Love On Lake Park Lane

Comin' Up Roses...

2012-07-11T18:52:00.003-07:00

I ordered some antlers off Etsy. They came with fur. Ewwwwwwww.

I had to cover that fur up ASAP (without touching it of course...which was tricky). So I hurried to Hobby Lobby and spent a grand total of $12.

I then stained the plaque a dark walnut...and began hot-gluing roses like mad.

TAAAAADAAAAA!!!!!!

I not only wanted a sculptural piece in my office, but I wanted something to photograph my lights on (still debating if I love the idea)...

Well, there's my blog for the month :)

Exterior

2012-06-19T07:56:00.001-07:00

Wow. It's been crazy long since I've blogged! A LOT of changes happening on Lake Park Lane!.... Just wanted to post quickly on our exterior progress:

BEFORE: (Gee, I'm embarrassed to even put the 'before' up! EEK!)

And.... AFTER:

We painted the house a gray-green...

-Painted the front door until we can get a new door (so suprised the hubs liked this color)....
-Hung some art...
-Planted some flowers (ok, we had a professional plant them!)...

And hung a window box (and I planted these!!!)....

We are no longer the ugly duckling in the neighborhood!

New Office Pics...to date...

2012-03-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

Around here, nothing is ever completely done (I feel the need to change things constantly...)...BUT here are the 'new' office pics to date!..I still have a bit to do (stain the desk a tad darker, new curtains, and find 'the perfect piece' above computer)...However, I'm definitely LOVING the new vibe of the office. It feels SO fresh! And I have been doing A LOT of work in here....

For some, it may feel a bit 'boring'..and it is surely much more toned down than the 'before' office:

BUT I LOVE IT! (It was time for that dark...but pretty...green to GO!)

Here are the new shelves...

A close-up of the dictionary page art I made for under $20...

My fabrics in a vintage milk-crate under the desk...

My DIY burlap & embroidery hoop XL drum shade over the chandelier...

And my prized metal pig that my father-in-law got me at a swap-meet. It is the single item in the room that sums me up...metal (industrial/rustic), whimsical (pig with wings), and it's a PIG!!! Enough said.

I'm sure there will be changes made in the near future, but for now, I'm pretty happy with it!

My New Desk...

2012-02-15T19:39:00.000-08:00

I am STILL working on the office (swear I will post pics soon), but here is a sneak peak of my new desk (about 80% finished)...

My dear friend Allison gave me this table...It was originally black with a nice "frosting-like" (her words) coat of white on top. We stripped the top FEW coats of black...and then white...and got down to this...

I'm assuming it's primer....whatever the hell it is, it did NOT want to come off.

I couldn't get all of the gray-blue paint/primer off without taking that pretty coat of stain off...boo....

But I kept on truckin!...And about 3 hours later it's done....

I kept the legs black, and finished it off with some vintage casters. LOVE.

I am currently working on staining it the PERFECT color...my office reeks!...Not a good idea to stain inside. Duh. But I just could NOT wait to see it in the space...and hopefully you can't either :)

Best Coffee in Tulsa...

2012-02-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

As if I have much to compare it to.

But surely it has to be the CUTEST coffee shop in Tulsa.

I went to "Shades of Brown Coffee" (Peoria & 33rd) yesterday with a client, while in Tulsa for business. The coffee was AMAZING, but the decor is what really knocked my socks off! This place was totally decked out with vintage furnitur, and local art lined the walls...LOVE.

Patio:

Interior:

Too bad I couldn't capture the smell for you...HEAVEN.

(P.S. I don't even like Coffee!!!)

Anthropologie is OPEN!!!!!!!!!

2012-01-30T07:27:00.000-08:00

Well goodness, I'm a stranger to blogville! I am truly horrible about keeping up here..I take tons of pics I want to post but when I think about sitting down and uploading all of them...BBBLLLAAAHHHH.

Lucky for you I took all of these photos on my phone so it was a click of an e-mail to get them on here...

Friday afternoon, Deb & I visited the BRAND SPANKIN' NEW Anthropologie that opened on Classen Curve...WOAH. This place is a slice of heaven. An expensive slice, but I still left glowing and floating. It is truly glorious.

And I thought that these pics would have a bit more color, but they didn't...so you can't see some of the true personality of the pieces :(. Guess what that means??...you'll have to go and check it out for yourself!!!! ENJOY! :)

Thanksgiving....

2011-12-05T18:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from the Lytle Thanksgiving!...

Autumn on Lake Park Lane

2011-11-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

Pumpkins...

And Chili...

My two favorite things? Perhaps. (Maybe I should be looking for "pumpkin chili recipes"...haha...)

