Friday Favorites / 10

I finished 99.9% of Project #2 before the soiree last night (thanks to all that came!). 4 out of the 5 items were completely finished. The gallery wall was lacking a bit. I posted an instagram photo of what was accomplished before the deadline.

I still need to fill a few frames and a few spaces.

When I shared with you guys that I know my personality and I know that I would get more done if I set myself a deadline and let you guys hold me accountable, I forgot to mention that I am a full blown procrastinator. I always end up getting things done and meeting deadlines but it always comes down to the last minute. AKA… my hanging the gallery wall yesterday during lunch. I should have known that this part of my personality would result in less blogging. I should have planned accordingly and started this particular project earlier. Again, another lesson learned. I have plenty of progress photos though, so I will be sharing them with you and the diy instructions next week. Thanks for sticking with me as I find my blogging flow.

Down to business… I still wanted to share with you guys some things I came across this week.. Without further ado.. Friday Favorites!

1. Colossal Gold Wishbone from Anthropologie
2. Tackety Pitcher, Round from BHLDN
3. Open Bloom Top from Anthropologie
4. Goodly Whale Bottle Opener from BHLDN
5. Vintage Blue and White Ceramic Ginger Jar from EstateEclectic on Etsy
6. Christmas Knit Pattern Wrapping Paper from NormansPrintery on Etsy
7. Milk Glass Vase Collection: Beeswax Candles from freshpastrystand on Etsy
8. Womens Ambrogia from UGG Australia
9. postcard wood- one deer card from formesberlin on Etsy

Hope you all have a great weekend. Anyone doing anything special?

Project #2: Not Complete

Project #2 was not completed last night. I had a deadline at work which caused me to work late a few days which translated to less time to finish my project. I hope to finish at lunch and before the gathering. It won’t be the end of the world if it doesn’t get done though, I set this deadline for myself.

I’m on the road currently for work, so this is a rushed iPhone post. I promise to share more details about project #2 once everything is finished.

Progress photos as of when I hit the hay last night:

Project #2: Raleigh Print

If you haven’t been reading in a few days and need refresher course on Project #2, read this post.

Last night I wasn’t able to finish my pom pom trimmed curtains as planned so I’ll be updating you on those tomorrow, sorry for the delay.

I wasn’t able to finish them because I had to package and ship some Etsy orders. We’ve sold 4 items in the past two days. Definitely a good reason to not sew curtains!

Here are the recently sold items:

  

  

Make sure to check out The Union Jill. Our store is running a little low on items right now, but we have plenty we will be posting soon, so check back.

Teaser, including a few items yet to be posted..

Back to project related news… The Raleigh print came in and it has already been hung…

I bought a shadow type frame, so the print appears to  be floating (from AC Moore). You can see it a little better in this shot…

You can pick up your own print from amycnelson on Etsy. She has plenty of other cities available too.

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have the big pom pom curtain reveal. I’m going to try my hardest.

Project #2: Who knew lamps were so expensive?

I hope that everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving. I discovered that the majority of blogs posted on Thanksgiving, so my post fit right in. I didn’t have a ‘Friday Favorites’ last week because I was too busy eating and catching up with the family. I hope that you and yours were able to enjoy the same.

I took a vacation last week from Thursday-5pm on Sunday from project #2. But come 5pm last night I was cranking out some pom pom trim. Those pom poms are squirmy buggers and ended up taking longer than planned. So today we won’t be chatting about them because I didn’t finish.. tear..  Here is a teaser..

Definitely well worth the time commitment. I’ll be sharing more DIY details when I finish (so hopefully tomorrow).

On to the most important announcement.. LAMPS ARE EXPENSIVE!

I started shopping for lamp shades for my free lamp. I quickly determined that finding a shade that matched the lamp and matched my decor was going to be close to impossible. I really liked the Victorian shape. I wanted to build one from scratch but decided I didn’t want to commit the time, so I went shopping for one. There were no white ones, there were no simple ones, and they all just looked like this craziness.. (Cream Scallop Dome Lamp Shade from Lamps Plus)

So, my mind quickly started to wander and indecision kicked in. I couldn’t decide on a shape and I couldn’t decide on a design. I thought plain white was going to be too boring but I already had too many patterns going on in the living room. All the shades I kind of liked were a little pricey too. Why spend a ton on a lamp shade for a lamp that didn’t fit just perfectly with the rest of the decor? Thus, I started shopping for entire lamps. I soon realized that lamps are expensive if you want a nice big one! You can check out all the awesome lamps I found on Etsy. Awesome and expensive! I wanted something different, a conversation piece, which all appear to come with a large price tag.

Not sure if you guys remember when I vowed to stalk the elephant lamp from West Elm. That statement and promise was definitely true. So eventually my website wandering lead me to Shirley.

