Tag Archives: white

05.28.13

DIY Kate Spade kicks....

Posted by Christina // 13 Replies

I have been oogling the Kate Spade Keds for quite some time now.

There is one problem….I am cheap. If I pay a pretty penny for shoes that cute then they are going on a shelf, not on my feet. So I did what any cheap girl lusting after shoes does, I got another credit card.

Just kidding, I made my own. In my favorite colors. I stayed on the lookout for a cute (and cheap) pair of white shoes. Finally found a pair at Old Navy that were calling my name, in show tunes form. How can I resist that? Then I came home and got out Pantone’s color of the year paint, you may remember some handsome pots that got a makeover with the same paint. The hardest part was finding something to make the polka dots with. I ended up using a set of foam ear plugs that Tim keeps around so he can ignore my snoring. What as if I actually snore, c’mon.

After about twenty minutes of dotting, I busted out the gold paint pen and glitzed up the toes. Say ello to my new favorite shoes. I think they are fun and funky and perfect for all our summer shenanigans.

Even Asti approves. Have you ever made your own shoes? When I was in eigth grade I took sharpies to a white backless pair, they were my favorite shoes for at least two months.

05.09.13

Instant curb appeal with matching blinds....

Posted by Christina // 6 Replies

Please tell me I am not the only person who drives through their neighborhood and stares at all the houses. When I go out walking I tend to peep into windows just a tad too long. Please don’t call the five-ohs (hi mom- that’s slang for cops) I fully admit to being a creeper but I mean no harm.

I oogle pretty doors, and swoon over landscaping. Most of the time I see a house I love and I can’t quite put my finger on what I love about it. Those are always my favorite, because it is all in the details.

The perfectly level green grass, the landscaping rocks that surround brand new mulch, the pretty porch light that matches the house numbers that match the screen door.

One thing I have begun to notice is crazy mismatched curtains. You never notice the homes with nice clean matching curtains, but you better believe those red bedroom curtains will always catch your eye. Especially when mixed with the bamboo curtains in the living room and the white sheers in the bathroom. A crazy mumbo jumbo of window treatments. Get that under control number 4256.

After a few hundred nights of pulling in and seeing our blinds all torn up from a psychotic dog that has figured out how to ~~destroy~~ manipulate the blinds into perfect guard dog positioning, I decided that consistent window treatments needed to move to the top of our project list. The next time we hit up the hardware store we beelined for the roman shades and commenced the “great shade debate”.

He wanted Roman, I wanted Bright and Light. After quite a few arm curls with all the choices we landed on a white bamboo roman shade. The perfect compromise. It may not appear to be a major change to our neighbors, but this is the definition of an upgrade at this house. It is little things like these that pull your house together. Now I pull in the driveway and smile, until I see my dying ferns. Greenery hates me.

Any tips for reviving ferns?
Do your blinds match?
How do you up the curb appeal at your house?

02.26.13

Is it March yet...

Posted by Christina // 20 Replies

I try really hard not to wish my life away…but what is the hold up on March?

March is one of my favorite months. Tulips start blooming, birds start singing and there is this one little holiday. My favorite holiday. Yes I was totally the girl who would pinch everyone for not wearing green. Sorry for annoying you back in the day friends, but I hope you learned your lesson.

Did you know my last name is Bailey, like the Irish Creme. That was my tagline in college so people could remember me when they Facebook stalked later.
Oh St. Pattys, I am waiting patiently.

Until then, I will just make lots of pretty green things. I want to see green and gold in every corner of my home this time of year.

This was an inexpensive and fairly easy DIY.
The best part is the endless color combinations…I am thinking I need a yarn wreath in every color. Ohhhh now I am seeing a whole wall of colorful wreaths.

If only I had the patience. I went to Hobby Lobby the other day to catch a sale on yarn and fabric. I also had a 40% off coupon so the whole project cost under $10. Have you looked at wreaths online lately? They are not cheap people.

I will give you advance warning, make sure you have a good movie queued up when you start. Wrapping the yarn took me about an hour and a half, so thankfully I got all caught up on the Gypsy Sister drama. Holler.

Can you guess what I used for the white fabric? They are some tee shirts that T was about to throw out. Score!

If you don’t already have a fabric flower tutorial pinned, make sure you check out Katie Bower’s of Bower Power Blog. It is the best I have seen, and there is a video. You’ll be a flower making professional in no time.

