NUMBER 289

for the past few months, i've been working [when i can] on giving the office a little facelift. you can see my inspriation board here. well, last week, there was one little adjustment that made me SO giddy, it's ridiculous. although i loved my chair from the start, the picking-up-scooting-back-to-get-up routine wasn’t cutting it. cue the casters. this was the easiest DIY that ever was – so much that it’s not even a DIY. take a peek into the office on a sunny saturday [finally!], and catch my instructions at the bottom!

probably should’ve vacuumed, huh? don’t judge. disclaimer: what made this SO easy was the fact that my chair came with pegs that screwed into the legs, and my casters happened to be the exact same size as the holes. so there’s that.

1. buy casters. these are the ones i bought [and love]
2. use a hammer and screwdriver to pop out the casing for the rubber pegs on your chair. if you have a different chair, a drill may need to be involved to make holes for your casters.
3. pop your casters straight in!*

*i opted not to hammer my casters into the sockets that came with them – just in case i decide to go back to a non-rolling chair.

it should be noted that i don't have any intention of this being a real DIY tutorial. just simply bragging about one of the best coincidences ever!

NUMBER 282

maybe i've mentioned this before, but andrew and i LOVE our home. since buying our little cottage in october of 2012, we've made a lot of progress in making it our cozy getaway in the city. if you've been following for a little while or if you know me [in real life] you know that i love a good deal. it's a constant battle: wanting our home to be picture perfect and not wanting to break the bank. decorating a home on a budget takes time. finding good quality pieces that look way more than their price tag takes time too. i've compiled a short list of recent [and future] budget buys for the home that i love and hope you will too!

curtains  |  if you visit our home, it’s no secret that we love ikea. what i love even more is that they have some traditional décor options that are very wallet-friendly! we have 2 sets of the lenda curtains [white and beige], and i love them both! the longer length is perfect for a high curtain rod and gives a sophisticated and finished look to any room.

pouf  | in the past 2 months, i've been working fervently on the 3rd bedroom & office. the black/white/gold color scheme is a little more modern than the rest of our home, but we [andrew included!] love it! for christmas, i included this morroccan pouf form on my wish list and, what do you know?, santa [my lovely in-laws] came through! for $38, you can buy the pouf online and the filler for an additional $15 at your local sewing shop… or if you’re me: use old towels/throw pillows, because i'm lazy like that. as much as i love a designer pouf, i'll take the $200+ discount!

mirrors  |  mixing contemporary with traditional is one of my favorite ways to keep our home’s style up-to-date. the gold sunburst mirrors at target would look great over a bed [horizontally] or in an entryway or hallway [vertically]. this may just be my next budget buy!

pillows  |  again, with the ikea purchases. i LOVE pillow covers. my taste has changed a lot in the past years, and i have a surplus of throw pillows that i don't love so much. these pillow covers are great [and budget friendly] because they’re durable, washable, and inexpensive. ikea for the win!

prints & furniture  |  never underestimate the value of craigslist, estate sales, and hand-me-downs. our house is full of furniture that, at one time, was left unwanted. usually all it needs is a coat of paint and a little love! several items were handmade and back to being as good as new – plus i love that these pieces add even more character in our little 1940’s home!

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BUDGET BUY?
[FOR THE HOME]

NUMBER 271

rug  |  desk  |  chair  |  bulletin board  |  garland  |  trunk [similar]

it seems like once i wrap up one project, i'm already focused on the next one. it’s a curse and a blessing, just ask andrew! we were having breakfast saturday morning, just talking about how much we loved our house, listing rooms that were “finished” or “almost there” [a short list], and here i am already…focused on 1 of the 2 rooms in the house that still look like we moved in last week!

i've been spending more time in the office lately, and since business is good [!!!] i hope to be spending even more time there in the future. andrew’s dearest aunt gifted us an heirloom antique trunk before she passed away last spring, and i'm using it as a jumping off point for inspiration. it’s a gorgeous piece and “industrial chic” is where i'm headed with it. i've never been a huge girly-girl, so a bright white office with hot pink peonies [as gorgeous as it is] just isn’t my style. so let’s see if i can make this happen!

NUMBER 266

happy friday! i'm back with part 2 of “laura spends the whole weekend being super productive” with the much awaited chalkboard and table reveals! yay! along with those fun things, i'm doing the “friday usual” – linking up with my favorites for five on friday! [christina, darci, april, and natasha!]

a little while back, i saw emily from jones design company post her fall wreath on instagram, and i went out of my way to pin it because i knew i wanted one JUST like it! $20 later, i had my own, and i LOVE it!

