Author: katemcgate

What’s up everyone?! How many times do you think I can apologize about being super busy? Well, here’s another one! Sorry guys! I’m super busy– and even though I want to be instafamous, I have to go to my job and make money that way. Such is life, right?

Anyway, I’m writing to you guys today to talk about my cute AF decoration in my bathroom! I’ve been having a hard time trying to decorate my house, so I picked literally the smallest room and decided that if I can accomplish that room, I’m winning. Well kids, I “finished” the room! And if by finished we mean the walls need a second coat of paint, and I should probably get a new vanity– eeeehh, it’s basically finished.

I’m a super big commitment-phobe (but not about important things) I’m afraid to commit to wall colors, themes in rooms, and furniture. This is why I haven’t finished any of the other rooms in our house. I made a bold-ass choice in my living room, and I love it– but now, I actually have to get cracking on the furniture part. BUT, that’s another post for another day.

On to the bathroom:

I wanted to have a “vintage sea theme” going on, which is a weird as shit theme, and sounds very pinteresting if you know what I mean. I figured that I could get some boats, anchors, and be super basic about it– but then I hit my head on my hanging chandelier in my kitchen and I got a super crazy idea! #mermaidsMF YES, that’s right. I mermaid that bathroom into a pretty decent place to wash your hands. #imjustbeinghonest

I picked out a very teal, jewel toned paint color for the wall and had my husband paint the walls, and maybe part of the ceiling too. Mostly, because we don’t know how to paint a room. Yes, I still had painter’s tape on the wall a year after we painted, because who knew that it actually makes it HARDER to take off after that long? #notme

I picked out brass-ish accessories for the soap dispenser and towel holder…because we all know that actual bathroom fixtures are expensive AF, and I have to eat everyday.

A year after we painted, I figured that we should do something with the thoughts in my head, and on the snowiest day thus far of 2017, we trekked out to World Market, and bought some cool looking shelves. We then got home, tried to put them together and realized that the shelves indeed do NOT come with brackets, and those are sold separately. Clever. So, three trips later (don’t ask about the stupidity of the third trip), and our shelves were installed!

I had been gathering trinkets and pictures like a hoarder for the past 6 months.  I figured I would pick out items that I would want to use and that would look thematic in our sea bathroom. So, as soon as those babies went up, you bet I was right there to shove my husband out of the way so I FINALLY had a place to put our weird mermaid statue.

When putting items on a shelf– it’s very important not to laugh at yourself for how ridiculous that sounds– there are some visual tips that I like to live by:

1. Odd numbers are best. Yes, I have an even count on both of my shelves.. Do what I say, not as I do.
2. Think outside the box when looking for prints. There’s no such store as the “vintage sea themed bathroom store” that has any kind of print/painting/statue that could fit that theme. Girl, you have to search for that…and be on your A-game when you’re in Home Goods. Three of my pictures are gift bags that I cut up and put into a frame.
3. I tend to keep the same metal, with various colors of wood. I took the inspiration from one print I found at the Paper Source, and surrounded my whole shelf color story around it.
4. Book ends are a great way to let your audience know that everything in between the book ends are related. Lol, you won’t have an audience in your bathroom.
5. You can play your color story into various parts of the room, such as the mirror color, your light fixture, or even your door knob. It makes the room look more complete.

Items: Top Shelf: Mermaid Statue- Kirklands; Anchor bookend- Home goods; Crown-wearing Octopus- World Market; Mermaid holding anchor- World Market; Frames- World Market and Home Goods

Bottom Shelf: Whale Painting- Home Goods; Anchor bookend- Home goods; Mermaid greeting card- Home goods; Mermaid print- Paper Source; Frames- Home Goods, TJ Maxx

Here’s the bottom line, if you want your house to be pinterest-worthy, you better worry about it way too much, and let it consume your life.

Love you, mean it

k

It started as a job. That’s it. I interviewed, and you offered me the job on the spot. Later on, you told me that I wasn’t a good interview, but I was a looker, and that’s what you needed to fill the job.

Little did you know how much you changed me, made me the person who I am today, and showed me how sure I really am about my career path. I’m sure that I am not the only one who feels this way, but I’m here to tell you thank you. Thank you for letting me put all my emotions on the table, thank you for letting me be your friend…while you became my first mentor in my career. A career that I didn’t even know was worth pursuing, until you opened the door, and walked me down the first part of the path.

You showed me that retail is not just a job, but rather a career for the wise, witty, and creative. You taught me how to sell…sell ice to an Eskimo, and make them believe that they really needed it. You did all of that, while showing me that a mentor, and a manager could be a respected friend and confidant. Countless memories go through my head, while I reminisce about how different I was, and still am, to you. Yet, you still cared, and you still let me be me…while shaping and molding me to make smart decisions in my personal and career life. You did all that, in two short years.

I was going through issues; there was no doubt about that. You let me air it out, on the clock, while still teaching me and using my useless Excel and Power point knowledge to your advantage. You encouraged me to finish school, while reaching inside my heart to let me see my full potential. I came as a broken mess, and you helped me pick up the pieces and move upwards from the lowest position in the store to a respected position that utilized my talents and smarts.

My days and moods varied on what kind of customers that I would encounter that day. “Did I want this to be forever? Is this the company to stay with?” All the while, you were there with the answers. The truth is, you saw that I was good…nay, great at what I was doing, and you tapped into that. I was never meant to be a social worker, sociologist, or (for a brief month) a terrorist interviewer. I was meant to make people happy, and although retail seems to be more on the materialistic aspect of careers…you showed me that there is a way to make it into a happy and fulfilling life.

You saw it inside me, and you grabbed it. Not for your own benefit, but rather because you saw the pain behind my eyes while I tried to figure out what I was going to be for the rest of my life. Maybe, you saw you inside of me, or maybe you still don’t realize how much you actually meant to me, but for everything that you did, and for all of the doors you opened for me, all while being a friend…thank you.

BB*SA