A bone to pick...

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I have a bone to pick with retail-America.  A turkey bone to be specific. With the week of Thanksgiving upon us, the leaves are the most vivid of colors, the air is crisp and it's time to gather, reminisce and spend time together for no other reason than to enjoy each other's company.  But even before Halloween, stores were engulfed in Christmas tunes and ornaments.  Hello!? Forgetting something? Perhaps the month of November?  Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas.  In fact, probably even a little more than the average person and I can't. wait. to put up our tree and decorate but part of that excitement is the anticipation!

I just can't believe that I walked into a store on Friday looking for some last minute things for Thanksgiving and I actually had a difficult time finding it because the store was overwrought with Christmas.  Stop skipping this lovely holiday that isn't surrounded with gifts {or at least for most people... I, on the other hand, actually do get presents for my birthday but even if I didn't it wouldn't change my feelings on the matter!}  and appreciate it!  It's the day you celebrate that one, amazing, unwrappable gift: your loved ones.  In the end, they are what you have.  When your iPod is considered antiquated, when your Ferragamo bag is just a lump in the back of the closet, you will still have those people that you can sit around a table with and laugh until your cheeks hurt.

So all I ask is just enjoy the anticipation of Christmas. Let the urge to decorate tingle in your toes a little and wait. Just wait until after this heartwarming holiday is over and you've given your thanks and told your family you love them.

I am now stepping off my soapbox. My rant is over. Wishing you all the happiest of Thanksgivings my lovely, wonderful Nesters! Thank you for reading this sporadically written, occasionally overly opinionated, occasionally overly wordy blog.  You are a group to which I owe a huge "thanks."

Patiently Waiting...

Or... maybe it's not-so-patiently waiting, really.  About a month and a half ago, I decided that I wanted to start wearing heels more.  Not because I was feeling particularly short {though, my imposing 5 foot stature could use a little help} but more because I like the way they make me feel when I'm in them.  They just... make me.... feel like a woman, actually.

Carnation Nation

I mentioned a while back that Megan and I took a flower arranging class. While in that class, a discussion was struck up about random kinds of flowers and how they could look much cooler than they were given credit for.  The main shock to Megan and myself was Carnations.  I scrunched my nose and scoffed.  

You know what a carnation looks like! How could a plane Jane carnation look even remotely cool?  Well I did a little Pintrest hunting and I am SOLD.  Carnations might be my new favorite uber feminine flower....

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, Nesters! Our Halloween weekend has been mundane {which is A-OK in my book!} with the exception of watching as many horror movies as possible.  I love horror movies.  I love the idea of scaring myself and Matt is a horror movie {really just movies in general} aficionado, making it that much more interesting because he knows all the back stories of all the characters and tidbits about the making of the movies.  That means I got to ask as many questions as I wanted and he got to flex his knowledge and show off his skillz to me.

My only gripe with this year is that I haven't seen my all-time favorite Halloween-made-for-TV-movie in quite some time: The Worst Witch. {Which barely squeaks by Hocus Pocus, in my book.}  So in honor of my favorite movie, I thought I'd regale you with a wee bit of nostalgia.

Go ahead and try to tell me that that didn't bring you back?! 

I hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween, Nesters!  Now, go eat so much candy you throw up! <3

DIY Paper Flowers

I can't quite peg what inspired me, or how I found the link... but a couple weeks ago I stumbled upon 100 Layer Cakes tutorial by Valerie of Smile Merchantile on creating paper flowers. I'd looked up other tutorials and this one seemed a bit more user friendly than all the others.  Not to mention the pictures of the final product were calling my name.

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Last of the Mohicans- I mean- Brides...

Saturday was a crazed day for me. After working a full week already, convincing my body to remove my legs from the warm comforter at 630 AM and plant my feet on the ground was a difficult task. I had to be back at work by 815, clean, fed, awake and chipper to boot.  "Why?" you ask? Well, it was our final sample sale at Priscilla of Boston. You can read more about it here and here. It was certainly a whirlwind of emotions....

by Mark Garfinkel

Weekend in NY

On Thursday morning I hopped in my car headed for the Big Apple.  My Dads birthday was a couple weekends ago and I decided to take an extended Columbus Day weekend and hang out with the fam in NY.  Since my Dad and brother had to work both Thursday and Friday, the days were just me, Molly and The Raz.  Molly had been talking up a storm about Purl SoHo and all their amazing fabrics so we decided to make the trek all the way downtown.

