more rugs?!?!?!

T-minus 2 weeks till our beast of a leather couch comes in!  I know I made some cracks about my lack of love for leather but I am seriously (for real) excited for it to come in so I can start decorating the basement..what can I say it grew on me...BIG time :-) My biggest worry is that with "builder beige" walls, a beige carpet, and a brown couch that the room will look a tad dull and we really cant have that!  I was thinking of ways to bring some color into the room and was debating on adding a area rug.  I found some great ones that I am thinking about... let me know what you all think.


BUT first-- keep in the back of your mind the color of the couch

Now... what do you think about these from Dash & Albert Rug Company  ...  too much?  too little?

What about these ones that I found at Pottery Barn... what do you think?  I feel like they are missing the "oomphh" I am looking for.

Or... what about one of these from Overstock... you cant beat $116.00 for a 8 x 11 rug (in BLUE)

So what are your thoughts?  Like anything?  Have a better idea of what would look good?!?!  Let me know, I'm all ears!

Carolyn

Thriftin' It Up!

Check out my thrift store finds from the past month...

A Glass Fishy with A Big Mouth

I made myself believe that I truly "needed" this... therefor it was not a impulse buy.  He looks very cute in my downstairs bathroom... I'm thinking he may "eat" some pretty soaps. 

Open Wide!

A Strawberry Planter Lookin' Thingy 

These things can go for $50.00 and up so my $3.00 planter was a steal!  Still trying to figure out what color to paint her.  Any ideas? 

Some Straw Wreaths and Baking Dishes

 Love that I found straw wreaths with plastic on them (that's the key) for .50 each... now I can make more yarn and felt flower wreaths.  I also got some really nice small baking dishes for $1.00/piece

Vases!

Now these didn't come from a thrift store BUT I did find these pretties at my T.J. Maxx in the clearance isle.  I think the small one was $3.00 and the big one was $5.00... a STEAL in my book!

Any great finds in your thrift stores lately?

Carolyn

meet the sectional

I caved!  Dan may have won this battle but I am determined to win the design war :-) 

Here is our new couch... I have four weeks to sew some pillows and get the basement ready for this BIG beast of a couch.  In all seriousness- I like it-- it is BEYOND comfy AND it has two consoles with cup holders and a place to keep the remotes (that's what I call Fan-cee!!). Speaking of fancy, does anyone remember the episode of friends when Rachel buys Joey the new leather recliner cause she thought she broke his old one, Rosita?  No takers? Well it was funny stuff let me tell you..
 

Hope its a GREAT Wednesday for you all!

Carolyn

new grill

This blog is about Tszujjing things up, right?  Well, I mentioned a few months back that I got myself a new grill (that would be new teeth for the non-gangsta readers:-)) -- I tszujjed my mouth up big time!  Shame on me for not giving details back in November when my new pearly whites came into my life-- it just didn't happen, but you are in luck today.. here is the story of why a grown woman who has good dental hygiene needed some new teeth. 


You should know that I am lucky and have had the same group of girlfriends for... well, forever really.  These are the friends that you make in elementary school and junior high that are your friends for life-- the ones you cant get rid of even if you wanted to (I kid).  While I think this is fantastic it isn't always so great for those that make a little blunder that allows you to hold something over their head for the REST FOR THEIR LIFE. Confused-- let me explain.  In sixth grade I was playing horse (you know basketball) with a group of friends outside of my house-- it had just finished raining and we were sick of being stuck inside making prank calls-- so basketball it was.  Well-- while we were playing my best friend Beverly (hi!) accidentally (....) pushed me and I fell and cracked my two front teeth.   No joke I had a big triangle out of my teeth and had to get some concrete caps put on them. She has been reminded of this for 20 years! I know- stinks to be her. 

Now, back in the day- this really was not a big deal-- I was young and really didn't care what my teeth looked like.  Lets fast forward to high school and college-- this would be when I found out that fake teeth and blacklights don't mix.  Not only do they not mix, my teeth.. my TWO FRONT TEETH did not show up in a blacklight and lets be real.. blacklights were at EVERY party in college.  I was a legit human jack-o-lantern.


