tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39862460645501050372024-03-05T21:32:16.592-08:00Brittany's JoyA design and lifestyle blog about the things that fill this life with joy.Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.comBlogger354125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-66362761029542848152014-05-27T20:54:00.001-07:002014-05-27T20:54:24.183-07:00Go on, dish.<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well hello there! Lots been happening since we last chatted. It's been awhile!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">i Madonnari street painting festival at the Santa Barbara Mission</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Seriously. Just dropped off the face of the earth partway through my Kauai recaps! Maybe eventually I'll finish those. Haha</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIX_FwFcb6JcAwXhfds537zVLxxFnFLINGu-ySB85WUIUoiruszxIPdkacrClmk7DL4NAZRsg_uCqRK8BDQIA2wFRkX0TkHjcL6mHed8EiI64G2v83fcdpvzUFC7PrQqusmxHBgymefs/s640/blogger-image--321380520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our NEW BED being delivered // Camping in Los Padres forest </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyway, things are <i>good</i> in our neck of the woods. Seriously, so so good. Since we last talked, we've done so much! Lots of hiking and exploring, and even a little camping. We've rearranged furniture and made some big home purchases; I started a patio vegetable garden and turned 26. I chopped some blunt bangs, went to a couple festivals, and tried a few new restaurants. We've even started seeing a behaviorist to curb Daisy's animal aggression! Yeah, <i>that's</i> a long story, but it was time. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPk9pwTYTa8i0UL4m572rJDJqa3QsjymDd_aGOL_5xRgtOz8MPCT1wxYaC82cs67PquzD4hqdG6D0PKovSsgVTqPkQge-IxvO6h-zXCM_A7Ep94qSsFAkmqjdfPyfeCHMspggAUqWUVxs/s640/blogger-image-1876319482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPk9pwTYTa8i0UL4m572rJDJqa3QsjymDd_aGOL_5xRgtOz8MPCT1wxYaC82cs67PquzD4hqdG6D0PKovSsgVTqPkQge-IxvO6h-zXCM_A7Ep94qSsFAkmqjdfPyfeCHMspggAUqWUVxs/s400/blogger-image-1876319482.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1oz_NHBrmCvtcZKpg3y3BMRTHcJkXn6GGI-DHLKkeFN_v0-MZCOgrdKE3ak8CVJoqyvizDZlijr-rybqmhuxr9Lw8DtF7MEG-THAPfs6EqESK0zc0EJPaszhi4PEx05mAEjNu6RN2HUg/s640/blogger-image-1840487979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: start;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1oz_NHBrmCvtcZKpg3y3BMRTHcJkXn6GGI-DHLKkeFN_v0-MZCOgrdKE3ak8CVJoqyvizDZlijr-rybqmhuxr9Lw8DtF7MEG-THAPfs6EqESK0zc0EJPaszhi4PEx05mAEjNu6RN2HUg/s400/blogger-image-1840487979.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">My seedlings a few weeks ago // my birthday dinner at Arrigato Sushi</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hands down, though, the biggest change to happen to us lately has been this little detail: I'm working again!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Whoooooo hoooooo!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The short version: I've been working for a small Public Relations firm in town for the past few weeks, and I am <i>loving </i>it. It took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to do after I left my last job, but as soon as I landed on PR, things just started lining up. God is so good! I work with a great group of people in a really fun environment, and I am learning a lot. A LOT. And I dig it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What's been going on with <i>you</i> lately?! Dish!</span></div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-23634976534361218652014-05-02T08:00:00.000-07:002014-05-02T08:00:00.781-07:00kauai beaches<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Poipu beach in the south, our first {windy} day</td></tr>
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Before we left for Kauai, we made a list of all the things we wanted to do when we were there. Many of those things just didn't happen (there were a variety of reasons for this, but the primary one was lack of time), but ,lots of beach time and snorkeling were two things we were NOT going to skip!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyPAUswQ_fgH1_OPQjpyn9UnWTtFYzDSa0PR2_iZU6MxvQclfK3O1ReYbc3b-ZGQtnAnZ_BHn7lc0xhqf9yTtDN_ygY-M_XuD9ZgWTJPjtBZwOHH6GAmCC4iMIm0ncIGM9xe1JyTUGos/s1600/DSCF7865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyPAUswQ_fgH1_OPQjpyn9UnWTtFYzDSa0PR2_iZU6MxvQclfK3O1ReYbc3b-ZGQtnAnZ_BHn7lc0xhqf9yTtDN_ygY-M_XuD9ZgWTJPjtBZwOHH6GAmCC4iMIm0ncIGM9xe1JyTUGos/s1600/DSCF7865.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are HUGE dorks. We have accepted this fact.</td></tr>
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Believe it or not, the weather was pretty terrible when we went to Kauai--incredibly windy, high swells, lots of chilly rain. It was warmer and sunnier back home! We only had two sunny days while we were there: our first day and our last day! In that time, though, we'd managed to visit Poipu beach, Waimea beach, Kapa'a beach, Queen's pond (a beach in Polihale state park), Ke'e Beach, and Tunnels Beach. The weather was pretty bad when we tried to go to Hanalei Bay, which was also on our list, so that one didn't happen. Still. I feel pretty good about what we got done :)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioO3XQjk0Tk07qVxPImmvKoY26mvT0dIfYrNBMpcjlUwnRypEeP2jNmruiEjiTlp1896ThCncJWb64fqRZdoUG9LI2B2E4D2CUbFD8sE-DtmWnS2RCvRbf5y1naXb9qwNA5lQa-CHZ7ZE/s1600/DSCF7854.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioO3XQjk0Tk07qVxPImmvKoY26mvT0dIfYrNBMpcjlUwnRypEeP2jNmruiEjiTlp1896ThCncJWb64fqRZdoUG9LI2B2E4D2CUbFD8sE-DtmWnS2RCvRbf5y1naXb9qwNA5lQa-CHZ7ZE/s1600/DSCF7854.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poipu beach on a WINDY day</td></tr>
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Poipu beach is down in the south near where many hotels are located, and it was lauded by our concierge as great snorkeling. We had fun there, to be sure, but it wasn't our favorite! The swells were pretty high this particular day and it was intermittently rainy (we were in the water so we didn't know until we found our stuff wet!), and the water as a result was very cloudy. There were some fun fish to see but overall it wasn't the best snorkeling on the island. We did have fun, though!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Poipu Beach snorkel" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKshuHKQTVUQ794GJ5Y8Fk_qBhjM8cTZOxkaNO9t0LdtLu3hojvEvQutyqxPGvmSMCUuLIP59CiZoc_hIkb2dEJTWk3A7CTue954_3v8C4dKGkyCqTWnmAXECbyApjEx8xAOUUT4rh-D8/s1600/DSCF7868.JPG" height="480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Poipu Beach snorkel" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snorkel at Poipu beach</td></tr>
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I was most impressed by Polihale in the West and the beaches we visited in the North; all the southern and eastern beaches were either crowded, the swell was too high to swim, or the weather was bad. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTCBkbzXDcCZxorh_GgkQbvV5oQJU1ZBzvYkhxdxYTDiAuRdnENGyrJgSz8kKN_RSS1uhCwTzHCh3V6oiNRGqPs0NGfPV434KLNRTIYJKfv-ewlKsZSTu1QnQxzki1ivvBjsYP881_3g/s1600/IMG_3073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTCBkbzXDcCZxorh_GgkQbvV5oQJU1ZBzvYkhxdxYTDiAuRdnENGyrJgSz8kKN_RSS1uhCwTzHCh3V6oiNRGqPs0NGfPV434KLNRTIYJKfv-ewlKsZSTu1QnQxzki1ivvBjsYP881_3g/s1600/IMG_3073.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the dirt road to Polihale State Park on the Western side of the island</td></tr>
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Polihale State park is only accessible by dirt roads, and it's a good
forty minutes from other towns? Our little compact rental struggled a
little over the roads, but the end view was so worth it. Stretches of
white sand, almost deserted, framed by the gorgeous Na'Pali coast.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polihale State Park</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgir2PWbo4hWyJxnAZuIgcYfN5YBAwpukib3YOpUCWlX297wunNRtHm0600n7DPMnHziUE5d-qpLyEmfkpTuQO-hwRnc9ajd1Cm-1q5lqMv3OM1c83VZTuzlkUf2uPvNG6a3kz4hI7GlEk/s1600/IMG_3080.JPG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0w3-juGtYFOhGFIyFbr_jJKuQeQWQ6oSP3Jgj-gFrVFx1qVk-9qeHnJuOxQAqFxn9nU3viYSxKhqWzEEicH33qJLxbk5lzh1vX5ysPinE9v9nXS7UJWIeyfnDvwAC-ZpzbpRZFt0ulQ/s1600/IMG_3079.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0w3-juGtYFOhGFIyFbr_jJKuQeQWQ6oSP3Jgj-gFrVFx1qVk-9qeHnJuOxQAqFxn9nU3viYSxKhqWzEEicH33qJLxbk5lzh1vX5ysPinE9v9nXS7UJWIeyfnDvwAC-ZpzbpRZFt0ulQ/s1600/IMG_3079.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polihale State Park</td></tr>
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We went out to Polihale at the end of a very long day, and we weren't able to stay very long because we had a good two hour drive back to a dinner reservation, but it is definitely a spot that we would recommend to anyone heading to Kauai in the future. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6ZUpuxVhx2Y-MtLfrUW76YgDko0MNwzBGNxA5fC_0MSvdtNs1ruVdQRpK74B84asxofNGkZFOiWbE5EBhPp0Ivihm9PxdIZKxSbjuCaEcM3H327b_nOSz5D_TfPA1BEv98ZD5Bi-36c/s1600/IMG_3094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6ZUpuxVhx2Y-MtLfrUW76YgDko0MNwzBGNxA5fC_0MSvdtNs1ruVdQRpK74B84asxofNGkZFOiWbE5EBhPp0Ivihm9PxdIZKxSbjuCaEcM3H327b_nOSz5D_TfPA1BEv98ZD5Bi-36c/s1600/IMG_3094.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen's Pond in Polihale</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Our favorite part of Polihale (aside from the lack of people!) was Queen's pond, a huge sandbar under the water that protects the beach from the pounding surf. The swell was quite high the day we went, and yet the Queen's Pond area was quite calm, not to mention gorgeous!</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">We finally made it to the North Shore on our last day (darn weather!), and were so glad we went! Our camera died partway through the day so we only got pictures from Ke'e beach, but we were so impressed with the beauty of the North Shore.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snorkeling at Ke'e Beach</td></tr>
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Perhaps we had a good day because the storm had cleared, but the waves were calm (ish), there was little wind, no rain, and the water was crystal clear. Lots to see!</div>
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<b>Have you ever been to Kauai? </b></div>
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<b>What is your favorite beach?</b></div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-63619464439261715332014-05-01T09:57:00.001-07:002014-05-01T10:15:02.376-07:00a shopping chain made our vacation happen<br>So, we just got back from a week in Kauai. Before I tell you all about our trip, though, I have to share with you how it happened. It's pretty awesome. <br>
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Long story short, we had to get to Kauai at the end of April because our friend Alanna was getting married. We decided to make it a vacation and extend the trip a few days on either end, and thanks to a bunch of random incidents, <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/02/the-getaway-that-was-meant-to-be.html" target="_blank">we were able to make it happen</a>. That's where we left off last time we talked about it.<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the beach in front of our hotel, the Aston Islander on the Beach in Kapa'a Town</td></tr>
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Here's the thing, though. I knew next to nothing about Kauai when we started planning the trip, so the initial process of picking places to stay was really difficult. I've heard 100 different things from 100 different people about the best hotels to book and the best beaches for snorkeling and the best part of the island to rent a room, and soon I was swimming in way too much information.<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_qojT2Mabeb4sutOHDB7hggJYga_nKDWSXgvGWPi7ykh-OAHtYZ6-ofOIi5KLzL14CX_hfjL_y781kSVd6fTAOS9pW9I1_Zk0vqwCL7Ml1V7qdtLVbmXEAIlwUfKnaJt4OF-MqptsP0/s1600/DSCF7850.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br></a></div>
Adding to all of that, flights from our town to Kauai at this time of year were going to be a LOT of money, so we didn't really have a ton of wiggle room in terms of rooms and a rental car (which was a necessity in our case because we had to make it to the wedding at the very least). <br>
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Headache central.<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_qojT2Mabeb4sutOHDB7hggJYga_nKDWSXgvGWPi7ykh-OAHtYZ6-ofOIi5KLzL14CX_hfjL_y781kSVd6fTAOS9pW9I1_Zk0vqwCL7Ml1V7qdtLVbmXEAIlwUfKnaJt4OF-MqptsP0/s1600/DSCF7850.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_qojT2Mabeb4sutOHDB7hggJYga_nKDWSXgvGWPi7ykh-OAHtYZ6-ofOIi5KLzL14CX_hfjL_y781kSVd6fTAOS9pW9I1_Zk0vqwCL7Ml1V7qdtLVbmXEAIlwUfKnaJt4OF-MqptsP0/s1600/DSCF7850.JPG" height="640" width="480"></a></div>
To save on some of the headache, I started looking at vacation packages on sites like Livingsocial and Groupon. My extensive (ugh) research showed that the pricing on these packages were comparable or cheaper than booking everything separately, and they would save me some hassle by picking the town in which we would be staying. We jumped around a bit before landing on the surprising winner: <a href="http://www.costcotravel.com/" target="_blank">Costco Travel</a>. <br>
<br>Yep, turns out our membership is good for more than bulk groceries and a fabulous return policy. All things held constant, Costco's prices were a good $500 cheaper than any other travel site I checked, and trust me when I said I checked a <i>lot</i> of them. Most of the packages included fun extras, too: some had extra tours, some included free upgrades for room or car, and some had daily breakfasts for two! You could also upgrade or downgrade in a few places to control the experience you wanted, which was pretty cool; we upped our room's view and downgraded to a compact car.<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbySUmf8yz-VS01Fagi3RXsFzSDtzn6LOLPrzyN-dylTAuV7RgRrWPZQrAGh2VFQyUrb57tr1B2-3s5xzpgxUK0eneBAHquEOELPcUa8SDI-a3s6aGkyrOnvM3zhnk8A3XBjh_bp9Kto/s1600/IMG_3049.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbySUmf8yz-VS01Fagi3RXsFzSDtzn6LOLPrzyN-dylTAuV7RgRrWPZQrAGh2VFQyUrb57tr1B2-3s5xzpgxUK0eneBAHquEOELPcUa8SDI-a3s6aGkyrOnvM3zhnk8A3XBjh_bp9Kto/s1600/IMG_3049.JPG" height="480" width="640"></a></div>
I just entered Kauai as our destination, selected our dates of travel (settling on a Tuesday-to-Monday schedule because it was the least expensive), and added in the required details (class of travel, number of people, include a car, etc), and hit search. There were only a few packages in Kauai from which I could choose, which for me was great: eenie-meenie-meiney-mo! <br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBeyvnLRLLOOH0TePGua7N6IMfV82g7Zmf8Ng99dCw16B5vNKo539ucTdiANN3gkgav4zINCgvhYcsyNxvd28lPj7TWbkCE8BcDAw3ufxwP3-9j815JkqYCXv_oAMlXNCXayOwOs_rH4/s1600/DSCF7835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br></a></div>
<span style="color: #0000ee;">We ended up pi<span style="color: #0000ee;">cking <span style="color: #0000ee;">a <span style="color: #0000ee;">hotel pac<span style="color: #0000ee;">kage in Kapa'a Town, a<span style="color: #0000ee;"> town <span style="color: #0000ee;">on the western coast of the island<span style="color: #0000ee;">. </span>For <span style="color: #0000ee;">our first trip to Kauai, it was a good location because it was almost equidistant between the <span style="color: #0000ee;">beautiful No<span style="color: #0000ee;">rth Shore and the Poipu area, <span style="color: #0000ee;">from where most of our excur<span style="color: #0000ee;">sions depart<span style="color: #0000ee;">ed.</span></span></span></span> We did a LOT of driving, but feel like we know enough of the i<span style="color: #0000ee;">sland to pick a spot to stay next time :)<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><u><br></u></span><br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hotel. Our first room was garden and partial ocean view, and we later moved to an ocean front room. See why below:</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td></tr>
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We ended up staying at the Aston Islander on the Beach, an older plantation-style beachfront hotel on six acres. I took a gamble on selecting this hotel, because the reviews on Costco.com weren't great. Turns out, reviews are helpful little tidbits; should have listened to them! So, future reference, the Aston Islander on the Beach in Kapa'a isn't fancy or updated in any way.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIZbxNWqot8vNSsmAT_VYRQFOF52uO4JNhlIc5fbqgWuxL26cbNxNE3kryx_DZ99zAGw-HZ07WjaXcQhcu1_ztsTkNQVYq5A-PHoUYXIfceMAdqi54nXkKoZbWTqa8zH2qzudLwh1dfA/s1600/IMG_7959.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIZbxNWqot8vNSsmAT_VYRQFOF52uO4JNhlIc5fbqgWuxL26cbNxNE3kryx_DZ99zAGw-HZ07WjaXcQhcu1_ztsTkNQVYq5A-PHoUYXIfceMAdqi54nXkKoZbWTqa8zH2qzudLwh1dfA/s1600/IMG_7959.JPG" height="212" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our teeny oceanfront room with mini-fridge and microwave. </td></tr>
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They were also undergoing <i>construction, which was a fun surprise.</i> To be fair, we booked pretty early so the construction notification hadn't been posted on the hotel website yet.... and there really isn't a great time to undergo construction. But still. This was our view on one side of our balcony:<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIU6OYiCHWRjVn40J-9zkSzaQRwKudvmXK-ZqPfzJIihYcLU_PqqG1Yx9OIUtIKl1gJyssL4p1SQfhHJxTJ5lHCW6LQPnLZm2Mj2g9zo9Gt6exwYCJQECAX8lorF6Pd-ie_7aCJuskrWE/s1600/IMG_3060.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIU6OYiCHWRjVn40J-9zkSzaQRwKudvmXK-ZqPfzJIihYcLU_PqqG1Yx9OIUtIKl1gJyssL4p1SQfhHJxTJ5lHCW6LQPnLZm2Mj2g9zo9Gt6exwYCJQECAX8lorF6Pd-ie_7aCJuskrWE/s1600/IMG_3060.JPG" height="478" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our balcony the first half of our trip. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIU6OYiCHWRjVn40J-9zkSzaQRwKudvmXK-ZqPfzJIihYcLU_PqqG1Yx9OIUtIKl1gJyssL4p1SQfhHJxTJ5lHCW6LQPnLZm2Mj2g9zo9Gt6exwYCJQECAX8lorF6Pd-ie_7aCJuskrWE/s1600/IMG_3060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
...and this was our view on the other side:<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnjxhm37e4bduiYY-ufsLD6JGQlkuXU8dHyNzGBhnBJqCuSloB2zi86HKb3NLGOrb2D1GyUo-lekaLehYLfqwfQ9Yctcdr7wtcTutMeKOTc6H1Gq0wvfQafmhX-mighfYzvhUNbFdWTU/s1600/img_7957.1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Aston Islander on the Beach Construction" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnjxhm37e4bduiYY-ufsLD6JGQlkuXU8dHyNzGBhnBJqCuSloB2zi86HKb3NLGOrb2D1GyUo-lekaLehYLfqwfQ9Yctcdr7wtcTutMeKOTc6H1Gq0wvfQafmhX-mighfYzvhUNbFdWTU/s1600/img_7957.1.JPG" height="480" title="Aston Islander on the Beach Construction" width="640"></a></div>
The caution fencing and scaffolding is a nice touch, huh? Now add in jackhammers, nail guns, table saws, and other myriad power tools. Happy Vacation? The part that irked me was that I'd sprung and paid extra for an ocean view, which we sort of had, but construction was so loud outside during the day that we couldn't even open the slider. The final straw happened on our third night, when our fridge malfunctioned and leaked a huge puddle of water across the tile floor and soaked up into the clothes still in my suitcase. Not thrilled. <br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgIuRJHOXeZTQREVRo02soO09rgdP7pcLJ2azhWqoT_4xC8aJiwVTDZsg4scw2vDTvtfrO_HTx_CA1hyCuZAI2wyQO9x59EUls7LfZI5DYsZ81nuI4YD9vNDyqq2BxkewYetKvkMPitqc/s1600/IMG_3111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgIuRJHOXeZTQREVRo02soO09rgdP7pcLJ2azhWqoT_4xC8aJiwVTDZsg4scw2vDTvtfrO_HTx_CA1hyCuZAI2wyQO9x59EUls7LfZI5DYsZ81nuI4YD9vNDyqq2BxkewYetKvkMPitqc/s1600/IMG_3111.JPG" height="478" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lanai view from the second half of our week.</td></tr>
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Customer service was very gracious and apologetic, and they moved us to an ocean-front room free of charge (uh, duh!), as well as removed ALL of the daily resort fees. Whoo!<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcOhzDkEwhJRJAdW-y1BkB83cZ2hcopRHE3bFU-I7J4gn8ShymjxYpgHNwJE_X86cB3ydjaBqKRu2ToY2JDIj3opHa-2goz8MGLWbEmLvmTRSE4a74TIpoWEHVyeLXONIOpKX-2_M5hc/s1600/IMG_7965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcOhzDkEwhJRJAdW-y1BkB83cZ2hcopRHE3bFU-I7J4gn8ShymjxYpgHNwJE_X86cB3ydjaBqKRu2ToY2JDIj3opHa-2goz8MGLWbEmLvmTRSE4a74TIpoWEHVyeLXONIOpKX-2_M5hc/s1600/IMG_7965.JPG" height="426" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had breakfast on the balcony every morning. I will blame Tim's beer on jetlag; our bodies thought it was afternoon...?</td></tr>
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Despite the oddness of the hotel itself, I was really happy with our experience with Costco Travel, and I will definitely consider them again for our next vacation. We saved enough money on the room/car/flight package to go on two excursions while we were there: an ATV adventure and a snorkel trip around the Na'Pali coast. We also got in a bunch of beach and snorkel time AND had the wedding day, too, so it was a packed trip! More on all that later :)<br>
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*I was not compensated for this post, I just had a great experience using Costco for our vacation and wanted to share!<br>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-28408233365808597762014-04-30T13:47:00.001-07:002014-04-30T13:51:57.604-07:00Easter SundayThis Easter was a little different than Easters past--because we were <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/02/the-getaway-that-was-meant-to-be.html" target="_blank">leaving on a trip </a>so soon afterwards, traveling to spend Easter with family just wasn't feasible for us this year. Instead, we went to our Easter service solo (along with the other several thousand people there, of course), and then hosted Tim's grandparents for a low-key dinner. <br />
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It.was.a.blast.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxm-Ul2mDaonTA3dKYvGKCjfCOPcE_z2xVLQ8znLBw8EvjyNtMf1N0uQu-vm1Zt7dQE17_7ixyiF1AMIs0LSTBSwfZy4bbqARcOKJ19gySxjmuo-FD4pcC1OUy0eEnuYj9omYA2B9JcwM/s1600/photo+1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxm-Ul2mDaonTA3dKYvGKCjfCOPcE_z2xVLQ8znLBw8EvjyNtMf1N0uQu-vm1Zt7dQE17_7ixyiF1AMIs0LSTBSwfZy4bbqARcOKJ19gySxjmuo-FD4pcC1OUy0eEnuYj9omYA2B9JcwM/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daisy was stoked about her Easter goodies. The bone was gone in less than five minutes.</td></tr>
