The Mistake - in detail

I alluded to a paint mistake a couple of days ago - here's proof. Although the before is a bit dark, both paint and lighting :), you can see the difference.

The issue was the warm color of the custom headboard and cool color of the wall color. The original thought was that the warm tones would pop off the wall color. That was true although finding curtain fabric has been nearly impossible. I decided to bite the bullet, consult a decorator and find a new paint color.

Here's the after....Benjamin Moore 1045 Lady Finger.

Forgive the folded laundry waiting to find a home and the bench mistake.

Sweet Pea says it's yellow. Geez, how is it they know exactly when you don't want their opinion? My hubby was away a few days and I had it done this week while he was gone. He walked in late at night to all the lights on and wondered why it seemed so bright. He wasn't sure whether it was the lighting or the color. He was pretty funny about it and didn't mind a bit. We actually like it now and know that our curtain search soon will be over.

I love our renovations but have to admit to having a hard time photographing the spaces. I love our house but see every unfinished detail or decorating "mistake" in each photo I take. They just don't do the project justice. I know you all must be curious but I am having a really hard time capturing our new spaces for your perusal. I'm working on it, I promise.

Sometimes We Have to Admit a Mistake

The painter is back at my house. Already. Sometimes we have to admit we made a mistake. This time it's a decorating mistake and the mistake is in my master bedroom. The new color is on the left (Benjamin Moore Lady Finger #1045) and the old color on the right in the photo above.

I picked paint colors last year on December 26th armed with a paint deck in my kitchen and 2 friends who had recently renovated. They were the best Christmas gift I received that year. We had huge success in every room but the master bedroom. The room is large and can handle a dark color. The thought behind the choice was to pick the dark color so the lighter colors would pop. That worked, a little bit.

The crux of the problem....I mixed a cool color with a warm color. Try finding curtain fabric with that in mind. Just didn't happen. The only fabric that was possible was $180 per yard and, honestly, it's cheaper to paint. I didn't even love the fabric that much either.

You might not know it but I am married to best guy in town. His only response, " Why?". So, I told him why and he said, "Ok". I'm one lucky girl!

I like it already....hoping to select curtain fabric....PRONTO!

Things I'm Loving - January 2012 edition

As I cleaned and vacuumed the very neglected basement playroom today I created a post on my favorite things in my head. Each seems to relate back to a few of my most important goals for 2012.

1) Treadmill - my hubby got me an amazing treadmill for Christmas and I have used it every day since. I hope to work off a few extra pounds that will lead to a healthier, happier and thinner 2012. It's amazing how much easier it is to get the workout in when I am in the comfort of my own corner of the basement.

2) Moisturizing lip gloss - Mary Kay NouriShine Plus Lip Gloss

I just happened upon this when I was cleaning out (are you catching a theme?) paper and catalogs. I was doing a quick peruse of the Mary Kay catalog before tossing it in the recycling pile. Mid-peruse I saw a sample and tried it on, something I never do. Even better... I loved the product. It is the NouriShine Plus Lip Gloss and I love the Fancy Nancy and Cafe Au Lait colors. Who couldn't love any color called Fancy Nancy. It's moisturizing and shiny. I liked it so much I bought 2 - one for my purse and one for my makeup dresser. Hoping that encourages me to reapply frequently as my lips usually get a single application per day. I am trying to be better about that.

3) Vacuum - My tool of choice when cleaning and organizing is my Dyson. If it's possible to love a vacuum then I love mine. It's powerful, flexible and will clean up nearly anything. When I vacuum I want to do it once and do it well. My Dyson is the vacuum for the job. Second in line for favorite vacuum is my shopvac. I'll let them duke it out but each is reliable and wonderful in it's own way.

4) Work out Gear - what's a treadmill without a few new pieces of workout gear. Granted I am not in the gym any more but always fun to wear cute clothes that feel great. Love my Lululemon and Athleta. Especially this Athleta Renew jacket....would buy it in every color if they still had it in my size. Not super heavy but a great body skimming fit and a wonderful layering piece.

5) And finally, here's to the design world picking back up after the holiday break. I read today,

"the best way to get organized is to stay home".

That's exactly what I needed to get myself in gear. I tend to run errands and stop here and there while the children are in school. Not the best for being on top of home making. So, I made lots of follow up calls today and am so excited that the curtains are nearly done and the living room trim (upper right) is due next week. All that means I will have curtains on my windows in no time...yeah! Now to shop for hardware...online perhaps.

