A Dress To Impress

Isn't this dress amazing?  

Lovers and Friends Kitty Cat Dress - Scarf (Red)

It also comes in this color:

Lovers and Friends Kitty Cat Dress (Teal)

WOW.  It looks like it should belong to an Egyptian goddess...Or someone exotic and regal.

So, I either threw out my back or severely strained it from bucketing out countless amounts of water from d̶i̶r̶t̶ mud holes and thus my ability to transmit witty and worthwhile content is but a dim flicker of light (I know I'm just full of excuses as of late = Boo on me).  But thinking about the dress is somehow making me feel better... I can't explain it, but I think I should buy it in order to full exorcise the pain... Do you agree?  Do you think it would work?  Or have I lost my damn mind?

(I think the situation might be better assessed tomorrow)

Goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere. 

Nurd Alurt

Two "quick" random tips before I begin:  

1. If you are of the fairer sex and are looking for construction wear, try little boys clothing (they even make Carhartt clothes in "young men's" sizes).  Just a little bargain hunter boasting:  I found two pairs of little boy's Carhartt work pants (different colors too so know one thinks I'm repeating outfits... God forbid!) at this epic thrift shop in town that has never steered me wrong, called "Savers," for (wait for it): $3.99.... If Carhartt is unfamiliar territory for you, I encourage you to look at some of their prices online.. Egregious deal score by me!

2. I HIGHLY discourage against anyone drinking a Diet Coke (or any caffeinated beverage, for that matter) 1-2 hrs before bed... That "substance" will keep you up for hours, yo!  I went to bed at 10:30 pm. (first "Nurd Alurt" offense) and did not fall asleep until 2:30 am.  Four hours of my life, wasted!

And there ya go, sage advice right thar! 

Now, getting back on track: This weekend I got my home decorating nerd on, if there is such a thing (doubtful) with my mamacita.  We spent the day painting some cabinet samples and a chest using none other than Annie Sloan paints (remember when I wrote about that infamous paint inventor woman, here?).  Unfortunately, because I was just SO IN THE ZONE, I spaced on taking "before" pictures.. Again... I really must get better at that with DIY projects... But hopefully my colorful description of the "before" will explain all you need to know.  And by "colorful" I mean, colored with my bias... 

The chest was this atrocious Southwestern style (might I say, "Breaking Bad-esque") , that had this pretty tragic Santa Fe style pattern on it with a blonde wood (gag) and a hammered metal heart shape thingamajig that held the latch down in order to close the chest.  No apologies if you're a fan of the Southwestern thing and don't share my sentiments because I should probably just mention now this blog will probably never cover that style (although never say never) but to date that is probably my least favorite interior design influence out there.  

Anyway, we managed to turn whatever you conjured up in your mind from that description, into this: 

We were trying to mimic this: 

Obviously there are some fundamental structural differences there but, for our first time out of the gate, I am not disappointed with the result.  And while you might be, as my father was, I urge you to hold your tongues, young ladies and gentlemen.... I simply need to commandeer myself a tassel of sorts (maybe a dark gray one) or some other kind of fancy hardware, and I think that will make a big difference.  Trust. 

We used the Annie Sloan Old English Yellow Chalk Paint and applied her Dark Wax, using Annie's "special" wax brush after the paint had dried.  We made sure to wipe the wax off immediately after "mashing" it into the wood.  Why, you might ask? Because the dark wax acts a bit like a stain and if left on the wood too long, it can become tacky and hard to remove.  

Now the kitchen cabinets.  I'm not quite sure how this is going to translate from actuality to online editorial content but by god, I'm gonna try!  These were the cabinets pre-paint (they have been in my parent's house for so long that I come to regard them with a serious disdain).   

Question to my readers, if you're listening:  "Do you think the rounded top cabinet panel design is outdated or does it just feel that way to me (and my mom) since we've lived with it for so long?"  

But on a more positive note, we arrived at a color/stain combination that we are over-the-moon about (because us go-getters going to be painting them ourselves)!  Annie S. mentions in her "color recipes" book, that you can mix Annie Sloan paint products with other paints (phew), so we experimented with a little of that action and were very pleased.  Here is the final verdict on our ideal cabinet finish:

It will go with these countertops:

This wall color: 

And these floors:

GET THE LOOK: We painted directly onto the finished wood, which the finish acted as a primer more or less, so we didn't prime first.  We started by painting Benjamin Moore Color #2108-40 onto the wood.  After the paint had dried, we then used Annie Sloan's Dark Wax, applied using her wax brush, and wiped it off immediately following the application.  About 30 min after we put the wax on and there was no longer any tackiness, we diluted a small amount of Annie Sloan's Graphite Chalk Paint with water (about 50/50 paint to water) and lightly washed it over the two other coats and then wiped the excess off after painting it.  Due to the water and the mixture being on top of the wax surface, parts of the paint did not absorb, which is what we wiped off.  

