The Italian Cypresses Won this Round... Grrrrr....

Feeling pretty defeated this week after trying to dig up 5 yes FIVE Italian Cypress trees from the front of my parent's house. For some reason my mom wants them gone so I'm like hells yeah I'll take them!! 

Here's The Hubs trying to dig up one... it didn't go over well... a hurt back... finding out the root ball is over 2 ft. wide AFTER digging for half an hour... blistered hands...

We will be back for them with gloves and better equipment - those suckers are in there deep! 

They are THE BEST for creating a wall for privacy. They grow super fast - like 2 -3 ft. a year. I want to plant a bunch along the side and back of my house. 

And eventually (hopefully) they will look something like this:

And I'll put two in the front of my house and it'll look just like this:

;)

I'm Sexy and I Know It...

OK, So I'm in the middle of deciding on fabrics for the furnished rental... I need window treatments, pillows, reupholstering 1 maybe 2 chairs and fabric for a headboard! AND of course it needs to be CHEAP! CHEAP!

So, I was super excited when bossman came in yesterday with some fabric I LUVS! The fabric is for a project but so what?! Can't I totally copy? Plus it's totally in my budget. 

Here's my first lover: Sexy faux black croc!! 

This picture kinda gives you an idea of the fabric... Below is what I plan on doing with it...

Don't know image source?!

I already painted my Chippendale gold so now all I have to do is recover the seat. It's going to look FAB!

Below is a shot of what will more than likely be the fabric for the window panels. I was planning on doing my drop cloth  trick but this fabric is only about $7/yd. So, I'd rather spend a little more and get what I would really be happy with for years to come. 

Really, this black croc inspired me to go with my gut and do a glammy/rock/sexy look in the apartment. White, gold, touches of black and a small pop of some other color that has yet to be determined.... knowing me it will be hot pink! ;) 

I'm going SEXY and I know it.

Mardi Gras Re-Cap & STILL Recovering!....

Hello y'all!! Sorry for the lack of posts... Mardi Gras came and went and now Boo is pooped!! I finally got all the glitter and feathers vacuumed up from all the rooms in the house!

Here's my costume I threw together:

The original inspiration was of course, my Barbie Barbarella and I just went from there... so I kinda became Barbie Barbarella/Tina Turner Mad Max/Warrior Voodoo Priestess Gold kinda thing....  who knows!?

Here's a shot of all the revelers in front of our neighborhood bar, Mimi's...

And I love this picture of all the neighbors before the madness really began! How fitting we took the pic in front of the hot pink dumpster!

It was a great Mardi Gras but honestly I'm glad it's over!! There were SO many parties, parades, drinking & eating.... I can now focus on some big home projects. Whew!

** If you have a moment, I'd love for you to read THIS ARTICLE ... it sums up exactly how I feel about this lovely lady, New Orleans.

Boo Just Added a MASSIVE Painting to the art collection!! ...

So, I've been doing some bargain hunting at all the thrift stores looking for cool things for the furnished rental and of course I spy something AMAZING that I had to have for my own home!! Ooops!

It's a MASSIVE original painting of a man standing on the side of a home. It's a little over 4' x 5' - BIG! I was struck by it the moment I saw it. It looks very "New Orleans" to me without being the tacky fleur de lis or a touristy painting.

Here he is in our foyer!

I've been slowly adding to our art collection and I think he's a great find! The frame is crap - I'll have to get my brother to build something really amazing for it though.

Here's a close up of his face:

Here's another angle to get a better idea of how big he is!

I love the mood of the painting. I feel like this man has endured quite a lot in his life. I wish I knew who the artist is - it isn't even signed. Ah well... 

I love how different paintings/art work can evoke so many different thoughts from the viewer. Especially paintings that have some sort of content to them. I'm a big fan of abstract art but from working as an Interior Designer I see a lot of "decorator art" which is mainly art with not much substance but a decorator can easily place it in a client's home and it'll look "pretty".  Which is great for other homes but for me personally, I am looking for pieces with a little more substance. Whether other people like them or not.

 What do y'all think about paintings in a home?? What kind of artwork do you like? I'd love for any of y'all to send me pics of and of your art in your home! Sorry, I went on an art rant today... it's just how I'm feelin' today!  

Uhhh Ohhhh... It's GO Time!...

Our tenant/BFF is now moving out one month early - meaning March 1st!! - meaning I've gotta get my butt in gear and order all the goodies to get it up and running ASAP as a furnished short-term rental! Especially because French Quarter Fest & Jazz Fest are right around the corner...

Things that are a must:

Order 2 new ceiling fans:

DIY a rustic floor length mirror. Inspiration pic below. I plan on getting a rough old door (possibly old wood) and gluing on a cheapie floor length mirror.... and done! Shouldn't be too hard right?!

