Getchu Some Art! {Susie Bettenhausen}

I have so many amazing, new (to me) artists swimming around in my head, and I often think to myself, "I must share about such and such on my blog!"  It's really quite wonderful all of the talent you can discover through social media.  I kind of want to sell every non-essential thing in my home and fill every square inch of my little home's walls with original art.

Today I'm sharing some work by a friend (she counts as a friend in my book if you've "known" her through Instagram for two years!), Susie Bettenhausen, who is as lovely as she is talented.  She and her cute family split their time between the panhandle of Florida and way down in south Florida, where she creates the most beautiful art.  I love the color combinations she chooses.  To me, her paintings feel both energetic and exciting, while at the same time refreshing and calming.  Susie just released pictures of new works that will be available TOMORROW on her website!  Here are some of my favorites, all of which can be seen (plus many more!) on her website under the 'journal' tab.  

A Tale of Two Coffee Tables {Part 3--The Big Reveal!}

The wait is over, my friends.  Are y'all ready to see my new coffee table*?  I love it so much, and I hope you do too!

It's always nice to remember where we started, no? (Part I and Part II for reference :)

And here she is after I brought her back to her life!

It's rather nice to have a shot of my table with neat and organized piles on top of it.  One forgets what that kind of order looks like without the pictures to serve as a reminder :)

I am so happy I stayed the course and committed to my original plan to strip and stain vs. paint.

As you can see, I have plenty of painted pieces.  I think the new coffee table is just what the room needed.

I just love that yummy walnut stain!

You can also see that I went with one long bench cushion on my new sofa (I posted about that dilemma HERE), and I am pleased to report that we have been so happy with it.  In the absence of a guest room, it comes in handy as the bench cushion almost feels like a bed.  I have also been impressed with the Sunbrella indoor/outdoor fabric I chose for the sofa.  It cleans up really nicely with soap and water as I had hoped.

One last before and after photo of the table that consumed my life for many weeks:

Many thanks to those of you who cheered me on when I felt like giving up!  Once I finally removed all the old paint, I really enjoyed the process of staining the table, so I plan to tackle some similar projects in the future.  Next on my list though is painting both of my bookshelves white….

*disclaimer:  my living room is never this clean and/or organized.  These pretty pictures are courtesy of a kind friend who came by and picked up my older kids while MG napped (Hi Michelle!), which allowed me to tidy up.