Bloggers in New York!

Well, enough of my bloggy friends have posted their pictures now, so I can finally steal their pics and share my post about our whirlwind NYC trip as well! ;)

I was there for less than 48 hours, but crammed a crazy amount into that time. The evening I arrived, I joined the group of bloggers at the Rue Magazine launch party – it was held at Atelier in the New York Design Center, and I must admit, us DIYers were looking around at the fabulous decor and pointing to things we could totally do on our own:

Doesn’t that look familiar? ;)

I was thrilled to finally meet the infamous Eddie Ross and Jaithan:

(Left to right, Jaithan, me, Rhoda, Eddie, Camila, Marianne and Cristin.)

I was SO excited to finally meet Camila – she is a doll and she worked so hard on pulling so much of the week’s activities together for us!

Many of the Design Star contestants were at the party, and I grabbed a quick shot with Michael:

I have to say – I felt so incredibly out of place at this party! OH my goodness. I’m a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl, and you pair that with having just traveled for five hours, and I just felt SO…thrifty.  ;)

The next day was pretty much dedicated to The Nate Show – but we started out by meeting up with Beth and her friend Kathleen, and were able to take a quick walk over to the beautiful Central Park:

 

Rhoda, Beth and I were perfectly color coordinated!:

Beth was absolutely as sweet as can be – and just like every blogger I meet that I “know” through blogland, I felt like I had known her forever! There are no awkward moments, just immediate friendship!

I LOVE BLOGGERS. :)

Speaking of bloggers I love, we met Megan from Modern Bird before the show:

Um, she is hilarious and FUN! I knew she would be.

I was looking forward to meeting Janell all week!:

I finally met up with her in line before the show and yet again, we felt like instant friends! And did you hear? She taped a segment on the show! With NATE! I’m so thrilled for her – she is such a lovely person and an incredible designer.

The photo shoots continued outside with Lakeitha and Erika:

How cute are they? How is it possible that every. single. blogger there was that gorgeous?

We didn’t have to wait in line for long outside before we were ushered in…but then the real wait started. ;) We waited for about two hours in separate rooms, so everybody was scattered. The staff was SO friendly and kept checking in with us over that time. I was impressed with their patience with us and their professionalism.

Our room was finally ushered into the studio, and Rhoda and I were bummed that we were quite literally some of the last few into the room -- which translated to what were probably the worst seats possible. :)

It ended up being OK, because, of course, the cameras are everywhere, and at one point or another I think everyone ended up watching the big screens above so they could see what was going on.

You may have seen that some bloggers were less than happy with The Nate Show producers and the fact that us, the bloggers, were never mentioned on air. I have to tell you that I never even thought about that – in between segments, Nate thanked us in general and those who had helped to promote his new show numerous times. He was obviously very grateful.

I guess it never crossed my mind that he would say anything about us on air. I mean, the producers did ask us to send in some of our projects, so I wondered if they would highlight some of those, but overall I never expected us to get a shout out.

I found him to be sweet and engaging, and after the show he took time to answer questions from many of the bloggers in the audience. He mentioned that he never does that, so it was a lovely gesture on his part:

Before the trip, I was obviously excited to go to the taping, but the real reason I was so looking forward to going to NYC was to meet and spend time with my blog friends – who are now women I consider friends in real life. The Nate Show was just an exciting extra of the trip!

And seriously – is he not the CUTEST?? Really.

After the show we stopped for some New York pizza:

(My friend Kate and I, deciding between cheese pizza and extra cheese pizza. ;) )

Then walked through Times Square to a subway station:

Darn it, we didn’t see ONE rat!! I was hoping Rhoda would get to see one. ;)

After a very quick stop in at a party sponsored by The Nest, we headed to Little Italy for some dinner, and then a bunch of us went to check out the view at the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center:

My new and old blog friends: Cristin, me, Kate, Rhoda and Janell.
We had a blast!

I have to give an extra special shout out to Rhoda, for inviting me along with her – she is amazing and a blast to hang out with. And my roomies Emily Clark and her friend Katie (I can’t believe we didn’t get a picture together!) were the cutest and sweetest. Between the three of them I was surrounded by southern accents for days and I was all “y’all this” and “y’all that” when I got home.  ;)

I cannot stress what a blessing blogging has been in my life. I have met so many fantastic, strong, smart women. I have had some amazing opportunities because of this blog. And I am ever thankful and overwhelmed by all of it.

P.S. We have no idea when our episode airs -- we were told to watch online, so I’ll keep my eye out and let you know! :)

Master bedroom redo: Part one

I know I promised a post about the NYC trip today, but I’m waiting on everyone else to post about it so I can copy all their pictures. ;) That’s how I roll.