THIS guy is at our house for the weekend, and i could not be more excited! my parents are visiting arkansas until sunday, so we’re keeping my puppy brother until they’re back. our life is about to get a little more crazy as a 3-pet family!

is there anything better than a man that cooks? i made a HUGE pot of vegetable soup sunday and we’ve been eating it all. week. long. wednesday night, andrew decided to reward our healthy eating efforts by making a batch of his mama’s homemade buttermilk biscuits. that man knows the way to my heart!

drumroll please….

YAY! TABLE! ok, so it’s not all that crazy and exciting, but it’s beautiful and perfect to me! i spent the better half of the week sanding, staining, and polyurethane-ing, and i'm so happy to see the final product looking beautiful in the dining room. our $30 bought the table and 2 leaves that will accommodate more friends! now on to the chairs…i'm thinking of these beauties from world market or these…or these…[on major major sale, obv. you know how this lady does shopping.] sidenote: should i chalk paint my china cabinet?

can you spot the big kitty?

and finally…my chalkboard! i'm not going to show you my freehanded attempt [definitely not my best work], but trust me - darci’s tutorial on chalkboard art truly saved the day!  my artwork is from clarendon lane – i just love it! i still think andrew thinks i've lost it, wanting a chalkboard in our living room, but i think he’ll become a fan soon: he has free reign over the board at the end of every month. how nice am i?

it’s supposed to be goooorgeous this weekend [i think?!], and i'm looking forward to being home in charlotte for the 4th weekend in a row! hope you have a good one too!

HAPPY [FALL] WEEKEND!

NUMBER 265

this is part 1 of a 2 part series called "laura spends the whole weekend being super productive". it's a rarity. i'm seriously coming off of some sort of DIY high right now. my weekend activities included: thrifting, priming, painting, thrifting [round 2], sanding, washing, cooking, sanding [round 2], staining, weeding, designing. quickly followed by sleeping, and not enough of it. here’s a wrap up of the before shots of this weekend’s projects:
 

i know andrew thought i was certifiably crazy when he came home thursday to see this lovely swan portrait hanging in our entryway. no girl nowadays can resist a good gold frame, and i wasn’t going to let this beauty at the salvation army go to waste. i spent some time this weekend saying goodbye to the swans and jumping on the chalkboard bandwagon. the finished frame is back in the entryway, now decorated for fall! after pictures to come!

saturday morning we grabbed some iced chai lattes and headed down the road to charming gastonia. the backstory: i've had my heart set on a round pedestal table for our dining room for some time now – spending too many hours on craigslist for the cause. i like to think that i'm pretty frugal when it comes to spending, so i've been holding out for the best deal possible on this table [under $100]. after passing up a pretty perfect antique table for $140, we took a chance and stopped at a hole in the wall “discount alley” on the way out of town. after being directed to the basement [no joke] for the furniture selection, i spotted it. andrew and i both couldn’t believe he only wanted $40 for the table. i honestly could have passed out, my hands were shaking i was so excited! we walked out of there with a new table and $30 lighter. yes, even at $40, i still negotiated!

 this is the before shot – before any sanding or staning. i've got 2 coats of poly to go before it’s finished, and i'm so excited to show you the final product!

NUMBER 262

i'm well aware that i've been neglecting my little blog, but i am still alive, well, and busy! here's a little recap in pictures of the last whirlwind week. not pictured: me + the boo celebrating our 4th wedding anny eating ice cream straight out of the carton.

new birthday boots! y'all might remember my wishlist post a while back. well, andrew came through in the clutch this year!
i think i’m good-to-go on shoes for the next 17 years.

playing dress up in the cliché birthday sombrero at cantina 1511 on friday night.

too much mexican food = pj party with anni-mal after din.

me, whitney, mason, and alexa.
saturday morning blogger brunch at toast with some lovely ladies!
i'm so so glad whitney put together this little outing! it was wonderful meeting you gals!

cute little coordinated family at mellow mushroom saturday night! [only ate 1 dinner at home last week, oops]

lastly, our weekend project. and by “our” i mean, the men. my dad and andrew spent saturday [and most of sunday] routing the gas line and installing new gas logs! we broke them in last night during the finale for breaking bad [which was ahhmazing]. our living room is quickly becoming my favorite place in the house!

HAPPY MONDAY, Y’ALL!

