tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-710181285814017422024-03-19T03:40:55.755-05:00Inspired By...What inspires me? The color blue, clean lines, good writing, a new recipe, clothes that make me feel good. And a well-made drink. What inspires you?Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-62237475888245156702009-04-22T13:57:00.004-05:002009-04-22T14:46:09.695-05:00I'm pretty sure he's lying...My husband is amazing with paint. Since I, in contrast, suck so very badly at anything that involves paint, it makes his abilities stand out that much more.<br /><div></div><br /><div>He did teach me how to "cut in" much better than I used to. This is an example of my work, sans painter tape:</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKITv4RaRh6dQmhspjZnv4prl5JG8dbPJtWSLaVVcQKGycw23Vhm57tvy3jB9c89QHWyf_26BD8QLWBr8RXeP6CYXlgkUmVaIC4dZwf5h2Yh1pOc4IoqArCPiM4l7ac3EU5sbZLZlArw/s1600-h/look+at+my+awesome+job.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327592760090502610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKITv4RaRh6dQmhspjZnv4prl5JG8dbPJtWSLaVVcQKGycw23Vhm57tvy3jB9c89QHWyf_26BD8QLWBr8RXeP6CYXlgkUmVaIC4dZwf5h2Yh1pOc4IoqArCPiM4l7ac3EU5sbZLZlArw/s400/look+at+my+awesome+job.jpg" border="0" /></a> Even <em>I</em> was impressed by that sort of stuff, and I don't impress all that easily. Especially over something like painting. Anyway, here's an example of me complaining about how crappy I am at painting...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327592753857723026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0XVD7-S164R3f5iHV7GkwEiy1ZWzgpa7ylSgr6fl_TgGO_FcHkYMdMHRpX-lZ4TUj50v79lwGT4ddjRMz0M1UmBBfPNkbd-mILit1qdbNtMVDg2gF1OL1xDyjOFU_-lWRME2Wpc0ig/s400/lookie+the+cleave.jpg" border="0" />I knew that my husband was going to be painting a fresh coat of white paint on the trim after we finished the walls, but all the same, I felt terrible about messing up at all while I was cutting in. Hence my complaining about even trying.</div><br /><div>You can't see it all that well in this photo, but I painted the final coat in the living room when we painted it in 2006 (again, <a href="http://faithsista.blogspot.com/2006/09/aannd-here-we-gomeet-our-new-living.html">documented here </a>in the run down of the 4 Gallon Miscalculation Debacle of 2006), and it looks pitiful in some places. My arms and hands get tired after a certain amount of rolling. And so lines in the dried paint can be visible in spots. It's kinda embarrassing.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuLBN0Dx7JmqQSYqFYIsT2Bma-EdA5GSKe1rkzvZPAyCenr7H570t1GpmyETsWYtqus-9xYBoOD1UcukpBzLAoKpZwRV3qnRjydL8MrZLP960y-MiCIPALPqG_5AsrGs7US9cWM3WoQ/s1600-h/new+lr+config.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327592754943295986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuLBN0Dx7JmqQSYqFYIsT2Bma-EdA5GSKe1rkzvZPAyCenr7H570t1GpmyETsWYtqus-9xYBoOD1UcukpBzLAoKpZwRV3qnRjydL8MrZLP960y-MiCIPALPqG_5AsrGs7US9cWM3WoQ/s400/new+lr+config.jpg" border="0" /></a>Anyway, a general argument between my husband and I with the garage remodel concerns the paint going up. We are agreed on the paint color for the walls...it will be the same as the paint in the living room, since we have so gosh-darned much of the stuff, still! (Side note: We have an acquaintance that wanted to unload some left over paint she had in her house from a project she did, which she assured us was high quality stuff, and we <em>had</em> planned on using that. The only thing was that she wasn't sure that the colors were all the same, but she wanted to give it to us if we needed it. We accepted her offer, and then every time we saw her, she said she was sorry she had forgotten the paint, but would bring it to us the following week. No joke, this went on for literally <em>months</em>. She finally was able to give it to us at a party we threw to celebrate the completion of the new addition around Christmastime, and we opened the cans last week to see what colors we were dealing with. Only, they aren't really a specific <em>color</em> anymore, so much as they are just a separation of materials that once constituted paint, but now is so old and separate, it just constitutes trash. Gee, thanks acquaintance. Now we have to figure out how to dispose of 3 gallons of crap that is completely useless, and would be harmful in a landfill. <em>Goody</em>. ::rolls eyes:: Moral to the side note: before you give someone something like paint in hopes of being helpful to them in some way, check the quality first. Especially if it's been under your basement stairs for over 10 years. Not that this moral isn't already generally a <em>given</em> amongst most people...)</div><div></div><br /><div>I am a fan of using paint that we already have in our possession, in the interest of saving some cash, and also using resources that we would otherwise likely just need to dispose of eventually. Our bathroom and bedroom both are different shades of blue, and we have some paint leftover from that project, but it's not <em>a lot</em> of paint. I thought it would be the perfect amount to cover the ceiling in the garage, but Jesse was against that idea. He wants the ceiling to just be white. ::sigh:: I think that's boring, and also a waste of $8. Last night, he informed me that there isn't enough blue paint to cover the ceiling, but I think he's lying. I think he could make it work if he really wanted to. The thing is, I'd do it myself, but painting the ceiling is out of reach for me, literally. It would be very hard for me, as a sucky painter, to complete the overhead job, andplusalso, it would be guaranteed to look absolutely terrible when I finished with it.</div><br /><div>So I'm getting a boring, plain, <em>blah</em> white ceiling in my garage. Yay. </div><br /><div></div>BUT! I saw a picture in a recent Elle Decor that I was finally getting around to reading of a high gloss white ceiling that inspired me. So I think that if I <em>have to</em> have white, I'm gonna go high gloss. That will make me happier, I think.<br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327601843692801250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 305px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB44XNaXCpKI8GghS-k9OsJiRHMl-aK_YsPDT2uSvEMKhvaTZrVtACTFH8O6NUgM4d9T3_SPxqRBywYzwt7KxmQsPtBc-PNyf_bO0NK4dzBO3HnXZJqKo16W7n3VYp5F5LMk6UQd-gUQ/s400/high+gloss+white+ceiling.jpg" border="0" />Thing is, I think it'll make Jesse happy, too. Part of his reasoning for not wanting the blue (even a pale blue <a href="http://inspirejennifer.blogspot.com/2008/12/as-promised-in-my-last-post-i-took-some.html">like we have in our master </a>bedroom and bathroom...) ceiling is because he doesn't want it to feel closed in, or dark at all, as it used to. The high gloss should solve that!<br /></div><div>I think I'll go buy it tomorrow, on my lunchbreak...and then give it to him like a present at dinner. :)</div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-11547092194190608432009-04-15T09:35:00.007-05:002009-04-15T10:22:26.048-05:00::dusts off blog::Hi! I think the best way to get this baby back on track is to just jump into it, right? Ok then... <div><br />The <a href="http://inspirejennifer.blogspot.com/2009/03/so-long-you-old-beat-up-tired-thing-you.html">garage remodel</a> is still rolling, although we did finally bid adieu to the contractor when he finished the drywall last week, so the rest of the process is in our hands at this point. We're going through several cans of primer and then painting this week, and hopefully, I'll have some "process complete" pictures up early next week that I can share. The biggest hurdle to get past for now is convincing my husband that using leftover blue paint from the bedroom on the ceiling in the garage is a good idea. He wants it to be white. ::insert "blah" face here:: We're using leftover paint in order to save some money, and also so it just doesn't go to waste. We have <em>scads</em> of paint left over from the <a href="http://faithsista.blogspot.com/2006/09/aannd-here-we-gomeet-our-new-living.html">Living Room 4 Gallon Miscalculation Debacle of 2006</a>, so we're using that on the walls in the garage. And as far as I'm concerned, a blue ceiling sounds very pretty and fun, and that's the final design aim for the garage...for it to be pretty, anyway...so I think I should win this argument. Maybe I'll hate it, and he can gloat and mock me for the next 4 years. Wouldn't that be a win/win for everyone, really? No? I dunno...<br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>One of the things we decided to do with this remodel is replace the door that leads into the kitchen from the garage. The old one was a stock, inside-use only kind of door that was neither fire proof nor very attractive. It would be putting it lightly to say that we <em><strong>hated it</strong></em>. So we had it measured for a replacement in the future by Home Depot a few months ago, and then we went in and purchased the new door along with all the other supplies for the garage project, so our contractor could hang it for us.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><br />Unfortunately, I don't know if they measured wrong, or what happened, but this is what the door looked like when it was hung:</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzw72ljQ4G9nrbK9d5akaH3FyS5CSN29rheB3jH6UUkc6xbWY72bDL17lUgko2pj5Bk-PTlHHUWtbbUVGi3IFG9YqSG-ZOQxposubTP05D1ztdV3lm5mHeq8RDrd4Mrv_TYwSGh578Fw/s1600-h/door+measured+wrong.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324926983260358098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzw72ljQ4G9nrbK9d5akaH3FyS5CSN29rheB3jH6UUkc6xbWY72bDL17lUgko2pj5Bk-PTlHHUWtbbUVGi3IFG9YqSG-ZOQxposubTP05D1ztdV3lm5mHeq8RDrd4Mrv_TYwSGh578Fw/s400/door+measured+wrong.JPG" border="0" /></a> There was a <em>looot</em> of light and air that was able to get in through the spaces left by the mis-sized door. It was almost a full half-inch at the top!</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324926980939527634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDVq5Tty5bQ5KPsHcZLAj2kwQACi-6Et-IYCAUsLpxoNEdwrthfFeNn5ZRVKJQ9QE_5Jx32hY1Bs3e2-RaJENFDWq4NFfRXz2hL0e6fIu5i2hLCKhSb5QTP7LrMMAb0eci6KjzNl5dA/s400/top+of+door.JPG" border="0" /> And the side wasn't much better. I was pretty disappointed with that...<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324926983615980946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBTnNJH7EwjJoqAg8DeG9G7q44uWMWuUsjDmYlrPEux9_qVpZIBQdto_uwa-rGtZKFmLKQHT21hYuewxuedFv-4wighy1500pN5ZluixecPhfZz3EZ3EY4oM5yUcYNSo_4As-ZkYGWQ/s400/side+of+door.JPG" border="0" />But the contractor was a talented guy. He did his magic, and managed to get the door to come together in the end. More pictures of that completion with the rest of them next week, I promise. In the mean time, know that we are exceedingly happy with our new door, the way it looks, and the way it closes and opens, and everything. Yay!<br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Not only are we at the point where we pick the paint colors, but we're also at the point where we can decorate the space. We needed nicer, newer shelves than the ones we already had. Considering most of the shelves we had in the space were all thrown away since they were old and falling apart, we don't have much of a choice but to buy more storage options, really. So we got something similar to this from Home Depot last night:<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324928353702828386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOrUh8LGxyXa4gEbfKQd-CRMjanB1CBwXmFBIQWcBdTwXInO_5rotyHWID3Rd4CBERetJuGrMiAa8ayqsVBQYCrju5Lyr9agiQrBAeJsiJj0YY-1p6oWNTysykVw5oGjbfzjgvOcNvw/s400/new+shelves.jpg" border="0" />The one they had in stock was a chrome one for $109, but it's similar to that black one, except it has 6 tiers. I'd also like to pick up a set of drawers like this one...<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324928359949729090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT40q0cCXy61w3liTSF6gUe8h96Z-oT2HUflOw1ekAO8YS6atBX_arsmkHLgjSMnjqBdqVDKXerg1YKr8C3eVXNHQznm1epcfpOp_QzmWUdnIkdOuDFqo2xY17iOBPidAl7LMEPGIa9g/s400/set+of+drawers.jpg" border="0" />We need a good place to organize all of our smaller tools, and a set of drawers like that would fit perfectly. I'm just trying to figure out if I want to spend the $109 on <em>that</em> right now, or not. I'm inclined toward the thinking that it will be charged to my credit card before the end of the day. Can't be sure, but it's seeming likely.