I am going to give the long-awaited master bedroom reveal another shot. Blogger didn't cooperate last time.
I lamented on the master bedroom's original look here (I think the only room that still looks the same from that post is the master bathroom, WOW!), I've updated on the master bedroom here, I've lamented more about it here. And I gave you a little peak of it in my rhino excitement here. But now, the moment you've been waiting for - an as close to done room as I can muster - the master bedroom!
You'll remember that my goal was to soften the master bedroom and I did so by removing the masculine, dark stripe bedspread and replacing it with a muted green comforter from Target. We repainted the dark, cave-like grey walls (what was I thinking?) a beautiful soft blue. And the rest, my dears, is history.
So here you can see the green comforter (I promise it's more green than yellow) complete with the light blue throw and pillows. You can also see the great, soothing blue wall. The crystal ball lamp from Target adds just the airiness I was looking for, total opposite of our scrolly heavy silver lamps from before. Other than an alarm clock, I've decided to keep that end table clear. Above the bed you can see a stunning example of my homemade artwork. I got the letters and frame from Hobby Lobby ($5 per letter and $5 per frame for a grand total of $20). The frames were on clearance in the custom framing section - I was extremely excited. It's so rare you find big frames for cheap. I spray painted everything to match the room, and voila! Now Ryan and I will never be confused about whose side is whose.
Next up is the dresser. Notice the other pretty crystal ball lamp. I added a key/wallet tray for Ryan that was mine in college (it may say Tridelt on it...). The bowl and decorative balls we already had, I just spray painted the previously bronze bowl white - I have no idea why I didn't do this sooner. It completely changed the tone of the whole setup. What an awesome example of what a little paint can do! Then you see my pride and joy, my rhino. Behind him is a jug that used to be red. Ahh spray paint.
Here you can see the shelf on one wall. This one hasn't changed much. This shelf was formerly dark brown and I changed it to white to keep with the light, airy theme. I would still love to add a bench of some sort below this for storage, but as you can see in the corner, our bulldog's crate takes precendence right now.
Here's a shot down one wall to give you an idea of the room. That door leads to the master bathroom. You can see sunlight shining in through the lone window in the room (part of the reason I needed to lighten it up in there!). The pics are two of our favorites from our honeymoon in Jamaica. And there are the shelves I was having trouble finishing last time you saw them.
Now what about those shelves? I've tried several items on them, but this is where we are right now. I added an empty flower pot on the top shelf (another college item that may or may not say "Delta Delta Delta" on it). At the recommendation of my friend Meredith in the comments section of this post, I added some aloe vera plants that only need watering every few weeks. I got the cute little green vases at the new Jo Ann store here in Fayetteville. Also, please note the light and sheer window treatments. I didn't want any light blocked at all.
Well that's it. Now you've seen our pretty, serene, airy master bedroom in all its glory. Oh. Wait. I forgot something. The final corner of the room that keeps me up at night. How do you ever successfully decorate around a MAN??? Please, Mr. Lowe, let me get a pretty little corner cabinet or something!!!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
It's the most wonderful time of the year
Yes, your girl is humming Christmas carols on November 18th. And she's halfway done with her Christmas shopping. And her tree is going up this weekend. Can you believe it? Remember this post 355 days ago? I guess I actually am a Scrooge no more.
One of our most fabulous Christmas traditions is the Salvation Army Angel Tree. Since Alli was a little baby, we have gotten a little girl from the tree who was her age. Then we go shopping as a family for the child. I think it's a great tradition that I hope to continue for a long time. Awesomely enough, our work has an Angel tree so I don't have to lug it all up to the mall during this crazy holiday season.
As soon as the tree came out at work, Ryan went to go pick a little girl off of it (it's closer to his building than mine). This year we got a little girl who is 5 and wants Barbies, a Barbie house, and Barbie accessories. How perfect is that?
Tonight was the night we went shopping for her. I think Alli had almost as much fun as Ryan and I did. She was extremely thoughtful about which Barbies and clothes we were getting. She wanted to make sure there was one with every hair color, just in case our little girl wasn't a blonde. We also got a Ken doll "so they could kiss." What do they teach them in kindergarten?
Here's a shot of the loot:
Oh yes. Let's break it down, shall we?
When we shop for the Angel tree kiddo, I always get them a few warm clothes as well.
You know I had to throw the horse in there! I hope this little girl has a really special Christmas, and I am so happy that my family is able to help hers out. Please remember the reason for this season!!
