67.

sixty-seven posts in my google reader when i [finally] got home tonight. [have i ever told you that monday is my run-run-run day? it's like all the spheres of my life conspired against me to make monday a living hades.]

sixty. seven.

sometimes, i don't get a chance to read them all. often, i glance through the post, scrolling for photos [i know, i'm a horrible, horrible person.] or [dare i admit it] looking to see if there's a linking party. selfish selfish me. when i get crazy at work, or the housework piles up, i don't really get to enjoy my blogs so much... i just get focused on maintaining my own.

and the irony is that when i'm in "quickly check my google reader" mode, i miss the actual inspiration.

so tonight, i decided that i'm not going to address the clutter that is sometimes [ok... pretty much always] created when i'm cooking something up to blog about [see exhibit A], especially when i'm mid-project(s), and things aren't exactly going as planned. [do they ever with me?]

exhibit A

no.

instead, i'm going to sit down, put my feet up (literally, they are perched on the laptop cart thingy), and enjoy my blog subscriptions. i'm going to drink in all the greenery that other people have in their homes, fantasizing about the sweet, cool scent and vicariously getting in the holiday spirit through them [you]. i'm going to read about every darn advent calendar and all the special traditions... dreaming about the time when i [might] have little fingers to open little doors and hold up little scraps of paper to be read for that day's activity/treat/surprise.

i'm going to focus on the wonderful cool weather we've had and revel in the fact that the low tonight is 25... and even as i speak, the temperature outside is only 2 degrees away from freezing!! :) lovely, lovely november... you decided to show up in southern arizona after all :)

and if i'm not too tired, i'll get to this menagerie later... and if i am too tired... oh well. there's always tomorrow :)

window mistreatment, take two.

remember my mistreatment mishap? yeah, me too.

well, my builder beige walls and my builder beige blinds in this apt are calling out to me... they're saying:

"please!! we need some life!! we need some color!!"

and especially with a white couch in front of them... well, they're hurting for a little love... hurting bad.

and when melissa at 320*sycamore wrote about fabric and window treatments the other day, i knew i had waited too long. it was time.

i had been thinking about how to handle the fabric... i was nervous about cutting it, and nervous about hemming it... which is why melissa's demo of the hemming tape was such a relief!!

because my fabric has a lot of symmetry and a nicely repetitive pattern, i was able to cut down the middle, length-wise, to get two pieces that are just about identical. genius. this will fix my "whoops, i need more length" problem.

and to figure out how to hang them over those crazy blinds, i have a trick that i think i'm going to use that involves my glue gun, but i haven't tried it out yet... today i'm just going to show you the adhesive hemming tape that is my newest favorite.

before i did anything, i ironed in the fold i wanted. since this pattern repeats on a lovely grid, it was easy to just follow along...

see, i just tried to follow the pairs of swirls. this is just the edge ironed over... nothing special just yet...

then i unfolded it and laid out the adhesive strip along the fold line. [have i mentioned that it only cost me like $2 for 10 yds of it??]

then i just ironed over it [slowly... pressing for about 2 seconds is what they say... i did a little longer, because i wanted to make sure.]

then you peel off the paper tape, leaving the adhesive behind, fold that baby over on the fold line, and iron again... this time, more slowly... lingering for more like 6 seconds... or 8... or 10... or just go over it twice... this is how i roll :)

and presto-change-o.... you have a lovely, stiff, hemmed piece of fabric. no sewing required. [thank the Lord above.] and it only took me a short while... maybe 45 mins, beginning to end? and only because i was woody-allen-grade neurotic about cutting the fabric and the fold being perfect.

the only thing left to do is figure out how i want to hang them... i've been playing with an inverted pleat, because i love the scrolls so much that i kinda want the pattern to show up in a big way. we'll see... i bet you're also wondering how i'm going to incorporate a glue gun into hanging a window treatment... hopefully it works and i can post photos that you can ooh and ahh at, instead of more photos of more mishaps :) you certainly can't accuse me of being boring :)

navy frames: the conclusion.

ok, so i left you on a cliffhanger with this terrible photo, and a riddle... which of the frames are painted navy??

the answer was the double frame in the lower left corner (with 2 color photos) and the two single frames in the lower right corner. and since no one tried to guess the answer, i'm guessing that...

a) only internet robots read my blog,
b) this project is boring the pants off of you and you couldn't care less,
c) you had a turkey hangover & couldn't prop your eyelids open long enough to focus on hue, or
d) you just couldn't tell because it was that close.

i'm going to be narcissistic and think it was d) across the board :)

really and truly, though, the navy is dark. we don't get full sun in our living room, so there isn't a ton of natural light, and even steve and i were saying how close the navy looked. later in the evening, the indoor lighting made the navy warm up a bit and brought out the blue hues.

