fess up friday - julia ryan

Happy Fess Up Friday everyone! Today is a treat because we have the dear Julia, of Julia Ryan (formally Pawleys Island Posh). Julia's blog was one of my first blog addictions. I love her style, her approach to motherhood and the fact that she's gotten to live in two of my very favorite places - Charleston and Richmond. And if you haven't checked out her daughter's new room yet, add that to your to-do list. Really. Thanks Julia for coming over today. Now let's do some sharing, shall we?

Hey ladies!  I'm Julia from JuliaRyan.com and I'm so pleased to be here with you today.  When Elizabeth asked me to participate in Fess Up Friday I honestly balked a little.  Not because I didn't want to over-expose myself.  It's just that I tend to be pretty free flowing with my personal self already.  I'm a pretty open blogger book.  So I thought to myself, what don't y'all already know?

I don't like dogs.  Or pets of any sort for that matter.  I'm just not an animal person.

There I said it.  Do you hate me yet?  Don't worry, other people's beloved companions don't bother me in the slightest (I'm not Cruella DeVil over here) I just prefer not to have them.  I also prefer to admire those cute pups from across the room.  Or like their little wet noses on instagram instead of real life.  I think they're sweet, just not for me.

This, of course, is a sad state of reality for my dog loving husband.  He's had a dog in the past during our marriage, and I know that one day he and the kids will team up against me in their canine demands and I will give in out of love.  But I won't like it.  And it will never be my turn to take them for a walk in the rain.

I'm obsessed with high end kitchen gear but I don't like to cook.  I pretty much only tolerate it in an effort to feed my family.  Without the fancy gear and wine I'd probably never even make that effort.  I think if I had more time and more money for better ingredients I'd be more into it.  Despite this, my kitchen is still my favorite room in the house.  And who says you can't cook hotdogs on an-clad pan?

I prefer my hair long so I can wear it up.  That's right, I pretty much never wear my hair down.  My sister made me pull it down for a recent photo shoot of my daughter's room and I hate the result.  I just like the way I look with my hair up.  And let's not even talk about the convenience factor.  I once told a girl at Nordstrom that I was so glad young cute girls like her were embracing the messy top-knot so I could make less of an effort in the mornings and still feel polished. I doubt she appreciated the sentiment that her coif resembled my messy mom-bun.

I for one would be happy to have my hair pulled back for the rest of my life if I could. Thanks Julia for coming over today!

dining room updates

I've been meaning to tell you, my mom is a genius. Of course I knew this already, but let me just share with you her latest example of genius-ness.

I am generally happy with my dining room and the church pew works like a charm to corral the girls during dinner but there was one small problem with the layout. When anyone over the age of 16 sat at the pew, they had a good chance of knocking their head against the mirror before dessert was served.

So often I would blather to my mom on the phone about wanting to put something behind the bench to create a bit of breathing room between guests and the big O (that would be the mirror, not Oprah). A console would be perfect, but I can't find a console that is as long as the bench and isn't thousands of dollars. Blah blah blah. It was probably around this point in the conversation that my mom would tell me she had to go so she didn't have to listen to this conversation...yet again.

Then we were downstairs (pre-family room makeover) and she said, "What about this console for behind the pew?" Uh, that's not long enough mom, duh. And it's too deep. To which the smarty pants said, "not if you cut it in half."

Mind blown.

I should clarify that this woman is a furniture lover of the first degree and doesn't normally condone furniture mutilation. But this particular piece was a random HomeGoods buy (we all have a few of those around the house) and is by no means precious.

So of course I took that sucker outside as quickly as I could, measured to find the exact middle of the table and asked the hubs to buzz that sucker in half. We kept the tape down as he cut to prevent any splitting and in no time flat I had myself one. long. console.

Although each side of the now super long console still had two legs to hold it up, it was a bit wobbly. To remedy this we just screwed each side of the console into the wall to hold it in place and we were done.

