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See ya in two weeks!!
June 30, 2014
rest and relaxation
It is that time of year my friends. My favorite time of year - vacation time! We are down in Florida enjoying some quality beach time, family time and most likely some thrifting time as well. Follow along on Instagram to get all the latest.
See ya in two weeks!!
See ya in two weeks!!
June 23, 2014
racing stripe bookcase: before and after
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Glidden® paint through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Glidden paint, all opinions are my own.
While cleaning out my hall closet, I found a great little bookcase that had been hidden behind piles of coats, umbrellas and who knows what else. An old piece that came from my parents garage years ago that was sturdy but the victim of a very bad refinishing job.
So when Glidden® paint asked if I'd like to try their Glidden paint Duo Paint + Primer, I knew I had a good candidate on my hands. I wanted something bright and fresh for this little number. Something to give it a bit of style.
Color combos were an important consideration for me because I wanted something bright and, you know me - colorful, but I also wanted something different. What better chance to step out of your color comfort zone then with a blah piece of furniture, am I right? I even took a quick poll on Instagram.
Coral and white won out in the end thanks to a beautiful shade called Glidden paint's Cheery Cherry. Great name, right? Right up my alley. I tried the Glidden paint's Bright White in Eggshell and Glidden paint's Cheery Cherry in Semi-Gloss.
After stripping and sanding the bookshelf, I was ready to start painting. (Check this out for more info on how I strip and prep furniture for paint).
Disregard the beat up manicure and focus on my
Two coats later I had a bright white bookcase ready for a bit of fun.
All kinds of crazy ideas went thru my head on what to do with the inside of the bookshelf. I knew I didn't want to just paint the whole inside one color as that is the way it was before and it left the inside like a black hole. A stencil or some type of pattern crossed my mind but because of its size and fixed shelves, I thought it would end up looking too busy once it had books etc. inside. Ultimately, the single racing stripe won out.
The hubs helped to measure everything out to make sure that the stripe was centered and consistent all the way down.
Once the tape is down it is vital to paint one more coat of your base color over the tape to prevent any bleed thru. Learn from my mistakes people, this will make for very straight lines. It is so worth the extra step.
Two coats of Glidden paint's Cheery Cherry and I've got myself a racing stripe bookcase. I'm in love.
Straight lines make me giddy. And that semi gloss finish on the racing stripe gives just the right amount of shine.
I've already moved this bookcase into a few different spots, banging it when going thru doorways (when will I ever learn) but the paint has stayed in great shape. Not a nick in site. I'm loving the style it will bring to my new walk in closet.
Have you painted anything lately? Are you into racing stripes as much as I am? Is it possible that I'm obsessed with coral now?
memory lane and the perfect sunday
Good morning all! I'm hitting the ground running this week by sprinkling myself all over the place today. How's that for a Monday morning visual?
I'm over at my friend Jennifer's sharing my five favorite blog posts. I decided it would be a fun time to pull some older posts out of moth balls so it will be kind of like looking thru an old yearbook.
Click on over and check it out here!
And then be sure to stop by Short and Sweet where I'm talking about my perfect Sunday here. Love that series!
Check back in later this morning as well for a before and after! Like I said, hitting the ground running people.
I'm over at my friend Jennifer's sharing my five favorite blog posts. I decided it would be a fun time to pull some older posts out of moth balls so it will be kind of like looking thru an old yearbook.
Click on over and check it out here!
And then be sure to stop by Short and Sweet where I'm talking about my perfect Sunday here. Love that series!
Check back in later this morning as well for a before and after! Like I said, hitting the ground running people.
June 20, 2014
fess up friday - short and sweet
Today is a good day for three reasons. One, it is Friday. (duh) Two, Alexa is here. And three, Kirby is here too. Kirby and Alexa, better known as Short and Sweet are a daily must read. One of the things I love best about their blog is that they are aces at mixing it up. Beauty posts, lifestyle, design and shopping - they cover it all but it is always original and relatable. And their fess up today is no different. I'm so glad they are here to wrap up Fess Up Friday for the summer. So ladies, fess up!
