the making of a dining room

It's funny how moving into a new home takes awhile to get acquainted. It is a lot like meeting people and building a friendship. Andy and I moved into our home on Dunlap a year and a half ago and I am slowing making it ours. I have learned to not rush things when it comes to paint colors, decorations etc. I have been in the "I want to get to you know you phase" with our home.
Especially with the basement finish/Tala Hair Studio open last fall, taking up a lot of time and mula. But I have been really excited for our dining room as of late. When we moved into our house, the previous owners used it as a study/bonus room. (picture below)

Zion was 9 months old when we moved into the house and we originally went with the same concept. Except we added toys to the mix :) But after further thought, I really want a dining room. At our old house, we had one and I have missed the formality of it. I love how cozy a dining room can be. Also, we love to host, so it gives us way more space for dining and that way the cook doesn't have to see the mess in the kitchen post prep! So Pinterest is my friend like everyone and I have been pinning and dreaming for our "dining room". 

Around the holidays we received a gift of a "broken chandelier" that needed some Cass love. So we switched out the old chandelier that is in the above photo (which is now for sale...hint hint) for something that was more us! I have been eyeing this amazing coconut chandelier from West Elm for awhile and we got the blessing of getting a damaged one that basically needed a light kit. 

So when Andy's fam was here for Christmas, Andy's dad and him put it in for me! They hit up Lowes and bought a cheap light and used the "kit" essentially to make ours up and running. 

This is a shot of Andy's dad the day they were taking down the old light. You can also get a peek at the hot mess my room was before. No theme. No concept. and Plastic table :) Classy Christmas in the Cass Casa. Next up, was PAINT! PTL for paint. I knew I wanted this room to be the darkest in the house for some mood lighting! I love a cozy, romantic and relaxing environment while eating. So we went with the same color we have on our TV wall in the basement. It is Sherwin Williams, Urban Bronze in Satin. It is part of their HGTV line for color. It instantly changed the dynamics of the room. I love it. 

Next up, was some colorful art to liven up the space. My BFF, Jody sells amaze fabric, which I have mentioned before. Well, last summer she ordered the new Amy Butler line called "Lark" and I fell in love.

 It was during my salon build and decor planning. I fell hard for anything with "ikat" and "chevron" right off the bat. But, even 9 - 12 months ago it was hard to get your fingers on items with those patterns. So when Jodes ordered this line she knew I would be obsessed. She was right! So Jody and I decided to do some wall art with the fabric. I bought 14 canvases that were 12x12 in size from Michaels. 

     

So we went ahead and stretched the fabric on the canvases. We used a staple gun and it worked like a charm! It is such fun art for a small budget while making a big statement! So finally, a couple weeks ago, my amazing hus hung them for me! I love it. 

So here you can see the amazing Urbane Bronze paint, as well as the Chandelier! Doesn't it make a diff? I love it!!!! We hung the canvases on the wall with a few inches in between to balance it out! I had fun deciding where to put each pattern. 

Here is a close up of the detail of the fabric. Seriously, LOVE! 

So we obviously hung the canvases 4 across/4 down with 2 "filler" square frames from Target to balance it out and to switch it up a bit! Do you likey? I do:)

Just another shot to it. When we put these up I decided to switch up my entryway too. I used everything that I already owned. I just went in a few rooms to retrieve some goodies. 

The ottoman and big plant is from Target. I got the table at Goodwill, but it was originally from Target too. The lamp is from Pottery Barn which happens to match the paint perf. I love moving things around, makes you feel like you are shopping! 

So that is the progress on the D.R. We have a long ways to go.......the current D.R. table is our outdoor patio table. ha ha. Oh the magic of a table cloth. Andy is going to be building us a harvest table to seat 12 soon! I can't wait. We have some really fun ideas for that....updates to come. We are also going to build a banquet at the front windows with storage and built in shelving on both sides. I want all of that to be white, so it will really pop out against the dark grey. We also have to hang things on the two opposing walls...but it all comes with time. hope you enjoyed....ta ta

I am lovin'.....

Lately I have been lovin a few things...thought I would share them with you! I m in the middle of a great read by Kelle Hampton called Bloom.

