Monday, August 1, 2011

Pinterest Challenge July 2011 | Project Results


The above photo was the inspiration for my project.  It originated from Addicted 2 Decorating.  I repinned someone elses pin, from a blog feature on Classy Clutter. Wow, you could totally play "seven degrees of Pinterest".  Back to the challenge...

 The week before the challenge was issued I had begun a little dining room makeover and was contemplating repainting this cabinet.


The room was getting a new coat of paint and going from Valspar City Storm to Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl.  You can see the City Storm color in the above shot and will see Gray Owl in the room in photos below.  I began to think about the turquoise piano I pinned 6 weeks ago and a lightbulb went off that I did not have to have a piano to recreate the look but could do it with my red cabinet.  I was not sure exactly what color was used on the piano so in the end I custom blended my own turquoise color. 


After I got the color just right, I painted the outside the teal/turquoise and the inside black.  I then worked on the back panel that I did a faux bois treatment on.  Get more detailed information about how I custom mixed the color, what colors I used and how I did the faux bois here.


While waiting for the paint to dry I began to work on the plate part.  First I laid out the plates to get an idea of what I wanted. For more detailed information about the hanging plate part, click here.


After getting the layout right, which took a few days of moving, photographing and lots of head tilting, I moved on.  I then rolled out craft paper and laid the plates down again and traced around the outside to make a pattern of sorts.


I planned to hang up the pattern above the cabinet to make sure that I liked the placement.


This is probably the third pattern I made.  I lived with it for a day taped to the wall above the cabinet before I began hanging plates.  I am so glad I did this step because they really looked different on the wall.  I used much bigger plates that the inspiration photo which is good and bad.


Next came plate hanging hooks {came with the plate hangers}.  The whole plate hanger part of this is a whole other issue/story for another time. If you want to know more about it, click here for details. Anyway, I hung the hooks and then placed the plates up.


Then it was time for the paper to come down!


Back up the plates went!


I had been playing with different accessories for the top of the cabinet and decided to go with these CB2 vase/candle holders I have had for several years.  I also have white Zgallerie pillar candle sticks that look good that could be a future option.  I liked the lighter visual weight that the glass has since the plates are big.


Since living plants cannot survive in my home due to two furry inhabitants I just cut a few herbs and plants from the yard.



Please ignore the crazy long plate hangers!  I am going to replace/snip them down.  I really wanted to get the project done, so this had to do for the time being. For more information about the plate hangers I used, click here.


Now for a side by side comparison from the inspiration and my completed project!

There are a few changes I plan to make such as changing/modifying the plate hangers as I have already mentioned; adding or swapping plates; changing the wicker vase next to the cabinet; and maybe different knobs on the cabinet.  I love the end result!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Pinterest Summer Challenge!

I am so excited about this challenge!  I have the perfect idea for a dining room project obviously inspired by Pinterest.  It is probably my most loved pin.  ever.  So excited!!!

Not sure what I am talking about?  Check out YoungHouseLove, Emily Henderson, BowerPowerBlog, or Making a House a Home.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Wedding Details {Black and White Wedding}











{all above images from ClaryPhoto see our wedding blog post here}

We just celebrated our second anniversary so I thought I would finally post some of my favorite detail shots from the wedding!  Many of the items in these photos are projects that I DIY'd such as ring bearer pillows, pinwheels, candy bar ribbons for jars, damask cardbox, and photobooth tickets.  Several of the other projects I created and had printed elsewhere were the "sugar bar" window cling, drink stir sticks, "B" cake topper, and dinner menus.

Then we had several fabulous vendors that made other items happen such as Slice of Lime Design for all of our paper goods and Exclusive Events, Inc. for our reception lighting, paper lanterns, white lounge area and decals on the columns.  I especially love our programs from Slice of Lime Design.  They are tiered and have the custom damask design flowing from one page to the next...does that sound right?  I do not know about how it sounds but it turned out fantastic! Slice of Lime Design also created our reception cards that included a poem that I wrote and probably had help from Emily from Slice of Lime Design...it's been so long I cannot even remember!  Anyway, the poem was about the candy bar, the photo booth, and the late night snack that we were serving at 10:00pm.  I will look for a photo that shows it better for another post.

A few other details were each of the bridesmaids bouquets were wrapped with a different black and white ribbon and had a vintage bow broach.  We had red balloons and paper parasols for photos, and my something blue was turquoise ribbon sewn onto the crinoline of my dress.  I also wore the antique wedding ring in the ring detail shots that belonged to my husband's grandma.  She was unable to attend so I wore the ring so she could be there in spirit.  Hmmmm.....I am trying to think of any other special details...would have probably been a good idea to have posted this 2 years ago! Oh yeah, I made my jewelry {chandelier crystal earrings and bracelet} and also made bracelets out of crystals for the bridesmaids.

