10-Minute Fall Wreath

There are so many options right now for fall blooms. Richly colored flowers and life like foilage. The inspiration for this project were these leaves. They looked like weathered burlap. I just love them. They scream fall and never mind my lingering obsession with burlap.

I bought the leaves on sale at Michaels and grabbed this cute lil' flower on sale for $.79.  I was going for simple so besides the wreath, this was a quick shopping trip.

Came home, plugged in the hot glue gun and plopped down in my craft studio.  I left the plastic on the wreath because the material underneath makes a mess and I'm wrapping it anyway!

Wrapped the wreath, added the flowers and leaves and hung it on the mirror in my livingroom with a piece of jute. Took me 10 whole minutes and I love the simple but sweet outcome!

Cheap Shaves for Girls AND Boys

Shaving has never been a routine for me. I'm one of those people who is blessed with light colored hair on my legs and it grows slowly and very sparsely. Perhaps it's a curse of the Irish but I see it as good fortune. As I've gotten older and the hormones have started to go awry, it's gotten a little darker and a little harder to ignore. Unfortunately, with that has come sensitive skin, making shaving something I wish I could avoid. I love how freshly shaven legs feel. It's decadent and it's pretty, very feminine and it make me immediately want to have a pedicure. But shaving is also expensive ... if you want a really good razor, and there isn't anything like shaving your legs with a really good razor, you can easily drop $20 bucks for the experience.

Two years ago, I surprised my husband with the gift of The Dollar Shave Club. Three levels of razors for the male who enjoys must endure the act of shaving. Previously, my husband dropped some serious dollars on good blades. Seriously, these blades should come with a golden handle for as much as we have spent on them. The Dollar Shave Club promises cheap blades delivered to your door every month. A bonus is that it comes with a smutty little publication and other items you can add to your monthly shipment. Of the other items available, one immediately caught my eye: One Wipe Charlies. I knew this gift was going to be the biggest hit of the year because Casey is IN LOVE with those flushable butt wipes. Yep, he isn't afraid to admit it either. He is quite confident in his belief that a fresh bottom is an absolute necessity for him. Well imagine his surprise when those little wipes also delivered a refreshing tingle! Yep, that's right, butt wipes that leave a little tingle of menthol to your bum. I knew he'd be hooked.



Two years later, we have gifted The Dollar Shave Club to our son and my father-in-law. They all love it. As I suspected, the One Wipe Charlie wipes put an unfamiliar skip in my husband's step and a little sparkle in his eyes. The Dollar Shave Club has saved us a pretty penny and the blades are second to none. All the better is that you don't have to shop for them anymore. It's a no-brainer.

Oddly, I still struggle and my genius (don't tell him I ever said that) husband suggested I join for myself. Why didn't I think of that? Perhaps its the branding of the Dollar Shave Club ... it's geared toward men and although no one says that women can't join ... there is sort of an inferred NO GIRLS ALLOWED sign on all their marketing. A little disappointing and I must admit, as a girly girl, I would like a blingy handle or maybe just one of a pretty color, but I decided to snag my husband's handle, swipe a new blade and try it before I buy it.

I'm sold. Joining the Dollar Shave Club this month. Of course I will treat myself to the Executive blade because, well, I deserve only the best. It was really the greatest shave. Pair it with another "pour homme" shaving cream (my favorite: Avene Men's Shaving Foam) and it's an unforgettable experience. My legs weren't knicked and the shave was really smooth. If you haven't checked out the Dollar Shave Club, you shouldn't hesitate. The men in your life will love you for it and it definitely should be at the top of your things to gift. Do it ... http://www.dollarshaveclub.com.

Fitting In: Story of the "Used" Sofa

My livingroom has been begging for a sofa for some time. When my husband and I first bought our house, we envisioned this room as a "show" room where there would be no TV, it would always be clean and we'd congregate with our visitors. Several years later, life is busy and the basement where our family room should be still isn't completed so we added a tv to this "show room" and two big brown leather chairs. The thought behind this was that if there was something we wanted to watch together, we could do it here. We've done that and it's lovely; however, there still isn't a place for everyone to gather in our house and we have 2 teenagers and a college student that often have friends over. My husband really wasn't having the whole "sofa" idea but I want to really "live" in my house and I want it to be a comfy place for everyone who lives here and a cozy place for my visitors.

I'm really into repurposing and thrift stores and now, there is a part of me that wishes I had NEVER bought any brand new furniture. I wish I had thrifted everything because furniture today just isn't made the way it used to be and it's too pristine, too new and I just don't like that look anymore. I like the beautiful craftsmanship that my husband put into remodeling our house and I think it looks gorgeous with remnants of the past ... clawfoot tubs, distressed furniture, art of the past and just anything that has a story... I just love a mixture of the old and new and I'm still looking for a good word for this style of decor. Is there a word for it yet?

