remodeling :: keep truckin'

"keep truckin'"

So I stole that quote from my older brother . . . it's his favorite!

But I've had it in my head for the past couple of weeks. We thought we'd already have our furniture moved in downstairs and we're anxiously scurring around trying to complete some of the small details so we can make that move a reality.

Senior "Saggy Pants" Hector taking his time drying paint samples for me.

The painters took a little longer than we thought and I had a bit of a meltdown when we realized that the paint we saved from upstiars had been tampered with which meant the paint codes didn't work. (with one room left to paint) Our paint didn't even remotely resemble the rest of the house (the whole house is the same gray color except for our white kitchen) but after a few days of tears and frustration, an angel at Home Depot was able to match our color exactly! So, the painters said their goodbyes and in came the floor guy ready to stain all of the floors.

BUT HE DIDN'T TAPE OFF THE BASEBOARDS!!!!!!!

Are you kidding me? He knew we just paid thousands of dollars for all of the interior and exterior paint and then he nonchalantly screws it up! But don't worry, he quickly realized who his mamma was when I put my foot down on any payments being made to him until he helped with the painting. Well, why in the world did I think that a guy that does floors for a living would have a clue about painting. He showed up with a sponge paintbrush from a craft store and a teenage boy that doesn't speak english. Ha Ha Ha

Needless to say, we are still working on touch up paint which ultimately turned into me and Eric re-painting all of the baseboards. We should have moved in a week ago but of course after a year of this, you'd think that I would have learned, nothing goes according to plan around here.

"keep truckin'"

the loveables :: 'caps' off to pencils

I use to work for a non-profit arts organization with a daily grind that included countless appointments and meetings that were scheduled and re-scheduled and then scheduled and re-scheduled all over again. Addicted to ink, I quickly learned that I had to create a new habit of using pencils in order to keep my daily planner looking sleek and organized. Unfortunately I was never able 

(nor did I have the time of day)  to look for stylish pencils. 

Noelle started back to school last week and has been told she can't use mechanical pencils in some of her classes. After lugging around town gathering up all of her school supplies, I was not only inspired to begin a new love affair with pencils, but  I was on a mission to find something stylish . . . beyond the classic yellow #2 pencils.  

So in love with these bamboo patterned pencils from iomoi! 

I don't think I will mind filling up my calendar as long as I 

have one of these in my hand. What a statement!

iomoi has a ton of rich colors to choose from but I kept going back to this 

incredible color of gray! Although dark, it still captures a clean and crisp look.

This pencil holder from see jane work screams style!  

What's a pretty pencil without a gorgeous pencil holder?!

. . . and these pencil holders will look fabulous on Noelle's desk.  

These colors from seejanework.com are so modern 

and would probably inspire Noelle to do her math homework. 

What can I say? This box of pencils are far from the typical 

box of yellow #2 pencils. Very girly with unexpected whimsy make 

these Lilly Pulitzer pencils worth buying . . . so lovely!

If I were back in an office job I would definitely want these pencils 

the russell+hazel website to be placed front and center on my desk. 

They have such a sleek look with crystals that grace the tops for an added surprise. 

If I'm not mistaken, the glass holder comes with them . . . 

As soon as I can get my hands on some of these pencils I will be putting the caps back on my pens and setting them aside to make room for my new love affair . . .

remodeling :: inspiration

I'm obsessed with all things decor right now and am anxiously awaiting to decorate our humble abode! Although we won't decorate until the remodeling is completely finished, my inspiration boards keep me going and continue to work their temporary magic . . .

One look is as good as a cup of coffee for me. . .

it makes me OH SO HAPPY!

budget birthday!

I had a lot of plans and a lot of great ideas that quickly became obsolete once we decided that 2009 has brought on more of ‘budget birthdays’ as opposed to ‘blowout birthdays’. So my big 2-year-old baby soiree turned into a small thing . . .not so much of a big event like I normally pursue.

