some old, some new

our little mantel made up some old, some new, a little thrifting and a sweet gift. 

thought process behind it...bought the clock from hobby lobby and decided there wasn't going to be a color scheme or plan to the living room, just things that make me happy and color. then i seriously walked around my house with a dear friend and began collecting random things. 

 

this picture was hanging above our couch...however that was the determined area where my soon to be plate wall will hang, so we found it a new home on the mantel. and the item on the left, well, i'm not sure what to call it. it belonged to a candle thing we had and doesn't really have any function but i thought it was cool looking and it gives that side a little height c:

the so so sweet Christmas gift from nicole. succulents in monogram mugs...does it get any cuter?

left`hand picture, frame in front {you tracking?} was a clearance find a while back from michaels. the frame behind it was from one of my best yard sale hits ever, my mom and i left with boxes full of teaching stuff and about a dozen old wooden frames for the grand total of five dollars. i did a light coat of heirloom white spray paint and roughed it up with sand paper. the vases are from a kohl's steal. they were already eighty percent off...then add on another coupon and i believe the three of them were only a couple dollars c:

so there you go. some old, new, reused, clearanced and prettiness. husband thinks i'm weird {but what's new} having all the randomness and empty frames just chillin` on the mantel but my heart is happy and our the room feels cozy. 

intro to anthro

with the husband gone for drill this weekend, i was free of home improvements to this little house of ours with electrical wiring and shelf building. don't get me wrong, i love everything about making these walls our home in a functional way but it lacked color and warmth and every`day coziness. since we bought this house in summer the first round of decorations were the red, white and blue's, then fall came and finally the finale of season decorating with christmas. taking down christmas was hard, not only because i was dealing with the post christmas blues but our home became bare and i realized i had only decorated for seasons, not thinking of the other six months of the year. 

okay, so back to the part about the husband being gone...i spent an entire day experiencing hobby lobby, west elm and anthropologie for the first time and soaked up every second of it with one of my favorites. first off, let me remind you i'm from a smaller isolated city, where it was a big game changer for target to come into town. i never even knew about these places before i moved here. i had seen west elm and anthropologie magazines and every now`and`then on pinterest. i adored the style but could never bring myself to purchase at that price. until my dear friend informed me of their clearance section. usually i'm the queen of clearance, but i assumed the price cuts would not be enough for my cheap self...how i was ever`so misinformed. and let me tell you, i was ever`so happy to be wrong.

well, there are my purchases and here is my plan...a pretty plate wall and pops of color. no color scheme, just stuff found around the house and a few new things c:

ps. as for hobby lobby, i'm not sure if i have a good excuse for never going before this weekend...but am so thankful i did because it blows joanns and michaels out of the water.

life lately, Christmas and future posts

school schedule to Christmas mode has been quite an easy transition. crafting gifts, running Christmas errands and baking goodies is way more fun than being confined to my office analyzing data and living off coffee. lately we've been drinking lots of peppermint hot cocoa and playing ongoing games of scrabble. my favorite past time the last few weeks has just been sitting in the living room, candles lit, tree lights sparkling and simply soaking up Christmas. lynnee has also had it pretty rough lately, not not just any cat can average eighteen hours a day sleeping under the Christmas tree c:

we spent Christmas at the in`laws and never left the house for two beautiful days full of family, eating everything yummy and opening up heartfelt gifts. the best memory was seeing the boy's face when the last step of his scavenger hunt was sitting in the living room and having his new coast guard helicopter flown to him. and {as you can imagine} he's been flying and pestering others with it every since c; even though we weren't in our home town we continued their family tradition of remembering the reason for the season by enjoying coconut ice cream balls and singing happy birthday to our Jesus. in between all of our relaxing and familiness we still squeezed in a photo shoot for our new year family card. 

now for future posts...there have been quite a few projects going on around this home and they've all remained on my camera, very much needing to be uploading and posted. this one of my many goals before school starts up. another project{s} is to offset the post Christmas blues by re`vamping our guest bedroom. so lots of laminate painting, lamp shade decorating and all things crates soon to come c:

six weeks of instagram

catching up on my last six weeks through instagram...

the bulk of my time has been teaching, homework, making communication systems for students and going to class...but hey eating pudding while i review reports isn't all too bad.

