Slightly Shabby

Almost Friday!

2013-05-30T06:06:00.000-07:00

Happy almost Friday! I haven't linked up with Feathered Nest Friday in so long, I decided today was the day and ended up taking so many pictures, I figured I better make collages to shorten the post:)

The sun was shining so brightly this morning, it was pretty inside our little nest! The pillowcase in the top right hand corner is from my blog friend Kris' Etsy shop - La petite boutique de perles. I found out Kris is moving to Florida in a couple of weeks!

Some images from our guest room. My in-laws are coming to stay with us in a few weeks, we're so excited! It's been over a year since we've seen them...I hope they enjoy their little guest quarters:)

I finally got around the painting the chair seats, they now match the base of the table and the chair in the corner.

I'm linking up with Courtney from French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday:)

Naples, Florida

2013-05-12T06:53:00.001-07:00

My husband and I spent the last couple of days in Naples, we'd never been before so I was really looking forward to going.

Let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint! It's truly one of the most beautiful towns I've ever seen.

The landscaping is incredible...everywhere. They must only accept the cream of the crop when it comes to gardeners here.

Sigh!

This little purple house was darling, it had a little matching purple guest house in the back but I felt a little creepy taking too many pics:)

Our hotel was only about a mile from the downtown area.

Walking through the residential streets was my favorite.

The condo complexes are as gorgeous as the homes. This one was my favorite.

So many of the tree's were surrounded by beautiful flowers at the base.

I love this house!

We made our way to the beach and walked in the water for a while.

How nice would it be to have this as your front yard?!?!

We sat on the shady bench for a while, after walking for about an hour. I think we sweat about 5 lbs. off!

I didn't bother to go in any of these shops, they looked on the fancy side and at this point, I looked like a drowned rat with sweat and sand stuck to me.

We did find a nice little Irish pub though and sat in there for a while.

Banyan tree's fascinate, no matter how many times I see them.

This little area's called Tin City. It has a few touristy shops and some bar/restaurant places. It was cute and I found a shell wind chime for only $10:)

It's hard to see in this pic but at night, we walked to a place called Tavern on the Bay for dinner. We had drinks (BEST Mojito I've ever had!!!) and an amazing appetizer. We felt a little full so we got our dinner to go and took it back to our hotel.

My husband had committed himself to getting the Elvis Burger, which is a hamburger, with bacon, cheese, peanut butter and fried banana's. No amount of coercion on his part could convince me try it...yuck!

We really loved this beautiful town and, being only about 45 minutes away, we're definitely going back:)

A Happy Mother's Day to everyone...whether you're a mom, a step-mom, a fur baby mom or just a woman, we are all mom's in some form:)

Fairy gardens

2013-05-05T16:55:00.001-07:00

I've been working on my Fairy Garden and wanted to share my favorite Fairy Garden Etsy shops.

I love love love this shop, Fairy Garden Cottage. I just bought a miniature bicycle and a bridge for my garden, they were reasonably priced and arrived within 2 days!

I love this little white chair and matching bench:)

How darling is this little chandelier hanging inside the gazebo!

Another adorable shop is The Little Hedgerow.

Look at this little bed!!! The container I have my garden in is too small to fit anything else but I may have to upgrade it to bigger quarters just so I can get this bed:)

And this little door with the welcome sign!

Love these sweet little chairs.

Janit has a great shop also with a lot of supplies.

This cherub trellis is just too cute.

My garden is a work in progress, as you can see. I planted a little tree in there so hopefully it doesn't die on me.

I need to put moss down and my planters need some plants in them.

I tried to zoom in on my miniature bicycle but it's blurry...best I could do!

The little cherub sitting on the bench and the two planters are from Enchanted Fairy Gardens, also on Etsy:)

New chairs and bicycle progress

2013-04-14T11:26:00.001-07:00

I've had these chairs for a couple of weeks now, they fit so much better with our small table and small dining area.

Now I have to figure out some sort of slipcover for the seats.

I love these from Shellagh's Etsy shop, Ticking and Toile but they're a bit too pricey for me and I need to figure out some sort of cushioning for the seats first.

