by Jen | Nov 5, 2013 | How To
Like the cabinet? I found it at a junk/antique store in North Carolina. Did you know most places will give you 10% off just for asking? And did you know if you pay cash you can usually get 15-20% off the price? And did you know if the piece has been there for,like, ever (Or looks like it has been there forever) you can get a lot more off? This cabinet was shoved in a corner barricaded by a bunch of other stuff. I used that to my advantage. “Hey Mr. Owner I’ll give you $60 cash for this piece because you have had it forever, no one can see it, and you need to clear some inventory.” He didn’t like it but he knew I was right. He had it listed for $160. I got it for $60. Don’t be afraid to ask and remember cash is powerful. (I bought this and a 5 foot locker while 8 hours from home–with a car that was packed…Thank you Jack and Jan for foregoing luggage and packing your clothes inside these pieces of furniture so that you could fit them inside your car and drive them to me.)
While we are talking about this piece of furniture—Remember this post from two days ago? Peeky Peekerton or 5 Minutes to Awesome? I know, riveting, right? But wait, there’s more!
(Ok it is a little blurry because I shot the picture fast. Starbucks is getting ready for Christmas!)
No peeking! But do you know what was peeking at me? In my OWN house?
I know! Right? I took care of that in 5 minutes.
Fold
Crease
Don’t tell my husband I used one of our good steak knives.
by Jen | Nov 4, 2013 | Fun Style, Happiness at Home, Life Reflections, Organizing
Is anybody having company for the upcoming Holidays? How about a nagging thing you really want to get done in your house before the end of the year?
Wait. OMG I just bored even me and I’m writing this.
Listen. I love decorating and even I get so bored reading about it. Let’s cut to the chase. It’s not about keeping up with the Jones’. It’s about living in a place that is an extension of ourselves. It’s about feeling good-and liking the skin we are in-the bricks and mortar we live in. Don’t be lazy. Don’t give up. Don’t live in a rat’s nest. Be a Nike ad and Just Do It. For crying out loud. Change your darn dining room light before you have the big dinner. Or pull down the vertical blinds (NO ONE SHOULD HAVE VERTICAL BLINDS EVER). Go to TJMaxx and buy 6 pillows to cover up your totally dated furniture. (Buy the pillows in matching pairs.). You have time. You have time to do one thing before the year ends. We can pretend you can get more than one thing done…but then there is all that OTHER stuff you have to do. So today is the day. Figure out what the one thing is and Just Do It. And don’t belittle it, man. It’s not bows and shiny stuff–home is where your soul rejuvenates.
In the immortal words of Nike.
“We’re all capable of a little more – a little faster, a little higher, a little stronger, a little more. And when we look at all of the little things we’ve done, we’ll see the big things we’re doing.
Where you wake up is where you start this day. Think I’m cheesy? This is what I woke up to when I was much more “young”. Push pinned to my wall right here. Still have it.
You were born a daughter.
You looked up to your mother.
You looked up to your father.
You looked up at everyone.
You wanted to be a princess.
You thought you were a princess.
You wanted to own a horse.
You wanted to be a horse.
You wanted your brother to be a horse.
You wanted to wear pink.
You never wanted to wear pink.
You wanted to be a Veterinarian.
You wanted to be President.
You wanted to be the President’s Veterinarian.
You were picked last for the team.
You were the best one on the team.
You refused to be on the team.
You wanted to be good in algebra.
You hid during algebra.
You wanted the boys to notice you.
You were afraid the boys would notice you.
You started to get acne.
You started to get breasts.
You started to get acne that was bigger than your breasts.
You wouldn’t wear a bra.
You couldn’t wait to wear a bra.
You couldn’t fit into a bra.
You didn’t like the way you looked.
You didn’t like the way your parents looked.
You didn’t want to grow up.
You had your first best friend.
You had your first date.
You had your second best friend.
You had your second first date.
You spent hours on the telephone.
You got kissed.
You got to kiss back.
You went to the prom.
You didn’t go to the prom.
You went to the prom with the wrong person.
You spent hours on the telephone.
You fell in love.
You fell in love.
You fell in love.
You lost your best friend.
You lost your other best friend.
You really fell in love.
You became a steady girlfriend.
You became a significant other.
YOU BECAME SIGNIFICANT TO YOURSELF.
Sooner or later, you start taking yourself seriously. You know when you need a break. You know when you need a rest. You know what to get worked up about and what to get rid of. And you know when it’s time to take care of yourself, for yourself. To do something that makes you stronger, faster, more complete.
Because you know it’s never too late to have a life. And never too late to change one.
JUST DO IT
-Nike
Love it. Live your life. Love your life. Love where you start it. Love where you finish it. Change one thing. JUST DO IT.
by Jen | Nov 3, 2013 | Fun Style, How To, Interior Decorating
Hi there! It’s November! How ARE you? It feels like, well, since October since we’ve talked. So much has happened. We had Halloween. I raced through the neighborhood following a local Dad who was determined to hit every porch lit house, do both sides of the street simultaneously, cover every inch of the neighborhood, cut through alleys to avoid “traffic”, and take no prisoners. It was awesome. We did in one hour what normal people do in two. I’m looking for a patch that he can wear (you know like cub scouts) so people are aware of his candy prowess. We had family visit for the weekend. Then there was the silent auction I went to where I entered about 45 (seriously) “raffles” and won NOTHING. A Christmas craft fair that was HUGE. (What happened to Thanksgiving?) A Hallmark Christmas movie marathon (again, Thankssssgivvviiingggg? Hello?) Wrapping it all up with little boys running here, there and everywhere and then the last minute homework. It’s going on now. I’m hiding. Now we are caught up. Let’s get down to business.
I found a swell 1950’s kitchen cabinet for my sister in law and her beau. I freshened it up a bit with some paint but there was still a void. No dazzle. We needed a little dazzle darn it. Which brings me to one of my favorite things—unexpected awesomness. The Peeky Peekerton kind.
I know. It’s dazzling isn’t it? I mean who would expect to open a drawer and see so much style? It makes me smile. It’s going to make them smile. It’s peeking at you every time you open the darn drawer or cabinet. All it is are old calendar pages, a map, and a razor blade. I stuck those bad boys in, creased it into the edges, pulled a razor blade out and sliced it. It’s not perfect. It’s not centered. It took 5 minutes. It looks better than old wood. I’m sorry! It looks AMAZINGly better than old wood.
I keep a box of cool paper, old road maps, old calendars, magazine pages with coolness, and whatever else calls my name that can “tear” and it always comes in handy.
What drawers and cabinets can you awesomify? Life’s too short to be boring.
