Hook, Line, & Sinker

I've been married for over 10 years, so let's just say I've picked up a few... umm tools, if you will, along the way. As you know, the hubs is a resident which means lots of overnight shifts and lots of trying to catch up on sleep during the day. He's always hated that our bedroom curtains are white and don't do much to keep the room dark when they are closed.

Lately, I've been wanting to change up the bedroom a little bit...starting with the window treatments. So, I may or may not have manipulated the situation to get what I wanted. I said I needed to change out the panels, because I hate how light it is at night because of the street lamps. Plus, and more importantly, Hubs would be able to sleep better during the day.  Am I bothered by how much light comes in at night? Yes. If I had window treatments that I absolutely loved would I live with the light? Yes. So, there you have it. I have my new window treatments, and Jeremy thinks I'm thoughtful for getting panels that keep out the light. Sounds like a win win to me. Don't judge me, after all, I just gave you a great tip.

image from Tobi Fairley

image from Tracery Interiors

image from Sarah Richardson Design

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

I just wanted to thank all of you who visited my blog on Friday for my home feature.  All of the comments (on both my blog and 6th Street's) and emails meant SO much to me.  All of your kind words made my day. And, thank you to all of my readers, old and new, who support my efforts and make my blogging endeavors so much fun!

image from about.com

6th Street's Feature Friday

I am SO excited to have our home featured today on 6th street design school's Feature Friday! Kirsten is super talented and is such an inspiration. (She's kind of a big deal!) I'm so honored! Go check it out!

[kreyv of the day]

image from Traditional Home

[so cheap, so easy]: Framed Sticks

We all know I have a gigantic love for sticks.  There are sticks in Stella's room, the powder room, AND the living room (both in a planter and in my sunburst mirror). I just can't get enough, which is lucky for me, because I have found something else to do with lovely sticks! Plus, I still have a couple rooms without sticks...don't want them to feel left out.

I came across this beauty on Pinterest.  The original post and tutorial can be found at Cleverly Inspired. She made the entire project for only two dollars.  Two dollars people! That is next to nothing for this giant piece of awesomeness. (Hmmm, didn't think awesomeness was really a word, but I didn't get a big red line under it, so I guess it is.  Good, because I meant it.) Definitely going to copycat this one! Love it!

image from Cleverly Inspired

[color kreyv]: Purple & Green

Purple and green. It sounds a little scary at first, but look how beautiful these spaces are! I've always loved the colors for a little girl's room, but look how sophisticated it looks in this entry from Apartment Therapy. I guess we're not really talking about a true purple and a true green, because that could be a little much. It's really a chartreuse and plum; pear and lilac; and sage and lavender. How did I do? Let me guess, that's EXACTLY what you were thinking. Good. Glad we're on the same page.

image from Apartment Therapy

image from Zimbio

image from Pottery Barn Kids

The Bold & the Beautiful

I'm talking about bold and beautiful furniture, not the soap, which, for the record, I've never watched a daytime soap. They are too much, even for me. I'm into the good stuff that's on Bravo instead! But, back to the bold furniture. It is major, and once again, I am in love (especially with the blue sofa)! It makes a statement, but not an "in your face" statement. Perfect. Bold. Beautiful. 

image from Alice Lane

image from Apartment Therapy 

image from House Beautiful

Stella's Cookie Monster Costume

This post has nothing to do with design, besides the fact that this little Cookie Monster looks really cute walking around my house! I had a couple of people ask for instructions on how the costume was made.  Then, my friend Kelli at The Turquoise Piano suggested that I post and link up Stella's costume, so here it is! My sewing skills are quite pathetic, and I don't own a sewing machine, so this is an easy project. I got the idea over a year ago from some similar costumes I saw on Etsy.  I wanted to wait until this year, because Stella couldn't walk last year, and the costume would have been a disaster on a crawler!  Plus, she is obsessed with Sesame Street, so it was extra fun that she enjoyed being Cookie!

I used about 3 yards of tulle and 1/2 yard of matching fabric for the lining. My SIL Emily sewed the tulle onto the lining for me (three layers of tulle). We also used elastic across the chest. The lining is just a simple a-line shape. The costume hits Stella about mid-calf.

The head piece is part of a feather boa hot glued to a thick headband (hot glueing is really my strength)! The eyes are styrofoam balls and buttons, again, hot glued onto the headband. The cookie bracelet is two round pieces of felt stuffed with batting and hand stitched around the edge. I used a darker thread, because I wanted the stitching to show. The chocolate chips are mini pom poms hot glued onto the felt. I then glued the entire cookie onto ribbon. The ribbon was just tied around Stella's wrist.

The straps are grosgrain ribbon. I stitched the ribbon to the front of the main piece making sure they were close enough together that they wouldn't slip off of Stella's shoulders. I sewed two metal clasps (a loop and a hook clasp) in the back of the costume, and their counterparts on the two pieces of ribbon.  I hand stitched more of the feather boa across the top of the dress.

