Craft Attempt

About a month ago I was bored and looking on KSL. when I found a great wingback chair for $15 buckaroos so of course I grabbed it. I really wanted to re-upholster it but I don’t know anything about upholstery so it’s just been sitting around in my living room. Luckily I have a great and super crafty friend Brandi Banks-Hess who I think was just as excited as I was about the chair. After a lot of searching I finally found my fabric and set a time and date with Brandi. This is the before picture.



I didn’t want to keep Brandi away from her cute family for too long while she was helping me with this project, so I spent a few hours in the evenings un-upholstering the chair prior to our date. That way we could just put it together because it’s definitely a 2 person job!



The day finally arrived. I had been researching chair upholstery on a lot of blogs beforehand the best one I found was: http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/2010/11/top-10-upholstery-tips.html Because of the great tutorial they provided I won’t go into a ton of details but we basically followed all of their directions. I had cut the pattern and even labeled each piece of the old fabric so we were ready to go. Brandi and I walked to one of my favorite little spots for some dinner and catching up then it was time to get to work. First problem… The staple gun I just bought didn’t work… Good thing I had my dad’s old gun around just in case. We came up with our game plan and started pulling, folding and stapling away.




We decided that instead of sewing a cushion cover that we could go ahead and just skip that part and cover the cushion attached to the chair. It was a risk but I like the way it looks. Good thing Brandi can sew really well because I suck.. She made two sleeves for the chair shoulders/wings. There are a few flaws in the chair but I think for our first attempt we did a fantastic job!



THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH BRANDI!

I can’t wait to help with your chair and do my second chair (when I find it).

Lunch Date Fail!

I just got in from a rather strange lunch date. The guy seemed nice enough and completely harmless, however I knew from the moment we started talking that I wouldn’t be interested in him. Sadly I could tell that he wasn’t douchey enough for my liking. But it’s Friday and didn’t have any lunch plans so I decided to just go meet up for a quick bite.

My first problem with him was that he was wearing a hat… I don’t think hats should be worn on a first date unless you’re at a rodeo or playing in the snow… Jus sayin. My second problem was that he was wearing a Mr. Rogers sweater, not in a hipster I can pull it off kind of a way. But in an old man sweater kind of way… The biggest problem however was is lack of personality and sense of humor. From the time we said hello I was ready for the goodbye.

We sit down and start with the small chat. He asks me why l like living downtown. So of course I explained how I love being able to walk places and that I prefer dining at local restaurants over chain restaurants but mostly that I was just a city girl and that suburbia is just not my thing…. He then leaned back and threw both of his hands in the air while he yelled “WELL CLEARLY THIS ISN’T GOING TO WORK!!!!” hahaha I was taken back I’ve never had someone get mad because I enjoy my city life. That was definitely a first!

After his tantrum he started talking about relationships… Primarily his ex-wife. Apparently during the time they were married she was a horrible wife because in his words “she couldn’t balance working full-time, cleaning and cooking a two bedroom apartment, I should have known not to marry her.” Really?! You can’t help with anything you just work full-time, expect her to do the same AND take care of everything else…. No wonder your marriage failed.

Finally his woman bashing came to an end and he asked the question: “you know I expect you to buy our lunch right?” to which I replied “I will gladly pay for myself.” I dropped my portion of the bill and my tip and hit the door. I guess I was wrong, he’s a total douche just not the type of douche traits I like to date!


*Just to clarify it's not that I like dating douche bags, it's more I like a little sass but I don't like calling guys sassy. :)

Updated Nook In My Nook....

When I first moved into my new little nook, my main focus was getting my living room in order. It’s still not finished I have some revamping and reupholstering to do but it’s in a place where it’s livable. Off my kitchen is a small breakfast nook which quickly became my office/table/junk space. I had a little table that I shoved in the corner, a crappy plastic 9 drawer unit that’s filled with all sorts of odds and ends, everything from crafty stuff to electronics and important documents. Then I had a big honking black desk. Put these things together and I had a truly ugly room! I hated looking into this room it’s just NOT ME and it's BLAH! Even worse I hated when people would come over and see it from my living room. So it has become my new project.





This space is teeny tiny so I knew I had to make the most of what little space I have. So of course I scouted the boards on pinterest and found my visions from the following pictures.




