Before & After

I found this sweet little foot stool today on a thrifting date with my sweet friend Kelly.

It was right there staring at me when we walked in the door.

I was initially drawn to the beautiful blue fabric.

I knew it would look spectacular with my new rug, picking up some of the blue,

and the slight striations in the fabric were so pretty.

Well then I got a bit cheeky with the stool and flipped up her skirt.

Her legs were to die for! 

Who would cover those beauties up? 

I snipped the stitching on the skirt and carefully pulled it off.

Then I gave the legs a good rub down with Old English.

The stool was perfect.

(pardon all the dog hair! Stella is in dire need of a hair cut and my vacuum took a crap!)

I'd have to say that I think this stool passes the test! 

I'm in love!

New Year's Day

Today is New Year's Day. A day for reflection. A day for resolutions. A day for new beginnings. Yet every New Year's Day for the past four years all I have been able to think of is my great grandmother.

She was a wonderful woman, whom I have spoke about plenty of times here. So I won't get into all the details.  I'll saved myself from some chocked back tears.

But this year was a touch different. I finally brought home some pieces of her furniture that have been patiently waiting for me. Something about having her dressing table fills my home with nostalgia. I remember gently running fingers over the intricate details in the wood. The insides of the drawers smell just like her. The scent of loose powder and pink frosted lipstick fill my nose with memories of watching her "put her face on".

I am very excited about the year to come. I will be turning 30 soon. And have some exciting stuff planned for that. I promise to blog more in 2013. Promise.

But for now, my New Years is winding down. I am snug as a bug in my pjs with the hubs. Back to editing pictures from Wynwood today.

Happy New Years. Wishing you all the very best in 2013.

10 things i couldn't live without this week

1. first and for most i have to give a huge shout to the hubs! there is absolutely no way i would have made it through this week without him! he's been such a huge help with all the changes happening in our house.  i love him more than words can explain for allowing me the opportunity to live out my dreams!
2. i officially started my new job this week. everyone at the david k space has made my first week so amazing! i have learned so many new things and made a great new group of friends! a huge thanks is in order for making me feel so welcome!
3. i wore more make up this week than i have have in the entire past year.  i forgot how good it feels to look pretty everyday.
4. the boy started his first day of pre-school this week. the transition has been a little hard on everyone, and i am not going to lie, i have cried on more than one occasion about being away from him. but he really seems to be loving it! i also really think that i can already see a big difference in his behavior, speech, and agility.
5. i mentioned to the hubs that i wanted some kind of cool box to keep all my make up in and that man built me one out of broken skateboard decks. wait until you see this thing.....he never stops amazing me! and i have finally convinced him to make me some skateboard jewelry....i can't wait for our next day off!
6. the season premier of dexter....need i say more?
7. we walked/hid from the rain the 2011 making strides against breast cancer walk today with the hubs work friends.  we always enjoy this event, but this year we had horrible rain and wind to the point where we had to bail out of the walk and run for cover. the poor boy was soaked and freezing. so we waited at the finish line for the rest of the group and then made our way out for lunch.  what a great way to spend a sunday morning.
8. i have always been a mom that swore against the family bumper stickers. you know the one's with the mom and dad and the kids and pets.  the hubs and i were just too cool for that! haha well guess who's is sporting stickers on the back of her car? that's right....me. my sister in law found the cutes/coolest family stickers! each one of us is represented by a skull and cross bone, the boys with mohawks and my with a bow....and there is even a puppy skull and cross bone for stella.
9. i had never made ribs before and after the hubs nicely brought it to my attention that all i ever cook anymore is chicken, i thought i would venture out of my comfort zone and make his favorite....ribs!  well i have to tell you, i nailed it. they were so good and so easy! now that i know, he can expect to be seeing them more often!
10. my uncle left me one of the nicest messages that just made my week, so i have to share. larry said:

You have always been a beautiful child! 

But the beauty of your soul and spirit

 as a woman and a mother 

continue to grow and blossom.

 May you be happy for all of your years!