This is not the greatest picture of the bag, but I wasn't planning on doing a tutorial.  You might have to use your imagination a little! I bought the bag (in a three pack) from Hobby Lobby. I cut out a felt circle using the same felt as the cookie bracelet and glued it onto the bag. Again, I glued pom poms for chocolate chips. For the stitching, I drew them on with a fine-tip Sharpie marker. I also wrote, "Me Want Cookie" around the perimeter of the cookie.

See, I told you it was easy! Here's a list of where I'm linking, check them out:

Making the World Cuter

Dittle Dattle

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Skip to My Lou

Mo Momma

Be Colorful
Sweet Little Gals
Today's Creative Blog
Sugar Bee Crafts
Tales of a Trophy Wife
Blue Cricket Design
Seven Thirty-Three
Mom on Timeout

[so cheap, so easy]: Stella's Pumpkin

I know I don't typically (well, ever) post [so cheap, so easy] projects on Mondays, but I suddenly realized that Halloween is only one week away! We've already gone to one party and have at least one more. (Click here to see my cute little Cookie Monster in action.)We're having lots of fun enjoying Halloween and the beautiful fall weather. 


Stella is nearing two, and it's so fun to have her enjoy the festivities. A couple of weeks ago, Stella decorated her "pump." I wanted her to be able to do it by herself, but I also wanted it to be cute, because cute is important! I think I found a good solution, and there was even a little bit of learning involved, too! I bought black, felt letters/numbers from Michaels. I peeled the backs off, and Stella stuck them on the pumpkin. So easy, even a two year old can do it!

Start with a CLEAN pumpkin. No idea why she likes to lick the thing.

Stick on lots and lots of felt letters and numbers. (This one was an "o". Can you tell?)

Ta Da!  All done! She's so proud.

She likes to carry it around with her like it's an accessory. It does make quite the statement.

[kreyv of the day]

image from Kendall Wilkinson

[so cheap, so easy]: Wrapped Shoe Box Tops

I know I'm due for an original project of my own, but things come up (i.e. Stella's Halloween costume that I decided to make myself, but had no idea what I was getting into. Typical Jamie.)  Don't worry, I'm working on a couple of things.  This project will totally make up for me being a slacker, and really, isn't that what the world wide web is for--ripping off other people's designs?!  So here it is: wrap shoe box lids in fabric.  That's it! I love these on the wall and layered on a shelf.  Plus, it's a project that doesn't take a whole lot of commitment.  If you don't like it, you're out some fabric (that you probably already had), some hot glue, and a shoe box lid. My kind of project!  

image from Houzz

[color kreyv]: Chartreuse

I'm just going to throw this out there and get it over with.  I got the idea for this week's [color kreyv] from Blue's Clues. That's right, Blue's Clues.  I know you were thinking I was all sophisticated and cultured, but when you spend your days with a two year old, Elmo, DJ Lance, and Blue, you take what you can get. (Obviously, I'm not opposed to Stella watching a show here and there. What can I say? Elmo doesn't charge me anything to babysit Stella while I'm in the shower or cooking dinner!)

Did you know that chartreuse (the color between green and yellow) was named because of its resemblance to one of the French liqueurs named green chartreuse? Now who's cultured? I definitely didn't get that info from Blue...I got it from Wikipedia. Who do I think I'm fooling, anyway?!

image from Decor Pad

image from Domino

image from The Want Monster

Manly Chandeliers

I long for the day when I can have chandeliers in my home. They are so major in setting the tone in a room, and poor me, I am without. You may think manly chandeliers is an oxymoron, but check these out. Ok, so the antler one is a no brainer, but the other two are definitely striking a good balance between masculine and feminine. 

On another note, I need to make fun of the hubs for a minute. He somehow hurt his neck by sleeping on it wrong. He can't move it, he can't really do anything without a spasm. He's in a lot of pain, and you're probably thinking, "Why is this funny?" It's really not. It's just that I kind of get the giggles when I see him traipsing around the house like he's 95 years old, and then I smell the Icy Hot, and I just can't contain myself. It's not like back in the day when he used to get hurt playing lacrosse. That's legit. It's that ever since he turned the ripe old age of 34, he's been hurting himself in the weirdest ways. First there was the picking up of the weight/back injury, then the neck. The worst part is what is he going to do tomorrow at work if a patient codes or something? Do you really want someone who can hardly move trying to save your life? I have a sick sense of humor, and I'm realizing that as I write this. In my defense, I have been taking good care of him, and I only laugh behind his back.

image from Material Girls

image from Restoration Hardware

image from Traditional Home

Gimme Some A Dat

Sleep. We need more sleep at our house. I'm so tired that I just want to live in one of these totally gorgeous beds, shut the drapes, and sleep the day away. Is that too much to ask? Meanwhile, Jeremy has had a horrendous schedule this month and just returned from a conference in Chi-Town. He went to bed at 8:00 tonight. He's a little sleepy himself, and don't even get me started on his allergies. Gross, just gross. Dude, take your Zyrtec, or I'm going to have to regulate. Geez, I'm so ghetto when I'm tired.

