Saturday 6+1 (6 Things I Love + 1 Thing I Don’t) – 3.3.18

I hope you have had a great week, friends!  With spring on the horizon, things seem to be picking up around here, in that I can tell people are itching to freshen up their homes.  Nothing like some warmer weather and fresh air to get you motivated, right?  If only the rain would just … stop.  But, I do have some great things to share with you this week, so let’s get it rolling, shall we?  A bonus Saturday 6+1 this week!

Classic and Timeless Dress

So, we went to a wedding for the first time in, forever, and I had the opportunity to actually get dressed up for a change.  I will freely admit that on most days I look like a candidate for “What Not to Wear”.  I work out in the morning and on many days, I’m painting, so you can imagine what I look like by the end of the day.  I wear a baseball hat and a paint splattered hoodie, but I promise, I shower every night.  

Given my usual wardrobe, I took the opportunity to do a little shopping and pampering to get ready for this wedding.  New dress, new shoes, gel manicure (although my index finger nail has already come off), and I even got some false lashes at Sephora.  Funny how “false” lashes sounds better than “fake” lashes.  Did you know that the sweet Sephora girls will even apply them for you?  Thank goodness for that, because I surely would have glued my eyes shut had I tried to do it myself.  

Never mind that my husband called me Tammy Fay Baker with my luxurious lashes.  My girlfriends appreciated them.

Anyway, I had to share this classic dress that I found at Banana Republic, thanks to a friend of mine who should be my personal stylist.  And it’s navy.

Banana Republic Bow Neck Ponte Sheath Dress

Of course, when I went to the store, they didn’t have the navy dress, but they did have the black one, so I bought that.  And then ordered the navy dress (which arrived today).  I love this dress!  It’s got some stretch to it, but still holds you in and feels comfortable.  A great staple dress to have!

And here’s proof that I do dress up every now and again (complete with my Tammy Fay Baker lashes), catching up with a friend that I don’t get to see nearly enough!

Banana Republic Sheath Dress

Wedding Ideas Today

Speaking of weddings, going to this wedding makes me wish I could have a do-over wedding (with the same husband, of course).  This wedding was just gorgeous.  So many awesome ideas to make it fun and personal.  Check out the venue – and notice the light up photos of the bride and groom that they have on display.  And they had a fun photo booth setup too.  Loved it!

Wedding Reception Ideas

Tarte Concealer

I have to give my daughter credit for this find, as she’s the one who discovered it, thanks to the beauty vloggers out there.  This Tarte “Rainforest of the Sea aquacealer concealer” is great (especially for under the eyes), and also served as kind of a highlighter at the same time.  Plus, a little goes a long way.

Tarte Rainforest by the Sea Concealer

Rules of Civility

I wrapped up Rules of Civility this week and thought it was worth a share.  It takes place during the 1930’s and the central character, Katey Kontent (pronounced like “content”, as in “happy”) – is unlike many of the women in her New York City social circles.  She’s not a debutante, she’s smart, hard working, witty, and is rubbing elbows with the young and wealthy.  It gives insight into this corner of the world at this time in history, and is written in such a way that I was absorbed by the dialogue and the beautiful writing, as well as the story.  I don’t know quite how to explain it, when a book is written in such a way that the words are mesmerizing, I get swept away with them.  Does that make sense?  My dad read “A Gentleman in Moscow” by the same author, and really enjoyed it, so it’s also on my wish list.  If the writing is this good, I’m sure I’ll enjoy it as well.

Rules of Civility

Bar Keeper’s Friend

I have used Bar Keeper’s Friend to clean around my house (it’s great on my kitchen sink drain area that gets tarnished), but who knew it would be such a great answer to cleaning up nasty old hardware?  It brought the hardware back to life on this furniture piece that I recently completed.  You can see in this side by side comparison, what a difference it makes.  Here’s a tip – wear gloves when using this stuff to clean hardware.  My left hand felt weird and dry yesterday (well after I finished this piece), and it turns out that since I was scrubbing away so much that my skin got all dry and flaky as a result.  I was a little concerned until I realized what I had done.

