Thrifted Thursday #1

It has been a WHILE since I shared a Thrifed transformation with you and I'm happy to say that I am back with one today.

Last week I visited my local Salvation Army and found this $2.99 frame that was in need of some love...

I knew right away that the openings would be PERFECT for instagram prints.

So after ordering some through Printstagram and giving the frame a coat of White spray paint and the matting received a coat of gray I was left with something wonderful!

The prints were just a little too small for the openings so I simply added some black card stock to the back of the mat and used tape to add the photos.

Here is the final result! I LOVE IT!

Not too bad for a $2.99 frame!

Stitch Fix

After a fun lunch out with a girlfriend I came home to a box from Stitch Fix!!!I was so excited to receive my very first Fix! If your not familiar with the company/concept...

"Stitch Fix is the first fashion retailer to blend expert styling, proprietary technology and unique product to deliver a shopping experience that is truly personalized for you. Simply fill out the Stitch Fix Style Profile and our personal stylists will handpick a "Fix" of five clothing items and accessories unique to your taste, budget and lifestyle. Simply buy what you like and return the rest"

About a month and a half ago I signed up and took an on-line style quiz and I was SOOOO excited to see what was in my very first box! 

First I pulled out a little note from the stylest and a style guide to direct me to different ways to wear the items in the box...

 

My initial thought was that all of the items were SUPER casual... but of course I had stated that I need help with casual clothes to wear on the weekend... I feel like either I'm all dressed up for work or I look homeless... So I really needed help to find a stylish point in the middle. 

The first thing I pulled out was the Ally Teardrop Stone Bangle... LOVE!!! I'm not usually one to spend $88 on jewelry but I really do like this piece and I knew before even putting it on that I would be keeping it! After all I get a $20 discount for my first order so really it would only be $68.00... that is lady logic (in case you were wondering)

Now for some major selfie time... that sounds gross... what I really mean is that I tried on all of the clothes in the box and took photos to share... 

First up is the Striped Maxi Skirt... in the jersey material it was sooo comfy! And I like that I could just toss on a tank top and necklace and look pulled together. It is still a little tight so don't judge me in that area! I just had a BABY peeps... I'm working on it! 

 

Next we had the Under Skies Mixed Print Belted Dress... When I fist saw it in the package I HATED it... the print was just not me and nothing that I would ever pick out in a store to try on... But I put it on and I don't hate it. Again it is a little tight but I was surprised that I actually liked the print on. It was a fun mix of patterns and floral.... only issue here is that I cannot breastfeed in this dress... so is it worth it???

The last two pieces I tried on together... a Splendid tank and Just Black Distressed Boyfriend Jeans... The tank I like but it is $64.00... worth it? It sure does hide that post baby belly!! LOVE that! 

The Jeans are a little TOO distressed for me... But I loved that I fit into the size I did! I wish that Stitch Fix had a way to exchange for the same style with less ripping. I guess I could just go and buy directly from Just Black... or should I just embrace the super casual look??

So here is the breakdown...

Bangle: $88
Jeans: $88
Splendid Tank: $64
Maxi Skirt: $58
Print Belted Dress: $68

TOTAL: 366.

I automatically get $20 off on my first order... and If I were to keep EVERYTHING I get an additional 25% off all items ($86.50 off)... this would bring my total to $259.50


So help me out... what should I keep and what should I send back??? Only have three days to decide!

Emma's Room

I realized that I've never shown Emma's room fully! It is still a major work in progress... Matt started building her a loft bed two years ago and.... yeah from the photos below you will see that it is not yet completed! I guess the best things are worth waiting for... I've been tempted to just go to IKEA and buy a loft bed but I think that it would cause a HUGE marital fight.

Well here is the room:

When you enter you are imediatly reminded of who occupies the space! EMMA. These are craft letters from Jo Anne Fabrics that I spray painted white. 

This is Emma's desk area...

I made this bulletin board for her special items.  Like all of hr 5K bibs, a letter from my former boss, and proof that she beat me once at the game Pay day!

Above the desk are more special items that are showcased on shelves that I painted white. 

And there is the bright yellow chair that I had found at at thrift store for only $5.00 and refinished. I also bought that desk for only $9.99 and refinished... I'll share that project tomorrow.

Here is Emma's current bed... NOT a loft bed... On the map above the bed Emma puts a little flag on the country if I'm on travel.

The duvet was actually a sheet that I found on a work trip to India and I had them sew additional fabric to make teh sheet into a duvet. 

I LOVE the elephants in purple, blue, and pink! The colors go with her room perfectly. 

For the space by her closet... There is a reading nook at the base of her bed with a beanbag chair... and the closet doors are painted with chalkboard paint. I just need to put something cool on them.

Ever since Emma was three she would say that she wanted a deer head in her room... this is our compromise... 

 

For he dresser... I painted each of the drawers a different color to create the ombre effect. 

 

What was originally a plain all white dresser from Target now has some personality! 

 

The top holds more treasures... like this jingle truck and a coke from Afghanistan and a turtle from Hawaii. 

There is also some artwork that Emma did showcased above the dresser! 

So that is the room as it currently stands.

Still on the to-do list for this room:

• Rug
• window treatments 
• LOFT BED w/ sofa seating area under
• crown molding
• Fun design on the chalkboard closet doors
• New light

Favorite Things Friday.- TARGET

Target is one of my happy places! I love going in there at least once a month... good for my heart but not for my wallet. A huge part of that is my love for the amazing Nate Berkus!!! I was so sad when his show went off the air but now I can spend time with him while walking through the aisles at  Target..

