US trip shopping list. Item #1 - YSL clutch

Now that we are living in the house and the expenses have somewhat stabilised ... It is time for our first overseas holiday! And to the US it will be. My shopping list is getting a bit out of control ... not sure how I will be able to bring everything back... but will see how it goes :)

Here is the #1 item on my shopping list.

Have I mention I only invest in timeless classics? :)

 Yves Saint Laurent Belle Du Jour patent-leather clutch

PS. Have you entered my MOROCCANOIL Treatment Giveaway?

B

Yellow

 Dress: Ruche, Shoes: Aldo, (camera)Bag: Theit

Yellow is one of my favorite colors.  Probably in the top two.  Just something about the sunniness of it, I guess… I’m drawn to yellow clothing and accessories, and yellow is one of “the colors” of my kitchen. 

It’s funny, I’ll always remember trying on a yellow t-shirt at good ol’ Abercrombie and Fitch back in the day when that was the thing to wear, and I came out of the dressing room to show the boyfriend at the time, who promptly informed me that yellow definitely isn’t my color.  I didn’t wear it for years after that (silly how negative things people say stick in our mind, isn’t it?), but recently I decided to ditch the idea and wear it proudly anyway.  What did he know?

On another note, if you happened to notice my eye makeup in the first photo is a little smokier than normal, well, you’re right!  Check back tomorrow for a post on a fun little event with Radiant Cosmetics that I had the pleasure of attending!  Champagne, cupcakes, and cosmetics, anyone?  Yes, please!

Happy Monday…

Etsy Coral & Teal Roundup

This Spring I am loving Coral & Teal together. Both of these colors are so fun, light and spring-like! Enjoy a few of my favorite finds on Etsy. 

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 

Full size MOROCCANOIL Treatment Giveaway!

Here comes my first ever giveway :)

A full size (100ml) MOROCCANOIL Treatment (free postage of course).

To enter, simply become a follower and leave a comment. Too easy, right? :)
If you would like an extra entry, just mention the giveaway on your blog, and link back.

Entries close on Sunday, the 20th of May. The winner will be drawn out of a hat.

Australian residents only, please.

Good luck!!!

B

Sunday Thoughts

I’ve been having stomach issues for two weeks now, and it’s gotten to the point that I’m sort of a wreck… tired and lethargic all the time due to lack of nutrients, and grumpy and quick to anger because I’m always hungry.  Earlier today I was sitting on the couch with Gracie and Cooper, when Cooper took off running and barking towards the front door (as he often does, for no reason… I joke that “he heard an earthworm moving a mile away”), and then Gracie, who was partially on my lap, followed suit and bolted after him, knocking my water glass out of my hand and sending its icy contents flying.  Well, an event like this one would have normally pissed me off, but this time it sent me into a rage, and I was probably screaming expletives and definitely slamming kitchen drawers unnecessarily as I went to find a towel.  Point is, some stuff’s not right inside my body at the moment (and don’t worry, I’m going to the doctor again tomorrow).
However, during these last couple weeks of mild suffering and my first time ever experiencing real, lasting hunger, I’ve been humbled to think of just how my problems stack up to that of others’.  Yesterday my mom tearfully recounted an exchange between her and Edd in their bathroom, when he was just so overcome by the effects of his chemo, which included intensely painful mouth sores on his lips, inside his mouth, down his throat and, we learned later, also out the other end.  The cancer and the treatments were merciless to Edd, and this was just one of the many horrible side effects he endured in his last months.  It made eating very painful and obviously no longer enjoyable, if not impossible.  Another of life’s pleasures snatched away from him.
Edd was saying to my mom, “I just don’t know what to do… I don’t know what else to do.”
And since he never seemed to, ever, bring this up or even consider it a possibility, my mom said to him quietly, “you could stop taking chemo, you know.”
She said Edd blinked a few times, and slowly some sort of realization washed over his face.  Like he’d never thought of that before.
After a moment, he said, “…But then I’ll die.”
And they cried there in the bathroom together.  It was the first time they’d considered that possibilty—giving up—letting the cancer win. 
That story touched me so deeply, and like I said, humbles me.  The things that man endured.  The reality he lived. 
And the things we complain about! It’s disgusting. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve found myself praying the feeble prayer that God will take away my stomach virus or bacteria or ulcer or whatever the hell it is that’s causing my issues, but then I caught myself.  I don’t know if I want to pray for God to take away my suffering anymore, now or in any other area of my life.  Or maybe I still will, but I think I’ll understand a little better if he doesn’t, and I’ll be a little braver.   People all over this world are experiencing far more unthinkable pain than you or I will maybe ever feel, and it puts things into perspective when you see that.  When you watch someone live it.  When you know it could happen to you, or someone you love.  It helps you to not take things for granted, and to live a little more in each moment. 
I have a feeling that Edd’s cancer and his suffering and his passing will be teaching me things, and also giving me courage, for many years to come. 

Sunroom Reveal!

The day has finally arrived... our sunroom is DONE!

It's been five long weeks of work... let's do a quick recap.

The befores:

Before we bought the house:

After we threw some furniture in:

Phase 1: Building a cat outhouse:

Phase 2: Tearing out the ceiling panels, adding insulation and a new humidity resistant drywall ceiling (with recessed speakers and lights)

Phase 3: 'Wood' tile flooring

Phase 4: Building the beds, coffee table and console table

Phase 5: Accessorizing

Art can be purchased here and here

And that is where we left off last.

