Woven Caddy

Scored this woven caddy/basket/whatchamacallit at HomeGoods for three bones, tres buckskins, a trio of beans. Not literal buckskins...eww. I only wish I could use lima beans. And bones? That is a little hardcore. But just a little.

Anyhoo...I got me a thingamajig at HomeGoods. Hated the little curly cue doomonkeys...so I bent them down outta sight with my giant guns. Guns = biceps (not boobs mom! sorry inside joke!) So here was the photo prior to me altering my purchase:


And afterwards I brainstormed how to use this poohamahickey. And I came up with silverware caddy. Just popped a dishtowel in with some silverware and instantly have a outdoor picnic utensil holder.


Or even placing it on a casual buffet for a bit of height and a little texture. (silverware down of course)


So what would you use this for? Anyone thinking candycane holder for Christmas caroling? Or what about hanging it in an extra bedroom with a bottle of chilled water for guests? I need brainstormers to throw out some ideas. Not actual stormy craniums....you know what I mean :)

Photoshopped Fun - Gia's Golden Bathroom

Gia of A Life in Progress emailed me telling me about her bathroom with the golden tile...here's her sweet little note:


"I have recently stumbled across your blog and must say that I absolutely love it and all of your decorating advice. I do not have the bargain-hunting knack, but I am getting there. Not sure how you handle giving out decorating advice, but I figured I would pose this question to you anyways, and maybe you could get back to me.

We recently bought our first house and have done LOTS of cosmetic work. We do not have the money to do a major bathroom overhaul, and I have two choices: I can either work with the yellow tile and brown cabinet and counter OR I can ignore it.

I want to lighten it up and would be willing to paint the cabinets (as they are the same ones in our kitchen that we painted) and walls again. I feel like it is too dark. The yellow tile is throughout the shower and on the floor.
What advice do you have to offer? Thanks! -Gia "


Gia already tackled this bathroom once and made some great improvements. Let's just say before it was like Anna Nicole minus the Trimspa...




Moving in the right direction, right?! Well, I downloaded her photos into photoshop and played. Here is what I came up with:







My favorite is Option 1 because of the beautiful Pottery Barn shower curtain which picks up the yellow of the vintage tile while still making the room look fresh and clean. And a couple coats of blue on the walls allows the yellow to become more of a neutral colors rather than an uber-dominating hue.

I also recommended that she switch out her brown floor rug for one in pearly white. That and remove the toilet rug...can you say drippage? yummy. And while she is incorporating white - a couple layers of white paint on that vanity will really allow the bathroom to appear lighter and brighter. Dontcha think?!

So which one is your favorite? Vote for one and tell us why you like that option best for Gia's golden child. I'm off. Suddenly I feel like eating a bowl of Honeycombs cereal....interesting :)

White Hot

It was an accident. And smooches to God for not letting our house catch on fire.



Needless to say...grease fires are dangerous. And apparently my chicken marinade is really oily. My boyfriend is usually on top of keeping the house, the cars, and the grill in top-notch cleanliness. Yes, I married a mutant. Love you baby! But we had forgotten about the time we made 70 lbs of grilled poultry for the ladies at our church. So it was a complete surprise when we were firing up the grill to find that it got hotter than a latin dance competition. Muy Caliente! Before we knew it, smoke was pouring out the back of the grill. And even though the grill was away from the house, our siding got the brunt of the Kenmore's temper tantrum...and was loaded down with grease & soot. But no matter how much we scrubbed, the white paint still looked dingy. So I have been dreaming of a new paint job.



The picture above is the original...pre-photoshop version. Kinda like American Idol's Bikini Girl during Hollywood week. And then the next ones are when she returns to sing horribly....oh...was I the only one listening while gaping at Kara's abs? Boys - you need to learn how to multitask that way you could oogle and hear the trainwreck for the finale.










So which one do you like better? Is the blue-gray too dark? Is the brown too dirty looking? Is the green like a third nipple and just weird? Or do you think that maybe we should just stick to white?

Repainting our house isn't in the hopper right now - but a girl can dream, right? I mean, the Bikini Girl probably had Pussycat Doll dreams about growing up. Well world, exterior paint color is my version of tah-tahs. (boys everywhere are disoriented and confused right now, huh?)