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They live about an hour away, so it's always fun to spend time with them. They arrived with Easter goodies galore (even the pup got an Easter bone!) and enough "nibbles" to replace a normal-sized dinner. We started our fun up on the patio, since it was so nice outside, drinking wine and catching up. It even got hot enough for me to need to change out of my long-sleeved dress, and into something a little more summery. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTom-gSkkdVw-QJJ1csfSyHC_JVBuO2N9oUInsu55qBUZPXOY-q3YaRa0eVUoNJj4WtgfJpb3-Glyqv8Lu7jnVkQFRBPzOweX0uTEZ2zWS2EK_41ttcT4PUNZl5dfU-to2zyWfyChYf7E/s1600/photo+2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTom-gSkkdVw-QJJ1csfSyHC_JVBuO2N9oUInsu55qBUZPXOY-q3YaRa0eVUoNJj4WtgfJpb3-Glyqv8Lu7jnVkQFRBPzOweX0uTEZ2zWS2EK_41ttcT4PUNZl5dfU-to2zyWfyChYf7E/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim and his grandma :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9ClrgthL6Z4n-AK688slcG3WIuNJ1dE16HGYo6s8OCeV7fRIYnn3342rogbu1xieStvF_4QEUbAQEu-NTOYtpnIbzJfUHFeG0z5oEdh2u2oNzqrP9MGVZs7cDiy_o1Z5Fv5q0AlTkbU/s1600/photo+3.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9ClrgthL6Z4n-AK688slcG3WIuNJ1dE16HGYo6s8OCeV7fRIYnn3342rogbu1xieStvF_4QEUbAQEu-NTOYtpnIbzJfUHFeG0z5oEdh2u2oNzqrP9MGVZs7cDiy_o1Z5Fv5q0AlTkbU/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me (in outfit #2!) and Tim's Grandpa, enjoying the sun</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7K5jNtiakNkklZgK3CEUpV6gRPp6HPwZFUU1344_DbdTSRCy8-8hen2FQinLHFTSK6iWsOtdWv4-u27ZFnWx4gklCU0ilVF_hBNTB3wq6qQPJh8r56-DKi7y5zIbYfSlKS_7Zf5S6xE0/s1600/photo+4.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7K5jNtiakNkklZgK3CEUpV6gRPp6HPwZFUU1344_DbdTSRCy8-8hen2FQinLHFTSK6iWsOtdWv4-u27ZFnWx4gklCU0ilVF_hBNTB3wq6qQPJh8r56-DKi7y5zIbYfSlKS_7Zf5S6xE0/s1600/photo+4.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim and his sweet grandparents before dinner on the patio</td></tr>
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We moved inside around dinnertime and started a mad game of Tripoley, since we'd snacked so much we weren't ready for real food yet. Tim and his grandpa even took the scooter out past the beach and around our neighborhood, so cute!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZgxdIdLvFJeWu2cQhxPcYWUiPZIorI68oJHuTtc10X3Ni2-ThbcZJ9a18XViArPvo39Eu1qJvSBIAw9h9LYMGOwCgjazFmmHVcN3TLnIXLuaahDlWu_U-QZbthil0fKO5tDCQLJsW_Q/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZgxdIdLvFJeWu2cQhxPcYWUiPZIorI68oJHuTtc10X3Ni2-ThbcZJ9a18XViArPvo39Eu1qJvSBIAw9h9LYMGOwCgjazFmmHVcN3TLnIXLuaahDlWu_U-QZbthil0fKO5tDCQLJsW_Q/s1600/photo+5.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandpa outfitted and ready for his scooter ride!</td></tr>
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We had SO MUCH FUN this Easter, and were so thankful that Tim's grandparents were able to make the drive down to spend it with us. <br />
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-24666381728862039682014-04-21T14:37:00.002-07:002014-04-21T14:37:28.620-07:00adventures in my hometownHi all! Hope you had a great Easter. Ours was pretty low-key this year as there were just four of us for dinner, but it was still packed full of love and memories, and we certainly will be referring back to this day for years: "Remember that Easter that grandpa went out on the scooter?!?". More on all that later ;)<br />
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A few weeks ago, we went up to my hometown for a little visit-with-some-work-thrown-in-for-Tim week. A <i>whole week!</i> It was glorious. Here are the sparknotes:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">meadow hiking</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoXLuLFtFZj5Pv8rL-LmxM8GepyUamd3XwgClp16JR-dTiFI-x88kf63x6CXoYPZtIf_m1-2ACGbzaOhzMWKxmoQwCnT9YbdkRMNond-V7eD1DowWjMxKIPrrfJIzgJURWzEf_FgUIls/s1600/DSCF4106.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoXLuLFtFZj5Pv8rL-LmxM8GepyUamd3XwgClp16JR-dTiFI-x88kf63x6CXoYPZtIf_m1-2ACGbzaOhzMWKxmoQwCnT9YbdkRMNond-V7eD1DowWjMxKIPrrfJIzgJURWzEf_FgUIls/s1600/DSCF4106.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCb0eju7cz8h2wdRjgmz4LWskp5HRHiOdT-W5nSh6XoSnGY-jnnKNWuWRj16xDzZ5gc19accgER0BTDddROk7BvsDiu2GePwXvb786n00sm6ytdzRn4eB66mJhYL1p17w_wq8Xl8wWmNc/s1600/DSCF4108.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCb0eju7cz8h2wdRjgmz4LWskp5HRHiOdT-W5nSh6XoSnGY-jnnKNWuWRj16xDzZ5gc19accgER0BTDddROk7BvsDiu2GePwXvb786n00sm6ytdzRn4eB66mJhYL1p17w_wq8Xl8wWmNc/s1600/DSCF4108.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoXLuLFtFZj5Pv8rL-LmxM8GepyUamd3XwgClp16JR-dTiFI-x88kf63x6CXoYPZtIf_m1-2ACGbzaOhzMWKxmoQwCnT9YbdkRMNond-V7eD1DowWjMxKIPrrfJIzgJURWzEf_FgUIls/s1600/DSCF4106.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a family hike in Bort Meadow</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Grass Valley meadow, one of our favorite stretches of the "hike". So beautiful!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the oak and redwood tree stretch. It was barely drizzling this particular day, which was so cool! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim and Daisy enjoying Bort Meadow</td></tr>
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One of our favorite places to hike in my hometown is a recreation district near Bort Meadow. Pretty much all the trails in the East Bay are connected in some way or another, but this stretch contains sweeping grassy hills, towering redwoods, large open meadows, and when there's sufficient rainfall, waterfalls and streams. Our favorite part about it is that we rarely encounter people or other animals in this area, so we can let the pup run free and it won't bug anyone except the occasional cow. We took this trail a couple times during our trip.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Jetskiing</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am a huge dork.</td></tr>
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The first weekend day we had, Tim and I took the family's 1995 SeaDoo to the Alameda slough and played around in the bay for a little while. It was a beautiful day with just a little bit of wind, so it was perfect. We squeezed into some wetsuits (also from 1995 haha) and played our little hearts out in the waves. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">plumbing adventures!</span></div>
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The short version: we had a huge group of high school friends and spouses over for a soak in the hottub and a little catching up, and while everyone was over we discovered a veritable waterfall of fresh water POURING out of the ceiling in our garage. Plumbing problems always happen when you have guests over, isn't that always the case? To add to it, my dad was in Canada for business and wouldn't get home for another two days, and for some reason it didn't occur to us to call a plumber while he was gone. So, we had two days-worth of no showers, trips to the grocery store JUST to use the bathroom (!), and even a sneaky trip or two into the next door For Sale House's backyard to wash dishes. Ack! So silly.<br />
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When my dad got home from Canada, he and I tried a few things and discovered the main sewer line was backed up, so we rented a plumbing snake and had the pipe clear in a few minutes. WHOO! We had to think creatively about how to get the 150lb snake contraption to the vent pipe on the roof, but eventually figured out a way to clear the drain with the snake on the ground, as long as we were really careful of the moving parts. Phew! Father-daughter team to the rescue!<br />
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We celebrated our victory with a jetski ride all the way around the island of Alameda, which was a really fun adventure. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">wine and dine</span>:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sorry for the giant white bars--this is stolen from instagram!</td></tr>
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We were lucky enough to get some dinner with the immediate family at Kincaid's in Jack London Square, courtesy of Tim's company (Thanks, guys!) as a thank-you for hosting us for so long. Rather than foot a hotel bill, since we were staying with the parents the whole time, they footed a fancy dinner. WHOO! We sat at a table overlooking the slough and dined gloriously.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">We just.cant.leave</span></div>
Originally, we were supposed to leave town early on Thursday afternoon. Tim and I took Daisy out to the meadow to run her prior to the car ride, and in the process both came down with migraines. Incidentally, Daisy also rolled in horribly-smelling mountain lion poop while cavorting in the grass, which didn't help things. We came home and scrubbed her as best we could, took some pain meds, and tried to sleep away the migraine. I woke up long before Tim, and figured that I could help my mom around the house while we waited. We ended up painting the outside stair banister, because Tim didn't wake up until 5, and he was so groggy we decided to stay and leave the next day.<br />
When the car was packed and the animals were loaded, the car wouldn't start. <br />
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Thankfully, my mom was able to jump us and get us on the road again, albiet a day and a couple hours later than expected :)<br />
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oh the adventures of visiting home! <br />
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-9863771933918300642014-03-26T12:46:00.000-07:002014-03-26T12:48:59.680-07:00Love is...<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="298" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/88723908" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="700"></iframe> <br>
<a href="http://vimeo.com/88723908">Brittany + Tim | Love Story</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/redmonddigitalmedia">Redmond Digital Media</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br>
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A few weeks ago, friends Mycah and Bobby shot some video of Tim and I to use as a promo for <a href="http://www.redmonddigitalmedia.com/" target="_blank">Redmond Digital Media</a>'s new "love story" videos. I love their whimsical and moody photographic style; it's so timeless compared to some of the other photography "styles" you see you there (Check out some of their other work on their <a href="http://www.redmonddigitalmedia.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="http://www.rdmblog.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>)! They shot some digital and film photos as well, and I'm excited to see how those came out once the film's been developed :)<br>
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As we walked through fields hand in hand and followed some of their direction, it inevitably brought us back to our engagement photo shoots (<a href="http://www.tabithanicolle.com/?p=1000" target="_blank">here </a>and <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/09/two-years-ago.html" target="_blank">here</a>), as well as the shoot we did for the 2013 photography conference (shown <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/02/our-wedding-faux-to-shoot.html" target="_blank">here </a>and <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/03/yacht-eye-candy.html" target="_blank">here</a>). So much has changed since then! </div>
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It's been interesting to see how our definition of "love" has changed in the two and a half years we've been married. It is of course the actions spoken of in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13" target="_blank">the Bible</a>, <span style="background-color: white;">but it's proven to be a much more multifaceted beast. </span>So that got me thinking: what is love to us now?<br>
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Love has been a challenge, and yet it the pursuit of true unconditional love is one of the most rewarding endeavors we have ever experienced. We try and fail <i>all the time</i>, but we're continually learning and growing and getting better and better. <br>
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Love is putting another person's wants and needs above your own</b>. Making choices with the other person's best interests in mind. Thinking of them before yourself. We try to strive for this, knowing full well that we are selfish creatures and that selflessness doesn't come easily.</div>
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Love is complete vulnerability</b>. This is a double-edged sword; the more you open up to someone, the easier it is for them to hurt you. The process of opening up is showing the person you trust them not to hurt you. We do not naturally expose our soft under-bellies to others, particularly those who have the largest capacity to hurt us. Love does NOT mean that you will not be hurt; on the contrary, since we are selfish creatures (see above) we do hurt those who are closest to us. Terrible, but true.<br>
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Love is a choice</b>. Every day, I decide (whether inadvertently or deliberately) to love Tim in this way or to act in selfishness or contempt or even indifference. He, too, chooses how he will treat me. It is not my fault or responsibility if Tim chooses one way or the other, nor is it his fault or responsibility which way I choose. It's all up to the chooser. Although it is difficult, my choice should be independent of his choices, and vice-versa.</div>
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Here's the biggest one, though: <b>Love is also forgiveness and reconciliation</b>. We fail all the time. There's no way getting around it. We're mean, we're insensitive, we're defensive, we're hurtful, we're selfish. We choose to be this way.<br>
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Do we stay angry? Or do we allow that anger to develop into hurt, which blossoms into closeness? I, for one, hope for the latter. </div>
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Done right, love makes us into better people. We are more whole, more real, more raw. Sure, it can be awkward and uncomfortable, but that's when we learn the most, right? And the best part: love isn't just restricted to romantic relationships. That part should be obvious, but if I were to admit it I don't always act this way towards my family and friends. How much better of a world would we have if we strove for this kind of love in ALL of our relationships? Just a thought. I don't mean to be preachy, but this has been on my mind for awhile. <br>
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<b>What do you think? What is love to you?</b></div></div><div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-70315636333251185912014-03-20T18:11:00.001-07:002014-03-20T18:11:29.664-07:00Guess what? I'm on the bachelorette!!!<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">.... But not in the way you might think! haha </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirN7hs4b5CNYtTckkimNiTUeJ0-UDzugsq6cRvuKNaoRg8WG1JQiPcC3GJGLvhZ7vx0MsRh9cITAhRuXwb4_I9LL_hIhGhyphenhyphenhTz0ZXqKhRgrUNRfgBmQAH0P2y0MCHqTZBAmFNyWL7WmBE/s1600/IMG_2788.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirN7hs4b5CNYtTckkimNiTUeJ0-UDzugsq6cRvuKNaoRg8WG1JQiPcC3GJGLvhZ7vx0MsRh9cITAhRuXwb4_I9LL_hIhGhyphenhyphenhTz0ZXqKhRgrUNRfgBmQAH0P2y0MCHqTZBAmFNyWL7WmBE/s1600/IMG_2788.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">That's my dorky face!!! (via </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://followgram.me/chrisbharrison">@chrisbharrison</a>, arrow added by me)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;">DISCLAIMER: If you are a die-hard Bachelorette fan and don't want to know anything about Andi's season before it airs, or don't want to know any behind-the-scenes stuff that might ruin the "magic" of this "journey to find love" or whatever it is they call it, then you might not want to read this post. The rest of you, enjoy!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">PS: all photos and videos in this post are my own, unless indicated. I planned on posting this earlier, but the videos took forEVER to load. That's what I get haha. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ze3Wwc24rrmhrBu2ZYXcjdh1rrmY01J6jr1c-u5diXJE2c-8gBloWnq9-ACMNUBmjrT10lQsMIAssf7j6ZoLe0MvhL8fA550k1MziNsy9nqGdLJYrApvsPMtonWu3-e9GW9GL06LCnw/s1600/IMG_2733.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ze3Wwc24rrmhrBu2ZYXcjdh1rrmY01J6jr1c-u5diXJE2c-8gBloWnq9-ACMNUBmjrT10lQsMIAssf7j6ZoLe0MvhL8fA550k1MziNsy9nqGdLJYrApvsPMtonWu3-e9GW9GL06LCnw/s1600/IMG_2733.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Waiting for the Bachelorette!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's the backstory. Tuesday afternoon, Chris Harrison (the show's host, for those of you not in the "know") sent out a "casting call" of sorts via instagram in Santa Barbara: letting people know that there was going to be a taping going on in Santa Barbara if we came to such-and-such a place at such-and-such a time we could be in an episode of the Bachelorette featuring "four-time Grammy winning R&B group Boyz II Men" (You know, that band we forgot all about from the early 90's?)!!!!!!!!!!! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://distilleryimage6.s3.amazonaws.com/0580157caee111e3a15a0e0e08496a62_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://distilleryimage6.s3.amazonaws.com/0580157caee111e3a15a0e0e08496a62_8.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://followgram.me/chrisbharrison">@chrisbharrison</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We've done this kind of thing in LA a few times, but since tapings don't happen too often in our town, I thought it would be fun to go. Honestly, I didn't really care about Boyz II Men (Sorry! But really,
they're STILL making music??!), and I've been a little bit over The
Bachelor/ette franchise lately, but it would still be a really fun and unique
experience. I adored Andi's spunk on Juan Pablo's season; plus, it would be free entertainment for a Wednesday night. Thanks to friend Sheri who let me know about it; it turned out to be a great idea! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMlE34r4ZFMaOmWWwua7LgJ9NBZoeVONjNmcuaiZs53Ne44bBGv5PZ0Vr937MmEhJKNf9NxWjmScG6l9-SdCDrKQgXywXvzvj9S8PrD5UgAP_bsfJ2LDu6CBsrpd-ydXyPgCzCun99YQ/s1600/IMG_2724.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMlE34r4ZFMaOmWWwua7LgJ9NBZoeVONjNmcuaiZs53Ne44bBGv5PZ0Vr937MmEhJKNf9NxWjmScG6l9-SdCDrKQgXywXvzvj9S8PrD5UgAP_bsfJ2LDu6CBsrpd-ydXyPgCzCun99YQ/s1600/IMG_2724.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We went downtown in the scooter to avoid parking issues, and hung out in the rapidly-forming crowd at the Paseo Nuevo shopping center. Some people had been waiting there more than two hours (!), since the "casting call" had said it started at 3 when it was really going to start at 5. Showbiz, I guess; gotta increase the hype!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQ5ly4v-4Qn-pmfnl9GHcsUC6V_qCzylH_P8jSQfkCovjw9wusotqv2aCMxEdULat1j7tKB-XDhj8IPmABZ_rIvMzPgPMHjNA095AuRrtsUQjWum6PqU00oJup0urxQ8kbcmpfa9HJUE/s1600/IMG_2729.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQ5ly4v-4Qn-pmfnl9GHcsUC6V_qCzylH_P8jSQfkCovjw9wusotqv2aCMxEdULat1j7tKB-XDhj8IPmABZ_rIvMzPgPMHjNA095AuRrtsUQjWum6PqU00oJup0urxQ8kbcmpfa9HJUE/s1600/IMG_2729.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Chris Harrison's first appearance. And all the cameraphones in Santa Barbara.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Finally, Chris Harrison
came onstage and was his usual adorable and cliche self letting us know about the show being taped. He is actually a pretty funny guy--either that or he has some
funny writers coming up with one-liners for him to say. And yes, he
definitely told us that this was going to be the "most embarrassing date in Bachelor history". Also, no cell phones, please. Haha.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzHrFP9Lb_1wB7w_9t59cCvY0qZTnlzWlfBfzB1mXgBlSAGdgXnvpc5Gn--sP9iJe7nCUDUL6IKTSG4_w3bTA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> "No cellphones allowed!" jkjk</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The date we were filming was a group date for episode 3, and Andi was on a date with 12 guys. I later found out that there was also a one-on-one dinner at the Santa Barbara courthouse the night before, so it sounds like most of episode 3 will be taking place in our pretty town. Pretty cool. I applaud the choice of the courthouse--it's one of our favorite picnic spots on sunny days (we actually had picnicked there that weekend). But anyway. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Boyz II Men would be playing a few songs, then Andi and her guys would come through the crowd to the front and hang out. Then they'd do their embarrassing" thing. My money was on singing "I'll Make Love to You". <span style="color: red;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(spoiler: I was right!)</span></i> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxq-lYl9-loU6hYuuvLdLI1l_NON3qy8_zSlIZRc1SGJqeZbEXt82KCMf4oPbLEk0Rw0sRQ1XEoqboNIcMdDmDah9H0GxeQbPCdCrU0ESD7XQ3RgIBClOb1jAf9bCsRPfSIlpgB1e3Pl8/s1600/IMG_2748.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxq-lYl9-loU6hYuuvLdLI1l_NON3qy8_zSlIZRc1SGJqeZbEXt82KCMf4oPbLEk0Rw0sRQ1XEoqboNIcMdDmDah9H0GxeQbPCdCrU0ESD7XQ3RgIBClOb1jAf9bCsRPfSIlpgB1e3Pl8/s1600/IMG_2748.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Andi and her two "teams". Not sure why they got split up, but that's what happened.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Boyz II Men played their requisite "couple of songs", which was actually the same song over and over so the camera crew could get good video. Then, Andi and the guys came through the crowd to "listen" to the music, and then Chris brought them onstage. The guys on the date were split up into two "teams" (it wasn't a competition date, though), and each took turns singing a line from the song, "I'll Make Love to You". They sang together on the chorus. Some of them were really really bad, some got really into it, but they were all really good sports. I obviously don't know who any of the guys were, but it'll be really fun to watch the show when it airs and see who was who! </span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzFAYGZ_Yg4fLp71oOZ-EKEyyk1kwZMe3gQqv1UGF0Pq30Q-NZjgtJUoIBq4nnpDOS7nikonrKVITfN6Iif_Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Contestants singing "I'll make love to you" to Bachelorette Andi Dorfman</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Tim and I joked around a LOT during the whole thing (since the show is pretty much one big joke anyway) and tried to guess who would be the "villain", who'd be the sweet guy next door who makes it to hometowns but gets booted because of a crazy family member, and of course who would become the next bachelor. Because that's how it works, you know. </span><br />
