Early bird gets the... boy?

The earlier you shop the better.  Less stress, more options, shorter lines, less sweaty people you have to shop with, more time to watch 25 Days of Christmas on ABC Family, and last but not least, better parking.  The list goes on and on, but I digress. 

Restoration Hardware always offers the best gifts for men/kids/stocking stuffers.  When in doubt, go here.

Murphy Jewelry

I have recently discovered a jewelry designer, named Kathleen Murphy, who sells a lot of her items in North Carolina.  Her pieces remind me of Stella & Dot (if you've ever been invited to a jewelry party), but less expensive!  I own three pairs of earrings from her collection, and I'm constantly getting compliments.  Please check out her website and buy something!  You can view her items by clicking here.

Pictured from left: Spring Necklace $38.00, Rhinestone Affair Necklace $54.00
Please fell free to buy me anything off her website.  Just leave a comment and I'll tell you where to mail it.
thanks,
management

Easy Art?

I said art, but that's up for your interpretation.  I recently went to Chicago on vacation, and saw some amazing things there.  It truly is an amazing city to visit, and I loved every minute of it. One thing I noticed walking around the city was how many amazing statues and sculptures they have (outside of the great architecture).  I digress. 

I took the below photos with my iPhone.  It's hard to ask everyone you're with (or just my boyfriend), to stop and pause while I take pictures of absolutely everything and hope for something creative to put up in my apartment.  It's better to put up something I took, than buy a photo that means something to someone else.

My favorite picture from the weekend was of one of the lions outside of the Chicago Art Institute. 

I took several like this, as well as this naked Native American on a horse.  He wasn't wearing pants, so I tried to keep it clean.

Next, I blew up the pictures and made the both sepia toned through Kodak.com.  The I took two 8.5"x11" frames I spray painted gold, and hung them in my staircase that is epically bare. 

It adds a nice touch!

Minty Fresh

In between buying a new couch, reupholstering a new chair, and owing my dad more money that I'd like to own up to, I need to set a budget! There is a website called Mint.com that helps you manage your money.  It keeps track of you debt (if you have it), credit cards, and bank account information.  It will also show you in a nice pie chart how much money you spend on what.  Mine for example says I am spending more money than I should on gas.  OH- I'm sorry mint- GAS IS EXPENSIVE.  I'm not riding my bike to work, ok?

The Grand FINALE!! or.. a chair.

So I love the blog Design Sponge.  They do great before and afters of old furniture.  I thought I'd take a great before and after into my own hands.  I found the nasty chair below on Craig's List.  It was $35.  Some may say this was a rip off, I saw it as a steal.

So, after driving to ... I don't even remember the name of the town, so I'll just say an hour away, I had a chair!  The guy who sold it to me was wearing overalls and said they moved it out of their "office" because he snored too much and his wife made him sleep in there.  Needless to say, it was quite an experience.  I do advise not to pick things up alone - which is why my father accompanied me.  Also, I wouldn't watch The Craig's List Killer on Lifetime if you're interested in following my footsteps. 

Ok, we're off track.  So I bought some fabric that I had been eyeing at Calico Corners.  I asked them when their next sale was and waited for the 20% off.  The week I went they just happened to be offering an additional 5% off. Woo hoo... 

I had the chair recovered for $125.  That's ridiculous, so I'm done talking about it.  Close your mouth- I know it's cheap as dirt.  I did had to drive an hour to get it there, and the guy's name was Frankie.  He wore an all denim outfit, but he does a darn good job a reupholstering.

So here is our final product!! Quite the conversation piece I must say.  You're more than welcome to come sit in it, I often find myself just staring at it while trying not to spill anything on my couch.

*contrary to popular belief the cushion is brown, not black.  The lighting's just off- whoops.

**it looks great with my rug.



Someone Delivered A.....

COUCH!

Finally I have somewhere to sit. I liked my new rug and all, but it's a bit uncomfortable trying to watch a tv 2 feet above my head.  Let's just hope I don't spill anything on it.

Then We'll Go With A....

RUG!

Y'all like that rug? Yeah, me too. Guess where it's from?  IKEA.  I sold my couch, so currently this rug is pretty much the only thing in my apartment besides a lamp and some tables.  I'm hoping this ties my new couch and chair together.  We will see.  I know the suspense will kill you....

