Ba-da-buh-buh-buh, I'm LOOOOOVIN' IT!

The Wickstroms have embarked on a new misadventure: home ownership! We now own this beauty: Now it's time to decorate (uh oh!)!

P.S. Who knew buying a pair of these would be sooooo exciting?
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A brief giggle mixed with the stress

Chris never ceases to crack me up, even in the midst of a STRESSFUL first home-buying process that includes finishing a small bathroom before closing on the (dream) house.
Fun to shop? Yes! Hard to resist going over the top? VERY (especially when the rest of the house is so beautiful).

I need your bargain shopping/house closing/bathroom finishing vibes to carry me through the rest of this month.

In the meantime, here's a recent (very typical) Wickstrom exchange. Enjoy!

CHRIS: Dang, can’t we find a towel holder and tissue holder somewhere else?
BECKY: Probably. :(
CHRIS: I’ll help look. The sconces and mirror are noticeably nicer, but unless the towel bar comes encrusted with some bling-bling and the toilet paper dispenser includes an automatic comfort moistener, the price seems a little steep.
BECKY: You’re a party pooper. What is a comfort moistener anyway?!?!
CHRIS: I’m not saying not to get those items, I will just feel seriously ripped off if we do. Like highway-robbery ripped off. I bet the CEO of Restoration Hardware has his “tissue dispenser” stocked with a fresh roll of Benjamins. BTW, a comfort moistener is that spray that you spray on you TP, remember?
BECKY: Good to know.

Project renovate a bathroom/buy a new house without killing each other continues...

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Optimum optimism (all that I can muster)

I really, REALLY miss blogging. But instead of unloading the 1 MILLION reasons why I've been away, I'm celebrating the half-full glass from which I'm currently sipping.

Like right now -- guess where I am. Home? Nope. Office? Kinda. I'm "working" at a dress rehearsal of The Scarlet Pimpernel. No really.
And although it's 10 p.m. (at intermission) and I'm putting in some seriously long work hours, having clients like a theatre company, a swanky day spa and a luxury resort property on Laguna Beach makes it bearable. Oh and there's my largest project as executive producer/understudy performer/writer of a rock show/musical/school assembly program for kids. Working hard never felt so good!

Then there's the shoebox, ahem, APARTMENT we call home. You'll probably remember that it's located directly above heaven:
The good news is that I have an excuse to pop in "just to browse" anytime the spirit moves me. The bad news: even if I had extra cash, I could not possibly fit one more thin whisp of cotton in my sorry excuse for a closet (believe me, I've tried.) (And so help me, Chris, I'll keep trying!)

Speaking of the apartment, I'm very pleased with our bedroom decor:
Luckily, our queen-sized bed fits perfectly into the alcove in the bedroom. UNLUCKILY, our queen-sized bed fits perfectly into the alcove in the bedroom, which means making the bed is DIFFICULT! At least I get to look up at my happy yellow shade every night as I drift away to dreamland.

Which reminds me. Before we left D.C., Chris created a hybrid of my perfect dream man: Jermaine + ROB!
Oh Chris, you really know how to win over this girl! Even after (almost) seven years...

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DIY: Cheap and chic Easter baskets

We hosted Chris' dad, stepmom and little sister Krissy for Easter dinner. The food was delicious (try this trifle recipe -- you won't be disappointed), but the baskets were my favorite part.

In about an hour-and-a-half, I transformed three cheap generic baskets into festive Easter baskets. You could easily adapt this project to add a personal touch to a house-warming or birthday gift.

Here's what you'll need:

- Natural wood baskets (I bought mine at the Container Store for $4/each)
- Hot glue gun/glue sticks
- Festive tissue paper
- Krinkly paper shreds
- Ribbon (I had all of the ribbon on hand. Did you know there is a ribbon outlet in Hagerstown, MD? It is SO worth the drive!)
- Miscellaneous notions and trim
- Inexpensive treats, goodies and small gifts

Use hot glue to trim the edges of your basket in ribbon (mine covered some ugly visible staples). Wrap the handle in ribbon (I dotted a bead of glue under each twist to make sure it stayed in place). Line basket with a piece of tissue paper and fill with shredded paper. Add bows or additional adornments and treats. Voila!

