Knock-Off DIY for When Pigs Fly

This little piggy went to market. This little stayed home. This little piggy had roast beef. This little piggy had none. And this little piggy went "wee wee wee" all the way home.

A few months ago, I fell in love with this little piggy I saw on Joss & Main. Apparently this little piggy has a cheap Kato.

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 He was like $30 for a figurine, so I hesitated, the event ended, and I've regretted it ever since. I've searched all J&M's events since and looked for knock-offs at all the usual places (Target, Pier 1, Home Goods). I even found one at Home Goods but he was an intolerable lime green so I passed him by a second time.

Then, at Garden Ridge, I stumbled across this tacky little guy:

He looks like he belongs in a mid-western grandma's kitchen somewhere. So cute. So sad.

Then I painted him pink! Maybe that should make him a her, but not to me.

I know, he's not quite as rich as the glazed ceramic version above, but he was only $7 and he's mine.

I know this post says DIY, but it really doesn't warrant step-by-step directions. Consider this more of an inspirational post. Literally, I painted him (took a solid three coats) then two coats of poly; I didn't even sand him. Luckily the craft paint dries super fast, so the whole thing took about an hour including dry time.

Right now he lives on the entertainment center in the living room, but someday I think this would be a precious whimsical addition to a baby girl nursery.

I don't care if you think my piggy is tacky. If you don't want to DIY him, just let this be a lesson to you: don't let flash sales pass.

Now we only need a name.

Stop and Smell the Roses

My favorite season is fall, followed by winter, then summer, and lastly spring. Normally, spring is just not my jam. It's nothing more than a lay-over from skiing to sunbathing. And we're all so pale. But this year, I'm craving it. Everything about it. Hell, I'm decorating with pastels.

There's one picture on Pinterest that has sparked a change in me. This one picture has made me want flowers in my home beyond special occasions. I've never been a flower person.

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The backdrop looks like our kitchen: white backsplash, black counters. It makes it look so easy to add some color. Just what I needed.

Now allow me to go on a small tangent...who am I kidding, you can't stop me; this is my blog.

Does anyone else remember that scene in He's Just Not That Into You where Jennifer Connelly and (super-gross, cheating, smoking d-bag) Bradley Cooper go floor shopping?

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He wanted cost-effective laminate and she wanted high priced hardwoods even though she couldn't tell a difference. Why? In a jab that unknowingly gets the least attractive of Bradley Cooper's characters (and he was in I Want to Marry Ryan Banks)to confess to cheating: "I don't like the way it's pretending to be wood. If you're not wood, don't try and look like wood...this is a lie."

In that moment, I knew Jennifer Connelly (or at least her character) and I are the same person.

"But Katie, why are we talking about a 2009 rom-com in a post about flowers?"

Because that's how I feel about fake flowers. And apparently the way the rest of the blogosphere feels about them too, judging by all the "aren't fresh flowers the best!?" gushing.

But as much as I hate the way fake flowers pretend to be real flowers (you're not and never will be), I'm also a realist. I know that I won't go to the farmer's market every Saturday to get a couple bouquets. I know I'd begrudge myself every time I tallied up how much I spent on a plant that would flourish for a week, tops. And I know, once they stop flourishing, it'd be another week before I actually got around to throwing out my dead flowers. Honestly, fake flowers are the only way I could go.

So I decided to take the plunge. I bought fake flowers.

Ironically, I didn't place either of my arrangements in the kitchen, a la inspiration photo. One went in the new "sitting area mock-up."

 

The other ended up in the foyer.

I know, my spring vignette still leaves a little to be desired.

I'm not sure how I feel about these yet: they immediately made the house feel more loved and homey, but at the same time they're not fooling anyone. The color is a great balance to all my neutrals without seeming like it's trying too hard, but I do feel like somewhere there's a clown with an empty sleeve.

And I have no idea what to do with the vases. Do I put water in them or leave them empty? Yes, I've seen the gel, but I don't want to do anything too permanent; I like the idea of being able to remix my flowers into different arrangements.

Basically, the consensus is I wish I was responsible enough to handle fresh flowers. I want to be able to have arrangements like this all the time without the fake flower guilt. The funniest part is I'm masquerading as a person with fresh flowers. I'm such a hypocrite; it's the same reason why Jennifer Connelly hates laminate flooring: "if you [can't handle] fresh stems, don't try and look like someone who can."

Keeping Our Toesies Warm for this Extended Winter

Guys, I have no idea what I'm doing.

As in, I'm doing a thousand different things around the house lately. My current "project" changes from day-to-day and hour-to-hour.

On my list of projects at any given moment:

• The back patio/yard
• Increasing the curb appeal (yes, we have a beautiful home, but we've done nothing to add character out front)
• Wrap up the master bath (accessorize, touch-up paint, eventually switch out light/mirrors)
• Add more homey touches (AKA "the Great Knick-Knack Search")
• I'm itching to paint the guest room
• Boone's New Room et al.

I guess today's update falls into the "Boone's New Room" category, but this one is entirely for his humans' benefit. I explained in this post how we need to do several things before moving him out of his kennel, including re-homing our coats and having anything to fill the empty area he'll leave behind.

Since we moved in, Boone and all his stuff has occupied the area across from our kitchen. In case you haven't noticed, Boo is a big boy and comes without a lot of big stuff: XL kennel, bed made from a queen size duvet, elevated feeder, and his very own toy box.

Coming from a one bedroom apartment, we don't have furniture to fill this space (...yet ...muahahaha!), so the Boone Residency was no big deal. All along, the area across from our kitchen island has been a bit of a sore spot, feeling cold, desolate, and under-utilized (not to mention sloppy; Boonebaby doesn't clean up after himself). But now that we've been here for a few months, we're starting to fill-in those less critical rooms.

Depending on who you ask, this room has different future purposes. I say it's a sitting room where I can read, drink coffee, and watch my boys play fetch in the yard from the comfort of the great indoors. Pat says it's a great place for a pool table (yeah right, that'd be the first thing you see when you walk in the front door). Standard Pacific seems to think it's a ideal spot for a breakfast nook. Real original, StanPac. Real original.

Any way you approach it, we're making progress. 

We bought a rug.

Yes, it's the same rug we have in our living room. Since the rooms are adjoining and I already have a contrasting runner in the kitchen, I decided to keep it streamlined and simple. Plus we looooove our living room rug. It is neutral but not boring. It feels great underfoot. It doesn't show any of our pets' hair. Five stars.

We haven't changed anything else, but that alone changes everything. Now we can't see as many Boonebleweeds. It doesn't look like we forgot about that corner of the house. And then, I did a mock-up of my sitting area. Those are just our dining chairs and the table is an old Ikea castoff. But I think it's doing a great job pleading my case.

 In case anyone is wondering, this is the chair (x2) I have my heart set on:

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Sitting area - 1, pool table - 0.