Master Bedroom [ in progress]

Have I ever showed you photos of our master bedroom?  I think not.  I came across the great idea over a year ago to for go the traditional boring headboard and opt for something a bit more eclectic.  When I initially introduced the door headboard to the husband, he looked at me like I was smoking something.  Maybe I was, but thats beside the point. Cut to two days later, he is hauling an old beat up door down our block and into our driveway.  The lead paint chips were a dead giveaway that this baby was a keeper.  When we moved into our home, our old neighbors brought the door over and the husband got to work sanding away all the layers (about 5) of paint from years of use.  He finally got down to almost bare wood on one side, but we decided that we liked the aged/ multi colored look of the backside better.  So he used a crackled white primer over the top of all the paint colors and voila! it was time to hang this bad boy up.  Low and behold...our bed headboard.  We havent done anything else to the master yet, with exception to removing the redonkulous fluorescent light fixtures from the ceiling and hanging a more girlie chandelier (that will probably be replaced by the time you read this because I am semi over it). 

As I was scowering (is that even a word?) through the blog world today I came across some other lovely little photos

 Look at all those stairs and cool hiding places!

 Not sure who Otto is but he has a dope room that is totally hippie!

Love the hanging lamp...very similar to the IKEA version hanging in our NEW KITCHEN!!!  Buh-dum bum cha!  Thats right, we have a whole spanking new kitchen.  Will post pics shortly, once the husband cleans up all his crap. Happy weekend to everyone!

Finishing the Dining Room...maybe

Recently I have been having major anxiety over rooms in our house not being "done" yet.  Its not so much that I care what other people think, its more that I am getting really sick of seeing the same crap in the same corner of each room for months on end.  I understand that when you buy a house, its a bit of a process.  But I dont know how much longer this laid back minimalist can stand the heaping piles of things I dont even like laying around my house.

This brings me to the dining room.  The husband made a huge farmhouse table this summer and I purchased some knock off Eames chairs to blend in along with the ones we already had.  We hung photos on the walls and stacked the sideboard with every casserole dish this side of the Mississippi (i just had to sing that in my head to spell it right).  When Thanksgiving came along and wahcked us in the face, we had to move everything around to fit our guests and now everything is just sitting there, saying a big "F you" to me.  Its like the furniture is taunting me every time I walk thru to the kitchen.  We have discussed it, and we (see: I) have decided that a bar cart would be a good addition to this room, and would fit like OJ Simpson's glove under the side window.  So now, I am on the hunt.  The sad thing is, I have come across at least 5 bar carts on craigslist and in vintage stores that wouldve been perfect, but they have gone on to live in other people's homes.  Our booze bottles are starting to overflow the liquor cabinet and wine has been sent down to the basement for the winter...theres just no room!  Here are a few favorites I have found while working from home today...

 A cute little guy from Urban Outfitters.  Basic, clean lined and just screaming for me to spray paint it some ungodly color

 This beauty would fit rather nicely in my backyard, right next to my nonexistent pool

 Every girl needs a little lucite in their life.  Lucite and vodka

 Straight out of the civil war era we have this industrial and heavy looking cart.  

 Totally Mad Men-esque.  I cant decide if the gold is gaudy or just perfect. I think I would hate this after 5 days.

 Currently my favorite.  Whats wrong with Army surplus and a free side dish of lead paint? If anyone can find me something similar, Ill give you your first cocktail for free- pinky swear

More lucite- found on Etsy. The seller just happens to live 20 minutes from me and although there is some major spidering going on here inside the lucite, I love it anyway.  The husband will hate it though, so Im sad to say the idea of this baby is like a fish out of water...dead.

Holler.  I like you, and I know you will like me, especially since we will be interacting on a daily basis.  When I scrape together the $2599 it takes to bring you home we will live happily ever after

Year in Review

2010 was a  big year for the husband and I.  We purchased our first home, renovated our 1950's era kitchen completely,  took an amazing 3 week trip backpacking through Europe, attended weddings of close friends in MA and actually got to relax and enjoy ourselves for once down here in NJ.  We also built a dining table, put down floor tiles, painted every wall in our house, purchased all new shiny appliances, and hardwired our first light fixtures.  I am so excited for what 2011 will bring- besides the fact that this year is the big 30 for me.  Totally depressing I know, but I figure I still have 11 months to enjoy my 20s and plan on living it up- bigtime.


