decor

SIX SHOTS JULY OF TWO THOUSAND and THIRTEEN

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SIX SHOTS

july of two thousand thirteen

Prada, Michael Kors, Six Shots, Luxor Living and Style, blogger, Texas, Houston, white blonde, The Woodlands, Old Town Spring

     July was hot. There were a lot of ups and downs. Things are not always easy. Or Fun. Or exciting. Some days are scheduled tight. I have friends that have a few social events every weeks with friends.  We get excited to have Movie Nights at home with the babies. Actually, on a Friday this month, we went to the movie theater around five, thinking we were going to avoid the masses.  We were wrong.  A theater full of other people had thought the same thing. 

    I guess I like to throw in the reality of life because it is not my intent to only post lovely pictures and pretend life is always fabulous.  There are things which require thought, planning and stress. These are the reasons why it’s so nice to get to steal time on occasion and do and share some things that are nice and positive and fun!

     The top photo of us was taken before dinner and a concert!( The Rock Girl Blog Post.) The weather was great, we were relaxed and happy and I really think it’s funny/trendy/cool that he is the “background” guy.

     The photo above is a bird bath in Old Town Spring which motivated me to continue with my yard plans.  It’s just been too hot and even the bamboo I planted is having difficulty surviving!  

     The post was called Blue Shoe. I could spend all day in Old Town Spring!

Luxor Living and Style, Animal Print, white blonde, hair, Stephanie Dawn Sjoberg, Luxor Living and Style , blog, blogger, fashion, Old Town Spring, Prada, Michael Kors, Hamilton bag

The photo above was from a different day in Old Town Spring. It was a very happy day. The “A Good Day, and YES…More Animal Print”  blog post only took a few minutes and we honestly, sat on the bench and talked. This was one of those fun blog posts…not like some of the ones where I have to explain how to use the focus button and consider quitting the style posts!

  I think the only thing that’s probably worse than getting your photo taken, is taking one of yourself for a blog post!  So I tell myself to be so grateful that I have a friend who likes to help!

The Woodlands Waterway

I adore introspective cranes, so I had to snap the one above at the Woodlands Waterway! He was just chillin.

Maybe it’s not terribly artsy, however, there is nothing that brings me more joy than to see Jazzy when she’s happy.  Nothing makes her happier than to be going somewhere in her “Jazzy Purse.”  She goes crazy when you get it out, and on this day she got to go to the local Farmer’s Market for berry picking.  I especially love the fact that my husband is man enough to carry a polka dot Jazzy bag! Love this shot!

 

And in closing…yes…it’s an Old Town Spring shot. It’s literally just a few minutes from where we live and we love it.  There are so many places there that I’ve not yet been to, like a wine tasting place, the dog bakery, tons of dress shops or garden places! It’s my happy place!

   And those are my Six Shots for July!

 

-July 31, 2013

-SDS

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MASTER BATHROOM RE-VAMP

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master bathroom, decor, home, black paint

 

     Let me begin by saying that I do not enjoy the act of painting. I do, however, enjoy having a completed, comfortable, and fun nest.  To get from A to B…painting must be done!

     In this case, the house was complete except for the small crack den looking master bathroom that I hadn’t gotten around to yet.

     I’d been putting it off this entire year, but my husband asked me to have it completed as a birthday present to him. He did help with the paint roller part, but the trim work was the part I was dreading!

     So I put on my ugly “painter girl” shirt, which actually is an old shirt of his that he wore on our first date to church, and has paint splatters all over it now.  It is my painting uniform. We got it knocked out in our spare time.  

  

     I’d wanted to add some character to the small area, so I opted for metal decor candle sconces as well as a metal trim piece above the window instead of curtains.

I find the garden tub area to be so much more inviting and soothing with the darker color, which is a black paint named Francesca by Martha Stewart, which is also in the master bedroom, kitchen, and the fire place wall in the living room.

When adding things such as towels or art…I had decided to be thrifty and use what I already owned.  However, one trip to Kirkland’s for some additional pieces was all it took to complete the look.

For example, the crystal hurricane lamp, I already owned, but the silk floral arrangement for the tub area, I purchased. The crystal ball shown below and the metal wall piece I already had.  

The decor towels are mismatched on purpose to try and create an undesigned, old world look. Using the old multi colored runner that I dug out of the back of a closet, also helped to add to the old world look. 


So how much did the bathroom re vamp end up costing me? Just under $250, including paint and painting supplies!

master bathroom revamp, decor, black paint, black bathroom ideas, DIY, blogger, decor

It was my intent to focus on yard projects this summer, as well as a few other DIY type projects (like maybe hitting the gym again)but I am so glad to have this bathroom project complete! Happy Birthday, Ken…your private sanctuary is complete!

