J Cooper Photography

I have to admit…my wardrobe the past few weeks has been completely lame.  It’s summer.  I’m busy trekking kids across town to summer camp.  It’s 136 degrees outside.  You get the point.  I really have nothing to show you as I just haven’t had it in me to take daily pictures of my rolled up shorts and tees

When I arrived at my sister’s house over the weekend though I received a fun little wardrobe boost!  My niece had tired of a little knit skirt and passed it on to me as a hand-me-down.  Or maybe that’s more of hand-me-up?  Either way…totally cute skirt…polka dots + navy blue = I’m totally in love.

{please ignore the fact that I about blew off my head with the flash…and what the heck am I looking at anyways??}

So that’s my “cute outfit” for the week.  A hand-me-up skirt and a grey tank.  Call me wild and crazy.  Just don’t call me late for dinner.

I have had my eye out for a cute summer bag for quite awhile and always find myself having serious sticker shock at the price of bags.  I wanted something big enough to conceal a diaper, wipes, and a tonka truck or two…but that didn’t scream “I’M A DIAPER BAG!!”   On a jaunt through World Market this week I spied this little number and it was love at first sight.  The ruffles had me at hello.  I’m a ruffle lover.  The grey.  The muted blue.  The avacado.  YUM.  But despite all those cute little ruffles the bag was missing something to me.  So I added a bit of pizzaz (that makes me think of “jazz hands”…I am almost breaking into a box step here from my old show choir days).  A little ruffled flower in a favorite print was the perfect addition.  Cute purse.  Maybe a bit more fallish then I was hoping for.  But fall will come at some point won’t it?

We have had some major things happening in our lives.  Things that have my brain busy on overdrive .  And when that happens I busy myself with the most likely activities….like decorating   One thing I love about our house is that the way I decorate encourages my friends to give me their junk.  I am the neighborhood junk lady.  Come on…you know you are jealous   A few months ago my neighbor across the street rang my doorbell and said she had a cast off dresser she needed to get rid of.  Did I want it?  Did I want to come see?  “YES!” and “NOT necessary!”  You say “FREE dresser” and I run.  So this is what she brought over to my garage and I was just thrilled!  It is in desperate need of a new coat of paint (I think I’ll paint right over the hardware).  Right now it is in our little guest room.  Anyone have advice on colors?

Then a few months later another friend showed me a wicker couch she needed to get rid of.  I was happy to take it off her hands for her.  It is a yummy shade of not-quite-aqua and fits PERFECTLY in the little loft space at the top of our stairs for a comfy reading spot.  I threw on a few yellow pillows I had sitting in my store room.  I’m not sold on them but until I make a trip to the fabric warehouse they are doing a good job of keeping this little gem company.  We are contemplating continuing our hardwood floors upstairs on the landing and down the hall.  Then I could add a cute little patterned rug to this area!

I’ve been moving all the furniture around in our basement in anticipation of building in some bookshelves.  This couch looks kind of cute under my alphabet wall! (check out my cute little Ethiopian pillows!)

Even the family room is getting spruced up with some pillows and pops of aqua. I would love to get some new couches so I don’t have to work around the greenish/greyish/olivish hue.  One end of our couch is actually broken.  I spent too much time on bed rest with my big pregnant tush and actually broke the spring….oops!  But couches aren’t in the budget right now so that’s going to have to remain a dream for awhile!

Have you been doing anything to spruce up your house this summer?  We just got our new roof a few weeks ago and the siding and stone are going in next!  We finally decided on a darkish grey siding,  grey stacked stone, white trim, black shutters, and a mustard door.  Can’t wait to share!  THANK YOU hail damage

Or maybe you’ve been better at getting dressed this week…DO SHARE!!!