Reverb 10 - Prompt #6

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)

I'm actually thankful for this Reverb 10 prompt because I have been wanting to share this something I "made" with you for quite some time.  It's amazing how some things get away from me.

Remember when I told you about some home improvement/reclaiming my space projects I was doing here and here?  Well, one of the projects was completely DIY'ing a desk makeover!

I bought a plain desk (which was originally a dresser) off Craigslist.com.

Then, I sanded it down....and by I, I do mean me.

Next, Little Sister Chicken Wing and I painted the body and drawers with enamel semi-gloss black paint from Lowe's, all while jamming out to a killer playlist on her MacBook.

Then, after letting it all dry, hitting it up with a second coat, and letting that dry, I had to wait on my new hardware, which I purchased from an amazing company that was perfect for my budget.

Then, I installed the hardware.

Finally, I had a beautiful, completely transformed work of art to aid me in my home office endeavors!  It truly was a labor of love, and my first "major" DIY project, but I absolutely loved it.  Not only did I get to stretch my creative muscle, but I also got to teach Little Sister Chicken Wing a valuable lesson - men are great to have around, but you don't need them for every little thing.  Sisters are doing it for themselves!

As far as what I would like to make but haven't had time to create, I would love to handcraft gifts for people and I would love to make this ruffle wreath at some point in my life.  Let's face it - it's gorgeous and ruffly, and I love it!

Until next time,

Reverb 10 - Prompt #4

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

This is a good one!  Again, this one would be backed by a recent occurrence.  For the first time in fifteen years, I got a REAL Christmas tree for 2010!  My family always had a real tree when I was growing up, and after my Daddy passed away, it got to be pretty difficult to go through the process.  From then on, plastic trees were the game plan.

In fact, there's one funny memory that comes to mind.  (Truth be told, I'm not 100% sure if I have this memory or if I've just been told the story so many times).  Back in the day when I was a wee Chicken Wing, we had a very full real Christmas tree.  After it was all decorated and things were looking very Christmas-like, I was sitting on the living room floor watching television on the GINORMOUS TV we had. 

Allow me to digress for a minute.  I'm sure you remember the kind - they had this slightly bulging curve for a television screen and ridiculous wood paneling.  I mean, it was literally like a solid piece of furniture with a TV screen inside of it.  Not to mention, it must have weighed 500 pounds!

Anways, back to the memory - I was sitting on the floor engrossed in some program of the cartoon variety.  All of a sudden, Christmas attacked!  Our beautiful real tree fell over and swallowed me up.  The way Mom tells it, you couldn't see me at all!  Needless to say, I'm sure there was a healthy mixture of panic, laughter, and shouts of, "Get that tree off my baby!"

I know that was a long and winding road off the beaten path that was this prompt:  December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

The real Christmas tree created the sense of wonder that I hadn't experienced in so long.  Getting all bundled up (it was only 20 degrees that evening), laying all the seats down in the SUV, and driving 25 minutes to pick out the PERFECT Frasier Fir brought back memories from childhood.  It really is a magical experience.  Then, you get to set it up in the tree stand and get to decorating!  You have to be meticulous in your ornament placement, because unlike the old faithful plastic tree, you can't bend the branches to hold the heavy ones.  Real Christmas trees simply do not work that way.  Plus, you actually have to water the real tree so there is a sense of wonder in that, too.  (If I don't nurture this tree, it will die.)

A very proud Comanche with his perfect tree!

Now this cultivates wonder!

Until next time,

Do What You Love FREE Print!

It's no secret that when I find goodness, I want to send it your way.  Today, some extreme goodness was found.  If you haven't heard of Joy Kelly, then you are missing out, Peeps!  She is one of the most talented and amazing women I've ever "met" on the interwebs.  Although I don't know her personally, I can plainly see the ridiculously crafty goodness she possesses.  Her blog is How Joyful and in it, Joy showcases the amazing things she makes.

She is the proud owner of a shop on Etsy, also called How Joyful, where she creates accessories like belts, hair flowers, headbands, wristlets, purses, etc.  She also finds time to run How Joyful Design, where she custom designs templates and codes for blogs, websites, and pretty much anything!  She even makes clothes, and they are amazing!  She made her own wedding dress, for crying out loud.  (To see the finished product in the amazing pictures of her wedding day "first look," click here.)  Literally, this woman astounds me with her craftiness!

