Now that I have your attention….

Let’s face it, not everyone has Donald Trump’s bank account. We all want a great looking home, but not everyone can have a professionally designed home outfitted in the latest and greatest high end resources. What’s a design lover to do? I find one of the best ways to get the look without spending the moolah is to shop vintage, thrift, yard sales, Craigslist or stores like Goodwill. There my friend, you can often find great pieces with great bones, that only require a coat of paint and a little love.

I posted earlier in the week about Amy Howard’s new paint line. Take Amy’s products and apply
to a thrift store piece and you have something fab!

I won’t lie, I am not the biggest DIY-er you’ll ever meet. I’m the “good intentions” girl.
In reality, tend to follow more of the HIY path (hire it yourself), but I have been known to tackle
a few little projects myself. More often than not, my so called “DIY projects” get grouped in my garage
for a rainy day that never comes!

Here is a link to my Pinterest DIY project board in case you are interested in what I would like to do if I were DIY-ing.. As you can see I have been busy “pinning” away projects for the future. I jokingly told my friend and fellow designer, Holly Hollingsworth Phillips, I was going to start a weekly blog feature called “Don’t DIY” where I would feature reasons “not to try it yourself” and show the receipts of items I had purchased, never used or used and how I had ruined perfectly good pieces. Could be really entertaining, I think. It’s true you know, not everyone is meant to be a DIY-er, even though Pinterest gives us the false hope we can conquer anything. Often with me, it’s after I have spent $$$, boat loads of time and effort only to have the project fail, do I realize it would have been cheaper for me to hire it done. Not sure if my issues are short attention span, perfectionism or just plain lack of time but I’ll typically leave it to the pros. That being said, I do appreciate admire that ability in others. I think it takes talent to be the successful DIY-er. That’s why I am writing this post!

If you live in the Charlotte area, you need to keep reading and make plans to come out
to the Restore Restyle Event. You just might get some great ideas for your own home!
Traci Zeller and I have teamed up once again, this time to be judges at Restore Restyle Event tomorrow night. There are eight teams who have accepted the challenge.

The ReStore ReStyle Design Challenge is an annual fundraiser held at the Mooresville ReStore whose purpose is to highlight the ReStores and their impact on the community through creative repurposing. Local designers are challenged to decorate 10’x10’ rooms utilizing only donated product available from the Mooresville & Cornelius ReStores. Each room will demonstrate how items found in the ReStores can be “ReStyled.”

The 3rd Annual ReStore ReStyle Design Challenge will be held on tomorrow night,

Friday, May 17th, 2013 at the Mooresville ReStore.

To purchase your tickets to the 2013 ReStore ReStyle Design Challenge Click Here!

Tickets are $15 and include two drink tickets and heavy hors d’ouevres.

Each team can only use items from the Cornelius and Mooresville ReStore locations for their designs. They will be given two gallons of paint, and items costing no more than $100 each to design a 10′ x10″ room.They are allowed to bring in anything to include in their room as long as it fits in a standard size file box. Yep, you heard me right! It’s the ultimate challenge! I’m sure there is lots of planning, speculating and brainstorming going on with these designers as they think through what they might be able to cook up to use in their designs. I’m sure it will be inspiring and amazing to see the finial results.

MEET THE DESIGNERS

Crystal Clark: Girl’s Room: The Weekend Homemaker

I’m a home decor and craft blogger atThe Weekend Homemakerwho is inspired to create, repurpose and recycle in order to decorate my home on a budget. I love shopping the restore, thrift stores, and garage sales to find items that just need a little love to give them a new life. I turned my unused “formal” dining room into a home office for two and was featured in the July 2012 issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

Andrea Hartley: Wedding Reception Room

I am a stay at home mom, co-owner with my husband of an electrical company, a volunteer for the Carolina Waterfowl Rescue, and

third generation treasure hunter.What I am most passionate about is art, design, and creating (on a budget.) I have been sorting and sifting and digging through dusty shelves, bins, and boxes to find that little forgotten and discarded treasure to restore or repurpose for as long as I can remember with my mother and grandmother. My three year old son is quite at home at our local Restore in Mooresville and often can be found napping in the back of the shopping cart. I love the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction achieved by spending $20 and an afternoon to create a truly one of a kind piece that looks like I spent hundreds of dollars. I hope that I can pass as much fun and memories onto my son as I have experienced in my life with my mom.

