Getting my Craft on

The great things about reading blogs and browsing Pinterest is you get a lot of great ideas and inspiration. 

The bad thing about reading blogs and browsing Pinterest is you get a lot of ideas. 

The good thing is usually the crafty projects are cheap. Usually. (Do you have whiplash yet?!)

Here is a sneak peek at supplies for  two projects in the works.  

Happy Monday!

I had a very productive weekend--probably the first weekend in a long time that I've been able to actually have enough energy to do things.  I did massive amounts of laundry, cleaning, patching some holes and re-painting them, and doing some general busywork around the house. I'm hoping my productive streak lasts through the week!

Remember my deck?

There were several broken and warped boards that needed replaced before I could stain my deck. So a couple months ago, my dad came in and replaced them with new boards. Then I got sick. So my deck has been sporting a lovely stripe pattern for quite some time now. 

Before the boards could be stained I had to pre-treat the new wood. So that is one thing I did this weekend. Like any normal, sane person, I wait until fall to finish my deck. You know, right when I can no longer use it. Yeah, that's me. Procrastination with a capital P.  

So the deck is one project I hope to finish this week! 

the Saga Continues...

I finally got all pieces of my artwork in, and I was a little too impatient to do the smart thing and wait until I get a new TV credenza and move furniture around before I threw them up on the wall. I was dying to see if the pieces played well together. Let's start with a preview before I go into detail, shall we? (Sorry for poor pic quality.. once again iPhone + user incompetency = poor pictures. Bad Blogger. I promise, once I get some of these projects done I will buy a new camera!!)

So this is where I landed today. I wouldn't say I'm there yet. But I'm also trying to give the "grand plan" a chance and wait until all of the pieces are in alignment. Then I'll fix it.  Part of the "grand plan" involves buying a mid-century credenza (which I may have found--stay tuned!!) and moving the TV to the credenza, in the middle of the gallery wall. That is why there is a blank spot in the middle, taped out.  I promise, I'm not totally crazy.

To kick it off, I mapped out all of the pieces using my daughter's craft paper and then I played around with the various layouts until I found one that worked.  Here are the various layouts I tried. 

Option A

Option B

Option C

While I was mapping out all of this madness I was texting my friend with pictures and we both ultimately thought option C was the winner. I initially started with only 6 prints and quickly discovered that 6 was not the magic number. So I hunted my house and found another print that worked with the color scheme, but I am not sold on its wood frame, so it is kind of a stand-in for now. Then, I put everything up on the wall.

Then, seeing it on the wall made the left side look very sad and empty. So I moved a couple of prints around, and landed on the one below. But I need to keep playing around with it because Option C worked really well when the two white frames stacked on top of each other, as above. I just need to fix the emptiness on the left side.

What do you think? Ultimately, I think there are two pain points for me: the wood frame sticks out and I miss the symmetrical stacking white prints on the right. I also think once I get the credenza and TV in, I will do some smushing and move the prints closer together. I did toy briefly with the idea of spray-painting a couple of the frames gold, thinking it might make one wood frame more acceptable if there are four different frame colors, but just not sure yet. I figure I can always break out the spray paint down the line. 

Prints are, from left to right: 

1. Kelly Hall Ligurian Houses art print from Minted 
2. Destiny Womack "Hope" print, from Etsy
3. Painted canvas print, artist unknown, from Target years ago
4. Non & Oui Indecis print, from MadebyGirl
5. Heidi Carlsen Rogers Fine Art print, from Etsy
6. Trellus print from Michelle Armas
7. Circus Animals on 33rd Street by Bettman from Art.com 

So that is where I am today. What do you think? 

SnapShots V.1

I always like hearing or reading about what people are currently hooked on. I myself am so fickle that things change in the blink of an eye, so I thought it would be fun to capture what I'm currently into.




