my mod style

TODAYS COLOR: YELLOW

2012-01-26T05:27:00.000-08:00

Home Klondike DecOr Home Decorating Simply Smitten Attitude Loft

Inspiration: Beautiful Painted Credenza

2012-01-25T05:56:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been wanting to spray paint everything! Why does it have to be winter right now? It seems like on my days off it's always windy and snowing. So even painting in the garage is out of the question since it's not heated. I am dying to find a dresser or buffet to paint yellow for my dining room. Every trip to the thrift stores lately have left me empty handed. I originally planned on painting my buffet (that I don't have yet) with a roller and a can of paint, but I may just go with spray paint instead! Look at this BEAUTIFUL spray painted buffet by Jenny from Little Green Notebook....

My jaw dropped when I saw this thing!!!!This was all the inspiration I needed to decide to use spray paint instead! The only thing that will keep me from not using spray paint, is if I don't like the color of yellow offered in the spray paint selection. I would really just like to get a paint sprayer, but I just don't feel like spending the money on one right now! Jenny has step by step directions on her blog on how she painted her buffet. She also did some other awesome stuff in her home office makeover!
I am super jealous of her office, but I will use that jealously to motivate me to go shopping this weekend for my own awesome buffet! lol Thanks Jenny for the great inspiration!

Dose of Jonathan Adler

2012-01-24T07:41:00.000-08:00

I didn't get a job so that I could spend $175 on a decorative pillow, but dam it's tempting! I am so in love with the new pillows from Jonathan Adler...The colors and patterns are amazing. Even Cody loves them,....just not the price. This is probably my current favorite color scheme: Pink, Blue and Orange! YUMMY!
The Sugar Monster Project Nursery
This may be my new inspiration for my living room.....

Flat Stanley visits us in Wyoming

2012-01-23T12:02:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of Flat Stanley? He is a little boy who becomes flatten when a bulletin board falls on top of him. Now he travels the world by mail! A family friend asked me if I would let Stanley visit with us in Wyoming for her daughters school project. She just finished reading Flat Stanley in her 3rd grade class, so now Stanley is here with us visiting. Here are some of Stanley's photos that he will be taking back with him to Ohio...

Here we are with Stanley...

I made Stanley a Cowboy Hat!

We made sure Stanley got to see some mountains...
Of course the dogs had to meet Stanley...

This was fun to do. I know it will be exciting for the third grade class to get the Flat Stanley back and see the pictures. I wrote a cute little letter talking about our jobs and life in Wyoming.

Working with Animals {month 1}

2012-01-20T06:08:00.000-08:00

It's officially been 1 month since I started my new job as an Animal Care Specialist. When I took the job I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. I thought a year ago I would be going to school to get a degree in Web Design. Now I am working with animals. I have always loved animals and when I was a kid I wanted to be a veterinarian. Sadly, I was not blessed with a strong stomach. Blood bothers me, so being a Vet is not an option. I have gotten better, but I don't think I could do it.

This first month has been an emotional roller coaster for me. The first week was easy because it was just watching videos and reading paperwork. Once I started training though and actually seeing all the animals it started to stir up my emotions. You can't save them all. It's just simply heartbreaking.

My job is to feed the animals and clean up after them. I also spend time socializing them and helping people adopt animals. I have just now really started doing adoptions. Last Saturday I adopted out my first dog all by myself. Sadly, he was returned about 3 days later. A lot of these dogs in the shelter really have high energy levels and separation anxiety issues. Which to me, is very understandable considering what they have been through. Animals need more then 3 days to adjust to a new home outside of a shelter. A cat got adopted out yesterday and was returned 2 hours later because it hissed at the other pets in the home.. Well, DUH! How stressed out and scared do you think that cat probably was?! It just lived in a cage by itself for a month!

One of the first days I worked, I had "kennel time" with a dog. Kennel time is 10-15 minutes that we spend with an animal in there cage to comfort them. Each day each employee is assigned an animal. When I was petting this dog, my eyes just filled with tears and it took everything I had to keep myself together. The same day I had to watch a sick cat be put to sleep. Of course I cried during that.

It's all part of the job and as of last week I didn't know if I could find the strength inside me to NOT GIVE UP. Sometimes I just want to go back to sitting in front of my computer daily and not work. Quitting is the easy way out. This time of year is considered "slow". Animals aren't breeding as much so we have less of them. The spring is going to REALLY test me. I am doing better already then I thought I would, so I feel very hopefully.

I feel there is no other job for me in this city I live in. This job is totally different then working at IKEA. Taking this job is eye opening for me. I will grow as a person working here. The experience is worth while that's for sure. I was so depressed last week, coming home crying to Cody. I just can't quit though. I am going to take it day by day and see what happens. Everything to life is a test to me. You become stronger and just keep developing as a person. You just keep getting better and learn from everything you do.

I don't know if I mentioned this or not, but Cody volunteers on Saturday morning at the shelter. He goes in for 2 hours early in the morning just to walk dogs. It really makes him happy and it really helps out the shelter. Something so simple, but yet so rewarding.

TODAYS COLOR: TEAL

2012-01-19T05:09:00.000-08:00

Re Do It Design Swift Orchids Veranda
A Simple Kind of Life & Under A Paper Moon

Apartment Therapy
Etsy: Decades Of Vintage

My California Photo Collage Wall

2012-01-18T05:37:00.001-08:00

Over the weekend I finally had some nice enough weather to bust out my spray paint. I couldn't wait to start working on my photo collage wall. When I started this project I didn't know what colors I wanted the frames to be or even what pictures were going to go in the frames! It all started when I designed a cute California print...

Then I decided I wanted to just frame pictures that I took in California....

I decided to just stick with white and silver frames. Most of the frames were black and I spray painted them glossy white. I used Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Primer, I highly recommend it! I decided to put scrapbook paper in the 12"x12" frames and just tape a photo printed out as a 8"x 8" on top of the paper.
I am pretty happy with how it looks. Cody even loves it! We really love California, so the pictures really trigger some happy memories! My other project over the weekend was my $4 Kmart Frame. It got a pretty in pink makeover!I decided to put some photos from our last Disney Vacation in the frame. We really had some funny pictures taken. I used my TJUSIG rack from IKEA to set my Vinylmations on. I just took the hooks off of it and it became the perfect shelf for my figurines. It is nice finally seeing some things on my blank walls...
This was a fun project! I may do another frame collage on the wall you can't see in the photos! We'll see....

Design Board - Loren's Office / Guest Bedroom

2012-01-17T06:36:00.000-08:00

Decorating one room to use for guests and as a home office is tricky! Loren needed some help with this dilemma! She lacked storage and organization. She already owned a futon and an office chair from IKEA.
I love the patterns and colors on the chair so I decided it would be a great inspiration piece for my design. Here is what I came up with....

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I added a dresser to the room so that guests have a place to put their clothes while visiting. Plus, it can just be used for extra storage when Loren doesn't have guests. I chose a computer armoire to hid clutter and provide better storage. A pretty bookcase to store baskets for the "not so pretty" stuff, but plenty of room for pretty picture frames and vases. When storage is an issue, I always suggest baskets or boxes on top of the furniture also! Sometimes you need to go all the way up to the ceiling! I also love LACK wall shelves from IKEA. An important thing about decorating to me is, hiding clutter and only displaying pretty things.

Happy Decorating Loren!

LOVE THIS ROOM

2012-01-16T16:42:00.000-08:00

I love all these rooms. They aren't my usual style, but they are beautiful to me...
Decor Pad
Decor Pad
Decor Pad

Muffins Birthday

2012-01-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, maybe it seems weird to post about my dogs birthday on my blog. Muffins is now 12 years old. It is hitting me like a ton of bricks that my baby is getting older. With my new job, my eyes are being opened to all the pets that are neglected and homeless. When I come home everyday Muffins is right there wondering where I have been. Her eyes fill up with joy and happiness to see that I am home again. Muffins is the sweetest little thing and she has so much love for me...I know she doesn't know that it's her birthday. Sadly, just I do. Last year I watched her health decline rapidly. She still gets around somewhat well, but she has a limp caused by back or hip pain. I need to take her to the vet and get some blood work done and maybe put her on some pain meds. My heart already aches thinking about having to let her go someday. This may all sound morbid, but I am just preparing myself for the future. A lot of this is just all triggered by my new job. My job is not for everyone and I am already being tested. I hope that I can find the strength to not give up. Seeing the sad animals in cages everyday, the animals that no one wanted, and animals that can't find homes is heart wrenching. All I can hope is that I can make a difference!!I hope that if you aren't a pet owner that you may be willing to open your life up to an animal someday. They will bring you so much love and warmth, especially when you need it the most. With all the said, Happy Birthday Muffins! Thanks for being the best little Yorkie I could ever want!

Fashion Friday - Cute Purses

2012-01-13T06:03:00.000-08:00

I love purses! I am just luck that I have amazing self-control when I go shopping! They are so tempting....
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Go over to Kori's blog, Blonde Episodes to be part of Fashion Fridays!
You can view all my Fashion posts by clicking {HERE}. Have a great weekend!

Making A Photo Collage Wall

2012-01-12T04:55:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share what I have been doing lately around my house. I have to tell you I am going crazy looking at my blank off-white walls. This week something happened. I finally snapped. Yesterday I took a trip to Hobby Lobby for what I call,"Shopping Therapy". I purchased a few picture frames to form a collage wall in our stairway.
The cashier at Hobby Lobby says to me,"Got some photos to frame huh?"
I said,"Actually, I do things backwards. I buy the frames first, then pick out pictures to go in them." The cashier just laughed.
Then I thought to myself,"This guy has got to think I am weird. I need to think before I say things out loud."
I headed home with my frames and ended up with a pile at the buttom of my steps...
All these frames totaled up to around $30. I had some of them already. I purchased black 12x12 and 11x14 frames for $5 each at Hobby Lobby! I plan to spray paint a few of them bright colors and the rest white. I started with using wrapping paper cutouts on the wall to plan a layout...
This is my first attempt at a collage wall up a staircase. I am pretty excited about it! Cody on the other hand, not so much. LOL He knows he will be helping his SHORT wife hang them. Here is another layout that I love...
All the frames above, except the bigger silver frames are from the dollar store! They are perfect for filling in little gaps for a wall collage of frames! I also found this frame on clearance at KMART...
I love it! It cost me $4.00! Isn't is nice? I do plan to spray paint it HOT PINK! (Sorry Cody) I think once I paint it pink and put some pretty black and white photos in it, it will look beautiful! Lastly, I started to prime my Hexagon Table that I bought a few months ago...
I still haven't decided on a color yet. I am leaning towards a bright pink or turquoise. The weather is supposed to be nice this weekend, so I hope to get a lot of painting done. I am trying to stay motivated with my decorating around the house. It's hard now that I got a job and a schedule to live by. I am motivated though and can't wait to just push on with my projects!!! Hope everyone is having a great week!

P.S. It's also my goal to blog everyday this month! Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself!

Doug Meyer Interior Design

2012-01-11T04:52:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of the designer Doug Meyer? I hadn't till now. His designs remind me of candy stores! So much color going on!
Decorati Access
The English Room
Decorati Room
HGTV
Papillon Lines
I hope you enjoyed this eyecandy!!! Check out Doug Meyer's website {HERE}.

NEW BLOG PAGE - Tour My Home(s)

2012-01-10T06:04:00.000-08:00

I am trying to make some changes to the blog for 2012. I want to be more organized for my readers. My Mod Style is going to have a 5 year anniversary soon! I want to make it better for YOU! One thing I just designed was a page called, "Tour My Home(s)". It's a quick way to take TOURS of places I have lived and go back to read old posts about those places. Here is a look...

The actual page has all the links and a story to go along with it! You can use this icon below, located on my sidebar categories to view the full page.

