Names I Will Never Give My Future Child

I was reading an article [here] and the author lists names that she would never name a child of hers (listed below) and I happened to think that most of those names sounded quite nice? Not to mention that I am related to or have considered many of these names for my own future children...

Girls:

1. Sophia
2. Charlotte
3. Ava
4. Addison
5. Olivia
6. Amelia
7. Lilly
8. Isabella
9. Chloe
10. Bailey

Boys:

1. Aiden
2. Liam
3. Noah
4. Jackson
5. Ethan
6. Caden
7. Mason
8. Logan
9. Landon
10. Oliver

I get it, these names might be over used, but I think about what celebrities are naming their children (Moxie Crimefighter, Pilot Inspektor to name a couple [more here] ) and I can't help but feel like I would rather have a name that is "overdone" than one that is an embarrassment.

Being named Joellen, but called "Jolene" for most of my life, has been a good balance of a name that no one else has but someone always knows of someone else who is named like me. Although, I have only met a couple of them myself and most of them have a capital E in their spelling - JoEllen.

I started pondering names that I would never name my baby and here goes:

Girls:

1. Shaniqua
2. Nevaeh - heaven spelled backwards
3. Heaven - Nevaeh spelled backwards ;)
4. Krystal
5. Lacey
6. Destiny
7. Candy
8. Chrissy
9. Juanita
10. Beyonce

 Boys:

1. Dick
2. Francis
3. Oliver
4. Shannon
5. Jamie 
6. Hal
7. Herbert
8. Leslie
9. Gaylord
10. Bentley

After reviewing this list it looks like I don't want my daughter to be a stripper or have a boy with a name that could also be a girls name. I also don't like names that are of anyone that I already know. Trick to that is having babies first and my friends have all beaten me out on that one. We will see what the future holds!

Any names you don't particularly like or love? List them here!

Dog Thief!

OK, so my dad is not really stealing Minnie, but he was joking about taking her with him back to Indiana after their visit in Charleston! My dad, a self-proclaimed pet hater, was trying to steal my dog. She is the best, that's why ;)

I don't see how he could have possibly gotten out the door with Min in his shirt, she squirmed around until her little head popped out of his t-shirt collar!

"Derby" Awards

Here is a project I just finished for my IIDA (International Interior Design Association) Kayak Regatta charity function. This year we decided on a derby theme and we needed 8 awards. Not having a lot of money, yet still wanting professional looking awards, is a challenge we face every year.

I decided to take our Kentucky Derby theme to the limits this time and found decorative (yet pretty weighty) horseshoes on Amazon.com for a set of 10 for $30. Taking those and mounting them on painted plaques (about $3 a piece for the plaques, paint was $5 total) and you see my creation below! totaling about $60!

The part that may be a little more difficult for some, maybe not all, was the printing on "sticky backs." We used these all the time in school, and although I use the product less today in my professional practice, I still find uses for them all the time in my crafting! It is basically a clear printable sheet of sticker that you just design, print, and stick it to pretty much anything.

Project Steps:

1. Sand plaques smooth and then paint edges of plaques, horseshoes, and numbers their respective gold, silver, and bronze colors. Then paint the flat top of the plaques white. Use several coats.
2. Next, design and print your event name, sponsors, logos, etc. on sticky back sheets and cut to size while making sure the horseshoes and numbers will fit on the plaque as well.
3.  Now you glue the horseshoes and number to the plaques (I used a combination of Elmer's and Super Glue), stick on the sticky back design, and voila! You have an award.

I got so wrapped up in loving this project that I made one for my friend's Kentucky Derby party too. The little label holders are Martha Stewart brand from Staples. :)

Happy 6 Months to Minnie!

Minnie in my car on the way back home from her 6 month checkup

No, she is not sick in this picture, she is just a diva. ;) No wonder she loves riding in my car!

She now weighs almost 14 lbs. (13 lbs. 14 oz.) and the vet said she couldn't be happier with her notrils, joints, and overall health. That makes us SO HAPPY!

I love this little girl to death. Her nickname as of late is Stinkerbell (because she does have some of those bulldog traits of being a little gassy after she eats). She fetches and sits on command and she rolls around on her back for fun and when she wants attention. She is a little cra-cra after taking long naps and runs/ jumps around the house like a wild woman! :)

Color Blocking

I love this (new?) trend of color-blocking. I feel like I have always done it in my interior design, but now I feel comfortable enough to do it in my wardrobe! Being someone that is a little scared to wear patterns, using different color pieces (even if they don't normally go together) as an outfit has greatly increased the wearing power of my closet!

I am not super fashion conscious so I realize that this post may be behind the curve a bit, but I have had some fun mixing and matching and have even been a little more daring with my accessories.

Here are some good examples of outfits that have come together via non "matchy" pieces:

It gives a lot more options for a bottom half than jeans, khakis, or a black skirt. The shoes are fun too! :)

And here are some ideas for sprucing up a living room or really any room in your house. Start with a paint color in a neutral you love - any color on the "mist" scale (green, blue, yellow) or bolder colors like gray, tan, or even white.

Then add your bigger pieces (ones that will last you ten years - couch, bookshelves, armoirs, entertainment centers) also in a neutral color (wood, gray, brown, white, tan).

Now add in your colored accent pieces. Brightly colored drapes, end tables, lamps, pillows, art, and rugs. These are things that you will change out more often and having a neutral in the larger/ expensive or more laborious items will make the change that much easier on your back and your wallet.

Coach Fail

So, remember the post when I got a brand new (in season!?!) Coach bag from my husband for our 3rd anniversary!

Well, after wearing the bag for only a week - this happens!

I get stabbed in the arm with a sharp plasticky thing. AKA the piping on my purse handle. A very non-happy call to Coach leads me to the Coach Outlet where they will send my purse to the factory to have it repaired, for 4-6 weeks. 4-6 times LONGER than I even had the damn thing.

NOT.HAPPY.AT.ALL.COACH. and I didn't expect this from the most expensive purse I have ever owned by THREE.TIMES.THE.AMOUNT. But they will "send it back for free for my trouble."

Wow, thanks.

Minnie's New Life

Minnie started out her life as Lionheart's Lil' Cream Puff. Yes, my friends, she is a show dog, a daughter of a champion, and perfect in every way! Cream Puff was her stage name and her given name was Hana... until we changed it to Minnie.

Not starting out as a dog person, I wasn't sure how this whole "being a dog owner" thing was going to go... and well, we'll let Minnie show you her new spoiled life below.

She is settling into her new bed. It is a struggle for her to get up because as you can tell she needs her beauty sleep and a stiff bone first thing in the morning. Wait, that didn't sound right...

She also has color coordinated her dining room table with our wedding colors... or maybe that was me? Hard to tell lately with her online shopping addiction.

Her new backyard is such a horrible dark place to be, she hates it... ;) Until we get up our new fence we have to keep her harnessed as Frenchies can't swim!

We even make her wear terribly cute necklaces! (She will grow into this pretty one from Hairy Winston)

Obviously underfed, she feels the need to beg all the time! We are driving her to wrinkles on her forehead and she is not even 6 months old! Such a hard life.

Isn't is so obvious that we do not love this dog at all? She seems so unhappy. I am thinking about sending her back. ;)