Kicked to the curb...

Oh dear trendy boyfriend jeans... how I wanted to love you and incorporate you in my wardrobe.... but sadly, No.  It was not meant to be.

Perhaps if I looked like this in them:

as opposed to looking like I was DROWNING in them, it would have worked.  I tried Ann Taylor Loft's Lean boyfriend version in an 8, and they were faaaar too big.  So I downsized to a 6, and they were practically painted on!  Ugh!  So much for trying to be trendy... I guess I'll stick with my tried and true bootcut and flare leg jeans, despite Cosmo stating in their January 2010 issue that bootcut jeans are totally out this year!  Whatev.... should I go around looking ridiculous just to be part of a trend?  I think not.  This has been a lesson in sticking with what works for you and your body, instead of the trends!

I am, however, lusting after these shoes at the present moment by Sofft....

Gorgeous, right?  I just wish my local Macy's had them.... OR if Macy's shipping wasn't a cool $15 bucks, so I could use their $25 off $100 promo going on right now.  I have some gift cards that I could make good use out of to make this purchase a little more friendly on my wallet. I have such a hard time justifying shipping costs.  Plus, I have never owned or tried on Sofft before.  Anyone?  I've seen great reviews, but I don't know.... at $15 to ship, it's risky.

PS- sorry to those readers not interested in my fashion ramblings ;-)  I promise to post some pics of a new project we tackled in the kitchen this weekend.  Nothing too ground breaking, but I'm excited about it... and it's got my mind running a million miles a minute about the possibilities!

Preliminary Patio Post

Try saying that 3 times fast!


Well, the patio has been in for about 2 weeks now and I just haven't had a moment to post pictures or anything. While the pictures aren't the most BEAUTIFUL things ever due to the backyard still being in recovery mode (the lush backyard was definitely torn up in the process), we are super excited to finally have our patio!


Ryan and his dad are working on putting in new steps on the deck this coming weekend, and hopefully we should start the furniture hunt soon. I can't wait to have the patio all decorated and set up with furniture.... soon, very soon!



So here are the pics... before and after!

Our backyard and deck before the patio was put in (we DID have steps on the deck, but they were torn out for the patio install...)

Another shot of the backyard before the patio...

Detail of the patio design... we went with stamped concrete over paver stones.

The completed patio!

Another shot of the patio... as you can see, the yard is totally torn up! The section that comes up to the side of the deck is going to be Ryan's grilling station!

Mirror Makeover

When my sister, Celia, moved out to California last December, she offered up a load of goodies from her super chic apartment. I snagged a HUGE mirror with a faux gilded frame, along with some other great items. At the time, I didn't know exactly where or when I would use the mirror, but the size of it was too good to pass up. Once we moved into our home, I knew that the mirror was the perfect size for our dining room.... the faux gold, however? Not so much.

I mean, judge for yourselves.

Here's a close up of the faux gold frame. Isn't it to die for? Gag me, please.

Enter 1 can of Rustoleum's 2x spray paint in Heirlom White. In less than an hour, the mirror went from gaudy to gorgeous!

Here it is, hanging in our dining room (ignore the odd white lines on the mirror.... must have been some weird thing from the flash).

And a close up of the frame... isn't it lovely?

Now I just have to be careful since now I want to spray paint everything!

Next project update... the patio! We're on deck for the work to begin on Monday, as long as the rain holds off!

What a difference a sink makes!

When we purchased our 4 year old home in February, we quickly learned that "builder grade" really means "boring and cheap". We've done a few upgrades around the house to make it less cookie cutter and a little more "us". For example, Ryan and his dad hung crown moulding all throughout the living room and dining room downstairs. We also installed a natural stone tile backsplash in the kitchen.




Saturday night, our kitchen went from this:

To THIS:

Isn't she purrrrty?!?! The new sink and faucet totally upgrades the overall look of the kitchen and just makes things look NICE. My awesome dad works for a company that sells these materials (sinks, faucets, tubs, toilets, etc), and got us an AMAZING deal on the sink and faucet... basically, we paid $80 for $800 worth of sink and faucet! How about that for an inexpensive upgrade?? And Ryan's awesome dad worked his tail off to help install the sink and faucet.... we are certainly lucky to have family who have great hook ups and are incredibly skilled!



Ok, one more gratuious shot of the new sink in our kitchen....

We have a couple other upgrades we're planning on for the house.... I can't wait to bring this house out of boring, cookie cutter builder grade to a fantastic and stylish home!