CHARMED

Whenever I'm thrifting-sniffing-around one thing I always make a point to look for is old frames WITH matting included - if you find a framed photo that's matted, PARTICULARLY CUSTOM matted - blind your eyes away from whatever shade and texture of ugly the frame is - and how terrible the photo is. You've struck gold! Matting is really the element that catapults your framing into a higher level of sophistication - and unless you are crafty enough to buy and cut your own mats, or are fine with purchasing the selection of pre-cut run-of-the-mill-sized mats - it's pretttttty pricey to have professionally and CUSTOM done. So here we are -- I found a very LARGE CUSTOM matted and framed (puke brown) photo (a duck....from the 80s.....an 80's duck). It cost me $4.50. Throw in a couple of knick-knack wall-hangings I got over a year ago and quickly fell into hating.....and a cheap gold-framed mirror - ALSO being sold for peanuts. I gathered up the motley crew and spray painted...

I DID IT! And completely by myself at that! It required some diligent measuring, many swipes with the stud finder, heavy duty hooks, and a steady hand.......BUT I DID IT. Feeling accomplished :-) My $10 goodwill-find-transformed is looking stunning.

So while on one of my thirft-scouting-adventures I spotted the following amazingly fabulous mirror at goodwill.........for $10. $10!!!! One thing I love to do is mix throw in antiquey/old/worn items randomly into our mostly clean and modern designed home decor. What is more classic than a curvy "Queen Victoria" mirror? I honestly have no idea if that's the proper name for this shape mirror, however we're gonna go with it. ANYWAYS - Of course it was not only a disturbingly bright shade of orangey brown when I found this little gem......it was worn on the top and reminded me of a musty basement. Nothing a little surface cleaner, elbow grease, and black paint can't solve! I had already begun painting/staining with the black paint in these pictures - however you can still see the NEON-ISH hue of the original stain on the inside lip. I will have Part 2 up shortly hopefully. I had finished fully painting/staining with the black to my liking - and hope to hang this sucke...

Green Amethyst & Diamonds!

Seriously, I have officially stooped to an all-new shockingly horrifying low. I am utterly embarrassed, amused, confused, stunned, and in disbelief as I prepare to divulge the following information. This morning I was in a frenzy to peel myself out of our pillowy-cloud of a bed, get myself presentable for the day, hair, make-up, pack my lunch (chicken stir fry! my first attempt in life to make it and I have to say it was a rather yummmmmy success) ----------- I grab my multitude of bags (including hand-, computer-, lunch-, and make-up-)....jump in the car, rush to work and of course I had to get here at 9:01am. OH-ONE. One minute late, I'll cut my losses. I'm going about my morning, chugging down my jug of coffee, eating my banana, going through emails......I throw my hand up to my face and lean in on my elbow - today is one of those days! All of a sudden, as I'm unconciously tugging on my ear........I realize........I forgot to put EARRINGS ON. Necklace on. Oversized ridic...

As with any home, ours is still a work in progress. I have so many projects I’d like to do! I should really stop for a minute, step back, and be proud of everything we’ve accomplished so far. After years and years of living in college dorms with white brick walls, and then strings of white-shoe-box apartments in New York City, I vowed to myself that the day I finally had a place of my own, every single inch of it would be PAINTED IN A COLOR. No more white walls ever again! Life is wayyyyy too short for me to be blinded by the white!!!! Well, we’re on our way to achieving that dream of mine. The most important and large rooms are painted. However the bathrooms are still sadly weepy and stark in white. I've done some punches of color to tide me over for now -- and here is the DIY step by step for these fabulous damask canvas 'tiles' I did for our master bathroom. Hmmm....I'm thinking we’ll most likely pull a color for the walls from the awesomely hippie-hemp-esque stiche...

Have you ever stopped and wondered where this seemingly ‘age-old’ tradition and inherent list of “set steps” for getting married came from? Don’t you remember reading those elder novels in high school speaking of women’s dowries? What exactly happened in this world that caused the tradition of handing over your little girl and her most pricey possessions as a perk to the lucky man – to the lucky man now emptying his bank account and handing your little girl a shiny rock to display on her finger? What’s it all mean anyways? What’s the significance? Do we just accept it because lots of people in the world follow the same suit and have been for decades…so that’s what is proper to do? Call me a cynic or call me a modern day woman. This wedding hoopla just isn’t for me. AT ALL. I think we decided we’re eloping on the summit of a mountain. Preferably near a cliff. Not so we can jump afterwards (you negative nancy’s!) but more to remind us at that moment of the overwhelming forces of nature a...

