Funny

Let's Talk

I was making my way through the blog world today and so many blogs spent the day just... talking. I feel like my posts kinda scratch the surface of my life but I don't ever talk and tell you readers (hello... anyone?) what's going on with me lately. And I have some pictures to share. Warning: Random Ahead.

We're planning the wedding and as of today we're at 298 days until the big to-do. Things are going along smoothly. We have the church for the ceremony, the pastor to do the ceremony, the reception venue done and catering generally figured out. We selected wedding rings over the weekend and I'm damn near so-giddy-i-could-die when I look at the picture of the rings I picked out. Justin's ring is so cool... it's trendy for now but will still look amazing and distinguished in 20 years.

I'm going to try dresses on for the first time tomorrow night and to say the least, I'm nervous as hell. Every dress I see on tv I HATE. And I comment about why I hate it. And Justin commented that I'll never find a dress because I hate every one I see. So, what if I can't find a wedding dress I like that looks good on me? It's only the BIGGEST DAY OF MY LIFE SO FAR AND THE WEDDING DRESS IS ALMOST THE BIGGEST PART OF IT ALL. Whew. Sorry. I'm panicked.

I'm super modest as well so the thought of getting semi-naked with a lady I don't know in a tiny dressing room also has me freaking. My cousin asked me what my bra size was so she could add it to my file at the store and I had to tell her I didn't know. Seriously who doesn't know their bra size? I know I'm thinking too much about this stuff but I can't help it. This is what I do.

My parents are starting their own business. And my fiance has decided that we need to make his business legit. And they would both like to be done now. I'm so excited to be in on the start-up of my parents gig and helping them will help me help my fiance. (And I've just decided I don't like the word 'fiance'... he's my boyfriend.) My parents have everything figured out on their end we just need to do the paperwork on it. My boyfriend, however, needs to change his business name and do everything. We're brainstorming great name ideas right now for his consulting/sales/marketing business. It's harder than it looks.

I've wanted to be an interior designer since I can remember. I didn't go into it right after high school because the market wasn't right for it and there's not a huge market for great interior designers in this area. I also had everyone telling me I should be writing, or teaching, or something.... other than interior design. I've changed my major so much I have an ass-load of credits that get me no where. I've been researching the Art Institute of Philly for it's online interior design degree but that shit is expensive. $80,000 expensive. Makes me sick.

I wish this blog was better. Greater. Funnier and smarter. I wish I had time to invest in it and I wish I knew how to get readers. I come home a couple days a week and check all the other blogs and it honestly gets me down. I'm afraid no one will read this blog because it's all been said before. I'm just another crappy blog in a sea of better blogs.

My doggies are asleep on the couch next to me and we're watching Millionaire Matchmaker. I really couldn't ask for more in my life... maybe just a little more answers. I don't want all the answers... maybe just a few. If you do read this blog, thank you. Thank you for taking the time to stop by. Thank you for listening to my rant. Thank you for letting me jump around like a kid hopped up on Mountain Dew. Thank you.

Love and good night,

Meg

Antiquing Finds... Part II

Apparently I'm making it Antiquing Finds Week here at the blog. I certainly have enough finds to share to make it so and I'm in charge here, so why not? I've told you before that where I live is surrounded by antique stores. We can normally make it through one store each lunch break.

This 2nd store had some great furniture pieces, albeit a little out of my price range, and a lot of odd finds. I think I've seen this cork trivet project on a blog before I think... but seeing it in person made me really want one.


My sister collects Mickey Mouses and actually owns this Mickey phone. This booth wanted $75 for this one. Funny to think the first phone we had in our bedroom is now a collectible.


Remember how I mentioned weird finds? How about this old ass toilet (tehehe)? I understand it's an antique but no-thank-you-very-much.


When I turned the corner near this next odd item's booth, I could SMELL it was a weird one. Imagine stinky B.O. leather fur stink. Seriously. But if you're in the market for a $1600 real mounted steer on rollers, e-mail me.


But don't say I didn't warn you about the stink.

My grandma has an hutch almost identical to this one. And this one was in great shape... $500 of great shape.


The door on this navy painted chest made me think it was an old ice chest. I was pretty excited about this piece, it's paint was chipping, it was missing knobs, and the inside hadn't been cleaned out. Price tag? Close to $200 and FIRM. Dang the luck. Imagine it in a bathroom for toiletries or a little boy's room.


We were generally disappointed with this store for it's high prices and slim pickins' but I'm still in love with that navy blue chest.

Antiquing Finds

I live in an area known for a few things: churches, Branson, antique stores. My assistant manager and I decided to take advantage of the last of these three great things on our lunch at work. A short five minute drive and we were surrounded... by greatness.

Our first store had beautiful locally handmade quilts on the cheap. I thought this quilt would be great in a little boy's room. All the quilts had been marked down from $69.99 to $49.99 for a queen size. Not bad.


This large mirror was simply swoon worthy. The trim was made of chippy white ceiling tiles. This mirror was big and heavy... and so was the price tag - $100.


This three panel room screen was the perfect aged teal-y green. At $69, I was tempted... but it was labeled as FIRM so I stepped away. But not before snapping this pic for me to drool over.


There were several not-so-new quilts as well. Many were not in great shape, but this one was near perfect. The colors were slightly washed out and the quilt was soft with use, but the stitching was still intact. This quilt would be adorable in a little girl's room.


I tried to talk my assistant manager into one of these furs...

Most of them were fantastic fauxs, by the way.

And they had an abundance of great condition gold costume jewelry.

I imagined several of these pieces as pillow jewels and a few were perfect for framing.

Have you had a favorite antiquing find lately, whether you bought it or not? Is anything haunting your dreams? I think for me, the ceiling tile mirror is calling me.... Stay tuned for more great stores and more great finds!