<br /><br /><div>Anyway, I can't wait to update with more pictures of the finished product! A clean, useful, pleasant-to-park-in garage has seemed like a pipe dream for most of the years I've lived in our home, and to finally be this close to the reality of it is something to celebrate, for sure!</div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-16995843041115878412009-03-17T10:38:00.005-05:002009-03-17T11:37:00.661-05:00Challenge accepted...My mother-in-law, Valerie, reached out to me last week, asking if I would be up to the "challenge" to help her find new lighting for the kitchen in their house they moved into a little while ago. Unfortunately, my husband and I haven't had the opportunity to visit the new house yet, so she had to send me pictures to give me an idea of what it is that we're working with, style-wise. Regardless, I'm <em>totally</em> up for the challenge...Lord knows how much I love lighting!<br /><br /><div><div>And I honestly don't know how their current situation can't be improved upon, so the challenge is made even simpler by that fact. And before you think I'm being all nasty and awful about what their lighting is like now, just know that my in-laws fully agree with how bad it currently is, ok? Otherwise they wouldn't have asked, and also? LOOK:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314181929257322002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtciES-wM0yn27OUfHBfagRizsc2NMRRH8_qpjVin5q40qQsSk_3woyvv0sty-QV8NqkWw12O7kt2ftWmEGX8-VDYcNnk-AuXL4_py-LZNBLC_tbJmd9qaNqYFWaciKp3bdb0dM9SYcg/s400/semi-flush.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314181926791918178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqRPIKBzym-qZk3OOP_EKZmKFTeQLL13uOw7qYx3-l5rF4h-Fav9OcM-tYXMrln6XbN0hEZKwaMAjo4Tb0ZdkMAxDRyN3Pu2Wy1KDI9QwAJY9LIe73TskCx0HNt0m8lW86YKtLAL3tg/s400/chandelier.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>Yeah, those are the two ceiling fixtures in the space right now. Classic in their own right, of course. But they certainly aren't going to appeal to everyone's design sensibilities, as they do not for my in-laws. </div><br /><div>They remind me of the light that our friends received from their neighbors as a house-warming present when they moved in to the home they bought last year. It's become a running joke between the two households, being passed back and forth as gifts for various occassions, because it's too terrible and funny to just throw away. It's like the chandelier in the picture above, except it has more heft and size, and I believe it has a "going west" scene on it, with the covered wagons, and everything. I can't remember exactly...I think I've managed to block it out, thank goodness!</div><br /><div>Anyway, these are the details in the kitchen that the lighting will be illuminating:</div><br /><div>A lovely yellow (eh-em, <em>plastic</em>) tile backsplash in certain spots...</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKODJ6jcn40SPaLdu1YC0TrBnoPSUi_tAJ6bDWgvoUxhUU6KZ1cceHgorEwAov3_1Zr83nD8fZ5c4AOWsEKOsZz5z_1UX3EexMrSO_GAj8VHClsdFJgLWLfbr6Lu4cBCuUnlnLuYrtQ/s1600-h/yellow+tile.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314181989997241666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKODJ6jcn40SPaLdu1YC0TrBnoPSUi_tAJ6bDWgvoUxhUU6KZ1cceHgorEwAov3_1Zr83nD8fZ5c4AOWsEKOsZz5z_1UX3EexMrSO_GAj8VHClsdFJgLWLfbr6Lu4cBCuUnlnLuYrtQ/s400/yellow+tile.JPG" border="0" /></a> (It can be removed, but I think there's a reluctance to do so, since the glue holding it to the wall is such a nightmare to have to deal with, they'd rather have the tiles up!) </div><br /><div>Here is the stove/oven area, which shows a bit of the talent my mother-in-law has when it comes to her artistic skills. She painted those flowers there...<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBOYVUEO1qP557Uvofs0vH8Sy3yXndai7x2fhVyja5drh403OTLTqCMF4Jlv2Hs8tUcpTR6UwR03sLNrB1yW02ltC8ViY4ay_IDRlCIiGOmC-AbkXF5txrn-xxXHzdhHNmtPoPpzaJA/s1600-h/stove+area.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314181938176456658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBOYVUEO1qP557Uvofs0vH8Sy3yXndai7x2fhVyja5drh403OTLTqCMF4Jlv2Hs8tUcpTR6UwR03sLNrB1yW02ltC8ViY4ay_IDRlCIiGOmC-AbkXF5txrn-xxXHzdhHNmtPoPpzaJA/s400/stove+area.JPG" border="0" /></a>As well as here...<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCiBJTlbwFIjaxZ98JLrBFIYMNeZpm3DEbtbLm8UgzsS6fx6gxQuzx8M4z7mcTM87UeCSKuYQHoNFKfjO87SNbKeIoFCqCTI778C4YbZ0hrlNmvhlE6xU-oOMYPi-DRF4u_Rf4snBi-w/s1600-h/kitchen+painted.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314181932179636482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCiBJTlbwFIjaxZ98JLrBFIYMNeZpm3DEbtbLm8UgzsS6fx6gxQuzx8M4z7mcTM87UeCSKuYQHoNFKfjO87SNbKeIoFCqCTI778C4YbZ0hrlNmvhlE6xU-oOMYPi-DRF4u_Rf4snBi-w/s400/kitchen+painted.JPG" border="0" /></a>Now, what I think needs to be done, in addition to changing the lights, is to update all the hardware on the cabinets. Firstly, its in an odd place. Almost in the center of the door, which is weird to me. So I'd recommend a pull like one of these:</div></div><div> </div><div>This one is a traditional style that goes for $3 a piece...<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314187221857770258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydAc1AqBVCXTGvDdMPOp1xwht2FuniMuGTmzp8Vr5U3SEgHk2ccWFr-YZ3SwGMVqKmMzQFDRc_zcMYHIMTSMOxwmxH-KpKC6FDihzZoXr5XqsJT8ufmmZa85EASHzTk7OvPe5bbDRMw/s400/76282-rbz+traditional+3.00.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>While this one is a more contemporary style in a brushed nickle finish that goes for $2 a piece...</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314187220038193266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYI1aNKeKryCLYCPoftITMy75Q761Mf-tUWshWrVxEIS4gCaUyzqPjhJHj0kLMAF_5IsgcTyalAMSazVf-3kKAsV9Kxyc6uf95XOKavpNb6oHPV0SSoqEui_zciDxan5vwsvJctEusw/s400/1908-g10+basic+2.00.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>And then there's this one, that I think would fit in as well as the traditional style above, however it's more pricey at almost $10 a piece. But it would be lovely...</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314187223823498914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5seMYkfRSZTm9fbghDIldl44XwWs4nkjF-GS3J7h7m5yUeJEobONcylVdcjPAgT9X0LmLvJELFHDQLyKOjachrfs6_Uliaeu9Hm_JBrjRC4B5adHNqFN0GJwTEfJ684pl3E-3B6Tcw/s400/m1186+dakota+9.27.jpg" border="0" />With that said, here are the lighting ideas I found. </div><div> </div><div>This is a pretty hand-painted option that goes for just under $50 at <a href="http://www.lampsplus.com/">Lamps Plus</a>. <div><div><div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314181705944695586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 330px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 303px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJfCLOAsBtYFDxBseYMtBO09-f-zygC2kJHenjRZe9WMsPZcuRUV0PlImhKfhMQXt6XbRrAElxM5kMFi4q6pKkqvlY1m2xXaWAh3pVFkqr3ya6E8LcMVpAsR5TqSxOAkntZE2YQcQMA/s400/92249+lp+49.98.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>I also like this model a lot...its a little bit more modern, but would definitely fit in with the botanical feel Valerie has added to the kitchen with her painting. It's reasonably priced at $52.50, and can be found at <a href="http://www.lightinguniverse.com/default.aspx">Lighting Universe</a>.</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314181710682434786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 137px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsV-a4VruJYI_zVcNLejdJ3fjHUSusOriun4oZMhdxRPRv633zSM6L8V9aEfH_0cgI2oW9SV72k-KsYKXbfCEMNdyc2Vh9nvdtDM_A2tM0dH9ed-5UVFrcXR3ttYv0RnvMoniqrCilAw/s400/90906+twig+52.50.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>This one is also at Lighting Universe, for $66.60...</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggU6BXxITa-yihaxImNxxycfm7U6T2yG2lxBnmxCU_z2vsqRSgMJmwiyKA-NzTzY6jtbTXxdJ7g3aSY64rPfbGPBoq2yLbXIlm5NZqkwv0TwB3o3_HoKw7keFMy_Cd8Fywj_H326-ceg/s1600-h/20091+aura+66.60.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314181921715895842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggU6BXxITa-yihaxImNxxycfm7U6T2yG2lxBnmxCU_z2vsqRSgMJmwiyKA-NzTzY6jtbTXxdJ7g3aSY64rPfbGPBoq2yLbXIlm5NZqkwv0TwB3o3_HoKw7keFMy_Cd8Fywj_H326-ceg/s400/20091+aura+66.60.jpg" border="0" /></a>...and this one as well, which goes for $75.85. I like the schoolhouse design, for some reason. I can't put my finger on it. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314181715694573650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lWk2EfrWXeNIm0sc2NrX2qN6urUVyMM0epoenjxAhaBEzPRJyZ3JkaqRyxGw3Du4aWBfgWaT-muGOxyJ8ah2fde9bWoFVbJbyNvj6ZoXilvUUFtRjtg8TU4Vt7OFnJRPR0m8h2GQcA/s400/6-9344-1-322+schoolhouse+75.85.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />Then there's this simple, but pretty option which can be found at <a href="http://www.sears.com/">Sears </a>for $49.99.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7DmxjNcCvA8zY-3_gCfmoXvryiL4Zxg2Jii8g9R0Qf9g5_mv2ec8N7Y_SyELuI3k8yFk4FdcBc-gBJyXczjkkdeeVF49SKFKEjb8NA4Xd-nT0_G7fBHFDbzrt3yyrDx4REoW8ukFFg/s1600-h/03470332000+sears+aztec+49.99.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314181716967980978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 180px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7DmxjNcCvA8zY-3_gCfmoXvryiL4Zxg2Jii8g9R0Qf9g5_mv2ec8N7Y_SyELuI3k8yFk4FdcBc-gBJyXczjkkdeeVF49SKFKEjb8NA4Xd-nT0_G7fBHFDbzrt3yyrDx4REoW8ukFFg/s400/03470332000+sears+aztec+49.99.jpg" border="0" /></a>I think I like this one a lot, though. It would be more of a fade-into-the-background light fixture, but that's kind of what they need in that kitchen. It costs $65.95 at Lamps Plus.<br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcj6k11zkXmT0IIU5ltL4IQoxoOeCtI_HwlM-LoJMYg2UX4n0COCmfHgRLeKWzZxmoDVj_lAXPNOOtFaZvay6dzt9OhyphenhyphenV9M6ZZEnRNTiYb-iBWE4EjF5cMRNVEIvL0KWjPfFOnihi6VQ/s1600-h/G0489+lp+65.95.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314181712435450354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 330px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcj6k11zkXmT0IIU5ltL4IQoxoOeCtI_HwlM-LoJMYg2UX4n0COCmfHgRLeKWzZxmoDVj_lAXPNOOtFaZvay6dzt9OhyphenhyphenV9M6ZZEnRNTiYb-iBWE4EjF5cMRNVEIvL0KWjPfFOnihi6VQ/s400/G0489+lp+65.95.jpg" border="0" /></a>So I'm off to send Valerie an email, hoping that my suggestions will be helpful and that maybe one of these options will work for her and the kitchen! They've done such a wonderful job updating the bathroom that I don't really think she needed much help on this, to be honest. But I'm glad I can be involved, even if only in spirit from such a far distance. Wish her luck on finding something that works!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-15077481003088971822009-03-13T14:47:00.002-05:002009-03-13T15:04:14.341-05:00So long, you old, beat up, tired thing, you!Ok, not to try to scare anyone, or anything...this being (one of three this year, mind you) Friday the 13th, and all. But we've started the garage remodel this week, and I thought it might be nice to share some "before" pictures with you.<br /><br />Here is the beast that I've been living with for the past 5+ years:<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312761528280117298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwXL1lBxLWqTfjRHx05qANvtvNZe6A-VeZkItADekkAdvgvjopT3_mWpWrC1loAtCunrsixN9iBNW64nR2nL_C4GWGipszPX657-Bpi2bp9zq7i9W5zkMGWxNAd4RxTWcHMzXIoP2Jg/s400/garage+from+driveway+2.JPG" border="0" /><br />What's that screaming sound??? Oh, its just me. Sorry. I'll calm down now.<br /><br />I hate the walls, I hate the <em>lack</em> of walls, I hate the ceiling...I hate it ALL. So it's time for the change to happen. This is how we hang our tools...or at least some of them, anyway.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312761535275975954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRI6bhTWwSY4FOibo3Tdl4OkubN-T2tIQJWvLK7FCIv8msZ-1q3aeVKpZYCO-s3cIKU7Zbd4PSDrvoSH1Mu1bl-BzEeryCDI4otNI7QRlIhoqCXDsp-yH9-B27Uk5XbPDIeh32v35wcQ/s400/tool+wall.JPG" border="0" /><br />The lighting is inconvenient and unhelpful. So we're redoing that, and rewiring things so that they can be flipped on with a - get this - <em>switch</em>. I know! Seems too modern for most people, but we're ready, I promise. Right now, we have all of our garden supplies in the plastic shelving there next to the door...