My Project

I'm in full "re-decorate" mode right now in preparation for company we'll be having both this weekend and in October. My cousin staying this weekend was just the push I needed to start, even knowing there was no way I'd get it all done before she gets here on Friday. The good news is, I'm not waiting til the week before my friend gets here in October. :) The bad news is that I've become obsessed with decorating when I should be cleaning my house...

I promise I'll have after pictures as soon as everything's reasonably complete. The living room should be almost done this weekend (minus a few wedding pictures I'm still waiting on from my photographer), and I'll have a good start on my guest room after this weekend. Here's a little preview of the bedding I purchased last night from Target (LOVE their Shabby Chic line this year):

Isn't it pretty (and sufficiently girly)? I have managed to avoid all florals and overly feminine things in most of my decorating, but when I realized I didn't have a drop of my favorite color (pink) in the house and Mike's favorite (blue) was starting to take over every room that I had to do something.

I didn't actually get a TON of pink things. The quilt has plenty of pink, and the sheet set I bought is pink with the little rosebud pattern on one of the patchwork squares. I have a white bedskirt and white pillow cases. I didn't worry about shams yet, but those will probably also be pink and the curtains will most likely be white. I don't know how this is going to work with my little black dog, but we'll see! I'm pretty sure that my dad still has an antique lamp of my mom's that is pink with crystals hanging from it - I'm going to his house tonight to look and see if it will match what I'm doing. I was at TJ Maxx last night and found some deliciously shabby chic pink and white frames that will be perfect for the pictures in there.

Now, I'm just waiting for my decorating ambition to catch up with my budget... :)

Have a lovely Wednesday all!

Floppy Hats

What are your thoughts? I hear they're coming back into style. I've never been a hat person. Let's face it, how many people my age really are hat people, unless you include baseball caps or something? Not many that I know of.

Aura rocks the floppy hat though:

Of course, Aura rocks all kinds of things I couldn't ever pull off. She's lovely, isn't she? If you haven't visited her blog, go immediately. I'll wait. Come back here when you're done.

Here are other cute pictures:

All of the above photos found here.

Maybe I have cute blinders on, because these women are adorable. I think adorable women can pull of a LOT of things us regular women have issues with. For example, I may look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man once I stuff my head into one of these things.

Not that SP isn't rocking his little hat, by any means.

I have to go to a family thing this weekend where hats are required. It's supposed to be fun, or some such thing. I went to Target over lunch and found myself a cute blue floppy hat with a raggedy flower attached. It was love at first sight. I shall try it on and perhaps photograph myself in it this evening. I would post a picture, but it's not listed on Target's website. Boo Target. Boo.

So what are your thoughts? Would you rock the floppy hat?

What Up, Dawg?

ETA: Look at this little beast. I took the picture with my phone, so sorry for the blur.

She jumped on my lap, then on the desk and refused to get down until I moved away. I guess she owns the place now!

For those of you who don't know, today is Take Your Dog to Work Day. So, of course I thought that was brilliant idea. Who wouldn't want to spend the day with their favorite furry friend?

Yeah. Enter Molly.

To her credit, she's actually a pretty well behaved dog for not being trained like most pets are. She's a little excitable and gets very wiggly, but she calms down when I tell her to for the most part and is extremely friendly with all other dogs. She's been to work before and once she got over the initial excitement of it, was very well behaved.

Not so much today (at least so far). My work neighbor across the hall brought her dog, also a pug (named Missy). Missy doesn't get along so well with other dogs (there may be some baggage in her past as she is a rescue). Either way, there was an immediate hatred for Molly. Molly, of course, doesn't understand why anyone wouldn't love her.

Have you ever been around a pug? They're extremely noisy breathers, because they have flat little noses and tend to breathe through their mouths. So, they can hear each other breathing across the hall. Every once in awhile, one will just start barking at the other because they want to get together.

We let them chill a little and thought we'd try to introduce them.

Round #1: Lots of butt sniffing. Lots of mutual butt sniffing. Then, apparently Molly got too close for Missy's comfort, and all bets were off. Missy bit Molly and lots of snarling ensued.

Round #2: Some more sniffing. Things seemed to be going well. Until Missy saw Molly's food. Missy went for it, Molly stood in front to protect it, and lots of snarling ensued.

