I found this spectacular shell mirror at Heights Antiques on Yale for $240. If you know shell mirrors, you know that's a STEAL. Donna isn't wild about the antlers that I glued on top, and sometimes she just lets me have my way.

Donna is a founding member of ShellLoversAnonymous. I probably doubled the amount of shells on this mirror with my hot glue gun(see previous post). That's a pile of bleached antlers on the grey chest of drawers.

This is one corner of the entrance hall. Donna loves CROWNS, and we're looking through one.

Donna also LOVES hearts, and I found this one at H Gallery on 19th in the Heights. It is made out of oil drums by a local artist. Somehow the bird made its way up there.

In my opinion,every room needs some sort of crown molding to look finished and elegant. This picture demonstrates that perfectly.

The two dangling chains indicate a........CEILING FAN. Can you guess how I feel about them???

Alot is coming together now in the bedroom. As you can see here and in the next pictures we've painted the walls a yummy yellow and added crown molding. I know I've spoken out harshly against ugly lights and appliances, but I've been in the closet about ceiling fans. HIDEOUS!!!!!!!!!! I found an 8 light crystal chandelier at Lovejoy's. Instant glamour! I also found the wall hanging there. It is a vintage lap blanket used when riding in an open horse drawn carriage. Donna briefly considered making it a "Harley" blanket, but I said "no".

I'm also excited to reveal the $358 four poster bed I bought. Later you'll see how it looks with a major infusion of gold paint!

This is such a great "before" picture, as we see the non-descript wall color and lack(HORRORS!!!!!!!!!!!!) of crown molding(NOT my fault), and the grey bedside table and lamp(my fault). Donna stabbed me through the heart by saying they were "boring". I had hoped she wouldn't notice. It was also at this time that she realized she wanted an INDIA-themed bedroom.

This is not the finished bedroom, but many things are in place. Remember the $358 four poster I got? Here it is. The grey bedside tables and lamps were two "MISTAKES" that Donna labeled "boring". I felt as if I had been stabbed through the heart. I traded them out for the vintage Italian gold and white chests and the camel lamps.

Rosy at Best for Less made this wonderful corona from individual Indian sari scarves that I found for $5 each at Lovejoy's Antiques.

We painted this room a deep, warm gold and put up shiny white crown molding.

Above the bed is a spectacular temple piece of gold carved wood and mirror from India.

This "before" of the dining room is just a reminder. Don't linger.

Here, at last, is the finished dining room. Donna was the ideal client in that she trusted me completely. This long wall (formerly hidden by the mountain of boxes,remember?) was the ONLY place for a desk. This one is functional, beautiful, and capable of hiding the printer and shredder (a MUST!!!!!).

We both love grandly scaled pieces like the mirror, which just rests on the desk. Another Guild Shop find were the shadow boxes with sea fans inside , which I painted a different shade of blue. A happy accident (one of many) were the exciting patterns thrown on the walls and ceiling by the lovely new chandelier. I didn't plan that, but I will take credit.

Not knowing how long she could stay in her apartment, Donna had wisely chosen NOT to paint.

The only small space we were going to paint was the entry hall, and I chose grey. It was met with less than enthusiasm. I still didn't know how much she loved vibrant colors.

When we learned she could stay for many years,we went wild and painted the whole place. We chose this muted blue over the grey, but before we could put it up, we had to strip off all of the old wallpaper underneath. Donna wisely left town, and came home two days later to this. Everyone HATED the purple square insets. I knew they would perfectly tie in the purple drapes, which no one knew were coming. Heh heh...

Donna just "had" to have these chairs from Kuhl-Lindscomb, and who wouldn't want them? They are stunning, dramatic and $6,200 each.

Here is what I created for Donna. The frames are a mixture of silver and pale blue. There are 4 side chairs and 2 armchairs, each costing $360.

Upon reflection, I think I DO have magical powers. How else would I have found this REAL zebra skin for $900 one hour after it got to The Guild Shop?

My friend, Jerry, is eager to see the finished project. Here is a reminder of how the breakfast room looked....

...and here is the finished room, minus some books on the bookcase. What do you think?

Finally! A true "before and after". This is Donna's built-in dressing table. That's me in the mirror, standing next to the Container Store "armoire" in the bedroom. She truly has kept them in business.

Almost any room can be made beautiful by a rich wall color and a crystal chandelier. I framed the naked mirror with a custom frame from my friends at Davis Hardware at 1028 Studewood.

My house has this unique outdoor room with a glass ceiling. Most people didn't know what to do with a spa and hot tub smack in the middle of their house, but I did!!! Check out the next picture....

....I just added columns and built a scaffolding over the water and painted clouds on the wall. The arch above the tile is an architectural piece from Paris.

Did I mention that I am a painter? This is one of my still lifes in oil. I hope you enjoy it.

This is the little chair in yesterday's photo in the kitchen. It is covered in a beautiful Fortuny fabric. The custom made draperies at the windows in the background are in the same rich browns and golds in silk taffeta.

By now, you know how I feel about most appliances...ugly but necessary. I found this oddity at The Guild Shop. The microwave fits PERFECTLY inside the space and Donna now has 33 more drawers in which to put stuff.