NUMBER 259

it’s friday!! i haven’t been the best blogger lately, but i'm staying faithful to my favorite post each week – five on friday! i'm linking up with some of my favorites: april, christina, darci, and natasha for their weekly link up! you should too – all the cool kids are doing it!

1  |  earlier this week, alex was raving about pottery barn’s mercury glass pumpkins. what’s a girl to do when you don’t want to pay the pottery barn price tag? find them cheaper at kirklands, duh. and you can light these up if you’re feeling extra spooky.
2  |  although the weather isn’t quite cooperating with my state of mind, i put together a little fall crockpot meal this week. one of my go-to favorites is red beans and rice. i've been using this recipe for years, and it never fails. the only bad part? my hands smelled like chopped onions all day.
3  | we’re headed to virginia for the weekend to celebrate our good friends’, marc and lori beth’s, engagement. the party will be at marc’s parents’ picture perfect home on smith mountain lake, one that andrew and i have been lucky to be guests at too many times to count. so excited to celebrate the beginning of married life for these two love birds!
4  |  last weekend, mom took me on a little pre-birthday shopping trip and just couldn’t leave francesca’s without this gorgeous dress. i'm wearing it to the party on saturday and can’t wait to sport it when the weather gets cooler with some tall boots!
5  |  lastly, being in danville for the weekend wouldn’t complete without some niece snuggles. these little girls are growing so fast into young ladies, and our time with them is so so precious! looking forward to some delicious home cooking and a beautiful virginia weekend!

HAPPY WEEKEND!

NUMBER 253

this week BLEW by, and i'm so thankful for that! it seems as if fall is here already – we’re in the high 60’s/low 70’s all weekend [but in my mind, it’s 85 and sunny, and i'm at the beach already]. linking up today with april, darci, christina, and natasha for their weekly five on friday! here we go!

1  |  i scored the cutest cover-up that i've ever seen a new bright bikini for vacay at marshall’s this week – all for $37. i was completely giddy over the fact that the original pricetag for the cover-up said $96 and it only cost me $10! don’t you LOVE when that happens!
2  |  this time next week, i'll be packing my bags for vacation. if that’s not reason to celebrate, i don’t know what is! my family is originally from arkansas, so we’ve been traveling to destin,fl for vacation since i was little. we moved to the east coast when i was in middle school,but  it only took us 2 vacations to the atlantic to decide there’s nothing like that white sand and emerald waters of the gulf! we’ve decided the 12 hour drive is worth it!
3  |  last weekend we celebrated my mom’s birthday. i stopped by the farmer’s market and grabbed these beauties for the birthday gal! $10 will buy you this gorgeous bouquet, and 20 will get you one twice this size! can’t beat it! i'm planning on heading back today for more to brighten up the abode for my little houseguest [see #5]!
4  |  we’ve lived in our house for 10 months now and i'm JUST now getting pictures hung. i used wrapping paper to map out my little “gallery wall” and hammered away! it’s not a perfect science, but it gets the job done! this project took about an hour from start to finish!
5  |  andrew’s away at a golf tournament which means i'm having a girls’ weekend! one of my best friends, lori beth is bringing her skinny bootie to charlotte, and i couldn’t be more excited! on the agenda: makeovers at laura mercier [along with free champs], cowfish [duh], bridesmaid dress shopping [she’s a bride-to-be!], ikea, and forever 21. looking forward to spending some quality time with this gal!

HAPPY WEEKEND!

number 187

just a couple of christmas scenes from the wyatt residence…we had a productive little saturday and put our christmas decorations up (along with andrew raking up 22 bags of fallen leaves); it really got me in the christmas spirit! [i wasn’t really feeling it yet!] had some holiday tunes on the tv, a simmer pot on the stove, and some online purchases in my shopping cart for you special ones. i've got a good amount of the shopping started and christmas cards are on the way, so i feel like i'm really on top of my game. so in the spirit of giving, i've put together a playlist of some of my favorite festive tunes just for you! yes, it’s got everything from otis redding to hanson, it’s my list, and that’s what i like, okay? y’all enjoy!

my ultra awesome christmas faves

number 179

something about paint on the walls just makes me feel at home. and no, i'm not talking about “builder beige” that comes in almost every apartment i've ever lived in. color chosen by YOU that fits YOUR lifestyle and reflects YOUR tastes. my mom’s coming into town for a few days this week to help get the paint train started. i figure, we’ll shoot for the living room, bathroom, and our bedroom – since those are the rooms where we spend most of our time.

