Out and about today..

I was out and about today, and stopped into this little boutique in Dallas. I hate to go into stores where no one greets you or says hello, especially after several minutes of being in there. The sales woman did not even acknowledge me as I walked into the store..what is that??

How do those places stay in business?? Let's just say, I won't be back. Not just for the poor customer service, but also there ridiculous prices.

I took a quick glance through the place and left. I did spot this beautiful greenery and throw pillow.

{Snapped a quick pic..so simple yet so elegant}

{Loved the pattern and colors with this throw pillow..just $295 each} 

It's Friday!! I went into Central Market to pick up a few items. The good ole folks are coming over for dinner tonight. Funny story..after picking up my tilapia at the fish counter, I stuck it into a cart and started walking off. This strange woman looked at me and I then realized I had the wrong cart!! How embarassing...she even had the big cart vs the small one I was pushing around!

So out to lunch today. Have you ever?? Have a great weekend!!

Welcome Texas Heat!

Wow, IT'S SO DANG HOT! Dallas is in the triple digits already and it's not even July. It's really hard to do much of anything this time of year.

Plants are dying, the water in the swimming pool feels like you just ran a hot bath, and doing anything active outside may only consist of running to your car to blast the A/C. I'm telling you what, this is for the birds.

I've decided I'll just hibernate for the next couple months where I can only dream about spending time outside by the pool.

Take me to Southern California!

{Image via Pinterest}

How about Colorado??

{Image via Houzz}

Maybe somewhere in the New England states?

{Image via Pinterest}

TEXAS where we're sweatin' our butts off!!

{Source}

Hopefully this heat will let up here in the next couple months. It's something as a Texan 

you just never get use to, and it doesn't matter how long you've lived here. 

As we like to say in Texas.. "It's hotter than balls!"

Keep Cool!

Let's paint some rockers..again.

Lately,  I'm having to go back and redo projects, rather than start new ones. I'm not too thrilled about

it, but if I can save YOU time by NOT repeating my same mistakes, then it's worth it.

{Looked great for a couple months}

Last September, I did a post about repainting our rocking chairs in our backyard. I've had these chairs for well over 10 years. They've been beaten up throughout the years, and spray painted numerous times. I sprayed them a green and they looked great, but unfortunately they didn't last too long. Rather than sanding them and doing it the right way, I spray painted over the existing paint, which caused awful peeling. 

{Spray paint I used back in September, but not convinced this was for outdoor use}

{Looks great, right? Love the peeled look. Started looking like this within 3 months or so. UGGG}

In doing things the right way this time, I've sanded the chairs down, getting it down to the bare bones  as much as possible. This i figure will allow the paint to adhere to the chairs and get you a nice base to start with.

{Sanded with an electric sander}

My next step was priming the chairs with an exterior paint I picked up at Lowe's. This was a step I hadn't done in the past, and feel will make all the difference in the world. This is the trick, I hope,that will help keep the paint from chipping and peeling. Will let you know in 6 months or so if this works out, but likely at that point, will pitch the darn things if not. 

{Primer used, gray tint I hear makes the color used more vibrant}

So this is where I'm at. I've been super busy and I haven't had a chance to paint them yet. I'm still not sure what color I want to do. Chris thinks black might be too stark, and I agree. Maybe something softer. 

{Primed}

I've got this great bistro set I also want to paint, but haven't decided what color yet. I'm thinking I need to go pillow shopping, so I can work off something. Will likely look like this for another week until I have some time to paint them. I'm going to use my new paint sprayer, so that should be interesting.

{Needs some color}

Will keep you posted how they turn out! Hope all is going well in your creative world. Hopefully better than my luck lately, but oh well. It keeps me busy, when I'm not busy:) Can't wait to finish it up, so they can be enjoyed.  

Have a great week!!

Overgrown Landscape..Importance of Edging!

Back in January, we worked really hard redoing the front yard landscape. We dug up plants, added new plants, new soil, and mulched. We worked our butts off, and thought our work would be done for awhile.

