SENSELESS sophistication

A Few new Items in my Etsy Shop

2012-01-01T18:53:00.000-05:00

Bye Bye 2011

2011-12-30T10:21:00.000-05:00

Sad to see Christmas go :(

But I certainly love one of my Christmas gifts :)

My new Ghost Chair

Our New Little Foyer

2011-12-29T11:00:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have seen our mudroom that we completed last year...

I still love this little area---but---it's in the back of the house, right outside our laundry room...so if we actually parked in our garage and walked through the laundry room, this area would serve it's purpose well. In reality, we rarely park inside the garage...so we normally come in through the front door. We need a little "catch-all" space for our entry...so I came up with this:

I put a pic of Ryan with all of his groomsmen above his hook and a pic of me with all of my bridesmaids above my hook---it's a sweet little reminder everyday when I get home of all of our great friends :)

A New Chair for the New Year

2011-12-26T21:18:00.000-05:00

So we used to have a chaise lounge in our master bedroom---however---after leaving some moss on my chair in my living room (I was making a Moss Letter) the cat (no longer referred to as Nola--just the cat) mistook the white linen chair for her litter box. The chair got tossed and the chaise got moved downstairs...I needed a chair for the blank space in our master and finally came across one at Home Goods! I had pinned a few before I found this beauty but the price tags were ridic...

$349 + $50 for shipping at Urban Outfitters...seemed a little small too

This beauty is West Elm...$599 + $50 shipping...yikes.

Good ol' Home Goods pulled through yet again! I found the perfect chair and it was a steal at $279. I love our new chair---now on the hunt for the perfect ottoman!

French Script Writing

2011-11-29T17:17:00.001-05:00

Almost a year ago now...wow...time flies the older you get...I picked up a booklet of French writing at Scott's Antique Market. I think I paid about $20 for it. The lady who sold it to me told me that it was a book of home deeds. It was so pretty because it was all handwritten and then signed by the people who were buying the land or homes.

I have been meaning to frame it for FOREVER...actually I lost it for a while and then found it in the donation bin...no names will be mentioned...Ryan. I still have about 20 pages left...such a cheap way to create one of a kind art :) I put them in the blank space of our mudroom area

A 3 Day Journey

2011-11-26T22:10:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, this past October I participated in the Susan G. Komen 3 day walk for breast cancer. I was joined by my best friends (Corey and Elyse) and my brother, Huston. It was an incredible journey---harder than hell!!! But such an unforgettable experience. The first day was probably the hardest for me...I felt like my hips were gonna burst out of my skin and my feet may fall off...when we got back to "tent city" we popped open the vodka we brought..had about two sips of a drink and passed out---you know I'm exhausted when I can't even finish a perfectly good drink!! We fell asleep around 8:00 each night!

Along the way we met many incredible people. I walked with a man for a few miles whose wife had passed away from breast cancer. He took the life insurance money he had received and entered each 3day walk in each state. He hit 600 miles on the day I met him...talk about a love story. He had a picture of his wife pinned to book bag. I told him about seeing the 3 day walk going through the Coliseum in Rome, Italy and how it was the first time I had seen the walk in action..he paused a second and then said: "I think I may have found my next adventure!" How amazing is that?

They say that the 3 day walk is life-changing...I think that it was life-changing in the fact that it taught me I'm whole lot tougher than I ever thought. One sign that stuck with me throughout the walk was one that said: "Blisters don't require Chemo!" Ain't that the damn truth. After visiting the Chemo ward with my mother countless times...I'd walk a million miles so that no one had to see the inside of that room again.

We were in such pain by the end of it all....we thought we would be dead last walking through the gates...we ended up being 150 out of about 2500 that finished...not too bad!! We were really proud of ourselves and I'm so lucky to have friends that would be by my side throughout this incredible experience!

I was elected fashion designer of the team...take a look at our get-ups :)

My brother smoking his electronic cigarette in the pink tent...hahaha!!

Baby Loscalzo!

2011-11-26T21:06:00.000-05:00

One of my best girlfriends is having a baby! Lori's birthday falls on the 25th of this month, so she had an amazing idea---she wanted to have a dinner for her birthday and while at the birthday dinner, she'd announce the sex of her baby (she found out the day before the party) I offered to make the cake (just because I'd get to know before everyone else!!) Here's the cake :)

It's a girl!!!!

Love it, hate it?

2011-09-08T15:19:00.000-04:00

I just installed this new light fixture above our bar in the formal living room...I'm not used to the whole cord thing...I can't decide if I love it or hate it? Opinions?!

Tara's Entry Makeover

2011-09-02T13:16:00.000-04:00

My friend, Tara, just bought a really cute house not too far from me. She wanted to add a little charm to her builder beige entry way with some board and batten...after a long trip to Home Depot and some nail gun usage...we came up with this:

We were so happy that we found a piece of moulding that was 12ft long!

Now we have this: (Tara wants to make it known that she has yet to decorate...the pictures were just propped up there to see how pictures would look...)

We are planning on getting all the same color frames and a bench in the near future :)

I'll put up styled pics soon :)

And I'll leave you with this:
after a cat scratched Harvey's eye, one surgery, many $$$$'$ later, 10 prescriptions, and 24/7 observation....Harvey is feeling much better! Only 2 more weeks of the cone and 19 doses of medicine a day :(

Our new laundry room

2011-08-29T13:46:00.000-04:00

I have wanted to add a little pep to our laundry room for quite some time now. I think this goes back to my fear of commitment...I can take on small rooms and small projects...it's the big projects that I always feel so aprehensive about tackling. I feel that I can make bolder, more interesting choices in small spaces. A few months ago, I got it in my head that I wanted to have Navy cabinets somewhere...well, no place like the laundry room!

Here are some before shots:
Plain....boring....messy....

I found inspiration for the color pallet with a new rug that I bought (Home Goods--$29.99) for our entryway...turns out the rug was too thick of a pile and our front door kept getting stuck on it.

I decided to go with the open shelving...we've only had it for a few days but seeing as the baskets are labeled, I'm hoping they will be easy enough to kepp lokking decent...we'll see.

In some pictures the walls look brown, but it's a dark Taupe...

I made a little area in the laundry room to hang pictures, invitations, and whatnot...helps to keep the fridge a little less cluttered :) All it is is a pair or U-nails and some twine....

I added the board and batten all the way around the laundry room...I'm obsessed.

Totally making these one day!

We are big Zac Brown fans in our house!

I like it a lot better now...still don't like laundry though...

My Office

2011-08-24T10:34:00.000-04:00

I've been working for months on my office here and there...it's finally coming together. I wanted this space to be girly and all about me. When Ryan and I moved into our house, we delegated the guest room, the man-room, and my office. I had a hard time deciding what to do, but I happy so far with the outcome :)

I did a chalkboard wall and try to keep my Etsy and Get Married Magazine orders straight there...

While training for the 3 day walk, my friend, Elyse, and I found this branch. We loaded it up, got a lot of weird looks, and I spray-painted it gold...I then hung all of our wish tags from our wedding on it.