One of our most fabulous Christmas traditions is the Salvation Army Angel Tree. Since Alli was a little baby, we have gotten a little girl from the tree who was her age. Then we go shopping as a family for the child. I think it's a great tradition that I hope to continue for a long time. Awesomely enough, our work has an Angel tree so I don't have to lug it all up to the mall during this crazy holiday season.
As soon as the tree came out at work, Ryan went to go pick a little girl off of it (it's closer to his building than mine). This year we got a little girl who is 5 and wants Barbies, a Barbie house, and Barbie accessories. How perfect is that?
Tonight was the night we went shopping for her. I think Alli had almost as much fun as Ryan and I did. She was extremely thoughtful about which Barbies and clothes we were getting. She wanted to make sure there was one with every hair color, just in case our little girl wasn't a blonde. We also got a Ken doll "so they could kiss." What do they teach them in kindergarten?
Here's a shot of the loot:
Oh yes. Let's break it down, shall we?
- 3 Barbies - a blonde cheerleader, a reddish-brunette fashionista, and a hippie-chic dark headed one
- One Ken doll
- One set of clothes for the Barbies and one change of clothes for Ken
- A Disney Princesses blanket
- A vacation home for the Barbies
- A huge pink carrying case for the Barbies that came free with our purchase
When we shop for the Angel tree kiddo, I always get them a few warm clothes as well.
You know I had to throw the horse in there! I hope this little girl has a really special Christmas, and I am so happy that my family is able to help hers out. Please remember the reason for this season!!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Dear Blogspot, I am so mad at you.
I just finished typing a fantastic post revealing our master bedroom, and blogger didn't save it. Mad. Furious. Going to bed.
No Hogs in Town = Weekend Warriors
Because the Razorbacks were in South Carolina playing the ol' ball coach this weekend (and our awesome Hogs won by a landslide, FYI), we had no guests and nowhere to be. This is one of the 4 weekends I have off from the Piggies between Labor Day and Thanksgiving weekend. You'll remember what happened on one of those weekend here. And no, I never did get off the couch. I decided to make this one count, so here's the rundown so far:
- Got my hair did. Went a little darker for the fall and cut a few inches off. Don't panic, I'm still blonde. Just a "it's fall" blonde instead of "I just got off the beach" blonde. I'll be back, beach blonde.
- Painted the hallway - a project that has been waiting for several months. It's the final repainting I plan on doing for a while...although the kitchen is screaming for a new color. Ryan might kill me though. We decided to paint the hallway the same color as the new living room, Behr Surfer.
- Had a few super exciting shopping trips/deliveries for the new living room. It's really coming together!! I can't wait to reveal it, but it still needs a few finishing touches. So until I can, I'll let Lola give you a sneak peak (yes, she really is that gorgeous, no need to adjust your monitor):
- Updated a few pieces already in the living room that needed some tweaking, like painting this cute little (formerly black) table I scored at Hob Lob like, 2 years ago for $20. It's now a punchy watermelon color, tying in with some other living room accents.
- Bought buckets of new ornaments and swag for our "done" Christmas tree. Hostessing a Christmas bridal shower at my house in a few weeks has me rethinking all things Christmas around Lowe Land, and I've decided to have a decorated, non-childhood ornaments tree. Here are the bags of goodies on my closet floor (Don't worry, they've already been moved. I hate clutter.):
- Put away Halloween decorations and made the proper adjustments for my personal favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. Check out the decor on our side table in the "dining room" ("dining room" = breakfast nook off the kitchen since we don't have a formal dining room):
| Apologies for the fuzziness, pjs, and rabid dogs. This is my life. |
| Behr Surfer down the hallway. Do not try to peek into the updated living room!! |
| Gorgeous Lola lounging on her new nap spot - apple green Target ottomans for just $16 a piece! |
| Hot pink side table - get excited for the living room reveal in a few weeks!! |
| YAYYY for Christmas swag!! |
So that's the rundown of the weekend so far! The house is also clean, no thanks to us - love you house cleaner!! Left to do today:
- Take Alli to see MegaMind - we are so excited to see this animated movie with Will Ferrell
- Pick up my niece and neph-dogs from Dog Party (awwww)
- Drop by my FAVORITE craft store (and client) Jo-Ann's for a living room project
- Swing to Home Depot for an awesome quick fix that is going to look amazing - deets later, if it works
- Watch the Cowboys, if I can stomach it
Watch the ol' blogosphere for a master bedroom reveal tonight, assuming the Cowboys start getting tromped.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Something awful has happened.
I don't want to alarm you too much. But some really traumatic happened to me about a week and a half ago.