I popped into Salvation Army on Saturday morning a few months back and there IT was .... the sofa that I was determined to find.

My husband would say it was too big but it was the microfiber that I wanted, it was in great condition but looked a little "lived in" and the color was perfect. I snapped a few pictures with my phone and sent them off to him. I could tell he wasn't thrilled but I think he knew I really wasn't giving up on this. He went back and forth and then finally conceded that if I liked it, I could just to buy it. A funny thing happens when you get to excited in one of these thrift stores ... everyone notices and then everyone wants what you have discovered. I took the tag off of it (which is the way you claim the piece) and as long as you don't leave the store without paying for it, it's yours. Well, two women stood by the couch the entire time I browsed the store so they could claim it if I left without paying. Another woman stalked me all through the store and kept asking me in broken english "you buy?" It is also funny how you become so territorial once you've claimed it but before you've paid for it. Two men, who seemed to be patiently waiting for their wives who had taken too long browsing, sat down on the couch. I eyed them up and down as I waited in the cashier's line as if to say "get off, that's mine."

I always plan to take on these projects myself but inevitably I need my dear husband's help. My daughter and I (and the nice guy from Salvation Army) loaded the sofa into the back of my husband's truck. The couch was bigger than I thought ... I was sure he was going to kill me. I got the straps out of the truck and got them around the sofa and couldn't figure out how to tighten them ... damn! I called him on the phone and sweetly requested his help to which he happily obliged. We got the sofa home and in the house. I give him kudos because he didn't roll his eyes, sigh or even complain and he has no idea how happy that made me. Ah, the secret to a happy wife.

I arranged it and although I too would probably agree it was a little big, it was perfect. It brought the cozy to the room that I was hoping for and now we could really congregate with guests. I threw a few accent pillows on it and it has already brought us hours of comfort and enjoyment. What do you think?

Well, fast forward several months and much to my husband's chagrin, I've rearranged the furniture. The couch has indeed brought the comfort and coziness that I had hoped. My husband loves to lay on it and watch TV. The kids gather there with friends and I think, while we are gone, the dogs lounge shamelessly on it. It's such a great couch. Unfortunately it is in my nature to get bored. I do love this couch and if another offer had not been made to me, I wouldn't be parting with it but I've been offered something that I am really excited about. It will challenge my decor but I'm always up for that challenge so I am looking for a new home with a new story and a new purpose for this couch. Any takers?

Mother's Room in the Workplace

My beloved employee, Melissa is expecting in June. We were working on a new employee orientation project at work which prompted the need for photographs of various areas of our office. In our building we have a Mother's Room which to my horror I discovered they were calling "The Lacation Room." The room was located in a private room in our building's fitness center. I asked Melissa to snap a few pictures so we could use them in our orientation presentation. So she snapped these pictures and upon opening them, this is what I saw:

Are you thinking what I am thinking? If you are, you are thinking that is horrific that this is what we call a Mother's Room. It's basically a closet that needs some cleaning and some love. Mothers who are breastfeeding their babies who have transitioned back to work after maternity leave are using this room as a private space to express their milk several times a day. It's fine that it's small, after all, all you are doing is expressing milk but there is nothing in this room that says relax or be comfortable. Where's the comfortable chair? Where's the love?

I knew I'd be alone in the belief that this had to be fixed and I wasn't completely wrong so I knew I had to do this on the cheap if I was going to do it. Our building Facility Director graciously offered to order paint and paint the room. He even let me choose the color!

We chose two shades of blue to give the room some slight dimension. I decided we would go with a shabby chic sort of decor and started to thrift various things that could go into the room. I found some cute pictures of moms and daughters on the internet and snagged them and then printed them at Costco in black and white and put them into some cheap frames. I also did some cute graphic sayings and put those into some thrifted frames. I scored a mantle shelf for $4 and a coat hook originally from Pottery Barn (with the original $70 price tag on it) for $3. We gave the room a new name, Salon "M." We're saying that its a cute take on Mother's Room but everyone knows it's Salon Melissa .. ha! ha!

Bought this beautiful and very comfortable rocking chair on Craigslist for $20, didn't like the drab green color (or the stains) so took a bottle of RIT dye and dyed the fabric ... very pleased with the results, by the way!

Here is a picture of the before and after. We had a ton of fun and were successful in transforming it. Would love to hear your thoughts!

