New Additions

NEW ADDITIONS

To Our Kitchen!

We recently did a HUGE remodel to our house, which included our kitchen. Went from 1990's to 2013!

THEN (Wish I had an earlier picture)

NOW!

I just added a few DIY touches & cheap finds to my newly cute kitchen today!

Found these pair at Peddlers Mall for $12!

Made this in Power Point to help keep my cleaning schedule in check!

Made these in Power Point also! Just adding a little kitchen humor!

"Always Be Grateful" & "Just Roll With It"

Barn Wood Frames from Hobby Lobby for $10 a piece

DIY Gel Nails

Not everyone has an hour to sit in a nail salon or $30 every 2 weeks to get your nails done. I know I don't. So, researching I went....

This was my first time trying this DIY, but it is definitely good enough to share! This should last 5-7 days and will help your nails grow because of the thickness the gel provides. 

Here's what I used:

1. Gelous Advanced Nail Gel Coat { Buy here }

2. Any nail polish will work (I used Essie brand)

3. Out The Door top coat- Simply the best out there! {Get here }

4. Nail File of choice to smooth out nails

Colors Left to Right: {limo-scene} [tart deco] {devil's advocate}

Directions:

1. Use file to shape your nails the way you prefer
2. Remove all existing nail polish & file to smooth ALL over top of nails
3. Wash & dry your hands to remove any remaining oil, dirt, etc.
4. Apply a thin layer of the Gelous Advanced Nail Gel & let it semi-dry (1-2 mins)
5. Then, use your choice of nail polish & give it 4 or so minutes to set
6. Add another layer of Gelous Advanced Nail gel & allow it to semi-dry
7. Add another layer of your nail polish and let dry 1-2 minutes
8. Apply the On The Go Top Coat...

                   Some Of My Results:

 

Suggestion: On Day 3 add another layer of top coat. This helps prevent chipping on the edges.

On DAY 5~A little grown out, but not too shabby!

To remove: I'm bad and I just peel mine off. But, if you don't like to ruin your nails, pure acetone takes it right off! 

The Day of Love

Every February 14, across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. 

Banner came from Esty & wooden plaque from TJmaxx

What Valentine's Day means to me? Well, I think it is always important to show your mate affection, appreciation and love every day. Valentine's Day is really just a day to brag about how much you love that special someone. Come on, stand up and scream "I LOVE ________!" Kind of like AshLee on the Bachelor did this past Monday. haha When she did that, Andrew and I just looked at each other and starting laughing like "OMG did she really just do that?"

Heart pillow via Target, Heart Plates from Tuesday Morning & "LOVE" sign via TJmaxx

Being a Designer, I tend to go a little over board with holiday decor (I can see Andrew saying right now, "That's an under statement!"). I just can't help myself! It's a nice way to get yourself in the spirit and it's a good reminder for Andrew because, let's face it, he's never been good at remembering anything but his birthday. 

 

Above is a little project I did from some inspiration I got from Pinterest

What you need:

1. Large Vase

2. Smaller Vase that will fit inside and leave enough room for your decor to fit around

3. You decor filler (I used the offical Valentine's Day candy hearts)

4. Flowers of any kind (I used my favorite, yellow tulips)

5. A little bit of plastic wrap

Directions:

1. Add water to the smaller vase and make sure to dry off the exterior

2. Put plastic wrap around the top of the smaller vase

3. Place the smaller vase inside the larger vase. Leaving equal space around the perimeter. I had to hold mine in place so it wouldn't move.

4. Pour the decor of your choice in the gap left between the two vases (this is where you will see the plastic wrap comes in handy)

5. Remove the plastic wrap from the smaller vase

6. Add flowers of your choice

TA-DA!

Now just wait for the compliments to come rolling in!!

("Oh, you're so creative!"  "That is sooo cute!"  "Wow, I love that!")

For all the singles out there without a significant other....this is still YOUR holiday too. Celebrate with your friends, family, coworkers or even pets! Showing a little appreciation can go a long way! Make some baked goods to take to work, write a handwritten note or even go out for a martini with a girlfriend!

