1.30.2013

moving ... dirt hills

This is what our back yard looks like at the moment. 
No grass.
Weeds.
Dirt.
FUN!




1.29.2013

{home} office // craft room

Living in a 3 bedroom house with 4 of us, I thought that my days of crafting and sewing were done. Or I was just going to have to squeeze into a little unused corner and set up a make-shift crafting spot. But being that my Hubs is amazing, said that I could take the 3rd bedroom for me. But what about the kids, right?? Well they share their room, for the time being at least. I am sure the day will come when I will get kicked out of the room so my child can claim it for their own space. But until that day happens, it's My Place!
Initially, it was just going to be my craft room, but it has since become an office, craft room, and also a playroom. I was tired of toys pilling up in the living room, they needed a home to stay while not being played with. When we first moved in, we found this AWESOME hutch on Craigslist for a steal! It was perfect, fold down table, plenty of shelving and completely closed up when not being used. But I seemed to have out grown it, and it just wasn't working for me, so I sent it to live with my mother so she could love it as much as I did.
Now we are in the midst of redoing the room. I made a this little inspiration board with all the ideas I have come up with so far!
Office/Craft Room Mood Board


  • My Hubby is going to build me a wood desk that runs the length of one wall. I am so excited to have a nice big work area. There will be enough room for my sewing machining, all my jewelry making trinkets, and a spot that I can use for blogging {I am using the kitchen counter right now}
  • We actually already have this rug in the room, I love that it's not super fancy floral. But it's still fun and the colors are just right!
  • I am obsessed with the old vintage mason jars. I am hoping to collect quite a few and use them as some fun storage; house my growing washi tape family!
  • Also bring in some fun clear containers and baskets for storing other things, all the jewelry things, and sewing items I have.
  • I didn't think I wanted a chair like this. Well I did, but finding one at the right price was such a mission that I decided I would just get a rinky-dink chair and settle with it. That was until a friend posted on Facebook that she was selling an amazing antique office chair for such an AMAZING price, and I am so glad I was able to take it off her hands!
  • Now that I will just have a desk, I am going to need somewhere to store all my stuff {which at the moments stored away in many giant containers} So the Hubs is going to make some of these metal pipe shelves to go above the desk. It will be perfect to keep everything out of reach of little hands! 
  • I will decorate with fun accents through out to and some fun to the room; I also have a giant chalkboard in there right now which is a perfect note taker when ideas pop in my head.
  • And then I found this great idea on Pinterest {Original Source} to use one of those pull down-retractable window shades for a photo backdrop. Perfect for when I am shoot something for the blog or for when I finally get back into listing my jewelry!
There it is. I am so excited to get this finished...This being in limbo has me a little crazy cause my house looks like one box away from an episode of Hoarders! I am so looking forward to settling in there when it's finished and let the creativity flow!

1.28.2013

{threads} my "mom" style :: black & white






|| Cardigan: Target // Top: Swell // White Denim: Quiksilver Women  //  Shoes: Olsenboye //
Clutch & Bangles: Target // Gold Skull Necklace c/o laWARRIOR ||


I know what you are thinking... "White pants!?"
I have been obsessing over this trend for a while now. But with hesitation for the obvious reasons.
The moment you buy these crisp white beauties, the inevitable is bound to happen at some point.
But why live in fear...of ketchup, wine, sticky-dirty baby hands, and well, Aunty Flow!
I have to say, I am smitten!
I don't know why I waited so long.
I felt like after I had my first baby, I completely lost who I was and my sense of style.
 Gave up those fun tops and slim pants for slouchy clothes to hide behind, thinking maybe I could just go unseen. While I still love my slouchy clothes to lounge around the house, dressing like the old me feels good again. And I feel like my "new style" has become a more mature version of my "old style", still the same just a little more refined!

Date Night
Hubby took me on a much needed date, with 2 kids it doesn't happen that often.
FM McClintock's Steak House || Sea Bass & Margarita
Cold Stones Ice Cream || Cookie Doughn't You Want Some
Loads of Laughs and ridiculous dancing on the ride home (mostly from me; Locked Out of Heaven)

Upside:
Hubby & I got some great quality time together & didn't make one spill on my beloved white jeans

Downside:
I did get a blister on my heel...Will be investing in some of those heel-pad inserts & a gnarly headache-hangover the next day (And that was from only ONE Margarita, definitely can't hang).