Round #3: More sniffing. Then Molly got very happy and tried to hug Missy (she doesn't play with little dogs often, most of her doggy friends are bigger than she is. Or they're cows. She has no concept of "gentle" when it comes to other animals). Missy didn't like that much, and lots of snarling ensued.

We gave up after that. Apparently that last hug was just too much.

Both dogs are extremely quiet now. Molly is laying against my metal door, cooling off. She looks a little sad that no one is playing with her, but that's her normal look. I guess for now, we can say that all is calm.

(By the way, I love that I packed an entire bag full of things for Molly...food, water, her blankie, two stuffed animals, her favorite bone, a new bone, treats and her leash...and all she's interested in is my metal door. Super.)

Energy Level

Do you ever find yourself having energy for a project at a time when it's not at all beneficial? For example...I often feel the urge to garden in the middle of the afternoon. That's just not likely, considering how disgustingly hot and humid it's been lately.

I've always had this issue when it comes to being crafty or creative. I feel the most inspired to actually work on creative things first thing in the morning or REALLY late at night. It seems like that's when I have the most energy and feel the most inspired. Problem is, I go to bed at like 9pm. (Yes, I lead a ridiculously exciting life). Oh, and I'm out of the house no later than 6:30am. Not exactly the best schedule for crafting.

So, I spend most of the drive in to work thinking about what I could be doing, what I want to be doing, ideas for wedding invitations or things I should make for craft shows or my Etsy store (which is sadly empty right now). And then...nothing. Because by the time I get home at 8pm, I'm just tired and want to lay around.

Why is that?? Why can't I work (at work) from like 11am until 7pm, go home and create til my heart explodes with happiness, sleep in, and start all over again the next day. Who decided it was a good idea to work so gosh darn early in the morning??

Any thoughts or ideas on what I could do to realistically fix this problem? I already keep a sketch book with me so I can jot my ideas down. So, I have a ton of ideas all in one spot, but nothing to show for them. I've tried scheduling time for creativity, but I'm sure you can guess how well that works. Anyone know the winning lottery numbers?? :)

Have a great Wednesday, ya'll.

Little Bitty Update

This weekend was beyond crazy, between the busy-ness and the weather and unexpected events.

Walnut was awesome. After a minor rainstorm (that we missed, thankfully), the day was pretty much perfect. I walked away with 3 purchases, and stayed under my budget that was set prior to our outing. Yay me. (That may be a first.) I'll post pictures of my purchases as I get them in their new homes around my living room.

Father's Day was also great. We put up a flag pole and some other landscaping prettiness for my father-in-law. I hope he enjoys it...it really does look good.

And, in super exciting news from BOTH my sisters-in-law yesterday, the price of the Nook has been lowered to $199. Woohoo!! That bad boy is coming home sooner than soon. What my darling husband doesn't understand (when he says that no, I can't have it) is how much money it will save us in the long-run. I know it's not a lifetime investment, but let's say I keep it for 5 years. I spend WELL over $200 per year on books, so in the long run, it's saving us at least $800 over 5 years. My investment-brained hubby should understand the value in that, right? Plus, it will bring eternal *coughatleastfiveyears* happiness to this bookworm, which has got to be invaluable. Are you reading, dear husband??

That's all I have for today. That's my life...antiques and flag poles and nooks, oh my.

Picture Perfect Summer

Today was a perfect summer day.

Summer Busy-ness

Let me just come out and say it: I hate summer. I really do. For the most part. There are things I enjoy - my garden, cool evening after the sun has gone down, pretty flowers, no snow. But really..that's about it. I'm not the kind of girl who enjoys heat (which is funny since I voluntarily moved to Phoenix a few years back and didn't really mind the 120 degree summer days). I love my AC (central AC was one of my "must haves" when we bought a house). I love keeping the curtains drawn in the afternoon and the lights off and wrapping up in a blankie and just enjoying the comfy temperature.

So, with this hate comes a lot of desire to just stay in the house. Which is annoying, because there's so much to be done outside my house. What's a girl to do?

Apparently, this girl decides it's an awesome idea to make plans for every weekend this summer. Well, nearly every weekend.

Do you ever get overwhelmed by just the thought of everything you have coming up? Realistically, my life isn't super busy at this exact moment. I'm working 10 hour days and going home to do crafty things in preparation for fall craft shows, but honestly, it's not that bad. Then I think about all I have to do this summer, and the panic sets in. Not because I don't want to do it, but because I'm not seeing any time for me to lay on my big fat couch, with my fuzzy blankie, and cute little pug. I have very important vegging needs (especially if there's an NCIS or Law & Order: SVU marathon on).