Basically......I declare today the day that the How Joyful blog has been officially given "Chicken Wing Approved" status!

In addition to showing her some love for all her hard work, I wanted to share with you an amazing free printable download that she is offering!  Joy made this gorgeous graphic in several colors, and you can pick which one you love the most.  I plan to put mine in my home office, as it is such an inspiring saying!

Natually, I chose the pink one!

If you would like to score one of these beauties for yourself, all I ask is that you head on over and check out Joy's blog by clicking here.  She truly is an amazing woman and an incredible talent, and I'd love for my Peeps to throw some love and support her way!  And a HUGE THANK YOU to Joy for the amazing poster design!  You rock, lady!

Until next time,

The Holidays Are Coming!

Wowee, where has 2010 gone?  Thanksgiving is next week, Peeps!  I mean, seriously!  I can't believe that less than seven days from today, we will be gorging ourselves with turkey, watching football, playing football (if the weather's decent), and taking my beloved turkey naps!  I love it!

With Thanksgiving comes Black Friday, and let's face it - you either love the day or hate the day.  Some people have that thirst-for-blood type of adrenaline rush when this day rolls around.  You know the type - they camp outside of their favorite store, and they are the first in line for when the doors open at 3:00am.  Then, there are the folks who make up the other side - we'll call them the haters.  The haters would rather chew off their own arms than deal with overly agressive mothers who would actually endanger the life of their toddler by trying to take you out with their stroller.  "Don't touch that Tickle Me Elmo or you're going to wake up with stroller tracks all over you!"

I, myself, have been on both sides of the shopping madness.  I love the deals that you can score, but I have to be honest and say that I loathe getting up that early.  I mean, I'm not even myself at that hour.  And, I have had a woman try to maim me with her child-in-stroller, and I honestly believed that one of us was going to jail that morning.  (By one of us, I mean her.  It would be easier for me to get away since she did bring her child, and what do they do if they're not slowing you down?)

The reason this topic came about is because Comanche and I were sharing our stances on this special day, and I learned that he actually likes the thrill of the hunt, and he likes to go early.  That conversation got me to thinking about cute holiday things that you get while Christmas shopping.  Those thoughts got me to thinking about using said things while decorating my home for Christmas.  Then, I started to get excited.

Every year about this time, I try to find some of the cutest holiday gifts and decor around, and I love to share them with all of you.  I mean, as long as y'all don't go crazy and buy them all so I cannot attain one, I'm cool with sharing.

First up, some great ornaments for your tree! 

The girly girl in me dies for these Pier 1 beauties!

Purses + Heels + Glitter = Love

Oh Em Gee these penguins are adorable! They're called "Wrapped In Love" and you can put you & your honey's names on them!  Hallmark strikes again with impeccable cuteness!

Cute for the sister God gave you, or for one you chose yourself!

If I wasn't a novice camper, I would totally rock this cutie!





Preppy Chic - yes, Lilly Pulitzer makes ornaments!

Maybe you have a grillmaster in your life.  How cute!  It even opens to show some delicious hamburgers!

Stay tuned for the next installment of 'The Holidays Are Coming!'

Until next time,

Flamenco Inspiration

It always fascinates me where I find inspiration because, much like this blog, completely random things get my creative juices flowing.  An example of this is my most recent inpsiration.  I was channel surfing the other day, and came across a show on one of the Discovery or Travel-type channels, and they were discussing the art of flamenco dancing. 

For those of you who might not be familiar with the art form, Wikipedia won't let you down:  "Flamenco is a style of music and dance which is considered part of the culture of Spain, although it is actually native to only one region: Andalusia.  It has often been claimed that these influences coalesced [...] in the 15th century. Flamenco is popularly depicted as being the music of Andulusian gitanos (gypsies). Other regions, mainly Extremadura and Murcia, have also contributed to the development of flamenco, and many flamenco artists have been born outside the gitano community. Latin American and especially Cuban influences have also contributed."  Source


When I think flamenco, I think the series of sharp, crisp movements paired with swirling arm motions.  I think of the dresses that the female dancers where, and that is where I draw the most inspiration.

