Style Cure -- Days 8 - 10 | Planning

Day 8: Monday, August 12

Assignment: Choose Your Paint Color & Think About Your Decor "Pairing"

Full assignment at ApartmentTherapy.com 

Day 9: Tuesday, August 13

Assignment: Research Your Decor Pairing Project or Pairing

Full assignment at ApartmentTherapy.com

Day 10: Wednesday, August 14

Assignment: Make a Shopping List and Set Your Budget

Full assignment at ApartmentTherapy.com

These three days/assignments all work well together so I am going to summarize...

There are a couple things that I want to work on for this project. We aren't going to do any wall painting but the decor pairing will be two-fold. First, we are planning to invest in a new dining room table and chairs. The table and at least four chairs will be white, with a few colored chairs for contrast and as the decor pairing. Second, I want to print photos from our trip to Cuba to decorate a wall in our dining room and one in our living room. We captured some beautiful and colorful moments. 

Then, I saw this on Pinterest:

one crafty foxx on etsy.com

I immediately showed my honey and he said, "you want to make those, don't you." YES. Looks like we may be adding a kitchen art project to the Style Cure list. 

Here is our tentative dining room furniture shopping list, although we haven't quite figured out the chairs yet...

Parsons Dining Table w/ White Top & Dark Steel Base. Crate&Barrel.

Slim White Chair. CB2.

Felix Red Side Chair. Crate&Barrel.

Vienna Apple Side Chair. Crate&Barrel.

I was going back and forth a bit on if now is the time to spend the money on new dining room furniture. However, I keep coming back to the fact that we really enjoy having friends and family over and so this is a great investment for more fun at home. Also, cooking at home is much cheaper AND healthier. Decision made. 

Style Cure -- Days 4 - 7 | Preparations

Alright, so I'm a little behind in posting updates...

Day 4: Tuesday, August 6

Assignment: Set up a One-Room Outbox

Full assignment at ApartmentTherapy.com

I love the outbox idea and continue to use this one that I set up during the January Cure.

Day 5: Wednesday, August 7

Assignment: Create a Floor Plan

Full assignment at ApartmentTherapy.com

Okay, I didn't do this one. It sounded tedious, as I know it is. Also, our dining room is pretty much already set up the way we like it. We will probably just make some small changes later.

Day 6: Thursday, August 8

Assignment: Learn About Color

Full assignment at ApartmentTherapy.com

I married an artist and one of the perks to that is that I have an in-house color consultant. The previous owners of our house did a decent job with keeping things neutral but not just "renter off-white." We have added color through furniture, fabrics, accessories, etc. but may actually do some painting someday. 

Day 7: Friday, August 9...and the weekend of August 10 & 11

Assignment: Clean Your Room 

Full assignment at ApartmentTherapy.com

I did some major house cleaning, beyond just our dining room, and laundry this weekend. It turns out we got a jump start on our dining room on Wednesday night when our orange cat named Stella decided to contribute to the project...

I mean, I didn't really care for the mirror but that certainly wasn't how I planned on getting rid of it. 

Good thing she's cute. 

Style Cure -- Days 2 & 3 | Style Treasure Hunt & Choose Your Room

Day 2: Friday, August 2...and the Weekend of August 3 & 4
Assignment: Get out and about to take some inspiration photos
Full assignment at ApartmentTherapy.com 

Sooooo the getting out and about to take some inspiration photos definitely didn't happen this weekend. I got back from a business trip on Friday night and we had an event to attend on Saturday and come Sunday, after a long morning run/walk, all I wanted to do was stay home and do laundry. Thrilling, I know.

However, my honey and I did take some time to flip through our Crate & Barrel and CB2 catalogues and I earmarked some of my favorite dining room shots...since I am 99% sure that I want to focus on our dining room and/or living room for this project.

Classy and clean.

Love pops of color...

Mismatched chairs.

Day 3: Monday, August 5
Assignment: Choose Your Room, Sit for 10 Minutes & Take Before Photos
Full post at ApartmentTherapy.com

When I found out about the Style Cure, I already knew the room I wanted to focus on, our dining room. (and maybe a bit of our living room since they flow into each other...)

There are some things that I really love about our dining room, including our lighting fixture, teal tablecloth and Crate & Barrel wine cabinet thingy, but this is also a room that could benefit from a quick style update.

Depending on how much time (and money) I end up being able to dedicate to the Style Cure, I also hope to freshen up our living room. One of the things we loved about our home when we first walked in was how open and light the living room, dining room and kitchen are. These are also the spaces where we most often entertain.

Before photo. From the kitchen.

Before photo. From the sliding glass door.

Before photo. From the living room.

