The MKDaly Show

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 17:11:00 +0000

(Posting from the mobile today. Forgive the poor formatting, horrible photos, etc.)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

So much to be thankful for this year!!

Here are just a few:

My parents (photo from May, 1985)

The whole famdamily, really!

Cutie patootie little sisters (bad photo taken last night as I tucked them in)

Everything about the faith of the Catholic Church

And a whole lot more, which I don't have photos of:

1. Many friends, new and old

2. The chance to be back in school ad learning

3. A warm home, working car, and full pantry/fridge

4. All the blessings in the last year, and all the struggles and pains that have proven blessings.

And last but not least: Cheap gas (finally, though most likely fleeting)

I hope you have a happy and love-filled thanksgiving! What are you thankful for this year?

Bringing Order into Chaos (a house tour)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 23:32:00 +0000

I've been in my new house for a little more than three months. I guess it's about time to introduce you to the place, no? We (my roommates and I) are pretty settled in at this point and we've hosted a couple of get-togethers. I have been sensing your mounting jealous of said guests. So--calm DOWN--here is a house tour for you!

To show you exactly how far we have come in these three months, I present to you a picture summary of where we are and where we've come from (I hope the philosophers out there appreciate that pun-attempt..). Because this is a long, picture-heavy post, I've decided to try to keep words to a minimum. Youuuuu'rrreee welcome!

Before going any further, I must say a big thank you to Sole, Paul, Brandon, and Holly's family for helping me move. Also, a HUGE 'thank you' to this girl, my sister, Gracie.

People often mistake her as me, or as my twin. Wrong and wronger.
I do not have a twin. But if I did, she would play the part famously.

The move ended up being much more complicated than I anticipated (thanks to the fact that the house had not been cleaned before I moved in....it was as gross as it sounds). I might have been a big(ger) hot(ter) mess if I had gone through with my original plan of moving all by myself. So, yeah, extra big thanks to Grace.

Living Room:

Right after emptying the moving truck

At the end of day two

The living room stayed like the above photo until [1] my roommates moved in (bringing a necessary area rug and bookcase (see below pic)) and [2] wall hangings. The empty white walls started driving me nuts by about week two.

All finished!

View two

View three

View final

True story: I live less than five minutes from campus, though typically I stay on campus until I finish with classes. One day, I had had enough of the naked walls. Finding myself with a spare hour between classes, I bolted home, hung all 16 paintings/icons/sconces/etc., and was back on campus in time for class. I felt like I had conquered the worlddddd!

remember these?

All of the books on the bookshelf belong to one of my roommates, and it is only half of her personal library!

Bedroom:

Poco a poco, se va lejos. "Little by little, one goes far." This was the official mantra of my junior/senior year high school Spanish class. I think it is a pretty fair and accurate description of the ever-ongoing styling project in my bedroom.

Uno

Dos

Tres

Throw in a few rugs and some wall decor...

Viola! (Wrong language. Mea culpa.)

After sleeping in not-my-bed for three months, my home mattress felt like heaven!

I don't know why I didn't tidy the desk area before snapping this pic

Kitchen:

There was some kind of Explosion of Nasty that happened in the kitchen (and bathroom) before we moved in, which meant a 7-10 hour delay in the unpacking process since it had to be cleaned up. It was gross. And Grace was a total trooper through it all.

Don't let this picture fool you. Grace was amazingly upbeat actually!

Making some progress. And eating lunch.

In the picture above, you can tell that we are our mother's daughters by the fact that we put on a tablecloth, used glass dishes, and had a centerpiece [a] on moving day and [b] for a simple meal of PB&J. Bringing some semblance of beauty and normalcy goes a long way in actually making the transition from house to home!

Also amazing is what food can do: Change a hangry badtitude to a happy camper. Turn a frown upside down. Okay, I'll stop...

And some extra deets:

getting all artsy-fartsy

When it was all said and done, Grace and I made ourselves a fancy-pantsy dinner and dubbed it the official "first meal" of the new house. Maybe it was cleaning-chemical-induced delirium, maybe it was exhausted hunger, but we both thought it was the best meal ever.

The end!

Back with a vengeance

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 12:00:00 +0000

It has been one heck of a long time since I have posted a project. Over the summer, as I was in my temporary residence, I was itching to do something creative. I couldn't wait to get in to my new, permanent house and go crazy making it lovely. Seriously, there were moments I was giddy with anticipation. Embarrassing picture? Yes. But I am not above embarrassing myself, and now you know what I sometimes do in my free time. Yeehaw.

My roommates and I have been in the new house for a month. Things are getting pretty and pretty settled as of a few days ago. For the first few weeks, I had spurts of organizing, hanging pictures, and general new-house activity. This weekend, we hosted a house blessing-housewarming party. It was an excellent excuse to put the medal-to-the-metal, as it were, and finish up my To Do list. While I am still editing House Tour pictures, I wanted to share two projects I tackled in the last few days.

These two projects are ones I've been wanted to do, and simultaneously putting off, for two years. Perhaps because I am a procrastilaxer extraordinaire, I suddenly felt very motivated to complete each last week instead of doing other things that might have been more worth my while. Something tells me this is a skill I should leave off my resume....

Moving on. There was an informal "Thirsty Thursday" organized for people in my program. It was optional, so I took them up on that. Instead of getting my drink on, I locked myself in my basement with some paint fumes and gave this set of boring black mirrors a face lift.

Before aaaaaand After

I went into the project intending to paint two mirrors solid gold and two solid silver. Though I didn't snap a picture of it, I found the scheme too boring so I went on to add the check/stripe effect on the two gold mirrors. I was, and still am, very pleased with this second result.

Can you say, "Fabulous"?

The quartet now takes up wall residence next to our front door. Prime location for last minute beauty checks as we dash out the door.

I know you love it.

Up next is this baby:

After returning home from dinner and drinks with friends for one's birthday, I whipped this pillow up. No sewing machine. No pattern. Just an uglya$$ pillow, new fabric, and needle'n'thread. Oh, and can't forget Grooveshark.

closest thing to a before-after...I.e. I still have another one to cover=the fun ain't over yet(!)

As I said, I had no pattern to follow while sewing. I have a little experience making pillows, but I did not want to replicate that pattern since this pillow would be in the same room as the first. Still, with no sewing machine, my options were pretty limited since there is no way I can hand stitch as well as a machine. So--simple it had to be. Thanks to my mom, I know how to make a ruffle, which came in handy in making the design less boring that it otherwise might have been.

I have to admit, I am pretty surprised and impressed with the outcome. Call me a design geek, but each time I catch a glance of this baby I'm like, "Did I seriously made that?!"

Talking to oneself = Super-cool.

As they say: Pride cometh before the fall; I expect to face-plant sometime soon. So I should probably stop while I am ahead and you are still awake. As always, thank'ya muchly for reading. Up next: Re-cap of the move-in and a house tour. Get excited!

Sharing the spoils of summer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 05:23:00 +0000

*warning: picture-heavy post right he'er*

Summer twenty-thirteen was good to me. Very good to me in fact. I regaled some of my adventures along the way - the weddings (btw: I went to two more weddings after that double-header), the move(s) and temporary house, my Pennsylvanian road trip adventure. And because I am a person so generous of heart, I am back to test your patience with some more anecdotes.

Up first is a weekend pleasantly spent in Chicago in late-June. While in town for a wedding shower, I joined my sister, Rosie, for a roof-top BBQ at her beaufriend, Matt's amazing top-floor condo just north of the downtown area.

lovers in Chicago

The food was delicious. The views were amazing. And Matt has the coolest fire pit I have ever seen in my entire life.

the coolest, prettiest fire pit I have ever seen

In mid-July, after three rip-roaring awesome years in a first job that will go down in infamy, I peace'd out in anticipation of starting graduate school this fall.

my now-former office, snapped moments before I switched off the light and closed the door for the last time

They are big fans of my work. I wish I were kidding...

Because I enjoy the quiet life, and am exceedingly humble, I used the occasion of my last day of work to throw a "Last-Day-of-Work-Appalooza" party. The guest of honor was a unicorn piñata.

I had three weeks between the end of work and the start of graduate school. Two of those weeks were spent dashing around like a crazy person, packing, moving (for the second time), unpacking, and grad-school-prepping. One week was spent in the glorious state of South Carolina with my beloved family.

howdy-do, Dad and Dan

Vacation was extra-great this year because all eleven of us were there (something that had not happened since 2010). To assure family bonding, we packed all eleven people into the familymobile and drove ten hours to our destination.

Grace and I taking life seriously in the back seat

Dan kindly humored my effort to document his catnapping efforts

John and Katie (SIL)

artistic shot of Betsy drooling on her pillow

While most of our time was spent lounging in the sun--some tanning nicely, others burning to a crisp, and still others perfecting our imitation of beached whales--we did throw in some excitement with a day-trip to Beaufort, SC, and a night on the town.

Rose is the reliable party-pooper of the family

Rose had the brilliant idea of having a family talent show one night. Hidden talent abounds.

anxiously awaiting the first act

Rose, the evening's MC. (the soup ladle was her "microphone")

We had dancing:

Acting:

Mom, Rose, and Betsy re-enacted this Sesame Street classic

And singing:

Betsy and Gracie, in an impressive re-enactment of this scene from the Phantom of the Opera

The vacation ended on a bit of a dramatic note: On the last day at the beach, Mom and Helen (the youngest) were met by two sand sharks while wading in the shallow waves. Seeing two sharks between yourself and your mom and baby sister definitely ranks as one of the scariest moments of every one of our lives. My dad and brothers ran into the waters, ready to beat the crap out of the fanged fish if they got any closer to Mom and Helen. Most thankfully, shark-interactions were avoided and Mom and Helen got back to shore safely. Needless to say, I was a little too distracted to get pictures of the event...

