a lot to say...but overall just happy

So..its almost been 2 months.  Ive been reading my favorite blogs as usual, but not writting my own.  I guess as someone new I wanted followers right away, wanted someone to be reading my words, but maybe I'll just write for myself.

Move in day is Jan 15th...I could not be more excited

Our house is in the process of be redone, like the whole thing.  Its a beautiful home, every square inch has been painted on the inside and out.  The hundred year old floors downstairs were refinished in a dark wonderful color.  The upstairs in all beautiful nuetral carpet called suede, its nice to have new.  Just married, its our first house, and I cant tell you how proud of it we are.  The basement was just the foundation and dirt on the floor!...now its concrete on the floor, which somehow feels fancy lol.  The bathroom is currently being completely redone.. Like all that was there was drywall.  So me and the HUBS are going up tomorrow to see the bathroom.  It should be done on January 8th, so we could technically move in on the 8th.  Then the kitchen is getting redone.

So let me tell you a little bit about the bathroom- so whats getting done is tile floor, tile backsplash in the shower, new toilet, new vanity (again there was nothing in the bathroom but drywall).  Then paint and trim and all that great stuff.  SOOO excited.

The Kitchen- Very excited about the kitchen.  We had ugly oak tanish cabinets...all repainted white, they look new its incredible.  paint really still does amaze me.  Then new tile floor, We got those fancy cieling tiles, so they are going up, and they are white and super ornante and beautiful.  The kitchen was painted a very light pale blue color, I thought it would make it look fresh and clean, which if you saw the kitchen before, you would understand why I was going for that.  Then the backsplash is the silver tin...love it! And the countertops are a brownish, black, white parts in it marble...very excited about that.  And we got all new apliances last Sunday.  All stainless steal, beautiful, we got the fancy french trio frig, that the top is the fridge and the bottom is the freezer...yes if a frig could be sexy...that would be our frig. 

SO overall kitchen scheme:
White cabinets
Stainless steel appliances
Silver tin backsplash
White ornate ceiling tiles
Light fresh blue walls
And...randomly all of the hardware and faucet are french oil rubbed bronze.

Our whole house is very neutral in colors, all tans and nice browns, so im excited about the rooms i decided to have spashes of color.

Anyway....Since I havent been on here I have been very busy

I worked on like a million curtains...seriously

I did master bedroom curtains, kitchen, 2 hallway curtains, dining room curtains, it was hours and hours and wonderfully satisfying but at the same time very exhasting.

I also have been playing with moss and making topiary which I love.

I bought today plates for my dining room which I'm really excited about.  I'm very into symmetry so it worries me not knowing how my plate wall will look.  But I bought 3 yellow, 3 light aqua- all medium sized. Then one darker aqua larger, and one small white plate.  I think I'd like some burnt red colors, and some more white and I'm done, maybe some with birds on them? that sounds really cute.

Something that I've learned from picking everything furniture/accessory to every tile, paint color/stain or appliance, what I've learned is that I trust my taste, and I love my taste.  Mistakes that I made with my house...our painter painted the outside of our house this nice deep grey with black trim and a red door, its all very nice, but the red is not the right red.  And if you've ever painted the wrong red...then you know what I mean..  Its just wrong, its too blue.  So now we really have to repaint it, cause I hate it, but its so cold in NY I dont know if I can really paint it this time of year?? No clue.  And the second mistake was I did a light tanish color in the bathroom, and a brown ceiling...I've seen it done before, but the colors aren't close enuf to have the right effect.  I'm still thinking i'll just keep it, live with it, and maybe when my new vanity and stuff is there it will be right.  But at the end of the day...its only paint, very very fixable.  And the 2nd thing I've learned is maybe the same thing, but I have great vision, I can picture things redone, so many ppl close to me and my hubs said not to buy our house.  They are the same people who now want to live in our house and cant get over it.  I love that I have vision, and I love that dont let other people talk me out of something that I love. 