Raspberry Chocolate Kiss Martini

 Fact: pets are the most loyal things on this planet. Since we have our little "children," I can't seem to leave them out of any holiday celebration. While we were in Nashville a few weeks ago for the Justin Bieber concert (YES, you read that right), we went to breakfast and then hit Petco. I walked in and saw all the Valentine's toys...I couldn't resist! Our pups need love too!

I hope you enjoy the Day of Love with people that fill your life with love, laughter and joy.

{Newbie}

As I'm sitting here drinking my coffee from my "newbie" mug (not), I'm quite nervous about my first post. What do I write? Am I even that interesting? Are people going to care what I have to say? I almost feel like I'm Justin Bieber about to hit the stage in front of thousands of screaming girls. Okay, maybe I'm not that nervous, but I always did hate public speaking class. 

YOLO, right? (Did I really just say that?)

Here goes nothing...

These past couple of weeks have really had me thinking about starting a blog. Reasons being, I've had several people asking me for recipes, tips and advice.  That's kind of what you want from a blog, right?

Well, let me start off this blog telling you a little about myself. I'm just a young pup, at 26 years old. I've been dating my boyfriend, Andrew, for almost 9 years...yes, 9 years. And no, we aren't engaged or planning on it any time soon (as far as I know). I LoVe where we are in our relationship and how much we've grown together. Being together since we were 17 & 18 has taken us down some rocky roads. Can you imagine going through college together, making it through both 21st birthdays and going through the whole partying phase? I'm not even sure how we made it out of there safe, but the point is, we did and he is my LOVE. My CFO told me the other day that "If you can make it through that, you can make it through anything." She was actually referring to our renovations we just did to our house (WHOLE first floor). We are truly best friends and tell each other everything! He really does make my life complete. (awww)

Later, you know, when I get more courage to reveal more details about my life...maybe I'll share some of the crazy and funny bloopers we take.


Andrew and I also have two little four legged children! Bailey is an American Eskimo miniature, she's eight, and Bentley is our little cow chihuahua and he is seven. We love them, miss them and spoil them like they are seriously our children. Here's a couple of pictures:

  
   

Now, on to what I do for a living; I am an Interior Designer, not a decorator. I honestly can't stand that word. A decorator just picks out colors, furniture and finishes. Trust me, I do that too, but I have a Bachelor's of Science degree and it's a Bachelor's of Science for a reason. I have learned the building construction and safety codes, I work on AutoCAD on a daily basis  and my designs are also based on egress, planning, accessibility and materials. I am not a residential designer, I only do commercial spaces. I don't do residential for a reason...messing with someone's personal space really does scare me; too many opinions and emotional decisions to make, and don't forget the pressure of messing up someones HOME. No thank you. 

Being an Interior Designer, you would think I'm very "right-brained," but I tend to think I am mostly left-brained with a sprinkle of right-brained talents. I am very mathematical, logical, rational, detail oriented, and of course, sprinkled with a little creative-ness. 

I also LOVE to shop! A lot of people would say I'm a shopaholic, but I say it's only a problem if you don't actually have the money to be doing it. I love going to Peddler's Mall on Sunday's to see what kind of treasures I can find. I think the one in Middletown (Louisville, KY) is the best! I have a few favorite booths I can always count on finding something to buy. Half Price Books is also another one of my favorite spots to find "loved" things people passed on to others like me! I find cheap & cute shelf fillers or coffee table books there. (I see a future blog post about this!)

In a nutshell; I love fashion, design, organizing and finding ways to do things myself for a cheaper price! Well, of course, unless that's any kind of handyman work. I'd much rather pay the price for the labor to get it done faster. 

Well, I think that's about it...

My hopes for this blog?

I hope to bring education, inspiration and creative ideas for the home, closet and heart. 

Please feel free to fill out the question to the left on my page. This will help me know what my readers are interested in. Thanks so much for reading my first post!