My chili recipe: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/turkey-and-black-turtle-bean-chili.html?cm_src=RECIPESEARCH

It was a 9 out of 10! (couldn't find "black turtle bean", used "black beans"...could have been better...but overall flavor was AMAZING!)...

The Brown Wedding!!!!

2011-09-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

One of my dearest friends got married this past weekend and not only was I a bridesmaid (yay!), she gave me full reign to style the event!!! I could not have been more excited…It was a win-win for both of us… she gets a free wedding stylist without the hassle of worrying about everything that goes into a wedding and I got to test my hand at wedding styling…Plus I now have one more beautiful wedding to add to my event styling portfolio!!!

For the ‘ceremony tree’ I hung glass votives w/ white ribbon…they looked so pretty all lit up at dusk and into the evening (didn’t get a picture of that! Boo!)…

Here is the little outdoor seating area…we did custom pillows in her colors, and then made these ‘yarn balls’ to suspend w/ clear string…

And while the professional photographer was snapping photos of the couple, I managed to get this one...

Here’s the gift area I setup near the entry….Bailee had the big yarn-covered “B” (for her new last name, Brown) and I made the flower for it and placed it w/ more pillows in her colors…

And then we hung a cute chandelier above the gift table…

Here is the menu I made...

...the cake table w/ tissue balls (def not the best pic)

…and the 2nd chandelier (hung above bride & groom’s table)…

And this is the dresser I refinished for Bailee for the wedding…
BEFORE:

AFTER (day)

(night):

Please keep in mind that these are just my amateur photos…I hope to post the professional pictures soon…

"Laundry Room"

2011-07-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

I have to put "Laundry Room" in quotations because our "laundry room" is in our "kitchen". Ok, wait, no quotations needed for kitchen...it really is a kitchen! ...With a laundry room...haha....

BEFORE...shortly after moving in (hence green obsession)

After...A storage haven for my paints..I liked the looks of the paint in the mason jars (and easy access for quick touch-ups and projects), but I got nervous everytime the washer would bounce around, the paints would fall onto the washer/dryer...it was just a matter of time before our floor was green, tan, black, red...Plus I have some sneaky ideas for those shelves in the living room...

So I ordered these canvases...feels more open (lots more room for laundry piling up!), and I love the 'vintage' feel of them (and obviously the humor...especially the iron one. SO. ME.), but I have been trying to go more neutral throughout...hope I get used to that splash of color! Oh, and the books are hiding the laundry hookups...I know books aren't really 'laundry decor'...And don't mind the giant empty mason jar (Mama needs to go shopping for some laundry detergent!)

What do you think? Better before? Now?...

Long Weekend for the Lytles...

2011-07-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

Long awesome weekend that is!!!

We decided to head west to see our friends who moved far far away...

We left Wednesday night after work, planning to drive as far as we could get without falling asleep. We stopped in Amarillo for dinner (yikes. I will try not to say TOO bad of things about this place. YIKES.)...

We urbanspooned (yes, it's a verb now) good eating places...stumbled upon "Coyote Bluff"..drove past it and Cory said ABSOLUTELY NOT. The tiny little place (smaller than our house!) was in between two scary looking car lots...no light coming from inside...a dirt parking lot....etc....

Wellllll then I proceeded to show Cory the pictures from the review. One look at that juicy hamburger and he turned around and pulled back in. HA. The parking lot WAS crowded (that must be a good sign, right?!). So we wandered in the little dive...not as scary on the inside! Felt like a smaller, equally friendly, Eischen's! We both had a cheeseburger....can you say HEAVEN?

I then proceeded to let Cory thank me all night for making him get out of his comfort zone. hahaha....

So we drove onto Santa Rosa, New Mexico...couldn't hold our eyes open anymore...and decided to stop for the night. Wellllll when I saw the pool was still open (at midnight!!!!!!!!!) my eyes were suddenly open! I asked the front desk guy while checking in if we could swim and he said YES!....BEST. HOTEL. EVER. So we took a midnight swim and called it a night!

The next morning we drove onto Santa Fe to stop for a bit of shopping at The Jackalope. I got all sorts of goodies here (you will see some on my Thanksgiving table!)...

After FINALLY arriving in Colorado we have a DELICIOUS dinner with friends...go back home...put on a JACKET (can you believe it?!), and enjoy a fire on the deck with an awesome view of the San Juans...yup, pretty sure I could live here...

Next day we go white water rafting...WOOOOHOOOO!!!!...No pics :(
Next day we go JEEPING! When I told a girl in Colorado that, she was confused. Apparently that is the Okie term for 4-Wheeling. Whatever.

So here are Cory and Jarrott in the jeeps...Cory is in the green one and Jarrott is in the awesome red bronco!!!!

