New Furniture!

This is our newest addition to the Hollyview House. We got rid of this wine table:

by selling it on Craiglist for the same amount I bought it for 6 months ago. I really liked this table but we figured something with a little bit more functionality would be best in our kitchen.  We got rid of it surprisingly quickly and once it was gone we discovered we needed something badly.  So we went out for a nice little Sunday shopping expedition and found the bar at World Market. We love the look and it's awesome. Cabinet, drawer, wine rack, AND the top platform folds out into a long bar, twice as long as it appears in the picture. 

Yes. It's awesome. It's not heavy so it's portable enough that when we have parties when it's warmer, it would be great for taking outside and using as a bar. The best part about this was the deal. 

It was advertised as $172.99 with my 25% off furniture coupon at World Market.  When we wanted to take it home they did not have any readily available. (They were buried under other boxes). When we got the call they had some available 2 days later, we were checking out and were surprised to find it ring up at $399.99. Our collective reply was "What??" The manager promptly ran over to tell the cashier that the sign that was out on Sunday was wrong but they were honoring the price. We pretty much saved $230.00 on this $400.00 piece of furniture.

Cha ching!!!! We like it even more now :) If you need anything furniture wise, especially accent pieces, check out World Market- it's kind of our favorite... annnnd you might get lucky like we did.

X-Factor: InTENsity > Lakoda Whatever

Not sure if anyone is into X-Factor or not but I am. :) Paula is so not on drugs this season and Simon actually looks like he is enjoying himself on this show. Plus it's awesome. If you haven't watched it yet I definitely suggest starting to. It's on Wednesday nights at 8 and next week is the top 11.

The way it works is that each judge: LA Reid, Nicole Scherzinger, Paula and Simon works with a group of contestants. LA has boys under 30, Nicole the over 30's, Paula with the groups and Simon with the girls under 30.  Last night Paula's group InTENsity made up of 10 tweens looking to make it in a Glee world was kicked off.  The bottom two acts based on votes from the public, sing for their lives to the judges and then the judges choose which one gets to stay.  Now, I have my favorites, but I definitely have my "MUST LEAVE NOWS" and Lakoda Rayne is at the top of that list. It's a group of 4 girls, all very pretty, and all very talented but put together by the judges at Boot Camp, together they are TERRIBLE. I want to like them, I really do. But yikes. I can't believe they weren't in the bottom two. Stereo Hoggzz who I love, and would love more if they get a better name (I mean really) were also in the bottom two. What a world. Please start watching this show, I swear it's different from AI!

Last but not least, if I have not yet inspired you to watch this show, please take a look at this video of "Drew". She is 14 and she is unbelievable. Simon actually said the other night that he believes she is more of his mentor than he is of her. Wow. Just watch! Happy Friday!

Re-Finishing and Re-Purposing a Microwave Stand

A little while after we first moved in I went on a rampage of trying to find some supplementary tables/ stands for the house because we were severely lacking in this department. We had no where to put remotes, books, lamps, etc. in the house which for me, when everything needs a place, but there's no place for it to go, is very frustrating. I found this nice wood microwave stand at the flea market J-Town Mall of Vendors for $15.00 with the intention of re-finishing it. I bought the materials for the project but just recently got around to doing it.

I cleaned the table and sanded it down. Then cleaned the dust and sanded again. And again. Once I did this, I conditioned the wood as was recommended (but maybe not necessary).  I bought the dark walnut stain from Lowe's.

After one coat, I learned a few things about stain. Drips dry fast, and it's very hard to stain a shelf like the one in between the top of the table and the cabinet well. But I persevered and sanded off the drips and added another two coats. Now it has evolved into a perfect TV stand for our bedroom.

Sorry!

Okay so if I have talked to any of you in the last 3 months, you have heard me complain about my busy-ness. It's all good busy-ness but nonetheless still busy! Sorry I have not updated this in awhile but I do have some things to update on and I will try to do it all this week. I'll update you on our grass situation (we now have some! yay!), painting the guest bedroom, fall crafts, and some other little projects and purchases here and there that we have worked on.  I enjoy chronicling the things we do around the house so I hope you haven't missed this too much (or maybe I wish you do) because we are planning big things in the next couple of months once it cools down.

One of my favorite things about our house is our fireplace and the mantle. Seeing as it is getting into Holiday season (can you believe it???) I am practicing my decorating skills currently as a baller on a budget.  Today I made some letters spelling out "FALL" using scrapbook paper I already had, a stencil, and dollar store frames.