Trevor & Kerri Morrical: Family Play Room: Morr Creations, LLC

We are a husband and wife team that loves the creation, building and design process. We enjoy antiques, shopping second-hand and refurbishing items to give them new purpose and function. We are excited to have been chosen to participate in the ReStore Restyle Design Challenge 2013 to display our creativity and give back to our community. We look forward to the challenge and welcome this opportunity as a motivation to start our new Renovation-Design Business.

Anna Miller: Nursery

My name is Anna Miller; I am 29 years old, born and raised in Mooresville NC. I recently completed my Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Gardner Webb University. I work as a professor at Mitchell Community College teaching a course on developmental disabilities. For the past 10 years I have also worked with special needs children in the Mooresville area as a Behavioral Technician. My newest and most exciting job is working as a counselor in Statesville. I work with opiate/chemical

dependent individuals and I love every second of it. I consider myself a creative person, doing everything from scrap booking, making dog collars, dog costumes, jewelry, and hair bows. This is my first time ever designing a room; I have a little experience re-purposing small items for my own home, but I LOVE A CHALLENGE. The last challenge that I was given was to create two dresses for Charlotte Fashion week for the Recyclable portion of the week-long event. For this; I was asked to create one dress from camera film for shutter legends photography, and the other from Society Charlotte magazine. This was the first time that I had ever designed clothing; they turned out extremely well for someone with no experience in this area. With that said, I have a hard time explaining what inspires me… Because to be honest, EVERYTHING inspires me.

Kerrie Boys: Man Cave: Kerrie.Can

Make things out of things. That is what I do.
There is a certain curiosity that comes with objects that have lived a previous life. With that curiosity, in my hands, comes a “second chance” as they say. I see things that aren’t there, visions of what could be. Bringing that vision to life feeds my soul. My process mirrors what Habitat for Humanity is all about. These committed people have a calling, and with donations and skills, they help families who need a second chance “see” what could be. Together, with creative hearts and rugged hands we can help more families realize the dream of a having a home.

Karen Adams: Office

I have always been blessed with great artistic ability, being able to draw, paint, sculpt, craft, and everything else in between. My favorite thing to do is re-purpose old tired items and give them a new lease on life. This was originally introduced to me by my

mother-in-law who encouraged me to redo a tired old kitchen rack. I loved doing it so much that it is now something I do almost daily. I also specialize in creating high end styled decor for weddings and events that are low on budget but high in elegance. Recently I started working with Van Buren Consignment and have been able to use my talents in creating unique custom furnishings.

Gretchen Earnshaw: Patio Space

Gretchen has been repurposing and redesigning since she was old enough to move furniture around her bedroom in her parent’s house. A true designer at heart, Gretchen specializes in using the items already in the space in new and different ways to bring life to a room. Finding the right balance of old and

new is the key to a comfortable, functional and beautiful design. Sometimes we need to step back and look at our homes with fresh eyes to see the possibilities within. Gretchen’s favorite style could be described as coastal cottage but she believes there should always be an element of surprise and a touch of whimsy in every design.

Also during the event will be another exciting fundraiser:

Chair-i-ty: (noun)

A fundraising event where youth and community members in the Lake Norman area “ReStyle” Habitat ReStore chairs to be auctioned off at the ReStore ReStyle 2013 Design Challenge. Proceeds benefit Our Towns Habitat Youth United program.

Chairs from the Chair-ity event are on auction now at the Mooresville ReStore. The bidding will end on May 17th at 7:45pm during the 2013 ReStore ReStyle Design Challenge. Please visit the Mooresville ReStore during this time period to place your bid. To order tickets to the event please click here.