Let's Start With A....

TABLE.

I'm trying to currently purge my apartment of all my "college" furniture.  Don't get me wrong, it's nice and all (not), but I'm not in college anymore. That, and I'd actually like all my furniture to match.  So I've taken up the challenge of decorating my humble abode.  First, I bought a new coffee table off of Etsy.  It's an old barn window from who-knows-where North Carolina, reconstructed into a table.  Etsy is a website where you can buy goods by artists.  My table was only $90, and it gives a great shabby chic look!

HOO Goes There?

How fitting!  Happy Hooloween!

Via....DO!

This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Boone, North Carolina.  As a native North Carolinian, I've always heard about the Blue Ridge Parkway being beautiful.  Yes, I've been on it before, and yes it is beautiful.  There's always that one typical picture that represents the parkway though, and I've never seen it!  Honestly, I thought it was a myth.  Well, it's not.  I got to go over the Viaduct, and it was amazing.  Everyone should go.  Almost as good as that time I visited the Natural Bridge in Virginia.  Except this was better, so nevermind.

Viaduct in the distance..... (click to enlarge)

Hello Do-Gooders....

Do you shop at Target, Nordstrom, or J. Crew??  What if I told you they would donate to a charity of your choice just for buying their goods?  Well they do!  I recently stumbled upon a website called Goodsearch.com.  They provide you with a list of charities, local or national, and provide links with what type of merchandise you're interested in.  Then those retailers will donate a certain percentage of what you spend to the charity of your choice. It costs you nothing, and helps others!  DO IT. now.

ARTn't You Glad I'm Writing This?

Recently, I attended Charlotte's Festival in the Park to broaded my artistic horizons.  Of course after attending I planned many art projects, then day dreamed into me becoming famous and everyone being jealous of my artsy skills.  THEN, I decided to just buy some art instead! Lazy? No.  Realistic?  Maybe.  The fesitival has hundreds of booths set up for local artists to display their works.  I ran into a booth I had seen before, at an art festival last year in Birmingham, AL.  His name is MJ Villanueva, from Georgia. His works are beautiful with a lot of color and texture!  He had a new set of little owl paintings, so of course I got one.  His stuff is AWESOME.

Yum In My Tum

This Shrimp with Roasted Peppers & Feta is tasty tasty.  It's super easy to fix, and quick.  It's also super good and you don't have to have a taste for ethnic foods to like it.  Serve with jasmine rice and pita bread and you've got it made.  Make it now, and then send me a plate. Go, do it... right now, I'm waiting.

Shoo, Jimmy Choo!

So, my life has made several turns lately.  Going from Birmingham, Al to Charlotte, NC.  From living with my 20-something cousin to living with my 50-something parents and brother.  From being a part-time nanny, full-time stay at home twenty-two year old mom (did I mention I don't have children) to being.... (drum roll please) EMPLOYED!  Well technically, I haven't started yet, so we'll keep the details at bay to prevent jinxing it. 

For all this change, I know that money and life planning is something I need to take in to account for planning my new adult life.  That is why I 'invested' $14.95-15% Barnes and Noble coupon discount-15% Barnes and Noble Member Discount in this new book called Shoo, Jimmy Choo by Catey Hill.  Basically, it's a cute way of reaching young women and teaching them to save money and how to plan.  The book is bright pink, so obviously it caught my attention.  Also, it has a high heel on it, and it teaches things, so I bought it. DUH.  So should you.

Frannie's Found!

Where was I? Maybe I'm a spy.  Sorry I haven't written in um, almost 3 months?  Whoopsies.

Last Minute Gift Idea..

This is a last minute gift idea that I think, personally, is amazing.

Netflix. That's right, if you have it, you know.

Everyone loves movies, and if any other place is like my hometown (Charlotte, NC), then you know that Blockbusters are closing left and right.  It literally takes like 1.5 days to get a new movie in the mail from Netflix.  It's also rather inexpensive, depending on the package you choose, to give to someone as a gift (or stocking stuffer). Moreover, all you have to do is print out the certificate, after choosing a seasonal background, and you're set!