Please feel free to give me feedback on your favorite My Mod Style posts and what you would like to see on my blog this year!
Thanks,
Jessie

My Love For Magazine Collage Walls

2012-01-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

I have always LOVED collage walls made from magazine cutouts! I have been debating whether or not I want to do a wall somewhere in my home! Here are a few photos I found inspiring....Bright Bazaar
Vi.sualize & Design Ties

Lushaliscious Here is a flashback to some wall collages I have done in the past. My old bedroom as a teenage back in 1996! See my original blog post {HERE}

My Front Entry Way in my old home from 2009, original blog post {HERE}

I love collages because are like putting a puzzle together. They are easy to take down also, so great for people who live in rentals! Plus it's great to just try it for while and if you hate it you just take it down. That's probably what I will do.

Decor Love - Chevron

2012-01-08T05:57:00.000-08:00

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14You either LOVE IT or you HATE IT. I still love Chevron and probably still will when everyone else stops decorating with it! I can't get enough of it!

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS

2012-01-07T06:13:00.000-08:00

Have you seen Water for Elephants? Cody and I watched it last month and we were both shocked at how GOOD we both thought it was!! I think we thought it was going to be a huge chick flick! It wasn't though. It's a sweet love story, but also a very inspiring story about following your dreams.
Of course I love Robert Pattinson! I enjoyed seeing him in something besides Twilight! I think a lot of people don't like him because they hate Twilight, which is sad. He really is a good actor and he proves that in Water for Elephants.

This movie isn't just a love story. Really it's more about how the old time Circuses were run. It's definitely a tearjerker, so be ready with some Kleenex. Reese Witherspoon is also amazing in the movie. It's rare for me to find a movie with both an actor and actress in it that I actually love.

Water for Elephants is a great movie! I plan to read the book soon now that I have a job with an 1 hour lunch break!!

A ROOM & A DRESS

2012-01-05T15:03:00.000-08:00

ROOM | DRESS

ROOM | DRESS
ROOM | DRESS
ROOM | DRESS
ROOM | DRESS
Go over to Kori's blog, Blonde Episodes to be part of Fashion Fridays!
You can view all my Fashion posts by clicking {HERE}. Have a great weekend!

Contemporary Home in Sweden

2012-01-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

I am drooling over this house! I love to dream....Images from Freshome

Visit Freshome for many more photos of this beautiful home!

New York Loft

2012-01-04T06:52:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across these lovely images of a New York Loft featured in a Elle Decor Look Book. I dream of having a loft someday! I found these photos by searching for Andy Warhol artwork, here is why:
A Wall of Warhol Shoe Prints!

Photographer: Simon Upton
Designer: Tom Scheerer
Homeowner: Naeem and Ranjana Khan
View the LookBook {HERE}

TODAYS COLOR: LIGHT PINK

2012-01-03T11:58:00.000-08:00

OPEN ArCh1TecTurE
Pink Bedroom Ideas & Trove Interiors

The Lennoxx
Funky Bear Decor
Annette Tatum

Design Board - Loren's Living & Dining Area

2012-01-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

Loren emailed me needing some help and inspiration for her home. She just felt stuck and needed some ideas of how to finish her rooms. The first thing I wanted to do was help her with her living room area.
Loren loves her sofa and love seat, but kinda is sick of the brown. Well slip covers are very pricey, so I figure just add some color to brighten up the room!

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I could have picked out a million more things, but the design board started to look a little cramped! I love turquoise, green and brown together. I think it will not only brighten up Loren's living room, it really gives the room a sophisticated look. Loren's kitchen and dining area is open to her living room. Currently in her kitchen she has a "wine theme". My design board for her kitchen and dining area still has the wine theme, I just added a lot of COLOR....

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Loren has space above her kitchen cabinets to create a great display! I picked out some great vases and the Wine Tasting poster to put up there. Also, I picked out the glass decanter from Crate & Barrel. The decanter is priced at $40, but you can find decanters at thrift stores and antique shops for much cheaper! I am obsessed with the rug from Crate & Barrel! She could buy the runner for her kitchen or the 5X7 to put under her table and chairs.

I really hope these colors inspire Loren!
Happy Decorating!

A Vinlymation Christmas

2011-12-31T12:34:00.000-08:00

I had a Vinylmation Christmas! I wanted Vinylmations for Christmas this year. A lot of sets are getting harder to find, so I asked for some of the ones that I knew would be sold out soon!
Urban 6
Villians 2
Nerds
For Cody! Star Wars Series 1
I also got some 9" Vinylmations!
Gonzo Muppets Series 2
Retro Mickey Mouse & Dumbo
The Mad HatterAfter Christmas the Disney Store was running a sale on Urban 6, so I bought 7 more hoping to end up with a complete set of 12. Well, that didn't happen! I got 2 that I needed and 5 duplicates!
Urban 6 Cody and I visited the two Disney Stores located in the Denver area yesterday. I was able to trade 3 of my duplicates for 3 Vinylmations I didn't have yet...

Dr. Facilier from the Villians 2 Series and two Vinylmations from Cutesters 2 Series

I have a total of 51 duplicates to trade when we go to Disney World again!!! Now I am on the lookout for shelves or a display cabinet for my Vinylmations! I hung our wedding pictures in our hallway this week. I decided it would be cute to sit some of the Vinylmations on top of the frames...
Thanks to my family for getting me some Vinylmations for Christmas!

The Denver Aquarium

2011-12-31T11:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Cody and I headed down to Denver Colorado to check out the Aquarium. With my new found love of the ocean and sea life, I was pretty excited. I wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures with you!

I love how bright all the colors are!

One of my biggest fears in the world is Sharks! Cody almost had to force me into the shark area. They have a large tank full of Sharks that look like this guy...
We had fun! I wish I would of taken some photos with us together, but it was really busy. I was lucky to get the photos I did. Now I can't wait for the spring so we can go to the Denver Zoo!!

MOSAIC - December 2011

2011-12-31T08:52:00.000-08:00

My Life Recap / December 2011
*Got a job working as an Animal Care Specialist
*Posted about how the year 2011 has changed me
*Cody and I went to the Denver Aquarium
*Found my cute Penguin Planter
*I turned 30!!!
*I made a cool photo montage from Disney Vacation pictures

Goodbye 2011! I can only imagine what 2012 will bring me....

This Year - PART 2 & 3

2011-12-26T06:13:00.000-08:00

This post is about how I have changed as a person this year. If you missed Part 1 you can read that first {HERE}.

Immediately following my goodbye with Cody the talk of me moving to California started. I already had a love for California and so does my friend Dan. Dan travels a lot and in the past has drove across the country many times. He was able to tell me the route I would take and it really got me pumped up about driving it. I am the type of person that once something is planted in my head, that's basically it. The decision has been made. I follow my gut and after a night of sleeping on any idea, I am good to go. Part of me has always wanted to live in California. It is just so beautiful. There is so much to see and do in California. Dan and I had a long drive back from Texas to Ohio. I had plenty of time to talk myself into the idea of just jumping in my car and going to be with my husband! So, that's what I did!
I thought, why the hell not? I wanted to be spontaneous! I wanted to just GO and live life. I wanted to be with my husband. What if this was the only chance I would ever get to live in California? It was like, "Okay, Cody + California = Right Decision!" I stayed in Ohio for 2 more months, quit my job and packed all my stuff into a storage unit. I was off!

What a trip and experience. I know not everyone will have the same "life changing" experience that I did just from driving in a car. For me it was an emotional thing. I felt so alive and free. I grew up in Ohio all my life! There isn't Mountains, rolling hills and rock sculptures. It changed me. It made me realize how much more there is to this life. How you just have to get up and GO DO STUFF. You have to experience MORE. Make the most of your life! JUST DO IT! The most breath taking part of my trip was around Flagstaff Arizona! AMAZING! Most of my drive was on Highway 40. If you ever take a road trip, I highly recommend it. The scenery is breath taking! I didn't even stop and sight see, so I can only imagine how beautiful the rest of Arizona and New Mexico are! (Can't wait to go back!) There was a stretch of highway that was very windy through some mountains, I do believe in Arizona. I drove so much that I forget! It was so beautiful and fun to drive. I brag to Cody about it all the time. When your out there by yourself and no one else is around you just realize how precious life really is. You just feel so alive. You feel one with your surroundings. The west has forever changed me, and I honestly don't know if I will ever be able to live anywhere else. Living in California for 3 months was such a great experience. Cody and I really enjoyed all of our time there. We miss it already. I felt so happy there, like I belonged. It just felt right. Something tells me that Cody and I haven't seen the last of California.

See my posts about Driving to California:
Day 1 {HERE}
Day 2 & 3 {HERE}

There is a whole other point to this entirely way to long blog post.

It is something that I have gone back in forth with myself about, wondering if I should share it with my readers or not. If you have followed my blog for awhile, you may know that I used to post about watching movies a lot. I would rate them and let you know if I hated it or loved it. Well over time I pretty much watched everything on Netflix that I wanted to. When Cody was gone, besides watching Roseanne I watched movies. Lots of movies! Then I started to watch television shows instead. This started when I moved to California. Are you wondering where this is going, why it matters if I share this? Bear with me here. I hadn't had television cable in years. Needless to say I didn't know half the shows that had been on TV for years! I started watching a series called DOG TOWN. Dog Town is a show about the Best Friends Animal Society in the state of Utah. The show is amazing! It really shows you the behind the scenes of how many animals are neglected and abused in the world. Something I really knew nothing about. The Best Friends Animal Society takes in all types of animals and nurse them back to life so they can be put up for adoption. I would cry and cry watching some of the episodes and seeing the abuse. Most of the stories did have happy endings, which was also emotional to watch at times. Of course now that I was living with a roommate who had cable in her house, I would watch TV during the afternoon.

At first I watched HGTV daily! I really had missed HGTV. Cody would come over on the weekends and we would try to agree on a channel. (Never HGTV.) We would watch Animal Planet sometimes, but mostly we watched shows like COPS. One night after I took Cody back to the base, I decided to not go to bed and just watch some TV by myself. I turned it to Animal Planet and a show called Whale Wars was on. I didn't know what it was and at first I had no idea what was going on. Each episode is an hour long, so of course I got sucked in. It was full of so much excitement and something was always happening that kept me on the edge of my seat. I started watching it in the middle of a season. Most of what was happening didn't make sense. I also didn't realize that what they were doing was so important. I am sure most people know about the show Whale Wars. I think its getting ready to go into its 6Th Season. Whale Wars is about a group of people called Sea Shepherd's that are trying to stop whaling and the killing of other wildlife. Well I was lucky and Netflix had Season 1 - 3 for me to watch. I got sucked in. Then I got Cody sucked in.

The reason I am hesitant to post about this is because I know not everyone may support what the Whale Wars show stands for. I am not someone to talk about any type of politics or religious things on my blog! It's a design blog!! I also don't because in my real life I have had life long friends stop talking to me because we didn't have the same beliefs and views. Agreeing to disagree wasn't okay with them. They decided it was better to just stop talking to me and end our life long friendship. I have seen what debating about issues does to people. The stress it can cause and the hatred. We all have opinions, that is part of being human. I don't debate with anyone. I rather be friends. I feel like no matter who you are or what your beliefs, stopping the killing of our Wildlife may connect us all. Going to California this year gave me the chance to see the Ocean up close and personal. It's so beautiful, along with all the wildlife that lives in it.

Of course, Muffins loved the beach!
The reason I am saying all this to you is because right now my heart is broken. I have been watching Whale Wars since May of this year. I started recycling this year because of Whale Wars. The things that I have seen on that show, other documentaries about the Ocean and the Sea Shepherd's have made me view the world differently. It hasn't changed my political views, it's just made me more knowledgeable of things that are happening in the world that no one knows about! You can love animals no matter how you vote. Animals will love you back and our wildlife is so important. It's a planet thing, it's about caring and doing your part to spread the word about things people don't even know about. Endangered animals being slaughtered for money is what I see. By watching these shows and movies I have learned the importance of these animals in the Ocean. How we need them to make the world go round. The world we all live in together. I had never even heard of whaling! A lot of people won't even give the show Whale Wars a chance, or they make fun of it. I don't think this is a fair thing to say if you don't know why they are actually out there or what they are doing. They are out in the ocean fighting the Whalers because no one else will. They are some of the bravest people I have ever seen in my entire life. It takes a lot of courage to risk your life to save Whales, or for any cause you feel strongly about. It takes compassion and bravery!

