Finally...the AFTER!

So...about a month or so ago, I posted a 'before picture' of some Craigslist treasures I found. I ran into an unexpected snag during my DIY project that delayed the completion and reveal. During this project, I found out that you cannot buy spray paint within the city limits of Chicago. Say whaaa??? Stupid huffers, graffiti writers, hoodlums, you ruin it for the rest of us law abiding citizens who want to design on a dime! :)

Fast forward a few weeks. I finally made a trip out to the suburbs to visit and spend time with the bestie, Lauren and her sweet family, and while I was there we ran to Lowe's so that I could get my spray paint! YES!

Before... it was very beat up and needed some serious TLC.

  *Side note: The wicker chair is still the same color. I just added a pillow for now. :) 

and After...

I'll be honest, I underestimated my spray painting needs - so it's not exactly finished. I need to make a trip out to pick up another can of spray paint for some final touches. I was so thrilled with how it turned out though, I just couldn't wait to post an update about it! Love it.

I bought the piece on Craigslist for $10 and I would say I spent approx $10-15 on spray paint/sealer/sand paper! Not a bad investment, if I do say so myself. YAY! 

If you're curious, I used Valspar paint in a Satin finish. I don't know the color, but it's like an almond cream color. Obsessed with it. 

Let me know what y'all think!

bethanne

Arriving in Style

So, I'm behind on posting from the last week because MY MOM IS VISITING! Can you tell I get excited when she comes to town? I'm like a kid on Christmas morning. She arrived last Friday, and I took a week off from work to play while she's in town. Since I was taking this week off, I couldn't take off work on Friday when her flight landed. I told her for about 2 months that she was going to be on her own to take the train into downtown and I would meet her at the station. She was...freaked, to say the least. Little did she know that I had arranged for a town car to pick her up and drive her to my office! I had to tell her the day before so she could coordinate with the car service to meet her at the appropriate gate, and she was so excited!

True to form, when I called to make sure she had her luggage and had met up with her driver, she tells me, "Yeah! I made friends and he let me sit in the front seat! I wanted to be able to see everything coming into town." Oh Mom. I love you. Seriously, I love that she is the friendliest woman on the planet. Those drivers probably pick up some less than pleasant people and this guy was lucky enough to pick up the nicest, cutest little Texan. She's the best! Ok. Enough of me bragging on how awesome my mom is...

I had to document her arrival to my office. Is it Rahm? A CEO of a big company? Nope! It's my mom! We scurried off to a quick lunch and then she shopped around State St while I finished out my work day. Longest. Friday. Afternoon. Ever.

She's here for another day and a half, so I'm off to soak up every second before she has to go back home! Thank goodness the hubs gets home the same day she leaves or else I might be an emotional messy wreck. :)

Painting Peacocks

Last week, a few girlfriends and I met up for a painting class. I have to say, it was an absolute blast! The night we signed up for we were going to paint peacocks. The class was about 20-25 people and they supply the aprons, brushes, paint and canvas. All we had to bring was the wine and our creativity! The instructor walks you through which colors to mix and gives you tips on how to paint the piece. Seriously, such a fun thing to do with a group of girlfriends!

It was so fun to see everyone's peacocks come alive on the canvas!

 Almost done!

 We may not be Picasso, but we know how to paint a darn cute peacock!

 Currently, my masterpiece is hanging in the hallway. I love my afro-rockin' peacock! :)

Sure. Unsure?

Do y'all remember those Sure commercials?You know, the deodorant commercial where the person using Sure raises their arms in full confidence of smelling fresh and clean, while the unsure person thinks their B.O. might sneak out and stink up the place if they don't keep their arms squeezed tightly by their sides.

Well, I'll be honest, I haven't always been SURE myself. I always felt like after a while, the deodorant I was using would stop working for me. It's like my body became immune or something! I also feel like some of my shirts were never completely rid of the underarm funk after I washed my clothes. Maybe I'm the only one. If so, I'll own it and y'all can point at the girl with coodies. {oh coodies - who came up with that?!}

I'm happy to report though that my life has changed when it comes to deodorant and I want to shout it from the rooftops of my blog! To all of my 5 readers! :) A dear friend swore by this product and told me about it multiple times I'm sure. It's a little pricier than your typical Degree or Secret, and I thought "Yeah, sure. It works for you, but I'm a 'sweater' and I don't want to spend $$$ on something that won't work." I'm so happy I gave in and purchased this little miracle. I've been using it since sometime in May and I still love it!