So nothing earth shattering but now all of my dinner guests can enjoy themselves without bonking their head in the middle of an animated story. (we host a lot of animated storytellers at our house). And really I'm a fan of little updates to a room. It feeds my constant appetite for change without chucking a room and starting over again every few months ($$$$$$)

The runner is a temporary one I made from fabric leftovers and extra ribbon. It will hang out until I find a more permanent replacement one day.

What about you? Do you make a lot of little changes around the house to pacify the 'itch'? Ever cut a piece of furniture in half? I'm willing to rent my mom out to anyone who needs her, although maybe I should ask her first.

furniture wish list - chesterfield sofa

I don't know about you, but I've got a long list of "someday I will have ___ piece of furniture." Classic pieces that I've wanted as long as I can remember and would be with me until I passed them on to the girls. True investment pieces.

And at the top of that list is for sure a chesterfield sofa. I often imagine finding an old one with fabulous worn leather while in a little antique shop on a fabulous vacation somewhere, while sipping ice tea and wearing a super cute dress and having a perfect hair day. Not to be too specific with my dreams or anything.  But in truth, I'm not picky. Bold color or neutral, leather, velvet, cotton or linen - they all look good.

Lonny

House Beautiful

via

Country Living

via

via

via

House Beautiful

Miles Redd

Elle

via

What is your dream piece of furniture? Have you dreamed of finding just the right one, while wearing just the right thing? No one dreams like that but me? Probably.

no shoes no service

During our most recent snow storm I laid down a towel just beyond the rug in the entry to catch the extra wet boots, shoes, gloves, hats and whatever other crap is needed to deal with this horrible weather.

And then yesterday I finally got around to cleaning it up, putting things away and picking up that filthy towel. (It's amazing what a random 50 degree day can do for your mental wellbeing.) That towel was so disgusting I made a new house rule right then and there - no shoes in the house.

The girls and I are pretty good about taking our shoes off as soon as we walk in the door and sticking them in the black and white basket under our bench. But I'm going to start being that vigilant about everyone who comes in the house.

House and Home

When I lived "up north" (Iowa and Chicago) everyone took their shoes off when they walked into someone's house, especially in the winter. No questions asked.

However, I know for some it isn't a big deal at all. And others even consider it rude.

Apartment Therapy

Would you ask people to remove their shoes when they come to your home? How do you do it without sounding bitchy anal inhospitable?

Muskoka Living

Homedit

What about your house? Are you a no-shoes home? Do you make sure to wear good socks when you go over to someone's house...just in case?

fess up friday - powell brower

Thanks everyone for your kind words about my hand. Being a one handed mamma isn't easy, especially with so many zippers to zip and hands to stuff in tiny gloves, but the hubs is properly babying me and I'll be back in fighting shape soon. 

So in the mean time enjoy a little Fess Up fun with my girl Bethany from Powell Brower at Home. Bethany is a woman of many talents, including a successful design business she runs with mom Nancy, another full time job, dog training and general awesomeness. And on top of all that she just happens to crack me up most of the time. And we all know how much I love funny people. Let's see what she has to fess up about...

I love what Elizabeth is cooking up with the Fess Up Fridays so I am thrilled to fess up today!  Thanks, E! Apparently I have a few things to get off my chest because I have two fess ups, one design related and one not.  Let's start with the latter.

This actually may come as no surprise to those closest to me (ahem, Mom) but I hate talking on the phone.  Hate.

I live at my desk and look at this clutter!  I basically live on the phone for work, so I hate to answer it afterhours.  Texts and email have become such an efficient way to communicate and I have started to prefer them.  I've come to think of phone calls as the bearers of bad news -- an unwanted request I have a hard time fielding or a certain satellite radio company calling about my subscription every.single.day.  When I commuted to and from work, I relied so heavily on the phone to ease my boredom.  Now, I'd rather save my chats for in-person or weekends. I am a type-A, bubbly extrovert and while I am quite chatty, I find that coupled with the hyper-connectivity of the world, I am left feeling like I want to unplug and recharge my batteries.  I just want to be unreachable for a little while.  Although if you were to ask my husband and mom, I'm sure they'd confer I already am. 