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After the song was up<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, Chris came back up and thanked the guys and asked Andi a couple questions about the show (without revealing any of the details, of course!). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz8kFms7wJSmf9m3g8xILJqKjA7Soxl_Ck0xCIyXKD6UyUbGauDzaLKPr2B4wY6zSmnnT4UkqJ0NmzaOz2RqA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> little Santa Barbara shoutout :)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Boyz II Men came back on to try and salvage their integrity after their song got butchered, but since we'd seen what we came to see, we bailed. haha. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBA0wTwOpQGx0gRuOJWWlx84tlltWvRPxyEzHQFsXC-y0kEMjWBXQRL6JmBGmUs1yZzWuoijYYfjQ-CWSjUFOIDg4bkq5VageNcK8V2m5som39Txql9t15Vo_29hZNqFlLYuqsUL5qCig/s1600/IMG_2767.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBA0wTwOpQGx0gRuOJWWlx84tlltWvRPxyEzHQFsXC-y0kEMjWBXQRL6JmBGmUs1yZzWuoijYYfjQ-CWSjUFOIDg4bkq5VageNcK8V2m5som39Txql9t15Vo_29hZNqFlLYuqsUL5qCig/s1600/IMG_2767.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Escalade parade. Andi got one (with a producer), the rest was for other crewmembers, I'm thinking? The guys were in two limos.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Downtown was PACKED with blacked-out <span class="st">Escalades </span>and limos and trailers, what with having "big name" (HA) musicians AND prime-time tv-show cast and crew in town. It was right before dinner when the "concert" was over, and we figured that Andi and the guys were off to their hotel for food and the post-date cocktail party (where maybe the group date rose would be handed out?). We had a little stake-out across the street until the limos left, and then we tried to follow them. Like any sane person would do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwhwEZFD5Zmjd6lvDud5Nr_hm9N9CyMGxrdS5EQ8UPGL9L0AXOq1jTMXkPeMeAujIS9JiuQs1ZsxCYHkUUPSA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">We pulled into a gas station to wait for the limos to catch up with us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We
got about three blocks before they hopped onto the northbound freeway,
where we couldn't follow, which meant they were staying/eating at the
Bacara hotel. There isn't a whole lot north of Santa Barbara that's fancy enough for a group date cocktail party unless you go pretty far, which I doubted since it was so close to sunset. All signs point to the Bacara! I'm interested to see if I was right when the show airs. (although why not go back to Malibu? Have they already left the Bachelor mansion, at episode 3?)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCe-EQcvadniQda0plA3YIyXEXQdJdrtior5xNYhruC3hyphenhyphen40YbiRYkvrX0AYFo5ZHj3r2ICezOfM0exmvYLeSoZeIlUsLFMZGxVJj9abYwMqNikv0SAjSTcLi9g4P0ooder4fZ0EANNOQ/s1600/IMG_2779.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCe-EQcvadniQda0plA3YIyXEXQdJdrtior5xNYhruC3hyphenhyphen40YbiRYkvrX0AYFo5ZHj3r2ICezOfM0exmvYLeSoZeIlUsLFMZGxVJj9abYwMqNikv0SAjSTcLi9g4P0ooder4fZ0EANNOQ/s1600/IMG_2779.JPG" height="428" width="640" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">After we lost them, we had a little date night, since what could possibly be more romantic than stalking a stranger out on a date with twelve men??? haha.We hit up a newer restaurant in the <a href="http://funkzone.net/map-of-the-zone/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Funk Zone </a>and dreamed of having an extensive crew plan, fund, and execute elaborate dates for us. Also: helicopters.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Do you watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette? Have you ever been to a tv show taping?</b></span></div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-35813396865608384712014-03-17T11:57:00.003-07:002014-03-17T11:57:51.537-07:00the dinner party that started in the emergency room<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It started out as a more-or-less normal day. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsTA8jnxJCXgU9Tge0oENjQOMENjbJGYQ2BTDiS6fsLDwaxwVUGVjulKXx_tHaM-Rly9YDqRZOZANdCI44fGvcZwqj88Lq8jWplH14QM07zSJDsboez5yzKi4Onigp2yyoVPUh9ZaGBg/s1600/photo+1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsTA8jnxJCXgU9Tge0oENjQOMENjbJGYQ2BTDiS6fsLDwaxwVUGVjulKXx_tHaM-Rly9YDqRZOZANdCI44fGvcZwqj88Lq8jWplH14QM07zSJDsboez5yzKi4Onigp2yyoVPUh9ZaGBg/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rio (our friends' french bulldog) and Daisy, about to take on the world. Or at least, our alma mater.</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We spent the past few days daytime pup-sitting for good friends of ours, which was actually really fun. Long story short, this Frenchie is (so far) one of the only dogs around whom Daisy isn't aggressive . She LOVES her buddy Rio, and we love getting her playing with another dog rather than fighting with one. They play constantly when they are together, OMGsoexcited to see each other every time.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZPEyW_88BRweZPV0bwbghBHcMlcw3KMNymJQuIRoP-1aDb78r_l7ba0qHJnC5K5PcVgoYbLWEqTxFaUahGpBBrdLHxiaG79pj0_oInSi_prSJ_fz9cI3qQ6CvcDTQh15o4NhjLJL_Cc/s1600/photo+3.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZPEyW_88BRweZPV0bwbghBHcMlcw3KMNymJQuIRoP-1aDb78r_l7ba0qHJnC5K5PcVgoYbLWEqTxFaUahGpBBrdLHxiaG79pj0_oInSi_prSJ_fz9cI3qQ6CvcDTQh15o4NhjLJL_Cc/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tuckered out</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Barring the few hours they both spent passed out at complete opposite corners of the house (probably for breathing room, hahah), Daisy and her buddy Rio were rolling around nonstop. Those of you who do two dogs on a normal basis (or two ANYTHINGS, for that matter!), a tip of the hat to you.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoM7oJqoN1bFM0IvolUzP79z9ZSK288lEPYIU6bEuHKDcVNRgKM331z3hh5MTDJbTaFeLbJtZNGeCvQYf5ZFvicG-3barmFhrSEenwJv9BcTiJ0P2ukXGsNQjU3248NO__7xV5zRoxcXI/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoM7oJqoN1bFM0IvolUzP79z9ZSK288lEPYIU6bEuHKDcVNRgKM331z3hh5MTDJbTaFeLbJtZNGeCvQYf5ZFvicG-3barmFhrSEenwJv9BcTiJ0P2ukXGsNQjU3248NO__7xV5zRoxcXI/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running in circles on a deserted spring-break Westmont campus</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">From the moment he arrived to the moment he was picked up each day. My nerves were not used to this kind of activity around the house all.day.long! And oh my gosh, let's not talk about the time I tried walking the two of them by myself. It felt like I had eight dogs on the end of those leashes, not two. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxyQmRy1xGQJKjbwiTsJgogOnuDm7rnsyw2b6tFLVYjRCrffnYE-VT_VzZaVcnmZcexcwYCkpbFocDvLR2gIQc5xjivhyphenhyphenpidxdLRkNjXdumKpMHE5YXhHK-0bUP25CdM69xz2hmx2Kc0/s1600/photo+4.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxyQmRy1xGQJKjbwiTsJgogOnuDm7rnsyw2b6tFLVYjRCrffnYE-VT_VzZaVcnmZcexcwYCkpbFocDvLR2gIQc5xjivhyphenhyphenpidxdLRkNjXdumKpMHE5YXhHK-0bUP25CdM69xz2hmx2Kc0/s1600/photo+4.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">a large chunk of our beach boulevard walk was spent rolling in the grass. They rolled. I untangled leashes.</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Needless to say, I needed a glass of wine by the end of the week.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And cupcakes! And human/adult social-time! Lightbulb: I'd have our friends stay over for dinner when they came to pick up their pup, since it had been a few weeks or so since we'd had them over for a little dinner party. I'd do something simple and low-key, we'd celebrate the end of another week, done and done.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What is it about the best-laid plans again? Something about them often going awry? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yeah. A few hours after that decision, I was sitting in urgent care getting my arm stitched up. How did we get from point A (let's have a dinner party!) to B (Tim! Take me to the emergency room!)? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A series of stupid decisions, that's how. Long story short, I made frosting in my food processor (not really a mistake, just an odd choice), which ended up a little thin and needed to set up in the fridge for awhile before it could be piped onto the cupcakes. I poured it into my piping tool (whyyyyyyyyyyy didn't I use a spatula or spooonnnnnn???) without removing the blade (WHY??!). Gravity did its thing, and the processor blade <i>thunked </i>into my wrist. Durrrrrr so DUMB!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was such a small cut, really, just a little less than a half-inch long. But:</span></span></div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was home alone at the time, and had no one to give me a second opinion </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'd slit my WRIST open, and there was a lot of blood at the beginning</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The blade had sunk deep into my arm, so even though it was only a half inch long, it was almost that deep too.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Tendons</i>. I could see my tendons.</span></span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Um, I think I need to go to the hospital. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I called Tim, who had been having lunch with a former coworker 15 minutes away, since There was no way I could drive while holding my wrist closed and high in the air. Corralling the dogs outside was a feat in and of itself, since they were thrilled at the possibility of scoring some of the spilled frosting on the floor! Since there was both blood and blade on the floor too, they didn't get the chance ;). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">When we finally got to see the doctor, most of the bleeding had stopped so I knew I wasn't going to bleed to death. That's good. The doctor numbed my wrist and fiddled around inside the wound (which he could do because I'd cut all the way through the skin to where muscles and tendons slide around inside) and told me that if it had cut even a millimeter deeper, or even a millimeter in any other direction, my tendon would have been nicked or even severed and I would have had to be referred to an orthopedic surgeon. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'd never had stitches before, so I was really interested in watching the whole process. It isn't all that different from stitching fabric! Haha so gross. I also was fascinated by the tests the doctor was running to make sure I hadn't damaged anything internally, because how often do you actually get to see the way your tendons work?! It was like being in Anatomy class all over again. I geeked out for sure. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpq-ZCMOu8-wyqiW38_RPJVbksPxdI7nItDrM9Jin-erQMx8CqvltKhfQubOgnyey02lSrS4io9USzqljoAmKRdCo3m6JvpX8YpmCM_Or5XJGGWjqY3quR3KOzPo5U7JndHRt6Vl4GkC0/s1600/photo+5.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpq-ZCMOu8-wyqiW38_RPJVbksPxdI7nItDrM9Jin-erQMx8CqvltKhfQubOgnyey02lSrS4io9USzqljoAmKRdCo3m6JvpX8YpmCM_Or5XJGGWjqY3quR3KOzPo5U7JndHRt6Vl4GkC0/s1600/photo+5.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Half-burned candles, empty wine bottles, and an exhausted pup. Successful dinner party</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We had a frozen lasagna and salad for the dinner party :) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The moral of the story: take the dang blade out of the dang food processor before you do anything else! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Have you ever gotten stitches or gone to the emergency room/urgent care?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Care to share your dumb kitchen accidents to make me feel any better?</b> </span></span></div>
Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-4832532630536194232014-03-04T13:59:00.002-08:002014-03-04T14:03:06.631-08:00Rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And there I go jinxing it again; no sooner than I bragged about our <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/02/miramar-beach-in-february-be-jealous.html" target="_blank">beautiful and beach-worthy sunny weather</a>, in blew the biggest storm the central coast of California has seen in <i>at least</i> the past four years. <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/georgey/santa-barbara-california-hit-hard-by-winter-storm-f061?s=mobile" target="_blank">These videos</a> of the aftermath absolutely BLEW.MY.MIND.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixa5MpXlBFFu3RBuGNpy8txjYyuH2LGa26Q4I-c2tE3QqvTVpSs2TPFsYkoD-cXpJ4TAVGasX3gp4BV3jcM9vCIDYyqa-i-lOtp3xQCb0hMGLlqodDMrnw-sSCjBuvJI6Sc-NcESQq2y0/s1600/rainy+hike+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixa5MpXlBFFu3RBuGNpy8txjYyuH2LGa26Q4I-c2tE3QqvTVpSs2TPFsYkoD-cXpJ4TAVGasX3gp4BV3jcM9vCIDYyqa-i-lOtp3xQCb0hMGLlqodDMrnw-sSCjBuvJI6Sc-NcESQq2y0/s1600/rainy+hike+017.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dR9xW7X8Pgr7-i-Hobpr-1B9tLoA6FoAl6Rqzf3Ki4S7hkmZ0CwQGPE4fVKv3I3qWkAZDylTr224Ez1LoST8WpShS9XsOSbPiN-2v23VI7ReYub9qcmJAsJi-IZq8IxSAQJfCOa8s-c/s1600/rainy+hike+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dR9xW7X8Pgr7-i-Hobpr-1B9tLoA6FoAl6Rqzf3Ki4S7hkmZ0CwQGPE4fVKv3I3qWkAZDylTr224Ez1LoST8WpShS9XsOSbPiN-2v23VI7ReYub9qcmJAsJi-IZq8IxSAQJfCOa8s-c/s1600/rainy+hike+018.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daisy is unsure about the downpour and the creeks that used to be trails // before I was soaked to the bone</td></tr>
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And of course, we decided to "suit up" as best as we could and go hiking in the middle of it. Because naturally, hiking in the mountains of our mudslide-prone area during the biggest storm we've ever seen is just what you <i>do.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4M3qg12z6wBey3TSWPDFbMsG-e48ASA27v8s9XaazdSRe6d0GrFvA0gGIDDJePgDPKQWQCtKkO0v-_FLaZj4cpKBBnvC_-lYjk_HQmQc2aFJwtn93g4urEELPd81KSsMTdNoIylUUWu4/s1600/rainy+hike+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4M3qg12z6wBey3TSWPDFbMsG-e48ASA27v8s9XaazdSRe6d0GrFvA0gGIDDJePgDPKQWQCtKkO0v-_FLaZj4cpKBBnvC_-lYjk_HQmQc2aFJwtn93g4urEELPd81KSsMTdNoIylUUWu4/s1600/rainy+hike+012.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCQ5zrJcT323VpHBtA7BZC3rV-vBKO6IgMo_XFOp2HkYdPXGds2XfqyTvsfao7DB9juoxWeOw_u96dtfFhyphenhyphenrWsR5tRPX5OhSuIVje5b2cOFeSxnE-DURCJlitFszN6Xn6_NsSdI-B8N8/s1600/rainy+hike+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCQ5zrJcT323VpHBtA7BZC3rV-vBKO6IgMo_XFOp2HkYdPXGds2XfqyTvsfao7DB9juoxWeOw_u96dtfFhyphenhyphenrWsR5tRPX5OhSuIVje5b2cOFeSxnE-DURCJlitFszN6Xn6_NsSdI-B8N8/s1600/rainy+hike+001.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
It was absolutely beautiful, don't get me wrong! I mean, lately, we've gotten used to seeing landscapes that look brown and parched, like <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/01/reservoir.html" target="_blank">this</a> and <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/02/a-hike-for-my-valentine.html" target="_blank">this</a> and <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/02/just-some-pictures-of-another-hike-we.html" target="_blank">this</a>. So some greenery was a welcome change. But when the creeks swell up so much that they can be classified as rivers, and when large sections of the trail get washed away when parts of the upper mountain come sliding down, it gets interesting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRJ14BZog52AD4c5H2kHHMi3KDEyPKDW8IEKjqKfXDUhY4VSR4KIgAheHc_M26kH-7c1iUYH6Fhpm5-eaJWDD6PDx18Xkq7APP-IqROLc3fn-lQhNEcPtKkojf9cfKVeXgAEBSLZnxq8/s1600/rainy+hike+032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRJ14BZog52AD4c5H2kHHMi3KDEyPKDW8IEKjqKfXDUhY4VSR4KIgAheHc_M26kH-7c1iUYH6Fhpm5-eaJWDD6PDx18Xkq7APP-IqROLc3fn-lQhNEcPtKkojf9cfKVeXgAEBSLZnxq8/s1600/rainy+hike+032.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a large missing section of the trail, when a boulder washed away down a ravine</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsaWZXfb1BnJB6NInyHIPKMeWyTWLj4o_Q9GLKKRALO2jl5P8VUx7Ao_Ey0qBocOcl16moQweWOGFjVEheCCj85ipljvXDQPtjjavkbZthMPIVrI69OgjVu2VQyI2Uhr3Z7hnRqvjfhM/s1600/rainy+hike+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsaWZXfb1BnJB6NInyHIPKMeWyTWLj4o_Q9GLKKRALO2jl5P8VUx7Ao_Ey0qBocOcl16moQweWOGFjVEheCCj85ipljvXDQPtjjavkbZthMPIVrI69OgjVu2VQyI2Uhr3Z7hnRqvjfhM/s1600/rainy+hike+005.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our hydro-phobic dog was less than thrilled about crossing flooded parts of the trail.</td></tr>
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Also, although Tim was suited up in totally waterproofed snow gear, I was sporting Tim's old snow pants (like, from when he was 10, and hasn't been scotch-guarded since) and a nice and toasty fleece-lined raincoat--with a tear in it. Said hole wasn't discovered until halfway through our hike, when I couldn't figure out why I was wringing buckets of water out of the fleece lining as I walked. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNm-0y7Y0dGf4uUZ57bRA3ki6CoQ4QsPdKoaaFEfgmu2THvh3qjZFA666YZ23dgUbamcxtoTz7iOT2PHaZgQGHBtDEzih2ktBFMKl5trcSVYKU_-Aeq924DY2LW2RZEHB60fFBHjeC5yc/s1600/rainy+hike+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNm-0y7Y0dGf4uUZ57bRA3ki6CoQ4QsPdKoaaFEfgmu2THvh3qjZFA666YZ23dgUbamcxtoTz7iOT2PHaZgQGHBtDEzih2ktBFMKl5trcSVYKU_-Aeq924DY2LW2RZEHB60fFBHjeC5yc/s1600/rainy+hike+009.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusbaXgCcXuj-Ary7kPNA7lETEwbZuzIknfiUR7ooQd_4WBkdQgPW7DSJrWlDXwkcYrkx_pkj8yT2SSrw5RcDwKzoa2GsXnuIBgS4Td-961keYMJ1mN9oQMWzfCCO1JSyk5JvntJ-6Zjk/s1600/rainy+hike+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusbaXgCcXuj-Ary7kPNA7lETEwbZuzIknfiUR7ooQd_4WBkdQgPW7DSJrWlDXwkcYrkx_pkj8yT2SSrw5RcDwKzoa2GsXnuIBgS4Td-961keYMJ1mN9oQMWzfCCO1JSyk5JvntJ-6Zjk/s1600/rainy+hike+022.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Still, the trails were lovely, and the occasional (like, three second) breaks in the downpour revealed stunning views. I do love these mountains of ours.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMKe_9coVxyb-Un9W1JSAeSqcCYdHJobiH5I177PfGfPLVZcrXlMgLmEUKhjpybMsd55wJEWwotwCwJ9Qze4pViwgphtHxXrle5i-8I_OJwVbZo1sOqBFw87LPH19q4u4p3m-MPVq0yU/s1600/rainy+hike+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMKe_9coVxyb-Un9W1JSAeSqcCYdHJobiH5I177PfGfPLVZcrXlMgLmEUKhjpybMsd55wJEWwotwCwJ9Qze4pViwgphtHxXrle5i-8I_OJwVbZo1sOqBFw87LPH19q4u4p3m-MPVq0yU/s1600/rainy+hike+016.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
We tried to get a photo of the three of us, but our little camera, though waterproof, was less than ideal in rainy conditions. Foggy lens and focusing on raindrops for the win! Also, by this point I was soaked to the bone and didn't much care to keep trying to document our little adventure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikes04sXZu2Y8zz-psgT9I724_5rlHXVRP61R6lBqUszdTbEQ7Ov_CbR_lEXF-92upUY7A-8Jq_tRmQm6XBOxGcx4AadHZABlVzjJx9hZL3pMu6hCo0JTm3SP17F4GxzB8lBzMVF6rpgc/s1600/rainy+hike+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikes04sXZu2Y8zz-psgT9I724_5rlHXVRP61R6lBqUszdTbEQ7Ov_CbR_lEXF-92upUY7A-8Jq_tRmQm6XBOxGcx4AadHZABlVzjJx9hZL3pMu6hCo0JTm3SP17F4GxzB8lBzMVF6rpgc/s1600/rainy+hike+025.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWEmHXsAY3CEfkf-F6Y3R7UM1wo0gs_LnLIF-IQHc5jq3bRrcSFGSO4vhhYGWgXvSxWnVUhKUiMtsM5doRd81cKLiCGStAPSPsXvh5ibOpYQ9XRlq99C2IUvHfyPuD-Z7EHssAdCk44E/s1600/rainy+hike+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWEmHXsAY3CEfkf-F6Y3R7UM1wo0gs_LnLIF-IQHc5jq3bRrcSFGSO4vhhYGWgXvSxWnVUhKUiMtsM5doRd81cKLiCGStAPSPsXvh5ibOpYQ9XRlq99C2IUvHfyPuD-Z7EHssAdCk44E/s1600/rainy+hike+026.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
We called it quits less than a mile up the trail from our car ;).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNGsx6jAOY_lSms8aPsuu4lbx55esW_eiS9YBhtblpR2ld9HLSS3VxYS9BfYzhLQhPiTfPWmo_Xj9hbm6pirZ6c4PZnp3FMbOR10vi1uKXKCL8rgV92cDjGHyjtM1Iep4k3VtRyb1_pQ/s1600/rainy+hike+034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNGsx6jAOY_lSms8aPsuu4lbx55esW_eiS9YBhtblpR2ld9HLSS3VxYS9BfYzhLQhPiTfPWmo_Xj9hbm6pirZ6c4PZnp3FMbOR10vi1uKXKCL8rgV92cDjGHyjtM1Iep4k3VtRyb1_pQ/s1600/rainy+hike+034.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thrilled that we stopped hiking in the rain!</td></tr>
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Of course, now it's sunny and 75* again, and aside from some soggy grass in front of the beachfront hotels and a few sailboats washed up on the beach, you'd never know <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/georgey/santa-barbara-california-hit-hard-by-winter-storm-f061?s=mobile" target="_blank">anything happened</a> ;). </div>
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<b>Did it storm this weekend where you are? What's your favorite thing to do when it rains?</b></div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-41831738042740685092014-02-27T16:10:00.000-08:002014-02-27T16:10:42.209-08:00sponsor love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These sponsors make what I do here possible, and since there are a lot of great stuff out there, I thought I'd share some of my favorite finds :) Give them some love!<br />
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<img border="0" src="http://cdn12.modcloth.net/images/mc-header/logo.png?1392245372" height="81" width="320" /></div>
First up is <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=417942&u=610706&m=43745&urllink=&afftrack=%22%3EModCloth%3C/a%3E" target="_blank">Modcloth</a>! All new customers will receive <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=184994&m=43745&u=610706" target="_blank">$10 off an order of $75 or more</a>, which is pretty awesome. AND all orders above $150 ship free, even internationally!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFo8O9fgwnS1zHshabsrubtaxWnHQxasM6MRFhfob0eeN1JkfQ2x0HgPhj_9Yw9r03TgbQbDc2592sL29bv0u7m8enE2MVxpQnSiWv1GenSWB8u0k9ORa8ZRLD5vS-nXvmGhd16-B01Q/s1600/Modcloth+planters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFo8O9fgwnS1zHshabsrubtaxWnHQxasM6MRFhfob0eeN1JkfQ2x0HgPhj_9Yw9r03TgbQbDc2592sL29bv0u7m8enE2MVxpQnSiWv1GenSWB8u0k9ORa8ZRLD5vS-nXvmGhd16-B01Q/s1600/Modcloth+planters.jpg" height="402" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?u=610706&b=417942&m=43745&afftrack=&urllink=www%2Emodcloth%2Ecom%2Fshop%2Fwall%2Ddecor%2Fgrow%2Dwith%2Dyour%2Dinstincts%2Dwall%2Dplanter" target="_blank">Grow With Your Instincts wall planter</a> // <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?u=610706&b=417942&m=43745&afftrack=&urllink=www%2Emodcloth%2Ecom%2Fshop%2Fwall%2Ddecor%2Fwhen%2Di%2Dgrow%2Dup%2Dhanging%2Dplanter" target="_blank">When I Grow Up planter</a></td></tr>
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Their clothes are of course adorable, but my favorite products are always in their apartment section. Their <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?u=610706&b=417942&m=43745&afftrack=&urllink=www%2Emodcloth%2Ecom%2Fshop%2Fwall%2Ddecor%2Fgrow%2Dwith%2Dyour%2Dinstincts%2Dwall%2Dplanter" target="_blank">Grow With Your Instincts wall planter ($29.99, 3 colors) </a>is so cute and would enable my succulent hoarding habit, as would the fun <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?u=610706&b=417942&m=43745&afftrack=&urllink=www%2Emodcloth%2Ecom%2Fshop%2Fwall%2Ddecor%2Fwhen%2Di%2Dgrow%2Dup%2Dhanging%2Dplanter" target="_blank">When I Grow Up planter ($79.99)</a>, which would look great on an outdoor patio. I heart them.<br />
