Turquoise and red, sitting in a tree

So, I was going to be a total copycat when we bought our house. The model home was decorated in a beach theme, which I fell in love with and wanted to copy exactly. Blue, aquas, creams, so pretty. So when I bought the fabric for our curtains, I did it with that color scheme in mind. But when we started couch shopping, hubby said "Hey babe, I want a super manly, dark brown, leather couch that totally doesn't go with your color scheme" (okay, maybe he didn't say that exactly). So we found one that he loved and I could live with. Dark brown, leather, totally goes with more of a Tuscan theme than beach bungalow. Hmmmmm.

So now we have our blue and tan curtains, and a dark brown leather couch. And it seems like everything I make for the living room, like my UFC pillow and name sign, ends up being red. So what to do with all the blues and reds I have going on?

I know, you're thinking turquoise and red? Really? Trust me, it's gorgeous. Need some inspiration?

 

Now you love it, right? So I wanted to purposely add some turquoise and red to my living room, instead of just adding some red and turquoise crap here and there and calling it done.

So here's what I started out with. Tragic, right? But for 95 cents, hey, why not.

Sorry for the bad lighting, ouch. But anywho, sanded and painted it a turquoise color. Thank you Valspar for the free paint sample.

Then downloaded a damask print from the Silhouette store, cut it out, and laid it down. I hate tearing off the transfer paper though, it always gives me issues. Thanks to the hubby for taking "in progress" pics, even though I'm a bum when I craft.

Then tape off the edges. Easy peasy. Then spray paint it in thin coats.

Then I used the same technique that I used on my dog bed and applied some stain to it. Turned out a bit darker than I wanted, but hubby said he loves it. I really want to pick up some glaze, I keep reading about it in Blogland, but I tend to use what I have on hand.

And here it resides on my coffee table.

I bought a bunch of these trays the last time I went to my favorite thrift store. I have plans for my next one, which will be up for grabs in a giveaway when I hit 500 followers. Only a few more to go!




It's party time.

Highs and Lows, six. Let's do this.

It's Sunday Funday. Time for Highs and Lows. Pretty simple. Share the highs and lows of your week. So link up, fabulous peeps. Makes me feel all awesome.

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Highs

• Really enjoyed my Father in law's visit. Always do. Such a wonderful grandfather to my girls, great conversations, lotsa fun. 

• Took the older girls to Hawaiian Falls (a waterpark). It was their award for playing sports at our church this year (instead of a plastic trophy that will collect dust). They had a ton of fun. Small low though, after being there for about 2 hours, it started lightening. So we left (rather than wait to see if the lightening would pass) and went to Marble Slab Creamery. Great night. 

• I won this Stella & Dot ring in a giveaway. Got it in the mail yesterday. Totally heart it! Even hubby said he liked it in person, he said in pictures he thought it looked like an old lady ring. 

• I have been DROOLING over this Stella & Dot necklace for a couple of months. But $228? Yowzas. Sheesh. Not happening. Happened to find it on ebay for a third of the price last night, and hubby leaned over, and clicked the "buy it now" option. That's pimp, I'm super excited. I might wear it with everything. Sundresses. Tank tops. Pajamas. I considered trying to make something like it, but for what I spent, it probably wasn't going to be worth it.

• Getting the Father's Day gift planned. Told my girlfriends about it, and they want to do the same thing too. So we're getting together on Thursday to do it. 

•  Had an amazing day yesterday with hubby and Ava. My dad picked up the older girls yesterday morning, they're going to camp in the backyard, so the girls were super excited. Hubby and I drove out to Five Guys (YUM!), and then did some shopping. Picked up some fabric, hit up Hobby Lobby for new craft supplies, picked up the stuff for Father's Day. Then we watched a (very lame) UFC. Pretty good night, minus the lameness. 

• Tuesday is "Career Day" at Jasmin's pre-k. So she asked me to make her a nurse outfit. Not scrubs, she wants the white dress with a hat. Made me smile that my 5 year old asked me to make something, instead of buy it. I picked up a pattern at Hancock Fabric yesterday (99 cents, thanks Memorial Day weekend sales) and a stethoscope at Party City. Making it today with my mom. 

• Going over to my parents house today for a BBQ. Made this dessert last night. Got this jello mold for under $3 shipped. Mine doesn't look exactly like theirs, but I hope it's yummy. And yeah, that's not my dessert pic. Mine is a lot fewer straight lines.

• Finally got on Pinterest, and I'm now I'm HOOKED. Like I need a new obsession. 

• Decided on Ava's birthday theme, which is awesome. I'm a girly girl, hubby is sick of pink and princess stuff. So we narrowed it down to a circus theme. Yup, pinning circus ideas on pinterest. 

Lows

• Arielle (my 2nd grader) had her last day of school on the 27th. But my pre-k girl isn't out until the 7th, and they go to the same school. Basically, since Arielle passed all of her requirements, she doesn't have to go to the Tier 2 part of the year. Yeah, that was fun to explain to Jasmin. 

