Friday, August 29, 2014

Game Day Looks

Game Day Looks

Crochet Hem Sweater | The Skinny Jean | Excursion Vest Skinny Flare Jean | Shirttail Sweater

Is anyone else attending a football game this weekend? I am always excited about the first game: the tailgate we put together, the excitement, and the fun times ahead. Our colors are red and white (and black) so I am always on the hunt ahead of time to have plenty of options for unpredictable weather. I have definitely sweated my butt off at a game in November before, and been frozen the next week. While I won't be sporting these looks this weekend (heat advisory!) I will most definitely be looking forward to assembling them soon. I am so surprised that those two awesome pairs of jeans are on sale right now. Such a good deal! And I am loving the look of the vest with the skirt. A soft pretty lace looks great with denim thats a little edgier. And I know I already mentioned my favorite shirttail sweater, but it's worth mentioning again. Happy Labor Day weekend!!

*affiliate links used

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

$20 Challenge Round 1

Morning! Did everyone have a good weekend? Just checking in to let y'all know that I didn't forget about my $20 Challenge. We did go out of town last week for a long weekend and so not much was done. But we have been working on several projects here and there around the house and being mindful of our spending. It feels good! Right now I am enjoying sprucing up some fun decor items....

Serena + Lily Lookalike Basket
 I found this basket on major sale (around $5) a few weeks ago at Michaels. I pretty much collect baskets like these. I have them everywhere and they are my favorite for coralling toys. I thought I would spruce this one up with a royal blue, like my favorite Serena + Lily baskets. (Blue is no longer available). I simply taped off the bottom for a straight edge, and then covered the top with plastic bags. I bought the Krylon mini spray paint (30% off at Hobby Lobby) for a few dollars. So easy I don't know why I'm mentioning my method here :)




I haven't quite decided what I will use it for. It might be for paper towels or toys that sit in the kitchen near the high chair.


Here it is in the pantry. Did I ever mention how nice it is to have a pantry? Our last house was with out and it was not fun. 





Ottoman Facelift
I got this ottoman a few years ago at the Antique Barn in Asheville. If you visit Asheville, you must check this place out. It is like a gigantic warehouse full of antiques and furniture. I got it for Stephen's office in the old house, but now it is in the living room. I originally liked the cowskin seat cover, but it had a tear that kept on getting worse. And it didn't fit in with our living room anymore.



First, I had to remove the old cowskin which was really gross. It had deteriorated underneath and was really dusty. I thought I was going to have to get Stephen to pull out the nailed in tacks, but I was able to accomplish that myself. I then took it outside for a fresh coat of paint. I spent $5 on my new favorite spraypaint- Black Lacquer - to give it a glossier, modern finish. It looked rather rustic before.  I bought the ikat fabric (I'm a fabric hoarder) in July, with out knowing if it was going to be for pillows or the ottoman.

I am still finishing attaching the new fabric with nail heads (I ran out last night!) but I am so excited about the new look. I will show the finished ottoman in the room soon!

Have a great Tuesday :)



Thursday, August 21, 2014

Prepping for Fall


via

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Some of my favorite looks for fall are leaning very preppy and cozy. It's easy to coordinate and mix and match when you have a great set of basic sweaters and blouses. I pulled together some of my favorites after browsing the mall this weekend for ya.

I fell in love with this shirttail sweater in J.Crew. It is the perfect red, am I right? That pretty shade of red is SO hard to find. I also really like it in indigo. The famous swing sweater is on sale for a short time. I love it in light wisteria, crushed grape, and turquoise melange. And this zip tunic sweatshirt is so calling my name. I love that you can wear a different shirt underneath to change the look, keep it polished but casual. Layer it with a top like this (on sale!) or this (non- iron! bless!).

Pair these with a chic handbag and flats/pumps- good to go. Quick and easy- what I need.

What are you looking forward to wearing this fall?

Thursday, August 14, 2014

$20 Renovation Challenge / Thoughts on Thursday

Today I'm linking up with  Annie and Natalie for Thoughts on Thursday, and I'm discussing something that popped in my mind last week. Our spending lately has been way more than what we would like it to be, and it's all being poured into the four walls of our house. There have been far too many times we have gone to Lowe's for "just a few things" and left with $200 less in our wallets. Or, even worse when you make multiple trips in a week, totaling way more! Trust me, I knew things were going to be like this when we bought the house. I know old houses give you literally, a run for your money. I expected it.

On top of that, we had our first big unexpected renovation fix this week. All of our AC units are in good condition and have been somewhat recently updated. Which confused me why I kept smelling a mildewy smell in our bathroom when the air came on. To make a long story short, after cleaning the units and so on, we decided to have our 40 year duct work replaced. Once the mildew smell went away it left behind a musty smell in a few spots that we weren't willing to deal with. And since we had so much work done in the house (read: dust, dust, dust) before we moved in, I almost feel better that those vents are going to be brand spanking new. So thats a big expense we are taking on!