We are not fashion bloggers.
So much of the blogging world is aspirational. It's fun to see the way some of our favorite bloggers style the items sitting in our online shopping carts, but it's hard to take fashion photos in our real lives. We both have jobs. We each have a dog, and Alexa has a toddler and a baby. To be honest, outfit posts take a lot of time! First there's hair (are we the only ones who wear top knots 90% of the time?) and makeup (more makeup for photos is better), then there's the clothes, shoes (in case you didn't guess from the title of our blog we're both short), and lighting. The best photos are typically taken in the daylight, but we usually blog in the early morning or late night hours. Here are a few outfit post outtakes that didn't make the blog.
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| The lighting here is all wrong. All we had to do was cross the street to take better photos for the final post, but it took some trial and error. |
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| This is Tank. He gets worried whenever the camera comes out and runs into the shot for a quick cuddle. Who can resist that face? |
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This is what happens when you wear something to brunch and try to take photos later. Even Photoshop can't fix those wrinkles.  But, it's all in a day's work, right? At least for a blogger. ;) |
Thanks for having us Elizabeth!
June 18, 2014
home office makeover - from the ground up
As promised, I've got updates for you today on the old home office makeover. Which actually is a bit misleading as 'makeover' implies that I'm redoing a space when in reality there was no 'space' here. So I guess creation would be better. But let's be real, 'makeover' sounds more fun.
Here is the inspiration board I'm working off of. For those of you that have followed me on a number of projects, you know that I like to closely follow my design boards (type A much?). No straying for me. Except this time. This is truly an inspiration because as I said at the beginning of this project, I'm trying to work with what I have as much as possible. And sadly, I don't have a spare Madeline Weinrib rug in my stash.
I do have a big black and gold foiled shade that would make a great DIY light. And a desk that I can turn into something pink and fabulous. And an amazing arm chair from an estate sale. You get the picture. So know I'm aiming to replicate this as closely as possible, but changes to the plan are highly possible.
In other news my glorious hubs replaced my window with a brand spanking new one. It is clear, it opens up all the way and it is efficient. What more can one want from a window I ask you. I was prepared to write up how he removed an old junky 60-year-old basement window and replaced it with a new one. But then I sat down to write it and thought, what the hell are you doing? You know nothing about how to replace a window. You were watching Orange is the New Black while he did this. So I will keep it real - I have no idea how he did it. If you really want to know, let me know and maybe I'll have him do a post about it at some point.
So no tutorial, but a great before and after picture instead. Just as good, right?
So I may not have replaced the window, but I did paint the floors. I may have done a bit of spray painting down here in my pre-children days so the floor was even more trashed than a typical basement floor. But thanks to my previous experience painting basement floors (here and here) I wasn't worried. Thankfully I didn't have to remove any carpet strips or tacks this time, all I had to do was do a bit of light sanding and a heavy cleaning.
I did mix it up a bit this time and went with Benjamin Moore Porch and Floor paint because I wanted to use this beautiful color. Bermuda Turquoise. I have been dying to use this color for some time and it did not disappoint. It is the most beautiful, deep, rich, color. Evah!
Bam. I pretty much want to kiss my basement floor. How's that for things I'd never thought I'd say? I had to crop this picture as there are some secrets going on over to the right. To be honest there are secrets in plain view over to the left too but consider those a tease. Sweet progress.
- brighten it up
- fix and paint the floors
- do something with the exposed ceiling
- replace the window to let in even more light
Here is the inspiration board I'm working off of. For those of you that have followed me on a number of projects, you know that I like to closely follow my design boards (type A much?). No straying for me. Except this time. This is truly an inspiration because as I said at the beginning of this project, I'm trying to work with what I have as much as possible. And sadly, I don't have a spare Madeline Weinrib rug in my stash.
