New Cushions!

I did a road trip to South Carolina about 6 months ago and found 5 dining room chairs at an estate sale, did some stellar negotiating and got 5 mid century dining chairs for $100. It was such a score, until we got home and saw that 3 of the 5 had cracks in the wood. I was super bummed but decided the other two would still work out. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought 3 yards of fabric, 1" thick seat foam from Wal-Mart and batting. Last but not least I snagged a can of spray adhesive after I reviewed a check list I found online about how to actually upholster seats. I had previously bought a heavy duty stapler and staples so I was all set.

 

I plucked out all the old staples (and then removed the old fabric and batting) with pliers and a flat head screw driver. This took about a whole day to complete all 5 chairs. I was proud of the work and happy that step was over, sore hands and all. Then a few days later, during a good baby nap I started to put it all together with the fabric. First, cut the foam to fit the wood, and then lay the fabric out leaving a 3" overhang so there is room to staple it down. You need to spray the wood with the spray adhesive so the foam sticks to the wood and won't slide around under the fabric. Next, lay the batting over the foam (sprayed the foam) and then place the fabric over the batting so your pattern is in the position you want it. I laid this all out on the floor first and then flipped it over to check my pattern. Pull all the corners in and staple them first. The sides all get pulled tight and stapled after that. 

 

Here is what I came up with...

 

 

It's 2015!!!

Christmas happened, it's as awesome... I can't believe it's already the year my baby will turn 2! It's just insane how time is running right by my eyes.  I don't have much time for nap time, so here are a few ideas I have for 2015....

I've decided this yr I'm going to help get the baby really involved with play dates and hanging out with other kids. Time to socialize and learn to share! So I've joined a local MeetUp group and went to our first event today, story time at Barnes and Noble, so far so good!

Next is I'm going to explore my new camera and photography, I am in love with my new camera and so impressed  with how much better it is than a point and shoot camera. It's like a fine science and a skill to learn. So glad I took a class in college. It's my leg up!

Nap time is over! Woohoo!

Decorating Project

We happen to have an amazing, huge magnolia tree in our back yard, so it seems only necessary to use those giant leaves to decorate the house. I did a quick magnolia leaf project this afternoon and its coming together! I used Rustoleum "Champagne Mist" metallic spray paint and the leaves from my back yard.

Here's how it went...

Step1: Wash the leaves, you don't want dusty or dirty leaves, nor do you want to bring little critters into your house!

 

 

Step2: Dry the leaves, the sun works best as this is how leaves dry naturally when still on the tree.

Step3: Lay them out on a cardboard box or something you don't care to get paint on.

 

Step4: spray the top side, a little at a time. You don't want drip marks on the leaves.
 

 

You're Finished: Put them where ever you want! You can do the same with pine cones too!

Happy Decorating!

First Fall in Charlotte

Its our first beautiful Fall in Charlotte and its not disappointing. We have this beautiful Maple tree in our back yard that's taller than our house, our bedroom window looks out onto this tree and its by far the most wonderful sight to see when waking up. Right out my window is a stellar combination of pink, red, kelly green, and yellow. Its like the sun has scorched the top and its slowly making its way down the tree. Firey red at the top, and still summer green at the bottom.

this is the best view ever!

 

We made spaghetti for dinner last night and right when I start to make dinner, around 5pm, the baby has a melt down. Every day. So I decided to just put the baby on the counter top while I cook. (he was very closely monitored and was not even for a second out of my sight).  He was a happy camper for a good 15min. I found him two old milk caps to play with and he was delighted to just sit in the corner. I stood right next to him while I made the sauce and was just a peach! :o) 

 

hope the week is off to a good start for everyone.

-L

 



Ready for Fall

This fall it seems took a really long time to get here and now it's almost Halloween! Gotta find the baby a costume, either Yoda, ninja turtle or get creative and make him be a soccer ball. Gotta figure this one out quick. I'm laying in bed with him (in my bed) waiting for him to wake up, it's the best cuddle, I love when he's in bed with us bc we get to watch him sleep and it's just the most precious time in his day. Love it! 

