Shakin’ Up

What a flippin week, man. I’m starting to think mother nature is seriously pissed at a sister. I know that we suck for not always recycling, buying old crap with lead paint on it, and never carpooling but does our punishment have to be an earthquake and hurricane in the same week?

Since Tuesday’s quake we’ve felt 3 aftershocks in Bumpass (~10 miles from epicenter in Mineral). The worst was definitely Tuesday’s – there is something about waking up in a dark room with your whole house shaking that just scares the crap out of you. Also, what’s up with this happening in Mineral? Riddle me that Batman. Louisa has never been the center of anything and now it’s mentioned on the front page of the NY times. Yessss, we’ve made it! I wonder if our house value has gone up any? haha doubtful.

So all complaining aside, we’re so very blessed that we only lost a TV and perfect picture placement. JC was totally looking out for us!

RIP TV. Half our fault for not bolting you down. Half quakes fault for shaking you up.

So weird how far this picture moved!

Bo is traumatized for life. I can’t get him to stop eating grass now… he’s throwing in the towel.

It may take…ummm 2 seconds, but we will rebuild 🙂

How about you…any earthquake damage to share?

Shades of Gray

Do you ever get fixated on a color so much that you just want to constantly wear, paint and sleep in it? Well it has officially happened to me. I can’t get enough of the color grey. I’ve already painted two rooms BM’s “Stonington Grey” and am set to paint another very soon. I first thought the color was going to make the rooms feel smaller but they honestly feels tons bigger and so very…. neutral. Grey also pairs really well with bold colors, especially yellow. I debated making this post about grey/yellow things because I love the combo so much. My guest bedroom color scheme is grey/yellow/white and I can’t even explain how soothing and peaceful it is.

I’ve also heavily incorporated this hue into my wardrobe. While trying on a pair of TOMS in Nordstroms the other day, I was having trouble picking between the black or grey pair. Then suddenly a cute old man walks by and says “Go with the grey pair, you can wear it with anything!” Then it hit me and I thought “Yes, Mr. stranger-fashion-guru-mall-walker. You’re so right!” We get our inspiration from the strangest places… huh? PS: I’m in LOVE with TOMS. Not just because it’s the coolest business model in the world (one for one) but because they’re cute, sassy, and comfortable. It took four wears for me to claim the last part but I’m there and could totally strut my stuff for long distances in these suckers.

My accessories are also donning the shade. Found this grey bag in the picture above at Dillard’s for $25 bucks. Not sure who Kate Landry is, but she has my vote. Keep it coming sister.

Ann Taylor Loft is also pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down. I recently got the grey stripe shirt below and yes, it pairs fabulously with ummm…everything. I’m also loving this grey dress and top.

http://www.loft.com

So I’m not a big spender when it comes to bold jewelry but I totally want to be for this Stella and Dot necklace. Since “grey is the new neutral” it will go with everything right? I’ll eat, sleep, work, walk-the-dog, and exercise with it! How’s that for justifying a purchase? ☺

Isadora Pearl Bib | http://www.stelladot.com

Bottom line – grey is the new neutral. Yep… it might as well be beige or “nude” so rock it sister friends. Please drop a comment with any great grey finds. Thinking about making a board on Pinterest for it!

Hope you guys have a fab weekend. I’m off to support JD’s hobby, which will take me an entire post to explain. Long story short, I better win wife of the year if such award exists.

You’ll Have That.

I know, I know… I’m slacking. In my defense, this week’s DIY project totally, absolutely, 100% bummed me out. I spent hours working on a structured window valance for the kitchen (that Centsational Girl inspired me to make) only to realize that I was using a fabric with a vertical pattern. If it were any other pattern, I could’ve gotten over it but literally the birds in this pattern were sideways and upside down. Basically, I turned parrots into bats. As if that wasn’t enough, I then accidentally cut through the valance when trimming the liner fabric. This resulted in a horrible, no good, very bad DIY day. But as JD always says, “You’ll have that.” This saying has never ever made me feel better (or really made any sense) until now, because it’s so true. Things go wrong, fabric rips, paint drips and I often trip (yes, I just busted a rhyme.) Although it’s incredibly frustrating, messing up a project is a great way to learn and let’s just say, I learned a lot this week.

So after giving the torn valance a piece of my mind and forcefully ripping each staple out (as punishment!) I decided to take a well deserved break, which involved mimosas with girlfriends and a trip to the fabric store. LOVE these two ladies and as you can see it’s hard to be around them without having fun.

Maybe it was the awesome mood I was in after hanging with the girls or the fact that I loved my new fabric, but as soon as I got home I was ready to show this valance who was boss.

Here’s what I used:

• 1x3x8 white board (cut to the window’s dimensions)
• 3 yards of fabric (for 96″ window). I suggest using a fabric liner if your fabric is thin.
• Sewing machine
• Staple Gun
• Corner Brackets
• Screwdriver

Here’s how I did it:

Step 1
Cut the board and fabric the width of your window. Then cut the fabric your preferred length. I wanted my valance to be 15″ long.

TIP: Here’s a tip when buying wood. To ensure the board is straight, stand behind the board and hold it at an angle to look for curvatures.

Step 2
Sew a 1″ seam on all sides. The second fabric I used was pretty thick, so I skipped the liner.

Step 3
Staple the fabric to the board. I started with one of the edges and worked my way across.

Step 4
Use a screwdriver to attach the corner brackets to the board. Then bribe someone strong to install. You can totally do this yourself, but it’s much easier to get a little help for this part.

Step 5 (Optional)
If your valance isn’t even or if you want to add a little swag, use two pieces of the extra fabric to pull the fabric up. I simply stapled the fabric to the top and then used a safety pin to hold the swag in the back.


Does this bench look familiar? It should! I recently moved it from our bedroom and it now serves as a super comfy window seat. It’s starting to feel a little more nook-ish.

You likey?