<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312761538399670178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uXHAwxYx8BosS7nMSj9v8quV8oFsU7Sb3W8xXiljj9fHiGdYYmTNeq3p4IgIfdiP1Bwy1L4N_wkdpdkGPT4CS0EmSk24jddVkrWZbaIljgmS4dyBrEkbBltXDKnWCYqkIoZ32sp4Qw/s400/by+the+kitchen+door.JPG" border="0" /><br />It smells all chemically, and toxic when I open the doors, so I'm hoping we can get the chemically and toxic things out onto properly ventilated shelves after this is over, and I'll store tools and plastic lawn bags and stuff in there instead from now on.<br /><br />We're also replacing the broken-down ugly-assed step into the house, too. I'm more excited about that than I should be, I have to admit. But it's been a sore point with me to have to step on it to access the kitchen all this time, so having a brand new, fresh step to use? I'm giddy.<br /><br />This is the wall of shelves tha scares me the most. They don't have proper support, somehow, so they all tilt forward with whatever weight is put on them...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312761539761285234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZSGQbVxriOrv_XiOcS3AAp3S_rQlgGT4pPP_-GOy_5BZmkap4PQdXOmwr89hjtQmnNXsp6-iSVaTD5Yy-A5ug91ghcnt9Xem0HupMcSV1WE2vS-zBk4O6gx6LcQBc_2k5p1U5SHOxg/s400/shelf+wall.JPG" border="0" /><br />I just <em>love</em> how the paint cans all look like they could slide off and dump on the floor/car/whatever is there at any given moment. It's like a fun GAME, or something. (Except it's not fun, and it really, really sucks.) This is the only wall we're completely removing, as it doesn't have any insulation in it, and being that it's an outer wall? The insulation is kinda important, we think. We're also replacing the door with a proper outdoor-type of door. That's framed correctly. Here, this photo shows it a bit better...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRTy5V7wDG6xX2RHVklNBq8fERnXcBM3z3kotSCvPfO8L-sP_t49Oednca6dOaI5EL1eRIiHjCs9Es4IAqXEnDznLyoWlxKGGcwv-zRaZbfKPz56TNz45jT0pyZh21jUqN_d89GHrkA/s1600-h/side+entrance.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312761546992858946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRTy5V7wDG6xX2RHVklNBq8fERnXcBM3z3kotSCvPfO8L-sP_t49Oednca6dOaI5EL1eRIiHjCs9Es4IAqXEnDznLyoWlxKGGcwv-zRaZbfKPz56TNz45jT0pyZh21jUqN_d89GHrkA/s400/side+entrance.JPG" border="0" /></a> It's just like one of the inside, hollow doors we have on our bedrooms, and stuff. Except that it has a different handle. And no frame. It's coming OUT. <br /><br />That back wall of insulation has always been exposed like that, and it made me hate doing laundry out there when our washer and dryer used to be in the garage. It seems slightly damaged in some places, but it will come in handy in sealing up the gap that exists in the attic between the garage attic and the rest of the house's attic space. Because right now, that's completely all one space. Our contractor thinks that our heating and cooling bills will dramatically improve once we block the two off from each other with insulation. I'm looking forward to that!<br /><br />Monday, they tear that wall down. And then we get moving on all the rest of the project. I'll keep everything posted here as we go. So excited!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-41294342152502084932009-03-04T15:02:00.002-06:002009-03-04T15:10:44.626-06:00My favorite blogs...Well, I finally got "off" my lazy butt and added the blogroll to my sidebar over there -->. I don't know why I didn't do it sooner than now, really. I'm lazy...that's my best excuse, and I'm sticking with it! :P<br /><br />This week, along with hoping that I still have a job after March is over, my husband and I met with a contractor about updating the garage. Its been a project I've wanted to have done for years...since I bought the house, really. And I'm finally at my wit's end with it, so we asked for a quote. I'm still waiting for it to come through, but that's ok. I don't find out until next week whether or not the company will keep me on, so we have some time to be patient on this one...<br /><br />I'm really hoping it's doable, though. I don't have any pictures of what the garage looks like right now, but I'll make sure to get some soon and post them. So you can all live my nightmare with me!<br /><br />Cross your fingers that the job sitch stays as is, will you? I can use all the mojo I can get right now.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-85097897955039643092009-02-27T15:05:00.003-06:002009-02-27T15:16:38.065-06:00Here's what I say to the weather forecast...Spring is right around the corner. Lazy nights spent out on the deck with drink in hand, trying to train the bark out of our youngest with a new eh-em...<em>collar</em> of some sort or another, in lovely temperatures that aren't too hot or too cold are around that same corner. And I think I'll whip out the ol' outside area rug for the deck again this year (we didn't have it out at all last year...no point, thanks to all the construction we had going on, we didn't do much entertaining out there).<br /><br /><div><div>But I also stumbled across <a href="http://www.dominomag.com/galleries/2009/02/sunrise_ruffalo_07">some chairs that caught my eye in the Domino </a>from February that I think I'd like to have, and which I want to place out in the yard somewhere...instead of on the deck. Someplace where we can look back at the house, sip drinks, and chit chat while the dogs run crazily around us in the yard.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307587475186298178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 354px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 375px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1N1R9PIR17cxPNvGJ9u4Ng-Mabx3bq2pMMxukhkn4Xf6crUIoFE4g-jtNYAMPoDPkOz4nWYctla4ASEFPXpwLJgH0LGleFHYgeozXT3Gk3FDlBaJK3nlrVUMAkMm_Hey4vF8Fox_OaA/s400/round+chairs+in+domino+-+ruffalo.jpg" border="0" /></div>The little round chairs there are plastic with an iron base, and colorful, and I love them. They're from a company called Lost & Found (323-856-5872), and go for $195 each. I am interested in either putting them out by the back fence, straight out from the deck...<br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307587472980097698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2asHX_oqDm0-v100s-Yqyx7mIOVztTTaSSEZGIQLIq2ocBuGNqMIjYQbeHuf7_HbVfkf1dsPgGUjPf9j0YG5czw9dZ7oH-rtiEfcq7wxZe9xFq8N38gxSdBQQZN_qcGcQh1Qsg19iA/s400/lawn_half_grown.jpg" border="0" />...or over by the nonfunctioning gaslamp we have in the yard, maybe. With the addition of a drum table, perhaps. You know, to set our drinks on.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307587461362960802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglds-MtXacxDdppgc6Bpr__Zn_bTWWlUUK-HnHa6W0-w2AtJJs8IlP7zIPuG9TH1uDh7PzFDn5uJePnHg1N46dVK8Munu2iDWhF27nrVDXxif9iqXqg_4Zrg-rL-spXJBZ5kh3D947yg/s400/lawn_and_new_fence.jpg" border="0" />We have a lot of stuff we'd <em>like</em> to do with our landscaping this year that likely won't be possible, thanks to the bill we got from the State and from the Feds this year for our taxes. But these chairs might make it just a little bit easier to handle the wait until next year to do what we wanted to do...<br /><div> </div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-45201769506324083332009-02-20T13:51:00.021-06:002009-02-20T15:00:09.105-06:00Oops! Did I promise to have these up yesterday? Eesh...(Please allow me to apologize in advance for the formatting on this post. I tried to get all fancy with the pictures, and while I've done this sort of thing in other posts, and have managed to get them to work out ok, this one just isn't getting there. And its been a long week. So what follows is a rather disorderly looking post about organization. ::sigh!:: I need a glass of wine!)<br /><br />Ah, the pantry. This pantry was so huge to us when we had it built, that it's beyond describing. We needed it badly, let me just say. It was a welcome behemoth once installed, because we'd already been running pretty short on space before we started planning the wedding, but by the time gifts started showing up, we really ran outta space!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XGNtt8V9kbl2sYMZL6JZH2rby_1i5yRz4nI3twLRdqNcWBLt1Y0-7DPdxlIMuoovo1MVc6s48RijPA4c8j3AonVOai37K89P7FD42YDdOa9WfeadeWEXADlJXO0Wj4V8nvWWad_s6w/s1600-h/full_pantry.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304977184030284786" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XGNtt8V9kbl2sYMZL6JZH2rby_1i5yRz4nI3twLRdqNcWBLt1Y0-7DPdxlIMuoovo1MVc6s48RijPA4c8j3AonVOai37K89P7FD42YDdOa9WfeadeWEXADlJXO0Wj4V8nvWWad_s6w/s320/full_pantry.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />So, as you can see, once we had it, we sure did take advantage of it!<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br /><div><--- THIS is what we did to it. Crammed it full of spices, sauces, bread crumbs, rice, noodles, molasses that we never use in anything since the recipe it was purchased for, and there might even be small woodland creatures lurking about in there...not sure. </div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>The spice shelf had some semblance of order. We had risers to put them on, but you still have to shuffle them around and pick them up to see what they are before you can find what you want, unless it's cumin, salt, or pepper, since those sit right at the front of the shelf. (I mean, <em>duuuuh</em>. Where else would they be?) </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304976840476650642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcOqwd8basVBg5w6Vqkf7fUibBPv1SDKmTjrrvLqtLAuFsORcnAyKDbHYH4fzWqfof_CIYGLR5lgGd5SRl-Z6C33leNPx9sDtCjJAO2xbmlU-wtu7D61BkBBP8Aqvu9BNUBSXpvTRpA/s400/close_up_pantry_3.JPG" border="0" />But I hated the messy way it looked. And the shuffling and lifting to find the spices I needed when I needed them. </div><div><br /></div><div>The sauce/vinegar/oil/ketchup shelf was better, but not by a lot.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304970009314162802" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LLjKiDLV7Mcfm9rIabBVGYkx2-Mf0TpFMM7RfOLFAnneTcYxIkhyphenhyphenEB1LIdpH1_EUShJaSm0NMuJBDfRE3T2Go8I2RDiF3ny2kTBNyKgQPJZQncF7rz0Qe9BQaSdr4jbyyKPejAFBog/s320/close_up_pantry_2.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>So, as was mentioned in that previous post, I started scouring the internet world for a spice rack set up that fit our life, our style, and our pantry. And I found it!<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304974562627149138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 260px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70QXGS7bhi10tSHkKdt-hG3RfP0VvPZu3rVN6-GCDr5u942fBKXeOJCYz9L4zU-touyyFLMc07iK20fhqfWobcU0gg0wqsyWxIUt_hGKzB1WdIwrQlIDPiTA1-CZ2zwj4zsZfhygYVA/s320/18BottleChrome+ContStore+30.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>(Does anyone else hear a choir of angels singing in perfect harmony right now? Just me, then? Alrighty...)<br /></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdt5KL2-BmC3_Il22T4mTUlEt_fWn63JGFml3u1X6Xr7kqEJwvCys6ws7_IaTU8yl529_svVXcDKbUwhyphenhyphenf7mJfMOUwh86r2liRokpbD9cPgojqkdQkQIAEHDoTEJ7dIRxtODZqWGvxQ/s1600-h/updated_pantry_1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304970439269037778" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdt5KL2-BmC3_Il22T4mTUlEt_fWn63JGFml3u1X6Xr7kqEJwvCys6ws7_IaTU8yl529_svVXcDKbUwhyphenhyphenf7mJfMOUwh86r2liRokpbD9cPgojqkdQkQIAEHDoTEJ7dIRxtODZqWGvxQ/s320/updated_pantry_1.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><br />This little shelf has 18 bottles that it comes with, and you can get them with chrome lids, or white ones. I thought I was going to have to find labels, but they came WITH them! ::gasp!:: (<-- I actually did when I opened the box and found them. There might have <em>also</em> been a little hand clapping and jumping happily from foot to foot as well, but I digress.)</div><div><br /><br />They each hold a fair amount of spice - I think about 2.5 ounces. I filled them all with the spices we use most frequently, and although I had a few spices left over after filling all 36 jars, they store neatly on a set of shelf risers I had in another cupboard and shifted over to the top shelf in the pantry to help out.