10 things i couldn't live without this week

1. well i guess that it's official enough to share and get excited! so this little house momma is going back to work! i recently fell in love with a salon and made it my job to get a job there.  after a few meetings and  getting to know some of the staff, i was invited to become a part of the davidk space team.  i am so fired up about all the new educational experiences, opportunities, and having a reason to wear cute clothes and make up! haha
2. the hubs finally took that vacation that he's been needing and deserving! we decided to stay home for our vacation and really focus on some things around the house (as well as spending as much time possible at the beach).  boy oh boy have we been up to some serious DIY-ing.  we built a table, refinished my craft desk as well as adding a storage hutch, we've got some art projects under way, and i do believe there is a refinished shelf in my future for today.  not to mention we have also rearranged a ton of the art in the house.
3. speaking of new art!!!!! the hubs surprised me with a piece that i have been dying over for quite some time! it was supposed to be a christmas present, but neither on of us can keep a secret for that long.
4. along with delivering my new art, brandon mclean (the artist) came over for an evening of digging holes at the beach, reading books to the boy, and a pulled pork feast!
5. we have had some amazing beach trips this week.  the hubs has started a tradition of digging the most insane hole possible each time we go.  this may sound silly but a lot of research and trial and error has gone into perfecting the hole.
6. went to a friends going away party the other night. crappy-e-oke. very sad to see bob leaving, but very excited about his future work opportunities.
7. i missed a lot of ballet last month. so to make up for missed classes i've been taking a contemporary class right after ballet.  i was really worried that i was going to make a fool out of myself, but it turns out that i really love the class! i have a few more make-ups to do so over the next few weeks i am going to decide if a switch is in order.  i'll keep you posted.
8. the hubs finally strong armed me into having the yard sale that i have been planning for months.  the back hallway between the kitchen and the car port had turned into the holding cell for all potential yard sale items.  as the mountain of crap grew the more frequently the hubs told me i was becoming a hoarder.... haha.  so saturday 6:30 am came and it was time for the sale.  we sat and waited and waited and waited for people to come.  sold some random stuff, but none of the things that we assumed would sell did.  so after a few hot and sweaty hours our hopes of success dwindled and we called it a day.  we loaded up the car with all the left overs and dropped them at our local consignment shop.  this is the first time i've done the consignment shop thing, i usually just head straight for goodwill...we will see how it goes, if we make any money at all.  haha.
9. our old friend kelly and her adorable little boy kaleb stopped over for a short visit this weekend.  it is always so good to see her and share stories of motherhood.  kaleb is now 6 months old and about as cute as a button!
10. really looking forward to family date night tonight! we are going to rocco's tacos (which i have been dying to try!) with the serey's....can't wait! margarita's in my future....i think so!

DIY: craft desk

oh that hubs has been up to it again! blowing my mind with his craftsmanship! 

we started with this $10 thrifted desk. 

busted out the elbow grease and added some wood and screws and paint.  

now i have my very own custom craft desk.

DIY: trunk end table

i have a super special DIY to share with you guys today! this little project is something that the hubs and i have been talking about for quite some time, and on day one of our "stay-cation" we decided to finally make it!

the hubs has had this trunk for who knows how long.  it served great purpose as our tv stand forever, but has recently graduated to fabric storage....and now fabric storage/end table.

ok, so here's what you'll need: 4 x 1" diameter 12" long galvanized nipples (pipes), 4 x 1" galvanized end caps, 4 x 1" galvanized falanges, 4 x wood blocks (4"x4"), 16 machine screws and bolts.

you will also need a ruler, marking pen, and power drill 

measure and mark where the falanges will be attached to the bottom of the trunk.  pre-drill the holes in the bottom of the trunk.

adhere the wood block to the inside of the trunk directly over the pre-drilled holes.

once the glue is dry drill holes through the wood blocks.

attach all 4 falanges.

attach the end caps to the ends of all 4 pipes.

screw the legs into the bottom of the trunk and .... (tada).....

big shout out to the hubs for making me this awesome table!