I Built a Closet!
This post was sponsored by Wayfair.
Do you ever have that “project” in your house that you always say, “Oh, someday I’ll get to that!” But then you never do? I just moved back to Boston from Nashville, and in the upstairs master bedroom there was NO MASTER CLOSET! So, we built one!
It’s not big, but it’s just enough to hold my shoes, and shirts, with the drawers full to the brim with my socks and undies, workout clothes and jeans. Since moving the Boston I had to downsize a ton! But even with all of my clothes, my dresses STILL don’t fit in this new closet. So, for now they will have to live in a different closet in a different room!
Anyways, back to the closet we built…
I went to Wayfair.com to find some pieces, because they really have everything you could possibly need when building something like this. I took measurements, and started with the most important thing, A SHOE RACK! I should say my shoes have died and gone to heaven, because they’ve never been treated this nicely, ever.
That’s my boyfriend, Rob, helping me put it up on the wall. This process was the hardest because finding the studs and securing it to the wall takes patience…which he has a lot of and I don’t. But we finally go it on, and I put my shoes in their own places.
The next piece I bought from Wayfair.com was a closet system so I could hang things up, but also put undies, workout stuff and jeans in the drawers. I can’t tell you if this was difficult to assemble because I came home from work one morning and Rob had it built for me. It was such a nice surprise!!
See that closet rod? I also bought this from Wayfair.com so I could hang more clothes (because I have a lot of clothes!) I just screwed one end to the window, and the other to the closet system. These were super cheap and a great way to utilize space.
Seeeeeee? Those are all of my shirts hung up, with plenty of room to still walk in and pretend it’s a fancy “walk-in” closet!
I put those same rods on the ends of the shoe rack as well to get more hanging space! See some of my Wayfair.com Favorites for shoe storage!
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Outdoor Entertaining Essentials
Now that I have moved into my new home, I am so excited about entertaining poolside in my backyard! I’ve picked out a few of my favorite inspiration pieces for outdoor entertaining that you can feel free to browse for your own homes! Who else is excited for spring and summer entertaining?
Image credit: Wayfair
Image credit: Wayfair
Outdoor Furniture and Poolside Décor Picks
Party Prep and Serveware
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April 30, 2019 – Two “Loves” One Heart
For my entire life, I wanted to play basketball. I used to SLEEP with my ball every night because my dad said if I wanted to be the best, I had to take it everywhere with me. If I could do it all over again, I’d put that thing through the wash a few more times!!
When I was 12 years old I tried out for a travel AAU team called the Lady Gators. They were supposed to be one of the best travel ball teams in my area. I lasted about 30 minutes of the try out. I didn’t understand the drills… no one had ever taught them to me. I was throwing up air balls because I was nervous. I dribbled the ball off my feet a few times. It was just NOT my day. SO instead of finishing out the try out I did what all 12-year-old embarrassed girls going through puberty did. I QUIT.
I literally didn’t go back into the gym. I cried my eyes out and waited in another basketball gym for my dad to pick me up. I told him I sucked, I never wanted to play again, I hated the game, and those stupid drills, and the passing, and shooting, and everything about basketball.
He laughed and told me to get on the foul line. He told me to breathe. And focus. And he said he favorite line ever. “There’s nothing in the world that’s free, except a foul shot.” I’m still kind of confused about what that means, but I love and trust my dad with my life, so if he tells me a foul shot is free, then gosh darn-it a foul shot is FREE!
I shot 10 foul shots and made them all. He gave me a hug and said I didn’t suck. And then he taught me how to actually do those drills that the other girls were doing. I didn’t go out for that team ever again. What I did instead, is become a student of the game, and a work horse. I made a promise to myself that no one was going to work harder than me on the court.
That happened when I was 12-years-old.
Three years later at the age of 15, Boston College offered me a scholarship to play Division 1 Basketball in the ACC.
In high school I was the state of Massachusetts’ leading scorer. I made varsity as an 8th grader, and ended my career with 2,380 points, becoming the 11th highest scorer in MA history, male or female. I was proud. And every time I think about that scholarship I remember the time that I quit and left a basketball tryout at 12-years-old. Since then, I never quit anything again.
When I was a senior in high school, I tried out for and became a finalist on the #1 television show in the world called American Idol. I was 17, and singing in front of people for the first time. I will get into my Idol stories later, but I bring that up because singing is NOW what I do for a living, and it’s the reason that you’ve found my website (thank you by the way!)
On April 6th I will be “marrying” the two things I love the most in life. Basketball + Singing as I represent the NCAA at the Women’s Final Four in Tampa, FL. This will be an amazing time for women’s basketball, and for lil ole me, because I’ve been asked to perform a 30-minute set before GAVIN DEGRAW!