This is the beginning of my gallery wall...I still have a few empty spaces to tend to

This little nook will be a reading nook one day. I want to get a big comfy chair and floor lamp and cover the shelves with books

This is my desk...above that is a pin board I made a few years back, then there's my ribbon and concept board for our wedding

View from the corner

I have a lot of paint...

This was a portrait painted of my mother when she was 5. I love it...

My concept board from our wedding

And that's all I have right now...it;s really bright and cheery...a great place to create!

Formal Living Room

2011-08-09T09:08:00.000-04:00

So....this past weekend, my friend Cassidy, brought me the coolest thing ever! Her sister was selling her 3 year old Canon Rebel....and I snagged it! I've wanted one for a long time but couldn't afford a used one. She sold it to me for $250! Can you believe that deal?! I'm stoked, but have NO clue how to use it. Cassidy told me how to put it on automatic for now and said she'll give me some pointers soon :)

I was able to take some pictures of our formal living room with the camera. It's always dark in there by the time I get home from work, but the Canon seemed to do the trick on Sunday afternoon.

And I couldn't leave out Harvey and Nola!!!

12 Months of Onesies {iron-on template}

2011-08-05T21:08:00.000-04:00

I've had a few friends and friends of friends ask where the font came from that I used for the 12 Months of Onesies that I made for my friend Brittany. I got both of the fonts that I used on dafont.com---however I thought it may be easier just to post the templates that I made...so here ya go!! They make such a cute gift!

I hope these links work!

Small additions to the Guest Room

2011-08-01T19:57:00.000-04:00

I've made a few updates to our guest room. I've got to be honest...I've neglected this room since we moved in...I made it presentable and then left it alone. I think it was the black furniture...I am so in to the lighter colors and whites right now and this set was my old bedroom furniture before Ryan and I got married..I think I was just over it.

I figured that this would be a great room to incorporate some of our wedding elements because this is where our friends and family will stay and then they could have a sweet little reminder of how special that day was to us---because of them!

I set our "wedding tree" on the headboard...everyone put their thumb print on the branches and signed their names next to their prints. The plaque says: "Please 'leaf' your thumb print on our Wedding Tree!"

I plan to hang this tree soon...the frame is just really heavy...

This was our sign for our Photobooth that hung at the farmhouse

I framed a bunch of our photobooth photo strips and hung them on either side of the closet

We hung this wind chime in the big oak tree that we got married under...it was my friend Wendi's idea...she said that every time I heard it, it would be a subtle reminder to only me that my mom was there watching over me at the wedding :)

Sorry the iPhone pics are not the best :(

Obviously I'm kind of running with the idea of green being the accent color...I think some pretty velvet green drapes would be the perfect finishing touch to this room....maybe like these:

{via}

That bench would also look killer under the windows!!

Porch Update!

2011-07-25T21:36:00.000-04:00

Finally sharing a pic of our porch---totally done :) Took a while to get around to painting the railings...every time we painted the black handrail, it seemed to rain...making the black paint run down to the white...so after about 3 attempts, we got it done. Thank goodness!

In other, cuter news....my friend Brittany's precious little girl...4 days old :) So happy for them!!

An Overdue Walk

2011-07-24T18:35:00.001-04:00

I've always heard about the Susan G. Komen 3-day walk for Breast Cancer...It never really sunk-in until recently. 60 miles is a ridiculously LONG distance. I don't really know what the longest distance I've ever walked is...but I'm bettin' heavy on it not being over 6 or 7 miles. Since my Mom passed away with Breast Cancer, I have always wanted to do the 3-day Walk...I've just never been ready.

This year, I was still kind of playing around with the idea...I even started training with the idea in the back of my mind. Then I read Joy for Beginners...it's not a self-help book like Ryan thought....it's a novel, I promise! One of the chapters talked about the 3-day walk. I found myself getting really choked up and sporadically crying throughout the chapter...the next day at work I was helping a client pick a glaze for her cabinets and I noticed that she had on a breast cancer hat. I just blurted out..."are you walking the 3-day?" I guess it was still on my mind from the night before. She said, "as a matter of fact, I am---I'm walking home from here, I had a friend drop me off!" Her house was 12 miles from my office. We got to talking and she totally convinced me I could do it. She was probably in her 50's and was a survivor herself, but her daughter had not been so lucky.

I finally said: "OKAY GOD! I GET IT!!!!!!" I just really feel that he pushes you and pushes you in a direction until it's obvious what your decision should be----well most of the time.

I've been training after work and I'm really excited that I get to do the walk with some of my best friends! My brother, Huston, will also be walking with me for our Mom---how awesome is that?

The reason I walk:
I walk for my Mother. I walk for Judy Shola (my MIL who is a proud survivor). I walk for Tami Mohamed (my second mother!! also a proud survivor!!). I walk for all the people in the world who have been affected by breast cancer. My Mom never got to see me graduate College, she never got to see me get married, and she'll never meet my children. I'm walking in the hopes that my small contribution will help in finding a cure so that no other person will ever have to feel the pain that breast cancer bestows on a family.

Me, My Mom, and Huston (my brother)

My Mom and I

Judy (Ryan's Mom)

Tami, Roxy, and Phillip in the photobooth at our wedding---classic!!

If you would like to donate to me, you can do so by clicking the button on the right hand side of my blog or by clicking on the button below. Thanks so much for your support!!

Crazy Creative Friends

2011-07-20T21:52:00.000-04:00

Creativity is nothing new to the blog world...it's like every time I stumble across a new blog---I find myself asking, "how did they think of that??!"

My home and heart are happier, prettier places thanks to the creativity I have been able to see on a daily basis here in blogland! Today I wanted to introduce some friends of mine that are brilliantly creative....I'm in awe of them and I think you will be too!

My very dear friend, Cassidy, is the owner of Snap Pea Imaging and Design. She takes beautiful pictures and has some adorable paper goodies on her Etsy Shop...take a look:

Cassidy and I are notorious for texting late at night and asking: "Does this look like crap---or should I just put it on my etsy shop?!" Thanks to Cassidy's honest opinion, I have re-done many-a-crafts...hahaha!

Take a look at my girl Sarah Ella---the Delta Girl herself...her frames speak for themselves:

SHUT UP! I want them all. The last set is so beautiful! Sarah Ella is the owner of Delta Girl Distressed Frames. Check out her blog here and her Etsy shop here! Sarah Ella is just as beautiful as she is creative and has the most adorable boys in the world!

Meet sweet Mattie. I just started reading her blog and am LOVING it! We were lucky enough to have Mattie design our thank you cards for our wedding. We get so many compliments on them! Her blog is so cute---all about crafts, fashion, house projects, and life. All the things I dig...not only is her house gorgeous, her paper goods on etsy (Puddle Duck Designs) are uh-may-zing!

Thank God for blogs and Etsy---I'd be lost without them!!

Footloose and Fancy Free Friday #5

2011-07-15T11:52:00.000-04:00

Footloose and Fancy Free- Having no attachments and free to do as one pleases.
The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale started this morning...I'd like to issue a sincere apology to my husband. I don't know what happened and I don't want to talk about it...

All for less than 2 Hundey. I needed these things...let's move on.