Tell me...do you like the phone? Do you prefer to text or talk? Is it just my generation? I used to think my hipster brother, on the cusp of a different generation, was more likely to side-button a phone call. Now I find it's me!  

Next secret...

I heart a good karate chopped pillow.  I know some decorators hate them and I can see where they are obnoxious at times.  I find myself coveting structure because I live in a world full of down-fill fails.  We're a one-sofa-household and that poor thing has been lounged on and squashed half to death by my husband and three dogs!  Thankfully, I get about 8 hours of karate-chopped bliss with my euro shams every day.  But for all other areas of the house, it's usually misshapen and disheveled land. 

How about you? Do you "hi-yah" your pillows?

stitches and satchels

Sorry for the radio silence everybody. Yesterday, as I tried to make a lovely snow day breakfast, I had a run in with a pesky knife and ended up with stitches in my hand.

The buggers are right where my thumb muscle moves to make my hand...useful. And let me tell you in case you have forgotten this from Jr. High science, our opposable thumbs are one of the greatest gifts evolution gave us. Life without it is slow and frustrating. So typing is not my friend these days. Bare with me and know I'll be back in fighting shape soon.

But I can't drop a lame bomb like that and leave you empty handed (pun intended). So head over to Resembl where I'm sharing my favorite black and white handbags for the new year. Empty handed, hand bags, I just can't help myself.

I really love a good handbag and I've got some great choices to drool over. Check it out here.

Do you have an obsession with bags like I do? Ever had stitches? Ever heard a doctor say "We've got a bleeder!"? Sadly, I have. (Extra points if you can name the movie that line is also from.)

stock pile those lightbulbs people

Today is a holiday so the girls are home and I am playing hooky but I did want to throw something out there. I think I missed the memo. I knew that the end was near for normal lightbulbs (I even talked about it here), but I thought I had more time to build up my stock pile. Now I learned that this is the year 40 and 60 watt lightbulbs are being phased out. Why mean government are you trying to deprive us of good lighting?!

So in anticipation of the day when my stockpile will run dry, I need to know - what kind of lightbulbs do you use? Have you found a CFL or whatever they are called, that you like? And one that doesn't make you look like a corpse?

Help a girl out!

fess up friday - calling it home

Today's Fess Up Friday features my dear friend Linda from Calling it Home, One Room Challenge creator and all around awesome blogger. Linda and I often chat about non-blog related things, like what we are drinking on any particular night, what to watch on Netflix and our need for warmer weather. I knew we had a lot in common, but after reading this I think we might just be separated at birth. Take it away Linda.

Hello LBD readers and stalkers!

Today is true confessions Fess Up Friday. I am confident that after you read this, you will know how truly nuts I am. We are talking cray cray ...no holding back.

There is no easy way to say this, I sing in the car!

Yup, out loud and everything. 

When one of my favorite songs come on...I just can't help it.

I start doing a little dance, too.

Not this kind of dancing

This kind... think MTV video vixen.

And when my daughter is in a good mood...that's always hit or miss, 

She joins me.

And when other drivers notice my personal concert...

I own it!

Thanks for the GIF's, Taylor

A friend of mine from High School would always say, "I love when people sing, it means they are happy". That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Now it's your turn, what do you do in the car? Come on, fess up!

plank walls - what i learned

When I did the reveal of our family room on the latest One Room Challenge, I got a lot of comments and emails about the plank wall and several requests for a tutorial. Ask and you shall receive.

Well, sort of.

There are dozens of tutorials for planks walls out there, all of them giving you fine directions on the logistics. So I'd rather focus on the issues that made this project unique and a few 'learn from my mistakes' nuggets. So with that, let's dive in, shall we.

There was one huge head scratcher in our family room, which is in the basement, and that was the 15 foot long foundation wall that runs along one whole side of the space. Since it is the foundation it always made me a little uneasy to think about drilling holes in it. But it was so vast and boring and it just looked cold. It would basically give me the middle finger every night as I watched TV. "I may be ugly, but there is nothing you can do about it sucka."