I’m totally freaking out! If you’re in Tampa, please come say hi!
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November 8, 2018 – (Visiting Nashville? Here’s My Favorite Spots!)
Ok, I get the same text about every two days from people I know, and people I’ve never met asking the same thing. “What should we do when we come to Nashville?” Well, look no further… Here are my favorite spots! Feel free to share this with anyone you know coming into Nashville, and maybe people will stop asking me every two days what bar is the best to drink the night away. Here’s a secret…THEY’LL ALL GET THE JOB DONE! But here are my favorites:
- Broadway Bars: Honkey Tonk Central, Robert’s Western World, Boogie Blues Bar, ACME
- Best Rooftop: Thompson Hotel, JW Marriott Hotel, ACME, Tootsies, Bobby Hotel
- Best Date Spot: Virago, Skull’s Rainbow Room, Adele’s, Sambuca, Henrietta Red
- Best Tacos: Bakersfield, Mas Tacos, St. Anejo, Taco Mamacita, Baja Sexto, Bar Taco, Nectar Cantina
- Casual Meal: Hattie B’s, Martin’s BBQ, The Stillery, Puckett’s, Milk & Honey
- Best Singer-Songwriter Venues: The Listening Room, The Bluebird Cafe, Whiskey Jam (Mon & Thurs), Bus Call (Wed), The Sutler Saloon
- Best Big Music Venues: Ryman Auditorium, The Grand Ole Opry, Ascend Amphitheater, Bridgestone Arena
- Best Drinking/Tourist Activities: Pedal Tavern, Nash Trash Bus Tour, The Country Music Hall of Fame, Top Golf
- Best Happy Hour: Sambuca, The Sutler Saloon
- Best Late Night Eats: The Diner, Mafioza’s, Bakersfield,
- Best Karaoke: WannaB’s, Santa’s Pub
- Best Business/Lunch Meeting Spot: Pinewood Social, Del Frisco’s, Little Octopus, Virago, The Southern
- Best Brunch: Biscuit Love, The Tavern, Puckett’s, Marché Artisan Foods,
- Best Hotel: Omni, The Bobby, Westin, Hotel Noel, Thompson Hotel, The Hutton Hotel
- Best Coffee: Bonjo Java, Three Brothers, Frothy Monkey, CREMA
- Best Place to Watch a Game: Barlines, Clyde’s, M.L. Rose
- Patriots Watch Bar: Frisky Frogs
- Best Burger: TN Brew Works
- Best Shopping: Opry Mills Mall, Green Hills Mall, 12 South, The Gulch
November 8, 2018 – (Ayla Joins WKLB for One Week!)
Ayla Brown will join Country 102.5 WKLB from November 12-16th alongside current morning show host, Jackson Blue. The show airs Monday thru Friday from 5:30-9am.
Ayla filled in for Jackson, and former co-host Hannah, a year ago and was very excited to be welcomed back to the show.
“I am thrilled to be on air again in Boston. Make sure you tune in to listen to Boston’s hottest country!” says Ayla.
Over the past twelve years, Ayla has been on both sides of the microphone. Her former broadcasting career began in 2010 with a degree in Communications from Boston College. Upon graduation, she worked for CBS’ The Early Show for two years where she served as a national news correspondent. She has worked as a contributor for GAC, emceed numerous events, and has also co-hosted radio shows.
November 1, 2018 – (Ayla Brown & Rob Bellamy sing “Shallow”)
Here’s a cover of the hit song “Shallow” form the movie A Star is Born. We really enjoyed covering this song. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper did SUCH a great job acting that I actually hated the movie in the theaters. Bradley’s character was so frustrating to me that I left the movie really bummed out. I have personally never dealt with addiction, so my sympathy to those who have is not very high. (Sorry, just being honest!)
But that being said, the music in this film was incredible! We hope you enjoy our cover of “Shallow!”
October 23, 2018 – (UNBROKEN HEART OF GOLD)
In February I was asked by the United States Embassy in South Korea if I would represent America and sing at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. Literally to this day, it’s been one of my biggest and favorite performances. I got to sing my own songs at two of the ice hockey games in front of thousands of people from all over the world. It truly was a dream come true!
Here’s a recap video from our time in South Korea:
But once of the proudest moments was cheering on the USA Women’s Ice Hockey team. Earlier in the year they spent many months fighting for equal/fair pay. They fought the USOC and Team USA until their hears hurt and finally they were treated as equals and paid more for their efforts. I was SO PROUD!