Here are a few things that caught my eye the last time I was there!

A $14.99 Nate Berkus Metal Frame... I feel like I could DIY something similar though.

Love this Nate Berkus White Washed Side Table 

Love the "Gold" Flatware

Oh Nate... I love this Gold Turtle box

We are in the market for two more dining chairs and I think that these are great!

Rugs with a Criss cross pattern are SUPER popular at the moment and I really like this one

I've been obsessed with Office supplies lately and I love the gold accents on this wooden box!

And this magazine holder would also look perfect in my office!

After a hard day of work in my gold accented office I will go home to rest on this duvet.

Monthly Goals: June

Loose 5 Lbs-  I'm down 25 currently and want to take off another 5 this month. More importantly though I want to tone.I

Run 2 miles without walking... I'm NOT a runner AT ALL. But I have a longer term goal to run the Army 10 miler so I have to start somewhere!

FINISH the freaking playroom... I've been SLOWLY working on this room since last August.

Sew Gibson's Bedding... I have all of the fabrics but I need to take some time one weekend to complete this task.

Return to work... Life as a stay-at-home mom is coming to an end sadly as I am starting to transition back to work. My fist full day back will be June 23rd.

Visit family in Savannah... I will once again be traveling with my parents and without Matt but it will be worth it to see my family in Savannah and to have them meet Gibson. Stinks that Matt has no leave built up and cannot go on any of these trips with us!

Get my car Inspected... Soooo my inspection ran out September of last year... Opps1 Since that time I've received 3 tickets in DC for it being expired. Would have been cheaper to just get it freaking inspected.

Take the Virginia Real Estate Broker exam... I completed my real estate class and am studying for the Virginia exam. I hope to take the test by the end of the month.

Learn to post items on eBay... We have a ton of clothes from Emma in the attic and I've decided to go ahead and sell a majority of them on ebay. Even if we were to have another girl one day they would be at LEAST 11 years apart so It's just time to let some of those items go.

Wish me luck!

May re-Cap

I shared some goals for the month of May earlier last month and I'm happy with the progress that I made!

No chinese food or pizza all month! - Didn't do that great with this goal.. had some pizza from Trader Joe's and Chinese food twice. Considering that I was eating Chinese at least one a week before last month I'm just happy that I cut down...

Join the Pentagon gym- CHECK! I joined the gym and am looking forward to regular workouts. Even ran with my new stroller a few times.

Plant a small garden in the backyard. CHECK! Not only did I clean up and plant a few things in the back yard but I also took on the front yard!

Before...

Almost After haha... Need to get more mulch... 

Clean up the porch area and finish the sunburst mirror for the patio - CHECK! Cannot wait to share a full post! I cleaned off the screened in porch, got a new rug and finished the mirror. I just need to get it hung! Could be hard though... this thing is HEAVY!

Update dining room table... CHECK! Sold our old glass table on craigslist and delivered to SE DC one night... yes I'm fearless/stupid! We now have a dining table that can seat 8! We still need to buy two more chairs and I want refinish the table but at least we are getting there!

Get my business website up and running ... Half way there. I have the site made and I'm in the process of adding event photos and event information. Here is the logo that I ended up going with.

Find a landscaper for our house...CHECK! After getting a few estimates (the highest coming in at $965 for, one-time, leaf removal... Ommm NO!) we found some guys based on a great recommendation from a neighbor.

Happy to also report that Matt finished his two Harvard classes and that he did great in them! So proud of him AND I'm even more excited that he no longer has 20+ hours of extra work each week!!!

Off to Grandma's house I go

I have the most amazingly independent grandmother. At the age of 93 she lives alone at her home of over 50 years in Evansville, Indiana. She drives herself, does her own grocery shopping, gardens, knits, and goes to her "job" a few times a week... aka goes to the casino boat and plays slots.

About a month ago Grandma had a blood vessel rupture in her only good eye. This has left her blind except for limited Peripheral vision. The hope is that within 90 days the blood will dry up and that her eyesight will return but there is no guarantee and a real possibility that her eyesight might never return.

When I heard this news I instantly knew that I needed to get over to Indiana and fast. It was so extremely important to me that she meet Gibson while she can still see just a little and while I knew that she wouldn't fully be able to see him and that she could mainly just see shadows and shapes I figured that is better than nothing.

So... when my parents mentioned that they also wanted to visit I went along and took both Hunter and Gibson with me. While it was hard to be away from Matt for 5 days and EXTREMELY hard to have these two kiddos alone in a hotel room...

The craziness of the night was all made worth it each day when I would head over to Grandma's! Seeing her interact with both of the kids was priceless and having Gibson meet his Great-Grandma meant the world to me..

What a special photo to have! Grandma was even the first family member that I told, last summer, that we were going to be expecting our third child! Here we are the day I told her...

When she found out the news she was so surprised and excited for Matt and me. She knew that it would be a lot of work though... after all she raised three boys of her own while teaching. 

But I know that I am able to handle any and all of the obstacles that may come my way in a large part because of the example that she has provided me. She has always been such a rock in all aspects in her life... as a professional,  a wife, mother, grandma, and GREAT-Grandmother. She is just an amazing and strong-willed woman and I know that no matter what the outcome with her eye that she will remain positive. She will just need to turn to those around her for support, which is hard for such an independent person!

Prayers are appreciated for a speedy recovery!