Excuse me...

Hello Blogland! Please pardon my dust...I have to get all caught up, as if you couldn't tell from the header on my page. You little Sherlock Holmes you...speaking of, it is a great movie. Highly recommended from "she who dislikes spending 2 hours of her life sitting in an uncomfortable chair surrounded by obnoxious teenagers and overpaying for a (typically terrible) movie". So, saying that I like it is saying quite a lot.
So...a more festive & current blog will follow...be patient, please.

Jenn

...Martha Frightens Me

Martha Stewart scares the heck out of me. Can I just tell you that this picture proves my point? She is holding a skull (glittered, of course) in her hands and is smiling. Why is she smiling? Knowing Martha's affinity for doing everything from scratch, where do you think she got the human skull? Just a question...think about that for a while. Martha, you can glue and glitter it, but that don't make it right!

I haven't crafted, or decorated myself (well, not myself in a literal way) in a bit, so I was trying to find something to post that would get me inspired. Here are a few fun things on the cheap...

Here are some black chandelier cutouts from the craft section used as napkin rings. Apparently the whole black & white thing is super chic for the season. I like it! These candy corn tissue paper crafts are from Martha Stewart Crafts. $14.99 for all of these!


I did something similar to this last year & I had several compliments on them. They cost me the cost of the paper. I made them curl around the glass instead of standing them up straight.

They used cheesecloth for the look of webs, but you could also make strings of glue from the hot glue gun (although that sounds a little messy and painful...hot glue guns and I don't get along very well).

I love the ghostly gourds...anyone can do this!

So pretty!

These vintage inspired invitations are from the Martha Stewart Craft line. $6.99 for 2 of each design. I LOVE these!

So, to sum it up, your decorations don't have to be pricey, or scary and Martha could turn you into a craft if you don't watch your back.

Happy decorating!

I'm a Hallowiener...

I think that "Hallowiener" is my favorite made up word ever. Here is the Websters definition...if they ever ask me for one:

Hallowiener: { hal-oh-wee-ner}

- noun

a person who loves to decorate, make crafts, and bake for activities that occur around and on October 31st

(I may have to tweak it a bit, but that is neither here nor there...)

So, I have been doing a little decorating for Halloween. Let me go ahead and insert a disclaimer. * I am not necessarily a fan of Halloween, mind you. I think a large majority of it one of 3 things: scary, weird, or scary and weird. We have a house down the street that spares no expense in scaring the tiny little pants off of children of any age that dare approach their house on the evening of the 31st. That just isn't my idea of a good time...but to each his own. Soooo, back to being a Hallowiener...I might not be a fan of Halloween, but I do love to decorate with some cute little vintage decorations and dress my brood up in cute, age appropriate and not-at-all-embarrassing costumes and let them go to the Fall Festival at our local Chick-Fil-A or church or even the neighborhood hayride (with Dad in tote).

Okay, since we are on the subject (kind of...and like that has ever mattered to me) let me also go ahead and say that I am not a fan of the 6-year-old-boy walking around wearing a "Jason" mask carrying a fake machete (nor a real one for that matter) dripping with fake blood (again, nor a real), while his female counterpart is wearing stilettos and a mini skirt. I also made the vow, long ago, when my eldest was born 29 days before Halloween, that I would NEVER, EVER, EVER make my children wear a costume that would embarrass them when I am showing pictures to their best friend or future spouse, and I have kept that vow through 3 children. There would be none of this...

(yes, that is a gorilla.)

nor this...

(and a pink poodle)

Now, please don't be offended if this is what you are planning on putting your little one in. I think they are incredibly adorable, but is it worth the torture that you will have to endure once your children are reminded that this is what they wore and YOU picked it out? Maybe it is. Maybe you are a genius and are already thinking blackmail for the latter years...hmmm...maybe I am thinking about this all wrong!

Back to decorating...


Here is my mantle all decorated for the "howlidays" (oh, please stop me...seriously!).

(the left side)

(right side)

Here are my cute little fellas waiting for a home...hmmmm...where to put them...

