Open Hizzy

Jul 16, 2012

Ugh, do kids still tizz-alk like thi-zzis anymore? Today was a lovely Sunday, we did some house cleaning, organizing and getting rid of shit. I’ve been babbling about crepes from the Beverly Hills farmers market all week so we headed over there for one. Sadly, it wasn’t as yummy as the one I got last time but that could be because I didn’t order Nutella.

Always order Nutella, Dork!

Liv was looking fresh to death in her new summer outfit her Dad bought her last week.

How are you liking her ponytails?

Liv ate almost all the blackberries we bought

“My popcorn!“

After a trek across town for delish Tandoori chicken for lunch, we stopped by at a pretty rad open house in Atwater Village. I thought it was nice, has a lot of charm and almost everything on my wishlist *it’s lacking a fireplace* but the interior was pretty small. There was one jack-and-jill bathroom *it was in between the master and the second bedroom* but the bathroom in the guest house was awesome. That was our favorite part of the house. It’s located on a nice, quiet street but not my ideal location. It was adorable, my photos turned out horrible so here’s the listing photos

Love this arch!

The master closet…uhhhh?

Doubt a king would fit in here

The master bedroom was about the same size as our current one

The vanity seems unbalanced, there’s wasted space under the window

Nice, private backyard

It was really hard to not jump in that salt water pool with my clothes on

Outdoor shower is a nice feature

I love the hydrangeas but I’d add some peonies

The yard is much smaller than ours but easier to maintain and large enough for Liv to play in

Converted garage guest house

That huge shower looks like heaven! There were so many people checking it out, the price is so reasonable, I’m sure it will have multiple offers and sell well over the $599,000 they are asking. Everything in the house was brand new and renovated. I wasn’t a big fan of the kitchen cabinets and countertops but Antz liked the overall spaciousness.

Liv was all about the pool

I would love to get our house looking that sweet. We need to put about $60k into our crib to completely update it.

-New bathtub/shower (still waiting for a quote from our plumber)
-fix the foundation
-new chimney/fireplace mantle
-fix the shitty plumbing (definitely doing that next year)
-new kitchen cabinets (least paint em and give them new knobs)
-get rid of the popcorn ceiling in the hallway and living room (hopefully next Spring)
-get rid of half our junk/de-clutter (tackling this everyday)
-grow our grass back in the backyard (Antz has this on his to-do list)
-paint (every room could use a fresh coat)

We plan to do the work on more than half of this list. There’s no way I’m spending $40k on our foundation. Our house is already crooked and I’d rather spend that money towards a down payment on our new house. I am so happy we have a garage that gives us a place to store all our crap and pretty stellar curb appeal.

I would really love for our agent to come by and give us her professional advice on what we need to do to sell this joint. The agent who sold the house next door said it wouldn’t go for more than $350 so we should stay put for another 5 years. Not uh, I’ve got 4 years max to stay in this house. Every year ~~Liv~~ I goes without a pool makes me crazy. Seeing houses always gives me the itch to move. If someone offered us what we paid in 2006, I’d take it in a heartbeat.

Boost My Roost Kitchen Remodel Contest

Jun 20, 2012

Nicole over at Making it Lovely is hosting a $20,000 Home Makeover contest.

Boost Your Roost

Fingers crossed!!

Here’s my submission:

Our kitchen will be celebrating
her 89^th birthday this year. She is definitely showing her age. Our
home is a 1923 California bungalow that we love but previous owners have given
the kitchen really bad renovations (she
looks like Joan Rivers.) We have been fantasizing of our dream kitchen
since we moved in 6 years ago. My husband and I would remodel the kitchen
ourselves BUT…we have plumbing that’s a Lindsay Lohan hot mess! Our galvanized pipes need
replacing and that would eat the majority of our remodel budget. Then 2 years
ago, we brought Olivia home. Now we have an active, amazing toddler, we are so busy with her, starting a DIY project
seems close to impossible.