My gold Coach purse broke.
I haven't posted about it because it's just been too hard. How do you tell your loyal, loving blog followers that one of the items that make you YOU is potentially lost forever? So I've labored for 10 days on how to tell you, and it's time to do what I do best and tell you a story.
If you don't know, and you should, I absolutely adore Coach purses. I've been carrying them for about five years now (ie - long before I could afford them). I sell the old one when it's worn out and use it as a small downpayment on the next one, so that helps. A little. Therefore, at any given time, I have ONE Coach bag in my possession that I carry until it goes to Lauren Coach Purse Heaven. Which is basically eBay.
So, go back to 10 days ago. It's 9AM, I'm at work. Happy, unsuspecting. I pull out my gorgeous gold shiny fabulous Coach bag that Ryan got me for Christmas last year. (I love it even more because he upped the ante and added the matching gold wallet. He's awesome.) I reach in to grab some lip gloss and I notice something amiss.
The flip latch is gone. It's gone. After I quietly scream and search frantically around my desk and in the purse, I realize it's gone forever. Panic sets it. At that time it was late October. No gift-giving occasions. Ryan's put us on a budget. I now own a bootleg Coach purse. What the hell am I going to do?
So I text Ryan the pic - "911!! SOS!!! OMG!! HELP!" He seems unimpressed. Asked me something horrifying like "Why can't you just carry it like that?" Then he came around. Sort of. "Can they fix it?" Ick. Fix it. Yes, it would seem like they could fix it, wouldn't it? Afterall, it's just a hunk of metal. It's not like I ripped the thing. So why in the back of my head was I already planning to send this big guy to Lauren Coach Purse Heaven and welcome a new bag? Damn Ryan and his reason.
Several days later, I brought myself to enter my happy place - Coach at the Pinnacle Hills Promenade. I have never gone into this store so dejected. I took my beautiful bootleg bag to the counter to be consoled by Wanda, the nice middle-aged woman working the store that day. Wanda walks me through the process. Apparently I can send my damaged bag away and 4-6 weeks later one of three things will happen:
Come on, Wanda. Do you not want to make a sale? Do you even work on commission? Help a sister out. How's this for a note: "Customer is just doing this to appease her husband. Please return broken bag with note stating you can't fix it. Store credit for any amount will be fine."
So I am anxiously awaiting the decision from Coach. Fingers crossed for me, dears. And don't worry - your girl isn't to be caught without a Coach bag on her shoulder. I borrowed my girl Lindsey's bag she got a few months ago and doesn't carry right now. Thanks, Linds!
My gold Coach purse broke.
I haven't posted about it because it's just been too hard. How do you tell your loyal, loving blog followers that one of the items that make you YOU is potentially lost forever? So I've labored for 10 days on how to tell you, and it's time to do what I do best and tell you a story.
If you don't know, and you should, I absolutely adore Coach purses. I've been carrying them for about five years now (ie - long before I could afford them). I sell the old one when it's worn out and use it as a small downpayment on the next one, so that helps. A little. Therefore, at any given time, I have ONE Coach bag in my possession that I carry until it goes to Lauren Coach Purse Heaven. Which is basically eBay.
So, go back to 10 days ago. It's 9AM, I'm at work. Happy, unsuspecting. I pull out my gorgeous gold shiny fabulous Coach bag that Ryan got me for Christmas last year. (I love it even more because he upped the ante and added the matching gold wallet. He's awesome.) I reach in to grab some lip gloss and I notice something amiss.
The flip latch is gone. It's gone. After I quietly scream and search frantically around my desk and in the purse, I realize it's gone forever. Panic sets it. At that time it was late October. No gift-giving occasions. Ryan's put us on a budget. I now own a bootleg Coach purse. What the hell am I going to do?
So I text Ryan the pic - "911!! SOS!!! OMG!! HELP!" He seems unimpressed. Asked me something horrifying like "Why can't you just carry it like that?" Then he came around. Sort of. "Can they fix it?" Ick. Fix it. Yes, it would seem like they could fix it, wouldn't it? Afterall, it's just a hunk of metal. It's not like I ripped the thing. So why in the back of my head was I already planning to send this big guy to Lauren Coach Purse Heaven and welcome a new bag? Damn Ryan and his reason.
Several days later, I brought myself to enter my happy place - Coach at the Pinnacle Hills Promenade. I have never gone into this store so dejected. I took my beautiful bootleg bag to the counter to be consoled by Wanda, the nice middle-aged woman working the store that day. Wanda walks me through the process. Apparently I can send my damaged bag away and 4-6 weeks later one of three things will happen:
- They fix the purse and mail it back.