Onto house projects...I have SO much stuff brewing that it seems I can't commit to one project. The latest is our hall closet...I have wanted to use this wasted space for something different for FOREVER. Okay not forever, but for the year+ that we've lived in the house...

My first thought was a wine cellar. Yes I like wine more than most things/people...

But then I saw these pics....

So now I don't know what to do...someone make the decision for me!

12 Months of Onesies

2011-07-14T16:36:00.001-04:00

A very dear friend of mine, Brittany, is expecting...any day now!! She's due the 20th of July and she is soooo ready to meet her new baby. She recently had a baby shower and I made her something for the new baby. She doesn't know if she's having a boy or a girl, so I tried to keep it gender neutral. I made her a onesie for each month of the baby's first year so that she can take pics of the baby growing.

I had seen a few pin on labels and stickers around blog land for the 12 month onesies, but I figured an iron-on would be my best bet. Most of the ones I had seen were too cutesy or too boyish/girly.

I made sure to get a few different sizes so that as the months went by, the sizes got bigger...almost didn't think about that one...then she would have had 12 (0-3) month onesies...

I downloaded two different fonts from dafont.com and wrote the numbers and letters in word. I used 6 different colors. I then copy and pasted the numbers and "months" into paint. In paint, you can flip the pictures so that when you print the iron-ons and iron them on, the number and letters will be facing the correct direction. Most people nowadays have photoshop and other programs that can do that...not this girl.

I just printed the files on iron-on transfer paper, cut them out, and ironed them on.

I also found this cute picture frame from Pottery Barn to hold 12 pictures:

Can't wait to meet her baby :)

I'm voting girl!!

Sneak Peak: Get Married Magazine Fall Issue

2011-07-13T20:37:00.000-04:00

Are y'all totally tired of hearing about Get Married Magazine?! Okay, okay...I just still can't believe that I made something and it ended up in a magazine. Lacey @ Get Married magazine sent me a whole box of the Fall Issue! I owe this girl my life! I'm so excited that she's getting married this Fall---I'm hoping she'll accept some handmade details for her big day :)

Here's a sneak peak at the issue:

In other news...I finally created a facebook page! "Like" my page here

Each "like" is much appreciated!

Also, my mason jar pendants were featured on The Golden Octopus...it's a super cute blog and this post has TONS of awesome uses for Mason Jars...I mean who doesn't love a vintage mason jar?

Barnwood Signs for a Colorado Wedding :)

2011-07-12T16:50:00.001-04:00

I may be the last one in the blogging world to know about the steel wool process to age wood...but I thought it was sooo cool.

I was lucky enough to help with a friend's wedding that had a totally rustic, southern vibe. She wanted a lot of barnwood signs to adorn her venue. I previously purchased a few boards of barnwood...but it adds up quickly. I knew I had heard about aging wood online at some point but wasn't keen on it. So after googling and googling I found the recipe I was in search of.

I bought a few pickets (for fences) from Home Depot and had the gents cut them into 3 pieces each. Perfect size for the signs.

I then put a piece of steel wool in an old relish jar---I cleaned it first---and then I filled it up with white distilled vinegar. I screwed on the cap and left in the garage overnight.

The next day...nothing happened. At least I thought nothing happened. The jar still looked clear and the steel wool was just sitting in the bottom. I stirred it around a good bit and it darkened the mixture a little. I then took the steel wool out and rubbed it across the planks and it just seemed to dampen them. Disheartened, I went to Home Depot to buy stain...that cost $35. Yikes.

When I got back from Home Depot the boards had totally transformed! They looked so good! No stain needed.

The boards with the red paint are the real-deal barnwood. I think the homemade boards look pretty good too. I can't wait to get pictures from her wedding in Colorado!

Get Married Magazine's Online Shop

2011-06-20T17:23:00.000-04:00

I started my little Etsy shop in January because I was having withdrawals from planning our wedding...ridiculous I know, but I am the type of person that needs to have every minute of my day filled and planned. I can't sit still. So I started it up and it's been keeping me really busy since the get-go. I have had so much fun helping with the details of so many weddings, baby showers, and parties.

A few months back, I was given the opportunity to do something even bigger with my little Etsy store...I have been working with Get Married Magazine and they have been gracious enough to carry some of my products on their online shop! I am so stoked---it's been a lot of work to get to here and I'm so happy that they were kind enough to offer up such a wonderful opportunity!

My products are officially live on their website!

There are a few more items too...so excited!!

Farm Chicks Fun

2011-06-10T11:30:00.000-04:00

Farm Chicks was....overwhelmingly amazing!! Here's some pics that I took...I will follow up with my purchases....let's just say that a second suitcase was purchased for the trip home!

My aunt Kelly and cousin Hannah

This lady appeared out of no where and asked us to follow her to the front of line. No idea why we were the lucky ones to skip the line, but we went with it!!

My Wendi has always wanted a huge horse head...apparently it's a Wendy/Wendi thing....

This farm chick had enough!!

Farm Chicks 2011

2011-06-03T16:19:00.000-04:00

I have spent a lovely week in Seattle and am now headed to Farm Chicks in Spokane with my aunt and cousin. We are stoked beyond words!! Kelly was able to go last year and brought back a huge sign that we used at our wedding...it was so cute!! She also bought a lamp, light fixtures, jewelry and some other goodies. I am just wondering how to get all my loot back to the ATL!!! Overweight bag fee...yea that's happening. I'll update soon with pics!!!

Still-in-the-works-Master-bath

2011-05-17T17:06:00.000-04:00

So you may remember my master bathroom looking like this when we moved in if you have read my blog in the wayyy past...Wendi. Anyways, for the rest of the free world, it looked like this:

You can see the post I did about it here:

Master Bath

Well here is the in-between product. We still need to finish painting our closet doors and I really want to put a glass mosaic behind the mirrors...

We painted the walls...well Ryan Striped them...I had asked for horizontal and came home to vertical striping...he was so proud. I couldn't tell him. We replaced the mirrors with the Pottery Barn tilt mirrors---on sale at the outlet for $40 each. Word. We changed the light fixture as well...I bought it online...I think it was $120. I'm toying with the idea of putting drapes up in place of the doors to my closet...but then I'd have to keep my closet clean---there in lies my problem....

Finished Master

2011-05-16T10:32:00.000-04:00

I have finally finished our master bedroom--I think. We are notorious for having no pictures of people in our house and I really wanted a few in a confined space that showed our personalities. I think it has been achieved. I bought 6 of my favorite picture rails from Ikea--only $9.99 each and I bought a ton of frames and got to work.

I also hung our $24.99 Target drapes too...Ryan and Harvey laid in bed and supervised. I'm really happy with how it looks!

25

2011-05-04T11:22:00.001-04:00

Whoa. I stepped outta the blog world for a sec. I needed the time to get some things straight in my life. Good things.
I got a promotion at work :)
My etsy shop has been crazy busy :)
and the best news....
The ecommerce manager at Get Married Magazine contacted me about putting some of my etsy shop items on their website. I was ECSTATIC! I still can't believe that I am going to be a vendor for them! Lacey has been a DREAM to work with and I am so happy that I met her!!! My products should go live in about 2-3 weeks...stay tuned!