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<a href="http://static-cdn.tp-global.net/image/tp/rebrand/logo-2013-10-23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static-cdn.tp-global.net/image/tp/rebrand/logo-2013-10-23.png" height="100" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Y-G2g2Y76n-K8ssM2l8UamCzP_dzzN0JD9_Z9GrVTb01lvSbcCbZ-KRorQf_4qiqiut3Ji1wUppZrR3Ewd2mk5HQG04hMAU4KIkksU-wEpVvSPMEkSYNUviBfk78nmG93_lUcr_s3Vs/s1600/Tiny+Prints.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Y-G2g2Y76n-K8ssM2l8UamCzP_dzzN0JD9_Z9GrVTb01lvSbcCbZ-KRorQf_4qiqiut3Ji1wUppZrR3Ewd2mk5HQG04hMAU4KIkksU-wEpVvSPMEkSYNUviBfk78nmG93_lUcr_s3Vs/s1600/Tiny+Prints.jpg" height="25" width="400" /></a> </div>
Next up is <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=349041&u=610706&m=12808&urllink=&afftrack=" target="_blank">Tiny Prints </a>(or Shutterfly, or Wedding Paper Divas, or Treat, or BorrowLenses, who are all run by Tiny Prints). They are having a <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=349041&u=610706&m=12808&urllink=&afftrack=" target="_blank">HUGE 30% off sale </a>to celebrate their 10th birthday, so check it out! Their invitations are super cute and affordable, and they have cards for almost every occasion you can think of! Here are just three of my favorites:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://tp-images-cdn.tp-global.net/product/46685/panel/1/color/01/paper/2/trim/2/width/420/height/420/modTime/20140220110121/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://tp-images-cdn.tp-global.net/product/46685/panel/1/color/01/paper/2/trim/2/width/420/height/420/modTime/20140220110121/1.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><a href="http://tp-images-cdn.tp-global.net/product/52400/panel/1/color/01/paper/2/shadow/1/width/420/height/420/modTime/20140220110121/not_one_peep-adult_birthday_party_invitations-allie_munroe-bay-green.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://tp-images-cdn.tp-global.net/product/52400/panel/1/color/01/paper/2/shadow/1/width/420/height/420/modTime/20140220110121/not_one_peep-adult_birthday_party_invitations-allie_munroe-bay-green.jpg" height="200" width="148" /></a><a href="http://tp-images-cdn.tp-global.net/product/46613/panel/1/color/01/paper/20/shadow/1/width/420/height/420/modTime/20140220110121/sidewalk_chalk-moving_announcement_postcards-sarah_hawkins_designs-charcoal-gray.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://tp-images-cdn.tp-global.net/product/46613/panel/1/color/01/paper/20/shadow/1/width/420/height/420/modTime/20140220110121/sidewalk_chalk-moving_announcement_postcards-sarah_hawkins_designs-charcoal-gray.jpg" height="153" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?u=610706&b=82482&m=12808&afftrack=&urllink=www%2Etinyprints%2Ecom%2Fproduct%2F46685%2Fparty%5Finvitations%5Frustic%5Fresidence%2Ehtml" target="_blank">housewarming party </a>// <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?u=610706&b=82482&m=12808&afftrack=&urllink=www%2Etinyprints%2Ecom%2Fproduct%2F52400%2Fadult%5Fbirthday%5Fparty%5Finvitations%5Fnot%5Fone%5Fpeep%2Ehtml" target="_blank">surprise party// </a><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?u=610706&b=82482&m=12808&afftrack=&urllink=www%2Etinyprints%2Ecom%2Fproduct%2F46613%2Fmoving%5Fannouncement%5Fpostcards%5Fsidewalk%5Fchalk%2Ehtml" target="_blank">moving announcement</a></td></tr>
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Many of their greeting cards can be sent via email too, if snail mail isn't your thing. I LOVE snail mail, so I'm giddy about all the options :)<br />
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<a href="http://d2ilfdg091sfom.cloudfront.net/content/images/jane/vj-is-jane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d2ilfdg091sfom.cloudfront.net/content/images/jane/vj-is-jane.jpg" height="96" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=419585&u=610706&m=43844&urllink=&afftrack=%22%3EJane%3C/a%3E" target="_blank">Jane </a>is a boutique daily deal site with a TON of cute stuff. Here are a few of my faves from their site today! Hurry, the deals don't last long.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://d2ilfdg091sfom.cloudfront.net/img/deals_additional/16852_a823cd074f4d4ebaa19b1e285eca87cf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://d2ilfdg091sfom.cloudfront.net/img/deals_additional/16852_a823cd074f4d4ebaa19b1e285eca87cf.jpg" height="165" width="320" /></a><a href="http://d2ilfdg091sfom.cloudfront.net/img/deals_additional/16857_6be4e20003a24840b1ea7ee97f9ca090.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d2ilfdg091sfom.cloudfront.net/img/deals_additional/16857_6be4e20003a24840b1ea7ee97f9ca090.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a><a href="http://d2ilfdg091sfom.cloudfront.net/img/deals_additional/16852_a823cd074f4d4ebaa19b1e285eca87cf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?u=610706&b=419585&m=43844&afftrack=&urllink=jane%2Ecom%2Fdeal%2F16852%2Fstriped%2Dcamera%2Dbag" target="_blank">striped camera bag </a>// <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?u=610706&b=419585&m=43844&afftrack=&urllink=jane%2Ecom%2Fdeal%2F16857%2Fnew%2Dlowercase%2Dinitial%2Dnecklace%2Dsilver%2Dor%2Dgold" target="_blank">initial necklace</a></td></tr>
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I'm loving that camera bag; I've been looking for a DSLR purse for awhile and this one is really affordable! Maybe for our <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/02/the-getaway-that-was-meant-to-be.html" target="_blank">trip to Hawaii</a>? </div>
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<a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=310647&u=610706&m=31260&urllink=&afftrack=" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.shareasale.com/image/31260/Shark_20percent_728x90.jpg" height="79" nbsp="" width="640" /></a></div>
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And finally, <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=571124&u=610706&m=31260&urllink=&afftrack=">Blurb</a>. This company has been my go-to for photo book making for almost three years now, and I still love them just as much as I did when I first discovered them. I gave a pretty extensive review of their products in a previous post (<a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/06/blurb-books-review.html" target="_blank">here</a>), but my favorite way of displaying photos are their standard jacketed landscape (10"x8") books. As always, new customers can get <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=181881&m=31260&u=610706" target="_blank">15% off their first order </a>(yay!). </div>
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Interested in sponsoring Brittany's Joy blog? <a href="mailto:thecraftedcure@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Contact me </a>for details!</div>
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<i>Affiliate links provided by <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=69&u=610706&m=47&urllink=&afftrack=">shareasale.com</a> </i></div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-34561852031146488942014-02-25T12:06:00.000-08:002014-02-25T12:06:28.436-08:00Two years with Brittany's Joy (and counting!)So, believe it or not, Brittany's Joy has been around for more than two years. It's second birthday came and went back in January! Just for fun, here are the top 5 most popular posts from the past year in no particular order:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/05/no-sew-no-hem-curtains-diy.html" target="_blank">No sew, no hem curtains</a></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXVejaJ7qBtlLZUj9RRGQ55BO6T3UT764YCnuskvQBARPd4kXcBHSGZJkjlY-zOMCKhe7XM6O7yPYCIrPEWmDoisEHu179U-ePrrBLN0ESxrkh5yjYa4LwUxQgHcBbEm_zBOlmCDfYgU/s640/IMG_2656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXVejaJ7qBtlLZUj9RRGQ55BO6T3UT764YCnuskvQBARPd4kXcBHSGZJkjlY-zOMCKhe7XM6O7yPYCIrPEWmDoisEHu179U-ePrrBLN0ESxrkh5yjYa4LwUxQgHcBbEm_zBOlmCDfYgU/s640/IMG_2656.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
Back in May of last year, I made some curtains I think I spent eleven dollars on the project in total, not counting the hardware (which I already had)? All this project required was seven yards of fabric, an iron, clip-on curtain rings, and a rod! <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/05/no-sew-no-hem-curtains-diy.html" target="_blank">Go check it out to see how easy this project was </a>:)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/06/lengthening-curtains.html" target="_blank">Adding length to curtains</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Another curtain post made it to the top! In this post, I lengthen some plain jute curtains from World Market using scrap fabric. I still have people asking me where I bought my bedroom curtains, so I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/08/introducing-brittanys-joy-shop.html" target="_blank">Brittany's Joy Shop Reveal!</a></b></span></div>
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In August, I opened my very own <a href="http://brittanysjoy.storenvy.com/" target="_blank">Storenvy shop </a>selling personalized wedding hangers, and it was met with great fanfare :) Thanks for the support, you guys! The store sells a few standard hangers for $10, personalized hangers starting at $18, and child-sized personalized hangers starting at $15. Interested in seeing more? <a href="http://brittanysjoy.storenvy.com/" target="_blank">Go visit my store</a>! Use the code thankyou10 for 10% off any order :)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/02/sequin-heart-shirt-refashion.html" target="_blank">Sequin heart shirt refashion</a></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSgHVluMdoI_gqrK7t0-Clp33zo4eWq6zyGx9cvhyphenhyphenE-wVpRBg01Ie24JN2GeFa52pWpiLBKXgOC2RVgYTWn2SrXlZ9UMgxHdZscPG230iqq_kdI-gHdUazX9l4ZtLDOkZ96lX7PgKqt4/s640/IMG_1112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSgHVluMdoI_gqrK7t0-Clp33zo4eWq6zyGx9cvhyphenhyphenE-wVpRBg01Ie24JN2GeFa52pWpiLBKXgOC2RVgYTWn2SrXlZ9UMgxHdZscPG230iqq_kdI-gHdUazX9l4ZtLDOkZ96lX7PgKqt4/s640/IMG_1112.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
I added sequin fabric to a plain t-shirt for Valentine's day to replicate some expensive designer brands. <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/06/seaglass-lamp-diy.html" target="_blank">Seaglass lamp DIY</a></span></b></div>
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Another bedroom post made the top! In this DIY, I recreate more pricey lamps using a candlestick, lamp kit, and a glass drill bit. </div>
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<b>other popular (but not top 5) posts include:</b><br />
The <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/06/magnetic-bulletin-board-gallery-wall.html" target="_blank">Magnetic Board Gallery Wall </a>I made when I worked for my college<br />
My extensive <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/06/blurb-books-review.html" target="_blank">Blurb Books review</a><br />
The tutorial on how to <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/10/diy-altering-t-shirt-neckline.html" target="_blank">alter the neckline of a basic crew-neck t-shirt</a><br />
My recipe for <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/03/recipe-ricotta-cheese-and-lasagna.html" target="_blank">ricotta cheese and lasagna</a>, (which reminds me, it's lunchtime!)<br />
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Judging from the popular posts, you guys like how-tos! If you're interested in other projects from the archives, check out my <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/p/diy-archive.html" target="_blank">Tutorials section</a>.<br />
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<b>Now, it's your turn! What was your favorite post from 2013? Do you have a type of post you'd particularly enjoy seeing more of on the blog this year?</b> <b>Let me know in the comments!</b></div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-61607972067117149592014-02-24T11:51:00.000-08:002014-02-24T11:51:00.932-08:00miramar beach in february. be jealous.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Haaaappy Monday, friends!<br />
I hope your weekend was fabulous. Ours was! We had some friends over for dinner Saturday night, went to the beach a few times, slept in, and invented new recipes (some successful, some not so much). Not too bad for a weekend. <br />
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<b>Did you do anything fun?</b></div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-64159449644934823212014-02-19T13:51:00.002-08:002014-02-19T13:51:45.784-08:00the getaway that was meant to beThis past year has been pretty crazy, life-wise. We've had quite a <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/01/2013-was-year-that.html" target="_blank">few twists and turns</a>; many were life-altering, most were unexpected. Some were devastating.<br />
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We needed a break, bad. A getaway. SOMETHING. We traveled a lot last year for weddings, and sometimes would extend the trip to include a weekend. Those were GREAT, but since we had jobs at so many of the weddings we didn't really get to enjoy the time. What we needed was a REAL getaway. A three-day weekend, longer if possible!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lumahai Beach, Kauai <a href="http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/kauai/hollywood/" target="_blank">via</a> </td></tr>
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Then, things started adding up. My good college friend, Alanna, gets engaged and books her wedding on her home island of Kauai. Flights would be expensive, but we knew that we wanted to be there for her, or at least I would go. We would figure it out. Another wedding weekend getaway. </div>
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Could we both do it? Could we EXTEND it? You know, make the cost of the flight work double-time, a wedding and a vacation?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial view of Lihue, Kauai <a href="http://www.jetsetz.com/cheap-lihue-kauai-flights-lih" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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The cost for the flight was painful for two people, but once our friend started getting really serious with her boyfriend, we started saving. By the time she got engaged, we knew we both could probably go! Another obstacle down. </div>
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Then, <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/01/work-at-home-husband.html" target="_blank">Tim lands a new job with a new company</a>, and he was given an extra five days of vacation time as a signing bonus. Which is paid, by the way, as vacation days are. FIVE! We could do a whole week, if we could find a good enough deal that wouldn't cut into our plan of saving for a home. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.astonislander.com/assets/resort-images/IOB/IOB-690x380-Resort-Exterior-with-Beach-Panorama.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.astonislander.com/assets/resort-images/IOB/IOB-690x380-Resort-Exterior-with-Beach-Panorama.jpg" height="352" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.astonhotels.com/resort/overview/aston-islander-on-the-beach" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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So I start researching. Just to see. </div>
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The final detail closed in a few weeks ago, and we were blown away. </div>
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The Lord provided :)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.astonhotels.com/assets/resort-images/IOB/IOB-690x380-Resort-Pool-with-Couple.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.astonhotels.com/assets/resort-images/IOB/IOB-690x380-Resort-Pool-with-Couple.jpg" height="352" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.astonhotels.com/resort/overview/aston-islander-on-the-beach" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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A commission check we'd forgotten all about (from Tim's old job) arrived at our house, a check that would allow us to cover our whole trip and still have some left over to put into our savings. Seriously, praise God!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.astonhotels.com/assets/resort-images/IOB/IOB-690x380-Resort-Exterior-Aerial-View.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.astonhotels.com/assets/resort-images/IOB/IOB-690x380-Resort-Exterior-Aerial-View.jpg" height="352" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.astonhotels.com/resort/overview/aston-islander-on-the-beach" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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<b>Vacation in Kauai 2014 </b>just got booked. This is so happening. Seven days, six nights in paradise, with a great friend's wedding in the middle. All completely provided for. Can't get better than that.</div>
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<b>Have you ever had the pieces for a plan fall together like that before?</b></div>
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<b>Any recommendations about what to do while we're on Kauai?</b></div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-76773386693842205812014-02-17T14:54:00.001-08:002014-02-18T09:44:23.254-08:00Just some pictures of <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/02/a-hike-for-my-valentine.html" target="_blank">another hike </a>we took this weekend :)<br>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDgz49miD-uB6qWgH2b2xYEBr1a332885cOvcrfuQP33uo_95qgD30JYYYyvcYzHp9iCpwyU7yNY6m5EKREG0e08WCJmgZ-FrBfwLCH1G1GbXSG7vspMNWHVUrpo0s9HgzTwxNbczlCE/s1600/IMG_7510.JPG" height="640" width="426"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjylzmN_yPcx6dirEgPLQYlh3pE4QnFM3BQwdNEM5RF_geKbDvDLpD9njvNpubNv1Jv3DDNTY0F285wfg8c7gVHDBo5tXNThFJsKz8RAWD-pg-MhnfRUyuIEg3doU0fYp9zothW2LihQ/s1600/IMG_7511.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjylzmN_yPcx6dirEgPLQYlh3pE4QnFM3BQwdNEM5RF_geKbDvDLpD9njvNpubNv1Jv3DDNTY0F285wfg8c7gVHDBo5tXNThFJsKz8RAWD-pg-MhnfRUyuIEg3doU0fYp9zothW2LihQ/s1600/IMG_7511.JPG" height="426" width="640"></a></div>
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Our hike this time took us through some of the area damaged by the <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/06/bauder-hall-remembering.html" target="_blank">Tea fire </a>our Junior year of college. So many trees were still blackened and scarred, even five years later!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiML2UFN38VJ9zh4Vcw1b8_HMmqwY7DKV6_K_GrFxJsJ7BhBtRV540hWK8pQ41vRD-Kl8eUImObW1dntAWfhzzm8KqPRsFTZdgVEKSIrCwbLbwc7EzzEmkeu1CCf-HvAwcwaA3pqRsBZo8/s1600/IMG_7526.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiML2UFN38VJ9zh4Vcw1b8_HMmqwY7DKV6_K_GrFxJsJ7BhBtRV540hWK8pQ41vRD-Kl8eUImObW1dntAWfhzzm8KqPRsFTZdgVEKSIrCwbLbwc7EzzEmkeu1CCf-HvAwcwaA3pqRsBZo8/s1600/IMG_7526.JPG" height="426" width="640"></a></div>
We had a little picnic under the shelter of a wayward oak. <br>
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An overlook of our beautiful town. We could see all the way to the ocean, but the picture doesn't do the view justice. This picture also screams of our desperate need for rain--normally this time of year these hills are lush and green! <div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">b82a7848f9181cc70b04a4b0ae6b34ce7b2ac7d291aa4b9dca</span><br>
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</div>Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-66065682286361987632014-02-17T14:46:00.002-08:002014-02-17T14:46:23.605-08:00a hike for my valentine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi all! I hope you had a fantastic weekend (those of you still on your three-day weekend: boo! Tim had to work today so it's back to life as usual in this house). Did you do anything fun for Valentine's day? Like I said earlier, <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/02/holy-crud-its-almost-valentines-day.html" target="_blank">we don't usually celebrate Valentine's day on the 14th</a>. There are a few reasons to this sort of odd tradition, but the main one is due to our current location.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7FHnhKqp3w6aM7Ldmi_LMKsZ1-K3zTndSYDH__ZKfJL-BPsgkWeuR2UYLQATHkD-RaUJW0JEIMS6BigyYsW9immhjxlJXkbSd00odA0-sEDCZRQkNgxjjtyQq2otnRhwGP2oqZiJjzA/s1600/IMG_7481.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7FHnhKqp3w6aM7Ldmi_LMKsZ1-K3zTndSYDH__ZKfJL-BPsgkWeuR2UYLQATHkD-RaUJW0JEIMS6BigyYsW9immhjxlJXkbSd00odA0-sEDCZRQkNgxjjtyQq2otnRhwGP2oqZiJjzA/s1600/IMG_7481.JPG" height="426" width="640" /> </a>Tim and I are not really huge crowd people--we can deal with it in small doses but it just tends to stress us out. Gaah! Anyway, with President's day AND Valentine's day falling on the same weekend, people FLOCK to Santa Barbara for romantic getaways. Sweet, and great for tourism I'm sure, but not so great for our neuroses haha. Rather than going to our favorite splurge-y restaurants this year, we
went on a sunset hike one day and a picnic the next. There's little my husband likes doing more than exploring the outdoors of this lovely town which we call home. </div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUVZVTLrUAG-HfhceLswibDvMh6vvxLrJkgg_4QR8WeP5YzeBVEOCK-BdRXR9uwRfd37Lqn4dLAhKktErXfRiU9tBD9TEhbUZZZnwwxF-yElwpGyBvWSLeyXr4HdC0YbBUjeYvQOAe8Y/s1600/IMG_7474.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqaBrIRBiwwq0setjLvj-MT1Uums_EW4KGHWPdaql-130EROkoaHcTfgmeZBNULrOveDS3k16_4D4wEAYnJffGrzZiqdtkpnVHUaHBbr3Yp9HHPSl8zwatyocuJWryM5bdCQnVJFgX6g/s1600/IMG_7482.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
Our Valentine's night "hike" was mostly on roads but it took us to a
spot above our college campus where you can see all of town. We've gone
there a few times since graduation a few years ago, but the last time
I'd been <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/08/awkward-and-awesome-thursday.html" target="_blank">was back in 2012 </a>at the end of summer. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nKuRiOjwqoLql_ElR0HXnYPQzcO3Imb2DRQL-vVa-9U5eJ5YKOlKBzPQt9tR01C3HUgefSQw8UASI-v1vid9kc2ZpRogqIm0oR4loKbcs8Uy6qBPjrvRA-YKiRHbRhES5GxTqW-ZQuk/s1600/IMG_7493.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nKuRiOjwqoLql_ElR0HXnYPQzcO3Imb2DRQL-vVa-9U5eJ5YKOlKBzPQt9tR01C3HUgefSQw8UASI-v1vid9kc2ZpRogqIm0oR4loKbcs8Uy6qBPjrvRA-YKiRHbRhES5GxTqW-ZQuk/s1600/IMG_7493.JPG" height="640" width="426" /> </a></div>
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It's a pretty easy hike but the roads wind
back and forth up the side of the mountain, so it's definitely a calf
workout! We passed some pretty spectacular and unique Montecito home on
the way up, which is always cool. The one above has a wavy mosaic roof!