Or, I could paint the seats grey to match the table and do some sort of graphic on them...any thoughts?

Things are going much better with my bicycle! Today I went down this nice, quiet road. The houses are pushed very far back from the road so you don't run into too many of those scary things called people who may see you fall or something equally embarrassing.

I went quite far and could've kept going but the farther I went, the less houses there were and I started to get spooked out. I watch more than my share of ID Channel and don't want to end up on the next episode of Disappeared, so I headed home but the whole ride was a good 40 minutes long...Kyran's going to be so proud of me when he gets home from work:)

Hope everyone's having a wonderful Sunday!

Day Two with my Beach Cruiser

2013-04-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm starting to think maybe biking isn't the best hobby for me. After my humiliating experience yesterday, I went out there determined to have a nice, relaxing ride today and not to stress.

I thought I was being so safe by going in the opposite direction I went in yesterday, those darn sprinklers were not going to get me today! I was about 5 minutes into my ride when I saw 2 older ladies pushing a huge stroller toward me which took up the entire path so I went out onto the street until they had passed. The only way to get back on the path was to go through a large ditch, there was no way I could ride through it so I decided to hop off the bike and walk it across. And then comes the part where I lost my footing and fell headfirst into the ditch, with the bike. As I was falling all I could think was "I cannot believe this is happening to me!".

The 2 cars that were heading down the street were both kind enough to stop and ask me if I needed help as I crawled out of the ditch with gravel, dirt and grass stuck to me. I headed home and, after a pep talk from my hubby, I'm going to go out again a little bit later. Seriously though, is riding a bicycle supposed to be this hard!?!?!?!

The Tale of a Girl and her New Beach Cruiser

2013-04-08T11:11:00.003-07:00

After months of dreaming of owning a Beach Cruiser, I finally got one this weekend. I was so excited, visions of coasting down the street, the breeze whipping through my hair...I couldn't wait!

But, that was coupled with my deep seated fear of being embarrassed. I'm not talking about regular embarrassment fear like most people have...I'm probably what you could call "phobic" about being embarrassed. I fear it!

So I was slightly nervous when I took off today on my maiden voyage, terrified that the front wheel would fly off and I'd go hurtling over the handle bars, or that I'd hit a rock and get ejected head first. Or even just simply fall off my bike in front of people. But about 10 minutes into the ride, I started feeling confident and enjoying myself.

I got onto the main road and, as you can see here, it has a sidewalk perfect for biking down. I see dozens of bikes on here everyday but luckily today, I was the only one. I was relieved about that because I was nervous about trying to maneuver around oncoming bikes.

Then I hit this area of sidewalk that has a larger patch of grass on it and...the sprinkler system came on. It was aimed to cross over the sidewalk and water this patch of grass so I was completely caught in a barrage of sprinklers...and not the gentle little sprinklers that feel good and cool you off but huge, industrial strength sprinklers that pelted me with water. They were doing a slow flicking motion so I rode through about 3 of them but I was completely drenched.

I decided I needed to get off the sidewalk because there were still about 5 sprinklers ahead of me, going full force. I pulled to the edge of the grass but, of course, as my luck would have it...about 5 cars were slowly coming down the street so I had to stand there helplessly, getting pelted by 2 sprinklers simultaneously wearing of course, a white t-shirt with a purple bra underneath. One of the cars had all its windows down so I was able to actually hear their laughter as they drove slowly by.

I was finally able to get to the other side, sopping wet with my clothes stuck to me! There's no sidewalk on this side so I had to ride through the grass. I decided that was enough bike riding for today and I think I'll ride on the street next time! My husband and I have walked that street a million times and never had the sprinklers come on...it just had to be when I was alone on my first bike ride!!! I know I'll be laughing hysterically about this tonight when Kyran gets home from work:)

Anyway, I do love my new bike!

Who's a bad blogger? I am!

2013-03-24T13:11:00.002-07:00

I've been such a bad blogger lately! I need to find my blogging mojo again! I got this darling little topiary tree from Abby's Etsy shop Abby's Paperie Garden, it is so adorable and fits perfectly on this shelf.