In other news...I'm 25 today! Crazy. I've received a cake, brownies, cards, starbucks gift cards, chocolate, an adorable picture frame, anddddd a burned copy of the Brandon Flowers CD....I just started listening to the CD and found that in between every few songs is a chipmunk Christmas song....thanks Russ.

Tonight I'll be celebrating Cinco De Mayo a day early at a rooftop Mexican restaurant downtown with my hubby, brother, soon to be sister-in-law, and Dad.

I promise to update home projects soon!!

More Wedding...

2011-04-04T14:58:00.000-04:00

I'm sure you're sick of all my wedding posts, but this was a special day for me and I NEVER get sick of seeing it....sorry!

Our photographers, Simply Bloom, based out of Huntsville, AL did the most incredible job capturing our wedding...each photo is like artwork to me. They just posted it on their blog today :)

Whoa...

2011-04-04T09:56:00.000-04:00

So I've been out of the blogging loop for a bit...I haven't even been able to read my fav blogs...not good. We FINALLY have our stairs up though! They aren't finished though :(

Ryan's uncle and brother can basically build anything lickety split...they put up our railings and whatnot on Saturday and we have been priming ever since. Geez it's been taking forever. I still have to paint the handrail black and the rest white, but I'm super pleased with our progress. Our yard was out of control as well...so after two weekends of working on that...it's looking much better.

Here's some before pics:

I had some help planting....

And thennnn....

And then.....PRIMER...

We still have a lot of painting to do...I hate painting. And we bought these really cool solar powered lights to put on the top of the posts...

We also went to our friend Elyse and Andrew's wedding this weekend....I made all the candy buffet labels and they turned out super cute...thank goodness!

We had a Goooood time needless to say...

I make no other faces...word.

Step up

2011-03-23T11:33:00.000-04:00

Casual conversation between Ryan and I the other day...
Me: "I don't know...what do you want for dinner?"
Ryan: "I don't care...oh yea, I got a letter almost a year ago from our homeowner's insurance company saying that we have to put handrails on our front porch or our policy will be canceled."
Me: "what?!?!"
Ryan: "It's cool...we have till April 4th!"
Me: "$%$^*&*^#**&%^$$%^!!!!!!!!"

Long story short...we're putting in handrails on our porch in the NEAR future.
Here's some shots of our front porch now:

I'm thinking this:

I want something simple...but I want wood...I'm planning on painting the top of the rail black and the bottom white to go with our shutters and trim. Let's hope this project gets finished in time :)

Footloose and Fancy Free Friday #4

2011-03-18T12:38:00.000-04:00

Footloose and Fancy Free- Having no attachments and free to do as one pleases.

I may or may not have made some purchases on Sephora.com today...

I have wanted this palette for forever now...my friend Lori got one and I was all...oh cool...I'll pick one up, but then she told me they were sold out and selling for $200 on ebay. I had Sephora notify me when they got back in stock and they just received a few...the wait was well worth it...it's over $240 worth of eye shadow for $48...can't wait to get it!

I also ordered some Frederic Fekkai Shampoo and Conditioner...I've heard good things. I'm excited to try it.

I may or may not love Pauly D. He cracks me up...I find myself saying, "Yeeeeeeaaaaa BOY!" and "Cab's Heeeeyaaahhh!" all the time...Jersey Shore...guilty pleasure.

Going here tonight on a date night :) I'm excited to try it...new place that just took the spot of Relish in Historic Roswell

Thinking one of my preggo friends will need this hat :)

The New New

2011-03-18T10:39:00.000-04:00

I got a new pillow from Martha Stewart's collection at Macys...LOVE. and it was 50% off so I only paid $23 for it...

It's beginning to look a lot like spring around the Shola house---our tree is blooming beautifully outside!

I bought a map a couple of weeks back from my fav consignment shop...A Classy Clutter...I was drawn to it for some reason...Wendi supported the purchase so I went ahead with it. It had just been brought in the store and there was no price on it...the lady said $30. I was excited! When I hang it, I'll take some better pics, the frame is GORGEOUS!

And one more project for the weekend includes the master bedroom too...I gots ta hang my curtains.

We have a family reunion to go to on Saturday...which I'm totally unfamiliar with. My family doesn't do reunions so this will be interesting! I asked Ryan if everytime someone asks what we've been up to, I could shout "WINNING, DUH!" He said no. Thank goodness Ryan's sister will be there...we'll just talk decorating, clothes, and maybe tennis...I just signed up for lessons. She'll be proud :)

Desperately Seeking Motivation

2011-03-17T15:24:00.000-04:00

Just bought some new kicks on the way home from Chattanooga this past weekend and I'm gonna break them in tonight. They are the Nike Lunarfly and they are hecka comfortable. I paid $50 for them and I hope that they are the motivation I need to get back on the program :)

Back Porch Weather!!!

2011-03-17T14:38:00.001-04:00

This warm weather really has me wanting to be on the back porch with a cold beverage! I LOVE the way porches look when people really bring the inside out. I want to add more art work and "homey" touches to our back porch. We spend sooo much time out there in the summer, it needs to be given a little more attention! Hope it's warm wherever you are! It's gonna be 80 here in the ATL tomorrow!

Chattanooga

2011-03-16T11:21:00.000-04:00

I am so happy that my cousin and I are exactly alike...her wedding was this past weekend and we had about 2 hours to get our nails done....we passed an amazing store on the way to the nail place and then we passed a thrift store that looked promising. I really wanted to go but didn't say anything because I knew we didn't have time. Then she suggested that we skip the nails, do them oursleves later and hit up the shops....Cassidy and I were DOWN. We found this place called Dwelling. It was like a real life Cash & Cari. The adorable owner restored furniture....so cute!

Had to take a pic of the Bee screen :)

The thrift store was not bad, but we didn't buy anything....we all really wanted this chair...it was just too big for the car...It was only $15.99 and it was in perfect condition...sad day leaving it behind :(

Cassidy got some cute shots of some of the things I made for Nicole's wedding...can't wait to see all the pics!

Footloose and Fancy Free Friday #3

2011-03-12T00:32:00.001-05:00

Footloose and Fancy Free- Having no attachments and free to do as one pleases.

It's technically Saturday...but what evs.

I've been on bridesmaid duty putting together wedding favors...

Tonight I'm gonna miss sleeping with:

After all the alcohol and pizza so far this weekend, I feel like I need to detox:

"That's what she said" has SERIOUSLY taken over my life. I can't stop.

The Kate Spade site has a lot of stuff on sale....could be trouble

hanging around the house

2011-03-10T15:22:00.000-05:00

In preparation for Nicole's shower, we had to get the house in proper order. Sometimes I just love having parties and company over because it really gives you the perfect excuse to make your house look pretty...it also gives Ryan a deadline for his chores...being a cost engineer and project manager...the boy does well with deadlines.

We hung three mirrors this past weekend...we had been procrastinating like crazy with these for some reason.

The first was my mother's...I love how worn it looks and I love the colors...it was perfect in our entryway.

