Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Master Bathroom Update

Hello lovelies.
Here's a little sneak peak at our master bathroom update... I'm so happy with the way its turning out, and can't wait to share the finished project!

Also, if you're a fan of C. Wonder, get your bottom over there ASAP for the 2 day flash sale. 75% off Sale items! I am ridiculous and purchased this amazingly perfect leopard trapper hat ($13.99) to wear with these fun emerald studs ($8.99) when I ski at the end of this month. My sisters and mom will not be surprised.



Tuesday Morning Treasures

Okay kiddos, we have a lot of ground to cover today so lets jump in! I probably need to start taking my camera with me when I shop so I can stop apologizing for these jank phone pics....

First stop, a Dallas antique mall that turned up a few interesting pieces, including this lamp. Its a really good size lamp and looks expensive in person. I'm sure its not antique - or even vintage - but its a good deal at $57!
Right: antique mall, Left: Pottery Barn


WARNING: This next one may offend some of you soft-hearted animal lovers.... BUT it was already dead - nothing I can do about it!
I'm really diggin the antelope love happening right now. Check out the post Sadie + Stella did not too long ago on antelope floor coverings. I saw this and instantly thought it would be completely amazing as a layered piece in an office or along side a bed. Mr. Husband didn't think so, but I'm pretty sure his judgment was fogged by the not so glamorous taxidermy accompanying the hide. If you're not into the killing animals for fashion and style, then check out the animal safe choices at your favorite flooring shop!


Target. For real. I first saw these little cuties on one of the blogs I read (and now cannot rememeber which one to save my life - sorry!) and went directly to Target.com to buy them, but they were already sold out. I went to a few different store locations and finally gave up with the assumption that it wasn't meant to be. Until... a few nights ago when my Mom and I stopped by Target to pick up some Advil, and ended up leaving with a shopping cart full of goodies (shocker) - including 1 of these benches for $59.99!


I was thrilled to have found just the one, but was hoping that they would tell me where I could find a second in a nearby store. Well, that nearby store was a good 30 minutes away - and way out of the way from anything and anywhere I go. I finally got around to driving myself out to the middle of no where in not such a good part of town where I probably should not have been by myself at night (oops), and there sitting on the shelf were 2 more benches! I snagged the one additional that I needed, and quickly made the observation that this was the Target I needed to frequent for all things home related. They had everything on their shelves, that has been sold out in my local stores for weeks!

Along with my new x-benches, I found a small stash of Nate Berkus decor pieces that were 50% off (still full price on Target.com)! I also picked up a version of this wall art with a silver/pewter frame and matted for $14.97 (pics to come in a later post)!! For this reason alone, I will be making monthly stops to this Target location.
 (tray $15, silver shell $10, chain $7, box $10, tall vase shown $12.50, short vase $11.50)

Monday, February 18, 2013

Baby Walker and His Nursery

Meet Walker. He's 10 days old and ridiculously cute (duh). He belongs to my sweet friend Eleanor of Oh Louise!, and I'm so happy to be an honorary aunt.



We got to meet him for the first time this weekend, and it was magical. After a long night of doing his best to keep his parents awake, little Walker was quite the charmer. He starred at us, made funny faces, slept a little bit, and did this really sweet fake cry where his face looked like he should be screaming but he wasn't actually making any noise. Love him.

On top of being a pretty cool baby, his mom hooked him up with a pretty sweet little baby bachelor pad. These pics are from my phone, and don't do the room justice but I was too excited to wait for good pictures. Its a woodland creature wonderland... not too baby, and will transition to a big boy room without doing much of anything (but knowing Eleanor, she will probably give it a new spin when that time comes anyways).

She's a really gifted thrift-finder (here, here and here) and did a great job of mixing old with new in Walker's nursery to stay true to her style.


This is one of my favorite things in the room. I know a book shelf wall is a pretty common thing to have in nurseries right now, but this is special. A lot of these books came from their gender reveal party we (myself and 5 of our dear friends) hosted. We didn't know if Walker was going to be a he or a she, and they hadn't registered... so we asked every one to bring a book and write a message in it. If you look closely, you can see a "Merry Christmas Curious George" book... hilarious because Eleanor is slightly obsessed with Christmas, and a "Ferdinand the Bull" book, which was one of my favorites growing up. Its just sweet and I love it.


