Fifty Shades

A friend is repainting her new condo. She is painting many of her walls gray. She joked that it was fifty shades of gray. She recently bought the book Fifty Shades of Grey and allowed me to borrow it this spring break. I have some PG views on the book:
-I read the first 75 pages the first night, all of these pages are PG
-The rest of the book gets a little interesting
-There are several vocabulary words that I do not know or use in my vernacular though Mr. Grey and Anastasia do (I should look them up or maybe someone else has these words somewhere)



After reading book #1, I moved onto book #2 (Fifty Shades Darker). Here are the views on the new book:
We meet Leila. She is more screwed up than Mr. Grey.
-Anastasia impressed me and Mr. Grey by donating the money from the sale of her bug to charity
page 300, things get a little interesting

My new bathroom

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I was inspired by Pinterest this summer to redo my bathroom. (My pinterest: iillini24). Every summer, since I am a teacher, I seem to  tackle another room in my house. I really wanted to incorporate Chevron (or zig zag) into a new bathroom.

It was great timing because in the summer of 2013, West Elm's catalog had a Chevron shower curtain in it for a reasonable price, $39. Luckily, I have a West Elm in Lincoln Park in Chicago that has parking so I would be able to check it out. I actually went twice until it actually came in stock.

West Elm Gray ZigZag

I was inspired by Pinterest and 320 Sycamore.

320 Sycamore Master Bathroom 

I found this inspiration also from Target, but decided that I wanted to go with more bold colors for accessories so that I could change them without changing the wall color. I did not want teal walls.

Target Shower Curtain

I found out that HGTV's Kevin Grace was going to be at West Elm Lincoln Park giving out some design advice. Yeah! Help!! 

I attended the morning session with my towels in hand that I found from Home Goods that was the same ones as 320 Sycamore. I had already bought the shelves at Home Depot.com and had them delivered. He confirmed my great choice with the towels. He also told me to go to my local Sherwin Williams on Halsted in Chicago as the manager John would be fantastic to help me. 

Kevin asked me what color I would want in the bathroom besides the gray. I told him that I did not want yellow (my childhood house for my first 9 years was yellow and the bathroom was a 60s yellow). He suggested teal such as one of the trays in the store. I asked him if I could go brighter, because I already purchased the Target teal lockers. He confirmed it was a great idea. 

Bathroom Before

This is my bathroom before I decided to do anything. I moved into my place in 2008 and purchased this lovely Crocill shower curtain from Bed Bath and Beyond. I did this because I had creme towels that would match.

Here is the bathroom in progress.

Bathroom Before

Some paint samples from Sherwin William's 40% off weekend meaning that they were still $5 per sample (At Home Depot, usually $3). I didn't like the color on the right. This is the area in back of the toilet that was  blank with no shelves. I had a picture up before on the right wall, but took it down to try some paint colors.

Choosing bathroom colors

Here is it up close, the color on the right that I did not like.

Bathroom color again

These were too dark for what I wanted. My mother said it looked like cement. This is above the toilet where I had to add the shelves. I put 3 pieces of tape to shower where I might want the three shelves to get an idea. 

French Gray by Sherwin Williams - too dark, looked like cement

Bathroom After

I bought the exact same exact shelves that 320 Sycamore bought along with the towels. Here are a list of items bought and their costs
-Sherwin Williams paint in Passive, brushes, supples, etc. about $100
-24" Floating Shelves from Home Depot $65 for all 3 ($19.99 each, but with Chicago Taxes..)
-Consultation with Kevin Grace from HGTV (free)
-West Elm gray ZigZag shower curtain $39 + 10% off coupon, + Chicago taxes
-Home Good Large Towels $7.99 X 4
-Home Good Hand Towels $5.99 X 2
-Marshall's Teal Bath Rug $12.99
-Target teal metal lockers, two for $7 (they were on clearance, no longer available)
-Home Goods Q-tip container $5
-Softsoap container (already had in my bathroom)
-Container store jars $8-$10each
-Puff Plus tissue box $1  (I bought a ton of them so that when they change the design, I will have plenty to spare.)

Update: December 2013
I found this rug at Target. Though it isn't appropriate for a wet environment like a bathroom, I am going to put it in the hallway outside the bathroom. It is 9 degrees here in Chicago, so I am keeping the old rug down also since the floor is so cold.

