a great find...

Hey internet, my name is I'm sorry it has been so long!!  We had some internet issues... but I think we're good to go... you can expect to read a sassy moment about those few blog-less days...

So today, I thought I'd share with you a craft project that I completed a while ago.  So You know how I graduated, right?  Well one of my gifts was this adorable 9 cube shelf for our living room.  While my husband does look mighty handsome with his tools in hand... this isn't about him or his cuteness #sorrynotsorry

So where was I?  Ok... ok... sorry distracted by the hubs.  So anyway the 9 cube thing really has nothing to do with this craft project... but it did take place on the same day... so I guess that is the connection?  I don't know... I've just been away from ya for so long that I have so much to say and it is all coming out at the exact same time in my head!

Anyway... I was pa-rousing through TJ Maxx with Jen when I came across this picture frame that I fell in love with.  {here is where we start the craft story...}  Then I look at the 'clearance' sticker and read $7.99 which seems a little pricy for a frame this size #callmecheap

The fortunate part is that the glass had a huge crack across the entire width.  Immediately my mind starts racing... 'I'm SURE they'll just give this to me'... and 'It can only be worth $.50 now, right?!'

Well, internet - I was wrong.  They did give me a discount for the broken glass, so $4.00 to my name, I walk out a happy camper.

So I get home and get Scott started on gluing building our new shelf and then put my creative hat on.  Wait.... you don't have a creative hat?!?! What?!

So I have a genius idea... I have these adorable blank cards from target and they would fit perfectly.

It took some time to decide which would look best because they are both so stinkin' cute.  So the pink, white and navy combo won.  So I taped the card to the center of the envelope so there was a navy border around my card.

Then I simply taped the back of the envelope to the backing of the frame.  It isn't perfect.... but that makes it perfect to me!

What have you been crafting lately?

For the love of crafts...

Hey there, internet!  I know.. it has been a whole week since my last post.  I've had so many blog ideas the last week...but alas-- other priorities prevailed.  #sorrynotsorry

So today is about how I love crafts!  (Meredith just threw up in her mouth a little bit)

So lets start by telling you who I was a year ago... I wanted to purchase all of our furniture new so that we could keep it forever and do the wear and tear on the items ourselves, instead of buying items after the previous owner was done wearing and tearing it themselves. Who wants someone else's leftovers? #eww

Wow--- after my lesson in 'how to garage sale- for real' with Jen and her grandma... How my mindset has changed!  I see so much character and potential in the items I found while garage sale-in' it up.  I suddenly am so drawn by the story behind a piece, why they painted it that color, why they are getting rid of it... not gonna lie- the fact that used things are cheaper was a pretty big deciding factor as well.  I had no idea what I was about to experience...

I walked away with a $30 couch... yeah you read the right... $3-0!  The owners bought the couch 6 months earlier- brand. new. Now it had a beam broken, however I happen to have a good friend with a very hand dad :)  If you all haven't seen Jen's home adventures... you've got to check it out here.  Anyway, her dad is awesome with his hands... very talented! So after some time at the couch doctor... we were moving it on in!

So thankful for the hubs, jen, and jonathan for getting this thing in it's proper place!

So during our garage sale adventures we found a pair of night stands for $10 each.  Yes... $20 for 2 heavy, Broyhill nightstands that are in great shape.  The owner had painted them both black... of course not my color scheme... but I looked straight through that black paint and saw inspiration! haha

Needless to say... Jen is done with her home reno, and is now helping me in my step by step... item by item investment to our home.   :)

So we took the night stands and sanded them down and spray painted them white.  No worries, I didn't want to stop there- thank goodness, right?  I wanted to create a distressed look and the white was necessary for that effect. 

Raylene... what is Jen doing in the top left picture?  So glad you asked, internet... so very glad.  We went to Home Depot to get some paint samples a few days before our designated craft night.  I settled on my favorite gray and mustard yellow swatches.  Well we got a little chatty over dinner and were not going to have enough time to run by walmart AND Home Depot.. so we decided to find the same colors at walmart.  Well Jen-- as you can see... has a great way to color match.... enough said.  oh- and no... there is nothing in her hand :)  #Iheartmycrazyfriends

So.. here is before:

Here is after!  (the lighting is totally different.. but this is really gray and mustard yellow)

Yes, internet, that is a stuffed bear on my night stand.  Scott got that for me for my first valentines day EVER with a boyfriend... so special!

