We are just a week shy of being in the new house for a full year. Initially, I had a goal of being 90% complete with the remodel within 3 months. As the contractors were working, I was planning the space, deciding on electrical fixtures, marble, bathroom fixtures, which furniture to keep, what to chunk and what to buy immediately. With all that was going on, I had decided that my personal office could wait until I was prepared to deal with more work!
I really needed a refresh though, because I sometimes need a quiet place to think an operate my empire. (Totally joking, but your life is your empire and mine needed focus and reorganization!)
My empire consists of my fashion management job, my new cosmetics start up, <em>Bosscat Beauty, my little blog that you’re reading, and KS Tennis USA…a local tennis business that my husband runs.
My goal was to get my office cleaned out, reorganized and decorated before year’s end so I could start 2018 with better focus! This is my reveal!
I had decided to stick with the charcoal gray paint, since that’s the base color that runs through the entire house. The house is not huge so I didn’t want to break it up with a lot of different colors.
Although I tried to go with antique desks, dealing with independent dealers was a hassle that I didn’t have time for, so I opted for the white Sasha desk from Z’Gallerie. I thought it would go well with the Jaipur Furniture reclaimed wood and steel shelving unit I purchased. I feel in love with it the minute I saw it. I did not realize though, how incredibly heavy it was. It literally sat in the hallway for a week until I found some men to help me bring it into the room. I can never move away now, because it’s literally heavier than anything else I own and it would be too much work. The unit goes beautifully with the distressed look of the laminate flooring in the office.
My thought was that the white, modern french style of the Sasha Desk would add a bright pop to the room.
Although I plan to try and add a small futon so that I can use a custom brass wall piece to the wall behind it, for now I am done!
I kept my antique vanity as my makeup table, added a vintage wood table that used to belong to my mom as a corner area. I am trying really hard to keep it sparse and have some open space. That is hard for me because I love to layer! I did decide to utilize the shelves for some fun keepsakes, and forced myself to throw out a lot!
The pink train case at the top of the shelves, was actually a creme color a few weeks ago. It is an old train case that had belonged to my mom, and it has some of her things inside. I painted it pink so it could be enjoyed and not hidden. While I was at it, I decided to paint my mannequin pink as well, and quit hiding her in the closet! I don’t know why girls love mannequins but we do! I also kept my mom’s old college yearbook and some of my old child’s books…like Charlotte’s Webb…just as nostalgia. Old things remind you of where you came from. The little white Bible was the second one ever had as a child. I’d originally had a small pink one, but it got left on the patio and it was ruined in the rain….I cried for a week!
This room is my escape pod, so of course it needed a chandelier. Chandelier’s make everything better.
Literally, I have no excuse for not accomplishing everything that I’d like to this year. I’ve created my own little corner to drink coffee and plot my days in. I have a space that has some old things, some new, and it’s just a fun little spot for me to work from home!
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…
Houston fashion
TOP TWELVE SHOTS of 2017
1. CHANDELIER LOVER
Like most ladies, I absolutely love chandeliers! When we decided to move into a new house in January, I struck a deal with my husband. We could buy the house, which was about 10 years old, if he let me remodel the entire thing before we moved in. I didn’t want to drag it out over time while we were living there!
My vision included cramming as many chandeliers as possible into the house! Since we had visited Paris earlier in the year, I decided to use the inspiration from the Palace of Versailles for our little Texas home! The remodel went very smooth and we were able to move in on time! You can see some of the blog posts here!
2. HOME REMODELER
This is probably the fourth home I have gotten to revamp, and it gets easier each time! This time, I really got to have fun and not worry about boring things such as resale potential! My dad stated, “Well, that’s great as long as you don’t need to resell it,” after seeing the beginnings of the work! LOL! The saying goes, everything needs to be dull, safe, simple to help with selling potential….which I refer to as vomit. It was nice not having to worry about anything except what we want.
The other great thing was that my husband had literally no input! 🙂 It was heaven to not have to debate each little thing! There’s another link here. I had to have dog friendly flooring and furniture so those were really the only requirements.