I do have a big black and gold foiled shade that would make a great DIY light. And a desk that I can turn into something pink and fabulous. And an amazing arm chair from an estate sale. You get the picture. So know I'm aiming to replicate this as closely as possible, but changes to the plan are highly possible.
In other news my glorious hubs replaced my window with a brand spanking new one. It is clear, it opens up all the way and it is efficient. What more can one want from a window I ask you. I was prepared to write up how he removed an old junky 60-year-old basement window and replaced it with a new one. But then I sat down to write it and thought, what the hell are you doing? You know nothing about how to replace a window. You were watching Orange is the New Black while he did this. So I will keep it real - I have no idea how he did it. If you really want to know, let me know and maybe I'll have him do a post about it at some point.
So no tutorial, but a great before and after picture instead. Just as good, right?
So I may not have replaced the window, but I did paint the floors. I may have done a bit of spray painting down here in my pre-children days so the floor was even more trashed than a typical basement floor. But thanks to my previous experience painting basement floors (here and here) I wasn't worried. Thankfully I didn't have to remove any carpet strips or tacks this time, all I had to do was do a bit of light sanding and a heavy cleaning.
I did mix it up a bit this time and went with Benjamin Moore Porch and Floor paint because I wanted to use this beautiful color. Bermuda Turquoise. I have been dying to use this color for some time and it did not disappoint. It is the most beautiful, deep, rich, color. Evah!
Bam. I pretty much want to kiss my basement floor. How's that for things I'd never thought I'd say? I had to crop this picture as there are some secrets going on over to the right. To be honest there are secrets in plain view over to the left too but consider those a tease. Sweet progress.
Goals for the space:
- girly this place up to create a happy, adult work space
- add more light
- use what you HAVE
- get organized girl!
Now I just need to paint the rest of the desk, figure out storage, lighting and about a million other things. I think I'll go work upstairs on my closet to take my mind off of all this work. Ha!
Do you have a color you've been dying to try? A window you've been dying to replace? A show you've been dying to watch? (Seriously, I need some new Netflix recommendations).
June 16, 2014
why finish one project when you can start another
The week has begun and I'm sure I'm not the only one who could use another day. I think its time to start mandatory three day weekends in the summer. Who's with me?
I hope all that celebrated had a wonderful Father's Day. We had a great afternoon with the hubs and my dad doing what they love - watching the US Open. And there was a Father's Day miracle when I was finally able to snag some peonies from Trader Joes. I had thought they were an urban myth but I ran in yesterday and there they were in all their white and pink glory. I'm sure everyone in the produce section thought I was crazy as I squealed when I saw them.
Another miracle is that progress has been made on the office. I'll share more with you later this week, but needless to say when the pool is calling your name, it is hard to spend time in the basement.
While I was hard at work, I ran to grab something from the hall closet. And I don't know if it's all the pool water in my ears or what but I could not take that black hole any longer. It is one of my goals for the year to get this closet in order so no better time to start than while you are in the middle of another project, right?!
Luckily the paint was drying in the office so I had time to kill. Off to Home Depot for color ideas and I was off to the races. More to come once everything dries.
So how was your weekend? Finish any projects? Start any new ones? Did you see Zach Johnson's hole in one?!
I hope all that celebrated had a wonderful Father's Day. We had a great afternoon with the hubs and my dad doing what they love - watching the US Open. And there was a Father's Day miracle when I was finally able to snag some peonies from Trader Joes. I had thought they were an urban myth but I ran in yesterday and there they were in all their white and pink glory. I'm sure everyone in the produce section thought I was crazy as I squealed when I saw them.
Another miracle is that progress has been made on the office. I'll share more with you later this week, but needless to say when the pool is calling your name, it is hard to spend time in the basement.
While I was hard at work, I ran to grab something from the hall closet. And I don't know if it's all the pool water in my ears or what but I could not take that black hole any longer. It is one of my goals for the year to get this closet in order so no better time to start than while you are in the middle of another project, right?!
Luckily the paint was drying in the office so I had time to kill. Off to Home Depot for color ideas and I was off to the races. More to come once everything dries.
