Window Shoppin! 8/31

Can you believe its September tomorrow?!  I can't.  This Saturday is our big Blue & Orange Season Opener party and we're getting really excited! 

I have now been at my new job for a couple of days and while I like it, there's a lot to learn.  I'm not too worried though.  It's a great place! 

The office feel is "Business Casual" which means right in the middle.  Shoes have been my biggest hurdle.  The dressy shoes I have are all platforms!  And then I have one pair of flats that will do and flip flops.  There is no in-between!  And "business casual" heels...are boring.  So I need to search for footwear that will not only work, but also that doesn't make me sad inside to wear.

The rest has been relatively easy.  I'll be fine as long as I can find the footwear! 

So with that in mind I went window shopping for some ideas:

1. Here. 2. Here. 3. Here. 4. Here. 5. Here. 6. Here. 7. Here.

While this isn't nearly as fun as weekend wear, you have to just stick with me that in my mind, this comes together very well.  And yes, those flats are...well, boring.  But I just don't think big, wild and crazy platforms will fly!  Also - Maurices has been the one place I've been able to find work pants that aren't too expensive and don't fit strange.  I was at my wits end trying to find affordable, well fitting work pants.  I have relatively small hips so I decided to see if I could save money by shopping in the juniors section of department stores.  It was a mistake.  I remember the day when I actually wore a size 1 in high school.  (Don't hate me, I no longer wear that size.)  And I remember having to get work pants in a size 5.  So now that I am no longer a size 1, having to make the leap was both depressing and frustrating.  Also - the battle with department store sizes is that you could grab one size, and then grab the next size to be safe.  Try those on and notice that the next size is actually 3-4 sizes bigger than it said it was.  Then you try the same thing with a different brand and find the next size is not only smaller than the size you just tried, but shorter too.  

By far, I hate shopping for work pants the most.  Please don't make me do it again!

Work shirts are fine though - I don't have a problem with them:

 Found Here

I like the color of this shirt.  Its also on sale, which is great because I definitely need more light weight shirts because its pretty hot!

 Found Here

I like this shirt.  I would wear this with a short sleeve cardigan and in the winter, a long one.  I like the color too and the fact that the embellishments aren't too much.

Found Here

Express also has a lot of great work options.  The only downside is that they're on the higher end of my budget.  I do own a few Express shirts because I know as far as quality goes, they're great, but right now I'm looking for cheaper.  But I love the fit of this shirt!

I guess I'm just really holding out for the new H&M to open up this fall.  I know I'll be able to find a lot of great options in prices that rock.  I can't tell you how excited I am for that store to open!!

Alright - that's all the time for today!  What are some of your finds?

Little Changes: Finished Centerpiece!

Honestly I feel that there isn't a single "finished" room in my house.  Well, my husband has an office/ man cave that's not only finished but crowded with memorabilia.  One day we'll have a downstairs den and it will all fit nicely down there, but until then - there's a an overly sports decorated office in my condo.

I don't really have a craft this week.  My project was to get my table feeling finished.  It felt simple and it looked like it was a sad excuse for a centerpiece.  When I first moved in I had this expectation of a simple and elegant creme and emerald table.  Classy and understated.  I've since changed my mind about decor about 30 times.

So this weekend I decided to take advantage of Hobby Lobby's 50% off sale for floral stems and glassware.  I spent about $15 total and I feel like my centerpiece is now finished.

Until Christmas when I go nuts with Christmas decor.  Seriously - just wait.


I really liked House of Smith's color palette when she showcased her home's bright and airy kitchen and dining area.  That's where the green and blue small vases came in.  I also used the pop of yellow as well.  I have a love-hate relationship with the color yellow.  I can take it in small doses and this was the perfect amount.

I'm loving the difference!

 Before we have an almost-finished centerpiece.  The tray and table runner might look a little familiar but the centerpiece is just sad.

Now it's colorful and full!  I love curly willow.  I just do.  I used it at my wedding and I have it other places in my house and I'll continue using it - I just love it.  I also love the hydrangea too.  When it come to fake flowers it was the priciest but I think it was worth it.

Finally - a finished table!

