You're My Boy, Blue!

When Mom and I went to the consignment-store-mecca a couple weeks ago (where i got the frame turned earring screen), I non chalantly mentioned I was looking for a living room chair.  No sooner had I said that, I turned the corner and stumbled upon a beautiful blue bundle of goodness.  I sat down in it, I petted it, I cooed all over it, I hugged it.  It sure was pretty and pretty darn close to what I was looking for and I couldn't beat the price either.  

I brought it home and named it Blue (so I can sit in it after a long tired day and say "You're My Boy, Blue!" --10 points to Gryffindor if you can name that movie).  I also did some research.  Turns out it was from Crate and Barrel circa 2008.  The Savoir chair...(My isn't it purty in pink?!) 

Now that the curtains are up across the room, Me thinks this chair needs some accessorizing, perhaps a throw pillow?  I mean, look at the colors, how much better matched could I get?

Hm... another project on the todo list. 

Curtain Call

My Living room was once colorless, dark and brown.  When I moved in, it looked something akin to this (sorry I keep bringing back the stripper pole, its the only picture I have from 'back when/then').  When the shutters were drawn, the room was downright dreary.  In the last six months, I removed the shutters, tore out the carpet and painted the room (see here) and then went crazy searching for curtain swatches.   I fell in love with the fabric featured below but it didn't seem to look right until I tore out the carpets.  Then it all fell into place.  I now present my new living room wall/window/curtains/view.  

 The Ballerina painting was done by my maternal grandmother.  The colors match perfectly the blue, green and black in the drapes. 

Anniest Day on Earth

via

Especially today, because it IS my birthday! 

and I'll be spending the day at...

via

Eating my Homemade Toon Town cake...

Don't be jealous, you can do the same on your birthday too!

No One is Crabby in Puget Sound (except for maybe the crabs)

I spent a day on Puget Sound over the weekend (Whidbey Island, to be specific). 

We went Crabbing. It was an all day ordeal.  After getting licenses and getting outfitted with boots and lifevests, we ventured out on the Sound to drop the traps (with turkey legs for bait).

We went back to shore and carried on with our day... lunch... glass blowing... window shopping.... etc.  Several hours later, we were back on the boat, ready to pick them back up.

(Save me!)

We counted them (we were only allowed to harvest 5 per person), sized them (at least 6 1/4") and threw back the ladies (yes, we were only interested in the dudes, and yes, a Man-eater I am), took them back to shore to prep them for dinner. 

The cleaning and prepping was gross - so I'll spare you the photos... but please know it certainly wasn't something I am above.    

Great Day and Delicious Feast!

Lavender Sachets

Amy and I meet a couple times a week at the local track to run smile at the hot trainer  gossip for an hour before starting our days. She’s getting hitched soon and has a gaggle of aunties eager to spoil her with wedding events and showers. As a thank you gift to these aunties, she harvested the lavender in her front yard and snagged some fabric remnants to make lavender sachets. Her only dilemma was her inability to operate a sewing machine. That’s where I come in!


I toted my sewing machine and pinking sheers over to her house and in a matter of hours, we had a stack of sachets for each of the aunties!

Earring Screen (Earscreen?)

Whew!  Saturday was quite a whirlwind day, a jam packed Mother-daughter outing.  Our last stop was a Consignment-Store-Mecca located on a non-descript industrial street somewhere between my parents' house and mine.  I was immediately enamoured and only wish I knew of this place when I moved into my home almost 18 months ago. 

One of the treasures I took home with me was an old ornate metal frame that was painted a dull taupe color (when is taupe ever exciting?).  I don't have any before pics, but I spray painted it a bright happy yellow, added some netting, and then posted it on my bedroom wall, perfectly framing my danglies. 

And if one day I decide the yellow is too happy for me

(when is yellow ever too happy?!),

I can always repaint it, right?

The Anti-Stink!

I’m no hippy, but I will admit an effort to go more organic in the last year or more. I can go on (and on and on!) about my new favorite multi-use natural products, but not now (maybe later?!), I’m going to talk to you about one. Deodorant.

Yup.

Deodorant.

I had a thing a few years ago where I was swapping brands of deodorant every 5 – 12 days because it would

 suddenly.stop.working.and.never.again.work.on.me.

 Most memorable was a particularly hot August day when an even hotter Brit asked if I was free for dinner that evening. I was trying to act cool and like, ‘um… I don’t think I have anything going on tonight’ ….