Over time my teeth had become discolored to the point that one of them almost looked slightly brown- so gross but you would be amazed at how costly new teeth are!  About a year ago my dentist told me that it was time to update them-- the material they used 20 years ago wasn't as high quality as it is now and they wouldn't last much longer.  So I went through the 4 week process and had my top four front teeth totally redone. 


Here are some before and after pics.  I don't have lots of good before ones that show the discoloration because, well because they were bad pictures and I tend to delete those.

BEFORELook at my front two teeth (I'm in the middle)-- clearly darker than the others.

AFTERMuch better :-) Isn't my niece cute? :-)

OH!  And guess who's teeth show up in a blacklight now?!?!  I know-- I'm a lucky girl :-) Anyone else have fake teeth that didn't show up in a blacklight?  I'm dying to know I wasn't the only one!

Carolyn

what would YOU do? couch edition

Hi all!  Sorry for the skimpy postings lately-- I promise-- still have my blog zest, I just had a BUSY week at work.  I am actually in Montreal, CANADA right now for a work conference and man alive- its cold here.  Wanna know something else? A heck of a lot of people speak french here.  Now now- before you start thinking I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed- let me clarify... I knew before coming that this is a french province but I just didn't expect it to be SO french- loving my little culture shock:-) 

Anywho onto some home chat.. I need YOUR advice!  Here's the story-- when Dan and I moved into our new house there was sort of a unspoken agreement that the main part of the house was mine to decorate (he has the ability to veto of course) and the basement was his land (I hate to say the word "man cave" cause to be honest- Dan loathes that word... it drives him absolutely nuts when people say it- ha-- probably should start saying it more huh? :-)) 

Long story short- Dan and I are in need of seating in the basement and we both really want a BIG sectional.  Dan has his heart set on a dark brown leather sectional while I want fabric. Even though I don't love the idea of a leather sofa (not b/c of looks-- it just doesn't scream "comfort" to me) I was all in- b/c, well-- this is Dans space and if he wants leather then I think that's what he should get.  So- off I went to find a large dark brown leather sectional that had more modern lines so that we would both be happy with the purchase.  I have since learned that inexpensive, quality, good looks, leather (not plastic pretending to be leather), and sectional are not words that go together.  I found one that I thought might work and when I took Dan to go check it out he laid his eyes on "The One". This was not "the one" I picked out-- that would have been too easy:-)  This thing is a monster- big, chunky, and everything Dan could ever hope for- I am, of course, not in love.  Here is a tiny (really poor quality pic) or you can check out the link. Keep in mind that the stitching is light-- so the pictures make it looked prettier than it is.

So the question is... what would YOU do?  The couch is super comfy-- just not my personal style (please don't take offense if you own this couch or love this couch... there is nothing wrong with it... just not my top choice).  Part of me feels like Dan puts up with my decorating style (even though he doesn't always get it or necessarily like it) but the other part of me, the part inside my head, is screaming "NO!" :-) 

WWYD?

Carolyn

womp womp & some friend's painting projects

Don't you just LOVE when you get inspired to make a BIG change?!?  Well, I certainly do and two of my friends recently got inspired to change up a piece in their home. Dare I say that this little blog of mine is.. gasp.... inspirational?!?!?  Haha... of course I'm kidding. 

I try to persuade Dan on a daily basis that my decorating choices are legit, but he rarely believes me, so imagine how excited I was to tell Dan that I had inspired my friends to do a little painting (their words not mine).  Here is a recap of the conversation...

Me: So did you know that I inspire people?

Dan: Huh?

Me: Yup-- Jess AND Ash both said that I inspired them this week

Dan: Inspired them to what?

Me:  Decorate, duh (yes.. I am 30 and I said "duh")

Dan: Well, if you call painting everything in our house white then sure, your REALLY inspirational.  

Me: Your a jerk

Dan: Kidding... what did they do

Me: Painted some furniture white....  

Enter Dan's laughter and my womp womp sound.  So I am not inspirational BUT my friends certainly did do some major painting last week.  Check out there projects.