Two great films that made me love Whales even more! Lots of great information.

Every night I go to bed I have to fall asleep watching TV. A few nights ago Cody was super sleepy and was out like a rock in like 5 minutes. I decided to watch one of the last Whale documentaries that I hadn't watched yet on Netflix. The movie is called The Cove. I had never heard of it. It came out in 2009. I have to say nothing I have ever watched in my life made me cry this much. I had to pause it and go get Kleenex. Why was it so sad? It's raw footage of Dolphins being murdered. I don't know a lot about Dolphins, but do know more after watching this movie, The Cove. Dolphins are so harmless to people. Most people love them. You see a Dolphin and you smile. They are extremely smart and have been know to save drowning humans. Why am I telling you this? Because I feel helpless and frustrated that even after this movie was filmed that these poor Dolphins are still being killed every year in Japan. It's hard for me to swallow because the evidence of wrong doing is so clear in the footage, yet nothing is done to stop it. Whaling is so tragic and heartbreaking to me. I just want people like me, who didn't know this was all happening in the world we live in, to also know about it. I think it's important to spread the word. Like I said, its all about the animals and our planet. Nothing else. To see an innocent sea creature being killed pulls at my heart strings like nothing else in this world can. I didn't even realize it till I watched these shows and movies. All I want is to let people know about it and if they choose to learn more, they can. I feel like maybe if I say something, someone else will also care as much as I do. Then they will also spread the word.
I have always loved animals but I guess I didn't realize how much till this year. I have always been into decorating and design. In high school I was an Art student. Art and design is all I ever really wanted to do. Earlier this year I had planned on going to college for Web Design. Well, design stuff has been put on the back burner. With the exception of my blog and decorating around my house. I am happy to announce that I finally got a job here in Wyoming. I am going to be working as an Animal Care Specialist. Not only did Cody joining the Air Force turn my life upside down, it has changed me. I am a true believe of the saying,"Everything happens for a reason." It did for me this year. I am still me. Just happier inside. I feel like I finally am going to have a job that matters. I feel like I am going to make a difference. If I had the guts to do what the Sea Shepherd's do, I would. I don't know how to swim and even though I think the ocean is beautiful, it is also one of my biggest fears to be out in the open water. Ironic? All I ask is that if you are an animal lover, take the time to research or read about some of the things I talked about. I feel like this is a way I can make a difference, by sharing it with others. Thanks. This is all from the bottom of my heart.
Love,
Jessie

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T13:51:00.000-08:00

I have always loved this picture! I hope everyone has a great day with their family and friends! Apartment Therapy
Next year I would love to make a wreath like one of these!
Retro Renovation & Georgia Peachez

Cody and I will be watching A Christmas Story and other Xmas Shows!

And if you didn't see this, its pretty awesome......
It's a good day to be a Bengals Fan!

This Year - PART 1

2011-12-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

When you are a blogger you have a tuff decision of how much to share with your readers about your personal life. I have a lot I want to say. Some of it is more for me and some of it is things I do really want to share with my readers. When I have wrote more "personal" posts this year I have mentioned how much I have changed. I really wanted to explain some of that and just do a recap post for the entire year. I have wrote a NOVEL, so I decided to break it into 2 posts/ 3 parts that way it's easier for everyone to read.

2011 - This year was the best year I have had in a long time. The last prior 5 years Cody and I had lots of drama and heartache. Like every year you have your ups and downs. The beginning of the year marked Cody leaving for Basic Training for the Air Force. I was glad when we got the news he would be leaving at the beginning of the year. It meant one last Christmas and New Years together with our families. I remember the day Cody left as if it was yesterday. My memories of the day are so strong I can relive it in my head over and over. It was hard because Cody and I had never been apart for longer then a week. I really wasn't sure what to expect or how strong I would be.

I have gotten to a point in my life where I have learned to control my emotions more. I am able to hold in my tears and seem like I am "okay". When I was a teenager and probably up to a few years ago I cried all the time. I have always been an emotional person and wore my heart on my sleeve. The day Cody left was a very long day. Cody's parents and I waited with him at the MEMPS processing center all day. (Which felt like forever!) We watched Cody swear in and sign his last paperwork. Then we sat around even more. We were one of the only families there. Most of the "kids" swearing in that day had no one to support them. I found that very sad. When we finally made it to the airport I held my tears in. When the time came (finally) we made our goodbye really fast and I gave him the quickest lamest hug ever! He had asked me not to cry, so that was what I did,....for him. We said goodbye around 1pm in the afternoon. It didn't hit me that he was gone till around 5:30pm that evening. I was actually cooking myself dinner and I lost it. The apartment was so quiet without him there with me. The loneliness and reality hit me like a ton of bricks. Ironically he called right then to inform me that he had landed at the Dallas Airport. He was calm and collected of course, still excited. Yes, he was excited to go to basic training!! I was only able to talk to him for a second and I apologized to him for crying. Of course he wasn't mad or anything, I just didn't want him to have to hear me cry. Over the next few hours I pulled myself together. He called again when he reached San Antonio. This call was very quick. He was not aloud to talk. He was being forced to call me so that I knew he was alive. I hated these stupid calls. I was trying to pull myself together and gather up strength! Hearing his voice did not help me forget that he was gone. I know I didn't sleep much that night. I knew there was a possibility that I would get another call. Whenever someone goes to basic training they are made to call their family or spouse and read off a message that is pre-written for them. I got the call from Cody at 3:30am. My phone rang and I just started crying. I had already told Cody I was not going to answer "this" call. The reason I didn't is because they are now at the point expected to be a machine. They are calling to inform you they are alive and you can mail them letters at the address they give you. Basically Cody sounded like a robot. Cody already speaks fast and I knew there was no way in hell I would be able to write down the LONNNNGGG address when read it off to me. (Especially at 3am!) It took about 20 times of listening to the voicemail he left on my phone and about 6 days for me to translate it. In the voicemail Cody repeated himself and made few mistakes when he was telling me the address. With the help of a few fellow Airman that I already knew, I got it and starting writing novels to Cody daily.

Still reading? This post is no where near to being over, sorry.

Okay, things got way better. Of course the first night and day were ruff. Honestly though what kept me going was working really hard. If you don't know, I worked at IKEA in the Home Decorations department. I actually started to cross train into the Children's department also. Which meant plenty of hours at work and plenty to keep my mind busy. I worked with some amazing people their, many who I miss very much now. If I hadn't laughed everyday or kept myself busy I think I would have went insane. Staying busy and remembering to laugh is key! Everyday I went to work I also had this cloud of happiness around me. I was so PROUD of my husband and what he was doing! He joined the Air Force not only for himself, but almost MORE for me. Our life was at such a dead end and we hated what it had become. We needed change. When I met Cody, all the way back in 2003, he had mentioned he was considering joining the Air Force. We had been dating maybe a month. My reaction of course was,"OH! That's not something I want to go through!" He never brought it up again. It may sound like I stopped him, but it wasn't like that at all. He just simply never said anything else about it. EVER. Then he lost his job in 2009, and like I said we hated where our life was headed. Nowhere. Once he got the guts to tell me one night that he wanted to join the Air Force I listened to him with an open mind. Honestly it freaked me out at first, but not enough for me to be against it. It was just scary to think of how much it was going to change my life in every single way. You have to decide if you support your husband or do you fight it? Well I embraced it. Part of me has always wanted to experience living somewhere else. I never saw myself living in Ohio the rest of my life. Fear turned into excitement.

All these emotions and all this new found excitement kept me going while he was in Texas. It's always so cheesy to say,"You don't realize what you have till it's gone", but it's so TRUE! My heart was just full of so much love for Cody everyday.
I couldn't even imagine what he was going through. I wanted to know everything! I wished I could be by his side for every moment and emotion he was feeling. I couldn't though. I had to just guess and hope he had time to even think of me. Miss me. I wrote him everyday. Probably the most mushy things I will ever say in my life. The letters really helped me get through the basic training time period. It was the only thing that made me feel like I was connected to him. Sleeping alone was hard. I would wake up in the middle of the night sometimes and forget he wasn't in the bed. That would be a heartbreaking feeling. Besides working and letters, there were my pets also.

Pets are so amazing! The love they have for you. It was pointless for me to call a friend or talk to anyone about my feelings. Unless you go through it yourself, you can't explain the emptiness and the void you feel without your husband. Basically the best way for me to describe how I felt is LOST. My pets slept with me every night and would come up to me if I was crying. They really know when you are upset. It helped me a lot to have that support and love from them. You don't have to talk to them and try to explain how you feel. They just love you no matter what. Last but not least, I watched a lot of funny television. I laughed. My all time favorite show is Roseanne. I grew up watching it. Having Netflix allowed me to watch every episode back to back. If I ever started to feel down, I used the show as a distraction. What ever works right?

Most of all though, I would get weekly calls from Cody that would lift my spirits like nothing else could. I only had one phone call that upset me because the call was so rushed. I hung up with him and just became very frustrated that I couldn't have my husband. I do believe it was the week before his graduation. By then, enough is enough and you are just plan fed up! Of course I survived the 8 weeks without my husband. Duh. It feels like the end of the world, but it's not. It taught me to be more independent. The time and distance only made our relationship stronger. Honestly we needed it. After being together for 7 years already, it did us good to be apart and really realize how much we appreciated each other. I want to give a million KUDOS to anyone who ever has to deal with a deployment with their husband. I know that is way harder then 8 weeks of basic training. It makes basic look silly! I will say that basic training taught me that I am a stronger person then I ever thought I could be. A fellow Military wife once said to me,"You can either cry and fall apart or choose to be strong and carry on." It's so true. I love Cody more then anything in this world, and I chose to be strong for him. I have a bond with him that I could never have with anyone else.

The 8 weeks ended and The Graduation came. You think it's going to be great and exciting, then you get there and it's not. For me it was the most stressful thing I had experienced yet! I thought the day Cody left was hard,.....Nope. Try again. First of all I didn't have my Military ID yet. (long story) They had messed up my information so many times, that it delayed it from happening before the graduation came. I didn't have a guest pass to even get on the base. All Cody's family did and my friend Dan who I had drove to Texas with had passes, just not me. I cried and cried when I got to the place you go to get your pass and they told me I might not being able to get one. (another long story) As if I am not stressed enough already! One thing I learned about the Air Force so far, is that one person tells you one thing and then 5 minutes later your told something else. I lost lots of sleep that night after I was told I may not get in to see Cody graduate. Then I go back the next day and they gave me a pass like it was not a big deal! It was a complete emotional roller coaster for me! What was happening was they were in the middle of changing a policy on how and who gets guest passes to get onto the base. For those who don't know, the Air Force Graduation has two parts. A Coin Ceremony the first day and then a parade the second day. The first day I was super excited and happy! I got to see Cody for the first time and it was an amazing feeling! Nothing is better then that first hug!

It's awkward having all the family there, when all you want is to be with your husband alone. The weekend went pretty smoothly. The day of the parade I broke down crying. I still hadn't been allowed to be alone with my husband. I could careless about a dumb parade. I felt so many emotions it was hard to explain. Cody had also announced to me the day before that he would be going to school all the way out in California. (2,400 miles from Cincinnati Ohio) I didn't take this well. I couldn't even bare the thought of being apart from him another moment, let alone 2,400 miles! Everything hit me at once and I broke down crying in front of everyone before the parade even started. I kept yelling,"I just want my husband."

The parade happened, then lunch with family happened and finally I got to be off base ALONE with my husband. It was surreal. He looked so different, way to skinny. He acted very strange. He didn't even know how to act in a car or with me. He was paranoid we were being watched. (You aren't even aloud to hold hands on base.) It was a very emotional 4 days for Cody and I. Sunday, the last day being the worst of course. Cody and I got to spend 3 days off base together. We did nothing. No sight seeing around San Antonio, nothing. We stayed in our hotel room and were just happy to be able to TALK. Sunday I was so nervous. Sick to my stomach all day. If I could erase this day from my memory I would. I cried and cried. Nothing Cody did or said could stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks. I know, a baby right?