1 month of 1 rental at a time + live streaming of selected movies on your computer - $8.99 2 at a time- $13.99
2 months of 1 rental at a time - $17.98  2 months of 2 rentals - $27.98

you get the picture... it's great for all ages. yay

Great Stocking Stuffers for the Gents....

Pretty much the same, but for men.

1. Porto Candles in wood scents ($34.99)- They're great for guys, because they won't be embarassed about a fruity smell.  They come in Birch, Mahogany, Oak, Redwood, & Teak scents.  Sooo manly.  Like Paul Bunyan's gonna rage when he finds out about these.

2. Cell Phone Cup ($6.99)- This little cup keeps things organized in the car.  It holds the cell phone, a pen, change, keys, and you can connect your phone charger up through the bottom of it.  It's cheap and cool.  Gooo phone cup! 

3. Motorized Grill Cleaning Brush ($20)- um it comes from Brookstone, pretty self explanatory.

4. MP3 Shower Radio ($12.99)- waterproof (obviously), shockproof, takes 4 AAA batteries, and hangs in the shower. 

Great Stocking Stuffers for the Ladiesss.....

Stockings are weird. According to Wikipedia the whole stocking thing started when a man was too poor to provide for his three daughters at Christmas.  Saint Nicholas was passing through town and heard of this predicament and crept through the chimney to place bags of gold in their stockings drying over the fireplace.  Quite frankly, I'm getting tired of telling this story so we're gonna move on.  Before we do though, Saint Nicholas is creepy.... (no offense Santa), but let's get real.  This guy... snuck into a house through a chimney? Then, he was checking out their stockings; it was like he left gold in them because he knew he was being a creeper.  I'll let him creep as long as he leaves a '54 convertible too, light blue. 

Since stockings are weird, we're gonna try to find things small enough and cool enough to go in them.

1. Engravable Silver Plated Bookmark from Pottery Barn $12.  It's under $15, and can be personalized.  It looks like you put more thought into this gift than you actually have to.

2. Ribbed Merino Glittens from J. Crew $24.50 - great for those with an IPhone, because you can use your fingers to touch the screen without having to take your gloves off. 
3.  Luggage Tag ($9.99) from J. Crew.

  Great for a traveler, and it comes in a variety of colors.  Moreover, it's on sale; it was originally $20. 

4.  Bobbi Brown Pink Ribbon Lip Collection ($40).  

It's a limited edition lipstick and glitter lip balm and a portion of proceeds goes to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. 

5. Westbury Lisa Wallet from Kate Spade ($89 + free shipping from katespade.com)  Although a bit pricier, it's a nice surprise to have a pricey gift in your stocking. 

I'm too good to open that hood.

I use to have a portable battery my dad gave me to carry around in my car in case I ever needed a jump.  It required just the portable battery, no other car.  I thought that was great, and I used it a bunch without ever needing to plug it in to my car to jump another car off.  Yes, it was extremely convenient, but it was huge (um the size of a car battery). Well... get a load of this one kiddies.

It's a jumper cable you plug into your cigarette lighter ($24.99).  The cord stretches from one cars plug to the next car.  There's no need to ever pop a hood.  The device will show a green light when your battery is charged enough in order to start your car.  A great stocking stuffer!

It's a-me, Mario!

I've always (when it's available.. so technically I'm lying about always) used Mario Badescu facial soap and toner.  The brand is more famous for their drying lotion you can put on blemishes to get rid of in a jiffy.  After spending about 45 minutes in Ulta buying miscellaneous beauty products I didn't need and/or Christmas gifts, I was surprised to see they carried Mario Badescu.

Eagerly, I grabbed the soap I wanted to get on my merry way.  Then.... I saw OTHER products he offered.  Like, the soap that actually fit my skin type versus the one the Nordstrom's sales clerk told me to buy (what does she know).  Then I thought a facial mask would be good since my skin's been acting a ruckus lately.  I bought the Whitening Mask ($24), because it reduces redness, unclogs pores, and makes your skin super bright.
I could go on about all the magical powers Mario put in their, but I don't really know what I'm talking about.  All I know is that it works; after the second time I used it my face looked so clean and shiny, and all the little spots on my face that bothered me were not as noticeable.

You can get it online at www.mariobadescu.com, and they send a TON of free samples with it.  It's awesome.