Are you overly excited to go green?
Will you be drinking green beer?
Any parades in your future?

Did you know Rolla, Missouri has one of the biggest Pats celebrations?

01.30.13

A whole new nook....

Posted by Christina // 17 Replies

So not too long ago, we decided to put some parallel lines in our life.

Since we spiced up our livingroom I have laid on the couch dreaming of more stripes….stripes everywhere.

I finally convinced T that our wall of stripes needed a little sister.

Enter nooky-foyer stage right. I know what you’re thinking…a whole lot of boring.

You know what fixes boring.
Stripes.

But did you notice who was busy in that foyer? What a little overachiever. Time to bust out my dust rag.

So after a little striping action thanks to my boyfran-man, we were left with a whole new nook. A not-so-boring nook.

Enter freshity fresh new nook rising from the rafters or something. I once again have to apologize for Winter…she is doing nothing for my lighting in photos so say hello to shadows and glares. Oh and those mismatched knobs that are still stealing the show….well they are on their way out too.

One of my goals for 2013 is to take a photo-styling course. I promise I will get better at this friends, I promise. Pinky.

Are you as down with stripes as I am? I am now thinking our bedroom needs some vertical action. Stripes are going to be taking over in these parts.

10.22.12

Just put some parallel lines on it...

Posted by Christina // 14 Replies

We ranted and raved in this post about our new laser level.

Knowing we could have perfectly straight lines kind of blew our minds. I found myself laying in bed thinking of things that needed straight lines in our house.

The only idea Tim wouldn’t veto was my oh so subtle living room stripes.
Sorry the pictures are terrible, it was a night project.
I don’t have an official “after” picture yet because we are saving it for our “home tour” reveal.

After playing with my iPhone’s panorama function I did capture this beaut.
If you look closely, you can find a little rat dog hiding.
10 points for the first to find her.

08.28.12

Introducing my lovely new assistant....

Posted by Christina // 6 Replies

While I was visiting my sister last weekend I decided that I “needed” a new toy.

I rationalized this purchase with the fact that TODAY is Homemade Ocean’s one month anniversary.

We will be celebrating tomorrow….be there or be ~~square~~ sad that you missed it.

I have named my new toy Sven the hot Sweed and recently discussed his nakedness with him.

Me: Look Sven…I know you are all hot and everything, but you really need to show some modesty. Cover it up for the kids…because they could get you sticky with their Cheeto fingers. Mama don’t need all that mess.
Sven: Ohhkay….vut cahn I vee sooper sexie?
Me: Who are you trying to impress….I mean c’mon Sven live in my pj’s.
Sven: I joost veel like veing hawt you veel me.
Me: Can I be your stylist?
Sven: Vut ov course.
Me: Settled.

Okay, so Sven the Sweed may have grown up in France or Russia or some far-away-accent place. But there was only one thing to do.

Window shop.

These are all of the cases Sven and I are considering. What…you didn’t realize Sven was a hot Swedish lady?

– We have to stick to our roots here and throw in a nautical case. I just adore this sweet tribute to the vintage Sailor style.

– This is strange, but the snap top case reminds me of my gramma’s cigarette case. Nostalgia gets me every time. Plus, Kelly green and Navy blue are basically my favorite.

– I’m feeling the whole watercolor trend, and I have never gotten over my love of dandelions. So the blue and green case is like a prettier version of my childhood.

– Another nautical theme, but this one you can customize with your monogram or name. A high contender for our Stylish Sven shopping trip. We also found backgrounds that looked like corals, chevron, ikat, and stripes….basically if you can dream it then you can find it here.

– A sweet and feminine fabric with an unexpected design. You had me at feminine, I also love that it’s an old fashioned typewriter image on brand spanking new technology. Oh the irony.

– Hello funky lady. I wish I was bold enough to pull of this bright yellow, big bow number. A girl can dream.

– Lace and leather, is there anything hotter? Didn’t think so. I would feel like a dainty dollop of awesome carrying that case around. Is that an oxymoron? Well I don’t care, that is how I would feel.

– My little piece of sunshine. How could you not be happy when you are holding bright orange polkas and fun teal ruffles. Sven likey.

Sven needs your help…..Which is your favorite?