My boyfriend’s sister, Kacey Bellamy is the Assistant Captain of Team USA Hockey. When we were in South Korea we watched her, and the rest of the team, win a GOLD MEDAL! It was incredible. We all cried. The families cried, the team cried. It was a pool of happy tears!! And when we finally celebrated with the team, for some reason we just wanted to EAT the medal. I don’t know why, but it was pretty damn fun.
But my favorite hockey player, #22, Kacey Bellamy has stepped off the ice for a moment to do something totally different. She’s published a book of poetry. To say I’m proud is an understatement! As athletes, it can be REALLY difficult to put our emotions down on paper. We are told from a young age to suppress those feelings of fear, sadness, and frustration. But like me when I was playing basketball at Boston College, Kacey found her peace and personal expression with an old fashioned pen and notebooks of paper, and started writing her emotions down in the form of poems.
I just ordered TWO copies of this book. I don’t know what to expect except greatness. Anything this girl does is a “gold medal” to me, so if you’re looking for a new read, holiday present, or memorabilia from your favorite ice hockey player, take a look at this poetry book. I can’t WAIT to read it!
Link to buy is HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-Heart-Gold-Collection-Poems/dp/1728890438/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1540326932&sr=8-3&keywords=kacey+bellamy
Kacey Bellamy brings you through her passion of writing through 3 Olympics where she has received 2 silver (2010, 2014) medals and 1 Gold (2018). Being part of Team USA for over 10 years she has found another passion through poetry. Her poems consist of success, failure, nature, family, friends, heartbreak and love. It has been a dream of hers to not only represent her country but also write a poetry book.
“There is so much heart, passion, and love in her writing, but it’s the experiences that she has had which makes this book so moving”-Brianna Decker (Teammate Team USA)
“Most people who know her know the competitve and athletic way of life. This is an entirely different side of her personality that most people don’t know about.”- Rob Bellamy (Brother)
“Kacey’s creative mind and passion for life are so clear in her writing. She has an incredible giftt to be able to express herself by carefully choosing her words for each poem. Her writing is something I admire most and I think she will pleasantly surprise and draw a large interest from all of her readers.”- Meghan Duggan (Captain Team USA)
“Kacey has a unique talent of delivering powerful messages through her words. Her poetry makes you feel every emotion and completely encompassed. It is real, it is raw, and is relatetable in every aspect of life. She has a deep heart and love for many things which shine through her poetry”- Amanda Kessel (Teammate Team USA)
October 20, 2018 – (FALL IS HERE)
FALL IS HERE! I repeat, FALL IS HERE! I am a summer baby…born in late July, so I am always partial to the summer heat, fireworks, beach time, and cookouts. But, there’s something to be said about sweater weather, and cuddling up to a loved one by the fire, pumpkin beer, football, and falling leaves! (I live on one acre so I have a LOT of falling leaves)
This fall I am going to make a point of building more fires inside my home in the fireplace, and outside in our outdoor fireplace. I say this every year, but then time slips away from me and all of a sudden we are into winter and I am getting ready to head up North to see my family for the holidays.
So while we are here, let’s enjoy fall together. WayFair has some really beautiful things on their site right now, and a lot of them are on sale. I picked out my favorites below if you want to check them out!
Or, maybe another camping trip will be in my future, before it gets too cold to enjoy my little tiny home. And by the way, if you haven’t seen the tiny home yet, scroll down to the next blog post and read all about the transformation!
October 10, 2018 – (TINY HOME RENOVATION)
Tiny House, BIG LIFE!
This summer, I decided to do something CRAZY and buy a “tiny house.” I mean, let’s be honest, I can’t even call it a “house” because it’s an 8-ft motorcycle trailer that was converted into a bed on wheels. I don’t think it can get any smaller than this!
I’ve always been curious if I’d enjoy the camping/life on the road lifestyle, so I bought this custom built tiny house for $3,200 from a wonderful man named John up in Massachusetts. I went camping 7 times this summer with the house and had a blast! Look at the view from our campsite on Lake Erie! 
But after a great summer, I wanted to renovate it and make it a little prettier with a paint job, new ceiling, curtains, and a new bed spread. Here’s what I did…
STEP ONE:
Re-paint all the cabinets from Brown to white
STEP TWO:
Buy plywood, measure it correctly, and cover up the 2×4’s that line the house. I need to give a HUGE thank you to my man, Robby, for measuring and cutting the wood. He’s the best! And look at Brate watching over us while we work!
STEP THREE:
Paint the plywood, put the cabinets back up
STEP FOUR:
Make shelving by the door!