A Decluttering Project: 40 Bags In 40 Days

Wonder where I've been? I'm crazy busy with projects! projects! projects! Soon, I will have a great deal to share with all of you. I wanted to share my newest obsession .... decluttering. Cleaning out. Getting rid of.

Starting today, I am going to be cleaning out, getting rid of and de-crapifying. I can't wait to see how much I'll accomplish in 40 days! Here's the plan: bring one bag for trash and one bag for things to donate. Set a timer for 15 minutes and get to work on the room/area specified for that day. It won't seem so overwhelming and you won't be tempted to put it off if you know you only have to do it for 15 minutes. If an area requires more than 15 minutes, plan several days to go back at the end to revisit.

Today, there are so many ways that you can get rid of things you don't need or want. Remember that your trash could be someone else's treasure. On Facebook there is a surge of virtual garage sale groups for those who are local to your area. You can always drop things off at Goodwill, Salvation Army or any other thrift shop or charity of your choice. Many battered women's shelters accept donations of clothing and household items. You can post an ad on Craiglist, put it out on the curb and first come, first serve. Lastly, if you aren't able to transport your donations you can call organizations like Salvation Army, Amvets, The Brown Elephant or The White Elephant to arrange for pick up.

So, who wants to make the commitment to spring clean and get organized in 40 days? If you'd like to use my planning tool, I've included a free printable that I used to accomplish this great task! You can download and customize yours here.

Wrinkles.....don't make me smile!

So why am I writing about them? Good question! I'm at a loss, ladies. I am 45 so I expect to see some hints of aging and I do. I'm not niave to think that my age won't show at some point. I have the grey hair which I faithfully color and I have some fine lines. I worry about the turkey neck that seems to be genetically prevalent in my family and to be honest, it scares the crap out of me so I try to moisturize often and do chin strengthening exercises for as long as I can before I consider moving to a climate where I can wear turtle necks year round. I'm really starting to see the signs in my eyes, the dryness, the fine lines, the puffiness and the dark circles and did I mention the puffiness? Ugh. I'm at a loss. I read something the other day that said I should use Preparation H to ease the swelling and it's been on my "to-do" list for a week now to stop at the drug store to get some.

I was going to use a picture of myself to illustrate my struggles but after taking them I decided no one really deserves to see that on a Monday morning so I used a picture of the very beautiful Eva Mendes. She has the dark circles and puffy eyes I struggle with. And, just like Eva, the bags are worse under one of my eyes making my whole face look sort of uneven. Granted, Eva is pretty beautiful and Ryan Gosling doesn't seem to mind them but they also don't look so pretty either. There ARE better pictures of her if we are being honest (but I feel better about myself having found this one of her). So, I I came across this article this morning that warns against using that and tells you what to stop that is causing these dark circles and puffy eyes.

http://www.webmd.com/beauty/eyes/ss/slideshow-banish-the-bags-under-your-eyes

It's WebMD so I am going to choose to believe that these could be real culprits to the pains I speak of. I sleep adequately, I take my make up off before bed, I don't smoke, I really don't hit the alcohol that hard so I ask those of you who are embracing all of these lifestyle practices, does it work? What do you do to ward off the dark circles and puffiness? WebMD advises against using Preparation H. Does anyone have an eye cream that they swear by? Enlighten me here, please!

Finding Inspiration In Your Decorating

For some, decorating style comes easy and for others they know what they like but they have to find their inspiration in other places. When you love styles like Pottery Barn, West Elm or Anthropologie, it's easy to pop open their catalogs or hit their websites and find styles you like and try to replicate them. I still do that very often. For instance, I've always LOVED quilts but the look of them reminded me of Little House on the Prarie or and old lady's home, which I didn't aspire to emulate. I've had a quilt on my bed now for about 2 years and my husband and I cannot part with it. It's a solid color quilt but as I've really fallen in love with farm house decor, I am seeing the appeal and the style in quilts of all patterns and styles and enjoying the way they can shape the decor of a room.

I found a new site called Dot & Bo and they feature all different decorating styles ... the urban dweller, bohemian, urban cowboy, you name it, they have it. I am a person that loves to mix old with new. I like a craftsman style home with retro farmhouse accents and a little modern thrown in. I like to mix them and create my own kind of style. My bathroom is a great example of this. I have half beadboard walls, a modern stone tile floor, eclectic lighting and a clawfoot tub. In addition, I have an ultra modern shower stall with a floor to ceiling glass door. I adore my bathroom. I am getting ready to refresh it by painting it a bold gray modern color.

