Category Archives: UNCATEGORIZED

Things to Feel Better About Yourself By

This has been … a weird week, thus far. And by “weird” I guess I mean sh*tty. At 4am Monday morning, I was seized with the most excruciating pain in my neck – like, scary enough that I woke Keith and had a full-on freak out while he desperately tried massaging my neck and back. It was so bad that we both stayed home from work that day, because I needed serious help. I cried several times and then finally just gave up and stayed on the couch.

It’s much better now, p.s. All sorts of weird things happen to your body during pregnancy – like your pelvis shifts apart (wha??) – and then other areas start to hurt in response. It’s LOVELY. But thankfully that pain was temporary. Anyway, it was also 90 degrees that day (our a/c isn’t installed just yet) and I was a hot, grumpy mess. I’m still a hot, grumpy mess, come to think of it!

I’m so tired of sweating. I can’t even tell you.

Side note: I really wish there were more inexpensive maternity clothes in cotton. Everything is stretchy and polyester and ohmigod that stuff does not breath.

Don’t tell me to start a line of maternity clothes.

painted balloons

Source

I also learned on Monday that I failed my 1 hr glucose screening. See, there’s this thing called ‘gestational diabetes’ and it’s the WORST. You have to seriously watch your diet, and deal with all sorts of other inconveniences, otherwise you could have a giant baby. Which on its own doesn’t sound that bad, but apparently it is. I don’t know. I DO know that if someone tries to take away my fruit and cake, we’re going to have SERIOUS PROBLEMS. Anyway, if you fail the 1 hr test, then they make you take a 3 hr test which involves eight hours of fasting followed by lots of sitting around (or fainting and vomiting, depending on who you talk to) and getting lots of blood drawn. I’m SO BUMMED.

And I am NOT dealing well with frustration lately.

I haven’t had too many hormonal issues so far in this pregnancy, but holy cow, I guess the third trimester is it for me. And poor Keith. I’ll go from super happy to furious in mere seconds, and nothing gets me going faster than bad parallel parking. No really. There’s been so much of it lately in our neighborhood, and it’s just the worst.

Side note 2: if you parallel park at an angle or a foot from the curb, it’s impossible for the next person to park properly in front or behind you. Also, if you find a huge spot, don’t park in the middle of it. That’s just MEAN. Pull all the way up to the car in front of you or all the way to the crosswalk if you’re at the front or back of the block. Just do it.

I admit I now spend a lot of time imagining ways to shame these people. It’s terrible.

But honestly, who are they and where did they come from? Did a dozen residents on our block just learn how to drive? Did one awful driver move in and make everyone else park like a lunatic (see side note 2)? Has everyone collectively thrown their hands up in the air and completely given up on life? Or was it like this always, and I’m only now noticing, because I’ve completely lost my mind?

What have I become??

Maybe I just need to get in an air-conditioned space. Or maybe I just need to eat a bowl of the amazing cantaloupe sorbet I made while writing this annoying post.

cantaloupe sorbet

I seriously just did that, and it is incredibly delicious. Get the recipe here. So good!

Ohmigoodness, please let me pass that horrible glucose test. Don’t let them take away my sorbet!!

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Bathroom Makeover: Reveal!

You know what bums me out so much? Checking in daily with a blogger who has clearly stopped blogging daily. I just want you to know that I know that I am dropping the ball. My only defense is that I am really tired and really grumpy and really stretched out, literally. It takes so much self control to not set things on fire with my eyes, that sometimes blogging just can’t happen. I’m the worst. I hate it. I’m doing my best. And what is so hilarious about it all is that I just wrote a post for What To Expect When You’re Expecting describing how brilliant I’ve been feeling lately and how the bad stages of pregnancy seem to just magically erase from memory. And apparently … JOKE’S ON ME! Actually, that is pretty funny. Anyway, if you’d like to read a little bit about my delusion, please click over and enjoy.

And since I only seem to get my a$$ in front of this keyboard once a week, let’s go ahead and make this post a doozy, shall we? I have bathroom makeover pics to share! Sooo … remember the before?