STEP FIVE:
I wanted something personal and unique for the ceiling so I found a bunch of my old music show posters and Nashville Hatch Prints and pasted them up on the ceiling. I went to Walmart and bought some big poster frames for less than $10 each (They were $30 at Lowes!) and took the plexiglass out. That’s what I screwed on the top to protect the ceiling prints.
STEP SIX:
Decorate it with new pillows, blankets, sheets, and a nice guitar accent print behind the bed.
BEFORE AND AFTER!
September 25, 2018 – (TRAVELING WITH PETS)
Traveling with pets….man is it a struggle! I heard that if you start traveling with animals when they are young that as they get older they will adapt to any travel situation. When I bought my dog, Brate on New Year’s Day I went on a 12 hours car ride with him from upstate NY back home to Nashville. He slept the entire way! I don’t know what it is about this dog but he just falls asleep in the craziest positions in the car! I mean COME ON!!
But taking him on an airplane was going to be a challenge. (Actually sneaking him onto the plane without paying for him was the real challenge). And of course praying that he wouldn’t bark when I put him under the seat was also on my mind. Yes, I got him on the plane, yes he did bark on the plane too, BUT when we took him out to sit on our laps he was the cutest little thing I’ve ever seen. All in all, Brate was a good boy when traveling, and next time, I am going to take him in a pet backpack so it’s less weight on my arm!!
September 11, 2018 – (SEPTEMBER 11TH REFLECTION)
Seventeen years ago the world was shaken by the terrorist attacks against our beautiful nation. Hearts across the globe stopped as we witnessed burning buildings, screaming people, and loved ones lost. Do you remember where you were when the Twin Towers fell and the Pentagon was crashed into? Even though I was just in either grade I remember it like it was yesterday. I was on a class retreat and when we go to the camp we were told what was happening by our teachers. We immediately got on the bus and headed back to school. Unfortunately for our school, a couple of students had lost their parents in that flight. In fact, I was supposed to be on that same flight from LAX to Boston, but luckily I was on it 2 weeks earlier. Makes you think about the important stuff in life when you come so close to losing it all.
Over the past several years I’ve made it my mission to use my voice to support our troops. A few summers ago I was able to sing a beautiful song called “Free” with the Boston Pops Orchestra. This song reminds me of the lives lost on September 11th.
September 10, 2018 – (TRAVEL VLOG)
Music has brought me all over the world, and I feel so blessed to use that gift to sing my heart out! But anyone who knows me also knows I love to travel, which is why I became a travel agent!
Over the past TWO YEARS I’ve sent friends, family, Olympic athletes, NFL players, a Harlem Globetrotter, and other clients on their dream vacations. Literally, nothing is out of reach! I can book cruises, caribbean destinations, quick trips, long get-aways, family vacations, honeymoons and so much more. If you have a limited budget (like me), I can work with that too.
Lots of time people say “I didn’t know travel agents were around anymore.” YEP they are! We have the tools to find the best deals possible, and we are a one stop shop that can book your flights, transfers, and resort all in one, from very credible travel sources.
And the best part is that you DON’T PAY ME! I repeat, you DON’T Pay me! So talk to your best friend, parents, husband or wife and tell them that you’re thinking of going on a trip in 2019 and let me help you find something that everyone will love!
ayla@premiumresorts.com
Here are a few videos from my travels that I shot end edited on my iPhone on iMovie.
September 9, 2018 – (INTRODUCTION TO MY HOBBIES)
Holy cow! I can’t believe this is my FIRST OFFICIAL blog post! Does that mean I’ve officially entered into the millenial’s century? Many of you know that I am a musician, and this website is still focused on music, but I’ve learned over the years that I have a lot of other passions.
Travel…Food…Home Improvement
Which brings me to my first blog post about home improvement! Since returning back home to Nashville I’ve realized that I need some major renovations done to the house. The bathroom is the first thing of business. The house was built in 1984, which means that the “cool” bathroom color is BLACK. Yup, black tubs, black sinks, and worst of all, a black shower. It’s so dark in there that I can’t even see myself when I shower!
So that’s gotta change.
I’ve put my brain together and would love your input on the items I’ve chosen from WayFair below. Diggin it? Hate it? Think I’m crazy to want to put in wallpaper?
The other MUST have is a great kitchen. As you can see, I’ve repainted the cabinets, walls, and trim in my kitchen. Actually, I paid to have the cabinets painted by a professional, but my own two hands painted the rest. I’m finally happy with the way it looks, but I really don’t have good quality kitchen essentials. I mean, I still have stuff from when I was right out of college!! The wine cooler, kitchen aid mixer and stainless steel cookware set are CALLING MY NAME!
ps- Look how much painting cabinets opens up the kitchen and makes it look so much brighter!
