Life in the Fun Lane

Mini Closet Clean Out

2012-05-26T10:16:00.001-07:00

Hey Guys, doing a mini clean out today. Since switching over to all wood hangers I've lost a lot of hanging space so I have to stay on top of editing out rarely worn items as new things come in. Hopefully you can benefit from my lack of space!

please KEEP IN MIND all sales are final, if you have any questions please ask before purchase. I have included shipping in the purchase price to any location within Canada and the US. If you wish to purchase and are outside those countries please email for shipping charges. If you want to purchase, simply click the BUY IT NOW button below the pictures of each item. THANKS so much and enjoy!

Rebecca Taylor Sweet Rose Dress. New, with tags. Purchased from ShopBop this winter, still retails there for $230 (click here). Size 0 (I'm usually a 2/4 and it fits perfectly). 100% silk.

{ $110 }

Front

Back

{ $80 }

{ $60 }

Another Weekly Lexington Update

2012-05-25T07:28:00.002-07:00

The weeks seems to be breezing past me. It's weird how some days seem so long, yet the year is just flying by. I set out to have Lexington all done the first week of June, and my team assure me it's going to happen. I was hesitant at first, but think I may believe them. Already this week things are really starting to take shape. I have learned through my own experiences that often the longest part of the job is demo and setting the ground work in place (electrical, plumbing, drywall, etc.) before the 'pretty' starts to show.

But the pretty is starting to happen (it can never happen fast enough for me, years of 1 hour shows about decorating have me craving instant gratification). Our Ikea kitchen is about 80% done. We have a custom built wine rack to install next to the dishwasher opening, back splash to install and of course we need counters.

The bedrooms will be getting flooring next week now that the new closets are almost done.

The upstairs bath room. Looked a little scary on Tuesday, but already we now have tile floors and today we will have a tub and tile installed in the the tub surround.

You may remember me saying I had a special project lined up for the stairs. I took quite some time to strip down the stairs in a little "test" section, then stain them in a drift wood grey. The overwhelming response was ??????????

I am all for stepping outside the box, but I had to keep in mind that I am not living here and it needs to appeal to buyers. So I have caved and hired a carpet installer to cover up my project.

BUT, I am not easily shot down so in an effort to make it more interesting we opened up the risers for a modern, fresh, light filled look. Here is the before:

And here it is in it's current state. I've sanded down the old paint and repainted the supports already and each stair will be wrapped in carpet now. Can't wait to see how it looks all finished and what the response is like!

And back to the topic of counter tops, I was excited to have ours all templated this week. They should be installed in about 10 days, and my heart is racing to see what they will look like! I went with granite in absolute black, but to give it a twist I went with a honed finish. I am not a huge fan of most granite, mainly because it is not as graceful to my eye as marble or soapstone with all it's speckles, but in the end it is a more durable surface. So I chose a fairly speckle free stone and then opted to have it honed so that it even further blurs any speckles.

I decided on Absolute Black granite to have a real classic pop against the white cabinets. It will tied in nicely with our grey floor, black island and and soon to be grey walls.

Some other kitchens that helped sway my decision to go dark on the counters.

Proof that you can still get a bright, light feel overall!

New England Home

tiek built homes

Peter Pennoyer Architects

Eva Quateman Interiors

cote de texas

granitegurus

stonecraftlimited

A menagerie of cats

2012-05-24T09:37:00.002-07:00

Yesterday our day started pretty early, as usual, but I had a lot of work and errands to do so Wren spent the morning with my Mom instead of being toted around with me (which saves me what seems to be at least an hours worth of buckling and unbuckling child seat straps). All parties are happier with this arrangement!

I had many stops during my travels, but one was unexpectedly to a small thrift store. I really didn't have time, and I don't really need anything but with all the chaos of Lexington I don't think I've thrifted for months. And we all know it can be a sickness, so of course I was on the brakes faster than you can say 'no way Jose'.

It was a fruitful stop, indeed! I found a pile of books by some of my favorite authors (any other Mary Stewart fans out there?), some old children's books for Wren, random bits and bobs and a good assortment of Johnson Bros english ironstone and china plates. I love when a particular older lady volunteers there because she looks at the price tags and then proceeds to tell me things are are ridiculously priced... so she makes up her own prices as she goes. She decided my pile of goodies wasn't worth a penny more than $2.30, and even with a few protestations from me that the plates are worth more than that, each. She insisted, and well, I kind of love that lady.

Oh and a pack of cats strayed into my bag as well...

White, blue, grey and cream.

I love these little old books. They probably aren't antiques or maybe even that old, but they say they were printed in Britain and the illustrations are beautifully faded and charming.

This cat, not so much on the charming side. Who knew they made toy hairless cats?

One thing I love about thrifting, especially for children, is that you can really get creative. They aren't as focused on wanting things, and can make anything fun when they see things for what they are and not a fancy package or marketing ploy. Don't get me wrong, we have a good selection of Strawberry Shortcake ladies roaming about our house, but we honestly do not buy new toys for Wren except for Christmas and her birthday. Instead I treat her to little surprises from time to time that have a little thought behind them.

Yesterday while I was out and about I was missing my little sidekick and thought to whip up a little something special before she came home. With a pack of doilies that cost pennies, a box I had laying around and some quick work on the computer using Paint to print off a label her pile of cats had a new spot to call home in about 5 minutes.

It is so suiting for her right now because she is really into the idea of 'adopting' animals. Every morning for the last week we wake up and she proceeds to 'adopt' Mungkee, usually giving him a new name for the day. He is confused over the whole thing so maybe this will give her something new to rename daily.

