I could NOT be more excited for this weekend. Tomorrow, I am headed to OKC for a long awaited girls weekend with my college friends sisters. Thankful is not a big enough word to describe how I feel about having these girls in my life.

Here.

On the list of things to do? HUNGER GAMES (yes, I have waited a whole week before seeing it), shopping, thrifting, eating (brownie mix, perferably), laughing, catching up, cocktails... sounds fab, right?? We try to get together as much as possible, but you all know how busy life gets- moves, job changes, babies.... So, needless to say, this is a long overdue weekend.

Hope you enjoy yours! See you next week.

Flor rug update

Well, I hate to say it. But I got the samples of Flor "Finer Things"  in the mail the other day and I am less than enthused. It looks like basement/grade school carpeting to me.... The reviews were all great, but I just can't see myself liking a whole rug of the stuff.

Since I'm still sold on the idea of Flor, I'm giving it another go with "Suit Yourself." It has a sisal-like texture and I really like how it looks in this blogger's house. So I ordered some samples and we'll see if the texture of this one gives it a higher quality look.

The Hubs told me he isn't yet "committed" to getting a new rug. So the tape stays. And maybe this round of samples will change his mind :)

Inspired to Incorporated: 4

My sweet friend got me this fab pleated skirt for my bday. I love it!

Inspiration.

I plan on incorporating it in the following outfits as well...

Here.

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Here.

Hope you all have a great Tuesday!

DIY Monogram Coasters

Recently, I made these monogram coasters as a gift, and I love how they turned out. It was super easy/inexpensive and I love giving a monogrammed gift- it's so personal! Anyway, this pin was the inspiration for the project.

So, here's what you will need:
4x4 tiles from Home Depot, Lowes, etc.
Card stock
SHARP exacto knife/razor blade
Sharpies (extra fine tip)
Clear spray paint
Felt 'feet'
tape

Step 1- Google the letters of the monogram you need. I needed R, M and A. I hope it was not just good luck that I found these letters in the same font in Google images with no problem... Anyway, after I found the letters, I just formatted them using MS PowerPoint. Knowing the size of the coasters (aka tiles) is 4x4, I just kind of eyeballed the size of the letters on the page to where I thought they were the right measurements.  It only took me 2 tries to get it right. I printed it on card stock to make it more sturdy.

(sorry I do NOT know how to take a good picture of a computer screen)

Step 2- cut out the letters. You'll definitely want to be precise, so that's why the razor blade needs to be good and sharp. Sidenote, sure ya'll know this, but don't cut on a surface that could be damaged. I used the top of a shoebox.

Some letters are weird. Like the R and the A. They have center parts that will have to be individually placed. You'll see what I mean later, but it's not hard to work around.

Step 3- I attached the felt tabs to the bottom before I did the tracing.

Then, I just eye-balled where the monogram should go. I wanted it to be pretty much centered. Then, I taped down the stencil and the middle parts of the R and the A.

 

Trace it.

It looks kind of rough at this point. But after you fill it in and even out the lines, it looks pretty good!

I hadn't planned on adding anything else, but was looking kind of unfinished. And this DIY that Jenny from the Little Green Notebook did popped into my head. So, I painted the edges.

And that ended up being the perfect touch.

The last step is to spray them with the clear coat. I used Rust-oleum outdoor clear to make sure it stands up to moisture well.

Stack them up, add some ribbon and you've got a great little gift!

Can't wait to give them away.... if you are reading this and these are your initials... surprise!

MVP= Chambray Shirt

I'm sure you all have seen this pin, right?

Here.

Well, it definitely solidified the fact that a chambray shirt is VERY versatile. I kinda knew that already... because I wear mine alot.

Another great purchase from JCrew.... Do you love your chambray shirt as much as I love mine?

Louis Chairs STEAL.

This girl got REAL lucky on St. Patty's day. I scored these Louis XV salon chairs at a local thrift store. They were originally $60 each but I told them I would give them $60 for both... and they did it! Holla!!!! Obvi it was because of my bargaining skills. I had a deal high so bad I almost couldn't drive home...

For anyone who needs to know, I got them from the "Little Shop Around the Corner" (great antique stores- incentive for people to come visit me in STL). The shop benefits the Missouri Botanical Garden, so I can feel good about being charitable as well :)

So now, the hard part starts. The hard part would be deciding on how I want to re-do them. There are so many options I am drawn to.

I love the glamour of neutral fabric with the wood painted GOLD.

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This is as unexpected as the gold- neutral fabric, dark wood and RED piping.

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I also like the idea of a printed fabric and painting the wood white or black.

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And since I've been obsessing over this fabric lately, it could be the perfect place to use it??