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Octo-plate

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Matt and I ventured out on Saturday on a Gina-centric date.  Shopping.  I was sensitive to his "needs" and didn't stop in every store that I may have wanted to.  But we had some fun picking out some great, graphic tees for him and some great things for our home. {I still relish in saying that "our home" hehehe}

Crazy legs!

I just had to share this WILD piece that I found on the magical, magical interwebs...

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 I cant be the only one who thinks this is just the ca-raziest thing ever, right? Freaking nuts.  *shrug* just had to share....

Making Arrangements

A couple of months ago, my friend and co worker Megan approached me about a Groupon for a floral design class.  She had always loved the idea of learning about it and I was game to try out something new.  After a quick, *click click* and about $40, we were planned to spend an evening at a Dogwood Floral Design, glass of wine in hand making floral arrangements.  We were so excited!

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A sad day in the bridal world.

Some of you may be newly-weds, some of you may be brides or mothers of the bride... maybe even a maid of honor or two (maybe you're none of those but you're like me and just like to look at bridal magazines!) ...and maybe in those wedding adventures, you've run across the name Priscilla of Boston. The name is usually synonymous with elegant events, such as former President Lyndon Johnson's two daughters' and former President Nixon's daughters' White House weddings, in which they were decked out in the brand.  This year Priscilla's celebrated their 65th anniversary.

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It's been a while...

Well hello there....

I know, I know... it's been a while...too long in fact.

I come back to you with my tail between my legs for having been gone so long.  I had no intentions of letting it slide like this. For that you have my utmost and sincerest apologies. But as most of you know, fixing up a new home is a time suck... let alone jotting it all down on paper, having a full time job and attempting to cook more often.

We even snuck in a vacation with our friends in The Cape!

Recently, things have started to simmer down a bit.  Summer is winding down and there are no more random Tuesday night trips to Ikea. (Getting home at 11 and dropping into bed. We pretended they were "dates".) No more filling the water pitcher from the tub. (More on that later...)  Life is, happily, getting back to normal.  Now, I have time again to relax in the evenings after work and lately I have been wanting to write and fill you all in on the nooks and crannies of the new homestead with my handsome man-friend.  Isn't he handsome?  *swoon*

Hold on to your seats kids, this is going to be a long one....

Bachelorette Pad Tour: Part Duex

I thought I'd start off this long-ass post with the latest news on the house and move: There have been some setbacks.  Everything is all good, it happens with every renovation.  But I was supposed to move last Saturday and it has been postponed until Friday, the 15th.  My landlord was kind enough to let me leave half way through the month as extra "just in case" time.  Turns out we needed a little extra "just in case" time for the reno's.  Here's whats going to happen:  On Friday we get the Uhaul and move all the junk out of my apartment and into the basement/garage of the new homestead.  Since the floors will be in the middle of being re-done, we will have to leave it all down there without moving it directly into the space.  From Friday until the floors are dry and ready to be walked upon, I will be staying at Matt's condo with him and his brother. Once everything is all cured and ready for our tippie toes, we will move all my and Matt's belongings into our place and we will officially be "merged."  Y-I-K-E-S!  I am so excited to be in the house and out of box jungle!

Anyhooz... back to the imperative topic at hand.  And that should have been at hand a couple weeks ago when I finally gave you the first true House Tour.  Alas, things around here have been such a mess due to the move, I haven't had much energy to clean up my bedroom. But I did it.  And I did it just for you guys.  So if I may implore you, lets begin Part Duex...

 

 OH. 

MY.

GOD.

If only I had $3,695 not including shipping for these Christian Louboutin's "Very Riche."

But wait! they are OUT OF STOCK! 

Excuse me... let me wrap my tiny mind around this.... Are there honestly that many people on the PLANET that have enough money to pay that kind of money for a pair of crystal shoes!?

 Don't get me wrong.  If I was irresponsible with money and they weren't out of stock, I would go into debt over them... only to wear them around the house cleaning.  {I've never done that with a pair of shoes I love but have nowhere to wear them.  I swear!  ....Okay, okay I have.}  But sadly happily, I am far too responsible to do that. *sigh*

I guess just go enjoy the eye candy. Even if none of us can afford it. *more sighing*

Starting Over

Hiya Nesters!  I hope you all had a wonderful {and safe} holiday.  I spent the good portion of the long weekend keeping up the packing momentum.  It got really bare really fast when I took down the gallery wall.  But the good news is that we've already accumulated some new goodies in the meantime!

Happy 4th of July!