Photobucket

1.25.2013

links of the week {3}

Happy Friday my Lovely Friends! 
Hope you all had a FABULOUS week!
Awesome Links this week. Plus found some new Blogs to follow. Some times I find myself "Sidebar Hopping" as I like to call it! I scan through all the lovely sponsor sidebars on blogs, click all their sponsor ads they have listed, which leads me to new fun bloggies to follow. 
So with that here are some links that I you will enjoy! 












                                                                  Source: chevronstitches.blogspot.com via Heidi on Pinterest

Ashley from Chevron Stitches shares her awesome recipe for Laundry Detergent. If you haven't made any yet, you must! You only need about a TBSP for each load, it last FOREVER!! My mom made me a large container of it when we moved into our house, almost 3 years ago, I have only had to refill it once and on average I do about 1-2 loads of laundry a day. It's a great money saver, plus you know what the ingredients are so no harsh-sneaky chemicals causing any allergy problems!


                                                                           Source: swellandstylish.com via Heidi on Pinterest

Nicole from Swell and Stylish shares some of her favorite items for winter time! I literally want to throw all these pieces on and bundle up by a nice warm fire!! How cute is that head wrap!!


                                                                      Source: mybilliedesigns.com via Heidi on Pinterest

Melanie from My Billie shared a DELICIOUS looking cocktail! I think I need one STAT! I am not sure I have ever tried a blood orange, but this makes me want to start my own Blood Orange Farm/Orchard (what ever you call orange garden places.) I will have to makes this and get back to you...



                                                                  Source: milespapaandme.blogspot.com via Heidi on Pinterest

Cora from Miles Papa and Me..... SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! How cute are these!! You have to check this DIY out! Now I am on the hunt for a cute little vest or jean jacket for my munchkins so I can do this!! LOOOVE it!


                                                                  Source: nicolescoffeeshop.blogspot.com via Heidi on Pinterest

Nicole from Gypsy in Jasper shows what you could wear in case you were headed out for a night of Karaoke! I love this post!! I would never be caught singing karaoke, unless plenty of strong alcohol was involved. And if that were to happen, then I would definitely know what to wear to rock that mic! 



                                                                   Source: laurawinslowphotography.com via Heidi on Pinterest

Laura from Laura Winslow Photography || Blog shares an app she found that allows you to print all those Instagram pictures you have stored in your phone. I am so excited about this, I keep saying that I am going to do this, but never know which company to go through and if they will be a good quality print. She mentioned using another app that didn't have such great prints (quality) so I will definitely be giving this app a try. I am have been wanting to make a fun photo collage with some of my IG pictures, so this will be a great start to that project!

There you have it! Hope you enjoy these as much as I did!!
What were some of you favorite links this week?? 
Leave the link in the comments, so I can check them out!!
Have a fabulous weekend!

1.24.2013

{Threads} Casual Sparkle Outfit

When the Neiman Marcus Collection at Target went on sale (70% off), you could say I got a tad excited! The prices dropped to "normal" Target prices that were affordable. When I saw this Tracy Reese top, I thought it was cute, but it was completely far from what I would normally wear. My mom even said "it's not really you." I have been trying really hard to add more color to my wardrobe; black is my go-to, safe color. So I thought, what the heck I am going to rock this!
Of course a good 90% of this outfit is black, but I love the tops POP of color and sparkle!
I am super stoked on it and glad I stepped out of my comfort zone on this one!!


Casual Sparkle


1.23.2013

typical day

 Most of our days run like clock-work and run smooth with minor kinks... Other days I am counting down the minutes until my hubby gets home to help me wrangle these silly monkeys!
Here are some snippets from a typical day in our house.
:: Morning snuggles in our bed ::
:: If I am home all day, I literally just wear work out clothes and shoes (most of the time with no intention of actually working out. French Toast, dishes, Hubby makes some lunch for work, and more dishes ::
:: Food coma, cartoons (yes, my kids watch TV, judge away all you want). I will introduce you to 1 of our 3 dogs. He is my vacuum through out the day ::
:: Hoping she's a Yankee Girl like her Mama!! ::
:: PB&J ::
:: It always looks like a tornado tore through the house... And I can't stand it, so 5 minutes after I took this picture I picked it all up and vacuumed the entire floor. I have become OCD about this since becoming a mom LOL ::
:: Nap time for everyone... well 2 out of 3 ::
:: Dress Up (the closet is her Castle) ::
:: She asked for a bath ::

