Enter my fabulous husband.  I proposed an idea and he implemented it with gusto!

Now I had been debating on going to Ikea to buy some cool storage cabinets, but that required driving about 3 hours round trip, picking up the goods, and then praying that there was no damage or missing pieces once we started to put it together.  So luckily on a recent trip to Lowe’s these cabinets caught my eye.

I came home, did a bit of space planning/measuring, and then took Mr.vB back to get his thoughts.  He loved the idea, so when his Mom and Step-dad were in town this past weekend we took them over to Lowe’s to help with the heavy lifting.  {the tall cabinet alone weighed 115 lbs!  No way this prego was going to attempt to lift that!}

Here are some before photos of my Ladies Lounge/Office that had turned into the “catch-all” room for everything that was displaced.

What a MESS!!!

But look at it now…

It’s still not completely finished, but I’m in organization heaven!!

The tall cabinet is going to hold the ironing board/iron, the vacuum, my small collection of wrapping paper, and a few other things.  The middle cabinet is going to house my sewing machine and sewing supplies.  And the drawers on the far right are going to hold all my present wrapping supplies and other crafty things.  Then on the peg board I want to hang all my ribbon, gift bags, etc.

I’ve already started putting stuff away and it is looking awesome.  Hopefully by the end of this coming weekend it will all be finished.  Stay Tuned!

]]> http://www.bootsandtotty.com/2010/09/who-doesnt-like-a-little-organization/feed/ 2 http://www.bootsandtotty.com/2010/08/spoonflower/ http://www.bootsandtotty.com/2010/08/spoonflower/#comments Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:51:09 +0000 admin http://www.bootsandtotty.com/?p=3675 In the market for some cool, funky, vintage, and/or custom fabric?

If so, you gotta check out this great online fabric store called Spoonflower.

I found them randomly as I’ve been searching the web for the perfect crib skirt fabric for van’s crib.

{But I also noticed that YHL recently linked to them too- great minds think alike}.

I just had to pass along to my favorite readers that today is Free Swatch Day over at Spoonflower!!

Normally an 8″x8″ swatch is $5, but today you can get one for Free.

The hardest part is deciding which one to get!

Just make sure to check it out before noon (EST) tomorrow, that’s when the offer ends.

Happy Shopping!!

Really?!  This is a first.  But it does keep my coffee nice and close by while using both hands to surf the web.

Have you ever heard of the Jack Rogers Navajo Sandal?  They’ve been around since the 60’s when Jackie O made them famous by sporting them around and they “swiftly became the footwear of choice for resort-chic dressing.”  {No I didn’t come up with that statement myself.  It is straight from the Jack Rogers Website!} Ooh-la-la!!

Jack Rogers..Navajo…$96

Their price tag is a bit steep, but leave it to good old Tar-gee to do a more budget friendly version.

Target- Enid Whipstich by Merona…$19.99

Rack Room Shoes is getting in on the action too!  A little pricer than the Target version, but they have a nice wedge heel.

The Jill Shoe by Franco Fortini… On Sale for $39.99

(Online they only show this brown option, but I know stores are carrying gold and silver versions too!)

There are definitely subtle differences, but to save $50 to $70 smack-o-roos I think I could live with them.  What about you?

This photo was taken of me and Keri just this week.

It makes me laugh because we can’t hug each other now without our bellies bumping!

Do you think if both babies were born on the same day, that would make them twin cousins?!

{it’s the designer in me- what can I say?!?}

Here are a few sneak peaks…

We’ve still got some painting left to do and we also have to get the closet organized, but I think we are in the home stretch!

I’m really excited at how it is coming together.  Kinda hard to believe that in about 13 weeks it will be occupied by Mr. vB’s mini-me.

Like Father like Son..

{thanks Martha and Marty- we LOVE this onesie!!}

]]> http://www.bootsandtotty.com/2010/08/i-heart-details/feed/ 2 http://www.bootsandtotty.com/2010/08/carpe-donut/ http://www.bootsandtotty.com/2010/08/carpe-donut/#comments Sun, 01 Aug 2010 15:54:29 +0000 admin http://www.bootsandtotty.com/?p=3611 So on a recent trip to the Doctor’s office I was flipping through a Virginia Living Magazine when an article about Donuts caught my eye. {imagine that!} Apparently I have been oblivious to the fact that there is a donut cart roaming the streets of Charlottesville called Carpe Donut.   And this is not just any donut cart.. it’s an ORGANIC Donut cart! {Yes- you heard me correctly.}

How awesome is a Donut that is made with organic flour, organic eggs, local apple cider, organic spices, pure sugar, and non-aluminated baking powder.  It is even cooked in 100% Soybean Oil!  I’d go so far to say that this sounds like a HEALTHY donut!  And their environmentally friendly too!  Well not the donuts, but the vendor. They go and convert the used frying oils into bio-fuel.  Could I love this place anymore??

For the record I haven’t actually tried the donuts yet, but I’m about to!  The article noted that Whole Foods carried Carpe Donut’s in their frozen food section and all you had to do was pop ‘em in the oven.  So off to Whole Foods I went last night while Mr. vB was out with the boys.  And this morning I’m going to surprise him with a yummy breakfast with fresh donuts..

Here we go!

Directions were super simple.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and then place donuts directly onto the baking rack for 8-10 minutes.

Next stop.. my belly!

