One More Purchase & A New Project Poll

There was one more consignment sale purchase over the weekend... A cute little faux-bamboo, glass, two-shelf coffee table for our living room! For less than $100, it's incredibly budget-friendly, especially when compared to the almost $450 glass coffee table I was eyeing at Crate & Barrel.

I'm debating what color to paint it, so welcome to the next Wedded Whittaker Project Poll!

Keeping in mind that this rug will eventually be switched out for a natural seagrass one...
What color should we paint our coffee table?

1. Black
2. 'Safety Red'
3. Leave it as-is, for a rustic look
4. Glossy white
5. Other (leave the color as a comment)

Oh, and in case you're wondering what happened to the projects from our previous poll... They've been put on hold for now...

Yep, Jeff purchased a boat, and I'm expecting my hubby to be lake-bound for most of the summer... He is like a kid on Christmas morning when he talks about this new (to us) boat! Hope to have some lake-side weekend updates coming soon.

Weekend Update

Happy Monday? Sorry but that's about as enthusiastic as I can get after such a nice, relaxing weekend... On Friday night, the hubs & I headed out to dinner with my grandparents and kept it pretty low key. We were both up bright and early on Saturday. I headed to a few yard sales & Sleepy Poet with friends, and Jeff headed up to Raleigh for a Masonboro Boys show.

Saturday night we had a little girls get-together at Big Daddy's Burger Bar. I hadn't been before, and it was amazing! We were fortunate enough to have a pretty short wait, even though the place was packed, and get a table outside. I tried out the Cantina 1511 black bean burger (sans green chiles), and it did not disappoint! Can't wait to go back with Jeff (I did have a little new restaurant guilt, since we'd been eyeing this one to try for some time, but it's a definitely one to repeat!)

On Sunday I was pleasantly surprised when there was hardly any grumbling once Jeff came home to my yard sale finds...

First up is this outdoor light:

To (potentially, once I can get Jeff on board) replace this light fixture in our kitchen...

Similar to these ideas via The Newlywed Diaries...

I also rounded up this beverage cart from my dad's shed (after a heart-breaking decision not to get one that looked exactly like this one from Lonny for $70 at Sleepy Poet... I reversed that decision around 4 pm on Saturday, but it was too late... already sold!)

Despite the heartbreak, I love having one that my grandparents owned, and think the size fits nicely in our small dining area.

Obviously, there is still a lot of 'styling' left to be done, and I'm debating spray painting it a pretty brass color... Thoughts?

If your husband will let you...

You should really get this from Overstock:

The $120 price tag for an 8x10 jute rug is to die for... Especially if you're going for a look like this...

Weekend for Ellie

We don't have much scheduled this weekend - other than a few yard & estate sales with friends, along with a girls night for me and a Masonboro Boys show for Jeff. I plan to spend some time spoiling my puppy... I mean, could you say 'no' to this face?

Have a great weekend!

I heart Craig's List

... Well, now I do. And as much as I hate to admit it, I used to be a CL snob. It was a gradual progression that started with stores like South End Exchange, where I can only daydream about some day owning a set of these:
to purchasing only 'non-fabric' items, like my kitchen table & chairs, from Sleepy Poet...

to our couch (Jeff likes to remind me that I said I would never ever purchase a used couch - but I love it) and then settee from CL...

I wonder if Jeff is sorry he coaxed me out into the wonderful world that is Craig's List, consignment shopping, and thrift store finds?

Here is the latest... An art deco 1940s lamp and reason #1,821 that I heart CL:


I originally intended to swap out the milkglass shade for a regular lamp shade, but now I'm not so sure... What do you think?

W²: Balsamic Asparagus & Cherry Tomato Salad

My dad called me earlier this week, looking for "my" recipe for this delicious summer salad... proof that the old "W Squared" can actually taste good! All of that on top of the fact that this recipe is 0 points... jackpot.

{image via Young House Love}

W² Balsamic Asparagus & Cherry Tomato Salad
1/2 pound asparagus, about 40 spears
1 cup cherry tomatoes, about 10, cut in half
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. orange juice
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp. black pepper, or to taste

1. Bend asparagus, until they break at their natural breaking point. Throw away ends.

2. Microwave in microwave-safe dish for 2 to 3 minutes in salted water until barely tender (tip: don't completely cover in water, only fill to about half of asparagus).

3. Rinse in ice-cold water to stop cooking. Drain.

4. Add cherry tomatoes.

5. Stir together vinegar, orange juice & garlic; season to taste. Spoon dressing over asparagus and tomatoes.

6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, serve & enjoy (for 0 points!)

Follow Us!

Come on... you know you want to! Scroll down the right-hand side of our blog (all the way to the very bottom), and click on 'Follow' ...then sign up with your email address!