Sunny Days, come back... PLEASE?

2012-05-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

Wren has been LOVING the warm weather that signals the coming Summer. She is at the age where cool sprinkler water is interesting and even enjoyable.

And it sure makes clean up easy for Mom after a mid afternoon hot dog cook out.

But of course, just as soon as we share something exciting and new with her Mother Nature has to throw a wrench in everything and give us days upon days of rain.

I can't be too mad because in the last couple days everything has finally come into bloom and greened up nicely. We have a lot to accomplish in our yard this year, but I am aiming to keep it natural and not overly manicured looking. Two reasons being that I don't have the time or energy needed to maintain that sort of thing, and it just doesn't feel organic to me (doesn't that sound like such a snobby thing to say? Sorry).

I kind of like seeing what Mother Nature has in store for us, maybe just guiding it slightly instead of forcing it all.

But for now she has forced us indoors. Which gives rise to the occasional "WHY is it still raining, Mom?", but for the most part we have taken the opportunity to get cozy, bake some goodies together and spend a good deal of time cuddling up with our favorite books and movies.

There's a definitely a big silver lining to this rain cloud!

Wine Barrel Chandeliers

2012-05-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

I am not sure what exactly draws me to them so strongly, but I have had a love affair going with wine barrel chandeliers for some time now.

Ironic, since I don't drink...

They are just the perfect amount of rustic texture and generally the scale really adds a lot of interest and weight to a room. That's important when you prefer monochromatic schemes in white and grey like me.

Long before I even found Lexington, I bought a wine barrel chandelier and plopped it down in the basement knowing that soon enough I would have a project worthy of it! And now that Lexington is in full swing I am so happy I did because I scored it for $170 and I doubt I will find another at that price in my lifetime.

And Lexington will be the perfect home for it.

restoration hardware

milkandhoneyhome

cote de texas

Linda Mcdougald Design

housebeautiful

Elizabeth Newman Interior Design

Summer Wardrobe

2012-05-20T10:17:00.003-07:00

I am not sure if it a long weekend in the US as well, but us Canadians are enjoying a super fantastic holiday weekend. What am I doing to celebrate? Scraping old paint off bannisters at Lexington. Good times, good times.

But last night we took time out to party it up with some friends visiting from Connecticut for the weekend and my parents had a big party. Kids were running around, dogs were barking and a good time was had by all! Knowing that we had a little event happening this weekend, Wren and I picked up some items at the Mall a few weeks ago while grabbing the kitchen knobs for Lexington at Anthro (somehow a quick stop turns into me scouring the sale racks at H&M and Zara, at which point the whole trip turns into a day lost at the mall).

It may sound backwards, but I prefer to splurge and spend the bigger bucks on my everyday wardrobe instead of beautiful designer evening dresses. You get way more bang for your buck and really get to enjoy your splurges that way. And while there is plenty of crapola hanging around in stores like Forever21 and H&M, there is also quite a few decidedly pretty and elegant items. Ones that would take a pretty discerning eye to differentiate from high end labels. And with the sheer quantity of items you know how easy it can be to lose a day in stores like that!

So here are a few of the fun and cheap purchases I've made recently to jazz up my Summer wardrobe.

One of my "splurges" this spring was this maxi dress. I bought it at Splendid on our holiday back in March (sleeveless summer version here) and I think I've worn it at least once a week since then. It is comfy, soft, and easy to wear both to the park with Wren and to a movie at night with a girlfriend. I forgot how much easier life is with dresses...

A close up for some items from the video.

$1.50 flower chain headband (similar here)/ $5.80 suede+chain wrap bracelet/ $6.70 dream catcher necklace/ $5.80 neon+gold earrings

I LOVE the emerald color, and with some gold accessories it is perfect for a 70's greek goddess.
I couldn't find the dress online, but if you want to track it down for yourself the item number is 00038884

The cardigan (link here) was a last minute purchase, but I am glad I had it on hand because it got cool as the evening wore on. I actually didn't even take it off once.

Now get outside and enjoy the rest of your long weekend!

Your weekly Lexington update

2012-05-17T08:00:00.002-07:00

You ready to take a little drive over to Lexington? I have been hard at work there and still have paint under all my nails after working on painting the staircases (all 4 of them!) so we can get the carpets installed in the next week. My hands have also been busy swiping credit cards galore as I build up a little collection of "staging" items (by "staging" I mean things I can't wait to use in our own house once Lexington sells).

The first things I will claim are these down filled Ralph Lauren throw pillows. I got 4 to help plush up the couch and they are hands down the best $20 throw pillows EVER.

The loot after a successful shopping day (thanks for the help Kathryn!)

I cannot get over how well priced the accessories are at Urban Barn, especially on sale! This little cream cow was on sale for only $3. I need shelf filler for both a wall of shelves and the island, and this will keep the vibe fun.

These glass candle sticks are the perfect blend of traditional and glam, and ranged from $2-$3.50.

How cute are these labelled locker baskets? Great for the open storage on the kitchen island.

Weird, but true... there are no ceiling lights in the living room or bedrooms. So I've had to stock pile lamps. This one has navy linen ribbon on the shade and will pull together our navy scheme perfectly!

On to the actual progress! Remember my plan for the tile floors? The installers thought they were cool, but added a few days to the install because of the amount of cuts needed. They were kind enough to try and sway me with an alternate plan.

But they don't know how determined a girl with a good plan is! They look amazing in person and even the boys had to admit defeat after seeing the outcome. I went with a light grey grout to make it pop without feeling too stark.