Here is my front door. I am not in love with the placement of the letter "M", but haven't figured out a better option yet.

Still more to come...candy corns, pumpkins and bats, oh my!

"It's the Final Countdown"...isn't that a song?

Okay ya'll. After some on-again-off-again postings, I am in full-throttle redecorating mode. I have completed the curtains and pillows in the living and dining rooms.

You likey? I do! I am in serious like with the blue. I moved the curtains up a good 18" to accentuate the tall ceilings, gave them a simple single pleat that folds to the back, and put them on drapery hooks so that we could slide them shut for those Sunday afternoon naps. I have to say, I am mighty pleased with the outcome. All of the pillows (besides the brown embroidered one below that I snatched from my bedroom) have a different front and back so I can switch them up. I also plan to embroider some monograms on several of them.

Now, let me say, I do have some more plans for this living room and this furniture. Our ginormous leather sectional is a hand-me-down from the in-laws. Let me also put the disclaimer that I LOVE it. It has been an amazing piece of furniture for a family of 5, including 3 very young, mischevious children who love ink pens. I know better than to even consider anything resembling "nice grown up furniture" at this point...but I can dream can't I. So, in the meantime, I am trying to dress up our "Big Bertha" (that's the couch's nickname since she is about 28 feet long...it is also the name of my Suburban...I tend to nickname anything "Big Bertha" that is very large...sorry if your name is "Bertha", you can blame the golf industry for that one).

Now, this is what you will find in my kitchen above the french doors (another disclaimer...the left "door" is actually stationary, so don't be too impressed) that go to our back patio. My eldest asked me why I had "EAT" in our kitchen, and I stated very simply, "To remind you of what you are supposed to do when you are in the kitchen...EAT". My children eat like birds, not vultures, but little hummingbirds. I can't imagine where they got their appetites because both T and I ...well, I'll just say that we love our food. So, back to the letters. These were $5 each at Hobby Lobby (with coupon, of course) and I just painted them "cadmium" orange. Yep, just in case you wanted to know what color the element cadmium was...it is THAT color. You just never know what you are going to learn when you visit my blog, do you?

Okie dokie. I have lots more to post in the next couple of days, but I will just leave this last little find. I am obsessed with trees & I found this canvas print for $20 at, um...let's just say my least favorite store on the planet, but a necessary evil nonetheless. Yes, it is WalMart. UGH, I hate even saying it. It is like Harry Potter saying "Valdemort". I will just call it "the store that shall not be named" from now on. I would say that it isn't anything personal, but it is. Anywho...I digress...

I have lots of fun Halloween decor to post...You'll have to peek at that next time.

Okay y'all, so this thing called "life" has limited my postings lately, and I plan to get going again. You know, those normal events such as dinner, cleaning, working, Swine Flu, after dinner party, birthday party planning for a birthday party that will have to be postponed, gymnastic classes, etc...I haven't totally finished my living room "re-deaux" yet, but it is lookin' pretty good. I haven't taken pictures yet, and would do it now to tag onto my post, but E is in his skivvies and I think that there is some law about not posting stuff like that, so I will wait until my next post. I still need to visit IKEA for some picture frames, get my pillows monogrammed and have my Memom paint a trio of pictures for above my couch (she was an art teacher and fashion illustrator...AWESOME!). I just got the fabric in for my kitchen curtains, so I need to get my sewing machine out again. Not to mention, I don't have any of my fall decor out yet, so.....Okay, can't think about it, I am hyperventilating. Where is my paper bag?
So, all of this to say:

1. I will post pictures (skivvie free) soon.
2. I have been really busy.
3. I have way too much to do.
4. I need some coffee.

Jenn

The ugly side of decorating

It may look like an F5 tornado hit my house, but this is called the ugly side of redecorating. Yes, I am crazy like that...I will show you my home amidst a vast array of disorganization, clutter and utter chaos. Just to let you know, I am a complete mess with my house looking like this. I am not a total neat freak, but I can't stand clutter. It makes me nauseous and gives me a little twitch in my right eye.