To kick things off I sold everything so I could start fresh, I love KSL Classifieds! Then off to Ikea I went. I picked up two narrow bookcases and a super cheap desk (I know I will rarely use this so there’s no need for something better) all in white. I put one bookcase on each side of the window and tucked the desk in between. Since my kitchen colors are hot pink and white I decided to carry them over into the breakfast/office nook. I happened to find a chair that’s the perfect shade of hot pink while wandering a store around the corner from my house.



Next I wanted to find a bench that could also be used as a storage chest, so my clutter will be hidden but also living in such a small space I need extra seating. I’ve been searching the stores and internet trying to find something at a decent price. I don’t mind spending good money on good things but until I have a permanent home I just don’t see the point when who knows how long I will keep these items, plus some of this stuff is WAY over priced to begin with. Then while sitting at work one day I remembered my parents still have my old toy box from when I was a kid. So I decided to use that for now. I threw on a few coats of white paint to give it a new look. I considered making a bench cushion but instead I opted to make 3 accent pillows. I have this weird quirk where I buy new bedding every time I move. Therefore I have some extra accent pillows that I’ve been keeping for the right moment. Now is that moment. So I hit up the fabric store and after spending a whole $16 bucks I now have 3 new pillows! Which is great since most accent pillows cost $25+. I’m super happy with them. The gray pillow isn't finished but it will be pretty cool.

Before


After


Now I just need to hang my bike above the bench as an extra space saver and do some accessorizing.. Brand new look for under $150 cash dollars.

Dating Shmating :)

Last March upon my return from Denver I officially started dating again. It was pretty hit and miss for the first little while but in past few months its almost taken over my life! Luckily for me I’ve met some great guys, unfortunately for me I’ve had to weed them out by meeting some weirdos!

Anyways here’s my best and worst list over the last couple of months. Enjoy!

1.Best first date - A couple of months ago this guy took me to Ruth’s Diner for dinner. There was a long wait so we took a short drive up the canyon to enjoy the scenery. The conversation was really good and we had a lot in common. After dinner he took me up the avenues to a little bakery for hot chocolate. It was such a simple date but it was so nice to go out with someone who actually planned something more than grabbing a beer or coffee!
2.Worst date - Please see my post from September 26, 2011 about Jerry Seinfeld! I’d go into more detail but I just don’t feel like reliving the horror right now!
3.Best compliment – “You have a beautiful mind!” I don’t know that I deserve it, but hey I’ll take it haha
4.Worst compliment – “I like your pirate shirt!” really?! BTW I was wearing a dress that looks NOTHING like a pirate, in fact it happens to be a favorite of almost all of my girlfriends!
5.Funniest compliment – please note he was drunk “I’m trying to see past your great boobs and look at your smile.” hahaha
6.Cutest quality – Cheers to the guys that can humble themselves enough on a first date to share some of their flaws.
7.Ugliest quality – A guy who throws his wealth in your face because that’s all he has to offer!
8.Best kiss – I won’t say his name but I’ll call him Mr. Tuesday night he’s a keeper for a while haha
9.Worst kiss – Again I’ll leave his name out but it would be The Greek, let’s just say when a guy tries to peck you for a long time it gets really awkward!

NYE

Here we are in 2012…. Holy shit does time fly! I don’t know about you but I said goodbye to 2011 in what I think is a proper way. Some friends rent a bar every year and have a “private party” you pay a cover fee to get in and all of the drinks are included (yes I’m drinking again for those of you who don’t know). The location this year wasn’t near downtown and since calling a cab on NYE is nearly impossible almost everyone who attended the party got a room at an extremely cheap motel down the street so we could stumble back safely. When I say cheap I mean they probably rent the rooms by the hour! I had a wonderful time laughing with some of my nearest and dearest friends. Apparently this year it was a theme party, however someone (Adam) didn’t want to dress up so he “conveniently” forgot to tell us about the theme. We danced, we laughed, we drank, we played games, met new friends and caught up with old friends. At the stroke of midnight, balloons fell from the ceiling, the room was filled with cheers, noise makers and confetti, hugs and kisses were free for all. And there it ended, my perfect year! I can only hope that 2012 will bring me as much happiness.

The Boys: Busch and Jefe



The Girls: Chandra aka IBS and Kristi aka Snooki



Snooki and the mr hottie mc hot cowboy (Jason)



Creepy Zach



He got the highest score of the night on the punching game... It came with battle wounds.




Zach and his attempt to look normal...



HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!