I think it turned out pretty fun for $4.00.

I also bought the leaves ( a package of 50), all 3 pumpkins on the mantle and the scarecrow on the left of the mantle for $1.00 at the Dollar Store. The black material hanging is pinned in with push pins and I bought from Michael's yesterday for 1.15 because it had holes in it. Which I thought was PERFECT for a Halloween look.  The scarecrow on the right is from Dollar General and was a whole $2.00 and the lanterns I got when we first moved in.  It will look even more fun at night when I turn those lanterns on and the dim lights shine. I still feel like there may be something missing from this though. Some height maybe? I'll get back to you if I figure it out. :)

I love being crafty which is why I love Pinterest! I got the idea for the FALL letters there but I was able to customize it on my own and for cheap! I am planning on making a bunting with the letters Happy Halloween to go across the black material. If not though, I"ll probably add some other "spooky" element sometime in the next couple weeks in anticipation of Halloween and I figured after, I could leave most of it on the mantle, take the black down and add something turkey related. Ouila! Fall decorating! Hope ya like my festiveness. I'll be back with more this week!

Wallpaper Nightmares

The title says it all. When we first looked at the house we now reside in, we knew that the wallpaper thing could be an issue or, a non-issue. Two walls in the master bedroom had it, and all walls in the bathroom.

The bathroom kind of looks like one of those "Magic Eye" pictures where you get really close to it and pull away and Jesus is staring back at you out of the wall or something. But it's not. It's just really really clustered ugliness. Some people say "Oh it's not that bad" But it is. It is that bad.

The striped wallpaper in our room was not awful just not going to work with plans for the room. I decided to take my hand to the bedroom walls first one night. I scored it and used some glue dissolving solution and it came down. In sheets. So easy!!!

And then the nightmare began.   

And then the nightmare began.  

If you think  you've heard the phrase "Million Little Pieces" you have no idea what that really means. For every piece of wallpaper that came down in the bathroom, it meant we had to go back over it at least 3 more times to get the very very fine backing on the paper to come down. Those brown spots you see behind my head and above the tub in that picture, shows where the paper was so adhered to the wall that it took the wall with it. 

This is where the story ends for now. The wallpaper has been cleaned from the floor and (mostly) removed from the walls. The fun days of a sponge of hot water soaking the wall to get the rest of
the paper off will have to be re-visited soon. Stay tuned to the saga in....

Wallpaper Nightmares

Birthday Presents!

Soooo I'm a little late in discussing this topic seeing as my birthday was 4 weeks ago, but I wanted to share these wonderful items that Ryan got that I *hinted* at for the house.

A shower curtain! Whoo hoo! I wonder if anyone has ever gotten a shower curtain as a birthday gift before? I'm okay with being the first. I love it, it goes great in our bath!

These white lanterns with battery operated "candles" in them for the mantle. These are all over Pottery Barn this year and I love it but I got these for a little bit more reasonable pricing at Home Goods thanks to a wonderful gift card from Bonnie and Bob!

Yes this is a french horn. If anyone loves How I Met Your Mother, you may remember Ted stealing a blue french horn from a restaurant on his and Robin's first date. I saw this at Pottery Barn and said "I need it." Because of HIMYM and I mean just look at it, it's amazing. I think Ryan thought we needed it too because it is now in my possession. :) I LOVE IT!!!!

One of the first rules of my decorating realm that Ryan gave me was "Just no fleur de lis in like every room okay?" So it's funny that he bought me a clock which he picked out (very well I may add) with fleur de lis on it. Can't wait to find a permanent home for this lovely timepiece.

We'll find a way to piece all together. In the mean time, everyone harass Ryan that we need to paint this weekend!!!!! :) THANKS!

Movie Review: The Switch

Short and sweet movie review: The Switch with Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman.

I looooove me some Jason Bateman. I know he is not very versatile but he tickles my funny bone and he just seems like a nice guy ya know? He is definitely this in "The Switch", but is also a little neurotic. It is definitely one of Jen's better movies to date. Maybe the best since "Rumor Has It"- I realize I may be alone in characterizing that as good, but I liked it. Anyways, it wasn't a lot of "comedy". I liked the story, I liked the people in it, but if you're in the mood for an lol kind of night, this is probably not your best choice for netflix, redbox, or whatever new method of instant movie gratification you may be using. The kid in the movie named Sebastian (can you guess what kind of kid he was a) playful b) pretentious?) is hilarious. The kind of kid you want to hug because he is so far off from the other kids and you know will get his a$$ kicked on a regular basis. Jeff Goldblum offers quite a bit of hilarity as well when he is present, but for being a comedy it has a pretty serious storyline. (Guy steals best friend's sperm donor's ... donation, supplements it with his own. She has the kid... yada yada yada.) Overall, I would definitely recommend it because it's lightly serious and I love Jason Bateman.