Bathroom Renovation Before l My Hands Made It

Well you’d better go get some plastic tarps, ’cause I’m about to blow your mind, Gallagher-style …

bathroom makeover_pale blue gray_clawfoot tub_gold_persian bathroom rug

Can you believe it? Look at my bathrooooooom! I love it so much, you guys. LOVE IT. It’s so … clean. And not stupid-looking. More pictures and info after the jump …

Continue reading

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J’accuse, J.Crew

I think someone likes me …

A dress from the new J.Crew wedding collection:

Untitled-1

Totally adorable, right? I mean, of course I would think so …

dotted swiss_swiss dot_ wedding garden party bridal_veronica sheaffer

The Camellia dress from my Fall 2011 collection, available in tea- or full-length. I’mma just saying …

Or passive aggressively not saying. Haha! Look, I’m so not going to make a big deal out of this – I mean, maybe I’m going crazy (although when I first saw the J.Crew dress on Pinterest I was like “Wait – which shoot is this from?” I thought it was actually my dress). I’m certainly not going to start an online campaign, asking everyone to boycott J.Crew or anything. I love J.Crew. I wear their clothes often (when I’m not pregnant). I also think their wedding line is a great option for brides on a budget. Which is what that dress is at the top. Because, look – mine is definitely more expensive, and it’s most definitely worth the extra money.

Forget for a second that the Camellia is super high quality, entirely handmade in Chicago and features a built-in crinoline and corset and is lined in layers and layers of silk taffeta and organza. Aside from all of those awesome things, ours is made to be as gorgeous inside as it is outside, featuring a lace-trimmed lining, small ribbon accents, and hand-stitched details that an off-the-rack gown just doesn’t have.

It was also agonized over during many sleepless nights, creating the perfect balance of simplicity and femininity, but you know, whatever. *wink*

I’m totally not upset over this, and it’s kind of embarrassing pointing it out, honestly. But I would just really like people to look at the J.Crew dress and say “Oh look! An okay copy of a lovely Veronica Sheaffer dress!” Hahaha

Also, if you’d like to grab the gorgeous original for yourself, contact my studio or the lovely ladies at VeKa Bridal in Brooklyn to schedule an appointment. We’d love to see you! And it really is so surprisingly gorgeous. Even J.Crew thinks so!

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Are You Ever Really Done?

I don’t know about you guys, but I am completely addicted to house/interiors/decorating blogs. ADDICTED. Just the same way I was addicted to wedding blogs when we were planning our wedding. There are so many great ideas in the world! TOO MANY GREAT IDEAS. I’m too competitive in nature to see all of these incredible things and then not want to do them all in our own apartment. I’m competitive with myself, p.s. – everything can always be better. And while that serves me well in a lot of things, constantly pouring money into an apartment, which is already pretty okay, isn’t maybe the greatest use of our funds.

So when we got back from vacation, I decided to go ahead and redo whatever I wanted, but using only the things we already own. Which is a lot. We have A LOT of stuff. And furniture. And rugs. And curtains. There’s no need to go out and buy more of any of that stuff. And so the very day we returned, Keith and I rearranged a couple of things, and ohmigod. Suddenly I totally love this place. I mean, I LOVE IT. There are a couple of tiny things I’d like to get or make (like a new bathmat for our new bathroom (!!)), but I think we’re pretty to close to being … done.

Wha??

I mean, you guys, I’m not even a dang decorator. Our house is not a showcase. I should be done, right?

That being said, I need to restyle the bathroom a bit and there are some finishing touches to do in the dining room and I have an entire baby’s room to do. So it’s not like I’m really, actually done. I’m just close. I really, really like walking through this place now. It makes me so happy. I love watching t.v. and looking at this:

Peach living room walls, red console, blue velvet wingback via My Hands Made It

Is it going to win any awards? No. Does it need to win any awards? NO. It’s our dang house! It should be however we want it to be. We’re not millionaires. My husband is a teacher and he supports us on his own. All of the money I make goes back into my business. We are really lucky to live where we live, as comfortably as we do. And I think it would do me some good to focus on that for a while. Oh and focus on building my company so we can become millionaires for real. Duh.

Anyway, I’ll take some more pictures for you guys as I move things around and once I finish our fancy bathroom (can’t wait!). Maybe I’ll try to stay away from decorating blogs, but I highly doubt it. And maybe I’ll be able to actually turn this moment into a lifestyle change, although I’m sure Keith is reading this thinking:

“I give it two weeks.”

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Baskets and Bears and Breakdowns!

Back to the griiinnd.

Vacation was kind of awesome, but not for any vacationy reasons. We did pretty close to absolutely nothing all week. We felt half-guilty/half-lame, but we just wanted to lay around, so that’s what we did. Keith repeatedly compared us to John and Yoko, and that made it feel slightly less dumb. Whatever. We didn’t have to go to any children’s museums, so we relished what might be our last action-less vacation for some time.

I also didn’t take any pictures. I’m the worst at vacation pictures! Especially since this trip was just one comprehensive tour of public restrooms. I’M NOT KIDDING.