I swapped night stands in our bedroom, I had the huge table and Kyran had the tiny one so I switched them around the other day and prefer it this way:)

I found this big...cage thingy? at Homegoods a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't entirely sure what it was but it was under $40 so... I had to have it! It was black but quickly got a coat of white paint:)

I've had fun putting different things inside of it but eventually, I'd like to put it outside with a huge fern in it and smaller plants on the bottom.

But, like I said, I'm having fun playing with it indoors for now:)

We had a conundrum with our huge sliding doors and ugly plastic vertical blinds. Being that we're renters we can't take them down and didn't want to go through the hassle of drilling in curtain rod hardware...so we (okay, Kyran I should say!) solved it by putting little hooks in the ceiling area above and curtain clips:)

I love opening the blinds all the way and having the sun shine in!

So light and bright:)

I'm so over these dining room chairs. I've had them since the early 90's, they went with a huge Ethan Allen dining table which seated 10...they just didn't make sense for our little table. I've re-done them twice now so they've had a good life:) Kyran won a gift card at work...perfect opportunity to buy more appropriate chairs! I'm still waiting for them to be delivered but I'm excited to have something smaller. I considered trying to sell them on Craigs.list but, my in-laws are hoping to come this summer so the extra seating will come in handy:)

My dish rack has found a home on top of the fridge...I like it up there though!

Feathering!

2013-03-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

I love drying my flowers! I think I prefer them dried over fresh.

These are all from the bouquet Kyran got me for Valentine's Day.

I know it's difficult to see but there's a very tiny dried rose in the middle of my heart wreath:)

I love this one!

I'm not sure what these are but they maintained their beautiful shade of purple.

I'm linking up with Courtney from French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday:)

Ikea, why do you have to be so far away?

2013-03-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

One of the most exciting parts about going to Tampa last week was being so close to Ikea! It was rainy and grey during our second day of staying there so what better way to spend a couple of hours:)

I've wanted a terrarium for soooooo long, when I spotted this one I actually tripped in my haste to get over to it. Kyran had to reign me in and tell me to take a deep breath before I ended up being wheeled out in a wheelchair.

I was so thrilled when I saw it was only $19.99! All the terrariums I've seen in the past have been at least $70 so finding an affordable one was very exciting. I also got the plant (it's fake!) and little white plant holder, about $5 for each I think.

I've had so much fun playing with it, switching up the things inside and moving it around:) This is where it sits now but that could change at any moment.

I also picked up a couple of these towels, only 79 cents each.

This chandelier was sitting under the table where the terrarium is right now. Every time I even glance at a chandelier in a store my husband reminds me that I have one sitting on the floor. I really do need to decide where to hang it but it's quite heavy, not sure if our apartment ceilings will hold it!

Anyway Ikea, until we meet again...you're in my thoughts:)

John Garfield Blogathon - The Postman Always Rings Twice

2013-02-28T15:13:00.002-08:00

I am participating in my dear blog friend Patti's, from They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To, Blogathon, dedicated to the actor John Garfield in honor of what would have been his 100th birthday. I'll be spotlighting one of my favorite Garfield films "The Postman Always Rings Twice". Many of you may not be familiar with John Garfield but, as far as his acting ability, he's right up there with the well known names like Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart.

John Garfield was born Jacob Julius Garfinkle on March 4th, 1913. Sadly, his life was not a long one and he passed away at the young age of 39 from a heart attack.

John Garfield was known for being Hollywood's first rebel. Rather than being pigeon holed forever by this title, he proved through his fine acting that he was much more.

"The Postman Always Rings Twice" is the John Garfield film I've always been most familiar with. Since then, Patti has opened my eyes to many more of his films. He truly was one of the best actors ever born and, many are of the opinion that he doesn't receive the recognition he deserves.

Released in 1946, "The Postman Always Rings Twice" is a film noir with Lana Turner as the lead female role, based on the novel by James M. Cain.

*The quotes I added don't coincide with the scene in the pictures but I thought it was a fun way to add them.

As I am absolutely hopeless when it comes to reviewing films, you can click HERE to read Patti's wonderful review. I'll stick to a brief synopsis and hopefully won't give too much away in the process!