Not sure if I have previously posted this, but here was our vendor line up for the day!
Photography: ClaryPhoto-Clary Pfeiffer Photography {blog}
Videography: Archway Media (I still have not selected my music so no video yet...)
Paper Goods: Slice of Lime Design
Florist: RW Designs
Wedding Coordinator: Proposing Dreams
Ceremony: St. Ambrose on the hill
Reception: Windows On Washington {8th floor}
Lighting and Decor: Exclusive Events, Inc.
Extras: Photobooth Stl 
Cake: The Cakery 
Rehearsal Dinner: Spink Pavillion Missouri Botanical Gardens
Transportation: A Perfect Touch
Make-up: Holly Speakes
Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston Vineyard Collection, Town and Country Bridal

I think that is it!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Cute and Stylish Camera Bag Part 4?

Thanks to an anonymous comment on my last post about camera bags I decided to wait and check out what the new Epiphanie Bags had to offer. I was definitely excited that they would be offering a bag that could hold a laptop.  What a great way to kill two birds with one stone! 


Love the new color options for the originals and the new styles.  Of the new styles, I like Clover best.  But I am still in love with Lola.  I am not sure if it is just the red or the style.  I am definitely more of a pink fan, but again, there is just something about the red bag.  

So I am still leaning towards Lola in red, but they are back ordered until April.  Maybe I should go ahead and order...

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

cute and stylish search...still looking!

Just when I think I have it all narrowed down, and maybe able to make a decision in my search for a dslr camera bag...I am back at square one!

This search has been exhausting.  I like to try on and touch handbags.  See how the zippers work, make sure that it seems like it will work for me. Unfortunately this is not the reality for the "cute and stylish handbag style meets dslr bag" selection that resides exclusively online.

Her name was Lola....Lola remained top in my mind since my search became less intense around March.  Off and on, I would admire Lola and think about if I was ready to make a commitment.

{epiphanie bags Lola}

So the biggest reason why I did not just go ahead and purchase, was that I was hesitant about the price.  I know that the bag would need to last me a long while...and I just was not sure!

The I decide...okay, time to bite the bullet and just go ahead and do it.  I did one last search for "cute and stylish camera bags" and came across this post by Veralana Photography. This post opened my eyes to some new fabulous bags by Jo Totes.


Instantly I was drawn to the Rose bag....ultimately I decided this was THE bag...I was going for it.  I was torn between the marigold and the teal.  


While popular opinion was to go with the marigold, I was unsure.  Shocking, I know. Look at that adorable houndstooth fabric inside! A perk that they both have it! Yesterday I decided to just go for it! Decided...then went to purchase....SOLD OUT!  So I thought maybe it was fate and I was meant to have the other color....guess what!? SOLD OUT too...so maybe it was just not meant to be at all.

I need a new laptop bag too, but I do not have the energy to search for that! 

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Has it really been this long?

I am shocked that I have taken such a long hiatus from blogging.  It seemed so easy when talking about wedding planning, but now that has been over for a way long time.  I am working on starting a new blog or actually started it at the beginning of the year to chronicle all of my creative adventures, but have yet to post.  I always seem to be creating something....so that seems to be a good start.  Honestly, I do not seem to have the time that I used to have to devote to creating really good posts....with pictures!  A goal is to still post wedding pictures, but really, it has been over a year.  Another goal is to finally pick songs for our wedding film.  I also would love to get back to doing C25K, which I have not done since March...well, lets be honest, with barely week 1 complete, I never really started.  There is always something.  Blogging just has seem to lost its sparkle, which is why I started the new blog. Thinking that at least a focus would be better than nothing.  Hmm...too much to think about, but nothing really substantial or worthy to post about. 

Oh well...at least I am breaking the blogging dry spell. Let's hope it isn't another 3 months.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Way too long.

It has been way to long since my last post.

Life has been so busy.  I think back to this time last year...writing thank you notes for shower gifts, working with wedding vendors, finals for 2 classes I was taking...one was Statistics {yuck}, the list can go on and on...how did I do it? Minus the wedding stuff, the same things making life too busy are still present, but maybe I am putting more effort into what I have now, just as the wedding received all of my effort last year. I wish there was more time. One of my little art students made a "time machine" sculpture yesterday....he needs to get working on a "time freezing" machine. That sounds good.



With only 13.5 days left of school with kids....maybe I will finally get around to posting wedding pictures? get back to running? finally organize? have a garage sale? learn how to use my camera better? write my dissertation? hmmmm. huge "to do" list.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Couch to 5k Week 1 day 2


I am glad to have this workout behind me.  I worried about the weather forecast and if that would prevent me from working out.  Fortunately it was a gorgeous day.  I also bailed out on the first day of the new run/walk club at work because I did have time to get my gear together this morning.  So I kinda felt that I was looking for an excuse to not do it today.  So I made plan....a, b, C! Plan C was to go home and get it over with...then make dinner and do homework.  Who would have thought that I would rather learn to run that do homework?