As I sit here, almost a full year later, the entire decor part is complete and now I can focus on gardens and real life.
3. BIRD WATCHER
It’s always been a desire of mine, to be able to get up close and personal on a fresh bird’s nest. I’d always wanted to be able to watch the babies grow! I finally got my chance when a few months after we moved into the new house, a bird made it’s nest in a pot on my front porch!
I checked it several times a day and got to photograph the babies as they grew for a few weeks! If birds are your thing, you can see the shots here!
4. HUMMINGBIRD STALKER
I find it annoying when people always talk about how blessed they are. But OMG, I feel so blessed because I’ve always thought of hummingbirds as my favorite bird…and I have tons of them that I feed now! I spend hours trying to photograph them, and finally got a few fun shots. Not perfect or detailed, but they speak to my heart.
5. FASHION BLOGGER
I work for Johnny Was Clothing, a California brand that I love…so I blog about their clothes a lot. The shot above was actually showing off a custom dress that Eshakti sent to me, along with a Johnny Was Biya coat that I love! Although I have made some money from my blog this year, I am not one of those people that only shows you things that I want to earn a commission on by linking to an online shop. If it’s something I think is cool, but won’t make a dime for me…so be it. My blog is an ongoing commercial about clothing. What is terrible is that I could provide a lot more content due to my ongoing new supply of clothing but time is an issue. For us, if I happen to be dressed and in the mood…we snap pictures. I want to do so much more writing and hopefully this year I can get better at a lot of things…blogging being one of them!
6. LASH BOSS
I finally got to do something I’ve always wanted to do! I’ve started a new business in the cosmetics industry! After researching strip lashes for years, I took the plunge and developed my own brand, Bosscat Beauty. I designed two types of silk strip lashes and decided to start the business with one product, the Glam Edition Lash Box! The fun part was getting set up and building the first product from start to finish. Social media advertising is also fun. This next year will be about setting up retail accounts while also growing individual online sales to help promote brand awareness. I’m proud of my work so far and can’t wait to see how it goes in 2018!
7. CREATIVE DIRECTOR
One of the greatest jobs that I have with Bosscat is being able to create and design products that I hope people love! The above is just a first shot that I took for initial marketing once my boxes first came in! I will take a little time and get better at it, but it’s a start!
8. DOGMOM
Somehow I turned into a pink loving, flamingo floating, bleach blonde, dog mom. I think it’s funny as hell. I wanted to include this cell phone picture because it is so real. This past summer, each afternoon for an hour, I would try to relax outside with the girls. They love getting on floats and we just hang out and watch the birds and squirrels. It’s a little bit lonely at times to have such a simple life, but at the same time, I love peace and quiet so it’s really a cool life.
9. JAZZY LOVER
Being a dogmom, really started with adopting my Jazzy about 16 years ago. She was skinny, small, not too outgoing of a personality. She looked me straight in the eyes though, so I adopted her for the connection and her desire to understand. We knew she didn’t have much longer, so we took all three girls on a #dogcation a few months before she died. She had an accidental death three days after we moved into the new house. It has not been a year yet. I loved her and gave her a safe home for 16 years and try not to think about her accident. She was a great little dog and this year I had to say goodbye.
10. PET CEMETARY GROUNDSKEEPER
If you read #9….then you get why I created a Pet Cemetary in my yard! It’s my little special place to honor Jazzy’s life and respect her with a memorial garden while having a great prayer spot at the same time! I’ve never shared a peak before. This next spring my biggest project will be my back yard. It’s freezing right this minute and probably killing my palms and fruit trees so a big clean up will be in order.
11. WANNABE YOUTUBER
I started making a few videos again, due in part to the new Bosscat venture! It is so hard to try to come off as your true self, and look ok, and have fun! The thing is, that it really is fun to make videos if you have the time to put in! This year is going to take some serious time management in order to meet my personal goals! It would be so neat to be interesting enough to do well at videos but not sure if that’s in the cards!
12. MAKEUP ARTIST
I made time to do makeup on a new friend this past year! I met her through work and really like her so we took a day to play! Nothing feels better than doing what you love and spending time with nice people so it was a high point for me! Leilani is a total ray of sunshine!
