NumberNineteen

just some random stuff

I'm working like crazy over here.  Summer session is easy?  Yeah, not so much.  I took on some work as a research assistant (woo hoo! first paid work in over 2 years -- love it!) and am taking 2 courses.  One which is super intensive & is over at the end of June & the other not quite as intensive and goes to August.  And, I decided to run a 5k on Sunday.  And, we had visitors over the weekend.  In the mean time, I'm keeping my eye on these little happy things to keep me cheerful....

Looky what arrived in the mail today!  My first purchase of washi tape! I found a seller on etsy who sells it by the foot, so I could pick a bunch of styles without breaking the bank (Le Box Boutique) Oh my gosh, its just too stinkin' cute!  And those spools!  I can't wait to play with them.

Fresh berries are the absolute best part of summer, aren't they?  Well, all fresh produce!  I swear that freshly picked strawberries are actually an entirely different fruit from the stuff that you see in the supermarket in February.  These are soooo nummy.

I just want to eat up this little lady recently.  Crazy missing teeth & all.  She is just the funniest, smartest, most sparkly person I've ever known.  I used to hear celebrities talk in magazines & say that their kids were the most amazing people they ever met.  And, I thought "you need to meet more people".  Now I'm a mom & it turns out that they were right!  My kid IS the most amazing person that I've ever met.

I'm loving Midsomer Murders & watching it constantly (when I have free moments).  The murder part is almost incidental (murder, schmurder), its the English country life that I'm watching for.  In my fantasy life, I live in an English village.  Or London.  Whichever.

I hope that the summer is getting off to a good start for you.  I'll be checking in again soon!

Family Room Fluffing -- New Decorative Pillows

Our bare, white walled, open-spaced new house is very, very slowly becoming more and more homey. You may one day even call it cozy.  In about 10 years. 

I've been putting a lot of effort into the family room because we spend the most time there.  I've made a few mistakes already and threw up a few things just because we needed something, but I'm getting there. 

One thing that I love, love, love in the family room are the pillows that I made for the sofa.

I spent numerous nights online, considering fabrics and coordinating, deciding which ones would look best together.

I had an accquaintance do the monogram on her super fancy embroidery machine (mine can't sew a design that big) and I stitched up the fabric into a pillow for the centerpiece.

I posted about the cutie patootie polka dotted pillows a few months ago (see?  that is how long it took me to decide on these!).  The paisely fabric is my absolute favorite.  It is SO gorgeous.  I want it everywhere! In fact, I was considering making curtains for this room in red version of that fabric, but its too burgundy.  Drat.

Next, I'm working on the mantel.  I currently have picture frames there, with the pictures of models still in them.  Classy.

Hope's Bathroom -- After Photos!

The facelift of Hope's bathroom is complete! 

The details are my favorite part:

And, my favorite:

What we did:

-painted the walls

-sewed a new shower curtain

-sewed personalized towels

-changed out the light fixture, the towel rod & the toilet paper holder

-added a robe/towel hook for more hanging space for guests

-changed out the cabinet knobs to glass

-added a silver tray & a personalized bubble bath

Hope said that she would like to paint a picture for above the toilet, so I need to remind her to get cracking on her artwork :)  I'm also going to keep my eye out for a few cute accessories for the counter. 

We are really happy with the cheerfulness of the room!

 

Red Roses

Remember the rose bush that I posted about here?  It exploded in flowers over the weekend! For the first time ever, I was able to take cuttings & make an arrangement of flowers from my own garden. 

As time goes on, I hope that I will be able to fill my yard with a small cutting garden.  I would love to add pale pink roses to current plants.  Wouldn't a bouquet of lilacs, hydrangeas & pink roses be lovely?

Jewelry Organizer -- Quick IKEA Fix

I love IKEA!  I know, who doesn't?  Super cute decorating solutions, super inexpensive?  Sign me up!  And, we are lucky enough to live about 5 minutes from IKEA.  So, if I get a good idea (i.e.: find something good on Pinterest), I can just pop over there and get everything that I need.

My latest IKEA solution is for my costume jewelry.  Up until this week, this is how I stored my necklaces:

Nice, huh?  And ever so easy to find what I was looking for!

Enter IKEA:

The Bygel rail and S-hooks.  $2.98 for the whole thing.  Yes, $2.98.  I put up the rail on my closet wall and....

Ta Da!  Perfect jewelry holder -- I can see everything and they can't get tangled.  There is even room for several more necklaces. 

Now, if I could only find an IKEA solution for this....

(Photos of rail & hook found at IKEA.  In the store, they can be found in the kitchen organization area)

Spring Flowers

Please excuse my little absence...I was wrapping up spring semester!  I have three weeks off before the start of the summer session --- ahhhhhhhh. I have a list a mile long of crafty decorating projects that I want to tackle while I'm off.  The truth is, the list is long, but I'm going to do whichever ones strike my fancy and let the others go, because a relaxing pace is what I'm going for. 

Since it is our first spring in this house, I've been doing a lot of planting to give the yard a little color.  The gorgeous iris in the top photo was a housewarming gift from a friend of ours who is an amazing gardener.  The iris bulbs come from a group that have been planted at several of her family's homes.  Isn't that the most thoughtful housewarming gift?  It is so, so beautiful.

There is a sweet story behind this rose bush as well (if I do say so).  On the 8th anniversary of our first date (yep, we are corny like that), Glenn gave me one of those "miniature rose" plants that comes in a 4 inch pot.  After we enjoyed it inside for a week or so, I thought "What the heck, it couldn't hurt to plant it & see what happens".  Keep in mind that I cannot grow anything.  The next spring, lo & behold, the bush came back to life and started blooming!  We took it from the old house, put it in a pot on the back porch of the rental and replanted it here and it is growing better than ever!  It's become a special plant for us -- symbolic of how our relationship grows and strengthens through the years and changes.

There is no story behind these.  We got them at the garden center and planted 7 of them in front of the porch.  But, the photo turned out so pretty that I had to share :)  I also planted a peony that is yet to bloom (or get buds...grrr) as well as a lilac and hydrangea that aren't pretty yet.  I'll take photos once they start to get pretty.  It's my dream to have large enough flowering bushes to take cuttings for vases.  I have a way to go, but I'm on my way!