But, in the spirit of not having any kind of a mental breakdown, I think I shall post some inspirational pictures of summer BBQ's and picnics. Because I really want to throw a huge party for our family and friends in a few weeks (as soon as the patio turned swamp is finally done).

So, here's some pictures I love:

Who wouldn't want to pick up their silverware wrapped in a bandanna?

It'd probably just be easier to put it in cans like this though. (Am I the only one who thinks silverware can add to the decor when it's like this? Is it wrong to admit I'm always on the lookout for vintage silver spoons to someday display in a vase in my dining room?)

Galvanized buckets make me happy. Especially when they're practical too.

I don't know about you, but food is the first priority when it comes to our family and friends (well, food and drink.) Brisket is a must for me (we served it at our wedding even).

And then, of course, there's the decor. Someday, I will own a ridiculously long wooden picnic table like this. I will. One of my best memories as a kid was a Texas vacation where my family (I think there were at least 15-20 of us) all sat at one picnic table and talked over delicious bbq. Love it - and still remember this particular meal after 15 years. I'd love to recreate it every summer as an adult.

Presentation is everything. Love me some red checkered table clothes too (and this is much easier than getting food in the house, balancing your plate while you make it out my 3 door to the deck and backyard, not to mention the flight of stairs you have to navigate (and the little pug nipping at your ankles trying to trip you).

And finally, my fav. The flags. I love them. LOVE. I will recreate this for our bbq. Mike will have fun stringing it. Haha, poor husband :)

I'm suddenly hating summer much less, with the thoughts of entertaining in my mind. Off to figure out the invitations now...

Happy Thursday dears!

(Photo credit - the last two photos are from Modern Prairie Girl, all the rest are from Country Living)

Erf

I'm in creative overload today. Some days, I just can't get ideas out of my head, and it makes me completely unfocused for all other things. This is the reason I carry a sketch pad with me at all times, despite the fact that it adds weight to my already ridiculously heavy purse.

Here's what's on my crafty shopping list for today (provided I can find everything within my 2 hour time limit):

3 inch Styrofoam balls
rayon seam binding ribbon
clothespins (both the old fashioned kind and the clippy kind)
sealing labels
carnival tickets
reinforcement rings

How's that for random?

If anyone can come up with one project that I might be making (each thing is for a different project), I will send you one of EACH of the projects I make. How's that for a contest? (I don't really expect anyone to guess what I'm making, but if you feel the desire, and guess correctly, I really will hold up my end of the bargain.)

Back to my previously scheduled, mind-spinning creative overload event. Happy Tuesday, peeps!

What I Did Buy...Finally

I'm forgetful. I still never remembered to take pictures of this stuff with my camera, but I finally thought about it this morning. I grabbed my cell phone, and this is what you end up with:

My adorable shutter shelf. When I had them hold it at the store, everyone loved it. I literally had to move knick knacks off it in the booth to get ahold of it, so that's probably why no one noticed. I currently love it so much I haven't hung it yet...it's just chilling on my kitchen floor :)

My turquoise jar collection. It started with the ginormous Ball canning jar in a color of blue I've never seen before. And the second one came last week. It's got it's own little metal basket, which is why I loved it. I'm currently on the hunt for a short squat one to complete the family, with closures on both sides (instead of the traditional lid).

So, Mike & I are going here this weekend. Well, really just all day Friday. On a mission to find my short squatty little jar, and who knows what else. Maybe I'll find another little chippy blue ladder. Or some brooms for my broom curtains on my back porch. Or the wooden crate I've been searching for. Or a really great chippy white dresser for the dining room. Obviously, the list goes on and on. I can't wait.

In other awesome news, the new season of True Blood started last night. Love, love, loved it!!

Hope you all are having a fabulous Monday!

