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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The One Room Challenge- Week 5!


Time really flies when you are busy working and I can't believe we are now at week 5 of this challenge. Another week to go and we will get to see all the other participants' rooms. I am so excited! If you miss any of the One Room Challenge posts, please click here

As for myself, I have mixed feelings about this challenge. I am excited to finally have a chance to bring everything together particularly the accessories I have been buying and saving since last year. On the other hand, I am getting a little nervous because we are so behind schedule and there are still a long list of unfinished tasks for me to even think about decorating. Sigh.

Last weekend, we didn't accomplished as much as we had hoped for. A few hours were wasted trying to get the same baseboard moldings in different Menards locations. Isn't that the most frustrating when you are in a middle of a project and you have to go to a few places just to get all the things you wanted?

Anyway, during the weekend..........

we managed to patch the nail heads..........

.......... and filled in all the gaps with wood fillers.

The wood fillers are far from attractive so we are planning to fill them with wood stain with a color that matches the wood floors. We haven't had a chance to stain them yet, so we will probably do it this week. 

Hubby has already patched the unsightly holes in the wall and started to install the baseboard moldings. The yellow post-it notes are there to mark the wall studs.

The baseboards are half finished and the shoe molding are not installed yet.

We definitely have a lot to do this week in order to finish our room for the big reveal next Wednesday!

Our to-do list this week includes but not limited to:

1. Finish installing the baseboards and shoe molding.

2. Finish staining the wood fillers.

3. Finish painting the baseboards and touching up the wall paint.

4. Finish assembling the four poster bed.

5. Finish hanging the curtains.

6. Finish ironing/ steaming the curtains/ bedding.

7. Shopping for some last minute accessories.

The long to-do list is making me very nervous. As I am writing this post, hubby is busy installing the baseboards. He must be so tired after coming back from work and now, he still has to work on the room. I am so grateful and appreciative for all the time and effort he put into this. 

Anyway, let's move on to the fun part of this whole makeover. Yesterday, I had a chance to get some accessories for our master bedroom. I have always wanted lacquer boxes like these but they can be so pricey. Look what I found during my shopping trip yesterday.

Isn't it fabulous and oh-so-chic? I bought two of these, a small and a medium size from The Container Store. I love a pop of bright yellow accents to complement the blue and white color palette in the room. 

While I was at the store fussing over the two most "perfect" yellow lacquer boxes, a guy saw me. He can't help himself and get them, too. He also took his time picking the most "perfect" boxes. Seriously, have you seen a guy fussing over some boxes? LOL. Whenever I buy anything, I love to take my time whether it is trying on an outfit (it is usually checking the mirror front and back for at least 5 mins to make sure it's the right purchase) or selecting the perfect home accessories. When other people caught me doing that, they usually try to hunt down the items (whatever I was holding/ wearing at the time) and buy the same items for themselves, too. It's funny to think that I have some kind of "influencing power" on strangers when it comes to shopping. LOL. Do you have the same experience as well? Perhaps retail stores should hire me to do just that to boost up their sales! That would be fun! :)

Anyway, during my accessories hunting trip, I also found two inexpensive beautiful mirrors from HomeGoods, a white bowl from Marshalls and a few pictures frames and a small jug from IkeaWe already spend a lot on the wood floors so I hope to spend as little as I can on the accessories. 

Speaking of accessories, I had this art print poster by Roy De Forest for almost 10 years now. I was initially attracted by its color, vibrancy and quirkiness.


This was the first gift my husband bought for me during our early dating days when we were at an art museum in North Carolina. I really wanted to incorporate this art print in our master bedroom because it holds a special meaning for me. Unfortunately, hubby said the art print looked a little creepy. (so there's a high chance we won't have this art print in our bedroom.) What do you think? Do you find it creepy too? I am a little sad the art print will not be staying in our room. However, the print will not be hidden in the closet forever because I am planning to incorporate this art print in my son's room when we start decorating his room down the road! :) 

Now, don't forget to visit the rest of the following participants from The One Room Challenge to see how everyone is doing!

Lauren - The Cottage Mix
Lindsay - Everything LEB
Barbara - Hodge:Podge
Tiffany - Living Savvy
Jessie - Mix And Chic
Danylle - Nana Moon
Jennifer - The Pink Pagoda
Bethany - Powell Brower Home
Emily - Rue de Emily
Lindsay - Sadie + Stella


I hope you will follow me and the rest of these talented ladies through next week for the Big Reveal at Week 6!