So…you may or may not remember my post a couple of months ago about our bed, and why it made me cry I never made it.

I told you then I was on a search for new bedding…and I found it, over time. I big fat LOVE IT.

And oh yeah – IT FITS THE BED. Can I get an AMEN? And a hollaaa?

This process was not a cheap one, and I splurged more than once. So if you don’t like it when this Thrifty Chick splurges, please…just step. away. from. the. blog. now.

We like to sleep and we sleep as often as possible and I believe we deserve some sahhweeet bedding. And we paid for it all in CASH. :) (Don’t hate Dave Ramsey!)

So anyhoo…the transformation started with new sheets. I had my eye on a new duvet cover, and when I decided it would be the one, I knew I wanted luscious chocolate brown sheets to go with it.

We had brown before, but these are luscious chocolate brown. There is a difference:

I love that pretty detail! Oh, and did I mention they are 500 count sheets? LUSCIOUS.

And they actually FIT and stay put:

I believe the package said they fit mattresses up to 18 inches, and ours is a tad over 17 – and they really fit, they weren’t just saying that.  ;)

Total cost was $80 I believe? (At Target.) Totally WORTH IT.

Next up was a biggie – a blanket. We needed something that would go from summer to winter with no issues – not too heavy, not too light.

On a trip to Pottery Barn for my family room pillows a while back, I saw the most simple, beautiful blanket called the Fisherman Knit Blanket. I may or may not have brushed it against my cheek. I’m serious – it was crazy soft.

And so incredibly expensive. About $150 expensive. I know, stop choking. I know.

But I couldn’t get it out of my head. I was obsessed. I looked it up on Ebay for weeks, hoping to find a deal and nada. I looked it up on PB for weeks hoping it would go on sale and nothin’.

And then I saw something that sealed the deal. One customer who reviewed the blanket online said it was just lovely, but to watch out because it stretched…a lot.

Ding ding ding!!! It was the one. I knew it would fit over all sides of our monstrous bed!:

I bit my lip and went in and bought the blanket – the most expensive blanket I’ve ever owned. And it is so freakin’ fantastic, I cannot even stress it to you how fantastic it is. It is like cuddling up with a cloud.

You think I’m kidding. I’m not kidding. I caress it every single night:

One of my biggest complaints of our old comforter/duvet was that it wouldn’t hang over our thick, king-sized mattress. One day I finally realized why. First of all, the duvet cover had shrunk over time (the whole set was only $25 on Ebay, so I’m not surprised) and when I took the comforter out of the duvet, I laid it down to measure it.

My “king-sized” comforter wasn’t king at all – it was a queen. Yeeaaahhh. Four years and I never realized. Really? I know it said king on the package.

So off to Target I went again, to buy a real king size comforter. For reals this time. I checked. :)

The best part is that it has tabs inside so you can tie the duvet to it:

I love smart stuff. I thought only the fancy schmancy duvets and comforters had that little ditty.

And then…it was onto the duvet cover. I was trying to avoid another duvet…I just didn’t want to deal with it again. But this one at Target had been calling to me for months. Every time I went in I would put it in my cart, put it back, put it in my cart, put it back.

And one day, when I had the cash saved up, I got it. And it’s lovely:

It’s all creamy and rusty and chocolatey and soft and it’s SO US. There was very little color in the room other than the walls and drapes before, so I wanted to add a pop of something. And the rust color was that something.

The final splurge was a throw for the end of the bed. I see pictures of beds with a throw laid across the bed and it just screams luxury to me. There was a rust colored throw and shams set that worked perfectly with the duvet (also from Target):

The only part of the bed I haven’t splurged on is the pillows – the throws are all from before.

So now, this bed, that took a good 45 minutes of my life every time I made it:

Has turned into this soothing spot:

 

(Ignore the purple drapes falling off the rod, umkay? They’re going.)

And this science fair of a side:

Is now this:

Best part? It took less than 20 minutes to make, from start to finish. I have actually been known to make our bed lately. Can you believe it??

Close your gaping mouth, it’s true.

So there you have it, our new bedding, step by step. I bought everything over a couple months, as we had the cash to spend. There’s still SO much to do to this room! I’d like some pillows to fill up those shams a bit better , I need to make a (LONG) bedskirt and I have a few ideas in mind for the wall behind the bed:

Plus new lamps, nightstands and drapes! I’ve made a few other changes in here already that I’ll show you soon. The redo is going to happen slowly, but that’s how I do it best. :)

I adore how warm and cozy it is – of course the colors are perfect for fall, but we love them year round. And they work great with the greyish green color on the walls. (Valspar color called Tornado Watch, from Lowes.)

