Laboring Labor Day Weekend

Why hello there, Orange you glad to see me?



Old Navy Chambray, old but similar here. The Gap Always Skinny Jeans, old

Casual Friday indeed.

(A Baby Giraffe's number one clothing problem...high-waters.  Thank God cropped pants are all the rage. Or are they?  Always have been, always will be for me.)

Lately, for some reason I have had ZERO motivation and inspiration when getting dressed. This is all I could muster this morning.

Moving on from my failure, anyone with fun plans for the holiday weekend? We have a couple of fun things lined up but nothing too exciting. Some pool time and dinner plans with a few friends here and there.

My main focus is to get a few things accomplished around the house. As we approach the four month mark on home ownership things around our house have all of the sudden decided to fall apart. Oh The Joys of Home Ownership.  Now I get what everyone means when they recite this little saying on their Facebook status'.

All in the same day last weekend our motorized gate stopped working, our kitchen faucet broke and some of the tile on the side of our pool slipped away to a watery grave.  Also a lizard ate the pepper I grew all summer and nurtured like a baby, but that is beside the point.

So we will be fixing those things, hopefully.  There is kind of a push to get those things fixed along with finishing a few more cosmetic things around the house before the couple’s baby shower we are hosting next weekend rolls around. As mentioned here.

Last night, my husband had one of his four, yes FOUR, fantasy football drafts and didn’t get home till late.  I was able to use this extra alone time to create a few of the decorations for the party. 

Here is a sneak peek of a future tutorial that has to do with the party décor.

 It’s going to be cute!  Even Hova thinks so...

 Also the Must Do list for this long weekend:

- Paint the long hallway and create long gallery wall
- Paint and stencil entryway
- Vamp up dining room chandie
- Rearrange rugs in the house
- Dress up my dressing table area
- Finalize a color choice for guest room
-FINALLY RECOVER MY OUTDOOR CHAIRS!!!!!!!!!

No I have not done that yet.  Redonk, I know.

Orange you glad you read my blog?

tbg

She get it from her Nana.....

It is Thursday!  Let us rejoice!  Friday is just around the corner! 

Is anyone else out there sick of hearing about Miley Cyrus and the tounge that got away?  And her talent that was never there?  Me too.

It is way more fun to discuss the new idea I have for the blog.

I would love to start and keep up with a little segment where I fawn and gush over homes I love.  I would prefer that these people that I highlight be folks I know but I am sure there will be an internet/magazine find that I love so much that I have to share it as well.

I don’t plan on doing this weekly or anything, but from time to time, when I find one I really love. There is nothing like stalking someone’s home with your camera or begging for them to send you pics of their home.  An awkward turtle moment for sure.

The first house I would like to share with you is my most fav house and it belongs to my Nana.  I mentioned in my post, here, on Monday that my Nana is one hip lady.  And how much I trust and appreciate your taste and design style, here.  She is truly talented, unique and inspiring. 

Here are a few pictures of my Nana.

Aunt Gigi, Me, BFF Slash, Nana, BFF Heat and Aunt Birdie in Paris 2008



Mama, Nana, Aunt Gigi and Aunt Birdie at the Arc de Triomphe 2008

Nana and I at my bridal shower 2009

Mama, Me and Nana at my Breakfast at Tiffany's shower 2009




Nana, Me, Peanut, Mama and Aunt Birdie in New Orleans 2013

What other 80 year old wears all white in the middle of the winter and looks better than everyone else in the room?

 

Isn't she so glam and fab?!  Her style in dress and home decor have had a huge impact on me.

 

I only have a few shots of her house, but I think you will get a sense of what she is all about design wise. She is so funky and eclectic.

Here home is very hacienda, meets European, meets Southwestern.



The ladies in our family love them some Paris and we like to find ways to pay homage to our favorite city, see pillow below.  There isn't one room in my house where you won't find at least one reference to the City of Lights. 

She ties in so many elements that she loves with no thought to if they "work" or "fit in".  She just includes things that she has come across in her travles that she cannot live without.  That is totally my style as well. 

 

 

That coffee table is an old farmhouse dining table that she cut the legs off of, she invented the idea of "make it work".

 

Our family, although not Catholic, find comfort in having the Virgin Mary in our homes. I collect blue ones of course, as does my Aunt Gigi.

 

 

We like to find a way to incorporate the beach and water into our homes as well.

 

 

How sick is that mirror?  Nana made it herself!!!