- They can't fix the purse. They mail it back broken with a giftcard for $100-200.
- They can't fix the purse. They mail it back broken with a giftcard for the original retail price of the purse.
Come on, Wanda. Do you not want to make a sale? Do you even work on commission? Help a sister out. How's this for a note: "Customer is just doing this to appease her husband. Please return broken bag with note stating you can't fix it. Store credit for any amount will be fine."
So I am anxiously awaiting the decision from Coach. Fingers crossed for me, dears. And don't worry - your girl isn't to be caught without a Coach bag on her shoulder. I borrowed my girl Lindsey's bag she got a few months ago and doesn't carry right now. Thanks, Linds!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Dog-saster Stories: Part 1 (I hope there's only 1)
So it was brought to my attention that when I introduced you to Cash, I didn't tell you about one of his character flaws. In my frenzy to tell you all about his nicknames and how much he loves his mama, I totally spaced on telling you: Cash likes to eat. Cash likes to eat everything. Cheese, turkey, hamburgers. Another thing I forgot to mention: Cash likes to shred paper. Magazines, printer paper, he doesn't care.
Put those two things together and you've got a story on your hands, people.
Late this summer my parents and brother were up from Little Rock. Everyone, including my sister, was staying at our house for the weekend. We went to dinner at Herman's, a really cool locally-owned steak place here. I'd be remiss if I didn't let you know that my mom actually took care of the original owner, Herman (obviously) during one of her college professions as a nursing home worker. But I digress.
Herman's was fantastic, and after being gone about 90 minutes, we came home. When we walked in, I noticed a lot of paper on the floor. Then I noticed that they were tampon applicators and wrappers. I laughed. My sister must have left a box in plain sight in her luggage and Cash, of course, sought it out and ripped it up. As I began to pick up the wrappers and applicators, laughing with everyone (there were seriously a lot of them), I had a revelation. Something was amiss.
The tampons themselves.
My heart fell. My mouth got dry. This was not that funny anymore. Perhaps he had hidden them somewhere? He can be a little OCD, maybe he stacked them all up in a pile? While I had my mini-freak out, Ryan grabbed the leash and the dog and jumped in the car. I hopped in too and we didn't talk the entire way to the emergency vet, about 7 miles away in Springdale.
I called ahead to let them know we were coming.
They took him back and I ran to the restroom and grabbed a cup of coffee. As I was walking back into the exam room, the vet was telling Ryan, who was white as a sheet, "Yes, the reason we are concerned is because, well, I don't know if you know this or not, but tampons swell when wet. So that could cause a blockage..." Ryan looked at me with murder in his eyes. I'd left him alone to talk tampons with someone.
About 45 minutes later, the vet came back in. "Well, Cash threw up 15 tampons. No applicators, no wrappers. Just 15 tampons. He should be good to go. We can't guarantee you won't find a 16th one out in the yard, but he should be fine now."
So $200 later, we left. $200 and an entire Saturday night gone for a dog who pops tampons like they are candy.
But look at that face:
Put those two things together and you've got a story on your hands, people.
Late this summer my parents and brother were up from Little Rock. Everyone, including my sister, was staying at our house for the weekend. We went to dinner at Herman's, a really cool locally-owned steak place here. I'd be remiss if I didn't let you know that my mom actually took care of the original owner, Herman (obviously) during one of her college professions as a nursing home worker. But I digress.
Herman's was fantastic, and after being gone about 90 minutes, we came home. When we walked in, I noticed a lot of paper on the floor. Then I noticed that they were tampon applicators and wrappers. I laughed. My sister must have left a box in plain sight in her luggage and Cash, of course, sought it out and ripped it up. As I began to pick up the wrappers and applicators, laughing with everyone (there were seriously a lot of them), I had a revelation. Something was amiss.
The tampons themselves.
My heart fell. My mouth got dry. This was not that funny anymore. Perhaps he had hidden them somewhere? He can be a little OCD, maybe he stacked them all up in a pile? While I had my mini-freak out, Ryan grabbed the leash and the dog and jumped in the car. I hopped in too and we didn't talk the entire way to the emergency vet, about 7 miles away in Springdale.
I called ahead to let them know we were coming.