The end of the summer was bittersweet. Okay, actually, it totally stunk: my BFFs Johnny and Holly moved 800+ miles away. You will remember that I lived with Holly for two years. She and Johnny are two favorites in my life. I don't know this town, or adult-life in general, without them!

at the going-away dinner for Johnny and Holly (far left)

I didn't have much time to mope after John and Holly's departure. Grad school was nigh upon me. The two-week orientation flew by and then classes started! After an incredibly overwhelming first day (of orientation), I solemnly informed my older brother that I hadn't met a best friend yet, but the prospects were promising.

Things have only been looking up since then. I am thoroughly enjoying every bit of being a grad student (okay, not everything--loans are totally the pits). Classes are interesting. Course work is engaging and practical. People (i.e. new friends!) are interesting and fun. Oh, and there also is football.

LaSandruh is the coolest person I know

surprise visitors are so much fun!

old and new friends!

Gabsauce had her sassy pants on

I mention "classmates/new friends" above, yet none make appearances in this post. These pictures are of people I've known for years. To be honest, I sometimes feel a bit timid (I know, I confound myself too sometimes) about getting pictures with people I don't know so well. Also, being that all of the people pictured know that I have a blog and my new compadres don't, I would feel a bit awkward (Wait, MK, you have qualms about being awkward? --Believe it or not, my friends, I do [sometimes]) about broadcasting people's faces on the inter webs . If you are one such "new friend" reading this, be forewarned ;)

Was that disclaimer-slash-explanation necessary? I don't know, but whatever, there it is.

business-school-besties

A whole lot of brand spanking new.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 23:59:00 +0000

Usually, when I take an unannounced hiatus from blogging, it's because my life has suddenly become enormously exciting and I just don't have time to blog.

.................Yeah, I don't believe myself when I say that either.

Anyway, about a billion years ago, I told you guys that I was considering changing the name/purpose of this here blog. After wasting plenty of time mulling over potential options (and checking to see which of my options were actually available, based on other URLs...and thus being reminded how many people are way more creative than I am), here it is!

The MKDaly Show

Terribly exciting, no? You don't have to answer that question. I know you love it.

In other news, the new blog name is not the only (most?) exciting thing happening in my life. Indeed, in the last month this chiquita quit work, moved houses, and began graduate school. I also got a new computer, which means I presently have zero photos prepared to share with you of any of these events. Don't worry, though, in no time I will have an unseemly amount of snapshots with which to over/underwhelm you. In the meantime, please get your photo fix from this collection of houses (plus two churches) from around town that I am not living in.

Until next time: Have a nice life!

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Dear Pennsylvania: I love you.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Last weekend I fell in love with the woodlands of the late Mr. William Penn (a.k.a. "Pennsylvania").

It was love at first sight, I tell you. I didn't see it coming and all of a sudden BAM! I got smacked in between the eyes. How romantic.

Pennsylvania, "you had me at 'hello.'"

Earlier in the spring, I decided that I wanted to take a summer road trip out to Philadelphia to see one of my BFFs, Kelly. Being that Philadelphia is 10.5 hours away from me, it had been well over a year since I had seen Kelly. It so happened that Kelly would be co-hosting a party that weekend, along with our other, mutual BFF Margaret (who also lives in Pennsylvania, though in Pittsburgh). I decided to invite myself to the party (and thus Kelly's home since I clearly was not going to drive ten hours, party it up, and drive ten hours back). Good thing Kelly was more than happy to oblige me. Whatta gal, that girl!

Kelly, me, Margaret (looking fiiine on Sunday morning, post-party)

The drive was totally worth it. I am Midwestern born and raised. I am most familiar and comfortable with long drives that consist of farm fields and the occasional rolling hill. Once you pass over the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line the landscape changes dramatically!!

Hills. Hills. And more hills, I tell you! There was a nasty rainstorm at one point; the hilly landscape looked reallly cool against the clouds.

The rain passed just in time for us to catch the most exquisite sunset...

I found the views so breath-taking that the drive itself was very enjoyable and passed quite quickly (it helped that I stopped in Pittsburgh to pick up Margaret's sister, Emily, who accompanied me for the second-half of the drive...and assisted in taking pictures for me!). After such a wonderful drive, the City of Brotherly Love did NOT disappoint!

Kelly knows how much I love design and architecture. She was awesome at indulging my oogling eyes, craning neck, and oohs-n-aahs as we drove around the city.

City Hall: topped off by Ben Franklin...who, at certain angles, looks like he is peeing. This snapshot is not of that angle, btw

More shots of City Hall, as reflected off a nearby building

the Masonic Temple...classy Philly.

This next shot is of Philly's ship-building yards. Not terribly exciting, but I thought the picture looked neat. I took it as we zoomed by on the express way, which was lined with metal gates.

This is "Smashy's." It's where you send your car when it doesn't work any more.

And they do this to it:

No. I'm not kidding.
Another aspect of Philly that I totally loved was their practice of incorporating mini-parks through out the downtown area. This was the best shot I could get of one such green space. Trust me, it was tres charming.

More pictures of downtown:

Philly also had a nice dose of "weird" in the form of artistic murals such as this. It was kind of cool looking. I can't really tell you much us about it though...

After cruising around downtown, Kelly and I went to her parent's house in the suburbs. Oh my gosh, guys, I felt as if I were in the English country side!!

Sunday morning, we hit up the Traditional Latin Mass with Kelly's family, a large, predominantly-daughters family. All together, we were ten women sitting in our pew.

The church was 'okay.'

The church was located within walking distance of the city's Italian Market. We ambled over after Mass (actually, it was more like trotting, since it was raining). Kelly insisted that I try a FOR REAL Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. I am so glad I did. Those things are divine.

I found the Italian market to be incredibly neat. Such ethnic/cultural hubs do not exist in my town.

While waiting for the (fresh) sandwiches, Kelly's mother very kindly treated us to some delicious Italian coffee.

I told you there were a lot of us!

I spotted this classy-sassy joint across the way. Yup, folks. That is an alcohol-serving bar.

After inhaling the Philly Cheese Steaks in the ever-most ladylike fashion, we zipped back to the family abode for some more quality time before hitting the road. But not before enjoying an impromptu tea party. It was absolutely delightful.

total failed attempt at an artistic shot of said tea party

After some long good-byes, I climbed back in the car with Margaret and Emily, who were driving with me to Pittsburgh, the city they call home.

Pittsburgh: The city of bridges

Pittsburgh, another favorite city of mine, is also the home of yet another BFFL, Kathleen. Kathleen too is friends with Kelly and Margaret, but was not able to make it to Philadelphia for the weekend. Nevertheless, I was able to extend my weekend a little bit by staying with Kathleen that night.

a picture of the four of us from Kathleen's 2012 wedding

Kathleen, who is currently working in Cleveland, and I were up suuuper early the next morning to start our respective drives.

The last 100 miles of the 1250+mile trip were a little rough. A sighting of the Oscar Meyer wienie mobile gave me a hearty laugh, providing enough endorphins to hold me over until I got home.

#borntobun, indeed

It was a fantastic weekend. I am so grateful that I could visit with my girl-friends. Being with them enriches my life, replenishes my soul, and gladdens my heart. The 21 hours of driving was more than worth it! Not only is Pennsylvania an awesome state, it also is the home of three of my closest friends. It has so much going for it that I can't help falling in love with the "virtuous commonwealth," as some are inclined to call it. (though it's not as if I was trying not to!)

R.I.P. Google Reader....and some new following options

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 19:32:00 +0000

Okay, ladies and gentlemen, since Google Reader has now been "retired", you will need to follow this here blog'o'awesome in some other way. Here are a couple of recommendations. If you know of other options, let me know so that I can share the good news.

Other, more experienced bloggers have been recommending Bloglovin' and Feedly. Currently I am using Bloglovin. I am still getting acquainted with the site, bu it seems fine enough.

If you do not want to start accounts with new sites, you also have the (simple) option of signing up to receive this blog's posts via email. Simply enter your email address in the sidebar box entitled, "Receive Posts by Email." I promisepromisepromise that I do not use your email address for any other purpose!!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

via

{pretty, happy, funny, real} "Happy Father's Day" edition!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:15:00 +0000

~Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life.~

With the lovely ladies at Like Mother, Like Daughter

For today's {pretty, happy, funny, real} I am celebrating this guy:

The guy who is 50% responsible for my existence = my Dad!

{pretty}

Dad has been in Singapore all week for meetings. Because jet-lag can be brutal (Singapore has a 12-hour time difference), he had to fly out on Friday morning (he arrived Saturday afternoon Singapore time!) so that he would have time to (sort of) recover in time for Monday morning meetings.

Rose (who lives in Chicago) and I were visiting home for some friends' wedding. He felt bad for missing the family time, so he sent us b-e-a-utiful bouquets of flowers!! Two bouquets unexpectedly arrived about 11 AM on Saturday.