 

-SDS

June 22, 2013

     Let me begin by saying that I do not enjoy the act of painting. I do, however, enjoy having a completed, comfortable, and fun nest.  To get from A to B…painting must be done!
 
     In this case, the house was complete except for the small crack den looking master bathroom that I hadn’t gotten around to yet.
 
     I’d been putting it off this entire year, but my husband asked me to have it completed as a birthday present to him. He did help with the paint roller part, but the trim work was the part I was dreading!
 
bathroom re vamp
     So I put on my ugly “painter girl” shirt, which actually is an old shirt of his that he wore on our first date to church, and has paint splatters all over it now.  It is my painting uniform. We got it knocked out in our spare time.  
  
     I’d wanted to add some character to the small area, so I opted for metal decor candle sconces as well as a metal trim piece above the window instead of curtains.
 
     I find the garden tub area to be so much more inviting and soothing with the darker color, which is a black paint named Francesca by Martha Stewart, which is also in the master bedroom,kitchen, and the fire place wall in the living room.
 
    When adding things such as towels or art…I had decided to be thrifty and use what I already owned.  However, one trip to Kirkland’s for some additional pieces was all it took to complete the look.
 
    For example, the crystal hurricane lamp, I already owned, but the silk floral arrangement for the tub area, I purchased. The crystal ball shown below and the metal wall piece I already had.  
 
     The decor towels are mismatched on purpose to try and create an undesigned, old world look. Using the old multi colored runner that I dug out of the back of a closet, also helped to add to the old world look. 
 

     So how much did the bathroom re vamp end up costing me? Just under $250, including paint and painting supplies!
 
black bathroom decor ideas, Luxor Living and Style, Stephanie Dawn Sjoberg
       It was my intent to focus on yard projects this summer, as well as a few other DIY type projects (like maybe hitting the gym again)but I am so glad to have this bathroom project complete! Happy Birthday, Ken…your private sanctuary is complete!
 

 

 
-SDS
June 22, 2013
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A MINT INTERIOR

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A MINT INTERIOR

 
     I am so excited to show off somebody else’shard work and creative decor! My sister-in-law has created the most fabulous nest so I crept through the house taking random shots of some of the creative elements that make me want to move in! (Or at the least, go back home to rework some areas in need at my own place!) It’s veryinspiring when you see someone else’s cool spaces. 
 
     The wall colors are a soft minty green.  When the browns and neutrals are mixed in, it createswarmth against the crisp and fresh backdrop.
 
     The rhinestone candle buttons and tassels add a designer touch and an extra edge to the look.
 
    Simple and sleek greenery in lit nooks up close to the ceiling or in art nooks help to highlight the architecture.
      The sitting area off to the side of the living room is cozy.  The animal print wall art is great fabric that she created and covered herself, and then edged with decorative roping. 
 
      I must say, when we came over, there was no big plan to do a blog, and she surely didn’t think her bedroom would be seen in Russia or Australia…yet here it is!  Too perfect to be left unseen, I just had to show off this room and the striped walls!  The stripes carry through on every wall and it looks amazing!
     There are a couple of places where there are wall scripts.  This one over the front door adds a warm and real touch.
 
     These are all fabulous home decor ideas and I hope it provides some inspiration!
 
     My latest fashion post also includes more – yes, MORE animal print and you can see it here on Ashley Elizabeth’s site!
 


 
-April 2, 2013
-SDS

 

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D-I-Y HOLLYWOOD GLAMOURPUSS VANITY AREA

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     I stumbled upon a blogger’s dream!  Yesterday we went to my sister-in-law’s house for Easter.  When I saw her new Hollywood style d-i-y vanity project, I decided I just had to do a blog post on it!

Chanel, Vanity area, decor ideas, Luxor Living, style ideas, bathroom vanity, makeover, Chanel Cosmetics

She had recently started adding tiny blings to her lip glosses and lipsticks.  Since bling is addictive, the project grew into adding pearl buttons to an organizer tray.

Chanel, Vanity area, decor ideas, Luxor Living, style ideas, bathroom vanity, makeover, Chanel Cosmetics

When she couldn’t find a nice larger oval tray…she decided to purchase an oval mirror, remove it from the frame it came in and convert it!

     By adding black felt to the bottom, and black and rhinestone pieces to the edges, she created her own, large sized custom vanity tray.

