Thursday, July 31, 2014

Anatomy of my Bar




Today I thought I'd give you a sneak peak into our bar. It's not perfect, it's poorly stocked, and not as organized as I'd like, but I love the over all look of it. The color of the bar itself is the same as our color blocked lamps, and I love being able to display my grandmother's decanters. My Aunt and Uncle gave me the Kate Spade frame for our wedding, and it matches our dessert set and champagne flutes. 

Do you have a bar set up in your home? What do you consider essentials? I need advice on what I need to buy ASAP.
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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

My Other Half

Now, y'all, I love my husband. Like, I'm borderline obsessed with him. I have no doubt in my mind that he is my soul mate - and a saint because he puts up with me day in and day out. But, he's not my other half. No. I met my other half a little over 25 years ago when my little sister was born.
B and I are only 18 months apart and have been inseparable for our entire lives (well, except for like, 1 year in high school - we don't talk about it). Back home, we're just "The Gumpman Sisters" and everyone knows we're a package set. Sometimes we wonder if we're the same person - but then we remember that B likes ketchup with her hashbrowns and I hate ketchup with a passion.
We were roommates after we both graduated college, she is my partner in crime, the best maid of honor ever (no, seriously - you should've heard her speech. It was perfection.), and my other half. And 1 week from today she'll be HERE! What's on the docket? Well, according to the itinerary I drew up we'll...
...get dinner, drinks, and play trivia at the Alley
...have a Cookout Club luau!
...take a Tour de Clarksville kayak adventure
Plus we have so many delicious dishes on the menu - including but not limited to bee stings, copycat Noodles & Co. Indonesian Peanut Saute, baked pasta with spinach and ricotta, and all of our guilty pleasure snacks like spinach dip, Harry & Larry, and salsa and guac.
I'll leave you with this precious video of a little girl who just doesn't want her little brother to grow up. Because siblings are adorable and I can't wait for mine to get here.
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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

TMI Tuesday

So, I have a huge girl-crush on Blake Lively. She is just perfection to me. And the other day, I saw this super cute video of her answering 73 questions all in rapid succession:

I thought it would be fun to do my own Q&A answering some of the same questions as Blake - enjoy!
1. How you feeling these days? Great! Keeping busy with projects, the job search is taking off, and my sister visits so soon!
2. What's the best thing to happen to you this year? Moving into our rental home - so much space! So much freedom!
3. What's the best thing to happen to you this month? I got to see my Momma for a few days in Pigeon Forge and get some quality "Ya-Ya Sisterhood" time.
4. What's the best thing to happen to you today? A beautiful cool morning and a great back porch where I can enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning while watching my pup run around her yard.
5. What's the best thing ever? Tootsie rolls.
6. What's your favorite season? Spring. There is nothing like taking out sun dresses again after a long winter of being bundled up.
7. Favorite holiday? It's a tie between Halloween and Christmas. Halloween because of Chung Mungs - obviously. Then on Nov. 1 I start playing Christmas music :) 
8. Which "Sex and the City" character do you identify with most? Charlotte. For obvious reasons.
9. Do you like surprises? No! I hate not knowing what is going to happen.
10. What's the biggest surprise you've ever had? My mountain top proposal. It came entirely out of left field and I didn't see it coming at all.
11. What's your favorite plot twist? "Mean Girls" when Regina puts herself in the Burn Book or "Crazy Stupid Love" when Emma Stone ends up being Steve Carell's daughter. 
12. What's your favorite dessert? Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
13. What's your favorite food? This is tricky - I could eat pizza, tacos, and sushi on rotation forever and never get sick of them.
14. What's your least favorite food? I'm really not a fried chicken fan. Or gravy. 
15. What's your favorite condiment? Mayo! I know, I know...
16. It's brunch - what do you eat? Waffles - or if I'm at Market at Main, Sweet Potato Pancakes. 
17. Your favorite color: Yellow.
18. Least favorite color: Probably orange.
19. What color dress did you wear to your prom? Seafoam freshman year, pink junior year, black senior year.
20. What are three things in your purse you can't live without? My military ID, a love note from L, and my debit card.
21. Who is a person you'd like to have coffee with? Amy Poehler. I love her.
22. Who is the last person you texted? CJ
23. Country you want to visit? Greece.
24. First pet? A cocker spaniel
25. First pet's name? Carerra Red (my father told my grandmother he was going to name all of his kids after Porsches)
When Mom brought me home from the hospital - Carrie checking me out :)
26. What's your spirit animal? Leslie Knope from Parks and Rec. Not an animal but I don't care.
27. What is your favorite movie? 10 Things I Hate About You

Comment below with some answers to your favorite questions above - I'd love to get to know you!
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Monday, July 28, 2014

DIY Curtains

One thing I hate buying is curtains. Why are they so expensive? They don't have much function (um, hello, blinds get the job done) - they're almost purely for aesthetic. But, this is when I take to heart this mantra:
So, finding the cheapest drapes possible was my task. Even after scouring clearance racks at Target, Wal-Mart, Kirklands, and Pier 1 and combing through shelves at TJ Maxx and Ross, I came up empty handed. Then, I found that great star fabric I shared already. So, here is my first attempt at sharing a tutorial - how to make your own color blocked sheet drapes!