Hiii Daaad!!!!
(FYI: Grace is wearing an apron that says his name on it; thus, her pose)

We snapped the above picture with the iPad and sent it to Dad, to let him know how very grateful we were for his gift and, more importantly, his sweet thoughtfulness. Mom is holding her bouquet and Helen is holding the bouquet sent to the daughters.

It is said that the best gift a father can give his children is to love their mother. This is one thing I love, and respect, about my Dad. He is not the perfect man, but he strives for sanctity and he takes his roles as husband and father seriously.

Left: Moments after shoving cake in my Mom's face on their wedding day (1985).

Mom has seven brothers so she fends for herself pretty well.

Right: Twenty-five years later (2010), at a surprise party their eight kids threw for them

I grew up with a father who regularly brought home flowers for my mom--often for no reason other than "just because" (for instance: with Saturday's bouquet for Mom came a note inscribed with only numbers...of the date that Dad first told Mom that he loved her). He gives Mom a big hug and kiss whenever he comes home from work, as well as before he leaves the homestead to run an errand. Though he isn't the most handy guy in town (like, at all), he helps as he can around the house and is quick to hire-out a job if none of us can't fix it because he respects and supports Mom's work as a homemaker. If there is a crisis, he and my mom are a united front in meeting it. (which stunk when it came to punishing one of us...but I digress)

It is Dad's faithfulness in doing little things like this that have gone a long way in teaching us, his daughters, the value of our femininity. He also gets each of his daughters a bouquet of flowers on our birthday and other special occasions. He loves going to the annual "Daddy-Daughter" dance. He has high standards for us, but doesn't hesitate to tell us "great job!" or say how "beautiful!" "ravishing!" or "gorgeous!" he thinks we are (even if we don't agree with him).

{happy}

My Dad has a gift to be upbeat even when things are stressful, uncertain, or down-right lousy. Don't get me wrong, Dad is not inclined to mistake the seriousness of any situation. He just pushes on through and says, "it's going to be great!" As my mom has often said, he is the rock of the family.

pumping up the six of us in preparation to move 300+ miles away from everything we've ever known
(again, Grace with the funny faces. the girl is talented)

He lives life with an attitude of gratitude, knowing that if he is negatively reflecting on his life or comparing it to that of others, then he is failing to glorify God.

he's even in a good mood when he is strangling one of his kids

He is especially good in the morning. I'm not sure any of his eight kids have inherited this trait. But, without fail, Dad is ready to go by about 6 AM. This comes in handy when you have a boat load of sleepy heads on your hands who need to get to school on time.

giving Johnny a morning pep-talk, in the high school years (more than 10 years ago at this point)

{funny}

Dad can be a goof.

with baby Johnny (the first born). Dad was so totally stoked about being a father that he had seven more kids

And he is almost always up for doing something fun with us.

My dad's "secret weapon" is that he will surprise you by tickling you in the ribs when you don't expect it. Or tickling your feet as you are glued to the television. Yes. I am 25 years old, my dad still tickles me (the worst is when I'm sleep and he tickles my feet wake me up).

He's a wild and crazy guy

{real}

In talking about how great my Dad is, it cannot not be said that my Mom deserves a round of applause for her impeccable pick of a husband, and father for her children.

the woman has great taste in fashion, home decor, and men

Together, in cooperation with God, my parents have created a family that I am very grateful to be part of. While growing up, there were many times that my dad would tell us, "You'll thank me when you're older," in response to our complaining, whining, or generally believing that we were victims of Big-Bad-Dad's tough love. Most of those times, my thought would be, "You're delusional, Dad, and I look forward to proving you wrong!" Now, I can say that I was the wrong one.

Yes, Dad, you're right. I probably did deserve the 219,647 (give or take a few) groundings, chastisements, spankings, stern-talking-to's that I've received over the years. So, thank you. For absolutely everything.

someone being born (in case you weren't sure what this is a picture of)

Rose is thrilled to be matching the other women in the family. Dan and Grace are not impressed.

blue lips and stringy hair. also known as my "attractive years"

Maddie is thoroughly enjoying this quality family moment

Mom and Dad thought the limo was the only surprise on their 25th anniversary. Nope...

we're on a boat! (that we do not own)

Thanksgiving 2011. The specks you see are snowflakes, not cocaine.

now that we are older, it's "the kids' turn" to grow the family. Johnny, like a true eldest child, started us off well by marrying Katie, who is an int'l rockstar. Let's hope this bodes well for the decision-making abilities of the rest of us

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Decisions: That which makes grown (wo)men cry.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 03:13:00 +0000

In the years that I have been "living on my own" (I put that in "quotes" since I've always had roommates--I'd hate to live totally by myself. The loneliness would STANK) and thus in charge of making my house into my home, I occasionally have felt quite confused about what exactly "my style" is. Sure, there are lots of things that I like--whenever I flip through a magazine, go shopping, or browse online, I see many individual items or even whole rooms that make me say, "Ohmuhgersh! I lurve that so matsch!" (yes, I sometimes talk in strange voices when I am overcome with excitement).

But, then, there is that awful moment when I am working on a room (like the living room and the bedroom in my former house) and I suddenly don't like any of the choices that are in front of me because [1] they don't flow with the style of of rooms in my house, [2] I am not thrilled by the thought of living in the space that these particular options would create, [3] all of a sudden I hate everything in every store I shop, or [4] whatever other reason my brain all of a sudden makes all options look blah.

This is where Pinterest has been quite helpful to me. If you don't know what Pinterest is, then educate yo'self.

Anyways, Pinterest. Ah, yes, it is a place of many possibilities. Some people observe/complain that it affords viewers too much possibilities, rendering them unsatisfied with what real life has to offer them. While this certainly can true, I discovered it not just a place of inspiration ("pinspiration" as some might say), but also a place that helped me better determine what is "my style."

Rummaging through my 1,500+ pins (don't worry, that number pales in comparison to some others), I see a definite trend. I am all about rooms being cozy and home-y. People gots to be able to relax!

a good chair for curling up to read a book

Rooms that are well-lit. I prefer natural, accent, or soft, ambient lighting, as opposed to harsh or ceiling light.

Design elements and details that recall earlier times are quite charming to me. Whole rooms that come straight from a catalog or a hotel are most unpleasant. I love personal touches, a room that tells a story because it looks like it is lived in by real people.

family photos

Also, I looove color! At a certain point in time, I thought my style might have been eclectic (an "official" style, in design lingo). I've come to realize that, no, I am not a pure-bred eclectic in taste. Perhaps it is because of my OCD tendencies, but a room that has too much going on (too many contrasting colors, patterns, or styles) begins to feel a little claustrophobic to me.

this is probably as eclectic as I could ever go. even then, it might overwhelm me on a bad day

A good vintage floral print can make my heart swoon (mixed metaphors? oh well). Though, I don't think I'd like a room that is overladen with vintage prints or too much florals. The right amount, however, can be perfection.

gotta be careful waking up under that slanted ceiling.

Another thing about florals is that, wen done right, it can go marvelously well with other prints and textures!

As a person who notices details (sometimes to an embarrassing extent--seriously) I particularly appreciate where someone goes the extra mile to decorate a little niche in their home. Perhaps this comes to me from my grandmother, who thinks of making the most insignificant thing beautiful.

I could hang out in this bathroom for a lot longer than I needed to

I would be remiss to not note that I am a sucker--a totally sucker--for things that are used in unexpected ways. Some people are just so darn creative! The creativity of others completely delights me, while maybe also stoking my competitive side, "how did they think of that?!"

lampshade used with a pendant light

create two rooms with curtains

Last, and this is related to the first: What is most important to me in a room is that it is comfortable. Comfortable? Isn't that a little subjective? Well, yes, I suppose it could be. Ultimately, home should be where you feel most comfortable. But, I also want my home to feel comfortable to other people too.

i'd hate for my design choices to turn out like this

There it is, folks. I'm not sure if I have a quick fill-in to this statement year "my personal style is _____." I am feeling much more confident in my design adventures. Though Pinterest didn't give me my style, it was quite helpful in helping me hone it down. So, for that, thanks, Pinterest!

But, more importantly, thank you for also giving me a few hours of good laughs:

every parent wants one of these

honest abe. you can always count on him.

i totally hate when that happens

Barbie without makeup. Priceless.

this is how cats really are. i'm not kidding.

Five Favorites of the New House

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 19:47:00 +0000

I've never linked up to Moxie Wife's "Five Favorites" before. I was planning on writing a "Favorite Things About This New Place Where I Live" post (brevity is my forte, duh). Then, a friend linked to Moxie Wife and I thought, "well, la-dee-dah. don't mind if I do too. Great minds think a like." So, here you, Favorite Readers. A list of my Five Favorite things about my new (temporary) place.

{1}

The neighborhood.

Houses obscured by trees. Gotta protect people's identities (and CmYA)

Oh, my. After living for two years in a quiet apartment complex located off of a busy road, I forgot how wonderful a neighborhood is. Yes, my friends, this place very quickly has become "home" to me.

I love the variety of different houses on the street. I love that I can go out for a run and not worry about being hit by a car. I also love that I have many more options for running routes. I especially love, as I discovered this past weekend, that I can sit in my living room and hear the joyful shrieks and howls of children playing outside.

At my old place, I rarely saw neighbors and I am not sure any children lived nearby. At my new house, children are outside throwing around balls, playing tag, and riding bikes. Parents are outside either joining them in play, doing yard work, or chatting it up with other neighbors. Last night, as I sat on my porch stretching after my run, some people rode by on bikes and they actually returned my "hello" wave. People are friendly and it all warms my heart.