Trippy. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqaBrIRBiwwq0setjLvj-MT1Uums_EW4KGHWPdaql-130EROkoaHcTfgmeZBNULrOveDS3k16_4D4wEAYnJffGrzZiqdtkpnVHUaHBbr3Yp9HHPSl8zwatyocuJWryM5bdCQnVJFgX6g/s1600/IMG_7482.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqaBrIRBiwwq0setjLvj-MT1Uums_EW4KGHWPdaql-130EROkoaHcTfgmeZBNULrOveDS3k16_4D4wEAYnJffGrzZiqdtkpnVHUaHBbr3Yp9HHPSl8zwatyocuJWryM5bdCQnVJFgX6g/s1600/IMG_7482.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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We reached the peak of the mountain at precisely the right moment to enjoy panoramic views of our town at golden hour. Spectacularly breathtaking. <br />
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W<br />
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Thanks to some wild volunteer plants growing on the side of the road, I have two more funky succulents to add to <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/02/my-new-love-succulents.html" target="_blank">my quickly-growing collection</a>! haha that spiky one was a pain to carry all the way down the mountain--and yes that pun was intended :)</div>
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We cut through campus trails to get back to our car, which is always fun too. One of our first "dates" before we officially started dating was a hike on these same trails :) </div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-89060405882541638122014-02-14T00:30:00.000-08:002014-02-14T00:30:01.810-08:00my new love--succulentsSince today is Valentine's day, I thought I'd write a little post dedicated to my newest love: Succulents.<br />
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I have been collecting succulents the past few months, and let me tell you: this absentee gardener is OBSESSED! I have kept plants in my various apartments, and they've always ALWAYS died. Succulents, though, thrive under my care! What little there is, that is...<br />
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My lack of success with most greenery isn't due to a black thumb, but a more embarrassing problem:<i> I just forget about them.</i></div>
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It's not that I don't like having plants around, either, because I do! I just forget that I have them and sometimes weeks go by before I remember that they need to be watered.<br />
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Sad, sad, sad.<br />
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Turns out, succulents are the plant for me because not only can they survive while neglected, they thrive <i>because</i> of it! Root growth happens most often during drought conditions (they're seeking out water), so if I forget to water them for a week or so, it's probably better. :)<br />
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The odd thing is, since starting my collection, I've been super vigilant about watering them. So go figure.<br />
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I just LOVE them, so much. I mean some of them are just so dang cute, right?! There are so many different varieties, too, so I'm never bored hunting for ones I don't have.<br />
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Tim would probably be thrilled off I suddenly stopped coming home with more. I keep clusters of "terrariums" all over the house (at least, places the bird won't get to them, because wouldn't you know it she LOVES chewing the dang things!) and they're so cheery and happy. All they need is a spritzing of water every couple of days, just to get the top of the soil wet. I use a spray bottle.<br />
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I have stuck with glass containers in the house and terra cotta planters for the ones on the patio, simply because that's what I had. I didn't pay more than a dollar per container, either--most of my terrariums are glassware from the dollar store or thrifted from somewhere. There are a lot of uniquely-shaped containers out there for cheap!<br />
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I have....um..... Quite the collection going.......!<br />
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And these are just the ones waiting for some growth before I move 'em...! But here's the best part--My collection was close to free! Succulents are so easy to transplant and grow that you can take a piece of an existing plant to grow a whole new one. Just ask succulent-loving friends and family (or neighbors! Or total strangers!) if you can take a little piece of their plants; if you can get a little of the root then you're golden, but you can use trimmings too. Just make sure you have at least an inch of stem if you use a trimming, and let them sit in a cool dry place for a day or two before you plant those. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh cuttings waiting a day or two to be planted.</td></tr>
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Letting them sit un-planted lets them scab over just a bit, which makes them take in less water right away when you plant them. Which is good for a succulent, remember?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">newly-transplanted cutting</td></tr>
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I've had some success with propagating succulents from <i>leaves</i> too, which is pretty cool! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP60vUbeT5ktsTqghsFaquCqg6Ve73Bv9Fr_AXKRYyCh18RhKfqcqxbklpyI98LzwXXxMwUs93_oPtikGaHjHNvuYLCbfdB2h2MJjZrUJXxgBtiiM70D3D4AEnGsbNhX26hEUzwF-G5io/s1600/IMG_2223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP60vUbeT5ktsTqghsFaquCqg6Ve73Bv9Fr_AXKRYyCh18RhKfqcqxbklpyI98LzwXXxMwUs93_oPtikGaHjHNvuYLCbfdB2h2MJjZrUJXxgBtiiM70D3D4AEnGsbNhX26hEUzwF-G5io/s1600/IMG_2223.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwoEVYG5Rsi9MF4SClHXIZidd6l2d84oqLhvhJhlEeHNN1-ss3FNaP6OKqnziJO_F77ZGQSkPwUYc1-p0gxCuUEtAkVcKmNW9qW-pEPWPAbqp7rEm8kB9_wdPwUbdyp01InvqGj054yg/s1600/IMG_2263.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwoEVYG5Rsi9MF4SClHXIZidd6l2d84oqLhvhJhlEeHNN1-ss3FNaP6OKqnziJO_F77ZGQSkPwUYc1-p0gxCuUEtAkVcKmNW9qW-pEPWPAbqp7rEm8kB9_wdPwUbdyp01InvqGj054yg/s1600/IMG_2263.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP60vUbeT5ktsTqghsFaquCqg6Ve73Bv9Fr_AXKRYyCh18RhKfqcqxbklpyI98LzwXXxMwUs93_oPtikGaHjHNvuYLCbfdB2h2MJjZrUJXxgBtiiM70D3D4AEnGsbNhX26hEUzwF-G5io/s1600/IMG_2223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roots and a baby plant on a succulent leaf // paper towel propigating</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwoEVYG5Rsi9MF4SClHXIZidd6l2d84oqLhvhJhlEeHNN1-ss3FNaP6OKqnziJO_F77ZGQSkPwUYc1-p0gxCuUEtAkVcKmNW9qW-pEPWPAbqp7rEm8kB9_wdPwUbdyp01InvqGj054yg/s1600/IMG_2263.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5w93NxXViwmQc5KEGaXZJbto9dhQtCiaMHUD26w7VKCUCn48CWngUUcxc_0YN2h3VwhLkxbB51bXgV7YJud28JabFCdsMvCDHp18-RW885GN-4uuGreBZDXuIs-_EGuu52A-jPwS3-vk/s1600/IMG_7459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light',HelveticaNeue-Light,helvetica,arial,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5w93NxXViwmQc5KEGaXZJbto9dhQtCiaMHUD26w7VKCUCn48CWngUUcxc_0YN2h3VwhLkxbB51bXgV7YJud28JabFCdsMvCDHp18-RW885GN-4uuGreBZDXuIs-_EGuu52A-jPwS3-vk/s1600/IMG_7459.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">succulent leaf propagating on soil in a loaf pan</td></tr>
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I'm doing experiments with this to see in which conditions they thrive best, so I'll get back to that once I know more. But it's pretty cool so far!</div>
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<b>Have you fallen in love with succulents, yet? What are your favorites?</b></div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-7035792099990759052014-02-13T01:00:00.000-08:002014-02-13T01:00:01.754-08:00thread frame organizer // diy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurM1TzCGisjqlAKUo4wuh45GSxe6Sesa97G4Sjg2Pnli-n30-6YxhhwYsZVCWhGtWSqp0FgtnYfO9SVpQAwnF2PyY6-SjncJwzCu2cin4uPJpvDkEllAQdgZDBSNkhdABiCF9V7OcCqo/s640/blogger-image-360591603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurM1TzCGisjqlAKUo4wuh45GSxe6Sesa97G4Sjg2Pnli-n30-6YxhhwYsZVCWhGtWSqp0FgtnYfO9SVpQAwnF2PyY6-SjncJwzCu2cin4uPJpvDkEllAQdgZDBSNkhdABiCF9V7OcCqo/s640/blogger-image-360591603.jpg" /></a></div>
I have a bunch of vintage thread I inherited from my grandmother, and have since been adding new colors as I run out. It's not a huge collection, mind you--I don't do nearly enough sewing to justify buying a bunch of thread all the time. But it's large enough, and was starting to get to be a pain. I would store it in one of two places: either in a vintage cookie tin with all the rest of my sewing notions or<a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/09/friday-13th.html" target="_blank"> all over my workspace</a>. This fact alone was the reason we were calling it the "crap room" rather than the craft room....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCg2QIzzdou73OXL22fBRxyObBgmPRjR4MegCEHuFrVuWlRzYnSivU_pNmhU3IDNNY8rz-SMH_xfN1AtHKwAwdO46oTSTgOzbH6oz52KH89fIm2wpnKzjgTePtKsyG9xZTiLbCgC004mI/s1600/IMG_7436.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DIY thread storage" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCg2QIzzdou73OXL22fBRxyObBgmPRjR4MegCEHuFrVuWlRzYnSivU_pNmhU3IDNNY8rz-SMH_xfN1AtHKwAwdO46oTSTgOzbH6oz52KH89fIm2wpnKzjgTePtKsyG9xZTiLbCgC004mI/s1600/IMG_7436.JPG" height="640" title="DIY thread storage" width="426" /></a></div>
Now, using a $3 piece of molding and a broken ikea frame left over from our failed gallery wall, I have a much better solution.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEu_91Z01p0pIYFmrJx71Ml33DW0ed706CZwGiF4IAVa-yS72aZn6WJiA7pkERZguzsoz9ZKKfYJscWYk8DhA2Ao2-GPX5lSDHTDME5IRMJ5suj-E12Zb97ISHrjrHmPvgdGSRRlwcS5s/s1600/IMG_7438.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DIY thread storage" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEu_91Z01p0pIYFmrJx71Ml33DW0ed706CZwGiF4IAVa-yS72aZn6WJiA7pkERZguzsoz9ZKKfYJscWYk8DhA2Ao2-GPX5lSDHTDME5IRMJ5suj-E12Zb97ISHrjrHmPvgdGSRRlwcS5s/s1600/IMG_7438.JPG" height="426" title="DIY thread storage" width="640" /></a></div>
I whitewashed the moulding pieces and secured them in place using finishing nails. I haven't decided if I will be adding a backing to it, or if it will just hang on the wall as-is, but so far, I'm loving it!For now, it's hanging out on the top of my CLEAN! desk, and that is infinitely better than what we were working with before :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_64nXRkTTf3qA1NYw7OK-p_0WwscW4yHLEZ_Ffv6ZYpu1S1_kyV5gJrGbcGNJyo7zqVqm8bTI65tjapWurOiKW-aK9-YNLARP4WHCvm75P5f97aJoA83hyphenhyphenBZIsKLBmkBTRsAysQIN2Y/s1600/IMG_7437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DIY thread storage" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_64nXRkTTf3qA1NYw7OK-p_0WwscW4yHLEZ_Ffv6ZYpu1S1_kyV5gJrGbcGNJyo7zqVqm8bTI65tjapWurOiKW-aK9-YNLARP4WHCvm75P5f97aJoA83hyphenhyphenBZIsKLBmkBTRsAysQIN2Y/s1600/IMG_7437.JPG" height="640" title="DIY thread storage" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEu_91Z01p0pIYFmrJx71Ml33DW0ed706CZwGiF4IAVa-yS72aZn6WJiA7pkERZguzsoz9ZKKfYJscWYk8DhA2Ao2-GPX5lSDHTDME5IRMJ5suj-E12Zb97ISHrjrHmPvgdGSRRlwcS5s/s1600/IMG_7438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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What do you think? Usable, or just a nice idea?</div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-43075612482168262202014-02-12T00:30:00.000-08:002014-02-12T15:51:20.469-08:00holy crud it's almost Valentine's day?!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyuROTgFCeUhgkf4T6nJlZeI4SH26nDtQWIneF-nqzQADb6UpaV63RmT51wA1gcgpyksRUs-Hvr-a6gE0Cif8XAyB_Nazr8UuIKcs4jxWOuJwZ7fQxk8MUZtZbfkJF2WPZjJWKN7OGOxM/s640/IMG_9699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Haha oh man where does the time go? In case you didn't know it, Valentine's day is this Friday. <br>
If you're at a loss for what to do or wear this this year, I thought I'd give you a little help:<br>
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The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, am I right? Make him swoon with a bouquet of the best kind: <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/02/a-bouquet-for-him-cook.html" target="_blank">Bacon</a>. Tim says hands down this was the best Valentine's Day surprise ever. <br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWbT470x1N4PzH5k4DM2Skp4NH0xtb_Njfx2atXQhNJyK3Qz72P-Fd4IgVtLtXrxSoS2I2Lbpkp2vrrt5om4mtYZ6jjLcSrV7ZaH6nK8WUNTLeI4cxkd03fOovTIfAMZV88iRaAPhqYc/s640/IMG_1153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWbT470x1N4PzH5k4DM2Skp4NH0xtb_Njfx2atXQhNJyK3Qz72P-Fd4IgVtLtXrxSoS2I2Lbpkp2vrrt5om4mtYZ6jjLcSrV7ZaH6nK8WUNTLeI4cxkd03fOovTIfAMZV88iRaAPhqYc/s640/IMG_1153.JPG" height="425" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/02/a-bouquet-for-him-cook.html" target="_blank">Bacon Bouquet tutorial </a></td></tr>
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Or how about a little <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/09/birthday-photobomb.html" target="_blank">photo-attack </a>(similar to the "heart attack" idea), and stick funny photos of yourself around the house declaring "I LOVE YOU!" or "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!"? I did this for <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/09/birthday-photobomb.html" target="_blank">Tim's 26th birthday</a>, but it would work for Valentine's day as well. <br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yg38Azumfv_DV7hGckZpfNucGRFMft13gj7S6rtTYzL5NHylKoh8wbj78UuXeLWfGuq0yP5CIUXQFfajbgvoriBjHnoNCBIlaSluVrDe71_Rbca7UHlHocQadjFB9x_YoGxI_2VO2KC_/s640/FACES5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yg38Azumfv_DV7hGckZpfNucGRFMft13gj7S6rtTYzL5NHylKoh8wbj78UuXeLWfGuq0yP5CIUXQFfajbgvoriBjHnoNCBIlaSluVrDe71_Rbca7UHlHocQadjFB9x_YoGxI_2VO2KC_/s640/FACES5.jpg" height="480" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/09/birthday-photobomb.html" target="_blank">Birthday Photobomb ideas here</a></td></tr>
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As for what to wear, this <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/02/pinspiration-bow-ring.html" target="_blank">little bow ring </a>would make a cute addition to any Valentine's Day ensemble, right??<br>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX45s_9fBoyuIX-XoB3OKvtQIiUPWwIADYVVVIdZCBcr99y4vfgqXjgOwc7yrVZY0PwZXO6wU7KuFPjnuwAf1YQQfvTNuxtSlXbpecpqVjqIXzcjTrgkkbeoHj-cPOnUcGCPFVGWJw1sQY/s640/IMG_8187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX45s_9fBoyuIX-XoB3OKvtQIiUPWwIADYVVVIdZCBcr99y4vfgqXjgOwc7yrVZY0PwZXO6wU7KuFPjnuwAf1YQQfvTNuxtSlXbpecpqVjqIXzcjTrgkkbeoHj-cPOnUcGCPFVGWJw1sQY/s640/IMG_8187.JPG" height="443" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/02/pinspiration-bow-ring.html" target="_blank">Bow ring tutorial</a></td></tr>
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Or how about a <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/02/sequin-heart-shirt-refashion.html" target="_blank">simple sewing project </a>to make your outfit just a little more lovey-dovey?<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSgHVluMdoI_gqrK7t0-Clp33zo4eWq6zyGx9cvhyphenhyphenE-wVpRBg01Ie24JN2GeFa52pWpiLBKXgOC2RVgYTWn2SrXlZ9UMgxHdZscPG230iqq_kdI-gHdUazX9l4ZtLDOkZ96lX7PgKqt4/s640/IMG_1112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSgHVluMdoI_gqrK7t0-Clp33zo4eWq6zyGx9cvhyphenhyphenE-wVpRBg01Ie24JN2GeFa52pWpiLBKXgOC2RVgYTWn2SrXlZ9UMgxHdZscPG230iqq_kdI-gHdUazX9l4ZtLDOkZ96lX7PgKqt4/s640/IMG_1112.JPG" height="425" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/02/sequin-heart-shirt-refashion.html" target="_blank">Designer-inspired heart applique shirt tutorial</a></td></tr>
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Or, break some hearts and try one of these more involved but still saucy refashions! You <i>might</i> be able to knock one of these out in a few hours in time for a Valentine's date, who knows?<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lLz7Hv_VuOMUaBaCSUaJdCggjV1lVzjduRcY-hF30mkpp7nteGRHUxuYi5HkLBZi_4ZClTVQnH7cGZwqs2K8C5ESdYOjGBvX9qF6azRA9qtfMREMLrPxe9aSAeWgJBDGgmlfIx67bgkA/s640/sewing+project+2+090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lLz7Hv_VuOMUaBaCSUaJdCggjV1lVzjduRcY-hF30mkpp7nteGRHUxuYi5HkLBZi_4ZClTVQnH7cGZwqs2K8C5ESdYOjGBvX9qF6azRA9qtfMREMLrPxe9aSAeWgJBDGgmlfIx67bgkA/s640/sewing+project+2+090.JPG" height="320" width="213"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyuROTgFCeUhgkf4T6nJlZeI4SH26nDtQWIneF-nqzQADb6UpaV63RmT51wA1gcgpyksRUs-Hvr-a6gE0Cif8XAyB_Nazr8UuIKcs4jxWOuJwZ7fQxk8MUZtZbfkJF2WPZjJWKN7OGOxM/s640/IMG_9699.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyuROTgFCeUhgkf4T6nJlZeI4SH26nDtQWIneF-nqzQADb6UpaV63RmT51wA1gcgpyksRUs-Hvr-a6gE0Cif8XAyB_Nazr8UuIKcs4jxWOuJwZ7fQxk8MUZtZbfkJF2WPZjJWKN7OGOxM/s640/IMG_9699.JPG" height="266" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/02/inspired-by-etsy.html" target="_blank">Backless dress tutorial</a> // <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/10/refashion-outdated-shirt-to-snappy-skirt.html" target="_blank">snap lace skirt refashion</a></td></tr>
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I love it when Valentine's day is on a friday! Lots more options that way, am I right? We haven't made plans yet, as we tend to celebrate on the 15th every year. My man knows the way to my heart is half-price roses and no crowds, haha. <br>
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What are you doing?</div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-17979934853379442312014-02-11T11:05:00.001-08:002014-02-11T11:05:03.212-08:00staycation.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37l3c4J_vaSvduiHst1dpPLZ2LFbDbftNHaC-5fU-mRYZ6jOAm2OMkno_U40PVo3641wy-Z_DE9wR-_T6hJtHEqr-QKEu8wrCDRrxvw9HBCsjA4oTS3Fli2ARh010j7Ef6rORwi6wzr4/s1600/photo+3.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="East Beach Santa Barbara at sunset" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37l3c4J_vaSvduiHst1dpPLZ2LFbDbftNHaC-5fU-mRYZ6jOAm2OMkno_U40PVo3641wy-Z_DE9wR-_T6hJtHEqr-QKEu8wrCDRrxvw9HBCsjA4oTS3Fli2ARh010j7Ef6rORwi6wzr4/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="142" title="East Beach Santa Barbara at sunset" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East Beach, Santa Barbara, at Sunset</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Not counting the three days last week that Tim flew to Atlanta to square away some new employee orientation at his new corporate headquarters, he's been working <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/01/work-at-home-husband.html" target="_blank">full-time from home</a>.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTb2uX2UA7WaewiCiqbGnjmGXCz3YmX96Rm30BEG_o6A5yJ4q5X8aH-Ug_d15yVTWMVzfzkFQLh2YFAAUGTm2i7xey5rMznkX8xtJkVr7-dWnZqpiwWsHXikAb5AGg4Gkbo9rE7oRAnk/s1600/photo+2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTb2uX2UA7WaewiCiqbGnjmGXCz3YmX96Rm30BEG_o6A5yJ4q5X8aH-Ug_d15yVTWMVzfzkFQLh2YFAAUGTm2i7xey5rMznkX8xtJkVr7-dWnZqpiwWsHXikAb5AGg4Gkbo9rE7oRAnk/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="640" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabrillo Beach Boulevard, Santa Barbara, at sunset</td></tr>
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Cuh-razy!!!!! Talk about a lifestyle change. The commute to work is a good five steps into the guest-room-now-office. The dog hangs out at his feet all day, and he can split his time between the office and our patio, which has been great this past week with our gorgeous 75* Santa Barbara winter! Oh, and since I'm still not working, I see him all.the.time. Blessing and a curse? We'll see! haha<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyMDkMWq-6ZI_Ti3-Lxz4R52isQ8LrbH8FUvS9SIUwCfO8Jx7lG0Y02j0czcPhCTXKxHkMMOxzBmi330g8jFIVKu03YkKZ653Rf2tODEF5D-ST4Bfx3C_M-dhOnESB3aDn0oXnCJ4Hjk/s1600/photo+5.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyMDkMWq-6ZI_Ti3-Lxz4R52isQ8LrbH8FUvS9SIUwCfO8Jx7lG0Y02j0czcPhCTXKxHkMMOxzBmi330g8jFIVKu03YkKZ653Rf2tODEF5D-ST4Bfx3C_M-dhOnESB3aDn0oXnCJ4Hjk/s1600/photo+5.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both dog and bird helped me with the office setup. It was.. interesting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before he started this job though, we had a little four-day long staycation here in town and we drank.it.in. The time was spent unplugging from society (hence, lack of blogging!) and prepping for this change. We slept in, went to the beach almost every day, finished up a few projects around the house (like our<a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/01/minty-fresh.html" target="_blank"> dining room table</a> and the <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2014/01/instagram-statement-photo-wall.html" target="_blank">instagram wall</a>). Oh, and we built him a standing desk (coming to the blogosphere soon!)
