M stands for Mudroom

I know... I'm a terrible blogger! I've left you out of nearly two years of my oh-so-fascinating life and let me tell you - a lot has happened. New job, new car, obviously new clothes, shoes and handbags, but who's counting those? My fellow fashionistas, of course! Don't worry - photos of my favorites to come in future posts. (I can't wait to introduce you to some new delicious friends named Gucci, Fendi and Prada...) I will point out I do have the same husband, and we have recently worked on his wardrobe as well, so that's a win-win for everybody (alleluia that he is not so chummy with my friends mentioned above, or else we would really be in trouble).

But I'm back (for now) and am going to try harder to "commit" this time. If you're still here, thanks for reading and thanks for waiting for me. Sometimes sticking to something is hard to do... Like when remodeling the smallest room in your house turns into something much bigger. Bigger project, bigger budget, bigger marital dispute, or just all of the above!  Mini Mudroom definitely turned into major endeavor.

Yes, this near-clinical type A person recently allowed a DIY home improvement project to take place in her home. Actually, "DIY" is the wrong term; the husband is a general contractor, so this was hardly a little craft project from the Real Simple magazine I pretend to read each month. We took the tiny room off our kitchen door and frankly, made it a (teensy) masterpiece! But not without a pretty price (from both my checkbook and my sanity). I'll share my findings during this super special time in our marriage.

Here's what I learned:

• deadlines are my obsession. They are not, however, a friend of the husband's. Actually, I think until he married me, he maybe did had never heard the word.
• one more difference between us: I always thought "1 weekend" meant 2-3 days; he apparently interprets it as 4+ weeks. Is this kind of like a fortnight where no one really knows what that means?
• painting is way harder than it looks and makes my arms tired.
• if you paint while drinking wine, it just gets harder and looks worse. Dang.
• men should never select paint alone. This creates a mean(er) wife and multiple trips to home depot.
• I am always right. (Funny how this seems to be a recurring lesson in our marriage.) What color did we paint the tiniest room in the world? Creme brûlée. EXACTLY what I said from the beginning. Spotted it amongst a million little paint samples and it matched the kitchen perfectly.
• just because the room is literally 3x3 does not mean the mess can't spread across multiple floors and multiple rooms. This is simply torture for someone who can't sleep unless the house is dusted almost daily.

Take all of the above plus 5 weeks of my gentle "reminders" (aka psychotic ranting and nagging), and wa-lah! There is a darling little room that I come and go through every day. Yesterday, I learned how much the whole thing cost, and if there is such thing as "designer" mudrooms, I've got one! It's functional, and of course it's fashionable...

This handy set of hooks holds my my aprons (that I have never worn, but they look adorable, don't they?). They're  both from Anthropologie - check out the darling new ones here . (I must say - they are great gifts for brides-to-be who have aspirations to be great housewives - like I once did!)

The white hooks (steal of a deal at Target) also house my reusable totes. Yep, I am "green" now! (Don't even get me started on the annoying bag ban in Seattle though.) This is my favorite shopping bag, so I keep it on display and stuff the others inside. I found this one and a few others with fun prints at TJ Maxx - only $3 each and they hold a ton! (Just remember to tell your bag boy at Safeway not to FILL the bag - holy smokes - you could throw your back out when the bozo packs it full of bottled water.) It is so much more fun to be green when you can look good doing it (obvi). 

Last but not least - here is a great shot of the Creme Brûlée shade of paint! Isn't sweet? My vintage milk sign and bottles are from Cost Plus World Market (LOVE that place!), but I feel like they definitely look like an antique store find. I'm sharing my secret with you though, so you too can have cute accent pieces without spending your weekends trolling dusty, overpriced antique warehouses (that can be fun, but who has the time? Especially when World Market is right by the mall).

Welcome home, Fashionistas

I think you will be happy to hear that your favorite fashionista is now a homeowner! Yep, the husband and I officially bought a happy little house in September, and I have been working on beautifying it ever since! So I am sorry for the many moons without writing… but I think my battles with household appliances will simply remind you of how much you missed me!

Let’s just say that buying a home and all that comes with it has introduced us to many “firsts…”

-first time husband trims apple tree = husband goes crazy with chain saw and apple tree looks like a bald stump

-first time Erin attempts window treatments = 8 trips to Target in 2 days, rods falling on heads, 3 extra holes in the wall, and a tearful phone call to dad asking for help

-third time erin uses the drill = husband hides drill and says I can’t use it anymore

-first time using washer and dryer (in the house! Not in the apartment basement with 12 other tenants!) I pull knob off and think dryer is broken for life. I later realize (via Andy, the laundry king) that you don’t pull the knob to start the dryer, you PUSH a completely different button. Duh.

-first time with Christmas tree taller than Erin = rearranging living room 3 times, 2 broken light strands, 1 tiny tantrum until husband goes to buy more lights. Bigger tree also needs more ornaments than the child sized one from last year, so that makes 1 more trip to Target – our home away from home.

I think Target does some pretty fabulous advertising without me, but I will give them a little plug for their home décor and also their holiday supplies. I don’t think you can outfit 3 rooms worth of windows for better than these prices… and how cute are these white curtains (featured in my little kitchen nook below)?

And, if you are like me and what a matchy-match designer-inspired metallic themed tree on a budget (and I mean, who wouldn’t?!), there is this bundle of balls - for very reasonably priced, and surprisingly resilient - they are actually called "shatter proof, and I believe it! (Husband dropping them from 8 feet up? No problem!)