The 2nd I got at Scott's Antique Market. There is this little guy that is in the back corner of building 2 and he is always in the WORST mood. He acts so angry when you ask him pricing...it's hilarious! His stuff is so cheap too. He told me $35 for this mirror..I was shocked and said, "sold."

The 3rd mirror I've had for forever. I finally replaced the builder standard mirror we had in the downstairs bathroom and am so happy with it!

Got a New Look!

2011-03-09T21:21:00.000-05:00

What do you think?!
Thanks for the new blog design House09!!!

Photos as Art

2011-03-09T16:52:00.000-05:00

I realize that I had a very artsy mother...her being a former art teacher and all...however one thing that was totally different about our house from all of my other friends was photos. We had NO family photos or any photos for that matter donning our walls. We had a few on the fridge but that was it. When I visited my friend's homes, they had tons of pictures on the walls...their senior pics...sports shots...all of it. My Mom had a separate photographer do my senior portrait because she said she didn't dig cheesy pictures. It looks nothing like a senior picture..anyways I feel like I have taken this decorating advice to heart. I really have NO photos in my house.

I'm in the middle of ordering our wedding pictures and I love them all. I want to have pictures of my family, friends, Ryan's family, his friends, our pets...I want them to have a deserving spot in our home because they are so important in our lives. I'm still having a rough time visualizing the pictures on the wall but I think I have come up with a baby step of a solution. A picture wall. I'm going to create a picture wall in our upstairs hallway. It's a little ways off because I need to order our wedding prints, find other photos I want to frame, find frames and buy the shelving, but I'm already collecting some inspiration :)

Knotted in Love

2011-03-07T10:19:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was my cousin Nicole's bridal shower at our house---can't believe she'll be married this coming Saturday! Time flies!!! I am so happy with the outcome of the shower, the weather got a little nicer and Nicole got some great gifts!

I picked the theme "Knotted in Love" because Nicole is crazy artistic (she's a graphic designer) and she loves to knit...so when I saw the theme on Hostess with the Mostess, I knew it would be lovely! Here are some pics from yesterday:

These were the favors (anthro mugs with gumballs :)

Forgot to take pics of the Shrimp & Grits and Hashbrown Casserole...yum!

And Nola Shola approved of the color choices...

Footloose and Fancy Free Friday #2

2011-03-04T14:14:00.000-05:00

Footloose and Fancy Free- Having no attachments and free to do as one pleases.

Really want to buy this for one of my preggo friends :)

I want to try The Walrus and the Carpenter when we visit my Auntie in Seattle this Summer...

I will certainly try this while I'm there...{la tur & ballard bee co. honey}

I am waiting for it to get a little warmer and waiting to find a little more time to paint our back porch like this {Just Beachy Blog}

It looks like this now:

It needs paint baddddd

I've been busy on the Etsy front...

I want to make this bracelet...too cute!

Have a great weekend! I'm in full-on bridal shower get ready mode! I think my cousin will love it!

Our Wedding on Green Wedding Shoes

2011-02-28T15:21:00.000-05:00

Our wedding was featured on Green Wedding Shoes today! I'm thrilled!!!

Case of the Mondays

2011-02-28T11:47:00.000-05:00

I'm stoked that my Mud Hall made the top ten projects over at CSI. It was a great little weekend surprise! I mean I love it, it's nice to know others do too :)

I've been slacking majorly on the home improvement front...I've had a ton of custom Etsy orders that have been dominating my time as of late...can't complain there! I have many projects in mind for the near future...I'm thinking about putting a few pieces of furniture on Craigslist so that I can change some rooms up...still a little scared after watching the craigslist killer on Oprah...I'll make Ryan deal with all the potential customers, that's for sure.

I'm excited for my cousin's shower at my house this Sunday..I'll be sure to post pics because I'm super happy with the theme! I'm thinking about attempting this for the shower...Have y'all read Roost? I'm obsessed...she is right at the very tip top of my favorite bloggers....he blog is just beautiful. Every picture she posts is like art.

Meyer Lemon, Vanilla Bean "Cheese" Cake

Coco also turned me on to my favorite new band...The Civil Wars. I love them :)

It's Monday and I'm ready for the weekend...what about y'all??

Footloose and Fancy Free Friday

2011-02-25T14:46:00.007-05:00

Footloose and Fancy Free- Having no attachments and free to do as one pleases.

That's what I'm gonna post about on Fridays....whatever I want...

Curtains in this fabric would be ideal for my Formal Living

Maybe these would inspire me to run more...maybe not.

This burlap tote would be great

I'd spend some time here with one of these:

And I'd talk to my girls about:

And I'd dream of a new wardrobe that looks like this:

ASID in ATL

2011-02-22T21:29:00.000-05:00

I just got home from an ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) meeting that was held at Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery. It was a "Storytelling" meeting where local designers and architects shared what inspires them and what got them started in the industry. What an incredibly inspirational night.

Studio A2 said something tonight that really inspired me:
"In such uncertainty, comes great creativity. Our decisions define us." So true...

A particular speaker really stood out to me. Mark Mason Karelson is the owner and co-founder of Mason Murer fine art gallery. He started the gallery after meeting his wife and sharing a love for folk art. He went on to mention an event that is held annually...it's called "No Limits: A Celebration of Georgia Artists with Disabilities"

This struck a chord with me because my mother, a former art teacher, not only had a love for folk art, but avidly supported artists with disabilities. She bought many pieces of art that graced our family home from artists with disabilities and she donated many materials to a particular artist that she loved. I can't remember his name, but I will find out!! I know one of my aunt's know his name. I just remember my Mom telling me about him riding the bus to the center where he did his art and she was in such awe of his talent. When my Mom spoke, you felt her words.

Here's a pic of a particular piece that is in my home now:

A lot of little things are special to me on this box. They all belong to my mom, including the watch she wore everyday...his art is so fun and unique. It reminds me not to take life so seriously and find beauty in the mundane. Everything can be art.

Master Bedroom Update

2011-02-21T09:34:00.001-05:00

So we have worked hard on our master bedroom and it is nearing completion!!! I need to hang drapes and maybe get a rug and then it should be about done...take a look at the before photos---these are the photos that I took when we were looking at the house, before we made an offer...

Here are some updated pictures:

The story behind the STUPID huge TV is this...we owned this TV previously and when we bought the house, the sweet owners before us left a huge TV on the wall in our living room. So we had this other huge TV and no where to put it...hence the movie size screen in our bedroom....I hate it...Ryan thinks it's the "most awesome thing ever."

I just bought the cute little bird coverlet from Target...it was $19.98 for a king size...hello? No brainer there.

The prints above our bed are vintage egg prints purchased from none other than Scott's Antique Market...

I like the way it's coming together :)

Linking up here:

Another Trip to Scott's...

