Girls Night | Paint Party

It felt like I was on a mad dash. The entire time I was driving to the vet to pick Maggie up I kept asking myself why I didn't make this trip at lunch. Why didn't I plan a little better. Instead I was biting my nails through traffic trying to get her picked up and home and fed and the mail brought in and the trash taken out and the dog let in before I was late to my coveted Girls Night. Late I was. With Chic-fil-a in my purse I walked in exasperated and took my seat.

We had chosen our door hangers long in advance and after arriving all I could think was... ohhh the possibilities. There were MDF cut-outs of every shape and size. My favorite, that I forgot to get a picture of, was the monogrammed pineapple. BUT we were here to create our Christmas doorhangers so I stuck it out with my manger scene. We talked, and laughed, and created for a solid two hours. Towards the end of that last hour I was starting to hit my "Ive been going all day and Im about to CRASH" wall. I stuffed my face with another chocolate chip cookie and it seemed to subside.

I love going to the Paint and Drink places but I always come out wondering what in the heck am I going to do with this painting (I have two in my office as I type this). You literally spend $50 bucks to paint on a canvas and drink wine - dont get me wrong its a ton of fun - but this time I felt like I had something I wanted to hang. I had a place for it. Plus it wasn't $50. 

If you're in the Tulsa area you really should check out Sister/Sister Paint Parties. The ladies were so nice and accommodating and let you create until your heart is content. Girls night, success!  

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Fall Decorating

Insert all the praise hands!

I finally got around the decorating for fall last week and it was glorious. I'm not one that goes all out and has themed decor in every room but I do think the common gathering areas deserve a little spice of life.

Murphy wanted to make sure and give you a warm greeting. Oh, and don't mind that chippy paint on the front porch... one day it will get removed... or so I have been telling myself for a year now.

Who doesn't love a new front door rug? Home Sweet Home - from Target - which could be classified as my home sweet home away from home.

Those cute black/white/gold pumpkins are from Hobby Lobby and are such a good transitional fall item. I'm not really into the decorate for Halloween and then turn around and decorate for Thanksgiving mentality, so anything that can serve dual purposes is a win in my book! The cute pumpkin/flower arrangement was 50% off at Michaels. I added a few extra silk flowers to create a bit of a fuller look and love how it turned out.

Oh, have you jumped on the bath & body works candle train yet? I obviously did, as pictured above, and can say they live up to the hype. Let me be clear, nothing will ever replace my beloved Capri Blue (Anthropologie) candle but these are great seasonal smells. So far I have only burned Spiced Pomegranate Cider but I have Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, Marshmallow Fireside, and Leaves all ready for their turn. I burn a candle anytime I am home and the current one I have from BBW has lasted me about a month.

The dining room table is my most favorite thing to decorate for various seasons/occasions. I love pulling things from around the house and seeing how they all come together. For fall I grabbed a few mini white, multi, and orange (real) pumpkins from Sprouts/Walmart and paired those with some fake pumpkins from Hobby Lobby. I set those cute mercury glass hurricanes in the center - which I grabbed for a whopping $10 at Joann's after Christmas last year - and added a candle. The "floating beads", antlers, and decorative balls were all also from around the house. I love how this came together and, in all reality, took maybe 20 minutes.

Another great find were these HUGE mums from Costco for $20. A mum half this size anywhere else around town runs around $16 so I made sure and grabbed two for the front porch. Now to just keep them alive!

Okay, your turn! Whats your favorite item to decorate with for fall? 

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Chunky Knit

Fall is coming in fast to Oklahoma, as a matter of fact, tomorrow the high is in the low 60's. Just for clarification, last night at tennis it was 91 degrees. This ship can turn on a dime!

All the talk about cooler weather has me yearning to start knitting again. You'll remember the baby blanket I knit a solid 3 years ago. Wow. I've since knit a few other things but these chunky knit blankets have me busting out all the heart eyes!

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I'm telling you, they are just gorgeous! The only downfall to the really chunky knits is all the yard it takes to create such fullness. If you are looking for a super soft wool its going to get a little on the pricey side.

I rather enjoy knitting when the weather turns rainy or cool but if you arent into knitting in general there are lots of adorable knits on Etsy!

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Tell me those aren't to die for? I mean how could you not want to cuddle up under that soft heavy blanket and binge watch all the netflix humanly possible?

I'm typically such a vintage quilt junkie but I am starting to think about changing my tune. Tell me, whats your favorite blanket?

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Trends I Just Cant Leave Behind

This article from Apartment Therapy popped up on my Bloglovin feed today and got me thinking, What "dated" trends can I just not give up quite yet?

I've never considered myself as someone who stays "on trend" I typically just go with what looks good to my eye but never the less here we go...

1. Herringbone pattern

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When I was remodeling my kitchen (finished product here) I was dying to tile my back splash with subway tile in a herringbone pattern. My dad told me how much easier it would be to go the traditional route and I folded, that was 5 years ago and I am still digging the pattern!

2. Bass Fixtures

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There is always such a great divide between adding brass or leaving it behind. Its one of the polarizing home decor designs that you either love or hate. I happen to fall - face plant - on the LOVE it side. I've actually considered changing my countertops in my kitchen just to allow me to add brass fixtures. No jokes. But alas, that has yet to happen. Instead I will swoon over the kitchen above.

3. Barn Doors

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Though not the most functional design element, I'm still loving sliding barn doors. I will say they can be done really well and, errrr, well .... really bad. My suggestion is to keep it clean and simple and not try to jazz it up. The sheer magnitude lets it speak for itself and draws enough attention.

