TWO FOR THE ROAD

 

Au Revoir Valentines day ... until next year ♥ ♥   

Well we made it back safe and sound from snowy northern Ohio and it feels oh so good to be home. We are homebodies by nature, slightly introverted, and enjoy the simple pleasures of being in the familiar but sometimes its good for us to venture somewhere new! 

Cleveland had been on our to-go list since we have been married- we were briefly there in 2012 for a Neil Young concert but with little time to explore we knew we wanted to go back and experience the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and city sights together. 

I am super glad I booked this trip- I was hesitant because of the weather we have been experiencing (you never know when a snow storm might trap you in) but I took a leap of faith and booked us an incredible hotel room in the trendy Flats District. We wined and dined and fell asleep to the luxury of cable TV (ha!) and then there is always the fun of long conversations while making a 3+ hour drive. 

One of my favorite things about being married is having the joy of knowing someone so intimately- on a level that no one else knows your partner. Nuances, mannerisms, thought patterns- these are all things you pick up when you live and spend exponential amounts of time with a person. N and I got into a conversation about our Astrological signs, which in turn had him googling descriptions, and then us laughing and pointing out all the characteristics of our signs that rang true to each other. I don't put a lot of stock in signs but I think they hold some truths, so we had fun running through all the parallels! And knowing that few could pin point these things I found in Nate and he in mine was the perfect reminder of how special our relationship is. 

V-Day 2014 is definitely one to remember, we had so much fun I didn't even once pull out my camera- only my phone (for a bathroom mirror selfie, so chic!) But as I am getting older I realize that sometimes it is best to leave the technology bagged and be happy just experiencing.

I hope you all had a beautiful 14th and great start to your weekend- I think the rest of ours will be spent cozy indoors watching movies, making good food, and enjoying home. ♥

Highlights of our trip ...

Hotel: Aloft Cleveland Downtown 

Food: Lago Restaurant and Wine Bar

Drink: Sofia Mini by Francis Ford Coppola Winery (cutest effervescent wine in a can!)

Sights: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Rolling Stones exhibit going on now- so glad we caught this one!)

BREAKFAST IN BED

If we weren't traveling this weekend I would definitely be making pink pancakes. Lucky for the mister I thought ahead and made him some this past weekend (his even had dark chocolate morsels! Now that's an act of love). In hindsight, I could have been a bit more generous with the coloring but they were delicious anyway. Everything tastes better in shades of pink and red ♥

MAKE IT YOURSELF: VALENTINE WREATH

Every year my style changes a little bit so all my holiday decor tends to follow suit. This also means I typically have to roll up my sleeves and find a less expensive way to make the decor I want. I was inspired by this wreath I found on Pinterest. I modified it a little and love the way it turned out! We have a red front door so the pink and gold arrow pops against it perfectly!

How I did it:
Materials- One heart shaped foam wreath, gray yarn, dowl, 2 wooden crafting hearts, glue

Method- I wrapped the wreath form with the yarn (this takes awhile, heads up!) and tied it off securely. The loop was already a part of the wreath so I lucked out there! Next, take two wooden craft hearts, cut one in half with an Exacto knife. This one will be your arrow 'feathers'. Paint them your color of choice and your arrow head heart another. Glue them in place with a super glue or quick drying wood craft glue and allow to fully dry. Glue the 'arrow head' to the front and allow to dry. Hang, and enjoy!

I love having an indoor entry so I can hang any wreath I want and not worry about the elements. This would be cute hanging indoors as well!

Happy Crafting ♥

DRESS LIKE A VALENTINE

 'Sweet' Ensemble curated through ModCloth

'Vixen' Ensemble curated through ASOS, exception of Necklace found on Ebay (similar)

I am still working out the details of my own Valentine dinner outfit so I had a lot of fun perusing the www  for inspiration. Whether you go super saccharine or want your dates temp to rise, feel good about yourself and have an amazing time ♥ ♥ ♥

♥

Just a little glimpse into our home on this snowy Friday. I have been cleaning and decorating in anticipation for February. One of my favorite times of year, the month of love. Yes, even a Valentine tree has gone up ;) I am looking forward to a month of posts that are all about love, crafts, and foods colored in different shades of pink and red. I'm a sucker, so sue me ♥

2014 JOURNAL

 New Years Eve is finally upon us and I am so excited to share with you my new journal for the coming year. The past two months I have been hard at work practicing positive thinking and gratefulness, manifesting a new way of thinking is hard! Nate and I started in November with small journals recorded in (almost) every night of grateful thoughts and I loved how it was a positive reflection at the end of the day. So it got me thinking on how I could roll this into a daily practice and how to take it one step farther (I do love a challenge).