Well of course the time came when he had to go back to base. My friend Dan waited in the car, while I walked with Cody over to the saying goodbye area near the dorms. There were families crying everywhere. The thing that got me the most was a little girl sobbing, because she didn't understand why she had to say goodbye to her big brother. It's a memory I will never forget. I can't even remember what Cody and I said to each other. I know he told me he would see me soon, because everyone always says never to say goodbye. We made it quick. A fast kiss and a somewhat long hug. Then he turned his back to me, and he was gone again. I turned my back quickly also and didn't turn back. I lost it though. Boy did I. I sobbed, not cried. I covered my face in embarrassment, because I knew I must of looked horrible. I calmed down by the time I got to the car. Thanks to Dan for being an awesome support to me at probably one of the hardest moments in my life. I felt so frustrated that I had to go through this separation AGAIN! Your thinking to yourself,"I just got him back!" Your angry, depressed and you feel like you have had your heart torn out of your chest. We drove back to the hotel and I think we must of sat in the car for at least a half hour. I cried, Dan listened to me talk about how I felt. It was like, now what? I ended up pulling myself together. I actually decided to hang out with Dan and play cards the rest of the night. I easily could of just went to my room and cried some more. What good would that do? After a few hours, I started to remember that I was strong and that I could do this, AGAIN.

Thanks for reading. I will post Part 2 and Part 3 after Christmas Day!
LINKS
Cody Swears In and Ships Out {HERE}
Weekly posts when Cody was in Basic Training {HERE}
The Graduation {HERE}
All Military related posts can be found {HERE}

TODAYS COLOR: WHITE

2011-12-21T15:07:00.000-08:00

Shelterness
Shelterness
Shelterness
Luxury Home Ideas
Coco Cozy
COCO COZY

Cutie Patootie - Penguin Planter

2011-12-19T17:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, I don't know where I am going to put this little guy. I just had to have him! I found him at an antique shop for $1.25! How could I leave him? In all the years I have worked and shopped in antique malls, I have never seen a Penguin Planter. There isn't one chip on him! He makes me smile.

BLOG LOVE - Polka Dots and Puppies

2011-12-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

I always love to share with my readers other blogs that I love. Rachel from Polka Dots and Puppies is so crafty! She comes up with the cutest ideas and yummy recipes.
Rachel has been featuring some great holiday related posts. I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you. She made these cute Rudolph Cinnamon Scones... They make me smile. They are so cute, I may have trouble eating one. You can get the recipe {HERE}.
Here is a photo of her cute fireplace mantel display...
I love her Sweater Sleeve Trees! See how to make them {HERE}.
I am horrible at wrapping presents! Look how cute a gift from Rachel is...She designed the wrapping paper herself! What a fun idea! I love the added detailed of the snowflake and the button. Rachel has a whole category for DIY projects on her blog! Go visit Polka Dots and Puppies today!

My Dollhouse Not Completed

2011-12-15T12:46:00.000-08:00

So the deadline for the, "I'm A Giant Challenge" is now here, TODAY. I am no where even close to being done. I started off strong with putting it together and the overall painting. I picked a bright sunny yellow for the exterior of the house with hot pink accents. When it was all painted I asked Cody what he thought and his response was,"It's so you!" I didn't want to paint the house pink because I figured that would to much pink. (Yes, even I think there can be to much pink sometimes!) There is plenty more pink in the inside and I have so much more decorating to do!Now is when I wish I would have just bought a smaller house! I don't know if the other people who did this challenge feel the same way I do, but it's much more work then I realized. My house is empty do to a lack of time and MONEY! I fell in love with some cool modern chairs online, but they were $38 each. My goal with my house was and still is to make a lot of things myself and hunt for things at antique shops. My living room is the closest to being finished....
I still need a coffee table, end table, rug and more pillows.Since I can't have all the Andy Warhol prints I want in my own home, I figured I could put them in my dollhouse. I would love to frame them out eventually. If you remember, I made the sofa myself. It's based off the Lounge Sofa sold at Crate & Barrel. I made the little pillows also.The other side of the room is looking cute. The vase I found at a thrift shop for around 50 cents. I used pink q-tips in the vase for decoration. The fireplace came unfinished and I painted it hot pink and white. The mirror is from Michaels, along with the small letters that spell out LOVE. I still need to paint the letters, I hadn't decided on a color yet. There is a hole in the ceiling where the stairs should be. I wanted more space in the room so decided to leave them out. The gray chair I made at the same time I made the couch. I have this white frame to glue to the mirror still...
My favorite and ONLY antique store find is this turquoise chair...I only paid $3.00 for it! This gray room is above the living room. I plan to make this room a small office/library with bookcases filled with cute little books. Now we'll move onto the Master Bedroom...Not much going on in here yet! I made a headboard out of cardboard and silver fabric that I paid 44 cents for at Hobby Lobby. I am not loving the hot pink bedding. It's basically just there so it looked like a bed for the picture. The third floor is empty with the exception of wallpaper in one room...The orange wallpapered room will house the bathroom once I find fixtures I like. Maybe I am to picky to decorate a dollhouse? lol Here is a close up of the kitchen...I did buy the kitchen set at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon, making it around $20. I got the fridge, oven, sink cabinet, table and 2 chairs in the set. The unfinished cabinet is from Michaels and cost $1. All the little accessories are from Hobby Lobby...
I plan to paint this cabinet yellow!
You can see I have tons and TONS of work to do still. Cody and I go antiquing often, so sooner or later I will hit the jackpot. I did find a lot of furniture at The Brass Armadillo, but it was the wrong scale/size for my house. I do enjoy this new found hobby and plan to stick with it even if everyone else is done with their houses! I am doing this for me at my own pace because it's fun. I know sometime today Nicole from Making It Lovely with be posting her finished house. Emily Henderson hadn't posted anything on her blog yet, but I am sure she will.

UPDATE: Emily posted on her blog that she wants to extend the Dollhouse Challenge, because hardly anyone finished by the original deadline! She has extended it till February 2012. I still won't be finished. lol

Our Christmas Tree - 2011

2011-12-12T05:55:00.000-08:00

When we moved from Ohio a few months ago, I left behind most of my Christmas stuff. I decided to just donate it or give things to my mom. I gave my mom my big Silver Christmas Tree that we only had for a few years. I knew we were moving to an apartment, so I figured it wouldn't fit! Last year I set up a small Pink Tree in our apartment. The first tree Cody and I ever bought together as a couple was in 2005. I decided when we moved I couldn't let it go. That is the tree we are using this year....I basically had no ornaments. I didn't realize that till I unpacked my Christmas Decor tote and found it empty. I usually decorate my tree different every year. (Which Cody hates. He wants Hallmark ornaments, and what he calls a "family tree".) I like to "decorate" it and make it pretty. I tried to pick out ornaments that Cody liked also, meaning not all pink ones.

Did you see the cute doggie ornaments I found? You can see that post {HERE}I am happy with the way the tree looks this year! It's even better to see presents under the tree from our family! They have all been so sweet this year making sure to mail us stuff to unwrap Christmas morning.
I don't believe in spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on gifts. (Unless it's for kids!) Our parents will always want to buy for us though! It's nice to know that they are thinking of us also since they are now 1,200 miles away. This year my mother-in-law bought us some Christmas Vinylmations....
These Vinylmations actually smell like candy canes and other holiday scents! They are so cute!

Key Lime Green Curio

2011-12-09T06:41:00.000-08:00

Things that I am drawn to has changed so much when it comes to decorating. Cody will see me pick out certain things while we are shopping, and he just gives me this look that says,"Oh! Please No! That's not going in our house!" I have been so inspired by other bloggers to buy more second hand items and breath new life into them. In the past I would buy furniture all the time that I planned on painting. Problem was I lacked motivation and time. Things are different now. I try to only have so many projects at a time to pace myself. Last weekend I found this cute little Wall Curio Cabinet for $7.00....The weather was mild enough this week to spray paint out on my patio. I lightly sanded the cabinet because it did have a glossy finish. I used Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Spray Paint. First I applied 1 coat of primer. The only color of spray paint I had was Key Lime....
I decided instead of going and buying more paint I would just use what I had. Plus, I love the bright Key Lime green. I applied about 3 coats. Some of the little corners were hard to get and I had to apply more paint to them. I love how bright the green is....I am very happy with the end result. I bought it with the plan of putting some of my toy figurines in it...The cabinet is hanging in our front entry by our front door! I still have many projects for the front entry area, so I will reveal it when I get more projects finished.

TODAYS COLOR: RAINBOW

2011-12-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

Today I am feeling happy. I decided I would share colorful bright cheerful rainbow colored rooms and decor. Enjoy!Home Klondike
Siarsam
Vi.Sualize & Decor To Adore

Vendoluzes
Beautiful Abodes
HoneySuckle Life

My First Photo Montage

2011-12-07T05:59:00.000-08:00

My talented friend Dennis Capps designs Photo Montages. A few years back he designed a photo montage for me using photos taken at our wedding and on our honeymoon in California. You can see that {HERE}. I decided I wanted to attempt making one myself using Adobe Photoshop. For my montage I used photos taken during our Disney Vacation in December of 2010.

I used a total of 20 pictures and it took somewhere between 30 to 40 hours to complete. I didn't really keep track, I just worked on it here and there. It was really fun trying to pick photos out and put them together like a puzzle. It's also very challenging!! The pictures you want to use don't always work. You really need a huge selection of photos to design a montage. I can't wait to get it printed and framed!

My Living Room - December 2011

2011-12-06T06:34:00.001-08:00

Last week I shared my Kitchen & Dining Area with you. Today we will tour the Living Room. When we first moved in I was so super excited when I saw how LARGE the space was!I knew I would finally have room for all of our furniture. There is nothing I hate more then a cluttered and cramped room! I also decided that I wanted my computer to be in our living room. I enjoy spending most of my time in the living area, so it just made more sense to put my work area in the same room. Here is the view from the Kitchen...

Now you can see where I blog!!!

I decided I needed some Vinylmations in the empty corner. I purchased the shelves at Target on clearance for $7! I may spray paint them to add some more color. I am in love with my Billy Bookcases...
This is where I store office supplies and "not so pretty" stuff. It's a great little corner for me to blog and pay the bills! Cody anchored them to the wall and together so that they can't fall and crush me. What a great husband he is!I found the perfect place for my Michelin Man. The silver and white vase is new. I just purchased it for $8 at Big Lots. I love it! They had a few other cool designs also. Here is the rest of the room currently...There are still many many finishing touches to be done. That is what keeps it fun though! I never mentioned that I had painted my ottoman white! I can't believe how much better it looks now. I used Bullseye Primer and about 3 coats of Semi-Gloss white paint from Walmart. The funky fabric on it has grown on me, but I found fabric to recover it. Hopefully that will happen sometime in the next few months. It's going to be beautiful,....that's all I am saying. Okay, onto the couch wall...My vintage sofa has a special place in my heart. It will always be "our first couch in Wyoming" and it was FREE. I would love to go and buy a new gray mircofiber couch that I dream of having. I just don't feel like spending the money on it right now when our vintage sofa is working perfectly fine. I feel like the color works with all the other colors in the room. My main battle at this point is picking out art for over the couch. I may paint something, because I seem to never find anything I LOVE. Across from the sofa is looking good I think...I think our TV Stand looks nice by itself. I don't want to clutter up the area. Cody wants a bigger TV of course, but that's not happening right now. lol Tucked away in the corner is our vintage pedestal dining table...This is a sad lonely corner. I need to clean up the cords, find a lamp shade, add 2 chairs and artwork! Target has a great selection of drum shades, I just haven't gone yet. The other corner holds my orange Billy Bookcase...
I really need a skirt for my Christmas tree!!It's nice to have everything in place and unpacked. Now I can go thrifting and look for treasures to finish the room. It's comfortable and functional for now. This room is a huge room to paint. I would probably go with a light gray. I just don't want to worry about having to paint EVERYTHING BACK when we move out. I just try to put pops of color in the room to dress it up. I feel like I have a good foundation and now I just have to add all the finishing touches.