 Anywho, Stella work is off and running for holidays, booking trunk shows and super excited about each one! I'm loving the weather too, our maple tree is turning red from the top down, we haven't seen the fall in Charlotte yet so I'm thrilled to see the results before winter hits!  My cute little blue chairs are almost done and my dining rm chair project just started... Lots of chairs under construction! 

Feeling Inspired

Yesterday while the baby ate Cheerios in my lap, before our walk, I flipped on the tv and at 8:30 in the morning Genevieve Gorder was on hgtv showing an episode of her guest bedroom. I feel like I had a total epiphany! Something about her guest room design totally made my brain click and I instantly knew what we needed to do for our master bedroom! It's currently lavender. Purple. Easter egg pastel. And somehow it's all just okie dokie. I've felt so burnt out from taking care of a 4month old to now a 1 year old and doing painting and renovating at the same time that I've left our master for last bc well (here comes the line of excuses...) we only sleep in that room, and it's usually dark bc we're only up there after the sun goes down.... Yada yada, that room had turned into a lazy excuse. So... Now that I have a spring board of an idea, I feel inspired to change it up and make it awesome. Sometimes the grand ideas just take time and a little inspiration. I don't like to make changes or paint a room 'just because'. Just think, Cian blue, some crazy patterns and wide black and white stripes... With a little bit of copper. Ooh I'm excited!!

Simple Things and then some

Today started just as any other day, the baby was in our bed (has been for the past 2 weeks, growth spurt, new teeth). We went for a walk with the dog, enjoyed the most spectacular weather, super breezy and cool. It was super strange b.c its been in the 100's here. At the end of the walk I noticed the dog was walking strange and was almost sitting down and trying to walk at the same time so I checked her out and under her tail was a giant yellow and black bumble bee stuck in her hair! ("holy crap!" I said out loud) and swatted it away with my cell phone (i'm not going to touch a bee). So we go home, I checked out the dog again and she had a tiny red dot on her leg, likely a bee sting. crap-o-la. So I googled really fast how to ease pain of a bee sting for a dog. There was nothing good worth doing. I waited it out and later on saw the red dot was super red and much bigger, and pussy and gross... and the dog was resisting weight on it so I figured this was a-big-deal. I called the vet and got her an appointment.

 

 I took the baby and the dog to the vet; it was a band wagon of fun, let me tell you. The appointment went well, got some antibiotics, and we started make our way to check out. The baby was getting super cranky/hungry, so I gave him a quick squeeze pouch of apple sauce and walked to the reception. The baby saw a big chocolate lab waiting with his owner, he got excited and squealed his "I just saw a doggy" happy squeal and that then made the dog respond with a super loud and sharp bark which then led to my dog freaking out barking, which then made the baby cry hysterically. I unloaded the baby from the stroller, grabbed the dog and walked outside (just to calm down the situation, remove the crazy). When the baby cries its usually not a big deal, but when the baby cries when he's tired... it takes a long time to calm him down. that was one of those moments. We went back and forth from the inside of the vet to outside twice, bc every time we went back in it was a repeat of the second time. Checked out, took forever, my arms were about to break holding baby and dog (even though I had a stroller with me, the screaming wasn't as bad when I was holding him, so I did). Got in the car and the crying kept going so I gave out one short, loud, crisp and fast "Shhh!!" and all was silent the whole way home (all 1.4 miles of driving). 

 

That one swift gesture worked ( I was blown away). It reeled back in the crazy moment and things were back to my version of simple, again...

...on to Thursday, I cant wait to squish my lips on to these sweet plump cheeks in the morning and do it all over again.

Pop a Collar

Hey Summer... Its about to be FALL!! Can you tell when you opened your email last week and this week... end of summer sales and Fall previews everywhere! Where did the time go?! I went to Hobby Lobby just before the Fourth of July and they were installing all the Christmas décor in 5 rows of shelves!! Its a sign of the times when Hobby Lobby cracks the Christmas whip!

 

I got inspired by the drop in temp outside because of all the rain to brew some hazelnut coffee, put on a Chambray tunic (Similar Tunic Here) and some black tights, and of course popped the collar (feeling very Nicole Curtis today as she has reruns on all day today). Its hard to not get sucked in to tv when its raining out and the baby is napping, but its always nice to listen to in the background while crankin' out the things-to-do. 