Our cabinets are original and
unfortunately not very practical for 2012. They have been (poorly) repainted
several times so now we are stuck with a horrible mustard yellow. My friend asked
if the hair ties we have holding our doors closed was baby proofing. No, the
doors just won’t stay closed on their own, old cabinetry! When my husband and I
cook, it’s a nightmare. We have no counter space to prep, and with our poor
plumbing, let’s just say we eat out a lot. I fall asleep with visions of crisp
white cabinets, glass front doors, penny tile backsplash and a dishwasher in my
head (who doesn’t have a dishwasher? ME! That’s who). I envision butcher-block
countertops, new knobs and drawer pulls. I have had my eye on a light fixture
at Pottery Barn for years. I love the classic traditional style kitchen
(similar to Nicole’s kitchen). I would love to have a kitchen I could cook in
everyday. I added that I want to cook Thanksgiving dinner for my family to my LifeList. I really hope I can do it this year with a brand new FUNctional kitchen!

Thanks!

Our kitchen

We literally have tape on our hardwood floors

My hubby surprised us by painting our pantry door with chalkboard paint

I keep a photo and wishlist of my dream kitchen as inspiration while I wash dishes!

Our awesome family, Anthony, Elizabeth & Olivia

In the strange event we aren’t chosen, Antz and I are saving our pennies for a $6,000 mini makeover next Spring. I can’t afford new cabinets, but I am going to somehow squeeze a new dishwasher in our existing cabinets. However it turns out, I’ll just be happy to have working plumbing. This is my ideal remodel:

I found this lovely kitchen in HGTV magazine. I am in love with that apron sink and island with tons of room for food prep. It’s pretty much the same layout as our kitchen. They even have the same numbered containers from Target as me! I’ve been putting together my Pinterest Kitchen Remodel board and it feels impossible to stay on budget. We’re going to paint the cabinets, put in subway tile backsplash, new butcher-block countertops, paint the walls a neutral tone, new knobs and drawer pulls, have the floors professionally refinished and buy a new dining table and chairs. A new kitchen would be heaven. Then I can cook Thanksgiving dinner!

Hello Dolly

May 31, 2012

Two gold stars for Lizzie. I finished everything on my list despite a few hiccups *I’ll get to that later* but most importantly, the dolly is finished!

Toc Toc by The Lovers

Inspired by this doll by Jess Brown

She is still nameless but Liv has been throwing out a few possibilities…Gee-hah, Shuue, Paatah. So yesterday was quite adventurous. I found a balloon party store in downtown LA that carries what I wanted but it wasn’t as easy as I expected it to be. The place turned out to be deep down in the dirty, dirty, really scary section of downtown. I affectionately refer to it as “Zombieland“. Apparently Isabella Cruise has no problem hanging out with the tweakers and crackheads but me, I was holding my breath and not making eye contact the entire time I was there. I literally told Aimee where I was in case she had to file a missing persons report later that day. I parked across the street from the lovely shop.