After convincing myself that it’s Lucas’ party and he wouldn’t even remember, I finally began planning a party with budget in mind instead of atmosphere and design. Once my mind was set on budget, I surprised myself by what I pulled off. 

Using all things creative and with the help of some of my handmade birthday banners (from Lucas’ 1^st birthday party) we made a simple pool party feel a tad bit more extravagant even though “budget” was the main theme.

Afterward I laughed at myself because of my crazy undying need to entertain in style. After 3 years of being with my Filipino husband, I think I have finally realized what Eric has been telling me all along . . .Filipinos aren’t worried about the lavish designs and décor of stylish parties, they are more interested in spending quality time with close friends and family.

I am so proud of myself for putting together a party that was geared toward these special times with friends and family. This is one of the first parties that I’ve hosted that I haven’t been stressed out. Lucas had a blast and partied with the owls until 11pm while all of the other kids and parents continued to swim, eat and enjoy fellowship well past midnight. 

I pulled out Lucas's birthday banners that I had made for his 1st birthday. Fortunately you can find some great templates on marthastewart.com 

which is where I found the cool lettering that I used on my scrapbook paper. 

The lush paper flowers are also martha stewart. I had them left over from a previous party  but unfortunately are almost on their last leg. 

Although Noelle wouldn't get out of the pool, we managed to snap a quick pic with the birthday boy!

Noelle finally jumped out to take pic with the birthday boy and G-Mama and Pops! Obviously it wasn't a cocktail party, so not only were we wearing our poolside attire, but we battled southest texas humidity all day and night. 

I suggest a pool party for any toddler that needs to get some wiggles out. . .it worked great for our family and friends. . .especially for a 'budget birthday.'

Of course I couldn't just completely walk away from creative birthday decor, even if no one else cared, so I pulled out some supplies from our moving boxes and  implemented some homemade signage for table centerpieces. With my initial inspiration from tinyprints.com, I decided to make some birthday party owls that could "hoot" all night with the kids. I had all of the supplies so it only cost me $5 for laminating and could last for a few more parties if anyone wants them. . .

Although I take great pride in hosting parties and don’t think I will ever be able to cleanse myself of those creative juices, I am so thankful for the wonderful evening with friends, family and food!

Now, if I can only stay with the “budget” theme for Noelle’s 12^th birthday bash in a few weeks!  

remodeling :: kitchen inspiration

We are getting closer to seeing our small budget, dream kitchen come together so I'm finally getting filled with excitement again! After a year of extreme patience, I started to lose my focus and had no inspiration. This week while digging through our 'book of inspiration' I started to regain some of my design spunk back and thought I would share some. . .

Coastal Living,  www.myhomeideas.com

I'm loving this island! Although it's mostly enclosed and used as functional storage, the large curvacious legs and small open shelving gives it a totally carefree look. It's the perfect mix between Eric's traditional and my eclectic styles.

Cottage Living, www.myhomeideas.com

Can't you just picture yourself in this warm kitchen with the 'oh so cool' cottage meets modern-traditional style? The dark wood floors (which we're looking forward to in our own kitchen) help the green cabinets pop while still feeling cool and airy with the white paint and open shelving on the walls. My secret lust in this room is the bar stool bench! I am definitely going to incorporate this style in our kitchen. It gives it a living space feel without actually having to add square footage. And don't even get me started on the zinc island counter top . . . Yes, that's right. Zinc. Isn't it gorgeous?

Elle Decor, www.pointclickhome.com

This kitchen screams Eric while echoing classic. The white classic look is where

we started with our dream kitchen  but we've continued to cut and paste our 

own styles into the mix. . .

www.pointclickhome.com

Again with the traditional and classic look . . . Very clean, crisp and inspiring!

Metropolitan Home, www.pointclickhome.com

This kitchen inspiration is my "if i were a bachelorette" look but I had to throw it in there. The grey cabinetry is so glamorous when it's mixed with the glass tiles.