 

I started my all wood pub chair DIY last night. Husband had sanded a whole chair already so I just brushed it off and wiped it down and started the spray painting. Its going to look so bright and fun when they're both done. I'll be sure to post after photos. Super excited to have 2 more seats in the house, for $35!

 

 

Fall Line is Here!!

Get a hold of your ipad or lap top and take a seat.... Stella and Dot Fall line of new jewelry is sooo gonna blow you away. Its everything under the sun for a fresh new take on what to put on. The best part... its different! Its triangles and shapes that you don't see everywhere on everyone. Lots and lots of layers. You can feel like a total individual and pair it with everything you already own.  Here is a sneak peek! This Pyramid and Triangle ring is just so cool.

 

 Its jewelry that people will stop you and say, "holy cow, that's the coolest necklace... where did you get it?"

 

(And then you'll gladly respond with a cool chuckle and bat of your eyelashes and say, "well I bought it from Lindsey, its Stella and Dot!")

 

Mark your calendar, click on the link, start a wish list and hop online July 21st, its all available to you Monday!!

Happy Shopping!

 

Stella Dot Fall Items

Play Time

every day is a frickin' adventure when it comes to taking care of a baby (well he's not really a baby-baby... he's a small mighty might, almost one year old). I try daily to think of the things I should get done, and then I also think of the things that would actually be fun. I know its a rat race to get showered in the morning so I try really hard to get creative and active in the morning so baby gets all the morning wiggles out and will nap. this usually involves taking a jog so I better be ready to just go run. the bob will make baby sleep about 95% of the time. any time of day. it can be our 6:30pm stroll around the neighborhood after dinner and he'll pass out. its kind of wonderful.

today was an experiment in sorting through the refrigerator. he emptied it out, smashed a tomato and then proceeded to put it all back. its the slow in the rat race that makes a day beautiful. I knew I could have whorled through the kitchen to clean it up, but this was something he was very excited about and seriously focused on. it was more than just removing things from the fridge. it was a baby project, and I cant interrupt that kind of science.

 

Onto the next daily venture... booking booking! Trying hard to make my monthly goals with Stella and Dot, and so far so good. Here is something pretty to drool over, and hope you have fallen in love with this Avalon tote as much as I have. Put these Moraley Flower Stack bands on too, its just perfect!

Stella and Dot Sunday Spotlight

I'm highlighting certain product that I find to be a personal favorite for one reason or another. This Sunday is the oh so sweet NANCY stud earrings. As a mom I appreciate small earrings because any and all earrings get yanked on or or your baby thinks they're pretty and wants to play with them... Which then leads to yanking on them; we've come full circle you see? A good stud is something to have as a staple in your wardrobe, it can be worn with everything and because gold metals are making a furocious come back, the Nancy stud in peach (appears like gold vs. silver) is the ideal stud earring.  They are certainly affordable and an excellent gift for your mom or even better... Yourself!
www.stelladot.com/lindseybk

Twist and turn

We have officially fallen in love with our new North Carolina life. Today we heard on the radio there was going to be a strawberry festival in fort mill South Carolina so we just decided to go! It seems so easy here... There is hardly any traffic on the weekends, it takes no more than 20-30 min to get to the farthest place from the house. It's so nice to have a last min plan and have it take just as long to get there as if we had planned to do it all along.
  While on our drive to SC, I was updating Facebook on my new venture of being a Stella and Dot stylist!! I'm really very excited to branch out of my designer roll, learn something new, try my hand at a new skill and really think outside the box but still be creative. I like to think of myself  as the girl who wore black at work. It was easy; black slacks and crew neck gap or banana shirt and a pair of colorful pumps, probably with my hair in a curled bouncy pony tail or flat ironed... Always with a super cool necklace or neat stud earrings. I feel like I can do everything I did before just minus the all black simple designer outfit. Even though I remember feeling like a bad a-- in that outfit, I feel like I can help others feel just as awesome in fun, really pretty jewelry!  So I hope to get started with a bang, I'm hosting my first trunk show may 24th and can not wait!
Here is my stylist site... www.stelladot.com/lindseybk

Check it out, there's something for everyone!  Find what makes you feel like a bad a--!
Cheers!
-L