I have been following Kelle's blog for 2 years now and I m hooked. She is a mama of 2 girls with her 2nd born having down syndrome. She is an amazing photographer and is so raw on the beauty of motherhood. She and her husband didn't know that their Nella had Downs until birth and she recently wrote a memoir on their journey. It has been an easy book to breeze through. I m almost done with it. I have had lots of tears with this one.......go prego hormones:)

Speaking of being pregnant, my skin has decided to hate me this time round. It seems so random to me to have skin be an issue..but mine is. I have rashes and flare ups out of no where. So all I have been using is my faithful Vanicream. unscented. natural and works like a charm. I get it at target....like everything else.

And its made in good ole Roch...its meant to be. Seriously, it is a life saver. face and bod....thank you Jesus for the lil things.

I always have the luxury of standing on my feet all day for work and when you are pregnant it can be even more uncomfortable. So,  I recently upgraded to some mighty comfy shoes that are of course I adore as well! I jumped on the "boat shoe" bandwagon( not the 300 lb. hairy chest, tan, Tommy bahama shirt wearing man).... But the 30 year old, hair stylist, pregnant , MN gal!

I m obsessed with rose gold jewelry so I thought I would add to my collection with some feet bling! They are more spendy but it is worth it. Between the justification of working and standing on my feet and caring my hus' offspring. I DESERVE> and they are plush. I went with the Sperry Topslider. These bad boys are my friend for a long time. We are still getting to know each other but we are going to be buddies.

At Tala, I use and sell the Awapuhi line by Paul Mitchell for many reasons. First, it smells amazing....Wild Ginger to be exact. It's more natural, not having many chemicals. Second, it is an affordable line providing amaze results. My current favorite product is the Shine Spray. I LOVE IT!

I use it for a finishing spray or while I m flat ironing hair to protect hair from the heat as well as add lots of shine. Plus, it smells so amazing! Often times, shine sprays can be really heavy but this one is great. U must try. It's only $20 and last foreva!

Lastly, I use all natural cleaning products in our home.

My current all purpose cleaner is by Method, and it is just lovely. The options they have for scents are amazing. For one, they don't give me a headache like most and they are so fresh. I have the Clementine and Grapefruit for home/salon. They only cost $3.99, I think. I usually get them on sale at Target. Love. Love Love.

Its all about the little things for me. and here are just a few of Christy favs......

Zion's Quilt

I am so excited for Zion's new quilt for her big girl bed! My mom, BJ, has been working on this for a few months now! We are stoked. My mom has been quilting since I was a girl, but has gotten very passionate about it in the last 5 plus years with being a "empty nester" and having time to enjoy her hobbies. She made Zion a baby quilt when I was expecting her. It is adorable.....a caterpillar which is so cute and fun.

This is me with the quilt when I was preg with Zion. But now, my mom got to have a bigger task of making a full size quilt for Z. I picked out the pattern a while back for her to go off of. I have been a fan of Chevron ( like everyone else ) and wanted something with that implemented. I love how it is a little bit traditional yet fun at the same time. Zig-Zag seemed very appropriate for a girls room too:)

I just googled Chevron quilts til i found a fav for my mom to use. This is the pattern I loved! Next up, was picking out the fabric for it. My BFF Jody sells designer fabric on Etsy and I was so thrilled when I found this line she was selling. It is Joel Dewberry- Heirloom.

I love color! I think the vintage floral with the graphics are so fun for a girls room! I m so excited for Zion to have this for years to come. We picked 8 of the patterns out for the quilt....

So then it began....the quilting process for my mom:) Today, my husband Andy and I got to see the quilt and I m in LOVE with it. Zion actually showed us it. She is just as excited as I am. It is so fun to see how my little 2 year old comprehends everything these days.  My mom had it laying on the bed in their guest bedroom for us to see it. It still needs the backing and trimmings etc. but the hours have definitely been put in. My mom was even up til like 1am last night sewing it for it to be ready for viewing. So here it is:

Isn't it awesome? The pix from my iPhone don't do it justice. here is a detailed shot of the work:

I can't wait to put it in Zion's new room! I will make sure to update all of you on more pix of it with better lighting once it is done. I must do some room progress pix too! We are currently getting ready to put Zion in the "guest bedroom". So Baby sister can go in the current nursery. Zion will be getting a bunk bed and we will definitely be decorating and making it fun. Her sister will share rooms with her in a couple years. :) but right now we are focusing on getting her transitioned well before baby arrives in August. So the quilt will be a bit big, but I want it to be perfect for when Z has a full size bed down the road! I m so excited. I will keep ya updated with room reveals and such :) 

have a great weekend! off to a wedding reception.....

morning-hood

sometimes i can't get over how fast the days go....especially since i have had Zion. It is the weirdest concept of remembering life without her and how much my life has changed in 2 years, and a few days shy of 2 months. crazy town! the days tend to flow together so beautifully. i feel so blessed having this child that calls me "mom" or "momma". 

this pix below was taken a year ago. i love it. i just stumbled upon it tonight. it makes my heart smile! why? well, for many reasons....