So that's as exciting as it gets. The rest of the day usually consist of cuddling, cuddling, coloring, cuddling, snacks, attack Dad when he gets home, cuddling, dinner, bath, bed. 
XO

1.21.2013

TumbleRoot Review & Giveaway {& Some Threads}

Finding unique jewelry is always a great score.
Statement pieces are a must for every girls collection.
When I cam across this necklace from TumbleRoot, I knew it was an essential piece that I needed to have!
The awesome folks from TumbleRoot sent it to me and I am so excited to not only share a look I pulled together to wear with it, but to also introduce you to the company behind it.
:: Cardigan, Scarf, Top, Pants // Target :: Boots // TJ Maxx::
:: Kryptonite Necklace c/o TumbleRoot ::

:: Photos c/o TumbleRoot ::

SHOP :: BLOG
 
 TumbleRoot is a fun, edgy, country brand that is based out of San Luis Obispo, California, which is just over the hill from me. They make and design fashionable clothing in addition to jewelry. As well as decorative items for your home and/or wedding (or party). Whether it's rustic frames or chalkboards, unique tanks or tees, hand-stamped vintage metal turned into a chic piece of jewelry, TumbleRoot is covering all areas.
I asked Nisse, the co-creator behind the name and brand, how TumbleRoot came to life:

"TumbleRoot was started by my Fiance Aarde and I. I am a Graphic Design Manager by day, and at night I needed something to keep me creative. So I started designing for fun on the side. My friends encouraged me to try selling them on Etsy. I resisted because I didn't think anyone would want to buy anything I created! haha. But I did it anyway and it started to take off. One sale a month turned into several sales a day and at that point, Aarde and I decided it was time to re-brand, and TumbleRoot was born. We realized that there really any stores out there that cater to the fashionable country girl. Sure there are country western stores, and some stores that sell a few items, but nothing that is both fashionable and also lets the country girl be true to her southern roots. Our larger vision is to one day be like the Country Urban Outfitters, with brick and mortar store locations around the US. But for now, we're operating out of our home business."
- Nisse Noble // CEO | Co-Founder | Designer

I am so excite that I am able to share this amazing company with you guys today!! What's even more exciting, TumbleRoot wants to share one of their awesome pieces with one of my lucky readers!!
And if you had {heart eyes} for the Kryptonite Necklace like I did, then you are going to flip!
It's time for a 
GIVEAWAY!!






a Rafflecopter giveaway

A big THANK YOU to everyone at TumbleRoot!!
You guys rock my socks!!

1.18.2013

links of the week

I am here...
I have been a little slow to posting this week.
Internet was down for a bit, so I kind of took advantage of that time to do nothing but be mom.
Now finding it hard to get back into the swing of things.
In a Funk.
That's all.
But it's Friday, the end to this week of funk and on to a new brighter one.

Found a lot of fun reads this week! One of which actually had me in tears because it spoke to exactly what I was feeling and was so on point.
So here they are in no particular order!
  • Cat & Cow Shari from Meow & Moo is one of my lovely Instagram Ladies that I follow, I guess you could call her an Insta-Friend. She finally too a big leap into the blogging world and start up her own blog. So excited for her!!
  • How to Curl Your Hair with a Flat Iron Kimmie from Sugar & Dots whipped up this tutorial on how to curl your hair with a flat iron. Brought me back to my salon days... Super fun to do, and you don't have to have long hair either!
  • Letter to Self Sylvia from Sweet Pea Sylvie No words...Just read...
  • 5 Tips for Finding Vintage Decor Items Ashley from The Shine Project gives some great tips for finding those amazing vintage pieces to decorate your home with. From estate sales to those cute little antique shops, unique pieces and don't be scared to update or refinish pieces.
  • My Child is an Old Lady Bre from Peacoats & Plaid had her daughter do a super cute guest post...HAHA well not really but it's a super cute post. I think I might do this with my kiddies too Bre!
There you have it. Hope you enjoy them!!
Were there any posts that you liked this week?? Please share! I love finding new reads!

{Sneak Peak}
I have a fun post coming to the blog on Monday!!
A little "What I Wore" outfit + A giveaway from a really cool company!!
Can't wait to share!

1.15.2013

tea & cookies

“It is fun to have fun but you have to know how.” 

― Dr. Seuss










:: Tea Set & Baking Utensils // Plan Toys :: Felt Cookie Cut-Outs // Melissa & Doug :: Dinosaurs // Target $1 Bins ::
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