In thumbing through the Dot & Bo catalog, I came across a brightly painted hot pink Buddah ...... very similar to the one I found a few weeks ago at Salvation Army for $2.99 and re-painted a bright aqua to match my living room (although I think mine was much cuter). Remember him? They are selling something similar on their site for $36.99! My Buddah re-do instantly became more rewarding!

My point? Don't try to re-create the catalogs. Find your style and own it. You might surprise yourself how hip your ideas and style really are and you might find someone emulating you!

2.99 Thrifted Buddah Re-Do

I thought you'd all like to see the transformation of the Buddah statue that I scored for $2.99 the other day.  I am thrilled with the outcome!! It looks like something from Pier I!  What do you think?

Living Room For A New Year: A Clean Slate

Each season, when I take down the holiday decor, I am left with a clean slate that is my living room. It's so energizing. A clean canvas ... permission to do anything I want. Well, not really. I'm married to someone who is very discriminating when it comes to the decor. It's gotten easier over the years. I'm not sure if it's because he likes what I do or because he realizes I'm much easier to deal with when I'm happy and anyone who knows me knows that I am dependent on my environment and surroundings for happiness.

Truth be known, by the time Christmas is over, I am ready to get rid of the Christmas clutter. Yes, it's warm and cozy by the twinkle of the Christmas lights but I relish in the lack of clutter when it's all over. I've decided to revisit the aqua accent color of the past. It looks lovely with my Sherwin Williams "Portabello" colored accent wall and brown leather chairs. I've accumulated a few aqua pieces and although, it's not completely done yet, I'm on my way to refreshing our decor.

The coffee table and the mantle are always challenging. This year, I'm going for a more clean look on the coffee table. I've acquired a basket-type tray for three bucks from a thrift store and it seems to be a perfect foundation for the first coffee tablescape of the year. Paired with a lovely candle that my daughter's friend gave to us for Christmas in a glass vase repurposed from a floral delivery, a small little aqua bird from Michael's that I just HAD to have because it made me smile and a vase with some pretty faux hydrangeas in it. It's all simple and I'm inclined to just leave it this way. What do you think?

The mantle. The mantle is never easy but when I perfect it, I'm so pleased. I'm not there yet. I've learned a lot on Pinterest about layering on mantles. I decided to pull out some silver candle holders that I purchased from Salvation Army for Christmas. They looked so lovely in my Christmas decor that I couldn't bear to part with them when I put away the Christmas stuff. I bought them at different times from different stores. Two of the three are Nordstrom metal candle holders. I scored them for 3 bucks each! Shawn's urn of ashes has a permanent place on this mantle and goes quiet nicely with the silver candlesticks. I think he'd be pleased. I took one of the gorgeous aqua vases that my mother-in-law gifted to me for my last birthday and placed it strategically and took a little eucalyptus from a vase elsewhere in the house for a little added height. I had made a cute little sign out of a picture frame with our name and the year we were married and I never did anything with it. It found a perfect place on this mantle. I'm so pleased with its addition. I also included this blue bottle that my father gave to me when they were digging up the ground beneath his former company. It appears that these bottles can be found in the ground here in Chicago if you dig deep enough. Blue glass has always intrigued me. I believe, although completely unrelated, that ice water tastes best from a cobalt glass. Not sure why, but it seems to make perfect sense. In any event, I'm not done with the mantle yet but I'll be sure to post a picture when I am.

The side tables are usually pretty bare, just a lamp and a picture or two usually. I decided to change that up too. I took two of my favorite silly poetry books and stacked them with our annual photo books on one of the tables and put a lovely aqua pitcher that was the vase for an edible arrangement we received from a friend. It looks lovely, I think!

On the other table, a salvaged candleholder from a thrift store with a lovely aqua candle that I bought on clearance at Home Goods. The lamp on this table is one of my favorites. A find from thrifting last year. It is one of those old double chain lamps with the two bulbs. It's metal. I'm forever looking for a finial to fit this lamp, it didn't have one when I bought it. Also on this table is one of those cute wine cork cages. A way to showcase the corks from all the wine we drink! I picked this up at Home Goods on clearance recently ... a different way to use the corks as decor.

Lastly is the sideboard or butler or whatever you choose to call this piece of furniture. The runner is something I picked up while thrifting as well for 2 dollars. It goes perfectly on this piece to protect the finish. My husband's prized humidor claims permanent residence here. I love the bulldog ceramic that we bought at Home Goods. Reminds me of our bulldog, Ella. I love the tall ginger jar with pinecones in it. I saw it on a decorating site and just had to replicate it.