In closing…these are just a few simple pictures that help show my year, and what is important to me. Well, some of the things anyway! I also love President Trump, Jesus and my husband. We’re not supposed to talk about politics or serious things because we want to appear neutral. It’s very hard to pretend to be neutral when there’s so many serious issues in the world and my conservative belief system is not in line with the previous status quo.
It irritates me when a woman mentions Trumps “ridiculous tax reform bill” which was only “for the rich” and he’s only President “to make more money for himself.” Most people who bitch about the tax reform agenda have not processed their own tax return or run a business so how would they know about tax code ? So yes…it’s very hard to stay neutral a lot of the time. I hope to branch out a bit and share more in the future. Blogging is very therapeutic!
Let’s have a great 2018, everyone!
#WONDERWOMAN
Once I saw Linda Carter as Wonder Woman on TV a zillion years ago, I had told myself that even if I could not ever become Wonder Woman, I could at least have cool red boots. My life goals are all being met, slowly but surely!
I love my red Prada bag, but have never worn much red before. However, here lately I am trying to incorporate more red accessories for a fun pop of color.
After I saw these boots and fell in love, I Googled red booties on the net, and found a lot of different styles for a myriad of prices. Check out these Gucci boots!
Amazing! However, the price is not in my realm of acceptability right now, so I settled for my Forever 21 find that is similar to the Steve Madden version or even Sam Edelman has a similar offering.
The bell sleeved black top is from Francescas and I had come it across it accidentally as I was stocking up on candles. The studded denim s from the now defunk Cache brand ! When I worked for them, I spent so much money on clothing, and I still have a random find here or there. The jeans are great, but I’ve had to stop myself from wearing them to the airport due to all the metal!
I met a new fashion blogger recently, and she made the comment that she wanted to be “different” than everyone else. The thing is, if every post a blogger does, only involves brands that they get paid commissions from, it becomes too inauthentic. This is why everyone appears to look the same.
For me, I get bored relatively easily. My challenge is sticking with something because I have so many interests. My blog helps me to work on things I enjoy and hone my follow through skills. It gives me an outlet for things I am interested in.
My posts might not be perfect, but that’s me. Perfectly imperfect! With fabulous boots.
#BOSSCATBEAUTY
It’s finally here! After quite a bit of planning and work, the first product from Bosscat Beauty is finally available for purchase!
I realize that it will take a year to figure out if the first product launch is a success or not, but truly…the fun part was in the creation process.
I really love lashes. It really sucks when you pay $10 to $20 and they break after two or three wears! What sucks more than that is when you realize that celebrities are pushing “cruelty free” mink lashes. There is no such thing. Do five minutes worth of research and you will see. Minks do
Bosscat Beauty was secretly born in my mind over 20 years ago. I did other things, and started other projects but this was always one of those things I was truly passionate about! I believe that’s what we commonly refer to as a dream.
In 2016, after working for years in the beauty and fashion industry, I became shocked and saddened that people were actually not ashamed to announce to the universe that they were wearing “luxury’ mink lashes.
Where is the shame? Where is the decency and elevated consciousness? And furthermore, how is it possibly considered “luxury” to wear animal fur on our faces? I find it to be a display of ignorance, small mindedness and selfishness. After research on the matter, and getting sick at what I’d found, I decided to try and make a small difference. I wanted to move forward with my dream, and also try to make a small difference in the world. Nature and animals are a blessing.
I set out last year to do research and start with lashes. I wanted to create and produce the greatest silk lashes ever. Like, ever! I didn’t want to sell you mink and call it ‘animal friendly.’ These lashes have the fluff and lightness you would find in mink but without the caged, sad little animals it takes to create them.
Give the Glam Edition Lash Box a try. We created a package that gives you great lashes at less than half the price of other luxury lines. They are reusable up to 20 times each, if properly handled.
COLD SNAP
I am so happy to be pumping out a quick blog post! We had a final cold snap so I was able to get in a final use out of my Johnny Was Sweater Wrap and a new Eshakti custom made to measure dress that they had sent me many weeks ago!
