Hi guys! We're just winding down from a long and wonderful weekend. This morning I nixed spin class and went for an 8 mile run instead. It was beautiful but super chilly out. I made sure to layer up and wear my running gloves. After my run, I showered, got a blow out {thanks to the Hair Cuttery & their cheapo prices,} met my friend Amber for lunch, followed by a trip to the mall. I'll tell you what I got tomorrow. Right now it's all about our CHRISTMAS TREE!
I am officially done decorating our crib. I just finished up with the tree. Ahhh. She's so purdy.
What do you think? Not bad for a fake one huh?
We put it up yesterday but I decorated earlier this evening. I love it.
Christmas is truly the best time of year. I can't help but smile, I even think there's a little pep in my step too :0)
Once upon a time I was a brunette. Yes, me, Lisa "the blonder the better" Paige.
Proof.
I LOVE pointsettias. We bought 13 at Home Depot. They have the best prices around for these little red gems.
My friend Danielle tipped me off about hanging a wreath over a mirrow {bc that's what she does.} What a brilliant idea! Why didn't I think of that? As soon as we parted ways, I went strait to where else?? PIER 1! Can't beat a wreath that not only matches the color of your family room, but is also 25% off. Who am I to turn down a sale? In the midst of my Christmas decorating process, I found myself being very picky with the stuff I was putting up. I'm not a knick-knack kinda girl. I like classy and simple decor. Half the crap I've put up in past years didn't make the cut this year. I like this new minimal cleaner look. I'm going with it.
We're just relaxing now. Slow cooker Sunday was yet another success. Second week in a row we had stuffed peppers. We love our pepps. Hope you're enjoying your last day of freedom vacation.
Talk to ya on the radio tomorrow!
PS- Don't forget to check Lifetime and The Hallmark Channel for our favorite Christmas movies! My dvr is going to expolode with all the specials I have scheduled to record.
13 poinsettias later. I line our foyer with them.
Happy Black Friday! Who's been up since 3am shopping? Not me. Hell no. We're going to KOP tomorrow. Today is my big Christmas decorating extravaganza.
I had planned on running this morning, but it's raining out and I'm a wimp like that. I opted to do an hour on my elliptical and caught up on my shows. Did you catch Oprah's Favorites part 1 & 2? WTF? As I was watching O hook the audience up with camera's, watches and a 7 day cruise, I found myself getting jealous pissed annoyed. Why am I watching this? Clearly I'm just envious. Boy, did that audience hit the jackpot that day. After three years of being on Oprah's wait list, my friend finally got to attend a show taping. She said it was crazy to see how everything works behind the scenes.
Before my workout, I had an eggwhite {in a mug} sandwich with cheese and hot sauce. It totes hit the spot. Oh, and an eggnog coffee with eggnog creamer. I was in eggnog heaven. Yum.
Protein overload. Yum. The hot sauce gives it a little kick.
We're putting the Christmas decorations today, even the tree! I think this year we're going to do 2 trees!! Speaking of trees, tonight is our town's Christmas tree lighting. We're going, can't miss that! Stu called a Christmas light decorating company. Yup, they specialize in blinging out people's houses. They hang lights everywhere and then return in January to take them all down. I have a feeling my house is going to look like a scene from of Chevy Chase's Christmas vacation when they're done with it. Omg, could you imagine?
I love this movie. We watch it every year.
Who else is decorating today? What's your favorite part about decorating?? Mine is blasting Christmas music and burning Yankee Candle "Mistletoe" tarts.
I'm replacing the small green couch in our kitchen with this bigger, more comfy, "sittable" couch. We never use the one we have in there now because it's too darn small and uncomfortable. We bought it when we first moved into the house 4 yrs ago. I don't know what I was thinking when I decided on it. It's too small and way too stiff. Like the couch below, the current green one we have is from Ikea. I had no idea Ikea delivered. Awesome! I'll post before and after pic's we get this EKTORP LOVESEAT.
We're going to the NY Food & Wine Festival in a few weeks and I can't wait. Last year we saw Sandra Lee do a demo. She was cute, but I have to admit, she wasn't our first choice. Tickets were all sold out to Paula Deen's show last year so we settled for Sandy {hate settling.} This year I refused to let that happen again so like a crazy woman, I ordered tickets back in April! My plan of attack worked and we got reserved seats to Paual Deen!
Who doesn't LOVE Paula Deen?? I want her to cook dinner at my house. I'll eat whatever she makes; butter, sugar and all.
Hiii Paula! Happy 5th Anniversary.