the colors i've selected for the house are mostly variations grey, some bluer – some greener. while andrew’s busy thinking “they all look the same to me”, i'm having a less-than-easy time deciding exactly which shade of “greige” i'd like our main living quarters to be.

our living room has 2 large windows, but they’re both on the same side of the room. i'm having a hard time straying from the beautiful rich shades like “intellectual gray”, but on the flipside, i don’t want the room to seem darker and smaller than it already is. has anyone painted any of these shades before? and if not, what’s your favorite greige?

number 177

welp! we’re all in and [mostly] unpacked. i can’t tell you how exciting it is to finally have a home base that’s OURS. even though we’ve been in charlotte for over a year and a half, buying this house really says that charlotte is our home, and we’re here to stay! last night, andrew and i took a long walk to check out our new neighbs – and again it made us both so certain that we made the right decision. the streets are beautiful, the neighbors are SO friendly, and we’re pretty much obsessed with our new digs.
let’s back-track for a sec: last march [wow! march!] i made this little wish-list when we started house hunting. let’s see how our new purchase stacks up:

1. bungalow: our house isn’t your traditional “bungalow” style, but the interior layout is very similar. according to my expertise [google images], i believe our architectural style is “cape cod with cotswold cottage details” which is just fine by me! are you tired of seeing images of the front of the house yet? what? one more?
   
2. near uptown: our commute this morning was 11 minutes to uptown. not too shabby! our usual commute was usually 5-7 minutes, so an extra 3 or so won’t hurt.
3. newly renovated: while we don’t have a brand spankin’ new kitchen, the seller was very kind to update the fixtures in the bathroom, the lights thorough the home, install rubbed bronze doorknobs, re-stain the beautiful hardwoods, and paint the walls and trim. eventually we do plan on updating the kitchen, but we’re so happy to have a home that isn’t necessarily a “fixer-upper” - she’s already gorg.
   
   
4. 3 bed / 2 bath: 3 bed / 1 bath. gotta make a compromise somewhere! i'll trade an extra bathroom for the spacious back yard anyway.
   
   
5. good neighborhood: not only good, but great! i won’t get into specifics, but i will tell you that we bought in one of the neighborhoods mentioned in our wish list.

overall, i think we hit the nail right on the head with this one. i'm already looking forward to the many memories will make in our new home and the process of making it our own.
up next: paint colors and my diy wish-list!

number 176

i know everyone’s been driving themselves crazy thinking “what happened to laura?” “where’d she go?” and dyyying to know just WHAT i've been up to. the reason i've been MIA: we're CLOSING on our house friday! needless to say, my mind hasn't been on the blog. i figured i'd stop in for a sec, say hey, and let everyone know that i'm still here, just taking some time to pack and prepare for a life in an actual HOUSE!

damn right she’s under contract!

stay tuned for our adventures in first-time homeownership! with this exciting change, i hope to include y'all in some fun DIY's and budget friendly fixer-uppers. any tips? send them my way (pretty please!)

number 174

this house thing is on my brain all.the.time. seriously, everything that crosses my mind is, in one way or another, related to the house (décor/diy/appliances). so it’s no surprise that when i'm driving down the road and pass a piece of furniture being thrown out, i immediately think, “that’s cute! where could that go in our new house?”

now, andrew and my friends can vouch for this: oftentimes, i think i'm really funny. here i am, driving down the road, with a chair from the side of the road, in my 2 door hatchback car, SO tickled and thinking i'm really clever for snatching up  this little prize! the reality is this – i picked up someone else’s trash with the intention of using it my house, and it kinda smells a little bit like a wet dog.

anyway…am i crazy or would you do it too? ps. it’s pier 1.

my roadside treasure

just so you can see the potential that i see: here is a similar chair for sale now. check out that price… and just to add to my defense: a little indoor wicker/seagrass inspiration.

my plan of action is to 1. give it a little bleach treatment to get rid of any mold/mildew that could be causing the stinky dog smell 2. add a little stain to touch up some blemishes 3. sew a cute linen cushion for the seat.

the best part: if all else fails, i’m not out a single dime because i got it FO FREE!

have you found any trash-to-treasures lately?

number 173

so i'm hoppin’ back on the blog train this week by linking up with jamie for a little “what i'm loving wednesday”… enjoy!

i've totally got fall on the brain, as you can see from #'s 1 and 4.

1  |  you can skip offering me that pumpkin spice latte from starbucks or anything pumpkin flavored. i'm loving the sugary-sweetness of the brach’s mellowcreme pumpkins. so what if i've already polished off an entire bag a few this season.