Hospital curtain tracks for all windows... learned this trick from my boss. It's a super inexpensive way to hang curtains and they will be mounted right up to the ceiling - so extra drama!

New bedding! I'm hoping to find something great at Marshal's or something really inexpensive.... bedding is what's gonna kill me I'm afraid price wise - I need really soft & luxurious - it needs to feel like a hotel. If you have any favorites for bedding let me know! (I do like Thomas O'Brien from Target)

Possible light fixture for bathroom... I know it's everywhere but I need cheap and good looking! OMG you should see the gross light in there now!! eeeeww

Some bedroom inspiration...

I already have this mirrored chest and I love the colors in the image below...

You may remember my previous post about my love of this image: (Marilyn has been purchase and I'm hoping to blow her up huge!)

And now I'm kinda into a rust-orange color!? Similar to the pillows below... just a little hint of the color - if I can find the right shade of orange!

SO, I will definitely keep y'all posted as the rental gets a face lift and furnished!! It's GO time!

** All images are credited via my Pinterest board "715"**

The Most Awesome Light Fixture EVER!!...

The other day I went with bossman to a clients house to take some measurements and what oh what do I see??

But the most beautiful Mid-Century Modern light fixture everrrr!!

How awesome is this thing!? I've never seen one like it. The light came from our client's in-laws house.

Here's a shot looking up at it... SO nice!

What do y'all think?? It adds the right "cool/glam" to the traditional New Orleans style house...

I'm in love!

I'm Totally Copying This...

I fell in LOVE with this image:

Via Absolutely Beautiful Things Blog.

Of course I can totally copy this for my furnished rental!! Usually Marilyn is way too done for my taste but I love the colors and softness of this photograph. The photographer is Bert Stern and there is even a book, titled The Last Sitting.  

I came across some sellers on Ebay...

I thought the one below kinda fit in with New Orleans. She looks a little drunk. ; )

These prints come small though - like 8"x 8"... I'm worried about the quality if I blow it up? They are only $13 so I'd love even a smaller one if I can't go big.

But the big one over a fireplace is just lovely don't you think??

Nice Craigslist Find!...

While perusing the almighty Craig, I came across this guy:

It is definitely not the regular fugly sofa I come across on my hunts that's for sure! But I am not really looking for a sofa. BUT strange coincidence, the same day I found this, I was digging up ideas for a client and found this image!

image via Lonnymag

Yup, look closely there at the sofas. Same awesome design! I love the arms. Someone buy him and recover him and bring him out in all his glory please!

Side note: 1st parade (and my favorite!) Krewe De Vieux is tonight! Yippeeee!

Our House Is Ready For Mardi Gras Dawlin'!...

Just wanted to share the "after" pics from yesterdays post about decorating the house for Mardi Gras!

My skeleton man dressed for the season...

Here are my sexy mannequin legs I painted gold. I love them! My neighbor put little bows at their ankles (and the Mardi Gras Muff VaJayJay!) I kinda prefer just the Muff.... no bows... I think it takes away from the awesomeness of the legs... thoughts?

Hopefully this weekend I'll go around the hood like last year and get some shots of everyones homes decorated. There are some wild ones this year and I can't wait to share! 

A Mardi Gras Kinda Weekend...

This past weekend we had all kinda Mardi Gras related fun... it's really beginning to feel like the season for me now!

We went to a Mardi Gras Ball (Caesar Ball) with some of our best friends last Saturday night... I can't even attempt to explain a Mardi Gras Ball to you... it's totally bizarre to someone not from here. Let's just say you wear gowns & tuxes and roll in your ice chest full of booze into a fancy ballroom. The court is presented. Dancing happens. Drinking happens. Eating happens. Lots of fun happens. Go to one. 

Pics from ball:

The Maids & Queens costume were AMAZING! The detail in these headdresses is really impressive... not to mention expensive!

I love the colors in the one below. They even have neon lights hooked up to the headdress!

Me and The Hubs... yeah... he's wearing a sequined headband I made... I told you it's fun!

The next day we hung out in the hood and finally finished our Mardi Gras decorations...

Which involved spray painting vintage mannequin legs gold.  

Are you even surprised by this point that I would spray them gold!?

Here they are drying in the middle of the street. Our street has been closed because the city has been ripping out old plumbing which in turn makes fun block party without fear of getting smacked by a car ;)

And as we were painting the awesome legs what oh what do we hear?! A marching band, The Gris Gris Strut, practicing for this weekends parade, Krewe De Vieux! 

 

Yeaaahhhh!

Aaaaaand back to decorating...

 We used the legs as part of the Mardi Gras decor for the front of the house.... I have yet to get a good "after" pic of the finished decor due to construction men jack hammering in front of the house... so this black and white one will have to do ;)

All in all it was a great weekend to kick off the Mardi Gras Season!