopping for it all. She does overbuy on the accessories, pillows and linens at times and takes back whatever doesn’t get used. It’s amazing how much inventory she buys and keeps up with. Then, when the project is completely in place, she goes back and itemizes her inventory, room by room so that she can present an invoice to the client. Amazing what she has to keep up with to get to this point! Those HGTV shows are so deceptive in showing a room in 30 minutes. You can’t imagine the sweat equity that goes into a project like this. I told Mary that this project should be featured in Coastal Living magazine. I would love to submit this and have someone look at it.
Now, all of that dialogue to say this: I CAN’T POST PICS!! Can you believe that? I’m so sorry, but Mary checked with the homeowners and while the wife was perfectly fine with having it posted on my blog, the husband said absolutely NOT. I’m not sure what he was afraid of. So, I can’t do it. I had them all ready to go too, so you’ll just have to imagine how pretty it was. It was done in the popular beach colors of aqua, blue, cream, chocolate, taupe, and some golds.
I do have another little project to share with you from my house. I know it’s a let down not to see all these beach house pics, but hopefully you’ll enjoy these a little bit! 
You’ve probably all seen my little side chairs that were picked up separately at yardsales and fit quite well as accent chairs beside the livingroom console table.
I had a pretty needlepoint on one of them and just added some extra fabric to the other one when it was found last year. But, I decided they should both be out of the same fabric and remembered as I was looking through my fabric stash, that I could use the rest of a leopard print fabric that I picked up yardsaling several years ago.
I’ve added that fabric to pillows and lamps, so why not a chair or two? Got out the electric staple gun, my scissors and finished them in 1/2 an hour.
And I love the little update it makes with these two little lovelies. I’ve always adored a touch of leopard and this does the trick.
Try a little leopard love yourself.
I am hearing the thrill of accomplishment in every work you wrote! I am laughing at the exhiliration you are feeling…it’s a natural high and I hope you stay up there all day! So much for retirement!
hugs
Sandi
Love the leopard!
No pix! Oh no….I was waiting…..You sound so up & happy. How wonderful to be doing something you truly love!
bummer, no pictures
Hugs, DebraK
I can kind of understand where the husband is coming from – we’re super-private too about our home!
How fun and what a great experience. To bad no pics but I am certainly trying to imagine the beauty. Yup I’ve got a vision! Your pictures are great I love the leopard print chairs.
I am a big leopard print lover. Did you notice the carpet in my basement bedroom? You’ll have to stop by and check it out.
Many Blessings, Dana
I enjoyed reading your report of your decorating the beach home.
And the chairs look great! I have always loved the ‘animal’ print look.
Diane
And what fun!! And you sound delighted down to your toes!!! The chairs never looked better.
Jenny
I love leopard!! I do not have it anywhere YET! Because I am just now sorta growing into the whole decorating part of my life. I have always been able to throw things together but not with all the extras down to the prints. So, here I go! I also want to thank you for helping me out with the bathroom problem! Since the Nester posted her mistreatments for the shower curtain, I will now be able to do the whole thing!! I just gotta figure out how to get fabric that large without having to sew anything! : )
Glad you had such a great time and I bet that beach house looks amazing!!
Nice ! You know I have yet to cover my little black chair. I may just have to go leopard!…smile.. Susie h~
! love your leopard! I just did a leopard bench for my dining room…
I love how enthused you are! Jen R
I love your leopard print. Would have loved to see the beach home but you gave a great description of it and I can just picture how beautiful is is in my mind. So happy you have found something you are passionate about.
That’s a bummer about the beach house pics — especially since I could use the inspiration for my own! 🙂 And, oh my gosh — I am spending more time on your blog this week than on my own. I’m loving it (and still laughing at the Sparkle Josh photo).
Oh, I just adore your animal prints! The window treatments peeking from the back of the picture are beautiful too! ~Rhonda
A lovely spot to sit and chat.
Sorry, after all the work, no pictures.I don’t post much of pics of people but wouldn’t hesitate to post “things”.Maybe he has heard nasty stories somewhere.
That’s too bad about the beach house photos. It sounds lovely. Thanks for a little eye candy in your leopard print redo, though. 🙂
Love the leopard print on those lyre chairs!
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for the photos.
Pat
I love the things that you do! You are talented and the leopard material on the chairs is great. I have the same chairs. I live in Bogotá, Colombia and look at your blog each day. How about telling us how you made the valance over your window in one of the pics showing your table and leopard chairs? I would love that as I am sure others would! ADS
Once upon a time my mother-in-law did her whole bedroom in leopard. You would think that would look a little tacky, but in fact it turned out really well, so much so that I considered doing it myself. She’s a spunky grandma so it fit her to a tee.
Sorry the paranoid homeowner guy would’t let you post the pictures. Your build up to them was great…I was all aflutter to see it! lol
I like your leopard love. Just as I always think of Joan @ Joan’s Journey’s when I see something pink, I always think of you when I see leopard prints. (You’ve left an impression with me regarding your love of all things leopard. lol)
Kari
I have two cheetah-print chairs in my den, a nice choice since 2 large leopard club chairs would look too freaky. Love leopard, but it does look best in small doses as on your chairs (mine are club chairs, much larger).
My cheetah print is brown on tan, and I like the tone-on-tone look as long as it’s not muddy. But I love the full-on black print as well!
Melissa
Love the leopard touch 🙂
Blessings,
Sher