Entryway Updates!

Hello All! It's been a while since I've posted, I've been super busy with my new job and trying to get some things done at the house! I finally have a couple of updates I can show, starting with my entryway.

I finally put up my  "hello" vinyl decal that I bought before we even moved in!

Isn't it just adorable!!! I got it from this Etsy shop, but I don't see if for sale anymore! There are plenty others available on Etsy though. I just liked this one in particular because it had the little heart, which I thought was a cute touch.

I also got a new door mat to replace the lovely carpet remnant we had prior, 

and put out my owl sculpture my sister got me for Christmas.

I  feel like the mat is too small, though. It's a standard size, but it just looks shrimpy to me. I saw some larger ones at Target, so it may be getting replaced soon.

My "To-Do" list for out here now consists of changing out the light fixture:

Womp womp... not very impressive!

And getting some furniture for out here. I really, really want some rocking chairs, maybe in a fun, bright color like red or teal, with a small table for drinks and snacks!

On to the inside!

I haven't really made much progress here, except for my new rug. I found this 4x6 rug at Aldi (a discount grocery store) for $20! Who would have guessed? I really helps me visualize where I want to go from here.

My "To-Do" list for here is much longer! I need to replace the light fixture with my thrifted chandelier(once I decide on a color!), and paint the walls.

I also am keeping my eyes peeled for a entryway table at a good price. I think I'm wanting to get something and paint it dark teal, a couple shades darker than my kitchen. I will spare you the picture of the coat closet, which also is in need of some organizing.

What lies beneath...

And yes, that is an extremely aesthetic over the door hat hanger. Which has been the extent of my closet organizing thus far, and I hate it.

I've done a few other small updates, but of course nothing is completed yet. I've been sick all week, and so some of the things I had planned to accomplish are on the back burner for now. But I will have more coming up! 

Thrifting Adventures!

I hadn't been out thrifting in a few weeks, so I hit up a couple of stores over the weekend.

Let's start with what I didn't buy.

I absolutely loved this love seat. It was pretty dirty, and total the wrong color, but I love it. I've thought about it several times and may very well go back this weekend to look at it... maybe it could work in my future sewing room?

On sale... maybe still there next week??

I also saw this really nice wing back chair, however it was the wrong color, and there was only one. I'm really trying to find a matching pair for my living room.

What I DID buy:

This awesome knit striped pencil skirt. It fits perfectly and I am really loving skirts right now in this summer heat!

$2.99!!

This awesome nine west purse. It's in brand new condition! It looks more red in the photos, but it's really a deep coral.

And then, something that is really impractical right now but I really needed this past winter, a "real" winter coat!

This past winter was pretty cold (for florida) and all I had to wear was hoodies! This coat is adorable and fit great. Now I just have to wait like 6 months to wear it.... but I'm prepared! 

Living Room Updates- We Have a Couch!

We finally have a couch! We've been living here for 2 months now, and all we had to sit on were some random chairs and our bed! I fell in love with couch as soon as I saw it, and looked around for a while, but I couldn't find anything else that was exactly what I wanted and in my budget. So I bit the bullet!

This is from the Sofia Vergara collection at Rooms to Go. The price was very reasonable, and the it seems very well made. However I will say, that the delivery customer service left something to be desired. Long story short, they were supposed to call one hour ahead so my mom could come let them in(I was working), and they failed to do that. So it was a bit frustrating having to call them to come back and they were rather rude to me. BUT none of that matters now, because I have my awesome couch!

Time for picture overload!

Nailhead Trim along bottom

Super cute tufting!

The chevron pillows came with the couch, and I actually had my choice of about 40 different styles to receive! The center pillow was a $3 goodwill find.

Now, I just need to work on this bare wall. I'm picturing bookshelves on each sides of the TV, and maybe some art above the TV? Not to mention working on that paint swatch wall. One thing at a time!

Review: Pasta Zero Noodles

I saw these noodles at Walmart, and I was intrigued because they were packed in a bag of water, in the produce section. The package claimed they were  "all natural" with 15 calories per servings and only 4 carbs.

I check the back, and the ingredients seemed harmless, so I grabbed a couple packs.

I like chickpeas, so these should be good...right??

I followed the directions and gave them a good rinse, and I felt good about it because they did feel like real noodles!

Next the directions said to saute them in a pan until they were dry, then simmer with the sauce for a few minutes. So I did just that.

Still looking like real noodles...

Then I added my homemade alfredo sauce, let them simmer as directed, and gave them a try.

 After the first bite, I tried to remain optimistic about them. "They aren't that bad. I mean, for 4g carbs what do you expect?". After the 2nd bite I conceded that they were, in fact, disgusting and I couldn't eat any more. They don't really have any flavor, but the texture is what got me. They are very, very rubbery, and you have to chew them quite a bit, and after a while they begin to feel like worms. David ate a little more than I did, but he agreed they were not good at all. Total and complete fail. So, I learned my lesson, and next time I want Alfredo pasta I will just have to do some extra laps on the treadmill and earn the real thing!

50 (Thousand) Shades of Gray!

So I've FINALLY picked the main living area paint color. In the true spirit of DIY, I couldn't find what I wanted... So I made it myself!

