Motivated by Company

It's amazing what the pressure of incoming company can motivate you to finish around your house.  This past weekend I had not one, but two visitors!  They were actually part of a number of visitors that came in town to celebrate one of our friends at a baby shower.  I've slowly been working on getting my guest room reorganized and painted but unfortunately that is still not done.  You'll have to stay tuned.  But I did get some minor electrical work done!

The ceiling fan light fixtures in my guest room and office were the same and they both got upgraded.  Here is what they looked like before.

With eight foot ceilings and a small square footage, there was no reason to have these lighting cans pointing in various directions.  They cast odd shadows around the room and really didn't do their job very well.  I swapped them both out with a single bulb simple dome light.

Obviously this is my office, but it's the exact same as the guest room.  This light works so much better although I'm still trying to find the perfect bulbs for each room.  I'm really having issues around the house coordinating the CFL bulbs...warm white v. bright white v. daylight.  Different rooms look better with different colors and it's been a bit of trial and error with whatever I've had on hand.

Because I was having two guests at the house, I converted the office into a guest bedroom for the weekend thanks to my new air mattress.

I bought it off Amazon for $45.  It's awesome!  It takes about 2 minutes to inflate itself after you plug it in.  Just set it and forget it!  I wasn't really paying attention when pulling out linens or it may have matched a little better.  That's a combo of a couple different bedding sets.

I love that it inflates to the size of a normal queen bed and I don't have to ask guests to sleep a mere 6 inches off the ground.  It was a great buy.  It also folds back into a bag for easy storage.  I also got the blackout shades installed in the guest room similar to the ones in my office.  More on that later.  After I finished those little tweaks to the rooms, I set out some fresh flowers and enjoyed a fabulous weekend with my friends.

Finished Bathroom

I spent Friday night putting the guest bathroom back together and I'm really happy with the changes so far!  It really is a big change from what it looked like when I moved in as far as being lighter and a little less generic.  It only cost about $50 since I had all the paint already on hand.

Before

After

Now it really is time for me to stop procrastinating and get back to planning my new master closet remodel.

Bathroom Window Treatment

I searched premade window treatments for my little window in my guest bath but I either didn't like what I found or didn't want to fork over the money for it.  Story of my life.

I decided I was better off just making my own.  I searched fabric stores online but nothing really jumped out at me.  I liked how the ugly old shade let in light so I didn't want anything too heavy yet I didn't want just plain white.  I decided to just roam Target in search of fabric I liked.  I checked out their drapes, table clothes, sheets and shower curtains.  Random, yes.  But a cheap way to find fabric.  I found a keeper in the shower curtain aisle!

It is white with just a simple border pattern around the bottom.  My goal is to eventually sew this into a roman shade with the border along the bottom of the shade.  But until I get around for that, I figured I would just wrap it around my existing shade since the curtain was basically twice the width of my shade.

Biscuit was helpful as always with this process.  What's it with dogs and the need to sit on things?  I rolled the shade back up and stuck it on my window.

Not bad for a temporary fix.  Once I actually sew the roman shade, there will be less white at the bottom so the border will be lower.  And since I was at Target buying stuff (my new alarm clocks included) I picked up a couple more things for the bathroom including this awesome plant that I can not kill because it's plastic!

And I got a new print to hang above the towel rack.  It is a little bigger than the one I had hanging there before.

Hopefully I will finish painting all the trim tonight and be able to clean the bathroom back up.  It should be good to go until I get around to sewing my roman shade.  Note to self:  Google 'How to Make a Roman Shade' soon.

Guest Bathroom Almost Finished!

I have continued working on my painting in the guest bathroom and now all I have left is to finish up the trim.

Hard to tell too much but you can see the walls getting lighter.  I love the look with the grey ceiling instead of white.  I just need to knock out the trim and 2 doors and the room should be back together.

At least it better be back together.  I have company coming over this weekend!

Back to Painting

I had every intention to start working on my closet remodel model this weekend.  Somehow I instead decided to start painting my guest bathroom.  The guest room and the guest bathroom are the only beige rooms left to conquer.

Nothing too drastic here.  The walls and ceiling will be Sterling, the light grey in the rest of the house.  And I guess that means I'll eventually need to paint all the trim white, but I'm trying not to think about that.  I'm also going to replace the boring white (ish) shade on the window with fabric that give a little more pop of excitement.  I'll probably make a faux roman shade and possibly frost the window.