A Few More Vinlymations

2011-12-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

I added to our Vinylmation collection in November...
Urban 8 White Mickey & Frog | Villains 2 Lady Tremaine | Park 7 Mickey & Dragon Lady Tremaine was the first one I was able to trade for at a Disney Store. The stores always have Vinylmations that I arleady have in the clear trading box! Can you guess what was on my Christmas List this year? lol Yes I am almost 30 years old and I asked for toys for Christmas!!

LOVE THIS ROOM

2011-12-03T06:43:00.000-08:00

I love the big window in this dining room, the painted white trim, white chairs, wallpaper and the yellow accents. Beautiful... Decor Pad

A ROOM & A DRESS

2011-12-02T05:46:00.000-08:00

ROOM | DRESS ROOM | DRESS ROOM | DRESS ROOM | DRESS

All The Dresses are from MACY'S
Go over to Kori's blog, Blonde Episodes to be part of Fashion Fridays!
You can view all my Fashion posts by clicking {HERE}. Have a great weekend!

Cute Doggie Xmas Ornaments

2011-12-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and picked out some new ornaments for our Christmas tree. They had cute dog ornaments that I couldn't pass up! They had an ornament that looked like Muffins...
...and a very cute little Chihuahua ornament that looked like Chloe! Hobby Lobby did have a few other breeds if you would like one of these ornaments for your tree.

My Kitchen & Dining Area

2011-12-01T06:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday made 1 week since we moved in! I have been unpacking and decorating as fast as I can. I decided I wanted to keep the same theme for our new kitchen that I used at our apartment. I liked my Pyrex and Alice in Wonderland stuff displayed together. I also decided to put my large bookcase in the dining area...
I love all the colors together!The cabinet was a perfect place to display teapots, Pyrex and my Alice collectibles. I plan to get some 11X14 picture frames to put behind the displays that look empty. I have some great photos of Cody and I from our Disney vacation.The floral teapot set is one of my favorite thrift store fines EVER! I paid $15 for it. I placed the creamer and sugar jar that matches it in the kitchen area to help spread out the color scheme. I love the way my Alice Vinylmations look in the bookcase! I may also add some fabric or wrapping paper to the back of the bookcase to help everything stand out better.
For the first time in years, I am displaying the Hall Autumn Leaf pieces that belonged to my grandmother. I finally felt like I was able to work it into my decorating. Another awesome thing happening in the dining area is our new chairs...We purchased them from Big Lots for $30 each! We bought 3 chairs at one store and were lucky enough to get one more at another store. I was so worried I wouldn't end up with 4! They aren't my dream Panton Chairs, but I do love the color they bring to the room. They do sell them in PINK, so of course you know I tried to talk Cody into letting me buy the pink ones. He would say yes, but then pretty much beg me to get any other color. The blue really pops! Now I hope to find a buffet/dresser to paint bright yellow and place on this wall...I have many plans for artwork to hang on the walls. I just need money to do so. lol As far as painting goes, I am undecided. I would love to paint the walls a light aqua turquoise shade. I have to have it "approved" by the housing office on base. BLAH! I thought I could just paint. It's not that big of a deal, I guess I am just scared they will say NO to my color choices. I'm not a neutral kinda girl so I may scare them with my swatches. I am going to live here a few months before deciding to paint. I feel like we are probably going to be living here a while, so painting may be worth while.Okay, there is my 1980's kitchen. Why were these cabinets EVER stylish? Or were they? I would LOVE LOVE to paint these WHITE. I am pretty sure Cody would go to Air Force jail if I did that. lol Besides the cabinets though, I love the layout of the kitchen. It's great that Cody and I both can be in our kitchen together now. At our apartment all we did was bump into each other. It was very frustrating!

I will be searching for more goodies to put in the kitchen. It's a cheerful little place.

I plan to replace my actual cookbooks with vintage ones for decoration. It's way to difficult for me to have to get those down every time I need to use one. My kitchen is super cutesy, but that's what happens when you collect toys and vintage items.
I can't wait to just keep adding to it!
If you would like to see my design board that I made for my dining area go {HERE}!

MOSAIC - November 2011

2011-11-30T18:11:00.000-08:00

My Life Recap/November 2011
*Moved out of our apartment to live on the Air Force Base
*My friend Dan came to visit us in Wyoming
*Went to Mount Rushmore
*Checked out The Brass Armadillo in Denver
*Found a cool table at the thrift store
*Didn't get to work on my dollhouse much

Overall it was a crazy busy month! Looking forward to getting settled into our new home!

TODAYS COLOR: PURPLE

2011-11-30T11:03:00.000-08:00

Bold on A Budget
The Buzz & Zuniga Interiors

Manolo Home
Freshome
Style at Home

Decor Love - Hello Yellow

2011-11-28T15:42:00.001-08:00

LINKS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Loving Our New Place

2011-11-25T07:55:00.000-08:00

Moving....Oh how tiring. The night before we moved I got about 2 hours of sleep. I was so keyed up about everything. It was mainly my decorating wheels going round and round wondering where I was going to place all my furniture. (I think it's a sickness.) We got a 16ft truck and still didn't get everything in one trip!! Today we go back for the rest using our car. Here is a photo of our living room currently...
I still don't know if I like my orange Billy bookcase in the far corner. I think I will once I get things on it. I love the room!!! I am not used to so much space and it is WONDERFUL! All my furniture actually fits in our new place. I will have most everything setup by the end of the weekend, so I will try to post lots of pictures next week! We are just trying to unpack and get settled. Here is a random cute picture of Muffins and Chloe....Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll be back soon!

Our New Place On Base

2011-11-21T17:07:00.000-08:00

Today we got the keys to our new place on the base. I hadn't seen it yet, so I was super excited. It's huge compared to our tiny apartment. Our new place is considered a townhome. It has a open kitchen and dining area. We will have a 1 car garage and a laundry room. Here is a picture of the living room....It's a very long room! I am going to need some furniture to fill the space. The bedrooms are upstairs and they are on the smaller size. There is lots of closet space though, so it evens out. Overall I am super happy with the place and can't wait to be settled!! Tomorrow we move all our stuff AGAIN. I think it will be worth it in the end! So many people bad mouth the base housing and living on base in general. All I can say so far is that this new place is 100 times better then where we live! I figured it was worth a try. I want to form my own opinions about living on base!

TODAYS COLOR: GRAY

2011-11-19T06:22:00.000-08:00

Natienka Decor Pad Your Decorating Hotline One Perfect Room & Decor Pad

HGTV

Mount Rushmore - South Dakota

2011-11-17T17:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my friend Dan and I headed up to South Dakota to visit Mt. Rushmore. It was about a 5 hour drive each way. On the way up we hit some snowy roads in Wyoming that really slowed us down. The roads are not treated for snow and ice the way they are in Ohio. In Ohio they would have been plowed.We just drove slow while we got passed by everyone that had 4-wheel drive cars. Sooner or later the roads did clear up and we reached South Dakota...It was nice to see clear roads again! South Dakota was a pretty state with lots of green pine trees and rock sculptures...Before getting to Mt. Rushmore we stopped to see the Crazy Horse sculpture...Crazy Horse is really close to Mt. Rushmore. It's pretty neat to see! They have been working on the sculpture for years. They only take private donations to fund the project. You can learn more about it {HERE}. After Crazy Horse we headed to Mt. Rushmore...
I took about 300 pictures, I just picked a few that I liked...It was very cold and windy yesterday! I gotta say my North Face coat and boots did not let me down! I was really warm with the exception of my face. We really had fun and I am glad I can say that I've seen Mt. Rushmore.
Dan leaves tomorrow. It was nice to have a relaxing and fun week with a friend. Now back to packing and moving in 4 days!!

Denver Brass Armadillo

2011-11-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend! We headed to the Denver area and stopped at The Brass Armadillo Antique Mall. There used to be a Brass Armadillo in Cincinnati. I worked there for a total of 7 years. I loved it and going to the Denver store really made me wish I could work there again.
The Brass had so much to look at! I believe there is something there for everyone! I took a few pictures of some things I loved....This booth was Pyrex Heaven!!!These metal pieces made me feel like I was in Colorado...Even Cody found a Star Wars booth...
If you collect Barbies, there are tons to choose from...
I got some toy figurines...
Of course the real reason I went to Denver was to try to get Alice in Wonderland Vinylmations, and I did!!!I have to say the people that work at Disney Stores are so friendly and helpful! We drove 2 hours to get there and I asked them if they had a full tray/box of Alice, and the guy went to the back and grabbed it for me! He had a huge smile on his face when he brought it out to me! He knew he made my day. Most the Disney Store employees also collect Vinylmations so they "GET THE ADDICTION" of collecting! LOL Today I am heading to some thrift stores and antique shops. Tomorrow Mount Rushmore!

Off To The Disney Store

2011-11-12T05:44:00.001-08:00

"Hi, my name is Jessie and I am addicted to Vinylmations."
My friend Dan has flown in from Ohio to visit Cody and me. Today we plan to head to the Denver area. All I care about doing is making sure I go to a Disney Store!! The Alice in Wonderland Vinylmation Series was supposed to be released yesterday online. Well, it wasn't!!!! I sat for a few hours refreshing my browser, hoping I would get lucky! Nope.

The Disney Parks and Stores have the Alice in Wonderland Series already. I know that I will have to be SUPER LUCKY for there to be a full box for me to purchase. There's nothing wrong with being hopeful! I am pretty sure they will all be sold out. The Disney Store has a 20% off coupon right now that is good thru the 15th! I know I will buy at least a few new Vinylmations and hopefully trade a few at the store. *fingers crossed*
Here are some photos of all my duplicates. I plan to sell them on ebay soon.

It would be nice to get rid of some duplicates so that I can buy some new ones!

FASHION INSPIRATION - Sweaters

2011-11-11T07:01:00.000-08:00

LINKS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Go over to Kori's blog, Blonde Episodes to be part of Fashion Fridays!
You can view all my Fashion posts by clicking {HERE}. Have a great weekend!

Design Board - My Dining Area

2011-11-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

If you follow my blog you know that I am having some serious decorating withdrawals. We get the keys to our new place on the 21st! I have only seen pictures of a different unit, not the actual one we are renting. That's all it took though to get my wheels turning. Currently we eat in our living room everynight! We need to buy some dining room chairs and unless I find some at a thrift shop I think I may have finally picked a set from Target. Here is a design board I put together for our new dining area....
LINKS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

I love this color scheme. It probably is one of my favorites! I try not to decorate so matchy matchy, but I gotta say it's what my eye is drawl to. I can't help it! It's what works for me in my home. I am currently trying to decide if I am going to paint or not. If I do I will stick to accent walls probably, so it's easier to paint back when we move out. If you love turquoise and aqua blues, go check out Mandi's kitchen table she just painted over on her blog Vintage Revivals! It's amazing!

TODAYS COLOR: GREEN

2011-11-10T05:43:00.000-08:00

Andie Johnson Sews Martine Louise Design
Fresh Home Ideas & Home Auto Design

A Happy Habitat
Home Auto Design

Some NEW & OLD Stuff

2011-11-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

So I have spent the last few days packing, packing and packing. Cody and I spent Sunday packing up all of my toy collection. Even though I had just set it up, it was good to be able to pack it in an organized way. It was all just throw together before. This time I was able to label each and every tote with exactly what was in it. I never had a chance to share the photo of my Hello Kitty stuff...
The Billy bookcase also held some Vinylmations, Teddy Bears and other things from my collection. I also had hung what I call,"My Smurf Shelf"...It has cute little openings that Smurfs fit into perfectly! We also hung a cheap shelf from Home Depot above the shelf for another place to put some cute toys. (We needed a special place for Cody's Vader Helmet!) Over the weekend I also added a few new things to my collection. I found this great Alice In Wonderland little golden book for only 53 cents...The Disney Store had the White Rabbit stuffed animal on sale for only $5.99! I was super excited to finally have him...
We also stopped at all the local thrift shops over the weekend. I found a cute little hexagon table that I plan to paint. Not sure what I am going to do with it yet, but for $10 it had to come home with me...
It reminds me of my childhood because my parents had one just like it when I was growing up. Last but not least, a photo of my dollhouse...My dollhouse project is at a stand still right now! It needs way more money then I can give it. lol I can't justify buying hundreds of dollars worth of stuff for it. I don't even have dining room chairs of my own right now!! For now I just look for stuff at thrift shops and antique stores hoping to get lucky. It will just be a slow process. There is no way I will have my decorated and done when everyone else is! Oh well. Soon I will move again and have REAL rooms to decorate! Woo-hoo!