A Nursery Follow-Up

I was browsing through photos for ideas on new posts and I realized I never showed you the final product of the nursery art I did with my friend Krystal for her baby Grace. Remember, she fed me in return for free labor here. We spent the evening painting wood letters and flowers to match the nursery bedding.

We chose 12x12 scrapbook paper in graphic pink and green patterns to mount on 12x12 cork board. Krystal used spray adhesive to mount the paper to the board. Then she super glued the wood letters to the cork board/paper.

We were concerned the glue wouldn't be strong enough to hold the letters and keep it from falling on little Grace's head. We even considered moving it across the room... just in case. Krystal still had time until Grace's birth, so her and her husband went through with hanging it above the crib (and the letters still haven't fallen... 3 months later).

Krystal's husband Andy did all the measuring and hanging. He drove small nails in each of the four corners of each cork board. They went through the paper and all, and Krystal dabbed a little matching paint on the nail head to make it blend.**

Isn't the final product adorable? It was amazingly cheap and so much fun for us to work on together. I love to think that I helped with Miss Grace's room... her Aunt Meg had a hand in decorating it and I hope she loves it as much as we do.

By the way, Grace was born on Christmas Eve. Isn't she a doll?


**We also talked about leaving the corners loose (free from adhesive) and driving the nails in behind the paper to hide it that way.

Fireplace Decor Switcheroo

Our fireplace has seen so many changes in the few short months I've lived here. We started with the awful painted red brick with silver grout lines and my big red star on top:


Then Christmas came and I pulled all my fun decorations out:


And after I'd decorated... the boy decided we needed to paint. NOW.


The paint dried, and Christmas went back up.


Christmas came down, and we painted the paneling. I put my old barn window up on the mantle and put my big red star on top of that. But with the light, bright walls, it didn't feel right.


So I pulled my silver mirror out, hung it low and gathered my collection of jars, bottles, and candles from the table centerpiece and grouped them on the mantel. To date, this is my favorite grouping.



I feel like the current selection is a little beachy for our home and I have to do something with the fireplace screen. How often do you change your fireplace decor out?

Painting Paneling

You know we already painted our fireplace bright white to match our existing trim. While the fireplace looked amazing, it put a lot of attention on the next ugliest thing in the room... the paneled walls. Yuck.


Our paint color is Valspar's Del Coronado Tequila in Satin. We chose the paint color by picking several options and placing them around the room in different lighting to see what the colors would look like at different times of day. I also photographed the samples because I have a tendency to pick colors that are too yellow. I feel like snapping a pic helped me look at the colors from a different perspective and I was easy to throw out the too-yellows.


I started by removing all the nails and wiping the walls down with a towel. The walls didn't need any soap and water treatment, simply knocking the dust off was all that was needed. I didn't use caulk to fill the few nail holes, I simply got paint on my brush very heavy and pushed it into the holes.


The boy was gone for the weekend, but I had help from my dogs...

Or not.

I worked around the room getting one coat on the walls, getting my brush into every crevice and cutting in around the trim and ceiling.

The first coat looked pretty spotty, but all my research told me that I would have had this result with a primer coat or good quality paint/primer combo coat. I luckily got a break after this first coat so it had time to dry.

We went back the next day (the boy was back) and we put up a second coat. We found that we just had to go back the next day and touch up a few spots that had not covered well. Two coats of paint and we were done! And the result...



Isn't it amazing! I LOVE the result. The new light and bright paint color has now made us look at the dirty ceiling... which as you can guess, is next on our list. Painting paneling was much easier than I thought it would be. I recommend it to anyone for a quick bright update, especially in small spaces.

21 Things Your House Needs...

If you get Ballard Designs catalogs or visit their website, surely you've read their "21 Things Your House Needs from Traditional Home". Not only are their 21 ideas great, the pictures of Ballard Design items that accompany them are drool worthy. I've particularly fallen for a few of their suggestions. You can read all their suggestions here.

2) A Nomad Console - I'm dying for a big chunky piece of substantial furniture that can grow with me. I'd like a piece for my tv now, but I can see it in my future dining room or office.

7) Grown-Up Dinners - We're still eating off dinnerware that was "loaned" to me by my grandma when I first moved out on my own... 6 years ago. While the duck pattern always makes me think of her, I'm hoping for "grown-up" dishes off my wedding registry.

9) Natural Fibers - Once we get out hardwood floors down, I think a natural fiber rug will be perfect for our living room. It will hold up well to general wear and tear, plus the 160 lbs. of dog that will be on it daily.

12) A Hang-Out Bed - I'm working on it. I love this set that they did for the catalog. I think the matching pattern on the headboard and duvet is a little much, but I love the composition.

13) Mirror Mirror - Cannot get enough mirrors. Now that our walls are white, I think we need more mirrors to capitalize on all the light that's no longer getting sucked into the dark paneling.

16) A Truly Comfortable Sofa - We've got one, it's just not that pretty. And not the color I'd like (it's hunter green).

17) A Pillow Wardrobe - Maybe I just like this one because Ballard sells the greatest variety of pillows. They are always changing it up and adding special seasonal pillows.

19) Patterns That Make a Statement - I'm definitely going big with my living/dining room curtains.

20) A Touch of Modern - Yes yes and yes! Our house definitely has a traditional/cottage feel, but I'm going to add the modern touch with graphic curtains, dark floors, and modern chairs to shake up the decidedly country dining table.


I probably rip half the Ballard Design catalog apart for my inspiration box. Do you get Ballard Designs? If you do, what did you think of the "21 Things"? And if you don't.... are you feeling okay?

Article and photos courtesy Ballard Designs