Sample Sale

Obviously I am back from Colorado and hit the ground running with holiday shopping and festivities. I finally hit the couch for a few hours yesterday as it all caught up with me!

Friday was two holiday parties. It's always so much fun to catch up with friends! Saturday morning my elves and I sent off our Christmas cards. I really couldn't have done it without my elves. Card stuffing and addressing was followed quickly by major house clean up as we hosted dinner for The Dog"s Church Youth Group progressive dinner Saturday night. I was so proud of myself for taking the easy way out on the dinner - Stouffer's prepared the most delicious lasagna for our festivities. Pepperidge Farm was the bread of choice and I slaved over a ceasar salad with Brianna's dressing. All in all very unusual for me, the one who likes to do all my own cooking, but such a relief to just have it done. I knew our teens weren't here for the food!

In between card writing and house clean up, my hubby and I finally put down the carpet we purchased for the living room. As with most things I buy, there's a story. Bear with me a minute as I jump around and back to the 1st weekend in December when I visited the Galbraith & Paul Sample Sale.

Piles of Pillows from website

iphone photo at the sale

Until 6 months ago I didn't know much about Galbraith & Paul. I first heard about them here when Erika mentioned their fabrics on her blog, Urban Grace. I loved the Sweet Pea pattern she showed in that post. Fast forward a year or two and a decorator mentions them again. I knew their name rang a bell but had no idea it was a local company or that they host a fabulous Sample Sale in December that is open to the public - wahoo! I sometimes think I live in the warehouse sale capitol. Not complaining. Just stating an observation.

remnants by the pound

iphone photo of the pile

As you might know by now, I don't like to miss a good sale. And since I am up to my eyeballs in redecorating the timing was perfect. I very much enjoyed their sale - piles of pillows, perfect pendants, mounds of fabric remnants by the pound and just a few rugs. Their fabrics are hand printed and beautifully crafted. They also sell ready made pillows through Room and Board.

A sampling of pendants

Their patterns can be printed on velvet, linen or silk. I picked up two of these rectangular donut pillows to rest in the back of the infamous cane back chairs.

I also bought 4.5 pounds of fabric pieces to use for pillows. It was very fun mixing and matching. After waiting in a very long line to check out I was about to blow right by the rugs that were in a side office as I was leaving. Curiosity got the best of me and I had to stop and see what it was about. They only had about 6 rugs but I thought I should see what they had just to educate myself a bit more.

Guess what....I found something! The rug is above with the sample of the Living Room inspiration fabric. Their rugs are wool and silk and retail for est $11,000. My price for this 9 x 12 beauty was $900. You read it right... $900. I couldn't pass it up. It had been in a showroom and had a couple of tiny spots on it. Truly makes it easier for me to have in my house because I am always a nervous wreck with truly new (read perfect) items as they are sure to be damaged in this zoo. I was told a famous tennis player who was once married to Tatum has this exact rug in his Dining Room!

We love it and can't wait for the furniture and curtains to arrive! I promise to share when it's all done....just takes me a long time to get anything finished.

Do you like the rug? Have you ever heard of Galbraith & Paul? Do you like their fabrics?

Courtney....the monogram store is Threadwell in Chestnut Hill. Happy Shopping! They will monogram on their product or yours.

The Nutcracker

These pictures are worth a thousand words.

I have had a fantastic weekend with family in Colorado.

I have never enjoyed the Nutcracker more than watching my two nieces dance. The first time for one and last time for the other. They were both spectacular and you could see how much they love to dance in the expression on their faces.

Thankfully, we saw the show on Saturday and Sunday. There was so much to see we needed to see it more than once!

We went to dinner with the lead ballerinas after tonight's show. Boy was that fun. They are really a lovely bunch of teens who love to dance and love each other.

I so wish Sweet Pea was here with me too. However, Sweet Pea and Buddy did beautifully in their Christmas Pageant today. My sweet hubby recorded the pageant on his ipad and sent it to me in installments via email. What a guy! I am missing them terribly but know we have both had super fun and busy weekends and I will be home soon.

Now for tomorrow...to ski or not to ski. That is the question.

Lucky and Unlucky all in one

Can you believe I am going to miss the Lilly Pulitzer warehouse sale tomorrow? It's a first. I have not missed their twice a year sale EVER, I think. It's a shame too. My dear cousin wants a black Shere sweater in XL and I was going to buy her one if it was $100 or under like previous sales. I adore my collection of Shere sweaters and I knew she would too.

My list would have had her sweater at the top and an Elsa top "in any fabric that isn't silk" for me. I have one and love the comfortable and flattering fit!