We are on to the kitchen install this week. It is an exciting feeling every time I open the door because this stage seems to be moving a lot faster. The only slow down is that my installers are custom cabinet builders so no simple feet for our Ikea cabinets, instead they are custom building bases to accomodate our lower than average window as well as doing crown and baseboards on the cabinets for a custom look.

Here is my plan for the kitchen, a simple, clean, modern space with a country twist. Basically, somewhere I would want to live, but something that also has to appeal to almost anyone!

1. Lowes Tile, $3/ft / 2. Ikea Otava pendants, $49 each / 3. white subway tile with light grey grout, $0.30 each / 4. free standing black island, $399 Totem Building Supplies / 5. Martha Stewart WhetStone Grey paint / 6. Anthropologie Solar Stamp Knob, $2.95 / 7. Ikea Domsjo double bowl sink, $399 / 8. Ikea Adel Off-White Cabinets

About Me

2012-05-15T21:46:00.003-07:00

I have tunnel vision today guys. I spent a good portion of the afternoon finally getting our About Us page up and running... anddddd a majority of the time spent was going back through my archives, updating posts with the appropriate labels (sorry if some old posts popped up in your blog reader, I tried to keep it from doing that but I think a few snuck through). Sounds like a weird OCD thing, right? you are probably right. But I am also working on getting all the DIY and RENO pages updated and that is a big chunk of the work needed to get those up to snuff (what does that really even mean? I think it'll be the last time I use that saying...).

One thing I didn't include in the About Us page is something I've been struggling with lately. I didn't really want to talk about it on the blog, mainly because I'm not one to complain, specially publicly, but I felt maybe others can relate and offer some personal input.

You may recall a Caprese Salad I shared with you guys back in January. I was darn near obsessed with it, eating it a couple times a week for lunch, but after the first week I started to notice I had stomach cramps afterwards. I didn't even really think about it, but after the second or third time I decided that the Balsamic vinegar must be giving me indigestion so I decided to cut the salad for a while. On and off for a month I had small cramping after certain meals, etc. but really didn't find it overwhelming or anything serious.

Fast forward until our second or third day of holiday back at the start of March when I ordered a breakfast burrito and about an hour later while we were out shopping I found myself unable to continue a conversation due to lack of breath. I immediately knew something wasn't right and told Sean to take us home. I laid in bed for about 3 hours with shortness of breath and knife like cramping in my stomach. It almost felt like asthma, but I don't have asthma. I took some tums, but no improvement led me to believe it wasn't indigestion like I originally thought. After recovering over the evening I shrugged it off and decided to carry on. Everything was fine until 2 days later when I ate half a slice of tomato at dinner and yet again felt like I could not breathe and was doubled over in pain.

FINALLY it clicked: the tomatoes were doing it. Within the course of only a few more weeks I could no longer even enjoy a teaspoon of ketchup at breakfast without feeling the side effects and somehow have the same response to potatoes and potato based foods. YEAH I know, no chips, no fries, is life worth living???

So anyways, I tried to keep it short and simple and failed, but after living 28 years without an allergy I have a full blown life threatening allergy to Night Shade plants (Tomato, Potato and Tobacco and the most common). I now tote an epi pen and benedryl everywhere like my life depended on it... oh wait it does. How bizarre is that? I have really been struggling lately because until you cannot have a tomato or potato you really don't realize that THEY ARE IN EVERYTHING. It has been a blessing in that my food choices are really limited to more healthy options and that we cook at home nearly every night {I don't trust eating out after a few bad incidents} so our bank account is happy with that.

If anyone else out there has dealt with this or any food allergy let's all drown our sorrows together and share some meal ideas because my same 4 meals are really getting played out!

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the FINALLY updated About Us page right up top.

Fresh Paint in the Master

2012-05-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

No, not on the walls (I still love our silver paisley wall paper, which might be a record for the oldest thing in our bedroom!), but on a few furniture items. Mainly this dresser and a mirror.

I still want to eventually find a lower dresser for that side, but for a short term solution I repainted it to coordinate a lot better.

You are probably asking yourself one of two questions:

Doesn't that look familiar?

I don't even know what the dresser looked like originally, so who cares?

Originally I brought the dresser home for $15 but got a lot of old peach and gold paint and my thumb sliced open in the bargain (long story, but I can tell you I now have an extreme distrust of bungee ties)

My original makeover was a cool grey paint with the Brockhampton knobs from Anthro. It looked great, but was too much grey for our new white/cream/navy scheme.

A bright white paint and a semi gloss finish makes it feel clean and sophisticated now. A much better fit for the space.

The brockhampton knobs were super cool before, but with a little playing I figured out how to open them up and change out the fabric.

I actually just covered over the plaid with this canvas so that down the line I can go back to the original fabric if I like.

I also painted a new oversized mirror. It was a WAYYY bigger job than the dresser because I always completely remove mirrors from their frames. Just taping and then painting is fine sometimes, but you may notice that when you look at a mirror you can see a bit of the back of the frame reflecting along all the edges so I think it is important to paint the back as well for the best finished product. And let me tell you, this mirror weighs the equivalent of a hippo!

The mirror is actually one of 7 I brought home from an Ethan Allen auction I went to a few weeks ago when they moved to a new location. I was the only bidder and got them for $10! I think I'll put one in the living room at Lexington as well, and you'll love some of the other treasures I bought for it at the auction (which have some how settled in other rooms of our house, funny how that happens).

I painted it Wheat Bread which I think was from CIL. A nice blend between beige and grey, and it ties in well with the map on our dresser without being too matchy.

The sheer height and scale of it really ups the glam factor.