Bar Keeper's Friend for cleaning hardware

Cleaning Brass with Bar Keeper's Friend

Bar Keeper's Friend

Paint Color Mixing

I posted about creating your own paint colors in this post, but today I did my own color mixing in my shop.  Let me tell you, it’s fun.  But for me, probably not an exact science.  I did discover paint mixing cups for precise paint mixing, but I found myself adding a little of this or that to get the color just the way I wanted it.  I’m painting a bench and shelf for a friend, and she liked the mix of General Finishes Persian Blue and Millstone.  But when I mixed them, I wasn’t quite sure of the color, so I added some Lamp Black.  

Color Mixing General Finishes

Will I be able to precisely replicate this color again?  Probably not.  But it’s pretty!

Persian Blue and Millstone

My +1 for the week – when products I love get discontinued

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, people.  I had running shoes – Adidas – that they had made for years.  They were popular, and people loved them.  I went through about 5-6 pairs myself.  And then all of a sudden, they’re gone.  Discontinued.  And their replacement shoes don’t hold a candle to the old ones.  Why?  

More recently, I’ve been using this Aveda Blue Oil when I go to bed, or if I’m feeling stressed and need to relax just a bit.  It’s magical (and I swear it clears out my sinuses at the same time).  Well, I went to buy more, and it’s gone.  Aveda has replaced it with a “Cooling Balancing Oil Concentrate”, and if you read the reviews, they speak for themselves.  It has 2/5 stars and people are begging Aveda to bring back the Blue Oil.  I’m running on fumes with mine, and might have to break down and pay a jacked up price to get it on eBay because I love it so much.

So if people aren’t complaining about a product – please don’t change it.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jenny

 

 

 

 

 

10 Comments

  • Reply
    Karin
    March 3, 2018 at 7:07 am

    If you soak brass hardware in lemon juice (the stuff in the green bottle) it’ll clean up much faster and you won’t have to torture your hands as much. I did that with the exact same hardware as yours and it turned out beautifully!

    • Reply
      Jenny
      March 3, 2018 at 1:07 pm

      I will have to remember this in the future Karin! Thank you!

  • Reply
    Rosie
    March 3, 2018 at 2:04 pm

    Always look forward to your emails. I am listening to and reading two different books. The one I am listening to is The Girl who cam Home by Hazel Gaynor. The person who is reading this does an excellent job and the way this writer describes is fantastic!!!! It is about the Titanic and the different people who board. I just started it and loved every second of it.
    The book I am reading ( I am a Gemini have to have two things going at the same time) is The Boy from Berlin by Michael Parker. Again, one of the that I can not put down. It is about a man running for President of the United States and all the things that people do to help him. If the people of the US only knew who his father was…… don’t want to spoil it for you.
    By the way you look darling all dressed up!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Reply
      Jenny
      March 3, 2018 at 2:27 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind words Rosie. Both of those books sound like winners to me! I will add them to my wish list! I love hearing stories from the Titanic. Years ago we saw an exhibit that featured items from the Titanic, and it was absolutely fascinating!

  • Reply
    MEM
    March 3, 2018 at 2:49 pm

    I agree with you about the Barkeeper’s Friend. We have a white porcelain farm sink and its the only thing that removes pot marks. I also use it to get scratches and stains off of my all-white dinnerware.

    • Reply
      Jenny
      March 4, 2018 at 10:39 pm

      I never thought about using it on dinnerware! What a great idea! It’s amazing on my sink as well – a life saver!

  • Reply
    Nancy
    March 3, 2018 at 4:42 pm

    Check Ebay for discontinued items. Sometimes you get lucky.

    • Reply
      Jenny
      March 4, 2018 at 10:39 pm

      I’m going to have to – it’s getting to be a desperate situation! I just hate that it’s super expensive now that it’s discontinued. 🙁

  • Reply
    Ivory
    March 3, 2018 at 8:05 pm

    The little black dress is fabulous, and you were rocking it. Yes, I seen like the wedding was fabulous. As for the gorgeous piece of furniture, I love it, and especially the color you selected. Thank you!

    • Reply
      Jenny
      March 4, 2018 at 10:38 pm

      Thank you Ivory! That dress really does wonders for my attitude, let me tell you. I wore the navy blue one this weekend while we were out with two other couples celebrating my birthday! 🙂

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