$5 pillow covers

I've had the idea to make new pillow covers out of cute napkins tucked away for awhile awaiting just the right napkin. so when centsational girl said she got cute napkins at world market - that's where I headed. of course, I had to wait until we were headed to Richmond to get them cause we don't have a world market near by, but it was our first stop when we got there!

They had a bunch of really great napkins, but these struck my fancy the most and were also on sale for $2.50 each!


The reason the idea of making pillow covers out of napkins is so appealing, is because they are already a perfect square and if you are covering square pillows then the logistical work is done. All you need to do is sew three straight lines with the right sides facing each other - super easy!


Then, turn it inside out and insert your pillow. For the fourth side, you'll need to hand stitch it closed as seen in this post.


And you would never know these pillows were covered with napkins - they look great!




Now I think I need to find some bright blue napkins to match. :)

baby girl nursery mood board

One of my bff's is having her first baby and I couldn't be more thrilled for her! She just recently found out that she is having a girl and she enlisted me to help her cook up a super amazing nursery. So I have put together a mood board for baby girl haley's (baby's last name, not first) nursery from the ideas that kerry has given me and some of the items I already know she owns/plans to own.



kerry isn't interested in creating your average little girl nursery (notice the light blue wall paint swatch!) - she wants something that doesn't scream baby, still flows with the rest of her house, and is a mix of modern and vintage pieces. her first purchase was the chandelier pictured from ikea as a statement piece for the room. we also recently snagged an almost identical wall shelf to the one pictured at a garage sale for a mere $2! All it needs is a fresh coat of white paint. Can't you just picture dainty little dresses hanging from those pegs?! I will be sure to update you all with a picture of how the nursery turns out - stay tuned, it's gonna be fabulous!

trois {that's 3 in french}

Today marks our three year anniversary! It somehow feels like we just got married yesterday and yet like we've always been together. I feel so blessed to have such a sweet and loving husband to do life with. Here's to 100 more anniversaries! :)

Our wedding day

Celebrating 1 year in my hometown of Schroon Lake, NY

Celebrating a low-key 2nd year with Josh recovering from
a broken nose/face


Celebrating 3 wonderful years (our most recent pic)

standing flower box

Succulents are my thing this year. I don't know why, but I just love 'em. So when I saw pictures like this floating around the internet, I asked my handy hubby if we could make a standing flower box for my wannabe succulent collection. Like any wise husband, he said yes.

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So, we purchased a piece of plywood and cut to down to size...

used pieces of wood to make the sides...

which formed a box for the top...

then we added legs (very reminiscent of the table legs) and painted it white...

and then I filled it with the succulents I had collected thus far!

I also added portulaca because the leaves made me think it's in the succulent family somewhere....maybe like a third cousin once removed or something...but I also like it for the pop of color!

I have dreams of it filling in to look like these beauties:

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But for now, I'm loving my little collection. :)

from the vault: diy ruffled v-neck

From January 15, 2010: "Hello blog world! I've been away for awhile...but keeping busy nonetheless...I am now only 4 classes away from having my master's degree! woo hoo!

I have collected a lot of inspiration and to-do projects in my absence and will hopefully post as I start to cross off my never ending list.

anyways...for Christmas I got my first ever sewing machine! I am so excited about all the goodies I plan to make.

Here is my first sewing project (even though I didn't do it with a sewing machine). I was inspired by Say Yes to Hoboken's DIY Ruffle V-neck. When I saw her post, it reminded me that I recently bought something at the thrift store that would do just the trick.

Grand total: $3.50 for thrifted item with ruffle, $3.50 for gray v-neck from F21 = $7 for cute new shirt!

stay tuned for future sewing projects!!

p.s. special thanks to say yes to hoboken for the great inspiration. :)"

May 20, 2011 notes: 

- I recently ripped the ruffled off this shirt in hopes of transplanting it on a different shirt. If you've ever shopped at F21, you know what I'm talking about. I did get a few good wears out of it...but after a few washes it looked like it was meant for a 12-year-old.

from the vault: welcomed interruption

From March 1, 2009: "ever since i started taking classes for my master's degree, i spend a lot of time up in our office/art room trying to get homework done and keep myself away from snacking in the kitchen or finding something to distract myself on tv. every so often josh will come in, without a word, and sit across the room and play some sweet melody on the guitar. he is my one welcomed interruption. today he came in, sporting his bed head and all, and played one of my favorite dave songs. can life get any better? i submit that it cannot."

May 19, 2011 notes:
- He still melts me with his guitar playing and that sweet smile.

from the vault: baked potato soup

From February 7, 2009: "i want to be a good cook. my mom got me a subscription to everyday with rachel ray and i've vowed to make at least several recipes from each month's magazine.

So here is February's. Josh absolutely LOVES loaded potato soup....his favorite is from O'Charley's. But this recipe held its own and Josh said and I quote "I almost like this better than O'Charley's." It's a ton healthier too since the main component of theirs is cheese.

This was rachel's rendition:

and here is mine:

yes, it tasted as good as it looks! if you'd like the recipe, let me know!"

May 18, 2011 notes: 

- I still make this soup. It's really easy to make and very delicious.

- I now remember why I always thought my blogging was sub-par, that picture is terrible. 

- The recipe can be found here.

from the vault: bathroom storage

This week I'm doing a little series I like to call "from the vault". You see, I started a little blog in 2009 to document some of my crafty ideas. Let's just say I was really lame at blogging and I really didn't keep up with it at all, but I did have some decent ideas. So, I'm rummaging through my old blog files in hopes of sharing some oldies but goodies with you!

From Feb. 20, 2009:

   my inspiration:

     my interpretation:

"i am happy to say i have completed another project. yay! i found the above picture in a magazine and thought that was such a cute idea and should be super simple to find some pretty white cake plates. well i was wrong about that. pretty white cake plates are obviously few and far between around here. especially a smaller one like in the picture. I found a couple bigger ones but I would have to be willing to shell out $30 to have it. boo.

SO, i decided to reinvent the concept. I found a matching dinner plate and salad plate at t.j. maxx (love that store!) for $2 and $1 respectively. And then I went to my faithful goodwill store and found a wooden candlestick holder for .50 that I spray painted a glossy white to match, used some epoxy glue for extra holding strength and voila! It serves the exact purposed I intended and I only paid a whopping $3.50 for it!"

May 17, 2011 update: Sadly, this bathroom storage is no more. It did not make it in the move. I was really sad when it broke. Happily, I just recently found two identical plates in different sizes at goodwill. Remake? 

an endless supply of envelopes

Version 2: Square

pinterest pretties

Here is some of the loveliness I've been eyeing in the land of pinterest:

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There's your full helping of inspiration for today. You're welcome. :)