It reminds me of my favorite time: mornings. now, pre-mom Christy hated mornings... i still am not a big fan of lots of talk but I cherish the mornings now.  it is funny how early Andy and I get up, willingly, now that we are parents. or is it because we are in the 30's ? :)
But honestly, mornings are beautiful. I get to be Zi every morning. She is so funny how she will yell for me in the morning from her crib. she is just like me sometimes, impatient. She will yell, " mom" over and over til i come. and lately she has a story for me. the topics are usually about her dirty diaper, or the book she is "reading" or about her babies! She is so cuddly to, which i m a fan of. we always head downstairs to either cuddle on the couch with her "lovie and num-num" or have some "ce" cereal and "milk". depending on the morning. Z loves to watch word world and elmo on the iPad for bfast. and as for me, i brew my one and only coffee of the day (thanks to prego-hood) but i adore.
I love how the sun shines in our house in the mornings...getting me ready for the day. i love how zion is extra affectionate with me in the mornings. i love how she looks at me and smiles, while saying "hi mommy". i love how she will have 3 bowls of cereal before she is full. i love how we have our vitamins together. i love how it is the "slow" part of my day.  i love how usually babies have to sit with her as do i. " sit mommy sit" or "eat mommy eat". i love how its our time. our routine. our alone time. especially with me doing hair, i work nights during the wk so i cherish my 8 ams with my Zion Leilani.
i m blessed.

this pix above, is Z lying upstairs in her jammies :)

cuddles with lovie, num num and her mama!

Product Fav.

I m a huge fan of Dry Shampoo. It is a must for every woman to save their time, revive their style, allow your hair to have volume on days you don't wash. It also freshens the "day old" smell away! :) I have tried many that I enjoy. 
Usually My staples in the past have been Psst Dry Shampoo. It is sold at Walgreens and is around $8 or so. 

But I always have gone back to TIGI Rockaholic Dry Shampoo. It is very potent in smell and works great for lift at the roots. I have been selling at Tala, but now I m addicted to a new love :)

When I worked at a previous salon, we used a organic line called "Eufora" and I enjoyed using their products but they never had a dry shampoo. But now they do! Praise God:)

1. 
   

   This dry shampoo is rich in Vitamins A, B6, C, D, E and K, which improve moisture retention and elasticity to prevent dry, brittle hair. It is natural, organic and smells amazing. All of which are very important for me and my clients. 

   And the huge kicker is that you can get it tinted in LIGHT and DARK. So for my clients that have regrowth, it masks that so you can prolong your color! I have been on the look out for this since I worked at R!ah. Because we used Bumble&Bumble and they had that option. But now  I can offer it too! 

   For blondes like myself, stick with Clear. I m carrying all three at Tala. 

   The clear shampoo is $26, and the tinted ones are $34. They should last 6 months or so. I wash my hair every 3 days, so I use mine on day 2 and 3. BIG FAN....have a great day.
   

   

   
   

Zion art

I m so excited about my newest art in our home, that my girlfriend, Kelly made for me! It is stunning.  It is a painting of ZION.....mod podge, vintage flowers, vintage sheet music and all......i m in LOVE!

It totally looks like Zi! Kelly put Zion on a stage, since she is Miss Personality and all. She used fall tones, MY FAV! I m also loving the polka dot hair to go along with this mama being a hair stylist!

 I chose to hang it in my favorite corner in my living room! It is bright and cheerful. My dresser is from when I was a baby. My table runner is vintage from my Grandma Cherie, and I adore it. This space makes me smile! Thanks Kel for the lovely piece!

zion is a product of her mama

It is amazing to me how much my daughter loves getting her hair cut/ feathers put in...you name it. its her favorite :) the "cheese" smile is always a fav of mine. she is so proud. this is the most we have cut off...about 3 inches....transforming the mullet to a bob. she is a cute one!