2011-02-16T16:15:00.000-05:00

This past weekend my friend Wendi and I decided to hit up Scott's Antique Market last minute...she took some lovely photos that she sent me to post...her camera is soooo much better than mine! Take a look at all Scott's has to offer:

I will be doing a post soon on a beautiful mirror that I got and some metal hooks to accompany it! I just need to paint the mirror and hang the hooks! Wendi got some gorgeous chocolate shutters that I hope she will post about soon as well :)

My Sweet Valentine

2011-02-15T16:55:00.000-05:00

So if you're new to my blog, you probably don't know that I lost my Mom to breast cancer 3 short years ago. I was 21 when she passed away and it's still hard even today. I know in my heart of hearts it will always be hard.

On to the story---my Mother always threw me Valentine's Day parties as a child. It was so cool because no one in school ever had Valentine's Day parties. All the girls in my grade wanted to be invited because my mother spared no expense on these parties. She always came up with the neatest games and tons and tons of gifts for all the girls invited. They are some of my fondest memories as a little girl.

Ryan knows about the parties and knows that V-day happens to be a day that I miss my Mom a little more. Well, we both decided that we would NOT do any gifts cause the benjamins are non-existent at the moment...

When I got home from work yesterday, I came home to a Valentine's day party. Ryan bought party cups, party favors, balloons, cookies, flowers, and champagne. How sweet is that? Nola Shola (our cat) kept ruining the party by trying to pop the balloons and knocking over the party cups---she won't be invited next year...

My favor from the party---Valentine Necklace...haha

Our massive cookies

A helping big enough for a horse...and what's that you say?? Mac & Cheese ANDDDD Mashed Potatoes??? Apparently that's how Ryan rolls...

How was everyone else's V-day?? I'm a sucker for sweet gestures and would love to hear em'!!

Little Writing Desk

2011-02-13T20:24:00.001-05:00

I found a spot for the little $60 table I bought! I can't believe it didn't occur to me sooner to put it in my formal living room...I mean the colors in there are grey, yellow, and white...what better addition than a little yellow table!

We don't have any space when you walk through our front door to put a table or a catch all of any sort, so the formal living room needed a little table near the door. (The formal living room is on your immediate left when entering our house)

I decided to make it into a little writing desk because I hate being up in my office while Ryan is downstairs...this gives me a little area to jot a note or sit and admire our living room--which we never use...

The "Be Thankful" print is from Emily over at Jones Design Company...she sells her art prints now :)
I used another one of my flower frogs that I bought at Scott's Antique Market last time I went to hold one of the invites I ordered for my Nicole's shower. I think they turned out so cute! I really like the little area and think it really adds some charm to our living room...it was the perfect little wall!!

My kind of Friday Night...

2011-02-11T21:40:00.000-05:00

And maybe a little blog cruisin' and online shopping....

What to do, What to do....

2011-02-11T09:30:00.001-05:00

Recently I have run in to a problem. I live to go junking/antiquing/thrifting and I have a problem buying things on sale. My dilemma at the moment is this: I have no place for ANY more furniture in my house. I bought the cutest little table while in Chattanooga a couple weekends back and I have NO place for it. When buying it, I was a little apprehensive because I couldn't think of where it would go...BUT it was marked down from $175 to $60 and it was so cute and perfect. Right now it resides in my upstairs hallway, but it can't live there because there is another table on the opposite wall and they are just way too much together.

It may be time to switch some stuff out...but I can't think of what I could switch out to incorporate it in the house....Hopefully an idea will present it's self in the near future...

Here's some horrible iPhone pics of the little cutey:

The Chevron Craze

2011-02-08T20:13:00.000-05:00

I love the Chevron pattern that is popping up everywhere nowadays...do I love it because I am seeing more and more of it and it's growing on me or do I love it because it's just that cute? I think both, really... I wish I could afford a chevron rug right now...but it's not in the cards for a while--plus it's a bold pattern and you need just the right place for it---which I'm not sure I have as of yet. So I'm introducing it small scale.

I bought about 6 of these trays from Swoozie's when they were having their annual tent sale last year. They had them in green and yellow and I figured I could tie them into my wedding somewhere. They were only $3 each. I ended up never using them...typical.

So now I decided that my empty coffee table in my formal living room would benefit very much from a cute little tray.

Here's what I did:

Yea...I totally just free handed this...I'm sure a stencil or measuring would have looked a lot better but it's fine for my purposes....

I then spray painted it with high gloss white paint:

It's pretty messy...I'm just gonna serve drinks and whatnot on it though....so it should be just fine!!

***I just saw on Tatertots & Jello that she posted a chevron printable stencil....I'll have to use that on the next one!***

Also, Thank you to Stephanie Lynn for featuring my dining room on her post today at Under the Table and Dreaming :)

Bandwagon...jumped right on

2011-02-07T19:30:00.020-05:00

I get ideas in my head from time to time that will not go away. I have been dreaming of a Mud Room and there is one major problem with this idea...there is no where in our house that I could put a Mud Room. Well...I'm a Taurus and believe you me...I will find a way to make what I want happen. Trust.

I didn't want anything huge, just a cute little area that we could leave our shoes, hang our bags, the dog's sweater...leash...whatever...Okay let's not tell lies here...I just like the look of a Mud Room and I thought it would be a cute addition...will we actually use it? Ummmm...anyways. I'm down with the Board & Batten look..super down. This was my jumping off point. I've never done any moulding myself so I was a little nervous...

I bought all the moulding at Home Depot and had them cut it to my measurements....so nice that they will cut anything you want for free. That was most of the work right there. I bought some hooks and paint there as well. I went with Martha Stewart's Picket Fence in a Semi-Gloss. Oh and I had some Kilz at home...this was the most important thing I used....priming was a must!

My friend Brittany had a nail gun and a compressor---what? Yea she did. So I borrowed that thinking she'd hand it over and it'd be this cute little gun that would be super simple to use. No. This was one huge, manly mammajamma...It like has gas in it or something...weird. I was intimidated by it to say the least.

Ryan and the animals were hugely skeptical that I could accomplish the look I was going for and not mess up an entire wall. ~~I was too~~ I knew I could do it!!!

So this is the wall before:

This wall connects the kitchen and the dining room. The laundry room is right in front of it which is connected to the garage. So we could...in essence...walk in from the garage and through our laundry room to our beautiful "Mud Room" hallway wall thing.

I put up the battens and taped them in place...I prayed that the Home Depot dude cut them straight.

I made Ryan do the first one because when I turned on the compressor I screamed and was still a little shaken up. When I saw how easily he did it, I took over. For reals.

All I can say is...You go Home Depot dude!!!! Check this out

Yes that is a level on my iPhone...there's an app for that.

Call me ~~lazy~~ crazy, but I didn't check any measurements until after I had nailed everything in to the wall....

I filled the nail holes with wood putty...there were quite a few...hey, maybe someone got a little carried away with the nail gun...or maybe someone wanted the battons to be really, really secure. Let's not make any rash judgements.

I then primed and painted two coats of the Picket Fence.

Let's just say..I'm shocked that it looks so cute. Here it is:

The whole project cost about $45 (board, battons, paint, and hooks)

I had that bench in my garage...I bought it almost a year ago at Scott's Antique Market for $30 but never found a place for it. I'm not sure if I should paint it or leave it "weathered." I'm thinking I like it as is right now. The pillows are from Target and were a wedding gift. I love them so much and am happy that they have found a home! I still want to do something with the top part of the wall, but I'm not sure what...maybe some black and white prints or something along those lines...we shall see.

