While we all couldn't love Charly more around here, our girls are also kitten-lovers. For the past 6 months, we talked about getting a cat. We'd go to the pet store or shelters and friends' homes and our girls would cling to the kitties. So when my sister had one kitten left in the litter her cat just had, a beautiful cream one dipped paws and blue eyes, we couldn't help but bring him home for a little trial run after he was old enough.
Unfortunately, the trial run didn't go so great. The cat was really good at getting a rise out of Charly--lots of hissing and clawing leading to lots of barking. However, I've never seen Charly so sprite! And active! I really think she just wanted to play and I think the kitten was scared. We heard it could take a few days for them to get used to each other, but then, the worst thing happened...
Both girls started getting hives on their faces and arms and their eyes were all puffy. We suspected they might be allergic to cats after Greta would come home from a friend's house that had cats "feeling itchy" but it's never been very extended visits so I guess it never got this bad. We were sad to return the kitten to my sister (maybe no one more than me) but we still love the idea of getting a playmate for Charly--even if it can't be a cat. Ironically, we got Charly to be a playmate for Greta years ago.
Other fun things this week!
If you've been following along on Instagram Stories, you know we finished up the wardrobes Wednesday afternoon and they look fantastic. A surprising perfect finishing touch were these faux marble knobs from Target. They look so expensive but weren't at 2 for under $12. Target is having a big sale on home items this weekend (up to 25% off), PLUS, you can get an additional 10% off online using the code FALLHOME.
Did you see our stair railing arrived just in time?!
There's so much to say here, about everything, so we're saving it for a full post next week. Enjoy the sneak peek and if you have any questions, you can let us know in the comments and we'll be sure to tackle them all next week!
While the 20 designers in the One Room Challenge don't get paid to participate, there are 20 brands that Linda has arranged for us to work closely with on choosing the perfect pieces for our spaces. It's fun and it's definitely a huge perk. So I was really excited when I saw that ATGstores is giving all the ORC watchers (if you're reading this, that's you!) a huge perk too. You can get $100 off your total of $199 or more at www.ATGstores.com using the code ONEROOM100. How awesome is that? We ordered most of the major accessories for the girls room from them and I know you'll find something you love too.
Speaking of the One Room Challenge, I love checking out all the guest participants as much as the headliners! Sarah from Making Joy & Pretty Things, a guest participant, mixed natural brick and cement tile in the prettiest way--it stopped me in my tracks this week. Can't wait to see how that room evolves. Definitely one to check out.
I couldn't not order these cute socks for the girls. We're taking our family Christmas pictures in the next couple weeks and I think these will be a darling touch!
Hope you have a great weekend! We'll be partying tomorrow night and I'm so anxious for it to start because that means the house and food will be ready. Hahaha.
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Aaaw, sorry about having to return the kitty! When your girls are older, if you feel comfortable and are so inclined, you might ask their doc about trying Zyrtec (though it's OTC now). Taking it daily allows me to snuggle with my sweet kitties without hives/itching. Thank goodness! (I sound like an ad, but I'm just a huge cat lover who also has allergies, though not severe.) :-) In any case, great that they're not allergic to Charley.
Does that beautiful kitty still need a home? I'm in Colorado but I'd nd more than happy to make that precious cat my own!!
I'll check with my sister!
I happen to positively know that Charlie loves little dogs to play with! ?
I was sort of allergic to cats, but my reaction wasn't quite as intense as what you're describing that happened to your girls. An old boyfriend adopted a cat and I used to come over, take a benadryl, scoop the kitty up, and take a nap with him. After a few weeks my body got used to it, but I don't know if it was just because my body wasn't used to the dander and had to adjust or if I was actually allergic. My brother had also had a bunch of allergies when he was younger, including a shellfish allergy and now he can eat whatever he wants. And as for Charly vs. cat, they both will be fine. Our cat took a swipe at the dog and now the dog pretends that the cat doesn't exist and gives her a wide berth, whereas the cat begrudgingly tolerates the dog, but always keeps an eye on her when they're in the same room. I caught them napping within three feet of each other once and I could've just died it was so cute.
I can definitely relate to this, Kathy! Three years ago we brought home a french bulldog pup and for several weeks I was miserable from the itchy eyes and stuffed up nose. However, my mom told me to stick it out because once my body adjusted, we would be fine. She was absolutely right...it took about 2 -3 weeks, but I have been symptom free ever since. BUT...I have noticed that if I am away from him for more than a day or two, I get all stuffed up again until I adjust. So weird how that works!