can i just pause and tell you that it was at this point that i just knew. you know, like when you're in the midst of a creative project, and you've been working on a hunch that changing one element may or may not bring pieces together?? when all of a sudden, things click and you fall in love and the vision all comes together? yeah. the navy did that for me... i've been wanting to move away from the heavy feel of all the black and still have a good base color to paint things like frames. [i just didn't think i wanted to go with spring green everywhere.] and since our walls are builder beige, too much white would just get boring. le sigh. navy.

so here's the one frame that gave me a bit of trouble. it's our wedding invitation... steve's aunt had it framed for us, which was really nice... but meant that i couldn't just pop out the photo and matting and glass like i did with the others... so i got creative and slid some black friday flyers into the cracks along the glass to protect it before i sprayed away.

here's what the arrangement looks like now...


at first blush, no big difference, right? here are a few in closer range...

it's very subtle... but that's why i love it so much!! :)

do you *love* my wedding photos? i know i do. not that you'd necessarily live near where i got married, but here is a link to the website of my wedding fotog.

and just because i took this gorgeous photo while i was making dressing on thanksgiving, i'll end the post with a picture of bread... my favorite food group :)

linking to...
funky junk interiors
and others from my typical party list.

i couldn't resist vol25.

my lovely friend jessica, who just so happens to have impeccable taste [and no blog, so i can't link you to her--can you tell i'm trying to get her to start one? are you feeling it, jess?] put up on her facebook this morning about an etsy shop, vol25.

now, can i admit something? etsy gets pretty overwhelming to me. it's not that i don't love everything i see, because i do. and it's not that there aren't great deals... because there def are. and there's probably some brilliant way to get in and get what you want, but i tend to feel like a kid from the styx in the multi-level macy's in manhattan. oh. ver. whelmed.

sooooo, i'm always happy to follow a pretty link that takes me right to a store that i am already interested in... which is exactly what happened this morning while i was catching up on my fb.

have i mentioned that vol25 is also having a 40% off sale today?!?! so i looked around, and i literally found something i should have.


i've seen this print before, but this morning, it really hit me. we've been living in this holding pattern for about 15 months, and still don't know where we're going to land in 7 months... and i'm trying so hard to live my life for now, to not waste my 20s waiting for the things that may not happen until my 30s.... and i just think this is the reminder i need... that we're home right now... even in this [insert negative adjective here] apt that is only 450 sq ft and has stacks of unopened boxes that serve as decor to add interest.

i'm fond of saying "home is where the husband is," and this is just a prettier way of saying that very thing :)

plus, at $12, who can pass that up??? not me. [dave ramsey, slap my wrist.] and besides, just yesterday, steve was asking what i wanted for christmas... well, now it's on its way :)

seriously go check out vol25. [and thanks for the link, jess.] the sale is amazing, and if you want to buy an xmas gift, she's going to be away mid-dec, so now is the time to decide and order... esp since you can get an extra 40% off, you can spend what you already have budgeted and get an extra 67% of stuff for the same amount you would've spent anyway :)

[i did the math... which means i probably figured that out wrong... and on that note, i'm heading to joann's to go buy more fabric...]

edit:: i should add that vol25 is not a sponsor, and i paid for my print... these opinions are 100% ann :) however, if you happen to be personal friends with the owner and want to put in a good word, i'd be happy to "review" some of their stuff... wink, wink :)

..also, just noticed that this matches the party @ tatertots and jello! so i'm linking up :)

I am participating in Infarrantly Creative and Tatertots and Jello’s Blog Hop for a chance to win a Mint Cleaner. It is the revolutionary machine that cleans your hard floor surfaces for you.

Click here to join the blog hop and a chance to win!

The Mint Cleaner is available at the following places:

Amazon
The Mint Cleaner

HSN

Bed, Bath & Beyond

in the navy.

alright... i'm still playing around with the navy spray paint, but i've got a sneak peak for you all to take a look at...

here's what the photos on our living room wall looked like before...


(don't mind that it's a bit messy...)

since i'm working from a red/black/brown palette to a white/green/navy palette, i decided to start small with the navy... namely, those black frames.

i started with a few of them... painted them navy and rehung them with the black ones to see what difference it made.

