DIY Wall Art (Gabby Post)

Hellllo readers! I hope everyone is enjoying Spring and the beautiful weather. I haven't much time to do my DIY projects because I've been trying to get out of the house as much as possible. That, and I haven't been as inspired from Pinterest as I usually am. UNTIL NOW.

Meet this wonderful creation: DIY WALL ART

You see, there's this large empty space behind my dresser that needs some attention. Right now it's so bare and I've been wondering what to put there. A mirror? Hanging jewelry box? Art?

Then I found this DIY project and knew it was calling my name. I love everything about it-it's chevron, it's colorful, it's just the right size...

So I went to Michaels and bought a canvas and some Acrylic paints (in teal hues of course to match the bedroom decor)! I already had painter's tape, 1" wide, to use to create the design on the canvas.

 Next, I marked the canvas to the spacing I wanted and laid out the tape in parallel lines.

The hard part was getting the chevron/herring bone pattern. It took me a couple tries and lots of measuring! I finally got it down.

It's not perfect by any means, but I still love the look!


The next step, I took metallic gold spray paint and sprayed over the canvas. I didn't cover it, making sure there were plenty of white spots to fill in with other colors. Then I just kept adding paint until I had used all the colors I wanted on the canvas. I had no particular order or method, just kept painting!

I left that dry over night and then started peeling off the painters tape. There were a few places where the tape had started coming up and a little paint got underneath, but I wasn't too worried about it! Here's the final product!

So after all that work I had to put it up. We're renting, so I decided not to hang it. I set it on top of the dresser instead, which I love! Here is the BEFORE (ignore our dresser, I'm going to refinish it with a whitish paint, so it's on the list of DIY projects!):

And here's the AFTER:

 

I love the pop of color, definitely what I was needing on that wall!

What do you all think? Did I do it justice?

I'm excited to have it in our bedroom finally. It was a super easy way to spruce up the place! I think I might have an even easier project for next time. I just found it today, so I'll be back in June with that project! :)

Gabby

Chips and Queso

I was so excited last week when I got an email from Liz inviting me to a Chuy's event!! You all remember my love for Chuy's (and mexican food in general) and I even coordinated a blogger dinner there last summer right after they opened. Now they are opening a new location in Midlothian and wanted to spread the word.

We actually went on Thursday but in honor of Cinco de Mayo, I thought I'd share a little recap tonight.

Liz's fiance joined us for a little while and snapped this pic. I LOVE IT! Ashley and I were wearing matching mint pants.

 We started off the evening with some complementary drinks and a fajita bar. They also had chips+salsa and gave us a chance to try all 7 of their sauces. The boom-boom sauce was my favorite. It was a tangy, little bit spicy queso!! Then they brought out 2 of their signature dishes--- the Chicka-Chicka Boom-Boom and the Steak Burrito in their spiciest Hatch sauce. And if we hadn't eaten enough (which I definitely had), they brought out their tres leches cake for everyone!! IT WAS SO GOOD! And we all went home with some "swag" like this awesome Chuy's t-shirt.

I had a great time catching up with these 2 beautiful ladies. We shared wedding stories (since Liz is tying the knot in less than a month) and talked about upcoming blogging events and conferences...and food as always!! I was so honored she picked me to come but the best part was Ashley blessed us with her presence even though Grey's Anatomy was coming on. Thus the new hashtag was created: #iheartyoumorethangreys Haha, okay maybe you had to be there for that one.

Can't wait until next time! (Which will be the SEO VA bloggers event. So excited for this one!)

Have you ever been to an event like this? Have you ever tried Chuy's?

Bikini Series

Yes I am starting another challenge. I hope you all enjoyed Style me April. I will not be participating in Style me May but I may do it again in a few months.

I did share my favorites on instagram. Its no surprise that I picked outfits with my favorite colors (teal, yellow and pink)

This new challenge will actually be a challenge. It will take motivation, hard work and 2 lovely accountability partners (and an encouraging husband) to get me through it. Its the BIKINI SERIES 2014!!! I love that I find these things on Instagram and just go for it. My blog friend Kayli shared a recipe and was using the hashtags #tiuteam and #tiumeals. I had seen them around a few times but had NO idea what it was about so I clicked on it and found a whole other world. Turns out tiu stands for Tone it Up and Karena and Katrina started it. Who are they? Certified Personal Trainers and Nutritionists. But that doesn't even scratch the surface. They have created a challenge called Bikini Series that is FREE to join and gives weekly workouts, nutrition tips and more. There is also a community of girls that connect and encourage each other. It sounded like just what I needed. I have been eating especially bad since last fall. I figured it would get better after Christmas and then after Valentines Day but I just kept eating bad and not exercising. So I signed up and then I shared the challenge on Instagram. Gabby and Veronica decided to join me and be my accountability partners. They have done a fantastic job so far!!

 And did I mention that this challenge is 8 WEEKS long!! It started on the 28th and ends on the first day of summer, just in time to show off the "bikini body"

These past 4 days have definitely been very different. I have had more energy. I have been waking up earlier to jog in the morning and then do the toning exercises in the evening. I also signed up for Zumba classes recently so that is just an added bonus because I LOVE ZUMBA!