"Yes ma'am, this is Lauren Lowe. My boxer Cash ate about a half a box of tampons, so I'm on my way in. Tampons. Yes. Yeah, like, tampons. Uh huh. Half a box. Really. Yes, half a box. No he didn't just eat a tampon box. I mean like the tampons themselves. Yes, I'm serious. Thank you."So in we came. The receptionist politely asked a lot of questions. When did he eat them? How long has he been alone? How many do you think he ate? What materials were eaten? The last question stopped me short. I began to realize that Cash had literally stripped open each tampon, removed it from the applicator, and then eaten the cotton. How freaking weird is that? I don't think the receptionist believed me.
They took him back and I ran to the restroom and grabbed a cup of coffee. As I was walking back into the exam room, the vet was telling Ryan, who was white as a sheet, "Yes, the reason we are concerned is because, well, I don't know if you know this or not, but tampons swell when wet. So that could cause a blockage..." Ryan looked at me with murder in his eyes. I'd left him alone to talk tampons with someone.
About 45 minutes later, the vet came back in. "Well, Cash threw up 15 tampons. No applicators, no wrappers. Just 15 tampons. He should be good to go. We can't guarantee you won't find a 16th one out in the yard, but he should be fine now."
So $200 later, we left. $200 and an entire Saturday night gone for a dog who pops tampons like they are candy.
But look at that face:
Monday, October 18, 2010
This may be hard to believe, but I can't do it all
I know I make this look easy. Fabulous job, gorgeous family, healthy social life, amazing fashion, impeccable decorating...do I really need to go on? But even the obviously perfect need a little assistance sometimes.
As I'm sure you've picked up, we have a little bit of a farm at Chateau Lowe. Apparently, we love pets and we don't know when to say no (Read: Apparently, Lauren loves pets and Ryan doesn't know when to say no.) Unfortunately, we also are obsessed with keeping a super clean and highly organized house and we get frustrated when we can't attain a level of clean to our standards. Frustrated as in cry, scream, and throw things.
So, after much discussion, debate, budgeting (ugh...another post), and just a smidge of arguing, we decided to get a professional house cleaner.
Johnna came highly recommended from our longtime hair stylist. I think Ryan was sold when she revealed that she has an Italian Mastiff. Joy. First of all, we need someone who can come into the house with our two bigger dogs and not require us to take them to doggie daycare for a day. A second of all, trust me. We need the kind of woman in here who understands the mess these mastiff-y dogs can make. No amount of slobber or hair can deter this chick.
Johnna came today to clean the entire house from top to bottom. She cleaned light fixtures, blinds, showers, floors, moved furniture, dusted, unloaded the dishwasher, and washed and folded our clothes. When we got home from Alli's dance class at 7:45 after working all day, something strange happened. I realized I had absolutely nothing to do. So now it's 9:30 and I think I'm going to go to bed happy and at peace. Because the blinds, after 3 years, are finally really dusted.
I swear, I've already decided a home cleaning service is like a must-have monthly expense. It's as important as electricity and gas. Only slightly less important than cable and shoes. What is better than a person coming twice a month with the sole intent of scrubbing your house from top to bottom? It's like my own personal nirvana.
As I'm sure you've picked up, we have a little bit of a farm at Chateau Lowe. Apparently, we love pets and we don't know when to say no (Read: Apparently, Lauren loves pets and Ryan doesn't know when to say no.) Unfortunately, we also are obsessed with keeping a super clean and highly organized house and we get frustrated when we can't attain a level of clean to our standards. Frustrated as in cry, scream, and throw things.
So, after much discussion, debate, budgeting (ugh...another post), and just a smidge of arguing, we decided to get a professional house cleaner.
Johnna came highly recommended from our longtime hair stylist. I think Ryan was sold when she revealed that she has an Italian Mastiff. Joy. First of all, we need someone who can come into the house with our two bigger dogs and not require us to take them to doggie daycare for a day. A second of all, trust me. We need the kind of woman in here who understands the mess these mastiff-y dogs can make. No amount of slobber or hair can deter this chick.
Johnna came today to clean the entire house from top to bottom. She cleaned light fixtures, blinds, showers, floors, moved furniture, dusted, unloaded the dishwasher, and washed and folded our clothes. When we got home from Alli's dance class at 7:45 after working all day, something strange happened. I realized I had absolutely nothing to do. So now it's 9:30 and I think I'm going to go to bed happy and at peace. Because the blinds, after 3 years, are finally really dusted.
I swear, I've already decided a home cleaning service is like a must-have monthly expense. It's as important as electricity and gas. Only slightly less important than cable and shoes. What is better than a person coming twice a month with the sole intent of scrubbing your house from top to bottom? It's like my own personal nirvana.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)