P/S: Don't forget to enter in my current giveaway for a chance to win 100 customized business/ calling cards!

Monday, July 23, 2012

A product review and a giveaway- BuildASign business cards!



Recently, I received a set of lovely business cards from BuildASign

Founded in 2005, the Austin-based company (which also operates photos on canvas) is a custom printing company which provides customized signs and banners, car magnets, bumper stickers, decals, business cards, licence plates, parking signs and more.

Imagine how thrilled I was when I was offered a set of business cards from BuildASign in exchange for a review. I have always wanted to have my own business cards for my interior decorating business but I couldn't find the right ones. These are perfect because they can be customized exactly the way I wanted. I am so excited to share with you my new business cards! Here it is:



Here is how I customized my business cards: First, I made a slight change to my blog banner. Then, I uploaded the image to the website. Next, I determined my layout and favorite fonts. Finally, I checked the preview. 3 simple steps and voila, here's my new business cards! Easy peasy!


Close-up.

What do you think? Do you like my new business cards? I always knew I wanted my business cards to look like an extension of my blog and I am glad BuildASign made it happen. These cards are high quality and beautifully printed. Best of all, they are affordably priced. To give you an idea, a set of 100 business cards with a 2"x 3.5" size (matte) only costs $14.99 and the glossy version cost slightly more at $17.99. If you have looked or ordered any business cards before, you know the price is pretty unbelievable!

*I received this product to review for free but the views and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The best part? BuildASign has decided to offer one of you lucky Mix And Chic readers a chance to win 100 business cards. Customized or not, glossy or matte, it is your pick! 

If you are a small business owner (think Etsy store owners, designers, web designers, consultants, event planners, etc),  a mom who wants to give out your contact information to other mommies during your child's play date or simply a blogger who wishes to advertise your blog, then these cards are perfect for you! 

To enter:

You must be a resident of the 48 contiguous United States. 

Be a follower of Mix And Chic blog via Google Friend Connect and let me know why you want to win these business/ calling cards. (one basic entry)

For additional entries (an extra entry for each of the following):

1. 'Like' Mix And Chic on Facebook and leave a separate comment. (If you are already following, please leave a separate comment to let me know as well.)

2. 'Like' BuildASign on Facebook and leave a separate comment.

3. 'Follow' Mix And Chic on Twitter and leave a separate comment. (If you are already following, please leave a separate comment to let me know as well.)

4. 'Follow' BuildASign on Twitter and leave a separate comment.

5.'Follow' Mix And Chic on Pinterest and leave a separate comment. (If you are already following, please leave a separate comment to let me know as well.)  

6. Mention this giveaway on your Facebook status (include a link back to this post) and leave a separate comment. 

7. Tweet about this giveaway (include a link back to this post) and leave a separate comment.

8. Blog about this giveaway (include a link back to this post) and leave a separate comment.

9. Bonus question: If you win, let me know which type of business cards you will pick, glossy or matte and why?


The last day for entries is August 1, 2012. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on Thursday, August 2, 2012. Good luck, everyone!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

And the winner of the giveaway is ..........

I am glad to announce the winner of the recent giveaway brought to you by Reflections On Canvas.


I used random.org to draw a winner and here it is. The lucky winner of the $100 credit towards any sized canvas provided by Reflections On Canvas is 


the lovely Elizabeth from The Little Black Door.


Congratulations, Elizabeth. I will contact you shortly. Thanks to everyone who entered this giveaway. For those of you who didn't win, you can still take advantage of the wonderful discount offered by Reflections On Canvas. Just enter promo code: CHICSUMMER20 at the "notes to artist" section when you place your order and enjoy your 20% off discount through the end of August! There will be more fantastic giveaways in the near future. So, stop by from time to time. Have a beautiful day, my lovelies!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

The One Room Challenge- Week 4!


Where did the time go? It feels like we just started this challenge a week ago yet it's the fourth week of The One Room Challenge already. (In case you have missed the previous installments of this series, click here for week 1, click here for week 2 and click here for week 3).

We have made good progress this week! I am thrilled to announce that the hardest part of this makeover (the hard wood floor installation) is officially done! If you have been following this challenge since week 1, you would know that the wood floor installation took us almost 5 months to complete. You can read about our hardwood floor drama here

Hard wood floor installation- completed!