We spent the holidays up in NH visiting my family this year- where the green and brown grass turned to white after they got their first big snowstorm.  We went sledding (even Barkley made it in on the fun), ate and drank way too much, and had many laughs just sitting around the wood stove playing games.  Now we are on a strict work out regimen, aimed at getting us into hot shape for our vacation at the end of February to Jamaica (woot woot!)

The husband got me a sick camera for Christmas, with hopes that one day I will be able to support out family exploring the world of adult cinema.  Okay that was a joke. kind of.  Anyways, see the baby in all her beauty below:

I also scored some great design books, a mid century bowl and owl from my brother, gift cards and jewelry- and I managed to collect two deer antlers from a friend of my father.  These have found homes in the living room and guest bedroom, until I decide to move them again.  I am in love with them because they are exactly what I wanted them to be...and that is free.

Here's to wishing everyone an exciting 2011, filled with happiness and health!

High Ceilings vs Pitched roofs

These are all just making me wish our home had a pitched roof in the master bedroom...

and a door to the outside world, and a ladder, and white floors and an amazing light fixture hanging from high in the beams.

Patrick Johansson

 well this first photo is NOT Patrick Johansson but I liked it so deal...

 That copper light over the table

 That impeccable two tone floor

 these dope hippie pillows and fat chunk of a table

 those bowls. that door straight ahead.  The old leather chair that looks so comfy

 this bright blue piece that looks as it were snatched from an old post office.  Reminiscent of my blue piece in our living room, that was snatched off craigslist

These chairs...sigh.  One day lovers, one day...

Too fat to fish?

One of my all time favorite comedians, the great Artie Lang, most known for his amazing work in the epic classic "Beerfest", wrote a book and titled it "too fat to fish"- after his father told him exactly that when he was younger. No- this isnt a random rambling, its actually the exact thing that came to mind today as i nearly lost a limb due to a too tight dress in H&M on 5th ave in New York.  I had an early morning meeting and a late afternoon meeting today, so during the hours in between I decided to hit up H&M and see if they had anything cute (see: cheap) for me to rock on New Years Eve.  I took my arm full of size 4 and size 6 clothing upstairs to the dressing room and proceeded to try on the # 1 score of the day, a long sleeved sequins sheath dress that would look amazing with some gray tights and black booties.  Cut to 3 minutes later- dress is stuck over my head, one arm lodged in the zipper, and I am trying to remember if there is anything sharp enough inside my bag to cut this ridiculously small dress off my apparently large body.  What the hell is with H&M teasing people with cute dresses in fake sizes? After i took a deep breath, pulled with all my might and freed myself from the dress (which towards the end began to choke me), I decided on a classy pair of sweatpants and a baggy tank top, that will work really well in the below frigid temps of NH where I will be staying for the next week.  Too fat to fish, more like to smart to try on a size 4 in that store again.  Im sure it didnt help that I had two full course dinners on Saturday night- but whose business is that really?

Louboutin...

not only the name of the shoes i will be purchasing in 2011, but also the god-daughter of the infamous shoe maker looking gorgeous in Vogue China's January issue

Christmastized

Our house is officially Christmas-tized, as my mother likes to call it.  It sucks living far away and decorating when in reality, the only people who see the decorations are the two awesome people who live here.  But I will continue the tradition every year of whining on December 1st that I want a tree and watching from inside my warm house while the husband puts up the lights up in the freezing cold. I will take some more snaps later when I find my camera charger but for now, here is a little photo of our entryway (tree and skull are actually in the living room, which is to the right when you walk in). I love my silver branches (purchased from Michaels for $2). Photo is taken from my blackberry so its a bit blurry and the colors on the walls look all out of whack ugh.  They are actually gray here.  Anyways, i will try to take some later with the lights on. 

NYE Ramblings

Every year I try my hardest to make plans with friends ahead of time and every year it comes down to Dec 23rd and everyone racing around trying to figure out where to go and who to invite and what to wear.  I started in on the husband early this year and made him reach out to his buddies, since we will be up in Boston for the big 2011 ball drop.  I have also been keeping my eyes out for something glittery and glitzy to wear out, and whether we are going to a sports bar or a fancy dinner, I believe that NYE is a night to shine.  Below are some options I have stumbled across that are contenders...but I still am searching for the "it" dress. 

Christine

Ill take me some of everything Christine Centenerra is wearing right here..right down to the sandals and zip legged leather pants.