So, I'm laying in bed watching the Real Housewives of New Jersey Reunion. It's still hard for me to admit that I watch that show, but let's just not hold it against me. Anyway, Jeremy starts talking to me about a balloon pump and a patient somewhere doing something, and he doesn't realize he's talking in his sleep, but he's trying to carry on a conversation with me, but at the same time he really thinks he's rounding at the hospital.  Then, he asks me, "What room did this used to be?" He tried to convince me he wasn't asleep, but he just kept on talking about the hospital. I told him to go back to sleep. Poor boy needs a break! Perhaps he needs one of these beds as well. Oh, did you think I was going to share mine with him? Not when he's talking crazy talk. No way.

image from Architectural Digest

image from House Beautiful

image from Interior Design Center

Just Plain Ol' Good Ideas

So it's the last day of the week of organization. (Technically, you still have Saturday, but we don't do that type of thing at our house on Saturdays. Saturdays are for messing up the house, or so some people in this household may think. How did you do? I can't say I did any major, life-changing projects, but I did something each day--mostly things I've been putting off. I organized Stella's bows; I cleaned out my side of the closet; I cleaned out my dresser drawers; I finally vacuumed, wiped out, AND washed the car (in a car wash, of course); and I cleaned and organized my desk, which has been the home of lots and lots of random piles of papers. I've only been in this house for a year, so I didn't have a ton of stuff to get rid of (plus, I throw things away on a daily basis, it's what we OCDers do). I also have a hard time getting rid of clothing, even if I haven't worn it for a while. Oh well, at least I made some progress!

Today I'm posting pics of good organization ideas I've come across. One reader is looking for ideas on organizing shoes, so let us know your ideas. At our house, we have a basket in the entry, and we use shoe shelves in our closet, which, by the way, aren't even tall enough for the pumps I wear, so I just have to line those up on the floor. The crown molding idea would definitely solve my problem.

And, last, but not least, check out The Scoop on Poop today. She's featuring me and my lil' ol' bloggy, [kreyv]. Oh, and one more thing...have a great weekend!!

image from Chiswick Woodworking

image from Creating Keepsakes

image from Better Homes & Gardens

image from Living in a Nutshell

image from Thea's Mania

Bins, Baskets, and Containers

Oh, how I love bins, baskets, and containers. I love the way they look, and I love the way they hide dirty, little secrets! I have tons--of bins, baskets, and containers, that is--not dirty, little secrets (sorry to disappoint, I'm just not that exciting). I just don't think you can ever have enough. The hubs and I have differing opinions on this. He thinks we have enough. Clearly, there's no such thing. In fact, I just ordered some great wire baskets. That's what he gets for being on call so much this month. I've got to occupy myself somehow after Stella goes to bed. 

image from The Decorista 

image from Better Home & Gardens

image from Centsational Girl

image from Decorology

image from Simply Seleta via Pinterest

Shelving, Shelving, Shelving

If there's no room behind closed doors, leave it out for the world to see (in a nice, pretty way, of course)! Shelving is the ultimate organization tool.  First of all, if anything is going to be on open shelving, you're going to keep it organized.  Second of all, it frees up a TON of cupboard space for things that are not so pretty.  And third of all, it's pretty and practical.  That doesn't always happen.  I say when something is pretty AND practical, you should probably go with it! (Speaking of practical, isn't the image from The Container Store genius? I love that the bottom shelf doubles as a desk!)

image from Kitchen Building

image from The Container Store via Ohdeedoh

image from Decor Pad

image from Ohdeedoh

Getting Organized with Hooks

So, how was day one of getting organized? Did you organize something? I'm not going to lie, I was a little thrown off. Jeremy was post call, so he was upstairs sleeping. That means upstairs was off-limits for the majority of the day. Upstairs is where I want to organize. I did, however, manage to organize Stella's bows--lots and lots of bows. I bought a hanging shoe organizer (that hooks to the back of a door), and put her bows in the clear compartments, organized by color...so much better! I also got rid of a ton of her old bows. My goal for today is to organize my dresser drawers. They have gotten a little unruly!

Today I'm featuring some beautifully organized mud rooms, entries, and bathrooms. It's all about the hooks, baby! I'm also a HUGE fan of hooks on the backs of doors and in closets--major space savers! Seriously, the hooks in my entry were one of the first things to go up on the wall. I don't want anyone (not mentioning names) in my household to have ANY reason to put coats and bags on the floor. They go on the hooks!

image from Better Homes & Gardens 

image from Emily A. Clark 

image from Lilac Lane Cottage 

image from My Home Ideas