What a find i have found...

As i posted yesterday... my library bookcases are finally complete. Now all that i need is the furniture. You know, the expensive parts.  It's important to note that i have had my bookcases done for a few months now, since March actually, and have been on the prowl ever since.  I have found a few things that i liked here and there.... however.... yesterday while cruising amazon i found a beaut!! 

Isn't she gorgeous!?? I love her legs.. i love her tufts... i love that she has arms but that she's not overbearing and gigantic. Just a skinny little pleasure that would fit PERFECTLY.  Black and grey and white accents?? Yes please... i could even add a little teal.... like say maybe this little treasure??

My sister, the doll that she is, made a trip to the local DI in WVC yesterday and found this bad boy... obviously he's gonna need a little TLC. Definately some new skin... but maybe a teal? an off white? Something bolder?!   To top it off... my sister also found this little lady (yes my new projects are all either "he's"or "she's")

Oh the things i can do with this gorgeous curvy, leggy, crowned little number. I'm thinking something sexy... maybe a pretty white, a pretty silver?!  BOLD B&W STRIPES?!  Mm.... or even a dainty super soft pale pink??  

Best part?? Each chair was only $20. A bit pricey considering i'm gonna tear them both down. But it's the price i pay living in Utah with all the crafty-est nifty-est awesome-est women in the country i'm sure.

TO THE FABRIC STORE WE GO!!

My Newly Acquired Paradise

Since we moved in last April there is one room we have absolutely NOT TOUCHED. It's been hard because this room is just RIGHT there when you walk in the front door, off to the right. But even before we signed on the dotted lines I knew EXACTLY what i wanted to do with it.

LIBRARY!!!

I have acquired a vast collection of books in the last 7-8 years. And in the old house they were just in piles all over the place -- or in closets -- or in boxes -- some in shelves. Just chaos!! (here in the new house they all live in boxes upon boxes) So when there was an empty and available room i knew i needed it for a library. Now... i didn't want just regular old bookselves, i wanted the ENTIRE WALL to be bookshelves. And i wanted them beautiful. And i wanted them built in. After having a company give me a bid, i realized that they were going to be a pretty penny to build. Soooo to pinterest i went -- hoping to find something cheap and easy me and Brian could do ourselves (never EVER tell my husband i got a professional bid, he'd kill me. Brian thinks he can build or do anything i could possibly need -- and he proves himself right alllllll the time).


I found this idea -- it used some Ikea shelves and crannied them together and looked nice. At about $400.00 i thought that wasn't that bad. 

But after much thought and consideration Brian came up with a brilliant plan... and here's how they turned out.


With about $250 worth of supplies we have an entire wall of built in shelves. But not just shelves, he also made a display center for a photo, artwork, sculpture or whatever.

Because they were so inexpensive and SO PROFESSIONAL LOOKING AND GORGEOUS  i figured i'd pass along the info in case someone else wanted a little mental sancuary from the job, the kids, the animals, you know.. the GRIND.


First things first, take off the trim and cut back the carpet. NOTE: Save the trim, you'll want to put it back on the front of the unit to make it look truly a part of the house.


The shelves are all 12" apart -- 9 ft" tall -- and 12" wide. To make this the most stable and aesteically pleasing we used some corner trim as our shelf stablizers. We used just cheap wood because i wanted to paint them instead of stain them. I am painting them the same high gloss white as the mantle as you can see here and the trim and accents of my whole house. I figured it would look that much more natural if it was all uniform.

After we got it all up (after HOURS of leveling, cutting, leveling, nailing, screwing, and the like) we had to fill in all the holes and gaps to make everything even and smooth. Using the woodfiller/mud Brian slapped it on and smoothed it out...


Then to the primer.... and then paint. Easy peasy.  Took us about a FULL weekend and VOILA!!  We have this.... I still need to get some bookends so that they are not so symetrically placed along the edges.  Any ideas??

It was so much fun going through all my books, seeing what i have in hardcover and paper. My favorites are J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Christine Feehan's Dark series Ghostwalker series, and recently i've fallen in love with Gena Showalter's Lord of the Underworld series....

Happy Anniversary to Us!

On May 24th Brian and I celebrated 4 years of wonderful togetherness. We were married 4 years ago in a gorgeous wedding that i can barely remember because all i could think of that day was that Brian was going to be mine forever and ever. After being together 4 years, 3 of which we were "living in sin" it all just seemed so surreal and perfect.

2 years after we were married -- in August, we had our beautiful son. Our lives have never been the same and have only gotten better and better.

This year Brian was out of town for our anniversary -- although i was sad he was gone i wasn't too terribly hear broken since it was on a Wednesday and I  have an amazing California trip planned for us this month in celebration.  To me this was a GREAT way to celebrate 4 years to total perfect-ness. Ha.

Brian as usual has to 1 up me and had a special delivery made.... and Upgrade if you will...

Boy oh boy was i floored by this beauty!!  I love the vintage classic feel to it with the modern white gold and holy cow does this baby sparkle!!!   I must say he is one special man and i'm very lucky to be saddled with him till death do us part. I don't know what i would do without him.  

Along with the ring -- which is totally OFF THE WALL AMAZING -- i also was delivered flowers and an iPhone 4s.   I must say, i was quite spoiled this year. How do i even top that or come close??   The man baffles me..