The process is simple, buy a journal and allot two pages a day. One to reflect on all the good things that have happened that day, thankful thoughts for another day accomplished and the other page to use as a place to write the positive thoughts I am currently trying to manifest. I do visualization when I can but sometimes writing out an affirmation helps me solidify and strengthen that thought within myself.

I am excited to see how this helps my practice of changing my thought patterns and I think it will be really fun to look back a year from now and see all the positive things that happened to me over the year in black and white!

I hope everyone is having an amazing last day of 2013- our is simple and mostly at home, just the way I like it. Besides getting an oil change (responsible adult thing to do) and picking up soup for lunch (Gee, I love Panera) we are hanging out at home cleaning out desks, prepping our new calendars and spending lots of QT on the couch. I love a quiet NYE. Tonight is take out and champagne, what are your plans?

I hope no matter what you do, you have a safe and wonderful night .... HAPPY NEW YEAR! ♥

BE MERRY

This photo was an outtake from our Christmas card photo sesh and it just makes me smile

I can't believe its Christmas Eve already- the past week has flown by and obviously I have been sucked into the whirlwind so much I haven't had much time for the blog. Its been a strange feeling not being in the thick of it with a retail job- I actually had to plan time to get my shopping done instead of just hopping through the mall on my breaks and getting it done during my lunch hour. 

On the whole it has been much less stressful, my spirits have stayed up where in the past by now I would be an exhausted zombie one bah humbug away from being a scrooge. Today I actually felt ... light. And I sang Christmas carols very VERY loudly all the way home from work ;) 

I have been taking stock of my blessings this season and there are a lot. Three things I am most grateful for right here and now ...

1. My Mister and Stella Bean- I can't imagine coming home and not having them waiting there for me. There are a million and one things I could say here about them but I am sure you can imagine!

2. Spending Christmas Eve at home- we have planned a relaxing night together before the bustle of tomorrow. A fun new game to try, A Muppet Christmas Carol, and flannel pajamas for everyone! 

3. Having more than enough- I look under our tree and see gifts for others, knowing that N and I have more than enough for ourselves it was gratifying to solely focus on others. We are working on changing our Christmas traditions to incorporate more of this amazing giving feeling.

I am excited for 2014 planning and some posts leading up to the New Year to help you get excited for making your own goals! So much inspiration right now to be better, do better, and make a difference in my life and others.  A lot of taking record of what you are grateful and envisioning your future! 

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Eve that is full of wonderment and love ♥

HOLIDAY CARDS

A little peek at the cards I made this year- I simply used dollhouse light strands I found at Hobby Lobby and a holiday stamp. Inside I wrote a little message and inserted our family photo. Super easy and I loved the aesthetic! ♥

MAKE IT YOURSELF: GLITTER WOODLAND PICTURES

 Thank goodness for Pinterest! Just when you thought you were out of craft ideas too ...

I saw a few glittery woodland creature wall hanging ideas awhile ago, mostly on painted canvas or wooden boards, and loved the idea of adding something special like these to our arsenal of holiday decor. Since I had left over fabric from making my ornaments and circle scarves this season I thought it would be fun to make these guys a little more cozy!

I used:
3 canvases (two 8x10, one 9x12)
Flannel
Upholstery tacks
Glue
Craft Foam
Glitter
Mod Podge
Google images of favorite woodland critters

How I did it:
Prepping the canvases- this was a great way to revamp canvases that we no longer were using (yay for restyling!) and I simply placed them on the flannel and cut around them with enough fabric to wrap around to the back. I had Nate use upholstery tacks around the perimeter of the frame (make sure they aren't too long of a tack to protrude on the other side!)

