Cool it Down

Am I killing you with my blog post titles that  are songs? In recent posts, I have referenced the Jackson 5, Melissa Etheridge, Bob Marley and now New Edition.  My life will be complete when I work in ABBA, Bon Jovi and Elvis. You know I will make this happen.

I'm in the market for a new fridge.  I am not sure my husband is aware of this yet, and I guess this post will test whether he is actually reading the blog, as he swears he does "all the time."  But my gorgeous, shiny new stainless steel stove is making a mockery of my poor, downtrodden, 1980s side-by-side Winter White refrigerator.  Here she is:

To be fair, I have updated the fridge a bit.  When we moved in, the handles were faux wood grain, which, in the words of Sue Sylvester from Glee "would not stand."  I grabbed some oil-based high gloss Rust-o-leum and painted over the handles to make them white.  Much better.  Still ... the fridge is old and has seen better days.  It may take some serious convincing to get a purchase, which is why I'm doing my research now.

There is an endless array of fridge styles these days.  Top-freezer, bottom-freezer, side-by-side and french doors round out the list.  Below is a round-up of the fridge styles, with my thinking on them.

* Top Freezer * This is one of the older tried and true styles of refrigerator freezers.  Price wise, these are the least expensive.  They are pretty much standard: fridge on bottom; freezer on top; end of story.  I like that the fridge is accessible to the kids, so they can run in and grab their pudding, cheese, grapes and don't always need my help.

* Bottom Freezer * The design of the bottom freezer models makes a lot more sense: you access the refrigerator and the foods therein much more than the frozen stuff, so why give the freezer prime real estate in the device?  I am not sold on this style though - I find it a little awkward.  And with the kids, I'm not keen on the freezer being at their level.  I have visions of Flick on A Christmas Story, I guess.

* Side by Side * This is what we have now, and I am used to it.  I like that there is ample space on both the freezer and fridge side.  It is also a great choice for a slim space, which is what we have.  The kids can reach the fridge easily.  The big cons are it's the least energy efficient style and it is so darn narrow.  It would be nice to have a wider refrigerator to store larger items.  Like delicious cakes. Delicious cakes from Costco.

* French Door * Finally, the newest style on the market, the french door refrigerator.  Jamie just bought one of these for her new place and ohmygosh, talk about swoon-worthy. It combines the really great points of a bottom freezer and a side-by-side all in one.  Jamie's model even has a special spot in the freezer for frozen pizzas and has all the bells and whistles you can imagine (seriously - I think the fridge has actual bells and whistles) .  Hello?  This style tends to be on the larger side, which is a worry of mine.

So I'm stuck.  I am not sure which type to go with.  I would love for you to weigh in on the refrigerator that you have and its pros and cons. And hey, while you're at it, advise me on which style is best for what I want and need!

See you swoon,

Cyber Monday, Shoppers Unite!

For those of you brave enough to have gone out on Black Friday, I give you a lot of credit, I am not one of those brave souls. Since I cannot bring myself to face the mayhem that this day has become I have turned to Cyber Monday, all hail the genius that came up with this!

I am sure most of you have heard about this site by now but one of the things that makes it so easy to navigate is that you can look in a specific category and see what sales are going on or what coupon codes you can use rather than going through items that you may not be interested in.

This site works just like a search engine where you can use the search bar to type in a specific item you want and it will find all the stores currently offering it and compare the prices for you, danger, that is all I can say. I am currently looking for sweater dresses when I should be Christmas shopping.

Featured Deals

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So if you get a chance to take a break today, after you read this of course, check it out. Let us know if you find a great deal. Happy Cyber Monday to you all!

See you swoon,

Where'd you get that? (Shanna's Living & Dining Room Source List)

If you haven't noticed, Jamie and I are *obsessed* with lists.  I think this is part of the reason we get along so well - that mutual adoration for making lists and then checking things off is a powerful thing!  At our last blog meeting, which always involves wine, we thought we should create a list of a different kind: a source list.  Many of the blogs that we love love love (e.g., Young House Love, Bower Power) have source lists for each room in their home so their readers can figure out where they got their swoon-worthy furniture and decor.  We thought we'd do the same.  Once we upgrade our blog, we will have a tab devoted to tours of our home with a source list that we keep up-to-date.  Up today are my living room and dining rooms.

* Living Room *

Paint color: Behr Parisian Taupe; Trim color:  Sherwin Williams Dover White; Window treatments: Pottery Barn linen drape shades (purchased on eBay); Rug: Lowe's; Sofa: Raymour & Flanigan Fresno collection in Taupe; Dark wicker rattan cubes: Walmart; Weathered wall clock: wedding gift; Small crown moulding shelf: Target; Weathered white frame (on crown moulding shelf): Anthropologie; Side lamps: Pier 1; Silver frames: Pottery Barn, Home Goods, Anthropologie; Black frames on wall behind sofa: Pottery Barn, Walmart, Target; CD console side table: Pier 1 (painted white); small side table: Pottery Barn (painted white); tray on rattan cubes: Marshalls ($5 clearance, painted white); blue pillows on couch: Target; blue and brown striped pillow on couch: Target

Loveseat: Raymour & Flanigan Fresno collection; floor lamp: Target; Framed art: Susy Jack calendar and frame from Frames by Mail; Television: Best Buy (LG LCD 37 inch); Shelf: Target with fabric mounted to the back; baskets: Home Goods; Blue bins: Babies R Us; blue, brown & cream pillow on loveseat: Marshalls (on clearance for $5).

