summer mantel.

When we made our "must-have" list when shopping for a new home, I put on it-- fireplace. Not because I wanted something extra to heat the house, but because of a mantel to decorate. I needed a place I could change up every season/holiday. Plus, I bought new handmade stockings this past January  for our next Christmas, a mantel was requirement for those purty things to be hung on.

Our new home has a fireplace. I wood burning one at that--I can't wait for the smell of wood to linger through our home this winter. The mantel was a typical wood colored one. Being that I'm obsessed with grey and white (and turquoise), I painted it white. Then added my summer touches.

Before:

After:

(I didn't paint the wall, it just appears different in the before-picture because I only had lamp lighting that made everything had a yellow glow. In the after-picture, I was able to use natural light. Natural light always wins.) 

I have plans to whitewash the stone and paint the walls a light grey, eventually. We have plans to change quite a bit more in our new home, but for now we are settled and enjoying it so, so much. When we first moved (about a month and a half ago), I had about three weeks of insanity. I seriously didn't know if I was going to make it between caring for a newborn, a 1.5 year old, and 3.5 year old, unpacking/cleaning/decorating, and taking care of sickness that we had over and over and over. BUT, things are good now. We have reached the light at the end of the tunnel and it feels good. 

diy chalkboard frame.

I have been wanting to jump on the bandwagon for a while now by making a chalkboard frame to hang by our dining room table. I wanted a place to write happy notes, scripture verses, menu planning, and just some sweet love notes.

After I realized I already had a frame I could use, I bought a can of yellow spray paint and went at it. I may have went a little spray paint happy by also painting our knife block and utensil holder. [I'm sort of obsessed with yellow right now.] Then the hubster cut a board to fit inside of it out of the scraps from our dining room table he just made [that will be another post!], and I used chalkboard paint I already had on hand. [Note: chalkboard paint can be pricey, but it lasts for many projects or see if a friend wants to split the cost with you and share.]

After everything was dry, the hubster used some heavy-duty caulking glue (obviously I don't know the proper term for it-ha) to connect the board and frame.Then put hooks on the back to hang it. And walaaah, you have a cute and practical chalkboard frame.

Cost of Project and Supplies:
frame: from a garage sale last summer, 50 cents
spray paint: Menards, about $3.50
board: left over scraps, used a saw to cut it
caulking glue: already had on hand
chalkboard paint: already had on hand
hooks: already had on hand
chalk: stole borrowed from Audrey's stash

We have been doing a lot of projects on our house the last couple of weeks, that I really do plan on sharing. There has also been some unplanned (and unwanted) projects that have happened too. Like oh, having to call a Wildlife company to trap what we thought was a groundhog trying to get in our foundation. When we checked the trap Saturday morning there was a baby skunk in it! We were very, very fortunate it never sprayed. Whew. Also, our dishwasher flooded our kitchen last week and we had to rip up the floor and take care of the damage. But fortunately, Andrew's brother owns a water damage company, so we had all the equipment we needed-thank goodness!

Have you been working on any house projects wanted or unwanted?

small style. {vintage love}

Yesterday we spent a lot of time outside, and Audrey kept thinking the wind was going to blow her away. And both of the girls weren't quite sure what to think about the abundance of sunshine. It was so bright. [I'm not complaining. At all.]

I laid a vintage quilt on the grass to relax on, then proceeded to attempt some more pictures. (For Naomi's six month shots.) I think they turned out adorable, despite the sunshine that created some unwanted shadows and a lack of smiles because all they could do was squint at me. Ha!

Small Style: Naomi

hairclip- Rosemary's Cuppa (me)
dress-vintage, local antique mall for super cheap
shoes- Robeez, second-hand child's store, but brand new

Small Style: Audrey

Tunic/Dress- vintage apron I turned into a dress (It was really simple- I just cut the ties and sewed them on in a different spot, then added snap buttons to the front. The ruffles were already there.)
Shirt- Target
Leggings- Old Navy
Shoes- Umi
Bear Hairclips-Claire's

Of course, I'm linking up with Morgan, one of my favorite {internet} chica's around!