So without further adieu...

 You should run to your nearest Macy's, Nordstrom, Neiman's or any other retailer that carries Donna Karan and buy it! I honestly don't think you'll be disappointed and it's worth every penny. I find that some things are worth the splurge, and this is one of those for me. And...even though I posted the links for Macy's and Neiman's ($18 at both stores) - I found it at Norstrom for $12! And it lasts quite a while - I'm still on my first stick!

Special thanks to my friend, Lauren, who told me about this gem. :)

Disclaimer: Now I'm not saying I no longer ever sweat - BUT - the major difference is that despite the sweat, I still feel/smell just as fresh at the end of the day. :)

Orange Pants? Pretty, Pretty Please!

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How cute are these cords/jeggings?! I think they would be perfect for cheering on my Oklahoma State Cowboys!!! I'm getting so excited about football season. If only I could be back in Stillwater, America tailgating with all of our wonderful friends - but someday we will be back to cheer on the Pokes in person! Until then, I hope to be rockin' these cords all over the Windy City this fall!

Movies in the Park!

Chicago (& many other great cities, I'm sure!) has a fabulous summer program called "Movies in the Park" and parks all over the city take turns hosting a movie on a portable big screen. It reminded me of the movie, The Wedding Planner. :) Last night was my first time to attend one and it was a blast! I'm sad that it's already August because I know there won't be many more before the season ends. Last night's movie:

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It was fun to watch this movie with hundreds of other people. It was much more interactive than in an actual movie theater. People would cheer/clap/laugh together - it was cute. I went with some girlfriends I met recently and we had a really great time! Everyone basically just brings their own picnic, blankets, chairs, etc. We saw everything from Chinese take-out to a wooden cheese board with lots of fancy cheeses and quite the assortment of wines - clearly those people had does this a time or two. :) We had our own nice spread of bread, fruit, cheese and wine and the weather could not have been any more perfect for spending the evening at the park!

I highly recommend checking out your city's park district for upcoming events! :)

Recent Purchases!

So...I still have not refinished the little table I snagged on Craigslist. I was motivated a few weekends ago and found out that you cannot buy spray paint within Chicago's city limits! Who knew?! Not this girl. Apparently, hoodlums like to "tag" property and get high off the stuff. Ugh, way to ruin it for DIY'ers like me. Anyway, I have to go out to the suburbs to get it and I just haven't been yet. I'm also debating painting it the old fashioned way...so we'll see. I was just really excited to try refinishing a piece of furniture with spray paint. :)

Also, we're STILL without internet at our new place. Without getting into it, we've been going round and round with AT&T and I can't quite figure out why my better half would still like to be their customer. I guess now it's the principle of the matter and we just want to win! haha.

But, back to the updates! I've been getting the itch to update a few things. Since we have moved so often, we don't want to invest too much in our belongings. It never fails, when you move there's always something that doesn't quite fit into your new space or you have to "make it work" one way or another. So, I decided to accessorize what we already have and go from there. Here are a couple of pictures of the new place...I'm not quite ready to show pictures of the whole place yet.{Please excuse some of the lighting in these photos - I took them with my iPhone}

 New lamp(s)! I bought a matching pair, but our bedroom is too narrow. For now, this is on Matt's side {please note the book King of Capital...definitely not on my must-read list}and my side of the bed has a floor lamp. :)

New euro shams. The headboard doesn't fit in this space so the pillows are our headboard now. I originally intended to make my own shams, but my sewing machine is out of commission and I just couldn't decide what fabric to choose, so I broke down and bought these cream shams. They have some stitching detail so they add a little texture too.

Our new rug!!! I'm pretty pumped about this purchase! Found this bad boy on overstock.com - can't beat their $2.95 shipping! Matt thinks it looks like lightning bolts. Men. And...of course the matching lamp.

Another view of the living room. To the left is the TV and also the fireplace is on that side...still working on the mantle situation and I would really love to upgrade our TV console.(not pictured)

What do you think?!