Meanwhile CHAOS was running rampant on the inside; racing heart, flushed face, an inner dialog of ‘Omigsosh omigosh, omigosh’, weak knees, and my deodorant failing. Not only was I saying, yes, but my underarms were shouting it from the rooftops! I had to find a way to eliminate the unpleasant odor. STAT. I also had to figure out a way to change my top without making it look like I was trying to impress him. (I mean I was, but more importantly, I didn’t want to smell)


Don't mind the hair (I just got back from running)


But I digress. You read about Aluminum and how bad it is for your body and I recently started trying the aluminum free types of deodorant in which after a few different trials, I realized I might as well not be wearing anything. Still wanting to avoid the aluminum (and unpleasantness), I endured a multi-step process that ended with a dash of baking soda to each under arm.  I don’t think my housewife room mate ppreciated the fine layer of baking soda dust on the bathroom floor… so I browsed the innerewebs and embarked on another alternative.

I MADE MY OWN DEODORANT!

(yup, I'm a hip(py) like that!)

5 Tbsp of melted coconut oil
1/3 cup corn starch
1/3 cup baking soda


Mix until goodness evolves and viola


I tried it for a week. My body wasn’t so sure and every day a different side would rebel and become less than pleasant. I went back to the kitchen; remelted my concoction and added MORE baking soda, a teensy bit more cornstarch and then a few sprays of my perfume.  And now... a month later in the heat of California August... I can say it works!! 

Best.THING.in.the.world

(other than, of course, a sharing a warm August evening with a handsome foreigner)

 

Repurposed Bookshelf

I have a kajillion books at my bedside to read. I had them stacked on the window sill above the bed, on the floor next to the bed and even sharing a corner of the bed with me.

I was on the hunt for a night stand or small bookshelf to tidy things up a bit, and then I remembered this ruddy piece of furniture.

 I took this hand me down shelf from my dad's home office when I moved into my first apartment after college. Its small.. maybe 2’ x 3’… Two shelves. I’m pretty sure it’s had a place in every apartment since and when I bought my house I retired it to the garage for Craigslist or a garage sale

 Not so fast my pretties!


I pulled it out of retirement, lightly sanded it and then painted it a pretty glossy blue (The Blues by Dunn Edward if you want to get specific) which coincidentally will soon (one day, eventually) be the same color as my front door (actually the purpose for which I purchased the paint!) To add a bit more pizzazz to this piece, I took off the back panel and covered it in a pretty yellow print.  

And now it resides next to my bed, holding all the words in which I love to read! 
(and a pretty flower vase too!)

No Sticks Required

Ever get the urge to do something just a little out of the ordinary?

(me: All the time!)

Need to/Wanna send someone special a package in the mail?

(me: most of the time!)

Ever at a loss for what kind of box to use?

Here’s how you do it.

1 - Determine intended recipient
2 - Determine object to send  (whatever you want, though if it is perishable or explosives, or radioactive, the USPS, might have a thing or two to say about it)
3 - Buy a piñata (yes. I said it, Pin-a-ta!)
3a - Buy two if you have latent aggression issues
4 - Stuff said object into piñata
5 - Seal up stuffing-hole
6 - Slap an address on the front
7 - Dance the Macarena all the way to the Post Office! (this is a necessary step)

The postal ladies all giggled and said my piñata was oh so pretty!

I think that was my favorite part of it all!

Sprinklers

As I may have lamented before, my yard has been an eyesore since before I moved in. I keep making noises about it to my neighbors and make sure I have BIG piles of yard waste as often as I can so they know it’s on my mind and am working on it despite the apparent lack of activity.

For my birthday (have I mentioned its my birth month?), I asked my family for help in landscaping and irrigation.

Scott,

(my brother) and Phil

 (my wannabe brother)

showed up last Saturday morning to tackle my sprinkler system. The comical part about my sprinklers is the previous system was designed a man who had his own way of making things work and this was certainly evident while trying to unravel his logic. Not sure what the problem was, but wires were crossed, illogical loops of pvc pipes were made underground.

Basically it was a hot mess of sprinklers spraying where they weren’t supposed to, including from a pipe 6 feet above the ground.

The boys tackled my yard with fury.

While I was tasked with keeping them fed and hydrated

(With Otter Pops) in between my continual loops to and from the hardware store (ask me, I’m an expert on slip vs thread!).

I give full and complete credit and GRATITUDE to the boys!

Next up is doing it allll over again in my back yard

 

AND putting down some roots in both yards!

 

My neighbors (and I) are sooooo excited!!

Return from Summer Vacation

Sincere apologies to my faithful reader(s if you include my mom) for my recent absence on this thing. Its not that I had no content, but it was more that I had no time. I know, I know, sad excuse.. But summer’s a time for vacation, right? Let’s just say I was on vacation; which is kinda true… I went camping for a couple days.

Anyway… I promise an August full of exciting (to me) posts and colorful anecdotes.

And lets not all forget someone (me) is celebrating a birthday this month!