Here.

So, I need YOUR help. What option do you all like? I know which one I am leaning toward but would love to hear your thoughts....

My Dream Home on La Dolce Vita

I am sure all of you are familiar with the fabulous blog, La Dolce Vita. I have been a follower of Paloma's blog for over 2 years now, and she never ceases to amaze me with the gorgeous interiors she features. Not only is she an outstanding blogger, but she is also the mastermind behind the dearly departed High Gloss magazine and is currently the head of marketing at Visual Comfort. Get. It. Girlfriend! Anyway, one of my favorite series that she features is the Dream Home series. And today, I am lucky enough to get to share my dream home on her blog!

Here.

Be sure to head on over and check it out. Thanks Paloma, for letting me participate in such a fun series!

ALSO- I am participating in Look Linger Love's "Mixed Prints: How They're Wearing It." If you aren't familiar with Chassity's blog yet- just go ahead and add it to your Google Reader. It WILL be  favorite for sure.

Can't believe I am on two of my absolute favorite blogs today!! Definitely perking up my Tuesday :)

26.

Can it be that I am 26 today? I was talking to my sweet friend last week and she was asking me what I wanted for my bday. And I was suddenly struck with a thought- I remember when we were turning 19... how can 26 be here already? I'm not worried about getting older, it just seems crazy how quickly time flies.

Anyway! We celebrated this weekend with a few of my favorite things.

Spa day, al fresco happy hour and an AMAZING thrifting deal (more on that later)

Sushi dinner with the Hubs and some great friends followed by cupcakes for dessert

Champagne at the Four Seasons, frozen yogurt and a walk to enjoy the signs of spring in our neighborhood

All in all, it was a *perfect* birthday weekend.

Need: Flor Rug.

I have blogged before about our awkward living room layout and how this makes rug selection uber difficult. Then on a day not so long ago, I had a thought- FLOR TILES. Duh. Why I didn't think of this before I will never know.

I want to unite the space, and make it one large room instead of 2 separate ones and a rug is obvi the easiest way to make this happen. But since the measurements of the size of rug I need are pretty awkward (7x11), my options are limited. Don't want to do custom ($$$), and would like for whatever I get to work in another house in case we move again :) So of course, Flor is the perfect option due to its ability to be re-arranged and re-sized.

So the other day when I was waiting on the Hubs to go on a walk with me, I taped it out to get a better feel of what it would look like and make sure I liked the size.

See how underscale our current rug is??

I am really excited about this. I mean, I even kind of like the room better with the tape because it feels more 'together.'

Here is the Flor option I am liking the most.

Pretty, right? Unfortunately, here is how the Hubs feels about getting a new rug...

I think the tape will end up winning him over! That, or the Flor samples I already ordered....

In other news, I finished the wingback!

Progress!

Inspired to Incorporated: 3

Round 3 of Inspired to Incorporated. Or as I like to call it, giving credit where credit is due.

I have been loving my leather pants for the past 2 seasons or so, but I love how the 'granny-ness' of this top softens up the leather. Makes it a little less hard and I love the contrast.

Inspiration.

I showed you the Chouse powder room yesterday, but I don't think I've shared the picture that inspired it.

Inspiration.

This picture of Olivia Palermo made me gasp- I absolutely adore the leopard/floral combo and couldn't wait to try it out. Thanks OP for having fab fashion sense.

Inspiration.

This was a great outfit for running errands on a Saturday- super comfy. Jill always has awesome run around outfits.

Inspiration.

What images have you seen lately that have inspired you?

Chouse Powder Room. Part 16

Well, not really Part 16  but it kind of feels like it. Last weekend, I painted another wall of stripes in the Chouse powder room. For any one keeping track, I have now painted 2 walls in about 4 months. And I started the whole process about 9 months ago. I blame the holidays for my lack of productivity. That's allowed, right? You can see the process I used to paint the stripes here.

The light fixture got painted gold as did the mirror frame... painting that fixture is kinda like putting lipstick on a pig but I guess it will work for now.

I also added some fun coral prints.

There's just no telling when I will bust out the frog tape again and tackle the other two walls. Not holding my breath it happens anytime soon. But overall it's definitely better than what I started with.

OMM: Blue & White

Don't you just love blue and white china? It's so classic, yet fresh at the same time. One day, I hope to have a collection that rivals these...

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Here is the most recent addition to my small (but growing!) blue and white collection. I don't know much about blue and white china (what to look for, what's 'good' etc.),  so when I buy it I just gravitate toward the patterns that catch my eye.

What do you collect? Do you love blue and white china as much as I do? Hope you all had a great weekend and happy Monday!