Hey Luxe Babes! I wanted to show you how to make inexpensive  floral accent arrangements. I used cotton balls to keep them from shifting as much, solely because I wanted it to be non-permanent in case i wanted to do a quick color change.  You could spend another dollar or so and hot glue a foam base to stick your flowers in. I find that its not necessary for smaller arrangements, but its totally an option! So here’s a quick pictorial on how to make this cute little glam baby!   (Flower Bunch and Mercury glass container came from Walmart ) If you decide to try this, please tag me in a photo!! (All my social media info is on the blogs main page!????) I constructed D.I.Y for Vanessa West, my Real Estate Agent. Visit her Facebook page for more information on Home buying, budgeting and Home related tips! Till next time Luxe Babes!???? XoxoStephanie  

You know…as i sit here taking hella responsibility for my life, I feel like it means nothing if I don’t share how I feel. I mean…there might be one or two…maybe 3 people out there who feel like a total failure! I CANT be the only one.  DISCLAIMER: I made decisions and am very much accountable for my mistakes: Most of you get it…the rest of you can F-Off! Yeah….I said it. AND all my 2 Broke Girls Pics were brought to you by a generic Google search, I dont own any of there photos…and neither did they! BOOM!   Yes…I know (Really deep within) that everything happens for a reason. I know that the Self-help gurus tell us to “Stay Positive!!!” and “Be the change you need in your life!”. AND I know that this blog post is basically a pity party and it might be a table for one. I TOTALLY understand of you want to exit stage right. (Wait…at least go and read one of my other fashion post…don’s bail out on me all together…damn). So at this point, your probably like STEPHANIE!!?? WTH is wrong with you? Ok…ok! Well Imma make you a quick list so I don’t waist any on your time! 1) I am broke. I have spent soooooo much that I have miserably failed financially.  If you saw my credit report and my budget, you would probably just me harshly.    2) Im STILL Single after over a year out of my relationship (Keep reading and you will probably know why…)3) Im still Fat. (Its ok to be fat…Its NOT okay to not be happy in your body. YES I can work with what I have…but I don’t want to!)4) I have to work EXTRA hard to maintain my home space. Its not natural for things to be Pintrest and Instagram ready as all times. Sometimes my house is a wreck! (Not Nasty as in dirty… Just Messy and sometimes un-organized)5) I am sooooo unhappy with my job. (I’m off this weekend and have anxiety about going in Monday)6) I have SEVERAL projects that I am behind on. I was making an honest attempt to schedule and plan for my Collabs BUT life and ME got in the freekin way! I’m obsessing about 1-5 which is getting in the way of productivity!) 7) I feel like I’m looking old…and feeling that way as well.8) I have NO SOCIAL LIFE!! Its Work Home Work Home WORK HOME And Work at Home!10) I often feel very alone. Because I don’t let my feelings out a lot, they stack up and I sometimes feel like no one really gets how I feel. 11) Im questioning my pescatarian Lifestyle…it could just be stress…but I would love anything more in life then a 20 Pc Hot with Lemon pepper sprinkles and Spinach Chicken Alfredo Pizza form Papa Johns! 12) I’m on the verge on just saying F$&K IT!! I’m just over it.   So….I would like to make you all happy (Maybe I should have added a #13…Making everyone else happy to keep the peace….hummmm) by saying I am going to take all these frustrations  and turn them into motivation to make thing better!!! (((INSERT big old cheezy face equipped with open eyes and fake smile….and 2 thumbs up!))). But honestly…im not there yet. (AND my Papa Johns Cart is still in tact…with my Discover card Payment info filled in…all I need to do is press “Submit Order”)   I sent a chat to my lovely neice…she was loss or words. But when someone as I feels like this, theres nothing really to say, Sometimes we dont need a pep talk. We don’t want “Tough Love”. We just need to be. Unfortunatly, my mind spinns like this often…sometimes more rapidly then others. Sometimes I cry so much I cant catch my breath. Sometimes I have to walk into work with my head down because my eyes are swolen and red, only to have to turn on “Joyful Manager Stephanie”. Its tiring. Its daunting, Its my life. 