I’m trying to decide what color to do the bedskirt – cream or chocolate? Or maybe rust? Is that too much rust? We’ve gone without a skirt all this time and I really want to get one on there. I’m tired of seeing the extra dining table leaf sticking out from under the bed. ;)

I had fun taking pics for this post with a little somethin’ somethin’ that followed me home from the camera store today:

WHOO!!! :) Isn’t it amazing?! Oh my goodness…I have so much to learn! Can anyone recommend a web site that explains aperture and all that good stuff?

 

Welcome to my latest advertiser!

DIY Ballard Design Acanthus Plaque

While I’m off in NYC, my friend (in blogland and in real life) Beckie is guest posting for me. She’s sharing one of my very favorite projects of hers – enjoy!!

Hello Thrifty readers!  I am Beckie, from Infarrantly Creative. 

I am a red-headed, left-handed, frugal-living, roadkill-rescuing, furniture revamping, creative-minded, spray-painting, fun-loving Midwest girl living in the land of corn and the Colts.

I came to share a thrifty project with you.  Just like Sarah I love perusing through catalogs for inspiration.  Ballard Designs catalog is at the top of the pile. I saw the Acanthus Cut-Out Plaque from Ballard’s about a year ago. Isn't it gorgeous? I looooove it. Did you see the price tag? I haaaaate it. So what does one do?

Recreate it of course for 3.54% of the price (yes I am a math nerd)!

Their version is made out of tole metal. Unfortunately, I am not a metal fabricator, nor do I pretend to know what tole metal is. However, I do have some wood and a jigsaw.

1. I got a piece of 1/4" luan plywood cut to the size of 24" x 36". They sell a 2’ x 4’ piece for $5.47 at the Home Depot.

2. Then using a pencil and my catalog for inspiration I drew the design on the wood. 

3. Then I got out my electric drill and using a large bit I cut holes into each of the scrolling vines as a starting point for my jigsaw.

4. Then I took a jigsaw and using a new scroll blade I followed the lines and cut out my pattern. There were a few pieces that broke off that I had to use wood glue and wood putty to fix. Don’t be intimidated by a jigsaw.  Of all the saws they are the easiest to maneuver.5. Then I got my Dremel tool and used a sanding bit and sanded down the cuts to make them smooth.  You could also use a sanding sponge.

6. I wanted to cover some of the blemishes give the piece some texture. So I thought and thought about how to give it a little texture with the supplies I had on hand. Hmmmm....how about Mod Podge? So I went and got a test piece of wood and a sponge and pounced Mod Podge all over it.

I liked it...

7. Since the Mod Podge sealed it I didn't need to primer it so I spray painted it Canyon Black. It still needed something. I used a glaze mixed with some brown craft paint and painted it on and then used a damp paper towel to remove some of it. It gave it the depth of color that I was looking for and almost resembled the “tole” metal of the Ballard’s one. 8. Then using a $5 miter box and saw I cut molding to frame it out, spray painting that also.

Then I nailed everything in place.  I love how the blue walls show through the vine cut outs. 

Note: Next to the Acanthus Cut-Out is 2 blank canvases with fabric stapled to them and also trimmed out.

What do you think? If I would have ordered one it would have cost $253.95 with shipping. This cost me $9! Move over Thrifty Decor Chick ;-)

I would love for you to come visit me at Infarrantly Creative.  If you like this process I will give you a sneak peek of a new project that I am working on…

You will have to come to “my house” to see the rest.  See you there!

Weekend fun: Famous folk

Hey there! I hope you’re having a fantastic weekend! I’m getting ready for another trip to NYC next week (pinch me!). I mentioned last week that, thanks so my friend Rhoda at Southern Hospitality, I am off to a taping of the Nate Berkus show, along with a whole slew of decorating/design bloggers.

I can’t WAIT!

So, I’m in the midst of laundry and trying to find SOMETHING to wear that is worthy. (And not having much luck.)  ;)

It will be a thrill, to say the least, to be within feet of Nate! Isn’t he the cutest? It’s had me thinking of some of the famous people I’ve come close to in my life – it’s not a really long list, but a few trips to NYC sure has helped. :)

I LOVE hearing stories from people who have met actors and musicians – the good and the bad. ;) So I thought I’d share some of mine, although most are just “walk bys,” not so much interaction!

