Hi! Welcome to Serendipity Refined!
This is where I share bits of my daily life...the successes as well as "good ideas gone bad" because you just never know where the next great discovery's going to come from (at least that's what I tell my family when they're wondering why I'm refinishing an armoire in the bathroom or why the room that was the living room last week is the dining room this week)
For example: Who knew that Running Fabric Through My Printer would turn out so wonderfully? Or that trying to antique a cabinet with "RUST" would go so really, really, wrong!?
It's all here, and I'm sharing it!
On a more personal level, I've got a background in design and a full time job in finance at a large computer corporation that's been around for a long time.
I live in the Chicago 'burbs in "a house full of men" (my husband and two sons). In the summer of 2013, we sold our "big, new house" and downsized to a, 1800 square foot, 1950's ranch home on 3/4 of an acre which had been vacant and/or a rental for several years prior to our purchasing it. It's a train wreck...in other words, it's PERFECT for me! It's got windows that are painted shut, electric outlets that are covered with ice on days where the temps are below 20 degrees, and a basement crawl space that had a mud floor and a foot of water every time it rained (excavated and concreted in Fall, 2013).
I started planning the renovation before we moved in and in late Summer, 2014 we'll begin Phase 2 of the renovation that will transform this sad red brick ranch home into a French farmhouse...with a Midwestern accent. We're gutting the place to the studs, cutting off the roof and starting all over on the inside as well as the outside. Follow along as I buy plumbing parts and furniture on Craigslist and make them over. You'll find furniture painting and techniques that I've learned over the last 30 years spent transforming roadside rescues for myself and my friends as well as gardening tips.
I'm genuine, quick-witted, and honest to a fault. I love all things vintage, I collect more things than I can list, and am nearly always over-committed. I love to entertain family and friends but am far more comfortable behind the scenes and in the kitchen than in the spotlight.You'll often find tablescapes and seasonal decorating ideas on this blog.
I've got a degree in design and a bunch of power tools that I love to use. I've been a trash to treasure transformer and a furniture painter forever. I love to learn new thingsk, especially in the kitchen, so you'll find recipes here too! I'll try just about anything once...twice if my family doesn't get food poisoning!
Thanks for joining me on the journey. I'm delighted to have your company.
Bienvenue !
Kimberly