John Garfield plays Frank Chambers, a drifter who finds his way to a roadside diner/service station. He's hired to work there by Nick, the elderly owner.

The breathtaking Lana Turner plays Cora, Nick's much younger wife. Frank is immediately taken by Cora, as any man with a pulse would have been! Frank see's there's no love between Cora and Nick and it's clearly a marriage of convenience on Cora's part.

Frank and Cora fall in love. They decide to go away together and start a new life, but Cora quickly realizes she doesn't want a penniless existence with Frank. She wants the diner and Nick's life insurance so, they head back to the diner. Nick, who has been out of town, is none the wiser.

They then move on to bigger plans and conspire to do away with Nick. I've seen this film many times and I still question whether Cora really loved Frank, or whether she's merely manipulating him for her own purpose. She's described as a "femme fatale" in this film, the French term for "deadly woman" so I tend to go with the latter.

Their original murder plot is unsuccessful so Frank and Cora come up with another plan to kill Nick, ensuring the job will done this time around.

A TCM review describes Frank as being "love drunk", which I think is the perfect description of him in this role. He's putty in Cora's hands, to the point he allows himself to be talked into committing a crime he otherwise never would have even pondered.

I truly feel John Garfield's performance in this film was Oscar worthy and he did generate a lot of Oscar buzz, but by the time the awards rolled around he was overlooked.

I've read a couple of different stories as to why the author chose "The Postman Always Rings Twice" as the title...the first time I watched it I kept waiting for a postman to show up and ring the doorbell twice!

There's a "no holds barred" version, made in the 80's, titled Body Heat and, although I've never seen it, I've read it doesn't hold a candle to this version.

I don't want to give away the entire plot so I'll end here.

If you've never watched any classic films I highly recommend you do! This is a wonderful one to start with, even my husband loves it.

Thank you Patti for allowing me to participate in the John Garfield Blogathon. Head on over to Patti's blog this week if you'd like to know more about John Garfield and his career.

Room with a view

2013-02-26T07:08:00.004-08:00

Kyran's taking a vacation week so we're in Tampa Bay for a few days.

We have a gorgeous view of Tampa Bay!

We watched the sun slowly set from the balcony.

With all the technology we have today, HD t.v.'s, video games, etc., there's still nothing as breathtaking as what Mother Nature provides us!

We walked to a nearby restaurant and had a delicious dinner. Today we're going to Ikea and to do some exploring:)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2013-02-14T12:12:00.000-08:00

Two posts in one week...I'm on a roll!!!

Some more old books I found on Etsy, the one with the purple flowers on the front was calling out to me!

I left out one of my vintage Valentine's cards when I did my post the other day so here it is. The glare makes it hard to make out but it is really pretty!

I bought this little bottle from Rosemary's Etsy shop Villabarnes a while back, I had it in the dining room and it was a brownish color. I decided I wanted it in my bathroom, which has mainly lavender in it, and lo and behold, it took on the color of lavender! The cherub went from brownish to lavenderish!

This is the guest bathroom or, as my husband likes to call it, "his bathroom". It's a little more roomy than the one off our bedroom and as Kyran says, "less knick knacky", therefore less chance of my 6 foot tall, over 200 lb. husband knocking a cherub to the ground:)

The book under the tissue box was a gift from his brother Kurt called "The Book of Beer Awesomeness" so naturally, it just had to go in Kyran's bathroom:)

I got a new mirror for the living room wall! It came with a ribbon I didn't really care for so I replaced it with softer ribbon that hangs down. We hung some sheers a few weeks ago and I love them! I know not many bloggers are apartment renters like us but finding a solution to cover up ugly plastic blinds isn't always easy. Kyran put hooks into the ceiling above and then we bought some little curtain clips from Target and hung them on the hooks, clipped the sheers up and voila! I love it and if we want to open the sliding door in the middle, I can just unclip the sheers from the middle clip!

I took this picture at 2 in the afternoon today but it's as dark as night outside and pouring rain!