So how was your weekend? Finish any projects? Start any new ones? Did you see Zach Johnson's hole in one?!
June 13, 2014
fess up friday - the zhush
Fess up Friday is here again already? Man did this week go by fast! But luckily it did because I've been looking forward to today's guest for quite some time. The ever so lovely Sue from The Zhush is here today. I know, exciting right?! Sue has the classic and bang on style that every girl aspires to, and her store is chalk full of goodies that I'd love to have in my own home. (hint hint hubs!)
Sue, fess up!
These "Fess Up Friday" posts are a lot of fun...probably because they are all so relatable. I'm hoping some of you can relate to my little confession here today...I'm obsessed with flowers! I blame Instagram, Pinterest and blogging for this pricey little habit. Before I started my blog, I loved flowers just as much as anyone, but I certainly didn't know a Parrot Tulip from a French Tulip, and as for Ranunculus, I couldn't spell or pronounce these beauties, mostly because I didn't even know they existed! But now, over fours years into blogging, and thanks to the visual feast that is social media, it seems I can't go a week without finding an excuse to visit a florist or two. With Peony season in full swing, it's only getting worst...I need to start growing my own!
Every room I pin, every Instagram I snap, nothing looks right or stylish to me anymore unless there are some beautiful blooms involved. Perhaps it's just spring fever after a long miserable winter...tell me I'm not the only one!
Sue, fess up!
These "Fess Up Friday" posts are a lot of fun...probably because they are all so relatable. I'm hoping some of you can relate to my little confession here today...I'm obsessed with flowers! I blame Instagram, Pinterest and blogging for this pricey little habit. Before I started my blog, I loved flowers just as much as anyone, but I certainly didn't know a Parrot Tulip from a French Tulip, and as for Ranunculus, I couldn't spell or pronounce these beauties, mostly because I didn't even know they existed! But now, over fours years into blogging, and thanks to the visual feast that is social media, it seems I can't go a week without finding an excuse to visit a florist or two. With Peony season in full swing, it's only getting worst...I need to start growing my own!
Every room I pin, every Instagram I snap, nothing looks right or stylish to me anymore unless there are some beautiful blooms involved. Perhaps it's just spring fever after a long miserable winter...tell me I'm not the only one!
June 11, 2014
a touch of grey: kitchen e-design
Recently I finished an e-design for a great young couple who just bought a fun fixer upper that they're excited to tackle. They asked me to help them with their kitchen which is quite the pickle. The small square room has THREE doorways, an awkward layout and not a lot of storage.
Luckily they are ready to tackle the reno on their own and after some discussion on closing up one of the doorways and rearranging a few appliances, we have a functional layout that will not only look better, but will work better. Clean and streamlined with a traditional bent to go with their old home. I can't wait to share the progress with y'all.
Do you have a project that you need help with? Email me and we can work together to change your head scratcher into a head turner.
June 9, 2014
calling a spade a spade
I finally admitted something to myself this weekend.
I had given myself a long list of yard work that needs to get done and I did exactly 20 minutes of it before deciding that the pool was a better idea.
It was at that time that I finally admitted to myself that I hate yard work. Now I know you are thinking, "duh, big revelation. Everyone hates to weed and lay mulch and cut the grass." But I'm not talking about the basics. I have grown to hate planting things, even going to the nursery is no longer fun.
The irony of all of this is that I swoon over beautiful landscaping. The smell of mulch puts me over the moon with excitement. I love taking drives in the summer to look at everyone's beautiful yards. And when I travel, the different plants and vegetation are things I comment on so much it starts to drive my family crazy.
I just don't want to do any of the work.
When we first moved into our house, I loved working in the yard, then I tolerated it and now I avoid it at all costs. I want a beautiful yard, I really do. I just don't want any part in creating it. I'd rather be at the pool. So this is the summer I think I'll finally admit that I want no part in improving my yard. I will wait for the landscaping fairy to wave her magic wand on my yard and in the meantime, I will do my best to maintain what I've got.