Of course, I couldn’t resist another black dress…but as I scanned the eshakti.com site, there were other things I was interested in as well! When this came in the mail, I tried it on immediately and of course I was shocked when it fit perfectly according to my measurements.
We were on our way to dinner and we were both extremely hangry and behind schedule for dinner so again….rushing. However, my husband is really pushing me to continue to take time to work on my projects and hobbies so he has been a positive force. Since Eshakti sent me this dress, it’s been patiently waiting in the queue to be worn! So BAM! Here she is.
After the remodel and the recent move, my home office is taking shape so I feel I can take some moments to live the dream. This means different things to different people. To me, it means that I follow my interests and dreams and work on what I love.
For weeks, my life was full of chandelier and tile shopping, staring at paint samples and researching design inspiration, and packing boxes. Alone. With no help. I think mt husband was doing that thing Jazzy would always do when she wanted to avoid something… look away thinking that if she wasn’t looking at it, it wasn’t really there. Ignore it. he literally started packing the same day the movers came.
Now, I am in the mode of gardening and reworking the landscaping. There was a hard freeze in January so plants that usually can hold on through the winter did not make it. I love tropicals nestled in between evergreens so that the winter look is not bare and naked during the die down months of winter. With landscaping, I get a bit obsessed, and am constantly buying plants. IT is my goal to eventually see absolute;y no fence!
Yes, tend to get obsessed with gardening so I am slowing down on that for now because I got a really great start on reestablishing the yard. I want to share photos once Spring really kicks in. I also started a mini garden with all types of tomatoes, peppers, onions and such. I’m not putting a ton of work into them, but I want to see if I am nurturing enough before investing in a greenhouse.
We do have lemon and pear trees here already, and I added a fig tree a few weeks ago. I feel so happy and complete when gardening and when things grow and look nice outside. We love having trees and flowers that attract birds.
I guess my point is that I have been busy trying to finish the decorating, landscaping, and moving in process in general.
I am also working on product development for some things I am passionate about, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, there’s always blogging! This dress comes to you via Eshakti, and there are a million reasons to check out their site. Out of those reasons, custom fit merchandise at the same price a common clothing item would cost, is the best reason!
If you check them out, or have ordered before, let me know what you think. The last dress they sent me was a retro fabulous, black and white number with a ton of fabric from the waist down…which meant I ended up in the feed of some people’s “plus sized” Pinterest feeds ! LOL! Note to self, make more of an effort to appear thin in photos.
I love Eshakti, and will probably head over there in a few minutes to see what else I can find! One thing is for sure…it will fit great when it arrives on your door step!
-March 27, 2017
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
#leilani
This post warrants some words. There is a young girl that works at Johnny Was in The Woodlands who had been open to a fun makeup play date! I finally had tine to do a Saturday morning with her recently and she looked so cute I’d wanted to post a photo here!
Leilani was claiming to be having issues with her smoky eye technique so we focused on that among other things.
I tried to use as much of her recent makeup purchases as possible but of course had to mix in a few of my own great finds. Sometimes you’re literally throwing money away that you could be using on other things. Some of the items that we agreed were great budget friendly finds were Maybelline Dream Velvet Foundation, Revolution Baked Highlighter and Physicians Formula Custom Bronzer! Of course Rimmel lip liner is the best ever, but that goes without saying.
On some things though, I stuck to the staples of Anastasia Dip Brow, Nars Black Valley gel liner and the Naked Smoky Palette! We were both happy with the results we got with a light smoky look. By the way, it’s worth mentioning that SMOKY is the correct way to spell the word, unless you are referring to SMOKEY the BEAR. Just sayin. The creaters of Smokey The Bear spelled his name differently on purpose…I feel like this is how half the universe now spells smoky incorrectly.
Back to me though…we had a fun time digging through makeup and discussing the finer points of the art…getting lips to stay on, etc so I just wanted to share! I did not have a lot of time this past year to still do makeup so I love that I took the time! Thanks Leilani!
-SDS
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED….