Design Post: Bedroom and Living Room for N&M

One of my nearest and dearest asked me to put together a design board for her bedroom a while back because her bedroom was the same as when she was a teenager.  She wanted to feel a bit more grown up and feel like she had her own space.  She loved it so much that she executed it with such finesse!  Now she is moving in with her BF, so she put me up to the task of re-vamping some of what she already had into a new space that suits both their styles... and while I was at it, I did a living room design as well!  They are on a budget because they have to buy stuff for their entire apartment, so we are setting up a time to go thrift and dollar store shopping.  It's amazing what inexpensive finds and spray paint can do for a space!  When things are more settled she can shop for additional items to fill the spaces.  So without further ado, here are her 2 design boards (sorry for the poor quality pic, I don't have the software to convert to jpeg):

Bedroom: The headborad, bedding, and pillows are what she already has.

Livingroom:

Flirty, Thirty, and Fabulous

Well, my 20's have been incredible to me!  Here's a little recap of some important life events from my last decade (not in chronological order or order of importance, obvi :)...

1. Said goodbye to 2 grandparents
2. Said hello to a niece and 2 nephews
3. Studied Abroad in Cambridge, England
4. Travelled to Paris, Florence, York, and London during that time
5. Went back to Florence to ring in 2005
6. Went back to Florence to stand by a bestie for her "I Do's"
7. Graduated college!
8. Moved to New York City (a lifelong dream)
9. Fell in love
10. Moved to New Orleans
11. Got a dog
12. Went to Singapore
13. Got engaged
14. Got married!
15. Went to Paris on our honeymoon
16. Countless trips around the country, including but not limited to: Scottsdale, Yosemite, San Francisco, OC (a million times- I can't stay away from my fam), New York (before and after moving there), St. Louis, Las Vegas, New Orleans (before moving there), Dallas, Houston, Boston, Chicago, Flaaahhhrida (Destin and Pensicola), Napa, San Diego... those are just the ones I remember ;)
17. 3 trips to Chicago to stand by a bestie during her wedding and 2 babies
18. Became a part of a new family, and welcomed those folks into mine
19. Had 2 successful careers
20. Learned that my siblings are truly my best friends and I couldn't imagine life without them, and most importantly, learned that, turns out, MY PARENTS WERE RIGHT!  (Don't tell them I said that)

It's going to be hard to top that!  Here's to another incredible decade!

One Year Down, Forever (and Ever) To Go...

One year ago, I married the man of my dreams.  Here is a speech that I wrote for my wedding day. Josh and I were married on October 6, 2012.  To be honest, I wrote this on the flight to my brother's wedding 2 years before!  Which means we weren't even engaged yet :)  As Joshie would say... "phyyyyccchoooo" lol!  But I really knew after we moved to NOLA together that we were in it for the long haul.  Unfortunately due to the craziness of that day, I didn't have the chance to say the speech.  This is the perfect to finally say it, because I still feel the exact same way!

I'll try not to make this too long... Most of you know how much I can talk!  Today all my dreams come true.  I get to be a bride, a wife, a member of a newly formed family.  I get to say that I have never had a broken heart because I am marrying the first man I fell in love with.

For those of you who don't know our story, I'll give you a quick background.  Josh and I are the product of online dating.  After many free meals for me and expensive dates for Josh we caught each other's attention in a world wide web of millions of people.  Our first date was on December 2, 2009 at Caliente Cab Co in Murray Hill in NYC.  I had forgotten my umbrella (shocking that I was unprepared) but my co-workers were so kind to lend me an umbrella they kept at the store for these emergencies.  I popped open the umbrella, waved goodbye thinking they were giggling because I was going on a match.com date.  I get off the train at 34th St. and make my way East, then I saw my shadow... What is on my umbrella, I thought?  I pulled it down and took a look.  It's a penguin!  A penguin head and penguin wings sticking out of the top of the umbrella!  Well it was too late now.  I have the umbrella in my possession and have to return it the next day... How do I explain this?  Do I say something?  Do I not and hope he doesn't notice?  So I met Josh by walking up to him, saying "Hi, I'm Amy.  Nice to meet you.  My co-workers gave me a penguin umbrella as a joke and I didn't notice until I got off the subway!"  Instead of a dirty look or look of dreading what he got himself into, he shot me a smile and replied, "well, we should give him a name!"