(my apologies for how grainy this photo came out... i was trying to use more natural light so that the photo had more true color.)


can you tell which ones i painted?

i did the rest today, and am finishing one that gave me a little trouble... will post more pics soon :)

also... there's only one more week to vote in the poll :) i think it's really interesting that SF, NYC, and seattle are neck and neck, and that there's very little love for LA!

look out, she's dangerous.

alright, peeps. i bought a can of navy spray paint... and started experimenting last night :) starting small, but this may be the next big step to changing up the living room decor :)

here's the sample color swatch they give on the krylon site...

it's pretty dark..... but i really like it :)

so this thanksgiving, i'm thankful for four days with no work, and $3 spray paint :)

i've also been playing around with my window mistreatment ideas... hopefully more to show there too!!

recap and reflections.

awhile ago, i shared with you about my struggles after coming back from the east coast.

i've been meaning to revisit that topic... mostly because i've had a few revelations since then...

the things is, since we've been married, there really hasn't been a great time to have kids. the first year was off limits on purpose. the second year, i was in grad school [and to be honest, had i gotten pregnant, the amount of stress i was under may have rendered the pregnancy unhealthy]. the thirds year, we moved here and were impoverished. also not a good situation to bring a baby into. and so here we are, in the fourth year, still waiting for the circumstances of life to align.

don't get me wrong... i've never been one of those "gotta have the suburban home and two SUVs before i have a kid" kinda girl... those who know me well know that i grew up without. i remember waiting in line with my mom for foodstamps early in my childhood... and to be honest, i feel like i'm a better person for it. i've never worried about the detriment i may cause my kid because we may not take them to disney world. i can live with those kinds of regrets.

what i can't live with is not having healthcare and having kids. what i can't live with is having to work two jobs to put food on the table because i selfishly wanted to have a kid that i ended up never having time with.

and so i continue to wait. [hopefully i'm waiting patiently.] it puts my type-A planner's heart at rest to know that i didn't pass up on a golden opportunity. i'm just still hoping that we get to a more settled place... where we have room for a baby... physically, financially, and in our schedules.

it's been particularly hard, because we really don't know what the next 6 months will bring... whether we will be moving across the county... whether i'll have a job... what kind of income we'll have... it's all up in the air.

i'm trying not to dwell on what i went through the last time we packed up and moved across the county in faith... but it's hard. instead, it's easier to focus on the fact that i have not yet passed up a good opportunity. i continue to be willing and ready to have kids... as soon as God makes that an option :)

the to-do list.

ok. so i'm going to start my to-do list of things i'd like to accomplish before my mother in law comes in january. [i have not yet ranked these... this is just brainstorming, and flexible...]

#1. put up some sort of window (mis)treatment. [see my mistreatment mishap here.]

#2. paint over the red in the living room... it exists on a little red table and the milk-cartons-turned-shoe-cubbies.

#3. find a way to make the laundry machines (and the space behind them) look nicer... maybe even like they belong in the living room [a girl can dream, can't she? i mean, this is just brainstorming... a wishlist of sorts...]

#4. change the ottoman from red to new color palette. [perhaps by sewing cover??]

#5. get rid of desk and its messy ways? replace with more functional desk? or chair? yet to be determined...

#6. tone down the black pieces in the room. this can be by painting black furniture a new color, or painting black frames... or some other amazing idea i come up with.

#7. try to reduce the # of yet-unpacked boxes... either by repacking/combining or by possibly getting rid of some of the contents? or by taking some of the (appropriate) things to the office??

#8. deal with ugly stains in bathroom... possibly see if maintenance can recaulk tub?

#9. create a sitting space that will accommodate all 3 of us...

#10. make porch a little lovelier...

i'm skipping all the fun linking parties this week to focus on organizing myself to accomplish all this... oh, and did i mention, it has to be done on a very tight budget???

[do you know how much it costs to apply to phd programs? we're applying to 11... and it's probably going to cost us around $1270... yikes!!!! and all that is getting paid between now and early january... which is my decor deadline!! c'est la vie!]

...and for a little extra umph to this list, i'm linking to anti-procrastination tuesday :)

incentive for decorating & organizing.

there's nothing like a little motivation...

...my mother in law is coming to visit just after the new year.

a) this is the first time she's visited us as a married couple (we usually go there).

b) have i mentioned that we live in a shoebox?

c) she refuses to let us give her our bed... i don't think she realizes that there isn't really anywhere else for her to sleep... :-/ [maybe i have enough airline miles to get a hotel room for her? would she hate me?]

d) have you seen my stack of yet-unpacked boxes in my living-room / kitchen?

...i need to make a list of things i'd like to accomplish, and prioritize... can i admit that i'm a little overwhelmed just thinking about it?

keep your eyes peeled... a "to-do" list will be appearing here SOON... b/c let's be honest... i need your accountability... i counted it up, and it's less than 6 weeks until she comes.... [commence stress....now.]