I was lucky enough to find 35 cents in the bottom of my purse for the meter but I haven’t carried cash on me since 2006 so I was relieved to see the visa emblem on the door of the shop. When I walked in I was overwhelmed by the thousands of balloons but my feeling of overwhelm was more of how tacky the balloons were displayed. I have never seen more Tweety bird, Feliz Quinceanera and Spongebob mylar balloons in my life. Sadly my phone was too grossed out to get any photos but let me assure you, it was a gaudy balloon nightmare. I waited patiently while several ladies purchased graduation balloons and attempted to get the owner’s attention since there was no semblance of customer service. When I heard a woman request the same balloon I needed I piped in, “me too!” The dude threw the balloon on the counter and grunted “$5 dollahs at me.” I pull out my visa when he rolled his eyes and said “$30 dollah min-ne-mum!” Ummm, what? Lame! I then calculated the odds of finding a ATM in the vicinity and losing my parking spot with the 7 minutes of time my 35 cents paid for so I disparagingly began to look for $25 worth of balloons in the tacky balloon paradise. Everything I was remotely interested in was on display yet the grumpy owner would tell me, “no have.” So luckily Olivia saw a sticker of Yo Gabba Gabba mylar balloons but it was close to impossible to ask this guy for a Brobee balloon. At first I said, could I have a green Yo Gabba Gabba balloon? this was received with a crazy look of Bro-blee? Then I choose sign language as means of communication, pointing to the sticker and smiling, see, green balloon? Uhh, he shakes his head again and sort of shrugs like, look lady, you better hurry up, I’ve got a cigarette that needs smoking. Okay, finally I start looking myself and as soon as I touch the hundreds of boxes of balloons he magically found it. I managed to get to $19.99 so I grabbed some ribbon spools that weren’t horrible. I ended up spending $35 on balloons but I was more concerned about finding my car on cement blocks with a nice parking ticket on it. I somehow got out of there without a ticket and with all my tires intact. I felt pretty brave after surviving that mess. So I got my car washed, went to Target, *spent more than I should* tried to exchange her clothes at BabyGap but I was told the rompers I bought aren’t available in stores yet. Anthropologie was completely sold out of the chiffon bow but I did buy a new bathmat *cause I needed it, right?* I got mine in blue.

I left the house at 11 am and didn’t get home until 4:30 so I was pretty tired when I got home. Driving home I finally remembered to get cash for Palm Springs *cause folks don’t appreciate IOU tips* Please tell me when will the world get on a cashless system? Every thing is digital! They don’t even use coins at the slot machines in Vegas anymore. Tell me what’s the point of cash? The only time I ever use cash is when I get a birthday card with $20 in it and then I blow it on the ice cream truck at my Mother-in-law’s house. Today will be just as busy and I still have projects to work on.

Git her done!

May 30, 2012

My To Do list is like 2 pages long!

Art made by Licorice. I love me some Gene Wilder!

I kinda slacked yesterday for getting ready for the rainbow birthday bonanza yet, I did work on the yet-to-be-named dolly. I was assisted by Antz and I think she will be FABulous!! I did have a big stumble with her wig hair. Antz came to the rescue and she no longer looks like she got her hair cut with a Flowbee

We will be styling the dolly tonight *giving her a face and outfit* I promise to upload photos and a video *I’m practicing for this weekend* So as long as I work my butt off these next 2 days, I will be right on track for Friday’s party at Scruffin Rock class. Today I’ll be running around town all day…Target, I have to stock up on Babybel cheese and get supplies for a last minute project I want to squeeze on to our already full plate. This kid eats cheese like crazy, she learned how to open them herself so now she wants like 4 a day! I am picking up balloons from a party store and I need my car washed *somebody went nuts with crackers in the backseat* I also need to exchange some clothes I bought at BabyGap *she’s already outgrown a size 2!* and I can’t pass up the sale at Anthropologie.

Chiffon Bow

I have been wanting this Ban.do bow for awhile and now it’s $10!!

I have been doing doing countless loads of laundry, not because I’ve let it pile up but Antz and Liv both have 1 white shirt and 2 black pants that are dirty so that makes 2 separate loads for like 3 things. When you do laundry how do you handle the tiny loads? Do you wait till you have enough for a regular load or do you run your machine 24/7 like me who was drying socks at midnight last night? I am keeping my fingers crossed I can pull this off, I have been more forgetful lately so please remind me to stop at the ATM and get cash!!!

Kitchen Woes!

Apr 29, 2012

I will probably never go shopping again since we have to remodel our kitchen and fix our plumbing but all I can do is dream about instant hot water and water pressure. It sucks that we don’t have a dishwasher *I know, it’s like not having a cell phone* but on top of that having to hand wash our dishes using a trickle of water that is either scalding hot or tepid is extremely annoying. Antz is always asking why I don’t cook more often, “IT’S OUR LOUSY BROKEN KITCHEN!!” When I go to my Mom’s house, I enjoy cooking. Antz and her knocked down a wall themselves 5 years ago, opening up her tiny galley kitchen which now has a massive island. Our kitchen is a decent size but there isn’t enough counter space or a dishwasher.