Thanks for the coupon code. I just got 4 shiny, new pillows for my sectional!
Please tell me you got the girls the cat socks and not foxes or something... hardly makes up for giving up the kitten, but at least it is something! :~)
I must say, I'm not really a cat person, but that kitten is ADORABLE!
You can get all the sets for $18...so I got allllllll the setS.
Those socks are absolutely adorable! I was wondering if you could discuss how you go about picking outfits for the girls, yourself and Chris for family pictures. Is there some sort of formula you follow? Do you start with one family member's outfit and build around that? Your pictures turn out great and everyone looks coordinated without being "matchy-matchy". Thanks!
I just usually try to balance patterns and solids more than anything. Maybe when I share our Christmas cards, I'll share some tips!
Would love to hear some tips for family photo outfits! I know you have a lot on your plate, but if you would be interested in doing some general photography tips/suggestions I would love that. Maybe different camera settings for house photography vs family pics? After our last family photo session we weren't thrilled with the photos, so planning to buy a DSLR and start taking them ourselves with tripod/remote. Hopefully it will be less stressful too! :)
I am sad you couldn't keep Gus the kitty! If I lived in Idaho I would adopt him in a heartbeat....I am a newer visitor to your blog (only stumbled across it about 3 months ago) but I love your design style. I also throughly enjoy the podcast and giggle along with you, Chris and Preston.
I literally JUST ordered the same socks for our baby girl last night. Can't wait to see the stairs post, the railing looks insane. Also can't wait for the Halloween recap!
That railing! I can't get over it. Also, how is it Friday again already?! My favorite day and my favorite CLJ post every week. I'm flipping over those socks! And that exposed brick fireplace. Droooool. Why wasn't my old house hiding ANY brick?? What a dream.
Long time reader. Love the new railing. So glad it made it in time for the party. And that kitten is adorable. The way I look at is less to vacuum! One thing I wanted to ask was about INstagram stories. I googled it and can't find anything on it. I looked in the app store and it asked me to download a separate app but it wasn't managed by instagram Seems kind of silly to have an extra app just to get stories so I figured I was doing something wrong. What is the "story" and how is it different than the Instagram picture you post? Or maybe it's not. Don't want to miss a thing! :)
It is within Instagram, so you shouldn't have to download a separate app. From the home screen (click the house shape on the bottom left) across the top there should be circles with photos of people you follow. If you click on that, you'll see the instagram story of that person. Swipe left to skip someones story. Hope that helps!
I've always been allergic to cats, and unfortunately, it seems to be worsening as I age. I used to occasionally cat sit as a teenager (after popping some Benadryl). Now, if I'm at a friends' house who has a cat I take an antihistamine immediately beforehand, stay for no more than 2-3 hours, and am still itchy/sneezy afterwards. So kitties are probably not in your future. :(
I love the stair railing! I want to switch ours out with something horizontal at some point and yours is pretty much the exact look I want.
Bummer about the kitten! He looks so similar to how our Gus looked when he was a baby. He's much darker now but still has his pretty blue eyes.
I wanted to name him Gus! Aww so sweet.
Oh my gosh thank you SO much for mentioning my little blog! I'm so so glad you love the tile + exposed brick look - it's one of my favorites! P.S. my dad was allergic to cats but was ok with guinea pigs, so I had a guinea pig growing up ;)
So excited to see your room finish up, Sarah!
Oh that kitty is a beaut, was it a Ragdoll? Shame you couldn't keep him.
Good luck with the rest of the ORC!
New to your blog (was directed from another) and I'm wondering if there is any way I can just scroll down through more than one post without having to do all the time consuming "READ MORE CLICKING" required for each separate post??
I hope there is as I have wanted to ask the same thing. I doubt it, however, b/c I think that counts as another 'hit' to your blog so the numbers double which sponsors like to see??? Just my guess, but I definitely prefer the blogs where you can easily read the entire post as well. Since you are new here, though, this inconvenience is still worth your time. :-) It is a great blog with lots of great ideas, info and inspiration.
Thanks for checking, Christina and Cindy. I always put direct links to the day's posts in my Instagram profile and on Facebook. We have found that 90% of our traffic is direct to a post, meaning those that click over from a Pinterest link, Instagram, or Facebook, it automatically opens the day's full article. Since our traffic is always growing, we felt truncating the posts would be the best way to keep everything running quickly (mid-summer before we truncated we had a lot of complaints that the site wasn't loading quickly) while still giving our daily readers the opportunity to read full articles. There's also the option to follow along in Bloglovin or Feedly which shows all of our full articles.