Best of 2016 and My Favorite Post

It's the last Friday of 2016. 

To say that this year has flown by is an understatement.

I feel like I've grown immensely in 2016.  I've learned to say no.  I've owned my time.  Do you know what I mean?

This blog for example...I haven't let it consume me.

As I've mentioned before, I love having this blog but it's just for fun.  :)

You know what else is fun?

Looking back at 2016.

Fireplace Makeover

Welcome back to my blog.  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
Thank you for all of your sweet comments regarding my Christmas Home Tour.

If you missed it, you can check it out here.

In the Home Tour I included photos of my newly renovated fireplace.

Today I'm sharing a little more about that transformation.

It was a labor of love but so worth it!

2016 Christmas Tour

Hello friends!!!

I've been a little MIA but all for good reasons!

I've been enjoying some much needed quality time with friends and family.

We've hosted a few parties over here at the Gillio pad and well, I just haven't been in the mood to blog.

This whole blog thing is a hobby for me and although I LOVE it, I don't ever want it to feel like a chore!

I had a few requests to share my home on the blog, so without further ado.....

here is our home all decked out for Christmas!!!

Happy Thanksgiving ~ Let's Make a Difference



A few years ago a man approached me and told me about an incident that happened when he was a little boy.  His house had caught fire around the holidays and there was so much damage done that, with all of the financial burden added to his family, there wasn't going to be any way they were going to afford anything for Christmas. 
 
He paused and said, "I don't know if you remember this but you and the company that you worked for adopted my family that Christmas." 
 
To be honest I had forgotten all about that incident.  It had happened over 20 years ago.  I do remember that my work was looking for a family to adopt for the Christmas season and I had heard about the fire and thought they would be a good candidate.


This man went on to tell me what an impact that small gesture had on his life.  He said he made a promise that when he was old enough he would pay it forward.  He wanted me to know that he had made good on his promise and that he and his children look for a family every Christmas to bless.


I had to fight back the tears while he was talking.  I was so honored to be the instrument that God used to bless an entire family's life.


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Recently a friend shared the above commercial with me and it just moved me.  It reminded me of the fire incident.
It reminded me of the true meaning of Christmas...
I've gotten so wrapped up in decorating and shopping and well, that's not really what it's all about is it?


We're adopting a family, not because of this story, but because it's just what we do during the holidays.  We're blessed and we want to be a blessing.

Today I'm not sharing pictures of pretty things...those will be on the blog soon enough.
Today I'm hoping to inspire you to go out and make a difference in someones life.
Maybe it's not in your budget to adopt a family, so how about giving an encouraging word to someone, carry someones groceries for them, bake cookies and take them to your local fire station or police department, or just simply take the time to smile and spark up a conversation with someone.

Some of the things this commercial says are:

I did

because you gave.

I created

because you saw me as an artist.

I found Christ

because I saw him reflected in you...

This holiday season I'm inspired to make a difference.

Will you join me?

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours.

Delilah

Taking Note...

I read this list of thoughts on another blog last week and decided I'd play....
I think it's good to take a moment to assess things in your life.


Here's what I came up with:




Making: A Christmas gift


Cooking: Nothing at the moment...


Drinking: Raspberry Lemonade


Reading: Too many blogs!!


Trawling: tbh I had to look up the definition of this word!  It means a thorough search....(your welcome!)  So, I'm trawling: through every website trying to find this pendant light at the best price!!!

Wanting: 2 of the above lights!


Looking: At all the beautiful Christmas inspiration on all of the blogs I read!!


Deciding: That I need a second job to pay for Christmas!!


Wishing: My mom could see my house all decorated for Christmas...I miss her!


Enjoying: My quiet time.  I'm home alone at the moment and that never happens!!!


Waiting: For the Gilmore Girls to be released on Netflix Friday!!  I cannot wait!


Liking: My new fireplace makeover!  I can't wait to share it with you!


Wondering: How I'm going to decorate the front porch and yard for Christmas.


