Perfect Outfit

This right here, is my idea of a perfect outfit...... good jeans + cute top. Of course, I tend to prefer the boho style, so you will usually find me in flare jeans, flowy tops and braided hair! I can't resist a good whimsical print, so I was immediately drawn to this top with it's cute squirrels, owls and birds. Off to start my day.... make it a good one folks!

Mossimo High Rise Flare Jeans : Target

Lauren Conrad Floral Peasant Top : Kohl's

Mossimo "Jessica" Boots : Target

Necklace : Aldo (old)

St. John's Bay Anorak Jacket : JC Penney

Apt 9 Avaitor Sunglasses : Kohl's

Peacock Lace

Y'all know I am an Anthropologie "Sale" shopper..... but every once in a while, I treat myself to a full price item. Especially during my birthday month. I get my birthday discount, and then sometimes I get a wonderful gift card from my dear friend! So when I combine those two things, I can rationalize treating myself to something that is more expensive. 

For the past several years, Anthro has come out with these lace tops and it's followers go crazy over them! You'll see them all over blogs, instagram, pinterest, etc.... and they sell out quick. These tops have the same common design in that they are usually a swing (aka loose or trapeze) design, have a high neckline, and are short sleeved. Usually, they've been white and the designs that are most seen are lemons and pineapples! So, this Fall when they came out with a teal color and a peacock design...... well, you know how that turned out!

I am actually wearing this top backwards. My local store didn't carry it so I had to order it online. When I was reading the reviews, people complained about the pattern placement so I was concerned over whether I'd get a good one. The true front does have a peacock on it, but its head got cut off by the bust seam! I am always up for the challenge of making a piece that I love work for me, so there you go! I left the buttons open, which would have been up the back, so maybe next time I will button them up. 

HD in Paris "Lace Meadows Blouse" : Anthropologie

a.n.a. High Rise Flare Jeans in black : JC Penney

The Ana Dress

I've tried yet another LuLaRoe style..... The Ana which is their maxi dress. Of course the peacock print sold me. It's a bit disguised as a paisley pattern, until you look closer, and I love the Fall colors. So easy and comfy, and I threw a jean jacket over it for the chill that was in the air! 

Ana Dress : LuLaRoe

Jean Jacket : TJ Maxx

dv Jameson Double Zip Bootie : Target

Linking up with Fashion Should Be Fun

Corner Cabinet Project

I mentioned in my Dresser Project post, that I had also recently done another furniture painting project..... this time I tried chalk paint for the first time! I've had this corner cabinet since before we were married and since we moved it has resided in the office (see this post for a better view of the room). As time has gone on, I've come to complain about how "inefficient" the cabinet was in displaying things. The wood line down the middle where the doors meet obstructed a good portion of the view, and the reflection off the curved glass didn't help either. As my antique/primitive collection has grown, so has the need to display it. I had a few ideas here.... one was to sell the cabinet as is and then use the money to buy something else that I liked better. I also had a few other shelves around the house that I tried, but since they weren't corner specific (more square or rectangle) they just did not look right. Finally, I decided to revamp it.

My plan was to remove the doors and fill the holes, but leave the bottom doors on. Well, as I got into the project, I decided to leave the bottom doors off too. It seems you can't go to any flea market or antique shop lately without seeing chalk painted furniture, so I decided to try my hand at it. The appeal? No prep work!!! No sanding (which I hate). No priming! So I ran to one of the local shops in Jackson that I knew carried it to make my purchase. Since I always play it safe and do neutrals, I knew I wanted to do something different. I choose "totally teal" and was pleasantly surprised to see the particular line of paint they carried was created and made in Battle Creek when I had previously lived for 12 years! When I looked up the site, I remembered visiting the shop before we moved but was unaware they made and manufactured their own paint. So, I got to painting. I did two coats. There are so many options with chalk paint in regards to finish. For example, you can do a clear wax or a tinted wax. Since I wanted an aged look, I picked a tinted one. In addition to this being my first chalk paint experience, it was also my first experience with any type of furniture wax. You have to work really fast - put it on only a one foot area at a time and then wipe off to your desired look. Here's a good example with the doors (before I decided not to use them) of what it looks like with and without the wax. 

