before & after

well hello long lost blog.

besides throwing myself into a major job search and moving back to mn, here's a little peek at what else i've been doing:

before:

supplies:

$20 salvation army dresser

craftsman c3 cordless sander

1 can rust-oleum 2x primer spray

3 cans rust-oleum 2x navy high gloss spray

rust-oleum comfort grip spray grip aka finger saver

1 can of rust-oleum gold metallic for the pulls

and, tah-dah...

the top of the dress was laminate. i taped it off and wasn't sure how i would like it, but since this dresser is now purposed as a buffet, it's perfect! easy to clean up spills and durable.

here's another after when staged. (sorry for the poor lighting.)

ch..ch..ch..changes...

hey kids. sorry that i left ya without a dope beat to step ta...

i know, you don't want to hear it, but again, there's been so much going on lately.

i'm about to join 9.6% of the population, you know, the unemployed...and sorry if this is wrong, but as much as i'm afraid, i'm kinda excited too! rarely do you get an opportunity to do whatever you want and here is my opportunity!

now the only problem is, what do i do?

move to some far off land? i loved studying in australia. there are so many cities and places i've loved to visit and have dreamed about living.

totally shift my career path? marketing is fine and dandy, but i'm a true creative at heart. this recent situation has somewhat jaded me on corporate america. maybe become a photographer? go freelance marcomm fulltime?

start more projects around the house? tile back splash in the kitchen is at the top of the list. painting the ceiling has been something i've been dreading for about a year. installing crown has always been an ambitious dream too.

sure, i'm nervous about all the what ifs, but really, you can't let that hold you down when after being in the daily grind for seven years, you're finally set free!

coffee talk

we gotta mah-jor coffee table issue that i have putting off addressing for quite some time.

see the chaise of our section bumps up to the edge of our table. this means we only have one clear entrance and exit to the couch.

ideally i desire something that provides at least 10" of space between the couch and table...so square or round is probably going to the be best shape.

loving on this, but glass is gonna be a no-no with two clumsy humans and a rambunctious pup.

love this guy too, all modern, sleek and still homey, but again breaking the glass rule...pun intended.

now we're talkin...but of course you are little more than i want to spend.

let the search begin!

crushin on...

oh man, i've got a major blogcrush right now.

a few days ago i found i suwanne...my life may never be the same.

i about died when i saw she had a loveseat in her store upholstered in almost the same greek key fabric i started to use for accents in the bedroom.

source

be sure to cruise over and check it out.

ga ga. a la, la...

i've got a bad romance with some "gadgets" some may find a little nerdy. i've got no problem with it...at all.

here's my list of do-dads that my life would be impossible without:

1. my macbook

oh, you...where would i be without you. you have my memories, my music, my designs, my everything.

2. my iphone

essentially you are an extension of my macbook, just small enough to keep in my pocket. you entertain me while waiting, give me my email on the go, have all my handy reminders and you give me access to hear from all my loved ones.

3. my kindle

wow. how my life has changed since we met. i love to read, but i never remember to bring my book with me. i was in the midst of a serious collection of half read treasures until you came along. all i have to do is remember you and i can catch up and finish all the books i've started.

4. adobe illustrator

i work in a corporate environment with a design department consisting of me, myself and i. so when i try to explain the need to have thousands of dollars worth of software, people just don't understand. well thanks to you, and my years of experience learning all sorts of work arounds and shortcuts, you let me do all my work and make it look beautiful.

5. google reader

how can i even begin to explain the magic you do. you hold all that is important to me on the internets and track it and update me on all that is right in the world. i can find you overwhelming at times, but we always seem to catch up. anyone who reads blogs or visits the same sites everyday should start creating a feed now.

so that's my shortlist. it's not that nerdy now, is it?

and we've got static...

a static homepage that is!

now this may not seem like a huge accomplishment, but it's been long in the works and i'm happy to finally see something other than a generic resting page for the domain.

it's a great way to start the week!

check it out here.