After a date full of conversation and finding things in common he didn't use one curse word, walked me to the subway, and gave me a hug goodnight.  Now, usually this level of respect is not seen on dates... ever.  So you can imagine my confusions.  Now he may say a curse word here of there, but the level of respect I get from him everyday and know i can expect indefinitely is the same he shows on that first date.

Jimmy, the night we all went out after your dad's retirement party you asked me why I love your brother.  After talking your ear off all night I was finally quiet.  That wasn't because I couldn't tell you why, it was merely because I felt I had traumatized you enough with my chatting capabilities.  But I am happy to tell you, and everyone else in this room, that I love your brother because he is respectful, passionate, endearing, honest, loyal, a little OCD at time, hilarious, extremely attractive, smart (he's right more times than I'd like to admit), and one hell of a dancer.

So I'd like to say to all of our guests (who will conveniently forget that I ever mentioned anything about Josh being right) thank you for witnessing this day and making it amazing.  Thank you to everyone who traveled so far to be here.

Thank you to my parents for showing me that love comes easy and relationships don't, but the work involved is what the journey a great one.  More so, thank you for giving me the comfort of support and knowing that my happiness is always a priority to you.

Thank you to my siblings for being my best friends and, while you teased me endlessly, you always make me feel loved and gave me the confident to be myself.  They say you can't choose your family, but if I did, I would choose you.

Thank you to my new family and friends.  I have never been so welcomed by a group of individuals.  I can see from each of you how Josh is so amazing.  Thank you to my bridesmaids for standing by me (and I'm sure in uncomfortable shoes).

And most importantly, my husband.  You are the Drew Brees of relationships.  You rode in on that imaginary pony and danced right into my heart.  I look forward to a lifetime with a heart that will never be broken and dancing legs that will never tire."

Setting Myself Up For Success: Business Travel

I don't travel too often for business, but when I do, it's usually a whirlwind of dinners, meetings, and working all night in the hotel room.  Because I'm usually getting less sleep during these trips, I set myself up for success when I arrive.  Especially if I'm in a different time zone.

The first thing I do is unpack toiletries and put all my shower items in the shower.

Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and medication are all by the sink.  I get out my brush and flatiron, and take all my makeup out of the case.  When not being in my usual space, this helps me stay on track in the morning.  I got ready in no time today!  Heck, with no humidity and it not being too hot, I even blew dry my hair... it's amazing how that helps my hair :)

Next I get out any work clothes and iron them immediately.  This way if I snooze a few times my clothes aren't wrinkly.  It doesn't hurt to have a favorite show and glass of wine to help me settle in!

Once anything that needs to be ironed is set I fold the clothes for the dresser and put them away...

... and hang the others in the closet.

And see those laundry bags they have hanging?  Yep, I absolutely use those!  I hang one from the hanger and place my dirty clothes in there so when I go home they are contained and ready to go in the laundry.

The other side of the closet I put away all my bags.  In this case it's just my carry-on and work bag.

I organize all my papers, establish a place to put all my receipts, and plug everything in to charge up.  Especially since I have 2 phones (1 personal, 1 work) so this helps to ensure all phones will be juiced up for the next day.

My favorite bag has made travel so easy.  The Longchamp Le Pliage bag, size small, folds up to this tiny, flat, easy to pack purse and unfolds for my week.  Best part about it is it fits my laptop and all other items I normally tote around!

 Once I unfold, I pack all my things and double check that I have placed my room key in my wallet.  I also have a bag that I carry lip gloss, inhaler, feminine products, hand sanitizer, pain reliever, and gum.  So I check that bag and make sure I'm fully stocked.

I'm ready for bed, finally!  But which bed do I choose?  This always cracks me up.  I chose the bed on the right in case you were wondering... which is strange because I normally sleep on the left side :)

I have 6 trips coming up in the next 6 weeks (including the current trip)... woah, I know!  When I get back, I'll show you how I always stay ready for my next trip :)

Online Fabric Order Fail and Living Room Design Plan

So I found adorable fabrics that I felt combined beautifully (online).  I ordered swatches and they finally arrived!  It was like Christmas morning... drum roll please.........