Yes, that is my precious T in the background with paint roller in hand just hoping that he can actually see football from the BACK of the t.v...hey honey, technology ain't quite there yet. By the way...paint the fireplace or not? I say yes (it feels as though it is slapping you in the face with it's not-so-pretty orangy-red hue), but I don't know if I can make that kind of commitment (more on my fear of commitment later in the post).

At this point, I feel like I am having an out of body experience. I simply cannot handle the wreckage...there goest that darn twitch!

On a happier and more sane note, the kitchen is painted. The color is Hubbell House Clayo. It looks more like melted chocolate to me. Yeah, just what I need in the kitchen, something to remind me of chocolate.

On a side note, I am trying to figure out how to declutter my counter tops. I need most of what is up there on a daily basis, but I simply can't stand to have that much stuff in plain sight.

P.S. Yes, I know that there is a big ugly white fridge in the middle of my kitchen. It does not match the rest of my stainless, but it is functional (well, kind of... the ice maker doesn't work) and I don't just have $2500 sitting around to replace an almost totally functional fridge. If the Fridge Fairy does exists, maybe she will pay me a visit, but I am not holding my breath.

So, we are still knee deep in fabric in Casa de Moore, but I can see the light at the end of this very long tunnel. The paint is now completed (thanks to lots of "This is the last time I am painting the living room and kitchen" from T...thanks for your enthusiasm) and the curtains are hung but are still to be hemmed. 3 of 6 pillows have zippers and the other three are here

waiting to be finished. Then, after all of it is completed, I still have to figure out what to put on these bare walls. I am the Queen of Indecisiveness...yes, you may bow. I am contemplating a bunch of family photos, and maybe a mirror from Lowe's from my new boyfriends, Allen and Roth (see previous post), although they might actually be each other's boyfriends...but I digress.

Once I get things completed, I will post some pictures and then see if I can get some opinions from my blogging peeps.

Okay, enough rambling...I am tired, stressed and hungry...maybe I'll go in the kitchen and have some chocolate..DARN YOU HUBBELL HOUSE CLAYO!!!

Jenn

I don't know who this Allen and Roth are, but I am in LOVE!

I heart Lowe's!!! Let me start from the beginning, although I am fairly certain I will begin rambling at some point and it won't matter where I start...

I got the green light from T to start the redecorating. (NOTE: There is nothing like throwing an after dinner party with several couples that have never seen your home, AND are friends with your husband that will turn your hubby into a "yes man". So, I skip on into Lowe's today (yes, I was skipping...I was so giddy that I was skipping) and get my little paint sample that I color

matched with a Sherwin Williams color. It is called "Rainwashed". The paint sample was even on sale...I should have known that it was my lucky day! So pretty...the picture doesn't do it justice. It is a combo of robin's egg blue & dove gray.

Here is a test swatch on the wall...only one coat & not quite dry. I matched the SW color with a linen-like fabric that I will be making curtains out of for the living & dining room.
Anywho...as I was waiting for the paint lady to mix my color, I wandered (or rather chased my 2 and 3-year-olds) to the next aisle over. Then, right there next to the curtains, there they were...

Westaria mirror $68.88

I couldn't find this beauty online, so I had to take a pic with my phone (sorry 'bout that y'all). I don't remember the EXACT price, but I think it was less than $60. I know that I have seen this EXACT mirror somewhere before, but I can't track it down...all I know is that it looks a lot like

the Lavello mirror from Ballard Designs for $299.99.

Allen + Roth hovan arch frameless mirror $98.88A lot like Pottery Barn's Elise mirror for $189.99!

Allen + Roth pewter rectangular frameless mirror $89.88

Pottery Barn's Bevel Mirror ($179.99 - $279.00)
Allen + Roth windowpane mirror $78.97
A lot like the "Garden District Mirrors" from Ballard Designs (2 for $199.99)

Aren't they amazing? I also have to say that, yes Mr. Barker, the price is right!