Walker is pretty cool. I think we're all really pumped that he's finally here! Way to go El! 
(please disregard the no-makeup face, oops!)

P.S. - Once she's back from maternity leave, you people need to check out her Etsy shop - its legit. Muah!





Thursday, February 14, 2013

Dog Portrait

Remember this post about the watercolor dog portraits?
Well I finally got around to ordering one of Mitzi, and holy moly its so freaking cute!
She made this (in 3 days!) ridiculously amazing painting for $37 - including tax. WHAT?! Go check here out on Etsy.



Here are the original pictures I sent her to work from if you're curious... She's the cutest ever! Mr. Husband and I are completely in love with our little valentine!


And to think, I thought Valentine's Day couldn't get any better when I opened my mailbox to find this litttle gem... then my little sister emails me an amazing Groupon deal for Copper Mountain lift tickets (we happen to be taking a sister-mom ski trip at the end of the month!) that we took full advantage of... AND THEN Mr. Husband sent me the most amazing succulent garden to work. It makes me happy. Happy Valentine's Day y'all!




Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Bright & White Rooms I Love

Two of these rooms have me seriously considering a move to Arkansas. Or, if I'm being less dramatic I could just say that I am way in LOVE with these simple white rooms. They're colorless and full of color at the same time.


The subtle hint of purple in this bedroom is dreamy, and the almost bare floors really warm the space and keep it from feeling too sterile. The elements of this room are so simple that it would be simple to recreate - probably part of the reason why I love it... its real and liveable. Like a fashion equivalent to casual chic.

Seriously y'all - how about that headboard? Mr. Husband and I have made an upholstered headboard for our guest bedroom and it was no big deal. Now, I'm thinking we should give this extra tall, cutout silhouette a whirl.


This room may not be all too practical for every home, but thinking about my Aunt's small river cabin I couldn't think of a better solution for the space. First, I love it and there's something almost whimsical about it. The thought of kids climbing into the built in bunks, and friends circled around after a long afternoon outside... LOVE. The rope chandelier is fantastic and compliments the exposed rock. I also really love the larger size wood plank wall in contrast to the smaller wood plank ceilings. Can you imagine a more fun place to spend your summers?

One more.... Okay, on top of this just simply being a beautiful kitchen - I love the back wall. I am obsessed with the windows, the plants and the fact that the natural green is the only color. The whole thing is ridic. Can you imagine that fireplace in a master bath - yes please! 

This kitchen is too pretty to cook in... which is perfect, because I don't cook!

Monday, February 11, 2013

Tuesday Morning Treasures

(Posting a little early this week for this) If you don't live in Texas you won't understand this... Its so difficult to find plants that are beautiful, blossom, and that can survive the Texas heat. That's why I love the August Beauty Gardenia. Its fine in the heat and can live through an ice storm. The blossoms are small, but really pretty and fragrant.

If you live near a Calloways (check their site for locations), they are offering Buy One Get One Free tomorrow! You get can get 2, 3 gal. plants for $25! They're easy to care for - promise!



If you don't live in Texas, you may also not know that Horchow has Dallas roots, and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with 40% off 40 weekly specials. I have been in love with this mirror for some time, and this week its part of their 40% off promotion!

I would LOVE to recreate this bookcase in one of our spare bedrooms/study (which hasn't been touched since we moved into our house - oops).




and a little visit to our friend Craig and his list.... I found these two barstools a while ago for $45. If I had a bar of any kind, I would have snagged these up and transformed them into a little Lilly Pulitzer-esq with a fun print on the seat.



If you're a sucker for cane furniture like me, you'll love this sweet twin bed. I was thinking that it would be good to use the footboard as a second headboard (they look like they're the same size) and make two beds from the one. Its pretty girlie in white, but its possible to make great for boys as well by painting them dark grey or maybe even a matte navy. For $85 you can't beat it!








