quatrefoil side tables

in this, my 100th post here at gathering moss, i'd like to give a shout-out to my readers. i'm not the most consistent poster on the planet, and i appreciate your sticking around to support me when i actually muster up some creativity. i prefer to post my own work here, so when life gets too busy for projects, posting falls behind. it warms my little heart when i get a comment or a new follower or run into someone who says they read my blog. a big bloggity hug to you all. aww.

and? a present! for you.

a while ago, i procured a pair of these beauts at an antique store. their quatrefoil shape remound me of omph's tini tables, recall? (p.s. i know remound is not the past tense of remind, but i like to pretend)



and then, makeover time. above is the before, and here's the after:

the new ring pull plays nicely off the ring shapes of the lamp, no?




paint/glaze/wax finish money shot:


though, as usual, my shoddy photography doesn't do the finish justice.

i followed martha's herringbone paint technique tutorial. done in a light glaze over dark chocolate paint and finished with a coat of black wax, it gave the table tops just the amount of subtle texture i wanted. and unlike the grasscloth i initially planned to use, this finish is relatively water safe! so my 'tini-toting pals don't have to worry so much about watermarking my 'tini table. shazam. (though we all know we are rife with coasters chez stone...)

when i went back in search of the oomph inspiration tables on the web today, know what i found? this gem:

which leads to the conclusion that a) i am a design genius b) i had seen this table sometime in the past, and my subconscious led me to believe that herringbone would look fab on my table tops. either way, i am pleased with my updated side tables. you like?

design crush: aidan gray

do you ever come across an item you love on a blog, then visit the website of the maker of that item only to be all "are you [expletive] kidding me?" and drop jaw and skip a few heartbeats? in a good way?


what am i talking about. you read blogs. of course you do this.

that's how i felt the other day when one post on the layla grace blog led me down the interweb rabbit hole to an exhilarating array of aidan gray products. i'll take one of each, please. two of some. please put a rush on the gothic arched window and spiral topiary in the above photo. nevermind that they don't appear to actually sell those.

their lighting? is fabulous.


i'm in the process of transforming a pair of lamps with a great shape but unfortunate finish into something more like this (and perhaps i have found the perfect lampshade solution?):


had i a breakfast room, this would live there:

and who wouldn't love to sit in chairs like these:




a great coffee table slash ottoman, grand in scale:

a whole array of fabulously finished furnishings:


and decorative accessories (i'm a sucker for a wire urn. obviously.):




currently petitioning captain fantastic to make something inspired by this out of some old pallet wood stacked behind the guyrage:

also in the process of stripping and (majorly) repairing a pair of cabinets rescued from the in-laws' garage that are quite similar to and hopefully will eventually look like this:


aidan gray? is totally my jam. from the website, it looks to me like these people know what they're doing in the finish department, though i can't speak for the quality in real life. for more goodness, check out the aidan gray website. do you feel me on this?

party like it's my burfday

because it was! last friday! so i took the day off work and gave myself a 4-day weekend. good idea.

after dinner with some of my girls thursday evening, i was looking forward to a day of freedom and an evening dinner party at my in-laws' house with both sets of parents and some of the extended family on friday. as expected, dinner was great fun.

team stone:


mom-in-law and cousin joe bob setting the table (remember, this is tennessee):

chatting with the dads:


embarrassment of riches:


after a fulfilling birthday, i was ready to snuggle up with those big dogs on the couch. except they were not barking when we got home? and the lights were off? because SURPRISE!


captain fantastic. he rallied the handful of friends who were in town over the holiday weekend and had them waiting at the house!

with cake! (the most delicious chocolate & heath bar cake of all time, mind you)


yes, i am 28. i know, you were going to say 15. i get that a lot. but guess what? for a month? cougar. c-fan's birthday is october 4th. rawr.

anyway, my parents were there, a bunch of people i love to spend time with were there, there was pink champagne and a keg and an assortment of pictures of me hung in banner form around the house. the boys in charge of posting the pictures took the liberty of hiding them throughout the house as well, so we're still finding candids in places like the washing machine, underwear drawer and dog food containers. the gift that keeps on giving!

and i am nothing if not generous, so i'll share that gift with you. here are a sampling of the shots that graced my walls (and other household surfaces). not in chronological order.

engagement & wedding shots from j.malahy:






first married dinner on the honeymoon in belize:


reef fishing in belize:

an early date (beer pong in the guyrage):


bacheloretting at raiford's in 80s glam gear:


our first meeting at the chug-n-run:


bbq fest 2k10:

new year's eve 2k9:


first grade art class (that's me rocking the nautical and cowlick in the middle):


doing up the redneck riviera with my pops:


...in unintentional matching outfits:

camping out in the bago:


wherein it is necessary to wear one's bago hat:


lounging in the trailer-trash yard (see: bago, above):


rooting for the tigers when they aaaaalmost won the big tourney:


hiking the sewanee perimeter trail:

ditto:


this is like a third of the party decorations. i am making a ridiculous face or doing something embarrassing in almost all of them. which apparently was the point.

it was the best birthday eva, and i'm so thankful for such great family and friends who made it that way! thank y'all so much! 28 is starting out to be a great year.