and the next day found a stool so he didn't have to stand all day. ha ha
I totally called it!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMHVLWekSGm5gKeve0fQAFPRSlDkvQUd48kSTbFXchllypO5YYOvUNxM93bBd49QvrEZPwnFrdOgZirloxdjz5fc9yi1O0KGd47l79FYLEjVdXMVCqWJqq9TI0b6tVf1IXYfF-K4enUY/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMHVLWekSGm5gKeve0fQAFPRSlDkvQUd48kSTbFXchllypO5YYOvUNxM93bBd49QvrEZPwnFrdOgZirloxdjz5fc9yi1O0KGd47l79FYLEjVdXMVCqWJqq9TI0b6tVf1IXYfF-K4enUY/s1600/photo+4.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the surface of Tim's new desk is reclaimed hardwoods, and they're YUMMY!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But now, vacation's over and it's back to our new "normal".<br />Whatever that may be.<br />
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-68664331913590014562014-01-31T14:35:00.001-08:002014-01-31T14:45:23.198-08:00instagram statement photo wall Ever since we had to take down our <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/11/gallery-wall-our-little-corner-of.html" target="_blank">gallery wall </a>because the <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/11/five-things.html" target="_blank">command strips began to fail</a>, Tim and I have been really missing it. So, the other day, we did something about it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDXSSM8pWBM5OXnWmFJyq2FaE32eOP4r6r4LBjReUKOSwU6YM1_qknrZXN6ob3yvp-Ehw3UjFuZm5lBuTVTrbWqtS7uc4G4zuFzUzn5Y4aL-hbTJAH289dAsuAsynPxolQWNo6nl06EE/s1600/Instagram+photo+wall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDXSSM8pWBM5OXnWmFJyq2FaE32eOP4r6r4LBjReUKOSwU6YM1_qknrZXN6ob3yvp-Ehw3UjFuZm5lBuTVTrbWqtS7uc4G4zuFzUzn5Y4aL-hbTJAH289dAsuAsynPxolQWNo6nl06EE/s1600/Instagram+photo+wall.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDXSSM8pWBM5OXnWmFJyq2FaE32eOP4r6r4LBjReUKOSwU6YM1_qknrZXN6ob3yvp-Ehw3UjFuZm5lBuTVTrbWqtS7uc4G4zuFzUzn5Y4aL-hbTJAH289dAsuAsynPxolQWNo6nl06EE/s1600/Instagram+photo+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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BAM. Killer, right??! We love it so much. There are almost 500 photos on this wall, and only a few of them are duplicates. </div>
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Yeah. We take a lot of pictures. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbJss6nRSXw_GTC-uZXujkQF0OjTHEtlEK8TtsEs_eIbSfOz0L2h5obSN_q7c-gGG_5oj05rsPL_YLB45wi15VfF0_AxGPU6XeClFe9J8Dcm6eD_naz9KUwGkSJMxYaGWhkFMJ3svqHE/s1600/IMG_7384.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbJss6nRSXw_GTC-uZXujkQF0OjTHEtlEK8TtsEs_eIbSfOz0L2h5obSN_q7c-gGG_5oj05rsPL_YLB45wi15VfF0_AxGPU6XeClFe9J8Dcm6eD_naz9KUwGkSJMxYaGWhkFMJ3svqHE/s1600/IMG_7384.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
Gaah, we love it. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0JdqWY3f2d5bYgltoUixUDrvUI9_XJkwAv24NAkFDGD37yzZ2bCHIs_EttMim8xTevV-VpUMsK8lWx1KlAp4ksEnqkq9eM3ESNQ0H6pX5_exxXUXBfjIzxAhk3HMrNZJxWrJF_wP2U0/s1600/IMG_7386.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0JdqWY3f2d5bYgltoUixUDrvUI9_XJkwAv24NAkFDGD37yzZ2bCHIs_EttMim8xTevV-VpUMsK8lWx1KlAp4ksEnqkq9eM3ESNQ0H6pX5_exxXUXBfjIzxAhk3HMrNZJxWrJF_wP2U0/s1600/IMG_7386.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a> </div>
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Want to see how we did it? </div>
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Rather than individually stick up more than five hundred
printed photos on the wall, I had an idea. Why couldn't I print several
on a single sheet of paper and hang that up? If I bled the photos just
right and hung the sheets straight, you wouldn't even be able to tell it
wasn't individual pictures.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3OmwyUy2C9d_HVEtXw-Xuxtfc2DCKjJP-NeCG9ScaubQxwLXoTcRX3Ci9EAz8bkwbB7xXtnpr4L8ttPAxE16L3o7hOsQ2578gN3RXn3xGpceprAhGcy1Eircmrle-_2pMJ9falL_PcY/s1600/IMG_7348.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3OmwyUy2C9d_HVEtXw-Xuxtfc2DCKjJP-NeCG9ScaubQxwLXoTcRX3Ci9EAz8bkwbB7xXtnpr4L8ttPAxE16L3o7hOsQ2578gN3RXn3xGpceprAhGcy1Eircmrle-_2pMJ9falL_PcY/s1600/IMG_7348.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
Each 8.5x11 sheet of paper houses six <i>almost</i>
square photos (3.67"x4.26", to be exact). Each picture had to be
cropped to that precise size in order to fit, which took
foooooreeeevvvvvverrrrrrrrrrrrr. I did it in brief shifts over the
course of a few days so it didn't feel so bad. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMMDHRjws2uJC954Ev7szW1N_Gkp4R_YhqlTPPz0-_NVicW_dqVYFU0WPTVPqpKhuSOEqr4J-O5SzeDwJ3XVdF5CwfSk1yENPN3GW_Jdkf5Sb54MDbKEx64uBeCVZ6B5QlePiZ2ffX2c/s1600/IMG_7349.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMMDHRjws2uJC954Ev7szW1N_Gkp4R_YhqlTPPz0-_NVicW_dqVYFU0WPTVPqpKhuSOEqr4J-O5SzeDwJ3XVdF5CwfSk1yENPN3GW_Jdkf5Sb54MDbKEx64uBeCVZ6B5QlePiZ2ffX2c/s1600/IMG_7349.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMMDHRjws2uJC954Ev7szW1N_Gkp4R_YhqlTPPz0-_NVicW_dqVYFU0WPTVPqpKhuSOEqr4J-O5SzeDwJ3XVdF5CwfSk1yENPN3GW_Jdkf5Sb54MDbKEx64uBeCVZ6B5QlePiZ2ffX2c/s1600/IMG_7349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
I had them printed through <a href="https://www.bestvaluecopy.com/" target="_blank">Best Value Copy</a>, which was the best deal I could find for the 80 color sheets we needed. They charged 9 cents per page, but you get 50 free for your first order so HELLO! Shipping was pricey but my whole wall cost me $17, AND I accidentally ordered doubles. Haha whoops.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaUxXW42KVfPzaJTW8RW6ZoWKqasrWqSe6aGc4TLV2_z1kbRpVJOlqotDwx4con1TM95qYowOYxR54vuyLWXdWQ4q7R0dKfJCVrjLokiQWy-zXe8G8iMZkiEqAno41vq-LLWApPECsWM/s1600/IMG_7354.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaUxXW42KVfPzaJTW8RW6ZoWKqasrWqSe6aGc4TLV2_z1kbRpVJOlqotDwx4con1TM95qYowOYxR54vuyLWXdWQ4q7R0dKfJCVrjLokiQWy-zXe8G8iMZkiEqAno41vq-LLWApPECsWM/s1600/IMG_7354.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Here's what we were working with before. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSB6Gpg53CKFbjC_5jFHXwcFqFdYsmYE78NqpHoBNG50s9Y5FuftinnX5boZvRp13iWAS2ErrJ2TXRAPiPajE0cuOLNBDDLIZ-40GakObkOv0TvksrDPLi4Lf3N0i2VUfeyZgKs1ssAks/s1600/IMG_7361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSB6Gpg53CKFbjC_5jFHXwcFqFdYsmYE78NqpHoBNG50s9Y5FuftinnX5boZvRp13iWAS2ErrJ2TXRAPiPajE0cuOLNBDDLIZ-40GakObkOv0TvksrDPLi4Lf3N0i2VUfeyZgKs1ssAks/s1600/IMG_7361.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyixfiJF8K9eGB2RRNhtoTLcNeGL8kb5sTYIEnRrgVlet6o7ovOd9Rgcn9f-WfrQQGKqrlEjopSQp78H9mMhEwzqzLmoZOUcJ237zbYK9H9KDVxC6-Y0hhv4MaVifVxrlRu4RpvIUMVpI/s1600/IMG_7369.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyixfiJF8K9eGB2RRNhtoTLcNeGL8kb5sTYIEnRrgVlet6o7ovOd9Rgcn9f-WfrQQGKqrlEjopSQp78H9mMhEwzqzLmoZOUcJ237zbYK9H9KDVxC6-Y0hhv4MaVifVxrlRu4RpvIUMVpI/s1600/IMG_7369.JPG" height="640" width="425" /></a> </div>
I had calculated that the wall would fit ten and a half portrait sheets, which I confirmed before I started hanging them. Always a good idea :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuHCYY7sgthSE0GMhtt9RCzZZuhoeGqL9rQBOS1JuUWX6wPxmQGP-js1-GtHP03fBgf5U6ry0NjhIQ2aN6zRHNGfC8D1SzSiktGLnfKSJMNGIvssfuMD1Ew0j5rcQc-ECRRHN6hvB1Js/s1600/IMG_7362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuHCYY7sgthSE0GMhtt9RCzZZuhoeGqL9rQBOS1JuUWX6wPxmQGP-js1-GtHP03fBgf5U6ry0NjhIQ2aN6zRHNGfC8D1SzSiktGLnfKSJMNGIvssfuMD1Ew0j5rcQc-ECRRHN6hvB1Js/s1600/IMG_7362.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
I went with foam dots to hang the sheets. I thought they'd hold up a little better than double-sided tape, and would stick to the wall more securely. The thickness of the dots isn't noticeable unless you get really close, which was a concern of mine. Not a big deal at all!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdXZBfyRtMoX0CVpDWaCwVi61f6OasSNngtjNRrgQdWxmSPsNplf0qht1kdnQK8s3TM1DEzRJfGlbLj9_6AeSINRgaJyP0brkMm8fkM1771OAy_VhH215qkupUrmEiPaF6pJkscnWo6I/s1600/IMG_7366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdXZBfyRtMoX0CVpDWaCwVi61f6OasSNngtjNRrgQdWxmSPsNplf0qht1kdnQK8s3TM1DEzRJfGlbLj9_6AeSINRgaJyP0brkMm8fkM1771OAy_VhH215qkupUrmEiPaF6pJkscnWo6I/s1600/IMG_7366.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNI9DuhlSLxVK5p8BtF7pR4Rx6hQAjiy2T7yH_iiFqjzxUX2ReMYRJFKELfPZIcEZi-LJSl4ftzERPtgvIjOmTtUPsKz823-iNwZTCWw6lMn55Y3DsnE15GNdWUbwq9hsCIw-HTLNwNM/s1600/IMG_7371.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNI9DuhlSLxVK5p8BtF7pR4Rx6hQAjiy2T7yH_iiFqjzxUX2ReMYRJFKELfPZIcEZi-LJSl4ftzERPtgvIjOmTtUPsKz823-iNwZTCWw6lMn55Y3DsnE15GNdWUbwq9hsCIw-HTLNwNM/s1600/IMG_7371.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdXZBfyRtMoX0CVpDWaCwVi61f6OasSNngtjNRrgQdWxmSPsNplf0qht1kdnQK8s3TM1DEzRJfGlbLj9_6AeSINRgaJyP0brkMm8fkM1771OAy_VhH215qkupUrmEiPaF6pJkscnWo6I/s1600/IMG_7366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
I started hanging along the ceiling and filled in diagonally to make sure everything lined up and was straight. <br />
And that's it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNtOpAynyY_uKGgSv60IhR8KVopQtTWReNugyAOqowSGQQ-0NulJ_9isKy2HQV3-uNIgV8i3ydSahyphenhyphenXvyxURdp00DUnmL5JO_0BeXaIMhMEPSNO6ZA9gBXYabM3PwrcGcku9wMoKMydU/s1600/IMG_7374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNtOpAynyY_uKGgSv60IhR8KVopQtTWReNugyAOqowSGQQ-0NulJ_9isKy2HQV3-uNIgV8i3ydSahyphenhyphenXvyxURdp00DUnmL5JO_0BeXaIMhMEPSNO6ZA9gBXYabM3PwrcGcku9wMoKMydU/s1600/IMG_7374.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
Yeeeeee! They fill the wall top to almost bottom, and except for a small part in the corner of the wall covered by the dresser.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iopaSuP80N2DkA2p5aq9_bM7LFKSkD4VqZhP3qE1__4UCFtpBC2fZxG8cancSSKJ5LESv_4Kf3UGaD-9bUJJgf3B1uzeu6YybbiCOjhyZ7tT4AhvRSqI05fI0Wv__gWuD_MjbhzLNp4/s1600/IMG_7381.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iopaSuP80N2DkA2p5aq9_bM7LFKSkD4VqZhP3qE1__4UCFtpBC2fZxG8cancSSKJ5LESv_4Kf3UGaD-9bUJJgf3B1uzeu6YybbiCOjhyZ7tT4AhvRSqI05fI0Wv__gWuD_MjbhzLNp4/s1600/IMG_7381.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
What do you think????!!!! We are so happy with how it looks, although I think it competes a little bit with the curtains in the room. Oh well. They're both stayin' </div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2sapTAMktP2Mh81mAkn5Y10H3gxGzQgpDtbi6neHCdOpvFoSjZ4oHHi6Lp_0LcwKiOUiQWB6UpBG7zJV_lS4AXEPBR7TunIsou1FztG8Ujf2vNE5Kr4B4N-AVjuwRsXgNKvXy8c864k/s1600/IMG_7377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2sapTAMktP2Mh81mAkn5Y10H3gxGzQgpDtbi6neHCdOpvFoSjZ4oHHi6Lp_0LcwKiOUiQWB6UpBG7zJV_lS4AXEPBR7TunIsou1FztG8Ujf2vNE5Kr4B4N-AVjuwRsXgNKvXy8c864k/s1600/IMG_7377.JPG" height="640" width="426" /> </a></div>
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<b>What do you think???! Would you do something like this in your home?</b> </div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-26335570016656560322014-01-30T11:25:00.005-08:002014-01-30T11:31:24.756-08:00Minty fresh<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our dining room has seen the most changes since I
moved into our little townhouse about two and a half years ago. That
may not be saying a whole lot because we rent (and don't really have a
ton of disposable money to buy more furniture to give rooms makeovers
that way) so there haven't been a whole lot of transformations that we
could do, period, but still. </span><br />
<div>
<div>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We made over <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/01/distressed-dining-room-table.html">a table </a>and <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/04/taking-rentership-seating-situation.html">chairs </a>(all of which were roadside rescues).</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9watHb8WKhPq6CJP_2p_b9r9z7nebh1T4qAQdbygqW-zMjVF4PPs4T65XJRBbEqsjtLjuU0c-iMnZok3QqWf9kOBoRgpdZFz7AIu12PdlDNoe1LYQj9ywyTNwtnX9sQHxVe-tIt6lP0w/s1600/table+and+chairs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9watHb8WKhPq6CJP_2p_b9r9z7nebh1T4qAQdbygqW-zMjVF4PPs4T65XJRBbEqsjtLjuU0c-iMnZok3QqWf9kOBoRgpdZFz7AIu12PdlDNoe1LYQj9ywyTNwtnX9sQHxVe-tIt6lP0w/s640/table+and+chairs.jpg" height="288" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">made-over table // upholstered chairs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2) We have <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/10/taking-rentership-lighting-situation.html">switched out light fixtures</a>:</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIL6jwsG2Djdwvk_MOiBhLPMcZooOyfSo3wl665RbWE5nk9Z84Bf_kutSi85DQSenpTY8bS0X5zSxS9MnNSLtOFdBgirBWSA-OZmu50AqfGPk_8j1zYYplVZQxqcr-H2rRly7SsofaiQ/s1600/lighting+situation+living+room.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="swap out chandeliers" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIL6jwsG2Djdwvk_MOiBhLPMcZooOyfSo3wl665RbWE5nk9Z84Bf_kutSi85DQSenpTY8bS0X5zSxS9MnNSLtOFdBgirBWSA-OZmu50AqfGPk_8j1zYYplVZQxqcr-H2rRly7SsofaiQ/s640/lighting+situation+living+room.jpg" height="297" title="Swapping out light fixtures" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">old chandy // our painted one</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3) We <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/11/striped-accent-wall-tutorial.html">painted an accent wall </a>(our <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/06/creating-oasis-space-in-your-home.html">bedroom </a>is
the only other room that we have painted) 4) and have moved furniture
around to make better use of the space. Both changes are shown below.</span><br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiRbNrUUaguL1R-XeA9tCSe5tRpiqzOY-hcjsu1xB96i3qBXeY23kIGjtdoqjarRt99iEdcTIMLFNIow-ggHSq5zbwgDojcVjzg8DVmDf65y8weTAWIzL7W9KtQpmyk2CPptUWbswArw/s1600/Painting+wall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiRbNrUUaguL1R-XeA9tCSe5tRpiqzOY-hcjsu1xB96i3qBXeY23kIGjtdoqjarRt99iEdcTIMLFNIow-ggHSq5zbwgDojcVjzg8DVmDf65y8weTAWIzL7W9KtQpmyk2CPptUWbswArw/s640/Painting+wall.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">HOWEVER.
Things still weren't quite right, and we realized recently that it was
the dining room table we had. While it brightened up the space and we really liked it, it felt GIGANTIC in
the dining space (especially when the chairs were pulled out); It was
definitely intended for use in a larger room than we had. Our dining
area isn't even really a room, just a shoot-off from our kitchen area, and is narrow. That size table just wasn't practical there, especially if
you added in space for a walkway, chairs, and the storage console.
Things just felt a little too snug; even a few extra inches would have
done the trick.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It
wasn't high on our priority list, but we kept an open eye for anything
that we thought might fit better. A square table, a round one maybe? Who
knows. Our minds were open. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But
then, on a trip to visit my parents' house (waaaaaaaay back in the summer), the
heavens opened and shone down upon us. A neighbor was clearing out his
garage and was getting rid of a perfect little rectangular table. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MUwB_5HZB7D4mNQ_fntQTs7hAYlKCTqwSIZywPNSzoxuk9wgOxQmdCQ_hnMBJaFVfDMG1ltgYSaelYSVcrVhK81-Ja1dODTBii3BD7Xm4nD894WnneO5zRXQ8DYYFpzR-2dinedc30U/s1600/1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MUwB_5HZB7D4mNQ_fntQTs7hAYlKCTqwSIZywPNSzoxuk9wgOxQmdCQ_hnMBJaFVfDMG1ltgYSaelYSVcrVhK81-Ja1dODTBii3BD7Xm4nD894WnneO5zRXQ8DYYFpzR-2dinedc30U/s1600/1.JPG" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cute,
right? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was of tempered glass and solid-wood construction, so it was nice and sturdy, and the size was a lot better in the space (it's hard to tell in that above picture, but it's true!). It was a couple inches smaller on either side than the white
monster we'd been using, and yet still could seat four comfortably. More
than four, actually, when you pulled out the ends to reveal the hidden roll-top leaves...! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1U-pbltYRFDNjt4h1ivE7WR8Va_06VVGlFbkGGKm1vxkRjLZzkyuYDCyBfRkNPJhPRYdQTn-qJ-sJ3-4MNe7IqqH5Hp6qy7hp2gYMtmERujiIZJkaZQKHaOLB58oIbKfU7qrNGx0gok/s1600/2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1U-pbltYRFDNjt4h1ivE7WR8Va_06VVGlFbkGGKm1vxkRjLZzkyuYDCyBfRkNPJhPRYdQTn-qJ-sJ3-4MNe7IqqH5Hp6qy7hp2gYMtmERujiIZJkaZQKHaOLB58oIbKfU7qrNGx0gok/s1600/2.JPG" height="640" width="478" /> </a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Bizarre as heck! I'd never seen anything like it. We couldn't leave without it (Thanks, Terry and Dawn!).We had big plans for this little guy. We were going to add some color into the equation! Here's a sneek peek:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4Z9dUiy5b5Kd-o3Or5llN9-RBDjqsbLjB-NrztrC1MgUKo-gXwP0FJfTJizTDHQW4Md7pnB2mmJhsynoohL6K-abhLe_ZnTJDiTVoRG4YVZsCDhh5OyKy75q36ddImo5ZxrA8HhNT00/s1600/21+sneek+peek.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4Z9dUiy5b5Kd-o3Or5llN9-RBDjqsbLjB-NrztrC1MgUKo-gXwP0FJfTJizTDHQW4Md7pnB2mmJhsynoohL6K-abhLe_ZnTJDiTVoRG4YVZsCDhh5OyKy75q36ddImo5ZxrA8HhNT00/s1600/21+sneek+peek.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
First up: get rid of the dinged and scratched-up spray paint job.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dJvyASL3V7_ooIAeKzGfNdxdmlvgMFUEZhtuRwzeWoIrIw4IA5n-GsskliktBa09mrmh2H2FI-Xx_AxOO3ADHusWDCb3aNJ6XeZREGBnfEgmufYtynTVFuDIjkryEvI5Db-6nn3znMA/s1600/5.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dJvyASL3V7_ooIAeKzGfNdxdmlvgMFUEZhtuRwzeWoIrIw4IA5n-GsskliktBa09mrmh2H2FI-Xx_AxOO3ADHusWDCb3aNJ6XeZREGBnfEgmufYtynTVFuDIjkryEvI5Db-6nn3znMA/s1600/5.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
heh heh heh.I love me some good power-tool time. Cathartic and wonderful :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0PvOx22u7xUZX6516za8lo0Zr6NJyymsiHK-sV154ByIhnbKFAd7cg9ol_MIpxHz8X_7Q4SK4vbLmyHgkAt1xdxYAD5PsZdUPrH2G3JziPF5WWYjQycJ5h-D71rGomOLS9h8qPn-jdU/s1600/4.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0PvOx22u7xUZX6516za8lo0Zr6NJyymsiHK-sV154ByIhnbKFAd7cg9ol_MIpxHz8X_7Q4SK4vbLmyHgkAt1xdxYAD5PsZdUPrH2G3JziPF5WWYjQycJ5h-D71rGomOLS9h8qPn-jdU/s1600/4.JPG" height="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsP93W-xaKeWdzk1lOAOqhNvVf76j8vGwX2mxciGCINiA_Z5X2KjyrkkLDrmSaBOK2S1kJY5TqxragjvTDCs1ilBj-rcLg1GAnWWADnoK_vrV7xkWAUyU9qOZajHbh35XfqpKEfVgWUSE/s1600/6.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsP93W-xaKeWdzk1lOAOqhNvVf76j8vGwX2mxciGCINiA_Z5X2KjyrkkLDrmSaBOK2S1kJY5TqxragjvTDCs1ilBj-rcLg1GAnWWADnoK_vrV7xkWAUyU9qOZajHbh35XfqpKEfVgWUSE/s1600/6.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0PvOx22u7xUZX6516za8lo0Zr6NJyymsiHK-sV154ByIhnbKFAd7cg9ol_MIpxHz8X_7Q4SK4vbLmyHgkAt1xdxYAD5PsZdUPrH2G3JziPF5WWYjQycJ5h-D71rGomOLS9h8qPn-jdU/s1600/4.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
I carefully popped out the glass panels and used an orbital sander to remove the paint and wiped the dust off with a microfiber towel. Once every speck of dust was gone, we applied two coats of primer with a roller. Primer was really important in our case because the table gets a lot of use and/or abuse, and we wanted the finish to STICK. Our favorite primer to use for this is Zinnser. It's really the best and dries really quickly :) That's important for an impatient person like me!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJl6OT_vExPScaLMkkIpLUnwr1GMl-nv1IG0cWUZyTE1Qxk219JEx6ZQOSoeTIVjPkP6cQT7Z1FtI4WnZy29nFqkc-uLyYVE8wPh03oMtRRd2-tPxPHB48hB8GEAhvDoQLKw5xxA-NSy4/s1600/7.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJl6OT_vExPScaLMkkIpLUnwr1GMl-nv1IG0cWUZyTE1Qxk219JEx6ZQOSoeTIVjPkP6cQT7Z1FtI4WnZy29nFqkc-uLyYVE8wPh03oMtRRd2-tPxPHB48hB8GEAhvDoQLKw5xxA-NSy4/s1600/7.JPG" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cZNRGY6M7QAB1CInzFkBIrPKCJlP_R1V79epORAMJcTgnWAS0f2gapfTqIjevS4aZLUEw25BquIRoliXvYs8voXuIKpmaqBsjAdkWkzXbiK2OpuxoO18TvfjjQD_fvfpru30XB9Dzoo/s1600/8.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cZNRGY6M7QAB1CInzFkBIrPKCJlP_R1V79epORAMJcTgnWAS0f2gapfTqIjevS4aZLUEw25BquIRoliXvYs8voXuIKpmaqBsjAdkWkzXbiK2OpuxoO18TvfjjQD_fvfpru30XB9Dzoo/s1600/8.JPG" height="640" width="476" /></a></div>
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When the primer had dried completely, we added some color! We wanted to complement the color of the glass, which was a kind of seaglassy-minty color, more on the greener end of the mint spectrum. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIEaTFXfJMzhdpxA_7ooTbYdwYnZxDKdtuHpZfOxVQaazzK66DLh-y0lFqXDs0Om8emxHn-Z6fUeOOi1HMtyMzNdco4KCTmVjBaM9cbPFwCn5bcpzxNB80HuRboEsiQQKgG6N7GL1tow/s1600/3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIEaTFXfJMzhdpxA_7ooTbYdwYnZxDKdtuHpZfOxVQaazzK66DLh-y0lFqXDs0Om8emxHn-Z6fUeOOi1HMtyMzNdco4KCTmVjBaM9cbPFwCn5bcpzxNB80HuRboEsiQQKgG6N7GL1tow/s1600/3.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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We went with the darkest "blue" shade below, called Coventry Gardens by
Kensington & Clark. It was cheap and close to the color sample we
brought along with us to the hardware store. Turns out the color was
almost a dead match for our glass and not a complementary darker one, but it still looked nice so we went with it.</div>