{2}

Mondo coffee cups.

As I mentioned previously, this place comes furnished, including kitchen wares. This past Saturday, I fixed myself a cup of jo and discovered what are perhaps the largest mugs in the county. To help you understand how large these cups are, I entertained myself by having a staring contest with the baby owl on the cup while taking some selfies.

The cup is practically the size of my face. Perhaps it was the caffeine, but I found it an entertaining fact.

{3}

The book selection.

Call it being nosy. Call it (un)natural curiosity. Call it making friends. Whatever it is, I can't help but be interested in my surroundings, especially when I am in someone else's house. So, when I saw multiple bookcases full of books as soon as I walked in the door of the new place, it was only a matter of time before I found myself standing in front of it, reading the book spines.

I have pulled out a handful of books to read, at least until we get Internet. Other potential selections include: the full Vulgate Bible (multi-volume), Euclid's Elements, a handful of Aristotle and Plato (in addition to the encyclopedia collection of philosophers), Shakespeare and Jane Austen, and P.G. Wodehouse.

{4}

The church bells.

this view is *not* from my front or back door.

Yes! We can hear the bells of the Basilica from our house! It is marvelous.

{5}

The kitchen.

Though the rest of the house is stuck in 1974 (at least it's not 1984, eh?), the kitchen is updated and it is quite charming, IMHO.

Electric-stove tops are one of my least favorite things in the work. But, hey, at least it's black instead of white. As in clothing fashion, black is a much better color for stove tops (so slimming! hides stains!). And white stove tops are awful. So, at least I can be thankful we got black instead of white! Otherwise I'd be tempted to befriend the drinkie-drinks stored on the counter.

Linking to:

The wedding that Jesus was invited to (and other adventures) {pretty, happy, funny, real}

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 May 2013 22:38:00 +0000

~Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life.~

With the lovely ladies at Like Mother, Like Daughter

Some say, "when it rains, it pours." Well, it has been literally and figuratively been pouring in my life lately. On the literal side, we've gotten a fair bit of rain lately. On the figurative side, I've had so much going on in the last week that I think that this might be my most-jammed-packed {pretty, happy, funny, real} yet. While I've spoken a lot about the drama of moving (it really hasn't been that dramatic, but everything is more dramatic when you blog, isn't it?), life hasn't stopped. Indeed it has been bustling me right along.

{pretty}

As I talked about last month in this PHFR post, May 25th was the day of weddings! In the morning, my dear roommate of two years married her favorite person in the whole wide world, Johnny.

Holly and I before the wedding Mass (her mom made her wedding dress--gorgeous!)

Man and Wife at the reception

Holly and Johnny were married in a Tridentine Latin Mass. This was the third such wedding Mass that I have attended and, I have to say, it is really growing on me. Here are a few reasons:

[1] The marital vows are professed at the very start of Mass (technically before-Mass). This is done so to not conflate the sacrament of marriage with the sacrament of Holy Eucharist, which the Mass celebrates. Also, the tradition is that the vows are said first so that the very first thing that the couple does as man and wife is participate in the Mass (both the Liturgy of Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist). [Disclaimer: As someone who has the propensity to be late for anything (seriously, I will probably be late for my own wedding...my mom was an hour late for hers, hah), I can understand if the change of order might be a cause of consternation to those whose tardiness will cause them to miss seeing the vows.]

[2] Following Communion and after praying at the altar of the Blessed Mother, the couple also visits the St. Joseph altar. The groom lights a candle at the foot of St. Joseph, asking for his intercession to be a good husband and father. I think that is pretty baller.

[3] Also baller is the "Exhortation before Marriage" that is read by the priest at the start of the Rite of Marriage. It's pretty powerful, in my humble opinion, and offers a beautiful illumination into what lies ahead for the couple entering into marriage together. Hearing it and reflecting upon the state of marriage today, it makes me really wish it to be read at every wedding!

As Holly comes from a very creative family, the reception was filled with personal touches.

My favorite: Floral bouquets homemade of ribbon and brooches

** the title of today's post comes from a hilariously awkward exchange that Johnny had with a grocery clerk two weeks ago. When asked "how are you today", Johnny responded, "I'm doing great! I finished law school today and I'm getting married in two weeks!!" The grocer earnestly said, "Is Jesus invited to your wedding?" Johnny's answer? "Why, indeed He is. In fact, Jesus will be prominently featured!"

{happy}

The second wedding of the day was of my wooonderful friend, Theresa, of Little House in Chicago, who married the man of her dreams, Frank.

With Tess and Frank (clearly I need some hair product that can withstand two-wedding-kind of days)

Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend Tess and Frank's wedding Mass, as I was two hours away at Johnny and Holly's. But, I am so grateful that the distance was merely two hours and I was able to attend Tess's reception. Oh, and she totally spoiled me with a good 30-minute conversation, in the midst of all the (well-deserved!) congratulations and well-wishes from the many other guests. Seriously, this girl is one of the favorites in my life.

Similar to Holly's, Tess's wedding dress was a custom gown that she got to design on her own. It was stunning. The skirt was shantung and the top/bodice was a lovely, feminine lace. With a sweetheart and wide-lace neckline and elbow-length sleeves, it was just so Tess: elegant, feminine, and classically beautiful. Frank looked pretty snazzy too :)

Tess chose red and white as her wedding colors. I'd never been to a wedding with this kind of color-combo and I wasn't sure what to expect. BUT, let me tell you, it was oh-so-elegant. It also worked out very nicely that the reception hall had red and gold carpeting. Here are a few pictures from the reception (I wish I had better ones, but my camera was not cooperating with the room's lighting).

the knot looked like a rose, which I loved!

Last but certainly not least--concerning both weddings--a great part of the weekend was the amount of good friends who I was able to see. After celebrating the married couples themselves, seeing friends is my favorite thing about weddings. I got only a few pictures with people, but here are some people I get to visit with:

{real}

This year, my family has two graduations: Maddie from eighth grade and Dan from high school. Both happened yesterday, at the same time, in different cities! I guess you could call it one of the "happy problems" of big families--the calendar gets busy with lots of people having good things happening!

School has never come easily for Dan. There have been a lot of roadblocks that our family has overcome alongside Dan, so this was a very, very exciting day for us. We are incredibly proud of Dan for his hard work (I admit, I got choked up at the ceremony!). Dan was pretty stinkin' proud too!

with Mom and Dad

Because this was such a big day for Dan, Maddie, who graduated from eighth grade, generously insisted that my both of my parents go to Dan's graduation instead of her "rite of passage" ceremony (for some reason the school doesn't treat it as a graduation, which, I guess, made the decision easier for all, even Maddie). Still, not everyone was able to be there for Dan. Helen, the youngest, was at Maddie's graduation, by nature of the fact that she and Maddie go to the same school and school is still in session for Helen. Betsy (third-youngest) had high school finals. John (oldest) and his wife Katie are both teachers and had to be at work. But, for those of us who were able to join Dan on his special day, we were incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped Dan get to where he is today.

{funny}

Dan's graduation was a day of much rejoicing. But, to keep it really real, here are some awkward family photos.

yes, it's hard being so good looking in a steamy-hot gym

perhaps one day I'll regret posting this photo. that day is not today.

Me: "look this way, guys, I'm trying a new setting on my camera"

Grace: "if you're still trying your camera out, how about you take pictures out the window"

Grace's request effectively killed my interest in experimentation. landscape photography is beautiful, yet boring

Linking up:

A recommendation...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 May 2013 18:01:00 +0000

This is the best way that I can recommend to anyone how to handle moving day:

Just turn off all emotions and git'er'done. Otherwise,
this:

And this:

Red roses: The only semblance of beautiful left

This, too:

will totally get in the way of efficiently getting to this:

and this:

BUT, if you make good progress, give yourself permission to have emotions long enough to have a spontaneous dance party with your friends (and their really cute child):

Whew. What an insane few days it's been!! Today I'm celebrating America by painting and cleaning up the old place. Here is a quick peak of my new digs (at least for the summer).

My bedspread looks small because it is: that bed is queen-size (the place is pre-furnished, so my own twin-sized bed is in storage for the moment).

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

It's moving day!! I'll be back with some updates tomorrow. Until then, here is some {pretty, happy, funny, real} for ya!

~Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life.~

With the lovely ladies at Like Mother, Like Daughter

{pretty}

I went home for Mother's day. I was so happy to see the skyline. Feeling a little nostalgic, I snapped a picture.

The 502

{happy}

In preparation for my move, I hit up the local Home Depot to buy a some bubble wrap (which should be gloriously fun to play with later on) and a few boxes.

Exhibit A: Moving Schtuffs

Something funny happened while I was there. I realized that I was incredibly excited to be at Home Depot. It is a place of so many possibilities!! I had butterflies in my stomach and a tickle in my chest: I wanted to buy so many things and I wished I had all the time in the world to build stuff. Believe you me, endorphins were abounding in my brain.

The hardware aisle

I don't remember what aisle this is. Looks like nuts-n-bolts, eh?

I have no doubt that I am not the first or only girl in the world, or even the town, to have so much fun at Home Depot. Nevertheless, knowing myself, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. In the end, I only bought what I went there to buy, though I spent about twenty-five minutes longer than I needed to, just roaming around.

