Thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!

So much to be thankful & grateful for...

Faith. Family. Husband. Finn. Friends. Health. Job. Gratitude. Happiness. Laughter. Exercise. Blogs. Facebook. Diet Dr. Pep. Cheese Dip....ok enough.

Hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Before & After: NYC Apartment

As mentioned, we walked into my sisters apartment and it looked let's just say...horrible. She & her roommate would agree. 70% of the problem was clothes scattered galore but the other 30% was just a sad, living space. Nothing on the walls, nothing in place...just a white Ektorp sofa in a 10x10 room and a queen bed in a 4x4 room. Obviously not the exact measurements, but you know...nyc = small & expensive. Not to mention, their apt is in the basement. So few windows, nada view.

Enter Type A sis & aunt willing to make it livable get it done and a mom willing to fork over some cash & help organize.

We got a plan of action: Wine at lunch and a to-do list.

We would start at Bed Bath & Beyond for basics...storage bins, sheets, cheap draperies, frames, wall hooks, the works. Then move on to P.Barn, West Elms, and the others for pillows, mirrors, accessories- the finishing touches.

I so wish I had a pic of us entering BB&B. Let's just say I was in perma-smile I was so excited for the mission, aunt in let's do this mode, mom in support mode, and the sister rolling her eyes. Don't get me wrong, she was on board but couldn't imagine why we would want to spend our last day in the city revamping their apt.

Well, 3 shopping carts & 2.5 hours later we were done. It was a one stop shop mission....YES, everything came bb&b.  They had great throw pillows, wall decor, and accessories. Who knew, right?

Here is Lina loving our finds.

So, enough talking...here are the before & afters:

Before Bedroom:



& After:

Side Note: She had the mirror, euro shams, & painting. We switched the mirror from foot of bed to above bed & it instantly made the room larger. We made the bed and added the accent pillow & birdcage frame {both from bb&b}. We also got khaki linen window treatments but have to wait on the "super" (landlord as we call them in the south) to bring out the power drill.

Living Room Before:

Living Room After:

The sunbursts appear dark & brassy in iphone pics but they are the perfect gold to add a focal point for room. The roommates plan on adding a piece of furniture beside the sofa and under the painting as a storage/table.

Forgot to take after shots of the other side as we got a little distracted... found really cute place mats in the clearance section for $1.99 and I suggested we cut them out and put the in frames (4pack for $25) as instant art. Of course- we left the frames at the store. The fact that we got all of the stuff in one cab still & only left one thing baffles me.

So, wrapping up, it was a lot of fun! For $500+ we turned their little abode from dark & dull to fun & welcoming in an afternoons time. Best part, sister and roomie love it !

NYC in November

Hi. I am back from my 5 night adventure. Started in Memphis for work and finished in NYC for a girls getaway with the mom, sis, aunt & cuz. I am tired. The 4am wake up call for a 6am flight on a Monday morning = torture. What was I thinking right? Live & learn.

Anyways, we had a blast. Girls are fun. Family trips are even more fun.

The weather was perfect, sunny & breezy, and we didn't have an agenda. That's the great thing about having a sis that lives there and getting to visit often. I feel like I can go & pretend to be a local and not have to do 1,000 touristy things. My sister would digress. If I heard it once I heard it a 1,000 times "your such a tourist" "walk this way" "do it this way". Gotta love the sisterly love. As our mom reminded us, I'm used to bossing her my whole life & now she has a little yankee in her and stands her ground!

So moving right along...the mom's stayed at the gorgeous, old fashion Waldorf

and the cousins stayed at the sister's apartment...what a beaut.

We dined here, here, & here - clearly we have a thing for Italian.

And brunched here, which was pure perfection. I knew I would love the place which is tucked in a little back alley & greeted by these awesome blue doors.

We drank. We went the Rye House and it was fun to reminisce on our NYU summer living...oh the memories made at Union Square.

I also made an appearance got drug to Bowery Electric & was by far the oldest person there. I must admit it was really fun....and I must admit that I awkwardly stood in the corner like a fugly 6th grader at her first dance. I couldn't get going with my dance moves - must of been the 'age'. However, after this weekend I am obsessed with this song. How bizarre is that video?

What else did we do? Of course we shopped. Oh, I kindly drug them to the flea market again and it was a bust. Well, I got 2 more of my vintage plates...yes, they were still there from August & he still claimed they were some fancy french something.

We also shopped at the Holiday Market  in Union Square. It was awesome. Well worth checking out if you're making the trek soon. Imagine vendor after vendor selling everything from ornaments to jewelry to art to spices? You name it, it was there. I bought an ornament {a tradition jh & i started} and by Sunday it was shattered to pieces in my purse. Great.

Lastly, we re-vamped / re-vitalized / re-birthed the sister's digs. Let's just say we went from the before above to this....

Details & more pics in another post.

Sadly we missed Occupy Wall Street. And Chelsea Market & a run on the Hudson River. But can you ever do it all?

Alright, enough said. I'm half-eyed & four-eyed - i left my contacts, debit card, & watch in nyc...one day I will learn.

Hope you had a great, fun, entertaining weekend!

*Oh and I must admit for those curious, I really missed little Finn.

On the Road Again...