I can’t even fit my mixer under the cabinets since they were built so low

The faucet we had installed 6 years ago now leaks and I would love a pull out feature so I can rinse the sink

That orange makes me cringe. It will be difficult, but we are going to try to salvage the cabinets and paint them a crisp white. The hinges are awful and most of the doors don’t close properly.

I love our hardwood floors but they are in pretty gnarly shape. We need some wood replaced and I’d like to have them stained just a shade darker.

I’ve considered cutting out the lower cabinet but it will be too expensive to add a water line plus a $600 dishwasher

We have a bar and stools now but the dining table and chairs will be a tight squeeze in this space

Things to do:

Paint walls / Cabinets

Refinish floors

Replace backsplash with penny or subway tile

Replace tile countertop with butcher block wood countertop

New Light fixture

New Faucet

New Dining table and chairs

Repair plumbing

Ideally our budget is $6,500. That is a serious stretch, we still need to find someone to refinish and repair the original hardwood floors and an electrician to repair one of our recessed lights. I would LOVE a dishwasher, but I don’t see where we can fit it, that would mean new cabinets which we can’t afford and plumbing to hook it up. Boo! I am working on a mood board but it’s lacking color at the moment.

I intend to liven the room up with new curtains and painting the walls an aqua turquoise shade and I like this art piece

Let's All Go And Have Breakfast Art Print

to take the place of the Blik Milk & Cookies decal I wanted *since I discovered it’s too large for the wall I was going to put it on*

I need to find a new place for Lola’s litter once the new dining table and chairs come in. Any cat owners have an idea for hiding the gross litterbox? I have a friend who used to keep hers in a closet she wasn’t using but every 833 square inches of this house is packed. Antz wants to move it outside but I’m positive unwanted visitors will use it. I am wary about the butcher block countertop, I am super clumsy so I’m sure I’ll ruin it immediately. I also worry about marking it up with knives and scratches. We plan on staining it with Wood Conditioner/Minwax Special Walnut #224/Waterlox. I found this couple’s DIY advice on Pinterest, which gives me a little piece of mind. I wish we knew someone handy *other than my Mom* just to cut the sink for us cause we’re keeping our 89 year old cast iron sink and it’s going to be a bitch to make the cut precise. I have no room in our budget to hire a professional to install our countertop so it’s gonna look funky. I figure at worst we’ll make a mess, end up having to rip everything out and be kitchen-less for a few years until we can afford to hire someone. At best, we give it a try and it turns out as lovely as our bathroom makeover. It’s always a pain in the ass to do it yourself, it takes 3 times as long to finish and you end up sweaty and sore but I am ready to tackle it next March *after my birthday!* I should try to fit in an hour long massage in our budget cause all the demo work we have ahead of us is not going to be fun. I could do so much more if I didn’t have to spend so much on the stupid plumbing. MERDE!!

Gettin’ Crafty

Mar 15, 2012

YAY! Next Thursday my friends, Mia, Kim & I are going to this Anthropologie workshop.

I met Jen at her fabulous garage sale *she’s totally the sweetest* I adore Ban.do!!

I am such a nerd!!

As a long time follower of her blog, I’m stoked to meet Bri Emery. I have been mentioning to Antz that I would love to take one of her BlogShop classes *I’m hoping I can go to San Francisco* but with our long list of Things to Do it will most likely be happening a few years from now. I have pretty amateur skills in Photoshop so it would be great to create lovely layouts for this blog. For the inspiration strings I am thinking of using some photos *which need to be printed* and some vintage Paris postcards I’ve been holding onto. I may even throw some pom poms in there. I need to find a place that has shiny gold paper. Super excited!!