Paula house revamp Part 1 from Paula Deen on Vimeo.
It feels like we moved into a new house. I can't get over the difference. I'm IN LOVE with these new colors!
Kitchen: BEFORE
Kitchen: AFTER {I snapped these this morning.}
And at night:
We had dinner in the city last night so by the time we got home Chris {painter} was long gone. He did a fantastic job and we couldn't be happier with the results. When I first brought up re-painting the downstairs, Stu was not into the idea. He loved the yellow. After showing him 1376 paint swatches a few paint swatches, I was able to change his mind :0) I feel a sense of calm in our newly painted space. It's almost like we moved into a different house. Crazy! In case you're wondering, the paint colors we used were Benjamin Moore's/Pottery Barn "Olive Branch" in the kitchen and "Tapenade" in the family room. Both in a matte finish.
Family room {pre-decorated.}
Please excuse Stu's legs. I took this on Sunday. Three guesses what he was watching??
I was up late vacuuming, dusting and moving stuff back into the family room. Here are the "after" pic's of the family room decorated.
Notice the curtains?? Pier 1. This room definitely feels like a page ripped from Pottery Barn mag. Of course, I'm totally biased.
I love the warm and rich feel of this room. Luxurious.
So there you go! Now that everything is freshly painted, I'm re-evaluating the accent pieces I have. Everything feels so clean and uncluttered. Not sure if I want to go crazy hanging stuff.
What do you think??
Remember the "before??"
Yucky Yellow!
AFTER
With the help of the nice lady at Benjamin Moore, I went with an even darker brown called "Tapenade."
I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE IT!!! It brings on a whole new vibe to this space. Much calmer, earthier {if that's even a word}, and rich. Very Pottery Barn-esq if you ask me :0)
With this darker color on the walls, the fireplace really becomes the focal point of the room. Look at all those purdy rocks. Not to mention, the trim. It stands out now!!
I couldn't be happier with the way our family room turned out. I don't even want to hang anything up. The paint is so perfect!! The kitchen is getting down tomorrow {Monday} so I'll be sure to post before the and after pic's once it's completed.
Okay, it's been a super hectic weekend, and I'm ready to crash! Thanks again for all your feedback! You're AWESOME! and I love your face!
Night!
LP
I am the worst with these damn paint colors. Chris is coming tomorrow morning and I'm still up in the air about what color I want the family room to be. Ugh! I thought I had it all figured out, but then I saw a rich brown and everything went to shit out the window. Crap. Nothing like waiting til the last minute. This is my life!! The family room is big and very bright, so I know I can get away with a darker of the two. The kitchen is going to be Benjamin Moore's "Olive Branch," as seen in Pottery Barn
This is what it will look like in "Olive Branch"
These are the colors I'm going back and forth on:
Help!! WHERE IS NATE BERKUS when I need him?
This is what our family room looks like now:
"Cotswald" has grey undertones in it, which I like, because depending on the time of day, it changes color. In the morning it's more beige/brown but at night it looks like a taupe grey.
BUT.... "Coriander Seed" is rich and warm.I think it's a very nice calming tone.
This is the room in between the kitchen and family room. It will be "olive branch".
Thoughts?? Must decide by 7pm tonight!!!!
Thanks girls (and Mikey.)
Hi guys,
I've been mia lately because I was on vacation we're in the middle of re-formatting this blog and there's a lot of work to be done. I can't wait for the finished product! To answer your questions regarding whether or not posts will have the "read more" feature linked underneath them- the answer is a fat big "hell no." There is nothing more annoying in {my opinion} than reading 2 lines of a post and then have to open another window to read the rest of that post. Not to mention, google reader can't even load the full post. Screw that. We're keeping it nice 'n easy over here on pwp.
Now that that's outta the way, how is everyone?
Look!!! Today I broke out my latest, greatest {& newest} flannel from Target. It's black and white. It's kind of a diversion from what I usually wear, but I loved the pattern {plus Kelly Ripa's favorite color is black...just saying.}
I have a crazy weekend ahead of me. Chris is coming to paint our kitchen/fam room Sat & Sun. Saturday night we're going to the Rascal Flatts show and on Sunday my friend Lori is picking me up at 6am to for the RNR half down in Philly. The race starts at 8am. I'm hoping for cooler temps. I can't deal with this heat anymore. I'm debating whether or not I should schedule a massage following the race. Why not right? 13.2 miles is worth a 60 mn hot stone massage in my book.
Check out the new piece for our family room. I love the look and the extra storage.
Thank you Pier1.