Loving: This cooler weather.  It's pretty perfect in my neck of the woods.  High to mid 70's during the day and cooler in the morning and at night.


Pondering: To paint or not paint my bedroom furniture...that's the question!


Listening: To Mariah Carey's Holiday on Pandora


Considering: Ripping the carpet off of my stairs.  Like seriously!


Buying: These adorable little penguins from Michael's.

Watching: Gilmore Girls.  We're on season 7!  Such a great show.


Hoping: I win the lottery!


Marveling: At how blessed my life truly is.  God is soooo good!


Cringing: At my bank account!!


Needing: A sugar daddy!  Haha, so kidding!!  Sort of....


Smelling: The cinnamon scent coming from my scentsy.


Wearing: Jeans, hoodie and boots.


Following: Too many other bloggers!


Noticing: There aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done on my to-do list!


Knowing: That I've lost many of my readers by now with this super long and wordy post so it doesn't really matter what I type at this point... :)


Thinking: I need to pick up my Christmas cards and start addressing them.


Disliking: How hard it is to lose weight!!  Especially during this time of year!


Opening: Bins and bins of Christmas decorations.


Giggling: At the thought of my husband reading what I put down for what I'm needing!


Feeling: Grateful that I did all of that "after Christmas" shopping last year. Opening all my new stuff this year felt like Christmas!


Celebrating:  Getting to spend time with all of my family and friends in the upcoming days.


Pretending: Santa is still coming even though the kids are done believing... :(


Embracing: The chaos that is my home at the moment!






Ok, now it's your turn....

xoxo

Delilah



Transformation Tuesday ~ Bergere Dresser

Happy Election Day!!

I hope you've gotten the chance to get out and vote.  I'm wearing my "I voted!" sticker proudly today!  :)

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned some of the craziness going on in my life in this post.

One of the things I shared was that my Aunt had given me a dresser.  Yes, for FREE!!

Today I'm sharing with you how I transformed it.  I apologize for the low quality pictures...I took these with my iPhone.

Here is the before:

When I saw it, it was love at first sight.  I love all the detailing, the pretty legs, the little drawer on top...

I didn't really have a place for it in my house but I currently have a dresser in my closet that is falling apart and thought it would be a good idea to switch it out with this one.

I decided to paint it in Miss Mustard Seed's milk paint in Bergere.  I've painted other pieces in this color before and I love the gray/blue hue.

Here it is after the first coat and before all the magical chipping started to happen.

Here's the the little drawer after I got the look I was after.  I did a white wax over it.

Here is the beautiful piece once it was all finished.  I love all that chippiness goodness!!

I spray painted the hardware black and love how it pops!

Thanks for stopping by!!

God bless America.

xoxo

Delilah



Fall in the Green Room

Earlier this year I was part of the design team for a few rooms in our new church building.  It was a really fun experience.  I've never shared the transformation of those rooms on my blog but was recently in the Green Room adding some Fall touches and thought it was a perfect time to share this space with you.

What is the Green Room?  According to the dictionary, a "green room" is a room in a theater or studio in which performers can relax when they are not performing.

For the Fellowship Church, the green room is a similar space as its definition.  It's a space where our Senior Pastor and his family along with their guests can relax in between services.

Let's start at the beginning.  When we walked into this room for the first time it was awful.  There are no other more appropriate words.  It was being used by the contractor as a storage room/office/supply room.  It was just a hot mess!

Elegant Halloween Family Room

Halloween is happening in 4 days!!!

How did that happen?

Well, as promised, here is the rest of my Halloween home tour.

I showed you our dining room last week and wanted to show you the rest of the house.

I'm so glad I took these pictures before we had our downstairs painted!  Because to be honest, after taking all of this down for the painters, only about half of the things made it back into the space.

Speaking of paint.....

I can't wait to show you our freshly painted walls.  I'm in love!!

Alright for now let's start this tour!

We're painting!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot tell you how excited I am!!!
My entire downstairs is getting painted today!! 
Right now....
It's happening while I'm typing this blog post!!!


I'm beyond excited!