We found all sorts of beautiful things on our trip up into the mountains (like this waterfall I wanted to put in my suitcase!!!)...Then we ate a picnic "on top of a mountain" (Insert Ron Burgundy voice.)...

And the next day we had to go home....to the hot, flat, hot, humid...uhh, did I mention HOT???

(Bree, that pic's for you. Your welcome.)

Someone Found the Peanut Butter...

2011-07-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

BEFORE

DURING

I love how he uses his little "hands"

AFTER

Look at that tongue! Ewww!!!

Bird Lady

2011-07-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I went out to my car and I heard squawking..looked down and saw this little bird tumbling around in the flower bed (or should I say mulch bed)...

I immediately thought he was hurt..I didn't want to touch it (afterall, when I called my mom to ask what to do she told me 6 times not to touch it). I did put some water out for him (It was HOT!)...But I went about my business, ran my errands, came back and he was STILL there! Now I was really worried!

I went inside and when I came back there were TWO little birds! What!?! This is getting weird!

So when I saw a little bit of blue on them (dull, not vibrant quite like a blue jay) I went inside and googled "baby blue jay"...well what do you know...that's exactly what it was!

Google Image of "Baby Bluejay"

And look mom, that lady is HOLDING it!!!!!

So I felt a little dumb (I mean they didn't look small enough to be babies, but looking closer at their fuzzy coat, maybe...)...but I was also relieved they were babies, and not injured...I'm no bird doctor.

So the most exciting part is Cory and I got to watch them learn to fly (which they did in 2 days!)...they still hang around the yard but now they are flying!...

The LEAST exciting part....I called Cory an old man for admiring the cardinals in the backyard, and now I am goo-goo-gaa-gaa over the blue jays in the front yard, and he calls me bird lady. KHARMA.

Summer Fun

2011-07-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

Oh, how bad I've been! This blog is just one more crazy busy thing in my life I can't keep up with! Ahhh!!!...

Here are some pics from our 4th of July party...it was a great time...

And then we set up the old sofa, Cory's truck (for tailgate...and 'aesthetic appeal'..hehe), and some other goodies...

So it was all lovely....Until it POURED!!!!!!!!!!.......

REALLY?!?! Us Okies are always begging for some mid-summer rain, but it really put a damper on the BBQ (no pun intended)...All the cushions were soaked (the rain came out of nowhere and poured HARD for a good 15-20 minutes) and when it finally stopped everyone had to find somewhere dry to sit (boo!). The goodside..it really cooled things off...instead of 105, it was only 95...

And despite these pics, there really were people at this party (28 to be exact)..ha! I just felt weird posting pics of other people on the internet...then again, I'm the only weirdo w/o Facebook...moving on.....

Overall, "great success"...it was a great party and wonderful to hang with all of my closest friends and family in one place at one time...Thanks for coming everyone! Hope you had a wonderful time!

I can barely walk...

2011-05-02T18:06:00.000-07:00

Daddy and I ran the 5K at the Memorial Marathon this weekend...the weather was HORRID, but the run was wonderful! That stubborn old fart didn't stop the whole time...so neither did I! That's right...I ran this 5K with no walking...3.1 miles of straight running! I can only imagine there are people out there reading this laughing...as if 3.1 miles is a big deal....like my mother, who did the half marathon (13 MILES!!!). Yeah, she is ~~crazy nutso~~ amazing. God love her. You rock Mom.

THEY HAD OREOS AT THE FINISH LINE...Can it get ANY better? Um no. Anyone who truly know me me knows that I would run just about any distance for a cookie though. And this picture proves it. SAD.

Oh P.S. We are not sweaty...we're WET! It was rainy and cold and yucky and cold and wet and cold. Did I mention it was COLD?!?

Here I am with my brother in law and his wife (who is expecting!!!)...somehow we found them in the sea of people. Talk about luck. Derek beat me...also, pure luck. Ha.

Cory snapped this pic with his phone in the air...there were only 20,000+ people racing!!!!

Next race...Saturday, May 14 in Guthrie...See Spot Run...benefits Free To Live..Edmond's no-kill animal sanctuary. This is a cause near and dear to my heart...would love to see you out there!

FIRST RUN!

2011-04-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

I ran my first 5K this past weekend! WOOOHOOO!!!! My good friend Candace in Weatherford told me about it (Race To the Moon at Stafford Air/Space Museum), and my 5K training wouldn't be 'complete' by then, but Mom thought I was ready. Candace was doing it with her mom, so I roped Mom in (it didn't take too much arm-twisting...that girl is a running fool)...

I'm not about to post my time on here, but how about a nice picture right after we finished!? All sweaty, red, and wind-blown...SEXY!!!....

I MAY or MAY not be running the Memorial 5K with Daddy this weekend...I will post soon....

The SHOP/GARAGE is done!!!....