</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaM768tUrLjLfmGg0fsaHfPMjq69O6dk-8LBXPRY2jbjVkYXan_Ci0dAeiWDTILjE49gH4ts0xwHYtn-aM-urAfDXCOOIk-qr7-33sGo7bdEnBnwfzLknuV_U0MwkoByM5BALxkrL9GQ/s1600-h/top_shelf.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304970436882033682" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaM768tUrLjLfmGg0fsaHfPMjq69O6dk-8LBXPRY2jbjVkYXan_Ci0dAeiWDTILjE49gH4ts0xwHYtn-aM-urAfDXCOOIk-qr7-33sGo7bdEnBnwfzLknuV_U0MwkoByM5BALxkrL9GQ/s320/top_shelf.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />As you can see, the shelf is much easier to navigate now. The spices split into the top shelf and the one below it, and I have them in alphabetical order.<br /></div><div><br /><div></div>This top shelf also houses our favorite salt grinder, some specialty salts I bought for my husband just because I love him, as well as the spices my in-laws brought us from my husband's grandfather, who picked them up the last time he was traveling in the Middle East. (I need to get them into jars of their own...currently they reside in those fancy plastic bags there next to the new rack.) <div></div><div><div></div><div>The next shelf down holds the bottom of the alphabet in spices, as well as our vinegars, oils, and favorite sauces. Can you believe the empty space in there? ME EITHER! I love it.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYw_S3abfsUMqZJLaIFmEPUG7CG-EZGdSNVPDoB2yvBZyKxP-SozX99o2o7ZgmimfSiwDayb3ASopw6DXHQsV_ozj3hg4HihJcrV7RR-lKmC6yOrWHSVGuN5eIlESI5QDUppXcQ7PPA/s1600-h/2nd_shelf.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304970436987992626" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYw_S3abfsUMqZJLaIFmEPUG7CG-EZGdSNVPDoB2yvBZyKxP-SozX99o2o7ZgmimfSiwDayb3ASopw6DXHQsV_ozj3hg4HihJcrV7RR-lKmC6yOrWHSVGuN5eIlESI5QDUppXcQ7PPA/s320/2nd_shelf.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQj7pV7b8J1wJd9sZYu_WTE3uw6OHrunAgMO-z1WvLnz1XXt6Fw3EgFyCb28yIdeCedzee-pZyQqo93z3yR83lrZQ0CWefZTlOawee6GTT5Jh_G2JxYjwihgKPuEe5J8vrxx1tzAkUg/s1600-h/3rd_shelf.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304970439317904418" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQj7pV7b8J1wJd9sZYu_WTE3uw6OHrunAgMO-z1WvLnz1XXt6Fw3EgFyCb28yIdeCedzee-pZyQqo93z3yR83lrZQ0CWefZTlOawee6GTT5Jh_G2JxYjwihgKPuEe5J8vrxx1tzAkUg/s320/3rd_shelf.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div></div><br />It didn't end with the spice rack purchase for me when it came to organizing the pantry. I also bought a rack for holding our plastic wrap, foil, and baggies. This left room for the dry and canned goods to be shelved neatly on the same shelf.<br /><div></div><div><br /><div>The wrap and foil (along with one size of baggy) used to be stored in a drawer along side of the pantry. I HATED it. See why?<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304971401407711362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBaHbEZmxs6mT2cItHyDrBFK8x9iSQlBdgzNGTwbe-Zvaug-hXGdOmqUA-kyCzddftgTU3G9qfud00viYllf3vGRGhyphenhyphengJa4ry7pEhvXhyBRH4r6FDTBVBEtzvF9PgaVnDeFmtkTksMlw/s320/drawer.JPG" border="0" /> UGH. So ugly. And such a pain to deal with. So I ordered some drawer organizers as well, making it easier to find the ice pick, or the meat thermometer when we need them.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmqEju1aYSBSJA3dQ0gO2V8s7EmdIH1Hlxefk1Tl_tfkOmIdQTRuRNFp_6soJlG17aFE_ykO-76C5OYySh4YvpeKvyIlB_JhkHoT1E1oygj9h4IiBEWoZ19eqID3LvOjE35n2BWbbwQ/s1600-h/towel_drawer.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304971974703244290" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmqEju1aYSBSJA3dQ0gO2V8s7EmdIH1Hlxefk1Tl_tfkOmIdQTRuRNFp_6soJlG17aFE_ykO-76C5OYySh4YvpeKvyIlB_JhkHoT1E1oygj9h4IiBEWoZ19eqID3LvOjE35n2BWbbwQ/s320/towel_drawer.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwpmtmK-W64tBxQ9kGY239FIgu5_KC24R9FzKUVxpKQNLvyxbQG_BHpmxx86tsgViETBawCQyRttN45ouYHksgqaWWjQ_eSek9hqsxG6SQ4iOKJ1gbWdGt59iKWYO-F2AdRWSSLjgTA/s1600-h/junk_drawer.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304972113422123794" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwpmtmK-W64tBxQ9kGY239FIgu5_KC24R9FzKUVxpKQNLvyxbQG_BHpmxx86tsgViETBawCQyRttN45ouYHksgqaWWjQ_eSek9hqsxG6SQ4iOKJ1gbWdGt59iKWYO-F2AdRWSSLjgTA/s320/junk_drawer.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br />I also organized our "junk" drawer over by the back door. I didn't think to get a before picture on this, but just imagine all of those pens, lighters, candles, scissors, and whatnot all swimming together in a messy concoction instead of separated out into neat, identifyable trays. Aaaahhhh...the sigh of relief is a palpable one on my end. Along with a "thank GOD I finally did this!" exclamation.<br /><br />I've become obsessed with organizing, so don't be surprised if this isn't the last post on this subject that you see here! A clean, orderly home is one I think we all can agree is the easiest to relax in.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-2976857831122008032009-02-18T16:13:00.001-06:002009-02-18T16:16:01.619-06:00Apologies...Sorry for the lack of posts! I was on vacation for a week, and I have pictures of the pantry transition that I want to share, but I also have about 83,674,920 other pictures from vacation that needed uploading, renaming, resizing, etc...and it's taking me a bit longer than I wanted to pull it all together.<br /><br />I will have the pictures of the pantry up tomorrow...that I promise!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-1592356199132271172009-02-05T14:05:00.004-06:002009-02-05T14:14:28.250-06:00Its like the mothership is calling me home...I just found out about a store here in Kansas City that I <em>think</em> I want to move into. Thanks to a link on my friend <a href="http://www.kansascitydailyphoto.com/index.html">Cate's blog</a>, I discovered the <a href="http://www.hudsonhomeonline.com/collections.html">Hudson Home </a>website. Where I then promptly found a link to <a href="http://www.brightchair.com/main.html">Bright Chair</a>. Where they carry furnishings named such alluring and warm things as "Edmund," "Ted," and "Lea."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.brightchair.com/images/gallery/le_b01.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 363px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 275px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.brightchair.com/images/gallery/le_b01.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.brightchair.com/images/gallery/ed_c01.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 478px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 275px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.brightchair.com/images/gallery/ed_c01.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.brightchair.com/images/gallery/cl009.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 680px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 275px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.brightchair.com/images/gallery/cl009.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Um, WANT!<br /><br /><div>Hudson Home, I promise I don't take up too much space. And I'm really rather neat. We should get along well, you and me...</div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-62327354302842470512009-02-04T16:42:00.002-06:002009-02-04T17:10:13.323-06:00Feeling Spicy!Ok, so my plans to completely revamp my spice section of the pantry over the weekend did not happen. BUT! I took pictures. <em>However...</em>I did not upload them yet. I feel compelled to clean up the space, really. But the Superbowl got in the way. That's my best excuse, so I'm sticking with it.<br /><br />Anyway, it was good that I didn't just go running out to buy any random new spice rack that I came across, IMO. In looking around at the different options available out there today, I found more than I thought I would! Now I just need to sort through them all and decide what will work best. Shoot.<br /><br />This handy-dandy model is convertable for drawer and countertop usage, so it could be nice in the future should we move somewhere where we can store the spices on our countertops, like I wish we could now. It's an in-drawer model available through <a href="http://www.target.com/gp/homepage.html">Target.com </a>for $60. But I can't figure out if the spices are included, or not. It doesn't say, but I hope for that price they are! I don't really need the spices, just the storage for them. So it's not the option for me, personally.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xqK_Q6JqPjqRqWELFlgoz5IZAcsFMbls3P6rzTndodu9DA2neCikKc_Y36e3qnVau-Kd-hbQF4gjZ9aVXeDvaQQqV56qxmYK7Lvme3ZUWdOt27M2CzGTNm85yN8S8kq2t_JVVHg1mg/s1600-h/Target+in+drawer+rack+60.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299076624598318338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 260px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xqK_Q6JqPjqRqWELFlgoz5IZAcsFMbls3P6rzTndodu9DA2neCikKc_Y36e3qnVau-Kd-hbQF4gjZ9aVXeDvaQQqV56qxmYK7Lvme3ZUWdOt27M2CzGTNm85yN8S8kq2t_JVVHg1mg/s400/Target+in+drawer+rack+60.jpg" border="0" /></a> It does come with these nifty labels. So that's nice, I guess.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299076474740215266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 260px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmbdcdv97E3tz2H7xrzIqtXdIQKRFgeN0fbceLx45h3FJOw0tJgcNtJL2-vx4nRdFS2SNSySYuoubsq1NCs2ab0E7V0agjNi31a4-oJb4iA9vZ0WfzfFju842pSwQWuvSs2Fx8OYXLA/s400/labels+for+Target+spice+rack.jpg" border="0" />I like this in-drawer option a lot. I found it through <a href="http://www.containerstore.com/index.jhtml">the Container Store online</a>. It costs $7, and holds 9 jars...I think I could fit two of them in my drawer at home I want to use, but I'm not sure as I haven't measured yet. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299076625445399170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 260px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9dyy5IntF165DxsMIEmNCxJUzOAybZUpZSKw2N1vDwH6eJG_TN2uqAnGQ3KqHJDrgZQfqUlCDHjop01XxQvoI-gRr0F5TRjIouKtQAWJq5sVe-2qE4udl0qdjBrblOAhvbK2avvBnHA/s400/SpiceDrawer+ContStore+8.jpg" border="0" />The jars are sold separately for $1.50 if you want a white lid, or $2 for the chrome. And they have the plastic shaker top that you can keep on it, if you like that sort of thing. (I don't.)<br /><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299076473019750066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 260px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLUFH_BrEBZwVWCmdq2fVo2smwbD3jCnBkuF5qGxSIscu9POi0bnUpADi4AomMTv8019c3v_VoxRe59DpuycWS1UP81Wvc2lzgqzpPyVdiPE6YQQbW9MTCSC2e727XEvAphmyMg1jJvw/s400/3ozGlassSpiceBottle+Cont+Store+2.jpg" border="0" />Another in-drawer option is from Williams-Sonoma. This one comes with 12 jars, and costs $50.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299076469434356754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXtQxzsSHdPB_nc12Ym2au2vhMfjme7kw7974GJYJc3O3TSiV_PTONDxBO5ol7APtTg_4gVD5OU1AaftSC49CU_wegy33eoeHrX7axXdhY5O6X5rZ1diGGHwkF2y-TcfbhImozNsu0w/s400/in+drawer+rack+WS+50+with+jars.jpg" border="0" />I would definitely need more than 12 jars. I can buy an additional set of 12 jars for $18.<br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299076626314033122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwy8awjbT08m_vwc-YfL5cM1AKqnraUJgQlctQoViKaaQpqE2HzejwZvqYgFTjRhMF_pVyHzQ4zchEesiPuqMTD09UJ_1ivuLwdc7TOOk3m4blPGAHcQpvk91A_99F1cYLcnl9Hi_Ug/s400/WS+spice+jars+12+for+18.jpg" border="0" />This is a magnetic spice rack from <a href="http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/default.asp?order_num=-1&">Bed, Bath, & Beyond</a>, which can be used in a drawer, or set up as an easel. But it comes with the spices. Drat. (At a much better price than the one from Target, though. Only $40.)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNesokQKW9kUJYTPnIv_8gW-dAqjMWv2l35Wxu1k5neiS9F4G13ma89uW1KbsFce-zomaaIPVN9EDu15gAKqHnSDxh8hZjhQtSJC_yg-1Z_RHM0Zq2CwtzaLTPuwFrVY7P3HAChEyscg/s1600-h/magnetic+spice+rack+BBandB+40.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299076622781502514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 230px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 230px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNesokQKW9kUJYTPnIv_8gW-dAqjMWv2l35Wxu1k5neiS9F4G13ma89uW1KbsFce-zomaaIPVN9EDu15gAKqHnSDxh8hZjhQtSJC_yg-1Z_RHM0Zq2CwtzaLTPuwFrVY7P3HAChEyscg/s400/magnetic+spice+rack+BBandB+40.jpg" border="0" /></a>You can get additional jars for $3 each. Which is just crazy, IMO, but ok.