hello lovvvvvaahh

so throughout this whole home decorate, design, update process i have been very "gender aware". i worked hard to create spaces that accurately combine both of our styles, which can be difficult when one of us, ahem, feels very confident their sense of style. what can i say?! i like things my way. anyways, i've only snuck a few things in that the man was not thrilled over...but come on, it's just a porcelain elephant and he's going to live tucked away on a shelf! you'll never even see him!

well, we've now come to completing the bedroom. and it's getting hard not to get all girly up in here. especially since i found this:

i mean come on! dried violet accent wall. gray bedding. white accent pillows and shams?!

ralph lauren dried violet

skyline furniture nail button border bed

alisha ottoman bench (thanks to one of my fave bloggers who gave me heads up it was on clearance!)

green greek key fabric (i've already made a pelmet using this tutorial from another fab blogger!)

beveled mirror (picked up at marshalls years ago and have been changing out the ribbon to match all the different places i've used it)

do you not see the perfection here? hmm...i may just have to jump the gun ;-)

tah-dah

the dining room!

It all started with painting the table and has been a labor of love ever since. The rug was totally nothing that I had I imagined in the space, but once I saw it, I thought it would be a perfect way to add some warmth.

I'm especially in love with these...

and the beautiful, and inexpensive canopy drapes from of all places wal-mart!

the lamps were a steal at $39.99 a piece at home goods. a store i may have an unhealthy obsession with.

the vintage golf photos were a great way to mold my interests of photography and the man's love for golf...

so there it is! i'm so happy with the finished project...it was worth all the time that was spent making sure everything was just right!

cinco de mexican lasagna

On cinco de mayo, I thought it appropriate to share one of my, yes my very own, recipies. No, it's not authentic by any means, I use sour cream and black olives, but oh well, it's good!

Here's the recipie:

Ingredients:
Corn or Flour Tortillas
1 jar Newman's Own Bean Dip
2% Reduced fat Mexican Cheese
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups low fat sour cream
1/2 cup medium salsa
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 medium can of sliced black olives
1/2 of medium can of nibblets corn
1 small can green chilies
1 can Rotel
1 small onion chopped

Poach chicken breasts in boiling water for 10 mins. Let cool and shred with two forks.

Mix shredded chicken with cilantro, sour cream, salsa, corn, green chilies, rotel and chopped small onion. Spray 9x13 pan with pam and put a layer of tortillas on bottom of pan. Spread bean dip over tortillas and sprinkle with a handful of mexican cheese. Add half chicken mixture, spread to cover bean dip and tortillas. Cover with another layer of tortillas, bean dip and sprinkle with mexican cheese. Add other half of chicken mixture. Top with leftover black olives, 2-3 chopped green onions and sprinkle with mexican cheese. Bake at 375 for 1 hour or until cheese starts to brown.

Here's some photos documenting the process...

First off, here's the ingredients I use. Attempting to make this a reasonably healthy dish, I typically use fat free or reduced fat sour cream and 2% mexican cheese mix.

These tortillas are my personal favorite:

After poaching the chicken, shred with two forks.

Mix chicken with chopped onion, cilantro, sour cream, cheese, rotel, green chilies and, well, whatever else you want! This time I tried some jalepenos since I had some on hand.

Next begin the lasagna process...

Almost there! Continue layering and top off the last layer of chicken mix with cheese and black olives...

Bake at 375 for around a hour or until cheese is brown.

Enjoy this crowd pleaser!

*Note, my recipe more than likely has some imperfections, but hey, it's pretty hard to screw this up!

sneak peek

Here's a sneak peek of my never ending dining area project. It's coming together quite nicely. More details when camera cords are intact and dog toys put away.

My recent motivation to wrap this project up was spotting these chairs on Overstock.

Real leather with nail heads and actually in my budget? Yes please!

By taking my time and buying key pieces over time, rather than all at once, I was able to have the items I wanted, without feeling a major pocket pinch. Sure, it took forever, but seeing the finished (well almost finished) project, is worth the wait!

dazzled

I've been curious about this Kim Kardashian Shoedazzle thing for awhile. I looked into it a bit, but just assumed the shoes must be cheap and there's gotta be some type of catch. All that changed when a good friend shared her experience with them and I decided to give it a whirl. I mean is there anything bad that can come a new pair of shoes every month?