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We painted the frame first, then pulled out the leaves and gave those a quick coat too. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bFVHo5DbLBrysqKbv34w1I2NsA4l8ngfXg7WEHZizo4INOIYvL2twZDaHei-sNQoGaDgnx6E0jBiZTEbVlUtoW-OT4P-TqxBlk2l20tY33lHLQBUJoeYAgh-jfm0LFWwK4QAZPnEr-8/s1600/12.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bFVHo5DbLBrysqKbv34w1I2NsA4l8ngfXg7WEHZizo4INOIYvL2twZDaHei-sNQoGaDgnx6E0jBiZTEbVlUtoW-OT4P-TqxBlk2l20tY33lHLQBUJoeYAgh-jfm0LFWwK4QAZPnEr-8/s1600/12.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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To get the smoothest finish possible, we hit it with some sandpaper after the second color coat and wore off any bumps. We used 1000 grit because that's what we had, but any grit higher than 100 would be perfectly fine! As you can see, we had to take off quite a bit to get it smooth again, but the third color coat was smooth like buttah.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsXNLF2jV-kzYH40uiJ11uP5jLkgMQeehCwdQFeGaE4oJV0Re8ZsD3vHG56__TMFpVif-ZLuZnJ8St-S16uiLYCIC017VjvI3rHi2JsTw5xTCTgsQOnUUg6F3WIRuYGpkXZu7FMPmOlc/s1600/11.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsXNLF2jV-kzYH40uiJ11uP5jLkgMQeehCwdQFeGaE4oJV0Re8ZsD3vHG56__TMFpVif-ZLuZnJ8St-S16uiLYCIC017VjvI3rHi2JsTw5xTCTgsQOnUUg6F3WIRuYGpkXZu7FMPmOlc/s1600/11.JPG" height="474" width="640" /></a></div>
Prettyyyyy! We decided to finish the table off with some lacquer for killer shine. Please note: I would NOT recommend this for every table! Brushing lacquer is a little bit of a pain because any drop of water totally turns the clear coat white (think of the treatment on a piece of antique furniture--the shine is spectacular but cannot handle a cup without a coaster!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bW50b0Nxm4z-8sr8F4utz3cnil0Hlxs_9jwC0-G2rvZ4jygZmGtGTLL16K9qkZLPNLXXadY0du9FZfBcbLdKKtVSuPU4NNv_vkugJNs1U_2qileIXJ3Zqd9HDoq72B6tdnc0yPoSWug/s1600/14.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bW50b0Nxm4z-8sr8F4utz3cnil0Hlxs_9jwC0-G2rvZ4jygZmGtGTLL16K9qkZLPNLXXadY0du9FZfBcbLdKKtVSuPU4NNv_vkugJNs1U_2qileIXJ3Zqd9HDoq72B6tdnc0yPoSWug/s1600/14.JPG" height="640" width="478" /></a> </div>
Our table was the exception because of the glass inserts; any food or beverage would be contained on the glass. We'd made sure before choosing this finish :)<br />
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We applied the lacquer the same as the color coats: two thin coats, a VERY light sand to remove any bumps, then a third and final coat of lacquer. We sanded a little lighter than with the paint because we didn't want to lose much of the lacquer coat. The above picture was taken after two coats but before the sanding; the third coat was again smooth as buttah!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Nzf9-4ZoPdlR01Qw8XiGak34cIG7zW67-Wl1Z_us3ItIR5xXujuN0ArPedCyDD_irsBkvIIwyTHAa1FFZiA_PWk8WXyvhzVFW88-ckrNGbPCPiYU-TGqEqkdDZn4SeQZcYKd8eYhSFM/s1600/20.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_PjUL4vasFXK9S52qrIQPxm3mH_ZmSdeT7ngLRO6HpFY4jzXJr2RCsGpMrLlEpaE8u_-nGnz9bWaqkWlGLCxTG2djEV92IVg9yBv6uvASkrKyOQWLnE2RS5-ICoaebyckiClWkfhZws/s1600/17.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_PjUL4vasFXK9S52qrIQPxm3mH_ZmSdeT7ngLRO6HpFY4jzXJr2RCsGpMrLlEpaE8u_-nGnz9bWaqkWlGLCxTG2djEV92IVg9yBv6uvASkrKyOQWLnE2RS5-ICoaebyckiClWkfhZws/s1600/17.JPG" height="640" width="476" /> </a></div>
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The mint works great in the dining room (although I'm SO ready to trade that hand-me-down rug for something else. And don't even get me started on the kitchen!) and adds a little modern flair to our obviously dated rental. Which I'm all for!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPhuc4RNjTVxgkzFybIg2y5rz3gknf-JbB0jdmfCHiOl06O26AjepeP9SnlWvs9qGiEvCkxMoEGwKe3GuaYPvTwDpb_YmGq005b5RpMveyTpqvC4LBJWKjGETuJBE_8zeMbqYCmizCfE/s1600/18.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPhuc4RNjTVxgkzFybIg2y5rz3gknf-JbB0jdmfCHiOl06O26AjepeP9SnlWvs9qGiEvCkxMoEGwKe3GuaYPvTwDpb_YmGq005b5RpMveyTpqvC4LBJWKjGETuJBE_8zeMbqYCmizCfE/s1600/18.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from the table,</td></tr>
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We love the new color and the table! Its so much more modern than the last one, and the color means we can use our white place settings, which you know is really important ;). Just for fun, here's a side-by-side comparison:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjDilh4kl53YwFYeUkqsIqEdwFmfnY0z3V8R7OmUQOttGtWydWXmZE8gxC0iN7MT59B1CpEQ4G9SSVMu07SV4JBjeHhqdwBTcVxdb9pEF5fmrmMcD93yhdaJRpnfifAcdRHfYvha2Vrk/s640/IMG_9720.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjDilh4kl53YwFYeUkqsIqEdwFmfnY0z3V8R7OmUQOttGtWydWXmZE8gxC0iN7MT59B1CpEQ4G9SSVMu07SV4JBjeHhqdwBTcVxdb9pEF5fmrmMcD93yhdaJRpnfifAcdRHfYvha2Vrk/s640/IMG_9720.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgrf4h9i380n6eJzFwlOFox-iJAxJmBQ9z7wpyaDmlj0foUqvdUSNBY09syLj8hIvDp5-Z-Wg2Fg_t3y4UxxDc7oircSwvdvw-DpDmGiTMb8HTtlDHHX4AYR3iKrBJ2HoFWOFWtP1nmk/s1600/IMG_9231.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgrf4h9i380n6eJzFwlOFox-iJAxJmBQ9z7wpyaDmlj0foUqvdUSNBY09syLj8hIvDp5-Z-Wg2Fg_t3y4UxxDc7oircSwvdvw-DpDmGiTMb8HTtlDHHX4AYR3iKrBJ2HoFWOFWtP1nmk/s1600/IMG_9231.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjDilh4kl53YwFYeUkqsIqEdwFmfnY0z3V8R7OmUQOttGtWydWXmZE8gxC0iN7MT59B1CpEQ4G9SSVMu07SV4JBjeHhqdwBTcVxdb9pEF5fmrmMcD93yhdaJRpnfifAcdRHfYvha2Vrk/s640/IMG_9720.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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As you can see, we've also got a canvas in there, and for now, it's PERFECT. It's a mod line-drawing of cityscapes in San Francisco, and its so colorful! It's an oldie from Ikea--found for 25% at my local thrift store! Also the off-white tone of the background makes our almond-colored doors/trim/cabinets/walls look less dingy next to our bright white chandelier and chairs. Now, painting all the doors and trim can be pushed even further down our to-do list (aka it will never get done unless we buy this place and want to put the time and effort into it!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aXzgUDl7reLTa9B3mNrAqtSJosVXHbCI89TtakSNm6Vzu1ZUrQdN-j1JVpmkAHAON7O6PAyTJQ5XS1UFmzGDjz-aEV9wTpPdw1llP__ONa1wR8G6YLeBS_4VNQO_yA7fmZcPcT6bLW8/s1600/22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aXzgUDl7reLTa9B3mNrAqtSJosVXHbCI89TtakSNm6Vzu1ZUrQdN-j1JVpmkAHAON7O6PAyTJQ5XS1UFmzGDjz-aEV9wTpPdw1llP__ONa1wR8G6YLeBS_4VNQO_yA7fmZcPcT6bLW8/s1600/22.JPG" height="474" width="640" /></a></div>
We haven't missed having the larger table, but we like the idea of being able to pull the leaves out and seat more people if needed. We'd cover the scroll-top leaves with one of our inherited catering tablecloths and no one would be the wiser :)<br />
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<b>Would you ever do a colored dining table? What do you think of ours?</b></div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-72305918351933152782014-01-27T15:04:00.000-08:002014-01-27T15:04:00.814-08:00Work-at-home-husbandWe've been keeping this on the down-low for awhile now, but Tim was recently offered a fantastic job at a new company, and this Friday was his last day at his old job.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzS2971fWE2nRPqsimhLnc4F3IzW-xNaayVepMSdUpimUDOSIkR8a0rtGtk17ml0XpPZHchzl7Ds2jqbYvn5QSokpd2Jeq3_5b2ZkttrIP-5SteT9NBKH_xGXF3sKk5OdGa5R6ZAXvXco/s1600/IMG_2408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzS2971fWE2nRPqsimhLnc4F3IzW-xNaayVepMSdUpimUDOSIkR8a0rtGtk17ml0XpPZHchzl7Ds2jqbYvn5QSokpd2Jeq3_5b2ZkttrIP-5SteT9NBKH_xGXF3sKk5OdGa5R6ZAXvXco/s1600/IMG_2408.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going away party at Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company on Friday night. His coworkers will miss him!</td></tr>
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His new job is such an awesome opportunity. The company is located in Atlanta, GA, which means that we'll be moving!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Just kidding!</b></span> Sales is a unique field in that it isn't necessary to be in the office, so he will be working remotely from home. Such a blessing!!!!! He will be traveling less than he was at his other job (PRAISE THE LORD), and since he's selling to the Western coast rather than the East, the trips he does take will be shorter. All this plus great benefits, a small ground-floor team with a collaborative mentality, and a bigger salary.<br />
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We are so grateful for this opportunity, since Tim has only been in sales for a few years and is still considered "green", so it is a huge blessing for this company to see his potential and invest in him. Whoo hoo!<br />
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We're doing a staycation in town for the next few days, since there was a week between the start of the new job and the end of the old one, and we're planning on drinking.that.in. We're on vacation mode! We're setting up the new office (which includes a few little decorating projects and one big woodworking one!), going to the beach, going on hikes, planning some really fun and interactive date nights... Going to be a fun and exciting week! <br />
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Here's a sneek peek about what we're doing for the office:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f8/c6/40/f8c64094a8df7f34e0bcaea90eeb14b9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f8/c6/40/f8c64094a8df7f34e0bcaea90eeb14b9.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><a href="http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0172/6342/products/bd700d_bradford_writing_desk_with_chair_black_3_grande.jpg?v=1344277625" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0172/6342/products/bd700d_bradford_writing_desk_with_chair_black_3_grande.jpg?v=1344277625" height="300" width="400" /></a><a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f8/c6/40/f8c64094a8df7f34e0bcaea90eeb14b9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/270567890087065395/" target="_blank">Pinterest </a>(Etsy store no longer accessible) // <a href="http://www.lovemynewfurniture.com/products/bradford-counter-height-desk" target="_blank">Home Decor Express</a></td></tr>
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We're building Tim a standing desk using those two as inspiration. If all goes as planned, he'll have a split-level standing-height desk with a bookshelf on one side! We were going to go with a combination of a few Ana White plans, but are modifying it so much that it's not even recognizable. Wish us luck! <br />
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-72234913903208996862014-01-22T17:45:00.001-08:002014-01-22T17:45:17.570-08:00The weekend--a quick visit to Angel Island<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Slcdh3EwZkHezbLDgF_lMQyUN4BnFoH8TaAACmzA_NhWYY0TUJg0aLwZHPrKH1IHq8x20Du4EngrKGTT-xHegmnKJ3n1Yrgowso_wWXSAZ0jCNbYrxV1VfYqb6-oFKwjs-Tjm-4xehg/s1600/IMG_2369.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Slcdh3EwZkHezbLDgF_lMQyUN4BnFoH8TaAACmzA_NhWYY0TUJg0aLwZHPrKH1IHq8x20Du4EngrKGTT-xHegmnKJ3n1Yrgowso_wWXSAZ0jCNbYrxV1VfYqb6-oFKwjs-Tjm-4xehg/s1600/IMG_2369.jpg" /></a> </div>
This past weekend, Tim and I headed up to the Bay Area for a Westmont Alumni event up at Ebay and Paypal. The event itself wasn't really blog-worthy (except their offices are AWESOME and Paypal would have some really cool functionality for offline use IF stores actually adopted it...!). Long story short--it was a cool but not all that memorable experience.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYt5NCtpT5cwVaMP_0L-1jRDrxmtDHy08px8pYA7pr4snYFwoVwIuHZigm3myfO9hpuBTCT43Yaa_kt6SzYrKpNsy6ztBkcUT0ECg-p682xjLMHv149Lt2dN1ivbiha6p04J-691Rm7Q/s1600/IMG_2293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYt5NCtpT5cwVaMP_0L-1jRDrxmtDHy08px8pYA7pr4snYFwoVwIuHZigm3myfO9hpuBTCT43Yaa_kt6SzYrKpNsy6ztBkcUT0ECg-p682xjLMHv149Lt2dN1ivbiha6p04J-691Rm7Q/s1600/IMG_2293.jpg" /></a></div>
The event was on friday night, so once it was over, we had the rest of the weekend free! We were lucky to be up there on a weekend that both my parents AND my brother and his wife were around, so we all loaded up the boat and took it out to Angel Island (like we did for the <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/07/fourth-of-july.html" target="_blank">Fourth of July </a>last year).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcH-a9nvXe1qz6GH8MVQ_V3UaTWZJ0-wQON-h12M6zfGR7b2TCxd965T_JNJGlFVvUdhzZY8qXrwXvIk6_gqmpLkH8O6v6QMEHrh9GTAajDVYhnQDXeXb7w86GO1ZLBrKVt0Kv8juab10/s1600/IMG_2298.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcH-a9nvXe1qz6GH8MVQ_V3UaTWZJ0-wQON-h12M6zfGR7b2TCxd965T_JNJGlFVvUdhzZY8qXrwXvIk6_gqmpLkH8O6v6QMEHrh9GTAajDVYhnQDXeXb7w86GO1ZLBrKVt0Kv8juab10/s1600/IMG_2298.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
The weather was perfect compared to what we dealt with back in the summer--not a cloud in the sky! Typical for the Bay, I tell ya; there's never been a colder winter than summer in San Francisco.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJaDNjp7pNiTcKMBUEIqL9j3jrVvvL5eWwtwZyP8K_dzOz1hyVImYSkH6AItNtAeWs41rAx7hE38sMt9ZjW4kqD3BRG79TePV_iLhvba9Iwu4lE5fnv_H45iiYgQvG0In06bcqCLrxT0/s1600/IMG_2296+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJaDNjp7pNiTcKMBUEIqL9j3jrVvvL5eWwtwZyP8K_dzOz1hyVImYSkH6AItNtAeWs41rAx7hE38sMt9ZjW4kqD3BRG79TePV_iLhvba9Iwu4lE5fnv_H45iiYgQvG0In06bcqCLrxT0/s1600/IMG_2296+%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devon & Tim before we left shore</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecsbTtNvTPR3Rf8jTnHKtBlf40fpzcFw05aiDUc6A-q0kMzlVNr-ZrSrq7koOzOtSP0k8mOFbEYCr1vFqujeYljsF8KQ0-3jDpM8D_bXIxrKA2F1DJCCokQN8tlO8F5BvkIJT7uRW7Tc/s1600/IMG_2316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecsbTtNvTPR3Rf8jTnHKtBlf40fpzcFw05aiDUc6A-q0kMzlVNr-ZrSrq7koOzOtSP0k8mOFbEYCr1vFqujeYljsF8KQ0-3jDpM8D_bXIxrKA2F1DJCCokQN8tlO8F5BvkIJT7uRW7Tc/s1600/IMG_2316.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dev, Adri, me, and Tim as we crossed beneath the new Bay Bridge. Dev blinked but it's the only one that came out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailboats between Angel Island and Sausalito. Such a pretty day!</td></tr>
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A short boat ride later, we arrived at Angel island. Dogs aren't allowed on the island, so we'd left Daisy at home, but the six of us still had fun without her ;) We picnicked on the boat for awhile, enjoying the sun, and took a really short hike partially around the island. So beautiful!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Golden Gate Bridge from Angel Island</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHO5EyePAOIvLwYoZ-nk8n3Ehr6qodtFC2Hd24Ux_2GGVCo8tFDUZyjz6SYw9dAMqi4CWG0lOg_EmGJ4KnHyNrR2CaWCL8rw9l5062jqdEBIpAoc0EwH0uZQbnjwh1frA0VYd0viJXPo/s1600/IMG_2354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHO5EyePAOIvLwYoZ-nk8n3Ehr6qodtFC2Hd24Ux_2GGVCo8tFDUZyjz6SYw9dAMqi4CWG0lOg_EmGJ4KnHyNrR2CaWCL8rw9l5062jqdEBIpAoc0EwH0uZQbnjwh1frA0VYd0viJXPo/s1600/IMG_2354.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devon and I like to make it a point to take at least one stupid picture per visit. This was ours.</td></tr>
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It was so fun to catch up with the fam all together, like picking up right where we left off. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVb39faBDSV-nbPrwF6-7OqqnECbC04YgxWRksXllousfzRzMdajgDksc266AsYhktiO9vh9C0u0GoooI27P2rmj1Yfte0VhdnVkjaGluMb5dLj-iE-5Vouy0HRpAmX_3oMY6XUgchgkE/s1600/IMG_2358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVb39faBDSV-nbPrwF6-7OqqnECbC04YgxWRksXllousfzRzMdajgDksc266AsYhktiO9vh9C0u0GoooI27P2rmj1Yfte0VhdnVkjaGluMb5dLj-iE-5Vouy0HRpAmX_3oMY6XUgchgkE/s1600/IMG_2358.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2EY-HxFovHGieUofZ9ieJljMSx3RckYBo8a06mn628aF3h4dJ0H3s91JU7D0lr-yPNlfknnulzxJC7xii8S-JP4MUWZXnFddbizVr_-U2H6mixoLzgDfrU90kPmsVtC8ezksnJ0veGE/s1600/IMG_2372.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2EY-HxFovHGieUofZ9ieJljMSx3RckYBo8a06mn628aF3h4dJ0H3s91JU7D0lr-yPNlfknnulzxJC7xii8S-JP4MUWZXnFddbizVr_-U2H6mixoLzgDfrU90kPmsVtC8ezksnJ0veGE/s1600/IMG_2372.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVb39faBDSV-nbPrwF6-7OqqnECbC04YgxWRksXllousfzRzMdajgDksc266AsYhktiO9vh9C0u0GoooI27P2rmj1Yfte0VhdnVkjaGluMb5dLj-iE-5Vouy0HRpAmX_3oMY6XUgchgkE/s1600/IMG_2358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adri & Dev on the Island // This is a rare photo of my dad&mom; they;re not even making silly faces!</td></tr>
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After a leisurely day out on the water and on the island, we headed back home. I can't think of a more relaxing Saturday! <br />
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-8189482860325743532014-01-15T18:00:00.000-08:002014-01-15T21:11:16.729-08:00formal"Prom was what seemed like a lifetime ago, <br>
I went to a <i>lot</i> of formal events in high school, and that continued through college and beyond. Winter ball, junior ball, senior ball, college formals (two a year), not to mention the random dinners throughout the year that we deemed as "formal" and would bust out the fancy dresses.<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCQR1U9g1AZ7jr8aKALeb8dhcf3QC6ey6IUNAySkux1ISQtKZwf7NHF4W-KbaWK371sE4wrnD1-tuXqYnI77o68vVVxk9Wz2-tuSVAl6WuWkSlwqzWOdEP0jVbhyK-ugNPdZFiBbhucY/s1600/4.+wedding+gown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2003 dinner / 2005 winter ball / 2006 birthday dinner / 2006 senior ball / 2006 graduation dinner</td></tr>
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For each event, the selection process was simple. I was never really one of those girls who lived and breathed prom; I didn't really care what I wore. The only exception to this was my senior prom; I didn't have a date until the last minute (like, the day before) and splurged on a dress to make myself feel better about it ;). Every other dress was thrifted or picked up from the sale rack. And I loved every single one of them.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZNZvpngso5BIaoiaDDV_vL1y1R3ETRAlb-ONP5ElMD-NJ2OrPz_JQXmuF_fT2zgUCJGt9bLAdk50B5Y9KG_4MjdI3RCL3GlNiPutmj-2KoadS0s_jaK4XxZS_fE0KskWo1UCO2dsBNI/s1600/2.+freshman+year+to+sophomore+summer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZNZvpngso5BIaoiaDDV_vL1y1R3ETRAlb-ONP5ElMD-NJ2OrPz_JQXmuF_fT2zgUCJGt9bLAdk50B5Y9KG_4MjdI3RCL3GlNiPutmj-2KoadS0s_jaK4XxZS_fE0KskWo1UCO2dsBNI/s1600/2.+freshman+year+to+sophomore+summer.jpg" height="362" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2006 winter formal / 2007 dorm gala / 2008 birthday dinner / 2008 random dinner / 2008 moving-back-to-college dinner</td></tr>
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For me, it wasn't about the dress, it was about how I felt in it. It was a state of mind, and the dress usually acted as an accessory for how I wanted to feel. Plus, with the addition of the right accessories, almost any dress would work for almost any event, so sticking to the emotion for me was the right way to go. Did I want to feel like Cinderella? Grab the ball gown!Was I feeling sassy? Snag the short little beaded number! Elegant and sophisticated? Slip into the pencil dress! You get the idea.<br>
I didn't let the event dictate what I wanted to wear or how much I should spend, either, which was the ticket. Formal for me didn't have to mean pricey; with the exception of the aforementioned Senior Ball dress (and the dress I had custom-made in Thailand), none of my formal dresses cost me more than $20. Everything else was thrifted, from the sale rack, or picked up at a store like Forever 21.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9_wir1vkxuEv9j2XEYw-pTxSRoh8U9qNq8VHmi0PhGhxS1FdENE1RV1kHdwCNjG3LeMFKC1NZqpcjLCBK0pwDTJQ5RpQIzgBekmxmnGdv6GRA63cLjVOQaRUoQSHdWNbsFwkJKVIIAk/s1600/3.+junior+year+to+present.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9_wir1vkxuEv9j2XEYw-pTxSRoh8U9qNq8VHmi0PhGhxS1FdENE1RV1kHdwCNjG3LeMFKC1NZqpcjLCBK0pwDTJQ5RpQIzgBekmxmnGdv6GRA63cLjVOQaRUoQSHdWNbsFwkJKVIIAk/s1600/3.+junior+year+to+present.jpg" height="406" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2008 Winter formal / 2009 Thailand graduation / 2009 Winter formal / 2012 Vegas show / 2013 Mercy Housing gala</td></tr>
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I just loved being able to respond to a compliment with "Thanks! I got it for six bucks!" or something like that. Believe it or not, when I picked my wedding dress, I followed really similar rules: </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCQR1U9g1AZ7jr8aKALeb8dhcf3QC6ey6IUNAySkux1ISQtKZwf7NHF4W-KbaWK371sE4wrnD1-tuXqYnI77o68vVVxk9Wz2-tuSVAl6WuWkSlwqzWOdEP0jVbhyK-ugNPdZFiBbhucY/s1600/4.+wedding+gown.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCQR1U9g1AZ7jr8aKALeb8dhcf3QC6ey6IUNAySkux1ISQtKZwf7NHF4W-KbaWK371sE4wrnD1-tuXqYnI77o68vVVxk9Wz2-tuSVAl6WuWkSlwqzWOdEP0jVbhyK-ugNPdZFiBbhucY/s1600/4.+wedding+gown.jpg" height="264" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our wedding, 2011</td></tr>
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Gaah I still love that dress. I had a few ideas about what I wanted, but in the end, my final selection was about the emotion and how I felt in the dress. Could I imagine walking down the aisle to my new husband wearing it? I wasn't thinking "Is this the dress in which I want to get married?" or "will this work in the venue we picked?", my thoughts were all about how I felt and how I thought Tim would react. I wanted to WOW him, and I certainly was able to accomplish that ;)<br>
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And I didn't break the bank doing it, either. I got the WOW for 300 bones. Score!<br>
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The 2013 prom season is upon us, which means a lot of stores are pulling out their formal wear, but you don't have to be in high school to reap the benefits! Us ladies are lucky in the sense that we can get away with almost anything nowadays; again, with the right accessories you can dress anything either up or down. Take a look at <a href="http://www.1dress.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.1dress.co.uk/</a>; they've got some gorgeous dresses to pick from! Just because they say "prom dress" on the title doesn't mean that's all they're good for, and every dress is custom made-to-order to your measurements, which is pretty cool. <br>