Grade: C mmm -

Sesame vs. Springview Green

Dear Benjamin Moore,

Your paint colors frustrate me.

Springview Green.

Clearly these are two different colors. Complimentary, but different. Am I right?

Let's start at the beginning. We decided to paint our den area and the adjacent bathroom first in tackling our painting projects. The logic was to enable us to complete a communal space early on. I wanted the colors to go together well and I wanted them to be light since we do not have a ton of natural light in our house (more about that later). 

This is the den before: 

 Yeah. It had to go. Just couldn't handle the odd coral/ mauvey/ lavender-ish colors. In the den room, we painted it Springview Green. It now looks like this:

The curtains will be changed, yes, and the lay out will be adjusted soon, but this is just so you get the color scheme idea!

The theme is black and white with a light green background. :) So, next I will introduce you to the bathroom before pictures:

Lavender! and more Lavender! 

Gone. 

Now after a nice coat of Sesame, some new hardware, towels, and a sweet shower curtain it looks like this:

 Love me some oil-rubbed bronze hardware! Looks like we're a little low on some tp ; :

I love the coloring. It looks great, however, one problem.

They look like the same color!!!!

It's not really a problem per se, it's just not what I wanted. Or expected. The colors will do for now, but Benjamin Moore- you have deceived me for the last time! I will always always get the little samples and paint the colors on the wall from now on. Staring at paint swatches apparently doesn't cut it when discovering what paint palette you want to go with. Painting is all about trial and error! Hopefully less error next time :)

We will keep you updated on lay out, decorating and more in the bathroom and den. Please let me know if you have some decorating ideas or hints that could help next paint time around!

I Heart Craigslist

I heart Craiglist. I love the concept, I love the community, and I love the iPhone app. I love it. Those aren't even the best reasons why I love craigslist:

 My first craigslist success came with this lovely outdoor 6 piece dining set. It's in great condition, only a couple of spots where rust has come in but they are barely noticeable. I got the whole set for $70.00 from a girl who posted on craigslist because it came with her house and she wanted something different. The cushions came from Garden Ridge at $29.99 a pop. That's a 6 piece dining set that goes nicely under our pergola for only $250.00. We have already used it a ton to enjoy nice evenings or to do work on a lovely 80 degree day like today! Pumped.

Yes, this is my dear happy place. My wine table. Brand new, still had the stickers on it but the guy didn't want it anymore. He put it on craigslist for $40.00 It holds 16 bottles of wine so if anyone would like to help me fill it up so it doesn't look so bare I wouldn't hate ya! :)

Last but not least, the amazing recliner I told you about last week. Craiglist perfection. $125.00 for a slice of heaven :) Thanks craigslist!

I definitely am cautious when looking at craiglist but a lot of times, (as in the case with 2 of the 3 items above) people are given items they don't need or buy things that don't end up working in their scheme and just want to get rid of them. They either haven't used or barely use the items and end up passing it on to those of us Craigslist window shoppers who just can't pass up a good deal. I'm sure there will be a time when I jump on something I don't need it or it ends up being a bad decision, and I promise I will blog about it, but until then, my heart beats strong for craiglist!!! Next time you need something be sure to check it out first, you may find what you are looking for and more!

Pinterest- The Greatest Thing Ever

Pinterest is an awesome website. It's a social site where you can go and look through images, ideas, products, etc. of all sorts of things from home items, fashion, wedding items, film, music, everything. You can also put a "pin it" button on your bookmarks bar so if you see something you would like to be reminded of or something that inspires you for an outfit, a hairstyle, or a room you are in the middle of decorating, you can "pin it" to your board.

I mostly wanted to tell you all about it so that you could see it and let me know if you would like me to invite you. (It's an invitation only site)  If you would like to see an example of one of my boards which is a cluster of ideas that I like, you can go here http://re.pn/b/9EF9 to my link. Look around and see for yourself. It's a lot of fun and definitely addicting!


Some images from my Pinterest Board:

Happy Pinning!

Oh and P.S. Please "Follow" my blog! Thanks!