So, what do you guys think?  Did we do alright by you?  How much of an upgrade is that cabinet wash going to be?  

Friday Finds: Part Deux

So, we're going to do this Friday Finds thing again.  I'm not sure if you guys think they're a cop-out or you like them but it's been a long day of power outages and such so, this is what you're gittin' fer dinner!  I hope you like it!  

Clockwise from left to right:  Remy Olivier Think Kitchen Fries For Me Set | Green Caribou Throw
Exeter Sconce | Recycled Canvas Tent | Bueller Shades-Tortoise | Beige and Black Trench Coat | Emerald Antler Tusk Knob | Bungalow 5 Normandy Gold Table | Sky Blue and White Striped Backpack | Tarsus iPhone Case | Sam Edelman "Penny" Boot |  Lion's Head Brass Knocker 

I feel like there's a theme going on here but I can't quite put my finger on what it is... Camp?  The transition from summer to fall?  I don't know but frankly, that tipi is redic, huh?  

Ok that's all I got for today but there's no need for me to ramble at you if I don't have something worthy to say, right?  (See how I just turned that around right there?) 

XOXO you beautiful humans! 

Kitchit: Rub Elbows with Famous Chefs

As I sit here, virtually quarantined at the parents house due to Noah's Ark rollin in and flooding our only means out, I've been afforded the luxury/misfortune of ample time to internet SURF, brah.  While positive in many ways, I've now opened the flood gates (bahaha pun) to potential purchases, "someday" parties, trips, and the like.  Among this list of future wants, is my desire to host an epic dinner party at my pad.  Believe me, between Pinterest and the blogosphere I am bursting with beautiful ways to decorate a table.

Like this..

Or this..

These are just two among hundreds.. Gah! 

The only hold up would be my culinary prowess (or lack thereof).  But now, I have solved that dilemma too.  Enter: Kitchit.  Just the thing to really "turn up the heat" on the party appeal meter. 

Think Uber* meets pop-up dinner parties in a way that now enables you to bring the restaurant to your house and most importantly... IMPRESS!  I mean, what other motivation worth any merit is there to throw a dinner party? 

*For those of you not located in an "Uber city," Uber is a service that allows you to take a limo, town car, or Escalaaade (p.s. I have never gotten a limo) from off-duty drivers wanting to make some extra dolla dolla bills in their spare time, so they charge comparable cab prices.  And, they charge your card through your online account so you are struggling to come up with everyone's portion of the fare once you reach your destination...

... Speaking of impressive, here are just a few more dinner party set ups I had to show (after these I'll stop): 

I would have given an arm and a leg to go to this next dinner party thrown by one of my blogging idols, Mrs. Lilien, along with THE Town and Country Magazine.. And, I strongly encourage you to read all about this fabulous fete, here. 

But continuing on with the intended theme of this post, my analogy basically translates like this:  you want to throw a party/dinner party/cocktail party/event but you don't want to do any of the food shopping, prepping, cooking or clean up.  You go to the Kitchit site, look through the list of available chefs, view their menus, experience, ratings, availability, expertise, pricing and contact them.  You can either come up with a menu for them, tell them your "theme" and work on one together, or let them surprise you.  And the best part:  The prices are truly comparable to what you'd spend at a non-casual but not overly fancy restaurant if everyone split the bill and paid.  Which, you can also do through the Kitchit site!  In other words, you can have people pay beforehand, the "per head" price and can even build the payment functionality into the invitation, which you can ALSO send out through the site.  

They've really thought of everything!  The chef will arrive early (depending on how much time is needed to prep) at your house, or venue if you don't want to host the party at your house (Kitchit can also help with rental options for venues too), with all of the ingredients and will then get to work so that when your guests arrive, everything will be set up to your liking.  What's also pretty dope is that there are even famous chef's on the site who may just be able to squeeze you in while they're off-duty.  Umm... awesome! 

