Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

I have a special place in my heart for Valentine's Day and it may not be for the reason you would suspect either. The 'L' word has very little to do with it...

3 years ago, just before Christmas, I got laid off. The company I worked for lost a big account, as a result I lost my job and found myself trying to figure out how to adapt to life at home.

Though I had always wanted to be a stay at home mom, the shock of it occurring on someone else's terms left me feeling unprepared and being eliminated from a company I had worked at for years shook my confidence.

Thanks to the many amazing blogs that are out there, I found a creative outlet that had otherwise gone untapped. These blogs inspired me, challenged me and gave me hope. As a result I felt like a more confident and capable mom and wife.

Eventually, this led to the birth of While Wearing Heels...

I can now look back on what was a devastating blow and see the blessings that resulted. I adore being home making memories with my beautiful daughter, naughty little dog and thoughtful husband and sharing some of the fun we are having through While Wearing Heels.

So I humbly thank you for reading my blog and I wish you a very happy Valentine's day.

100 Year Old Dining Room

The house tour, I had hoped to complete in 2012, is now continuing into 2013.  So technically my house will be 101 this year.  

I warmly welcome you into our 100 {and 1} year old dining room.

Before you can appreciate what it now looks like, you'll have to take a peek at what it looked like when we bought our house {when it was a 94 year old dining room}.

Grace's first home improvement project was helping my dad and I add box moulding detail on the dining room's bare walls.

The addition of the moudlings gave this room some much needed character and charm.

Grace's second home improvement projects was helping me paint the baseboards and door frames white.

For any wood purist, before you gasp in horror.  The wood in our house was not in great shape.  Painting the baseboards and door frames white really opened up the room and brightened up the space.

We didn't stop with painting the baseboards and the trim either, using some Annie Sloan, I painted this cabinet.

Not only did it bring the back of the room another element of brightness, it also seemed to give this piece of furniture a beautiful second new life.

 Some of the other, simpler changes, was removing the dated ceiling fan

And replacing it with an updated light fixture. 

At one point, I had some burgundy curtains hanging in this room.

Actually, those curtains still are hanging in the dining room, I just turned them around and on the backside added no sew black stripes.

Some of my favorite decorating details in this room are the addition of a faux sheep skin rug to the top of my dining room table with a few of the globes I've collected on top.  Something about it makes me smile.

And a vintage English pond boat we found at a flea market.

And this area, as they say, is where the magic happens.  The blogging magic that is.  This is my Goodwill corner of the world.  The secretary is vintage Ethan Allen and hands down the most I have ever spent at Goodwill {$65}.  You may also spy my famous Goodwill chair there as well.

So, before you bid adieu to my dining room, here is the original view from my kitchen looking into the dining room.

Which now looks like this...

And that is what a 100 {and 1} year old dining room looks like.

*Like the paint color we used.  Here are the details: Behr Sag Harbor Gray.

Goodwill Hunting Roundup

It's that time of month, where I share my Goodwill finds and you decide whether an intervention is required.

Believe it or not, I have still been showing some restraint when it comes to my Goodwill trips.  Of course, when I come across a vintage faceted glass lamp for $2.99, restraint goes out the window.

 

And that restraint, well, when you see a gilded gold ornate chunky frame for $4.99, that restraint again goes out the window.

I've already popped the painting out of the frame {which will go right back to Goodwill}.  I plan on either putting a chalkboard inside, or turn it into a cork board.  If nothing else, I'll use it as a prop for pictures, like we did for Grace's arts and crafts birthday party.

I found this beat up vase for .99 cents.  Though it isn't real silver, I loved the shape.  And, who knows, maybe I'll get some flowers for Valentine's day to fill it up with.

Restraint is also forgotten about when it comes to hearts.  I have a weakness for anything heart shaped.  When I saw 3 Pottery Barn heart shaped 'love' plates for .99 cents a piece.  My heart skipped a beat.  I guarantee, even on sale at Pottery Barn, there is no way these plates were ever .99 cents.

Hearts got me again, when I spotted this brand new, still in the package set of 4 heart handled coffee mugs from Williams-Sonoma.  Williams-Sonoma sold them full price for $39, marked them down on clearance for $18.99 and then Goodwill sold them for $4.99.  This is a bit more than I would normally spend but I was thinking teachers gifts for Valentine's day.

No trip to Goodwill is complete without looking through the little girl clothes.  I found this Gap Vest, for Grace, for $3.99.

Currently, Grace will only wear dresses.  She happily approved of both of these dresses. The green one dress is Carters and was $3.99 and the pink one is from Old Navy and was $2.99.  I also grabbed an Old Navy jean jacket for $3.99.  Grace was less excited about the jean jacket.

Now it's your turn. Make me feel better and share your thrifting finds.

Heart Headband Or Pin Tutorial

Looking for a quick and easy Valentine's day project guaranteed to make your heart skip a beat?

Why not make this heart shaped headband...

That could also be used as a heart pin.

Simply gather the following supplies:  Scraps of chiffon or sheer fabric, double fold elastic {headband material}, a heart cut out of felt, scissors and a hot glue gun.

Cut approximately 30-40 circles, quarter sized, out of sheer fabric.  Fold each circle in half and with a dab of hot glue at the base, pinch it closed.  Place a dab of hot glue onto the felt heart and press your pinched closed sheer circles into it, working your way around the entire heart.

Decide if you'd want your heart to be used as a pin or a headband.

Attach a safety pin, if you prefer it in pin form.

Apply hot glue to the heart and attach it to the elastic, if you prefer it in headband form.

Before you decide what you'll do, make sure that you 'have your heart in the right place'.

Hey Girl

Have you seen the Ryan Gosling 'Hey Girl' memes?  If you haven't, you are missing out.

One of my favorites...

The following bloggers:

Bliss at Bliss Ranch

Ashley @ Domestic Imperfection

Chelsea at Two Twenty One

Kelly at The View Along The Way

Michelle at Decor and the Dog

Issued a 'Hey Girl' party where instead of Ryan Gosling, our own handsome husbands get to woo us with a few 'Hey Girl's.

So, without further ado, 

Yes, the secret is out, I have a muse.  It's Mr. While Wearing Heels...which, by the way, he loves being called (insert sarcasm here).

Oh, how I wish this were the case.  Thank goodness, I have pinterest to pass the time, while *we* are watching sports.

Yes, initially, when I starting talking about Annie Sloan, there was some confusion that I had actually made a new friend.  A friend named Annie Sloan.

And, now I'm off to get my feet rubbed, after a grueling day of fabric shopping.

*For more 'Hey Girls', head over to Bliss Ranch.

Wordless Wednesday

This is Me. 

My self portrait journey continues.

Linked up to:

Paper Heart Garland

One of the items on my Christmas wish list, that I provided to my husband, was jute twine.  My husband no longer questions my list and knowing that he could go to Home Depot and buy twine suited him even better.

My husband obviously knows the way to my heart...jute twine.

With my jute twine in hand, I made a simple garland to add to our Valentine's day decor.  I cut out some red hearts (by hand...can you believe it!), secured them to the twine with miniature clothes pins and strung it up.

I am thinking, I may even add 'I love you' in different languages to each heart.

Or, maybe I'll write, I love jute twine...er, I mean, my husband onto the hearts.