Hope everyone is having a great week!
Jessie

Random Thoughts & Moving Again

2011-11-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

Life is so hard to plan. Especially once you throw the Air Force into it! Cody and I have been in Wyoming a little over 2 months now. It's taking a lot to feel adjusted after leaving our family and friends back in Ohio. This year has been pretty awesome for me. The first months were hard being away from Cody while he was in basic training. I worked the first 3 months of this year to keep busy while he was gone. Then things turned around and got exciting. Now things have come to a stand still. I get here to Wyoming and I am like, "Now what?"

I want to keep driving around the country. I want to go see Arizona again. I want to go on vacation to Disney World. I want to go go go.... Well, that's all over now. I am at a point in my life where I am getting ready to turn 30 and I need to figure out what I want to be when I grow up! I am not ready for a baby yet, even though my body probably is wondering when I'm going to decide to.

I have changed so much this year. I can't even begin to explain it all in a silly blog post. The change started the day Cody left for basic training. Together eight years everyday of every moment, then he was gone. I had to learn to be alone. No one besides other Military wives can really understand what you are going through, so you don't really talk about your feelings with anyone. You just go on. You put a smile on your face as much as you can and then accept that you also will have bad days.

Driving across the country was such an eye opening experience for me. I grew up in a small town and hardly ever traveled. I loved being able to see all the other states in the country. It is so neat to see the scenery change from state to state. Driving by myself made me leave my comfort zone and made me realize I can do anything I put my mind to!

The REAL reason for this post is to apologize for my lack of blogging this week. I really try to post daily now. Some days though it is hard to make time or figure out what I want to talk about! I can't be like the blogger's who have a theme everyday and every week. I am to random of a person! My mind wonders and I find different things I want to talk about weekly. (Just how this post is random) I try to stick to interior design and not talk about my personal life to much. It just doesn't always work out that way. So forgive me for being so random! lol So many blogger's say to have a "good blog" you have to be coincident. Oops. That's not me.

Anyways, another point to this ramble is to let you all know that I am already moving. Cody and I snapped this week and decided to throw the towel in. We hate our apartment. It is adding to our unhappiness. We are going to try to live on base. We have heard good and bad things about living in on base housing, but we figure it's worth a try. We hate where we are right now and the base is a better fit for our needs. I haven't slept well the last few nights worrying about if I was making the right decision or not! Cody and I are always so scared to make decisions ever since we bought our last house and it turned out to be a money pit!

We get the keys to our new place November 21st! Needless to say I have a lot of packing to do! AGAIN! I will still blog of course. I am a pro at packing, so it won't even take me that long. Good thing is I will finally have a garage and yard, which means I can spray paint!!!! I am super excited about that. I am aloud to paint the walls. I may or may not we'll see. I just hope that this is a start to maybe a little bit more happiness for Cody and I.

If you just read all that, you are awesome. Have a great weekend!
Love,
Jessie

Thrift Store Find: Nightstands

2011-11-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

I am super excited because I finally found a pair of nightstands for our bedroom! Everything I found online was to expensive and there was nothing unique about them. I found these nightstands for only $18!

I plan to paint them white, but maybe pink. I love the detail on the drawer fronts. I will try to find some new hardware also! It's so nice to not have my lamp on the floor anymore!!

MOSAIC - October 2011

2011-10-31T15:44:00.000-07:00

My Life Recap / October 2011
*Finished my Union Jack Painting
*Started my Dollhouse
*Wyoming had two snow storms already
*Cody turned 28 years old!
*Got more Vinylmations
*Finally found nightstands for my bedroom (haven't blogged yet!)
*Considering becoming a Vet Tech

Inspirtation: Display

2011-10-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for inspiration for something to hang over my couch. I found these cool images and wanted to share them with you. I love this look...
Home Klondike
I love how the boxes are all different sizes. I think this would be a cool way for me to display my toy collection someday. Here is a photo frame collage wall which looks great in this room with its tall ceilings...
Beencie
This photo below shows a great use of a corner! Love all the photos sat on the shelves and they even used the floor...
Storage Systems
Then of course, I have always dreamed of having a wall of Warhol....
BeLigher

Inspirtation: New & Old

2011-10-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

I was watching HGTV the other day and fell in love with this room designed by Candice Olson.The home owner had a combination of antiques and modern furniture. Candice reupholstered and painted some of the antique pieces so that they would look modern.
I love this look! These pictures really don't do the room justice! Lucky they have the full episode of the show on the HGTV website! I showed this room to Cody and he actually really loved it also. I was relieved because I really want to do this in our next home. Here is a shorter video to give you an idea of the before and after...

Want to see the full episode? Go {HERE}

TODAYS COLOR: BLUE

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ijoos
HGTV
Habitually Chic
Home Decorating Ideas
Fun Design Ideas

LOVE THIS ROOM

2011-10-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

I love the simple design of this bedroom. This is a perfect example of a beautiful white room with pops of color!Decor Pad

Decor Love - Silver & White

2011-10-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

LINKS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Vinylmations

2011-10-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

This month I have added some new Vinylmations to my collection.

Spooky Series 1 | Oh Mickey | Pumpkin Head
Now I have the complete Nightmare Before Christmas set! I have left them in the boxes, but don't really like them displayed that way. I am trying to decide if I should take them out of the boxes or not? I try VERY hard to not get on the Vinylmation website. It's better I don't know what I can buy! They are releasing an Alice In Wonderland set on November 4th!

I don't know if they will put them online or not. I can't go to California or Florida to buy them in person! Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite things and to add Vinylmations to it is super awesome.

My Dollhouse Update

2011-10-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

The day I decided to go out to Hobby Lobby and buy my dollhouse, I thought for sure that I would come home and start putting it together right away. Once I started unpacking small piece after small piece and looking at the direction booklet, I realized very quickly that putting it together was NOT a one day project. (Not for me at least!!) I also have to be honest that I pretty much begged Cody to help me. He has been a HUGE help! Without him, there would be no dollhouse for me. The exterior of the house is so much work. Painting every little piece! Here is all the window trim painted white...
After I spent all this time doing this I read in the instructions that I was supposed to paint it AFTER I glued them all together. Oops. It's okay though, because I didn't paint the ends where the glue goes. Someday I will learn to read everything before always just doing it "my way"! lolThere is the house primed. This picture is actually a week old. The house is painted now and all the windows are going in today! This weekend Cody and I are attempting to knockout the whole exterior so I can finally start decorating!!!! I will post some exterior pictures sometime next week.

Make sure to check out the update Emily posted on her blog about the challenge. It is really fun to see what everyone else is coming up with while decorating their houses!

TODAYS COLOR: ORANGE

2011-10-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

Modresdes
Vi.sualize
House of Design & Style & Barn Furniture

She Knows
Mrs. Peeks Farmhouse

LOVE THIS ROOM

2011-10-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

This currently is my favorite room! Love the simple color scheme. Love the artwork over the couch. Love the furniture and LOVE the light fixture!!
Dcdelectably Classy

IKEA KITCHENS

2011-10-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

Cody and I can't wait to buy a house! We will not be able to buy a house till December 2012. (I'm counting down the days!) I sit and watch HGTV and daydream about a house I don't even have yet. I can't wait to paint and design again. Remodeling kitchens and bathrooms are hands down my favorite thing to design! I hope to install and build an IKEA kitchen! I know my next home will not be ultra contemporary like my last house. I really love ADEL cabinets from IKEA....
Decor Pad
I feel like ADEL cabinets will give me the contemporary feel that I like, but won't scare away future buyers when it's time for us to move.
Decor Pad IKEA also has other white kitchen cabinets that I love. It's amazing how easily you can just change the door hardware to make the kitchen have a completely different style. I think that is a key factor to consider for resale in the future. Decor Pad

Decor Pad

Decor Pad Last but NOT least, Jonathan Adler's ADEL Kitchen design! This kitchen is perfection to me...
House Beautiful
For now I just keep dreaming! See my Design Board for my Dream Kitchen {HERE}

Inspiration: Poster Bed Frames

2011-10-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

The more I see them, the more I love them! Here are some inspiring images.... Vit House
The Style Files
Dwellers Without Decorators & Iconic Designs

The Lennoxx
Elle Decor
IKEA
Beauty & The Bourgeoisie
Bedroom Furniture

My Union Jack Painting

2011-10-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I did an INSPIRATION post with images of the Union Jack pattern. I had planned to decorate my bedroom in pink and orange. I decided I wanted to just paint my own Union Jack painting to hang over my bed. I started by making this design in Photo Shop...
I wanted there to be a heart in the center with the word love on it. I have always also loved pink and red rooms, so I thought why not add red to my bedroom also?
I am fortunate to own a projector that I purchased many years ago. It has helped me with many projects. I purchased my canvas, paint and small paint roller from Hobby Lobby. It only cost me $22 because everything was on sale! I already had blue painters tape, which is perfect for making the flag sections of the Union Jack pattern. To start the project I made the room really dark and then traced the design onto the canvas...After I traced everything I laid the canvas on my dining room table and started rolling all the layers of paint on...The red took about 6 coats of paint! I decided to just free hand the word love on the heart so it would be my handwriting. I am pretty happy with the end result.For only $22 it was a great way to create a focal point for over the bed. It added the extra color I needed on the plain white walls and pulls the color scheme together. The small pillow in the front I have had for about 6 years. It was from Target and I have always loved it. It didn't work in my last house, so I am glad I finally had a room it matched!

(I can't find nightstands for my bedroom! Once I do I can finish the decorating and post pictures! Stay tuned...)

A ROOM & A DRESS

2011-10-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

ROOM | DRESS
ROOM | DRESS
ROOM | DRESS
ROOM | DRESS

Go over to Kori's blog, Blonde Episodes to be part of Fashion Fridays!
You can view all my Fashion posts by clicking {HERE}. Have a great weekend!