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299076626553478114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 230px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 230px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqNCFT1KR5HlhKeyd4FGyT1caZBfWbJeUlgI1xe42u8amhmZeW2B-hEyi7OljVz4khypNLDj4DSpQxFoSRsRi9O2g2l8f9Umz3LxlbCABw3L-lhaB6mU8jmGpr9WJgEdWf33v-CcJbA/s400/magnetic+spice+tin+3+each.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div><div>And while this teeny, tiny picture doesn't do it justice, this spice rack might be my Rack o' Choice. It's a 15 jar jobbie from Crate & Barrel, and costs $40. The jars come empty as the day they were born, and I think I could easily fit 2 of them in my pantry, depending on if the measurements are right. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299076472444036818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 100px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 75px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduSObtt9G6KxID-i1KW1JSSAXg7HjORW5fMoZM-MDsh3vsUCvP5uA25rwGCT1p52VZRPMW-KBg-mft-gfAh1i8UdHxvEw3-VU_9gQzLqDlwhUMKVWCyS_D465ssuvmMFMJ1yYtSNLng/s400/15+JarTieredSpiceRack+CandB+40.jpg" border="0" /><br />Here's a similar option (with a better picture) from the Container Store. And it might be the winner! It comes with 18 jars, and it only costs $30! Dingdingding!!! I just need to check the measurements, and we'll be golden. Cross your fingers for me!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299076469856283538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 260px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBuWP1yozcBhbWA0FftLn41Nd39cWXIOdc7JCV-2JQ-U437Q5ugMmo6jB9XgE8i8Sih5fmgzIkZoFy6RTuWo2n6-lLriCphhNz868FWskqwJgvhVMoRw9q2DK3Hl2j1E9311mMST9b_A/s400/18BottleChrome+ContStore+30.jpg" border="0" /></div></div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-43285034680087536792009-01-29T15:09:00.001-06:002009-01-29T15:15:01.285-06:00Harried and befuddled...OMG. Anna over at <a href="http://www.doorsixteen.com/">Door Sixteen </a>has <a href="http://www.doorsixteen.com/2009/01/28/spice-jars/">the BEST post </a>up right now. <strong>THE BEST</strong>.<br /><br />I think all of us who enjoy cooking and creating in the kitchen probably have a dark little secret like my husband and I do. We have a couple of spaces that are crammed so full of the "essentials" that its tough to find all that exists in them at times!<br /><br />Seeing Anna's picture of her new spice racks from Ikea immediately inspired me. Like a slap in the face kind of thing.<br /><br />I'll follow up with posts that include pictures of this, but I'm planning a restructure of the spice shelf and the potholder/kitchen towel/tin foil and plastic wrap drawer in our house this weekend. Ooh buddy, am I excited! Stay tuned!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-8032508176792254022009-01-14T16:40:00.002-06:002009-01-14T16:53:33.472-06:00Stripes make EVERYTHING better...right?I dont know why, but over the weekend, I started thinking that it might be nice to paint some stripes on the wall that runs along the east side of our living room. Give it some movement and interest. Make it more <em>fun</em>, maybe.<br /><br />See? It's boring right now. Blah.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKRQfCBa-6Y0eZbfjxTWVB_Juv-D8kSIHgRM_t8MFsDU-ixF_zvZkum5fnoULBSBg5-0JucWnJqDVhc4f8utrpXwg4yl1Qq4gIpVkXDGjWRPuyP1GHdufcrxD4oKsm-Ybgjo8eds3HA/s1600-h/living+room+4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291283407157368946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKRQfCBa-6Y0eZbfjxTWVB_Juv-D8kSIHgRM_t8MFsDU-ixF_zvZkum5fnoULBSBg5-0JucWnJqDVhc4f8utrpXwg4yl1Qq4gIpVkXDGjWRPuyP1GHdufcrxD4oKsm-Ybgjo8eds3HA/s400/living+room+4.jpg" border="0" /></a> Oh! I remember where I came up with the idea! I was watching <a href="http://www.hgtv.com/color-correction/show/index.html">Color Correction</a> on HGTV, and they painted some great, big neutral stripes in this woman's office, to tone down the gawdawful orange color she'd tried painting in there herself. (Why people don't understand that you don't have to paint the <em>whole space</em> the color in order to get benefits from it in the form of maybe an accent piece or two or three is beyond me...)<br /><br />Anywho, they looked something like this:<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-7HtJiRC7e75WAyHRREQbcUqLci9JyTbgFctF32JJKdUtHGRaNgCvloLOHuEtCLjLcBqWVscs_N9rqgbAeL7QgBCFSBC69aq5bHhQOGCUJfkU09C0Y9o5oeMAt0xu7nuM85LMoOWow/s1600-h/striped+walls+aparment+therapy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291283401502247602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 245px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-7HtJiRC7e75WAyHRREQbcUqLci9JyTbgFctF32JJKdUtHGRaNgCvloLOHuEtCLjLcBqWVscs_N9rqgbAeL7QgBCFSBC69aq5bHhQOGCUJfkU09C0Y9o5oeMAt0xu7nuM85LMoOWow/s400/striped+walls+aparment+therapy.jpg" border="0" /></a> Found that over at <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/inspiration/lumen-box-room-system-time-out-new-york-22708-044194">Apartment Therapy </a>via a google search for stripes. I love, love, love the space, but I think its a bit too spare for my lifestyle. The stripes, however, are right up my alley.</div><div> </div><div>I think I'd prefer to have a couple of different colors, though. More like this:<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-0ktzxWA6yn1Oq5mSAEMJZOJ9uvqnD9nSS0LTLIQ7eOnM2rjvgfW5HoOfQUL8D_2izDNE9Wu-JbMZHA1GmaslUokSdFYKFaW8nDoBbqFZ3zX7Mv9oczoXIWrFsEefsztBvBwvLLDWQ/s1600-h/striped+walls+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291283403121372450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 334px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-0ktzxWA6yn1Oq5mSAEMJZOJ9uvqnD9nSS0LTLIQ7eOnM2rjvgfW5HoOfQUL8D_2izDNE9Wu-JbMZHA1GmaslUokSdFYKFaW8nDoBbqFZ3zX7Mv9oczoXIWrFsEefsztBvBwvLLDWQ/s400/striped+walls+2.jpg" border="0" /></a> Wheee! I just love that look. So warm an inviting and a perfect mix of the modern with the traditional, IMO. I think that's a wallpaper, but the pattern could be simulated easily with paint. Especially if only doing it on one wall. I don't want to make my husband crazy with this project! I'm enough already in that regard, I think.<br /><br />This subtle variation of shades is a nice idea as well...<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZUSoPzHaaSZsFQdBKhviDMSb6L-o92PMDZ6wLHshWbiVmhd8bqBULNr7ipCj6E-StdDTgznOsmeEXdPW77jOVx6e1_FgdGttDNfTQJHYjLpzSumjB0dfsq9q8X9U2rlHGv9yrsDokPA/s1600-h/striped+walls+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291283394762883346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 278px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZUSoPzHaaSZsFQdBKhviDMSb6L-o92PMDZ6wLHshWbiVmhd8bqBULNr7ipCj6E-StdDTgznOsmeEXdPW77jOVx6e1_FgdGttDNfTQJHYjLpzSumjB0dfsq9q8X9U2rlHGv9yrsDokPA/s400/striped+walls+1.jpg" border="0" /></a> Not necesarily into the colors on that one (found via the Painted House website, episode specifically concerning an <a href="http://www.painted-house.com/episodes/12/154/?view=01">Ice Hotel-Inspired house</a>...um, no thank you), but the pattern and the idea of the subtlety is what I liked about it.<br /><br />I can't wait for spring now!<br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-76371525726448380652009-01-13T16:02:00.002-06:002009-01-13T16:10:12.433-06:00Why, hello there, little ignored bloggy blog!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7bkUv9FBxSXOJwpqsyTAiDlwyAf5GYBotLUFQRmMWAcEQs_axllFH2M1OOYM4CV3PlqfdQECJV8PAbLBKj6QSNajXTQJuotCoF-8DkzaIZ3lISIWHqCLQnVceZveM60C8Tr_HAIAKw/s1600-h/LOVE+this+kitchen.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290902753961002178" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7bkUv9FBxSXOJwpqsyTAiDlwyAf5GYBotLUFQRmMWAcEQs_axllFH2M1OOYM4CV3PlqfdQECJV8PAbLBKj6QSNajXTQJuotCoF-8DkzaIZ3lISIWHqCLQnVceZveM60C8Tr_HAIAKw/s320/LOVE+this+kitchen.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Just how fitting is it that I should be brought back to life through a photo I found on <a href="http://desiretoinspire.blogspot.com/2009/01/gridley-graves.html">desire to inspire</a>, hm? <em>Very</em>, I think. </div><div> </div><div>This kitchen was one included in the <a href="http://www.gridleygraves.com/">portfolio for Gridley + Graves</a>, who apparently make it their goal in life to take photos of kitchens that would make the average person (i.e. ME) drool over the pretty...the clean...the <strong>space</strong>. </div><div> </div><div>WANT!</div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-49609255499871359622008-12-23T13:31:00.009-06:002008-12-23T13:56:24.357-06:00More on the master...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaE5hNJ6z-uNN0SA-z4DDKJobtzBdDvI37_0BtacMsBCRgq3j3juc1yOOaoDgppmw0DUV30vkN7lYBVvY-cOhiiyn327fLXekwdsr_bAiWzrdzdndMFdITZBJv57mr0HpJnFvugh3NA/s1600-h/matisse+hung+3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283074064521573282" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaE5hNJ6z-uNN0SA-z4DDKJobtzBdDvI37_0BtacMsBCRgq3j3juc1yOOaoDgppmw0DUV30vkN7lYBVvY-cOhiiyn327fLXekwdsr_bAiWzrdzdndMFdITZBJv57mr0HpJnFvugh3NA/s320/matisse+hung+3.jpg" border="0" /></a>As promised in my last post, I took some pictures of the master bedroom now that its completed. Of the Matisse hung (and yes, Twin, we did take off the corner guards before we hung it up...silly), and the new shelves we ordered from Target for the east wall of the room. <div><div><br /><div>Sometimes, I worry about whether we're cluttering the space with too much stuff. But I don't feel like it's cluttered. How do I know if we've gone overboard? Is there a general rule? My husband wanted to get art for the remaining walls once he'd seen the photos up on the west wall above the bench. But I didn't want photos, photos, art, art all over in the master. It just seemed contrived to me, for some reason.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyKURsX2Mu5C4wSv4TSTdJv1NP5okT-ZfxNK5b5VMDCaCsjgJis90TDJ_taeyvJORvCaMSgMkaLXzoTGkjEcn0h1LgcHDs46kqw2lk1XnIIMYnMx6KCD26E81xAkQ8oVUxE39k76m9A/s1600-h/matisse+hung+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283071149366180050" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyKURsX2Mu5C4wSv4TSTdJv1NP5okT-ZfxNK5b5VMDCaCsjgJis90TDJ_taeyvJORvCaMSgMkaLXzoTGkjEcn0h1LgcHDs46kqw2lk1XnIIMYnMx6KCD26E81xAkQ8oVUxE39k76m9A/s320/matisse+hung+2.jpg" border="0" /></a> So that's why we bought the substantial piece for over the chest of drawers (instead of the collage that I was thinking we might be able to do).<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPZ1JOceQaN9L5X7HLMncVdGwt9VYFwLcLkAOPVeXrlxB_OvZiTbkYM4fQBJVxolsnGL-c12amJ49M3Z6EEVvaRFM9qnuXIR3-3tWR07wodIbxIM1fHmT5tGAw3YIF2LiDpA2LllBKQ/s1600-h/new+shelves+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283073754459241682" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPZ1JOceQaN9L5X7HLMncVdGwt9VYFwLcLkAOPVeXrlxB_OvZiTbkYM4fQBJVxolsnGL-c12amJ49M3Z6EEVvaRFM9qnuXIR3-3tWR07wodIbxIM1fHmT5tGAw3YIF2LiDpA2LllBKQ/s320/new+shelves+1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>We placed the top stripe on the wall at what is approximately my eye level. It's at 63" on the wall, as I recall. It's where I planned to hang the art around the room, and it just seemed like a good idea at the time. And when we bought the shelves, we searched for something that would top-out at that same line.<br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Mc2yEHBWbkyxKw_rpCIb8btBRQjBnCLwqO0qrNYE0JOJu-bWx609kQ-tX1Kq9bnSetzuboF5QEQW6-W6Lkx68FOxBrTBeagDdGcJsWflTabLsFxDaC1oXdBB9NScqM9Qk85v0523qQ/s1600-h/new+shelves+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283073759949513986" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Mc2yEHBWbkyxKw_rpCIb8btBRQjBnCLwqO0qrNYE0JOJu-bWx609kQ-tX1Kq9bnSetzuboF5QEQW6-W6Lkx68FOxBrTBeagDdGcJsWflTabLsFxDaC1oXdBB9NScqM9Qk85v0523qQ/s320/new+shelves+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Lo and behold, those narrow bookshelves from Target's Hudson collection were <em>perfect</em> at a 61.23" height. See?