L O V E + W O R K + G I F T S

i recently helped a friend come up with some decor ideas for her daughters transition to a big girl room.


soon after, this nice little gift card, in the cutest packaging ever, showed up in my mail.


i am all about accessories right now. so, here are a few pieces i have been eyeing.

p.s. thanks again b & e!

L O V E

might have to make some of these for the little lady's birthday bash in march.

{ image from dolci odille }

W O R K

i turn a whopping 28 in less than a month. there are a few things i would really like to get done before the big day. doesn't 28 sound so grown up to you? it sure does to me.

1. finish portrait of the little lady

2. back up all movies and photos on to discs in organized binders

3. finish family photo collage for dining room

4. take all donations to goodwill

5. finish the little lady's baby book

6. write way more thank you notes for simple reasons { like my new haircut from this salon with the sweetest name, friendliest stylist, and coolest location }

i think by writing this down here i am more likely to stay true to getting these things done. i mean, i don't want to let you all down. once i can mark them off the list, i will share them with you. so, here is to being productive at 27.

{ i heart lists can be purchased here. too cute. great gift idea for your organized friend. }

p.s. thank you to my sis-n-law for correcting my silly mistakes. i appreciate it. oh wait, maybe i should be writing a thank you note about this simple, but thoughtful thing she helps me with.

C O L O R

i dream of the sun shining down on me right now { i am so over cloudy days }. so, this bathing suit caught my eye and inspired a color palette.

L O V E

i just finished this book... it was such a lovely read. i am trying to read a book a month in the year 2010. january... check. any suggestions for february?

L O V E

as rachel zoe would say... i die... over these 'scrapboxes' created by the brillant darcy miller of martha stewart weddings.

our little lady is so close to the age of two. i feel like i have already missed documenting some very special moments. well, that is not going to happen anymore. i am dreaming about creating a wall of these 'scrapboxes' down our hallway of the most wonderful moments we share as a family. i am already thinking about the first one. i hope to share it really soon.

feel inspired? get your very own 'scrapbox' here or here.

W O R K

so, remember this post about painted floors? well, this is what i was waiting to share with you...

my hubby and i decided we needed to add a small room that could be used as an office and play area on the main floor. our family room was becoming a crazy toy box and we couldn't handle it any more.

one side of our garage has a bit of a kick back that we just weren't using effeciently. in fact, it was just becoming a place to store more 'stuff'. so, we decided to add a wall in the garage and a door through the laundry room to create a cozy office/play area.


{ left } door frame being cut. { right } wall going up.

we debated on carpet or hard wood for days, and decided hard wood would hold up and clean up the best. my one request, could i please paint a design onto the hardwood? the hubby was hesitant at first, but then agreed it could look really nice.


{left } cutting out the design. { right } design cut out and ready to go.

so, i found a design i liked, blew it up to size, cut it out of a plastic paper and began to stencil away.


{ left } the floors in their raw state. { middle } fresh paint of white porch paint and my first stencil attempt. { right } floor almost complete.

i am not going to lie, the stenciling was very time consuming and imperfect. but, i felt over time the imperfections and worn out wood would create an even more interesting and cozy room.

the floor is done and now i am adding finishing touches to the room. once they are complete i will share with you the finished product. it looks pretty good, if i may say so myself.

L O V E

i hope everyone had a lovely break. i had two weeks off and was able to spend lots of time with family and friends.

i am not going to lie, i also laid around a lot. which is something i don't do often. so, it was a real treat.

now, i guess it is back to the everyday. but, this year i am focused on staying positive and finding happiness in the simple things. i am not quite sure what that means yet, but it just sounds good. i love the word 'simple'.

here is a simple tutorial from purl bee on some fun and festive garland i plan on hanging in our new addition { pics to come this week }. it just is too pretty and makes me smile. don't you agree?



*** since writing this i decided that deactivating my facebook account would help make my life simplier. and you know what, it feels really good not having something else to check all the time or waste precious time i could be spending with my family.