I don't know who this Mr. Allen and Mr. Roth are, but I love you!!!

As time goes by...

Okay, bear with me as I share the latest pictures of my little W. As a mom I must confess that my children are unbearable cute and I am not the least bit partial. Model quality if I do say so myself. Those eyes, those munchable cheeks, that slight little precious gap in the front of those teeth. Yum. I can't believe my baby is 2. He is no longer a baby, but a toddler. I can hardly breathe! Anyone have a paper bag I can breathe into? Okay, better now. It is just amazing how time flies. All of those "Mom types" that told you about 5, 429 times that "time flies when you have children" were right, darn them! Anyway, on to other things.

Well, on the heels of time flying, the end of summer is quickly approaching, as is my freedom. I will be teaching 2-year-olds at one of the local Mother's Day Out programs and my head is in a whirl as to all of the projects that I wanted to complete this summer, but have been too hot, tired, busy, needed, sleepy, hot, otherwise proccupied, procrastinatory (nice word, hu?) and hot to do. Yikes! So...here's some absolutely urgent projects that need my attention. Yes, the world might actually fall off of it's axis if I do not finish these in the next few weeks.

Okay, so remember my laundry room project that I embraced with such gusto? Well, upon my dislike for the room, I kind of let it just be. I have tried to allow the retina burning aqua walls prove themselves to me, and they may have won. I have decided that I must get that horrible finish off of the cabinets and FAST. So, sanding, priming and painting look to be in my near future. Also, I have been dying to paint 2 of the 3 bathrooms (including the master) cream as well. (Cabinets, not walls.) So, I think I will try out the laundry room first.

Next, I have to confess that I have a master plan with the remainder of the redecorating in the house. Okay, don't tell my secret, because it might just ruin the plan. T. if you are reading this #1, I am proud of you for taking a moment to read your wife's thought and #2, stop reading at this point...seriously. Now, here is the plan: I have several frames that I need to repaint and remat to put some pictures in. If you have ever been to my house and know me, you know I LOVE pictures. I love taking them and looking at them. However, I am completely non-commital when it comes to getting them on the wall. I am sure that is some sort of disorder that can be cured through years of therapy, but that would cut into my decorating budget, so I will have to cope. Anyway, my plan is to remat and paint some of the frames and get them up on the wall. Then, when T sees how the new frames clash with the current decor of the house, and the fact that we are having a dinner party with about 20 people over in a few weeks, he will have no choice but to fork over the dough to let me repaint and purchase curtain fabric. Is that a plan or what? That or my house will look uber hideous and I will hide the entire evening...or I could just pretend that it isn't my house. Either way, at least I will have some pictures on the walls. :)

What is your passion?