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm so lucky to have such an amazing husband, I pinch myself everyday! I love you my gorgeous man!!!

I'm linking up with Courtney from French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday:)

An Almost Valentine's post!

2013-02-11T11:01:00.004-08:00

Wow, I can't believe I haven't blogged at all this month! Where does the time go? This is going to be picture heavy because I have so much to share! And this is only about 1/3rd of it, I'm so behind!

I bought some pretty vintage postcards from Charleen's Closet on Etsy, just to get into the Valentine spirit a little bit:)

I asked Kyran if he thought the lower purple one on the mirror looked a little phalic, he immediately said "yes" so I knew it wasn't just me lol. Oh well, it's still pretty!

A wicker tray with a tapestry background I found on Etsy, I love it!

Kyran surprised with me some lavender last week, I put it out on our lanai and it seems to like it out there!

I finally put a plant in my Ikea plant holder. I didn't like the metal hanger it came with so I replaced it with twine.

I love this laundry bag! I found it on Urban Outfitters, their apartment section has tons of nice stuff!

I won this book from my classic movie bloggy friend Patti, from They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To. It's so much fun to flip through it and read little tidbits on some of my favorites...thank you Patti!!!

Lastly, I found some lavender nail polish at K-Mart for only $1.99. It's in its second week and still no chipping! I love that we have a K-Mart right up the street...not a Walmart in sight:)

Blissful White Wednesday!

2013-01-30T13:51:00.002-08:00

I know I'm a little bit late for Blissful White Wednesday's but better late than never:)

We didn't bring out bar stools when we left So Cal, due to space constraints. I found these for $19 each at Target, they were plain wood so I sanded them down and painted them cotton white.

Now NO snickering here, I made cushions for the top...yes, they're a bit lumpy and crooked! I used 2 inch foam and stapled some RA fabric over it but cutting the foam evenly was really difficult...hence the crooked look. But hey, it's shabby chic right? Doesn't have to be perfect:)

It's nice being able to sit at the counter...hubby loves sitting here and keeping me company while I make dinner!

I also made a pillow with RA fabric, sewed by hand because I don't own a sewing machine. Not bad for my first try!

I'm linking up with Becky from Timewashed for Blissful White Wednesday:)

23 years ago

2013-01-29T06:01:00.000-08:00

23 years ago today I welcomed my first little man into the world!

A couple of years later he became a big brother and continues to be the best big brother possible!

And the best son possible (I had no make up on here so excuse the red circles!).

Happy Birthday to my precious son!

A walk in the park

2013-01-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

This is a post for all my blog buddies who are shivering away right now, a virtual walk in the park to escape from the cold for a while:)

My husband and I have driven past this park many times, we noticed they have a Farmer's Market every Friday, which is hubby's day off. We finally made it there yesterday and spent a couple of hours roaming the huge and beautiful park!

We decided we're definitely bringing a picnic next time.

We saw a couple in a rowboat, wearing big straw hats. I tried to snap a picture of them but they disappeared into the tree's. How nice to be out there rowing!

A shabby chic gazebo!

Each of these little boxed garden area's is owned and tended by private individuals, how fun would that be to have one!

Another gazebo.

I loved this saying so I snapped a picture but I have to admit, I laughed a little at James' last name.

My husband spotted this little cherub!

We saw tons of butterflies, they were the prettiest shade of orange!

This fish actually swam up and posed for his picture! After I took it he went on his merry way.

Lots of interesting birds.

Fiddling around!

2013-01-21T12:48:00.002-08:00

Before on the left/After on the right

The brown velvet background on these cherub plaques has been bothering me for quite a while but I wasn't sure whether the little oval cherubs would come off without snapping. Today I decided just to go for it and try to remove them, all went well and they came off pretty easily!

Click on photo to enlarge

I printed out some script from the Graphics Fairy and just placed it over the brown velvet then put them back together. I think they look much better! They're hanging in my bathroom looking pretty:)

I also hung this over my towel rail with some faux roses on it, I've had it for a while but now the yellowish color of it is starting to bother...uh oh, time to get the white paint out again:)

Shades of Lavender

2013-01-16T13:22:00.004-08:00

I'm always on the hunt for lavender (or shades of purple) decor and it's amazing what you can find!