As I said before, my Nana, as well as the other women in my family, are a huge influence on my style. Here are just a few examples of where you will find her popping up in my home.  Sorry for the cruddy phone photos.

 

Her influence can be seen in the above Mary bust, horns and art purchased on my trip to San Fransisco last year.  Also in the Mary's below.  My Nana also taught me to display my necklaces as art.

Bringing the beach indoors.


And here she is in my sister's home.  My mother made this awesome headboard out of an old door for my sister.  You can see Nana in the Virgin Marys', southwestern pillows and the crosses on the wall.  Also, in the yellow wall color.

 

One of the many things I am happy that she has taught me is to collect art on my travels. Nana's house is covered in art that she has collected over the years. From Italy, France, China, Mexico, Costa Rica, New York, New Orleans, etc. Her life is hanging right there on her walls. I have taken to doing this as well. I will have to show y'all my collection one day. But is about 1/10 the size of Nana's collection, but that's ok. She has about 50 years on me.

 

Lessons I am happy to have learned from my Nana:

1. Art is what makes life beautiful.

2. Don't forget the beauty nature has to offer.  You can walk outside and find a million beautiful things in the trees, on the ground and in the air.

3. Buy, pick up, dig out of the trash, create and surround yourself with the things you love.  Don't worry about convention.

4. Your home is never finsihed. It should keep changing, growing and evolving with you.

5. ALWAYS BE FABULOUS.

 

Working on that fabulous part,

 

tbg

COME AND TAKE IT! Beer Pong Table Tutorial

Ok, I was supposed to finish up the outdoor chairs this week and reveal the finished effect, however, I have been lazy and haven't finished them. 

But all is not lost! The Fella and I finally finished our much anticipated (at least by us) homemade beer pong table that was first mentioned here.  Time for the reveal!

Here she blows!

 

It is regulation size and everything.  We built it for an upcoming party we are having but the two of us broke it in last Saturday night all by our lonesome.  There is something that sounds very sad about a husband and wife being at their home, only the two of them, and having an impromptu beer pong and swim party. But really it was awesome.

 

And Mr. Man is looking super classy in his cut off Dukes of Hazzard tee shirt left over from college. 

Ok so here is the rundown.

We bought the wood at home depot.  We were originally going to have two pieces of plywood cut down to size and then screw them together to get a little more sturdiness and thickness.  We would then have to sand, prime, paint and seal the wood.

But once inside Home Depot we found this piece of whatever it is….not wood I don’t think…but maybe.  It is the stuff you use to build closet shelves out of and stuff.  And it came already cut down to perfect regulation beer pong table size!  Pre-sanded, painted and sealed!  Amaze balls!

We then bought a table leg kit, also at Home Depot. 

 

We got home and the Fella did all the measuring and planning.  I then held the table for him whilst he screwed in the legs and stuff.  Harder than it sounds.

We then lightly sanded the top so that I could paint some on designs.

 

First we measured the triangles out to regulation size.  These are where the cups go. 

 

I then painted the triangles, canon and star on and the Fella stenciled on the words.  This was brutal because he had to wait for each one to completely dry before he could do the next letter.

 

The slogan we painted on was first used in the American Revolution but for you non-Texans, this slogan was made most famous for being used on the flag that was flown at the Battle of the Gonzales.  My husband and I are HUGE fans of the story of  the Texas Revolution and it's battles.  We realy love the folklore behind the individuals that fought at the Alamo.

It is so random that this is something we both had in common that started at an early age for us both.  Davey Crockett was my hero big time when I was little.  All those guys had some serious guts.  Myth or not, the well-known story around these parts is truly inspiring.

Anywho that is the background on the design.  We then sealed the paint with a clear, weather-proof sealant.

 

That's all it took.  Hopefully the table will be a big hit at our up and coming parties.  We shall see.  I WILL finish those darn chairs this week.  I promise to myself! In the meantime, I leave you with this little dandy of a shot of us at the Alamo a few years ago.

Davey Crockett is my boyfriend,

tbg

Hookah me up!

It is Monday again, le sigh.  I feel like there are so many more Mondays than there are Saturdays.  And I hate it.

My weekend was a quickie but a goodie.

The Fella and I hosted my twin 5 year old nephews’ birthday party at our house on Saturday.  

It was one part Star Wars, one part monster trucks and all parts awesome.

The boys are so different.  One asked for all things truck related and one asked for all things action hero.  One asked for the Star Wars movies and one asked for Beverly Hills Chihuahua!  Too funny.