Which leads me to our challenge for the next month: we are limiting ourselves to $20 and under purchases for the house. We aren't going to set a limit of how many we can have in a week, this is to reign in spending altogether, and force ourselves to finish up what we have sitting around the house. I think it is going to make us take a closer look at what we spend on instead of tossing things in the cart that might not get finished that week. So all purchases will be those that are necessary. Maybe make myself more creative with what I have sitting around in the mean time!

I plan on keeping a list of all the projects we complete and will update throughout the month....If you want to join in (even if you aren't renovating) on spending $20 or less make sure to use the hashtag #the20dollarchallenge and tag me @missdixie30 on instagram! I am so looking forward to seeing how much we can accomplish on a budget (a word I used to be afraid of!)

And don't forget to link up your Thoughts on Thursday :)

Thoughts for Thursday

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Freezer Ideas

I had a moment last weekend when I just had to clean out the freezer. Someone (not mentioning any names), but it was definitely a man (still not mentioning any names), had transferred all of our freezer and fridge food from the old house to the new and it was a complete mess. I've been avoiding it but I just couldn't handle another bag of frozen corn falling on my feet when I went to look for something. So now the freezer is completely organized and up to date and I am pretty happy. I was a little dissapointed in myself on how I let some frozen casseroles and soups go to waste (I don't mess around with freezer burn- yuck). But I do love to freeze things- especially for fall and winter- and we all know that is right around the corner!

My mom and I did a bunch of freezer food last year and it was so nice to be able to pull things out for quick weeknight dinners. Once football season starts, it seems like we are on the road every weekend and I always hate buying fresh food that might go to waste by the time we turn right back around to leave town. I gathered some ideas- especially those that utilize fresh summer veggies, which is something I crave in the winter! 







Some other freezing ideas:
-When I make a batch of cookies I portion out the dough as if I was going to bake them, but then I pop them in the freezer on a cookie sheet- freeze until they aren't sticky and then move them to a plastic baggie. Then you can have freshly baked cookies really quickly when the craving strikes! Stephen also steals them and eats them right from the freezer!
-Pesto is a great thing to freeze, this is my favorite recipe. I just saw an idea to portion your pesto in an ice cube tray, that way you can add one cube to pasta dishes, etc very easily.
-Pancakes and waffles. My Dad makes a big batch of belgian waffles then freezes them like the cookie dough idea- once you are ready to freeze in a bag you can put a piece of parchment paper in between each. You can take them right from the freezer, put them in the toaster and then microwave them for about a minute for a nice hot waffle! They are just as good as fresh.
-Soups and stews. Hands down my favorite thing to freeze! I have an amazing White Chicken Chili recipe that I freeze half of every time I make it in the winter. We might eat it once a week it's so good.
-Hamburger meat. I haven't done this before but it seems pretty brilliant- add it to a skillet for quick tacos, on top of nachos, or for a casserole.
-I plan on making these and these soon for Weeks, and maybe even us? They look pretty good.

What do you freeze? 

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Design Idea: Going Dark

Exciting news- we are onto painting the den. I have spent so many nights painting the never ending trim and paneling in this room and I am happy to wash my hands of that job. We even have a coat of primer on our exposed brick wall! Since we have SO much white in there, I want to contrast it with a dark grey wall. Here are some of my inspiration pictures.


I think this shade would work really nice, as well as the overall relaxed feel of this room.



We've all drooled over this bedroom, right? So gorgeous.


And impeccable styling on these bookshelves by Dimples and Tangles


Here is a peak at the brick wall and shelving. It's a mess, I know. Complete with the light hanging from the ceiling. But now you know where we are headed.


And my current list of design ideas, if you missed them:

Friday, August 1, 2014

Living Room Design Idea


I mentioned a few weeks ago I was really inspired to incorporate blue into my living room design. I have been playing with fabrics and ordering samples and testing out paint swatches to figure out what direction I'm headed in. Then, Chairish asked me to design a room incorporating one of their pieces. If you haven't heard of Chairish, they are a great source to find unique pieces that are hard to come by in some areas (like mine!) I search local places but don't seem to have much luck. I would love to get my hands on one of these chairs above. Anyway, I thought it was the perfect time to create an e-design based around my vision for the room, including some pieces from Chairish. What do you think? I want it to read young but sophisticated, classy and not too informal.

I included toy baskets (keeping it real) and a blanket that I always steal from Weeks. It's his fave. I have collected lots of ginger jars, from the real thing to Hobby Lobby to TJ Maxx, but these are beautiful on a higher end budget. That table is on sale and a great deal! And I am really admiring the pillows, that pink is the perfect shade for what I'm looking for. We have plenty of magnolia trees for fresh clippings for a touch of greenery.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! We are installing our backsplash this weekend and I can't wait to wrap things up in the kitchen! 

I was not compensated by Chairish, all opinions are my own. Some affiliate links used.