How about you? Do you love working in the yard? Have you ever had something that you loved to look at but dreaded to actually do once you realized what is involved? Any chance there really is a landscaping fairy?
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The irony of all of this is that I swoon over beautiful landscaping. The smell of mulch puts me over the moon with excitement. I love taking drives in the summer to look at everyone's beautiful yards. And when I travel, the different plants and vegetation are things I comment on so much it starts to drive my family crazy.
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When we first moved into our house, I loved working in the yard, then I tolerated it and now I avoid it at all costs. I want a beautiful yard, I really do. I just don't want any part in creating it. I'd rather be at the pool. So this is the summer I think I'll finally admit that I want no part in improving my yard. I will wait for the landscaping fairy to wave her magic wand on my yard and in the meantime, I will do my best to maintain what I've got.
How about you? Do you love working in the yard? Have you ever had something that you loved to look at but dreaded to actually do once you realized what is involved? Any chance there really is a landscaping fairy?
June 6, 2014
fess up friday - recently
Happy Friday one and all! I am off to do some swimming and then watch my little in her first swim meet but first I have a great treat for you. Emily from Recently is here and I couldn't be more thrilled. I've always loved Emily's blog and even though she hasn't posted in a while, I had to ask her. I'm so glad she said yes! So Emily, fess up!
Hi everyone, I'm Emily, from Recently, here to fess up on this lovely Friday! I have mixed emotions about this post, mainly because- to get straight to the point- I haven't blogged in eight months. Yep, I'm fessing up about being an absentee blogger, or, as I like to call it, an on-the-fence blogger. I haven't posted in forever, but I still maintain my site and keep telling myself I'll get back to blogging someday. Here's a little of what I used to be up to...
Those were the days. Now, here's what I've been up to lately:
No, that's not me, but I did take the photos. :) I started a photography business called Nina & B Photography (named after my grandparents) and I've been loving every moment of it. I'm way too busy right now to keep up with my blog, but I'm hoping to incorporate it into my business very soon. I haven't decided if I'll retire the name "recently," but I hope that I can keep part of the blog that means so much to me around for a while longer.
It's definitely been hard to be away, so thank you Elizabeth for having me today!
PS: That adorable gal in the photos above is Laura from Love and Sapphires. You should check out her style- it's incredible!
Hi everyone, I'm Emily, from Recently, here to fess up on this lovely Friday! I have mixed emotions about this post, mainly because- to get straight to the point- I haven't blogged in eight months. Yep, I'm fessing up about being an absentee blogger, or, as I like to call it, an on-the-fence blogger. I haven't posted in forever, but I still maintain my site and keep telling myself I'll get back to blogging someday. Here's a little of what I used to be up to...
Those were the days. Now, here's what I've been up to lately:
No, that's not me, but I did take the photos. :) I started a photography business called Nina & B Photography (named after my grandparents) and I've been loving every moment of it. I'm way too busy right now to keep up with my blog, but I'm hoping to incorporate it into my business very soon. I haven't decided if I'll retire the name "recently," but I hope that I can keep part of the blog that means so much to me around for a while longer.
It's definitely been hard to be away, so thank you Elizabeth for having me today!
PS: That adorable gal in the photos above is Laura from Love and Sapphires. You should check out her style- it's incredible!
June 4, 2014
home office makeover - getting to zero
It's been a few weeks, so I thought it was time for an update on my home office. Between being out of town, the end of the school year, work, and general life, work has been patchy, but we have made progress.
Why have I found three extra doors when I can think of only one place upstairs that has a door removed? Good question. The answer is, I have no idea but I'm keeping them for sure. "You never know when you need a door," someone said at some point.
Cleaning out all of this, let's be honest, crap felt so good. I feel like the house has lost 20 pounds. And we cleaned at the right time as our neighbor was prepping for a garage sale, so everything went upstairs and out on their yard. Then the tarp went up.