2  |  with this dream-house purchase in our midst, we’re in the market for a new couch. i'm loving a few of my favorites pictured above (1, 2, 3).

3  | i'm loving browsing craigslist every.single.day for the perfect vintage dresser. our new home only has 1 bathroom, so i have every intention of taking over one of the guest rooms and making it my very own girly getting-ready haven.

4  | i'm loving plaid. and the fact that fall is just around the corner. i definitely rushed it a bit this week by sporting my boots yesterday when the high was 80 degrees. whoops. anyway…i'm always on the hunt for the perfect plaid flannel shirt. too bad this one is for men. would it still work?

hope everyone’s having a great week!

number 172

if you know me IRL, you know that although i do like nice things, if it's inexpensive AND nice, then i LOVE it! i'm all about a good deal! i'm not afraid of eBay or craigslist, and find myself on both sites at least once a day, just perusing and making a mental wish list. am i the only one?

this birthday, i opted for a recent craigslist find as a birthday gift and was more than pleased with my decision.

forgive the cell-phone picture and shag carpet. this is my new china cabinet – purchased from a lovely lady in kannapolis for $100. it’s in perfect condition, and i can't wait to fill it with my pretty pretty fine china that's been packed away since we moved to charlotte last year! i already have its perfect place picked out in the new house!

on several occasions when friends/family say "i'm looking for *this piece of furniture*" my immediate response is "check craigslist!". i've had some really good luck on craigslist since moving to charlotte - both buying and selling! bigger market – better stuff? anyway, i have yet to have a bad experience, so i wanted to share a few tips which, i think, have contributed to my success.

now, in a year, i might have a garage full of diy’s that never were, but don’t shy away from a great buy just because it’s not the right color, doesn’t have good knobs, or has broken glass. there are a TON of furniture painting tutorials out there for us beginners. buy some new knobs at anthro and replace that old broken glass, and you’ve got a piece that not only looks as good as new: it looks custom and expensive!

never will i ever buy from the “dealer” on craigslist. i feel like even searching that section is a huge waste of time. even when i'm searching the "by owner" section, i look for listings that are low on the symbols – NOT like: ***********NEW GREAT OFFER ~~~~ GET IT WHILE IT LASTS**********. yeah…not gonna happen, buddy.

i think i overlooked this little option for years before discovering it last week:
i’m not going to consider a listing unless it has a picture. maybe i'm missing out on something awesome by doing that, but cmon...can you really expect to sell your "beautiful one-of-a-kind camo gun cabinet" without a picture? believe me, "show images" and it'll save you a boatload of time.

the worse they can say is “no thanks”. say you’re in love with a kitchen table, but it’s listed for $50 more than you’d rather spend. email the seller and ask if they’ll take your price! if they say no, check back a little later. chances are, if that table hasn’t sold yet, they’ll take your offer just to get it out of the house!

you’re looking for a gorgeous campaign dresser for under $300? story of my life! an rss feed will show your listings in google reader or your rss feed of choice. so you can check the listings as frequently as you want, with these exact search parameters. just perform your search:

then click the orange RSS button at the VERY bottom right corner of the page to set up your feed. ()

 

and lastly, be safe. although i've had several good experiences with craigslist, there are some creepers out there. be sure to take your husband/boyfriend/really strong gal-pal with you on your trip to pick up your new-to-you awesome find!

 

did i completely miss your awesome craigslist tip?
fill a gal in!

number 168

image via

welp! it looks like we're well on our way to being homeowners! as of last friday morning, andrew and i are officially under contract on the cutest house ever! (it's a proven fact! - you’ll just have to trust me – no, that’s not it in the picture above) we're overjoyed and have spent the last week crunching numbers, waiting on inspections, and in the spirit of full disclosure: picking out paint colors. we’ve been doing the whole house hunting thing since february and this is as far as we’ve gotten and really feel like this is the one. i cried during the tour. yep, full disclosure.

the excitement is still in full force, but with that comes the anxiety of the biggest. purchase. ever. or at least… since we’ve been on this earth. our realtor is amazing, as is the seller of our cute cute home-to-be, and the process has been really easy and seamless thus far. still, there are some days when i feel like a nervous wreck and want to obsessively drive by the house to make sure no one else has staked their claim on our adorable abode. (yeah, i know i'm nuts) so… anyone out there want to give a little advice on getting through this anxious time for first-time-homebuyers? other than xanax.