I'm in the process of thinking about finally doing our front living room. Here is the basic design map I'm using. I'm trying to do it the right way and price it out first.
When's the last time you re-did a room in your home? How'd you do it? Did you use any designing tools? Did you set a budget?
How long did it take you to complete it?
If any of you need window treatments and you're not giving JCPenny a chance...yall crazy. Yup...I said it. Yall crazy.
YOU ever bought window treatments from JCPenny?
Lately I've been attracted to scrolly kinda stuff. Odd huh? Any similiar patterns you find that YOU are attracted to?
Doesn't it look neater? I'm still adding on. Do YOU have a gallery in YOUR home?
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What's the most you'd spend on a sofa?
The last sofa you purchased...where'd you buy it? Do you feel like you got a good deal?
Are these colors soothing to you?
Would you ever dress a room in YOUR home this way?
Would you ever have the courage to put together all of these different textures and patterns?
Did you ever live in a house that had a papasan chair in it? Have you ever wanted one?
A.
B.
C.
Robby: Does the Tribe know that the longer yall take to pick one...the longer it's going to be before I can get into an already made-up bed?
I think I want one of these at the front door. What do you think?
Last week I just happened to be standing in the front living room when someone came to the house.
I was startled to see they looked through the little window on side of the door first before they rang the doorbell.
It seriously made me feel some kinda way.
I thought about things I could do to cover up that space but nothing really spoke to me and my take on my personal decor style.
But the kid was mad.
So I started dinking around with Mr. Google and looking into options and I found this: First Stained Glass Window Film 24-by-36-Inches
Whatchall think?
I'm testing out a couple different looks since I ruined the last one. UGH! I.HATE.CHANGE.WHEN.YA.GOTTA.CHANGE!
Does your kitchen have a "theme?"
If so...what is it?
If not...what are your colors?
A.
B.
Where do you generally get your vases? At this point in YOUR life...what's the most you'd spend on one?
For Christmas I give the neighbors homemade bark as you guys know. I love doing it because I don't get to see many of my neighbors when it's cold out. Most of them try and feed me or make me drink wine with them while there and we catch up for a few minutes while wishing each other happy holidays.
I have a lot of neighbors who don't celebrate Christmas but I give it to them too. And they are always very happy and appreciative.
My neighbors rock.
Yall might remember my neighbors who are Pakistani and my hostess gift dillema: "Muslim Hostess Gift?"
Well...they got bark too, of course, and grinned from ear-to-ear when they received it.
A few days ago it was cold as hell and snowing. I was in my office when the doorbell rang and looked out to see my neighbor standing out in the cold. I ran down. I couldn't invite her in because she's afraid of dogs and well...if you've ever ding-donged the doorbell at 13700...you know the Jaru/Lucy reaction.
So I went outside and we chatted for a few freezing seconds and then she handed me the gift bag she was holding.
Her: It's a traditional bed sheet.
Me (CLEARLY SURPRISED): Oh...thank you!
She left and I rolled back into the house.
When I took out the gift I was stunned at how extraordinarily beautiful it is. It's woven in a gorgeous teal green and brown and yes...it's the size of a bed. Think of the most luxurious REAL pashmina you've ever seen. Now think of it...the size of your bed.
So I asked Mr. Google about it and learned that it is an Ajrak bed sheet. Turns it is a lost art according to this article: "Arjak industry on the decline"
Okay...so...I absolutely love it. The quality and FEEL of it is just soooooooo amazing to me. It's so beautiful and yet...I don't know what to do with it. It seems such a shame to not have something so gorgeous on display but where? How? It doesn't go with the decor in our room or our guest bedroom so...I'm not going to use it as a coverlet...so what are my options?
Help ya girl out.
What would YOU do with it?
Oh...and I am sooooooooooo ordering them a King Cake for Mardi Gras. LOL!
I picked these up to play up the silver and white elements of the table but wasn't ga-ga over them.
These are from my everyday placemat stash. I thought about these but didn't like the idea of adding another "stripe" to the table.
Now...yall let me know which one yall like better. Anybody siding with TIH Imma need your address so I can swing by your house after the beatdown/grubathon at her house.
HUMPH!
Aiight, aiight, aiight...so it's not really a 2nd attempt. I just added those leaf plates on the ends. I'm about to go out and roam around a few spots. Yall got any ideas?
Most of yall have been reading this blog for a minute so you ALREADY know that the first draft of my tablescape is by far the last.
That said...here are pics of my first attempt.
My inspiration? My new place settings. They make me smile so basically...Thanksgiving is going to be built around them. I'm using a lot of stuff I already have but I needed to find some stuff to work with the vision I kinda have. I'm not 100% feeling this attempt and already have a few ideas that I know will take it to the next level.
Based on those plates I kinda wanted to stick with natural colors and greenery. Since it's Turkey Day I used the autumnal colors as much as possible and am trying to "ground" everything with white. The main color? Green. Different shades of green.
Whatcha think so far? Any ideas you'd incorporate?
Yall know the kid LURVES tablescaping! It seriously brings me JOY!
I haven't had as much time to plan it this year but I have a significant start in that I picked up plates I love already and want to use. Since the setting is so dark in color...I need to find some way to lighten up the base layer so I'll get started on that today.
Give me some suggestions as I decide what I'm going to wear out and about today. I'll be back...