2011-03-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Yup, that's right..Shop is done...

Here's the breakdown:

Cory: 600 SF of car part-chunking, loud music-playing, beer-guzzling, Chevelle-loving, race-talking, man cave-goodness...(true meaning: I will never see my sweet husband again)

Natalie: 120 SF of sanding, painting, brainstorming, crafting, mess-making, thrift store treasure-dumping, eat-your-heart-out organized (chaos) creative haven (hard to say who is more excited about this shop!)

And of course, Damon thinks all 720 SF of it is his brand new giant doghouse...Who could tell him otherwise??

More exciting news on Lake Park Lane...

2011-03-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

So Mama's got a brand new booth...papa's got a brand new shop!!!....That's right! Cory is finally getting his shop!!!!!!!!!!!

The guys started construction Friday morning when we left for work...

And we came home to this...

Not bad huh?? (We will be painting the garage door and side door black...along with some decorative lighting, etc....anything I can do to beautify that beast...Cory says the outside is free game...Ha!)

And they are pouring concrete today! Finished pictures to come later...

TWO Posts in one day? Heck yes.

Now I can relax....a bit.....

2011-03-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

So I already sold 4 items (enough to break even and even make a couple bucks for this month)...Wooohooo!!!

-Nested Eggs

-Green Antique Bowl w/ Eggs

-Potted Plant

-5 Votive Candle Holder

So I spent yesterday crafting my heart out (don't want a bare booth!)...will post pics soon....

Mama's got a brand new booth!

2011-03-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

OK, that sorta sounds like "Papa's got a brand new bag", right? Hmm...lame...

ANYWHO! Yes, I FINALLY rented a little (and I mean tiny!) booth at the Marketplace in Yukon...I have been telling Cory I have been wanting to for a while now, so last Saturday I went to Kathy's Treasure Chest in Mustang...to my suprise, they will be closing in May (boo!) and will no longer be taking any new rentals. Soooo I hurried my butt down to Yukon thinking that perhaps the 'displaced' KTC vendors might have the same idea. When I asked the sweet lady about renting there she said there was a great little booth that JUST opened up suprisingly! Oh thank you Jesus!

So this was the booth before.... (these are NOT my items...and definitely not my paint choice)

BEFORE:

DURING:

After adding furniture/accessories...but before art:

AFTER:

Ohhhh and we have other big news....too big to post all in one day...I've got to spread this goodness out!

Ooops...

2011-01-04T15:58:00.000-08:00

I only thought I would use this blog daily! BOO!!! :( I am late posting stuff...imagine that....

Little arrangement I made with extra ornaments...

Feelin' so festive!!

Too bad none of those presents were mine!! :(

We left the "Give Thanks" up from Thanksgiving....

Thanksgiving Madness

2010-11-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

So we had the crazy idea to host Thanksgiving at our house this year..14 people in our tiny house! Whew! It turned out great though, and it was wonderful having both families together!

Per special request ;)...Here are a couple pictures from the big day...

Here's a decent picture of the overall house...sat the settee in the living room to squeeze a few more people in the living room...

The living room setup (with the serving area in the background)...

The settee nook in the living room...

The office-turned-dining for four..

And here's a couple non-Thanksgiving pictures of the rest of the house (gotta' get them in here while the house is clean!)...

Well, sure feels good to post some pictures...am I officially a blogger? ;)

First Official Post...I might pee my pants!

2010-11-09T16:06:00.000-08:00

Hello, I’m Natalie! Wife, daughter, friend, and mom of best dog ever (who needs kids with a dog that cute!?)…I am a southern-girl at heart, and love ALL things creative…I graduated May ’09 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Interior Design. I am currently practicing commercial design at an Architecture/Engineering Firm…I get my structural/functional fix here, but needed my fun, girly, aesthetic fix at home….and that’s where the blog comes in!!!

A good friend introduced me to the world of blogging, and I have been hooked ever since! For a while (ok, 6+ months), I would stalk all of my favorite bloggers’ sites. Working on my own home, I would catch myself saying “blog-worthy” a disgusting amount of times…enough to apparently annoy my husband to talk me into a blog (ok, he didn’t have to twist my arm too bad)…And with my husband as my biggest support (AND biggest creative go-to…the man has an artistic eye!)…I wanted a blog that would not be about ME, but US. So I am super excited about the blog and see it as a creative outlet, as well as a personal journal of the progress of our first home…seeing as we have not stopped working on it since day 1. We love this tiny (940 SF!) house!!!…

I don‘t know if anyone will really read the blog, but I will be able to get my thoughts out, document fun things, and show the progress of the house…and of course, I hope to meet many more creative people out there to share ideas with, and look forward to hearing feedback from all (good or bad…let me have it!)….