Living Room Wall Project: COMPLETE

BAM!  Wall ledges up.  Ignore Halloween knick  knacks.

Ledge, throw back door knob, Parisian print

Ferguson modeling the living room.

Parisian prints in dining room.

Oil painting finally hung.

 

In love with this wall clock!  

Finally...those bare walls were killing me.  As you can see, a major improvement from the bare walls a few posts ago.  Now...on to the next project:  Master Bedroom!

Year in Review

But you're saying, "Hey!  2011 isn't over yet!"  Well, I have no more travels planned and that's what I'm  mostly reviewing...it's technically the 4th quarter anyway.  So get off my back.  You weren't on my back?  Maybe I'm just paranoid.

Overall I'd say this past year has been a success.  It's also been a decent year for travel.   A trip to Louisiana before my Mom and Stepdad retired back to the Midwest, Seattle twice in one month, Las Vegas to celebrate my 30th birthday, a week on the beach in Oak Island, NC, and finally a long Labor Day weekend to visit Jennifer in Boston.  I have covered this country from coast to coast in 2011 and I've had a great time.  No international travel this year but I'm hoping to fix that in 2012!

Click to enlarge

Another huge event took place this year, I purchased a house in my new hometown of Louisville, KY.  Not knowing the area that well, we rented for a year so I could find a part of the city that jived with my needs.  Leaving the north side of Indianapolis wasn't easy...it's repeatedly voted as one of the best places to live in the country.  Also, the fastest growing.  I'm liking the east end of Louisville almost as well.  It definitely beats I-69 N traffic!

I also left my longtime comfort zone of being a sales person, to moving to the operations side of things managing our marketing department.  I'm really enjoying not having to travel all of the time, but do sometimes miss the thrill of the close!  No complaints though, I work for a great company full of great people.  I hope I'm always fortunate enough to be a part of the tech industry.

Here's to looking back on a fantastic 2011, and hoping that 2012 is half as good!

Buddah in the middle of a swamp - Avery Island, Louisiana

At the famous fish market- Seattle, WA

30th Birthday - Las Vegas, NV

July 2011 - Oak Island, NC

Labor Day weekend - Boston, MA - Harvard Yard

Living Room Wall Project

Thanks to Esty I've discovered a treasure trove of new art for the house.  A French artist called Coco de Paris repurposes antique 1920s Parisian periodicals for her canvasses:

Thumbnail versions, cropped some of the images off

"Mixed media of my original artwork in real acrylic hand painting and ink print. It's on an authentic antique paper from around 1920s of the famous Parisian magazine “La Petit Illustration” , a weekly French literary journal that published plays, novels and short stories.

Every creation is unique, you will receive the image as you see in the picture. Every artwork is handsigned and dated." 

At a going rate of about $10.00, I wasn't expecting much.  When I received these beauties in the mail (I ordered 6) I was blown away at the quality.  The pictures on the Etsy store do not do them justice, you really have to see them in person.  I was having a difficult time finding frames for these that I liked.  I ended up ordering online because when you're looking for 6 nice frames that sure adds up!  Kohls  had a buy one get one for $1 sale so I ended up getting six of these to put them in:

 

The idea is to incorporate lots of ledges and elements to go with the prints in the living room.  I've picked up several things here and there.  Large letters as seen below, ceramic figurines, smaller frames, and the like. Here is a few examples of my inspiration:

I can't wait to get this living room wall project finished!  Present home of empty walls.  Future home of awesomeness:

Looking for a fun girls or date night?

Bored with the same old dinner and a movie?  Want to spice it up on a weekly girls night?  I had a blast this past Tuesday at a new franchise of Sips 'n Strokes that opened in Louisville less than two months ago.  In Indy the chain was called Wine and Canvas, but same concept.   You go check out their event calendar, pick out a painting that you like (they have two for "date nights" so you don't come home with 2 identical paintings), make your reservation, and show up to paint and drink!  They'll have an instructor that shows you step by step how to mix your colors, technique, and walk you through to your individual masterpiece!  Everyone's ends up being one of a kind to a certain extent.  Check out how different the three of ours turned out!