TODAYS COLOR: WHITE

2011-10-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

Elle Decor
Emerald Design
Design Crisis & Sikamo

Interior Gallery Design
Elle Decor
Home Dit

EXPEDIT BOOKCASE

2011-10-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

The Expedit bookcase from IKEA is one of my favorite bookcases EVER! It works in all rooms and can be used in so many different ways! Funny thing is,...I DON'T HAVE ONE!!! Instead I just enjoy looking at images of the bookcase in others homes...
The Story Of Home
The Sassy Kathy & Olive & A

Arizona Inetgiant
Decor Pad
Chaplank
Why don't I have an Expedit? I didn't want to move it across the country! I am waiting till we buy our next house!!!
See my other Expedit posts {HERE}
Look at Expedit Bookcases on IKEA's website {HERE}

My Dollhouse Project

2011-10-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

After thinking about it and thinking about it, I broke down and bought a dollhouse. I have always wanted to build and decorate one. I figured with the cold winter months approaching it would be a good project for me. I knew with the "I'm A Giant Challenge" going on, it would just make me want to do it even more. I headed to Hobby Lobby and purchased this house...
The Vermont Farmhouse Jr Dollhouse
It is not my first choice of course. If I could have any house it would be an ultra modern one. Most of the contemporary houses are very expensive though and I wasn't even sure if this was a project I would stick with. When I asked Cody about maybe just building one for me, he looked at me like I had two heads. We don't have the tools or space for that right now! Here is my favorite dollhouse I found on the web...
The Ultra Modern

It is sold out of course! It looks like a house I would live in! If I stick with this new found hobby, my next house will have to be a modern one. For now I focus on my cute little farmhouse. The first few days were spent painting everything with primer. (I still have tons of priming to do!) The house came with finished wood flooring...I decided to paint the floors white. I love painted white floors in real homes, so my dollhouse had to have white floors! I have no idea what I am doing since this whole dollhouse thing is new to me. I searched for hours online looking for inspiration. I found a website with a tutorial for building furniture out of cardboard. I decided to attempt it...
My couches are on the bigger size. I pretty much designed them with the Lounge Sofa from Crate & Barrel in mind. I purchased gray corduroy fabric from JoAnn's and spent about 3 hours trying to get the sofa right. The problem was I don't like to follow directions and I tried to do it my own way. The couch and chair I made turned out okay. I can definitely tell this was my first attempt. All I see are my mistakes...They are cute though and work for now. My goal is to make as much of the furniture as possible. Yes, I could buy all kinds of awesome stuff online. I rather make things myself then drop tons of cash. The selection of doll furniture is very limited where I live. I will have to purchase many things online, or make them myself. I decided on chevron painted walls in the living room because I have always wanted a "real life" room painted this way. Since I have been living in apartments for awhile now, it makes it hard for me to do all these crazy things I envision. This is why this dollhouse project is fun for me. It is a great creative outlet. I have a lot of work ahead of me. Here is all I have done right now...I have to paint all the trim and the outside of the house still. I may try to work on all that before I decorate anymore of the interior. I plan to paint the exterior of the house a cheery yellow color! Stay tuned...

TODAYS COLOR: GREEN

2011-10-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

Titus 8
An American Housewife
Titus 8

BLOG LOVE - Vintage Revivals

2011-10-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

A blog I stalk on a daily basis is Vintage Revivals written by Mandi. She turns thrift store finds into beautiful home decor. She is a stencil and spray paint queen! This is why I want a house so badly and not a stupid apartment where I can't paint! I want to do stuff like this...This amazing yellow and white wall is in Mandi's living room. She also revamped that buffet herself! She has so much great advise and tutorials on her blog for people like me, who honestly don't know what they are doing. You will find lots of inspiration on her blog and she is really funny. She recently did a Epic Room Makeover Giveaway, and Mandi went to the lucky winner's home and designed a wonderful room...She is so talented and really inspires me to "think outside the box" and shop at thrift stores more! I like the more personalized style for your home and not the store bought look! Go check out Mandi's blog for more inspiration!
(Images are from Mandi's blog)

My Living Room {A Work In Progress}

2011-10-04T06:45:00.000-07:00

I hate posting pictures of my decorating when a room is not finished. Things have slowed down decorating wise for me though, so I figured I should reveal something. This is the living room currently. Here is the view as you walk into the living room from the front door...I really had no plan for this room when we moved in. I knew that my teal vintage chairs had to go in the room, because they didn't fit anywhere else in the apartment. We had no living room furniture at all and not a big budget! It all started with the huge ottoman we found at a thrift store... We used the ottoman for weeks as a couch as we searched thrift stores almost daily looking for a sofa! Evenutally we found our green beauty from a thrift store on the Air Force Base, which also meant it was FREE...The couch has grown on me. It's really comfy and the size is perfect for the room. I am not up for the challenge of reupholstering it, so the green has to work for now. I will however be recovering the ottoman with hot pink fabric and painting the wood frame white. I have no artwork for over the couch and my lamps are a little small for the space. I just have to use what I have for now though. I also decided to hang the vintage curtains I found in our living room. It really added some color on that wall...
The room has so much green and blue. Not what I planned at all. Once the ottoman is recovered though I think the look of the room will really change. I would love to get a huge shag rug to complete the room. Probably just white or cream. I know the dogs would love it! On the other side of the room is where I placed some of my IKEA bookcases...
Here you find more colors! This is also where most of our Vinylmation collection ended up. At first I just placed a few in the bookcases, then a few turned into a lot. I just really wanted to enjoy them daily. The bookcases are mainly full of photos, vases and my Marilyn Monroe books...
It took me probably a total of 5 hours to arrange everything in a way I loved. Arranging displays is one of my favorite things to do. I plan to post detailed pictures of my bookcase display later. For now I keep searching for artwork and pillows for the couch area...
I really want to add more pink to the room. (Poor Cody) I am open to suggestions for artwork over the couch. I think I will end up painting something on my own. I can never find anything I like in stores. I have ideas of course, but not sure what feels right yet. We'll see....

MOSAIC - September 2011

2011-10-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

My Life Recap / September 2011
*Drove to the Denver IKEA to purchase my TV Stand
*Got a vintage sofa for FREE
*Setup My Toy Collection
*Decorated my Kitchen
*I was inspired by Union Jack

GUEST POST AT CREATIVE INFLUENCES

2011-10-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

Today I did a guest post at Peggy's blog Creative Influences! If you love pink, you should definitely go check it out!

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Have a great weekend everybody!

MY PROM @ 30

2011-09-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

Yes this is my Fashion Friday post. It's about me having a pretend Prom at the age of 30! When I was in high school I never had the chance to go to Prom. I am not super girly, but my heart melts when I look at all the pretty dresses in the department stores. I always give Cody a hard time about NOT taking me even though we didn't know each other yet. I am turning 30 at the end of this year and thought a Prom type photo shoot would be fun to do. Now that I moved away from my family and friends there is no chance of a big party. I don't want to just sit and do nothing on my birthday! Cody is a good sport and said we should do it. I have been looking online at dresses like crazy. I know the dress I would of picked out in high school would of been a lot different then what I want now. I hated pink in high school,...can you believe that??

I am posting some photos of dresses I love and some that I just kinda like. I would love your feedback on what you think would work best for me. Or if you just think a dress is plan awful looking. I am drawn to purple dresses for some reason and Cody said he'd like to see me in red. (Which I could not find either purple or red online that I liked. Go figure!) I have a few months to figure this out and find a photographer. Here are the dresses that I have selected so far...

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What I think about each dress for myself:
1. Hailey Logan Dress - Love the soft pink, but scared I would look like a petite Barbie doll. Wish it came in darker colors.

2. Jump Halter Dress - Love everything about this dress except the color. Pretty sure that I could go shopping and find a similar dress in a different color. Halter dresses look good on me. I think Cody would hate the ruffles though. lol

3. Blondie Nite-Out Dress - Very sexy and I love leopard print. Cody hates animal print anything. I think it would fit me well and I feel I could wear it again. It may not be "dressy" enough to give me the prom feel I want.

4. Jump Strapless Dress - Of course I love this dress,...IT'S HOT PINK! I hate strapless dresses on me though. Not sure if this style would look good on my petite SHORT body.

Can you see why I want help and feedback?

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5 6 7 8
What I think about each dress for myself:
5. Jodi Kristopher Ombre Dress - Simple and beautiful. Not sure if it is dressy enough and I have very fair skin for a white dress.

6. B. Darlin Ruched Halter Dress - Love this dress but not sure about the color. I love the back of the dress also. (picture on website)

7. Blondie Nites One-Shoulder Dress - I think this would be cute on me. If you hate it, please tell me. lol

8. Jump One-Shoulder Dress - Love the simple colors and the fit. Not sure if the one-shoulder look is right for me though.

Dresses 1 - 8 are all from Dillards

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9 10 11 12

What I think about each dress for myself:
9. Ruby Rox Pick-Up Belted Dress - Love the color and LOVE the price!!! It is on clearance for $27! I like the simple look and the black bow. This one is one of my favorites.

10. Ruby Rox Sequin Waist Tube Dress - I like this because it is black and white with a hint of silver. Strapless, but I am willing to try it on because I love everything else so much.

11. Sleeveless One Shoulder Jump Dress - Love the animal print and tulle skirt! Very cute dress and probably would fit me well.

12. Ruby Rox Flocked Tie-Waist Dress (purple) - This may be cute on. It is one of the only purple dresses I liked. I guess I like the ruffled look because most the dresses I picked have it!

Dresses 9 - 12 are from Macy's and JCPenney.
What do you think? Is this a crazy dumb idea? If I do decide to do this I am open to suggestions for the actually photo shoot. Cody and I plan to also get photos of us together with him in his dress blues. We haven't had any real photos together since our wedding 5 years ago. If anything the dresses are fun to look at and a girl is aloud to dream! Please leave me comments about what you think of the dresses or vote for your favorite dress using the poll in my sidebar area!

Go over to Kori's blog, Blonde Episodes to be part of Fashion Fridays!
You can view all my Fashion posts by clicking {HERE}. Have a great weekend!

TODAYS COLOR: YELLOW

2011-09-29T06:33:00.000-07:00

Decoholic
Pics Decor & Eclectic Revisited

Life & Styles of Tamara Nicole
Indie Pretty Projects
Elements at Home

I'm A Giant Challenge {dollhouse decorating}

2011-09-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about the Dollhouse Decorating Challenge that Emily Henderson is hosting? I found out about the challenge on Nicole's blog Making it Lovely. I think it's a wonderful idea. Before I moved I had this cute perfect dollhouse, now I wish I would have kept it. Emily is encouraging everyone to get involved and spread the word!

Here are the design bloggers in the challenge:

Emily from Secrets from a Stylist

Morgan from The Brick House

Erin from Design for Mankind

Orlando from Hommemaker

Corbett from Girl Domestic

Jenny from Little Green Notebook

Nicole from Making it Lovely

Kirsten from Simply Grove
It is definitely going to be fun to see the end results! Emily had a really good point about how girls shouldn't have to grow up! We should be aloud to keep playing with dollhouses! I think it's a great design outlet and would make a really fun hobby! You can read Emily's full post about the challenge HERE.

Inspiration: Union Jack

2011-09-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

There is something I really love about the Union Jack pattern. I love it in bright orange and pink. I have decided to do a painting for my bedroom to add a pop of color. Here are some images I found inspiring...Design Wali
House to Home JAX Does Design
Decor Pad & Kim Cherry

Alkemie

My Vintage Toy Collection

2011-09-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I've displayed my toy collection all in one place. I started collecting in 2001 when I worked at The Brass Armadillo Antique Mall. It was my first real job and I worked in the Antique business for a total of 7 years. When you work around antiques and collectibles, you tend to start collecting. It all started with one smurf figurine. Which then turned into 5,....which quickly turned into 150 and some mushroom houses. My collecting has slowed down because space is limited in our apartment. It was better for me to display it in our second bedroom, then keep it all packed up in the totes!Now my main focus is on Vinylmations. I have displayed them in our living room. (pictures to come later) I still have some more things to display, but ran out of shelving. I think it is fun to look at everything and some of the items are actually my toys from my childhood. Keeps me feeling young I guess. lol

FASHION INSPIRATION - Delia's

2011-09-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

LINKS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8This post is part of Fashion Fridays!

Go over to Kori's blog, Blonde Episodes to be part of Fashion Fridays!
You can view all my Fashion posts by clicking {HERE}. Have a great weekend!