Despite all of that stuff, I did grab a few treats for myself along the way, like this incredible basket:

round navy fuschia basket

Bought at the Asheville farmers’ market. PRETTY. I have no idea what’s going in this just yet, but I need to be able to stare at and admire it at all times. I also grabbed this awesome Royal Haeger planter at an antiques store outside of Nashville. I can’t wait to fill it with a giant droopy fern or something.

vintage robins egg blue royal haeger planter

This minty green hand is from the same antiques store. I don’t know. I just wanted it. It’s weird and I like it, and if there’s anything I need, it’s more small, random stuff.

hand ring display mint marble

And then there’s this guy …

mr happiest toy bear in the world

Well hello there, HAPPIEST BEAR EVER! We stopped to visit my parents on our way back into town and my dad pulled out this adorable vintage toy he had been hiding in their own antiques store for us. I can’t stop smiling at this little guy. He really is the cutest thing ever.

And that’s pretty much it! Aside from the breakdown I had in the Motherhood dressing room at the Opryland mall. A note for anyone who owns a maternity clothing store: LIGHTING MATTERS. That experience was far more humiliating and discouraging than the worst bathing suit shopping trip I have ever lived through. And I wasn’t the only one – the woman next to me said those very words as they were running through my own head. But what’s a vacation without your husband finding you (after you’ve been gone for over an hour) crying in the checkout line behind the slowest people on Earth in the most understaffed store on Earth clutching the one thing that fits you in the entire store? I’ll say this: “baby moons” can be a little more complicated than regular vacations when you’re in the midst of a major growth spurt and your hormones are, shall we say, a little uneven.

I’m glad to be home.

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Vacation Renovation

Spring Break, you guys! Wooooooo! Flash me your boobs.

Vacation begins at 3pm this afternoon, and a few short hours later, Keith and I are hittin’ the road for Asheville and Nashville. Yay! Sort of. I’m super excited about taking a trip with Mr. Keith, but I’m bummed that Asheville has crummy weather in store for us – rain all weekend. Thanks for nothing, jerks! I don’t know that I want to spend $100 to walk around a mansion and not be able to enjoy the gardens at all. Also … ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. That house better change all of our dang lives. Keith and I would be happy sitting around a hotel for three days anyway, so whatever, we win. Then it’s off to Nashville for some sun and slightly warmer temps. I’m just excited for the break, really – we’ll make the most of whatever we get.

Oh and in case you’re now digging around for your lock pick, don’t bother. There will be people in our apartment all week guarding our stuff and working on this:

Bathroom Renovation Before  l My Hands Made It

That’s right. We’re GETTING A NEW BATHROOM! Well, we’re getting a new bathroom with a lot of old stuff, but only the old stuff I like, so, still … !!! We’ve got some serious water issues in the wall, so they have to open up everything, which means no more mismatched tile and no more box around the tub. We’ll now have brand new walls, an exposed clawfoot tub AND real ceramic tile on the floor instead of the lame peel-n-stick stuff. And as much as I appreciate the idea of the current wall tile … that stuff is plastic. Just plastic concave plates glued to the wall. They pop out all of the time; there are sections that don’t match; there are other sections that have been painted over, and the vanity is covered in them (with the exception of the few places where they’ve fallen off and never been replaced).

Sooo … this is the plan:

The awesome tub, giant built-in medicine cabinet, adorable sink and lucite towel rack are staying (oh and the toilet – whatever). They’re stripping down the vanity and giving it a coat of paint, putting another coat of white paint on all of the trim and painting the walls in French Gray by Behr (this color is so great next to white and much, MUCH prettier in person). Then they’re ripping up the floor and putting in clean white tile with dark grout.

I’mma so excited!!!

And the absolute BEST part is that we’ll be gone for this entire job. I feel like taking a victory lap. That right there is called WINNING, people. By the way, I probably won’t be checking in while we’re vacationing, but I promise to miss you the entire time. xoxo

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News!

Hey look – I have a new website.

What!

Which will include this soon:

veronica sheaffer shop the accessories

Double what!

I have to photograph everything first, but I’m pretty excited! I’ve tried this before, but always felt like things were a bit too clunky. Same goes for the old website. I want my whole life to be as clean and effortless as possible now, and I’m streamlining everything in my path. I’m also adding some special touches to the shopping process – like pretty little packages tied up in bows and fancy certificates of authentication – so you can brag to everyone that your goods are certifiably fancy. And I’ve added links directly to images on Pinterest, so you can now pin your favorite styles (something my web hosting service doesn’t provide automatically – weird). Anyway, I hope you like the new updates and you’ll tell all of your friends when the shop opens up! I’ll keep you updated as the goods roll out. xoxo

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Being Mocked by a Built-In

So. The dining room. I’ve done a lot of work in here, you guys. It’s ongoing. And it gets closer and closer to something I love until I try to take a picture. And then I hate it. The thing is, when I’m walking around, I can ignore the things I don’t like and focus on the good, but when I take a picture …

colorful dining room_painted rug_wall stencil_dark wooden built-in ruining everything

… that giant, dark, wooden built-in MOCKS ME. It needs to be painted! It needs it so bad. I throw an internal tantrum every time I look at it. There are actually some really lovely details in the built-in, but you’d never know, because it’s so dark that the light just gets sucked up inside like a black hole, ruining my bright and colorful dining room. Ruining everything. Along with all of the other trim in the apartment.