Shelf & bench set: JC Penney; baskets: JC Penney (came with the bench & shelf ); cushion covers: DIY from fabric purchased at Fabric.com; oil-rubbed bronze hooks on shelf: Target (note: the shelf came with smaller silver hooks, but I switched them out, as I prefer a larger and darker hook).

Desk: Ballard Designs; Print over desk: Pier 1; baskets: Crate & Barrel, Home Goods; Tall vase on desk: Ikea; short "ruffly" vase on desk: Ross (on clearance for $4.99); small white frame: Pottery Barn (was black; I painted it white)

* Dining Room *

Wall color: Behr Parisian Taupe; Trim color: Sherwin Williams Dover White; Rug: Target indoor-outdoor rug; Table & chairs: Broyhill purchased at Gamburgs (local furniture shop); chandelier: was in house when we bought it - I painted it black; window treatments: Pottery Barn white linen drape shades

Buffet: Pottery Barn; Topiaries: Home Decorators Collection (pots were terracotta - I painted them white); mercury candleholders: Target and Home Goods; mirror: Ross (was gold, I painted white); Square tray: charger from Pottery Barn; crystal decanter: heirloom; runner: DIY with fabric from Fabric.com; plates on wall: Target and Home Goods.

Wine Cabinet: Pottery Barn with fabric on foam board in back.  China and crystal are wedding gifts, Wine Bottle Holder: eBay, but Pottery Barn look-alike.

Small buffet: Marshalls (had a big chip so I negotiated a low price of $45 - was green and I painted white and added matching hardware); print on wall: Ballard Designs; hobnail lamp: JC Penney; typography tray: Anthropologie; large letter "O":  Anthropologie; framed print on buffet: print Etsy store Sixth & Main and frame from Target; silver frog bank: Pottery Barn

There you have it!  A full source-list for two rooms.  I tried to put in links for things that are still available, and as you can see, I love to point out when I've scored great bargains.

See you swoon,

Before & After: Media Stand

Well first let me say, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I cannot believe this holiday rolled around so fast this year! I know that this weekend, since Kelly will have had his turkey, we are getting our first Christmas tree!! I cannot wait for this and I am sure Kelly cannot wait either because all I talk about is this tree and decorating for the holiday. I will be sure to take pictures and show you all the decor.

While Kelly was coaching a swim meet last weekend I was supposed to be cleaning but as I sat in the den cleaning the coffee table I could not stand the sight of the TV stand and cable boxes everywhere. Instead of cleaning it seemed like a MUCH better idea to go to IKEA and find a solution for this. Here is my first before and after, a small project but it gave me instant gratification and the room feels that much more put together.

What do yout think? If you have some before and afters to share email them over to us!

Before (cable boxes and wires everywhere)

After (LOVE IKEA)

See you swoon,

It's a wrap

A few weeks ago, I posted my current to-do list and several projects that I want to tackle in the near term.  On the list was my plan to transform my bedroom armoire with a little bit of wrapping paper, using inspiration from Young House Love.  File this under "things I should have done about 3 years ago" - the project was one of the easiest things I have ever done!  And the impact in the room is huge.  All told, it took about 20 minutes from start to finish.  Not bad.

I started with two Aneboda wardrobes from Ikea, which I purchased in 2007.  They were very inexpensive (I think they were about $150 total for the large double sized one and the smaller one).  I desperately needed more closet space, so I bought a closet rail at Lowes for about $5 and added it to the larger armoire.  I wasn't happy with the handles that came with the armoires, so I simply switched them out and bought the nicer silver ones from Lowes.  Three years later and the armoires are going strong.  Thank you Ikea!

The big problem (at least to me): those panels in front are translucent.  I absolutely hated that I could see my clothes through them.  Here they are before.

So, I happened upon the post in Young House Love, where they transformed the exact same armoires with just a little wrapping paper.  Score.  It took me awhile to find the right color and print, but finally I found the perfect one at Target (gray and white and absolutely no glitter) and was ready to go to work.  Here's what you'll need: roll of wrapping paper, yardstick, permanent double-sided tape, scissors.

I tweaked the procedure that the Young House Love folks used.  Because I use these armoires every single day, many times per day (and they really only used their armoire for storage in the basement), I felt I needed to cut my wrapping paper to fit the panel.  This took a little longer, but I think there is less chance of ripping the paper.  I measured the width and length of each panel.

Once I had my measurements, I rolled out the paper and cut them to size.  I was careful but also realized it didn't have to be completely perfect, since the panel wasn't completely see-through.  Then, I put the double sided tape along the perimeter of the inside panel doors.  I cut the tape to size at the top and bottom and along the sides, I used a few strips.  I put the paper (print side out!) at the top of the panel and worked my way down.

I gently pressed the paper into place and then checked my work.  Voila!  Here they are now.  I am happy to report the paper completely blocks the contents of the armoires.

Do you have any craftastic projects you've tackled lately (or do you have any that you need some help with)?  Please share!

See you swoon,

{Note: apologies for the poor quality photos!  I am in the process of buying a new camera that doesn't make me want to scream and throw it across the room}