When did you discover the love of your life? No, I don't mean that guy in the armchair watching football with a big bowl of Rocky Road in his lap, but your passion. The thing that makes your heart sing?
Those that follow my blog know that, among a few other things, I love being a wife & mom, and I LOVE design. I had a hard time accepting the fact that I really believe that the Lord put me on this earth to be a mom. I always thought that question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?", was a tough one. I always had something to rattle off: Solid Gold dancer, Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, astronomer, teacher...etc. (Yes, I know Solid Gold Dancer and astronomer...wouldn't that have been a combo? Could you imagine me at parties? Hey look, that is the Big Bear constellation, oh snap, is that Justin Timberlake?... watch me boogie!) These are all things that I wanted to be as a child (well, I secretly still would love to be a dancer), but I always thought of "being a mom" as just a part of life, and not as a passion. I never even thought of being a designer (and I still couldn't imagine doing more that jotting down my thoughts on a blog and rearranging things in my house).
Now that I am all "grown up" (I hear you snickering!) I have become completely content with my lot in life. I love being a mom. I love everything about it. I do feel as though this is what I am here on earth for. God put me here to train up my children, give them a good foundation, show them how a wife loves her husband, show them how much God loves them, and teach them they can be anything and do anything that God puts on their heart. I want them to see the world as being full of amazing opportunities, I want to teach them that being nice DOES matter, and that nice guys and girls do finish first...in the things that truly matter. I want them to grow up full of joy and a sense of adventure. I want them to know that their mom loves them with all her heart, no matter what, forever and always. I want to raise up the most amazing wife and husbands that anyone could ever hope for in a spouse, and I pray daily that God is raising the perfect spouse for them. I think that is a pretty important job.
Now, my passion for design. HMMM. I have wondered why I love it so much. I think my home is what helps define me. It isn't so much what it looks like, but how it feels. I want it to feel like home. I want it to be cozy and warm and inviting to my family and friends and even total strangers. I want things to look nice, but even more importantly, to feel nice. As I browse my catalogs and magazines and other blogs, I am always looking for something that defines me and my desire for my home to be a refuge and a place to land that feels like a big ol' hug. Wow, I am going to make myself cry! Sheesh!
I wondered where my passion to make a home came from, and it started stirring up memories. I think I have always had it, but really didn't recognize it until lately. I remember cooking at my Memom's house. She would let me have free reign and I would learn to make the most delish hashbrowns, cream puffs, and anything else that I could imagine. I still, to this day, love my cream cheese stuffed strawberries topped with brown sugar that I created one day on a whim when I was just a kid playing "cook" in my mom's kitchen. I remember "decorating" my room as a teenager. I am embarrassed to even tell you about it, but it was teal with white sponge painting all over. I was going for the whole Southwestern theme and it was hideous, but my parents let me do it. Bless them! My first little house that I rented was full of little treasures that I would find here or there, and looking back, it was kind of hideous as well, but it was all mine. I loved it. Now that I have a family, and a full house, it means more to me now than ever. I like to think that my style has evolved and that it is becoming more about "home" than what is purdy.
What is your passion? What do you lie awake at night and think about until you fall asleep? What do you find true joy in? Well, whatever it is, whether it is design, or your kids, or teaching, or tinkering with vintage cars, the joy that you find is all yours. Soak it up!

Closet disaster and organizing our mess

Well y'all. I have had 2 sick little birdies for the past few days, and they are just now to a point where I can peel them off of me and get to the computer for a bit. Oh, I have a boring story to tell, but it will 'splain the disaster below. One night, the hubs and I had just settled in for a long winter's nap, when out on the lawn there arose such a clatter...oh, wait, wrong story...sorry! T and I had gone to bed and were about to drift off to Neverland (no, not THAT Neverland...Michael wasn't anywhere around) when we heard a huge calamity in the hallway. It didn't take long to assess what had transpired. This had happened...

Well, it was worse than this. It has been a while since it happened, and I had to do a little cleaning up so I could get to my scrapbooking wares. So, I have been trying to figure out exactly what kind of configuration I need in my space. I need to make it very functional with lots of storage. It is a "coat closet", but it needs to function as scrapbook storage, vacuum cleaner storage, winter accessory storage, gift wrap storage and random junk storage as well. In light of this disaster, I have been perusing the newest IKEA catalog to get some ideas. Does anyone else have a multipurpose space like mine? I would love to see some of them or get some ideas to make it function well.

Okay, for the fun stuff.

This is right by my back door. Isn't it fun? Now we have a place to put all of our junk as we come and go. Please note: the green isn't staying. That is a whole other project in itself...I'll keep you posted.

On another note, I have considered adding baby bedding to my etsy shop. I think that there might be a need for vintage inspired, gender neutral and modern baby bedding sets. What do you think?

UMMM...not so much.

Since I am having issues with my laundry room, I thought I would try to get some good ideas over at BHG.com. True to form, after my cyber trip to the magical land of Better Homes and Gardens, I left inspired, but feeling rather inadequate as to my decorating abilities (or lack thereof), but it was worth it to look at the eye-candy awaiting me. Yes, a 30ish-year-old mother of 3 just refered to pictures of laundry rooms as eye-candy.