And there’s really nothing I can do about it. It’s just going to be wood. I think maybe I should repaint this room entirely, but that won’t change the fact that it’s flanked on both ends by darkness (there are more built-ins leading to the living room). I also really want to get rid of the stenciling on that wall there, but Keith has grown very attached to it. Ugggh.

It’s got to be the walls, right? ‘Cause the wood doesn’t bother me nearly as much in the any of the other rooms.

No, it’s the built-in. I hate it and it should be painted. End of story. And I’m stuck with it.

At least I have something to talk about in therapy tomorrow.

UPDATE: Dudes, I have found  the solution and it’s AMAZING. I’ll show you the Photoshop mock-up tomorrow. I’mma so excited!

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Happy Valen … Ugh, This Again?

Hey guys, guess what I don’t care about at all? Valentine’s Day. Unless of course I’m surrounded by people who are getting flowers and stuff. Then I get all annoyed at Keith for ignoring something I told him to ignore. I mean, I think a day devoted to being cute and sweet is awesome, and I would NEVER turn away chocolates or flowers or sweet notes EVER. I just never really feel like doing Valentine’s Day.

Of course if something incredible were to happen, I guess I would change my mind. Like, obviously, if you’re proposed to that day (by someone you want to marry) then, duh, Valentine’s Day becomes AMAZING. Or if you win a car or free food or get whisked away to a tropical place, then I’ll just shut up. But mostly, I give it a big ‘Eh’.

I do really like red and pink together, though, and I get to see a lot of it around this time of year. No complaints there. I don’t recall ever going on a Valentine’s date (ohmigod, is this why I hate it??), but if I did, I’d wear something pink with bright red lipstick. Hahaha! No I wouldn’t, that would be insane on actual Valentine’s Day, right? Would it? I have no idea, because I’m so far removed from this culture.

I think maybe the best Valentine gift I’ve ever received was my jadeite batter bowl. And I got it from a truly apathetic (now ex-) boyfriend who gifted it only because I nagged him about it for WEEKS. Whatever. I didn’t feel guilty at all, because he didn’t care about me and at least I got an awesome bowl out of a pointless relationship.

This post is getting weird.

Which is fitting, because Valentine’s Day is weird.

Except the cute and sweet part – I like that. So I wish you a very happy day of cute and sweet things, all completely random and surprising. LOVE YOU! xoxo

raquel torres vintage hollywood valentine

source

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Now What?

I’ve been a little preoccupied with reorganizing our entire apartment. It’s not a new thing either, so I don’t think this qualifies as “nesting” or whatever. And to be honest, I’m a little worried about how my nesting will manifest itself, ’cause my day-to-day apartment stuff can be a little intense. I’ll probably want to move or burn down the house and rebuild it or something. Here’s hoping it doesn’t happen at all.

Anyway …

Over the weekend I reorganized the pantry (which was a bit of an undertaking) and consolidated all of the extra dishware into the built-in china cabinet in the dining room. It now looks like this. “Hey, Veronica, does a person really need that many extra glasses, plates, vases and candles completely hidden away behind curtains?” Answer: YES. Now shut up.

My problem now is I used to have books filling the top shelf of that built-in and now they’re sitting on the dining room table. What am I supposed to do with this?

books whatever

I could store them away in a box and move on with my life, but I like these books. I like to reference some of them from time to time, and I might want to reread a few of them. Plus, it’s not like we have room for a giant box of books either. I could also buy a dang bookcase or hang some shelves on the wall like everyone else, BUT our apartment is pretty busy as it is. Any empty space I’ve managed to clear is a nice resting place for your eyes with all of the color and pattern going on around here.

I’m really at a loss, you guys.

I’ve considered changing up the wall above the living room sofa – maybe hanging floating shelves on either side of and above the “painting” …

should i put bookshelves on this wall

… I can’t say I’ve ever LOVED this wall. I could also get two bookcases, which would allow more than enough room for these books and some blank space, so it doesn’t get too crowded. Get smaller side tables for the lamps.

???

I’m so confused.

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