June 19...Beach Trip 2009- Orange Beach and Gulf Shores.

Spent the weekend with Ole Miss friends and Father's Day with Steve and Sue. Had FD breakfast on the water at Tacky Jacks! It was an awesome time and wish we didn't have to come back to reality!
A few things we learned:

• Sunscreen doesn't work on your face...if you forget to put it on
• Car key's only open bottles 4 out of 5 times without causing hand injuries
• Don't play Putt Putt in any month that you wouldn't eat raw oysters...too hot!!!
• The Florabama really can hold one million sweaty people.
• Pomegranate margaritas sound better than they are (at least how we made them)
• RedBull really does give you wings...but it also makes you tell stupid jokes to each other on long car rides!
• hmmm...can we fit a beach house into the budget? Lemme run some numbers...

June 24, 2009...Little Miracles

I think I mentioned this in another blog, but I love anything that has to do with babies! I am having so much fun during this time in life when so many of my friends are having babies! I get to do baby shower invitations, nursery murals, crib hangers, nursery paintings, and come up with fun games to play at baby showers! My best friend, Lisha, just had a baby girl and spent about 55 days in the NICU at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. During that time she got to know a lot of wonderful people that touched her life, including one special nurse. The nurse is about to have a baby boy named Levi and they recently found out that he will be born with heart issues as well. Lisha loved the crib hanger I made for Elle's hospital bed so she asked me to do one for Levi. I hope she loves it and I cannot wait to hear all about it! Visit my website and place your order now for babies in your life!

Tuesday, June 16...One Sassy Lil' Powder Room!

I forgot to blog about my little weekend project...I painted the downstairs half bath with the same paint color we used in the study, Manor House by Sherwin Williams. Somehow in the study it looks brownish-gray like the swatch and in the bathroom it looks eggplant. I love it. We repainted the trim and walls, hung a sheek blue glass pendant light, replaced the old gold mirror with a modern square one, refinished the hardware with matte gold spray paint, and I put a bright piece of my artwork in there for color. Over the toilet we put a shelf to showcase some of Randa's turquoise glass and don't forget our lovely Christmas gift from Lee & Lisha..."Poo-Pourri"! Down the road I plan to tile the floor....I am really interested at trying my hand at mosaic but we'll see!

We are eager to see what Caroline Hungerford proposes for our kitchen design! We meet with her tomorrow and could not be more trilled to see her ideas. Caroline came highly recommended for her modern flair and meticulous planning. She was a top student in the LSU design program and she now designs many homes and offices here in Natchez, one of which is for well known author Greg Isles! She is recommending appliances, wall build-outs, paint colors, finishes, and even has an Autocad rendering of the finished product. We am so excited.

Tuesday, June 16....Bon a Petit!

I have finally finished the one room that I have been looking forward to redecorating since the day we moved in. I always said that I would make a point of eating at the dining room table instead of in front of the TV so Zach and I could have some quality time together and now we have a beautiful place to do that! I really dislike painting rooms simply because it is a challenge for a 5"6" person to conquer 12 foot walls...not to mention tons of mouldings. But hey, I can't complain because those mouldings are so beautiful and it was was worth the 4 days it took to paint! In true Shannon fashion, I took many detours along the way to do small projects. First, I was on the quest for the perfect furniture. The first piece to arrive was my wonderful anniversary present, a china cabinet. I spent that whole night unpacking and arranging the boxes of china and crystal we had received for the wedding. Next, the table and chairs. We drove for what seemed like forever to the Ashley Warehouse in Tupelo to pick up our huge table...all 250lbs of it. I found the chairs online and the other pieces in the room have been in the Jex family. Next...learning to sew. My first project was taking 17 yards of fabric and turning them into 4 drapery panels. I love how they turned out and I had so much fun fabric shopping, designing, and sewing. The final project was to refinish the chandelier in Zach study and switch it with the dining room chandelier. I cleaned it up, spray painted it with silver metallic paint, distressed the paint with a low grit sand paper to let some of the brass shine through, and then I sprayed it with a reflective gloss coat. I also sewed a cord cover in the same fabric I used for the draperies. I was nervous about this project but I am so pleased with the final product and I am glad I took the risk. Next, I painted an apple painting for a pop of color. I finished the room off by sewing 2 colorful pillows for the arm chairs and a centerpiece I made from square mirrors, a vase, and white twigs and candle sticks. If you are an HGTV fan then you are familiar with Candice Olsen...she is a favorite of ours and many of her designs along with 'Rate My Space' photos became my inspiration for the room. Cool, calming gray for the walls (Sherwin Williams Monorail Silver) contrasting crisp white for the trim. We went with a modern table and 8 chairs-clean lines and dark finishes. For accents I chose shimmering fabrics, mirrored surfaces, candles, and glass. Oh and 2 very special B&W photos that Zach took of Sydney and Emma for the buffet. I highly recommend TJMaxx and Homegoods for lamps...I found these great buffet lamps at TJMaxx for $24! After putting this into words I realize what a artsy-fartsy nutcase I am! Enough details...enjoy the pictures!!

