A Simple But Lovely Project

When I am browsing the Internet or out walking through stores, the thrifty part of me sees an item and exclaims "I can make that for a lot less money." I have been seeing Family Established signs at various places for quite some time and have always admired the proclamation of family pride. Yesterday, I decided it was time for our little family to have a sign.



A quick stop at Lowe's and AC Moore was all it took to acquire the appropriate materials for the grand total of $10. I used a 50% coupon at AC Moore and scored the stencils for $4 (woohoo). I used black paint and leftover stain from my growing paint collection and a $2 stencil brush.



The finished product. I went for a more rustic look because I hate super clean artwork...for some reason it always looks fake to me. I did not center the lettering for the same reason. Hard to believe we have been married for over three (wonderful) years. They have been some crazy-filled years but I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

*Fixed - Orange Office

A tropic gold two-foot stripe flanked by one-inch white stripes (Jack and Meg not included). This weekend I refinished a desk I found at a thrift store for $31 and I am on the look out for a chair to refurbish. The goal is to finish my "Paradise Office Oasis" this upcoming weekend, just in time for summer semester and (hopefully) a new job.

It is a Bit Much...

One of the perks of having a separate office from your husband is that you can paint your retreat/workspace whatever color tickles your imagination. I wanted orange so I painted my office orange...vintage orange to be exact. It is loud and a bit obtrusive. I am trying to adapt to the new color but I am afraid that I bit off more than I can chew. How to fix the design faux pas without losing the orange? Maybe a block pattern with various reds and oranges? Stripes? Lots of artwork? Hmmmm...off to comb through design catalogues for inspiration.

Before and After...The Kitchen Edition

We're slowly putting our house together room by room. Mom and Bandit were up earlier this week to help finish painting the downstairs and I finally feel comfortable enough to post evidence of our efforts.


Before


After
Of course we still have work to do on the room, starting with replacing that wretched builder's grade light fixture over the kitchen table...yuck!


View from our kitchen door leading to the backyard. The lush green backdrop is what made us fall in love with the house. Off to do more work!

We Have Keys (and Internet)

Furniture Shopping.

It started with Meh Ling. Striking from outside our peripheral vision, she pounced upon our entering of the furniture store. We listened to her script and politely told her that we were just browsing and did not need her assistance to discuss our feelings towards furniture or discover our likes and dislikes. Left alone (or so we thought), we walked around the store. She first popped from behind a large potted leafy plant exclaiming “you can get that couch in a variety of fabric!” Clay gave her a nice smile while I curtly replied “thanks” and did the slow back away. Shaken by the surprise vegetation attack but determined to go on, we continued making our way around the stocked showroom.

It was when we were sinking into a deep, soft and comfortable tweed couch Meh Ling sprung from behind the matching chair and a half proclaiming the good cheer of the “Everything Must Go Tax Refund Rebate Sale Due To Shipment Error.” We explained that we would let her know if we were interested in a particular piece. She smiled. We smiled. She didn't move. We stared back. She finally walked away. Freedom.

By now we were expecting Meh Ling to zip line from the rafters to the kitchen tables but to our disappointment, she did not. However, while we were admiring a nice leather ottoman she wedged herself in between us with a flyer advertising even better deals than the “Everything Must Go Tax Refund Rebate Sale Due To Shipment Error.” We smiled and explained (again) that we would prefer to have the opportunity to explore the showroom ourselves and would let her know if her assistance is needed. We continued.

We spotted her first. We were by the desks and she by the living room sets. Clay put his recon skills to use and mapped the most direct route to the automated exit doors. He grabbed my hand and we weaved in and out of the recliners with agility and grace that would make Tara Lipinski cry with appreciation.

“Here’s my card.”

Damn.

A breathless Meh Ling panted as she held white cardstock with an outstretched hand. I took the card; a sign of defeat. We walked out the door letting the Carolina sun soak up our frustration and worked to summon the courage to go inside yet another furniture store.