Welcome to my blog!

This is my blog to created to share my decorating ideas. I'm no expert, so some creations may be my amateur version of experts'. I created this to help inspire other people like me who have big ideas and little know-how. This is to encourage you to believe that you can do whatever you dream of.

I also share about my life as a redhead with a lot of opinions, my experiences as a twenty-something year old nearing thirty, and the whole crazy wedding planning process for my fiance and me.


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Bridesmaids Packages

I wanted to come up with a fun way to ask my girls to be my bridesmaids. I had initially planned on sending each girl a sugar cookie decorated with icing like a bridesmaids dress with a cute little card that says "will you be my bridesmaid?" Well, after receiving a bridesmaids package very similar to this, I knew I had to do something different. I got this idea from Pinterest to do a chain of paper dolls. Here are the bridesmaids invitations that can be found on Pinterest.


I wanted to put a little more work into the details and make each girl unique- just like they are in real life! Our wedding colors are taupe and champagne, which already made more work for me. These colors are not easy to find! Since my plan for my bridesmaids' dresses is for each girl to wear a different dress, I wanted to make each dress a little different too. My mom and aunt helped with the design of the dresses and the paper used for the dresses. The most challenging part was the hair. I gave each girl the hair style I think of them as having (either their most recent or how it was when I saw them last). I felt like I needed a hair cutting license to do this! It took several attempts before getting a usable pattern of each girl's hair. Here are the dolls before any hair:

...and before any faces:

 I wanted each "doll" to look like each of the girls and would have their names written on them. This way, the girls would know who the other bridesmaids were. (When I am asked to be a bridesmaid, I always wonder who the other girls are- not that it matters, just curiosity. I feel bonded to the other bridesmaids, like a small sorority). :)


Here are some close ups:




Once I finished the "dolls," I made a handwritten card for each girl. I used a dark taupe for the card to provide contrast to the "dolls."


To strap the two pieces together using a piece of twine-like ribbon. I absolutely love this ribbon and want to use it on our wedding invitations. I really wanted to keep the whole look simple, although that kind of went out the window when I decided to make each girl different.




I didn't completely give up on the cookie idea, so I decided to make homemade cookies with no icing. I thought I found the perfect solution when I found these cookie cutters at Williams-Sonoma. Had I known how much work I was going to put into these cookies, I would not have bought this stupid thing. This product is terrible. I ended up spending two straight days baking, just trying to get these cookies to be readable. If you use any recipe other than the one provided in the box, these do not work. If you use the recipe and instructions provided in the box...these still do not work. You pretty much have to be a professional baker or have several days to waste to figure out how to get these cookies to still have a legible message after they are baked. Since I am no professional, it took me two days and reading all the product reviews for advice. Only one review was helpful.



I found food storage bags at Paper Source and made tags for them, punched holes, and used the same ribbon from the cards.



To make a "tea and cookies" feel to the packages (or coffee for Kara and Anjelica), I bought initial mugs from Anthropologie.


I found cute little bins at Michael's- my go-to place- to complete the gifts.



Thankfully, I received great feedback on the packages. Everyone seemed to appreciate them, which made it all worth it. :)

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

The Thrill of Thrifting

Don't you just wish you could fill your home with beautiful things? Some girls dream of buying cute shoes. Some girls dream of buying nice coats and beautiful clothes. Some girls wish for thick, long eyelashes, or long, healthy nails. Some girls dream of having long, gorgeous hair. Some girls dream of baubles and jewels. While those things would be nice, they are not things I think about often. Those thoughts only enter my head maybe twice a year. It seems like most girls yearn for these things a lot more than I do. What does enter my head on a bazillion-time-a-day basis is home decor. I yearn for upholstered chairs, vintage fainting couches, two-tone case pieces with brass hardware, and the entire catalog of Restoration Hardware. In short, I am obsessed with that place. Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration, but let's just say that if I won the lottery, you would find me at Restoration Hardware for the next three months. Or at least until my entire house is decorated exactly how I want. I yearn to be surrounded by all neutral decor. An ivory couch, gray walls, patina accent pieces, white and clear lamps with linen shades, creamy colored benches at the end of light wood upholstered beds with white, fluffy bedding...I could go on for hours.