Love 101

I saw a list on someone else's blog. They'd been tagged, and had to list 101 things they loved. I thought it was cute, so here's mine (in no particular order):

1. Cupcakes (in general)
2. Shirts with ruffly flowers on them
3. Sweet tea
4. Reading blogs
5. Rainy weather
6. Fall
7. Baby cows
8. Mike (duh)
9. Mexican food
10. San Antonio
11. Pugs (in general)
12. Molly (in particular)
13. Buying school supplies
14. Post-it notes
15. Our farm
16. Veggies fresh from the garden
17. Halloween
18. Recipes for Christmas cookies
19. My Kitchen Aid mixer and all its attachments
20. Big sunglasses
21. Gift & home decor shops, especially ones in small towns
22. Photography
23. Pumpkins
24. Anything peach flavored
25. Sleeping in
26. Mike's Elmwood FD tshirt that is falling apart
27. Jammy pants
28. Sparkly vampires (a la Twilight)
29. Non-sparkly vampires (a la True Blood)
30. Dr. Pepper
31. Post-it notes
32. Coach purses
33. Pretty scripty fonts
34. Glee
35. The word "fabulous"
36. Unique, handmade jewelry
37. Unique, handmade anything in all honesty
38. Buying locally
39. My wedding bands and engagement ring
40. My family
41. Mike's family
42. Butterflies
43. Scrapbooking stores
44. Etsy
45. Craft shows
46. Art museums
47. History (especially American history)
48. Laughing
49. Making people laugh
50. Watching the sun set
51. Decorating my house
52. Brainstorming ideas or solutions to problems
53. Weddings
54. New babies
55. Baby clothes
56. Pink champagne cupcakes
57. Anything red velvet
58. Lemon flavored things
59. Experimenting with new hand-writing
60. Finding the perfect adhesive for making cards
61. Letterpress
62. Fleece tie blankets
63. Wrapping gifts
64. The farmer's market
65. Spending Christmas with family
66. Decorating my house for Christmas
67. Putting away all the decorations
68. My wedding china
69. My friends
70. Travelling
71. Crushed ice
72. Hydrangeas
73. Shutters on brick houses
74. Musicals
75. French manicures
76. The color pink
77. Toile
78. Working for a non-profit organization
79. Nebraska football
80. Photos of family and friends around my house
81. The smell of a campfire
82. Seeing our property blanketed in snow (but not having to go anywhere)
83. Coffee with french vanilla creamer
84. Memories of my mom
85. Reading any book I can get my hands on
86. Reality TV
87. Facebook
88. Event planning
89. Watching tv on dvd
90. Stationery websites and samples
91. Comfy, well-worn jeans
92. Flip flops
93. Staying up late
94. Pens that write just the way I like (which is impossible to describe)
95. Feeding large groups of people
96. Eating outdoors in the spring
97. Visiting friends across the country
98. Comedy clubs
99. Mango martinis
100. Bagels/fresh bread
101. Having my hair played with

Whew! Done :) I don't think I actually repeated anything either, which is sort of shocking. So, I guess I'm tagging anyone who is reading this...take the challenge, write about what you love, and let me know that you've done it by leaving me a comment.

Have a great Thursday!

Hey, Did You Know?

• That it's been 11 days since my last post? You did? Huh, I didn't. Whoops.
• That yesterday was my birthday and it was a fabulously awesome day even though nothing spectacular happened? (Aren't those the best?)
• That Mike got me the best present ever for my birthday (and I should get it on the 18th..counting down the days!) It's this rockin' camera:

          And this zoom lens:

• That my good buddy Salt is having a giveaway on her blog - go visit! Trust me, you don't want to miss this one. (Or Salt, if you haven't read her blog...she's super hilarious. I love her to pieces.)
• That I've finally started building my portfolio for wedding invitations (and other event invitations). I've been making custom wedding invitations (including my own) for about two years now. I've been doing event invitations for...well, awhile. Probably 4 years if not longer. The only way people know about this is if I tell them, for the most part. I finally decided it's time for me to move forward with this little endeavor for real...and to put my past creations and present (brilliant) ideas onto paper. Here's a sneak peak at the monogram I created for the Trust Invitation Suite:

I promise I won't make this a blog only about paper for those of you who don't enjoy such things...but I will offer previews of things I plan to post on Etsy and such. And if you're wondering about the name...all of the wedding invitations I create are named after qualities of (at least somewhat) successful marriages. Cheesy, I know. It works for me.

• That I never posted photos of what I did buy from the antique store? Whoops again. Forgot all about it. I'm going back to the mall tonight and will take more photos (I'm prepared with a camera this time!) I promise.
• That I hope you all have a fabulous day!! :)