4. Black Doors

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I love the drama a black interior door brings to a home... add some brass fixtures and I'm weak in the knees. One thing to note, black doors shouldn't be done in a small poorly lit space. I love the idea of the black french doors where the glass gives some femininity to the dramatic dark paint. Hey, I have some french doors in a well light open room... maybe I have a new project on my hands.

Okay, so tell me, what are the trends you just cant let go of quite yet?

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Chairish: Coffee Table Must Haves

I was recently introduced to Chairish- have you heard of it? Their tagline is "where designers love to buy and sell" - simply put its a site you can shop some great pieces and also gather TONS of inspiration!

Today I'm joining up with them to talk about various "must haves" for a great coffee table, which to me all boils down to functionality. In my home (see the kitchen here and living room here) functionality is key - along with lots of eclectic pieces! I tend to be a "messy" person by nature - organization is not my forte - so having furniture and accessories that help keep me organized is essential.

So lets get to it! Chairish has tons and tons of coffee tables to choose from - you can browse here. I chose the Sarreid trunk with drawers for stowing away remotes, charger cords, and all those little knick-nacks you seem to find taking up residence on your coffee table. I love love love the mirrored gold and the fun hammered details. There are so many pieces of furniture that can serve as a coffee table and I love the idea of using a trunk to add a bit of spice to your living area.

As for must haves those to me are simple. I like to make sure I have color (flowers), storage for magazines and books (tray) and my favorite candle always lit (Capri Blue in volcano). I also love the idea of adding a little jewelry dish to put hair ties and bobbi pins in - laying on the couch at night seems to be the trigger for me to let my hair down - literally - so having a little dish to catch those odds and ends is great!

1 Capri Blue candle in Volcano (anthropology) 2 Square tray (domino.com) 3 Pineapple Jewelry dish (etsy) 4 faux flowers 5 assortment of books and magazines

Even my own coffee table at home has flowers, books/magazines, and storage. I definitely practice what I preach ;)

Now its your turn, what are your coffee table essentials? Are you more of storage guru or do you love a nice clean space?

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Then to Now // Living Room

Seeing as the Kitchen update was such a big hit, I thought I would take some time and walk you through the rest of the house - starting with the living room.

This is the first room you see when you enter in the house and the room that has changed the most in terms of decorating over the past 5 years.

The biggest upgrades that happened in here were the closing of a coat closet that allowed for expansion of the master closet on the other side of the wall, refinishing of the wood floors, adding a ceiling fan, and paint.

Here is what the space looked like when I bought the house

This is the view you get upon entering the front door. Notice the carpet, no overhead lighting, and the kitchen in the background

Below is the view from the opening into the dining room/kitchen. The door to the left of the front door is the coat closet that got closed off.

Now onto what it looked like after I moved in... also known as a huge mess...

As I look back through these and all the furniture changes I have a moment of "What in the world was I thinking". Its like looking at high school pictures and wondering why I wore such outfits. Then again, I was decorating on a strict budget and had a very....er... eclectic taste. Don't get me wrong, I still have an eclectic taste but I am happy to watch my style and tastes evolve. 

Its so funny to think about how much I despise change in every aspect of my life - outside of decorating. Change is a constant around this house - things are always finding new homes in other rooms. If only I would be so flexible in my daily life. Yeah, aint gonna happen.

So here is the room...for now :)

So there you have it, the living room update! It looks so much more put together now, in my very humble opinion. What do you think?

Sources:
Couch - Pottery Barn
Coffee table - Pier 1
Console Table - Pier 1
Curtains - estate sale
Wicker Basket - World Market
White Side Table - At Home
Rug - Rugs USA indoor/outdoor
Dresser - Estate sale refinished with Annie Sloan chalk paint

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Beaded Belt - DIY

Praise the good Lord above - its Wednesday! 

I have been dragging this week - I'm not sure if it was all the Easter festivities or what but someone give this girl a nap. 

At the beginning of March I was in a wedding of my dear friend Alyssa. I was lucky enough to wear a bridesmaid dress I absolutely LOVED - as in I will definitely wear it again. The only draw back was the front was very simple and I'm a bling kind of girl. I mentioned to Alyssa the idea of adding a belt and she was 100% game. After looking around I realized these belts are EXPENSIVE. I seriously couldn't find a beaded belt for less than $50. 

Like any true DIY-er I figured I could make one myself for way cheaper and boy was I right. 

$10 and 10 minutes of time - seriously that easy.

I grabbed this headband from Ulta thinking it would be the best addition to my navy gown. Turning it into a belt proved to be as simple as I thought

I cut the elastic band off the back of the headband. See where it loops in the picture above? All I had to do was cut the rubber band on each side of the headband and pull it through the loop. So easy and left me with the perfect beaded strip for a belt!

Once I had my headband deconstructed all I had to do was add it to 2 yards of satin ribbon. Aleene's tacky glue has been around FOREVER and works like a charm - not to mention dries clear!

I found the center in both the beaded strip and the satin ribbon by folding them in half. This seemed to me to be the easiest way to ensure the belt was centered. If you would prefer to measure - go right ahead!

After gluing the beading down I felt like I needed to secure it to the ribbon while the glue dried. Clothespins to the rescue - they did their job like a champ. After about 30 minutes the glue was dry enough to wear my sassy new belt. I put this together in MAYBE 10 minutes but made sure to do it a few days before the wedding in case there were any snags. 

Final result?

The perfect amount of bling to a gorgeous bridesmaids dress!

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