Giddy-up

First off, it's pretty sad when your own blog is a stranger.

It's been nearly 5 months since I've seen her pretty face, and it is ridiculous how much I've missed it. Upon my return I am instantly reminded that I am presently using this nice but not as nice layout that I bought for $10 because the last time I was here I tried formatting a new layout, failed miserably, and became so frustrated that I gave up. Good times. But second, sometimes, you just need to get back on the horse. Someday I can go on and on about what I did over the last 5 months, but today I just want to talk about how I got off my ass and finally finished my dining room. So giddy-up.

For the past two months I had been on this enormous life high, since quitting my long-time job work has been rolling in, the weather's been nice, the kid is doing good in school, I like my new freelance job, things were just good, ya know? Then blam!, they weren't. I'll spare you a dramatic monologue, but last week was just horrible. And by horrible, I mean TERRIBLE.

Today I woke up with a nice little headache, likely from being so tense watching Sinister with my sister last night (I nearly peed myself more than twice) or it could just be the lovely Michigan pressure changes that I am so fond of [not], anyway, I was totally going to curl up on the couch and feel sorry for myself but instead started cleaning. A little bit here, a bit there, and then surveyed the mess that has been my house for the last month or so. I have half-finished projects pretty much everywhere, it's unacceptable. I began this whole "if you don't love it getitout" thing:

image via Pinterest

Which, to be honest, has been pretty cathartic. I have no idea how I ended up with so much stuff, but I want it gone. I have furniture everywhere. My craft room has ebbed out into my kitchen, its crowding my dining room and the piles of "junk" that I am sorting out to donate vs. sell or just pitch are like little mountains all over my living room. I want only clothes I love, things I love, projects I am actually going to complete, and I want to only have furniture that is performing a useful function. I want to take my curio cabinets and put them into cold storage, sort all the old papers, and basically just cleanse all.the.things.

Helllooooo tangent. But you feel me, its a life renewal thing, and at the same time, shit can be daunting yo'.

So today I tried to knock out one of my "you're totes the closest to being done!" projects: my dining room. I definitely had enough pieces to put it together:

- I purchased fabric that I wanted to make curtains and shades with at Joanne's over a year ago
- I had one coat of black chalkboard paint on the wall
- I inherited an aqua chandelier I had been coveting from my best friend while helping her move
- Finally reupholstered the dining room chairs
- Gave my mom all of my wayward plants that I had snuggled back to health
- Snagged a rug from my bedroom that fit perfectly under my kitchen table, even if just temporarily
- New ribbon for my Layla Grayce plates that I insist on hanging right back on the wall

5 hours later...

Okay, so not exactly, because as I admitted earlier, I had already ditched the plants, pulled down the globe and started on the wall, but for funsies, let's pretend I just knocked it all out today. 

Ew. This photo makes me cringe now. 

Oh, and these two colors, Pepto Pink and black? Well, when I moved in I asked my landlord peeps if I could paint and the response was, "Sure, anything but..." 

Guess which two colors they said? I am so much fun. Really, just ask them and they'll tell you I'm not messy, I'm creative. They even bought me a plaque that says so. Though, you can't see it because my craft room is so messy. 

Now we're gettin' somewhere...I am making no-sew roman shades that I hope to blog here in a hot second.

Fin.

Natalie babes, I am so sorry about your flood. I am not sorry I ended up with your chandelier. 

Kindly ignore the lamps outside the window.

Unless you want to buy them because they're for sale. 

Close-up of my shades. If I knew how to sew, this would have been cake, but since I don't, I sticky-witched them which was considerably more of a pain in the ass. I love the coral though. It's my way of getting my beach on, without being all palm tree-y about it. 

I am so in love with this freaking thing. Which surprises me, it's not nearly as industrial as most of the things \I love, but I think that is what I love about it...it softens how hard core the black of the wall is.

(Why does this photo remind me so much of Clara Petersik's bedroom, Is it just me?)

image via Young House Love

Maybe because my kitchen walls are still the same color as Clara's nursery? I need to remedy that with the quickness.

I busted out new ribbon for my beloved Layla Grayce plates which you can get here 

I do realize the sheers obstruct a bit of the light, and having a nasty case of SAD I need all of the sunlight I can get. 

That being said, the only thing worse than being without the sun, is staring at the abysmal death of my backyard. I'll keep those puppies closed until it snows. . 

Now that it's over, this seems a lot uglier in hindsight:

But Oh, happy Day!

This is me. Being happy. 

xo