i went to the thrift store this afternoon and i bought me a candle.

a fancy one made in africa.

and i lit it, just for this very special occasion

with you –

    the reveal of the cork playmat “rug.”

poetry + a lit candle=setting the mood oh-so-right. 😉

and now that i’ve got you all curious and such, here is a shot of that awesome candle {which was $1.43ish}:

now let’s get to it – the reveal:

i kinda, sorta love it. 🙂 i know i played it safe considering it matches the countertop and cabinets – but i still thoroughly enjoy it. success!

so, now that we’re in my kitchen…

i know it doesn’t look it to anyone else but me {and my wild imagination}, but i have a “vintage” vibe going on in there. disregard the stainless steel {and everything else} and feast your eyes on these crosleys:

modern vintage, maybe? could there be such a thing? i know they aren’t the most original pieces, but i love them and the fact that they help emphasize the overabundance of stainless steel and black in our kitchen. 😉

you might also not have noticed, but i have a thing for collecting fun crap on top of my cabinets. see:

my parents + al like to criticize my empty bottle collection – but they just don’t know! they just need to pinterest some empty bottle ideas and they would realize how essential it is to have some readily available.  🙂

and another set of cabinets:

you saw right –  it’s a popcorn maker. i have yet to use it, but my awesome brother – paul – got it for my past birthday. he’d be so happy to see me proudly display it. 🙂

ok, back to the cork playmat “rug.” i do thoroughly enjoy it, but i am hesitant to say it will last long. this is why:

notice the nails – and that uncontainable lab mix energy! how is my piece of artwork supposed to survive all of this?! i’m still an amateur to all of this do-it-yourself stuff, so i’m not sure if i should have coated the mat with some sort of special puppy protector elixir, but i’ll just have to live and learn on this one.

totally random, but i should tell you all that i narrate for tanner {the pup} all the time. it’s a gift and a curse. with that being said, here he is, saying “mama – can i keep this rug forever? i loves it.” yeah, he’s cute awesome like that. 🙂

and only like a proud mama could, here is another shot of him; this time practicing his downward dog on the {yoga?} mat:

ok, so that was it – candles, playmat rugs and puppies. i hope you enjoyed it and as always, i wish you all the best of luck in any and all of your own revampings. 🙂

until next time! 🙂

<3 always,

ana patricia

p.s. al will hate that i am posting this {again} – but i just had to. i mean, what kind of loving girlfriend would i be if i just didn’t tease him constantly?! 🙂 so here goes…

doesn’t al slightly resemble iron man {robert downey. jr., for all of you that are not familiar}?! 🙂