Thursday, January 31, 2013

Harmony-1 Pinterest-1,472

That's how many pins I have. 1,472. 
 I actually made something I saw on pinterest. I know! I'm excited! 

  I'm sure you've seen the whole blueprint sized engineer prints floating around pinterest thing but just in case you haven't here is the rundown. You can order an engineer print from staples for about $10.  (here look I'll even give you a link) The biggest size is 36" x48" but we went with the 24x36


We used insulating foam, cut to size as our backing.




The reasoning being its super light but thick so it gives the illusion its a canvas which is the esthetic I was going for.  Pretty isn't it...

Once we cut it I spray painted the sides with flat black spray paint.




then I trimmed the white border from my print


and using scotch tape to temporarily anchor one side,



sprayed the other with this spray adhesive,


pressed it down and then sprayed and stuck the other half. 

I wasn't happy with the transition between the backing and the print so to make it look less like I just stuck it on there I 'misted' it with the same black spray paint.



It ended up looking like the "holga-ish" effect from my photo editing program or a vignette of some sort.


I love this print over our bed. Out hands have shown up in a lot of pivotal family moments. we used a photograph of them for our wedding invitations and Michael's showed up in Gwen's birth announcements  I think its a fun little family thing to keep going! Plus I love that there is finally something substantial up there. Everything else I tried there was dwarfed by our massive bed but this thing can carry its own weight.

Thanks for reading! What pinterest projects have you had on your to-do list??

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

What I Wore Wednesday!

Its time for everybody's favorite, WIWW!  This is a weekly post to document my day to day fashion choices and to celebrate the fact that they (usually)  don't include sweatpants! It's a mom victory ;) I encourage you to take that little extra time and fix your hair, or put on that favorite piece of jewelry! Who cares if only the kiddos are going to see you! I'm always more productive if I feel pretty.
First off the weather here has been Ah. Maze. Ing.  Highs in the 80! So this week won't be very inspirational for you cold weather gals! But oh its been glorious...
Thursday was my daughter Gwen's 5th Birthday!  We celebrated with family and I made her this "brave" themed cake

that I'm pretty proud of. My little Merida was pretty happy with it too:)
 Friday I had a play-date with some friends. Michael's younger brother was in town so he left in the wee hours of the morning to go fishing with him and the girls and I joined him at his parents that afternoon. I was actually pretty grouchy because my hair was dirty. for some reason that can really ruin my day...Surely I'm not alone in this?
 Sunday was a good day. See look how clean my hair is! Hahahaa-we had plans with my sister to help them stain their kitchen cabinets after church  but those fell through so instead we went to my parents and watched Downton Abby. Hello sob fest ;(  Any Downton fans out there? WASN'T THAT SERIOUSLY AWFUL!??  I'm still in mourning...
Monday we began the paper purge. Our little 2 drawer file cabinet was getting pretty cramped so Michael and I have been sorting and organizing and shredding all the 'important" documents from the last 6 years! I also came across my pre-pinterest inspiration folders and it was fun to look through them and see some of the ideas translated in our home! I like what I like I guess.  
Tuesday we continued the paper purge and then had dinner with some friends.  
After last weeks '3 Ways To Wear It' I was inspired to pull out my own blazer and I should have worn my black maxi with this outfit but I just wasn't in a skirt mood...

If you're here looking for your link, just check the "Parties" tab! If you're looking for a place to link up your post you should check there too! Thanks for reading!

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Guest Post!

Hello! I'm pleased to have Alyssa, from Burnt toast and Soggy Cereal guest posting today!


Hey!
I'm Alyssa from Burnt Toast and Soggy Cereal (the life of a mom).

Thanks so much for having me! Today I am going to show you how to destroy your jeans. Normally you can buy jeans with holes in them already for an outrageous price. This way cost you SO much less.

First; what you need:

-A pair of Jeans
-Some course sandpaper.

Yep. That's it.
Here are my jeans I'm working with:



I got them at Goodwill for super cheap. They fit perfect.... only one problem. This:



They have a stupid hole (which is probably what landed them at Goodwill in the first place).

So, let's get started. Take your sandpaper and do strict up and down OR side to side motions until you start wearing down the denim. Like so:



Make it as wide or thin, long or short as you want.

and.......... That's it!

You can throw them in the dryer to get all the extra lint off.

I figured I'd do a SUPER simple tutorial for my first one. (:



Now the hole doesn't look so stupid:






Thanks Alyssa! Make sure to go check out her blog!
If you'd like to guest post contact me for more information and thanks for reading!

Monday, January 28, 2013

*House Tour* Master Bedroom

Our bedroom is a hard room to take pictures of. The bed is big, the walls are dark and the windows are small BUT-its come a long way and I'm happy to share it with you...in pictures...no you cannot come sleep in my monster bed. There are a lot of posts about our room like THIS ONE where you can see the very beginning and how hideous it once was. You can also see me with short blond hair. Which is not quite hideous but not one of  my best choices...like when we painted the room THIS color and when I decided I actually hated it and re-painted it HERE to it's current color. Anyway here is the

There are a ton of DIY projects in this room! Links below:)

Source List
WAll color: Weathervane by Valspar
Bed: purchased from a friend
Lamp bases: Target
Lamp Shades: Pottery Barn Outlet 
Night Stands: Ikea 
Over bed art: handmade! Thanks Pinterest;) Tutorial coming soon?
White frames: Various places plus a can of spray paint
Striped curtains: Solid panels purchased from Walmart and IKEA-sewn together in stripes by me;)
Easy chair: Thrifted and Painted
Vanity and chair: Thrifted and upcycled  

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Friday, January 25, 2013

3 Ways to Wear it!

Happy Friday everyone!! 

I've worked today's 3 ways around this classic black blazer:

Gestuz blazer


Gestuz blazer   (clipped to polyvore.com)

A blazer is an essential layering piece and any structured jacket could be substituted in these looks.  I love pieces like this because they can really "anchor" and elevate even the most casual t-shirt into a put together outfit.


3 ways to wear: a classic blazer


Can you tell I'm in love with these skirts yet? I love the way the coral pairs with the tan and the fun little splash of animal print. This is a great transitional look in that you could leave the blazer off until the evening chill and then add it in for dinner out! This is also a great example of how a blazer will instantly dress up a t-shirt and make it more appropriate for more occasions!

3 ways to wear: a classic blazer



This is the blazer in it's comfort zone. In this case it adds sophistication to the girlish charm of this dress and balances the boots and tights. This is an outfit for a dressier occasion but I think you could certainly wear it with flats instead for a slightly more casual feel. 

3 ways to wear: a classic blazer



This is a classic, easy way to dress up your jeans and t-shirt and Jennifer Aniston (or her stylist rather) is a pro at this effortless casual vibe that is classy and age appropriate. A patterned heel, in colors you love, is another way to add some fun and variety to your wardrobe and I think this is the perfect date night outfit.


That's it! Hopefully you've been inspired to dress up a little this weekend! What is your favorite way to wear a blazer? Also-any requests for what you'd like to see 3 ways!!?
 Thanks for reading!!!

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Happy Birthday Gwen!

My Baby is 5 years old. I blinked and 5 whole years passed...I love love love love this little girl.




I love watching her draw and play and love hearing her sing crazy nonsense songs

I love her unique sense of style. Even if sometimes she looks like a bag lady...

I love that she is an excellent photo bomber...

Can't imagine where she gets THAT from...

but seriously..shes good

I love watching the bond between her and Ivy that's already starting to grow.
I love hearing the two of them giggling together...


I love that she made me a Mama.


Excuse me while I celebrate her life and spend my day being thankful I'm a part of it:)

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