When I was waxing the inside of the cabinet, when the shelves were out, I was very critical of thinking that you could totally tell where I stopped and started each wax area - like it looked streaky and bad. But just like the paint, you have to do a few coats of wax to get the look you want and once I had the shelves back in I felt better about how it looked. I LOVE how it turned out and it suits our decorating needs/style so much better! 

I knew I wanted the shelf to house my ever growing wheeled animals collection, but I started at the top first. Since I did such a styled display on the other corner cabinet in the room (see post here about that cabinet and the wheeled animals) I knew I wanted something equally as styled here. The two peacock tins I got at The Antique Mercantile, where we've had our booth space. I swear, every time I go in there to work on our booth, I find something to buy! But, I love supporting the business where I sell at, and the other booth vendors. Everything else I already had.

Once I had the top complete, simply placing the animals on each shelf was much too blah. So tried to think of what else I could use to add to the look without taking away from each animal. Empty picture frames and books did the trick! Having a stash of these items around the house really helps in so many ways. You have to think about decorating in "layers" sometimes to make things look like they were meant to be there. Three of these pieces came from The Antique Mercantile too! The bunny, bear and chicken. Although I think I may repaint the bear since he is a bit gaudy. The blessings sign the boys got my for my birthday.

I most definitely would use chalk paint again! In fact, I can see how it could become addictive.

Fall Floral

I immediately fell in love with this dress when I saw it at Target. The colors, the pattern, the A-line style, the midi length and the long sleeves! On trend with its 70's vibe and lace up detail! So easy to just throw on with some booties (which are also from Target BTW).

Xhilaration Floral Midi Dress : Target

dv Jameson Double Zip Booties : Target

Heidi Daus Necklace : gift from Hubby

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy

Dresser Project

One of my projects this Summer was refinishing this cool dresser I got at a friends garage sale. When I first bought it, I thought I would flip it and sell it at our booth space. But then, as I started working on it, I just loved it too much! Plus, neither of the boys have dressers (although they do just fine with their well organized closets). But, you never know when you will need a good ole' dresser, even in a spare bedroom or repurposed in an entryway, etc...... I knew immediately I wanted to try a 2 tone finish on this, so I decided on a painted base and stained drawers. All the materials I used, we already had (sandpaper, paint, stain, brushes, etc...) so all I have into this is the $50 I paid for it and my labor.

It came with all of it's original hardware, which I was thrilled with! It also has a mirror attachment, but there was no mirror in it. I decided not to use it for the dresser, however I may repurpose that piece by putting a chalkboard into the frame and hanging it where we might need a chalkboard. I LOVE the keyholes even though we don't have they key and don't have a need to lock the drawers. I just went over all of the metal with some steel wool to brighten it up a bit while still maintaining its patina.

It ended up looking most at home in Carson's room for now. We used to have a bookshelf in this area, but it was an unorganized mess! The only problem with being a believer in "using what you have" is that the leftover house paint I used is pretty much almost every wall in our house! So if I were looking for it to "pop", I would have to paint it a different color (or use some tinted wax on it - I will be posting another project where I used this soon). I do, however, love the way it turned out - just as it is!

If you want to see details on the embroidery hoop photo collage, see this link.

If you want to see the maternity photos featured, see this link. 

Watermelon Tourmaline

Life has seriously been a blur lately, so not much time for blogging! Even though these pictures aren't the greatest, I still wanted to post them before some of the items sold out. For as long as I can remember, I have loved pink and green together. More specifically, muted tones of pink and green. So it's no wonder that when I got into jewelry making 15+ years ago, watermelon tourmaline became one of my favorite stones. It's organic hues range from almost black, to the palest blush, and I remember painstakingly selecting the strands I wanted at the gem shows I went to. And then trying to find the right wire and components since holes drilled into natural stones are so tiny!

 

Taking inspiration from the semi-precious gem into this outfit...... my love of Anthro's flowy tops continue here. Usually, most all that I have are the traditional empire waist (straight line under bust) so this one intrigued me with a more triangular line and mix of fabric. The triangular design is the same on the back and has a cute "T" like detail as well.

 

Anama "Quincy Tee" : Anthropologie (currently extra 25% off!)

Mossimo High Rise Utility Pants : Target

Sandals : Payless

Necklace : Made by Me (see close up at end)

Anthropologie's current offerings of delicate tourmaline jewelry also inspired me for this post. Just search artist "Emily Gibbons" on their site to find these pretty pieces.