<br /></div><p></p><br /><br /><div>I like how the effect of leaving the back off the shelves makes them seem less imposing on the room, overall. And I've managed not to clutter them full of stuff (shock of all shocks, seeing as books are my achilles heel when it comes to decorating this house...we need a library, dammit!) which helps as well. I don't know. I really need to take some classes so I can figure all of this out through the help of a professional!</div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-51054871984375156872008-12-19T09:07:00.018-06:002008-12-19T10:21:37.641-06:00The holidays slow me down...Its my plan to post here more than once a week, just for future reference. But its hard this time of year, trying to keep up with work, car repairs, parties for friends, buying presents, etc, etc...I promise to be better about it in the new year.<br /><br />Right now, there's still so much that I'd like to do to the house, its scary. But it also involves money we just don't have right now, so I'll just have to wait. And in the meantime, focus on the things we <em>have</em> been able to do.<br /><br />The master bedroom, for example, is finally complete. We have the art up, the shelves in, and the rug down. There is only one more thing that needs to happen in there, and we can't do it until Spring comes...that is to stain the side-tables by the bed.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DG3eMcRjyr_XHl8obI7RgeToKyoqEnGmpdbrafQpw82rgqOzYPwRWVAO4Zk8tvpomPYpy24r10o8rWdLIjvQrKOB4bB3jymr9r8NGYZj82qqwH1QFDuQc3oKCCMo9KVdauqdgFsl4g/s1600-h/side_tables_we_will_stain.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281523258734370498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DG3eMcRjyr_XHl8obI7RgeToKyoqEnGmpdbrafQpw82rgqOzYPwRWVAO4Zk8tvpomPYpy24r10o8rWdLIjvQrKOB4bB3jymr9r8NGYZj82qqwH1QFDuQc3oKCCMo9KVdauqdgFsl4g/s320/side_tables_we_will_stain.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-Aif1o7ujb2ex46VUs3gQarGdHRRNl1YO8QyH2mb60RRLhSx_F5ToOYnJB65j5yS46dfJt-44Rhwegv08VjtXi6D608WBipfqCXTjiLnLo3oAqdk1JmWVb7m8MlwCbJaa0xFp5oioQ/s1600-h/new_bedroom.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281523257812340402" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-Aif1o7ujb2ex46VUs3gQarGdHRRNl1YO8QyH2mb60RRLhSx_F5ToOYnJB65j5yS46dfJt-44Rhwegv08VjtXi6D608WBipfqCXTjiLnLo3oAqdk1JmWVb7m8MlwCbJaa0xFp5oioQ/s320/new_bedroom.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />They were side tables that I inherited from my older sister, long ago when I first moved to Kansas City. They're barewood pine that have always <em>sort of</em> gone with the decor in the bedrooms they've been in up till now, because nothing was as designed as it is now. And while I'm all for a mix of woods in other areas of the house, the bare pine doesn't lend itself to the Contemporary Traditional style we have going in the bedroom at. all. So we'll be staining them a darker cherry once the weather warms a bit, and we can do the project in the garage.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18Y2XmxZKObSMIU6mNpgGx1gzCG6097jQvPWN9b9RauoFMT8GV1ZmwndMdw8_gs5263qdIQFTeF8LIc8fxTKzTghW3vgD1tvVKsGphH1MiH9nwAi5Rb9_4p9eM39_Nh6J1_J9ahiSqA/s1600-h/matisse+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281524290949719410" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18Y2XmxZKObSMIU6mNpgGx1gzCG6097jQvPWN9b9RauoFMT8GV1ZmwndMdw8_gs5263qdIQFTeF8LIc8fxTKzTghW3vgD1tvVKsGphH1MiH9nwAi5Rb9_4p9eM39_Nh6J1_J9ahiSqA/s320/matisse+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The stain will match, somewhat, to the stain on our dresser we have in our master. Seen here. Underneath...THE NEW MATISSE! Ok, ok...its just a copy we got from ZGallery, but we LOOOVE it.<br /><br />We have very little art in the bedroom. I'm not big on covering every surface with a frame of some sort, so I put up the black and white landscapes that I've carried with me for years on the west wall of the room.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281526320527778418" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7As-uR6xxuFSkmnKeZ1NVoJml2GMw0H-TjS4cnLNnR0Coha-3fJrzZDxQ-UMQtgd8RnyPWu0tTkDnw4sJG0rt_oczXEZovb7lQj87baCFvC9zBtKJlJBiQn8UAGUmH_0_CATtKaykQ/s320/my_side_of_the_bed.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We have <a href="http://www.target.com/Hudson-Bench/dp/B0012FK9A8/ref=in_de_display%20_children?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=0GKC389PCS64MX0R415B&pf_rd_p=465352811&pf_rd_i=B00134IGSA&pf_rd_s=bottom-8&altString=Hudson%20Bench&pf_rd_m=A1VC38T7YXB528&pf_rd_t=5201">a bench </a>on that side from the "Hudson" collection at Target. On the opposite wall, next to the door to the master bath, we have two of the <a href="http://www.target.com/Hudson-Narrow-Bookcase-Ash/dp/B000E1FD84/qid=1229701916/ref=br_1_4/178-8170718-6872233?ie=UTF8&node=16307181&frombrowse=1&pricerange=&index=target&field-browse=16307181&rank=pmrank&rh=&page=2">narrow bookshelves </a>from the Hudson collection as well...they weren't exactly what we wanted there, but they fit the budget, and they look substantial and very pretty in the side-by-side set up we have them in. (We put them together without the back on them, so the paint on the wall would show through and make them less imposing when placed side-by-side.) I haven't taken a picture of that yet...maybe this weekend I'll manage to find the time.<br /><br />Once we had the color up on the walls in the bedroom, we decided that it would be nice to carry it out into the hallway as well. We had some leftover paint from the bedroom, and I'm so glad we decided to make the change! It looks wonderful from all angles, and breaks up the color from the living room being carried into the front guest room.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281524501754242898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93csRxTcd6GwaiFsy94e8dKeCBlDXSuubLlEyOQaeT-qFqRPci0Yzc0bQ8dOkwee_Xc5OKPqD8xyhYD62JjS0GgvKf2xxjd9cA_m5gaVk-M9qy2zk1f96Jc23GUUgTmc15Rt-axM3dg/s400/matisse+1.jpg" border="0" />I can't believe that I haven't posted anything about the house addition here yet! It's what got me all into the whole interior decorating kick that I'm into right now, so I really should get more info up here, eh? I'll work on that over the next couple of weeks.<br /><br /><p>Right now, I'm off to do some last minute Christmas shopping. Yay! The mall! Ugh...</p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-55807934131480507932008-12-12T15:04:00.003-06:002008-12-12T15:48:29.897-06:00New stuff!<div><div><div><div>I just bought this plug-in chandelier for the living room. We probably won't be putting it up until after Christmas, seeing as I have the living room all decked out in red, and this is, well...<em>not</em> red.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84XkpCC-TDu2Us7yOBkByj6_LV-zltCFdj3c9EhnMkwzcoFIa9IjSYBZnRQ1qsUvuuaGBgqPOqrT8ZCXmerHihdyp0y-wmxkVqnVBLL4tUL57ZJYOnu3kaK3f_ij7ANo-kedio7rD7A/s1600-h/new+lamp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279012624387465666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 330px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 305px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84XkpCC-TDu2Us7yOBkByj6_LV-zltCFdj3c9EhnMkwzcoFIa9IjSYBZnRQ1qsUvuuaGBgqPOqrT8ZCXmerHihdyp0y-wmxkVqnVBLL4tUL57ZJYOnu3kaK3f_ij7ANo-kedio7rD7A/s400/new+lamp.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><p>But I can't wait for it to come! Eeee!</p><p>I've been very lighting-centric around here as of late, havent I? Maybe its the season, but I just love lamps and chandeliers and lighting in general, and I kind of kicked off the theme earlier this week with my post about the glacier lighting trend in 2009. Ooh, which, btw, I found some relatively affordable options online for people, if they are so inclined to follow said trend in the future year...</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1ZeiC7bGpFAyO4MemX6wxUfTWQPoRL4_YmOGYtTXacXiYUYUdgvQSpocFCIzFUH8nQ3yCc5qDa_piBOo3tgiEG2DJlVmHFhfQuop1BTqWBHWVNtWs7PQZWtzCWqX29jzdZgDlAWVpQ/s1600-h/effervescent+chandelier+-+anth.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279018921023495330" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 202px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 301px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1ZeiC7bGpFAyO4MemX6wxUfTWQPoRL4_YmOGYtTXacXiYUYUdgvQSpocFCIzFUH8nQ3yCc5qDa_piBOo3tgiEG2DJlVmHFhfQuop1BTqWBHWVNtWs7PQZWtzCWqX29jzdZgDlAWVpQ/s400/effervescent+chandelier+-+anth.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />This is a lovely colored-glass option from <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/category.jsp?popId=DECORATING&navAction=poppushpush&navCount=3&pushId=DECOR_LIGHTING&id=DECOR_LIGHT_CHANDELIERS">Anthropologie</a>. It's the most expensive of the 3 I found online when I looked around a bit, at $1,998. But it is <em>really pretty</em>. So I think it's damned-well worth it, if you have the cash to spend on it!<br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1B61HzrOTqRBC6IfgoeUuPdin3zuNj5S2uo0Gm_FhvP5vRrSossU1amqfUEAU9cCAONFwZDjtOxi_EtfzOxm-QYrDoem6YJ7RFCOGv83Q5ZmYEg-54a2o-wPBNxE53xN8osKT_qeM0g/s1600-h/James+R+Moder+Granada+Crystal+mini-pendant+180+lp.jpg"></a></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279018927600120930" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 183px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 330px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1B61HzrOTqRBC6IfgoeUuPdin3zuNj5S2uo0Gm_FhvP5vRrSossU1amqfUEAU9cCAONFwZDjtOxi_EtfzOxm-QYrDoem6YJ7RFCOGv83Q5ZmYEg-54a2o-wPBNxE53xN8osKT_qeM0g/s400/James+R+Moder+Granada+Crystal+mini-pendant+180+lp.jpg" border="0" />I didn't even think about looking at Lamps Plus for lighting until I was searching for a mini-chandelier for our master bedroom remodel earlier this past summer. So now I have it saved in my favorites on my computer, because they really have some great lighting options of all shapes and sizes available for super-affordable prices. </p><br /><p>This mini-pendant, for example, costs a whopping $180. It's the <a href="http://www.lampsplus.com/Products/James-R-Moder-Granada-Crystal-Mini-Pendant-Chandelier__80745.html">James R. Moder Granada mini-pendant</a>, in case you're interested. While it has a traditional feel to it, I think it's crystaline nature and acorn shape add a special twist to the glacier trend. It looks like a pretty little ice cube to me...</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkLO2EiImQpIftqW6jTStQXwbnXTKj18lhKI3qYu3wXFCnaFp43AR6j_t4Ru5_CGCfbGnoRoAZ2mqREsZPKeU-hAOTVpa3rSdk4SkeJfDBOTmeReVp9p2O68F8nWZFOAtwpFe5U5mtw/s1600-h/Schonbek+geometrix+Clear+Geodes+Pendant+1280+lp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279021430432076402" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 101px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 330px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkLO2EiImQpIftqW6jTStQXwbnXTKj18lhKI3qYu3wXFCnaFp43AR6j_t4Ru5_CGCfbGnoRoAZ2mqREsZPKeU-hAOTVpa3rSdk4SkeJfDBOTmeReVp9p2O68F8nWZFOAtwpFe5U5mtw/s400/Schonbek+geometrix+Clear+Geodes+Pendant+1280+lp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p></p><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsvhjb-lYDkbK8tdbxkIuCexc1Y4GkQ8V-Kt8VHRu94mP87EphK50h6T99R-acLvDCKQB8WM8aJ9wWFDWHmjnCqjEINX9UkyU6MoIkTB35EJcDrqG3pHgr9PEgYBcHLNNZL_WQBPgbg/s1600-h/Schonbek+geometrix+Clear+Geodes+Pendant+1280+lp.jpg"></a></p>And then there's this jazzy number. LOVE! Looks like the ball that drops in Time Square at midnight on New Year's Eve. It's middle of the road for these three options cost-wise at $1,280. It's the <a href="http://www.lampsplus.com/Products/Schonbek-Geometrix-Clear-Geodes-Pendant-Chandelier__41828-70045.html">Schonbek geometrix Clear Geodes Pendant</a>. And I think it would look wonderful in the corner of a more upscale Contemporary Traditional styled living room. Or over my dining table in the kitchen...whatever.<br /><p></p><br /><p></p>Regardless, my point was to show that this trend is achievable on any size budget. And don't ever, ever count out <a href="http://www.lampsplus.com/">Lamps Plus</a>. Seriously, check out their website. They have a ridiculous amount of options available to choose from.<br /><p></p><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsvhjb-lYDkbK8tdbxkIuCexc1Y4GkQ8V-Kt8VHRu94mP87EphK50h6T99R-acLvDCKQB8WM8aJ9wWFDWHmjnCqjEINX9UkyU6MoIkTB35EJcDrqG3pHgr9PEgYBcHLNNZL_WQBPgbg/s1600-h/Schonbek+geometrix+Clear+Geodes+Pendant+1280+lp.jpg"></a></p>(Photos courtesy of Lamps Plus and Anthropologie's websites.)