They do not work together AT ALL!  I guess I have yet to master the whole online fabric buying.  And I actually don't really like any of the fabrics in real life :(  Looks like I will need to make my way to the fabric store and search there.  Thank goodness I only spent $15 on all the swatches instead of being impulsive and ordering fabric by the yard!

Online Fabric Order Fail:

I do like the grey and tan geometric print on the bottom right, the tan lattice print right above it, but that's about it :)  *Note below the ivory/tan ikat fabric hasn't arrived... I think (hope) that one will be good.

Here is my design plan for the living room (which I'll need to revise with different fabrics, but the color scheme is right on):

• I'd like to re-purpose an old MCM dresser as the media console for added storage.  I've found a few at a nearby used furniture store, but I think I may do an Ikea hack so when I build it I can make changes to accommodate the cable box and other media.
• We desperately need a new couch, before that we'll need to break our dog, Ramona's habit of lounging there.  The couch above is from Rooms to Go. It is a sleeper sofa so we can accommodate guests and the chaise is movable to the right or left side (you just move the ottoman and cushion).  The pillows that come with the couch will have to be changed or recovered.
• We already have a brown leather recliner that we got from my father-in-law when we moved in.  It was brand new.  Major score!
• The rug is Pottery Barn.  I'm thinking the 8'x8' is the best size for our space and would be versatile if we ever moved.
• My Julio lamp was featured on my last post.  He really would look great anywhere :)
• The MCM accent tables are being worked on this weekend... yay!
• And we really should frame at least 1 of our French Quarter Fest posters.  We have so many amazing ones so it's hard to choose, but the one I featured above is very meaningful to hubby.

Happy Friday everyone!  Here's to a productive weekend :)

Project Organization

Since I work from home all I see is opportunities for beautification or improvement on organization.  Here are some projects going on right now:

I already had everything on this tray.  Recognize the gold pen holder?  Yep, you guessed it, I just spray painted that gold!

 Again, one of my gold re-purposed beauties holding 2 planners, note pad, and coupons.

 The entry way re-style was free.  Just painted a table we've had for years (it was my husband's desk in NYC).

 And here's an up close on the vase I literally just finished!

The mail used to pile up on the entry table.  I moved the magazine file from the kitchen desk to right near the door (we never made it all the way to the kitchen with the mail).  Bills/Letters, Catalogs, and Junk to be gone through every Monday morning.

It's almost Friday, which means it's almost the weekend, which means it's almost MCM table re-purpose time!

Dishes Dilemma

I've always hated doing the dishes.  My mom would bribe me when I was little by having a mini TV by the sink so I could watch Full House while I loaded the dishwasher.  So it's no surprise that there are always dishes piled up.  However, my husband never minded doing the dishes.  In fact, it was his pet peave to have dishes piled up... perfect marriage, right?!  WRONG!  And there's one reason why our dishes never get done:

Above is our current dish pile.  I can't bring myself to finish them and my husband currently refuses.  Check out where our dishwasher is to our sink.  Now imagine opening that dishwasher, where do you stand?  At the stove or the fridge, BUT NOT THE SINK!  I'm so over this layout.  In fact, when hubby and I were house hunting for a brief moment in time, the first thing we looked for in the kitchen was where the dishwasher was in relation to the sink.  It takes twice as long to do these dishes because you have to wash off all the dishes (heaven forbid my dishwasher actually work well enough... here is your opportunity to share your favorite dishwasher detergent because I'm desperate to get rid of residue), stack the dishes into categories based on where it will go in the dishwasher, then open the dishwasher, load what is closest, then close the dishwasher to move items closer to you, then finish loading.  Yeah, that was a mouthful, and the exact reason why we both boycott dishes.  Whoever renovated this house after Katrina does not do anything at his/her own house.  No cooking, cleaning, organizing, ANYTHING.  Because if he/she did the house would have better storage, better layout, and be much more "living" friendly.  This is the problem with the fast post-Katrina flips.
Happy Wednesday everyone!  Here's the finally getting these dishes done.  I'll see you in about an hour.