Prepping the critters- While Nate worked on the canvases I printed out silhouettes from google of my chosen animals. I used these as a template to cut my foam. Once my silhouettes were cut out I made a glitter and mod podge mixture and painted two coats onto the foam and let them dry thoroughly over night.

To finish, simply glue the animals onto the canvas and then you have instant glittery, glowy, cozy holiday artwork! ♥

MAKE IT YOURSELF: GLITTERY ORNAMENTS

Today is the perfect day to start sharing some fun holiday DIY projects that I have made for our home. Its snowing outside, I'm burning my favorite candle, the tree is lit up, Stella is sleeping next to me and I am on my fourth cup of tea. The only thing I am missing is the Mister- and he should be home soon to share a Christmas ale with me- my heart is full right now!

Buuut back to the point of this DIY post- I found clear plastic bulbs at Michaels awhile ago and thought it would be fun to make some custom ornaments for the tree. I had a loose idea of what I wanted, I knew I was going to use some scrap flannel from a few previous projects but I wanted to punch them up a bit, so here is what I did!

I used:
clear plastic bulb ornaments
scrap strips of flannel, one strip for each ornament (I used three different colors)
Martha Stewart gold glitter
Mod Podge
brush

To make:
I made a glittery Mod Podge paste by mixing one part Mod and two parts gold glitter in a bowl. I took the hook part of the bulbs out and stood the bulbs on the flat opening so I could easily paint the bottoms of the ornaments. Because I used so much glitter I was able to use only one coat of glitter mixture which was a bonus! I painted them halfway up the ornament and let them dry over night. The next day I stuffed them with the flannel strips and voila!

I love that they coordinate with other crafts I made this year (those coming next week!) and added something shiny to our tree...

Hope you have a happy crafty weekend! ♥

OUTFIT No. 31 (HELLO DECEMBER)

 Forever 21 Sweater and shorts // Lauren Conrad Polka Dot button down // Target wedges

Happy December!

Its hard to wrap my brain around the fact that we are now in the full holiday swing. I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving full of gratitude and good food- our dinner turned out lovely. Despite the stressing and procrastinating leading up to the day of it went off without a hitch. And for that I am definitely grateful!

 The table before everyone arrived

It was nice to take a break from here and (mostly) unplug over the weekend. We did not partake in Black Friday madness- I enlisted my sister who was hitting the sales to pick up what I wanted most, a Kindle Fire! Still figuring out how to use it but I am so excited to start going paperless for my favorite magazines- that was a huge motivator for me to invest. Instead of shopping we put up the Christmas tree, watched Jingle All the Way, and spent a lot of time in pajamas eating takeout. It was the most stress free and relaxing holiday weekend I have had in a long time!

So today my heart is full, I am excited to start this first week of December. Feeling full of inspiration and motivation, looking forward to the posts I have planned for this week, and feeling re-dedicated to eating right and committed to my yoga practice (I even shared my first yoga photo on instagram >insert surprised emoticon face here!<)

So happy Monday and Happy December, here's to a great week ♥

THANKFUL

'A thankful heart is a happy heart'

Psalm 28:7

So I was sitting here researching profound quotes on thankfulness and gratitude, wondering what some of our great world/spiritual leaders have said on the topic when the simple phrase above popped in my mind. I learned this as a child in Sunday school and just now I felt kind of silly looking for anything more complicated. 

The truth is so simple. 

I am so thankful this season, my heart is truly happy this week.  I wish that the positive energy of collective hearts being grateful together this time of year would electrify the air all year long. You can just feel it sometimes. You may have to be still and focus, but you can certainly feel that excited energy.