So I absolutely LOVE how this looks in my room.  Please ignore the brass headboard.  That will eventually be replaced by something that comes of this inspiration:

But we will probably wait until we upgrade to a king size bed-- which I hope to do at some point!  Scott is a human radiator... thats all I'm sayin'.

So where were we?  I've gotten carried away with my dream crafts!  So I was feeling extra spunky the day after we finished the night stands and decided that I needed to paint my coffee table the same colors!

Before:

The mustard yellow board is the shelf that rests near the bottom of the table legs... please try to imagine it... I didn't get a picture of it all put together.  But we did give this table the same distressed look as we gave the night stands.  

Everything turned out perfectly!

Our next project is turning an old family dinner table into my dream farm tableish kitchen table!  We are also on the hunt (garage sale hunt, that is) for some original kitchet chairs.. I want 6 different wood chairs (with no cushions) and Jen and I are going to paint and distress them.  We have the table.... which I can't wait to tell you the story behind.  We are starting our search for the chairs!  So if you dig in your garage or basement and find one you'd like to get rid of... let me know!

What projects have you been working on lately? 

House into Home-take 2...

Hey there!  Well today was another successful day in the world of organization.  As I mentioned before, I am taking 1 room at a time... after 2 years of things gathering-- it is taking a while to purge all things unnecessary.

Scott went golfing with his dad today, so I cranked up the iHome and went to town.  I was in town so much so that I missed 2 calls and 2 text messages.  I meant to take a few before pictures, maybe subconsciously I knew that it would be too embarrassing so I just 'forgot'... we'll go with that. 

The victory was won at mission 'De-Crapify':

Yes, I love my granny chair- sobeit!  I call it that because it was a handme down from my grandparents when they moved.  Not gonna lie, most of my house if full of handmedowns, and I love it- for now.

I would love to eventually paint and re-cover the chair above.  The tricky part is... I don't have a CLUE even where to start on a project like that.  I would love someone to help me with this project... just sayin........... let me know if the Lord presses it on your heart to take this on w/me :)

These MU items are temporarily here... until our MIZZOU room (AKA: the basement) is completed.  That is another project that we will get started one of these days.

So in my 'need-to-find-a-home-for-everything-or-throw-it-away' mode today... I came across a craft project I started a few months ago and never finished.  

Well, internet, today was the day... IT IS FINISHED! My newly re-purposed picture frame from college became my weekly menu board!

Before and After:

Well, Scott has homework to do tomorrow... so looks like I'll have another afternoon to work on making our house... our home!

Until next time... stay classy, internet.

House into home...

Happy Friday! 

So after 2 years of: "I'll file that later", "I'll get around to cleaning that after school is over", "Wow, honey, we really need to clean that" s... the time is here.  Watch out world, this chick is in a cleaning mood!  Tonight's mission was to conquer the filing (give me a break... gotta start small - or I'll get overwhelmed--and NOBODY wants that, trust me)

With areas that I avoided eye contact with because they look like this: 

It is time to face my fear of death by paper cuts.  And yes... I AM embarrassed by this.. b/c I truly love organization and orderliness!  At work I rock organization's face off :)  Well, it is time to invest in my own home, and my heart is in desperate need of an orderly home after the last 2 years of no time or space in my brain to worry about orderliness.

I sometimes wonder if this disorderly house is part of the reason I constantly want to be on the go... not spending too much time at my house because of the enormous need for cleaning and organizing.  Hmm... that kind of makes sense now that I have a moment to process it all.  Needless to say, I am super glad the Lord has placed this spring-cleaning-mode on my heart. 

I want my house to be my home... so- that is the goal for the weekend! 

So let the sorting and filing begin: this is my favorite part... ORGANIZING!  I just needed the motivation to get started, and internet... did I EVER get motivated!