Not enough hours in the day

Mar 3, 2012

Anyone else feel like their to-do list is never-ending? Even the extra day *thanks Leap Year* didn’t help me catch up. I am going to try to squeeze in a month of weekend projects into one weekend *self-admitted NUTBALL!*

Glass repair dude is coming by to fix a few windows *don’t forget to write his check!!* UPDATE! He did a pretty kick ass job, we’re going to use him again for our large window in the kitchen
Fix our clogged sink *still clogged, need to call our plumber*
Help Antz fix the loose bricks on our front steps *bah, he seems to do this every year around this time*
Repair missing tile in bathroom *Antz needs to paint the grout*
Put the old crib pieces to the garage
Go to Target *how has it been 3 entire weeks since I’ve been??!* going Monday
Figure out why the stupid light bulb we just bought for our floodlight on the deck doesn’t work
Put together and package Etsy order Ship on Monday
Remember whatever it is I’m sure I forgot on this list *Clear off front porch!!*
Finally patch the holes in Antz socks and the rip in my sweater
Replace broken plug adapter for Lola’s fountain
Find out why the outside fountain isn’t working
Refill the hummingbird feeder
Get in depth details of Story & Chris’ trip to New Zealand
Watch Hohan make an ass of herself on SNL *she did a decent job of reading cue cards like someone who forgot their glasses, wasn’t this chick an actress a long time ago?*
Email Antz Liv’s 21 month photo *off to a senior citizen’s pace start, aren’t I?*

So on top of that radness, I must jam in time to check out this exhibit at FIDM with Kimalammadingdong and Warrenkenlee. I loves me some Colleen Atwood. Can you blame me?

Recently I have been depriving myself precious sleep by taking any moment Olivia is sleeping to get some readin’ time. I am currently bumming myself out when I have to put down this golden nugget by Mindy Kaling *you may know her as Kelly Kapoor from NBC’s The Office* but I know her as my new literary BFF. This book is soo good. I really need to thank the hubster for granting me a full hour to soak in the tub while I read undisturbed last Tuesday *believe me, Liv was trying to break the door down*

I’m also addicted to another fascinating book I purchased for yee olde ipad.

I haven’t had as much time to read this one but I will let you know if this Frenchy Maman philosophy has anything to it. *cause Lord knows I can use some anti-tantrum tactics* Oh, and I have become addicted in a Rain Man counting cards sort of way with the Unblock Me app. I allow myself 10 puzzles a day but I’m actually on a 30-40 puzzle rampage. It’s my version of crack! I will soon be on Intervention.

Despite my busy agenda, I managed to get some park time in with T & K which was fantastic. We pretty much played until nightfall. I can’t wait till our playdate next week.

Liv had a thing for this frog, not sure what that thing was, but she was all over this guy

Happy, lovely children

Liv is still terrible at the concept of sharing

Poor Kieran was so patient and polite with her

He is really a gentleman, thanks for being awesome!

So now I must get some rest *by rest I mean play Unblock Me* but I do admit, this blog makes me want a billion children. I’m pretty sure the chick on this blog is part robot. She’s too adorable!!

Spring Inspiration

Feb 24, 2012

As we are coming up on the one year anniversary since our last *big* home improvement project

Our old bathroom

Now is a good time to get started on our next project which isn’t as fun or pretty as the loo or our bedroom makeover but our hallway needs some minor attention.

Yawnsville!

Gnarly nipple light, icky popcorn

The ho-hum gallery

Lola *painted by Antz* is lonely in the hallway

The walls desperately needs a fresh coat of paint and Antz wants to remove the popcorn ceiling *and eventually the popcorn in the living room also* Liv chose to gift us an original piece of artwork on the wall and unfortunately it wasn’t with a washable crayon.

Can you see it? Lovely green crayon, she’s the next Banksy!

Thanks kiddo

We also want to remove the light fixture that was here when we bought the house. We installed the pendant light from Ikea 5 years ago but I kept the ugly brass one because it gave me extra light for when I apply my clown face makeup *I use the mirror on the door to paint my face* Our engagement portrait and a few wedding photos live in the hallway but we are considering adding something on the other wall since we have exhausted all the wall space in the rest of the house and the white wall is terribly boring.