Towards the last few rows of the wood floor installation, it became a challenge. Because it was nearing to the end, it was difficult to use a rubber mallet to join the wood floors together without damaging the walls. So, my hubby went to online forums to look for tips and suggestions on how to do it the right way.

People at the forum recommended using a tool named flooring jack to put the tongue and groove hard wood floors together. 



This tool costs $175 at Amazon but my husband found one for just $10 at Harbor Freight Tools (I forgot to take a picture of ours but it's very similar in terms of looks. I can't locate the one hubby bought from the website, either). 

Anyway, he was prepared to fork over $100 for the tool but he couldn't find it everywhere near our area so he bought the only one he saw. He was doubtful about the quality of the tool at first because of the price discrepancy but lucky for us, it worked wonderfully! My hubby highly recommends this nifty tool (or something similar) for hardwood floor installation. We are on a small budget for this room makeover but he said he is willing to pay $200 for this. So take note, this tool is that good. (We are not perked or anything for saying this, LOL).

So after my husband installed the rest of the hardwood flooring, he came back to install the trickiest part of all; the entrance area of our master bedroom where he left off at the first place.  This area was not easy to tackle with the funny angles and a lot of measuring to do. His measurements was fine but the installation wasn't satisfactory. We both came up with different methods to install them. Finally, after the second attempt and more than two hours later, we were done!

The trickiest part to install.

Since the wood floor installation took longer than we expected and spanned over the entire weekend, we did not have time to buy/ install new baseboards.

We are completely behind schedule so I asked my hubby to install the curtain rods first so we can check an item off the to-do list! Here it is:

 Here is one of the window rods.

We didn't hang the curtains because the baseboards are not installed and the paint are not touched up yet. Hopefully during next week, we will have more progress to share. Wish me luck!

When you have a chance, don't forget to check out the rest of the following participants from The One Room Challenge to see their room's progress!

Lauren - The Cottage Mix
Lindsay - Everything LEB
Barbara - Hodge:Podge
Tiffany - Living Savvy
Jessie - Mix And Chic
Danylle - Nana Moon
Jennifer - The Pink Pagoda
Bethany - Powell Brower Home
Emily - Rue de Emily
Lindsay - Sadie + Stella


I hope you will be following me and the rest of these talented ladies as we transform our spaces!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

The One Room Challenge- Week 3!


In a blink of an eye, it's the third week of The One Room Challenge already. If you missed the first or second installments of this series, click here and here

I am happy to report that our hardwood floor installation is now about 95% complete. Spending the entire day at home during the 4th of July installing the wood floors definitely paid off!

 Look! Only four more rows left before completion!

Hubby said that it won't be easy when it comes to installing the last four rows of the wood floors because there won't be enough space to use the mallet.

Look at those peeling walls at the bottom. Needs to buy new baseboards, paint them and then reattach them.

Unsightly scuff marks everywhere. Needs paint touch-up.

We are almost there!

Almost reach the finishing line!

Need to patch those damaged walls!

In case you are wondering about our room's previous paint color, here is a peek. Are you a fan of the bright pink?

The previous paint color wasn't working for us at all so it had to go!


Last week, I have received both my gray curtains and white bed canopy curtains that I ordered online. With two things off my mind and the hard wood floor almost finished, I am starting to think about accessories. These are what I had in mind.



Brass Anchor


Marine Striped Pillow Case


Brass Porthole Mirror

Yacht Model Ship

I find them very gorgeous and beautifully made yet I am not sure if I will be getting any of the above items for accents. You know why? It's the budget thing again and they always get in the way! What are your thoughts? Do you think I should get any of these items for nautical accents? Or should I skipped them altogether? Which one is your favorite? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Check out the following 20 participants from The One Room Challenge.

Lauren - The Cottage Mix
Lindsay - Everything LEB
Barbara - Hodge:Podge
Tiffany - Living Savvy
Jessie - Mix And Chic
Danylle - Nana Moon
Jennifer - The Pink Pagoda
Bethany - Powell Brower Home
Emily - Rue de Emily
Lindsay - Sadie + Stella
Lisa - Trapped In North Jersey



I hope you will be following me and the rest of these talented ladies as we makeover our rooms!