So about the "run" today.  I felt really good about it!  I felt around interval 5 that I was getting worn out, but once I got to 6, I could see the end and before I knew it, I was FINISHED! Whew.  Looking forward to Friday and finishing week 1.  My quads have been sore since Monday.  I did stretch after Monday's workout, and again after today's, but I would rather they just stop aching.  I am very surprised that my feet are not giving me problems!  I plan to treat myself to new shoes over spring break if I keep it up...

I do need to find a 5k, so I keep myself motivated and have a purpose for doing this.  I found one on June 12th that benefits Haiti...and that is our 1st anniversary weekend! That would also give me several extra weeks if I needed it to get prepared.  I honestly cannot even imagine being able to run for 3 miles without stopping.  Any suggestions for 5k's in May or June?

Monday, March 8, 2010

Couch to 5K Week 1 day 1

 
{found here}

Well, the time has come. I have been so interested in the Couch to 5K program since reading about it on this blog.  I have always said that my body was not made to run, but then I read the book Mindset, and realized that you can really do anything that you set your mind to.  This book is amazing by the way as it relates to so may aspects of life. So anyway, it is time to challenge the fixed mindset I have had about my running abilities an actually get off the couch and do it.

I downloaded the podcast from Robert Ullrey, and set out on my first interval run/walk workout. The program is to briskly walk for a 5 minute warm-up, then do 8 intervals of 60 seconds running, 90 seconds walking recovery.  I was feeling towards the end on interval 6 and 7 that I could not do this, and I will admit that I did not run the entire time.  The last interval was very motivating and I finished it. Boy I did want to quit, and just walk though.  This was followed by a 5 minute cool down and then I did some stretching.

I am a little bummed that the weather is supposed to be rainy the rest of the week.  I thought, well maybe I would wait until March 18th when I am on spring break, but I was off work today and I was motivated.  So this is it.  Just day 1, I am committing to Wednesday and Friday of this week as well to complete the 3 sessions required for the program. Baby steps.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

cute & stylish search continues

I blogged about my search for cute and stylish camera bags recently.  I have been receiving some slack from Chris about not using my DSLR enough, so it is time to search some more and make a decision.

I still love the Epiphanie bags. But through some communication with the company, found out that they will release new styles this summer.  If you know me, you know that I like to weigh all of my options and not make a decision until I am positive that I will be completely satisfied with my choice.  If you know me, then you also know that I can be incredibly indecisive.  So there you go.  Making a choice about where to go for dinner is usually equally difficult, let alone choose a bag for my camera. SO the prospect of potentially liking a new bag coming out this summer more, keeps me from committing at this moment. Also, I am concerned that Belle may be too bright and so am liking Lola more. Here is a review of  the Lola bag.  These bags will not ship until March probably...but I have waited this long!

Here are some new bags I found since my last search. 

 
So here is the Kelly Moore bag. Cute, right? Love that they come in 7 different colors. If you click this link, you can watch a video of the bag in action.  Kinda cool.  Actually made me realize that this is not what I am looking for though. More of a messenger style and less like what I am envisioning.

Some others to consider...

Another messenger, so it does not make it on the short list.




Jo Totes are one of the lesser expensive bags that I have found, but a little too plain for what I am thinking I want.

 {*emera}

*emera now makes a quilted bag! Love that it can hold a laptop!!!  And that this one zips! The other *emera bags do not zip.

The search will continue...I am not completely satisfied....yet!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day

It seems everyone sends out holiday or New Year cards their first married year, so I wanted to be different and send out Valentines. Okay, actually I did not have myself organized enough to send out holiday or New Year cards. But, I am actually glad.  I love the red balloons, red photobooth curtain with the bit of red for Valentines day. Perfect for Valentines. Working at the last minute, but not willing to make these Saint Patrick's Day, Easter or first day of spring cards, I had to work quick.  Even quicker I had to get them printed.  I settled on the printing.  Time was limited and I do not know where to get good printing done quickly. Kinko's offered the quickest solution. So to make up for the lack of fancy printing, I created cute wrap around address labels. Our return was wrapped to the back and written vertically.  
It was a fun project, and I am very critical of anything I create.  So while I like them, there is always room for improvement!  Happy Valentines Day 2010!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Soundtrack

Help! What songs did you pick for your wedding movie...heard any great timeless songs that really just scream "Time for a wedding montage!"???

I am horrible at making decisions which is why I decided to be very proactive and create a potential playlist for it in my itunes library.  I am just so not sure.  So here I am. Still have not made any decisions. 

 
{our rehearsal dinner ClaryPhoto}

See how indecisive I am.  AND how much my husband loves it!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

12x12 paper lovelies...

After my last post about Paper-Source I decided to peruse the papers to see about that lovely damask print paper for fun liners and wrapping gifts.  While I was not able to find that paper, I did find many other lovelies that I have not seen before. 

I love the idea of creating inexpensive artwork by framing beautiful paper.  It creates an impact and as I mentioned can be very cheap!  Here are some 12x12 paper lovelies that are....well....just lovely!













I love how affordable a single sheet can be!  Also think about how simple it could be to create your own pattern to frame by using a rubber stamp to repeat your design.

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