Hi friends. I am out of office. Traveling for work.

I fly back home Friday and will hang in Hartsfield until I jet to NYC for a mother/daughter/aunt/cuz trip.

Looking forward to seeing the fam & the Big City all decked out for the holidays.

Speaking of holidays, Thanksgiving is next week! And I can't believe they are playing Christmas music everywhere and the coffee shops have their holiday cups already in the works. Why do we always rush to the next thing, next holiday?


I did fine these fancy little gift tags pinteresting the other day and thought I would share...

Free. Awesome, right? Here you go...

http://www.domestifluff.com/2010/12/free-printable-holiday-gift-tags/


Have a great rest of the week & weekend!

Of course I will miss both of these precious chunks...

Finn @ 10weeks. (Sorry it's blurry; too prec not to post)

Lastly, Congrats to JTomm on getting engaged!!! There are some sad, sad boys pouting right now... You will be one gorgeous & special Bride!  

'Round Here.

It's Friday for moi! Tomorrow is a federal holiday = banks are not in biz.

Veteran's Day. 11.11.11.

Thank you to all the courageous men and women {including my pops} that served or recently returned from serving...

I love Friday's off. I have a to-do list a mile long... but I might just drink lots of wine tonight and chillax tomorrow. Even better, we are staying.in.town. Finally. 

So, this is my agenda...you know, I'm one of those planner types:

It's Scott's weekend. I get to go on Friday (when all the 'designer's go)...maybe I will run into Sherika or Sha Ray!

We are also going to a fun house party at S&A (blog readers!). Never a dull moment with these two.

I'm also picking up my sis from Hart Int'l who is attending the classic city for this:

She may or may not get a ride back to the airport Sunday...

I hope to make these along with every other person who reads Urban Grace:

I die over that robin's egg blue kitchen aid mixer. It may be on my Santa list. *hint hint* (Am I really that old lame that a kitchen gadget strikes my fancy?)

If I get a wild hair, I may do this...

   

Do you see the trend?

And best part yet, I get to spend lots of time with this cute pup...

...who has discovered biting. nice pillows.

Hope you have a fabulous Fall weekend !

 

all images via Pinterst or iphone.



Burlap Place Mats from a Blogger

Hi. It's Tuesday...let's forget Ten on Tuesdays. It takes creativity. And I'm a banker. Enough said, right?

I was so excited yesterday when I got home and had a package at the door. Even more excited because I couldn't remember what I ordered. Does anyone else do this?

I opened it and found this cute wrapping...

And inside were these Place Mats....LOVE.

pictured with my nyc vintage plate



Insert a Smile. On a Monday. Which is very tough. (Well not that tough these days coming home to Finn)

I forgot I ordered these place mats from a great Etsy Store, Cottage & Vine. Actually, I just ordered them late last week and they arrived within days. Impressive. She also wrote a hand-written note. So personal & kind.

Do you read her blog, Cottage & Vine? If not, check it out. Rene is a talented blogger, decorator, mom, and brains behind these fun place mats.

Here is my table with all 4. Love the different words.

Aren't they fun? And the perfect Fall accessory for entertaining. She also has a holiday set in her store.

Go check out here Etsy Store & her blog. And i'll start prepping for a fun dinner party!

Glitzy Boots - DIY

Here is a story on why I think blogging is so awesome..

So Sissy at Blue Hydrangea, my go-to stop in the morning for blog reading, posted these boots this morning requesting the source.



How snazzy right?? A glitzy kick to a classic fall ankle boot.

Well the day goes on and the commenter's come in and the source is Barneys {of course} for a pretty penny of $595 found here.

Sad? Don't be...another awesome blogger Rikshaw chimes in and brings light for the el cheapos.

They are a DIY.

Rikshaw found these boots via A pare & A spare who teamed up with another creative blogger Le Fanciulle and they took these simple boots....

+

=

Can you believe it?? Total cost about $25. Of course they are not as sparkly or perfect as the real deal, but for that price tag and a current fall trend, how much better can it get?

DIY Directions and Images found here.

Yours truly, Loves to Know.

*Check out A Pare & A Spare for other awesome DIY Fashion Finds. It is so worth it.

A New Addition - Finn!

Hope you had a Happy Halloween !

Our little 'hood was filled with Pigs, Cows, Princess, Dracula's, and my fave Angry Birds. It was a fun night filling the trick-or-treaters followed by us trick-or-drinkers enjoying chilli.in.a.fritos bag and cold beer at a neighbors house.

This past weekend we snuck away to our Cabin to enjoy a little R&R, fall, football weather, & this view...

On the way...we stopped and picked up our latest addition...

Meet our new pup, Finn.

She is some kind of cute and sweetness. Yes, we gave her a boy name(!) but we thought it was sweet, Southern and fitting for a husband who loves fishing and all things outdoors. I must admit, I wasn't a huge animal lover {I know, terrible} but this little one has me hooked. She is quite independent, like her mama, and has a very easy disposition about herself, like her dad. Am I already bragging?!

The first night was a little tough...lots of cries and one mess up inside. But night 2 & 3 have been great. No cries and just 1wake up to go outside. We are crate training her and so far she loves her little "place".

Any 8 wk old lab puppy tips? Any favorite toys? Please send my way!