Years and years ago, my BFF and I were at the Indy airport picking up my (then) boyfriend, now hubby. We were waiting on him at the baggage claim when my friend gasped and grabbed onto my arm like a vise.

SARAHSHUTUPIT’SDAVEMATTHEWSSHUTUP.

OHMYGAWD.SARAH.

ISTHATDAVEMATTHEWS?

SHUTUPTHAT’SDAVEMATTHEWS.

Shut. up. It was Dave! Walking right towards us, guitar case in hand:

We FROZE.

(I should have explained first that we were BIG, early Dave fans – like we bought his first album, rocked out freshman year of college, went to every concert every summer, FANS.)

He was within feet of us, and then he saw us. The two girls clutching each other, googley eyed, mouths hanging open, staring at him, ready to pounce.

We saw the fear in his eyes. I don’t know how else to explain it – it was dear God, get me away from these freaky fans as soon as humanly possible, fear. :)

He turned on his heel and quickly walked out the nearest door. My friend, with zero pride,  RAN after him, pushing through the doors. I saw her look both ways and walk back and forth outside -- but he was gone.

Seriously, to this day, we think he literally took off running when he got outside. There was no way otherwise he would have gotten away that fast.

C’mon Dave!! We weren’t that scary!! :)

We found out later that he had come into town, by himself, to sing to a local girl who was sick in the hospital with cancer. No wonder he didn’t want to deal with us crazies, now we don’t blame him one bit.

I may or may not have mentioned my slight obsession with New Kids on the Block for roughly the past 20 years of my life. Roughly.

When they were on the tail end of their early careers, they came to town on their last tour and did a meet and greet at a local store. We stood in line for hours and finally got to get our autographs. My favorite, Jon, had quit, but the fans didn’t know that. They made up some story about an injury, and when I got to Jordan and asked him about Jon, he was not happy about it.

I’m thinking it was probably the 593th time in the past ten minutes he had been asked, so I guess I don’t blame him. ;)

Joe and Danny were complete and total sweethearts – so friendly and funny and nice. Jordan and Donnie, notsomuch.

But that was then, and I know it was just a bad day and they are all just the nicest, sweetest people in real life. I’m sure of it, OK? Don’t tell me otherwise. I’m not listening, nananananaaaaa! I don’t hear you!

Last February, I had the pleasure of meeting the amazing Harry Connick Jr. at the Blissdom conference in Nashville:

My friend AnNicole and I were so busy chatting it up with Kevin and Layla from The Lettered Cottage, we totally missed his performance! But we snuck up to the very end of the meet and greet line and were the last two to get a picture with him.

Heavenly. :)

And of course, on just about every New York trip, we see someone famous. Usually it’s while were out shopping or just walking on the street.

On one of our first trips there, I was shopping right next to Christine Elise at Macy’s:

Remember her from 90210?

When I was in NYC earlier this summer, we walked by Melanie Lapatin, one of the choreographers from So You Think You Can Dance:

She was so beautiful in real life – pictures don’t do her justice!

On the way by the back door of the Promises Promises theater one night, we saw Sean Hayes and Tony Goldwyn signing autographs:

We didn’t have time to wait to get one, but it was a thrill to be that close. Hubby and I saw the show earlier this year and LOVED it – he’s a huge Kristin Chenoweth fan and I’m a huge Sean Hayes fan. :) Remember Tony Goldwyn from Ghost?:

The January after 9-11 we took hubby’s band students to NYC.  (An overseas trip was originally scheduled and that was canceled because of obvious reasons.) We had dinner at Tavern on the Green one evening with all of the kids and it was stunning.

At one point we walked by the restroom and the one and only Liza Minnelli was heading in:

That was pretty cool! 

I think my favorite brush with famousness is from a trip about seven years ago. We were heading back to our hotel (the Marriott Marquis – before it was $400 a night :) ), and we noticed a HUGE crowd gathered outside the hotel.

It was Jennifer Garner, shooting the limo scene for 13 Going on 30:

It was SO COOL! We watched forever, as they wound around the Marquis over and over and OVER. She was about ten feet away from us at times.

When the movie came out, my stepdaughter and I waited for that scene and watched like hawks, but we were just cut out of it:

Still, so fun and what fun experience!!

So those are my famous sightings. I’m sure there’s been a few more over the years, but it’s late on a Saturday night and my brain is MUSH.

Have you met anyone famous? Were they lovely or not so nice? SPILL it! (In a really nice way.) Any good sightings or stories? I’d love to hear!

And we’ll see if I see anyone fun next week! I’ll be sure to let you know. ;)