Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category

Happy Yellow Lamps

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Well, I killed one of the lamps (knocked it over and it shattered) I used on the dresser in my kitchen..but you know the good part about that, right? I had the chace to hunt down a new set of lamps for the space. I was thriled when I came across these two. $8 for the pair at a local thrift store. Happy, right? And fresh and pretty against the grey/blue walls. (Of course the fresh tulips from my sweet husband help to complete the scene.) But, a funny thing happened, when I turned my head for one second..see if you can spot the one item that doesn’t belong in this picture. Or, should I say, actually is a perfect representation of our home. Yep, thats right..Dora the Explorer in a tupperware containter. Caroline said she was taking a nap.

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It’s not you, It’s me…

Really, it’s me. Something about fighting off a killer sinus infection and dealing with consistent nausea does not create the best recipie for a project spree. I have not accomplished much around here lately. I have however, been working on my ATTITUDE!!! A non-spray paintable constantly changing “subject”  who I am learning to tame. Our church is doing a series right now called Happy. It has been  a great challenge to re-learn that God desires for us to be happy, that he can show us how to be happy and that is is possible beyond and regardless of sinus infections and nausea that lasts ffor 9 months (I had to throw that little pity party in.) It is about CHOICES. Choosing God’s character and perspective and allowing that to change the ways in which I view my circumstances. For instance..Nic

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Den to dining room, dining room to den

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So, I switched my dining room and my den and I am quite happy with the results. Here is  my den before. We have talked about this room many times… And now it looks like this…(with my newly recovered chairs..thanks to my amazing mom and dad. I didn’t even try to help as their system was so over my head (perfectionists). They are beyond helpful!)   See it all happened one day when I was sitting in the den thinking..man, I wish this was my view during meal times. Uh..wait, that could totally happen. So, I just switched the spaces. Here is my view while I was eating breakfast this very morning. Thats what I am talking about! And the old dining room now looks like this (with my new thrift store couch). Now, besides the lighting fixtures (which you

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Naptime Throw Pillow Placement

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(Random living room I would love to have in my home. Perfectly placed pillows)   I was wondering…Are there any other moms out there who see naptime as just about the only chance to have perfectly placed throw pillows on your couch? The minute naptime starts I do the sweep around the house to pick up all random items (some toys, some tubes of toothpaste (?) that might have be carried around). Then…I make my way to the couch and perfectly arrange all the pillows as if there might be a magazine shoot happening while the girls are asleep. Once all of that is accomplished, I start whatever taks I have to do…grading, laundry, spray painting (anything and everything) or whatver else might need my attention. But..for those 2 hours..each time I pass by the couches and the perfectly placed

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Girl’s Bathroom Latern

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I scored a fun little latern one day at the Goodwill for $4. It was a terrible brassy color, but the shape and glass was really cute. So, I very gingerly disassembled it until I had all the parts off. I sprayed them a few coats of white and then reassembled the latern, until I had this. I was gonna wait to blog about this until I had painted around the ceiling and had it all perfect. But, alas, have not had a chance. The ceiling is an old oil based paint-the the previous home owners did not leave, so the task is a little more annoying than it might seem. I might just buy one of the ready made decorative ring things and put it around the fixture and call it a day. Here is a better shot of

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Looks Like Pottery Barn

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My savvy sister-in-law said my new porch lights look like some for sell at Pottery Barn. She is right! Here they are in the Pottery Barn catalog. Theirs..$ 134   And Ours…$19.99 Pretty darn close. And..if you wanted the look of theirs, you could easily use an outdoor spray paint in a bronze color to acheive an even more “spot on” verison of theirs. Thanks for the tip, Amy!

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Beachy/Industrial Porch Lights

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Sometimes it’s the little things..Like new porch lights. Mine were old school basic black lights, and they were pretty much totally boring. I spotted some at Lowes (for a low, $20) and thought they could add just the right little something to the porch. Heres the old light (can you sorta see it?) (try not to judge the unruly shrubbery). And now the new ones..They are a little beachy, a little industrial and a nice contrast to the other colors on the porch. And..I really like how the light shines downward. And on the other side of the porch… One last close up… Well thats all the excitement around here these past few days. But, again..its the little things!

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I went with ferns.

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I was never quite sure about ferns..like, are they adorable or hideous?Just kidding, but really, never sure if I loved them. But..after having spent a total of 10 years here in the south-ish, I have decided I do. I like them. See..my house has white siding, and it needs elements to distract from how white the siding really is. Sure, the shutters help, the chairs help, but the size and color if the ferns really help! I scored my from Lowes  on sale for $7 a piece and the guy promised me (crap, I forgot to get his name) that they would last till fall.   Here are my porch chairs which I had just recenetly painted green. It really was a last ditch effeort to keep me from painting my door this color green. But, alas, I think the

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Adorable or Hideous?

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Do you, like me, have a moment where you see somthing and you think…Okay, that’s either super cool or totally ugly…I’m just not sure either way. So, I do this all the time. It might come from looking at lots of design stuff where furniture and decor pieces are used that seem totally random, but of course, they work (or at least thats what I have to believe because they are the designers and I am a small town diy kinda girl.) Thats what happened the other day at the Goodwill when I saw this little round glass and gold table. I thought it was cute and could automatically picture it in a glamourous livingroom on the cover of Elle Decor. I was stuck..is that adorable or hideous? It was, afterall, only $5…so, I got it. I did a quick

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Spring in Virginia

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Spring here in Virgina is pretty much magic. It seems that over night our tiny part of the world awakens and corlors are splashed everywhere you glance. For instance this week.. a totally boring bush (no idea what it is called) that basically hides our AC unit in the backyard is covered with these pink flowers. Amazing. I will always be a San Diegan at heart, but the seasons are slowly wooing me.

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