I used vintage pink velvet ribbon and a fun yarn bow for Chris' 11-year-old sister's basket. Her basket was filled with Target jewelry (what girl doesn't love this?), Jonas Brothers socks, a giant Lip Smackers watermelon lip gloss and candy.

The basket Chris and I shared turned out the cutest! I love the peacock green grosgrain ribbon with the vintage pink velvet ribbon. And I love the wrapped handle. (Oh, and I especially loved the Mad Men Season 1 BluRay, the Doris Day/Rock Hudson three-movie anthology and the Australian licorice!)

Tip: For making the bows around the top rim of the basket look perfect: fold your ribbon into a loop, making sure the ends are longer than the loops. Pinch in the middle. Use another piece of ribbon to wrap the center of the loop, making a bow. Glue together.

I kept my Easter table simple and bright -- using my everyday red dishes, mustard yellow napkins and my grandmother's vintage flower tablecloth.

A vase full of ranunculus was the perfect final touch. These are the cheeriest flowers! I totally want to take a cue from Chelsea (the mastermind of {frolic!} and use them to decorate a vibrant summer table.
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Christmas Extravaganza 2008

Even while suffering through (hot) husband's law school finals and planning a major girl's night holiday party, I managed to spread some Christmas cheer throughout our apartment. Halfway through I was admittedly ready to quit. And my creative juices were flowing, but my ability to execute my vision was a tad off.

Exposition aside, I now present Casa Wickstrom Christmas Extravaganza 2008!
(Click here, here, here, here and here for previous holiday decorating. Mom's house is here.).

Front door
It's a tradition to hang a welcoming boxwood wreath on our front door (+ ski lodge ribbon + glitter ornament).

Entry telephone table
This is the first piece of furniture you see when you enter the apartment and I never know quite what to do with it. My solution was a little glitter and some presents tucked in the shelves. Then I threw my arms up in exasperation and left to eat some feel-better chocolate.

Guest bedroom
Our guest bedroom was the staging ground for my party and, as a result, is not open to the public. I did decorate with a butterfly garland, but if that room remains in its current state of chaos, you'll just have to enjoy the pictures.

Guest bathroom
Luckily this room is already decorated in red and pink so the addition of a cute hand towel made it instantly festive!

This, however, is Exhibit A of my Christmas decorating vision gone sour. I wrapped a bunch of small boxes and strung them with ribbon to make a present garland. For some reason this project was 100% cuter in my brain, but I strung it above the bathroom mirror anyway.

(Note to self: that painting is REALLY UGLY!)

Dining room
Welcome to Exhibit B of my Christmas decorating gone sour. You probably know I am completely enraptured and enamored with a certain inspiring store. So, taking a note from their festive decor, I strung my sparkly ornaments on grosgrain ribbon for a new alternative to garland. I like where I was going with this idea, I'm just not sure I ever got there...wherever "there" is...

Living room
Like last year, I opted for three fresh evergreen wreaths behind the couch. I also used loads of red satin ribbon and hung my oversided ornaments from the curtain rod. Subtle, yet festive.

Christmas Tree
Finally, here's our Christmas tree. Sorry I couldn't fit the whole thing in this picture. Just kidding. We went fresh, yet miniature and I mixed it up with a bow around the bottom and ornaments filling the base. It sits on the floating shelf above our TV with a silver jingle bell garland and reindeer ornament.

Hope you had fun decorating too! Happy Holidays!

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extreme church makeover

For some reason, I recruited myself to makeover the room where the young women at church congregate. It was all blue and gray and blah.

Now I think it's sufficiently girly and organized (and yes, I totally made that banner All. By. Myself. From. The. Pattern. In. My. Brain. Easy, yes. But I'm not a sew-er, or a sewer for that matter).

(Forgive the mediocre iPhone pictures).
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Lately...

Beach, Founder's Inn & Spa, birthday dress.

Girl's Camp, quality time with the teens and this girl, pie-eating and watermelon seed-spitting contests.
Sock-animal crafting, new wall decor from this girl, freezer "Dinners in a Pinch" (and the dishes that make me constantly grateful for a helpful husband), Farmer's Market veggies and blossoms.Print Page