It feels great getting this all out btw.

Projects for the new year:
1. MORE curtains
  -Mudroom
  -curtains for both of my bathrooms
2.  Headboard
      - Our house is from 1890...so the rooms are small, and I dont want to overpower the room...hence why I've been thinking about this more than normal

And I'm sure theres a lot more...but I feel so happy with all that I have completed lately, and cant wait to move in and take lots of pictures.  I also have before pictures when the house looked like total crap.  LOVE IT

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!

My New Business

I'm just going to do it.

I went thru 12 years of school, only to be followed by 4 1/2 years of college, 2 majors, 3 internships...and now I am an assistant manager at a retail store.  The truth is I wasnt sure what I wanted to do, but I'm a go-geter and sitting behind a desk all day didnt seem like something that was right for me.  Now I'm certainly not a millionaire, but I have job security and I'm making pretty good money for only 2 years out of school. 

So...am I happy? Am I fufilled? Am I doing what I Love?

I love all things crafty, and last night my sister (Debbie) and I decided to go into business together.  Repurposing furniture, making cute decorative crafts.  Now all of you are great, and can do all these things, but most keep cant, wont, or dont know how...so thats where we come in.

I want to fill my days with things I love (ie...paint, a glue gun and inspiration)

I'm sure I'll be selling things on ETSY soon, but honestly I just hope this works.  Id love to be able to work from home, and continue to do what I do but just make a profit.  I would love to be able to quit my real job and make my passion my real job.  I would love to be able to have kids, stay home and make money.  Am I asking for too much?  I hope not.

Last night I couldnt fall asleep, and eventhough I worked last night until 11, I woke up this morning at 7am with ideas in my head. 

I'm new on blogspot...I would love some followers, even if you dont ever buy a thing, but if we could get inspiration through eachother, and you could give me positive and negative feedback, then maybe I could make my crazy little dream come true. 

A life filled with things you love...thats all I'm looking for.

Wish me luck today on garage sales, today is the first day I go to look for others

What I got from my garage sales yesterday:

So I will send you pictures today of what I get and also what I do to these pieces

Productivity

Hey Everybody,

So I actually got some projects done today. Its hard when it starts to get dark out so early, I want to paint, but its windy and cold and gets dark at 5pm, so its hard when everyday I have something that I have want to do outside. 

So I hear a lot of you talking about some great places to shop, unfortunately a lot of those places we dont have in NJ.  I love Christmas Tree Shop, and it doesnt sound like too many of you have it since I dont hear anyone talking about it.  I definately want to do a few different things on this site...here are my ideas and I would love to hear what you would all like to see.

1. Deals & Steals

showcasing great deals, where I purchased them and for how much(just cute stuff that is already perfect and doesnt need tweeking)

2. Trash to Treasure

Show what and where I purchased, how much it cost, before and after and how I changed it

These are my ideas so far...anyone have any opinions?

Personally I am the most frugal person ever, also I love before and afters, maybe you all like that too? not sure tho

I bought 2 of these lamps for my foyer, obviously I'll show you them in place when I move in.  I got the lamp, plus lamp shade for $7.99 each, new at Christmas Tree Shop

My color scheme for my entry is nuetral colored walls, red, orange and red colors. I didnt have a enough red items, so I thought the lamps would be a good place for that pop of color

I didnt love the black base with the red shades, so I just spray painted them of course, and then distressed them.  I thought they were cute with the little ribbon tied around them, so I may leave it.

Garage Sale $2

For my guest bedroom, I am going for bed & breakfast mixed with spa like accents

Now all I need is a tray for on top, and I can make a beautiful vignette

I got pretty ribbon from the dollar store. cleaned, sanded and spray painted heirloom white, then really distressed it with 150 grit sand paper.  You cant really tell this from the picture because I just use my phone.  Also the ribbons are really pretty, but hard to see.  Then I just pulled out the other green and red bands, and hot glued these on, I could also have stapled them on, I dont actually plan to use it for heavy luggage, so I wasnt too worried about stability. 