{my first} what i wore.

I love when bloggers share about what they wore during the week. It's inspiring and fun. And for months now, I have been contemplating about doing it. Mainly I have been hesitant because a) half the time you will find me in p.j.s b) I like fashion, but in no means, do I think I'm an amazing dresser like some of those great fashionistas out there c) I tend to wear the same things over and over (because I love certain pieces), and d) I feel really awkward taking pictures of myself and posing.

But here I am. Going to test out the waters, and do I What I Wore post, linking up at The Pleated Poppy.

Hat- Vintage, borrowed from my sister
Jacket- Grass, TJ Maxx
Striped Yellow Shirt- thrifted
Under Tank- Old Navy
Jeans- F21
Shoes- F21
Ring- Vintage, my new favorite item!
Necklace- Gifted from Etsy, I wear this one A LOT- it has Naomi and Audrey's name on it

Well, that wasn't too bad after all. Go check out some more What I Wore posts at The Pleated Poppy.

decorating with the unexpected.

[I'm writing this post to distract me from the sickness that is still in our house. Poor Naomi now has it. It's pitiful.]

When I see something at a thrift store or garage sale (usually it is sea-green, turquoise, or some blue color) and I'm not sure how I will use it, I try to think outside the box.

Like a vintage suitcase. I use it to store magazines inside and place old books on top.

Vintage thermos. This shelf is not complete. But I took down my Valentine's decorations and I'm not really sure what to put up since it's not quite spring yet. So this is where I'm at with it. I'm going to fill the thermos with flowers to add some "spring-feel." And get some art up there too.

Old picture frame. I love having old frames hung in a collection. But when I have just one I like to put a picture up in the middle or a wreath or even a plate.

Vintage trunk. These are great to use as side tables or a coffee table. DVD's are stored inside of ours.

Lately, I have been seeing stumps being used as home decor. And I think it's pretty awesome. [Just wish I could afford one. Perhaps I can talk the husband in to finding a stump somewhere and making one.]

image credit: Real Wood Works on Etsy

All the items in the above pictures are from garage sales or thrift stores (except for the stump, of course). I'm definitely getting the itch to go to garage sales. Can't wait for the season to start. Do you enjoy the early Friday and Saturday wake-ups to find a deal? 

come on in. {the kitchen}.

It's here--another house post! And this one is a doozy. It's our kitchen/dining room area. I'm even shocked looking at these before and after pictures.

Since I have a lot of pictures to share, I figured the less words the better. So here it goes.

When we bought our 1930's bungalow in August 2009, this is what our lovely (using this term very loosely) kitchen looked like. [Brace yourself, folks. We really did take on this challenge all ourselves.]

So what type of remodeling did we actually do in the kitchen? Alright here's the list: remove cabinets, flooring (which had a couple of layers), appliances, remove washer/dryer hookup (who has this in their kitchen, in the open, for real?), all new electrical (done by my dad), remove drywall due to mold, redo plumbing, one new window installed (still need to replace four), new back door installed, install new cabinets and counter top (we had the counter top hired out because our house is so not square and it had to be custom made), installed new appliances, new sink with a garbage disposal, the ceiling fixed in spots, laid new floor, and painted (which isn't just painting, that means cleaning the walls and priming).

Did I mention for about two months of living here I did not have a working sink or counter tops? Imagine me carrying loads of dirty dishes in a box outside in the freezing cold to my dad's house to use his dishwasher, or don't think about it, because I am trying to forget that I actually did that.

