LIFE AS YOU LIVE IT: September 2014

Weekend

29 September 2014

 
It is officially fall here. The weather is cool, long sleeves are being worn, and the AC is off.
 
My baby Fiddle Leaf fig arrived! 1 foot tall and ready to grow! 
 
 
 I finally stopped procrastinating and scheduled an appointment to go take my real estate exam. Officially licensed!
 

It's definitely Fall in my books, there has been a lot of this business going on.


I just got around to ordering an accent table and TV stand for our living room. So long to that black makeshift bookshelf! Just kidding, we're still keeping it - bar cart! However, with the wheels starting to turn there, I'll give you a hint as to what the theme will be!


 And how about this rooftop view for a quiet night and unwind time.


Both L and I had Sunday off, so we hopped on the train up to North Shore and played around in Ipswich all day. We met my dad at the station, and all three of us indulged in some serious wine tasting and ice cream eating business at Russell Orchards. I'd say we picked apples, but we didn't. That was the game plan, but we weren't really in the mood to take an overly crowded wagon ride out to the orchard in 80+ degree weather to pick overpriced fruit, so we stopped at Hannaford on the way back into Boston and picked up some 33 cent apples for apple crisp. Lame? Maybe a little.


After the Orchard, we headed over to Crane Beach to get our last beach fix in before we get back into our normal weather (I have no idea what all this 80+ degree weather business was all about). Beautiful beach, freezing water. Crane Estate had a wedding going on at the castle so we weren't really supposed to go up there, however one walking trail led to another, which led us to the castle. Big and beautiful!


Happy Monday!
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Fiddle Leaf Fig Love

26 September 2014

This may sound like the most ridiculous post ever (because it is)... but this is the story about a girl who bought a baby Fiddle Leaf Fig. 
 
I originally wanted to start with a big 6ft one, but figured I had absolutely no way of getting one of those home safely. So plan B was to buy a baby one, have it shipped to me, and grow it myself! Fun times. Well, it just arrived about a week ago, and thus far it is adorable.
 
I'm no plant master, but from the articles that I've read, they say that in order to keep it alive... keep it in indirect sunlight, only water it when the soil is dry to the touch, etc., etc...
 
 
...and here's a ridiculous picture of me showing you how big it is.
 

Although the picture is misleading, the plant is currently about 1 ft. tall, and has 14 leaves.

I'm ready for this sucker to grow!

Update: Me, being an idiot poured fruit juice into the pot to see what would happen. A leaf fell off.

Update (04.28.15): My tree is down to 8 leaves. sigh. It survived the winter, however when I tried to repot it, all of the leaves turned yellow and about 5 of them fell off. 
 
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Weekly Review

12 September 2014

 
I had so much more planned for the blog this week and it just didn't happen. Blogger fail. Hopefully next week will bring better organizational and motivational skills my way. In other news, here are 5 Friday links to wrap this week up!

+ I have a hard core crush on these lamps from Pier 1. When I went to the store the other day, they had a 35% off lamps deal going on, but were all out of the honey comb styled ones. Sigh.

+ This chair needs to be in my life. Such an elegant tufted slipper chair.

+ I don't know if this quote could be any more spot on. 

+ I have been living in this tee lately. So comfortable, and so versatile.

+ I still want these elephant book ends. I've said it before, and I'll say it again but these are too cute to not have on anyone's shelf. 
 
Enjoy the weekend! Fall is coming!

image via
 
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Nightstands!

10 September 2014

Feeling slightly overwhelmed by all of the bright and white furniture, bedding and walls, we decided to splurge on a light grey floor rug, and throw in some pops of navy to break things up! I'm not one to have a lot of mismatching furniture, however there was just too much white going on. We chose navy nightstands because they played off of the navy throw pillows and other decorations well, and offset all of the white. 
 
 
We ordered these adorable nightstands from Target. They shipped quickly, and were very easy to assemble.
 

 We liked these ones best thanks to the huge amount of storage that they offer, they were a little taller in height, and they had a door that can hide it all. We're considering putting decorative paper on the other side so that all of our junk can't shine through.


I love the navy and white!

 
Next up! We desperately need to get a boxspring on that bed!
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Weekend

08 September 2014

Besides sitting by the window waiting for my several shipped packages to arrive, I do have a few weekend shenanigans to share with you.
 
Two out of the three rugs that I ordered have arrived. To say I'm thrilled is an understatement. I'm ecstatic. I love them both. Once the third arrives, I'll write up a little post for ya. 
Here's a sneak peak in the mean time.
 
 
My friend scored some Sox tickets to Saturday's game and invited me to come along. We got lucky with seats that were right by home plate, and an hour rain delay decent weather. Fun was had, overpriced drinks were bought, and I was suckered into their oh so tempting marketing scheme. Hello $10 poncho, $5 foam finger, and $20 in terrible food.
 
 
Sunday was a lazy day morning, which consisted of our weekly scrambled eggs and toast, as well as a stroll around the North End.
 
 
Morning laughs with this chick. Every minute of every day I find this girl staring at herself in the mirror. My vain cat.
 

I bought a fiddleleaf fig on Sunday. On amazon. I bought a plant on amazon and it's supposed to be shipped to me. We'll see how this works out. I've been wanting a fiddle leaf fig for our living room for a while now and wasn't sure how to go about getting one.  I bought a baby one that I'm supposed to nurture and care for so that it grows to become a tree. Has anyone ever had a fiddle leaf fig? Thoughts?
 
image via
 
Happy Monday!
 
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Weekly Review

05 September 2014


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5 Friday Links to wrap this week up!