I feel so much better when I do something productive, I hate having soooo many projects and nothing done, so today was a great day and I love the final project.

I think I'm going to go to the Meadowlands Flea Market tomorrow at Giant stadium, do you think I'll find anything great?

<3 JEN

To much on your to do list?

Right now I am in the middle of so many projects it seems

1. I am working on these coasters that are soo cute.  I got the idea from Living with Lindsay, a post she did a while ago.I made 2 different sets in coordinating colors, and then I made 2 of each, one for me and one for my sister because I love her.  I am like 95% done, I just need to retouch the sides of the coasters with some paint...but I just havent done it.

2.  I got these lamps, and I'm going to paint the bases, would probably take 2 minutes, but I just havent done it. 

3.  I got that new luggage rack, I need to paint it...it would take 2 minutes, but I just havent done it.

4.  And I saw on yesterdays post on of course Living with Lindsay her vintage book wreath, I am obsessed and I cant wait to do it, I just need to go to the dollar store, which I am doing tomorrow after work

5. I want to make cottage shutters, but thats all a dream at this point, I havent gotten anything done yet, I just know how to do it, and that I want to do it.

6. And all of a sudden I find myself totally wanting a cute tassel, why is it that once I see something too many times, thats it, I need one? I'm trying to figure out if I should just buy one on etsy? Some are as cheap as $20.  Which is exactly too much for me to be honest.  Now I have seen beautiful ones thru the Nester, and also Etsy, and I watched Living with Lindsay make 2 on her site like she does it for a living.  

Well tomorrow I'm working 7am-4pm, and right afterwards I am going to the dollar store, when I come home, I'm going to play with my puppies, and then get to crafting.  I'm going to do the book wreath, because I need to own that.  Paint my coasters, and paint my lamps.  Expect pictures tomorrow.  Which means I still have my luggage rack, but I'll leave that for Thursday. I feel better already.

But can I make cute animal tassels? I'm not one of those people who are afraid to paint a wall, or a piece of furniture. I'm not someone who doesnt make a  73" cushion for her window bench just because I dont know how to sew or have a sewing machine.  And in construction the tassel doesnt look that difficult...however I dont have all that trim just laying around, so is it cheaper to just buy it?

I'm not sure.

I kind of like that this a place to just talk about the things I love, and it feels extremely freeing to be able to say whatever I like with no one commenting, I love just rambling, but at the same time, I would like someone to answer my questions sometimes. 

AND...I just recently bought a pillow from etsy, and I paid for it like...a long time ago and still have not received it, like hello I wanted it the minute I pressed ORDER.  Ordering online is really not for me.

<3 Jen
   

Do you LOVE your house...I mean do you really really LOVE LOVE LOVE your house??

Well let me tell you a little bit about my house.  Me and my now hubby Justin graduated from college in 2008, we were college sweethearts, and then when we got our first jobs, and then we moved in together, and then we started hunting for a home of our own.  We live in NJ and everything is amazingly expensive, for those of you who dont know what its like.  We live 30 minutes away from New York City...so its all about location.  The houses are old, small, and not particularly nice, but you cant get anything, not even a postage stamp for less than $400k. 

So we eventually fell in love with a fixer upper in New York State.  Well it was a forclosure and anything that could go wrong...did.  6 months later, we are finally homeowners.  Its not a huge mansion, its not new and shiny with beautiful fixtures and granite and huge ceilings.  In fact its quite the opposite.  Our new home was built in 1890, and is an old victorian charmer.  Its got a wrap around porch, hard wood floors thru the entire house, and crown molding throughout the WHOLE house. 

Our home needs so much love you wouldnt believe it, but its my little fixer upper and I couldnt be happier about it.  I just took *before* pictures tonight, I'll wait until some work is done to show you all, otherwise you'll just think I live in a hovel..