Two other Lexington purchases that have gotten awfully comfy here are these Urban Barn orchids. I got them the weekend all accessories were an extra 50% off so they were only $16 for both. Can you tell I like to arrange things in couples?

I am really happy with how things have been transforming in here since the start of the year. It is kind of feeling more and more like the calm and soothing hotel suite I never want to leave on a good holiday!

When I get the funny face I know I'm doing something right, so that's a prize unto itself!

If you have been working on a transformation as well please link me in the comments!

May Candle of the Month

2012-05-14T07:57:00.003-07:00

Truer words have never been spoken.

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go"

-Oscar Wilde

I saw this candle at Urban Barn about a week ago with a girlfriend and I knew it would be my candle of the month. It is a really great soy candle with a soft vanilla scent that doesn't overpower the room. And wise words always make me feel witty. It doesn't list a burn time but so far I've gotten about 30 hours out of it and I would say that I have at least 20 more so 50 in total. And the price tag was insane at $10, on sale for $4.50 (that weekend they took an additional 50% off the sale price too! so keep your eyes peeled for their sales). But even the full price was not bad and I will definitely be buying another candle there because as this one has gotten lower it doesn't give off any soot causing those ugly black marks inside the candle, it still looks brand new.

Hopefully I'm not the one causing happiness whenever I go! Either way, I like that he gives a positive spin to a bad situation so even if you are the person nobody likes you can still bring a little sunshine with your exit.

'Glass half full' people definitely make the world a better place.

Happy Monday friends!

Flower Power

2012-05-10T08:05:00.003-07:00

My Mom wanted to do some succulent planters of her own so we had a little afternoon crafting session this week. Not to be one left on the side line, I picked up some faux orchids this past weekend while out shopping with a girlfriend. I really think that succulents and orchids are the 2 easiest plants to get away with going the faux route. Gotta love not worrying about who's gonna water your plants when you're on holiday!

I decided to spiffy up my "trophies".

Mid afternoon crafting at Mom's.

I also did a mini project with the yellow bucket you (will see it in a post next week involving our laundry room which I've given a mini update to), but I thought that the trophies needed a little something to add some height to our kitchen.

One of my Mom's mini succulent urns.

She has been working on updating her kitchen seating area and once I finish a dining room table for her I'll give you all the details. It is looking really cute!

The trophies are real winners now! I did one big stem in the white one (found for $6.99 at Home Sense) and another smaller white stem ($7) in the silver trophy. The smaller one had 3 branches so I trimmed it down to look like 2 growing out of the dirt. The base plant for the bigger one was something I picked up years ago for another planter at Chintz & Co. (I think it was about $6)

The trophies also came from HomeSense a few weeks ago. They were each $16, a far cry from the cost of real antique versions!

I didn't realize how much impact the height would have on the whole visual in the kitchen but it is simply amazing! I may have to lend them to lexington for a little while for the mantle because I could really see them looking stunning in there with the 12 ft ceilings.

What kinds of projects have been keeping you busy? I am always looking for a good time killer LOL.

Beauty Product Reviews

2012-05-08T13:58:00.003-07:00

YAY! I finally got Youtube to cooperate (I am really, truly computer challenged guys). I thought I would save myself some typing but actually caused a lot of extra work and heartache in the end so I hope you like it. Maybe someday soon I'll have some mad editing skills and create little cinematic masterpieces, but for now let's just chat about some of my recent beauty experiences.

In the event the embedded video doesn't work, here is the link.

Here is the close up of all the products I "like" (some are down right loved) for anyone interested. And be sure to let me know if you have any questions about the products!

Love, Peace and Tanning lotion my friends.

And we're BACKkkkkk.

2012-05-06T22:36:00.000-07:00

Sean got our router back up and working! Let's slow golf clap for him everyone.

While my laptop might have been well rested over the past week my camera has been getting quite a work out. And my video camera, it has been causing me all kinds of problems but I promise I have a video ready and waiting to share as soon as Youtube and me can get along...

I sold our dining room table a few weeks back (Hope you're loving it Alex!) and have been WAYYY too busy to paint lately, mainly since I've been shopping till I drop at Lexington, and then painting there till I drop. But Wren is definitely her mother's daughter because not only has she been redecorating for me, but she has set up her own little homestead that she has been decking out quite nicely. Fun times are had by all and I am really questioning if we even need a dining table going forward??

When she puts her baby to bed (aka throws her on a chair, you can tell we haven't put a lot of emphasis on how delicate babies are around here) she gives many an impromptu dance recital. Mung kee is not easily impressed and can rarely be woken up to view such trivial events. I think she'll enjoy dance class in the near future but based on her moves maybe we'll try the interpretive dance class versus jazz or tap.

On a different topic, I've been trying to break out of my winter wardrobe routine. I'll admit that Spring has been wet and hardly cooperative with allowing spring dresses yet. But I will be ready when the day comes!

A good outfit for errands since comfy footwear is a must when you are usually toting a 40 pound bundle/baby half the time.

J. Crew sweater, RT dress, Icing by Claire's boots.

Theory tank, Ya-Ya sweater, Joe's jeans, Stella and Dot CoCo necklace.

When I bought these boots last Summer I wasn't sure if I'd get much wear out of them, but they are may favorite shoe purchase in the last few years! Well worth it, even if they aren't everyday type of boots.

Anthropologie hat, Theory top and leggings, RT poncho, Joe's Jeans boots.

I had about 3 other outfits to add to this post, but as soon as I uploaded them I realized they were completely out of focus. And I'd rather not end a post leaving you feeling like making an appointment with your eye doctor. Tomorrow (monday), I'm off to Ikea AGAIN to pick up another out of stock cabinet. I never thought I'd see the day I dreaded going there but it has arrive people!

au revior!