{funny}

On my way back from my Mother's Day visit, I pulled off at this gas station. The bathrooms were located outside (as sometimes they are). The doors were locked, so I went looking for a clerk to get the key (who, in my experience, will have said key). Suddenly, I heard a guy call out to me, "What are you looking for, Miss?" He had a "Swifty" ball cap on. Deducing that he was the manager, I asked him how to get into the bathroom. His response? "Oh, okay. I'm locking up the place because we close early on Sunday. But I don't want anyone doing the pee-pee dance in my parking lot, so I'll let you in." I politely thanked the gentleman, and proceeded to laugh out loud to myself once I was in the bathroom.

NOTE: I was not "pee-pee prancing" in the parking lot!

{real}

Cha-ching

One finds the strangest, happiest, lamest, useless, superfluous things when one does something like move. I found this grotty bag of spare coins in my bedroom. I have yet to count its contents, but my guess is that it's somewhere in the area of $5-8.

They say that you should give away anything that you haven't missed/worn/used/thought about in 12+ months. I've lived in my present house for almost two years and had no idea I was missing this change. So I guess I should give away this money. Maybe, if I am feeling especially Christian, I'll go to a CoinStar and convert it to cash.

Bonus {real}

I spotted this while driving around this weekend.

Pot-a-potties on the roof. But of course!

Moooooooooooving

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 19 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

What does a cow say? ...Mooooooooooooooo(ve)

Saw whaat??

That's right, folksies--I'm moving! When, you ask?
Thursday. Yeah, that's soon. It's something I've been working on for well over a year and now it is (almost) finally happening. It's a bit of a funny situation, though. You see, my current lease ends with the month and the lease in my next place does not start until August 1st. Thus, I will be storing all of my belongs and subletting from a good friend for the months of June and July. I am really excited to be living with my friend (hi, Sole!), but I am nervous about the whole "moving twice in one summer" thing. And storing all of my stuff is totally new, uncharted territory for me. When I picked up my key from the storage managers, the introductory schpeel included a reminder to animal-proof my packaging. <*gulp*> Here are some quick snapshots of how that's going. I call it, "A Practical Exploration into the Chaos Theory of Being Uprooted."

Since my next living situation will soon be transitional and, really, not my own, I will be sharply limited in my ability to pursue home projects like I ordinarily would, particularly in the summer months. This being so, I am thinking more about how this blog might evolve so that I do not, yet again, fall off the face of the blog-earth. I suppose it could easily morph into a "lifestyle" blog, but that doesn't sound entirely interesting to me. I have some ideas, and I am sure the possibilities are probably more numerous than I can see at this point in time. I guess I'll just see where it goes!

Moving on from that stream-of-conscious digression....Let's go hang out in the living room of my current-and-soon-to-be-old-house. As I sort of hinted in this post and with this picture:

things have been looking different in the living room these days (pre-dating the house devolving into its current stage of chaos). After losing one and gaining another roommate, our home furniture collection got a mix-up. Not only did we acquire the above grey chair (as well as the wooden chair and mirror, discussed in this post), we got its matching big-sister, the full sofa.

There is also the coffee table you see above: A garage sale find, and upcycle, by my talented and soon-to-be-wed roommate.

Also because of the roommate jumble, we did some minor switcharoos in the room's layout. Here is the previous set up:

We really liked the layout/flow ("feng shui", anyone??) of the room before the change up. We thought it was very cozy and we received frequent compliments about how home-y it felt. We tried to replicate it as well as we could with the new furniture selection. This is what we came up with.

view from the front door

Another angle from the front door

The new couch is about six inches longer and three inches deeper than the old couch. It was going to be too tight of a fit to position the new sofa where the old one sat, so we placed the new one against the wall. This opened the room, giving more space for the new armchair that came with the new sofa. In the previous set up, we used the old couch to separate the entryway from the rest of the room. Now visitors are welcomed right into the main room.

we will be walking out that door for the last time very soon!

Funny that I am just now sharing this progress with you as I am effectively "tearing down" all the work done to make this place a home. But, as they say, better late than never! (Or "never late than never" as my tired brain first had me type before my stingy-editor brain caught it). It's been a wonderful home these past two years--and, boy, did those years fly by!

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 May 2013 01:12:00 +0000

Linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter's {pretty, happy, funny, real} blog series.

~Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life.~

This week is a bit of a hodge-podge for me. With that disclaimer out of the way: HereWeGo!

{pretty}

Yesterday I shared with you a mini-catalog of the thrift store scores I've gathered over the last year. But I forgot the best one!

Delightful // Two serving bowls. Four soup bowls (stacked). And a gravy boat.

I picked these up from a consignment antique shop in Hinsdale, Illinois, earlier this spring. I was visiting Chicago that weekend to see my dear sister, Rosie, and we ventured out to Hinsdale to see one of my BFFLs, Kathleen, (whose wedding I stood up in last year!) who was in town that weekend as well visiting her in-laws. Before meeting up with Kat, however, Rose and I, along with Rose's roommate Chelsea, hit up a bunch of the cute Hinsdale shops (yes, there are many).
My mom had told us about this one antique shop that we had to go to, but she couldn't remember the name. After roaming the streets (and stopping in a ton of stores), we finally found it. I am so glad we did or else I wouldn't have found these darling china pieces.

Before that day, I had never thought too seriously about [1] buying china or [2] buying red china. I always have liked blue china SO much more and typically pass by red china, thinking, "Eh, it's pretty. Too bad it's not blue." (High maintenance? haha). Perhaps it was the cold, damp, overcast weather..maybe it was the fact that I was shopping with Rose and Chelsea..but that day, the red fine china looked supa-fine indeed. It then dawned on me that it would match my current daily china.

With that, I snatched up the china and headed home! ("Home" = Rose and Chelsea's house).

{funny}

As I have mentioned around the blog before, I work at a university. The last day of classes was yesterday, thus *officially* beginning the drudge of finals. My office building neighbors the campus's main library, which means that I walk by said library twice a day (coming to work in the morning; leaving in the evening). On my morning walk this past Tuesday I saw this:

Where are the Law&Order folks when you need them?

Uuhhhh? Now, before I get ahead of myself in accessing the situation, this did occur on a college campus. As most people know, college is a time of angst-y yet hilarious (and sometimes really annoying) self-centeredness. Shenanigans abound endlessly. It's like a reversion to toddlerdom, and campus is one massive playground. The only thing markedly different is that parents aren't necessarily around to keep you in line. (unless you have helicopter parents...by I digress). Anyways. Here we are upon finals. Mix college kids with class-less days, stress, and profound sleep-deprivation, and you might have something like the above pictured on your hands! It is a bit different from what I saw during finals last semester..

Bikes: To infinity and beyond. {From Instagram}

{real}

Bad news bears! See the gravy boat above? Look a little closer:

I won't be getting much food-use out of it due to human accident. On the bright side, it's just the gravy boat. It's not like I have gravy everyday and am not at loss for how to gargle my gravy. And, what's more, I found all of the pieces when it did break so I have been able to mend it pretty well. (Although the scalding hot glue made it a little challenging to position the pieces more closely together.)

In my mind, the boat isn't entirely useless. I have grand plans (I only fixed it about a week ago) to put it on display somewhere in the house. I'll keep you updated on where it ends up!

{happy}

I saved this part for last. Because, well, the awkward thing is that I don't have any pictures to share something {happy} with you. Don't get me wrong, I actually am fairly happy with my life right now, I just can't seem to think of something that I could share with you this week. The highlight of every one's life right now is the glorious weather we have been having, but I told you all about that last week. Instead of repeating that, I will leave you with this:

And that sure is something to be happy about, isn't it?

Linking to:

Shopping for free

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 May 2013 17:01:00 +0000

What? No, I am not kidding. Psh, come on, I don't kid about this stuff. Free shopping is serious business.

While visiting Tess last weekend (as I mentioned in my last post), we struck gold at an estate sale that a local parish was holding after Sunday Mass. Estate sales are usually one of the most wonderfullous events known to mankind. This particular estate sale was even better because it was free!! Granted, it was free because it was just the sale's dregs/bottom-of-the-barrel. None the less, we found some gems.

I've often admired wall hangings that are/mimic architectural salvage pieces. But, as it seems to be my lot in decorating, I never seem to find something that I like OR that I can afford. That all changed last weekend when I found these babies:

Not only are these right up my style-alley, they were right up my price-alley, too (i.e. FREE). When no one else wanted them, I was thrilled to pick them up to bring home with me. I mean it when I say "thrilled." I felt like this inside:

GIFSoup

I was equally pumped to
find this suitcase.

Why? Because it not only rolls, but it has hidden shoulder straps, so to turn into a backpack at a moment's notice.

Whoop-there-the-straps-is!

Yippee! (I realize that most people have bags like this at approximately age five, but I was never one of those kids. So I will enjoy it now (did I mention it was free?))

The last thing I found was this cute tea cup and saucer. Such a darling, colorful pattern!

After finding these pieces, I was thinking about how to blog about them ((because, when you have a blog, all of a sudden part of the time you usually spend thinking about yourself--about 90% of your time in general, according to some statistics--is now spent thinking about how you can share the thoughts about yourself with the whole world on your blog)) and it occurred to me that, in my long hiatus from blogging, I had discovered (read "amassed") multiple other good-finds from various thrift-shop adventures. Instead of boring you with multiple blog posts, I decided it would be more efficient to bore you with one long blog post in which I share with you all my finds over the last year. Some of the finds have gone through updates (e.g. paint job), so I will try to notate where that happened.