Target Rug, gray

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British Inspired Living Room

My living room redone in the summer of 2010. Pillow from Nadeau and Telephone Cabinet from Home Decorators from Home Depot. Coffee table from Crate and Barrel, 2010.

FLOR British Invasion design

The SEI telephone booth is still available on Amazon.com. Currently, there is a wall British telephone cabinet on sale at Home Decorators.

My Disney Trip

I took my annual Disney trip this August to prepare to go back to work.

One of the first things I did was take this awesome photo of my drink in front of my castle. 

One of the desserts at Boma - Animal Kingdom Lodge

Packing for a Trip (and my obsession with laundry)

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I hate packing for a trip b/c I like clean clothes. I am one of these people that does laundry at least twice a week at home. While in college, I did one load of basic (socks, underwear, shorts, shirts) laundry weekly (I know...I was weird). Other weeks while in college I would do my bar clothes or specific colors (red). I learned about washing red from the first episode of Felicity and vowed never to make my whites pink. I remember when I did my first load, I made sure to call my mom and ask her questions. Previously, my mother washed all my clothes b/c my mother is a control freak.

So, I am looking at various websites about packing for a trip. I already know some basics such as roll your clothing like shirts and shorts so that they don't wrinkle. I don't want to forget any items as they will be expensive to replace them since I am going to Disney. The hotel shops aren't cheap.

I did read one of the most forgotten items is sunscreen, razors, toothbrush/toothpaste, deodorant and sunglasses. I can see forgetting the razor and deodorant, but not the toothbrush and toothpaste. I will admit that I think I once forgot toothpaste for a weekend trip. As a result, I keep a toothbrush and toothpaste in my car along with asprin/excedrin.

During my last weekend trip, I forgot my nail clipper. It was awful as my nail snagged on something and I didn't have anything to fix my nail since I usually don't bring a nail file.

Before you Leave, Gather the Following:

      Personal ID (Drivers license) or passport

Cash or Foreign currency of your destination country      

Credit cards (foreign currencies?)

Travelers checks or ATM card    

Insurance card  

Photocopies of documentation

Tickets & itinerary

Hotel Reservations

Paper printout of emergency contacts

   

Electronics

Cell phone, charger, extra battery

Camera, charger, batteries, cords, etc.

Headphones (bud? noise canceling?)

Laptop & cord & battery (on some trips)

Watch (so u don't have to use the cell phone all the time)

  

Basic Essentials

Appropriate Luggage    

Luggage Locks & ID Tags (Do NOT Lock checked baggage)  

Rain Protection/Umbrella (It does rain in Florida) 

Small Flashlight & batteries (my dad brings this ALWAYS, in this day and age, we can use flashlight on our phone)      

Brimmed Hat or Visor (I don't wear hats, but others might)

Sunglasses 

contact lens preparations  

Magazines for the plane   

Folding Scissors (place in checked baggage)      

Laundry/Plastic Bag    

Food bars or emergency snack food  
    

Toiletries    

Comb/Brush    

Toothbrush/Paste

Shampoo/Conditioner

Medication (Allergy, birth control)

First Aid Kit/band-aids are a definate 

Aspirin/Pain Reliever      

Cold/Sinus Medication (didn't think of this)

Insect Repellent       

Sunscreen    

Nail clipper

Kleenex (I like the little packs)

Q-Tips (a must)

Deodorant (one of the most forgotten items) 

Lotions/Creams  

Cologne      

Earplugs

Plastic bags (if carry on, remember FAA limits on liquids & cremes)

Feminine products

Hair bands

Major Clothing

Shirts for every day

Shorts/slacks

Socks

underwear

bras

Razor (one of the most forgotten items)

2 pairs of gym shoes (one will get wet one day and u'll need the other)

Flip flops (Reef is the best)

Umbrella

Swimsuit (two is needed)

With all of these items, no wonder why people are stressed about vacation. There are so many things to remember.

Some websites for more information:

Links: EHow: Packing for a Trip

How to Pack w/out Overpacking

How to Know What You Can and Can't Carry on Board an Aircraft http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/149437/travel-packing-checklist

Packing for Disney

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My CNDc Shellac Manicure

At the Taste of Chicago, I got a free CND (Creative Nail Design) Shellac manicure. I was at the taste early at 11am and was about 10th in line and earned an appointment at 12:30.
Kris from NY did my manicure. She buffed up my nails and filed them appropriately. Then, she added the Shellac. She has a clear bottom coat and then I put my hand/fingers in the ultraviolet machine for it to set.



