Thursday's Thought

image/via

{Inspired} Dreamy Closet

 Now that I am officially obsessed with our next home makeover (the master closet), I am looking everywhere for the perfect inspiration! Obviously I don't have an entire room to dedicate to our clothes, but how dreamy is this dressing room?!

Oh, to be able to see all of our clothes! And to have functional space for accessories and shoes-be still my heart.

This project kicks off this weekend-wish us luck!

all images via IHeart Organizing

The Perfect Compromise?

I briefly alluded yesterday to the ongoing difference of opinion my husband and I have had about fan vs. no fan in the bedroom. To me it just seems to take away some of the romantic whimsy, though I understand the practical matter at hand when it comes to a ceiling fan. After all, our room is west facing and can get pretty hot in the warmer months. But I remain optimistic that we can come to a compromise (or that my husband will suddenly realize he too wants to ditch the fan...).

So you can imagine how intrigued I was when I stumbled on this lovely blog and her DIY  "fandelier". At first I laughed and then I realized this may be the perfect solution (that is, if I must keep a ceiling fan). And it doesn't hurt that I've been lusting after this exact capiz chandy at Cost Plus. Meant to be? Maybe!

Check out how she did it on House Tweeking and while you're there, swing by her house tour-I'm drooling over here. And don't get me started on that DIY headboard!

What do you think? Reasonable compromise?

image/via

{Inspired}

Whether what you love is a job, a hobby or a simple pastime...do it often!

image/via

Inspiration: A Cheery Pantry

I am a believer that, in life, it really is the little things that matter. Take for instance this recent face-lift we gave the inside of our pantry...you read that right, the inside of the pantry. True it is something most people won't ever see, but I see it-every day. And you know, I think that your home should make you happy and should exude your personality.

So with that said, I would love to show you our little weekend project that's totally making me smile.

Here's a peek at our pantry before...




Emptied out and ready for a spruce up...

And finally, here it is with the back walls brightened up with a coat of Valspar's Cantaloupe Smile. Fitting name, don't you think?!

It's exactly the cheery lift I was hoping for! And for less than $10 and two hours on a Saturday afternoon, I would say it has already paid for itself, what with the fact that I can't stop gushing over how wonderful it looks each time I open the pantry!


With all the major projects on our home improvement list, it's great to have little things like this to tide us over with a sense of accomplishment:)

Hope you had a fantastic weekend!

Until Further Notice...

I will be repeating this quote over and over to myself:

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."

Robert F. Kennedy

image/via

Glitter Me Festive!

This weekend I took at stab at glitter pumpkins. And now I've got my own little display of colorful beauties! But be warned, they are not as easy at they look. It's all about the glue application. But once you get the hang of it, it's quite fun - though I had the advantage of doing these with my friend Parris, who always makes things more fun!

Here's the finished product! What do you think?

Happy October!

Happy October, lovelies! Don't you just love this month?! So much Fall flavor and fun to be had!

A couple of things I am looking forward to in October include: Apple Hill, wine tasting with friends, visiting the pumpkin patch, a photo session with the incredible Sarah Dawson, testing the waters of pumpkin waffles and roasting my very first chicken!

But I might be most excited about this year's pumpkin project. Remember my first experiment with pumpkin painting last year? So fun and totally plan on doing that again, but this year I am absolutely smitten with glitter pumpkins!

The idea comes from the brilliant Martha Stewart, but I am personally taken with the versions I came across here on the blog A Field Journal. Aren't they so pretty and whimsical? Lovely way to put a little sparkle on the season. I can't wait to try these out myself! I'll be sure to share my finished product!

all images/afieldjournal

Currently Loving: Coffee Table Books

I wanted to share a few books I've been crushing on lately. The truth is, I have a real fetish for books: old, new, to read, to display-doesn't matter!

Naturally, I migrate to them when garage saleing or second-hand shopping, making my collection quite vast. Though because I have recently purged some old books, I can't see how adding a few more could hurt. Enter these lovelies~

Home Economics: Vintage Advice and Practical Science for the 21st-Century Household

Not gonna lie, I love the cover of this book! It's sweet, vintage-esque and just plain lovely!

Country Living Simple Country Wisdom: 501 Old-Fashioned Ideas to Simplify Your Life

Pretty much every review on Amazon noted how beautiful the pictures are in this book, as well as the useful and {mostly} practical advice.

The Farm Chicks Christmas: Merry Ideas for the Holidays

Because I LOVE decorating for Christmas and always welcome fresh new ideas!

What about you? Any book crushes?

all images/amazon

Quick Office Re-do

There's nothing like a little freshening up of a room to leave you feeling totally accomplished! For a few weeks now I've been dying to switch up our office. And since we hope to be moving in a few months, painting just didn't seem like a worthy effort . So I decided to first create a little asymmetrical photo wall above the desk, and to brighten things up a bit we painted the frames we already had a nice, crisp white. Finally, I got creative and re-purposed existing household items for somewhat uncommon uses.

With the help of a little organization and a trip to Ikea for some finishing touches, I am feeling pretty great about our little den transformation! What do you think?