Here are some pictures we took after we initially cleaned everything up, and "hoped" it would stay looking forever. Realistically, not the case, and you'll soon see why.

These pics were taken January 31, 2012. Notice how everything looks nice and clean. I found out the hard way that it doesn't stay looking like this for very long.

We ended up removing the Japanese Maple and transplanted it to a shadier spot in the backyard. It
was burning up in the front, and needed shade desperately.

We forgot ONE HUGE detail to help maintain the beds, and keep them looking nice and neat.... FREAKIN EDGING!!! My Lord. It's been driving me crazy these past several months. Why, because it turned into an overgrown, ugly, grass bed. Our grass started creeping into the mulch beds, and we just didn't think about this when we initially started. So do yourself a favor, and BUY edging, because you'll need it.

This is why you'll need it.

{What happened to my beautiful stones?? Gone, hiding under the mess}

{UGGGGG, at least the plants are still alive..good thing}

{The only thing I love are these purple shamrock perennials that popped up}

{Not loving the how the grass is overtaking the whole bed}

{Disaster}

{Watch out!! St Augustine grass will hog the whole show if you let it}

So, it ended up turning into too big of a job for myself and my hubs to want to handle. Just wasn't going to happen. So we had our main man Saul come over, and give us a hand. 3 hours later, it looked brand new again.

{Improvement}

{Once the grass grows up to the edging, will look better}

{Back to clean and neat}

{No more creeping grass}

Doing the plastic black edging from Home Depot wouldn't have been my first choice, but your options out there are limited. I wasn't crazy about the metal edging either, and ultimately would have preferred to do rock or stone of some kind. This was a quick fix, and I'm so happy with how it turned out. Hopefully this helps keep the beds looking clean and purty, and will require little help from me.


I'd love to hear how you keep your grass from creeping into your beds. What type of edging do you have? This is a temporary fix that might turn into a permanent fix depending upon how well it does. We shall see. I'd love to hear your ideas and take on what's worked for you.

Beautiful Italian Decor

I'd like to introduce you to our guest blogger for today, Jessica, with Arcadian Lighting. She's here to share with you some beautiful photo inspirations that feature Italian decor. Enjoy!

Hi there! I'm Jessica, a writer for Arcadian Lighting, which is a wonderful online source for beautiful and affordable light fixtures in all shapes and styles. Today I'd like to share a collection of gorgeous interiors that feature Italian décor. Whether sleek and modern, or rustic and traditional, there's something about Italian design that is always stylish. I hope you find these interiors as inspiring as I do! Thank you for having me as your guest, Allison!



 


Rich, warm colors fill this cozy Italian kitchen, from the ceramic pots and vases, to the woven traditional rugs. I love the eclectic, artist-style of this room!



A stylish mix of vintage and mid-century modern pieces give this cozy living room a subtle charm. The sophisticated leather chairs came from an estate in Italy.




This lush, aristocratic bedroom features a more traditional Italian style. The weathered, ornate headboard adds a certain drama to the room.


The sweeping, romantic atmosphere of this bathroom is like something out of a dream. The intricate gilded details are so perfect. A pair of elegant wall sconces and a tall floor lamp must provide brilliant light in the evening.





So many embellishments and lavish details make this all-white bedroom absolutely luxurious. The sculptural fireplace and sparkling chandeliers are quite stunning, as well.




A gorgeous antique Italian mirror creates a perfect focal point in this stately stairway. The classical urn, sculptural details and hanging lanterns are straight out of a Tuscan villa.



The vibrant blues, greens and yellows in this dining room vignette are so fresh and summery. I love the framed photograph of Venice.



The marble mantle and miniature bust of Jupiter give this eclectic room a decidedly Italian feel. The puzzle piece artwork is such a a great focal point. 

What do you think of these Italian inspired interiors? Let us know in the comments! And be sure to stop by Arcadian Lighting for a striking chandelier or pair of wall sconces to brighten your home! Have a wonderful weekend!