The most important things in life aren't things! Faith*Family*Friends

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Jumping on the Vera Bradley Bandwagon

I love fashion, shoes, purses, a pedicure. Yes, I do like a bit of Self-Indulgence as I previously revealed. 

I AM A GIRLY GIRL!  But I can still do the dirty DIY projects too.

I showed you how I organize my purses here.  But some of them just never work out, I guess it's good I bought them on clearance...with a coupon.

But I recently jumped on the Vera Bradley bandwagon...Yeah, I know, I'm probably the very last person to do this but it takes some persuasion for me to pay a higher price for purse....plus a good deal.

I got my first Vera Bradley new without tags because the opportunity arose to buy it for $20.  I was looking for a light weight crossbody and I loved my Saddle Up Bag by VB.

So with a coupon and the help of e-bay I bought a couple new things for summer - which is right around the corner.  smile

I bought the Glenna purse in Provencal with a $20 off coupon and free shipping. (by signing up for e-mails on the VB website)  The final thing that convinced me were the words - machine washable.  
I love how light weight this fabric purse is because I fill it will so much junk many necessities that my purse can't weigh much empty.  I chose this medium size bag so my big prescription sunglasses case will fit in there in the sunny months ahead. I love that it has TWO big deep pockets one on the front and one on the back. Although... both sides are identical so it really doesn't have a front or a back, it just has two sides, that are exactly alike.  I love the POP of color, I'm not a person who changes purses often - warm and cold weather and a party.  That is pretty much it.





I also got this matching smartphone wristlet (e-bay for almost $20 less than retail) to go inside the purse. When I only need my driver's license, debit card and phone I can just take the wallet.  Very nice, except where will I put the sunglasses?



Since I can machine wash this purse, since the pockets are awesome (4 inside, 2 outside) and since it's light as a feather I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  

On a side note, the new wood floors in the bedroom make a beautiful background for pictures - even the ones I take with my phone instead of my Nikon (sorry).  If you missed the master bedroom reveal, please take a look!

Laura


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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Pictures That Make Me Smile - Papa's Smile

I've been feeling a bit under the weather for the last week or so, it's Spring! Hurray! (why has it been freezing cold the last 2 nights?)  

I love Springtime but the pollen - not so much.  Writing a blog post hasn't been on my "To Do" list.  It has mainly consisted of 

#1 Go To Work
#2 Go Home
#3 Sit on Couch
#4 Go To Bed

(repeat)

Yes, I ran some errands, cooked some (very easy) meals and went to church.  But my energy has been seriously low, so no new projects to show you.  I made a run to the doc this afternoon and got a shot and some meds - hopefully I'll be getting into trouble back to being productive again very soon.

So today, I'll just share a picture from my collection that is worthy of a name like a great work of art. I haven't done this in a while.  I call this shot Papa's Smile.

My Dad is a the strong silent cowboy type and DOES not like to have his picture taken. (I'm a lot like that myself)  He smiles a lot, especially around his grandkids, but not on purpose in a picture.  However, a little lovin' from a granddaughter is sure to coax a smile.


Papa's Smile

I chose this picture because I get to visit my parents for Easter and I'm looking forward to some smiles from this guy and a few big 'ole hugs. Also, I always look forward to hearing his voice, especially when he prays.  (One of my favorite sounds in the world.)  

Note: If he knew I put him on my blog, he would ask, "YOUR WHAT?"

I love you Daddy! 

Happy Spring aka Pollen Season!

Laura


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Tuesday, March 19, 2013

The Final Piece of Chalk Painted Furniture for the Master Bedroom

I had an absolutely wonderful weekend which started with a short work day Friday.  It was an amazing beautiful spring day and I had fish tacos with a my friend, Anne, on a patio by a fountain and then we got our toenails painted.  I got a new toe picture for my collection. She had a "big" birthday a while back and this was my gift to her.

My color choice was Opi "Hot :& Spicy", my friend went for a green St. Patty's Day color

Two things I dearly love are good times with friends and family and getting a project finished that has been on my list forever. (a third would be a pedi with a friend)  So yeah, my weekend was awesome.  Because I finished a project too and still spent plenty of relaxing time with SuperDave.

After working on the master bedroom for so long that I would have to search through my old posts to determine when it started, it's more or less finished!

The final piece of furniture that needed a fresh coat of chalk paint is done!  It looked like this last week.  The cat was optional - he's only there if I leave a drawer open.  I should have gotten him to pose for the after photos!


This lingerie chest was a craigslist find and in the beginning I had a hard time with the idea of painting it because it was in new condition - but the longer I looked at it the worse the yellowish white and green accents looked.  I strongly considered solid RED for this piece but decided on a red/black combo.  It went like this.

Sample of Cinnamon Cherry  I made my own chalk paint using Plaster of Paris, water and the paint.


The first coat of red made it look even worse.


Second coat of red - I'm seeing some improvement.


I think I put three coats to get the red color to match the sample.  Red over white - takes a few coats to cover.


I got the white paint off the brass drawer pulls with an old Crockpot, water and dish soap.  Luckily I had one with a hinged lid that had broken in two places.  We were about to throw it out when I remembered I needed it to do this project.


After I painted the black over the red - I was almost speechless. But not quite, I can usually think of plenty to say!  Too much, I admit it.


Projects evolve as I go along - I planned to distress, but in the end I just left some red showing through.


Everything looks good with the new wood flooring in our master bedroom! If you missed the reveal you can find it here.





All finished now and back in it's place. It upstages the big 'ole TV in our bedroom so it's not quite so noticeable (I hope).


Hope you had a wonderful weekend too!

Laura


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