Source

Something about Spanish style has always spoken to me, and flamenco calls out to me in the same way.  For example, here are some home finds that scream "FLAMENCO" to me.

Please excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard.  Have you ever seen a shower curtain so luscious in your life?  Oh Anthropologie, you slay me.  Source

Adorable and ruffly - just the way I like it!  Source

"You can stand under my umbrella, ella, ella, ay, ay, ay."  Source

As you can see, there are tons of neat ways to incorporate art into your home.  If you have found any other flamenco-inspired items, please feel free to shoot them my way!  I'm always on the lookout and look forward to expanding my scope. 

Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing

I've Got A Fever, And The Only Prescription Is...

 

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Just kidding!  The real answer is "a new project!"  Even though I work in an office Monday - Friday, I moved my home office downstairs into a corner of the living room awhile back in order to create a general information hub for my home.  I wanted easy access to my social networks, to on-the-fly recipes, and for those times when you-can't-think-of-a-movie/TV show/actor or actress/etc.-and-you-have-to-look-it-up-straight-away-or-you'll-go-crazy.  You know, stuff like that.

Anyways, it's in the perfect place in the house, but the space itself leaves much to be desired in the way of becoming and staying organized.  Granted, this is definitely NOT one of my strong points anyways, but I've been making an effort.  I was gazing at the home office area last night and it just sort of hit me that I need to make some changes and I could unlock a world of potential in the style and organization categories.

First off, I was looking at the desk.  I love the desk.  It's streamlined and has a graphic design feel to it and actually offers ample workspace on the desktop.  The only additional feature it has is the pull-out keyboard tray.

Here's the problem with the desk, though.  There is absolutely no storage possibilities, which are pretty necessary in the home office department. 

So now I'm left craving something with more storage capacity.  Enter the mecca of design, and the place that causes thrifty folks like me to dream of having a million extra dollars laying around to go crazy with - Pottery Barn.  I love their Bedford Collection because it seems to be pretty close to what I will actually need, storage wise.

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I like the fact that it's not a huge desk, because regardless of my storage needs, my space for the home office isn't getting any larger.  I also like the drawers, and the amount of workspace (the hutch on top is optional).  I'm going to keep my eyes peeled to see if I can find something similar that costs WAY less than the PB original.

The next obstacle that I'm pondering overcoming is the desk chair.  At present, I have a cumbersome model fairly similar to this:

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Now, I wouldn't actually mind this, as the chair is pretty comfortable, but the problems I have with it are these:  1) The width of the chair, plus the arms, takes up so much room in that small corner.  2)  In order to have the height of the chair adjusted for comfort, you cannot push the chair up under the desk; thus, it sticks out or you have to adjust it every time you sit down.  3) The wheels are a nice touch, but really don't do anything since the office is on a carpeted floor.  They really just succeed in making indentures in said carpet. 

I might have to update this too.  It's something I'm considering.

So, this is the project I'm thinking of taking on.  I am determined to get everything organized and hopefully will be able to stretch my legs a little more in the design process (like adding damask, anyone???).  There is only so much you can do while renting, but I'm still hell bent on creating a home.  I don't have to own it, but I do have to be able to work it!

Are any of you taking on minor or major home projects?  If so, what are they?  Comment below!

Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing

What My Weekend Has In Store For Me

So, I am excited about this weekend for numerous reasons, but I figure I'll let you in on a few of them.

1.  Tomorrow, I am co-hosting a baby shower with my friend AW!!!  One of my best girlfriends in the world, K, is having her first baby!!!  And, it's a boy!  So, we are throwing an epic baby shower for her to celebrate the impending bundle of joy!  I think it's going to be a blast and we've been busy planning this for months now!  I love it when an event comes to fruition!  During this time, I got to flex my crafting muscles as well, and I can't wait to share some of the easy and super fun projects that I got to work on!

Me and AW - we were just as hands-on with planning this baby shower...what can I say?  You definitely want to have us as your friends!

 K and me!  K will from this day on be known as Mama K!