• Our AC is acting up AGAIN. Went thru this crap last year. Last year we got up to 86 in the house. Today it's at 79, even though it's set for 75. Have to wait for tomorrow before the guy can come out. Pisses me off. I mean, I was there when we signed the house papers. I'm pretty sure I don't remember a section that said "Congratulations on your house. It's going to cost you $XXXk and includes an AC unit that will give you the finger every summer when it starts getting hot". 

• The weather was SCARY this week. We live in Rockwall, see that on the map? Yeah, scary. We didn't get the kids out of bed, but I stocked the bathroom with water, formula, snacks, flashlight, pillows, etc.

So another week of epic awesomeness. Holy crap I had a lot of highs. So thankful Lord for all of my blessings.

Blogger? Wordpress? Something act right, damnit.

So, we all know from all the bitching about Blogger that it's been jacked up lately. 

I keep hearing about wordpress, so I checked it out this morning. Did some searching, did some reading. Some places say that you need to get a host with some parts of Wordpress, which isn't an issue. Hubby is a web/graphic designer, and has his own server (host? I dunno the difference) so I'm not worried about that. I tried doing the import thing on wordpress, but after importing all of my posts and half of my comments, it got stuck. So I said screw it, closed out the window and decided I'd ask. 

I haven't had many problems with Blogger, no missing posts, I'm still able to comment. My main beef right now is my followers section is mission. Poof. Gone. And I know (okay, I hope) that my follower count could be, like.... two or three numbers higher. 

Have you made the switch? Why or why not? Did you pay someone, or tough it out yourself?

I don't like change, but I also don't like the followers button being missing. How am I supposed to get my validation and self worth, damnit?

Knock Off Decor knocks my socks off.

Have you heard of Knock Off Decor?  It's run by Beckie of Infarrantly Creative, another one of my favorite blogs.

Knock Off Decor features.... well, knock off decor. It's organized by section (Ballard, Anthropologie, etc) and bloggers can submit projects that they done that were copied inspired by the companies that you get the catalogs for but never actually buy anything cause they're just too damn expensive.

I've been awesome lucky enough to have had three projects featured on Knock Off Decor.

My paint chip wall art, which I shamelessly copied from Ballard Designs.

My felt circle pillow, inspired by Crate & Barrel.

And my french animal wall art, inspired by Restoration Hardware.

And today, my Ballard inspired spool is being featured. Can I get a what what!

So yeah, that's the 4th time I'll be able to place this nifty button on my blog. Awesomesauce.

You mean you have to work at your marriage?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TwoOfUs. All opinions are 100% mine.

I know I wasn't the only one who was totally shocked by the Arnold Schwarznegger love child scandal, right? Seemingly perfect marriage, great kids, tons of money. It seems like you can't open a gossip magazine or get on facebook without reading about who's been caught cheating, who's admitted to cheating, who might be cheating. Tiger Woods, Jesse James, Jude Law, the list goes on... Just goes to prove that money isn't the answer to everything. Money can't buy a great marriage.

I've been very blessed in my marriage. I married a man who does the big things, like proposing in a hot air balloon and accepting and raising my two girls as his own. And the little things, like leaving little loves notes around the house for me to find and putting the parrot in his sleep cage when I'm too tired.

I have no complaints about my marriage. I can count on one had the number of big fights we've had in the past 4 years. We attribute it to both of us constantly working on our marriage. Date nights without the kids, going to marriage workshops, playing cards at night and having great conversations.

Marriage is work. And it's hard. So when you find something to makes it easier, it's worth checking out, right?

Have you heard of TwoofUs.org? It has a wealth of information about relationships. Everything from tips on keeping your relationship fresh to videos and articles. And, there are articles about addiction, jealousy, infidelity... it's got it all. And it's not just for us old married folks. Dating? Engaged? Pre-wedding jitters? Is your relationship moving too fast? Too slow?

Yup, gotcha covered too.

One of the videos I watched featured Harper Hill. He talked about communication, and ways to work at it. One idea he had was to have a party or get together, and have each person write down a relationship question and toss it in a hat. Then one at a time, a question is drawn, and that opens up some great discussions.

Interested yet? If so, you can also like them on facebook.

So, do you have any helpful marriage advice? Tips on making things work? Things you keep in mind when things get tough?

For us, one of the rules we use in our marriage is to never say "always" or "never".

"You NEVER take out the trash." " You ALWAYS forget to pick up the dry cleaning." Because, that's not true. Your hubby might forget to pick up the dry cleaning half of the time, but you've just disregarded the times that he's picked it up. I think simple things like that go a long way.

Marriages don't fall apart over night. They start with small cracks. Don't let those happen. Let this website help you.

Highs and Lows, version 5.0

My link party is starting late today. My oldest had her birthday today, and it's been non-stop since this morning. IHOP for breakfast, skating rink for her party, Cici's for dinner. I'm pooped. 

But here we are again. Time for Highs and Lows. Pretty simple. Share the highs and lows of your week. I even had hubby make me a pretty button you can place on your blog.

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Highs

This special little lady turned 8 today. She had her party at the skating rink with a rock star theme. She said it was the best day of her life. I worked really hard on her party, so that made me feel really good.