I have been blessed with six amazing nieces and nephews.  They are the best things in my life!  Being an aunt and uncle is the most rewarding thing the Fella and I have ever experienced together.  It makes us so happy and brings us closer together as a couple as well.

We had a great turn out and it was complete chaos in our backyard for hours….and I loved it.  It was one of those moments when you just look around you and think of how luck you are to have moments like this.  Those moments where everyone around you feels completely happy at that moment and you are met with sounds of shrieking delight and laughter.

Those really are the moments that life is made up of…..I read a friend’s status on Facebook the other day that said “There is no perfect life, just perfect moments”.  I dig that.  I want a life full of perfect moments. This was one of those for sure.

Enough of the mushy stuff, here are some pics of the insanity...




Presies from Aunt Baby Giraffe

 

 

 

 

 

 

How awesome is this cake???  The other twin had a monster truck cake which was equally adorable and tasted even better but I did not get a good pic of it....sad face.

 

After the twins' party, we headed out for a more adult kind of celebrating at a nearby Hookah lounge.  This time we were celebrating the birth of a dear friend of ours. The smoke was brutal but we had a good time!

 

It is fun to get a little glammed up for some dancing and bevies with your girlfriends and the fellas.

Banana Republic shorts, VS top and Prabal Gurung for Target wedges

 





My ultimate go-to Glamazon fashion tip for a night out at a club/bar???  Dress up a pair of simple black shorts!  They can look pretty dressy and you dont have to worry about dresses being too short or pants looking like high-waters.

 

I skipped my usual ginormous necklace for some ginormous earrings instead.  Very "Around the Way Girl", cue LL Cool J.

I have been more into studs lately so this was a fun change of pace.  These earrings were my grandmother's that she wore back in the 80's and 90's.  My Nana is a very hip lady. She gave them to me a few years ago and it is always fun to bust them out!

 



 

 

Fun times!!!

 

In other news,

 

I found a great deal on fabric to recover my outdoor chairs so check back in this week for my final reveal on those!

 

 

All painted, now ready for their new outfit!

 

Wielding a staple gun,

 

the baby giraffe

Bun's in the Oven!

Not my oven.  My friend’s. Good friend.  College teammate and roomie for a year.

So my mind is all a twitter right now with things baby.

Baby shower that is.

Because I am throwing one in a few weeks, with the theme “Backyard BaByQ”.

Here is the top of the invite. 

Totes adorbs am I right?  She and her hubby are not finding out the sex of the baby until the day it is born.  Which is awesome.  Except if you are the one trying to throw a baby shower.

I decided to do a Robin’s Egg Blue and Pastel Pink twist on the usual red and blue backyard BBQ décor.  Big mistake.  There are no pink and blue sets of tissue paper balls.  No packages that contain both pink and blue cups, etc.  So you either have to buy two of everything or just try and do you best at balancing out the pink and the blue.  Hard to do.  No to mention it is a couple’s shower, so adding in some outdoorsy, masculine touches are important.

It is so stupid but I keep feeling guilty about not making it equal.  So silly.

It is my fault for choosing this color scheme, but I was swept up in the uber-trendy shabby chicness of it all!!!  And if any of you have seen my home, or pics of my wedding or my bridal shower, then you will know that I ADORE all things that live in the aqua, Tiffany blue, Robin’s Egg blue or 50’s sea foam families.

The entire dining room in our last house was Tiffany Blue for gravy’s sake.  As is my current kitchen.  I'm a little bit in love.

Here are a few pics from our last home (the rental) just to drive home the point.

 

 

 

Obsessed much?

I should have done the predictable green and yellow shower, but that would then be, well, predictable. And a baby giraffe is nothing if not not predictable.  Double negatives fo’ yo ass.

To make it a little more backyard and outdoorsy, I am using things like galvanized buckets, brown twine, butcher paper, burlap and some old wooden wine crates as décor and for serving purposes.

I told you it was shabby chic!  It is going to look like Rachel Ashwell threw up in our backyard.  At least I hope it does. 

So anyway, I have been wrapped up in planning and shopping for the shower.  Hobby Lobby, Michael's and Party City are my new BFF's.  But truthfully, they always have been.

Here are some inspiration pics I have gathered on the nets.

I am ironing out the details but you get the idea.  Luckily I have three weeks till the big day!

Shabilly chic for the week,

tbg