2.  Not only do I get to participate in Baby Fest 2010, but I also get to reunite with another group of friends as we say "goodbye for now" to our good friend, D, who is leaving for basic training in the military soon.  It will be sad to see him depart for awhile, but it will be awesome getting to see everyone again and having some hang-out time!

Here's a little FaceinHole action featuring from L-R, Front:  D, his wife S, me, and Mama K.  L-R, Back:  Mr. CW and Mama K's husband L. 

3.  I get to see this guy for the first time in 5 weeks:

So, obviously, I am very excited about that!  I know our three furbabies are going to be so excited that their Daddy is home!  We're still getting used to this semi-long distance stuff, and I am really happy to have our fella return, even if it's just for a weekend!

So, I hope you all have a fantastic couple of days, and I can't wait for the Baby Shower Recap!  Happy Friday, everyone!

Until next time,

Miss Chicken Wing

Decorawesome - Thank You, TJ Maxx!

I consider myself to be a Maxxinista, and I absolutely love perusing that store! With their fairly quick turnover of inventory, it's always a new adventure when you walk into TJ Maxx, and it easily enables the thrill of the hunt for me!

When you can find items that are normally too rich for your blood at a killer deal, there's nothing quite like it!

This segment of how yours truly, Miss Chicken Wing, is slowly making her little home decorawesome is brought to you by TJ Maxx!

Have you seen the photos that have been circulating fairly recently? They are letters that are actually not letters at all - they're architectural details that happen to look like letters!

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See what I mean? I fell head over heels for this form of art because I found it so interesting. In fact, since I happened upon this type of decor, I've even been looking out for any examples in real day-to-day life! I haven't found many, but the hunt is still fun!

The problem I found with this particular type of art is that it was pretty....pretty overpriced, that is. Enter my secret boyfriend, TJ Maxx.

I found two prints that were framed canvas and I absolutely love them! The first I bought was "Love." The quote that's featured underneath the architectural lettered-word is the George Sands saying, "There is only one happiness in life - to love and be loved."

The second that I bought is "Family." This print features the Anthony Brandt quote, "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family."

Really, when you think about your home, what are the two most important components?

It's not the designer couch you stalked for months, comparison shopping at every furniture store in your geographical area. It's not the granite counter tops that scream, "Look at me! I've officially made it! I am somebody!" It's not the sassy and smooth hardwood floors that promise to make your life so much easier in regards to cleaning house.

It's not having a perfectly manicured lawn, a pool, a hot tub, both?, or a paved driveway.

The two most important components of your home are love and family. Otherwise, what's the point? If you have love and family in your home, it doesn't matter where that home is. Heck, you could live in a cardboard box (albeit a large cardboard box), but you would have what's most important in the world where you reside.

That's why I wanted these two pieces - not because of what they are as much as for what they represent to me. Every time I look at them, I get a gentle reminder of what's important, and that is an incredible bonus.

So, I left TJ Maxx, once again, a happy girl. Consider me a Maxxinista for life!

Until next time,

Miss Chicken Wing

Decorawesome!

You've heard of decorating. How about decorawesome?

No?

Oh, that's because I just made that word up! Remember the gorgeous table and chairs set that I recently blogged about here?

I wanted you to see them, in all their glass-and-oil-rubbed-bronze beauty.

If you look in the top left corner, you can see my wine racks - the first craigslist purchase I made!

And, with a little damask goodness, naturally! :)

Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing

Decking the Halls - Christmas Decor

One of the things that make the holidays the holidays is the surroundings you put yourself in. Some people need to be in a place that has a ton of snow. Some folks have to migrate South for the winter because they want nothing to do with the cold. For me, wherever I am, I am most happiest when I can really deck the halls and transform my residence into Holiday Town! :) Yes, while it does look like Christmas threw up in my house, and while my electric bill does tend to increase due to the extra lights, for me, it makes me happy every time I walk through the door. And, most of my friends say the same, so I think I'll keep it going.

I'm going to let the following photos speak for themselves, so enjoy, Peeps!

So, as you can see, I love Christmas and I love the process of creating Holiday Town in my house!

Until next time,

Miss Chicken Wing