Paneling Plans

It's not on my goal list....but I really would love to add faux paneling to our dining room. Then I saw a photo that really pushed my urge over the edge. Check it out:


Look at all the purtiness! Yes ma'am. It's cozier than siamese triplets in a sleeping bag! But as much as I wanna wrap myself up in that rouched quilt and lean back on that greige ornate headboard, the center of my attention is that faux paneled wall. The white on white paneling is just so stately and classy and well, hotter than "the Rachel" in '95.


In my twisted mind, the perfect place for faux paneling is in our room dedicated to eating bacon. Currently, we have the trim painted in Benjamin Moore's Pastel white base. Above the chair rail is Valspar's Dusty Trail. Below is Olympic's Stony Creek. Yes, I am playing a little menage a trois on paint brands...they understand, I just can't be tied down.


Bada boom bada bing. Here you go - the photoshopped version of what my dining room could look like with some non-silicone enhancements. What do you think? If I added some trim and painted it all white to make it look like paneling on the lower half of the room, is it too contrast-y? Eventually I want to stain the buffet to match the table - so take that into account when you make your decision. Is it too light, too white, too bright, too (quick, what rhymes with ite?) - I really would love all twenty of you guys to give your input...and I quite possibly think that this decision could change my life. And yes - it is the bacon that makes me melodramatic :)

White Coffee

White coffee table, that is. Yessiree. I have been riding the white bus for quite some time. And let me tell ya, this white boy is making me jump (jump).


Before the coffee table had a stained finish. Kinda looked like, well, coffee. Although it was decently built, the bottom shelf was damaged a bit and needed to be removed. I figured I could replace it with a bit of beadboard. And the price was too good to pass up - $10 on craigslist. Since the glass was unscratched and the octogonal shape was exactly what I wanted, I figured this was my winner. Jeremy, being the good husband that he is, drove me the 40 minutes to pick it up. in the rain. in the boonies. Thanks baby - I award you one Get-Outta-Housework-For-Free card....we'll talk about the limitations later.


After a quick couple coats of primer, this baby is looking pretty darn tootin' good. I love the clean lines and the open feel of the piece. I also like how it picks up the white of the fireplace and the adjoining kitchen stools (not seen above). The shape also ties in the different seating in the room without taking up too much space. So now we come to the question -

Should I get the beadboard like planned and paint the whole sucker a nice crisp white finish?

or

Should I leave the bottom open like pictured above and paint it as-is a nice crisp white finish?

It's up to you peeps. The beadboard might actually take up more space visually because the floor would no longer be exposed or it might help lighten the space by allowing more white to be in the den. What do you think? I need your help like Ashton needs practical jokes.

Lots of Love to Locks of Love

In this day and age it is hard to know whether or not charities are good samaritans or evil doers exploiting our generousity. Case in point -



After yesterday's post, I was concerned about the feedback I got about Locks of Love from my fellow Shades of Light fan, The Upstart. She stated that her hair (which sounds freaking gorgeous! hello hair model!) wouldn't make the cut at one of the best known charities in America. So I followed her well-spoken (err, well-typed) advice and did some of my own research.

Here's what I came up with:

• No charity can use every single thing donated
• No charity can sell every single thing for the highest amount
• No charity is going to be perfect or flawless because they are run by humans who are imperfect and full of flaws

And so my decision is to keep with my original support of Locks of Love. This may offend people...well, tough cookies. I am standing by my decision. I am Hayden and this is my Shamu.

A huge thank you goes out to The Upstart for encouraging me to get some charity enlightenment. And a million points goes to each one of you that told me about your donated follicles....dudettes, you rock! Even if your locks end up getting sold to a doll company instead of adorning some child's shiny bud-free head, your act was still a good deed and it still benefits the charity. So high-fives all around!

Oh and those of you that haven't voted on a Shades of Light rug for my kitch, get to it! This is my call for help -

(clockwise from top left)

Totally chic and super comfy on the knees for those baking marathons - Happy Trellis Rug in green
Uber durable and easy to clean for when spills happen - Variegated Round Rug
Cheerful hue and texture galore for a little global inspiration - Soho Dhurri Rug in yellow

Made in the Shades (of Light)

The fine folks over at Shades of Light are my new BFF. If I was Rudy, they would be Notre Dame. If I was an old person, they would be Depends. If I was Brad Pitt, they would be Jen...doh!...I mean, Angelina!!! You get the point.