Lavender sheer curtains, found on Etsy over the summer, which fit our bedroom windows perfectly.

My beautiful handmade dream catcher from Tausha, in shades of lavender.

This sweet little vintage shade with little lavender flowers on it.

(Yes, Etsy)

A darling little purple tole rose.

(Etsy again!)

And, I about fainted when I found this...purple cherub toile fabric!!!

(And again, Etsy!)

Last but not least, my lavender sign that I won in a giveaway a couple of years ago from Paula's Etsy shop Castle and Cottage:)

Whimsy

2013-01-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

I found these adorable little cows on Etsy, in my favorite color too!

The big one is a creamer and the two smaller ones are salt and pepper shakers.

They were just too cute to pass up, very whimsical and fun!

It's going to be a very LOUD afternoon in our little nest, Seahawks are in the play-offs!!!

Happy Sunday:)

Wings!

2013-01-02T08:14:00.001-08:00

I took down our tree, put all the decorations away, the day after Christmas. I felt the need for a "spring clean" after having all that extra stuff out for a month!

I couldn't resist keeping my wings out though so I winged out my halltree.

The small wings in the top right of the collage are from Abby's Paperie Garden on Etsy.

This darling little frame was one of my Christmas presents from my MIL:) Rather than put a photo in it, I printed out some antique script from the Graphics Fairy.

The metal wings I found on Decor Steals, love that site!

Happy New Year to all my dear bloggy friends!
I'm linking up with Timewashed for Blissful White Wednesday:)

Sitting pretty!

2012-12-29T10:38:00.003-08:00

My new sofa from Ikea!!!

Our Christmas present from my in-laws and ourselves!

I love it! We made the drive out to Ikea yesterday to pick it up (two hours each way!). Kyran was fascinated that an entire sofa could fit into a box.

It was easy to put together and is so comfy! We're staying home all day today and enjoying it!

It's a gloomy, grey day...perfect day for relaxing with some coffee and doing nothing:)

All is bright

2012-12-19T07:29:00.000-08:00

I've been lighting candles in our little nest almost every evening.

Candle light is beautiful any time but especially beautiful during Christmas time!

I hung the angel tags I won from Kris at Lareportiste on our tree, they were the perfect addition!

Only 6 more days until the big day, it crept up so quickly this year. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas:)

Speechless

2012-12-14T11:09:00.000-08:00

No pictures today and honestly, no words. My husband and I flicked the t.v. on a couple of hours ago and...what can you even say? Horrific is an understatement. Instead of planning Christmas for their kids, these parents now to get to plan their kids funerals for the holidays.

What is wrong with people? Evil doesn't even sum it up for some.

Blissful White Wednesday!

2012-12-12T06:29:00.004-08:00

My chair has wings! I found these for $8 at an online toy store, not as nice as some of the others I've seen in

blogland but. like I said...only $8!!!

I can't wait to see my husband sitting in this chair at dinner time:)

Linking up for Blissful White Wednesday at Timewashed:)

Thank you Kris!

2012-12-08T15:01:00.001-08:00

Gorgeous little tree topper angel!

My box of beautiful gifts from Kris' Lareportiste giveaway arrived today!

Normally, when I receive gifts that are wrapped as beautifully as these were, I take pictures of the lovely wrapping before I rip them open. But our packages get delivered to the leasing office here, so we stopped in to pick it up on our way to do our grocery shopping. The anticipation was just too much for me and I started opening everything on the way there!

Hence, no 'before' pics!

I love these tags! I don't think I'll ever be able to part with them by attaching them to gifts so I'm going to come up with a creative way to display them:)

This little lavender sachet is perfect in our guest room and it smells oh SO good!

My breathtaking Radko ornament, she's hanging from a piece of lavender ribbon! I haven't decided where she's going yet but I think I have an idea that I'll work on tomorrow for her:)

Gorgeous tea towel covered in little roses, there's the most beautiful stitching along the edges but my camera wasn't able to pick it up:(

Thank you SO much Kris, I love everything!!!