Linking up here:

http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/

http://todayscreativeblog.net/

http://www.somedaycrafts.com/

Our Dining Room, as of now

2011-02-06T22:28:00.002-05:00

I have been hard at work with about a million and one projects...there is seriously not enough time in the day to complete all these things I dream of...I still have a few things that need to be added to the dining room---but it is shaping up quite nicely!

We still need to put up the wainscoting and a mirror above the buffet table and I'd REALLY like to get some white chair covers for the end chairs. My Tolix knock-off chairs came in the mail and they are AmAzInG...I love them! They are cute and seriously comfy! I put up some curtains and I finished my white plate wall. We also changed the light fixture. I also added a few Valentine's decorations...Let's see what you think!

Linking to:

Wedding Pictures

2011-02-03T10:07:00.000-05:00

I'll let them speak for themselves...I picked only a portion of them but there are so many!! All photos by Simply Bloom Photography

My Mom's Memory Table

Stylish Blogger Award

2011-02-02T16:29:00.001-05:00

The blogging world is CRAZY to me. I love when I get comments from people all over the world...it is such a gratifying feeling to know that people read what you write and that they relate. I think that's all we really want...we want acceptance and we want to know that what we think and say matters...to someone. Well...adorable little (and for those of you who don't know me..."little" is the most endearing word I could ever possibly use to describe someone) Lauren over at Whimsy Lane gave me the Stylish Blogger Award. How sweet is that?? Thank you Lauren!

So now I am supposed to tell you all 7 things about me and name my 15 favorite recently discovered blogs. 15 is hard to do because I keep up with a LOT, but I will do my best to narrow it down :)

About me:

1) Ryan and I have collectively made up over 50 names for our animals and use most of them on a daily basis...we also use different voices when we talk about them. Everyday when I get off work, I call Ryan and ask for Harvey...Ryan usually makes me wait a second and then uses a voice that he thinks Harvey would sound like if he were in fact human and answers all the questions I ask him about his day.

2) I make my hubby pick choices all the time and I always use the example of the Good Son every time I ask him which he would prefer. If you haven't seen it you wouldn't get this...but for example I will say: "Ryan, if you had Nola's paw and Harvey's paw in your hands and you had to drop one off the cliff...which would it be?" To this particular one, he answered: "I'd jump with them so they wouldn't be alone in their last moments." hahaha....awww! I'm crazy

3) I buy things just because they are on sale. It doesn't matter if I need this item or will use it, if it's on sale, I feel like I'm missing out if I leave it behind...it's an addiction. I go antiquing/junking on a weekly basis and derive so much joy from my finds!!
4) After losing my Mother, I found out who my true friends were. I had such an amazing support team and am so thankful for my dear friends, family, and Ryan's family. Some people forgot about my pain after a week and my real friends still send me sweet little texts on my Mom's birthday and Mother's day just to let me know they are thinking of me. Like my friend Wendi says..."You can ABSOLUTELY pick your family." My friends are my family and they are everything to me.

5) My hubby's Dad was one of my biggest clients and he pressured me into going on a date with Ryan...he said he thought we would be really good for each other---aren't parents always right?! His speech at our wedding was pretty funny!

6) I started decorating when I was 7. I made my Dad take me to Home Depot where I selected linoleum tile that looked like marble and I cut it down to size with scissors and placed it in my Dollhouse bathroom.

7) I have an older brother named Huston and one time, while I was down at college...My Dad called me to tell me that Hurricane Emily had touched down in Houston and done some serious damage...haha...he said: "That sounds about right."

Now for the blogs I'm diggin':

Simple Style
Snap Pea Imaging & Design
The Clean Laundry
Blissful Whimsy
The Perks
Milk & Honey Home
Inspired by Charm
Chic & Lovely
Shorely Chic
After Adornment
Design Indulgence
Oh So Darling
Danielle Oakey Interiors
Little Lovables
It's a Crafty Life

If you check any of my fav's out...let me know what you think! I love all these ladies and guy! (Only one awesome dude blogger that I follow)

If you were one of my favorite blogs, it's your turn to do this post...so happy to have nominated you all for the Stylish Blogger Award! All very deserving! And don't forget to put the SBA button in your post!

So they say...

2011-02-02T11:39:00.001-05:00

Word on the street is that anniversary pictures are soooo the new engagement pictures. This THRILLS me. We had some super cute engagement pics, should be getting our wedding pics any day now...yes we got married in October and have still YET to receive our pictures, and I'm already planning Anniversary pics...and one day...maternity pics!

Here's a few of our engagement pics:

Simply Bloom Photography

This and That

2011-02-01T10:28:00.000-05:00

After being out of town for 3 weekends...my head hurts. I have so many plans and projects that have yet to be done. I am staying home this weekend and getting stuff done! I bought some barn wood from a guy here in Atlanta. All the boards came from a barn in Kentucky that he tore down. I am making one of Ryan's best friends some signs for her wedding. I am hoping to take a crack at that this weekend. Here are the boards:

We've cleaned the kitchen but still need to organize the cabinets...we plan on tackling that this weekend as well.

I also bought some curtains for our dining room and was planning on hanging them last night. Until I realized I bought a shower curtain rod instead of a curtain rod...It's what I get for talking on my phone the whole time I was in Home Goods...didn't even read the box. Whoops...

Here are the curtains:

Hopefully they'll look good!

Also, the Tip Junkie featured my Mason Jar lights...Have you read her blog? She has an amazing collection of projects I'd love to try! Sometimes I feel like I need to stop reading so many blogs because I'm on project overload...then I always decide against it...haha

My Feature found here

Oh and by the way...I realize it's only Tuesday...I start looking forward to the weekend on Sunday night...Just sayin.

OH! and one other thing...I have a new recipe that I've made now 3 times in the past month...it's super quick and delish...if you're in to Tomato Soup.

It's Tortellini Tomato Soup:
Mix together one can Tomato Bisque (Campbell's)
One can Tomato Sauce (I used Publix brand)
2 Cans (just use your soup can to measure) skim milk
Pepper and Basil

Bring this to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer

Cook a pack of Bertolli 3 cheese Tortellini as the directions state...(just boil and drain after about 8 minutes)
Then add the Tortellini to the soup and let it simmer for about 5 minutes
You're done...

I love this soup! I've made it for dinner and then brought the leftovers to work for a couple days.

Chattanoogan Finds

2011-01-31T13:58:00.001-05:00

This past weekend I went to Chattanooga with my cousin, Nicole, and two aunts. Third weekend in a row that I've been out of town....ughhhh. I have had NO time to complete any projects around the house and I have a list a mile long. Chattanooga, TN is the place where Nicole is getting married in March and we had to iron out some last minute details. I haven't been there since I was a child and I was quite surprised at what an awesome little city it is. OF COURSE we made time for antiquing...I scored an adorable little table, too! And another Brass Animal...but let's not talk about that weird habit I harbor.

Moving right along....

I thought this old Post Office cubby thing was awesome...

