Booth Panels
The National Stationery Show is less than two weeks away, and my crate has already arrived in NYC. That does help relieve some of the stress, but I’ve been sick since Monday (a cold this time, no more food poisoning). With so much to do, I can’t afford to miss out of several days of work because I don’t feel well! Ugh.
I’m pretty excited about my booth design. I made 8 panels with the pattern from my shop’s website, and I’ll be hanging shelves on them.
They’ll look better when they’re done, trust me. ;)
I also bought FLOR carpet tiles in fluffy fuschia and espresso. Perhaps I’ll use them in the house later, I’m not sure yet.
OK, back to work for me. I’ll try to take a photo of some of the new goodies soon!
Brandon’s Party
I must confess, I had been feeling guilty.
All of my time has been going toward preparing for the National Stationery Show, and NOT toward Brandon’s party. I wanted to fix up the backyard (plants, flowers, furniture, lighting), make Martha-style decorations (giant paper 3D stars everywhere), bake a cake (from scratch), etc. I just couldn’t do it though. Too many nights with too little sleep. So much work to do and not enough of me to do it. Sometimes I put a little too much on my plate.
Well, the weather did not cooperate. All of that backyard worrying was for naught, but 30 of us managed to fit in the house just fine. The house was clean (thank you, Brandon) and looked nice… even without the crafty decorations I had envisioned. And no, I didn’t bake the cake. Brandon’s mom ordered and picked it up from Oak Park Bakery, and it was delicious.
Brandon’s mom also brought in a Slinky vase. You can move the coils around, and there’s a vase in the center to hold the flowers and water – it’s pretty cool. It belonged to Brandon’s grandmother!
Now I ask you, what party would be complete without children in masks and babies locking each other in cages?
Plus, I have a sneaking suspicion that we lucked out and got the best dog ever.
So, yes. A great party, everyone had fun, and we were happy to be surrounded by friends and family. I love my husband so much. Happy birthday, Brandon!
Style: May ‘08
I bought a darling brown and white dress (on sale!), which led me to do some internet window shopping. I had such fun creating my Ladylike outfit a couple of months ago that I thought I’d have another go at it. Perhaps I’ll make it a monthly feature?
I love big, roomy bags like The Market Bag by moop, and I have those cute Evana Wedge Sandals from Target (very comfortable). I’ve had the Green & Yellow Molecule Necklace by dejarnette new orleans on my wishlist for a little while now, and it would be really cute with the Confectionery Readers from Anthropologie. Then of course, there’s the dress that inspired the whole look, the Striped V-Neck Dress from Banana Republic. Love it! I’m so into brown and white lately, like this new pocket mirror that I designed.
I’m in the mood for some new (prescription) glasses now. I wish they weren’t so expensive…
How Wrong Is It
To want a knock-off so badly?
Here’s the original. $300 vs. $3000? Yikes.
Brandon is Turning 30
I’m hoping that it will be nice out next weekend, because we’re having a party for Brandon’s birthday! I’d like to have our friends and family hang out in the backyard. I also want to set up a croquet course. :)
Folding tables and chairs are going to have to work hard to transform the space! Our backyard looks terrible, and we only have one week until the party.
I might head out to IKEA… I can get 6 or 8 of these TÄRNÖ folding chairs and the ÄPPLARÖ table for under $300.
I remember trying those chairs out last year, and I didn’t find them to be the most comfortable. I figure they’d be good to have on hand though, and they look cute. Eventually, we can upgrade to 6 nicer chairs, and keep the folding ones on hand as backups.
I was considering these folding chairs from Pottery Barn and Ballard Designs too:
But at $100 and $50 each, I think the $15 IKEA chairs are the winner. There’s always spray paint…
My Top Ten Essential Tools for DIY Projects
You’ve probably figured out by now that I do a lot of projects around the house. If you’ve been reading for a long time, you also know that I once worked as a handyman.
I own a LOT of tools, but my top ten are the ones that I keep coming back to again and again. I think you’d be pretty well-equipped to handle a lot of DIY projects if you owned them too.
That’s Better.
It only took about two seconds to make that hole. 8 amps of power, word.
Look at the little one vs. the new drill. BIG difference.
Dang. Wrong Tool.
I bought a new drill today, and I was eager to use it… and then I realized that I bought the wrong thing. I think I grabbed the wrong box by accident.
I need a drill (with screwdriver capabilities), not just a screwdriver.
THIS drill does not have enough power for me. Back to the store for me tomorrow…
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