Chanel, Vanity area, decor ideas, Luxor Living, style ideas, bathroom vanity, makeover, Chanel Cosmetics

 

She then opted to deck out her own vanity mirror because nice embellished ones are impossible to find.  The bling added to the edges of the mirror helps to add to the finished look! I recently used a wall mirror for my perfumania tray, but had never thought of anything this elaborate!

Chanel, Vanity area, decor ideas, Luxor Living, style ideas, bathroom vanity, makeover, Chanel Cosmetics

     The vanity chair was purchased online and helps to complete the glammy special morning spot!  

     I love this vanity area, and it has motivated me to set a deadline of May 1st for my own master bathroom re-vamp!  My bathroom is going to be black and white and this look will fit perfectly with my recent master bedroom re-vamp.

     I snapped a few pictures of other great ideas in her house, and those posts will be coming up later this month!

-SDS
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BLACK & WHITE MINI DRESS

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mini dress
Stephanie Dawn Sjoberg, Luxor Apartment Locator, Luxor Texas blog
 
     I totally get why old people love polyester.  It’s stretchy and bendy and never, ever dies, which makes for a fabulous investment!
 
      We call it fancier terms now, but it’s still some sort of poly blend if it fits the above mentioned criteria.
 
    I will never be a fan of thin and wrinkly linen and cheap cotton really freaks me out and fades so fast, but stretchy and bendable fabrics that grow when I gain 15 pounds and shrink down when I get back…those are my friends.
     This dress is one of those.  The bold print could be modern it could be a take on trends of the past because a black and white print is so hard to figure out the timetable.
 
Black and white mini dress, Texas fashion blog, Luxor Living and Style
     It fits, which was a plus, and its extremely versatile and could be worn with leggings and boots for winter with a trench. It’s now Springtime, however, and did I mention…it fits!
   I love pairing accessories that blend but don’t match, so the black wood necklace is appropriate for Spring and the gold door knocker earrings blend with the rest of my jewelry.  I despise an unfeminine rounded neckline so I feel that the chunky wood necklace disguises it somewhat!


-March 19, 2013
-SDS
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SIX SHOTS: JANUARY 2013

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SIX SHOTS

month one of two thousand thirteen


     Wow, so January has flown by and it’s time for another “Six Shots” post!

     The picture above was snapped at a place that’s been my favorite Houston restaurant for years. This is the dreary, cold, rain soaked courtyard that was so cozy to me around 6 pm New Year’s Eve. This has been my New Year’s Eve thing for years.

Prada sunglasses, Texas blonde

     

     In my defense, my new canon camera broke this month and could not be fixed so I had to purchase a different one, which left me  with no camera for over two weeks of the month!

    I like the photo above because we were reduced to using one of our old digital cameras for the blog “Perfectly Prada” and the pictures still came out acceptable enough!

     The good news is that I upgraded to the Canon Rebel T3i, so all is well, and I purchased it in time to take pictures like the one below for the “Master Bedroom Re-Vamp.”

     It is so hard to photograph a room, especially a black one, so after 200 shots, I really liked this shot!

master bedrooms in black, decor, bloggers in Texas, Houston, black paint, black bedroom

Have you ever had a really bad day ?  No, I mean a really bad day ?

     With too much stress going on for a prolonged time, we can all break.  Long ago, I had a really bad couple of years. Only a few people really seemed to understand what I was going through, so I felt alone. Felt alone? Heck I was alone!

     The one thing that really kept me on track was having a little heart to take care of and be responsible for. Jazzy.

    

      Jazzy is calm and enjoys peaceful times, just like me. She is a rock.   I guess it’s insane the amount of love and companionship we can derive from little hearts.

     I snapped this picture with my new camera, playing with the focus features.  I realized the amount of trust she had in me when I placed her up high on a big swing set and then stepped back to snap pictures from afar.  She calmly waited for me to return and lift her back down to the ground.

     I suppose I try to always snap the perfect photo of her to be able to somehow show people the love I feel for her.

With that in mind, we try to pay her back and make her happy by going on tiny walks more often.

     The photo of a zillion turtles crammed on a stump came during a Jazzy and Bella walk.  It appeared in the “Stealing Time” blog post.  I love how the duck kept swimming by them, everyone getting along.

movado rose gold watch

    This is a shot from the “Movado” post.  It was actually just a test shot to figure out how to best shoot a watch.  It turns out to be a lot harder than it looks! Give it a shot! A watch ad with nothing in it but the watch is sort of boring, so I tried something different.

    

     These were my Six Shots for January, 2013. The ones that told a story and meant something to me. I can’t wait to see what the new month brings!

-January 31, 2013

-SDS

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