I got a spray gun for Christmas and what better chance to use it for the first time than in a space where every single surface needs painted. We washed everything down and then went to town. The plan was to start with the ceiling and work our way down. I had grand visions of just spraying the whole space in a matter of hours and then spending the afternoon relaxing with a well earned G&T. But, it turns out that whole 'you get what you pay for' thing is true.
Our gun was crap. It didn't have much power, in spite of the air compressor, and it was really...sploty (which I've just declared a word). It could very well be the fact that we were spraying a ceiling and maybe the thing wasn't meant to go at weird angles. At any rate, we were just able to get the ceiling done before I was ready to choke myself with the damn thing out of frustration.
So the paint gun went into the trash and I brought in reinforcements.
I love painting white over white. I'm amazed at how un-white the old white is/was each and every time.
I used Kilz and ceiling paint on the ceiling but since this is after all, a basement, I choose to go with Behr Basement Waterproofer paint on the walls. We haven't had any water in here (knock on wood) but an ounce of prevention... The paint went on well, it is nice and thick, and covered like a champ. We did two coats just as a matter of course but we could have easily gotten away with one coat.
While the girls and I painted, the hubs made fast work of drywalling this little spot since I'm not really a fan of the 'here are the back of our stairs' look. God I love a man that can knock out some drywall!
Everyone in the house pitched in and after several afternoons, we have arrived at this. A bright, white, empty space. I told you I got a lot of light down here. Now we can actually start on the room.
Let's take a minute to look at the before and 'in process'...
I love it already. Let's celebrate by crossing some things off the list.
- brighten it up
- do something with the exposed ceiling
Why have I found three extra doors when I can think of only one place upstairs that has a door removed? Good question. The answer is, I have no idea but I'm keeping them for sure. "You never know when you need a door," someone said at some point.
Cleaning out all of this, let's be honest, crap felt so good. I feel like the house has lost 20 pounds. And we cleaned at the right time as our neighbor was prepping for a garage sale, so everything went upstairs and out on their yard. Then the tarp went up.
I got a spray gun for Christmas and what better chance to use it for the first time than in a space where every single surface needs painted. We washed everything down and then went to town. The plan was to start with the ceiling and work our way down. I had grand visions of just spraying the whole space in a matter of hours and then spending the afternoon relaxing with a well earned G&T. But, it turns out that whole 'you get what you pay for' thing is true.
Our gun was crap. It didn't have much power, in spite of the air compressor, and it was really...sploty (which I've just declared a word). It could very well be the fact that we were spraying a ceiling and maybe the thing wasn't meant to go at weird angles. At any rate, we were just able to get the ceiling done before I was ready to choke myself with the damn thing out of frustration.
So the paint gun went into the trash and I brought in reinforcements.
I love painting white over white. I'm amazed at how un-white the old white is/was each and every time.
I used Kilz and ceiling paint on the ceiling but since this is after all, a basement, I choose to go with Behr Basement Waterproofer paint on the walls. We haven't had any water in here (knock on wood) but an ounce of prevention... The paint went on well, it is nice and thick, and covered like a champ. We did two coats just as a matter of course but we could have easily gotten away with one coat.
While the girls and I painted, the hubs made fast work of drywalling this little spot since I'm not really a fan of the 'here are the back of our stairs' look. God I love a man that can knock out some drywall!
Everyone in the house pitched in and after several afternoons, we have arrived at this. A bright, white, empty space. I told you I got a lot of light down here. Now we can actually start on the room.
Let's take a minute to look at the before and 'in process'...
I love it already. Let's celebrate by crossing some things off the list.
Goals for the space:
- fix and paint the floors
- replace the window to let in even more light
- girly this place up to create a happy, adult work space
- add more light
- use what you HAVE
- get organized girl!
I've got great things planned for that floor and several ideas on the lighting situation so let's see what ends up sticking.
Do you like to have helpers when you work on a project at home? Would you rather spread a project out or get it done as quickly as possible? Is it weird that I have about three different light fixtures sitting in my basement and I want to use them all?
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