This chair was precious--if I had a little girl, this would be hers

This "work table" would make an amazing island---too bad we don't have the space. They were only asking $295

And it had a vice grip on it...how cute would it be holding a menu in your kitchen??

We stopped off for a snack at the local Donut shop...this Donut would have been Ryan's had he tagged along...I couldn't pull the trigger---I went with Sour Cream...yummmmm!

I took this picture of the cafeteria in Warehouse Row...I loved the light fixtures and all the letters on the stools...I feel like I'm leaning more and more towards industrial decor...weird.

This happened at about 6:00PM

Mixed in with a little bit of this...

This huge picture frame was in the lobby of the Chattanoogan (where we stayed) and I snapped a picture to remember the idea...I feel a project coming on! Beadboard and trim and there ya go.

I woke up the next morning to this...ahhh Raspberry Mocha WITH WHIP...hey it was the weekend! :)

Chattanooga on a Sunday Morning

This art piece was actually made out of copper...it was painted to look like driftwood...very cool

This was the restroom in the Antique Shop...yes I'm that strange. I just loved the sink and the vintage feel.

Linking up to:

I dream in thrift

2011-01-27T21:56:00.000-05:00

As you may or may not know, my husband, Ryan, and I were married on October 9, 2010. We received so many beautiful, thoughtful gifts. My Aunt Kelly and Uncle Bryan live in Seattle and we were so happy that they could make it down for the wedding. Bryan is a jeweler and owns a great jewelry store in Washington---having a jeweler in the family is worth it's weight in...yea anyways, Kelly and Bryan gave us an amazing gift...they gave us a choice. A full week all expenses paid to either Vegas or Seattle. First we were thinking Vegas, but Ryan has never been to Seattle and I knew that we would be stuck at the poker tables forever if we chose Vegas. So we picked Seattle. Along with Seattle, we will be visiting Canada as well. I'm super excited!

And how did I pick a date for us to go? Oh I may or may not have strategically planned the trip to coincide with the dates of The Farm Chicks Antiques Show in Spokane, Washington....yessssss! My aunt is the original thrifter and she and I will make the perfect thrifting theme! She was all: "Emily, you are gonna have to drive a truck back to Atlanta!" She went last year and said it was insane. Has anyone else been? I'll dream of it until June!!

Some other thrifting hot spots that I hope to visit this summer:

The Raleigh Flea Market

We have so many friends in Raleigh and I can't wait to visit and run by the flea market!!!

Wendi, Jenn, and I were kicking around the idea of renting a u-haul and going to the World's Longest Yardsale this year too...I think it would be so fun. It would be an experience none of us would forget...for better or worse! It goes from Gadsden, Alabama to Hudson, Michigan...675 miles of yard sale? Yes please!!!

I'll go to bed and dream of all the finds I've yet to find!

Thinking about getting Organized

2011-01-26T18:00:00.003-05:00

So it seems that January is the month that everyone is getting down with organization. I'm wading the waters and thinking about jumping on board with everyone too. I feel like every room in my house is a bit...excessive. I feel I need to to pare down. A lot. This week I'm going from room to room and throwing away things that need to be thrown away (a chipped tea cup that I thought I'd fix one day, a dead orchid that I swore would come back to life, toys that Harvey has taken all the stuffing out of...the toys that I convince myself "he likes better that way...." you get the idea) I'm a minimalist by NO means. I like stuff. Always have, Always will. I just want everything to have it's place and have more organization than we have had in the past (none).

It's not gonna be easy...it's gonna be really, really hard. Ryan is the messiest person I have ever met in my life. The only person in the world that feels me on this front is his sister Jenn. She shared a bathroom with him. I don't even share a bathroom with him...he goes down the hall. I kept putting all of his stuff back in the drawer when he'd leave it out and he slowly migrated to the other bathroom. I think he thought it would hurt my feelings because he'd make up excuses at first, like "oh I just don't want to disturb you while you're getting ready," and "I must have left my razor in the other bathroom...be right back." Then I caught him in there one day and his stuff was sprawled all over the counters, the floor, shelves....everywhere. His face looked like one of a bad puppy. I couldn't be happier.....Long story long....the boy is ridiculous. I am thinking that baskets are my best bet. If he has a basket that he can toss stuff in, he may get on board. Probably not though.

We started organizing the kitchen last night. I have it in my head that I want like NOTHING on the counters. Just the essentials. Two different coffee makers are essential. Shut up, they are. It already looks a lot better, but we still have a ways to go...I found some GORGEOUS inspiration pics today at Country Living. LOVE!

I also found some basket organizing ideas. Why does organization look so darn good?

Via

Ok. I'm inspired.

Antiquing Paper

2011-01-26T10:16:00.002-05:00

This may be old news to many people, but my friend Wendi, told me how to do this and I think it's pretty cool. When we were stuck in the house due to snow...I tried it out. I wanted to make some tags for my etsy shop and thought the white of the tags was too stark...take a look:

Brew your tea

Place your paper on a baking sheet

Paint your paper with the tea

Put the paper in the oven (I set mine to 250 degrees) for about 3-4 minutes

And there ya go...they should be dry and antique-y

Our Back porch while I was bundled up inside

I stamped em' and gliterized em'....I'll add glitter to anything I can. No lie.

On a totally unrelated note, check our my friend Wendi's blog...she posted about the BEAUTIFUL wedding shower she threw me last year. It pays to have friends with GREAT taste.

Simple Style

Picture from the Bridal Shower at JCT Kitchen

And on another unrelated note...Jen at Tatertots and Jello featured me again! It's a post on Decorating Solutions. Love her!!!

Linked to:

Ballard Deal

2011-01-24T20:45:00.003-05:00

I pretty much live for a good deal...a couple of months ago, I stopped in at the Ballard Design Outlet which is dangerously close to our house (2 miles away---yikes!!) For those of you who don't have a Ballard Outlet nearby, I'm sorry---I would say it's worth a day trip if you could make it! I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just browsing around. I came across a ton of sideboard tables in the back of the store, they were all so pretty...marked down to $898.99 from $1199.00. I'm not impressed. So I start to walk away and see one sideboard off to the side. It was damaged, but not bad...

It just looked like someone pulled off a piece of the moulding on the side...a pretty easy fix, I think to myself. So I look at the price of this one expecting it to be the same (most everything at the outlet is a little imperfect.) I then see this:

I immediately ripped the price tag off...I was a little shocked at myself, but I didn't want anyone else to see it and try to buy it out from under me (I am pretty certain I was the only one in the store.) I ran up to the register and asked if it was the right price...the guy was all: "NOPE!" My heart sank...then he was like: "It's 20% off that, so like $70....you want it?" At this point I blacked out from excitement. No not really, but I was stoked!

It had some oil-rubbed bronze knobs on it that I changed out with some knobs I bought at Anthropologie on clearance....what do you think of them? Flea Market chic or too mismatched?

The only thing behind the doors is our fine china that we received as wedding gifts....LOVE the boxes!

And long story short....still haven't fixed the side of the sideboard...just covered it with a runner. Story of my life---good intentions!

Linked to Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Between Naps on the Porch