Here's a little video from their site if you're so inclined to watch: 

(If you watched that, were you waiting for her to make a joke that she never did?  I got that feeling after watching it... and I guess, just wanted to see if anyone could relate.. ? Anyone?)

One other thing that I'm pretty excited about is that they also do cooking classes.  How brag-worthy would it be to say you'd been taught by one of the best, in your own home!  A famous chef comes to your house and teaches you and your favorite peeps only, of course, how to cook...  Sign me up, please! 

Basically, you get to be VIP ALL DEY through Kitchit - No waiting for a table, trying to finagle a "res," dealing with snobby hostesses (I've been a restaurant hostess, so I can say that :), or an awkward bill encounter at the end (THE WORST!).  According to their website, they call this concept "bespoke dining."  I dig it.

Unfortunately, Kitchit is not in all areas yet :( but apparently they are continuously working on expanding to new cities.  I feel like getting the word out there to people outside of their scope will encourage growth to new cities, right?  That's sorta how The Facebook grew, wasn't it?   I joined the first year, holla!

But for reals guys, I think this new idea is pretty groovy and if you're lucky, you may just get invited to my next soiree using Kitchit!  And no, unfortunately for me, Kitchit did not pay me to write this post.

Secret Bookcase Doors REVEALED!

As I am carrying out my construction stint in Colorado, I am living at my parent's house (and am learning that life is full of regressions and progressions... My current explanation for my life circumstances is that I'm "re-inventing myself" - how's that for a euphemism?... And not in a Miley way, puhlease!)

But my insecurities aside, my parent's house underwent a remodel over the past year and a half and is now finding itself left in the awkward phase where none of the old furniture fits with the new style (omg, SO awkward!).  But it has been extremely fun for me to help with the shopping for new pieces within this "fresh palate" in my off hours :).  And believe me, I've got PLENTY of ideas...

I'm still trying to make "fetch" happen with this... Update to follow.

Another change that occurred during the remodel was that my "childhood bedroom" was eliminated.  Have no fear, I garnered a larger room in the process, so I'm not complaining one bit!  However, when my room was basically split in two and half of it went to my new room, the other half going to my sister's room, we also lost some features that I found myself weirdly sad about after the fact.  You see, growing up, my sister and I had this thing called a Jack and Jill bathroom set up in which our rooms were connected by an adjoining shower/toilet area but we had our own sink/vanity areas in our respective rooms.  With the remodel and the purging of my old bedroom, so went the convenience of our joining rooms.  I'm not sure if I'm explaining this well or not so I've included a CRUDE (#imnotanartist) drawing of what it looked like before and after.  Sorry about what a sorry floorplan "illustration" this is.

I had quite a laugh after I finished drawing this… The proportions are so off it’s not even funny

Ok, do you all have it?  Now, the part that made me kind of sad was that I could no longer easily talk to my sister.  Even though we were only an adjoining wall away, I would have had to go ALL THE WAY AROUND the "horseshoe" just to speak to her, and it made me triste when I thought about all of those times growing up when we would communicate by way of the bathroom route (that sounds worse than I mean, LOL) instead of through conventional means.  So I convinced the authorities that be (see: my father) about creating a "secret door" in the adjoining wall through which we could still chat between our rooms like we used to.  Aren't we just the most precious sisters/bff's EVER? :)  The solution I came up with was a secret door within a custom bookcase that would go in my sister's room.  And to my astonishment, my dad agreed!  (I think I got him to by playing the "family" card... and a healthy dose of pouting, of course).  So, do you see that place on the atrocious drawing above where I made a little star/asterisk on the "After" drawing?  That is where an opening for the secret door currently exists.  The bookcase will go along the wall on the right side of the line that the asterisk is on and will open into my closet/bathroom area.  And now, I have been assigned the task of figuring out how all of this is going to work and doing so within a fairly restricting budget.   Here is a photo of my "blank canvas."

And here are some sick-nasty secret doors I found in and amongst the world wide web which, I am hoping will help me to figure this whole thing out and get it completed/installed before my extended family comes for Thanksgiving.  The 65 day countdown starts: NOW.  

Hope you're in on the "house secrets" lest you have to answer nature's call on the fly at this residence.. 

Views from both perspectives:

And my favorite... even though it won't work for this application... But oh my god do I want to sit in that little cubby at the top of that giant bookcase and just perch (is that weird?).   You wouldn't want to be a new guest playing hide and seek in this home..

What do you all think?  Is it going to be radical or likely impossible?