My Girl February

September 10, 2015 venicepup

Can I just say that the greatest thing has happened?!

I know you are thinking that I have mastered the universal conundrum of how to store legos, but no, friends, this may be even better than that… well, for me at least. One of my best girlfriends in the whole world, Tricia, is not only preggo (hooray!) but she is HAVING A GIRL! Double, TRIPLE HOORAY!! TGFLG! That stands for Thank God For Little Girls, ’cause those same little girls will grow up into powerful, beautiful beings… and hopefully this is one that will also want to go shopping and get her nails done with Auntie Jess. Ladies, we are tough (and smart and capable of amazingness AND create life with our own bodies), but we also love to shop. #Acceptance

So, can I just get a little pat on the back? I know she’s carrying this angel (who won’t let her eat or feel comfortable at all) but it’s really my day to celebrate!! Yay for me… and for my boys! Maybe… I’ll just stop there… but you know what I’m thinking. It starts with D and ends with “owery.” Dad is Nigerian and I’m pretty sure that means we’re going old school here. Don’t worry Tricia, I won’t be all crazy MIL on your perfect daughter… unless she tries to change my perfect son.

To say that we’ve been through a lot, complete understatement. To say that she is in for the ride of her life? Man, she has no idea. Can I just say how fun it is to watch?! Her pregnancy = Like wwaaaaayyy better than Amy Shumer on tv.

In honor of my friend, here are some fun nursery ideas inspired by other fab women that I’d love to hang with! ENJOY!

CAMERON- She’s blond, athletic and one of the dudes. Heck Yes, I want to be friends with Cameron! Let’s face it, she’s the ultimate cool girl, party animal and she’d definitely have me, er, regular stat. Oh, and I kinda like that she’s got her head in the clouds =)

Bird Chandelier, Pink Cloud Tapestry, Overdyed Pink Rug, White/Grey Crib, Milo Chrome Etagere, Thomasville Dresser, Modern Rocker (gotta paint those legs though), Fur Pouf

DREW – Isn’t Drew Barrymore just awesome?!! Like, you know she’s nice and fun and gives great advice… stuff like, just be yourself and don’t dwell on losers (’cause girl has dated her fair share). I love her natural, almost hippie vibe… lots of flowers and bright colors in trendy combinations!

White Crib, Chinoiserie Dresser, White Flower Chandelier, Modern Rocking Chair, Indian Fabric as Wall Mural, Yellow Rug, Moroccan Pouf, Bone Inlay Mirror

JENNIFER – Who could leave JLaw off the list? She’s the girl next door, but on steroids… from a small town, she’s real but then hello, she’s Katniss Everdean one of the greatest female heroines ever. Ever. She’s talented, smart, totally nutty and kinda quirky. Perfect combo in a future bff if ya ask me!

Oval Pull Dresser, Marion Chandelier, Jere Wall Sculpture, Bird Hardware, Turkish Rug, Ikat Fabric for Curtains, Hand-dyed fabric for bedskirt/pillows, White Crib, MCM Rocker, Photography

Anyhow, I hope you all got a kick out of this, especially all the preggos surviving the crazy heat!

Which do you like the best?

Again, congratulations Tricia! I love you!! I can’t wait to see what you come up with for My Girl February!

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Entry Progress

September 4, 2015 venicepup

Hi Friends!

Are you super excited?! It’s a loooong weekend and I for one am stoked. I’m absolutely down for a lazy, warm summer weekend since I have started to feel the turn to fall. Ahhh, another hot one almost gone and I’m going to do my best to enjoy it until the bitter end!

This year has certainly been the year of the exterior upgrades and my gosh, I’m so loving every bit of it! What a difference each little detail makes.

This here is a small one, but hey, it’s a step in the right direction.

Remember my entry before?? If not, here ya go

Man, oh man that looks most unwelcoming.

That sea horse bench is one of the last few remaining pieces from the old owners. No one really comes over and sits in the entry… That bench’s raison d’être is to hold packages from Amazon. And sad as it was looking, it was doing pretty well at it’s job. So, after thinking about this bench (WAY TOO MUCH) I decided to keep it and just give it a facelift.

You can see the details better here and a bit o’ patching that I did to the front. Since the seat is wood and the sides are a casted metal, I used an exterior paint on the wood (after primer for durability) and Rustoleum’s hammered metal spray paint on the sides.

That hammered finish is pretty dope.

What a difference a little paint can make, huh?!?

Just seeing these photos gives me a bit of a boost to keep up the momentum on the entry. I will get it looking beautiful before a single holiday!! Cross my heart!

Now I just need to find some art… have you heard of this artist, Kai Chan?

He does some amazing installations, and I’m pretty much obsessed with this one

Wouldn’t it be AWESOME?! It’s called “Sun Down in the Desert of Jaisalmer” and it’s made of twigs and balsa wood.

Since we’re chatting, here’s another one of his pieces I’m kind of dying for

This one’s “Birth of Venus.” Oh no, wait. I want this one too…

My god. That red is just powerful. And you’ll never guess that it’s called!

Did you say “Silk?” Damn, how’d you guess?!!

Anyway, have a great weekend ok?

And then we can get back to this entryway next week. It’s a date!!

Somethings gotta give with those pots!!

Comment Projects

Hand-drawn Wallpaper

September 1, 2015 venicepup

Well hello there!

It’s Tuesday and I’m officially feeling pulled in about a million directions. You? When the week starts like this, you just know it’s going to be a long one. Yesterday, I was dropping off the boys to school and one of the new mom’s said, “Oh how nice! You’re doing carpool!” Um… no. I’m not. A shared laugh. Just know that hers was a bit more uncomfortable than mine!! Ahhh, how I love those moments when it’s not me putting my foot in my mouth.

Craziest part? I’ll never be that carpool mom since there’s no room in the car!! So, jokes on you lady! No wait. I think the joke’s still on me.

Anyway! I think we’ve all been on one end or the other in some seriously awkward situations and friends, I’m here to tell you that it’s just good dinner conversation! What else would we talk about, right?! My friend was once on the receiving end of one of those pregnancy comments, when she wasn’t pregnant. That’s THE worst.

Anyway, I’m not thinking so much about all that today as I am about some pretty amazing wallpaper… especially of the hand drawn variety. These look like someone grabbed a marker, pencil or paint brush and just got all artistic.

It all started with this ad…

RUBELLI DONGHIA WALLCOVERING