It’s nothing grand but it will tide us over until next year when we tackle the big kitchen reno. Speaking of the kitchen, I keep going back and forth over how extensive I want to make the project. We need the plumbing repaired, floors repaired and refinished and paint the yellow walls another color but as far as the cabinets, back splash and countertops go, I’m not sure. I thought we could sand and paint them ourselves but the doors don’t close properly and the hinges are old and gross. If we do sand the doors, the cabinets will still look pretty shabby *they are almost 100 years old* and I have no idea what we will discover once we remove the existing countertops. I am sure we can install the subway tile backsplash ourselves and we will keep our existing sink since it’s cast iron. The woman at Home Depot said never get rid of cast iron sinks because they don’t make them anymore and they add value to your home. I can live with the sink since it’s in pretty decent condition and it goes with our Craftsman kitchen. We do need to replace our faucet and I want to buy new knobs and drawer pulls. So my biggest dilemma is the budget. I want to do everything for $6000 but if we replace the cabinets thats about $2000 from Ikea without installation. Our plumbing will be at least $4000 and the floors maybe $600. Then $1000 in supplies, paint and accessories. We also need to replace the kitchen curtains since the sun has faded the color in the Anthro towels.

I can go overboard with spending and I know I won’t recoup any money from this renovation so I have to keep in mind it’s mostly for buyer appeal. I am in the process of trying to refinance our mortgage *thanks to HARP* so hopefully we will squeeze a few pennies out of our house to put into the kitchen. The next project will be our garage, nothing major, just some paint, organizing and cleaning up and new storage shelves. I would love to set up a raised garden bed in the backyard but I have to make time to figure out what I want to plant and how to keep them from dying immediately.

Peonies would be delightful!!

Owl Tell ya something

Jan 17, 2012

I am super, majorly happy happy at the moment. I just went from zero to sixty with this bedroom makeover. I found a lovely rug online, ordered it, purchased the Areaware iPhone dock *using my Amazon credit so it only cost me $13.99*, made up my indecisive mind and bought the table lamp. What took me 2 months to plan, we finished in 2 days!!

Say bonne nuit to Monsieur Owl!!

He’s dreamy, much sturdier than I thought

I heart this guy so bad!

AND we just put this guy up!!!

Blik Invisible Circus decal

It was tedious and pretty nerve racking putting him up perfectly

TAA-DAH!!

His name is Elephant Gerald *see what we did there?*, the monkey is still nameless

The lighting in here is tres sex-ay now

**UPDATE** Finally got the rug and the alarm clock dock.

I’m so bummed that my Anthro quilt was at the cleaners *Liv has an accident* the day I got the rug. What a difference the vibrant colors of the Anthro quilt makes!

I will take close ups of the alarm dock soon

Did I mention we chose green over black?

I really need to come up with a new location for the printer/stand, it takes up too much space and doesn’t look cohesive with the room. Maybe we’ll squeeze it in Antz and Liv’s already crammed closet. However, how will I get a plug in there?

I still cannot believe our night stand went from this

to this fine looking piece of furniture

The best from trash to treasure ever!!

We went to lunch with Les & Stephen today but it was cray cray cold and we foolishly ate outside.

Antz didn’t like his pop. At first he said it tastes like Christmas tree but then he said it taste like old houseplant

The cookies were yummers

It was a weird day, Antz and I witnessed a car accident *nothing serious* and then while we were eating we saw a woman get hit by a car *she was absolutely fine* I was pretty sure bad luck was running rampart so by the time we got to West Elm I was certain the lamp would be sold out. Which is was…*sads* they only had black but I sweet talked the manager into selling us the display model which saved us a drive to Santa Monica. Suh-weet!

**All I need is the rug and the alarm dock to be delivered and the room will be finished. Hooray for us!

Bedroom Remodel Progress

Jan 15, 2012

Well, this is an overdue post. I had great ambition to give our tiny bedroom a dose of Botox, a new padded bra and some ghastly lip injections.