2012-05-01T08:12:00.001-07:00

Hey guys! So the Internet is down at our little abode and my only access to the Internet is my phone, which equals blog posts with no pictures... I am hoping it will be up again in the next day or so. But in the meantime it is good for the progress both at Lexington and home to have minimal distractions. Sorry if none of this makes sense, blogging and shopping don't really go hand in hand and I just picked up a super cheap but amazing island for the kitchen! Have a sunny day y'all!

Let's head over to Lexington

2012-04-26T14:10:00.001-07:00

Wow, it is hard to believe my guys have only been working on Lexington since last Wednesday! We shaved a few days off our time frame since they finished the demo 3 days early. This was the progress as of Monday morning and since then things have been going at a fantastic pace (they are laying tile floors right now).

Dining room.

I LOVE the kitchen now that it is open. I think this is the single biggest change and really adds light to the whole main level.

One of the 4 staircases. I have a REALLY cool idea for dealing with the stairs on a tight budget and I am starting on them this weekend (this way I am out of the boys' way LOL).

Up stairs hallway.

Master bedroom now that the wall is out. A lot of you had great suggestions with trying a pocket door in here but in the end it just wasn't in the budget so we are going to go ahead and drywall it up. The secondary reason this is the best option is that the door in the bath room is currently hung backwards to accommodate the old opening but this way we can hang it on the right side which will show off our pretty new tub tile much better. Not ideal, but one of the tough choices we've had to make.

I ordered all our cabinets from Ikea and am blown away by the price! A whole kitchen for less than $3000!!! The only reason I am confident that this will be a good choice is because my contractor is actually formerly a custom cabinet builder. He knows all the tricks to make it right and look custom, things like custom building proper bases instead of using the feet they sell at Ikea, etc. I am really excited to see how he brings it all together after seeing his last few client spaces. I wish I could give more input on how hard/easy the ordering was but he literally designed and itemized the whole kitchen, I just had to pay for it.

But even with a pro I've had my own changes to make LOL.

No cabinet over the range for lexington! I prefer a nice chimney hood for an industrial touch.

From the moment I started looking for a house last January I cataloged image after image of finishes and products I want to try. I think little variations on the norm will be what sets Lexington apart from other houses for sale in our city.

The dining room/kitchen level has been tiled already and I went with a beautiful chevron pattern like this.

I wanted to translate it into our wood floors as well but that was PRICEY! So we stuck with the tile for now. A lot of cuts, and a bit more waste, but even the installers were blown away by how great it looks!

So what flooring materials did we use? I found super cheap 12x24 tile from Lowe's that runs only $3/sqft and a beautifully worn/aged laminate for the upper level and living room that my contractor scored for only $1.80/sqft. I love the way these materials look together and with some chunky, cream baseboards they will look amazing (I hope!).

I can't wait to get started on the stairs tomorrow and show you what I have in mind.

To dye for

2012-04-24T12:42:00.002-07:00

Yesterday Wren and I had to head over to Ikea for some Lexington related supplies (the kitchen cabinets are all Ikea) and I picked up an extra Euro sham to get the outstanding items finished in our bedroom. I also picked up a king sized white fitted sheet in the as-is area for $10.

Then we headed to Michael's to grab some fabric dye to make our own custom blue bedding. I didn't see a shade of blue I loved so we picked up both teal and royal blue ($4.99 each, minus 20% with a coupon) so I could blend until I liked the color. The instructions said to use table salt as well, but I did not follow the directions as per the package when it came time to mix the water and dye. The reason was that I did not want a really really strong, overly saturated color. Just a soft hit.

So after adding some dye to the water, mixing it really well and testing on a fabric swatch I liked the tone I came up with.

Time to dunk the sheet! It needed to be stir constantly for about 15 minutes to get a good even color, then I let it sit for 10 more.

One sheet done, and then it was time to do a couple pillow cases I already had at home as well as a white bed skirt I had (which I originally got at Ikea as well for only $16, so if you don't have one and want to try this it is a pretty minimal purchase).

After rinsing them and then throwing it all in the wash machine it was time to see how it all looked. It is rainy and gloomy here today, so the color looks kind of washed out, but I adore the finished product!

The reason I wanted to try dying my own is to achieve a more worn in, faded blue over a new, crisp blue. Next to the linen headboard the ruffle shams are the perfect amount of floppy, comfy blue.

The dresser still needs a fresh coat of white paint, but I swapped out my free, road side mirror for something a little chunkier with this canvas map. I think it adds just the right amount of masculinity to the old dresser.

Now that I've attempted dying fabric at home I think I will definitely be putting this stuff to use again in the future with throw pillows or slipcovers.

Have you tried fabric dye? what did you dye??

Here I Indi-go

2012-04-23T08:56:00.002-07:00

I have always been a blue girl. Of all colors, blue seems to always be the one I am most drawn to, however it is usually in shades of faded, beach blues, robin's egg blue and other fairly happy shades. But a few weeks ago I opened the new Restoration Hardware source book and was totally smitten with their take on indigo. I kind of wondered why I'd never explored much with it, except that at first glance it is awfully dramatic and pretty much the furthest thing from white!

But I was in love! And when I saw these 2 linen chairs on clearance at HomeSense for $140 I decided maybe I should give indigo a go. They are going into the living room at Lexington, but I have plans to bring them into our dining room later (we still need a table after someone bought my last one, and I want to go BIG so I need more seating!).