Last years 4th of July long weekend was much different than this years will be.  We spent 2 days on the beach sunning ourselves, then a BBQ with friends followed by a stunning fireworks display.  This year, will be furniture shopping and painting.  With the move in countdown to 9 days, we are busy bee's.  Hopefully we can take some time for a beer and some fireworks.  For those of you who are greater Boston area locals, we go to the Newton fireworks display.  They are seriously impressive for a suburb!  But the Big Kahuna of displays is, of course, Boston.  So without further adieu, lets check out the mastery of the pyrotechnicians behind the rib-cage rattling, tummy-rumbling, awe-inspiring show.

The Beginning of the End

If you've followed Temporary Nest for even just a short while, you'll probably have noticed that I'm a pretty big sap.  Big, fat, sentimental, cheeseball.   So the move was all well and good in theory, but now the count is down to 12 days, the real sentimental side of me is piping up.  My house is replete with boxes- some empty, some full.

YIKES.

Painting the town... gray?

Matt and his brother started in on the serious job of painting the entire interior of the house.  That's a whole lot of paint.  Not to mention, a whole lot of paint choices.  I met them at Home Depot to pick out the last few colors.  And boy oh boy was it an adventure....

Gimme Gimme

Damn you, Piperlime having a whole Marc Jacobs section that I drool over!  If only I made more money {or were independently wealthy}, I would get the Ozzy Lucy bag. At a mere $398 {that's just pocket change, right!?} and with moving kicking into high gear my four hundred dollars can go towards something a little more... necessary. *le sigh*

Father's Day in NYC

"Get that thing out of my face, Auntie Gina!"

I had the pleasure of spending the weekend in NYC with my dear-ol-Dad and my brother- the new Dad. After Friday night's grueling, 6 hour-and-should-be 3-hour-bumper-to bumper-the-whole-way drive, I pulled up to Dads and we headed straight over to Joe and Molly's to see Lucca...

Fathers Day Card

Every. Single. One.  of my family members makes cards for each other.  Except me.  Or at least I didn't for a long time. {I like to think of myself as fairly well organized but cards always managed to be an uber last-minute thought.  Sometimes an after-the-minute thought...}  Until I found out that all those tear-jerking, sentimental notes I scribed into the witty, Target-purchased cards were relegated to the circular file, destined for the recycling plant after the fact. How dare they!  Their response was a shrug and "then make your cards..."  Heartless I tell ya... heartless.  Needless to say, I began making the cards.  One big reason I never made cards was that I thought to myself "I'm not an illustrator like Mom or Joe or a photographer like Dad, the only thing I can draw are fashion croqui's and technical flats.  I can't draw that on a card."

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  So I bought them.  Then I found the wonderful world of craft paper and how to manipulate it.....

Bachelorette Pad Tour: Part 1

I must say, it is a damn good thing that blogging isn't an audio file.  If it was, I would recommend turning the sound off on your computer, because I have the worst laryngitis I've had in a long time.  I don't often lose my voice but when I do, its a doozey.  Something akin to nails on a chalkboard.  In fact, several people over the last couple days have told me to "stop talking, it hurts to listen." *sigh*  At least I have my typing skills during my vocal hiatus.  As promised on Friday, I am going to lead you on a tour of my bachelorette pad before I start packin'er up to move into a house of "we."

I'm going to break it up into two parts so it doesn't get too long and yawn-tastic. So lets start the way you'd really see my house and walk in the front door.

Welcome to my living room/office space. My couch was a steal at the Jordan's Furniture Outlet in Avon, MA at under $300 brand spankin' new.  My glass and iron coffee table was a steal from Craigslist for $40 and because it takes up such little visual space, it makes the space feel much more open.  I layered a $30 area rug {from local discounter, Building 19} on top of the wall to wall carpet to anchor the space and keep it separate from the "office."  You may also remember the addition of the vintage map and of course the pillow shams I made on the cheap. {Check out the how-to right here!} 

Here's a better view of the work space.  Don't judge the drum-shade pendant that is crooked.  I tried finagling it straight- to no avail.  So, I've just accepted this quirky quality and it makes me snicker when I notice it.  You can see my desk makeover here {though, I have yet another makeover up my sleeve after the move!} and of course how can you forget Buttercup, my first dabble into upholstering? You probably see my dress form chilling in the corner ... and I have to admit that I'm lucky that something that is a tool of my trade is so stinking cool looking.  She's a good lookin' lady who keeps me company.

