weekend update: Oct 21-23

I apologize for being a little MIA on the blog-reading-commenting front the past few weeks. Things have been fairly busy at work and the majority of my free time at home has been spent either on the computer working on an [exciting!] interiors project with a friend or staying off the computer doing other things.

Anyway, this weekend I [again] spent a lot of working on this interiors project! On Friday I stopped at Andrea's Kitchens in Erie and Pier 1 for some inspiration for the project. Here's it all summed up in a little mood board for you all:

On Saturday I went with said project friend to look and possibly purchase some of the above items. We went to Padden's paints to look for more options for one of the rooms and searched - and found [we  think]! - the drapery fabric for the dining room. I worked more on the project in the evening and hung out with the hubby, of course!

On Sunday after church Josh and I went to Best Buy where I picked up this sweet new case for my phone. I'm a klutz and fear for my poor phone screen's life now that I've cracked it once, so I knew I wanted something heavy duty. Loving it so far!!

In the evening we hung out and I made cupcakes for the Mercyhurst Interior Design student visitors we have coming tonight. Recipe later this week! Spice cupcakes [made with applesauce] and caramel butter cream frosting! They are pretty amazing.

Anyway, hope I'll be able to get back to reading your lovely blogs this week! Thanks for sticking with me and reading and commenting on mine!! Happy Monday! Have a great week, folks!

mood boards: olioboard

A few months...a year...ago...who knows anymore, I signed up for some mood board type website where you could grab anything you liked (home decor, fashion...) and create a style board of it. Earlier this week I was thinking I wanted to get back to that and create some boards, but I could not remember for the life of me what the website was.

I Googled and I succeeded. Well, sort of.

 
OlioBoard! I'm not sure if this is what I signed up for before, but I'm signed up now and it is pretty darn cool.

I've done one board so far (I mean, come on - I only just signed up an hour ago). This board's inspiration is our existing comforter - Dwell Studio for Target - that I bought with our shower/wedding money. The rest of the board is future home inspiration and wishes for someday. Who knows, by the time we buy a home or can get all this cool stuff we'll probably have a different bedspread and bedroom color scheme going on! (I tell you one thing though - I will always want one of those circular burst mirrors! I love them!)

You can pick and choose paint, furniture, rugs, bedding, accessories - anything! And arrange it all, change the scale, rotation, and order of images. You can also browse through lots of other boards, comment on them and find more inspiration! You can upload your own images, browse vendor websites after you've made your board and share your board on your blog, Twitter or Facebook. LOVE!! I'm sure there are even more things you can do with it, I just haven't figured them all out yet.

Check them out on Twitter, Facebook and online.

inspiration ideas: chalkboard paint

after reading my friend Martina's blog post on applying chalkboard paint to a closet door, it reminded me how much i LOVE that idea and want to do it in my home some day. here are more fun images and ways to use it!

love these ideas: make-your-own-custom-color idea from Martha Stewart

chalkboard paint on photo frame from Real Simple

love chalkboard paint in the kitchen. showcase a favorite recipe or fun way to write your grocery needs. image from weheartit.com

i adore this. wouldn't work too well in unpredictable Erie, however....but still. so cute. image from urbanjane: chalkboard paint!

another awesome use in the kitchen. image from mysweetsavannah. check her post for a lot more fun images.

what are your thoughts on chalkboard paint? love it? hate it? want to see more? want to see less? i love it, but wouldn't want to do too much. maybe one wall or a framed section in a kitchen (or on a door).

2011: goals

i had a whole post dedicated to goals and hopes of achievements for this year, then i looked at my goals for 2010 and realized they were all the same and completely left un-achieved and i felt a little depressed and lousy. 2010 was a great year for me - don't get me wrong. i would not change a thing. but seeing a list of goals untouched after a year has gone by can be a little...disappointing.

so, my one and only goal for 2011 is this:

stop saying you're going to eat better, starting next week - and just do it already.
stop saying you're going to take advantage of that wii fit - you're never going to beat Josh's scores without plugging it in.
stop saying you're going to learn a new skill or expand your mind - and sign up for a class, read a book, go to the library.
stop - i'm sorry, but - being a discontent lazy-ass and do something about it!

so. here's to 2011. a year of doing!

design inspiration source

i can't remember how i got to this website (although it was only a few days ago that i found it). it was either a twitter post, or some real simple link. anyway...

  

http://www.houzz.com/

houzz is a great resource for home owners and design professionals looking for inspiration or to showcase their work. i like how you can browse by style, by room and even by city. awesome website to keep all your design ideas and inspirations in one place!

forgotten find!

i was looking through my pictures of previous jobs for a spec clarification and found this AWESOME idea! i had totally forgotten about this! for Erie Bank's open house at their downtown Erie branch early 2008, they had these super fun martini glasses filled with water, a floating candle and flower. i think they are adorable! now, someone is gonna need to hook me up with probably 90+ of these, and i'll have great centerpieces for the wedding.

also, i found these a few months ago when searching for some inexpensive candles & holders. i adore these giant martini glasses! they are pricey though.

image from save-on-crafts, Jennifer Dery Photography
(also, check out her blog for her awesome work!)

i love the look of all these candles on the table! makes me want tons and tons of candles!! and rectangular tables...but i'm pretty much out of luck there...

what's life without a dream?

after showing pictures of our Saturday visit to Dozen Bakeshop, a co-worker said, "I wish we had that in Erie." Specifically - Village West Plaza - a 5 minute [if that] walk from our office. After that comment, I was thinking how amazing it would be to have a place like that...and by "have" I mean...start...run...own...

I don't see how anything like that could happen within the next 50 years, but I feel like my family has so much cooking talent [my Auntie Paula is a master baker/chef; my grandma makes amazing staples as spaghetti & meatballs, lasagna, homemade pizza, chocolate cake & cookies; my mother is a home-ec teacher, and makes favorites such as trifle, almond bars, and has inspired some of my favorite cuppie ideas; my great aunt [boss's mom] makes some awesome Italian desserts like biscotti; and even my boss and his wife are creative in the kitchen]. I imagine an Italian themed and family-inspired menu would be a big hit...[plus I have all the help I need in the Graphic Design [sissy / kt] area, I have an accountant, and publicist/communications director....].

how about "The Cuppie Place" ? hahhahah



eh, it's a dream I have...maybe someday.



until then, kc and I are going to visit our 2nd house today! yippee!