She was 20% off and I had an addition 10% off coupon. She was something I knew I wanted, something decisive in a world of lamp indecision. My Etsy search had provided me with moral support, it taught me that most lamps are expensive and with the discounts Shirley was right in the average range.

So, here is what I’m working with now…

The plastic is still on the shade because I want to feel it out a few days and make sure it is all I built it up to be. I have 30 days to return it if I’m not completely satisfied. I’ll keep you posted.

Moral of the post today: Don’t buy something you aren’t completely happy with just to save a buck. I guess you could tack on that lamps are expensive.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m pretty new at this whole blogging thing… Do you blog on holidays? I guess I do…

Just thought I’d say Happy Thanksgiving!

…and share my new coffee table plants. New plants were not on my list for next Thursday but my luscious ivy wasn’t so luscious anymore so new plants were a last minute addition.

Luscious Ivy that died…

New plants!! All from Walmart for $10.

From the other direction, so you can see my awesome planters. Found these bad boys as a set for $4 on the way to the lake last weekend. LOVE!

Once my new coasters come in, my coffee table will be looking it’s best for the big soiree.

You guys have any amazing Thanksgiving plans? Trying a new recipe? Going somewhere awesome?

Project #2: More Updates

Brief  catch-me-up: I have 5 home decor things I’ve put on a list to finish by November 29th in order to get my house entertainment ready in my eyes. I also know myself well enough to know that I work better under pressure and complete more things when they are associated with a deadline. So, all 5 of these items have been on my to-do list for a while. Sharing them with you and giving myself a deadline just means they are actually going to get done. Refresher of the 5 things.

One of the items on the list were curtains for the living room. I shared inspiration that I found on Triangle Honeymoon.

I confirmed that my inspiration wasn’t crazy when I found these Anthropologie curtains and Martha Stewart curtains.

  

I decided that my plan of attack was to buy simple white curtains and add pom pom trim to them. That would be a little easier and less time consuming than making the curtains from scratch. Why white? Because all the patterns on the couch pillows include white.

I decided, like my inspiration, to buy curtains that slid over my curtain rod and weren’t too fancy at the top with grommets or ties, etc. I checked West Elm first (obvi) and determined that the Cotton Canvas Window Panel would be my best option. Simple, white, and in my price range.

But once again I ran into the “backorder” problem. They wouldn’t be available until December 28th. I checked at Pottery Barn and similar curtains were also on backorder. Really? Is this curtain buying season? I checked Target but their white simple curtains felt a little cheap to me. So once again I called the new West Elm in Durham to determined they had some in stock and then I made the trek. What made the deal even sweeter is that they were having a 10% off all full priced items in the store sale. So I picked up my curtains for $26 each.

Curtains… Check..

Pom Poms…

I checked a few local stores for pom pom trim that I liked but they didn’t have a huge selection, especially not in yellow, so I resorted to the internet. You can check out all of options I found on my pinterest and in my favorites on Etsy. All the options were a little too lemon yellow for my taste. There are a few pillows on the couches that are yellow, more of a corn golden yellow though. I finally found a pom pom that was more fitting…

Thanks frogfeathers. They don’t look perfect close up, but I think they will be just what I need when they arrive. The balls are only 1/2″ in diameter, so not nearly as big as they look in the picture above.

Pom Poms.. Check

I’ve hung the curtains, but they need a little ironing before they are ready for your eyes. I ordered the pom poms on Sunday so hopefully they come in time. Now I just need to figure out if I want tiebacks and what I want them to look like. I’ll keep you posted.

As a side note, I just spent the rest of my Etsy gift card. I bought these awesome coasters. Am I the only one that loves these?

Project #2: Something to Hang Over Secretary

Objective: Use my $50 Etsy gift card to find something to hang over the secretary in the dining room.

Recently I have fallen in love with the faux animal heads that people seem to be hanging everywhere. This was one trend that I was completely against at one point, but now completely love. It seems I’m not the only one with these sentiments, Cassandra from coco + kelley totally understands me.

I was bound and determined to find a place in my house to hang one of these characters. I thought over the secretary in the dining would be the perfect spot. I narrowed down my faux animal options to two (well 4 if you are picky and count the different sizes).

  

1. The Templeton from WhiteFauxTaxidermy which measures 21.75″ T x 24.5″ W x 7.75″ Deep

2. Bucky from CardboardSafari which comes in 3 sizes:

1. Large: 24″W x 33″H x 18″Deep
2. Medium: 12″W x 16″H x 9″Deep
3. Small: 6″W x 8″H x 5″Deep

This is where things started to get hairy. I wasn’t sure about what size to get and how it would look. So, to visualize I cut out pieces of newspaper to size and hung them on the wall. Lets start with the cardboard deer sizes…

  

The large deer is definitely too big. Especially when I looked at the fact that it is 18″ deep. My secretary is only 16.5″ deep. HUGE!