Before this project, I was a "hot glue gun" virgin. Oh, I'd heard about what it was like, but I just wasn't ready to commit. I had so many questions. What would the gun feel like in my hand? Should I use protection? Would I smoke a cigarette afterwards? Would I hate myself in the morning?
It was so much more that I ever imagined it could be! And I 'm going to keep on doing it.

.For me, less is NEVER more. As you can see, I didn't stop with shells. I used chunks of coral and turquoise,too.

Donna desperately wants a real zebra rug, "real" meaning it was once attached to a zebra. She can have this one for $2,720, OR I can keep looking.

Here are some perfectly adequate rabbit pillows for about $350 each. Those were some big bunnies. Probably too big for the stew pot in "Fatal Attraction".

....but check out my chinchilla(yes, real fur!) pillows. With these you don't need a pet. I bought the fur piece for $45, and had the pillows made by Rosy at Draperies For Less for $45 a piece. That's just $60 for a "pillow pet".

As promised, here is the stunningly chic blue suede sofa. Not what you expected, right? Me either. You see it in it's "Harley friendly" state. Not my taste, really....this might be a problem.

I have already heard that many of you are EAGER to see the "after"s. Patience, dear readers.

Here is the dining room WITHOUT the mountain of boxes. It still qualifies as a "before" photo. A massive amount of de-cluttering is needed before any real decorating can begin. I won't bore you with those details.

For fun, I shop. I could gold medal in SHOPPING if it were an Olympic sport. Today, after finding the fabulous$358 four poster bed, I bought a divine pale blue suede curved mid-century(50's) sofa for $1,200. Donna asked for a blue sofa. Done! I'll have a picture of it tomorrow.....

WOW! Where does one begin? As I said, the reason Donna called me was to rescue her from overwhelming clutter and her best intentions. That, and the fact that her dog, Harley, had been missing in the boxes for two days. He's fine, by the way. Just a little dehydrated and disoriented.
But back to the boxes. That is, without a doubt, the neatest, best looking mountain of boxes I have ever seen. Kudos to you, Donna!

Alas, the dining room again. I think this picture speaks for itself. Donna is clear on her feelings about this chandelier...."hideous". I tend to agree. The doors on the left go into the kitchen.

Here is the "breakfast nook"(breakfast for her dog, Harley, that is, as you can see by the bowl) in Donna's kitchen. She had already painted it a cheerful Restoration Hardware "BUTTER"(I'm not kidding....that is the real name of the paint). There are two windows that look out onto a lovely tree lined street(that qualifies as a "nice view") ,the same great shiny white crown molding as in the dining room and another "hideous chandelier".
On the other wall, out of view, is the microwave oven sitting alone on a table. I have very strong feelings about exposed wires, ugly appliances, and televisions...mainly that they should be hidden. So, the challenge in this room was to hide/minimize the microwave.

No, that's not an"after"picture of
Donna's dining room. I'm very good, but I don't have magical powers. This is a picture of my entrance hall. And, yes, those are giant flowers painted on the walls. I have some "before and after"s I'm saving for later. I just slipped this in to tease you and to show off a bit.
Of course, not everyone is going to want giant flowers on their walls(my husband being an example of this.....happily, he has grown to love them). Donna was very clear about what she loved and wanted. She wanted animal prints, hearts, crowns, and SHELLS and lots of them. Happily, these are all things I love, too. And, I knew I was in creativity heaven when she said,"just design it as if it were yours!"

Here is the living room, with just a hint of the dining room. It is a scary hint. As in the next photo, all we really see is the window. AND, in the lower left corner, the scariest item in the whole apartment, THE HUGE TELEVISION!!!!!!!! This television would work well in a sports bar, hung way up on a wall for hundreds of people to watch. What to do with it?

In this picture of the living room, we again see the BIG picture window. Usually, I am excited about BIG windows because they let in light and provide a view. However,THIS view was of the parking garage roof, parked cars, and an appliance graveyard. Donna assured me she saw only the beautiful trees in the FAR distance. I assured her everyone else would see only the parking garage roof, the parked cars, and the appliance graveyard. My dilemma? How to hide that"view" and still let in the most light?

Here is Donna's bedroom. She desperately needed more, and, dare I say, prettier storage. I am always keen on hiding TV's if possible, so that was a goal. The dress form was her mother's and I needed to "dress" it up and find a home for it.

....and another view of the bedroom. These are obviously the "BEFORE" pictures, and I will be referring to them as I go along.

The scope of this project sort of slipped up on both of us. She knew she wanted furniture for the living room. I talked her into actually having a dining room for eating. As an afterthought, she mentioned she would love a four poster bed.
We hadn't really discussed budget, and part of the thrill of decorating for me is to see how little I can spend and still get something fantastic. I practically LIVE at The Guild Shop in Houston, so that was my first stop. Hiding in the corner behind a huge feathered Polynesian headdress was my first purchase, a black and gold four poster bed. I bought it for $358,saving at least $1,ooo the first day without even trying. What a high!