The Mood Board that started it all

Our dark, uninspired bedroom in December 2011

Since I can’t afford a total facelift, I did some strategic Black Friday shopping and picked up this lovely Anthropologie quilt set on sale for under $100 *takes a bow*

Pavo Quilt Set

I would be 100% stoked if I could find one more Pavo Euro Sham. I’ve called every Anthro store in America and they are completely sold out. I found them on eBay but I’m finding it very difficult paying $99 for a set of two *when I only need one* and I paid $17.99 for the euro sham at the store.

I also couldn’t pass up this amazing ottoman. I grabbed it when I saw it was $99 marked down from $198!

Dutch wax ottoman, it’s perfect for putting on shoes

We searched high and low for an affordable bedside table to replace the pathetic Ikea plant stand we’ve been using for the past 5 years. I wanted something with drawers as Liv is prone to stealing our telly remotes and they go missing for days at a time. I also needed to find a small piece as the doorway is right next to our bed and it had to be under 20 inches. My top contender was found at Urban Outfitters which seemed to be the best fit however there were 2 issues. One the price, $179 wasn’t working with my small budget and from Aimee’s bad luck experience with them shipping furniture, I didn’t want to risk paying $25 for shipping only to receive a damaged piece. Then I had a sheer stroke of luck driving to my acupuncture appointment one Monday morning.

I’m normally not a trash grabber but I couldn’t resist

We had a weekend of heavy rain so I was sure they were water damaged but I still sent Antz a text and gave him the location. He rushed over and picked the best drawer of the bunch and it sat on our porch for 3 weeks. I was quite skeptical of it being refurbished but I need to stop underestimating my dear husband.

A hot tranny mess


Antz painted it with primer and already it looks awesome

Remember I went to Mia’s caramel apple party? When I came home Antz surprised me with my newly painted pink bedside table. He went to home depot and had a piece of wood cut to cover the damaged top and voila!

My new issue of Anthology magazine and a new candle *that smells incredible*

This is one of my fave painting by Antz

So I quit being a nervous Nellie and put the new Anthro bedding on. The table just fits by a hair! Antz took down the prints so I could wash the wall to prep for our new Blik decal. We’ll put it up soon but first Antz had to fill the holes from the nails and we need to paint the spots.

Our bright and cheery bedroom January 2012

Dang it, I need another euro sham!!

He painted the old bamboo frames yellow and we added new frames/photos to the wall over my desk.

The circle frame will soon house a silhouette cameo I’m making of Olivia

I love the new painted frames, they really pop against the green

So next I still am waiting to buy this iPhone alarm clock dock, a new table lamp and a rug.

I have waited 3 months for this guy to go on sale, I just may bite the bullet and order it today

Still not sure if this graphic black & white chevron rug will look good with the colorful palette of the room.

The biggest dilemma is choosing the table lamp. I love this guy

Owl Lamp from West Elm

I’m so worried Liv may knock him over. We have this lamp in the living and we have to keep her from it cause she’s always trying to take the shade off. This seems like a great lamp but not so great with a grabby toddler. So I found an alternative here

Hippity Hoppity Lamp from Anthropologie

It’s surprisingly less than Mr Owl and it’s a cute animal *although I admit, it seems juvenile* but I don’t think it will give me enough light to read at night. It seems more like a nightlight.

So, the room is just about finished once we put up the wall decal, I make up my mind on a table lamp and a rug and I buy the iPhone alarm clock. Oh! I need to make Liv’s silhouette too. I think we’ve done pretty well so far. Antz asked me why Anthropologie bedding is so expensive but after the pleasant night’s sleep we both had, he understands. The new pillows are so soft and even though we abandoned our plan to add a slipcover to the headboard, I’m happy with the bed. I’ll just have to wait until we buy our Dream House to get my King.

I also took some photos of Liv’s nursery yesterday since it’s been awhile.