{about 10 minutes later…}

WOW!!!  Those donuts were AMAZING!  Crispy and light with great flavoring.  If I hadn’t have cooked them personally I would have thought someone drove to C’ville to pick up hot donuts for me. YUMMO!!!

Next time you are in Whole Foods these are a MUST pickup!  And while you’re out there, will you grab a few packages for me??

Okay, that statement may be a little BOLD.  Let me rephrase..

The fabric I have found is going to be the Pièce de résistance of my living room.

Okay, that’s not much better is it?

Anyways, if you haven’t figured it out already I am QUITE EXCITED about the fabric I scored for my living room.  Here’s the scoop.

So I have been stalking the fabric- Schumacher’s Chiang Mai Dragon – for awhile now. {and apparently I’m not the only one doing so- look here and here.}  I’m not sure if it is the vibrant color that I am drawn to, or the Asian inspiration, but I knew I needed this fabric to tie my first floor together.

{photo courtesy of Little Green Notebook via Plum Cushion.}

But man is it EXPENSIVE!!! One site showed it at $203 a yard! GULP!  How was I going to pull this off?

First, like any good blogger, I jumped on the internet to see what kinda deal I could score.  20 minutes later I was sad to discover no such deals existed.  One Person wanted upwards of $150 for one pillow made of this stuff!! Say WHAT?

Next try was to bug my buddy Lily of O’brien and Muse.  She is a Interior Designer and I thought I would see if she would be up for buying it for me at her cost and I would pay her back. What are friends for right??  So I shot her an email to see what she would think. Next thing I knew she was emailing me back to say it was my lucky day. She had a remnant of THIS EXACT FABRIC that was leftover from a project she had done for a client!! And better yet- she would give it to me for far cheaper than $200 bucks!!  I don’t even think I had finished reading her email as I jumped into the car and sped over to her office before she could change her mind.

I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do with it! Pillows? Cornice Boxes? Ottoman Fabric??

Such Decisions!! Stay Tuned!

Remember when we got our floors refinished and moved all the furniture to the basement? {go here for the full recap}.  Well the sectional sofa never quite made it back upstairs.  Mr. vB and I had this great idea that we could make our almost finished basement into a cozy little den.  I mean who doesn’t love instantly adding square footage to their house??

So for the past 7 months our living room has been sitting pitifully empty except for 3 area rugs and this thrift store find.

My “plans” were to make the living room into a more formal sitting room, but plans are always meant to change aren’t they?

What I haven’t mentioned to you guys is that Mr. vB recently took a jump in the world of entrepreneurship.  He is doing extremely well and keeping super busy, but our basement den has turned into the Headquarters of V4 Web.  And with baby van on the way, I was thinking it could get a little tight with all of us hanging in the basement while I’m on maternity leave.  So the new plan is to still make the living room into a smaller sitting area, but have it baby and momma friendly too!

I have been searching high and low for an inexpensive love seat to tie the room together, but never really found anything that fit in our $500 or less budget. And the more and more I thought about it, I just didn’t see dropping moolah on a cheap sofa when we had an extremely comfortable one in the basement. So after a bit of discussion, Mr. vB and I decided to split up the sectional and bring half up to the living room and leave the other half down in the basement.  And surprisingly it works out really well!

Sure, most people have both a right AND LEFT arm to their sofa, but they are so over-rated.

I also brought down 2 of the nesting tables from my Ladies Lounge/Office to use as a side table and I think they work perfect!

Here’s the entire room..

The Birdseye view

And the view from the front door

I’m very pleased at how it’s coming together.  Now it’s time to find the perfect fabrics to make pillows, window treatments, and to reupholster the chair and ottoman in.  I have a few in mind.. let’s hope one works!

Remember me mentioning that our plan was to incorporate a sliding  “barn” door into our design?  We figured that would be the best way to close off that 6 foot opening between our bedroom and the nursery, but also allow for great flow when the door was open. Plus it wouldn’t take up any extra floor space as it would easily glide and sit against the wall.

But we had to accomplish a few steps before we could put the door up.  First, hang the flat screen tv INTO the wall vs. onto the wall so the door could pass in front of it.  {See that mess project here and here.}  Second, find and buy budget friendly barn door hardware.  {Did that here and here.}  Third, design door layout and figure out how much wood it would take to build.  No sweat right?

So by this weekend, we were ready to roll. TV was safely hanging in the wall and door hardware had arrived. All that was left to do was beg brother-in-law Justin to help Mr. vB put it all together.

Here’s their progress in photos.

The Blank Canvas

The 10′ Rail that had to be bolted into the beam.

Only had to move it 3 times to get it to the right level.  Gotta love old houses- neither the ceiling nor the floor is square.

Time to make the donuts, oh I mean make the door.

I would love to know what Justin is thinking in this photo.  Maybe- “A barn door- really?” or “I shoulda said I was busy.”

I like the way Mr. vB worked the letter V into the design.  Subtle but personalized!

Ready to hang!

TA-DA! Opened…

And Closed… PERFECT!!

And here’s the view from van’s nursery.

It is definitely a bit more massive than I imagined, but it IS a 5′-8″ wide by 8′ tall slab of wood. I’m not sure what I was thinking- it certainly wasn’t going to be dainty. Now it is my job to prime and paint the door and repaint the wall where the TV is.  Justin had a good idea that since the nursery side of the door is plain, we should incorporate some type of mural or design onto the door.  Interesting. The idea got both our wheels turning.  We are throwing around a few ideas. Will keep you updated with the progress!!