But even before these chairs fell into my possession I was taking the indigo road in our bedroom. I had my eyes on a beautiful ombre bedding set at Anthro last year but missed the boat when it went on sale. I didn't think much of it until I saw this Ralph Lauren set. It actually appeals to me more because it mixes structure and clean lines with lots of white still.

The duvet retailed for $370 but I snagged it on clearance for $50. I brought it home, threw it on my bed and loved it, but also felt like it was missing something so I decided to implement a 2 step plan. The first step was to track down some new shams.

I went back to the store and found these shams on clearance for $10

Which definitely helped pull it together, but I still have another step in my plan. I need another Euro sham ($16, from Ikea), but I also have a fun project I'll be giving a go this week I can't wait to share.

I am thinking of repainting the dresser as well, since the grey is a little murky next to our headboard, and I scooped up a pile of amazing mirrors at an Ethan Allen auction this weekend I will be giving a makeover for both Lexington and our bedroom. So in short, I have a lot of work ahead of me and not a lot of time for laying out on my new bedding with a good book

Happy voting to all my fellow Albertans!

April Candle of the Month

2012-04-20T06:30:00.002-07:00

I don't know if it is the crisp Spring air, but something has sent me into a bit of a preppy mentality lately. Not in the clothing department so much as in the home decor department. I don't even know if it can be described as preppy just based on color, but a deep indigo has stolen my heart!

And nothing really says preppy like Ralph Lauren, right? I have been LOVING his home products lately (you'll see exactly what I mean in my next post), specifically his fragrances. The diffuser I shared yesterday is super fragrant and was only $7 at Marshalls... and while looking for a gift last week I saw this candle in the clearance section at Winners.

Alpine Coast is a really interesting mix of gingerbread, orange and nutmeg. Sounds like a holiday confection, but interestingly I didn't originally recognize the gingerbread until I went back and read the box and now I totally smell that note as I keep it burning. Yet it isn't too food-smelling, just a little spicy with a fruity base.

On another note (fragrance pun intended!), I HAVE to share my absolute least exciting but best recent purchase! I picked up this LARGE cutting board from William-Sonoma and it has literally changed my life. If you have counters you don't directly cut or prepare food on you will fall in love with this thing. It is 18 inches long by 24 inches wide and I can finally fit all my ingredients on the board while also preparing the food! Plus it looks super hefty and cool on the counter. Seriously check this thing out!

The cutting board was a splurge, but my martini shaker was a super save at only $2.50! It was buried beneath a dirty old pile of bent and broken floral stems at a TJ Maxx, proving you need to get your hands a little dirty to get the deal sometimes.

Good Girl Gone Mad

2012-04-18T19:40:00.002-07:00

Not mad as in angry but used more in the insane context. When we were on our month long sojourn I made it my mission to load up on as many items for staging Lexington as humanly possible. We drove down in Sean's massive SUV but even that kind of cargo space causes major limitations for shopaholics like me (and my Mom). Before we left to head home I was required by space limitations to actually return a dining room table and a large piece of canvas art.

Never the less, I did get ALOT home. Enough to fill many many posts. But I'll save some of it for later. Not at all shocking is that most of it has been incorporated into our own house instead of patiently housing it in the basement until the dust has settled at Lexington...

I scooped up 2 of these oddly industrial/modern/textural metal lamps. The square linen shade had me at Hello! They were super scores at TJ Maxx for $29 each. I can't wait to place these in the master suite, but one will grace my living room till then.

The set of 3 reproduction pottery items also came home with me. I found them at local furniture store Mathis Brothers on clearance for $8-$10 each. After combing through so many amazing furniture stores I realized that I tend to focus on smaller items, so I've made a very concerted effort to expand my scale and look for bigger groupings/items.

Also from the clearance aisle in TJ Maxx, these greige ceramic urns rang up at only $4 a pop so I brought 'em both home.

Sean was the mastermind behind the pretty Spring blooms. Well played Mr. Baker, well played!

I can't remember if I shared my cute little tray table before we left? I found it on clearance as well for $25 at Home Sense and it is the perfect touch of texture for the corner in here. I also relocated the shiny chrome lamp from our front door in here so it picks up the nickel sconces.

The rope jars (which I believe may also function as taper holders) came from Home Goods, but I later saw them again at Cost Plus at a nearly identical price. The Ralph Lauren reed set is scented in Desert Sand and I am OBSESSED. I forgot about it a week after I set it out and spent a good half hour tracing the cologne scent I was smelling while watching TV... and to think I'm not a natural blonde.

One of my only purchases since arriving back home, these teal striped pillows which came from my beloved SuperStore on clearance for $3 each. I bought 6 in total for the sectional and our kitchen seating area as well. Makes Wren's cozy TV time that much cozier by the looks of things, and I didn't even realized she color coordinated herself to them until just now. Funny girl.

Succumbing to Succulents

2012-04-17T19:56:00.003-07:00

I was in Restoration Hardware just last week when I spied these glorious succulent urns. I loved them, was ready to take one home...

The only problem is that they ranged from $180-$250. Holy plants batman, that's pricey!!

I figured why couldn't I make my own? Specially because succulents are the most realistic fake plants out there.

I tracked down some nearly identical succulents to the RH version and even counted out how many they had in their display to get the same effect. The faux plants ranged from $4-$5 each at Chintz & Co. and I picked up 9 to play around with. I also needed some dry floral foam and 2 different kinds of moss to get more of a natural, uneven look. The planter I had already, but I picked it up about 2 years ago for only $10 at HomeSense so the entire project came in under $50.

I packed in the foam first. Don't worry, if you want to try one as well it doesn't need to cover the entire area.

Next, Wren and I had a messy but fun time gluing in the moss. If you want to just use one variety that would look just as good, but I thought I would go for the more is more technique here.