So I created an account and anxiously awaited my selections to appear in my showroom. I was pleasantly surprised when one of the selections was a pair of red flats. My current red flats are totally beat, but I love them and just haven't found a suitable replacement. So I chose the red flats and nervously awaited their arrival. They came in 4 days and I LOVE THEM!

Not only do they fit, but they're comfortable, way cute and the equivalent quality to Nine West. I'm starting to think this shoe of the month thing is right up my alley. You can check it out here.

just breathe

I'm just now resurfacing from an unplanned three week self assessment.

Life sure knows how to throw you curve balls when you are least expecting them. With a few visits home with family and friends and a lot of self reflection, I'm now starting to forge ahead again.

It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day grind and forget what is important to you, your life goals and where you want to be in the future. As unexpected as this situation was, it's probably one of the most positive things that has happened to me in a long time. I've detoxed my brain of emotions, anxiety, stress and unrealistic expectations of myself and those in my life. I don't know where I'll be in the next five years, but you know what, that's ok. I know who I am and what is important to me, and isn't that what's really important?

Alright...moving on from the melodrama...

Minnesota Public Radio has an unbelievable member supported radio station called the Current. They have an eclectic mix of music that you can't find anywhere else. The best part is when I'm not home in Minnesota, I can enjoy it via live stream here.

phew...

I always feel like I need a vacation from coming back from vacation. I was only gone a few days and now all I escaped is back in my face...times ten!

Honestly though, I can't really complain. We lucked out with beautiful weather, delicious food and drinks and minimal travel issues.

Now that I'm somewhat caught up and still channeling the relaxation and refocus from my vacation, I'm starting to plot new projects and goals.

Number 1: Rug for the dining area. Since our palette is monochromatic, blacks, grays, whites, silvery blue greens, I'm having a hard time deciding how to incorporate some jazz into the space.

Possibly by adding a pop of blue green...



Or some eye-catching stripes...


Maybe a more traditional pattern that incorporates blacks, grays and whites...




Decisions, decisions...looks like I have weekend of March Basketball and Rug Shopping Madness.

my kind of therapy

Hello, my name is Kelsey and I'm an addict.

I am an apartment therapy-aholic.

I absolutely am in love with this website.

I read every single post, every single day. (Insert panic moment realizing how full my google reader is going to be when i get back!?) This site has been beyond helpful during my current redesign of my new place. I followed the Fall Home Cure last autumn which helped me tie up loose ends on my never ending project list and take pride in all that I had accomplished.

Take a peek around. There's a post on pretty much any home improvement project there is and if not, they post reader questions for feedback. (Really they do, I've been featured twice!)

Enjoy!

fiesta!

Since I'm currently south of the border, I thought this Fiesta invite would be an appropriate post.



Winter was starting to get to all of us, so a girlfriend and I hosted a Winter Warm Up Fiesta, complete with authentic Mexican food, margaritas, pinata and fake mustaches. It was hit!

off to palm trees

Just when I kicked back into action, I'm taking off again! I've lined up some things to tide my blog over vacation.

Palm trees are one of my favorite things to see on warm weather vacations, they automatically put a smile on my face. There's just something about them that slow me down and send me into relaxation mode.

rebirth

We moved to a new floor at work and in my new space there was a Bonsai that had been neglected for some time. I decided to nurse it back to health and bring some life into my space. I'm no green thumb, but I'm proud to report it is doing pretty well.

It's promising to see a rebirth like this in a place that can be rather dreary, with less and less people and more and more empty offices by the day.

i'm a lot better at reading...

other people's blog than working on developing my own.

I could go into details that have caused my lack of contributions, but to be honest, it's not all that interesting...and I'm not one to make excuses. Some good things that have occurred during my blog abandonment is my recommitment to practicing yoga, which has provided tremendous benefits in this time of stress, and planning much needed departure from reality next week to one of my favorite places on earth.

So for now, I will leave you with one of my favorite designs. This was a personalized bachelorette invitation I did for a great friend. The other bridesmaids and I hosted a fondue bachelorette party for her and here is the "Chocolate Bride" invitation. Enjoy!