in my spare time {well the time that cuts into my sleep}...we finished projects around the house, i decorated for fall and we've been picking limes like crazy.

the weather finally cooled down enough to thoroughly enjoy my favorite salted caramel hot chocolate {always in a larger cup for the extra amazing'ness to be piled on}

a few fall themed projects at work, which includes sparkle pumpkins for those aren't too thrilled about pumpkin pulp texture.

i most definitely voted, then had a mock interview via skype for my sister's first vet school choice  later that night c:

God has kept me inspired by the little things in life.

and the boy has been doing car stuff, putting up with my crazy pinterest dreams i pinned during summer, playing with my label maker and just being plain amazing.

well there it is, life in the midst of the never ending schedule thanks to instagram c:

thanks jane, i've missed this!

life is burritoful

{and yes, a little plug in for the most delicious chipotle}

life is beautiful...and among all things, i am reminded of this in a little receipt on a night we decided to go out and just celebrate life. this has been a month of chaos, a month of change, a month of faith and a month of trust. it has truly been a time of giving and taking away. God has answered prayers we have been praying for over a year, yet He has chosen been to silent on the things currently stirring in my heart. but isn't it all just beautiful. their is beauty in the reliance we on Him to answer prayers in His perfect timing because it is just simply perfect, whether we understand it at the time or not. i am thankful for his grace, thankful for the desires He places in my heart and so incredibly thankful for His time.

~ecclesiastes 3:11

thank goodness for instagram

here are the highlights of my week, courtesy of the most amazing instagram...

on one of my longer days i busted out the bracelet i wore at my wedding...and this little beauty got me through the day with a smile c:

first pumpkin patch field trip of the season...the students had a blast even though it was ninety out that day, note where i am standing while taking this picture c;

i spent saturday assisting/seconding shooting for this amazing girl...find her at www.sweetseptemberphotos.com

what i see when i jet home to accomplish some homework before actual work. and yes, that's my pumpkin from the field trip!

thank goodness for instagram catching all these moments that light up my day and thank goodness for Taingamala for hosting the link up c;

DIY lining dresser drawers

well hello and happy monday! earlier this summer i refurbished a little dresser purchased for a beautiful five dollars at a local thrift shop. it required a lot of tlc before i could even apply a fresh coat of paint...sanding, priming, sanding, priming...you get the picture c; i continued to spoil this dresser by buying knobs from world market that were a little pricey {for me at least} but luckily i had a coupon to justify my purchase c: after giving this dresser a face lift, i stepped back and admired the simplicity but just felt like it needed something else...a little something extra. then it came to me, this little dresser needed it drawers lined. so i googled, searched pinterest, brainstormed a little and came up with a little bit of this little bit of that way of doing it. here is the tutorial of how i used fabric to line my dresser drawers.

what you need:

fabric {found mine on clearance}, fabric stiffener {used a 40% coupon from joann's}, iron and ironing board, scissors, measuring tape {or anything to measure with}, double sided mounting tape {i used scotch foam mounting squares and cut them in half so i only had to buy one pack}

the steps:
**please forgive me in advance for the lack of pictures. i wrote this tutorial because so many friends were asking how i did it...and didn't take pictures at the time of the project**
step ONE: soak the fabrics in a mix of water and fabric stiffener {it should tell you the ratio on your bottle}
step TWO: ring out the fabric and let it dry on a flat surface in the sun
step THREE: once the fabric is completely dry and stiff take it to your ironing board and get out all those wrinkles
step FOUR: pull out your drawers and measure the dimensions where you will be laying the fabric
step FIVE: use a pencil and measuring tape to measure the amount of fabric you will need to cut out to fully line the drawer
step SIX: cut the fabric, keep in mind it needs to be as straight as possible so it fits perfectly into the drawer
step SEVEN: take the double sided mounting tape and place a square at each corner of your drawer, you may also add an additional square to each side of the drawer, ensuring the fabric won't slip
step EIGHT: place the fabric in, firmly pressing the fabric against the tape...what's great about this tape is that's a cinch to take out if you ever want change the fabric liner
step NINE: step back and admire your work
step TEN: now repeat the steps and finish the entire dresser c:

happy lining!