I wanted it to look slightly like a mound of moss, not entirely flat.

After playing around for a few minutes I settled on a simple, not too full look.

Not bad for a fraction of the cost!!

And the best part is that I had more than enough to a second planter with another container I had laying around!

So 2 arrangements for $50... sure as heck beats the wallet emptying alternative at RH!

(specially because I empty my wallet there plenty enough as it is)

Welcome to Lexington

2012-04-17T07:44:00.002-07:00

I am SOOOOOO excited to be sharing this adventure with you guys FINALLY! I have hinted at my plans to do something big since before christmas, but didn't want to bore you with all the pre-purchase details. I hooked up with a fabulous local realtor and she totally understood my vision for what I was looking for and where I wanted to go with it. I originally wanted to start small, with something around 500 or 600 square feet so I didn't feel overwhelmed. But she found me this really cool townhouse and after I did a brief tour I was sold!

You may be wondering about WhiteBerry and the truth is that I am still busy, working away at it but primarily dedicating myself to working on custom pieces for clients versus finding my own and selling them. I still believe in it and think it is pretty much the ideal job for a young mom looking to work at her own pace, in her own home. But as much as I love painting furniture, my true passion has always lied at the end of the process. Staging furniture, taking photos... and it was ALWAYS more than furniture for me. It was about creating a room, a look, a life style. So I thought long and hard about it and decided it was time to take my talents to a new place. New challenges, new experiences and learning new skills. I want to approach every house I work on like my own, focusing on details and going for a look that isn't as common here. No, we are not quite finished our own house... but a bigger pay cheque will help facilitate some of these final renos!

We purchased the house in foreclosure, but the owner had rented it out so our first week of work was strictly cleaning out all the trash and furniture they left behind. I got the keys the week after we got home so just two weeks ago. And in that time we've also sourced all our materials, exluding a handful of items. The house itself is very cool, and is almost like an old brownstone. It is 3 stories tall and has a lot of character. Let's start our tour, shall we?

Welcome to the deceptively nice kitchen. The reality? Most of the cupboards were broken or damaged by poor install (can you see which ones are mismatched?). The granite is not only hideous in color, but also badly cut and installed. so it is all coming out and we are starting from scratch!

This cut out and wall will be entirely removed and I think an island would be much better suited to the room.

The door on the far left is our powder room.

And it looks like this right now. The scary part is the vanity which I couldn't really get a good shot of, but it was so poorly installed that they didn't realize the door jamb would block a couple drawers from opening so it is basically useless. Full gut for this room.

This is a view of the kitchen/dining room from the bottom of the stairs leading up to the bedrooms.

The living room is my favorite room. It has super high ceilings, beautiful trimwork (who masks that by painting it the same color as the walls????) and opens up to the patio/yard. I didn't load the right photo, but it also has a stair case down to the front door/garage.

Here is the staircase situation. Budget restrictions are going to require leaving the old railings but they'll get a full makeover.

Up we go!

The upstairs landing is actually really spacious, you just can't see it with all this junk in the way.

Door to the master, let's go in!

it is a good sized master with lots of light.

We will be closing up the doorway to the bathroom (which can also be accessed in the hallway) and taking down that little dividing wall to open up the room.

This bathroom was such a disaster I could hardly bring myself to take a photo. Maybe the last owners were vampires, no mirror and sheets covering all windows make me wonder...

Bedroom number 2.

All the closets are getting full makeovers.

And last but not least, bedroom number 3.

Also getting a closet makeover.

So that is the general layout and look of the house as I bought it. I am super duper excited to show you what finishes and materials I have settled on, and I am even more excited because my crew will be starting demo today, ripping out all the floors, kitchen and bathrooms! I hope to have it all done by the beginning of June so it will be quite a ride until then and I'm going to need some input and help from you.

Happy Spring!

2012-04-15T17:45:00.002-07:00

HELLO Dear readers and friends! I owe you an overdue apology for the last few weeks that have been awfully blank here in blog land. I am not one for feeling like I need to apologize for not blogging, specially because I tend to think of my blog more like my stream of consciousness or a diary than anything else, but over a month without stopping by is definitely extreme. And after being stopped numerous times this week by readers while I was out and about I felt pretty bad about it!

So why exactly have I been absent? I'll start with all of March. We had some very important meetings...

Some very important engagements...

Going around to all our favorite places. We took a full month to spend some quality family time relaxing in Southern California. And common sense told me that it probably

wasn't the smartest idea to broadcast such an extended holiday online, even if we took all the proper precautions back home.

Specially because we brought our extremely terrifying guard dog along.

It was truly a holiday unlike any other, filled with lots of memories and moments that we will cherish for a long time.

We arrived back home at the start of April, and have been getting settled into daily life again.

You may remember that I mentioned I was going to be working on some interesting and fun projects this Spring and that is exactly what I have been doing since we walk back through our front door. The last two weeks have been a roller coaster of excitement and anticipation as I venture down a new path that I am going to be bringing you all along on. What can I possibly doing that demands so much time? I am thrilled to share the beginning of everything tomorrow but the long and short of it is that I have bought an adorable little townhouse that I am renovating from top to bottom. It was time that I took my flipping from furniture to something a little bigger.

or maybe a lot bigger LOL.

I can't wait to take you along on this trip

Looking for the Sun Shine

2012-03-01T10:42:00.002-08:00

We have had an extremely amazing winter way up here in cold North. By last week I had started bringing out some of my spring clothes, eager for the days of dresses and light weight sweaters. Sometimes it is hard to get excited about clothes here in the winter because when you go out you are always bundled up so there is hardly any point...