<br /><p></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsvhjb-lYDkbK8tdbxkIuCexc1Y4GkQ8V-Kt8VHRu94mP87EphK50h6T99R-acLvDCKQB8WM8aJ9wWFDWHmjnCqjEINX9UkyU6MoIkTB35EJcDrqG3pHgr9PEgYBcHLNNZL_WQBPgbg/s1600-h/Schonbek+geometrix+Clear+Geodes+Pendant+1280+lp.jpg"></a></div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-43618496557747258442008-12-10T08:41:00.004-06:002008-12-10T09:01:22.899-06:00If I could, I'd have chandeliers EVERYWHERE.It's a sickness, I think. My love and desire for pretty lights hanging all over the house has to be some kind of cureable illness, no? No, huh? Shoot.<br /><br />Well, anyway, I LOVE this trend for 2009. Glacier style lighting that adds a special level of "cool" to any room they're placed in. These pendants and the following hanging chandeliers are both from the Belgian design firm <a href="http://www.spiridon.be/">Spiridon</a>, and were featured at the Maison et Objet Show in Paris.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrwiGEEkVAJ-0FUBbNvt3VDr4mnVHtqBSM_5876YiOMC91PofP9mxNj7tYRn_E3d2SDDhSe-cmyeZ29FNXIv7FjeDx721mmsoK8OCJ7xlAxOMTReKNIBjWjgbgNMraFiCePj_LLRMqQ/s1600-h/glacier-pendants-2+-+Elle+Decor.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278171834755096018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrwiGEEkVAJ-0FUBbNvt3VDr4mnVHtqBSM_5876YiOMC91PofP9mxNj7tYRn_E3d2SDDhSe-cmyeZ29FNXIv7FjeDx721mmsoK8OCJ7xlAxOMTReKNIBjWjgbgNMraFiCePj_LLRMqQ/s400/glacier-pendants-2+-+Elle+Decor.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOO3fIRLhbzXCdDxTW38DGvU1GtZ_sF2OvvlGJK8z7FB1pzrbhwo9iPlZKG0r_AiWsKz-FjcCN0tYda2IU2qSXkcG4Vx4I56maxUow1feK-G3VJ_4Q9mstvju2h4fA0zFExkt7dobNg/s1600-h/Glacier_lighting+-+Elle+Decor.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278171830233893442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOO3fIRLhbzXCdDxTW38DGvU1GtZ_sF2OvvlGJK8z7FB1pzrbhwo9iPlZKG0r_AiWsKz-FjcCN0tYda2IU2qSXkcG4Vx4I56maxUow1feK-G3VJ_4Q9mstvju2h4fA0zFExkt7dobNg/s400/Glacier_lighting+-+Elle+Decor.jpg" border="0" /></a> If <em>only</em> I had a proper place to put them in my Kansas ranch home. Hmmm...maybe in that corner in the guest room that we aren't sure what to do with.</div><div></div><div></div><div><br />(All photos are courtesy of Elle Decor's Design Trend Forecast 2009 article <a href="http://www.pointclickhome.com/decorating_design/articles/design_trend_forecast_2009">found here</a>.)</div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-83194668233746847352008-12-05T09:35:00.005-06:002008-12-05T09:49:38.022-06:00I love my new lamp...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276331192563145010" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCMTBtAV6Rj5BBdqxsI8zPj3eE4mrO_odHh2RwpeGU4-VxQj2gtMr0YOamVV1mLH1PH1WnGBuGl1PkmAJWlPgBUhMx2oFGVCIxjeS16Yly3YVkwyiK3Nx_TjA_cZ2PfI66DGiR3fjNQ/s320/chair+and+mirror+table+1.jpg" border="0" />A couple of weeks ago, <a href="http://inspirejennifer.blogspot.com/2008/11/i-love-it-when-that-happens.html">I mentioned the fact </a>that I'd been able to pick up a lamp I'd had my eye on at Pottery Barn for a while. I put it in its new home, on <a href="http://www.target.com/Venetian-Mirror-Table/dp/B000I6LODS/qid=1228491677/ref=br_1_5/184-4344505-1702369?ie=UTF8&node=3527881&frombrowse=1&rh=&page=1">the Venetian mirror table I bought from Target</a> a while back (it was intended as a possible side table for the guest bedroom, but my husband didn't like it in there, so I put it in the living room instead - ha!), and placed the festive red shade on it for the holidays. (I also have the taupe colored shade to put on the lamp during the rest of the year.)<br /><br />I just love the way the lamp and the table look together! And the mirroring between the two means that light bounces all over the place, which is why I love the fact that the lamp has a built-in dimmer on it - so I can change the level of the lighting and dim the relative harshness that seems to develop once night sets in, and even the 40 watt bulb we have in there seems as bright as the sun.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrn85B9072od3_N2m7zUi2714kCUHgweW0xONt8fm8sWsxx61_vAbf0IYceq5pM9dKgt3l57OJGnHMVJcf4gdVtiIU1Tk-PEfR8s5_mdAzubCAB-ZTOZa6hZUNCFqMbHVcs625jYByLw/s1600-h/new+lamp+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276331086255833858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrn85B9072od3_N2m7zUi2714kCUHgweW0xONt8fm8sWsxx61_vAbf0IYceq5pM9dKgt3l57OJGnHMVJcf4gdVtiIU1Tk-PEfR8s5_mdAzubCAB-ZTOZa6hZUNCFqMbHVcs625jYByLw/s320/new+lamp+1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I think the two items are just gorgeous together...I'm so glad they've come to live with us!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-22496065057292879902008-12-02T11:08:00.003-06:002008-12-02T11:24:05.409-06:00Up and coming trends for 2009Since the new year will soon be upon us, I thought I'd take some time each week to look into the upcoming design/decor trends for 2009 that have been shared via Elle Decor's Trend Forecast for the coming year.<br /><br />As should be the case for everyone, some of these trends don't blend well with my personal taste in decorating. I'll share those ones as well. I'm not that petty when it comes to my inspiration! ;)<br /><br /><strong><u>Mustard and Plum colors</u></strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrTrRRlmHiFTaJMK4PjEMROI4m8Q2j1QkvZ1aZ0efe0uP_EeC02AEf6nn0ejNKOm2zUuGySdiBeGMuxnL0_8jPqm_ZXmxqVCRGArwD8d8OxyvZHpjnz2rMIELZM9w_v2mq2H9jiC9Zg/s1600-h/mustard-plum-bed-2+-+Elle+Decor.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275242927830605762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrTrRRlmHiFTaJMK4PjEMROI4m8Q2j1QkvZ1aZ0efe0uP_EeC02AEf6nn0ejNKOm2zUuGySdiBeGMuxnL0_8jPqm_ZXmxqVCRGArwD8d8OxyvZHpjnz2rMIELZM9w_v2mq2H9jiC9Zg/s400/mustard-plum-bed-2+-+Elle+Decor.jpg" border="0" /></a>These colors are pleasing in certain palates, and frightening in others. I don’t think I can get on board with this one…a lot of it reminds me of something I recall from the Laura Ashley colors of the 80’s. Can’t quite put my finger on it.<br /><br /><strong><u>Caravan</u></strong><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Lvl2o_0m8pPPkB3-b8hEQ71QoeSwmDDDoxYjxRDOKVFvl3HPx7A_jMvWj8hAFg7WoiDn9DYq-QVcObMkm0yS_EUddtg_76tmAQ4CphTW7yuG6eDkzksvjWxn-WWPm1T_Ufa9AVHc_A/s1600-h/xroads-canisters.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275242923144172530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Lvl2o_0m8pPPkB3-b8hEQ71QoeSwmDDDoxYjxRDOKVFvl3HPx7A_jMvWj8hAFg7WoiDn9DYq-QVcObMkm0yS_EUddtg_76tmAQ4CphTW7yuG6eDkzksvjWxn-WWPm1T_Ufa9AVHc_A/s400/xroads-canisters.jpg" border="0" /></a>The trend under the "caravan" moniker concerns pieces that have bold prints, color, as well as Russian/USSR-styled objects and pieces. These pretty canisters can be used for holding dried flowers or branches, or even spare change.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmxcs_V2NM21knaoGgqljHrB5e0Dsb4Sq6eMXZiK2MFkXFZqnFrnvN24GVw1a9FKOS70ED1xA9JZkKYTW1uCTtWQ3RbRgAd9B_BcH_t155Yse7io1GKpgXLNG-J3bC2-4ofYhYpOJ8Q/s1600-h/caravenxroads1-+elle+decor.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275242924222611426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmxcs_V2NM21knaoGgqljHrB5e0Dsb4Sq6eMXZiK2MFkXFZqnFrnvN24GVw1a9FKOS70ED1xA9JZkKYTW1uCTtWQ3RbRgAd9B_BcH_t155Yse7io1GKpgXLNG-J3bC2-4ofYhYpOJ8Q/s400/caravenxroads1-+elle+decor.jpg" border="0" /></a></div></div><br /><p>I <em>loooove</em> this chair, possibly tucked into a corner of a modern library under a good reading light.</p><p>I'll share more trends next week, so keep your eyes open for something that might inspire you, too!</p><p>(All photos are courtesy of Elle Decor's Design Trend Forecast 2009 article <a href="http://www.pointclickhome.com/decorating_design/articles/design_trend_forecast_2009">found here</a>.)</p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-39472893987419244582008-12-01T15:23:00.016-06:002008-12-01T15:52:15.668-06:00Their favorite time of year...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23JjN4IjfGC28VTLPM8wItDCOPZ80wyyYx2_CTC5sWj418W2psd8YUm_1Bl9oky4oNptM0kjwFut52xT4XLzKZwR0zKmJxmIBmYMWXlkHkZkCRwS2lA9yf6wkqcrmLN4F0BSUYJTJCw/s1600-h/n+liv+rm+with+xmas+decor+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274942063658447922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23JjN4IjfGC28VTLPM8wItDCOPZ80wyyYx2_CTC5sWj418W2psd8YUm_1Bl9oky4oNptM0kjwFut52xT4XLzKZwR0zKmJxmIBmYMWXlkHkZkCRwS2lA9yf6wkqcrmLN4F0BSUYJTJCw/s400/n+liv+rm+with+xmas+decor+2.jpg" border="0" /></a> This past weekend, I put some of the finishing touches on the decorating for Christmas at our house. I purchased some red pillows to match the new lampshade, as well as an ubersoft blanket (it is ridiculous how soft this damned blanket is...) and an additional strand of lights for the tree. Which I did not get a picture of, I just realized. Oh well! Further updating to come, I guess!<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274936844056380226" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHG-Vkjs8gz0dNsqMyAZ7bAVKtc69_uJZaGDujAXuXm6bURQbp7Yl3FmVLnrLInGC-mQSGCetE6JIWPcgMkuJqAd1YviB6cWypx5M4L5Nl771Itthl2vapmvh7zJ0MRDwbrKQSgAeTg/s320/liv+rm+from+kitch+2.jpg" border="0" /><br />Imagine a tree where the shiny mirrored table is, and you'll get the idea of what the space looks like now that the decorating is complete.<br /><br />We moved the table and the lamp to the side of the couch in front of the mirror, and now there is light that just bounces all over that corner, boy! Good thing the lamp has a dimmer on it. Which was a pleasant surprise to me after I finally figured out how to turn it off the first night we had it. (Shut up! It was weird, and goes the wrong way than it should, so I was confused...)<br /><br />I'm all for keeping the theme to the current red and gold accented decorating that we've been building on over the last few years. This might be the last year for the current tree and the globes we have for it, though, but I'll save that discussion for when I have actual pictures of the tree.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274938935487677026" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXoeTVOzmZwLQagjHT-LPIWYXa-3uyi2ic1XhtVCPdqX2YiIHehlp8Fho45kajDQEP_C2V8d1wNIHz1Dy1-2_6QM_2pkwk4Mk80m6wCOaRaIT0Uzd5QQbkPRL_0-J4cPiXFQxBQzu5Q/s320/s+liv+rm+post+xmas+decor.jpg" border="0" /> <div><div><div><div><div></div><div></div><div><br />I did manage to find some stockings that I liked at Target, pictured to the right. So cute! I don't know why I didn't think of that bookcase as being the perfect spot to hang some during Christmas last year...I guess I'm just so used to the traditional over-the-fireplace location for them, it just never even crossed my mind.</div><br /><div>We don't decorate a lot more than the living room and the outside of the house, though. I'm not one of those types that goes all out and buys linens for the bathroom, or special comforters for the beds in the house. My mother-in-law did make us a lovely Advent wreath for our kitchen table, so we set that up every year now. </div><div></div><div></div><div><br />But other than that, we keep things pretty basic. I think eventually, once we have more storage, and possibly a larger house to entertain in, we'll get heavier on the holiday decor. But for now, this suits us just fine.</div></div></div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-38574892164897278752008-11-26T10:41:00.003-06:002008-11-26T10:48:21.691-06:00Nobody likes change...or do they?We live in a ranch home that I bought 5 years ago thinking that it would be my starter home that I’d be moving on from in a few years. 2 years after I purchased the home, I met my husband at a local hang out I visit on a weekly basis. He moved in 3 months later, and the house seemed to get a little bit smaller with every passing week. Then we got a dog. Then we got married. Then we got <em>another </em>dog…<br /><br />Along the way, we’d been making improvements…new garage door, new driveway, new windows throughout the house…with the intention of selling the house and moving to a larger space the spring after our October 2007 wedding. But then my company announced that, as a money-saving plan to try to beat the failing economy, they would not be giving us raises in 2008. Suddenly, moving on into a new home was out of reach.