Charlotte and Spring

Hello again, its been a heck of a time getting back into the swing of things since our move to NC. We did the 4 day drive with our then 5 month old, and he's now almost 8 months old!! Is blowing my mind how big he's getting and how beautiful he is. Conor has 4-1/2 teeth, his 3rd top toothy is coming in as we speak. He was doing good sleeping thru the night after his big two front teeth came in, but now that the 3rd top one decided to bulldoze its way in he's been waking up once a night. We have so enjoyed our new city, its like a new lease on life, a new permission to get creative and explore like we've never done before. There is sooo much to see, and its all close by (well, within an hr) I love the weather, even the cold - although I never leave house below 35 degrees. Conor is turning into a little kid and can sit up on his own, which means he gets to ride in the cart at the grocery store; it just seems like life is a bit more carefree and just easier to handle. He takes 2+ hr naps and that makes a world of difference in my day. Pretty much satisfied with how things are going.... and the 2 hr nap is over... gotta go get baby. xoxo!

Christmas List!

Seeing as though we're almost to the big day, here is my Christmas wish list... if not for Christmas, I will find a way to get these items throughout the year... because Christmas isn't about blowing away all your money, lets spend it with good people and find good sales after the day. Here we go...

 

- Since we go the Bob stroller, I'm wanting to keep the boogie warm with this awesome Bob Warm Fuzzy.

- To keep the house hospitable and friendly, always have nice soap and lotion for a guest! Wanting to keep this in the new powder room!

-This one is for me...  a beautiful necklace with my Conor's first initial. Its lovely and simple and a super cool design for the holidays and for everyday wearing. I saw this designer on Author, Emily Giffin's facebook page.

-This is also for Conor, a cool big stuffed animal that I think would be a fun stuffed animal for him until he's a big kid, the Blabla Doll.

-The last awesome gift is a Fitbit Flex to track your fitness and your sleep pattern. I would be interested to see how the sleep monitor works out being that I get up one or two times a night to take care of Conor. This would be a really neat gift for anyone really!

 

Check it out, hope you all find great deals online, JCrew has 30% off, Old Navy is awesome deals, some things are 50% off too (lots of glitter and sparkle goin' on in that store...just make sure to try things on first, the sewing and sizing can be a little wonk).

Cheers!!

Remembering Italy

While I was cleaning up the kitchen tonight I was remembering our Italy trip we took in Sept 2012. We bought two clay tiles with small paintings on them in Florence and they are propped up in the window over our sink. This is the artist, Ariann Farinelli's website: Arianna Decorazioni. They are the most beautiful paintings. I almost want to order a big painting for our new guest bedroom. 

Check it out!

movin on up, to the east side...

That's right you heard it, we're movin' to the East Coast! I couldn't be more excited for this next new chapter. There are so many things I want to do when we get there! We also got a call this morning from our realtor that our offer on the house was accepted! I cant believe we bought a house! No more renting an apt or a house. We get to paint our walls, rip out carpet and pick out our favorite color of hardwood floors... granted this comes with a lot of moolah spending, its stuff that's ours, not borrowed.  We have to do a lot of packing coming up so I didn't put too much effort into the Christmas tree this year, there are maybe 20 ornaments on it, it literally took about 30 min to put together, string lights and hang ornaments. Keep it simple, stupid.

As for Conor, he turned 4 months old on Dec. 8th and weighs 17lbs 8oz and is 25-7/8" long. I couldn't be prouder! Although its so awesome he's getting so big, I had a bone density scan to investigate my potentially broke rib (which I also found out wasn't broken) and it turns out I have bone thinning in my spine!! Of all the places... So now I need to take caltrate and vit d supplements and drink a glass of Silk Almond milk before bed bc its packed with calcium and it helps keep up the breast milk supply. That's just one more thing I have to think about. Better to know and take care of myself now and avoid big problems when I'm old and gray.

  I did just get my package of clothes I bought on Black Friday and got a few great onesies for Conor crazy on sale from Old Navy but that store can be so jacked up sometimes! I bought two pants for me and both were sewn badly and were huge! They will be returned today.

 

i leave you with some bloopers of Conor's Christmas pictures

 

It's the Holiday Season...