I am grateful for the opportunity to host Thanksgiving this year- I may feel slightly stressed and overwhelmed but I know that at the end of the day it is just a meal and the people are what is most important. I am grateful that I have the time to relax and enjoy this holiday this year, having worked retail in the past I was never able to unwind for this day- it was a whirlwind! I am so grateful that I have a lovely apartment and an even lovelier family. I am grateful for my creativity, my ability to learn and grow, and my resiliency to keep moving forward. I am grateful for a healthy body and a sound mind. I am grateful for being blessed with all  the material things I need to live a comfortable life. I am grateful for this blog. I am grateful for all the people I have meet this year. I am grateful for my refrigerator full of healthy organic foods. I am grateful for knowing and believing that anyone and everyone can feel this grateful if they truly want to. 

It makes my heart happy.

The next few days I will be focusing my meditation on thankfulness and wishing thankfulness on everyone I meet. Join me and we can send out so much good energy, I know we will all have the opportunity to touch someones life. 

I think I am going to take the next few days off from here, I will resume blogging on Friday- with wrapping up work, cooking, committing to my yoga practice and wanting the time to just enjoy the holiday I want to unplug for a few days. I hope all State dwellers have a wonderful holiday and everyone else, an amazing rest of your week! ♥

FA LA LA LA AND ALL THAT

Its that time of year again- the time of year where red and green, gold and silver, glitter, ribbon, twine, tinsel, and glue go a-muck and take over your dining room table. The time of year your husband begs you to cool it on the Martha Stewart glitter and asks if another round of handmade ornaments is necessary. A crafters mind is over ran with projects and Pinterest is like morphine ... you must have more.

And it really is a good thing!

And I love it!

Last weekend I started on this long and treacherous crafty road and I haven't looked back. In fact I am almost done with my Christmas projects for the year and I can't help but feel slightly triumphant and sad at the same time. I am excited to share some of these projects with you all over the next few weeks but until then here are some fun things I have found on Pinterest lately you might enjoy ...

DIY colorful bottle brush trees look so chic

It is all about the presentation with gift wrapping this year

Some pretty Holiday wall hangings add sparkle and shine (I already completed my version of this!)

Tag it with something whimsical this year

Follow along with me on Pinterest, and tell me what you are making this weekend?! ♥

OUTFIT No. 26

 Forever 21 Jacket and Denim // Target Scarf and Boots // H&M Sweatshirt

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I never used to get into Halloween much- Nate enjoys the holiday and I think he has rubbed off on me a bit ;) I have enjoyed watching all the costumes on Instagram and creating my own simple Jewel Thief costume for work, and tonight I think we are going to take it easy (there is some nasty weather brewing outside) and light some candles, eat some pizza, and enjoy some seasonal Pumking.

I wore this outfit last weekend when the Fall days were glowing with color and still had a little warmth! I can't believe tomorrow is November 1st, but I am excited to get ready for the holidays (and my birthday!), try some new vegan 'comfort food' recipes, and come up with more fun indoor activities/traditions.

So again, happy Halloween, and happy last day of October- here is to good vibes for an awesome November! Cheers! ♥

SNAPSHOTS

These were taken sometime last week as a storm was rolling in- imagine the heavy air and the quiet rolls of thunder, and a lot of wind and that is what it felt like when we took these. The earth always feels so alive right before a storm, I love that kind of energy in the air!

Happy Fourth of July to all my fellow Americans- I hope it was a festive one! Ours was low key as it was raining all.day.long. My highlight was getting a phone call from my little sister- she graduates from basic training in one week and I am so incredibly excited to see her! Holidays like the Fourth and Memorial day have taken on such a different meaning since having a soldier in my life- my grandfathers were both in the military but I never saw that part of their lives so it always felt so removed. Now I understand that sense of pride a lot more and it actually makes a day like to today more exciting- I love celebrating the ones I love and what they do! So enjoy your fireworks, potato salad, friends, and family- I hope its a good one ♥

Another Fathers Day has come and gone- I always think about making grandiose plans but then my dad isn't a very fancy pants type guy. He is more of a chill out in the backyard and grill type but we compromised this year with a breakfast at the local park. One of the radio stations was hosting a 'Breakfast with the Beatles' so we noshed on carbs and listened to some good jams. The park it was held at is really quite cool, sculptures and ponds and lots of little paths to get lost on. A pretty perfect laid back way to celebrate one of the best men in my life ♥