What is Shades of Light? Besides being Katie's Best Friend Forever, they are the cat's meow provider of lighting, rugs and furniture. Just look at some of these amazing lighting fixtures:

Lurve me tender! Uber cute, no?! And the goosebumps don't stop there - the SOL items are actually quality stuff...totally 'investment' pieces. No, I don't often recommend spending a boo-coo of money on home decor items but in this case, loosen those purse strings! Not only will this stuff last the test of time in quality and general wear and tear but also in design. So your purchase is well worth the money.

So why are they my BFF? I am so glad you asked.

When they heard about my kitchen rug debacle, they swooped in to save the day. They actually offered me a rug! (insert bootie dance here!) And their fabulous design team already picked out some options! One word - "Moderndaysuperheroes".

As many of you know, I love it when you guys vote on stuff for me. Mostly because I get option paralysis...diner menus are the worst (too many choices!) but also because all ten of you have super-fabulous taste! Soooo this rug choice is going to be put into your very able hands. Here is the photo of the too-much-wood-ain't-so-good space:




Now please put on your design hats and pick me a kitchen rug! Here are the options:

Option #1 is the Happy Trellis Rug. Ya'll know how much I love me some green...and this brisk colored plush baby is totally punchy and comfy to boot. Available in three colors :)


The Variegated Round Braid rug is the second option. With it's happening combo of colors done in a practical polypropylene, this option is a breeze to clean (prime time kitchen rug!)


Last but certainly not least, is the Soho Dhurri rug. This is similar in design to my too-small-Pottery-Barn rug but in a rugged and durable dhurri weave. Although it is not as plush as many rugs, the nubbly texture and the yummy yellow color make it quite the contender.


So there you have it...the battle of the century. Even bigger than the one over Brad Pitt. Dear friends help me out by voting. Whatever you choose will be the rug I will live with forever :) I realize that a few of you may not be in the mood to de-lurk, so I thought I could give a little something to you too - here is the Shades of Light Blog. So now you can add that sucker to your reader and continue your lurk-dom!

And because those fine folks at Shades of Light are being so generous, I also decided to pay it forward.

For each vote I get, I am going to donate $1 to Locks of Love (up to $250). They provide hairpieces to bald kids who lost their hair due to medical illness. I know several little girls who suffered from cancer and losing their hair was excruciating. I figure I am getting a rug, so should they :) And it is all thanks to Shades of Light.

What do you do?

What do you do if someone dies and leaves no will?


We have a bit of a situation. Let's explain. Grandma went to be with Jesus last Friday. She left a will when it came to money. But she left a WHOLE HOUSE of stuff. Tons of clothing, three floors of furniture, and millions (no joke - millions) of chotchkies. It will take weeks and weeks to sort through everything.


My dad is one of four brothers (my uncles are VERY well off and their families have asked for basically nothing in the house). So it kinda falls on my immediate family. My older brother asked for a doll (my grandma handpainted their tiny faces) for my neice Clara. My younger brother didn't ask for anything but we found some old coins we thought he would like to add to his collection. My sister has no space and asked for a few scarfs and a bit of her costume jewelry. And then there is me. I have a certain emotional attachment to almost everything. I would keep an unhealthy amount of items. So what do you do?


We have all asked for little things of sentimental value...I asked for the pighead. But then there is the stuff that has REAL value...like furniture. In actuality, my parents and I are the only ones with room for anything...and when I say my parents and I, I mean my mom will stuff other things in a closet to make room. Also, it seems wrong to ask for anything of any intrinsic value because we don't NEED it. But it seems more wrong to not ask for her things because of the emotional value. Even if an item is worth a lot doesn't mean that is the reason you keep it, right? So what do you do?


For instance, Jeremy and I have space for a bedroom suite. I would prefer her bedroom suite...because it was hers. Her hands touched those dressers everyday. Her smell is still in the drawers. Her most personal items were in that room. But it is probably the nicest of all the bedroom furniture. And besides the dining room set, it has the most value. So I felt really strange asking for it. But I didn't want to NOT ask for it and it be donated to someone who never knew how special it was to touch her things.

Have you ever dealt with a situation like this? What do you do? Do you only choose the items of sentimental value or do you ask for items that are worth cash? We don't want to sell anything but if we donate the items, the thought of her stuff being picked over by complete strangers is really painful. We realize that it is better if we give the items away for others who need them. But it is really hard to know whether it is better to choose all sentimental items or mix it up with some items of value too. Just another reason why death sucks.

Right now I am on the way home. Yup. God bless technology. Gotta love wireless internet. My boyfriend is driving down Interstate 85 and I am speed typing (get it? hee hee) Ya'll keep truckin!