My niece the ballerina

So there must be something BIG that is causing me to miss the Lilly sale, right? Tomorrow I am flying to Vail Colorado to see my niece dance in her last Nutcracker. She is a senior in high school and has danced for years in the local company's Nutcracker. My mother insisted that I must see her in her last performance and so I am making a quick trip to Colorado with my sister and another niece. I am missing my children's Church Christmas Pageant but fortunately have been part of rehearsals for months and know they will perform beautifully.

The Colorado Cousins - my brother and his family

I am such a chicken about flying and driving in the mountains of Colorado so I decided that if I was making a trip to Colorado in December I was going to squeeze in one extra day for skiing. On Monday I will be skiing with my sister in law at either Vail or Beaver Creek with valet service. How great is that?

It's going to be a full, fun and COLD weekend. See you next week!

Demolition

When I think of demolition I think of run down houses that have been neglected and the demolition derby. I don't know much about the demolition derby but it sounded good in the sentence. What I don't think of is this beauty. Can you believe this house is going to be demolished?

I have talked about demolitions before because there is a company in our area that recycles as much as they can of a house before it is demolished. Smart company. I think you need to be a tad handier than what I can do with my pink "for girls only" tool kit. Oh, how I admire handy people. I am handy in my head it's the execution that is difficult for me. I guess that makes me an idea person.

Look at this....how can you rip down these stairs. Aren't they gorgeous? How would one recycle these stairs. Wouldn't an entire house have to be built around these stairs?

Guess what, they don't fit in my house.

I really should give up....

I really should give up this blog. I am such an irregular poster and clearly not committed enough to the cause. However, I am not a quitter and I just love the blog world too much to leave. So, I will continue to attempt this journal while trying not too feel inadequate compared to other blogs glossed with a dash more perfection and a sprinkle more prettiness I will be who I am....imperfect with a heart that always strives to be better.

Holiday baking has commenced at the Bickie Household. It really should be our time of year given the blog name, right? I do love to bake and my family usually enjoys my creations. I always look forward to my book club cookie exchange for the trays and trays of yummy cookies that I bring home. I get a little bored with baking so many of just one kind of cookie. So this year, once again, I am going to make double batches of two different cookie recipes. My pecan bars (click here for the recipe) are already made and in the freezer. Today I am baking Chocolate Mint Creams. The recipe is below. Instead of the meltaway creams I use Hershey Candy Cane Kisses. The recipe is from Holiday Baking 2008. They are delicious. Enjoy!

What You Need

• 1 1/4 c flour
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 2/3 c packed brown sugar
• 6 T butter
• 1 T water
• 1 c semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Pastel cream mint kisses (about 48)

What You Do

In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking soda; whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the brown sugar, butter, and water. Cook, stirring often, until the butter is melted. Add the chocolate chips and continue to cook over low, stirring often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour the chocolate mixture in a large bowl and cool for 10 minutes.

Stir the egg into the chocolate mixture. Stir in the flour mixture until well combined.

Cover the dough and chill for 1-2 hours or until the dough is easy to handle (I chilled the dough for maybe 30 minutes because I am impatient).

Heat oven to 350º. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls (I used a tablespoon measure to portion the dough). Place the balls on the cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between the balls.

Bake the cookies for 8 minutes. Immediately place a mint on top of each cookie. Bake the cookies for another 2 minutes until the edges are set.

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. If you desire, use a small spatula to flatten/spread the melted mint before it cools and hardens.

Unveling the Living Room - Part 2

Living Room Stage 2 - inspirations and possibilities.

I fell in love with this large scale linen blend fabric. It was the inspiration for the entire Living Room scheme. I really wanted a calm color palette and this does the trick for me. We aren't going to use a lot of it. Just enough on pillows or on the seat of the french styled arm chairs.

The fabric above has been the jumping off point for the rest of the fabric and furniture in the living room. Below is a sampling of possibilities....

I am truly in love with this plain large scale woven linen for curtain panels. Good thing the linen is only $12 a yard because the trim, shall we say, isn't. Unfortunately, the trim will make the entire scheme come together and I am completely in love with it. Might have to hide that line item from my husband!

Like it?

Unveiling the Living Room - Part 1

The stage is set for the Living Room Redo. The walls are painted Benjamin Moore's Brandon Beige (#977) and the light sconces have been updated.

Built ins are designed and the order will be placed tomorrow. They will flank each side of a french door to the deck.

