bargain chinoiserie

I'm obsessed with bamboo chairs, the chinoiserie variety, and they're SOOO flippin expensive. I did a post a few weeks ago about chippendales and I keep seeing them and coveting them!

I mean, look at this dining room? Gorg right?

Sadly these chairs can cost up to $700 a piece

BUT the GREAT thing is that you can find em on Craig's List and ebay for good deals, and look what I stumbled upon in my area of St. Louis: a 7-piece dining set for $250. You know I'd be snatching up this in a second if I were living here past August.....

 I LOVE THESE CHAIRS!!

 Look at how simple these would be to paint and recover.

If you're in St Louis, go get these and tell me about it so I can be so happy for you and envious at the same time =)

Party Time!!

To Steph!!!!




We'll be having fun in the sun celebrating:)



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Memorial Day Sale!

Guess what... Rugs USA is having a RUG SALE ending today, and there's TONS for 40% off! (Not to mention no tax and free shipping!)

Here's some of my favs:

And THIS beauty I've been eyeing for months, and when I saw it go on sale, I begged my husband... And no, I am still not sick of chevron.

An 8x10, 100% wool for only $320? Major score!!

Happy birthday to me!!!!!

And being the crazy that I am, I've already planned a room around it:

I'm really wanting a yellow couch!

If you're in need of an area rug (and who isn't?!), today is the day!! Jump on that website, seriously!

jewel tones

It's apparently all the rage right now, and it's definitely workin for me. My mom used to tell me jewel tones were "my color"- not pastels or brights, but jewel tones. So I guess I've just always had a love for em... 

They say you often decorate with colors you often wear.. If you went through your wardrobe, you could gauge a pretty good color scheme for your home!

And hey, if you look good in mustard, and bought a mustard sofa, and SIT on your mustard sofa, you'd always look good right?? (although how many of us actually look good in mustard?  How about sapphire...)

I can NOT get enough of emerald green!!

love this

this is so random but I saw it on pinterest and had to post it...

Gaga is everywhere lately, promoting her new album. Gotta love someone so unpredictable right?

stairway to heaven

If there's one thing I hate, it's those outdated oak banisters found in a lot of houses on the market (maybe in your own house too!) There's lots you can do to jazz em up, from painting to wallpapering, to carpeting...

Check out this awesomeness

 look at the detail on this banister! So amazing.. I love the grayish grasscloth on the walls too

Little crazy but so different.. rainbow spindles?

Johnny A

I gotta say that Jonathan Adler was one of the first designers I familiarized myself with.. of all the images I saw of gorgeous and colorful interiors, it was Adler's that I was really drawn to. I think he's quite the genius and he doesn't seem to stick to the "rules."

I bought this book (on amazon of course) and while it's very kooky and over-the-top, it WILL make you happy!

So the reason for this post is that I've lately discovered Johnny's stuff for sale at random stores, and for decent prices! I never knew that he had stuff on the HSN network (I always just looked at Nate Berkus').

Cute dish sets, bedding, throw blankets, etc.

I found 2 sets of these lemon-lime chevron twin sheets for $20 each at Burlington Coat Factory of all places.. who knew??

$24 umbrella at francescascollections.com

 Okay so this lamp is not cheap but I happen to love it

Bright & cheery ipad covers.. francescas collections also

 Since he got his start in ceramics & pottery, he stays true to that with cool lamps, pitchers, S&P shakers, etc all sold on amazon.

Happy shopping =)

Weight Loss Success Story

So I'm into fitness & enjoy a good makeover as much as the next person (or more, let's be honest) and I wanna share about my girl Chantel. She worked her butt off and lost over 25 pounds! Now, for the record, I never thought she was overweight, I always thought she looked great, but I think that us short girls have a hard time "looking" thin. When you're short, your weight just distributes.. out. Mega bummer, BUT Chantel has proven that wrong, because she looks amazing!

 Before, 140 lbs                         After, 112

Here's what she did:
 (And sorry about the weird spacing, I cut and pasted from our facebook messaging!)

"Ok so I totally looove telling my story so thank you for letting me!!! I think it is cool to be able to help people since it took me a while to find it out myself! Now I just have to pay it forward! Here the food I eat and how I lost 25 pounds in 14 weeks! I stay at 1200 calories a day (to lose weight but then 1500 to maintain) I eat low carbs only whole grains, lots of raw veggies, fruits and nuts. And just a little dairy, it helps keep down the bloating. When I eat throughout the day I only eat 100-200 calories at a time so I don't feel full but I don't feel bad eating when I want. I drink 2 cups of herbal tea a day, and at least one bowl of low sodium soup. And fish or chicken for dinner. I drink at least 2 liters of water a day, well I try it is hard some days but usually if your body says your hungry your really thirsty. So I try to drink a lot before I give into food to see if that is what I needed. 

  You are on the go like me a lot so sometimes I take a low carb slimfast (190 cal) with me, or a low sodium V8 with babybel cheese (105 cal) so it is quick and easy but your not blowing it. I try to eat my veggies raw but I LOVE dipping them in ranch but I found a new fun alternative, yogurt based dip! It is lower in fat and calories and I love it. Joe agreed that would could stop buying hamburger meat and replacing it with turkey! When that day happened I was stoked. It is sooo much better for you and doesn't make me feel as gross! A couple big things that will help change how you cook, I put everything on a salad plate so I can eat everything on it, but it is portioned out just right. Also, you need good fats (mono and polyunstaturated fats) to lose weight. Thats why I eat salmon and tuna with olive oil. It is good for your skin and your heart. So switching out the veg oil for olive is a great decision. That is why I eat nuts too, yes they are high in calories but it is good fat that you need. 

"I also had one day a week where I ate whatever I wanted to throw off my body and kick my metabolism back up. I know this may look intimidating but I PROMISE if you write it down and follow it, it becomes second nature and easy to do! I LOVE food soooo much and this is the first time I have been able to lost weight fast. 

  Second, working out. Start slow like walking 30 mins 3 times a week on an incline. Or go on a hike with friends. For me I just had to throw myself in the gym and kick my butt into gear! I was only going 3-4 times a week and did the eliptical on an incline of 6 and work load of 4-5 alternating for 30-35 mins. Then I did "Body for Life" weights. (great book I HIGHLY recommend) So upper body only twice a week and same for lower. Then I walked with my mom or did pilates once a week. Thats it!!! I dropped 7 pounds my first week!!! Set your goal each week of what you want to achieve and weigh in on the same day every week to keep track."


Doesn't Chantel look great?! It's awesome to see someone I know work so hard and look so good! I'm sure Chantel would say that it was not easy but all worth it. And here's my two cents: as Chantel found out, it's all about calories, as tedious as it is. You can still eat enough to feel full, as long as it's healthy food. I think it's also a mental game- you gotta commit and stay motivated and be ready to take the plunge, and plan ahead to be able to stick to it. 


I hope this is motivating for at least someone, besides myself! And if you have an awesome makeover story, email it to me! As Chantel said, it's all about payin it forward =)