LISTENING to Kari Jobe's "Where I Find You" c.d. Kari has a GORGEOUS
voice and I was lucky enough to hear her live at Women of Faith this year! Image above from KariJobe.com

WATCHING Revolution, on NBC. Actually, since I'm not current on T.V. or movies, I'm watching prior seasons on Netflix to get caught up. But I. am. hooked. This series shows the world with no electricity--the power went out and a team is fighting to get it back on. Amazing action sequences, and really makes you think about how life would be with no electricity/power. Image above from NBC.com 

READING Sophie Kinsella's Wedding Night. Sophie is such a funny author--I first read her with the Shopaholic series and she has since written other novels. I have read every single one of them. They are such funny, lighthearted reads. Image above from Barnes & Noble 

EATING Peyton, my mom and I went to Applebees the other night and I tried a new item on their menu-the Honey Pepper Chicken and Shrimp. It was delicious and I'm already thinking about getting it again!!! Image above from Applebees.com

So there you have it, a Snapshot into the current happenings in my life. What are your snapshots? 

Gallery Wall in the Works!

I think I have finally selected all of the pieces for my gallery wall! I am really into magenta, pink and yellow right now, so I have used that as my color "triad" for this room. And of course, I selected all of the pieces with my favorite Lee Jofa La Fiorentina fabric in mind. Someday, sweetie, you will be in my house, oh yes you will.

In the meantime, as I (impatiently) wait for the various art pieces to arrive, I thought I would do a mood board showing the direction I am headed and the various pieces I have selected.  I also had to throw in a little kitty kat and the fabric, of course!

Here is what I've selected:

1. Michelle Armas "Trellus" print
2. Destiny Womack "Hope" print
3. Made by Girl "Non & Oui Indecis" print (A side note on this one--is this perfect for me or what?!) 
4. Heidi Carlsen Rogers Fine Art print
5. Kelly Hall "Ligurian Houses" art print from Minted
6. Nora Quinonez Leopard Print pillow from Etsy
7. Lee Jofa La Fiorentina fabric

There is one more print I ordered, that I can't import onto Polyvore (presumably due to copyright): "Circus Animals on 33rd Street" by Bettman.  I thought my gallery wall needed something other than abstract art, and a little bit of quirky thrown in. Plus, ever since an elephant ate my cotton candy when I was little, I've been fascinated by them. I mean, you have to figure if an elephant likes cotton candy, that makes them awesome.  And an elephant's tushy walking down the city street? Tell me that ain't funny. 

What do you think of the combination of the prints I've selected? Against that charcoal wall? I wonder if it will make me fall in love with the wall after all. 

Do you Birchbox?

I admit I am one of those people who love free makeup and skincare samples. And yes, I am also one of those people who think putting the word "free" in front of something makes it justifiable even if you are shelling out more than you are getting for "free." It's okay if you are fully aware that you are being illogical. 

I am a VIB (Very Important Beauty Insider) with Sephora. What that means is I spend a ridiculous amount of money on makeup and skincare and they want me to keep spending more ridiculous amounts of money on makeup and skincare, so they entice me with points and free samples. 

I love samples. A daily makeup routine? Not so much. Most days I am lucky if I remember to throw on mascara and lip gloss. But with all of the samples I've tried over  the years, I have found some items that I consistently return to. I thought I would do a roundup of my top ten favorites.

1. Bumble and Bumble Bb. Thickening Dryspun Finish, Sephora. This is relatively new to the market, but I love the texture it gives hair!
2. Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk, Birchbox.com. I've tried multiple dry shampoos and I've found this one to be the best for my fine hair. 
3. L'Oreal Youth Code Dark Spot Correcting & Illuminating Serum Corrector, drugstores. I have a few sun spots on my face that have started to fade since using this serum. 
4. NARS Lipstick in Flair, Sephora. This lipstick is so creamy and non-sticky and it doesn't dry out my lips like some other brands. 
5. Stila Lip Glaze in Black Cherry, Sephora. A little sticky, but shiny and pretty. 
6. NARS Lipgloss in Dolce Vita, Sephora. I go through this gloss like crazy-it's my favorite one out there!
7. Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara, Sephora. I've tried a lot of different mascaras and this one makes my lashes look all fluffed up. 
8. Shiesdo Bio-Performance Advanced Super Revitalizing Cream, Sephora. I love this stuff. It's super moisturizing and makes my skin feel so soft. It's definitely pricy but a little goes a long way. 
9. Lady Gaga's Fame perfume, Sephora. I first scoffed at a perfume by Lady Gaga. Named Fame, of all things. (I mean, honestly, can you sound more pretentious?!) But then I smelled it and fell in love. It has Belladonna as one of its ingredients. Hm, poison, in perfume? I likes it. 
10. Clinique A Different Nail Enamel in Black Honey, Sephora. My new cult favorite. I love the dark color on nails!!! 