**Thought you may like to see what it looks like now :)

Ahhhhh.... much better!

Glitz, Glam, and Gold

A few weeks ago I purchased a can of Rustoleum Specialty Metallic Gold spray paint.  My husband comes home to find random items in our house shining bright!  He continued to tease me as he went to a football dinner with his fellow season ticket holders and told them that he was nervous to come home to find everything in our house turned gold.  With my desire to redecorate every room in the house, I am having to find ways to do it on the cheap.  Less than $4 for a can of spray paint... I'd say that's cheap!  Here is a before and after of a few office organization items:

The stationary holder I purchased from Marshall's for my desk at my office (back when I worked in an office) so I've had that for a while.  It used to be black but had already received 1 coat of gold before this pic.  The red basket and black pencil holder are from the Dollar Store for (yep, you guessed it) 1 buck each.  The 2 silver pencil holders are from Ikea that I purchased back in March.  And now they look much more seamless!

My office is a work in progress because I'm completely indecisive and can't figure out what layout and organization works for me.  Also we have a lot of stuff.  A LOT.  So all the wonderful gold will have to stay empty on a shelf until I can get my office ready for their glory.

Organizing The House: Step 1- Ramona

I've started panicking over my lack of storage and therefore horribly unorganized house.  I've been reading blogs like crazy.  I absolutely am loving all the amazing ideas!  I started with Ramona's stuff at the bottom shelf of our pantry.  Before I share my project before and after, let me tell you about 2 of my new loves:

1.  The Dollar Store- they have everything, including ribbon, wrapping paper, vases, baskets, bins, mason jars, holiday decorations, DIY craft supplies, painting supplies, and so much more.  And better, everything is $1!!!

2.  The i heart Organizing blog- Jennifer Jones is creative, stylish, clever, and oh so organized.  Her blog has inspired me to create my organized home.

Without further ado, here is the new organized Ramona space!

Before:
A basket with costumes, collars, leashes, medicine, bath products, tooth care, a blanket, and other random pup stuff, an evacuation bin with water, canned food, can opener, and blanket, her medical file, and food that she's allergic to (why on earth do we keep it?  Oh, because we can't part with expensive food so we would love to donate it back to the vet).

What a mess, right?!

After:
I bought plastic baskets from the dollar store and some adorable pup-themed fabric at Jo-Ann's.  I made adorable tags to label the baskets.

I am going to steal some wire racks from under my bathroom sink so that I can have my baskets at easier access.  But I'm pretty excited!  Now going to work on the rest of the pantry... got some adorable fabric for those baskets as well :)

Long Time, No Write

Last time I wrote something I didn't tell anyone I had updated.  Reason being, very soon into our house-hunting we learned that my husband's company was getting bought out.  And the sale wouldn't be final for almost 6 months!  We continued looking at houses but recently called it off completely.  There is too much up in the air right now and we need to not do anything until we feel that his job is secure and we have more cushion in case something does happen.  It was an educational wake-up call that we needed to save more money before making such an important purchase.  Also, we didn't see anything that we were in love with.  What prompted the idea of buying something was 1) little things that annoy me with our rental, like lack of storage and where the dishwasher is located, 2) now that I work from home I notice #1 so much more- everyday it just stares at me, 3) my love of house projects, home design, and wanting to have something that I can make changes to in order to reflect my style more.  Now that the house-hunt is off I am determined to organize the crap out of this house and find solutions to my frustrations.  Since my husband is training for a marathon, therefore our social drinking on the weekends has slowed down, we are in much better spirits to get projects accomplished over the weekend!

Project #1: The Shed

There are still things we need to finish there, but we cleared out so much and organized our holiday decorations and other storage items onto shelves.  We had piles of things to donate so we drove those to Goodwill, where we snagged my next project!  I'll upload pics soon :)

Project #2: MCM Furniture Makeover

How amazing is it to find a side table for $4.99 and coffee table for $9.99?  Beyond amazing.  Beyond anything I ever imagined since MCM furniture has made the comeback that it has.  My husband and I love modern convenience and retro flare.  There is a lot of juxtoposition going on in our house.  Partly because my husband can't part with very random things.  Partly because we have paid almost nothing for the furniture we own.  While I would love to go buy all new furniture that we love and call it a day, some of the pieces we have acquired have familial ties or could be more our style with a bit of imagination.  Plus we rent.  How horrible would it be to buy all new, really nice furniture, then have it not fit if we moved!  Pretty horrible.  So I'm making the changes to existing furniture while thrift hunting for fabulous finds that can add more style to our living room!