The shirt I made her turned out really well. Even the DJ gave her a shout out. "The birthday girl with the awesome shirt". I wish I could take credit but I got the idea from this blog. Obviously with a few changes though. Arielle loved it.

Her cupcakes turned out freaking awesome. Instead of doing the normal "go buy a cake at Walmart" thang like I always do, I asked a lady at our church what she charges. For $8 more that I'd pay at Wally World, she did 24 cupcakes with pink, purple and green icing, with silver star edible glitter. They looked awesome. And she surprised us with a small personal cake for Arielle. Definitely worth checking out Poppy Locks if you're near Dallas. I made the cupcake picks and the wrappers with my Silhouette.

• A new girl moved into the neighborhood. She's a grade older than Arielle, which is good. Arielle's been the oldest girl on the street for a while. She seems really sweet and polite. 

• My father in law came into town for Arielle's birthday. We've enjoyed his visit, like always. 

• Had a phenomenal Girls Night with my girlfriends. I heart the "INANTSADWG" ladies. 

• Did Insanity three times this week. Awesomesauce. Did it last night with hubby and my father in law. Kept each other motivated.

Lows

• I am freaking exhausted. I stress over every little detail when the success of an event relies on me. But Arielle loved it and told me thank you a billion times today. 

• Idiots who don't understand the concept of an RSVP.  We invited 14 people to her party, and 7 showed. 4 RSVP'd. So I have a ton of cupcakes and party favors left over, and because they didn't RSVP, we missed out on inviting people to fill their spot. Ignorant assholes. Think about someone else for a minute. 

• Girls sports seasons are over. Only really bummed about Arielle's softball being over. This year was her first year, and she's really good. Hit a home run during one game. I'm not so bummed about Jasmin's soccer games being over. Only because it's exhausting to have to keep telling her to pay attention to the ball. Or stop staring at the grass. Or playing in the dirt. Or to pay attention to what goal is theirs and stop kicking it the other way. Yeah, we're not doing soccer again next year for her.

• they only had one hostess for 4 parties at the skating rink. So we ended up having to clean up ourselves, clean up spilled drinks, etc. Super frustrating, when part of the money you pay is for a hostess. Ended up sending them an email, I was too tired yesterday to complain.

So that was my week. I'm sure there were more highs and lows, but I'm freaking exhausted and it's time to go to bed. So link up. It's the cool thing to do.

Ballard Inspired Spool. But smaller. And cuter. Maybe.

Am I the only one who signs up for catalogs from Ballard, knowing that I'll never be able to afford buy anything from them, but just want to see what I can copy be inspired by? Today I'm showing you how to make this.

The latest thing to catch my eye was this table. I mean, cute, right? But at $199, I don't think so. Plus, even though it's supposed to emulate a spool of thread, I get a nautical vibe from it. Doesn't work in my casa.

So I wanted to see if I could make one on a smaller (and way cheaper) scale. I hit up Hobby Lobby. The wood was $1.50 a piece, and the cylinder was $3.47 (but use those 40% off coupons). I already had the rope stuff.  I took the lid off of the cylinder, poked a hole in the bottom along the edge, threaded the rope thru and tied a knot in the rope (I didn't want the cut edge of the rope to be visible)

And then started wrapping. I would put on some hot glue, wrap, hot glue, wrap, rinse and repeat.

Then I used my Silhouette and made the stencil for the top out of vinyl. I just tried to keep it as close to the original as I could.

Pretend I have a picture of the wood after it's been stained (I used a dark walnut color). Place your vinyl on top and spray paint it black. I used the transfer paper to cover the areas that I don't want painted. Just like I did with my UFC pillow, I made sure to not spray at an angle. Don't want it bleeding underneath. 

When it's dry, peel away the vinyl, and bask in it's loveliness. Looks like it was stamped on there, huh? Booyah.

Then say a few curse words when you realize that you should have had your hubby drill a hole in the wood BEFORE you stain and paint.

Next, anxiously wait in the garage and remind your husband 4,763 times to please be careful while he drills out the holes.

Then carefully stain the inside of the hole. I did do a few LIGHT layers of cream colored spray paint on the rope since I really liked the contrast of the dark and light on the inspiration piece. I also cut out a hole on the bottom piece of cardboard so you can see through the spool. Then bust out your trusty E6000 and stick them all together.





I heart it. It's right outside of my bedroom door. Final size is just under 7 inches tall. But I did see larger sized discs there if you want a bigger spool. Instead of using the store bought cylinder, you could use an oatmeal tube, a concrete form, etc. Your options are even greater if you have a router and a way to cut a big circle out of wood.

• Yeah, I know you'd think that if your stain is too dark, that you can just add water to it. Ummm, yeah, it didn't work. Take my word for it. 

• Make sure you check your wood before you buy it. I've bought one before that was warped. One of my pieces had a huge knot on the top, which wasn't a big deal since I just used it on the bottom. But just something to keep in mind. 

• Unless you really like cursing, don't use a baby wipe to brush off the sawdust after drilling. It was not fun having to try and pick off all the fibers that clung to the wood. 

Love it? Hate it? If you hate it, please lie to me. I'm fragile.




Party up in here...