Allyson (right) and Erica (left) hard at work!

Starting to come together

Erica, me, and Allyson with the finished products!

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Oh, and Pinterest!

The Clash asked a very important question in their 1982 hit "Should I Stay or Should I Go?".   I'm asking myself the very same.  I've been blonde for the vast majority of my life.  Started out blonde as a kid...then it slowly turned darker in my grade school years.  I quickly put a stop to that when I turned 14 and haven't looked back since.  I'm feeling... bored.  Is it just the change of the season, is it time for a change, or will I just go back to blonde again in 6 weeks.  Who knows!  I did have some fun trying out some new colors though...

Repurposing a map.  Pin special places. 

So, what's this Pinterest thing all about anyway?  Sarah Richards, the person also guilty of introducing me to Picnik (Photo editing software) has now brought on a whole new addiction.  Pinterest is a virtual pin board that helps you collect and share things you love.  It could be anything from a good book, a handbag, an ingenius DIY project, to a wedding hairstyle you're fancying.  All I know is, it's addictive!  It's sort of a virtual and viral way of sharing hobbies, recipes, home improvement/DIY ideas and so much more.  Maybe even discovering a new pair of heels or two.  Or twelve.   All I know is that I can't get enough! This repurposing map idea is one of the first things I discovered on Pinterest...can't wait to do this!  I've already been to Hobby Lobby's website to print off coupons for frames.  Now... where to find the maps?  I think it's a great way to showcase sentimental places you've traveled, while also being a pretty trendy display in any room. 

It's Fall, ya'all!

Mom & I at Huber's Winery

Michael & I trying the Spiced Apple

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year!  It's home to football (Go Colts!), Halloween, changing leaves, brisk mornings, and the reemergence of boots!  I love everything about fall...well, except the turning into winter part.  Other than that, bring it on.  As always I get a bit over zealous about decorating.  I broke the fall decor out yesterday, which was hard enough waiting until September 17th.  I picked up some carving pumpkins, pie pumpkins, and a healthy selection of gourds on our trip to Huber's Winery yesterday.  It was the epitome of a perfect fall day. Sunny and just the right temperature.  We started out by sampling a few seasonal wines - their Spiced Apple, Harvest Blush and Trimmanette.  Then fed the hoards of gigantic koi and catfish they have - whoa.  Finally took a stroll over to the Harvest Market.  They make tons of local products like jellies, jams, candies in addition to their wine.  You may also pick your own fruit and vegetables if you so choose to take the wagon ride out to the orchard.

Jumbo pumpkins!

Holy koi fish and catfish!  These things were HUGE!

I can't wait to get creative with our Halloween costumes this year.  We've got several ideas in the works, but I'm already getting excited.  I'm ready to bring on the ghost tours and haunted hayrides.  Here is some of my seasonal flare around the house!

Out by the street.  

Spooky signs

Only temporarily replacing the Colts flag.

Ferg playing Where's Waldo

Foyer

Scarecrow Sunroom

Creepy Kitchen

Haunted Houses

Warning: Crazy Cat Ladies Only.

As all cat owners know, the downside (and only downside if you ask this crazy cat lady) of having indoor only cats is well...the dreaded litter box.  It's a chore that no one enjoys doing but must be done nonetheless.  I have 2 strictly indoor cats and for years have been a loyal Tidy Cats user.  No more!  I stumbled upon a new product at the grocery from Arm and Hammer.  It is all natural made from corn fiber and plant extracts.  I have noticed a very significant decrease in litter box odor, and the cats don't track it around like the clay based litters.  I'm raving about this product.  Reviews online have for the most part been positive, with the exception of a few picky kitties that don't care for the cedar/pine like fragrance.  It's priced at around $14 for an 18 pound bag at most stores.  This is more expensive than most other brands but I can tell you its lasts longer.  Much longer.  I'm raving about this and if you are having an issue...or just want to try it out I highly recommend this product!  Here is another blog post regarding it.

Meow!  The Duchess Ferguson approves this product!