Office Shelves Makeover

Before (top) & After (bottom)

When we moved into our house about two years ago, our house had these great built ins in the office but the wood was cheap and the room was really dark. Last weekend we spent about 15 hours (& a lot of paint) doing a total transformation which really brightened up the room. We used bbfrosch chalk paint powder and Valspar wax.  I won't lie and say this was an easy transformation... it was a lot of work! We ended up putting 3 coats of white paint on... & even touching up more spots after BUT we love the final result!  

 

Desk Makeover... on the cheap!

I found a basic white table at a local thrift store for $25 which was perfect for my craft room. I headed to Lowe's, picked up some wood (pre-cut to size of desk) & some light stain. I got a little drill happy and drilled in screws around the left, right, and back of the desk... they're both practical and cute! 

Spring Bridal Shower

It's wedding season again! 

But then again, when isn't it wedding season? :) I was able to share in the celebration of one of my best friends becoming a bride and helped host a shower at our house.

We went with a gold and pink glam chic color scheme including a lot of metallic golds, sparkles, and soft pink hues.  Before I host a party or shower, I always start my shopping in my craft closet. It's free and oddly enough I like everything in my craft closet (er... maybe that's because I bought it all).  I grabbed some of my large mason jars and "glammed" them up a little by taping off a line about 1/3 of the way down the jar, then applyed mod-podge below the tape. Next I immediately sprinkled glitter on the Mod Podge (while still wet), let that dry, then sprayed a coat of hairspray for some extra hold. Super cute & easy.

 I found this cute wooden arrow at Michael's and took it home for a makeover.  After some white spray paint, I used my projector to get a perfect outline of the letters onto the wood & traced that outline in paint.  I hoped that by placing my antique camera by it, the instagram connection would come naturally ;)

  

The biggest hit of the party? These amazing, detailed cupcakes! My coworker recently retired and has created her own business in Dublin, Ohio.  If you're looking for cupcakes, cookies, or any kind of sweet treat, check out her facebook page! 

 I find the most enjoyment in decorating the small details, like the drink signs.  I have a collection of small photo frames leftover from our wedding and I'm always putting them to use.  For this shower, I spray painted the frames white, grabbed a cute piece of scrapbook paper, and stamped on the drink names.  For the specialty drink, I used a larger picture frame (from a thrift store) and created the sign in PowerPoint using some free fonts I found through Pinterest.  I was pleased to discover the paper plates I had bought fit perfectly inside of my World Market plates, dressing them up a little.

I had so much fun decorating the main table, showing off the cupcakes and setting up the drink station.  

 

This cute little guy on the right was under $3 at Lowe's and with some gold spray paint and some tape, he earned a place at the main table.

Now it's time for this sweet friend of mine to get hitched!

Falling In Love Bridal Shower

Free printout image (right click, save as):

Fall in Ohio is perfect.  Seriously, even the rainy days are welcomed by a warm cup of coffee or overpriced cider.  A mid-October bridal shower screamed for a fall theme, so “Falling in Love” it was.

There was a lot of running around before the shower, so please bear with the cell phone quality pictures.

Favors

I love the idea of having games at the shower, but wanted to intentionally have games that were truly fun for everyone involved so I went to Pinterest for inspiration. 

Game #1: He Said / She said – I sent the bride and groom each 10 questions, and would include only one of their replies… the guests had to match the correct responses with either the bride or the groom.

Game #2: Wedding Ettiquette – This game was more of a hit than I expected.  I typed up one question for each guest with a “What would you do if…” scenario.  Example questions: “What would you do if you stepped on the bride’s gown & ripped it?”; “What would you do if the person next to you fell asleep at the ceremony?”  The bride then tried to match the responses to the guests – and she did a great job!

Game #3: What would the Groom Say? – This game is commonly played at showers, but we added a twist!  We began with asking the groom a list of 15 questions about the bride and/or about their relationship.  As we asked him these questions, we videoed the responses… and we got some really humorous answers!  For example, when asked “What color is the bride’s wallet?” the guests first got to see his look of confusion, then confidence as he answered “She has a purse!”.  This game was truly fun and allowed the groom to play a larger role in the shower without being physically present.

What are some other creative bridal shower games you've played?

foyer photo collage

Our foyer needed a little love...

All of the photos or decorations mean something to us, making this wall an awesome reminder of our blessings every time we enter our home.

All Cooped Up

As I write this, I'm looking outside at about 7" of snow.  Depressing?  A little.  BUT there is good news!  Being cooped up gives me the perfect excuse to get things done that have been on the to-do list for a little too long.

For the first time this year, both of our families had a Christmas gift exchange.  Joel had my sister so I thought I would get to work on making her a gift. Once I planned what I wanted to do, I knew I selfishly wanted one for myself too :)  I headed out to Lowe's & bought pre-cut wood, then bought stencils from Michael's.  With a little stain and some craft paint, this was simple to make.  Psalm 46:10 - "Be still & know that I am God"

Over Christmas break, my mom let me take some old books passed on through the family.  They are all AMAZING and I'm so excited to be able to show them off in our house :) 

A month or two ago, Joel & I bought paint while on sale at Lowe's and I immediately got to work on the hallway upstairs however I needed a little more motivation to paint one of the bedrooms.

All it took was a snowy Saturday to motivate me and by 1pm I had painted my craft room and created this pallet shelf.  More pictures will be coming once the room is completely decorated!

Fall in OH-IO

In the beginning, God created the heaven & the earth... and nailed it!  How gorgeous is Ohio this time of year?!

Fall is my favorite season, fresh brisk air, leaves of every color, candles, & warm blankets to cozy up in.  Of course, fall isn't fall without pumpkins.  Check out some pumpkins & decorations the Swaneys are showing off this year :)

My 2-year old niece wanted to be Mike Wyzowski for Halloween and my sister got the idea of making a Mike Wyzowski tutu from Etsy.  So she came to me and asked if I could come up with a costume. I have to say, it turned out pretty cute!

I also don't hate the fact that this sweet boy (my nephew) just joined the world on October 9.

I went with a few friends & checked out the Circleville Pumpkin Show which was dangerous for those who love pumpkin flavored food & drinks.  I had a pumpkin spice cappuccino, pumpkin chili, and a pumpkin donut to top it off. I couldn't find it in me to try the deep fried pumpkin pie...

And of course, you can't forget about Ohio State football games!