Instead of filling every frame with pictures of us (since we have plenty of those around the place!) I tried to add some different elements, like the two flower pics I snagged at Ikea for $1 a piece and pictures of Chris and me as kids!

Then I switched out the old inspiration board for this pic I got at a garage sale last week for $2. By painting the black frame white, it goes right along with the brighter, clean look of the room.

Thanks to the $1 spot at Michaels, I have super cute office supplies to top my desk! The pink vase I already owned and is now serving as a pencil holder.

By taking this glass container I had in my pantry and filling it with my ever-growing stash of note cards, maybe I will remember to use them more!

And finally, by purchasing these brown totes for only $11.99 each, fabric, patterns and sewing projects are neatly organized and in an easily accessible location!

Ta-da!

So that's what I've been up to this weekend! Hope you enjoyed!

Happy Labor day!

Carrots, Eggs & Coffee

A friend emailed this to me today and I really wanted to pass it on. I know it's a bit long, but I think worth reading. Have a lovely weekend!

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen.. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word...

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see. '

' Carrots, eggs, and coffee, ' she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hardboiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother? '

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

' Which are you? ' she asked her daughter. ' When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Currently Loving

Ever since I took British Literature my senior year of high school, I have been smitten with classics such as: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice. Naturally, I chose to keep the books once I read them for class and have even picked up a few of them since (especially while studying in Oxford...something about the intellectual air!).

But I would gladly pass on my older versions for a beautiful set of these! How charming would they look sitting atop our bookshelf?!

I might even be inspired to read them again!

You can find them here!

Inspiration: An Organized Pantry

I am one of those people who thoroughly enjoys being organized. But even more, I love finding new ways to declutter and simplify everyday tasks. After all, these days I just don't have the time to fuss with messy spaces.

After seeing my Mom's pantry recently, once I got over being jealous that she thought of it first, I decided to be productive and "borrow" her idea. She so cleverly used her canning jars to hold everyday items such as nuts, dried fruit and grains. It turned out so cute I just had to get some for myself!

So after doing the routine purge of old items, I purchased a bunch of these canisters (also pictured below) in various sizes and some 1/2 quart Mason jars and completely reorganized my pantry! I am amazed at how easily accessible everything is now. Especially the grains that I purchase in bulk at Whole Foods that inevitably end up stacked on top of one another to a point I don't even remember what I have! Now I can easily see exactly what I have, plus it's so much more pleasing to the eye!

The picture above gives an idea of the finished product, though ours is enclosed.

And on a side note, wouldn't you love to open your pantry and see that yummy shade of yellow staring back at you? Definitely on my list of to-do's when we move!

All In A Days Work

Happy Spring! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Our was perfectly delightful. Complete with gardening, spring cleaning and rearranging the house to be Spring ready!

Once we were done with the patio I sat outside reading my new magazines and savoring the pretty view while Abby sunbathed. I just love the freshness and colorful blooms that come with the season!

Here's a peek at our weekend projects~

Just getting started and Abby wanted to be a part of the action. My handsome husband mixing the soil.
Our weeekend purchases to spruce up what we already had.
Herbs!
Pretty succulents
Lovely blooms!
My gardenia:-)
And when we were done outside, I decided it was time to bring some Spring inside as well. I used things I already had to freshen up the dining area as well as the entry table, kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom, and living area! I love what a little rearranging can do for your mood!

Here's a little glimpse at the dining area~

I also started brainstorming some diy projects I'll be working on in the next few weeks. Can't wait to show you my progress!

Sitting Pretty

via

Isn't this chair lovely? So welcoming and happy. I have a delightful set of green chairs almost identical in shape to this one (although, mine are a bit curvier) and am considering repainting and recovering the seats to look something like this. I feel a weekend project coming on!

Inspiration and photo from the sweet blog Little French Nest.

Home Project? Do It Yourself!

When it comes to our home, there is nothing more exciting than envisioning a project and tackling it ourselves! While they can be laboring and time consuming, the finished project always brings such satisfaction and pride in your handy work. And let's face it, they're so much fun! (It's also a huge plus that I have a very handy husband!)

One of my favorite guides to diy projects is Better Homes and Gardens Do It Yourself Magazine. It's published quarterly and always leaves me with a list of wishful projects.

With Spring just around the corner (9 days to be exact!), my head is flooded with fun things Chris and I can tackle this year!

I'm really trying to brave up the courage to upholster our own headboard! Lucky me, my mother-in-law has some experience with that!

Wouldn't something like this be awesome?! (not the color, but the fun pattern and shape!)

via

Inspiration: Weekend Sewing

Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross

On Saturday, as my mom and I waited patiently for our number to be called at the fabric counter in Joann's, we browsed this adorable book! It has all kinds of fun and easy sewing projects like: guest room slippers, an overnight bag, pillow cases and even an outside puppy tent. And a bonus, the book is filled with whimsical, vintage-chic pictures. I am officially adding this to my birthday list!

One Lump or Two?

I am loving this print from the shop, MrPS! Can you imagine it in a fresh, white kitchen with that fun pop of clementine? So the only question that remains: one lump or two?

Have a lovely Monday!