I loved the idea of a plank wall to give that beast some texture and warmth, but every. single. tutorial talked about nailing the planks into the wall. And that wasn't happening.

Enter creative thinking.

Thanks to a night of G&G&T (Google, gin and tonic) I found an alternative that was worth a shot. Scotch Outdoor Mounting Tape. (we got ours at Home Depot). The reviews were excellent and it said it would hold up to 10 lbs. I also liked the fact that it was outdoor, meaning it would hold up to any possibly dampness that can sometimes come with a basement. With a solution in hand, I went to put this plank wall into action.

On the advice of many a plank wall tutorial, we went to Lowe's to get our plywood and have it cut on site. We went with a mid-grade option that was light but sturdy. For our 15 foot wall we got eight boards which totaled around $180.

Our first attempt to get our planks cut was on a Friday night (I am Mrs. Weekend Excitement) and the old dude was obviously annoyed to be at work and tried to tell me that they didn't cut wood for customers. As he was standing in front of the big huge wood cutting machine. I asked him what that machine was for then and he just said, "Lady, we just can't do it." Uh huh.

So I went back the next day and got the young spry Lowe's dude who was more than happy to use the big machine for me. So hold strong and be firm - Lowe's does cut boards. Home Depot however does not, and they state that fact in their lumber area. Go figure.

One other important note - make sure to stand right next to the young Lowe's dude as he cuts your boards. We sadly, did not do this. And then when we got home after loading all of these boards into the car and then unloading them into the garage and then bringing them downstairs, we noticed that he was not a straight cutter. The first three planks cut from each board were straight as an arrow but as he got closer to the bottom of the board, young Lowe's dude didn't hold the board with both hands and the ends of the last two planks would start out straight and then get narrower as the weight of the board would tilt at the end of the cut. Bummer.

Of course, this discovery wasn't made until we were already several boards into the project and it caused me to exceed my cussing quota for the day. So cutter beware.

With the wall primed and the boards home we got busy installing. We cut our tape into long strips spacing them out on the plank and up it went.

Since the walls nor the floor in the basement are perfectly level we started at the top knowing we could address the unevenness at the bottom with finishing trim.

Once the plank was up, one of us would keep our hands on it while the other would run the length of the plank making sure all of the tape was adhering. And it worked like a charm. This stuff sticks like no ones business so it is hard to remove after you put it up, which was the hope. We did have to remove a few pieces as our friends cutting skills came to light but with a bit of muscle the plank came off with only a small chip to the paint on the wall. The key is to remove it right away if you decide you need to. Once that tape is on for a few minutes, it is on there for good.

From there the process went quickly. It would have gone at lightening pace if we didn't have to fit the planks like a jigsaw puzzle to account for the poorly cut boards. But without the need for a nail gun the whole thing moved right along. Just make sure to stager your seems as best you can.

Some people suggest using a nickel as your spacer in between planks but I wanted more space between my planks so the wall looked more authentic and less engineered. So we used a short castoff plank as our spacer.

Once the wall was up it was time to prime. I was worried that this wood would just drink up paint and I would need many many coats. But Kilz killed it again and one coat of primer was all that was needed.

Once the primer was up, I went over the wall and caulked some of the bigger seams as well as the space between the wall and the crown. And then finished it off with two coats of the white paint I used on all the other walls of the room. I didn't paint in the seams because I liked the depth it gave the planks but you certainly could use a paint brush to get dip into those cracks. Just a matter of preference.

I was so happy with the result that I used the leftover planks for the backs of the bookshelves.

I finished the corner where the plank wall meets the stairwell with a piece of corner trim that fit like a charm. And with that the project was done.

So with the experience behind me and the benefit of time and hindsight I would tell you that a plank wall is a very cost effective and manageable DIY. Just be sure to make sure those boards are cut straight, and know that if you thought this wasn't an option for you before Scotch Outdoor Mounting Tape is your friend.

What about you? Have you ever had to tweak an online tutorial to fit the quirks of your house? Ever hung anything on your walls with tape? (Besides your Cory Haim posters)