Shower Curtain Love

These are the contendors for the shower curtain in our main bathroom. Who knew such a simple object could be the source of so much debate?

Emerson's Cupcake First Birthday Party

To say that I was shocked by how fast time moved for my son to already be three is quite the understatement when compared to the fact that my baby girl is now one.  Emerson was my and Clay's surprise and what an amazing surprise she is.  Full of life and spirit, she brings constant enjoyment  to us.

And her cast is off! Just in time for her first birthday.

I wanted her day to be special so I put a lot of thought and effort into it.  The living room and dining room were decorated in shades of pink and brown with lots of girly touches.

It was cupcake themed so I made tiny aprons for her guests and homemade cupcake-shaped soap for the guests’ parents.

I made birthday banners with card stock and tulle and created a month-by-month picture display from black and white pictures of Emerson and card stock.

We had lots of yummy treats that I made such as heart-shaped pink rice crispy treats, pink marshmallows dipped in chocolate and sprinkles and of course cupcakes.

Everything was worth it to see this smile.  Happy first birthday baby.

Swinging into Spring

It’s starting to warm up and most of the snow has melted away thanks to a whole week of extremely sunny days we’ve had, so Clay and I made a very special purchase.

A toddler swing seat for our swing set. 

To say my babies have been enjoying their backyard and this swing set is a bit of an understatement.  Their happiness is infectious and I'm blown away by how the simplest things, like the enjoyment of a swing in the spring sunshine, mean the absolute most.

Warm Living Room

I cannot describe how much I love the finished paint color of our living room.  It feels so warm and relaxed and it flows so well with our new curtains, the thrifted console table and the mirror I’ve had forever.

I couldn’t wait to decorate the walls, especially since my best friend Jennifer bought me this amazing wall piece as a housewarming present.  I absolutely love it and have been dying to hang it.

I also hung some shelves and accessorized them with a few items we had on hand.  Most of my frames tend to be empty right now because I’m constantly moving and rearranging them.  Filling them with the right pictures will be one of the final steps of my decorating process. 

I’m not much of a collectable knick-knack kind of girl, but both of these Willow Tree figurines mean a lot to me.  One was a gift from my grandma after the birth of my son and the other I bought when I pregnant with my daughter.  I’m not a fan of the frame, figurine, vase pattern I have going on but it’ll work for now.

Living Room Update

With the hallway finished, my bother is now about to start painting the remaining wall in our living room (I just love having a professional painter in the family hehe).  The last of the wallpaper has been removed and this is the space’s current state.

I had originally planned on this wall being the same Mesa Tan color as the wall leading up from the family room but Cory doesn’t think we’ll have enough leftover paint to complete the project. Instead of buying more, we decided to just use some of the remaining Tigereye, since we have almost a whole gallon left it will connect accent wall already painted in this shade. I’m nervous but excited.

Did you notice the new curtains?   These were an amazing find at Pier 1.  Originally marked at over $50 a panel, they were reduced 75% which meant I could get both panels for just over $25! I had a momentary surge of panic as I dug through the sale curtains to find two panels, which finally I did at the very bottom of the pile.

It’s like they were made for this room.

Modernly Rustic

I've been considering some decorating ideas for our family room and searching for some pieces that would flow with the natural, organic-y feel of this space.  I’ve ripped out pages in magazines and favorited sites on the Internet showcasing birds, owls, branches, trees and other items that I would classify as Modernly Rustic. 

via Sunset

This would look cool on a mantle.

via Sunset

And speaking of mantles, I'm loving the Manzanita branches on the this mantle.

via DIY

I'm on the fence with this branch curtain rod. While I think it could definitely work in the right room, I think it has the tendency to create a Lodge or Camp vibe that I want to avoid.  Is it strange that I'm looking to decorate with branches and owls while avoiding this woodsy look:

via TLC

I'm imagining Modernly Rustic to be a more contempory approach to the farmhouse/log cabin style.   This is possible to achieve right?

 

Hallway Art Gallery

I am so excited to share our hallway!  The gold paint (Sherwin Williams' Harvest Gold) makes the small space sparkle, especially in comparision to the dark accents that now grace the wall.  And remember the wire & clip method of displaying art that I had hoped to create in this area? That's finished too and it looks ah-mazing! 

Our diy way of creating this super cool and very interchangable art gallery was to buy a pack of small eye hooks, some picture wire, and binder clips.  Just measure out how long you want your display to be, screw an eye hook into the starting and stoping point, and then wrap the wire into the eye hooks.  Use the binder clips to display your art.  So very easy, super adorable and LESS THAN TEN BUCKS. 

Ready for Paint!

Here is our hallway, removed of wallpaper and about to be scrubbed clean.  My brother will be over bright and early to get this area painted. 

St Patty's Day Decor

Things have been a tad hectic around here lately. I’ve been planning and crafting for Emerson’s first birthday party at the end of the month, dealing with Em’s broken leg and her weekly appointments at the orthopedic doctor and now Narls has been seeing a specialist for his sleep apnea and there’s a possibility he’ll have to get his tonsils removed. Whew. As a result, I’m sad to admit there are very few touches of green around my home to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.

We did manage to twist some garland around a curtain rod and some candles in the kitchen though. And we have a sparkly green shamrock hanging from our front door. But that’s all folks. So I will leave you with some green inspiration which are also fun and inexpensive diy projects; enjoy!

Lulu's Tiles created a tutorial on how to make this adorable – and cheap – Irish canvas.

Red heads Craft More Fun crafted a very cute – and again, super cheap – Good Luck sign.