So, let's begin! Here is what you'll need:
- 1 twin flat sheet
- 1 yard of fabric (I used duck cloth but cotton quilting fabric would work just fine)
- 1 spool of thread
- Straight Pins
- Scissors
- Curtain Rod (if you don't have one already)
I folded the fabric in half, and ironed a new seam to cut along. After I ironed the seam, I pinned it (to be sure - I didn't want to mess up and didn't trust myself yet) and cut it in half.
(You can fold from when I purchased the fabric, hence why I ironed my own seam and pinned to keep from getting mixed up.)
Next, I layed out the twin sheet - straight out of the packaging. Then, I cut it right down the middle then popped it in the drier with a damp washcloth to de-wrinkle. (In hindsight, I should've de-wrinkled first and measured the exact middle, like I did with the red. I assumed the packaging folded it exactly. But you know what happens when you assume...)
As you can see, we have the perfect amount of over-hang on each side of the curtain, and I pulled the red cloth lower to give about an inch of overhang at the bottom. I layed the curtain down right side down (so the side I want facing the room when I hand the curtains) and layed the red cloth underneath.
I began with the bottom edge. I folded up the red cloth, pinned it into place, ironed the seam, and sewed a hem, splitting the difference between the fold at the bottom at the rough edge. 

One at a time, I folded the left and right sides, pinned in place, ironed the seam, and sewed the edge. 
Then, sewing on the right side, I sewed the top of the blocking. That edge was rough from the cut, but I wasn't worried - I knew the sheets would be too long and would need shortened, so I planned to fold them up and cover that rough edge.
See? Too long. But not for too long. (I'll be here all week...)
This is when I got bad about taking photos! To shorten the curtains, I first grabbed the right corner, where the red met the white, left about 1 inch of white above that seam, and pulled up along the edge of the curtain until the bottom grazed the ground. I pinned in place, and worked my way along the curtain. It is important to leave the inch of white along the top of the red. You will take that inch, fold it over the rough edge of the red, pin in place, and sew. It shortens the curtain and gives a nice little band of white.
And voila! Repeat (most) of these steps with the second curtain and you're all done!

My grand total was $11 in cost. Not too shabby if you ask me! I learned a lot (and already know how I'll do it differently next time) but here are my top reminders:
1. Iron! Press your seams, it makes life MUCH easier.
2. There is no such thing as over-pinning - CJ taught me that one and it's so true.
3. Don't under-estimate yourself - sewing is much easier than it looks, so take on these challenges! Just take instructions one at a time, carefully working through the steps. There is no rush!

What do you think? Don't they look great? Now to re-paint and cover that stool...
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Friday, July 25, 2014

Five on Friday *FRIDAY*

TGIF! Here's what's on my radar going into a few days off:

1. Free Carrie Underwood Concert - Did you know you can listen to concerts taking place at the Grand Ole Opry FOR FREE? Well, you totally can, and Carrie Underwood is performing tonight. Rather than forking out the $75 and heading to Nashville for the night, a few friends are coming over and we're cozying up here, drinking some wine, and enjoying the concert from the backyard. I can't wait!
2. Fabness.com - My photo canvases came in today and I love them! I purchase a Groupon for them, and paid $20 for a 12x18" canvas. Here is how I currently have them arranged:
The Fabness site was easy to navigate and their chat feature helped to answer quite a few of my questions. They shipped rather quickly for such a big order and are a great quality. I'd highly recommend them in the future!
3. Tutorial Help - This weekend, I'm helping a friend with a DIY project I plan on blogging about on Monday. I'm so excited and hope you'll tune in on Monday for more information! (Hint, if you follow me on Instagram I already posted a huge spoiler!)
4. DIY on deck - This weekend, I'd love to re-finish our kitchen table and work on a fire pit. These are two things I've been meaning to take on for a while, and have procrastinated long enough! So, I'll be studying a lot of Pinterest for tips and getting to work. 
5. Where'd you go, Bernadette? I rented this from the library earlier this week and I can hardly put it down! If you haven't read it yet, you should. It's so entertaining.

Have a great weekend!
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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Stella & Dot - Customer Favorites


My friends have been so supportive of my Stella & Dot adventures. And I see them wearing their S&D all the time. I thought to myself - if my friends love these pieces so much, surely my blog readers will love them, too! I personally wear my On the Mark and Bar Engravable all the time - they look great layered. (As do the Mae and Christina Link necklaces!) 

I'm doing a fundraiser show now, so pick up your new favorite jewelry today! (And thanks again to TC, CJ, AS, and MC for being my models!)
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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Wish List Wednesday

Wish List Wednesday

Wish List Wednesday by catherine-gumpman featuring a geometric necklace

Although I was able to order oodles of new goodies for my Stella & Dot Fall collection, I couldn't get everything I wanted. I did manage to pick up the Janice studs (in teal AND orange) and the Enlighten bracelet (which I told you a little about yesterday), I have not yet acquired the Fanella statement necklace or the Double clutch. (Buy yours at my current trunk show here!) But, if I had all these items, I'd wear them out with this perfect little dress from Lulus and these wedges from Target.

What do you think about the blues and pinks combination? I just can't get enough of it!
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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Stella & Dot - Sale Items


Be sure to snatch up these perfect sale items soon! The link to my Stella & Dot shop is at the top of the page, or you can click here! I am also currently running a virtual show as a fundraiser for a friend's youth mission trip in Indianapolis, so you can shop AND benefit a great cause! I'm donating my entire commission to their efforts to feel free to be generous. 

Not to mention this wonderful item available:
The profit from each bracelet sold will help expecting mothers gain access to the assistance and health care they need.

Let me know if you have any questions and what are you waiting for - start shopping!
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