Another part of the challenge is 100 by summer. The goal is to put in an extra 100 miles over the next 8 weeks. That averages to 1.7 miles a day. Or do the equivalent in another cardio exercise.

Here's some of my inspiration:

Here are my personal goals for this challenge:

1) Eat healthier and like. I need to stop drinking coke and eating dessert every day. I know I can do WAY better. I am so used to yummy, fattening southern food.

2) Go down a pants size or 2 or 3. Every year I have to buy bigger clothes. I want to go the other way.

3) Be able to run a 5k with stopping or walking (this is big for me....did I mention I despise running---like I'd rather go to the dentist haha)

Reward: A new bikini ;) and maybe a fun run (like Color me Rad?)

Sorry I didn't have many pictures. I will be sure to try and document this process better!! I dd take before pictures but I won't be sharing those on here.

Spring Cleaning

I am so happy to be getting back into my blogging rhythm now!!! I have noticed quite a few new faces over on Bloglovin. Welcome, friends!!

I saw that Brooklyn has started a series on spring cleaning your blog and it got me thinking...how can I improve my space?

- Be better about responding to your comments. Y'all take time out of your day to write to me and I need (and want) to return the favor. They are all sitting in my inbox...so if you've commented and been ignored I am sorry and I will be emailing you shortly!!!

-Figure out the whole blog sponsor thing. I am still offering sponsorships on Designer in Teal but need to figure out what blogs to advertise on myself. Also,I am very happy to have another interior designer this month. Galina's blog has been very inspiring.

-Stop focusing on link-ups. You all know about the Design in your Home link-party that Jackie and I did but it is a lot to manage each month and I did not see enough growth to continue it. But you never know, that could change again if I see a good opportunity.

Whew...it really feels good to analyze things and get a fresh start. Please let me know if you have any other suggestions.

So I cannot wait to show you more house progress...but I am not quite there yet so instead you get another fashion post. BUT if you really can't wait, check these out: 

-A First Impression

-March Recap

-How to Add Character to your Home

Here is the second edition of Style me April! In the first part, I introduced the challenge and shared how it has given me a new perspective.

10) Borrowed or Thrifted- thrifted jcrew chino pants and gifted scarf.
11) Matchy Matchy- love to combine black, white and yellow. I feel like I am always "matchy matchy"
12) Makes ya wanna dancegram (did not participate-it was a video)
13) Born in the Wrong Era- decked out in lace, pearls and tweed!! Also got a new haircut :)
14) Easter Bun- no bun since my hair was too short for a good one. but this dress definitely makes me think of spring and Easter.
15) Lovely in Lace- One of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe. Lacey top and earrings. I also look so much like my Mama in this one.
16) Maxi Moment- Ooh that was a cold day but I made this "honeymoon" maxi dress work with a long sleeve shirt over it and a cozy scarf.
17) Girly in Green- This was probably my least favorite outfit so far. Not too exciting except for the necklace from my friend Denise!
18) Literary Heroine- Of course I had to go with Katniss!! All black with gold necklace to represent the mockingjay pin and the red heels for the "girl on fire"
19) Sporty Chic- This was the perfect outfit for the church Easter egg hunt. I am a big fan of anything comfortable and sparkly :)

A First Impression

Being an interior designer, you can bet that my main concern when house hunting was the interior space.  Of course I had a preference on the exterior style as well but it took a back seat to a beautiful and functional interior.

However, when someone comes to visit what is the first thing they see?? The front of your house (let's hope). The front of our home was already appealing but I knew I could step it up a notch. We could spend forever landscaping (and we have) but there are some simple ways I knew I could update it for cheap.

Let me remind you...this is what it looked like to begin with:

First and foremost, I PAINTED THAT DOOR! Red is probably my least favorite color and we all know what my favorite color is. Yup, it's teal now!! YAYAY...(happy dance) I LOVE it! What a huge improvement.We also switched the kick-plate and door knocker to oil rubbed bronze! (and plan to do the keypad soon)

 

Gabby made me the welcome sign and it even had a teal ribbon on it so I decided to start there for inspiration. It has the rustic touch that complements my style but is still cheery and fresh!

(clearly we need to powerwash!)

The previous owners left a welcome mat which was very sweet but it matched the red door...not my teal door. So, we are going to replace that with a lovely "H" monogram doormat.

bed, bath & beyond

I also wanted to fill in the space to the right of the door a little bit more so we are going to add a barrel planter. But wait....don't you see it in the picture above?? Tim surprised me by bringing one home after work yesterday!!! Happy Easter to me :) I want to plant some yellow and white flowers in it (teal+yellow=perfection) and always more greenery (maybe a fern?).

home depot

We also added solar lights to light the walkway leading to the front door. It was a small touch but I like that it defines the area.

I still have plans to add seasonal wreaths but I think after we finish all of this, it won't "need" it.

And at some point I would love to switch out the porch light to one of these!!

Home Depot (save)

Shades of Light (splurge)

What do you think so far?? It definitely feels more like our home now!!

Also, we finally ordered the living room rug!!! That should arrive within a week and then all that's left are the chairs :)