Video from last year:
On Friday I was running a few last minute errands for movie making and for my Ms. Theone and Rachel's surprise visit. Rachel is full on vegan now and I wanted to get some of the different rice blends I can get at the Amish Market. I had exactly 15 minutes to get in and get out because I had a long list of things to do and at minute 13.5 I was headed out of there and got cold stopped in my tracks by the most stunning cala lilies I'd ever seen this early in the season and I simply had to have them.
At $3.50 a stem I knew I'd need some filler cuz the kid wasn't about to be 20 of them. So I asked for a bunch of hypercurium and noticed that some of them were completely young and green.
I asked for the green ones.
Two ladies were looking at my oddly. One was all official looking with a notepad because she was doing flower arrangements for an event. I know she wanted to say something but she didn't.
The first thing I did when I got home was take care of the flowers.
They made me happy. So simple and stunning. Different and unique.
I do what I want.
What do YOU think of them?
A.
OR...
B.
SIP: In reference to the above comment...there shall be NO squeezing of me. Ever. Ye who tries shall draw back a nub or limp away after being knee'd in the nether regions.
THAT.IS.ALL.
What are some of YOUR favorite color combinations?
It's no secret that I love holidays. Stepping it up a notch is my kinda thing and...dare I say...I EXCEL at it!
We got the gift giving out of the way early:
Then we rolled out to see "Valentine's Day" which was a big, fat *YAWN* to me with the most predictable of predictable plots for each story line. I TRULY could have done without leaving my home to see it.
I love doing dinner at home for Valentine's Day because we get better food and it's MUCH cheaper than a restaurant. Oh...and we don't have to pay for parking! LOL!
It's that time of year again folks! Enter to win so you can invite us over! LOL! HGTV Dream Home
Dear photography people: Please give me tips on the settings for a good picture of the tree with the lights on. Thank you in advance. :)
All day yesterday I tried to find my Christmas spirit. I went shopping with a smile on my face and ran a few errands. I was in WalMart...my 5th store, when it happened. A heffa rolled up on me and got sliced into bits. I'm not the one. Seriously.
Well...I finally figured out what I felt was missing. The color black. Black is such a lovely grounding color that can tie everything down pretty solid and I knew I wanted something patterned for the tablecloth. This tablecloth is from the Badgley Mischka line. Found it at HomeGoods for $14.99. GO ME!
So I have to decide on something major. I need to figure out which of the three place settings I'm going to use and which napkins. I like the black, of course, but I totally like the rust color one too.
Let me know in the comments which of each do you like the most pretty please with sugar on top! (This kinda stuff makes me soooooooooooooooo happy! LOL!)
Okay...so I changed some stuff up. Look at it and tell me what you think. I scattered some diamoniques on the beveled mirror runner and, as always...I can't decide on place settings. I always try and incorporate something new by way of salad plate but I always end up using our china it seems and I'm trying to change that up.
Oh...and I added a tablecloth and decided against the 4 candle candelabra.
I think.
I'm still playing with it. Haven't even decided on the napkin color or if I'm going to use a napkin ring.
Yall know I love Thanksgiving right? RIGHT!
Tomorrow I'm cleaning out the pantry and the fridge. We're eating all the food out the freezer and fridge so I have room for my food shopping. I've already bought all of the stuff that is hard to find and am picking up the rest on Monday. Picking up the organic turkey on Wednesday and putting it straight in the brine Wednesday night.
It's causing me problems. I can't wrap my brain around it right now..but I'm not feeling it thus far.
This is the first layer because these are the things that are going to build the color scheme of the table. The full table will be built with all the place settings, linens, etc.
I'll go out again tomorrow before Oprah to see if I may find the something I'm missing.
Whatchu think?
...with this fun table confetti that looks like round diamoniques?
What do YOU think?
So...carving and painting pumpkins is a messy job indeed. Because of...I put a big, black, plastic paint tarp down stretched across some parking spaces. Then...I put those vinyl tablecloths you get at the dollar store on top of all of those tables and tied them down with balloons from the dollar store too.
This way...all you have to do is roll em up completely and put everything in the garbage can for a quick cleanup cuz TRUST...this is MESSY!
Each table had a pack of baby wipes and a roll of paper towels as well as tins with paintbrushes in them. I got the tins from the $1 bins at Target and there were 25 paintbrushes in a pack for $4.99 at Michael's.
The big kid's table had the carving tools in a plastic bowl in the center. (Notice all this plastic and vinyl right? RIGHT. T-Monnie KNOWS KIDS.)
All of the snacks were inside and I basically played server to make sure the kids had some outside with them. The party was just PERFECT. It wasn't crazy, over the top and exactly what kids who want to have a messy fun time wanted.
LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT!
The kids had a blast. I had a blast and the parents had a blast! Afterwards we all cleaned up together and everyone was long gone and my home clean by 7:30pm. My kinda party! Oh...and there was face painting!!!!!
I believe we should know who our neighbors are. Some of my neighbors have lived here over 7 years and never even KNEW a lot of the people they met today. It was just LOVELY and I was really glad that I was able to make that connection for them. The funny thing was they all knew me. ROFL! "Oh yeah...we know Monica!" Why? Because Monica makes it a POINT to get to know who her neighbors are. Grownups, children...et al. Ain't nuttin wrong with knowing who you live next to and to consider them "friend."
I promise!
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