It's Weird That Chairs Exist When You're Not Sitting in Them

Well after feeling like we may have a lack of seating problem we got rid of this anxiety quickly in the past week! It started at World Market. I had a $50.00 of $200.00 coupon (WOW) and a birthday coupon for $10.00 (SWEET). After browsing around the store, I kept coming back to this perfect comfy arm chair.

After much debating and texting back and forth with Ryan, we decided we're doin' it. We are going to get the chair! Woo hoo!

BUT

They didn't have any more khaki covers besides the one on the floor model. They were on back order until the end of July. Boo. Well can I take the floor model? 20% off??? Done!

Can't fit it in my car. Double Boo.

Mom to the rescue! Put it on hold and the next day my Mom took my coupons and money to World Market only to find that the gentleman who had offered me 20% off the previous day was not there and the guy who was said no dice. But I want 20% off!!!! Mom argued (I can only imagine the tone!) and we got 10% off. And a new chair with a floor model cover. Boom. Awesome.

Doesn't it look lovely next to the window in our bedroom? Can't wait to cozy up with my blanket and a good book before bed in our new bedroom chair. I feel so grown up with a chair in my bedroom :) Oh and in case you were wondering the chair was originally $249.99, and with all of our wonderful discounts it was $175.00 with tax. Savings! Gotta love it!

Next, we got lucky. That's all there is to it.

My boss has had a recliner sitting on a very high shelf in the warehouse for awhile now. A nice, creamy colored leather recliner. I asked him if I could have it. He said yes. Boom. New Recliner.

It needs a little TLC with a tear in the arm and a tear in the back but Free is Free and it is a very nice recliner otherwise. We will definitely enjoy doing all the things a recliner is good for like reclining, and sitting, watching TV, reclining. . . You know.

And then another pride and joy of my Elite Craigslist Shopping Habit- a black leather Ashley Recliner. Found on Craigslist for $125.00 which was bought last year for $800.00. We had been looking for a black recliner at all the furniture stores around town and nothing felt right. Or if it did feel right it wasn't priced right. $800.00 for one chair? Maybe in a few years. Then our dreams came true.

This recliner is amaze-balls. The most comfortable recliner I have ever sat in. It's like a cloud with arms that just wants to hold you and make you feel like everything's going to be all right. Just lay back now, and dream. Smiles....

We will be fighting over this recliner EVERY. DAY.

So we have enhanced our seating room in the last 7 days and I love it. Pat myself on the back for finding free recliner, amazing recliner, and extremely discounted comfy arm chair?

Don't mind if I do.

AI Finale Drinking Game

Scotty Raises his eye brows: Half a sip (Otherwise you'll be drunk after one song)
Lauren Giggles: 2 drinks
Ryan Seacrest: Says "Nokia Theater: 3 drinks
J. Lo says "Baby!": 1 Drink
Randy says "In It To Win It!" 1 Drink
Steven says "I Loved It" or something else unintelligible: 2 Drinks

Drink, bitches

Finally Moved In and Feeling Like Home!

Well we moved in officially on Cinco de Mayo (how appropriate) and celebrated our swim in boxes and first night "home" with some authentic Mexican food at 10:00 at night.

It's been a process filled with some angry moments: See Wallpaper Removal issues, but also some very good ones filled with accomplishment. Lets start at the beginning so you can see what we are working with and then we'll get to what we have already done!

A lovely street view

An up close shot of the house up to the front door.

The Creek Stone Fireplace- Love

Front Stain Glassed Window

Master Suite Bath downstairs

Kitchen- yes that is a pink counter top! 

Master bedroom downstairs. Love that peachy wall!

Guest Bedroom- Never touched apparently since the house was built in '91

No that is not a Magic Eye puzzle on the wall- it's wallpaper!

Master Bedroom upstairs. Wallpaper on two walls and a burgundy on the other two.

There are more pictures but this gives a general idea of the wall colors, lay out, etc. that the house has going for it. We are definitely in the process of changing things, which from what I hear is a never-ending process :) but I couldn't be more excited for what we have to work with right now. Oh yeah! And we have this going on in the back too:

The view from one corner of the yard. The lot is .4 acres!

A fenced in area for the pup.

Another view of the back

Ahhh the deck. We have already indulged in the awesomeness of it and plan to do so even more this summer! 

A view of the pergola. A very nice shaded area that we love on the deck!

I'll be updating with the things we have bought/ updated very soon. Much sooner than later! If you have any ideas or suggestions if you see anything in these pictures that gets you inspired, let me know! I love hearing other people's thoughts. It gets annoying hearing mine all day! :) haha