Hold onto your butts, Folks, we are going on one (un)exciting ride.

Unscathed, lounging in the bedroom

No longer gold, but a sunny yellow in the dining room.

This piece originally was a vertical wall candelabra. I removed the part meant to hold the candle and now use it as another architectural detail.

Now hanging over the sink window

Those dishes are clean.

I found this chair at the local ReStore last summer. Some people think it's funny looking. While I agree it is different, it has a colonial vibe (see here for an example) that I like. So I bought. It came in its current finish, which I think is beautiful and I have no intention of changing it any time soon!

Chillin' in the living room

Okay, this next one is a bit cheating because Mom bought as a gift--though still from a consignment store. It is a trio of miniature flower boxes. I think these are so sweet looking. Here is an 'up-close' shot of two so you get the whole shebang of the cuteness:

As I said, it's a trio, and all three have found home in my home atop the fireplace mantle:

Next in line is this pair of...well I don't know what the right term is, but let's call them miniature wall-busts, eh?

I have hung them above my bedroom desk, along with a tiny mirror which I scored from an antique store.

This is another "Mom gift," which I received for my birthday. It is a gorgeous, intricate secretary desk made of solid wood (I wish I knew what kind but I don't, sorry!). At present I am using as a media cabinet (which explains the delicious amount of cords), but I could see it being used also to store linens and other housewares (I don't think I'll use it as a desk since I already have one.)

Last, but not least, we have this $2 porthole mirror picked up from a garage sale last summer. In this small Midwestern town of mine, it seems that garage sales are EVERY.WHERE.ALL.THE.TIME once warm weather hits. These can be found by simple going about your daily business, since signs typically are posted, as I said, everywhere. Or you can also get lucky by checking out Sir Craig and His List, under the 'garage sale' tab. (Btw, it was the former, 'old-school' drive-around method which led me to this mirror.)

True story: The Mary picture and table reflected in the mirror are also garage sale finds

The mirror (heavy thing it is!) now hangs in the family room, alongside the chair pictured above and the lamp which I refinished over a year ago:

There you have it: A quick summary of my last year in poor-man home decorating! Thrifting can be exciting and a lot of fun, but it can be work too since it can take combing through loads of crapola to uncover what's worth your love. Nevertheless, when you do find that special-something, you can't help but celebrate! So, let's hear it again from Monsieur Carlton (I admit, I just love seeing that dance).

GIFSoup

P.S.: You'll notice in that last picture that the gray chair is a new feature. It's not from a thrift shop, antique store, consignment booth, garage sale, or the side of the road. I will get to it in another post, but I think I have occupied enough of your time for one day tell of my housing adventures. Talk to you soon!

Spring is sprung {PHFR}

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 01:25:00 +0000

Today, I am linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter's {pretty, happy, funny, real} blog series. As the tag-line of the series states, the purpose is "Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life." It's a wonderful idea and I am delighted to be joining in.

{pretty}

I came home to find these beauties blossoming in the back yard. So beautiful!

Spring has sprung in this cold Midwestern town of mine! (even though we are still wearing coats...at least the landscape is looking more pleasant)

taken with the good ole iTouch.

{happy}

I spent this past weekend with one of my BFFLs Tess of Little House in Chicago fame. I had such a great time that I forgot to take a picture with her. But I did get a picture of her and her soon-to-be-husband (one month from today!).

happiness

I went to Chicago for one of her wedding showers. It was glorious to see her--and her family!--who so generously invited me into their home for a lovely weekend.

{funny}

Two weeks ago, I co-hosted a bridal shower for my roommate, Holly, who is getting married. Holly and her fiance, Johnny, are a riot, as you can see from these photos.

"Look at all this new stuff I got!"

{real}

Guess what?

Holly is getting married on the same day as Tess! And in different cities (two hours distance)! Yes, of course, I plan to attend both weddings (one in the morning, one in the afternoon/evening). I wouldn't dream of missing either wedding! Not only are these ladies (and their fiances) very dear friends of mine, I also think it's important to support the institution of traditional marriage and anyone who enters into that solemn yet joyful vocation. Marriage is a beautiful witness of Christ's love! Although the sacrament is between the spouses and God, the "rest of us" must support the married couples (and their families) on their road to sanctification. That said, I look forward to attending both weddings one month from today!

That's all for this (first) edition of my participation in {pretty, happy, funny, real}. See you next time!

Christmas in....April(!)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 21:55:00 +0000

I took these pictures when I was visiting home for Christmas in December. Since I really didn't decorate my own house since I wasn't going to be there for the blessed holiday, I had ever intention of doing a Christmas-themed house crash post as a way to celebrate the season on the good old blog. Per usual, I procrastinated it long enough to completely forget about doing it.

Last week, I uploaded pictures from my camera (for an unrelated reason) and discovered the long-forgotten Christmas photos. I had a nice laugh at my lazy/forgetful self.

I considered waiting until July to do a "Christmas in July" post. Looking at my track record, the likelihood of my remembering to do that registers around one out of 365. So you are getting the post now. In April. But, it still feels like winter in my part of the country. (We also are in the midst of the Easter season. Another significant celebration in the life of Christ, so maybe I get some points...? Whatever.)

The picture above
and below are from the living room, which is located right off the entry foyer. We feature our family's Nativity Scene / Creche atop the piano for all to see. You'll notice a few Creches through out this tour. Why? Christ's birth is at the center of the Christmas celebration (not Santa and presents, contrary to popular belief!). It's wonderful to have so many reminders of this throughout the house in the form of the many scenes of His birth. In this photo right below, you'll notice that the Baby Jesus is missing. These pictures were taken before Christmas day. Following tradition, and in Advent's spirit of joyful anticipation, we do not put out Baby Jesus until Christmas morning. On Christmas morning, we bring out Baby Jesus and boisterously sing Him "Happy Birthday!" and pray our daily Morning Offering, before any presents are opened.

One of my yearly contributions to the household Christmas decor is the hanging of all the garlands. This garland (on the front stairway) can be tricky to hang, I have yet to master a technique that will work each year.

This next shot, though fuzzy, is looking from the front foyer, past the front stairs and on into the family room (where you can see another garland). There is another Creche on the console table there.

Here we are looking into the family room.

Note the Creche on the coffee table

Family room from another angle, this time featuring our family's gallery wall (hung by yours truly a few years back!).

Sorry for the lack of focus. Clearly I was on vacation when I snapped this. Oh, and there is another Creche on the table beneath the mirror!

{Published} The most interesting person I talk to ≠ myself

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 03:31:00 +0000

I have been AWOL from this blog for a while. Just last week, I wrote an article explaining my absence; it appeared in a local newspaper.

I've read other bloggers who describe their experience going through "blog maturity" or "blog evolution" (which, as you might guess, refers to a period of re-thinking and perhaps re-inventing what your blog is). I suppose you could say that I have experienced something similar in this corner of the inter-web. I will let my article do the talking.
I have re-posted the text below or you can follow the link to the newspaper's website.

--START--

The most interesting person I talk to ≠ myself
Do you remember Margery Williams’s childhood classic, The Velveteen Rabbit? The story is about a toy rabbit—made of velveteen and stuffed with sawdust—who lived in a nursery and belonged to a little boy. The rabbit desired to become Real. He learned about “being Real” from his fellow-nursery-toy, the Skin Horse:

“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day…“Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.

“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

“Does it happen all at once..,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly…”
I used to keep a blog, chronicling my great love of DIY (“do-it-yourself”) home projects. As fun as it was, I reached a point when I started questioning how Real it really was. On the one hand, I loved having a reason (i.e. my blog) to tap into my creative side and come up with new project ideas to pursue around the house. I also loved that I could connect with people who shared a common interest (interior design and home improvement), particularly my family and friends.

On the other hand, as time went by, I observed within myself an isolating effect that blogging had. I remember a particular Saturday afternoon. I had just finished writing three posts for the upcoming week. As I wrapped things up, I was struck with the realization that I had not interacted with anyone for the entire day. And yet, as I sat writing my blog posts, I had felt as if I were being social, telling stories—which were all funny and brilliant to my own reading—to people…but no one was actually there. What hit me that day was
the realization: Blogging isn’t Real. Sure, the voice I used in my writing was the same as it would have been were I telling the story of my latest home project to my mom, my sister or my friend. Moreover, there was a very good chance that all three of them would read what I had written in the coming days as those blog posts were published.

But, when it’s all said and done, no personal interaction was going to transpire. Despite exclamation points, “LOLs,” and emoticons, the reader wouldn’t really know the excitement and the frustration I felt as I told the story of trying to pull 50,000 staples out of a chair I found on the side of the road or of figuring out how to arrange pictures on my bedroom wall. I wouldn’t witness their reactions to what I had said. I was missing out on hearing their ideas. I wouldn’t know if I had made them laugh or if I had annoyed them. I wouldn't even hear their silence. It was as if blogging was just a glorified conversation with myself.

Before I go on, I must say that social media/technology isn’t bad. It’s more of a mixed blessing. I can’t deny that I did experience certain benefits through blogging. Indeed, the practice of blogging was an impetus for a kind of self-exploration, through which I discerned certain gifts in myself that I previously hadn’t given much credit. My creativity is an asset, not just an accidental. I enrich my own life and, more importantly to me, I enrich others’ lives by my capacity towards the creative.

