Sunshine

Today (because its raining)... I thought I'd share a little sunshine

I bought this print from Pennywishes on etsy.  I matted and framed it and posted it on the wall next to my (yellow) front door.. Its the last thing you see before you leave the house and a good reminder for whatever adventure you're about to embark on. 

Rico's Bedroom

Among the kajillion things I still have to do on the house, Rico’s Bedroom (aka the guest bedroom aka storage) is still unfinished and minus my clutter (work out gear, paint supplies, sewing goodies, “OMG company’s on its way!" stuff) it pretty much still looks like this. Which is what it looked like circa 1984 and probably before.

Notice the wallpaper on the ceiling (I know for a fact there is another layer underneath) and the wood panneling?  Yup.  Those will all go too...

 I've kept my eyes open for several months on bedding options for this room and narrowed it down to two.  Both are available at Bed Bath and Beyond (YAY 20% off coupons!). One of which will likely come home with me this weekend so I can choose some paint only to wait another several weeks (months) for me to clear out the clutter and get to work.


Barbara Barry Poetical

 

Echo Jaipur

I love them both in different ways, though I'm leaning towards the Jaipur because
a) its a smidgen cheaper and
b) I can have TONS of fun playing with the color combinations!

But I do love how soothing and classic the Barbara Barry is... Hm... decisions decisions
Leave a comment and let me know your vote!

Recreating the Recital Cardigan

I did a thing last year where I didn’t buy clothes for six months. If I could make it, I didn't buy it.   I made exceptions if it cost less than $15 and gave myself bonus points if I could also alter it. It was pretty cool to do and I wish I devoted more time to it. It helped wean me away from my crack dealer and my bank account thanked me for it.

So Apparently during my self proclaimed Anthropologie clothing fast, my dealer was selling this darling little thing (and I can't believe I MISSED it!!!).

I saw it on the anthroholic blog a few weeks ago and fell in love with it. I tried to buy it on ebay; giving myself a specific budget and I was outbid.

C’est la Vie, no?

So then I got to thinking… I already had THIS Anna Sui pattern at home…



Vogue 2850

Inspired, I spent a dozen or so bucks on a basic white knit fabric …

So sometime between now and Saturday morning (when I leave for a wine tasting event where people will be WOWed by my fashion choices) I’m going work my magic and see how well I can recreate it. That of course depends on whether I decide to be social these next couple evenings (with a hockey game tonight and birthday dinner tomorrow already on the calendar) and whether or not my pattern adaptation skills cooperate with the fabric chosen. I even have a few ideas for additional feminine touches.

Stay tuned!!

 

Why I love California

It was the beach last weekend, and the snow this weekend! 



a grumpy patroler (are we really related?!)

 

and a happy camper skiier

Oh and this is what greeted me on my way home! 

Can't get much better than this!! 

(that is, unless you weren't taking it on a camera phone while driving)

Onsies Revisited

My dear friends welcomed Baby Molly into their family early last summer and for the last eight months, I've felt horrible that I never did anything for them to celebrate the birth of their daughter.

Well... with a long overdue girls' night looming last weekend, I figured this was the perfect thing for her to open over a pitcher of sangria and latin appetizers... so it was high time for me to get to work on a handful of onsies for this darling little girl with ginormous blue eyes... Nothing special, but here's a few snapshots of what a little fabric and sewing skillz can do to an already pre-made onsie.

Balloons!! (and yes I did remember to snip those extra threads)

 Heart (on the butt) perfect for Valentine's Day!

Baby Molly's initial

There's one more but it shows off my sub-par sewing skills so I will not be showcasing it in todays' blog post!

Happy Sprwingter!

I know its still winter but it feels like spring and my flowers are blooming. 

I'm lovin' it!

Just another day at the beach

Woof Woof humans, its Riley here, guest blogging for the day.  

Just wanted to say HOW MUCH FUN today was.  

First the girls got ready to go somewhere 

AND THEY LET ME COME TOO!

(no day in the crate for me!)

THEN we went in the car and the roof (not to be confused with my signature 'woof') came off, so we drove and there was TONS of WIND and my EARS FLAPPED a lot.  

THEN we went to a dog park where there is water and rocks and sand and birds and I got to PLAY and RUN and JUMP

Then we came home and I had to get a bath - not nearly as good of an ending, but I'll gladly have a bath if that means I can run and play in the water like I did today!

I'm exhausted. I'm going back to sleep.  
All that running and playing and swimming sure takes a lot out of ya! 

Hey Phil - What's the Verdict?!

Happy Groundhogs day to y'all! 

It appears Spring has already sprung in these parts (it doesn't feel right, so I'll take a few more weeks of winter, thankyouverymuch)...  Weather aside, to add a little more Spring to our step... here's the latest on my yellow doors and gray walls. 

I told you I wanted to go bright... that I have a vision in my head of a gray entryway and bold yellow doors.  After purchasing 4 shades of yellow, I finally came to one that says HELLO, 'C'MON IN! NO NEED TO BE MELLOW - MY NAME IS YELLOW!

While I don't have many 'before pictures'... here is what I was dealing with before - and yes, that also refers to those who offered to 'help'.

Here's how it transformed:

There's still a few things I need to do (like privacy shades, finish painting the trim, put door knobs back on, light fixtures and of course - flooring)... 

But I'm likin' the way its shapin' up so far!

(back to the topic of flooring - who wants to help?)