Well, I have everything I need to set myself up for success:  my 'to be filed' stack; TLC - Say Yes To The Dress-Atlanta; and my phone/camera (had to be sure you got the full effect)

 I'd say it's been a fairly productive night, while the hubby is watching the Chief's game with a friend.  Got some much needed 'me-time'!

So... stay tuned for the next episode of turning my house back into my home! Can't wait!

Latest craft....

Hey lovelies!  

So here is a short update:

I have really been feeling like I need to invest more time soaking in the Lord's promises... I grew up in a Christian home, and know the usual stories... however... I don't always live life as if I deep deep down truly believe His promises.  I was challenged by Beth Moore at her 'So Long Insecurities' conference to make a spiral of notecards with several of His promises on them- with the hopes to truly allow the Lord to change my heart.  

The current video study that my ladies group is going through is put on by Beth Moore as well.  She poses a very sobering question... "Do you believe in your heart of hearts that God is a giver or a taker".  This was really revolutionizing for me.  She asked... "Have you ever thought, 'I'm not sure I want to do this whole 'God thing'; how much will he take from me in able to receive His glory out of me?".... I have never thought about that exact thought... but wow... I have believed that He is a taker rather than a giver- more than once.  Praise the Lord, He IS a GIVER- NOT A TAKER!  That will be a promise on one of my pretty cards.

OK... that was longer than I intended.... now for the craft:

It started with a stack of beautiful scrapbook paper (this was my favorite one!)

Now time to cut the paper into 'index card' size pieces- with the help of my lovely assistant, Jen!  I made a few of these creations a couple of weeks ago.. and tonight- girls night- we decided to make her one and I could always use more!

Adorable, right?! I decided that the square edges weren't doing anything for me... so I rounded the edges with one of my handy scrapbook tools! 

The next step is to place double sided tape on one and tape 2 pieces together- they are much stronger- and way cuter!

This was my first batch- with the cute ring for easy portability!

I ended up with enough to make 2- so here they are!!

OK... so you noticed I don't have any verses/promises on them yet.... I'm still trying to decide how I want to put those on there- I'm not gifted in the 'hand-writting' arena... so I'll be using the good ol' cute fonts and printer option... however- I'm thinking about crinkling the pages and making them look vintage before I put them on... but I'm still trying to come up with all options!  

So... basically what I'm trying to say is... 

.....to be continued......

Hope you have a wonderful wednesday, lovelies! 

Home-goods...

Good afternoon lovelies!  Today has been a GOOD day!  I got to experience the overwhelmingness that is HomeGoods with Stacey.  It was hard to take everything in... I don't think I could go in that store without picking up an amazing find!  We started off the afternoon with a much needed lunch... Stacey introduced me to a new place downtown Mission, KS... it is amazing!  I should have taken a picture of it to share with you

These are some of my amazing finds this afternoon!  2 neat shelves, a gift box that I LOVE and some micro-fiber cloths! I also got this cute rug for my 1/2 bathroom on our main level!

I think it looks really good with the green walls... and it is a pretty small space... fits perfectly!

Now... I have also been working on some 'home decor' projects... here is my progress... I'd LOVE your thoughts!

Project #1.  This wall is in our living room (down a couple of steps from the open kitchen/dining area)  

I have finally decided what I think this wall needs...

Thanks to the wonderful prices at Target... I found these adorable shelf set

Here is the result!  I don't know if this is the final draft of what I will arrange on them.  But I would LOVE your thoughts here.  I need a good place for this beautiful painting... my brother got this for me while in Florence, Italy!  I. LOVE. IT. So I need a place to display it so everyone can see!

Project #2. I have been trying to decide if I need to do something different with my mantle.  I am on the search for some white framed mirrors to hang above the fireplace... or 1 giant mirror... who knows... it is really hard for me to decide on this stuff.  

***side note***  We painted the fireplace white- so please ignore the off-white tile b/c we have plans to change them, along with the fireplace front thing. 

Here is a close-up of the mantel... I would love any suggestions you may have.

Ok... I got these adorable vase filler wicker balls... any thoughts on how to use them?  I have a few empty vases I can try... but.. I was hoping to get some other ideas from my lovely readers! - No pressure.... :)

Hope you all have a great Saturday... I'm heading on a date with the hubby!