 

 And here are the necklaces I made so very, very long ago!

Love Dove

Back in the Spring, I did a post on my vintage wheeled animal collection. In it, I was talking about how surprised I was to see a clothing print where swans were riding bicycles. There were a few different pieces in this collection by the brand Love Dove, and I decided on the skirt. I finally got around to wearing it last week. It was the perfect print to pattern mix with, so I went with a black and white striped top. Another fun fact is that my nickname for Carson is "Love Dove" (short for Lovey Dovey) so it made getting this skirt even more fun. When we were getting ready in the morning, Carson was pointing to the swans and making "quacking" noises. And I told Richard I had no idea swans knew how to ride bicycles and he gave me a crazy look. Yeah, I am that kind of Mom.

Perfect Tee in black/white stripes : LuLaRoe

Love Dove "Going, Going Swan" Skirt : Modcloth

Ankle Strap Wedges : Rockport

Jessica Simpson Sunglasses : TJ Maxx

The Flowy Truth

Anyone who knows me long enough, knows that dressing in a more bohemian way has ALWAYS been me. Flowy tops and empire waists – totally me. However, I can no longer deny that dressing like this has now become more of a necessity rather than a choice due to the amount of weight I have gained over the past 2 years. Sure, Jon and I joke about our “Mom-bod” and “Dad-bod” as we both settle into middle age and parenthood, but the truth is I’ve never been bothered much about it until now. Before having kids, my size was pretty steady. I was never super skinny, but I was comfortable and confident in my skin. When I got pregnant, of course I wondered what my body would look like after (and actually would have expected what I have now). But to my surprise, I actually dropped an additional 20 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight! So of course, I thought that would happen with Baby #2….. yeah, not so much.

 

What do we do when something bad happens? We try to rationalize it. Let’s see, in the last 2 years I’ve moved, changed jobs, had a second child, etc….. Surely the stress of all that change did it, right? Just like we say kids gain the “freshmen 15” when they go to college or newlyweds are so blissfully happy they let go of those worries. It’s a hard thing to own up to some of the real reasons like poor food choices or lack of exercise (although you would think chasing 2 kids around would be enough)! While I do realize stress and lack of sleep isn’t helping me at all, they are not the only things to blame.

 

Part of me just wants to say screw it! I want to just enjoy life and eat what I want and not worry about it. But then I see an unflattering picture of myself and I am like “holy shit Heather, you have to do something”! I don’t want to look like this or feel like this for the rest of my life, stressing more on the “how I feel” part. I realize the importance of good health not only for my sake but for my family. I am tired of being tired. What’s the answer? Work out, it will give you energy! But I’m too tired to work out. It’s a vicious cycle. I’ve even invested into some books/plans so you would think that if I spent money on something I would follow through. I’ve read the Fast Metabolism Diet and I am a member of the MuTu (short for Mummy Tummy) program which is specific to help that area after pregnancy. I have so little time to myself though, the last thing I want to do is use it on food preparation and working out. But, I know I need to make it a priority. This all being said, I will say that our Blue Apron meals are excluded from my complaints. I feel wonderful eating them because I know it is all fresh, clean food and good portions. I just wish there were a service for breakfast, lunch and snacks! Maybe there is and I just need to find it. Oh, and a personal trainer. See, if I had someone do all of the “busy” work for me that seems to take the most time (the planning) I could totally do it! Just show up and tell me how to work out. Have my meal ready and I will eat it. But alas, I am not a celebrity and can’t afford that lifestyle.

 

Thanks for letting me vent. I don’t know what the perfect answer is yet, but baby steps. I will say this though…… maybe the way I look or dress sparks rumors of another baby, but I will continue to dress how I always have. Hopefully though, what is underneath will change. I don’t want to give up my fancy coffee drinks. I want to be able to get my rings off my fingers again. I don’t want my feet to get any wider. Even at my thinnest I never had a flat tummy or thigh gap. I want to be realistic. I don’t want this to take over my life. I want to enjoy life!

Everleigh "Ipomoea" Tunic - Anthropologie

High Rise Jegging - American Eagle

Sandals - Payless

Jessica Simpson Sunglasses - TJ Maxx

Lucky Brand Necklace