+ I can't believe I don't own these yet. So fun, so fashionable, and so versatile.

+ If you are in the market for a fresh, new look for your home, check out this sale - ends today!

+ I've had my eyes on this Longchamp, and this tote from L.L. Bean!

+ Speaking of L.L Bean, I've been meaning to invest in these boots to get me through the winter.

+ 24 Small New England Towns you absolutely need to visit, and 21 Foods New England does better than anywhere else - so accurate.

Enjoy the weekend!
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Painting a Wing Back Chair

04 September 2014

Has anyone ever painted a chair?

I spotted this BEAUTIFUL wing back chair on Craigslist and was able to score it for only $40! FORTY DOLL HAIRS!!


Here's a full on view of the beauty!


I love the size of it, however the color is a little too dark for my taste. I looked into reupholstering it, however because of the lack of resources that I have access to, I decided against it. Thanks to this helpful tutorial, I attempted to transform this dark purple plum into a bright and chic beauty.


The supplies:

- 1 Quart Acrylic Paint (I used Seashell by Ben Moore)
- Fabric Medium
- Spray Bottle with lots of water
- Mixing cup
- Paint Brush
- 220 Grit Sandpaper
- Painters Tape


Begin by measuring out; 1 part paint, 1 part fabric medium, and 1 part water.


Mix the paint, medium, and water together to create a watered down primer. This will act as you first coat for the chair.


I cleaned off the cushions and chair with a lint roller, and then gently wiped it down with a cloth.


I doused the area that I would be painting with water, and rubbed it into the fabric with my hands.


I painted the paint mixture against the grain of the fabric, and thoroughly made sure all of the purple was covered. I then went back over and painted it again WITH the grain. I did this all over the entire chair and cushion. This will act as you base/primer. It does not need to be thick, just lightly cover the entire chair. Let it dry overnight.


Here is a picture of the chair after one coat. Because I am going from dark to light, I am more than likely going to need to do 2 coats of primer, and 2 coats of paint.

 Here's a little side action to put things into perspective. Making progress!

After is had sat overnight and dried, I sanded the rough areas with 220 grit sandpaper. Be sure to do this WITH the grain of the chair. This step makes a big difference. If you don't sand the rough spots, you will just continue to paint over them, and they will become rougher. The light sanding helps smooth everything out.

Once again, I put on another coat of 1 part paint, 1 part fabric medium and 1 part water a couple of days later. This definitely started to lighten it up and show some visible progress. Once dried, sand the rough areas with 220 grit sandpaper again. 

And then, I went on vacation for a week, came back and had to move and the chair has been sitting untouched for well over a month. Yup! It's a sad story. In fact, I have never left a project half done before, ever. I have completely lost interest and faith in this project 100%. It could be thanks to L and my dad making fun of it's scratchy not very soft texture now,  or maybe because it's extremely time consuming, and maybe even because I'm getting to the point where the amount I spent in paint/products alone is starting to add up to what the price of a brand new chair would be. Very disappointing. 



So without further adieu, this chair is going out with the trash tonight. I am so disappointed. My last strand of hope for this chair was to reupholster it... but when you crunch the numbers, materials and the time... that doesn't really make much sense either. It's hopeless. Let's be honest, the chair looks ridiculous. I'm almost too embarrassed to put it out for trash pickup! I'm not even mentally prepared yet for when all of the trash pickers check it out and go... "oh my, someone is throwing out a wing back! (walks over), Uhm, err what the heck happened to it? This poor chair". I might just have L bring it out tonight, when its dark and nobody can see the abusive chair owner in person. As much time, effort and money that I put into this project, I can honestly feel as though a weight will be lifted off of my shoulders when the trash men come pick it up, laugh at it for a minute, and then throw it into the truck and squash it.

If you want to see how fabric chair painting it really done, I suggest heading over to Hyphen Interiors for a much better and finished tutorial. She definitely knows how to get the job done, and has done so a couple of times.

Sorry guys, it just wasn't happening here.

Not to mention a scratchy, half painted wing back just wasn't fitting the style I had in mind for this home.

Real Talk: Why do I blog?

03 September 2014

I started blogging over a year ago, 19 months to be exact. 
I don't remember the exact reason as to why I started one, but I know that I wanted an outlet for my creative juices, and a place to reference back to. I have been reading blogs for slightly longer than I have had my own and enjoyed the inspiration and ideas that other bloggers had to share. While Life As You Live It does not exactly have one set theme, I'd like to think that it can be classified as a lifestyle blog thanks to its eclectic subjects that revolve around home interiors, projects, and day to day adventures that I experience.

When I started this blog I was living at home with my parents in rural Ohio. Plain and simple, life was easy. Now, I'm living it up on my own (well, with L) in the North End of Boston. A LOT has changed. I work almost everyday to support my new, and slightly more expensive lifestyle, I have developed a better taste in interior decor and fashion, and am also balancing a diversified plate of day to day activities. I wouldn't change it for the world, however sometimes I find blogging take a back seat during a busy week or month. I certainly would not classify myself as a full time blogger, however I am working hard to generate more posts per week to share a little more about what goes on around here.

The main reasons that I blog are to keep track of life so that I can look back and see what happened (it's like a big diary), and to also share and promote personal favorites that I love and feel others will appreciate as well. While being behind the screen has certainly led me to spending a little more money (all those links from other blogs!), I too have been introduced to a handful of good, quality products that I may not have been able to find elsewhere.

Where am I going with this post? I just wanted to wrap an arm around you and say thank you! Thanks for following along and providing your support, input and comments. It makes my day.
 
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