This second point—enriching the lives of others through my creativity—was something I learned through blogging and what ultimately led me to realize that blogging isn’t Real. In discovering that I had something to give to others, I desired to give more of myself than I had in the past. It was, I think, precisely then that I hit a metaphorical brick-wall: I couldn’t give anything to anyone through staring at a computer screen.

As I sat staring at my computer screen, an eerie, empty ickiness rose inside of me. What bothered me the most was that blogging provided an illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship. Blogging was a convenient way of acknowledging that I had something to give, but I wasn’t actually, really giving anything. The gift began to seem meaningless outside of the context of someone to give it to.

Reflecting on the story of The Velveteen Rabbit relative to my life, I saw an important lesson about being human. I want to live a life that is Real. When have I felt most Real? Without a doubt it is in the moments when I am living life right alongside of another person, especially a friend or a loved one. Even the most mundane event of ordinary life becomes infinitely more exhilarating when experienced with or for another person. There is something about the person-to-person contact with another—whether it be a family member, a friend, a colleague or a random stranger—that just makes life so much more Real.

How did I resolve this predicament that I seemed to get myself into through blog
ging? Initially, out of self-righteous annoyance at myself, I kept away from blogging in favor of making greater effort to reach out to friends more personally. I have been very surprised to find multiple people asking me why I had stopped and wondering what newest project I am up to. This is very humbling. Also very humbling is how often now friends ask for and value my input on design-related things. Where I thought my blogging might be hurting my friendships it actually, in a small way, was helping.

As the title of this column says, I am not the most interesting person I talk to; however I still have something to say. Social media can be an excellent conduit for supplementing the ties with people with whom we have previously established friendships. Yet, at least in my own case, I need to monitor myself for balance because these are not sufficient to sustain a relationship by itself. It has added a new dimension to some of my dearest friendships. And because these are some of my dearest friends I want to be sure that my keeping a blog doesn’t cause our friendship to become one-dimensional. I still blog every-so-often for the sake of my friends, but I have never again spent a day sitting alone at my computer.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI says in his last encyclical Caritas in Veritate, “in the love we receive there is always an element of surprise” (#77). One of those surprises, as the Skin Horse says in The Velveteen Rabbit, is that “when you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.” There is joy to be found in the demands of friendship with others, a joy and demand I don’t want to ever fear or shirk. I will keep blogging as long as I “don’t mind being hurt.”

--END--

So, there it is, folks. Moral of the story is that I will be trying to do a better job of checking in more frequently. Talk to you soon!

House Crashing in the Bluegrass State (part one)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 03:58:00 +0000

Hello-hello there, Sports fans! Welcome to the newest series here at MKDesign & Decor...House Crashing!

A lot of other home/D.I.Y. bloggers will have the occasional house crashing post. Seeing that I am a somewhat-dilettantish blogger, I am taking a whack at house crashing. What better way to start such a series than to show case the house "where the magic began"? That's right, folks, I am house-crashing the house where I grew up!

My love for interior design and all things homey can be definitely traced to my origins. Growing up, I always held the spot as faithful sidekick to my mom in most of the home improvement projects she took on. I just couldn't get enough of it!

Last week, I took a few days off work to visit my family. When ever I go home, I love to wander around and see what new changes or additions my dear mother has added to the family home since I was last around. You could say it is one of my (many) quirks. It's just something that I do! Although there were not any major changes discovered on this last visit, it still struck me that I wanted to share with you this bit of myself. So, sit back and enjoy a mini tour of my family's home.

As you know from my last post, the bathroom is a highly esteemed room in my book. So let's start there on this little home tour.

Now, I realized after the fact (as in, when I was upload the pictures to my computer after I returned from my visit home) that it would have been waaay classier if I had closed the toilet before taking this picture. As well as folding/hiding the hand towel that is so delicately draped over the drawer. But, alas, such a thought didn't even cross my mind. #comfortsofhomegonewrong Sorry, Mom!

Anyways, in the last six months, my mother re-painted and re-styled this bathroom, which is on the first floor of our house and the recipient of a lot of traffic. My mom painted that wall free-hand. You should be impressed. I am. You might notice in this picture and the following pictures that the patter doesn't show up on all of the walls. This was on purpose. This is a small room and Mom thought that the pattern would become very overwhelming, perhaps even dizzy-ing, if painted on all of the walls. She opted to reserve painting the fun pattern on only the opposing walls of the room. I couldn't agree more with this decision (especially considering the large mirror over the vanity).

I lack "before" pictures. But, trust me, this makeover is an improvement of divine proportions. Not that I necessarily hated the "before." It never really occurred to me to make a bathroom so darling and cute. I am in love with this new look!

Moving on from the bathroom, here is a shot (from the doorway of the previously shown bathroom no less) of the family room. Excuse me for bragging, but I crafted that gallery wall. Though I didn't plan on this being the only picture from this room, it turned out I didn't document this room from any other angle. But you can see that a similar color scheme is continued through the first floor of the house. I am pretty sure that my mom would describe her decorating style and preferences to be in the are of "English Country".

Here is the living room. Again, you will observe a consistency in Mom's decor choices. The look of Mom's style definitely has evolved over time, but I would say she has been pretty consistent in the vein of English Country/English Cottage. Trust me, I am in no way complaining. I love home! In fact, the living room is one of my favorite rooms in the house. It is so cozy. Oh, and the piano is also in the room. I spent many-an-hour at the piano in my youth. (But I failed to get a good picture of the beautiful instrument. Sorry! Better luck next time, I suppose).

The living room is right off of the foyer/front entry. I think this area was a bit of a thorn in my mother's side for some time. You don't see it here, but there is a very boring chandelier above. After living in this house for almost 15 years, I think things are looking quite nice. It helps that the living room is right off of the entry, so our guests have a loverly view as they are walking in.

View from the front door

Next up is the basement. We re-finished the basement about four years ago. It was a big to-do. Although the basement was technically "finished" when we moved in, it was nothing special to say the least. Mother schemed (in the most positive sense of the word) for years about how she would re-style the area once the majority of her eight kids were out of the destructive ages. Her patient, loving waiting paid off for sure. Don't'ya think?

I really like that lamp and table combo in the foreground

This area previously was a (very) large, double closet. With the makeover, my mom had one side converted to a reading nook slash extra guest bed (i.e. when a lot of guests come one of us kids forfeits our bed to the guest and we get to sleep in the basement book nook). The other half of the monstrous closet became a sitting booth, as you can see. It is great for family movie nights. (We call them "picnics" even though it has been a long time since we spread out a picnic set-up in front of the T.V.).

It was fairly difficult to get a good shot of the basement in such a way that did it justice. Here is the best-of-a-bad-lot of attempts to capture the book nook plus sitting booth relative to the couch area.

There are many more beautiful rooms to share with you from my family's home. However, as you might imagine, time with family is so precious that I got distracted after photographing the above rooms. Thus I didn't finish capturing the rest of the house during my stay. Thank goodness I don't live an egregious distance away, so I am able to travel back with relative frequency. Next time I spoil myself with a visit home, I promise to get the rest of the house and share it with you after the fact. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this house crashing adventure!

Bathroom Bonanza, round deux

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 02:30:00 +0000

Get excited people--We are back to talk about business going down in the bathroom! Woohoo!

Everyone has to use the bathroom, right? After the bedroom (and maybe the kitchen?), the bathroom is one of the highest-traffic rooms in your house. I am sure that there is some researcher out there who has done the work to figure out "how much of his/her life the average person spends in the bathroom."

If you are like me, you might be in the "above average" category for how much time you spend in the bathroom. I am not admitting to having a spastic colon or anything (that would be totally TMI and I am known for my attention to delicate discretion). Rather, I spend time in the bathroom to do what any girl does--getting beautiful. In this regard, the bathroom is kind of like a secondary office for a woman. It is a sacred work space.

Just like I fancy up my primary office at work, I prefer to a pretty space to get my pretty on. Last time I updated you on the bathroom, this is what was going on:

I was quite pleased with these little improvements. That was all well and good, until I stumbled across an awesome, picture-less frame at an antique warehouse.

This is the closest thing to a before picture that I have. Sorry.

It was gold. It had great details. It was super affordable. It made me think of this

{here}

and this

{here}

And this:

{here}

Okay, just kidding about that last one. At least for now.

Long story short--I think it took me about 57 seconds to decide to buy it. For the first time in my life, the hours I dedicated to Pinterest paid off and I experienced what has been called a "pinspiration."

Within 48 hours, the mirror (which I forgot to take a "before" picture of due to my excitement) was hanging in the bathroom.

Don't you love it? I do. In fact, there might have been some jump-up-and-click-my-heels-love going on after I successfully rigged the mirror to support the frame. (Again, totally forgot pictures of this process. But it was totally easy).

Here are a few close ups:

As you can tell, there are a few dings and cracks. I will get around to touching it up one of these days. For now I am still basking in the afterglow of this upgrade.

Time Tunnel

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Oh. Heeey...Three months goes by way faster (like, WAY FASTER) than I can believe. Was it really April that I last checked in with you? Geesh. That's embarrassing...

Excuse: The rent contract was up for renewal in May. Since I had a few loose ends in my life, I debated long and hard about the possibility of moving. Ultimately I decided to stay put. During the deciding period, I put all projects on "hold" for the entire month of May while I sorted through my options. What's the point of home improvement if [1] you are going to move really soon and [2] you don't have to spruce up the place for selling?