Since my bank account does not support this fetish, I have learned the art of thrifting. The definition of thrifting, according to Wikipedia, is "the quality of using money and other resources carefully and not wastefully." I would define it as creatively gaining the beautiful pieces that you love. You can have those things you dream of having. You just have to hunt for them. You have to be willing to put some time and elbow grease into it. 

I read an article recently that states that we are most happy when we are being active or are participating doing some type of hobby. It states that on the weekends, we tend to be lazy and watch TV, but according to studies, these things do not make us happy, or even relaxed. Hobbies and exercise makes us happy and relieve stress. So why not try your hand at creating something you love? Or fixing up something old into something you will love and be proud of. After reading that article, I was inspired to try it, so I went thrifting this weekend. I visited resale furniture stores and found two pieces I am ecstatic to have. I want to share them with you here.

The first piece is an old, upholstered, velvet and wood chair. The velvet is a soft, butter color. The wood is a light color, but needs a little love. I have a love for chairs and have been trying to finish my living room, so I was pretty excited about this chair for $45. 






I plan to paint the wood (once I decide what color) in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I could reupholster it, but I want to have it ready for my Halloween party and am not sure I want to remove the current upholstery. The chair has a lot of potential and saved me from splurging on my first choice:




The second piece I purchased is a very heavy, old dresser mirror. 




Luckily for me, it was already repainted a beautiful grey. The grey reminds me of the grey you often see in Restoration Hardware stores. In fact, I am positive that I have seen this same mirror in a RH catalog before. I cannot find it now, but here is one that is close.




This purchase saved me from my first choice of an Anthropologie mirror with a hefty price tag of $498. I have had my eye on this mirror ever since I moved into my new house. I'm happy with my thrift find though. Here are the above two side by side. 



Pretty close considering the one on the left costs $2,195, and the one on the right was $85. The only difference I notice is one leaves more money in my bank account. :)

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

I Heart Upholstered Chairs

I have recently become obsessed with chairs. I love chairs. Especially, upholstered chairs. It's not my fault. Blame Miss Mustard Seed. She is responsible for this new love because of her wonderful magic she can work on a chair. She can take a $12 garage sale find and make it into a chair to drool over. She makes it look so easy too. She paints them with her milk paint or Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and reupholsters them and voila! Here are a couple examples.





If you want to see more of her work, go to her blog. She does amazing work.

I have decided, I am going to try my hand at this. I will let you know how it goes. In the meantime, have you ever noticed how chairs can make the whole room? They make it look inviting. They make you want to sit down and get cozy. Chairs, benches, and beautiful seating can complete a room. See what I mean:



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Party At My House!

This year, I am hosting a Halloween party at my house. This is normally done by my good friends, Leslie & David, but this year, they are expecting their first child right before Halloween. Since they will be busy with life changing times, I was volunteered to take on the annual hosting. Yes, you read that right. I was volunteered by a friend. This friend also informed me that this will be a costume party.

Let me begin with noting that I am not a huge fan of Halloween. I hate all gory, scary, death-related things. I don't even watch scary movies. If I do, which I haven't in many years, they really get to me and I can't sleep for about a month. I can't even look at the gory things in the Halloween aisles of Wal-Mart. They gross me out. Having said that, I'm sure you can probably guess what my Halloween party will be like.

Here are a few ideas I have so far...





bhg.com via Pinterest

 bhg.com via Pinterest

 via Pinterest



 



Pretty mild, right?

I plan on baking Halloween and fall themed things. There will also be punch, probably served in a cauldron with dry ice.

I have been brainstorming for a costume, but nothing is coming to mind that I like. I have no idea what I'm going to wear. Have any suggestions? I would love help!

While I can't thing of a single costume for me, it's not so hard for my dog. Of course, she will wear a costume too. What do you think?




Ch-ch-ch-chia!



That Chia Pet Costume makes me laugh every time!