The exterior painter started last week, and he'll be done at the end of this week.  Then the interior painting will get done, followed by refinishing and staining the floors, and carpet in the bedrooms.  Followed by new bathroom, kitchen nonsense and actually a whole list of other things, so in the meantime I wait with baited breath to move into our first home.

So...

2 sundays ago I found this cute green chair at a garage sale for $2

1. cleaned
2. heirloom spray paint
3. crackled

 
Its actually the first time I've ever crackled anything, you need ALOT of the crackle spray paint, its all about layering the coats, and leaving some time in between.  But overall very easy and I just followed the directions on the can.

My great $2 tiffany lamp I got at a garage sale...it pays to live in an affluent area

This I just found in my backyard and my dad said I could have it

And I painted it the same color as we are paintint our house

I love making something old and gross, beautiful again

And please meet my very first apothecary jar...I'm kind of proud of my $3 find at TJ MAX tonight, I've been looking for one, but didnt want to spend a lot. 

Does anyone else have a constant wishlist?

Heres mine

Vintage Birdcage

apothecary jar

Storage for my mudroom

Luggage Rack

Pitcher with Bowl combo for my guest bedroom

Pretty tray for my guest bedroom for my luggage rack

I'll admit a lot of the things on my list I end up getting, but a lot of times I just get a lot of other stuff I like but not on my list.  With all my stuff in storage sometimes I forget what I even have, I'm so excited to unpack, I picture christmas morning!!

What does your wish list look like??

<3 Jen

This is my first rodeo

Ok, so please welcome me into your homes, hearts and laptops. First time blogger...I just recently was googling something shabby chic and pottery barn and up popped someones blog. It was living with Lindsay and her famous slice of heaven shes got going on over in her world.

Now I am absolutely obsessive, so I read and read and read. I was reading all her delicious little decorating and crafting secrets as well as laughing a lot. Shes very funny. So now I feel like we are BFFs, only problem is I havent even emailed her, well I thought it was akward since I had no blog of my own.

Anyway...I read EVERY Living with Lindsay post, every single one, I would read one month in a day, and then finally I ran out. I was devastated, so I started going to many of the sites that Lindsay had recommended, Kimba, and Nester of course, inspired room, and many many more. I am so blown away by this wonderful world I knew nothing about. I dont think I'll ever be half the blogger that many of these women are, however I do feel lucky to be apart of this world, so I figured instead of watching on, laughing, giggling, making mental notes in my head at all the great tips, I should contribute as well, because isnt that what its all about???

Finally today I went garage saling,  which is one of my favorite things and I did some painting, and I suddenly felt the need and want to share it all. SO here it is.

(drum roll please)My very first blog

Ok so this is something that I found, loved and had to have!

BEFORE

They are actually really beautiful pieces, they will go in my master bedroom

Notice all the detail, and I actually loved the hardware. 

1. I cleaned

2. Sanded

3. Primed with white spray paint (I had it and its stark white, so not my favorite)

4. Then spray painted 2+ coats of heirloom white

AFTER

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the detail on this piece!

I was originally going to distress it but it looked so fancy I just couldnt.  Also it looks pretty white here, but obviously being heirloom white its much creamer in real life.  I also take pics with my iphone...so forgive please.  And these bad boys were only $55 and are solid wood, the drawers slide easily, and I'm very happy with them.

In addition...

I have 2 silver milk jugs already, but they are indoors.  This black one will be perfect for outside my house, goes right with my colors

BEFORE

$2...I LOVE IT

Just a quick clean and black spray paint to make it look a little fresher

AFTER

This is for my Guest Bedroom.  I just cleaned it today, but obviously I'm going to make it shabby and cute and very bed & breakfasty

$1...absolutely perfect

I always feel so accomplished after a day like today, share with me something that you are really proud of.

<3 Jennifer