After re-signing the lease and settling in (if you can say that, it's not like I ever unsettled) for another year, I got busy with my back log of projects--only I never got around to sharing any of it with. Whoops! Now here we are in July. If I had a tail it might be between my legs at this moment. But, alas, tails were snuffed out of my species quite some time ago.

Enough of my pseudo-self-chastisement/CYAing. Let's get down to biznizz. And, yeah, I have been biznizzy (i.e. "busy" for all the non-gansta folk readers). Though I left you out of the loop, you can now expect a steady stream of "what I've been up to" posts as I catch you up to speed.

First up, the bedroom.

As you recall, I have been trying to fix up the other half of the room because it was, well, embarrassing the nice half.

I cringe looking at this picture. Something is afoul in Denmark and it is this corner of my bedroom. (For those of you who didn't get the reference, pick up the nearest copy of Bill Shakespeare's Hamlet).

The highest priority for this corner was rearranging the gallery wall(s). Over the course of the months of March, April, May, June and July (I am not exaggerating), I tried numerous times to remedy the sorry situation. Here is a photo-review of my earnest stabs in the dark. Seriously, I felt like I was in darkness...

This was my first attempt. I mapped it out on paper beforehand and was pretty excited to see how it looked up on the wall. Let's just say it was a major letdown. I had a bad taste in my mouth about the arrangement by the end of the week. Being the eternal design optimist that I am, I decided I would leave it be for a little bit and see if it grew on me.

Nope. Not a chance. In fact I got more dissatisfied with it each day I had to wake up with it staring back at me. Something had to change. I chronicled my many attempts for happiness-a-la-wall.

Psssh. No.

Nice try. Not.

Failed at failing.

Voted off the island.

I was getting pretty down about the prospect of having a half-pretty-half-embarrassing bedroom. Something had to change. I slowly had built up my stash of wall hangings, but things just weren't falling together like I had hoped.

For a while I had entertained the idea of painting the frames of the pictures white and possibly swapping out the old photos for new ones. After one too many new nail holes in my wall, I decided it was time to get down to business and simply change what I was working with. Cue the spray paint.

Boom.

Bang

BAM!

While the paint dried, I printed out some new family photos and picked up a few photo mattes at my friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart. I forgot to get close-ups of the new family snap-shots, sorry. But, trust me, my family is really good looking.

After reassembling the photos with their appointed frames and spending about and hour and a half deciding on a gallery layout, this is what I ended up with.

I am pretty happy with the outcome! I had hoped to be able to spread the pictures, etc., across the two walls. Check! I also craved some kind of continuity or unifying element that would allow the walls actually to smell something along the lines of an eclectic style, instead of the "here is a bunch of random crap I've collected over the years and slapped on the nearest wall" look.

To help create the look I was going for, I swapped the brown desk chair out for a white one that I had in another room. Not only does the white go well with the new white frames, it also is a better match for my white desk (you can see one of the desk's legs in the photos). The chair's cushion goes well with the warm, yet bright tones in some of the wall hangings as well as the color palette of the bed's quilt (not pictured, see it in an earlier post). I already had the green-black-n-white side table bookcase in the room, only you probably couldn't tell because it was always pushed off in a corner since I couldn't find a satisfactory place to put it in the room. Since I painted the table myself, I was glad to finally be able to fit it comfortably in to the room's layout.

So, there it is: A new conversation-corner-slash-reading-corner-slash-guest-quarters (the futon lays out for a very comfy sleep arrangement for overnight visitors). It's a far cry from landing on the cover of Elle Decor Magazine, but it will more than do for now. I finished up the arrangement almost three weeks ago and I am still very happy with it. A big change from the previous attempts!

Mix-n-match: Bathroom Bonanza

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:14:00 +0000

I should probably admit, right off the bat, that this post's title is a bit of an overstatement. I didn't go all crazy and redo my bathroom. I just made a few tweaks, but I think they are splenderific tweaks at that.

Until last weekend, I really hadn't put much effort into spiffying up the downstairs bathroom.

If ever were the saying, "If you snooze, you lose," true--it was true for this bathroom. And that is a fact. Although this bathroom is on the main floor of the house, I don't really use it all that much. Without going into much--if any--detail, it seems that Mother Nature calls me at home only when I am upstairs. Yet, whenever I have visited the first floor commode (whether it be to tidy things up for guests, or to figure out why the toilet is running yet again, or to check out my awesome self in the mirror), I never left that closet-of-a-room without thinking, "Ohmuhgudnizz, something has to be done to that room."

Now, despite the underwhelming state of the bathroom, I am making a very conscious effort to spend as little money as possible these days. Instead of acquiring new stuff to stave off my decorating woes, I wish to use what I have before succumbing to hoarding at my relatively young age.

I did succumb to hoarding urges, slightly, while visiting a local consignment shop. But it was only $6 (total) for two sweet pastoral landscape scenes in lovely ornate frames.

Thing One

Thing Two

Aren't those classy and elegant? I instantly fell in love and, at $3 a pop, it was $6 I happily parted with. My purchasing weakness behind me, it was back to the bathroom with my treasures. With some quick rearranging and a few extra nails, this is what I had.

Simple and not super glamorous (or even all that different, I suppose), but it does make a difference. Believe or not. I also pulled in a dried floral arrangement, previously was in the kitchen, and put it on the vanity counter.

Here is a quick before and after for you:

Again, not much, but it's a start. Maybe one of these days I'll go crazy and paint a mural on one of the walls.

But--for now--I like it.

Anybody else making small-but-still-worth-it adjustments to any rooms in your home?

My Best Friend's Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:16:00 +0000

Last weekend I had the honor and privilege to stand up in my closest friend's wedding. It was a marvelous and moving weekend. For me, having such a dear friend get married proved to be a very moving experience. I have been to a number of weddings in recent years, but this is the first one in which I was a bridesmaid. Everything was beautiful and so inspiring.

Since I was a bridesmaid, I decided not to lug my camera into the church and snap pictures through to the Mass. I am glad I made this decision, especially since it would have distracted me from [1] bridesmaid duties and [2] witnessing a beautiful sacrament. But it was somewhat of a bittersweet decision because it turned out that the church was _a.m.a.z.i.n.g_ Here is a link to the parish's website gallery. But, seriously, the pictures do zero justice.

I was able to bring my camera to the reception. It was gorgeous. So elegant. Here are the best of my pictures from the evening.

For those who love bling, here are his-and-her wedding rings (Right box) and a right hand ring (Left box)

Bridal table, centerpiece

Bridal table. Clearly we were quite thirsty.

Look at that cake!...and the dress too!

Bridal table, 2

Guest table, version one

Bridal table, again

Guest table, version two

Guest table, version three

Guest table, version four

Dessert table!

Dessert table

Fuzzy picture of ballroom and dance floor right before every started boogying

Congratulations, best wishes, and many blessings to the newlywed couple!

Lampshadapalooza

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:32:00 +0000

I have been a bit ADD with my bedroom corner remake. I have a rough plan/idea of the direction I want to take the room area. Yet, I can't seem to do (read: "finish") one thing at a time. Case in point: The multi-headed lamp I started a few weeks ago. Here is a refresher of what I started with:

Mmm, hot and dangerous!

From here, I took the lamp to something like this:

I am still working on figuring out how to better connect/unite/unify/transform the individual stems of the lamp heads. Any ideas out there??

In the meantime, I gave you a preview last week that I have finished fancying up the lampshade. So, I am here today to show you the how-to of that accomplishment.

I started out with a curtain valence that I bought on sale at Wal-Mart. It is a champagne-gold sateen fabric which is layered in tiers.

I had to do a little maneuvering/trial-and-error testing before figuring out how I was going to attach the curtain to my lampshade. Here is a picture of of the curtain simply clipped to the shade. Notice [1] it wraps about one-and-one-fourth ways around the circumference, and [2] it is twice as long as the shade's height.

To remedy the circumference issue, I took some spare fabric and laced it through the space where a curtain rod normally would be inserted.

Then I used my hot glue gun to pucker the upper ruffle of the curtain. If had not done this, the upper ruffle would have laid limply. That would have been gross.

Sorry, this apparently is the only picture I took during the hot gluing process!

After letting the glue set, I set to address the problem with the length. What first drew me to the curtain was the tier design. With the idea of a wedding dress bustle in my mind, I decided I would try to "bustle" the tiers using needle and thread. Here is a panned out picture of my work station, aka my desk.

At first I was simply sewing the fabric to itself:

but that quickly proved itself not to work as the weight of the fabric resulted in a sagging effect, where I was going more for a light-weight look.

In, out, and repeat!

To fix this, I changed my method to sewing the curtain layers right into the lampshade. By tethering the fabric right into the shade, the fabric no longer weighed itself down. Since the curtain had four tiers of fabric, the lampshade has four layers of bustle. I attached the fabric with two to three stitches per point--just enough to securely attach the fabric without leaving a bulk of thread to conceal later. If I had really planned out my attack, I probably would have measured out and marked the lines and points of attachment. Maybe I will do that next time. This time I just eye-balled it.

After a little primping and fluffing, I officially declared the lampshade a successful finish!

What do you think? Any ideas on how I can best finish off the lamp's base? I could use your helpful suggestions!