Friday, June 12: Lunch Time equals Pillow Time!

Lunch time= pillow time, and I don't mean nap time...although I could go for a few Zzzzz's right now! I went home a sewed some snazzy lumbar pillows for the 2 side chairs of the dining table. I thought we needed a little punch of color so I went to my favorite little fabric store the other day and picked up a few yards of a bold geometric print...premier prints are my favorite fabrics because they are so bold and HAPPY!! I like classic furniture in neutral colors so I can pop accents (also because my artsy-fartsy side gets bored easily and it is a lot easier to switch pillows then to switch sofas!) So here is a picture of my creation...oh and that is one of our new dining chairs! I adore them! Also here is a painting I finished painting last night for one of the dining room walls. Everyone loves granny smith apples...right?! This painting reminds me of my Grandma Marilyn's famous apple pies!

Have a great weekend....before and after pix of the dining room are coming soon. Repainting the molding is taking much longer than anticipated.

Tuesday, June 9. . . Romantic May and June Tunes

CELEBRATE!!! May 31 we made our toasts, our promises, and broke out the top layer of the wedding cake to honor our first year anniversary. Who knew our first year of marriage would be so action packed. New house, new jobs (new business), new emotions...but the constant, dependable, unconditional love saw us through it all. And here we are...one year married and crazy as the day we met! To sum up marriage...."What Fun!" (I am stealing Lisa Horak's phrase). Zach was surprised with a 4 page addition to the 7 year-running scrapbook and a framed wedding picture for his office...and me...a beautiful China Cabinet!

June is here! And so are the mosquitoes :( It's getting to be that time of year when the evening dog walks aren't as enjoyable because all though the sun is setting, the temperature is not dropping and you are lucky to make it home before your wiener dog is carried away by gigantic mosquitoes. We did manage to snap a few great shots of the pups playing by the river.




















We just made it back from Oxford to see the Rebels in the Super Regionals! It was our first trip back since we moved to Natchez and it feels like the drive now takes forever but so worth it. What an amazing city! Every time we go to Oxford there are a million new places to eat, drink, shop, live, etc. I have never seen such an awesome variety of pizza, sushi, and Mexican joints in a 10 mile radius...where were they when we were in college?! I told Zach if we have daughters that go to Ole Miss we can't blame them if they acquire shopping addictions...Oxford is crawling with the cutest boutiques!

Zach bought a new baby...a beautiful Blueridge guitar with pearl inlays. It is stunning and sounds great! He has been playing up a storm. His brother Kellen came over the other night and I swear I thought Dave Matthews Band was in my living room. They are amazing. I taught myself how to sew and I just completed our dining room drapes. Stay tuned as we are about to start painting and I will post before and after shots of the dining room soon! Off to Fat Mama's...it is the 20th anniversary and a great excuse for Tamales and Margaritas! Adios!