The best part about having our own space in this world - whether it be a single room, an apartment, a house, an RV -whatever space is completely and utterly yours....the best part is the freedom we hold to pick and choose what we would like to surround ourselves with and look at everyday of our lives. What makes you happy? What's your favorite color? What makes you smile? Reminds you of special memories? What is your creative vision? Well, the biggest shock to me personally about people's selections for their homes - is when the walls are decorated with store-bought-dime-a-dozen-generic-general-just-because art/photo prints. Admittedly, I am a photographer and have a professional side-photography-business (www.charmbytasha.com) in addition to my full-time duties as a publicist - however I promise making a beautifully original custom art photo print is easy as pie. Step 1 - Take a photo. Since this is an ART print objective - your photo should be of a place or thing that holds s...

I flippin' love Halloween. {ode of the kitchen towels - and NOTE: my fool proof BAMBOO! I don't lie!} I will be closing this laptop and in about 2 seconds I'll be sinking into that couch right there....looking greatly foward to relaxing in front of our newly installed eco-friendly and energy efficient pellet stove. Best invesment. Ever. I just have to say if you're looking into alternative heating - pellets are marvelous. So affordable, renewable, and you still get that flame that gives you the cozy homey "gather 'round and snuggle in" feeling. Just in love. We'll see what winter brings....but theoretically only $500 worth of pellets is all it will take to keep our little dream home heated for the season! Oh.......and did I mentioned I got engaged on my birthday? {10/21.....no wonder October is my favorite} Whatta week.

Did anyone else not inherit their family's green-thumb-gene? Am I the only one over here leaf-ily-challenged? What is it specifically about the concept of: #1 dig a hole. #2 plant something. #3 water it so it doesn't die. That I don't get? It IS that easy, right? 1,2,3. Ugh. Perhaps it's more horrifyingly embarrassing for me that I need fool-proof bamboo desktop plants (that actually SAY on the tag....NO DIRECT LIGHT and barely needs water so don't worry if you forget for 2 and a half months) because I grew up in a house that could in all likelihood qualify as the next great rain forest after the Amazon. With all of my mom's floor plants and hanging plants and table plants.....seriously, walking up the stairs into the living room might feel to a stranger like hiking in a heavily wooded national park. Now this is not to make fun of my green-thumbed mother - oh no. I'm in AWE of this magnificent woman!!! I just don't know how she does it. Her yard is a bot...

When we moved out of our apartment and into our house, I had a grand vision. Everything would be home-made, re-purposed, re-made, hand-crafted, and all considered 1-of-a-kind via my thrift-loving ways and DIY addiction. Nothing more I hate than a home that looks like a cookie-cutter-show-room. Exhibit #1 - One of my first orders of business was to create a dreamy master bedroom. That evokes the feeling of floating on a cloud and serenely calms your bones the minute you walk in. When I think of a dreamy state I think of things becoming blurry......that lapse of time in between falling asleep and fully waking up where your eyes aren't focused. This train of thought led me to thinking about FADED LIGHTS.....and their soft glow. How I would love to always be surrounded by that. I dragged out our strings of Christmas lights - in the dead of spring - and after the sun set, I secluded myself into the darkest corner and snapped a string of shots. After selecting my favorite shot, I just br...

Hersheys. Ghiradelli. Godiva. Lindt. German chocolate. Belgian chocolate. Swiss Chocolate. Haut-Designer Chocolate to generic store-brand chocolate chips. Chocolate fondue to chocolate syrup. Chocolate chip cookies to chocolate cake. I'm sorry, but some days I really do believe chocolate - of any brand/lightness/darkness/texture......is the answer. Who cares what the question is? Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever (proclaimed by me) 2 sticks of butter at room temperature (vitally important!) 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar 3 teaspoons vanilla extract (I'm big on flavor) 2 eggs 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups chocolate chips (plus a couple extra handfuls for good luck!) Simple enough, the run of the mill blend the butter with the sugar, once creamy add the rest of the wet ingredients, slowly add the dry ingredients until all incorporated - then dump in ALL OF THAT CHOCOLATE. Extra handfuls necessary. And why not throw in som...