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I'm long past the "prom dress" phase and I've already worn my wedding dress, so the majority of my formal-gown-needing days are supposed to be over. But that doesn't mean I have to be done! Think about it, what about a pretty dress for a fancy dinner or black-tie wedding? Or just a versatile <a href="http://www.1dress.co.uk/special-occasion-dresses/cocktail-dresses/little-black-dresses.html" target="_blank">little black dress</a>? If I had another formal event that called for an incredibly superfluous and over-the-top gown again, wouldn't it be fabulous to show up in something dramatic and swanky like this?<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIm78II3qjSUs02z8j0d94f1blVPphGNeh5YI6TQPLvJP2EyA2HxjCSEHG-b0I3PZWXotZ6iIjXkwZJYnM78ZUP_zRNRQF0XQVf3hijZ8-hNJtFLoGk7QpsKvo-M0Fu7cEMqEz-kx9KdY/s1600/2013-style-scoop-a-line-sleeveless-floor-length-tulle-prom-dress-fc311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIm78II3qjSUs02z8j0d94f1blVPphGNeh5YI6TQPLvJP2EyA2HxjCSEHG-b0I3PZWXotZ6iIjXkwZJYnM78ZUP_zRNRQF0XQVf3hijZ8-hNJtFLoGk7QpsKvo-M0Fu7cEMqEz-kx9KdY/s1600/2013-style-scoop-a-line-sleeveless-floor-length-tulle-prom-dress-fc311.jpg" height="400" width="366"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxc_vi7ejkazCkhSOOT_o09Gzyd-lKGRXCMOEfo0sXo1QDD0u-OAhwiubTieajR-ZCIBcRyjKdPYsUw9FAdDW4d_GHDUJF-yChHwgzNEzsH6HLe412ICBJ5GArVXBqGUhPIXGADUJDD0k/s1600/2013-style-scoop-sheath-column-sleeveless-sweep-brush-train-chiffon-luxury-wedding-dresses-wx548.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxc_vi7ejkazCkhSOOT_o09Gzyd-lKGRXCMOEfo0sXo1QDD0u-OAhwiubTieajR-ZCIBcRyjKdPYsUw9FAdDW4d_GHDUJF-yChHwgzNEzsH6HLe412ICBJ5GArVXBqGUhPIXGADUJDD0k/s1600/2013-style-scoop-sheath-column-sleeveless-sweep-brush-train-chiffon-luxury-wedding-dresses-wx548.jpg" height="400" width="366"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIm78II3qjSUs02z8j0d94f1blVPphGNeh5YI6TQPLvJP2EyA2HxjCSEHG-b0I3PZWXotZ6iIjXkwZJYnM78ZUP_zRNRQF0XQVf3hijZ8-hNJtFLoGk7QpsKvo-M0Fu7cEMqEz-kx9KdY/s1600/2013-style-scoop-a-line-sleeveless-floor-length-tulle-prom-dress-fc311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.1dress.co.uk/2013-style-scoop-a-line-sleeveless-floor-length-tulle-prom-dress-fc311.html">left</a>// <a href="http://www.1dress.co.uk/2013-style-scoop-sheath-column-sleeveless-sweep-brush-train-chiffon-luxury-wedding-dresses-wx548.html">right</a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxc_vi7ejkazCkhSOOT_o09Gzyd-lKGRXCMOEfo0sXo1QDD0u-OAhwiubTieajR-ZCIBcRyjKdPYsUw9FAdDW4d_GHDUJF-yChHwgzNEzsH6HLe412ICBJ5GArVXBqGUhPIXGADUJDD0k/s1600/2013-style-scoop-sheath-column-sleeveless-sweep-brush-train-chiffon-luxury-wedding-dresses-wx548.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIm78II3qjSUs02z8j0d94f1blVPphGNeh5YI6TQPLvJP2EyA2HxjCSEHG-b0I3PZWXotZ6iIjXkwZJYnM78ZUP_zRNRQF0XQVf3hijZ8-hNJtFLoGk7QpsKvo-M0Fu7cEMqEz-kx9KdY/s1600/2013-style-scoop-a-line-sleeveless-floor-length-tulle-prom-dress-fc311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
Gaah I love sparkly illusion necklines; deck me out in sparkles and I'm a happy camper! Or what about something like these celebrity red carpet-inspired dresses? <br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqbmhdUowptoeQWxbDkki5OF1YGtn0AvcVa632qLRAAFYtOZZcSBuahU-OgkS2DSADDRZCz5xeOlQf_zi2J8SfBo2UwWHRCn2CGskfySdRYQ6IZ11BMXRUY2ETjrrUWYUUd2EbCbY_zU/s1600/Olivia+wilds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqbmhdUowptoeQWxbDkki5OF1YGtn0AvcVa632qLRAAFYtOZZcSBuahU-OgkS2DSADDRZCz5xeOlQf_zi2J8SfBo2UwWHRCn2CGskfySdRYQ6IZ11BMXRUY2ETjrrUWYUUd2EbCbY_zU/s1600/Olivia+wilds.jpg" height="400" width="343"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYDrMaSEDB8SoBWo_WCHeKnsW-oA7tTNf1Pu3xKJdskECGNHzGFDK-OMQC7mEOndktjarCK8rfOEEYnagWs2XDo8dKsByZBTyS1GdPznUGq4e8tEFJQNWO2ocNJOvS6pkbmcKkd2R6sw/s1600/selena-gomez-sheath-column-sweetheart-beading-sleeveless-floor-length-chiffon-prom-dresses-evening-dresses-uk020875.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYDrMaSEDB8SoBWo_WCHeKnsW-oA7tTNf1Pu3xKJdskECGNHzGFDK-OMQC7mEOndktjarCK8rfOEEYnagWs2XDo8dKsByZBTyS1GdPznUGq4e8tEFJQNWO2ocNJOvS6pkbmcKkd2R6sw/s1600/selena-gomez-sheath-column-sweetheart-beading-sleeveless-floor-length-chiffon-prom-dresses-evening-dresses-uk020875.jpg" height="400" width="366"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqbmhdUowptoeQWxbDkki5OF1YGtn0AvcVa632qLRAAFYtOZZcSBuahU-OgkS2DSADDRZCz5xeOlQf_zi2J8SfBo2UwWHRCn2CGskfySdRYQ6IZ11BMXRUY2ETjrrUWYUUd2EbCbY_zU/s1600/Olivia+wilds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.1dress.co.uk/off-the-shoulder-a-line-sleeveless-floor-length-chiffon-evening-dresses-usazt004.html">Olivia Wilde-inspired </a>// <a href="http://www.1dress.co.uk/selena-gomez-sheath-column-sweetheart-beading-sleeveless-floor-length-chiffon-prom-dresses-evening-dresses-uk020875.html">Selena Gomez-inspired</a></td></tr>
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Pretty, right? I guess I'm into neutrals right now, haha. What goes into formal-wear choices for you? <br>
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<i>This was a sponsored post, but as always all opinions are my own!</i></div>
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Brittany @ Brittany's Joy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992690427123689891noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3986246064550105037.post-38975912746680753662014-01-15T03:00:00.000-08:002014-01-15T09:22:08.452-08:00Narrower dresser part 2: the drawersThose of you following along with this blog back in July of TWENTY-TWELVE, you can finally release your breath. The <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/07/circular-saws-popsicles-and-wood-glue.html">Franken-dresser project </a>has been completed! For those of you who haven't been around that long (or for those of you who have forgotten all the little details in the past year and a half), here's a quick recap of what happened:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYkPvC4sTzFlUMttsBZorbvecFxo9pTAOg1PNcRO8tUgxNwNOrL67H2hudy_6dxUoFgoQYDPlM8k_01ZTzP3_BsOm0a4Ol3waZiRoIk6qaOdmdkHJbWpcvQnYTw41HmR4dNuRdDQ3st0/s1600/The+franken-dresser++recap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYkPvC4sTzFlUMttsBZorbvecFxo9pTAOg1PNcRO8tUgxNwNOrL67H2hudy_6dxUoFgoQYDPlM8k_01ZTzP3_BsOm0a4Ol3waZiRoIk6qaOdmdkHJbWpcvQnYTw41HmR4dNuRdDQ3st0/s640/The+franken-dresser++recap.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos from <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/07/circular-saws-popsicles-and-wood-glue.html">this post</a></td></tr>
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We had an awkward corner in our guest room that needed <i>something</i>, and an extra dresser that would have been perfect for the space if it were just ten inches narrower. So, we cut it in half! Using a circular saw, wood glue, putty, and a LOT of winging it, we were able to disassemble this dresser and reassemble it so it would fit in the space. We held off on doing the drawers at that time and instead hung a burlap curtain inside the dresser so we could store stuff in it without making it look cluttered.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aYWfCLYIhifR_N-VGNxJmVPIAMBh0XEBOcg2gKN6gWKDg1R6cs5mymuwugDMDaTvMLXpXCM_S1p3eaB2DfRIYget7nUdlMeWhsYSXnknyB_3Uf7yBRgKGo_wZ8jFgvkHp8SOdcnBfUks/s1600/IMG_7738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aYWfCLYIhifR_N-VGNxJmVPIAMBh0XEBOcg2gKN6gWKDg1R6cs5mymuwugDMDaTvMLXpXCM_S1p3eaB2DfRIYget7nUdlMeWhsYSXnknyB_3Uf7yBRgKGo_wZ8jFgvkHp8SOdcnBfUks/s640/IMG_7738.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
Thing is, we never got around to narrowing the drawers. It's been like this for a year and a half.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMFXWZO_pBaWsdH9Cybp81_CDDDaxyxDBBi2KiqEuDOjyu2AiJAyAVhqGh47UCLZTit4dhknQdyIs-XUwYN82keF4RDlubg0g0ClI1fHuRMJTnOe4BGzkOSMDR1DBxD-71Qp2_URIgVE/s1600/IMG_4191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMFXWZO_pBaWsdH9Cybp81_CDDDaxyxDBBi2KiqEuDOjyu2AiJAyAVhqGh47UCLZTit4dhknQdyIs-XUwYN82keF4RDlubg0g0ClI1fHuRMJTnOe4BGzkOSMDR1DBxD-71Qp2_URIgVE/s640/IMG_4191.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
Eventually, we switched up the function of the guest room from TV room to actual guest room, and so the bird moved into our bedroom, and at that point, we'd had it! The extra drawers had been sitting in our bedroom (so much for an <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/06/creating-oasis-space-in-your-home.html">oasis space</a>, right??!) and it was TIME! The clutter was stressing us out, and since it had been long enough between the start of the project that I'd forgotten what a pain it was to use wood glue on furniture, I figured it was time to finish this puppy. Time to skinnify up some drawers!<br />
Click to see the tutorial. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTiOOtuV-FtzbfYnak9Oi5dk5yBfP5k5Q4Mw7ayuXX_i6OCR_BETfhnxMmKW0R6vlS57u1wdE6jsKI9EG6mKCTlXXU_aj8w-iiZShxDZvYvAsBigJrbP1-66TjFmmoFSPKSPeyN53AdU/s1600/IMG_4216.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTiOOtuV-FtzbfYnak9Oi5dk5yBfP5k5Q4Mw7ayuXX_i6OCR_BETfhnxMmKW0R6vlS57u1wdE6jsKI9EG6mKCTlXXU_aj8w-iiZShxDZvYvAsBigJrbP1-66TjFmmoFSPKSPeyN53AdU/s640/IMG_4216.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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The process began with the re-installation of all of the drawer slides and support braces. The drawer slides were supposed to be screwed into place on the front of the dresser, but that would have gone straight through the glue that connected the two halves of the dresser together. Rather than threaten the structural integrity, I glued the slides into place with a dab of Gorilla glue. The back brace was held in place the same way.</div>
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<img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRc-02FPtK8ML_cZAgXgzL0el5HyV-poLFBrTFA34R4sYfpRDfl9fYPEQTK6jNCGE0isc_Uaxod-RwZ693gtNc847mZUCDDrCEbspXBhxyOWsBF9FeGRpyplbjND5x9s1alLyFOwuHk6g/s640/IMG_4202.JPG" width="640" /></div>
Next, we determined how much we'd have to take out of the drawers for them to function properly in the newly skinny dresser, and got to work! Rather than cutting them all the way in half like we did for the dresser itself, we removed the bottom and back of each drawer carefully (ours was held in place with a little glue) and then cut the front piece out, so we were left with 2 L-shaped front and side pieces of the correct width. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0Z3khLdp18OJmdBB9nZE3kZvF7G_9NsvnGUL7Cevke4BiiZYzSRSU1XXbLRe36rvLVMb8_jpnU5h_tf0Qg47kOBm8G17g1N6mvGwdeyVhjCI-x27I3ipQfG-2ZCUHDHFFsNYgt3lsnw/s1600/IMG_4221.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0Z3khLdp18OJmdBB9nZE3kZvF7G_9NsvnGUL7Cevke4BiiZYzSRSU1XXbLRe36rvLVMb8_jpnU5h_tf0Qg47kOBm8G17g1N6mvGwdeyVhjCI-x27I3ipQfG-2ZCUHDHFFsNYgt3lsnw/s400/IMG_4221.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-62LnEuaveNfEjNzda_aiobMHIjie0PxylQBFNBQcCWuy2zT3XqdFocUTrV4g9hfUPhpSGXx5JEfs8NgK5Jgp5BIqZgSaztAg1-Y0MXn3ShxvOQelUgzX5BaSrkTZcXohHC1r4hUv2E/s1600/IMG_4220.JPG"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-62LnEuaveNfEjNzda_aiobMHIjie0PxylQBFNBQcCWuy2zT3XqdFocUTrV4g9hfUPhpSGXx5JEfs8NgK5Jgp5BIqZgSaztAg1-Y0MXn3ShxvOQelUgzX5BaSrkTZcXohHC1r4hUv2E/s320/IMG_4220.JPG" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0Z3khLdp18OJmdBB9nZE3kZvF7G_9NsvnGUL7Cevke4BiiZYzSRSU1XXbLRe36rvLVMb8_jpnU5h_tf0Qg47kOBm8G17g1N6mvGwdeyVhjCI-x27I3ipQfG-2ZCUHDHFFsNYgt3lsnw/s1600/IMG_4221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
Instead of cutting the middle out of each drawer back, we chopped half of the needed width off each side (see right). This left the drawer slide hardware intact, so that when reassembled the drawers would be able to open and close easily while remaining level.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDbbyr88qxBEOlhmXWVlSr_VTeDOzbKiLugO-n18fX5CfUm-ThuhXVV-qVbjrYN1m9p3B44r5P_oWcdg_CXVEM9OXkeZG1B3gZqEQFZzleButmmhypJVgsS_F2dxtaFLImgTqDHooBl0/s1600/IMG_4224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPkcbmtpJVzYCNP3GQVNhEHp08hvaB0GLAFf8iJBR-vYamynVwtvu6r2GCWw7-g5BMhimOsI3KOOG-SL78KGVGgkRs8y4tomg-8ya6FF9YCcQcH7QYl0Tjc1P4JikHzBUUs20yq28Lzw/s320/IMG_4223.JPG" width="320" /><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDbbyr88qxBEOlhmXWVlSr_VTeDOzbKiLugO-n18fX5CfUm-ThuhXVV-qVbjrYN1m9p3B44r5P_oWcdg_CXVEM9OXkeZG1B3gZqEQFZzleButmmhypJVgsS_F2dxtaFLImgTqDHooBl0/s320/IMG_4224.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div>
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To assemble the new drawers, I started by putting the bottom and sides together, and finished by attaching the backs. This part was hard to photograph since I was doing this by myself, forgive the crooked pictures! Because I took the drawers apart carefully, the grooves to hold the back and bottom were still intact, so a little glue inside the groove kept the pieces secure enough to start.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFIoqjlrfSmptaR6ObSfa1TOmiYIDDb-dkGdXvdb0DD-RHuX3-qIxVbRZZXQ3vof2-1IKHWdGZDE2KhOPwoDXNxQAOheu5TklLmgUSN_gDa4vQFDvaUl492_sqLEWw1w61jii27P1soc/s1600/IMG_4227.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLS44_Oy_kAhJNZyPM3KYLiB0OVZObSHvQeANFjmPpx94Z2BsavkTK0Fp79admWw39Vi0XEQLxmW6i64LNNYLLrfu3sG3C2LC1xlUnW1mrbcVJnG_tHNYWsf7F1XnE7yvxb5yVKBDWSYI/s1600/IMG_4226.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLS44_Oy_kAhJNZyPM3KYLiB0OVZObSHvQeANFjmPpx94Z2BsavkTK0Fp79admWw39Vi0XEQLxmW6i64LNNYLLrfu3sG3C2LC1xlUnW1mrbcVJnG_tHNYWsf7F1XnE7yvxb5yVKBDWSYI/s640/IMG_4226.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I also reinforced each line of glue with a small finishing nail, to make sure the pieces were attached firmly.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFIoqjlrfSmptaR6ObSfa1TOmiYIDDb-dkGdXvdb0DD-RHuX3-qIxVbRZZXQ3vof2-1IKHWdGZDE2KhOPwoDXNxQAOheu5TklLmgUSN_gDa4vQFDvaUl492_sqLEWw1w61jii27P1soc/s1600/IMG_4227.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFIoqjlrfSmptaR6ObSfa1TOmiYIDDb-dkGdXvdb0DD-RHuX3-qIxVbRZZXQ3vof2-1IKHWdGZDE2KhOPwoDXNxQAOheu5TklLmgUSN_gDa4vQFDvaUl492_sqLEWw1w61jii27P1soc/s640/IMG_4227.JPG" width="640" /></a> </div>
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Once the glue was dried and the drawers could be handled without falling apart, I filled in the cracks and holes in the front with wood filler. </div>
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I made a really wonky cut on one of the drawers unfortunately, so there was a fairly large gap to fill on that one. Since it would take a lot of putty to fill that all the way up, I slid a few spare pieces of wood inside the crack to partially fill it, then puttied around the pieces. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGpPXThggnXR4W1HwxLTGvxftcNhIXUz0nm7EEcjqCkfqU78ze0Vi2iQrK5uE3VIhimWbiZX8YMgBsTQ7x9Vl42I8LiYCv8GsIQZ3KOrSerrmdiaYoBk0ytxckJUud0B8dTYJoz7Xdrw/s1600/IMG_4244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGpPXThggnXR4W1HwxLTGvxftcNhIXUz0nm7EEcjqCkfqU78ze0Vi2iQrK5uE3VIhimWbiZX8YMgBsTQ7x9Vl42I8LiYCv8GsIQZ3KOrSerrmdiaYoBk0ytxckJUud0B8dTYJoz7Xdrw/s640/IMG_4244.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I made sure to put in more putty than it seemed would be necessary, because it was easier to sand it all down than have to re-fill them again. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0AuOzNm2G0ThUm6upmTYyP-B8OUlePEcHMXbD6aKuju2X-SEwXE3gog-JENYHJXziU2pJOkKofmzh6fpfdrjl3doB2DAeaLQrRp8174i3dVEF8Lohh6CYJ6jy7iXQV0fXvVM2krW66s/s1600/IMG_4248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0AuOzNm2G0ThUm6upmTYyP-B8OUlePEcHMXbD6aKuju2X-SEwXE3gog-JENYHJXziU2pJOkKofmzh6fpfdrjl3doB2DAeaLQrRp8174i3dVEF8Lohh6CYJ6jy7iXQV0fXvVM2krW66s/s640/IMG_4248.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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When the putty was dry, a quick pass of the belt sander made the drawer fronts smooth as a baby's bottom! (an orbital sander or regular sandpaper is fine too, it just would take longer). And that's it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7lfxAV3MMNQTBfhGe6u812j5TGKTThFWYo-rM4_lljRfv01r5Wkp1uBPsBo-NMYqy9cfwAIgbD5w5LGbuGKIcCSLhyYUJM-3LTOsH8p_bAovVaNk13EhWQ_USsh4zjZ5DBXcb3wo1q0/s1600/IMG_4254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7lfxAV3MMNQTBfhGe6u812j5TGKTThFWYo-rM4_lljRfv01r5Wkp1uBPsBo-NMYqy9cfwAIgbD5w5LGbuGKIcCSLhyYUJM-3LTOsH8p_bAovVaNk13EhWQ_USsh4zjZ5DBXcb3wo1q0/s640/IMG_4254.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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I did all the drawers the same way save the bottom one. I wanted a spot for my printer, and decided that just the drawer face was necessary in that case. :). </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyn2TkHUQW9aAqRql1yaFjaurrHCNIWfbOuXZA0ueVmVnFAPV4E1MCL99qW8jQ-LJ-3twBuwPslZPqaaHvBFZ7maLCc-QfJT1giDaBH3oYly02pkLKh9CTxc6bKzFCm8QeHa-yGMBrNUg/s1600/IMG_2171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyn2TkHUQW9aAqRql1yaFjaurrHCNIWfbOuXZA0ueVmVnFAPV4E1MCL99qW8jQ-LJ-3twBuwPslZPqaaHvBFZ7maLCc-QfJT1giDaBH3oYly02pkLKh9CTxc6bKzFCm8QeHa-yGMBrNUg/s640/IMG_2171.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 coats primer, 3 coats color. Brush strokes are nearly invisible.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now for paint and primer. The dresser had been "blue-washed" initially, and while we loved it at the time, It looked pretty sloppy in places and we wanted a solid finish this time. So, I slapped 2 coats of primer and three coats of the teal color using a 2-inch brush, and followed it by a single coat of spray poly (the same type we used on our old <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/01/distressed-dining-room-table.html">dining room table</a>).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMl9BFGLMzwjFLRwSeGzw-tSEojnbjQRPeQSe-OHOAu_OPvAhNh35j-tj1dQIM4R0HQ38-Fw-ckXCOivWgZoZn9BM4-DfpnX399DiJ2b7HuY_hyphenhyphenm6HGgip3AT3VQ69aSWm7qlkeh225U/s1600/IMG_2168.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMl9BFGLMzwjFLRwSeGzw-tSEojnbjQRPeQSe-OHOAu_OPvAhNh35j-tj1dQIM4R0HQ38-Fw-ckXCOivWgZoZn9BM4-DfpnX399DiJ2b7HuY_hyphenhyphenm6HGgip3AT3VQ69aSWm7qlkeh225U/s640/IMG_2168.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few coats of spray poly later...... and it's done!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I also spray painted the original knobs an oil-rubbed bronze color and stuck them back on in their new places.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7N2RdHLTE2kgjYd4Iu6vI6qC5pVNIDbUIwC6OMcQFpmtU0mIw6uy-vniNQPWn1F3ylTVC_seGRNC0xpdCV_lBMpiAXcHlTgc104PINp5H2bnv9Cr0wfGPPJmxnBBCPsyS1MEQDekfoWs/s640/blogger-image-1486656621.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7N2RdHLTE2kgjYd4Iu6vI6qC5pVNIDbUIwC6OMcQFpmtU0mIw6uy-vniNQPWn1F3ylTVC_seGRNC0xpdCV_lBMpiAXcHlTgc104PINp5H2bnv9Cr0wfGPPJmxnBBCPsyS1MEQDekfoWs/s640/blogger-image-1486656621.jpg" /></a></div>
With that, the dresser was {mostly} finished! The bottom drawer still needs to be attached to the unit with a set of hinges, which I'll tackle at another time. Hopefully, sooner than a year and a half from now!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiox6ya9GcjLWgDifGafwevF_QIX4Uz9PBDOk1e6PDTQUCUGZomuAawU_kUyCSEClR1wfgYOfOJXtVecdSp7gSCAZEljhjm0awVzkkCR1Z0t9vAuKqvooYIVfsL3FZvC7f3fBOMA7pPAAQ/s1600/IMG_2187.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiox6ya9GcjLWgDifGafwevF_QIX4Uz9PBDOk1e6PDTQUCUGZomuAawU_kUyCSEClR1wfgYOfOJXtVecdSp7gSCAZEljhjm0awVzkkCR1Z0t9vAuKqvooYIVfsL3FZvC7f3fBOMA7pPAAQ/s400/IMG_2187.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZq94SWUsick52a4-lwFpJC16bq_3h9zVUoL0YY6my32Azzgi6JKU1DXs4X9yX__rAhBxZBlr6j3_BOE9OzOV0ur8l95UFHUdlmKktcXOv3gWt1dkNu9kcJv2cykO6c4cpbEN2owHIRc/s1600/IMG_2191.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZq94SWUsick52a4-lwFpJC16bq_3h9zVUoL0YY6my32Azzgi6JKU1DXs4X9yX__rAhBxZBlr6j3_BOE9OzOV0ur8l95UFHUdlmKktcXOv3gWt1dkNu9kcJv2cykO6c4cpbEN2owHIRc/s400/IMG_2191.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_03IfXiglERgHv4CWZEIZyWYehXPp_r3aqG6ZOTr4SmVbzGfMFkw66NsDslr0N9vbxljAbr1wTU5DqiQIWMc-UqAw4EzgUT16xOP6xtQpGY8XLbt9su8sQfDanFhsKT8KoB8GDM_eZFI/s1600/IMG_2185.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
The dresser has taken residence downstairs in our living room. The pop of teal beneath the TV plays well with the <a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2013/11/love-note-to-sectional.html">colors we have in there already</a>, and it ties in our <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.brittanysjoy.com/2012/02/custom-color-chalkboard-paint-with.html">custom-colored DIY chalkboard </a>that's done in the same color</span><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"> (even though you it doesn't look the same color in this photo, I promise it is!)</span><u><br /></u></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_03IfXiglERgHv4CWZEIZyWYehXPp_r3aqG6ZOTr4SmVbzGfMFkw66NsDslr0N9vbxljAbr1wTU5DqiQIWMc-UqAw4EzgUT16xOP6xtQpGY8XLbt9su8sQfDanFhsKT8KoB8GDM_eZFI/s1600/IMG_2185.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_03IfXiglERgHv4CWZEIZyWYehXPp_r3aqG6ZOTr4SmVbzGfMFkw66NsDslr0N9vbxljAbr1wTU5DqiQIWMc-UqAw4EzgUT16xOP6xtQpGY8XLbt9su8sQfDanFhsKT8KoB8GDM_eZFI/s640/IMG_2185.jpg" width="480" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiox6ya9GcjLWgDifGafwevF_QIX4Uz9PBDOk1e6PDTQUCUGZomuAawU_kUyCSEClR1wfgYOfOJXtVecdSp7gSCAZEljhjm0awVzkkCR1Z0t9vAuKqvooYIVfsL3FZvC7f3fBOMA7pPAAQ/s1600/IMG_2187.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
We love the dresser in its new spot with the bright solid paint job and spiffy knobs. The drawers hold a LOT, which is nice to corral extra candles and remotes. Because that's pretty much all that we need in a living room, right? Not to mention the secret hiding spot for the printer, the door to which will *someday* be attached...<br />
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