This is my friend Ash's (Hi ASH!!) corner hutch.  She decided she wanted to move away from the traditional oak look and move towards something a little more crisp looking.  Check out her beautiful after picture below (P.S. These are camera phone pics so I apologize for the not so fantastic quality). OH!  And also take a little peek into her kitchen-- so jealous of those white cabinets!

And, this table was primed and painted by my friend Jess (Hi Jess!!!) (the original color was similar to Ashley's before picture above).  I am really not sure when Jess found time for this project-- she is a mommy of THREE boys under the age of 2 (two are twins) and still found time for a little painting- phew.. makes me tired just thinking about it!

Don't you just love what a little bit of paint can do? I'm inspired... heading off to see if I can find something to paint!   Thanks for sharing Ash and Jess! 

Carolyn 

rug love

You all remember when I obsessed about getting a striped rug, right?  Well once I got my "I have to have it or I will die rug", I didn't really know what to do with it.  I know- whats that about?  Well let me tell you-- a majority of my house is carpeted and I didn't know how I felt about rug on rug action so I threw it in our office and called it a day.  Fast forward to this past weekend--I was standing and staring at my family room as I do way too often than I should admit and decided to give it the good ol' college try in our family room-- now I want your honest opinion- promise no hurt feelings here!


So let me know-- brilliant move or massive fail?  Here is the before--- sorry the pics are not so fantastic.. but you get the gist.

And here is what it looks like with rug on rug.  What do we think?

Lay it on me please:-)  Dan will love you if you say you hate it and I will love you if you say you love it.  Whose it gonna be?

OH!  Did you all see the cute little blue and white pillow on the couch that I whipped up the other day?  No-- well take a look at the little bugger-- have I said recently how much I heart my sewing machine?  Is it sad that I'm 30 and my favorite toy is a sewing machine?  Is it even sadder that I continue to ask questions as if you can answer me? Yeah I thought so.

Carolyn

O-R-E-O

Does anyone know whats better than a double stuffed Oreo?  Anyone?  I know this sounds like a trick question cause, lets be real, there really isn't anything better than a chocolately, creamy Oreo right?  Well my friends, you would be wrong!  Let me tell show you two things that are, in my book, so much better...

A Oreo Topped with Mallow Fluff and Dipped in Chocolate

AND... a Chocolate Chip Cookie with a Oreo Inside

I know-- insane, right?  I stumbled across a website last week that had similar recipes to these and I went against every "dieting" grain in my body and decided, if I kicked the bucket tomorrow without eating these, I would be really annoyed.  And I mean-- so what if I am a little more plump in the winter... that's what February is for, right.  I will put down the Oreo's in March...maybe. 

So here is how I made these little balls of deliciousness... the Mallow topped Oreo is up first. Here are my ingredients...only four for these two treats-- you cant beat that with a stick! 

Open up your jar of fluff and scoop out a small ball of heavenly fluff using a small ice cream scoop... like so.

Then place the fluff on top of the Oreo and place in the freezer for like 30 minutes or whenever you remember to take it out. 

 Once the mallow is hard-ish then you make some melted chocolate (I cheated and used the microwave kind) and you dip the mallow covered Oreo in the chocolate. Once you have dipped all of them you place them in the freezer for a few more minutes just until the chocolate cools down.

Then you take a BIG FAT BITE!  These were seriously beyond delish!

Here is the most ridiculously easy recipe in the world.  How did I not think of this before?  You take Oreo's and some chocolate chip cookie dough (I think you are supposed to make it from scratch but, really, who has time). 

Scoop a small ball of dough onto the Oreo

Push the top down so the ball covers the top and sides of the Oreo

Then take a little more dough and cover the bottom so that the entire cookie is covered

Then you bake at 350 for about 13-15 minutes

 Now.. I don't know what I did wrong but mine came out flat as a pancake with a little nub at the top... but all the pictures online show them coming out way fluffier-- who knows!  These are seriously so so so good! Definitely my go-to cookie now:-)

Anyone know of any other way to finagle a Oreo?  Ohhh.. or a snickers?  I love me some of those too:)


Hope you all are having a GREAT Saturday!!   


Carolyn