Then there is this wall. I hate that we don't have a "real" entryway. I'd kill for a mudroom at our entrance but we don't have one. I'm happy that we kept this little half wall and put the granite on the top of it. I'm currently in search for a great rug for this tile. As for the wall, I have big plans for this wall. My husband is going to take down the little coat hook board and make our own more rustic looking piece ... longer and more stately to bring more dimension to the entryway. I'd love to find a little bench for next to the mirror as well.

I'm excited about the first livingroom of the year. What do you think?

Thrifting New

I'm pretty excited when I'm thrifting, not looking for anything in particular, and it happens. The find. The deal that makes this all so addicting. Today, I stopped at the Salvation Army on the north side of the City and landed (no pun intended) 5 Lands End mock turtlenecks, with the tags still on, all for thirty bucks. Lucky me, white tags were 25% off today and so they were even cheaper than I thought when I checked out. It's a little late in the season but in Chicago we are assured winter until at least April or May so I still have some time left to wear them. I did notice that the prices in the City, albeit not a ritzy neighborhood at all, are a bit higher than they are in the suburbs. I'm not sure what the strategic retail thinking is on this practice considering the people in my neighborhood can afford the higher prices more than the people can in this particular neighborhood.

So I headed back to the burbs.....

College students love thrift stores. I once asked my son if it embarrassed him when I came to visit with a big "black bag" full of clothes. He said "Mom, we all go there!" All the better for me. I've gotten him some great clothes as a result of thrifting. Almost new Michael Kors ties, Banana Republic dress shirts, Lucky jeans, etc. My daughter also really enjoys finding great things and doesn't mind the occasional hand me down. I scored her a really cute puffy winter vest. Very stylish and again, Lands End! $6.99.

My best find was a black Buddha statue for 2.99. I had my husband stop at Menards on the way home and pick me up a can of spray paint in an aqua-ish color and I've decided that I will spray paint this and give it a place on the mantle in the livingroom. I'm really excited! No one will have anything like it and it made me smile!

This Is Where It Begins

Happy New Year! 2015 and later this year I will turn 46. Boy, has time flown. My son turns 23 this year and graduates college, my daughter graduates high school and my youngest will enter his sophomore year in high school. My husband Casey and I will be married 7 years this year and we continue to grow, change and learn ... from one another and from the world. I decided to create the Bleu Buddha as a means to share with the world, the things that make me the happiest, be it recipes, a quote, a story, a project or an accomplishment. Through this blog I hope to inspire others to find what makes them happy and share it with the world.

This year, my husband and I will continue our journey in health and fitness together, losing weight and achieving wellness. We continue to work on our home and there is always a project or two or ten in the works. We both have careers outside the home so this keeps us pretty busy. We'll work this year to achieve better balance. I have this lust for thrifting. I love thrift stores, finding things, repurposing them or keeping them just as they are and I've created some amazing things. I love country cottage decor and love mixing different genres of design. For example, our master bath has a clawfoot tub with bead board walls and a modern glass enclosed shower stall and a modern vanity. I love the contrast and I'm always striving to do that in my house. My dream is to someday own an old farmhouse and be able to thrift everything to decorate it. For now, I just enjoy bringing the elements into my cozy little 4-bedroom ranch home. I'm looking forward to sharing all of that with you!

I'm sure the question on everyone's mind is "what is with the Buddha?" I'm not a Buddhist, per se, but I do really admire the teachings of Buddha and would like to be more serious about practicing it. I'm still learning how to incorporate some of it into my life as a believe it's much more of a lifestyle than a religion. The truth is, the Buddhist beliefs make me happy and I saw a little blue Buddha statue once and I felt happy. There really isn't much more to it.

I follow a lot of different Bloggers online and have my favorites. It's my hope to share some of those in future posts. Most of all, I'd love to know about the people who read my blog. You hate to think you are just writing and no one is really reading or cares about what your writing. While that might be the case, if you stop by, let me know what you think. I'm open to thoughts, suggestions, feedback, ideas and I don't mind being challenged. The purpose of this blog is to inspire others to find happiness and I'd love to learn from my audience. For that reason, I plan to participate in link parties, sponsoring give aways and things of that nature. If you have any other ideas about how I can be more visible, I am most certainly interested in your thoughts and ideas.

So my first question is .... what makes you smile? The cheerful barista that wishes you a good day when he/she delivers your morning cup of java? Being addressed by your first name when you call a customer service line seeking to solve a problem? The warm sun on your arm through your car window on a cold winter day? The perfect shade of lipstick? A heated blanket when your watching a good movie on the couch? That one wine that you would foresake all others for? Whatever it is, I'd love to hear it ... please share!

Here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015 with a lot to smile about!