TODAYS COLOR: PINK

2011-09-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

Source: Decor Pad

Source: Reyu Design
Source: MagzMagz Source: MagzMagz

TRIP TO IKEA

2011-09-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. I have been super busy the last few days. The movers finally brought the rest of our stuff late last week. I gotta say Cody and I plan to never let anyone touch our stuff again. Most of my furniture got damaged and they lost a few things. I probably will get paid some money back for the damages and loss. No one will ever care or handle your stuff the way you would. People don't care. For example, my IKEA bed frame now has a dent on it from a hammer. Yes, a hammer. I guess someone got a little to excited when hammering our crate closed that contained our bed frame. On a happier note though, we did end up getting paid a good amount of money for all of our traveling. Originally we didn't think we would get paid for much of it or any of it. The Air Force came through for us and made things right. With that said we had some extra money to go buy our TV stand. We decided to drive to the Denver IKEA on Saturday. We took Chloe and Muffins with us. As you can see from Chloe's face, she was very stressed. She hates riding in the car.
When we finally make it to IKEA, this sign was posted....I didn't panic because I know IKEA. They will do anything in their power to re-open their store. They don't like losing money on a Saturday. Cody and I were lucky because their was a mall right by IKEA so we had something to do. The rest of the time we just sat in the car waiting...
A few hours went by and they finally re-opened. It was great because we pretty much had the store to ourselves! The Denver IKEA has a parking garage. I am not used to that. I was glad it wasn't busy because I don't think I would of been able to remember where Cody parked the car. I fell in love with the Volvo they had in their lobby. As you can see Cody was very excited that we didn't waste a 2 hour drive....The IKEA store was nice, but I miss my Ohio IKEA. I really miss working there also! I never thought I would miss my job but I really really do. The people I worked with were awesome and I had a fun job. Now I'm not sure where I will work or what I will do. (That is a post for another day!) We left happy with our new TV stand....Here it is put together and setup in our living room....Yes that is the vintage couch. I really like it. It's not the prettiest thing, but I've seen much worse. I still have lots of finishing touches to do in the living room. I have no artwork for over our couch. I want some throw pillows and I need to re-cover the ottoman. For now I am still hanging pictures and unpacking.

A ROOM & A DRESS

2011-09-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

ROOM | DRESS
ROOM | DRESS
ROOM | DRESS
ROOM | DRESS

This post is part of Fashion Fridays!

Go over to Kori's blog, Blonde Episodes to be part of Fashion Fridays!
You can view all my Fashion posts by clicking {HERE}. Have a great weekend!

Dose of Jonathan Adler

2011-09-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

Can I please cook in this kitchen? I have a soft spot in my heart for all white shiny bright kitchens. Plus, this one has Jonathan Adler accessories. I am so jealous.
Image Source: Decor Pad
I would say 90% of the time that I am decorating for myself I often wonder, "What would Jonathan Adler do?" When I found my vintage green curtains the other day I stared at them trying to decide if they needed to come home with me or not. I hadn't planned on putting green in my living room, but then again I really have no plan. For once there is no design board to follow and I am just using what I find. I see how Jonathan can put together just about any color scheme and it somehow always works! My plan is just go with it and see what happens.

I love this simple white living room. The pops of blues and turquoises from all the JA pillows is so beautiful.
Image Source: Decor Pad

I feel really inspired right now and can't wait to keep finding some great thrift store finds!
Shop Jonathan Adler {HERE}

TODAYS COLOR: GREEN

2011-09-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

Architects for Life
Styled Haven & Mary Maki Rae

Fancy House Road
Decor Pad & My Mini House of Style

Painting My Bathroom & Vintage Curtains

2011-09-12T09:26:00.000-07:00

Usually when you rent a new place the walls have been freshly painted for you. Not my apartment. There are nails in the walls, tons of holes, dirty hand prints and scuff marks everywhere! It is really getting to me and grossing me out. The only room in the apartment that is white, is the bathroom. The other rooms are all this weird off-white almost beige color. Can you see me rolling my eyes? I am not able to paint here. I did take it upon myself to repaint the bathroom white. There were so many holes and dirty marks on the walls that I couldn't live with it and Cody agreed.The bathroom is one of my projects this week. Above you can see a photo of the bathroom. It is small, so very hard to photograph. I decided to use my lime green shower curtain in the space. I plan to put black and white accessories in the bathroom along with my dearly loved Michelin Man. I am having paint with drawls! I crave color! I believe because of all this lack of creative outlet for me, my next house will be OVER THE TOP.

Cody and I may have found a couch. I am kicking myself for not taking a picture of it!!! First thing you need to know about this "couch" is that it is pretty ugly. It is a vintage sofa that is a light turquoise color with a green floral pattern on it. The lines and shape of the couch are very cool. It is also very comfy. The best part is that is it FREE. One of the benefits of being part of the Air Force is there are thrift stores on the base. One of them is FREE. The only reason we didn't bring the sofa home with us is because it wouldn't fit in our car. We hope to have our friend with a truck help us get it this Saturday! The only catch is, it may be gone. I feel it will be waiting there for us though, because honestly Cody and I are probably the only people crazy enough to take it. I was able to bring these curtains home....Needless to say, I think my living room is going to be very interesting looking when I get done decorating it. It will be awhile before I piece it all together. It is much more tricky to decorate when you are on a tight budget and now IKEA is over 2 hours away from me. I am just thankful I have self control when it comes to my VISA card.

LOVE THIS ROOM

2011-09-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

Found this lovely eyecandy yesterday and had to share it with all of you....
I am decorating my bedroom in Pink & Orange and found this room very inspiring. I love the pink and orange union jack pillows.

Cody and I are off to the thrift stores again in hope of finding a sofa! Wish us luck! I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Image Source: Design Serendipity

COLORED TIGHTS

2011-09-09T07:51:00.001-07:00

I love colored tights but haven't wore them since I was in grade school. lol I find myself not very hip or fashion trendy. I wear my t-shirts and jeans while doing my grocery shopping. I am inspired by people who "dress up" their everyday wardrobe and make an effort to be cute everyday. Today I stumbled across the blog, WHAT I WORE. I found this image and wish I could walkout in this outfit today....Jessica Quirk has a great blog and a great clothing collection. Go check her out! I am sure you will be inspired!

This post is part of Fashion Fridays!

Go over to Kori's blog, Blonde Episodes to be part of Fashion Fridays!
You can view all my Fashion posts by clicking {HERE}. Have a great weekend!

Our Wyoming Apartment - Kitchen

2011-09-08T05:41:00.000-07:00

Since I can't paint my apartment kitchen, I decided to just add colorful things. I decided to use my teapot and pyrex collection as my color inspiration.Then I added some vases and other cute vintage items I already had. The kitties have been "saved" many times. First I had them for sale in my old antique booth. Then they were going to be in a garage sale, but I decided to keep them. Then last week the smaller one fell off my dresser and broke. What would the world do without super glue?

The kitchen also now has a Disney / Alice in Wonderland theme going on also. I have placed pictures of us from our Disney vacations through out the kitchen. The print I designed was inspired by this Jonathan Adler pillow.I prefer really modern kitchens, but I can't have that right now. I enjoy having the personal touches in our kitchen. It's a happy little space.The kitchen is as cheerful as I can make it without painting the walls. I will post more photos soon!

WILD TARGET

2011-09-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

Cody and I are back to watching movies again. We are picky, so some nights we spend an hour flipping through Netflix trying to decide on something to watch! Last night we settled on the movie WILD TARGET...We both really enjoyed it. It is rare for me to find a movie that has 3 actors in it that I like and that are the main characters! Bill Nightly plays a hit man, Emily Blunt is a theft and Rupert Grint was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. It is entertaining if you need a laugh. I fell in love with a hotel room that was in the movie. Decorated in turquoise and lime green...I wish I could find more pictures of the room, but had no luck! I looked at Cody and said,"That would be a great color scheme for our living room!" He just gave me this look that said, "You know I hate lime green." Turquoise and lime green are two of my favorite colors! Putting them together just equals = AWESOME! Decorating for me is slow right now since we are on a tight budget and have no luck finding anything when we go shopping. I wish I could paint! It kills me to not put color on the walls! I will own a house again someday. Till then white walls and dreaming of the day I get to look at paint swatches at Home Depot....

Images found at The Broken Project. You can read more about the movie there.

Decor Love - Crate & Barrel

2011-09-06T05:55:00.000-07:00

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Internet & Half My Stuff

2011-09-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

Well I finally have my own internet! No more stealing the neighbors. Only bad thing is it is pretty slow. Here in Wyoming you don't get a lot of choices. It was get the slower internet for $24 a month, or the fast internet for $64 a month. I don't have a job or living room furniture. I am trying to save money everywhere I can. (because I rather spend my money on furniture.) Every website loads fine, except my blog. lol It takes the internet a while to load all the pretty pictures on my page. I just think to myself," You are saving money. Be patient. "

Cody and I have still been searching thrift stores daily looking for furniture. Poor Cody is so discouraged. He wants results NOW. Finding something at the thrift store is all about LUCK. The selection isn't really great because we live in a small town. I am starting to come to the reality that we will probably have to buy new.

No store in the world seems to sell WHITE TV stands! I don't want black brown, I decorate in WHITE! IKEA is a 2 hour drive from where we live and I know that when I walk through the doors I better be ready to drop at least $500! I have decided that I want the BESTÅ BURS TV stand. It is way more they I ever wanted to spend, but in the long run it offers a lot of storage and I simply just LOVE it.So the search goes on for our sofa. I think we will keep searching thrift shops in hope of finding one. I can't lie and say I wouldn't be excited to get a NEW sofa. I just hate spending the money. The more money I spend on things, the longer it's going to take me to save money up to go to Disney World again. (Yes, we are addicted to Disney. It happens.)Something I hadn't mentioned yet was that last Sunday we had only half of our stuff delivered to our apartment. (This shouldn't happen.) Cody and I have had lots of bad luck with "Air Force" related things. Problems with my ID, problems with our money and being told one thing and then a completely different thing happens. Nothing has been the end of the world, just disappointing. Especially anything that has to do with money! For example, we were told we would get paid for our gas to drive to Wyoming from Ohio. (Which cost me close to $500 for both cars.) Not true. We aren't getting paid for it, which sure doesn't seem fair to me. Instead we are told to use it as a tax right off. Whatever. I just want my $500 to pay off my VISA card!
Anyways, back to my story of our stuff. We only had the 10x10 storage unit that I crammed all our furniture and belongings into. It should of come in one shipment. Instead the driver brought half of it on it a Sunday. Since he brought it on a Sunday that meant he had no help to unload it! This should NEVER happen. The Air Force pays these moving companies good money to do this. Cody and I shouldn't have to touch our own stuff. Plus, you can ask the movers to unpack everything if you want them to. Well not us!!! Instead Cody busted his butt pulling totes of things on a cart up the stairs to our 2nd floor apartment. I carried many of my own items up the stairs. We turned into the movers!!!

I wouldn't be so upset if we had gotten ALL of our stuff! I am missing all my bookcases, so I have piles of things laying around waiting for placement. Then to make things worse, Cody calls the moving company about getting the rest of our stuff and they say," Well we have it marked down as delivered. " They had no idea that we hadn't got ALL of our stuff and had no idea where the rest was. This is one of those moments when you realize in life that if you want something done right you do it yourself!!! Now I wish we would of just went with renting a UHAUL and doing it ourselves. The current status of my stuff, is that it is still sitting in a warehouse in Ohio. (Thank god it's not at someone else's house or in Germany!) Now we just wait. I did decorate our kitchen with Teapots, Pyrex, Disney and Alice in Wonderland items. I will post pictures soon.

If you just read this novel, you are awesome. Thanks. :)

A ROOM & A DRESS

2011-09-02T05:47:00.000-07:00

ROOM | DRESS ROOM | DRESS ROOM | DRESS ROOM | DRESS

This post is part of Fashion Fridays!

Go over to Kori's blog, Blonde Episodes to be part of Fashion Fridays!
You can view all my Fashion posts by clicking {HERE}. Have a great weekend!

YELLOW SIDEBOARD

2011-09-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

Dear IKEA,
Why must you always discontinue things before I get a chance to buy it? I loved your Bright Yellow Trollsta Sideboard. I almost cried when I found out I couldn't buy it. It would work great in my current living room as a TV Stand. This makes me sad. I guess I will have to find something vintage and paint it a happy shade of yellow!
Thanks Anyways,
Jessie

Please click the images to visit their sources!
Designer Junk Finder, Black.White.Yellow, From The Right Bank, Vancouver Ads, Evoque

MOSAIC - August 2011

2011-08-31T11:01:00.000-07:00

My Life Recap / August 2011
*Cody came home to Ohio from California
*Went to the Zoo
*Went to Kings Island Amusement Park
*Moved across the Country from Ohio to Wyoming
*Visited Fort Collins Colorado