The Creative Juices are Flowing!!!

Hello there!!!
Happy Wednesday....


So this is a very different post.  Something I've never shared.  You get a peek into my chaotic brain.  Yup!!!  TREAD CAREFULLY!
lol


These are little snippets of some of the creative things I've been juggling lately.

First and foremost....my house is ready for Halloween!  A full post is coming soon....I'm hoping to have it up on the blog early next week! (Btw..that's a snapchat photo!  If you're interested in following me on snapchat my user name is DRGP1)

An Elegant Halloween Dining Room

Good morning!!!

I'm excited to share my dining room with you today.  It's all decked out for Halloween.

Last year I talked about my stance on Christians celebrating Halloween in this post here. 

My Halloween decorations are limited to non-scary, non evil-inspired or witch types of things!

Transformation Tuesday ~ Georgia's Dresser

Happy Transformation Tuesday ya'll!

I've been working on all kinds of projects but haven't had the energy to blog about them.

This dresser was too pretty not to share!

Here is the before....

This dresser was a hot mess!  It was dirty and had scratches and nicks everywhere.

It definitely needed some TLC...

Motivational Monday ~ What's holding you back?

I read this quote on another blog the other day and I loved it!

It really hit home because I'd love to have a BLANK calendar and a FULL bank account

RIGHT??

Who wouldn't.

So I started thinking about what I would do if my calendar was blank and my bank account was full.

I'd jump in a car or an airplane with some of my favorite people.

I'd make my way to the nearest beach

I'd stick my toes in the sand

I'd hug and kiss random puppies I found along the way

I'd eat at beautiful and delicious restaurants

I'd enjoy a beautiful drink, preferably with an umbrella in it!

I'd go to bed late and wake up early

I'd walk straight to the beach each morning.

I'd stop and smell the roses along the way (or the succulents in this case!)

I'd take pictures of all the neat things that caught my eye

At some point I'd mosey on down to a little beachfront cafe and have an espresso and scone.

I might check to see what festival's or events were going on in the town I was in...

I'd live on the edge a little...

I'd take lots of selfies

and blow up my snapchat!

(favorite filter of all time)

I'd have a night of some R&R!

Rest and Relaxation.

I'd buy cute things to remember my trip.

I'd stop by the beach one last time before heading home...

I'd be really sad to leave...

Yup!  That's what I would do...

And then I realized I just did all of those things!!!

Yes sir it was a pretty sweet weekend.

I'm looking forward to the next adventure.

What's holding you back?

xoxo

Delilah





I'm ready for FALL!

I know we're not even done with August but I'm ready for FALL!!

I really love Summer...

 but I'm over it!

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I'm ready for crisp cool mornings, big comfy sweaters, pumpkin everything and Fall décor!

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I've already started decorating my house...

not for Fall necessarily but I've put away the lemons, the bright flowers and the Summery pillows.

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It all started last weekend when I walked into Home Goods, then TJ Maxx and well, my wallet had a mini heart attack!  Sh....don't tell my husband!  :)  It will be our little secret.
 

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After my little shopping spree, I put Summer away and decorated my downstairs with some of my new finds.

A little new mixed in with a lot of old.

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I was craving a neutral pallet and that is what I gave my space.

I'll share some pics on September 1st!  (I picked September because then I feel a little justified with having a "Fall ready" space!)

I know, I'm silly!!

 

Anyway...

Today on the blog I'm sharing some inspiration with you of neutral pallet decorations and homes.

 

Enjoy!!

I'm loving these cotton branches.  I found some at Hobby Lobby and made a wreath for my front door.  Can't wait to show you it!

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 I feel like Chalkboards have a Fall vibe.  Maybe because we associate them with school.  Anyhow... I pulled a few of those out and displayed them throughout the house.  I'm loving this giant chalkboard pictured below!

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I'm loving everything about this space... the sign, the wreath, the pillows, the blanket, the pumpkins...Just beautiful!

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 Have a blessed day!

Thanks for stopping by.

 

 Delilah