Now that we're all up to speed.... I present to you, our finished Sunroom:

Disclaimer: No, I did not place my cat there for staging purposes. That is "her spot" and she can always be found either right there or in my lap. She put up a fight when I tried to make her move so I could take these, lol.

I am beyond happy with these pillows. I purchased 14 (double sided!) custom covers from Etsy seller FestiveHomeDecor, in various sizes ranging from 16x24 to 26x26 for $295 shipped. The selection, quality and service were amazing. You won't find a better pillow shop on Etsy... I've looked!

Both the lantern and table started out as black... <3 spray paint

These baskets are my new favorite thing:

I had been looking everywhere for some wire baskets that were the perfect size to tuck neatly underneath this narrow console table, when I stumbled across these bicycle baskets on Ebay. The look and size were perfect, and they even combined shipping and got them to me within 3 days so I could have them in time for my party. Couldn't be happier!

And this chair cover...

Holy crap.

Can you believe I managed to put this together with some hemming tape and an iron?

It took me 9 straight hours... but I pulled it off somehow. Surely my biggest accomplishment to date. *pats self on back*


I originally didn't include a cost breakdown since there were so many random trips to the hardware store for miscellaneous things that I know I forgot to record, but I racked my brain to come up with this list for you:

Cat Outhouse: 75
New ceiling + insulation: 921
Floor tile: 756
Floor tile installation: 430
Lighting/wiring: 70
Misc. electrical: 45
Fan: 137
Paint/tape/caulk: 51
Beds + mattresses: 700
Sheets, pillows, bedding: 215
Pillow covers: 295
Metal side table: 35
Spray paint: 15
Rug: 30
Blue lanterns: 20
Coffee table: 70
Console table: 20
Chair slipcover: 85
Curtains/rods: 100
Baskets: 40
Vase + flowers: 20
Ballpark Total: $4130-ish. I would say $4200 would be safe for the small misc. stuff I'm missing.

Apparently $4200 is the magic number for us... our kitchen, master bathroom, and now sunroom reno's were all right around this number. Strange! But I'll take it.
That pretty much covers it! Right now this is everyone's favorite room in the house. Summer is around the corner and we'll be spending most of our time out here enjoying the weather. In fact... I took those after shots about 5 minutes before our official summer kick off party began yesterday.

Looking forward to many more this summer!


This room has been featured on House of Turquoise, Centsational Girl, Hooked on Houses and Young House Love!

Strappy plants for a narrow garden bed between driveway and fence

I am still in the process of talking MrB into having a garden bed between the driveway and the fence.

• I think some greenery would be a nice way to break up the heavy-ness of the light coloured exposed aggregate driveway and cream fence.
• MrB hates the idead of plants anywhere near cars, and is concerned that they would scretch them...

So, what I'm thinking is some not-too-bushy strappy green plants with mulch around it.  What do you think? I've tried to find some lovely photos of similar examples so I can present my case to MrB but haven't had any luck :(
The garden bed I would match to the width of the brick pillar (which I think is around 60cm).

B

Curtain rods: Wood or Metal?

How does one decide whether to use metal or wooden curtain rods?

I would describe our home as modernised classic, if there is such a style. We've got timber flooring in a medium colour (not too light or dark) throughout ...

Which one do you think would look better?

B

These glass canisters for the laundry. Yay or nay?

I recently bought these glass canisters from freedom and like them a lot. Would it be a bit much if I got some for the laundry too? I'm thinking 2 large ones and a small one. The small one for napisan, and the two larger ones for wooden pegs and omo.

What do you think?

My only concerns is that the glass is not overly thick and might chip easily :(

TGIF

Thank God it’s Friday, no?  Yesterday was Matthew’s last class of his first year of law school, and this weekend he’ll start “hunkering down,” so to speak, in preparation for finals starting Monday…  Which basically means I don’t have a husband for the next two weeks.  Awesome! (sarcasm.)

I’m thrilled, though, that we made it through this first year that everyone says is the hardest, and we’re still married and we still like each other.  Win for Team MJ! Thanks to everyone who offered up great advice and encouragement in posts like this one back in August! 

Anyway, here’s a little weekend reading for you.  These people rock.

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Suz over at Suzels Says is a gorgeous Southern girl just starting off her career as a wedding photographer and sharing her life with her handsome boyfriend (who happens to play baseball for the White Sox!  Cool, huh?).  Suz is incredibly sweet and talented, and I’ve so enjoyed getting to know her through her fast-growing and evolving blog.  A fun coffee mug swap going on here until the end of April! Check her out.

 Blog

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Meet Kimberly, the face behind Wanderlustee!  Kimberly lives in the fabulous NYC (though she says she’s not much of a city girl) and blogs about her extensive travels and her life as a Spanish teacher in the South Bronx (her most recent post on “a lesson in lingo” cracked me up!).  Kimberly is super funny, and I know you’ll love her… so get over there and introduce yourself!

  Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Britt is the brains behind the Magnolia Pair, a wonderful lifestyle blog that covers everything from life as a newlywed and med school wife, to delicious recipes, to funny stories like this one!  Britt and her husband are moving into a new home this summer (I’m a sucker for these types of things), so stay tuned for more excitement!  This girl is a sweetheart, and it’s been wonderful to watch her blog grow.  Go say hello!

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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And last but not least, we have the fabulous Misikko.com, home to the BEST hair dryers and flat irons known to man, seriously!  See a review I wrote for my new Hana hairdryer here… I meant every word I said, and if you’re in the market for some new styling tools, you MUST consider Misikko.  They’re a fabulous company, and they love bloggers.  We support them, they support us!  Win-win. 

Website

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Have a happy Friday!