Over the weekend, Phil and I spent some time with my folks on Amelia Island, Florida.   We had a much needed break from the Seattle rain hanging out with my parents, relaxing on the beach, and eating great food.  What could be better than mom’s cooking, bottomless sweet tea, and east coast seafood?

Not [...]]]>

Over the weekend, Phil and I spent some time with my folks on Amelia Island, Florida.   We had a much needed break from the Seattle rain hanging out with my parents, relaxing on the beach, and eating great food.  What could be better than mom’s cooking, bottomless sweet tea, and east coast seafood?

Not much.

There’s a lot of buzz about Sheryl Sandberg’s new book Lean In and I’ve been curious about her perspective on women’s issues for a few weeks now.  I took her book with me as my beach reading for the trip and have been inspired by her work.  I’m nearly finished with the book but I really appreciate her perspective on the barriers women create for themselves with regard to their success.  In her book, she acknowledges the external factors that keep women from succeeding in the work force, but as a psychology grad I find her thoughts on how women hold themselves back the most intriguing.  She writes: “In addition to the external barriers erected by society, women are hindered by barriers that exist within ourselves.  We hold ourselves back in ways both big and small, by lacking self-confidence, by not raising our hands, and by pulling back when we should be leaning in.” (Sandberg, 8).

I strongly recommend her book.  Beach optional.

I can tell you that one [...]]]> I have yet to publish The List 2013.  It almost feels silly doing it since it’s almost May but I have a friend that reads this blog who told me a few weeks ago that she’s waited for that post for a couple of months now.  Soon, dear friends.  Soon.

I can tell you that one of my goals for 2013 was to make time to read more.  Growing up I was an avid reader, but graduate school pretty much snuffed out any desire to read for leisure by the time I graduated.  When I went to Greece last summer and unplugged from my life in Seattle, I was surprised to find that I read an entire book from cover to cover in less than 24 hours.  I thought about how I wished that I could do something like that when I got back to Seattle.  When we returned to the “real world” I soon found myself busy again — but the desire to read stayed with me.

For 2013, my goal is to read one book a month – cover to cover.

In order to do that, I knew I had to make time in my schedule.  I am often amazed to hear how my co-workers find time to do the things they love — many of them lead much busier lives than me with spouses, children, soccer practice, in-laws, and demanding careers.  So when I thought about how I didn’t have time to do this in my current schedule, I realized that I had to cut some things out of my life that prohibit me from accomplishing the things that I really want to be doing.  It made me think of a post I wrote over a year ago where I realized that while I can’t do everything, I can make time to do what’s most important to me by being a bit more intentional with my choices.  So, I started making some decisions that reflect the deeper desires of my life.  By cutting down on mindless internet surfing, online celebrity stalking, and reality television watching, I suddenly had more than enough time to read a book a month.  In other words, by the time Sean proposed to Catherine on The Bachelor, I was five books in and already ahead on my goal for 2013.

It’s amazing what you can find time to do if you make it a priority.

I travel a bit more with work  these days and have started a little tradition of trying to visit at least one local business before I leave town.  My days are [...]]]> It’s been a while.  There’s really no other way to start this post other than to acknowledge it and move on gracefully from there.

I travel a bit more with work  these days and have started a little tradition of trying to visit at least one local business before I leave town.  My days are usually packed with meetings and events, but there’s usually one spare hour somewhere in my trip where I can hop a cab to someplace cool in the city.  I do my research before hand, usually from Design*Sponge’s city guide list and find one place that I want to see.  Usually it’s a hidden restaurant, a cool bar,  a quirky home furnishing store, or a trendy boutique with interesting threads.  In Denver a couple of months ago I took a taxi and paid a quick visit to Lulu’s Furniture and Decor after picking it out of the Denver City Guide.  I walked around the store and loved a lot of the furniture.  I instantly fell in love with the mold of a ceramic glove.  I’ve sworn off all “knick knacks” until I reupholster a chair in my studio but I told myself this is art, not a knick knack.

This is my new favorite spot in the apartment thanks to my amazing find in Denver.  Tucked in with some of my favorite quotes and an empty bottle of perfume that Phil gave me, I feel inspired by the tall hand reaching up from my desk.

When I go home to visit my parents in Georgia, I walk around their house from room to room looking around and asking my mom if I can have various things in her house.  What kinds of things, you might wonder?  Rugs, frames, plates, pictures, paintings, and vases, to [...]]]> I have a slightly embarassing confession.

When I go home to visit my parents in Georgia, I walk around their house from room to room looking around and asking my mom if I can have various things in her house.  What kinds of things, you might wonder?  Rugs, frames, plates, pictures, paintings, and vases, to name a few.

It’s tacky and a bit selfish to do it.  But I like to think of it as my own personal antique shop from which I can barter, beg, and bug my mother until I can take something back with me.  Instead of raiding my mother’s closet, I raid her entire antique collections.

This trip I scored a gold frame for my apartment from the desk in the living room.

I have loved this desk since I first laid eyes on it during my last visit in April.  My parents received this antique from my uncle, who used it for decades in his feed and seed store in a small south Georgia town where my dad grew up.  My parents had it refinished and it’s probably my favorite piece of furniture in the house.  I love how my mother has filled every nook and cranny with some kind of trinket or souvenir.  There’s the small Herend china dish I brought back from Budapest, the vase she purchased at an estate sale, the glass pheasant I gave her for Christmas one year, and the picture of me posing for a sketch I brought back for her from Paris in high school.  That sketch is hanging just to the left of the desk.  The entire scene is intriguing and beautiful.

If you look in the image above, there is a picture frame on the right side of the desk that also has a twin frame laying down beside it. My eyes locked on it immediately and when I found out my mother didn’t want it anymore,  I snagged it for my trip back to Seattle.

I did a little rearranging on a side table near the entry way and added a picture of me with the beau in Greece this summer.  I like how bold the frame is in such a small space.  Perfect.

I think we might have a tradition.

I [...]]]> I hope you and yours had a wonderful New Year’s last night.  Phil and I stayed in, cooked dinner, and watched a movie — our second year in a row doing this.  Midnight came around, we clinked our glasses of Prosecco, and then it was bed time.

I think we might have a tradition.

I have a post coming with “The List 2013.”  Until then, best of luck with your goals for the new year.

Step 1: Sand down the edges if it’s already painted [...]]]> Materials needed:

1. Mirror or frame to be painted (I purchased mine from Goodwill for $9.99 minus 20%)
2. Blue painter’s tape
3. Gold paint (I used Deco Art Dazzling Metallics in Glorious Gold)
4. Sponge brush
5. Sandpaper (if it needs to be prepped)
6. Time for multiple coats

Step 1: Sand down the edges if it’s already painted or lacquered.

Step 2: Prime the wood

Step 3: Paint the frame, adding several coats if necessary (I needed 3-4 to cover the primer.  Also, note that my workshop is shared parking spot in the basement of my building.  We do what we can in the city.)

Step 4: After the paint dries, hang on the wall and enjoy.  (I took many pictures of this mirror in an attempt to make it look cool.  The photo doesn’t do it justice but I was proud of my project.  Very easy, cheap, and great bang for your buck.)

Idea generated from Apartment Therapy’s post on painting gold frames on a budget.