Next in line is the furniture order. I am selling our camelback sofa and wingback chairs that have been in the living room. These pieces were never as comfortable as I would have liked. I would love to use the living room as an adult space and not just for entertaining.

We are going to order the below sofa sans the casters. Our family hasn't had much luck with casters. We have 2 chairs from Ethan Allen with casters and one of the casters broke. Ethan Allen has been very difficult to work with when trying to get a replacement caster for the one that broke. Their name is all over the chair and they don't seem to be willing to replace the broken parts. Needless to say, I am not shopping at Ethan Allen for our new furniture.

The sofa is 72" in length and I love the tufted back, smaller arms and single seat cushion. We are ordering this in a cream linen with a soft chenille feel.

Across from the sofa will be 2 of these chairs with similar arm and fixed back. The chairs will have a skirt and swivel. They will also be in a cream fabric with small taupe pattern.

You may remember my posts about these chairs. They haunted me and HBO was the ultimate buyer.

I found the chairs below for $165 each and decided they were close enough to the red beauties. I will reupholster the seats and arms in either the inspiration linen (stay tuned tomorrow) or a large houndstooth. The houndstooth is hard to come by so I am thinking I will end up using the inspiration linen. I plan to paint the wood in a grey tone to match the fabric.

I would love for the paint finish on the chairs to resemble a lacquer finish. Do I dare attempt them myself or should I find a professional sprayer? Anyone know how to get a lacquer finish?

Monogram Beauty

Look at this beauty I picked up at my new favorite monogram shop on Thursday. Isn't it unusual and wonderful? These are King size Frette shams I found at TJ M*XX for $9.99 for the pair. Add a super fancy and wonderful monogram and they are suddenly priceless to me.

I just love them and think they will be the final touch (if that's possible) to our bed.

Musings a la Sweet Pea - Part Deux

More musings from our littlest one...

"My favorite animal is a dog. I like dogs because they are soft and because they lick me. My Mom does not want a dog but me and my brother wants to have a dog. She does not want a shedding dog. She wants it potey (potty) trand (trained) and a lot of other things. I love dogs."

Her teacher wrote....

"Hope you get a dog"

Gee....I sound like the meanest Mom in the world. We are still looking for the right dog. I am sure I will give in one of these days!

Musings a la Sweet Pea

Here's what Sweet Pea had to say in her morning essay this week,

"My Mom has blond hair, blue eyes and a very nice smile.
My Mom is very nice. She loves kids.
She gows (goes) out a lot though but I still love her.
I love my Mom."

I love you too Sweet Pea. Very much. I am, however, trying to figure out where it is I go. I feel like I don't go anywhere.
When I asked her about it she said it was how she was feeling that day but she doesn't feel that way now. Phew!

New Friends

Meet my new friends....

It's that time of year again. The end of October brings more to mind than gorgeous leaves changing color and Halloween festivities. It's also when my favorite charity sale hits the calendar. This year did not disappoint although I did exercise restraint. Even the ladies hosting the sale commented that I was seeming more discriminating. Given my spending of late, that's a compliment.

My new friends are Chanel and Manolo....do you like?

Worn once Frye boots for $48 were a happy purchase as well and will probably get more use than the "fancy" shoes.

Also loved the new Scout bag for $4 and vintage Gucci-look bamboo purse for $24. Cleaning, organizing, and middle school projects are calling.

A few more things in the next few days. Have been cleaning closets and loading tons on ebay. It must be gone from the dining room table asap!

Haunted

It's Halloween and the season of haunting. However, I am not haunted by ghosts but by these chairs. I can't get them out of my mind.

I posted about them in August after seeing them on a favorite consignment store's facebook page as a new arrival. We were in NH and the store is in Baltimore. I just couldn't pull the trigger sight unseen. Nor did I have any idea where I would use them.

Obviously, you know where this story is going. Fast forward 2 months...they were sold and I have a place to use them.

Now that I am finally moving forward on decorating my renovated home, after a long hiatus and to the tune of my husband saying, "just get it done", I need those chairs. I have the perfect linen blend fabric for those chairs.

I even know what color to paint them. They should be the centerpiece of my living room decorating scheme. I am haggard and tired from trolling multiple Craig*s L*st within a 3 state area for another pair of chairs so wonderful.

I mentioned the chairs to my mother and explained my dilemma as she sometimes work at said consignment store. Guess who bought the chairs? HBO! For a show! I knew those chairs were great. I told her to spread the word that if those chairs resurface they are to be MINE!

Have you ever been haunted by chairs?

Does your husband ever ask you to get a project done?