Now that I have laid it all out here…I hope that it dosent turn into a bash me session. I HOPE someone reads this and knows that the feelings they have ARE VALID. They are REAL. They are ACCEPTABLE. The only lesson I want to give you is to keep pushing through it. Its how you react to this clusterfuck of feelings. We can have them….but we cant bathe in them for long.  Will Life still trow you and I curve balls??? Absofreekenlutly! But I have to keep practicing how to keep moving forward! Thats the key…Keep practicing on being better then 5 mins ago. Keep practicing on how to learn from each mistake and know mistakes that keep repeating are habbits! Bad Habbits, unlike promises, are meant to be broken.  Practice makes perfect (Well…not perfect…but closer to bad bitch status) In case no one has told you today,I LOVE YOU!!! TTYS Luxe Babes! xoxo ~Stephanie  

Ok you guys…imma keep this post sweet and simple…because i know your going to want to fix a cocktail afterwards. (Or…go grab one right now…go ahead! I’ll wait…????????????????????????????????????????) One of my best friends (and my photographer) Russell Gilliam from   Ingenious Images Photography ) has a bar. And when I say bar… I mean a black metal bookshelf with his bottles and bitters sitting in it! Lol!  Yeah…I had a rough draft to begin with…Wanna see what it looked like? Here you go!Yup…bottles on a shelf. Just like that. Soooo….step one,  clear off the shelves! My goal was to convert this bookshelf to a polished, yet rustic manly bar for my friend! He hustles super hard and deserves to come home to a nice space to relax!Step 1: Clear it off! Start with a blank surface…clean it, and get rid of any ovious issues….touch up any surface flaws at this point. Step 2: Find your base piece and build around it! I found this rustic metal tray and knew it was perfect! Its copper and matte grat surfaced metal with rustib rope detail! It was $17.99 from AtHome  (Formally Garden Ridge)  Step 3: Add a Seasonal Element. I had a Faux Fur wine holder of which i inserted a clear vase (At Home)…You will see in later photos i added some seasonal red poinsettias! I will get some other flowers as the season changes. Step#4 Begin to add your choice of Barware! We chose copper tones mixed with clear glass and  crystal textures.Wine Holder: unknownDecantor: At Home – 3pc Copper Shaker Set: Bloomingdales– Stand Up Corkscrew: Target  (Flowers i told you about! Add a few bottles and accent pieces for a cozy Bar esthetic…) – “R” Coasters: At Home Cement and Copper Handle holder: $3.99 from At Home– Wine Glasses (already owned) (Close up of Center)   Step 5: Load up the Liquor!! I organize by type and bottle height. I took all his mixers and tucked them away into a large Box and centered on the bottom shelves anchored by some Antique Beer Mugs he was gifted.(Hide the unnecessary stuff…)(Oraganize by Type/ Bottle Height)(Feature whats important) The top shelve is for featuring his better baller glasses, moscow mule copper mugs and a small basket for extra small accesories (and tea-lights for the candle holder). Step 6: Tie the look into the wall.I felt the space needed dimension! I added these rustic framed mirriors (Set of 3/ $12.99 from At Home) in a staggered pattern. It added a classy look to the whole look! I was super happy with them! Who knew $13 would give such look?!?!  So, here is the final look!! I truly love the finished product?? What do you think?? Thank you for going through the process with me! Russell loved it and so do I!  Cheers to the freekin New Year luvs!! Live your best Luxe Life!Xoxo-Steph

My girl Paris (yes! Mt bathroom is a girl…and has a name! Duh!) has a secret! She is petite with a chic black and white Parisian flair! But…    …Paris has a secret!!! Under her white little trench coat (i.e cabinet) is a HOT MESS CHILE!! I felt Paris needed an intervention (trust me..there was more to this mess then the pic shows…i wasnt going to air out ALL her dirty laundry! Thats not lady like! I will say…she has too much hair stuff…lol! Tip number one empty the entire cabinet and get rid of the extra!  Its easy to throw random stuff under the petticoat…lol! Now…for your guest powder room, keep it simple. Keep extra tissue, lotion, hand soap and other items you would like NOT to have to ask for. Like feminine products for lady guest and baby wipes to freshin up. Now…this isnt my final product, but like me,  you can revamp on yiur budget! My bathroom serves as a powder room and my sometimes master bath (my big master bathroom is upstaires in my Glam Loft) Which brings me to Tip number 2! Use everyday items you already have to organize. A good idea is to use magazine holders to make the unsigtly be unseen! Catorgorize your items in each holder (see photo above) and place in cabinet tall side  faced out. I will end up replacing all of mine with 2 matching boxs for the hair care and beauty items. I used a simple shoe box for combs/Brushes and a black Basket for larger products. Not a huge change…but very simple! Heres the Final (well…till me and Paris go shopping again) product!     Soo….what do you think??? Its not perfect…but a great start!  I will definitely update you guys on what i change! Paris and I have a few things up our sleeve!  Till next time,Be Luxe…be Fabulous!XOXO????-Stephanie