 Keep the wood legs and paint the table tops white or grey... still deciding.

I plan to keep the wood tone, just clean it up a bit.  I will create an insert with an upholstered board to fit in the scalloped edge to create an ottoman/bench.  I'm pretty sure Ramona will make this her new favorite spot.

Many more projects to come... just ask my husband... poor guy ;)

Married Couple's First Big Step

With the wedding behind us and TWO new jobs, Josh and I have decided to start exploring the idea of buying a house.  I'm kind of emotionally torn with this for 2 reasons: 1) this gives me a much more permanent tie to New Orleans, which means less of a chance of living near my family soon, and 2) I really love the house we are renting in terms of location and the memories that we've had here in the mere 1 year and a few months.  This is where we planned our wedding, had so many visitors (I think our max was 7 people at one time!)  This is where we officially became a family.  Back to number 1... I love this city.  I don't think I ever expected to love another city as much as I love New York, but there's something about this place that is growing on me more and more every day.  Don't get me wrong, it has major drawbacks- like not having Nordstrom, Crate and Barrel, Trader Joe's, Ikea, and a few other awesome stores.  But where it lacks in good shopping, it makes up for in good friends.  The biggest difference here is we work to live, not live to work, 'cause there's lots of living to do here.   There's a breathlessness that I feel when I see the NYC skyline.  Still.  After living there for almost 3 years it puts a huge smile on my face every. single. time.  I'm starting to get that feeling here.  Like when we're driving on the Crescent City Connection coming back from the West Bank... that view is amazing.  We all seem to have this saying here "it looks like a real city!"  Josh is starting to learn that when I have a hard time here is holidays, and when my siblings procreate.  Because my siblings love to procreate.  Within 3 years of being here there will have been 3 new babies!  It's so hard for me to not watch their kids on the weekends, or go see Carlie's cheer competitions, or watch Benji learn and grow up so fast.  Southern California has never been on my list of places I'd love to live, maybe because I grew up there and the mystique is lacking.  But I toy with the idea from time to time and know that one day, I'm sure Josh and I will make our way out west.  Knowing that it's always an option is what always makes me feel better.
Now, on to the house hunting!  I'm a freak for HGTV and home design in general.  Initially thinking Mid City or Navarre (the neighborhood we live in now) are the places to be, we've decided to also consider Lakeview, Uptown, and even CBD and French Quarter.  Basically we're looking for the right house.  In these neighborhoods and our budget, we know we will have to make at least 1 sacrifice on our wish list, but here's what we've determined:

• Safety and security- people who know NOLA know that one block further and you get that feeling of I shouldn't be here, but one block the other way and you're in the nicest part of town.
• Charm or character.  This is sometimes lacking in homes due to flippers that came in after Katrina.  Our house, for example, has only one piece of character left... the diamond-paned window (featured in this post).
• 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms- it would be nice to have the 3rd room so that if we start a family we still have an extra room for an office/guest room.  Now that I work from home a separate work space is a MUST.
• This is a weird one... I don't want fancy, remodeled baths and kitchen if it's not my taste.  I would feel too bad spending money replacing granite or cabinets or tile because it's not my taste.  But I also want my house to be my taste.  So I am not off-put by laminate counter tops, outdated bathrooms, and old tile!  
• Last, but should be first, is a MUST: structurally sound, new or excellent condition roof, and preferably raised (at least a few feet) if in a flood zone.  For those of you who aren't familiar with our topagraphy, houses sink!  We live in a swamp.  We don't have hills in NOLA so it shouldn't feel like I'm walking up one!

This process is completely foreign to Josh and me, and we're learning more and more each day.  It's overwhelming, but exciting to be taking the next HUGE step in our lifelong journey together :)