UV Machine


My manicurist Kris told me how she has been in the nail industry for years and working for the company for about 2 years. She actually went to CNDc camp for a week where she learned about the technique along with focusing on health. She said that they went to health classes to learn proper stretching, yoga along with nutrition. I love when a company focuses on a person as a whole. Sometimes as a teacher, I sacrifice my own health for my job (not drinking as much water as it is hard to leave class and kids alone) and have put my own health more of a priority lately (though getting up at 4:30/5:00 to get an hour in at the gym is difficult and leads to me tired by 4:00pm).

Kris also said that she only works at the salon in NY 2-3 times a week because she is often traveling with CNDc.

I asked Kris about getting this done again in Chicago. She said that it could cost double what a normal manicure costs in the city (possibly $50). Total bummer. She did give me a card of locations in Chicago that perform the Shellac.

Just some of CNDs colors

Romanique

I had to pick my colors. There are more  colors available than the picture above, but I chose color #16 Romanique which was a soft pink/white color since I didn't want something bold. It reminds me of Essie's Figi or Ballet Slippers which according to the Possessionista, is what Emily Maynard from the Bachelorette wears.

I wanted something that I could wear anything with. After the two coats of the color, (which after each application, my hand again went into the ultraviolet machine), she applied a top coat.

After the polish, she put some oil and lotion on my hands along with some instructions. The manicure should last at least 2 weeks. She gave me oil to put on my nails. She said to use it daily and most people put it on nighlty. She also gave me a packet/instructions of how to remove the polish. She said DO NOT pick at the nail polish as it will be bad for my nails and take more of my nails off rather than just the polish.

My nails looked VERY similar to this

....about 2 weeks later, I a met up with my friend Antonia for Burger Fest on Belmont. She commented on my nails and said how she has NEVER seen my nails look better. A few days later, I get the FIRST chip of my nails, but it really isn't noticeable.

...3 weeks later, really the first really noticeable chip to my nails.

...tomorrow will be 4 weeks. I should take this polish off, but I love it so much though my nails have grown. They are still shiny and look new in some cases. I'll update you on taking the polish off another time.

Now, I need to have this done next week again. This is great. I've been looking on YELP for reviews on shellac, but haven't found ANYTHING promising in Chicago. I would love to have this done next week.

Want to know more, check out these blogs that also reviewed Shellac: Say Hello to the Future of Manicures, Shellac French Manicure, All Lacqured Up, Mini Penny,

Craigslist

I love craigslist though I haven't used it that much this summer. Last summer, I redid my living room and bedroom.
My living room is a British theme. It has some great maps on the wall of London, a telephone booth DVD holder and a large print/picture from IKEA. I bought all of these at stores and not on craigslist.org.
However, I did purchase some itesm for my Paris bedroom from craigslist. I have this huge 5 by 8 foot canvas sold at IKEA a few years ago in my bedroom. I had to pick up the canvas from Hyde Park because it would not fit in my car. When I arrived to pick up the print, I noticed my name Barb on the bottom left hand corner. I thought that they put my name on the piece and thought it was weird and wondered how I might be able to erase it later. Since it was only 10 bucks, I took it off of this guy's hand.
It was a journey to get it home. I took it on a bus and a train to get home. I got many looks on my way home with the piece. A few weeks later, I was able to hang it above my bed with my parent's help. It is such a light canvas that it only needed 2 nails to rest on to hang.
I also bought another Paris piece for my bedroom on craigslist. It is a picture of the Eiffel Tower and it being built. It was $35 bucks from a guy in North Center. There was a slight defect in the frame, but I was able to cover it up with some puddy and black sharpie.

My dining room chairs are also from craigslist. When I moved into my place a few summers ago, I bought the dining room table and chairs from Room and Board from the previous owner for $600 bucks. The parsons table had 4 chocolate brown room and board chairs. I didn't like the brown and preferred the black version. I was able to find 6 Milan black leather Room and Board chairs made in Italy in Berwyn, IL. My mom had to come with me with her car to buy the chairs. The 6 black leather charis were $600 dollars. I eventually, through craigslist sold the 4 brown chairs for $450 to some gentleman.