<br /><br />Thankfully, our savings account combined with my stellar credit allowed us to be able to add on to the home during the spring/summer of 2008, and we plan on living in this little “starter home” for another 10 – 15 years now. We’re pleased with how it all worked out, overall. The neighborhood is perfect…quickly filling up with young families, its centered in a tract that’s surrounded by main thoroughfares, but far enough away from them that they aren’t a nuisance to our lives in any way. We’re close to the freeway that leads us downtown and to the airport when needed, and we’re a little over a mile from grocery stores, restaurants, and shopping in every direction.<br /><br />Having made several improvements along the way, our decorating style has evolved as well. Today, I thought I’d share the living room changes, and I’ll share more changes that I’m making this week in particular before Friday is here.<br /><br />When I first moved in, I was single, and I had my heart set on having a house that my friends could all enjoy along with me. So I went out and bought myself a <em>great, big, <strong>comfy</strong></em><strong> </strong>sectional that would allow for loads of people to gather in my living room whenever they dropped by. But the couch took up the entire room! It wasn’t long after Jesse moved in 2 and a half years later before we donated the couch, and brought in a new one from Crate & Barrel that we felt would be more fitting to the area we had in the room.<br /><br />But the proper arrangement for the space has eluded us. Initially keeping the couch in front of the large picture window in the room, we had a galley feel to the area, as the kitchen entrance is on one end of the long room, and the suite of bedrooms is on the other end.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSbj6vkxW7H8SAKVEQtf1UGErsvuD4YggxJ4kBWvqfR3ZF-AE96RVHZFj4A_Nnz6A2kRWieR8OczMndMJkMb-Zul8-xwy5xuyATe1zTiCiBTzJtVokFu6TDaqP3chFT-DfPPAX92QYw/s1600-h/Slide1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273007697926440530" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSbj6vkxW7H8SAKVEQtf1UGErsvuD4YggxJ4kBWvqfR3ZF-AE96RVHZFj4A_Nnz6A2kRWieR8OczMndMJkMb-Zul8-xwy5xuyATe1zTiCiBTzJtVokFu6TDaqP3chFT-DfPPAX92QYw/s400/Slide1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>So, as I said the other day, I decided to move things around a bit. I first moved the couch around 3 months ago, but only wound up putting it on a diagonal in the room, which seemed to help a bit with the flow, but not a lot. So completing the change by placing the couch along the north wall of the room was the key. As I now know <em>for sure</em>. My husband and I both feel like it has completely opened the room up, and look forward to entertaining this holiday season now! Now if I could just manage to get that round coffee table I want…</div><br /><p> </p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-5202136823633697892008-11-25T12:17:00.005-06:002008-11-25T12:30:06.963-06:00That would be a kick in the pants...<a href="http://www.westelm.com/WE/content/images/cs/storeImg.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 295px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 216px" alt="" src="http://www.westelm.com/WE/content/images/cs/storeImg.jpg" border="0" /></a>Woo! I just got the call back from West Elm, and they scheduled me to have a second interview with their GM next week! (For those who haven't read my other blog, I'm interested in (a) getting off my butt more often, and (b) making more money than I currently do. So I applied at West Elm about a month after they opened a local store here in Overland Park/Leawood, KS. They didn't have any openings/hours to give me at the time, but things have changed - <em>like they do</em> - and they'd like to see if I can work for them part time.) <div><br /><div>I could so, soooo use the cash right now. Plus, we're coming up on the end of football season here, anyway, so I didn't really know what I was going to do with my extra time on Saturdays. </div><br /><div>Cross your fingers that I get some sort of job there! (I applied with the intent of working in the stock room, to be honest. I don't know what kind of hours they have to offer right now, though...I'd happily take a sales floor position, too.)</div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-41985969126200809272008-11-24T13:12:00.006-06:002008-11-24T13:56:28.967-06:00I LOVE it when that happens!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNXzS__-H0Kimkj9YGmFQJY71hG5uANR4IRsKfMnwDaRKXj51Rip-X5LHUhK6vwgrz_izbc_L2w7m-uoEyzrEphgWugsTRy9APxZLcdCWmYjOExBbOAYPafWw677MZvuqTrSMrFDWdg/s1600-h/Mead+Mercury+Glass+Lamp+-+PB.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272311863698902114" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNXzS__-H0Kimkj9YGmFQJY71hG5uANR4IRsKfMnwDaRKXj51Rip-X5LHUhK6vwgrz_izbc_L2w7m-uoEyzrEphgWugsTRy9APxZLcdCWmYjOExBbOAYPafWw677MZvuqTrSMrFDWdg/s200/Mead+Mercury+Glass+Lamp+-+PB.jpg" border="0" /></a>My husband thinks that I have a bit of a lamp fetish. I have to correct him often and tell him, "<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVr590Iq7kZapu42L0Sy2MRYTGaFBqtySTyvoW2K6zACURrJiqmg9QGi_zBLN15Y_OiFpKm0arMRdEaYL4E3FDVoj-TUbwvZwaPZ4nVQnBi5LDMD0Zs7blBjpHoon8hgE2tvyJNWLdg/s1600-h/Mead+Mercury+Glass+Lamp+-+PB.jpg"></a>No, honey, I don't have a lamp fetish. I have a lamp, clock, <em>and</em> mirror fetish. Get it straight!" You'd think that after 3 years, he'd have it figured out by now...<br /><br />I've been lusting after <a href="http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p11810/index.cfm?pkey=ctable%2Dbedside%2Dlamps">these Mead Mercury Glass Lamps from PB</a> for weeks. I think the bedside lamp (which is the smaller, more squat one in the picture) would be perfect in our living room! Over the weekend, Jesse and I picked up some art to help finish off the master bedroom suite, and I had wanted to go to PB to check out (i.e. BUY) the lamp that I'd been dreaming of for too long, already. But I was tired and hungry by the time we were done picking out the art. So we went home instead.<br /><br />This morning, I looked up the lamps online...I don't know why. Maybe to make sure I knew the name of them before I headed into the store? Anyway, I saw that they were on sale, which pretty well made my day.<br /><br />Over lunch, I went to Target to make sure, sure, <em>sure</em> that they didn't have something similar for a lower price. (Which they did not. However, they do have a lampbase that is the exact knockoff of an acrylic based table lamp that I saw at PB when I went to buy my lamp. For $50. So there's that.) After finishing up there, I headed with hope in my heart to PB down the street. I wanted them to have that lamp in store so badly, so I could take it home and hug it and squeeze it and call it George.<br /><br />Going to the store itself is a dangerous thing for me to do. They have awesome linens that are all holiday-inspired right now! And how cute would it be to do up the guest bath in holiday-inspired linens for our family when they come to town? It'd be <em>too cute</em>, is what it would be. And we already have perfectly lovely linens in there that are softer than anything I've ever owned, and they'll love those, so I just needed to get away from the pretty things, dammit.<br /><br />Fortunately, I know exactly where the lamp section is in that store, so I bee-lined it as well as I could (after said sidetracking by the linens...), and found my lamp. And then I saw that they had additional colors of their dupioni silk shades available in the store (which I cannot find examples of online, so I'm very sorry I can't show them or even link to them here!), and I figured it might be nice to have a red shade for the holidays. And then, OOH!, I could get pillows and a throw for the couch in a similar red shade, and tie it all together, and how clever am I? So I set aside the two shades I wanted, and went off in search of a salesperson to help me get my lampbase.<br /><br />The pillows there are just not justifyable, expense-wise, right now. So I put off buying any pillows, and purchased my lamp for a total of $40 off the regular price. The lamp itself came with the "gold" lampshade, for a total of $89. The extra red shade I bought was $39.<br /><br />I'm far too excited about my purchase, which is how most of them go when I let them get all built up like this. But if I hadn't waited, I wouldn't have gotten the sale price, so I think my decor angel was watching out for me on that one. Thanks decor angel!<br /><br />I can't <em>wait</em> to find pillows that match that red shade now...Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71018128581401742.post-88311168200773825342008-11-24T08:55:00.006-06:002008-11-24T10:28:01.313-06:00Inspired!I woke up early on Saturday morning, listening to my dog whining at the door to the bedroom, indicating her desire to come in and sleep with us like she usually does. Unfortunately, she and her “brother” were relegated to the living room that night, due to some infraction or another that they needed to learn a lesson about. I called out a quiet, “That’s enough, Iz!” And the whining stopped…at least for a little while.<br /><br />It was probably about 3 or 3:30, but I couldn’t fall back to sleep. Suddenly, I had that other arrangement on my mind for the living room…the one that might allow more space for entertaining, and just living in general. Would it work? It <em>had to </em>work! Jesse’s family is coming to town for the Christmas holiday in a few weeks, and I’ve been worried about where we’ll all sit when they’re here. What will be most comfortable for everyone? Where will we put our tree this time around? And, ugh! That couch! Having only just bought it two years ago to replace the enormous sectional mistake I bought when I first moved into the home, I didn’t expect it to wear out so quickly. We bought it at a high-end store! We paid a fairly high amount for it! It should have lasted longer than this, dammit.<br /><br />Regardless, were stuck with it for a while. And I wanted to put it against the north wall of the living room, like I’d been planning to do for a while…<br /><br />This is what keeps me awake at night. Along with the lamp I dream of buying for the same room, and the bookshelves that my husband, Jesse, will install for us today in our new master bedroom, allowing us to put the items currently on the bookshelf in the guest bedroom into a new home, so we can move that piece of furniture out of there altogether. It’s taking up too much space, and makes the corner it’s in look overcrowded and like an afterthought.<br /><br />++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<br /><br />Welcome to the new space I’ve created in order to share my ideas and inspirations that ramble through this overcrowded noggin of mine every minute of every day. I’m an avid lover of all things clean-lined, but traditional in nature. I love pieces inspired by retro style, from the <a href="http://www.target.com/Hudson-Collections-Furniture/b/ref=sc_fe_l_3/186-5226435-4537954?ie=UTF8&node=16307181">Hudson collection found at Target </a>(you heard me), to just about anything you can find at <a href="http://www.westelm.com/online/store/HomePage?storeId=17001&catalogId=17002&viewSetCode=E">West Elm</a>. I get loads of ideas from the magazines I troll through, as well as from watching hours upon hours of HGTV, and reality design shows like <a href="http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Design/season/2/index.php">Top Design</a>. I haven’t really been searching the blogosphere for inspiration yet, because I’m already overwhelmed by the things going through my head as it is…I’m afraid of what might happen if I add a new layer to the mayhem! But now that I’ve found a place to put it all (<strong>duh</strong>, the internet was such an <em>obvious</em> choice, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before now), I’m sure to find new and fun places to link to that will hopefully inspire more than just me along the way.<br /><br />Don’t be confused by my blogroll or the links that I share. I get inspiration from fashion, food, party planning, and landscaping. I figure it’s only fair to share the ideas, regardless of where they come from.<br /><br />So enjoy! And tell me what you like and don’t like! And help me by sharing your ideas and inspirations, too. I’m looking forward to getting all of this…<em>stuff</em>…out and in your world, too.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07971373468670425895noreply@blogger.com0