Friday, February 8, 2013

Social Dress Shop

Seriously good find....


If you're in need of a cute dress, head over to The Social Dress Shop - they do 2-3 day priority shipping so you can still get a dress for your big Valentine's Day plans!

Even better... use code Love25 to get 25% off your order!





Thursday, February 7, 2013

Project List Sneak Peak

Hello people.

Thought I would share a couple of big projects I'll soon be forcing Mr. Husband to help me with in our house. I'm so excited and will definitely share our progress over the next few weeks.


First, we will be working on our spare bedrooms' closet doors. We inherited wood panel acordian style doors that I really no-likey (who does?). I have been wanting to do something with them - like leave them out by the curb - but didn't want to spend a ton because those rooms are rarely used.

Then I met Abby via her blog, DIY Design and she solved my problem. Her blog is full of amazing DIY how-to's and she has really great detailed notes and pics! She had the same jank panel doors in her studio and transformed them into nice custom-looking cabinetry. Totally copying her project!

DIY 5 Panel Shaker-style bi-fold closet doors for about $30 each!

All of the doors in our house are the similar wood panel doors that we painted white when we moved in. I'm thinking that I could do something similar to this project to jazz them up a little bit too!



The second project is a hybrid of two rooms: this one from Rambling Renovators, and this one from The Lettered Cottage.

The point of the project is to add a little bit of storage and update an otherwise boring room. I want to use the Ikea wardrobes, but leave the space in between open for a desk now, and possible a crib or bed later on (depending on which spare bedroom we decide to use for a nursery when the time comes).

Rambling Renovators Baby Room



And I will probably tack on this one small little side project for Mr. Husband before Summer hits... I want him to make me a couple of these chaises with the wood we have piled up in our garage. He will think I'm crazy, but seriously - how hard can it be?






Moths...

holy shniza!

Recently Mr. Husband and I have discovered a huge life destroying minor moth problem in our closets. In most cases I would be elated by the fact that most of the damage was done in Mr. Husband's closet, but not so much.

Baby moths (I don't like using the word larvae because it sounds jank) like to eat natural fibers to grow big and healthy, so naturally they go for the expensive stuff... Like all of Mr. Husbands nice silk and wool suits. That's right - all of his suits, aside from one, have been destroyed.

Those of you who don't live with a guy - or your guy doesn't have to wear suits - or your guy doesn't care about wearing nice expensive suits, you may not be thinking this is a big deal. WRONG. If we were to replace each of the lost suits - not to mention everything else that was ruined - right now, it would cost us $$$$ (lets just say I could buy this bed, and most all of the accompanying pieces from RH that I've had googlie eyes on for a while).

So, needless to say we were mad and in full on moth fighting force. I hope that you never have to go through this, but if you do here are the steps we took to eradicate them (borrowed a little of everything from several sources).

1. Wash and dry on HIGH heat everything, and dry clean the items that can't take the heat. Keep the clean clothes out of your closet.

2. If its freezing temps outside, leave your shoes and bags outside over night. I decided it would be okay to put some of mine in the freezer. (hot and cold temp changes kill the little buggers)

3. Once you've removed everything from your closet... clean. Vacuum and then dumb the vacuum in an outside trash can. Wipe down everything with disinfectant.

4. Have an exterminator visit. I'm not sure what they do or spray, but it can't hurt.

5. This is the one that kills me... force yourself to purchase some mothballs (gag) and sit them in your closet for a week or two. If you don't mind smelling like an old lady, you can leave them in your closet. If you've never smelled mothballs before - I seriously doubt you will be leaving them in your closet.

6. Get yourself some cedar boards and line at least one wall of your closet - depending on the size of your closet (ours are small). Some one even said the spray cedar essence once a quarter for good measure.

This doesn't seem like a lot, but its a long and ANNOYING process that will have your house in shambles for a while. Not to mention you will need to prepare yourself for a pretty hefty dry cleaning bill (Mr. Husband haggled with the our dry cleaner and got them to bring out total bill down by $100 - so don't be afraid to ask for a "bulk" discount).

Happy Moth Hunting Games.