I have about half the room painted now and should have it finished by the end of the week.  In the meantime I'll also be trying to get the closet project started as well.

Target + Neiman Marcus

Yes, I was lined up at 7:30 am on Saturday for the much awaited Target & Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection to debut.  I would rank in below the great Missoni release mostly because it was a higher price point overall and the collection did not have a lot of decor items. But this does not mean I didn't buy anything.  I managed to get a Thom Browne blazer and a Marc Jacobs clutch and then my favorite purchase was the Tracy Reese dessert plates.

I liked them so much I bought 2 sets.  I don't actually plan on serving dessert on them though.  I think they are going to look fabulous on the wall in my guest room.  I want to hang them above the headboard (which doesn't actually exist yet).

I really think they are going to look great.  I need to buy some plate hangers and I potentially need to find a larger plate for the center of my planned hangings. 

 

I'm imagining a diamond shaped layout with the ninth larger plate being at the center of my 8 dessert plates.  I wish they had more decorative items in the collection, but at the rate things were priced it is probably best that they didn't.

Adler Addict

I am obsessed with Jonathan Adler.  His colors are so bright and vibrant that I pretty much love everything he does.

from JonathanAdler.com



Unfortunately most of his stuff is a bit out of my price range right now.  I do own his books and they were the inspiration for my living room rug.

Thanks to a Neiman Marcus gift card, coupled with an amazing sale, I was able to buy myself one single, tiny Jonathan Adler pillow for my living room.  I love it and only wish I could but more.

Aquarius Zodiac Pillow



If Jonathan Adler ever did a Target collection, I think I'd come unglued!  I would definitely be camping out the night before to score as much as possible.  Do you understand the depth of my obsession?  Good.  Because now you will understand my excitement for the Cottonelle "Respect the Roll" campaign featuring Adler designed toilet paper covers.  I forked over $16 and ordered 4.  Oh yes, I did. 

I have not figured out what I'm going to do with my covers yet but I love them.  Actually I'm using one for covering my backup roll in the Master bathroom, but I envision coming up with creative ways to use the others.

I am not even deterred by the Cottonelle logo on the top of the lids.  I envision the lids being moved to the bottom once put flowers or fruit or screwdrivers (or whatever) in these awesome containers.

So in closing, I thank Jonathan Adler for pairing up with Cottonelle to make his fun designs a little more accessible to me!  It's no Dora Maar Vase, but it's a start.

And seriously, please consider pairing up with Target.  It would have me saying, "Missoni who?"

Wally World

Driving home from work the other day I noticed a new Walmart opened up.  Enticed by the "Grand Opening" signs I decided to stop in.  I generally steer clear of Walmart because they tend to be very crowded and cluttered on the weekends, but since it was opening day and a Thursday evening I figured it was worth a shot. 

The shot paid off.  It was actually entertaining.  There were Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders signing autographs, a walking inflatable Chester Cheeto, Mavs Dancers and I got to see this guy up close and personal:


Larry O'Brien Trophy from the Mavericks big Championship win

I didn't need anything but still managed to pick up a couple of things that were too cheap to pass up.  I got a clock for my kitchen for less than $4.  I've found that it drives me nuts if I'm using the microwave and oven timers and can't see the actual time.  Problem solved!

Then I picked up a couple of frames for some 8 x 10" prints I'm hanging next week.  I had been meaning to pick some up at Target but ended up getting these for half the price.

Last but not least I grabbed some $5 flowers just because.  I like having the little bright flowers all around the house.  It makes things more cheerful.  And considering all the cleaning on my To Do list for this weekend, I can use all the cheer I can get!

Be My Guest

My friends have been moving out of town at an alarming rate these past few years.  It's to the point that I'm beginning to think it's me.  At any rate, I've enjoyed visiting them in various cities: London, Philly, Chicago, New York, Destin, Corpus, Atlanta, Savannah, etc.  And now with my new house (read: more space) I'm more than happy to return the favor by hosting you guys.  Feel free to visit!

The guest room is all set up!  I currently have a day bed with a trundle but hope to someday upgrade to a full or queen.  The beige drapes that came with the house just happened to match my guest bedding so that worked out well.

You will have reading material, a work station, and plenty of closet space during your stay at Hotel Thea. 

Your own private full bath awaits you.  And did you forget something?  Pop a button?  Don't worry, I got you covered.

So far I've had no complaints about the accomodations.  I've only had one guest.  But still, 100% customer satifaction!  Book early, space is limited.