I know I said back in this post that I had chosen Behr's Aqua Breeze, but the more and more I looked at it, the more I decided it wasn't what I wanted. Thinking about the accent colors I wanted in the room, and the fact that I really wanted the bold kitchen color to stand out, I decided I wanted something more neutral.

Right - Behr's "Aqua Breeze"

So I started pouring over dozens and dozens of paint swatches and bought nearly 2 dozen sample pots!!!

I wasn't kidding!

To be honest, I think at this point I'd lost track of which colors are which. I just knew none of the would work. The closest one that I like was Behr's "Pensive Sky" (2nd to the last on the bottom row), but it was a bit darker than what I wanted. So I tried the next one up, "Snow Leopard", which is the top left, but it came out weirdly blueish purple, and way too light.

Bottom Left "Snow Leopard", Right "Pensive Sky"

So I threw up my hands, and said "I give up!" and just decided to go with Pensive Sky, even though it was too dark. But I didn't love it. I can't bring myself to spend $150 on a 5 gallon bucket of paint that I don't love. And I wasn't spending another penny on samples! So what's a girl to do?

Get Mixin'!

I decided to try and mix up a custom color. I picked the two darker grays I liked the best.

Left, Glidden "Smooth Stone", middle Behr's  "Pensive Sky"

Smooth Stone was just a bit too brown, and Pensive Sky was a true gray, but in certain lighting looked a little blue. I mixed equal parts of those two. Then, I mixed two more samples, one with 1 part Behr's "Full Moon" (a very very light, almost white, gray) to 2 parts Smooth Stone and Pensive Sky, and one with equal parts of all three paints.

Here's what I got:

I didn't paint them in order(because that would have made too much sense!), but the middle one is the equal parts of the darker colors, the right is the one with 1 part of the light color, and the left is with equal parts of all three colors. I ended up liking the left color, the lightest one, the best! It's exactly what I had in my mind, but couldn't find in store.

Top color

Perfect light gray!

It's a touch lighter than what is coming across in the photos. I call it "Smooth Pensive Moon". I don't think Behr will be hiring me as a paint namer any time soon.

Next step, I am going to take in my custom mix, and have them paint match it, first to a sample to make sure it comes out how I want, then next stop 5 gallons and no more polka dot paint sample walls!

Thrifting Saturdays!

I spent the better part of this Saturday out thrifting with my mom. I wasn't really looking for anything specific, but I still managed to find some good deals. Here's my haul:

I got this awesome, summery dress:

And this really cool beaded sheer shirt.

I made a boo-boo with this one though. I thought that I should just hand wash it, but the label said it was ok, so I threw it in the washing machine, and this happened:

:( sad face

I may try to resew on the lost beads, because it's only that one small section that came off. I don't know if I really have the patience for that, but I really really liked it and I can't really wear it as is.

I also scored this sweet Jessica Simpson wristlet, practically in new condition:

The tag was marked "2 pieces $12.99" but I looked and looked and could not find the other piece. When I asked, the manage said someone had stolen the matching bag. I didn't really care, I just wanted the wristlet. So he said $1.99!!! AND it was 50% off day, so I paid a whopping $1 for it!


I also saw this vase, which I'm labeling "Angry Owl". He did NOT come home with me.

Why so angry?

But this awesome blingy chandelier did!

I paid $20 for all it's brass and crystal glory, and I absolutely love it! This baby is getting spray painted and hung in my entry, as soon as I finish the 5,000 other projects I need to do.

So sparkly!

I also really was attracted to this light as well, but I just couldn't picture it anywhere in my house, so he'll have to get adopted another day.

Sorry, awesome wood chandy!

And lastly, I got these awesome brand new pillows for $2.99 each.

I've been wanting to pull some green into the living room, and these do it perfectly. They also perfectly match my home goods ottoman! I bought him just a few weeks ago.

I'd been wanting one of these for a long time, but I just couldn't justify the $400-$600 price I had been seeing.... I was super excited when I saw the $179 price tag on this one, and I snatched it right up!

I'll take some better photos of it once I get the living room better put together. So far, the only furniture we have in there is this ottoman and the Tv and stand. But hopefully for not much longer!!

When Waiting Pays Off

I've been eyeing this rug on Target for a few week now. It's a beautiful sunny yellow indoor/outdoor rug. When I saw that in store they carry a smaller size, 3x5, I knew it would be perfect for my kitchen.

Threshold Yellow Indoor-Outdoor Rug

The price for the smaller size was $29.99. which is a reasonable price, but I've really been trying to hold back on my spending. Since we just bought a house funds are lower than normal, plus we don't have much in the way of furnishings right now, and there is a lot we need. So, I did what I usually do when I really want something and don't want to buy it yet - I stalked it!

Then one evening I strolled by that area, and happened to see one out of the package. I thought this would be a great time to see what it looks like on the ground, so I unrolled it out on the floor, and that's when I saw this glorious sticker:

Score!

That's right, $8.98 lower, just because someone opened the package! Possibly it was purchased and returned, but it looked flawless so I snatched it right up! Combined with my 5% off for using my Target debit card(Best thing ever!) I scored it for right under $20!

Now, decor wise, all I have left in the kitchen is to sew my curtains, finish painting, arrange my milk glass and maybe a few finishing touches!