The good news is – we have survived all of the above. We are still married (barely!), but the even better news is when we are in a fight about the size of Andy’s extra extra large new TV or his special super duper beer fridge for his “man cave,” we can go to separate rooms! Actually, we can even be on separate floors! What is the saying – more living space makes the heart grow fonder? Exactly.

She's back! And so is he...

Faithful fashionistas! Your sister in shopping is back!

I know i took a little respite through spring (ok, and I guess I missed most of winter, too)... think of it as a small sabbatical. However, I hope you missed me, because I certainly missed you! The good news is, we did not miss much else. Spring collections... so-so, wouldn't you say? Personally, I only saw a lot of stripes and cargo pants (i own the stripes - in several varieties - and you should too... but so far I have been slow to find the IDEAL cargo pant that does not make me look short or like GI jane...). The big trend that I fell in love with, though, is NEUTRALS. How yummy are those nude shoes and all those rich creams, tans and opulent peaches and pastels? Can't get enough!

Speaking of not getting enough, through my sabbatical, I did my fair share of shopping. I stocked up here and there, but that does not mean there is not still work to be done. In fact, I am still saving for a few pieces, including a great bag for summer. (That's right Coco - do you hear me calling?)

Yes, I mentioned I am STILL SAVING for a few items. Why, you ask? (After all, it is not like me to save, much less think about a purchase for longer than 5 minutes! Or seconds?) Well, most of spring's shopping budget went to... you will never guess... the husband! Yes, the man who hates clothes and shopping turned into somewhat of a shopaholic! (Not self-diagnosed, but I think i am definitely qualified to name it when I see one.) Yet, it gets worse. What prompted this change of heart? Well, the cute khakis and adorable shirts definitely helped. However, I believe he most loves his new wardrobe because of the way he acquired it. Two words: PERSONAL STYLIST. Seriously!

I knew he would not come shopping himself, so I engaged the skills of my dear friend (who also happens to be my boss) and we went a-shopping for him. Several hundred dollars later, I came home with 3 pairs of pants, a pair of shorts, 5 shirts (2 dressy, 3 casual -1901 is his new favorite brand), 3 ties (1 for a wedding, 1 for a funeral, and 1 for either), and who knows what else. All along, i am thinking that Mr-I-don't-need-anything (even though he wears shirts with animals on them and boxers from high school) will pick and choose a few things and we will return the others. Oh no! He kept EVERYTHING. And asked for more! A few of my favorite comments...

"Do these pants come in any other colors? I need them for golf." (Since when does he golf, and since when does it require a whole separate wardrobe?)

"I like these kind of shirts. It looks like a picnic table." (Darling, that would called GINGHAM, not picnic table print.)

"I really need a caramel color belt to go with these shoes." (Have you TRIED looking for such a request? Non existent - for less than $200. But let me know if you see one!)

"I don't know if I really need this tie." (You don't, I say to myself. You never wear ties and it was $75. That's 1/2 a pair of new shoes for me!) "But wait, it looks really good with this shirt!" (Of course it does! It looks good with the shirt because that's how we told you to wear it!) "I'm going to keep it." (And there go my shoes...)

Moral of the story: It's important that your other half looks good, too. Just don't let him see the new Nordstrom catalog. Or else, it's back to saving pennies while Mr. Fashionista models the latest looks...

one down, 99 to go!

While most fashionistas are done gift-giving by now (and therefore, rightfully so, spending money on ourselves), not this little busy bee. For some reason, I had to be born, get married, and married someone who was born, all in the same 10 weeks that also encompasses Christmas and New Years. So, as soon as I finished spoiling Mr. I-made-a-wish-list-with-one-thousand-items-on-it-from-stupid-Cabela's for Christmas, I blink my eyes and I am daunted by the task of purchasing a…. dun-dun-dun… 1st anniversary gift! That’s right, your favorite fashionista has made it through a whole year of wedded bliss. (Well, mostly bliss, mixed in with a lot of other non-blissful feelings.) So, to celebrate this feat, I feel like a deserve a preeeeeeety great gift. Oops – I mean I’m supposed to GIVE a pretty great gift. My bad! Sometimes I still forget the marriage isn’t really all about me…

Even though much of the relationship actually DOES revolve around yours truly, I have thought ahead about our January 31st anniversary, and I have a lovely gift alllll planned out. However, since the husband loves to read about himself, I’m not going to tell you now. On the contrary, just today he told me all about my presents.

“I’m getting you the traditional year anniversary gifts. I’ve done a lot of research on this.”

“Oh, really?! What’s the first year gift?” I asked, thinking it maybe involved… oh, I don’t know, something sparkly…

“Paper.”

“Oh….. What’s the second year?”

“Cotton.”

“Oh. What's the third year?"

"I can't remember. Something stupid like a table cloth. But don’t worry. You’ll like this – if we’re married 100 years, you get a 10-karat diamond!”

Lucky me… I’ll be 123 years old with a diamond ring that I’ll be too weak to even wear. (PS - what 123-year-old still has enough money from to buy such a thing? i'm not sure i believe that was even on that silly list...) I suppose while I wait it out I can write letters on my paper (which I’m sure will be a ream from office depot or something) and who knows what I’ll do with whatever fruit-of-the-loom product I get next year…

If he really does show up with paper on the 31st, I hope at least it will be something stylish. Like one of these…

*kate spade for Crane and Co (both are stationary labels to love)

*more kate spade for Crane - this one is pretty in pink

*or maybe i need my own personal "calling card," like the high society old ladies in new york... i only wish i had a reason to pass out something as darling as this! maybe when i have my 10-karat ring...