After all that hard work, it did finally pay off. Here are the after pictures:

There you have it folks, my kitchen. Is it my dream kitchen? Nah. But I do enjoy being in it. I especially love all the natural light that comes in. And keep in mind, it's not finished yet. Notice there isn't trim up yet, and we have to figure what to do about a space that doesn't have room for a cabinet, and see those cute vintage aprons hanging up by the dining room table? Yeah, those are covering the old electrical box that still needs to be removed. We also need those really cool windows replaced--- I wanted to keep them because I love the originality of them, but they are so not efficient.

Our house is always a work in progress and never will be perfect, and that's okay with me.

Wanna see other parts of our remodel? Check it out here, here and here.

brought to you by the letter, c.

I feel like I'm constantly tweaking my style. [Kind of like life, right?] Both with what I wear and how I decorate my home. It's ever evolving.

Right now I'm really into whites and greys and mixing woods and industrial metals. I like the Scandinavian/Farmhouse look (combination I just made up), but my house looks nothing like those. I would paint the inside of my house grey right now if I could, or had the energy, and money, and well you know, time. But I don't. So I will stick with my vintage-hotel blue. And eclectic taste.

With my birthday money, I have been able to add a little spice to our bedroom. [Get your mind out of the gutter, folks, not that type of spice.]

This type of spice.

I bought the owl print and chair print at a Handmade Market our city puts on (which is totally amazing). You can find the artist who created the prints on Etsy, right here. (The frames are from Michaels. Super cheap ones, I didn't want anything elaborate to take away from the prints). The little glass dish was a gift, from Anthropologie. And just yesterday I bought that super cool letter C at our Antique Mall. I love large metal letters, and they seem hard to come by, so I had to snatch that one up. I haven't quite decided if I want to paint it or not, so I thought I would hang it up and see if that blue grows on me.

I also bought this pillow from Target. It makes me smile every time I walk into our bedroom. I like the way it looks with the picture that hangs above it.

Our bedroom is slowly starting to come together. For some reason, our bedroom is the one place that I have put off on decorating, when really it should be right up there with the other rooms. I want warm, cozy, happy, and simple in my home.

(p.s. sorry for the poor quality of photos- I had to use artificial lighting (yuck) because it gets dark at like 4pm now (not really, but it gets dark super early). And also, I am an overuser of parentheses.)

you are my sunshine.

A couple of weeks ago I bought this print from Bright Side Photos on Etsy. The owner was really awesome to work with. I wanted a custom size and and it shipped fast, double bonus. [I'm always giddy when I received something in the mail, I wait for it everyday like a child excited to ride a roller coaster even though it can take a two hour wait for a thirty second ride. It's so worth it.]

I bought the print to hang above our bed and to use in an old window we took out of our little bungalow we are remodeling. I took the print and window to Michael's Craft Store to get a matte made for it.

And now it hangs above our bed.

One of our favorite games to play together is Scrabble, so I just loved this print when I found it.

It is such a sweet reminder, that yes, we are each other's sunshine.

**I didn't get asked to write about my purchase and I'm not compensated for it. I just really like it and wanted to share. You should check out her store, because she has some pretty cool stuff.**

come on in. {naomi's nursery}

Almost exactly a year ago we were in this room ripping down a drop-ceiling, scraping old plaster off the ceiling, putting up drywall all around the border of the room because there wasn' t any (seriously, the drop-ceiling was hiding the missing drywall), installing a new ceiling, new electrical, new windows, new carpet, new door and painting.

This is what we started with:

At the time, we didn't know this room was going to be "Naomi's nursery" but I did paint it a light mint green with hopes that one day a little baby would be using it. And a year later, we will be welcoming her very soon.

Come on in to Naomi's nursery.

(Notice- we still need trim up-ha. I also plan on expanding the wall of picture frames, as I continue to collect them. And that recliner, kind of an eye sore, but I went for comfy and practical after buying a trendy cute chair when pregnant with Audrey that ended up not being comfortable at all. I will conquer all those late nights with the help from that ugly Lazyboy found on Craigslist.)

(I made those pom-poms for a baby shower and now using them above the crib.)

