Friday, May 30, 2014

Adding Built-in Bookcases!!!

I am soooooo excited about the current project going on at the house. I talked about the original idea and inspiration photo hereIf y'all remember I have a very large number of books and left the bookshelves at the loft when I sold it; so I needed a new place to put them. 
This is just the first phase of the built-in bookcases. The next steps will be to add the trim, the mantel in the center, and then paint all of it white to match the trim. I can't stop smiling and I can't wait to get my books out of boxes and onto these pretty shelves. Don't worry more and better pictures will be up later next week. All of this would not be possible without Goette Customswho are incredible friends of ours and owners of this beautiful company they started



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Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Teil Duncan Paintings

As my decorating process continues in the new house I occasionally come to a halt because some of the prints or art I have just don't fit. So my search for new and affordable art has led me to some really cool artist. One of my favorite new finds is Teil Duncan paintings. Her paintings right now are selling like hot cakes. Her color palette is amazing and I especially love the figures series she has done, but I am super close to getting a couple of her new beach prints. A few weeks ago I bought this figure print and put it in the bedroom, she even put the picture I took of it on her blog seen here (my photo is the last one). Below are some of my favorite pieces and I hope to invest soon in a painting of hers. Enjoy!


Monday, May 19, 2014

A Beautiful Layover in Paris

I have to fly over to Norway for a meeting for work and I had a connection flight through Paris, France. Well we had a flight delay leaving Houston which made me miss my connection flight to Norway and pushed back my flight time to later tonight. Since I had a long layover I decided to use it and see some of the iconic sites of Paris that I have so longed to see. I didn't want to go to too many sites or explore too deeply since this is where Amos and I may do part of our honeymoon next May, and it feels like cheating doing some of these things without him. Well here are some of the pictures I caught with my iphone and hope y'all have a lovely day!


Thursday, May 15, 2014

D.I.Y. Chalkboard

Chalkboards are making a huge come back, and I'm not talking about the ones from our childhood classrooms. You can't get on Pinterest without seeing some cute application with chalkboards or chalkboard paint. So I thought I would give it a shot. 

I knew I wanted a really big chalkboard since I have the wall space for the dining area; I talked about inspiration photos here. I already had the chalkboard paint from a while ago so the next step was to figure out the frame. Amos and I went to HomeDepot and bought really big white trim. We cut the pieces ourselves at home, but without having a proper table saw our corners didn't really match up the way they were supposed to. The original size we made was 3' by 5'. Well since that attempt failed and I knew this was going to be a big focal point in this area I decided to go to my reliable frame shop in Hobby Lobby that I have had numerous items framed (like the frame over the TV in the master bedroom, here) After seeing the size from the first attempt I decided to add an extra foot in length so the new frame ended up being 3' by 6'.

The next decision to make was do I want to place wood in the frame and paint the wood or do I want to paint directly onto the wall. I did some research and saw both ways. Since the frame was custom built I didn't want to risk not cutting the right size of wood for the frame and went with the easier option of just painting the wall directly. I had Amos hold the frame up on the wall and I outlined the inside corners so to get an idea of the painting area. I did a total of three coats on the wall.  

Below are the pictures and steps I took. I cannot wait to decorate this board for the holidays, birthdays, and upcoming wedding events. 

Friday, May 9, 2014

Working on Hanging Up Some Art

I am slowly but surely hanging up art and starting in the bedroom. We have so much wall space and I have not idea what and where each piece should go. So I thought I would start around this cute little desk area I made in the corner of the bedroom. I would still like to add a small little rug and get a fun chair. I have more fun wall projects coming soon. Have a great weekend y'all!


Monday, May 5, 2014

Trying To Get Fit....Again!


Okay y'all, my health and body is probably at one of it's lowest it has been in a very long time. I love food and I love the whole experience you have when you dine out, especially new places. Amos and I are a very social couple and go out to eat most of the time and at least twice a week go with friends (We do not have kids or pets yet so we take advantage while we can :)). This means a higher risk of over eating and drinking, which I end up doing majority of the time. Also because of the crazy busy year we have had so far with moving, volunteering at the Houston Rodeo, studying for a big exam, and work I have not exercised or dieted like my body needs, and therefore have felt sluggish and tired. 

Well now that things are getting back to normal I decided to take some action and try to get healthy and my body back into shape. I started out with walking and sometimes running along trails in our neighborhood. I love doing this because I can look at all the beautiful houses and trees. Well I have been doing this the last month 3-5 times a week between 3-4 miles and decided I need to step it up and add some variation. So last week I bought a Groupon for a boot-camp at a park around our new house (here). My first day was Saturday morning and I will admit I was very nervous because I have never done a boot-camp before. Well so far the experience has not been bad. What I had heard from others about boot-camps are that there can be some really intense ones. The one I joined is not that way...actually the opposite. This one you go at your own pace. This doesn't mean you aren't pushed, but it doesn't mean someone is yelling in my face for not keeping up with others who have been doing it much longer then I. The next day I woke up very sore, but not like my body was over exerted. I am very excited to see if I can keep it up and start this new healthy lifestyle and the changes to come...after all I do have to look good for this wedding I am planning, here.  

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