The medium deer is way to small. My dream deer would be in the middle! Why don’t they sell those?

  

Then I tried some combos. I was liking how they looked but then I realized that on the other side of the door opening is the gallery wall and the combos would be way too much!

Thus… cardboard deer were out of the question.. tears

Moving on to the resin deer…

This is a lot better size-wise but I still wasn’t sold for some reason.  The Templeton is $94.99 and that doesn’t include shipping. This price would be fine if I was 100% sold. I think what was holding me back is that I had fallen a little harder for the cardboard deer and I was bummed that none of the sizes were going to work out.

But I had to make a decision because we are in a time crunch to get ready for next Thursday. So what did I do?

I decided to buy something completely different…

I had been eyeing this print by amycnelson to go on the collage wall. I decided I’d buy it a little larger, 11″x14″, so that I could hang it over the secretary for now until I find the perfect faux animal or change my mind completely again later. I’m always going to have a passion for Raleigh, North Carolina and for the color red (WOLFPACK!), so this print will always fit into my home. Thanks J&J for providing the Etsy gift card to purchase it with. There are still $17 left to be spent later!

What do you guys think? Right decision for now?

Some New Additions

Did you notice all the awesome new pictures on my blog? If not, you are reading this in a reader and you need to go and check out the live site to see the #awesomeness. I have a new banner, a new author picture and tons of pictures on my About Mary Beth Page.

All of the pictures, including those in the banner are all courtesy of Stephanie Egan of Stephanie Egan Photography.

Another blog I read, that I haven’t mentioned yet, The Fortunate Plight, had a giveaway a while back and I was the lucky winner! I won a 2 hour photo shoot with Stephanie Egan. I decided to incorporate the two men in my life, Brian and Bauer. Stephanie was awesome, super sweet. She was really understanding when Bauer chose to jump all over her, give her kisses, and not listen to instructions.

Stephanie had our photos done in about two weeks. We got a sneak peek on facebook and her blog for our instant gratification which was awesome! I think they all turned out great, so check them out.

So, on to the banner. So that I don’t have to explain how I created the banner let my friend Steve and the behind the scene photo explain it all…

and here is the end result…

Awesome, right? Steve worked some major magic. You can check out more of Steve’s photos on his Flickr.

I’m making huge strides in the Project #2 department. I’ll start updating you tomorrow.

Friday Favorites / 9

Hope everyone had a great week. I’m stoked about getting started on Project #2 next week just in time for Thanksgiving!

Anyone have exciting plans this weekend?

Let’s get it started with a few of my favorites from this week…

1. Fall Wood Flowers from uncommon on Etsy
2. Leopard Necklace from J.Crew
3. Countrystripe Songbird Dress from Madewell
4. Ariel Gordon Love Knot Ring with Diamonds from Max&Chloe
5. Michael Kors Slim Double Wrap Watch from Shopbop
6. Classic Enamel Link Bracelet from J.Crew
7. Golden Porcelain Clouds by Stepanka on OpenSky
8. Tiny Bow Rope Ring from muyinmolly on Etsy
9. Heritage Leather Reinforced Mason Bag from West Elm Market
10. Foldable Hunter Boots discovered on A Cup Of Jo

Looks like jewelry was on the brain this week…

Entertainment Ready

I’m having some peeps over the Thursday after Thanksgiving and I need to get my house entertainment ready. The majority of the invitees have never seen my house, I don’t want to disappoint.

I moved into my current home at the beginning of June, that means by party time 6 months would have passed. To me, my home does not look like I’ve been decorating for 6 months, there is still plenty left to be done. To not overwhelm myself before the party I have create a short list of things I want to accomplish. Lets think of this as Project #2: Entertainment Ready. I’m sure if you came to my house right now your list would look completely different from mine, but here it is…

1. Find something to hang over the secretary in the dining room. I’m thinking a faux white resin animal (source) but I’m not completely certain. I’m open to suggestions. I’m hoping my Etsy gift card will come in handy here.

  

2. Start and complete a collage wall inspired by Young House Love on the wall in the dining room. My plan is to have it turn the corner, so  from door to door.

  

The next photo depicts the last three things on the list:

3. Curtains for the living room. Here is my inspiration (from Triangle Honeymoon):

4. Hang the ‘h’ up in the corner. I haven’t found the ‘m’ soul-mate yet, but I can always move it later if need be.

5. Replace that small simple lamp with the one I found at my Dad’s. The hard part is that I need to find the perfect lampshade. I’m eyeing something with this shape (source).

  

So there you have it, 5 things to do before November 29th. For those of you that stuck it out during Project #1 (thank you!) rest assured that Project #2 will go a lot faster due to my deadline. Tomorrow we’ll have ‘Friday Favorites’ per usual but Monday morning be ready to get some work done. Is everyone clear on the mission?