But back to the free sample thing (you knew I couldn't let that go, right?!). A few months ago, I subscribed to Birchbox. I had read about monthly makeup and skincare sample programs and Birchbox seemed like one of the cheaper versions to subscribe to. At $10 a month, they are not free samples, but I have to admit, it is super fun getting the beauty box in the mail each month. Peyton loves it, too--she squeals when she gets a funky nail polish color or perfume sample. Me, I'm in it for the lip gloss and skincare samples. Because even though it's not free, it's still the same fun feeling as seeing "free samples with purchase" at the makeup counter in the mall.  

Image from Birchbox.com/

What's in your beauty bag? 

Can't get no Satisfaction

Who sings that song?! It's been in my head the last week. I've been thinking about customer service lately, or rather the lack of it. I am the first to admit that I am impatient and want everything now, now, now. But I've had a series of moments lately that just don't make sense to me.

1. I found a bamboo chair on Craigslist that I just loved. I could see the fixer-upper potential. So I emailed the address and received an almost immediate response saying it was still available. I immediately email back and say where would you like me to pick it up at? Now... 8 days later and I have not heard a peep. Even more maddening is the posting is STILL showing on Craigslist as available. 
2. I ordered two prints from two different Etsy vendors. One print came within 4 days. The other print? I am still waiting. No tracking number, either. I received an email the day I ordered it saying I would receive a tracking number and the item would be shipped out within 1-2 days. I didn't get the tracking number, so after a few days, I contacted the seller. Still, no response. I contacted the seller again and finally received a response apologizing for the lack of response (they said they didn't get my first email), and that it was shipped out via first class mail and if I don't receive it by Friday, let them know and they would re-send me a new one. So... at least I know I will get one, but it is now 9 days past the original order date! 
3. Another Etsy vendor I had emailed asking for a quote for curtains. The seller was fabulous and provided me with a quote the same day I had contacted them. The quote was very helpful-# of yards of fabric, and the costs for their labor. But, as I had mentioned when reaching out, I was pretty sure they were too expensive for me. After I received the quote, I thanked her and said I was afraid they were out of my budget at this point in time, but could she also give me a quote possibly on roman shades in that fabric? That was 12 days ago and I haven't heard anything back. Now it could be the seller was insulted and thinking I was wasting their time, but if I were the seller I would be picking up on the fact that this potential buyer really loves this fabric and really want to order something in it and is trying to find an item she can afford "at this time." So, again, if I were the seller, I would either respond with "sorry, the roman shades cost more than the curtain," or I would respond with a quote and also suggest if it weren't in my budget that they also sell a pillow cover in the same fabric, and would I be interested in that? Mind-boggling. 

One could say I should stay off of Etsy and Craigslist, but I am really trying to find art items for this gallery wall I am (very slowly) working on. I don't want to throw just anything up there! 

Right now, I have two photos and two on the way. Currently, they are both residing on the slice of wall between my window and door to the backyard. I absolutely love them!

**Update: Sorry for not citing sources, I think I mentioned these prints in a prior post and forgot to document the sources again! Print on top is Michelle Armas' "Trellus" print; print on bottom is Heidi Carlsen Rogers' Garden Petal-Pink-Yellow-Modern Art Abstract-Minimalist-Pastel.

How about you, have you ever had moments of dissatisfaction with Craigslist or Etsy sellers? Please tell me it's not me, people, and that I'm emitting some kind of horrible vibe when I very nicely reach out to people!!!