Blessed in the 'Burbs - 5 Years!

5 years ago today I married my college sweetheart, biggest fan and best friend. I remember the crisp April day and bright blue sky like it was yesterday - a day I will never forget. A day full of happy memories I cherish forever. 

The traditional 5 year Anniversary gift is "wood". Perhaps I should slap a giant bow on our new backyard fence and celebrate? No thanks. Our Anniversary gift to ourselves was our trip to Italy we took several weeks ago. It was magnifico! 

More seriously, when I look back on the past 5 years and put things in perspective, I can't help but be thankful for how far we've come. Looking forward to creating many more memories together in the 'burbs. Cheers to the next 5 years! xoxo

Slice of Heaven

A dog is the only thing on earth 

that loves you more than you love yourself.

-Josh Billings

Backyard Upgrade

Let me preface this post by saying that our back yard is totally a "work in progress". First and foremost, our grass is in desperate need of a major overhaul as you can see below. Totally embarrassing, I know. And we have a large patch of English ivy growing between our yard and our neighbor. Not terrible, but not great by any means.

The other side of our yard has some classy wire fencing...it's totally tacky. I hate it.

Here is the back property line with more wire fencing. Jealous?

Although I love our house and yard, I couldn't help but feel like the back yard looked a bit random and junky. Something needed to be done and without a doubt in our minds, the husbo and I knew we wanted/needed a fence. So we bit the bullet and outsourced this project. Unfortunately this wasn't a project for amateur DIY-ers. 

Here is the finished product...

We still need to order and install the copper fence post caps. 

But I just couldn't bare to wait to reveal these photos.

We couldn't be happier with the end result :)

And guess who couldn't be happier about the new fence....

He loves a good game of fetch, runs laps around the yard like a thoroughbred at the Kentucky Derby, and loves to lay in the sun.
Life is good.

Can You Handle It?

Sometimes I let even the smallest details bug me. Could be my profession to blame. Event planners typically have OCD when it comes to the details!

Remember the newest addition to our hallway? This console table has made itself right at home in our front hallway.

It's a great piece but...I couldn't handle the drawer handles.

 They were just too small and BLAH. 

 

 When I was in Home Depot last weekend getting some supplies for our big Spring yard project (more about that soon!), I found myself in the kitchen section agonizing over drawer handles. I thought the husbo was going to kill me. I ended up getting these large clear crystal drawer handles. What do you think?

They are so much cuter than the old ones. 

Can you handle it?

Annie Sloan Paint Workshop

Since moving to the 'burbs almost 3 years ago, my love for refurbishing and painting vintage furniture has grown, partly by chance but mostly by necessity. I gravitate towards shabby-chic/french country home decor which almost always includes painted furniture. After "winging it" for 2 years and pretending to know how to refurbish furniture and accessories, I decided to invest in my new found hobby. Last weekend I attended an Annie Sloan Paint Workshop. And I have to say that it was the best decision I have made in a while. 

I had no idea what to expect and honestly was terrified that I would be walking into a slew of other women who paint furniture and such things as a profession and thought that I had no business being there as an amateur. Well I was totally wrong. There were beginners, intermediate and professionals amongst me. 

When I arrived, the conference center lobby was decorated with all sorts of painted furniture.

 I had to remind myself that I was not in a store and that I was at a workshop because I immediately went into "shop mode".

These pieces were clearly displayed to inspire!

And also showcased all the different things you can do with 
Annie Sloan chalk paint.

Annie Sloan herself gave a talk in the morning for 2 hours on how she started painting, how her chalk paint product came about as well a lesson on "color". It was very interesting. Then we broke out into smaller groups and did some hands painting and learned all that chalk paint was capable of.

We painted a bunch of sample pieces using different techniques.
 

This workshop was WELL worth the time and money. 

Check out the dork in the photo below. Please, please keep in mind that I had only arrived back to the US from our trip to Italy 48 hours prior. I was running on adrenaline at this point, minimal make-up, and started off that morning at 6:45AM reading 2 Clifford books to my niece. Hey, I take my Aunt responsibilities very seriously!

Needless to say, I left the workshop totally pumped to paint and immediately started to repaint my corner cabinet that I realized I had painted COMPLETELY WRONG! Opps! 
More to come on that...stay tuned!







 

Blonde Adventures Abroad

Buon giorno! 
The husbo and I just got back from a well deserved trip to Italy. Although I am not Italian by heritage, I have an Aunt & Uncle who live in a small town outside of Bologna. They have always come to "the States" to visit with family and we were looong overdue for a trip to visit them. We had an awesome time.
 Not sure why we waited so long to take this trip?

We visited with family, enjoyed small-town Italy as well as a side trip to Venice, ate great food and drank fabulous wine. I have 400+ photos to prove it. Here are just a few...

 
We couldn't have asked for a better trip.