The Bar Cart is Back!

Following on from yesterday's post about Society Social... as well as Roxy's inspirational story, it's also my recent fascination and love of bar carts which drew me in. Sure, I love champagne, and cocktails with friends, but more than that, I think they're a fabulous piece of furniture - both functional and attractive. My girls are old enough that I could safely have a bar cart in our home without worrying about them breaking or drinking things they shouldn't (I might have more trouble in a few years when they're teenagers!). But don't you think they also make a great side table? Whether it's one of the fabulous Society Social bar carts (and they have a great range), or if you're lucky enough to own or find a vintage one, they make a stylish and fun addition to any home.

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Society Social & The Manifesto Magalog

Have you heard of Society Social? It's a business/blog/shop creating and selling all the things you need for living sparkly - as in vivacious, legendary, always ridiculous, and never for a second boring! Their gorgeous products range from cocktail carts to haute hostess attire.

I always love a good story about chasing your dreams and turning them into a reality...
Roxy Owens, the founder of Society Social, is an ex-corporate rat racer, who decided that life is entirely too short, no matter the risk, to not be doing what you love. She endured two years in a soul-deadening (her words!) corporate job, but one day woke up hardly recognising who she'd become. She longed to get back to her 'sparkly' self, to look at the world with fresh eyes, to be inspired, and excited about life.

After leaving her job, Roxy took a year to re-group, and credits her blog, My Cup of Te, for helping her to focus on what she was most passionate about. The Society Social range of furniture came about when Roxy decided that the bar cart (she remembered her parents using in the 80's) was in need of a renaissance. Now, if cocktails, champagne and glamorous entertaining is not living sparkly, I don't know what is!

The Manifesto Magalog is SS's magazine/catalogue, and the second issue is out now. It's chocka with delicious photos of their products, entertaining & decorating tips, cocktail recipes and more.

I would dearly love to be able to stock some of Roxy's gorgeous furniture in the Cush & Nooks store one day. What do you think, all you Kiwi's - are you ready to embrace Roxy's 'live sparkly' mantra?

A Home Built on Love, Salvaged Treasures and DIY

This North Carolina Lake House, belonging to Emily and Michael Knotts, is a testament to how you don't need huge amounts of money or designer pieces to create a beautiful and stylish home. Using a keen eye, DIY ingenuity (we Kiwi's love that!), and a bit of hard work, the house has become a mecca for salvaged treasures and bargain buys.

This table was a friend's castoff, and the two windows, in place of artwork, were $5 each - "I love seeing the beauty in unloved things" explains Emily.

Stair numbers bought from the local hardware store and painted.

A simple lampshade which Emily découpaged herself with pages from the dictionary.

A second hand chair, a vintage map won on eBay, and a piece of driftwood supported by $2 brackets.

The pendant lamp is made from a garden lantern with a $4 socket. Some gorgeous vintage items, such as the ladder and wooden crate, were finds at a local antique shop.

Emily's jar collection - $5 is the most she has paid for one.

Michael's home made dining table, teamed with second hand chairs Emily painted, and a bargain find in the pendant light hung with sisal rope.

Simple shelving with baskets bought from Target.

The kitchen makeover cost a grand sum of $31 -  a gallon of paint and putty to fill holes left from taking off the upper cabinet doors.

The track alone on sliding barn-style doors can cost hundreds of dollars, but Emily cleverly fashioned her own using caster wheels and plumbing pipes.

The bedside table was going cheap because it's top was missing. A slab of $10 reclaimed oak solved that problem.