Style Cure -- Day 1 | Interview

Day 1: Thursday, August 1
Assignment: Complete the Style Cure Interview

Style Cure Interview

1. List your favorites in each category:

• Actor: Morgan Freeman. Tim Curry.
• Actress: Maggie Smith. Meryl Streep... "She could play Batman and be the right choice." - Cameron, Modern Family.
• Artist: Rothko, Monet...and my honey.
• Writer: J.K. Rowling, Alice Sebold, Jenny Lawson...just to name a few.
• Music: Singer/Songwriter. Ragtime. Lady Gaga. (My honey says my iTunes has one of the broadest ranges of styles he's ever seen. I would never argue with that.)
• Restaurant: I prefer to cook and eat at home. Or go out for sushi. Or to a brew pub. Or to Cracker Barrel whenever we travel to a place that has one.
• Automobile: Ours? 
• Movie or Television Show: For TV it is currently Boardwalk Empire. For movie, it is Harry Potter. All of them.  
• Clothing (pieces, designers or stores): Does jewelry count? If so, the jewelry my honey bought me -- engagement ring, antique garnet ring and gold triangles necklace. 
• Furniture (pieces, designers or stores): Grey couch from Ikea. Yellow flowered (hellooooo, 1970s) chairs from my parents. Crate & Barrel wine cabinet thingy. 

2. Choose three words to describe your personal style: Casual. Classy. Clean. 

3. Think back over all the homes you've lived in, both as a child and an adult. Which rooms would you choose as your favorites and how would you describe them?

• Favorite room from a childhood home and description: My bedroom. This was my favorite because it was truly my space. I decorated with things I liked and cared about and rearranged the furniture whenever I needed a change of pace. 
• Favorite room from an adult home and description: Our current family room. This is where I spend some of my favorite time relaxing with my loves -- my honey and our orange cat named Stella. 

4. Whom do you consider a role model? What three adjectives describe the qualities you admire in this person? My parents -- inclusive, generous, hard working.  

5. Every home has areas that are "just right." Which three spots or things in your home do you feel are beautiful and feel proud of, right now, as is: Kitchen. Dining/Living Room -- Ikea shelves with cookbooks & favorite lamp & friend's art. Divider shelf thing between kitchen and living room. 

6. A month from now, at the end of the Style Cure, how would you like your friends to describe your home? Comfortable. Interesting. Fun. 

Step two, analyze your responses...

• Questions 1 and 2 help form a picture of your style...
• Questions 3 and 5 are different ways of connecting with what you find pleasing, comfortable and beautiful...
• Questions 4 and 6 can help form a direction and your goals...

For more information and/or sign up for the Style Cure click here. 

Project: Apartment Therapy -- The Style Cure

I received an e-mail from Apartment Therapy this morning that made me super duper excited.

The Style Cure is Coming! Check it out and sign up for the daily e-mails here.

I am all in on this one and will post blog updates, just like I did for the January Cure. Sooooo...stay tuned!



PS: Is it really almost August?!? Woah.

One 5K Down, One to Go!

I have heard that doing 5K events can become addictive.

After completing my first 5K on July 4th, I can totally see that.

Don't get me wrong, I still don't really like running. What I do like is how I feel afterwards. There are days where I don't feel like doing a Couch-to-5K training but I have NEVER regretted doing it.

The July 4th 5K was SO. MUCH. FUN. I did it with a good friend and it started and ended at a plaza where we go to watch the parade each year. Perfect. The course went mostly through neighborhoods and the thing that surprised me the most was how many people were outside of their houses, cheering us on.

Pre-5K smiles with my friend, Jackie.

My goal was to finish in less than 45 minutes. That may not sound fast but, seeing that until a month or so ago I'd never even run half a mile straight, this goal was actually a good challenge for me. Our official chip times were posted aaaaand (drum roll please) I finished my first 5K in 41:55! 3+ minutes under my goal!

I'm enjoying my heart rate monitor.
(that I forgot to turn off after finishing...whoops)
I'm also enjoying my bright blue running shoes!

Yummy post-5K lunch.
Greek salad with chickpeas, olives & LOTS of veggies.
It paired nicely with a few mimosas.

Within days of finishing my first 5K, I signed up for another run in October. It is in Southern California and I'm doing it with a high school friend. My honey and I will stay with him and his family for the weekend so it was also a fabulous excuse for a visit.

My goal for my second 5K is to do it faster than 41:55! I will report back and also try to do more updates and recipe posts in between.

Long time, no post!

Oh my, it has been a while. 

Just a random update, with more to come at a later date...

If you have been paying attention, I started a Couch-to-5K training last fall...but only made it through a couple weeks of training. Well, signing up for an actual 5K was apparently the way to go. I signed up for a 5K (scheduled for the fourth of July) and consistently since mid-May I have done a run/walk workout every other day. Seriously. I haven't missed a day and I do additional workouts (generally elliptical) on my "off" days. I have also re-committed myself to eating healthier -- lots of lean meats, vegetables and fruit. I am nowhere near where I would like to be BUT I know that I have come a long, long way. Before starting a Couch-to-5K program, I don't think I had run more than 5 minutes at one time and have certainly never considered myself sporty. Now I am running 10-12 minutes at a time and clocking in long runs/walks on a regular basis. Crazy. 

I do plan to return to blogging again sooner rather than later with 5K updates, new recipes, etc. For now, I'll leave you with one of my new favorite running mantras: