Bon Anniversaire

Thank you for all of the wonderful birthday wishes, cards, phone calls and gifts. I have the most wonderful friends and family! Thank you!

Here are just a few of the thoughtful gifts I received...

Beautiful needlepoint stool from Mom. You know how much I love needlepoint!

Isn't this clock gorhgheous! Thank you Debbie!

My oh so fabulous Kate Spade clutch from David...

Love the bow! Here's the back...

Happy Birthday to me! Thank you for the cupcakes Anna! (Notice the pink dots on the top one.)

And a cute monogrammed pen to use on my new job from my cousins Nikki, Ronald and baby Zoe! It has such a "Elle Woods" quality about it, doesn't it?

Thank you for making this birthday a special one! A few of my gifts now reside on my new desk. I'll post more pics of my new office decor soon!

Blank Canvas

Apologies for the lack of posts. New job = fewer posts. A new job also means a new space to decorate. Just when I was gettin' low on space!

I have been experiencing some trouble in deciding how to decorate and what to decorate with. The majority of my day is spent there, so I want to make it my own and make it a comfortable and welcoming place to work. However, I also like my cute tchotskies to be in my house. I guess if it really came down to it, I could award custody to the job weekdays and allow the house to have them on the weekends. Hopefully, it won't come to that.

So, calling all suggestions for beautiful office things. Please let me know some suggestions or any websites or stores to check out! I am looking for shabby chic, pastel-colored thingamabobs.

Checklist:

1. White Lamp with Shade
2. Picture Frames
3. Books
4. Decorative and creative pencil/pen cup
5. Cute, but lightweight things to hang
6. Tchotskies galore

You Might Be A Redneck If...

First of all, a belated Happy Fathers' Day! Speaking of dads, while I was home this weekend, my Dad loaded me up with some new tires. You know you've entered adulthood when you not only are appreciative of this gift but also excited. And I was.

As a result of my new tires being put on, my car Ruth began vibrating when I would top 60 mph. So, I had to visit the tire place again. On the first visit to said tire place, I had not enjoyed the wonderful place that is the waiting room. Being without my dad the second go around, I sat quietly in the waiting room surrounded by delightful magazines like Automobile something or another, Tool and Trade and 2004 issues of Woman's Day. Thanks guys. Bored with boredom, my eyes began wandering the room and I noticed these guys all looking at me.







I really like how the middle deer in the first picture is not even mounted on wood but looks as if he is coming out of the paneled wall. I also noticed that the deer on the right in the second picture is one of the older ones given his numerous points and graying hair. My favorite however is the one pictured last. He was really giving me the evil eye it seemed. It reminded me of a face my Dad used to make that was deemed the Bo*ldin look.

Now, I'm a Southener and this ain't my first rodeo. I mean, my friend's dad is actually a taxidermist, so I've seen a mounted deer or two. However...it is quite different when you are trapped in a room with nothing else to do but stare into the sad almost eery eyes of a mounted deer. Oh it's good to be back home, home on the range, where the deer and the antelope play...

Green Apple of My Eye

What a productive morning it has been! After seeing Anita's cute kitchen shelves at Cottage Affairs, I couldn't resist painting something, anything that green apple color. Mom recently gave me an old coat rack she found at a, you guessed it, thrift store. So, this morning I slapped a coat of paint on it and green apple is definitely its color.




I have also been on, what I thought may become, the endless search for the perfect planter with saucer. Our lemon and lime trees were about to outgrow their plastic containers. Leave it to good ol' Wal Mart to have them. Well, okay they weren't perfect but that's what paint is for, right? Luckily, I had some green apple left over!

Here's the before:



And here's the after!


So very pleased with my morning makeovers!

A Day for the History Books

Since moving to Birmingham, it has been the sore subject of conversations, debates and arguments. It has been the eye sore of eye sores. It is our brick fireplace. As you know, I'm a lover of pastels and this fireplace simply doesn't do the trick. I proposed the idea of painting it the moment I walked into our humble abode without much luck.

Tonight I walked in to the living room and heard, just about the best thing ever. David to me: "I am open to considering the idea of painting the fireplace...white." I asked him to say it again to ensure I wasn't dreaming. Seriously, if you knew David and his dislike of the color white, you would understand the significance of this moment. June 10, 2008 will no longer be the day I got a new job (yay!), it will instead be the day David considered painting the fireplace white.

So how, you ask, did he come to this semi-concession? Well, he was running this evening and said that he glanced into a few neighbors windows from the street and saw a white fireplace and it looked....get this.....good. Good! Good! Whatever neighbor it is, thank you from the bottom of my pastel little heart. And thank you for forgetting to close your blinds as well.

An "After" picture to come...hopefully.

Holy Grail of Martha Stewart

While at the Lake this weekend, I visited the farmers' market in our hometown with Fabulous Girl Katherine. FG Katherine and I both share a love of European markets, so we pretended we were in Italy and France, respectively.

Never did I imagine what luck Saturday morning would bring. I stumbled upon this new antique mall and came across this rare, rare find. I almost fainted with delight. I tried to explain to FG Katherine the magnitude of the situation. I mean, in my hands was the original MS Weddings Book in prime condition and even the jacket. Oh Martha, how we love thee.

Also in this store were these two books- Martha Stewart's Tag Sales and Flea Markets and Better Homes and Garden's Flea Market Decorating. All three books totaled a mere $12! What bargains!

WWJD

Oh, how I loved this book. But, I on the otherhand, enjoy reading chic self-help books. Call it my secret, or not-so-secret now, obsession. And besides that, I like the cover. A good read plus decorative accessory! Who said not to judge a book by its cover? I've rarely read a cute covered book that wasn't good.

And now look what we have! Two decorative accessories! Now we can learn how to be like Jackie and Audrey. Have our cake and eat it too! Isn't it funny that both were ballerinas. Such grace and poise.

Pink, It Was Love at First Sight

A few pink things to admire...

1. Personalized Coaster by IOMoi in a Pink Urchin Pattern for $26

2. Handmade Personalized Lucite Tray by IOMoi in the Blush Circle Pattern for $100

3. Vera Bradley Card Organizer in Pinwheel Pink for $29

4. "Launa" Pink Apron by Paper Dolls for $48

Three Reasons Why You Need A Man

Each Christmas, I remember Mom saying, "This is why you need a man, Elizabeth, to put up the Christmas tree. This was also said when we were moving/needing a truck to haul flea market finds. Well, I found the third. Groups of three sound better anyway, right?

Women Need Men to:
1. Put up Christmas trees.
2. Borrow trucks from to haul things and perhaps help in the hauling things away part, too.
3. Repair a flat tire.

Now, my Dad always told me I should know how to do no. 3 on my own. All girls should, or at least that's what we've been taught by our respective fathers.

And I can change a flat.

..... in theory. But, when it actually happened this weekend while David and I were heading out of town, I thought, "Oh no, what are we going to do?" Then I remembered I had a man with me. Phew!!!

So, this post is dedicated to David and all you other Mr. Don't Worry I Can Change Your Flat Tire Men out there. What would we do without you?

Here's our sad little flat. Ruth, my car, made the saddest little rumbling noise.

Close-up shot. I instructed David that I had to take pictures to capture the moment for my fellow readers.

Sweet David jacking my car up.

I'm sure he appreciated the fact that I was snapping pictures while he was working.

Here's what I was focused on: Target, Home Depot, Ross and TJ's. I noticed these a bit too late, else I could have jumped the fence, gone shopping and let him fix the tire. Too bad.

Church Pew

When I saw this, I immediately thought of Cottage Bethy and her endless search for a church pew. Snapping a picture was a must. The way it curved and its color, oh! what a photogenic piece.

Shopaholics

In one word, Girls' Weekend was FABULOUS! Mom and Allyson, two of my truly favorite shopping buddies came to Birmingham. I have grown up shopping with these two ladies! Since I was a baby, Allyson = shopping. Only once, did I rebel against the notion. I was 4 years old and Allyson walked into our house. With my hands placed neatly on my hips, I matter of factly stated, "I'm not going shopping." Since then, all we have done is go shopping! What can I say, I had no choice but to love the sport.

So, in true shopaholic style, we had a full day's work Friday. Despite what Emmy thinks, a girl can never have too much milk glass.... Yes, I know I have a milk glass addiction problem. I just can't stop! Two pieces found me, what was I supposed to do? The first being a serving platter found at the Alabama Farmers Market and Flea Market on Finley Avenue and the second being an exquisite pedestal compote from Trussville Antique Mall. Real estate in my glass cabinet is quite limited. The milk glass shelf is rather tight. (Perhaps, this should tell me something.... buy more real estate?) The lovely compote dwells upon my desk now, its job being to hold business cards.


Also at the Trussville Antique Mall, a lovely teacup found me. Teacups are ever so dainty, aren't they? Beauty and the Beast got it right when they gave the teacup a British accent. The daintiness factor for this teacup certainly does not disappoint. The pink hue is accented by a delicate black and gold trim. Pink of perfection.


P.S. If you haven't seen Sex and the City, get out of your seat immediately and run. It's fabulous, just like our girls' weekend! We were all crying one minute and laughing the next. Kudos, kudos, kudos.