This holiday season has kicked off to a sick husband and a lot of traveling. That's the one thing that ends up wearing me down at the end of the holidays, travel. It's going to be a whole knew ball game this year with Conor baby. We made it thru Thanksgiving, and now we're about to do some flying to find a new house and pay visit for Christmas. 

A four month old on a plane will be entertaining, I'm sure.  

Since it is the holidays season, I've been bombarded with catalogues and magazines. One of which I love because its trendy and has fairly traditional furnishings, but is always really affordable is Home Decorators Collection.  We really are lacking furniture for a dining room; we actually don't have any dining room furn. Here are a few items I'm in love with for our new house in the dining room...

 Manor Buffet, Aldridge dining table, Parsons Camelback chair

I'm going for the whole French country/neutral decor look with a few accent colors. I can't wait to see what our new house looks like so we can move in all of our stuff and make it a home. 

It's time to eat!

Hello Thanksgiving week!!  It's a wonderful week because its cold, and windy and totally feeling like the holidays! I've got my west elm felt garland on the fireplace and the thought of putting up the Christmas tree is totally in the front of my brain, but hasn't quite made it out of the box yet. 

I'm bringing the snack food this Thanksgiving so that means chex mix, trail mix (both on the easy route, bought from SamsClub) and pecan stuffed dates covered in powdered sugar. I used to make them every thanksgiving with my family and my sister would make her baked almond Brussel sprouts. It's currently sleeting out so hopefully this doesn't mess up our travel plans. 

This past weekend we took Conor to see Santa... Cutest baby ever, he was super chill and so easy going.  He was so relaxed he yawned right there on santas lap. 

Baby sweatsuit

Hope everyone has a sweet and full Thankgiving, enjoy your families and friends and remember to know when to stop eating! 

Xoxo -L

Gold in Design

I've been noticing a pretty awesome new trend going through home decor and fashion. It's going GOLD! Who would have thought we're all embracing the yellow metal. I remember I wouldn't touch gold jewelry 10yrs ago. But now, it all okie dokie. Here are some awesome gold finds...

-This Gold giraffe  is exactly my inspiration for our next baby room! It's going to be creamy and smooth, with gold accents. That is hoping in the next few yrs we would have a baby girl! I have placed a few pictures for inspiration on my Pinterest board.

-The walls are also important, this Dot wallpaper is especially cute for a baby room, 

or a kid play room!

-if you want a super spruced up holiday party with a sparkly table, put these Forks and knives down. Gold flatware is a great way to add some punch to a Christmas party.
-...and lastly a really cute stocking stuffer or sweet way to send out a Christmas photos...these note cards stick with the gold dot theme.

Find a few cool gold pieces to scatter around the house. Look for glitter gold candle sticks or gold sparkly ornaments for your tree. It's time to get festive y'all! 

2nd Day Things

For this new week it all revolves around baby boy. I just bought a BOB Revolution jogging stroller and found there are all kinds of accessories that you can get to go with it. I'm adding them to my Pinterest board, Christmas List so I don't forget the cool things I find. I seem to not remember much of anything these days unless I write them down or tell someone about it. So... here we go with our Tuesday awesomeness...
 - The best thing about cold weather is the clothes (awesome boots and tights!!). Its tricky when it comes to dressing a baby...Conor happens to have extra chubby legs/ankles, so I went to Walmart and got baby boy some ankle socks that aren't tight! They're super cute and don't cut into his legs.
 -The next best thing about it finally being cold out is staying indoors and feeling toasty! I've used my Keurig more in the past month than I have in a year! I've gotten super into Chai Latte's and decaf Hazelnut coffee, although the only thing that makes coffee amazing is the creamer that goes in it... I saw an ad for
Egg Nog Latte creamer and have to try it! I need to save some bucks at Starbucks, $4 pumpkin spice latte's are kind of ridiculous even though they are AMAZING! So I'll try this creamer instead :o)

 - This weekend I'm looking forward to going to Austin for the guys Alumni Soccer game, and will be dressing baby in his UT onesies. He wears one every Saturday for a game.

I hope everyone enjoys the "arctic blast" that's blowing through the city. Its gonna be a cold one!