[image found here, which has nothing to do with this post, but i liked that the person had coffee... which i really want right now, but we're out of :( also, if you google "stress" the images can be pretty interesting...]

5 of my favorite things.

have you ever visited 320*Sycamore? it's one of my favorite blogs :) did you know that the name refers to the house that mary fixes up for george and the kids in "it's a wonderful life"?? she had me at "it's a wonderful life." :)

today, she's hosting a "favorite things" party, and there's a prize! :) exciting, isn't it??

so let me tell you about my five favorite things...

#1. my bed.

[unmade at the moment, hence the image.] i love being cozy in my bed, i love snuggling in with my husband, and even though it wasn't a super nice mattress, to me, it's the most comfortable place in the world to sleep.


#2. spray paint :)
i have re-done furniture in the past, and it's easy and cheap to make something old look new, and funky :)

#3. fabric :)

for pretty much the same reasons that i love paint :) it's a quick way to make boring into lovely.

#4. nail polish
i love nail polish. it's my newest indulgence. since i started the job, it's my little way to de-stress and feel more professional, and put together :)

#5. clean, fresh laundry (esp towels!)
i love the smell, the warmth, the cozy happiness of fresh clean, happy laundry! :)

so those are my favorite things [at least, right now! :) i tend to change these things from time to time :) ]... pop on over to the party to see what other people have as their fav's, and join in to get the prize!! [it includes spray paint!! yippee!!]

ode to getting it done.

last night, on the way home, steve and i made a pact... we would indulge in boston market for dinner, but with the energy and time we would save not cooking and cleaning up after dinner, we would catch up on laundry and finish cleaning the kitchen.

i am happy to report that this morning, the hamper was empty, the last load was in the washer, the couch did not have clean clothes all over it (folded or otherwise), the kitchen sink was empty (my personal favorite), and there was even a little dusting done in the living room. [oh yeah, and we also had time to go to friends' house for small group. boo ya.]


it's been a bit hectic since... um, october started? in early october, i went back east and had a wake and a funeral, then a wedding, and a number of work trips on the east coast... then i came home for about 10 days (pretty much long enough to unpack, wash, and repack... all while finishing the couch slipcover)... and then i was gone again.

i've been back for just about a week now (during which, steve has written a 25 pg paper, and i've made three wreaths... find them here, here, and here). and now we're finally getting caught up on the regular things of life, like sleeping 6-8 hours a night (each, not total), having clean laundry, and a wiped-down kitchen counter.

it's the little things in life, you know? :)

where i was: lax.

i've never been to los angeles. this past trip, i flew through the airport twice. sorry if this sounds ignorant, but i have to say, just living near LA, i get the sense that it's not a place i'd want to live. there's just such a high premium on fake beauty there... and i'm all about the natural beauty. i don't even color my hair.

anyway, i'm done being preachy. here's what i saw in lax, and off the coast of CA, while in the air...

lovely, isn't it? i couldn't tell where the ocean ended and the sky began...

2.1

did i mention that i was at a math ed conference last week? the theme was quantitative literacy... which is basically the ability to understand statistics, and math that is used in our world. (i.e. the news, politics, finances, etc). i sat in one of the conference chairs' sessions, and it was on the history of quantitative literacy, and he gave a few examples of stats of exercises that can be used in the classroom. it was a great presentation.

the thing i walked away with was the number 2.1.

[population density map of the world, found here]

2.1 is the number of children each woman on earth must have in order for the population to remain stable.

interesting thought, isn't it? what are you doing to keep the earth's population stable? i'm about 2.1 kids behind...

another wreath.

you're probably sick-to-death of me and all my wreaths lately. my husband told me that he was going to start calling me a-wreatha [har har har] because i was making so many wreaths :) but seriously, who can resist with such lovely tutorials floating on the blogosphere??


isn't she lovely? i followed the nonna wreath tutorial from jones design company, a) because that woman is super chic and i want to be her when i grow up, and b) because it looked super easy and would be a good way to use up my scraps from making my couch cover.


here's all it took to make this...


[notice, i used a straw wreath where emily used a foam wreath... the straw are cheaper where i shop.]

it's so ruffly and happy :) i left the edges raw, because i like that it's a little imperfect :) it was funny, because when i first started, i asked steve what he thought and he said "yeah, as long as when you take the picture it's not close up, so you can't see all the threads." HA! perhaps he isn't as keen on the raw edges as i am :)

this will be it for wreaths for a little while... though i'm now thinking of making one for my mother in law for christmas... and if i do, i'm sure i'll show you it :)

don't forget to vote on the poll on the blog page :) also, if you want, you can friend me on facebook :)

see all the fun parties i'm linking to here.