hoppy easter.

i love this idea. if i had more time and easter wasn't days away i would be all over this project. maybe, it will have to be put in my pile of to-do's for next years easter festivities.

the little lady turns 2!

so, my sweet little lady turned two. we celebrated at a kids gym filled with our favorite family members and friends. here is what the little lady handed out to her friends.

a letter gallery

as you know, i am updating the little lady's room into more of a big girl room. i have been collecting the letter 'A' for a while now and have been thinking of ways to display the letter in her room. here are a few ideas.


style files


irina graewe


apartment therapy


country living

i will post pics when the letters are up and displayed for all to see, promise.

répondez vite — ou mourez!

do you RSVP? i found this article to be interesting and right on. do we forget? do we get to busy? do we just not like being tied down?



p.s. don't get me wrong... i have forgotten to rsvp before, but i am never going to miss another one.

{ rsvp from indigo bunting }

a big girl bed for a big girl

the little lady is turning two in one week. i have decided to update her room a bit and add a big girl bed. i have my mom's old bed from when she was little and i am going to add a nice coat of paint. the inspiration behind the color is this awesome pillow from target and the new liberty of london collection. if you haven't seen it yet, i totally recommend you go check it out. there are some really great color palettes and home accessories to freshen up your house just in time for spring. so, let the transformation begin.


i hope to paint the bed this week, but we have company coming { yeah, uncle heat and aunt mel! } and a birthday celebration on saturday. so, we will see.

show and tell

well, my friends, i did another wedding show. above are the images { click to see it larger } i took of my booth all set up and ready to show. i met a lot of really sweet and excited brides to be. if you are interested in invitations or styling, i would love to hear from you.

please be patient as i update the services and portfolio section of a + J O Y over the next few weeks. but, like i said, please shoot me an email if you want to chat.

the entry - step no. 2

so, step no. 2 in updating our entry is picking the perfect paper to mat all the black and white photos that are currently there. paper mojo is an excellent resource for beautiful paper.


here are the papers i am considering. what is your favorite? i am leaning heavily towards one of them, but i would love to know what you all think.

shadow boxes

i am still thinking about shadowboxes, like this one below. although these are still on my mind.



{ dang it i will update the source when i figure out where i saw this.}

enter at your own risk

i am in this weird phase where i want to update things around the house, but i don't want to spend much money. the first thing you see when you enter our house really needs some sprucing up. so, the next couple weeks i plan on updating the entry on the cheap. i will take you through the process.


step no. 1 - finding inspiration



{ most images from simply grove }

color study no. 6

oh la la... i am totally digging this necklace.

if i were to go to the oscars...

i would totally rock a dress like this one on demi moore. pure perfection. well done.

before and after - the front door

here is a before of our boring front door. needs some work, huh?


these are the supplies i had and bought to create this...

1. craft paint - already had
2. some funky florals - already had
3. wooden 'H' - $2.49
4. screw eyes - $1.49
5. wire - already had
6. grapevine wreath - $3.99 { not shown in above photo }

so, for less than $8.00 i was able to spruce up my front door with a fun new wreath.


oh, and of course the little lady was involved. she painted the 'H' and did a fantastic job.


finished and not so boring anymore, huh?

shut the front door

i just realized my front door is so boring. i need something there. something like this...


the supplies i do not have and would need are a wreath, the letter 'H', 2 open eye bolts and 2 closed eye bolts. i have some dried flowers and paint at home. here is a rough breakdown on cost...

12" wreath - $2.99
6" wooden letter - $2.49
eye bolts - local hardward store, not over $4.00 for four ( that is an estimate )

so overall, it wouldn't cost over $10. i am going to do it. wouldn't it be cute if the letter 'H' was interchangeable with the seasons or holidays? oh, and maybe i will even let the little lady paint an 'H'. okay, i will get back to you when the project is finished and let you know how much everything cost.

{ sorry people i am not sure where i found this image from. if i figure it out i will update with a link. }

a blog shout out

so, every now and then i stumble upon a blog i have to share. case in point... color collective. this blog is filled with inspiring and beautiful color palettes.

{ seen on simplesong }