Be still me heart...the subtle cream and sage green stripes, the cute little shelf and vintage sign! Seriously, where does this gal keep her giant tub of Gain, Oxiclean & Shout sticks? Even a dirty sock or a clump of dryer lint would have made me happy. Maybe they are hidden under the laundry in the basket. I am going to pretend like there is. It makes me feel better. Don't judge me.

I have 4 words for you RI-DIC-U-LOUS. Well, 4 syllables, but you know what I mean. We all talk slow in the South. Clear storage jars, coordinating baskets, neatly folded sheets and towels. This person must have OCD. Yes, the only logical explanation for such perfection is a mental health disorder. Not making fun because I have a touch of it myself, but just trying to get over the quasi-disaster in my own laundry room...I'll show you pics later.

OMGravy! I am going to be dreaming of those blue/gray cabinets tonight.

Sooo, mine is looking kinda, ummmm not so much. The cabinets are way too dark and the paint is way to bright (you can refer to the "burning my retinas" comment in the previous post). The shelf paint is peeling off (I thought it was primed when I bought it...apparently I was wrong). So, please tell me that I am not the only decorating hack that has no eye for color and has to do-over every now and then. Lie to me if you must...

:) Blessed Mama

Do-It-Yourself or Disaster-It-Yourself?

One of my favorite blogger gals, Susie Harris, over at Bienvenue, had a little do-it-yourself project and it started me to thinkin' (no, I didn't hurt myself)...what little projects would I like to take on? I am always looking for a project that I can add to "Never-ending-list-o'-projects", so here are a few I would like to try from my new favorite store on the planet, Wisteria:I have a file folder like this except it is brown leather. Nice, but it's not fun. I think you could easily decoupage some fun scrapbook paper or even adhere some beautiful fabric and add some grosgrain ribbon to the top to get a similar look.
Okay, y'all know my thing for the beach and anything beachy such as sand, starfish, shells, shall I go on? I could make about 5, 345 of these with all of the shells that I have scavanged over my past 3 trips to the beach. By the way, if you go to South Padre, you won't find any shells on the beach. They are all gone. Every last one of them...sorry 'bout that.
Books. Love 'em. These are funtastical! If you just wanted something decorative for your IKEA bookcases (like me) or your full-walnut paneled library in the Hamptons (not like me), you could spend a fortune, or just cover some blocks of scrap wood (book-sized, please) and decoupage some fun scrapbook papers over them, sand & ink the edges, wipe on a glaze & tie them up with some thin leather or twine.

Here is another fun thing. Eggs are gorgeous. One of God's most beautiful gifts to us humans. There is little that can rival the beauty of a robin's egg, in my opinion. The soft blue with speckles of brown are the perfect color combination (who knew that God was a designer?). I think you could probably acheive the same effect by sandwiching (oooh, I am hungry, sorry...it's dinner time here) some faux eggs in a glass shadow box and adhering it to a taper candleholder & matching finial. You could even just leave the shadowbox, as is, and just call it a day....OR you could back it with some coordinating SCRAPBOOK PAPER (yeah, I have a thing for it, can you tell?) and put it in your IKEA bookshelf as well! No, IKEA doesn't pay me, but they should...Speaking of IKEA, I got their new catalog in the mail yesterday and don't think that I haven't already perused it 3 times and made little notes all over it. Okay, back to the subject at hand...Last but not least, yes, another marine inspired piece.

I call this "Big Whale on a Stick". I should write descriptions for catalogs, I know, but I am entirely too busy. Can anyone say wood & skill saw? Yep. Simple as that...I think...

Okay, now here are just a few fun little things from Wisteria that I can't make myself, but I still like anyway.Don't know why I like this little guy so much. Maybe it has to do with all of the deer heads that I had adorning the walls of my parent's living room as a child. Maybe I just like hamburgers a lot...don't know. By the way, I do love a good hamburger...sorry again, still haven't had dinner.

This little nugget is just about as purdy as they come. It just screams, "cottage" doesn't it? I think I might just have to save up for this little gem.

Have you done any fun copycatting lately?