Then last weekend we had the snowstorm of the year. Just in time to dash my Spring hopes and throw me back into the drudges of Winter. But before the snow returned I managed to snap a couple outfit shots, in hopes of doing a clothing post before I unexpectedly became head nurse of our home bound hospital (which I have been a patient of myself the last couple days, that is one NASTY stomach flu!!).

Here are a couple of my favorite combos lately, really girly mixed with boyfriend-style pieces.

I purchased this Rebecca Taylor eyelet dress (which is actually strapless, so I can't wait to wear all summer) on ebay for $30 and paired it with a nautical sweater from Rebecca's winter 2011 collection. Winter is the time to scour ebay for summer deals, specially on designer item that would otherwise cost hundreds of dollars! Since it wasn't all that hot out I added some gap leggings and some Hush Puppy riding boots.

I was in a badass ballerina mood this day (although I admit I had a major fail on pulling off a rebel glare LOL). I have been dying for a cool motorcycle jacket to pair with some of my girly skirts and dresses, and I found this one a couple weeks ago at Forever 21 for under $40! A slouchy tee from American Apparel is one of my basic wardrobe necessities, I think I have 3 different shades of grey and about 4 other colors because it is the comfiest shirt ever. Skirt from Club Monaco and flats from Superstore.

While hunting for a motorcycle jacket I picked up this little cropped blazer at H&M on clearance for $15. It isn't too noticeable in the picture but there is a ruffled edge all along the hem that adds a feminine touch. Drawstring Rachel Pally tunic, Juicy Couture jeans and boots. Oh and I can't forget my giant whippy cake headband, LOVE it for a hit of color!

Now make me totally jealous and tell me you all have Spring knocking on your door!

Josephine Chair and a Candle of the Month

2012-02-27T17:43:00.003-08:00

When it rains it pours at our house! Our little Mungkee is on the mend, despite the set back of developing a tumor in one of his front paws. It must be uncomfortable for him because he has a distinctive limp, but the vet says there isn't much for us to do to help it at this stage. But I've not only been caring for a mildly handicapped dog, since Wren came down with a very upsetting stomach flu last night at 2 am. I am writing on empty tonight (or running, I guess but I'm too lazy to hit the backspace button) because it has been not stop laundry and mopping up since then. Mom's who've been here know how unglamorous my day was. Those who haven't please say a prayer of thanks tonight!

I would most definitely rather be sick myself than feeling helpless watching her feel so miserable.

Before this minor set back happened at 2 am, I was having one amazing day! I had a fun day of auctioning with 2 of my Aunts and I am certain that I purchased one of my best auctions finds EVER.

We were laughing and enjoying ourselves when the auctioneer moved on to a chair and ottoman set. I hadn't seen it sitting there from the back of the room, but once they lifted it up I saw that it was a cute little set covered in identical linen to our new headboard.

Not ONE person wanted this little set and when I threw my paddle up at $45 it was mine ALL MINE!

I nearly had a spasm of excitement as I flipped over the ottoman and saw the label!

Thank God for Iphones because I found the chair online immediately and discovered that my $45 chair and ottoman retail for $1500... and to think not ONE other person even liked it enough to bid at that price? Crazy people, hey!

I have to shed a tear of sadness for the poor soul who will learn their $1500, brand new chair sold for such a measly sum. But then I will scream from the mountain tops with happiness that I scored such a cool find for and insane price. I think it will reside in our office for a little while until I can decide how to potentially incorporate it into our bedroom or some future project.

Only a few bucks less than our favorite new chair, this Voluspa candle is my LOOOOONG overdue Candle of the Month (click on the tag at the bottom of this post for my past picks!). I used a holiday gift card from Anthro to bring it home a couple weeks back. It retails for $38 at Anthro (may be cheaper at other retailers or online), and it is a pretty good value even at that price because this little jar offers 100 hours of burn time which is easily one of the highest I've seen. I've had it going non stop and it is only 1/3 used. The scent is called French Cade Lavender but I would describe it as a musky, masculine take on lavender. It is almost parfume-like and the scent is very neutral. I don't think it is as potent as some other Voluspa candles I've loved but the scent is soft and does travel around the house nicely when lit.

Plus, I love the jar and will easily find something to use if for once the candle is long gone~

What candles have you been loving??

Put a Hex on me

2012-02-24T11:21:00.003-08:00

One remnant from our old kitchen was really a thorn in my side for the last few months; this dirty old lamp. The problem was that I really didn't see anything I thought a) suited the kitchen, and b) matched or somewhat coordinated with our hanging pendant over the peninsula.

I had thought about the hexagonal pendants from Restoration Hardware because they were the same aged bronze (nearly black) finish while most others that appealed to me had chrome finishes, and I liked their neat lines, but I just couldn't pull the trigger on the price.

But a few weeks ago I was out shopping with a girl friend when we found this box in a corner at HomeSense. It was a perfect replica, and the price was insanely good at $79 so I thought I would bring it home to see how I liked it in person.

Being the sweet guy he is, Sean held it up while I debated on how I felt. But without any other contenders on the horizon we decided to go ahead and give it a chance. After living with it a few weeks I can honestly say that it is the perfect fit for our fun/industrial vibe. I still need to track down a cool filament bulb, but I just had to share!

It is a perfect match in color to the light fixture only feet away, which was my biggest concern.

It is strange that I hadn't even thought about it before, but it actually makes so much sense visually because the room is hexagonal, so the light fixture (and antique table) really play up the odd shape really well.

Now I just need to finish these darn slipcovers!!

What do you think, crazy, cool or undecided?