Are you wondering why my roman shades are drawn?  No, I'm not a hermit, and I don't hate daylight. But I do live on the ground floor, and the nice gentleman that lives upstairs parks his giant pick up truck, 4-wheeler and motorcycle right outside my windows.  And since he sits out there all the time tinkering with them, I don't want him peering it at me on the couch, eating, watching TV, on the laptop or even scratchin' my butt.  {Don't act like you've never scratched your butt... you have.} Call me a privacy freak, but just like Vegas, what happens in my living room to stay in my living room. 

If you step onto the opposite side of the room, where my dress form was just standing, this is the view you'd get:  A peek into the kitchen, the coat closet {that holds way more than coats} and the Target Fieldcrest linen closet.  Of course my armchair and slip-covered ottoman. 

The glowing orb a-top my vintage $10 Craigslist find is my beloved No. 5 Target lamp and below it is my collection of W magazines.  I don't know what's wrong with me, but I just cannot stand to get rid of them.  But I think this move will be a good catalyst to donate them to the local public library, if they'll have them.  Did I mention I also l.o.v.e. my gallery wall? Oh right because I do.  And there is a little peek of my TV playing "The Bachelorette" and my cedar-chest-turned-TV-stand makeover that you can see here!

Enough of the living room... let me show you where the magic happens.  The Kitchen.

This little mini kitchen did the trick for me! Enough space for me to cook and Matt to eat at the little 2-seater table and stools for $120 from Walmart that I will be selling before the move.  Those little floral matchstick kitchen mats were $3.99 and $5.99 each! They've seen their better days so they will be chucked in the move.  And remember those embellished dish towels?  Oh yeah. They haven't gone anywhere.

This is definitely my dirty little secret that I haven't shown you all in blogland before. It is the ugg-er-ly rolling microwave cart.  This has been with me since college and I'm happy to say it has GOT to go.  It carries its weight though, between housing wine, a basket of Tupperware, the toaster, candles, and granola etc etc. Hanging proudly above it is a shadow box of keepsakes of Matt and I's 2.5 years together.  I like to look at it when I'm waiting for the microwave.

Those cabinets are just so painfully dated aren't they?  I'm sure with a good coat of white paint they would be heavenly! Oh the plight of living in a rental without the right to paint. *sigh number 2*  And also, I will be perfectly blunt. I like slappin' things on my fridge.  I find it comforting and homey. Some of you may think it looks messy and unkempt.  Maybe it's because it's how I grew up but it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

And this is the view from the sink.  Since I don't have a dishwasher, I have this view often.  I'll watch TV and test my lip reading skills since I don't hear a thing over the running water.  But my all time favorite thing in my kitchen is that piece of art just right of the doorway.  It's a pen, ink and watercolor painting from my brothers SoHo gallery show last April. I am so very proud to have this hanging in my home and I can't wait to find the perfect place to hang this in our new home.

So there you have it, Nesters!  The first half of my house tour! I hope you like what you've seen so far, but not too much since it's going to be boxed up very shortly!  Next up on the tour is the bedroom and bathroom.  If you have any questions about where I got something or whatever you can think of, leave a comment and I'll be sure to give you the answer!  I hope you have a fantabulous Tuesday Nesters!!  <3

I'm not dead! But we have a bed!

I swear! I'm still alive and kickin'.  I can't even tell you what I've been doing that has kept me away from the keyboard for so long this stretch.  The past month has been a blur.  My grandest apologies. But did you like my rhymin' in the title?  I should start rapping.  Did I mention I'm bad ass?

Oh right. Because I'm not.

Hollywood Regency - Ain't Gonna Happen.

I have a confession to make.  I am obsessed with the 1930's and 40's.   As a fashion forward art student I dressed the part daily.  Oh yes, did I wear vintage heels and a skirt nearly ever single day? You bet your bottom dollar!  But what was even more fun, that I actually had the Bettie Page hair do and rolled my hair too.  It used to take FOR-EVER.  Wish I had a pic of that....  But here was the inspiration.

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It was more than a haircut and a style of dress, it consumed my life.  I went so far as designing my senior collection as a 1940's Pin-Up Bridal collection.  Well, while over the years I have tamed my attire, my love for that era has shifted to my home....

 Are you pickin' up what I'm layin' down?   That's right: Hollywood Regency.  You may have noticed I have a proclivity for the style "Hollywood Regency."  If you're not familiar with the style it was the uber glam style of the 30's and 40's Hollywood Stars and Starlets. 

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So the problem with Hollywood Regency is... it's pretty. stinkin'. girlie.  Ratz... Matt won't let that one fly in our new house.  He likes dark wood, metal and as modern as modern can be... hardly H.R.  Bummer for me.  But we all have to compromise.  Luckily, I like many different styles so I am totally fine with working things more into a masculine friendly home.  Anyhoo, that means I have to live vicariously through other peoples homes that are staged in a HR style.