(One of my best buys when pregnant with Audrey- $25 changing table that was originally $225. I think buying a dresser is a practical way to go, but I couldn't pass up such a deal. And now I'm getting more use out of it. The pictures above the table were all gifts- the blue and white plate on top was Andrew's when he was little, it has his name and year he was born on it.)

(Vintage picture frame with a preggo picture of me came from my MIL and the teacup was also a gift.)

(The vintage dress was a gift, I sewed the burp clothes, and the other items came from garage sales. The mason jar is actually filled with vintage pink Christmas ornaments.)

(That picture? It's my mama and me when I was little. I smile every time I see it. The basket is filled with headbands, and the vintage train art came from a garage sale.)

I'm really happy with how her nursery turned out. It isn't anything crazy or super nice, but so much of the room was created with really memorable items that have meaning to me. I'm so not a theme girl or matchy-match. I didn't even go with a color scheme really. I just did what felt right and took on the vintage style approach (no surprise, that's how I roll). I think I spent a total of about $65 dollars this time around. I tried to use a lot of what I already had (crib, changing table, Lazyboy recliner, vintage child's desk (which was Andrew's when he was little), white shelves, curtains that I made years ago when I was pregnant with Audrey, and I already had the bedding too). The only thing I really splurged on was the wallpaper behind the crib, which was about $40. The Shabby Chic chandelier came from Goodwill for $10 (that my sister-in-law found for me), and then a couple of other vintage items from garage sales. Everything else was gifted to me.

Of course, I love decorating, so making a nursery for my little girl was just part of the experience and preparation for me. But, in no way, is a nursery necessary. The most important part is welcoming your little one with love. And I just can't wait to do that.

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Wanna see the other parts of our house I have revealed so far? Check out the front porch here and the living room here.

oh, so pretty. ruffle necklaces.

I like pink. And ruffles. And to wear dresses. So when I came across this tutorial for a ruffle necklace, I had to try it for myself. It was super easy (doesn't even require a sewing machine) and quick.

Using supplies I had on hand, I added my own twist to the lovely necklace.

I used a vintage white-square beaded necklace, scraps from a pink vintage slip, cut up a vintage hankie for the white flower, and used a vintage button to sew on top.

Here is my number two version of the ruffle necklace:

I used a sterling silver chain, a vintage white lace collar for the ruffle, and a vintage turquoise button. I like how the collar ruffle almost floats in space.

I plan on selling both of these pieces at an Art Show I am apart of in November. I'm trying to get some items created now since you know, come early October and I will have a newborn attached to me. Newsflash to myself, which is only about 14 weeks away. Eeeek! [That's a happy "eeek," but also, an "oh my gosh my life is about to change, drastically, eek."]

P.S. Can you tell I'm nesting? June has been my best month for blogging. And eating. But that's another story.

nesting.

I'm there. 25 weeks pregnant and fully nesting. For some reason it hits between 9-10pm every night. I'm so exhausted by that point, but my mind tells me I have to do something.

So here are a couple of projects I have been working on...

Vintage coat rack/hanger (Made from a piece of trim from our home that we saved when we were demo-ing and white vintage door knobs that I found for around $2 each an antique store. We have a coat closest- but I wanted a place where I could quickly hang stuff.)

Wallpapering Naomi's room (Aren't you lucky? You are getting a sneek peak of her room. Actually, there really isn't much to see except this, because, ahem, I haven't gotten too far in her room.)

Spray painting frames to use in Naomi's room (The pink and green frame are the ones I spray painted and found at a garage sale for $1 each, the other frames I already had, some of them will be filled with real pictures when Naomi arrives. The pink plate came from my mom- it's German. And I'm German, so that's kind of cool, right?)

About a week or two ago I painted our front porch. But I will share that on another post so I can show before and after shots.

Also, last night I made homemade laundry detergent. Post coming up tomorrow on that.

Now I'm off to eat yet another rice krispie treat or a piece of sugar cream pie. Or both.