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GAH-LOR-EE-US!!! Give me glamour or give me death!! Ugh!  Okay you probably think I'm totally nut-so now but good lord does HR get my heart pumpin'!   I hope it gave you a little beat too! Well go and have a FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC holiday weekend, Nesters! <3

Moroccan Peacocks

I was chatting with my friend Amanda recently as she was pontificating on how much she loathes her living room in its current state.  Amanda is a graduate student in music education with a full-time job as a music teacher.  She is living in a pretty awesome house not far from  yours truly, in the Boston 'burbs. She shares that space with 2 roommates. With one moving out and taking the art from the living room with her, this frees up the space for some changes.  She was, of course, talking to the right friend when it comes to decorating.  We got to talking and came up with some great concepts and landed on a sort of ultra girlie Moroccan theme with a peacock palette.

I took Friday off from work {With the intention of spending the vast majority of the day at the RMV.  Alas, about 3 minutes later, I was given the boot and told to go the "mail-in" approach.  No help, I tell ya. No help!}  so I had some time to kill and I popped into home depot and grabbed a ton of paint chips and here's what I came up with.

The girls already have a rug that is purple and beige.  So purple will be a heavy influence in the room.  But since we want it to be kind of Moroccan, we will be adding interesting patterns and pops of brighter colors like pink and orange.

Bringing in the idea of the peacock, we're going to tone down all that purple with some jewel toned blue and greens, focusing on teals.

These are the mustard-y, burnt orange-y colors that I pulled out also as accents to couple with the pinks.  I'm thinking throws, pillows and smaller decorative accessories. FUN!

And well Target was just across the street from Home Depot, so why not swing in there? I took some snapshots of some fun goodies that caught my eye as inspiration.

This tall, banana leaf vase would be perfect for some tall branches adorned with some hand crafted flowers. Hmmmmm... I smell a DIY project.

Adoring both of these hurricanes.  Both the rosey pink and punched tin are very romantic and feminine keeping with that aspect of the room that we want. 

Loving this big round basket for the corner of the room.  It would be a great storage space to house throw blankets, books, knitting or not-often-used remotes.

Now, Amanda's living room is not a looming space.  In fact, its quite "petite," shall we say.  What always solves a feeling of claustrophobia in small rooms? Mirrors, mirrors, and more mirrors!!  I love the idea of using these end tables to reflect more light than just a wall mirror.

Speaking of wall mirrors, a Moroccan theme wouldn't be complete without some beautifully intricate patterns and this quatrefoil mirror fits the bill. I wouldn't mind snagging one of these for myself, in fact!

This adorably girlie lamp is on sale and would be a perfect addition to the living room as well! But of course only with a colorful lamp shade like this violet one....

These fun little drinking glasses are from Target's new Calypso Collection.  I love all the colors and their metallic quality.  These could easily be grouped and turned into votive holders on a fun little tray.

So all in all, I think the impromptu trip to Home Depot and Target were both successful.  I certainly was getting ideas for things that work together and don't.  What the costs are that we're up against, what we can make ourselves, and color chips that we can whittle down to our palette.

Happy Monday Morning Nesters! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  Do anything fun? Perhaps took Friday off to got to the RMV/DMV as well?  Dish!

The Raz is the Man!

... er- little boy!  As I mentioned before, my brother, Joe and sister in law, Molly, brought the wee one to hang out for my Moms birthday weekend and boy-o-boy was everyone excited to have them!  I got to hold him as much as his feeding schedule {and my mom} would allow. 

I never knew how much having a baby come into the family is instant love.  I always knew that having your own child was like that, but I had no idea how much I would already love my nephew.  Maybe it's because my brother and I are so close?  I would do back flips for him. Either of them really. {And they for me.}  So without further adieu, I wanted to share a couple of my favorite pics I took of the little guy this weekend.

Starving to death.

It is the end of day 1 of my gustatory detox and I am hurting.  My head is pounding and I'm totally exhausted.  Here's a little time line of how the day went...

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Spring Detox

Heya Nesters!  This past weekend was a delightful time for me!  My brother and SIL came to visit with the baby {I saw Dad too!} for my Moms birthday. We ate lots of good food and stared at the baby like watching a fire.  It's not doing much but you can't take your eyes off it.  I needed to get all my good food-eatin' in and enjoy it as much as I could because as of today I'm starting a detox diet.

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 Yikes.