What's next for this area?  An indoor wreath to hang on that door leading to the terrace.  And curtains for that very blank window.  We also have a picture we plan to hang on the blank wall in the background.

But it's coming together.

I feel this is kind of weak to link up.  I might end up linking up to a few places but probably not as many with my other crafts.  If you would like to see where I like to party please see the "I Like To Party" link up top!

Ruffle Flower Tutorial

I finished the matching headband piece today.

Now, the way that I like to make headband flowers is so they're as versatile as possible. I like to make them so I can not only attach them to a headband, but also to a clip or alligator clip. It also wouldn't be too tough to turn it into a brooch or pin as well.

I checked with my sister in law to get her opinion on flower size before I started. She said she didn't care. I wanted to make this a little smaller than it turned out but I think it'll still look cute on my sweet niece's head. I used a couple steps that I've already mentioned before in last week's tutorial.

To begin:

The essentials -

1. Something to protect the surface you're working on. Obviously this old thing is my gluing mat - too ruined to use for any other purpose. 2. Some old felt lying around. You'll need a circle and a strip. The strip isn't pictured here but will be later. 3. A glue stick. You seriously won't need more than one, unless you're glue happy, and in that case - go nuts. 4. Needle & thread. 5. Beads. I ended up deciding to use a different bead than these, but these would have worked just fine too. 6. Glue gun. 7. Ruffle strips. I used a little more than this strip - which is where the extra fabric and needle & thread come in to make more ruffle strips.

Next: to begin...

You'll need a circle. I should have used a smaller circle because this really decides what size flower you make. This doesn't have to be perfect, but if you feel the need you can always trace something around the house.

Next:

You'll need one or two ruffle strips depending on the size of the flower you're making. I ended up using two. To see how to get the ruffle see last week's tutorial.

Next:

Begin gluing the ruffle strip to the outside edge of the circle. Right as I started the thread popped completely undoing the ruffle. Since I was using glue, I just bunched it and kept gluing so it worked well enough.

Next:

This is where the first strip stopped so I had to stop and make another. Because I don't have a sewing machine to quickly ruffle up another strip - it took a little while. Again - how I did it by hand is in here.

Next:

After the second strip I was left with a little hole. You can barely see it above but it's there. Honestly I probably could have stopped there and just glued on the bead and been fine, but I wanted to make sure everything was covered anyway.

Next:

I had a little ruffle flower left over from last week, so I used that.

Next:

So I squished it up and...

Put some glue at the bottom...

And glued it into the middle to cover up the bald spot.

Next:

I originally had different beads I planned on using but since this flower ended up a little bigger than I planned, the beads wouldn't be visible so I grabbed an old jewel bead and used it instead.

Next:

The flower portion is done, now onto the bottom to make it versatile.

Next:

I cut a little felt strip and glued it onto the bottom of the flower. Normally I like to stitch it on because it feels a little more sturdy, but in this case I think it'll work just as well to glue it on.

Next:

This strip makes it so you can put an alligator clip in there so it attaches onto a baby headband. This is probably what my sister in law will end up doing. When my niece gets a little bigger I can always make her a cute T-shirt with the same flowers and she can attach the clip seen up above and keep using it. With the strip, it will also be extremely easy to slide onto a harder headband too. This fun clip can grow along with her.

So that's it! A versatile little flower for my little niece!

To go along with her new ruffle bum onesie.

Yes, it seems a little big compared to the newborn onesie, but I've already cleared it through my niece's Momma and she approves!

Linking up: please see the "I Like to Party" link up top.

Featured:

A2Z,

Aunt gone crazy...

I know I mentioned before that both my Brother & Sister in Law AND best friend are due with their first babies on September 26th.

And I was waiting to start going nuts until after I found out the gender. Well, while my best friend hasn't found out yet, the verdict is on on my brother and sister in law's baby and:

It's a NIECE!


I'm so excited! Especially now all the fabric flowers, flower hair clip and onesie stuff I know how to make can be useful!! Last night I watched the ultrasound video and then immediately after we went out and shopped for pink stuff. It was a BLAST!!


They will be moving into a new place soon, but since they're just renting for now, she probably won't be able to paint. I told her that wasn't a problem and that I'd help her come up with decor ideas.

She likes elephants and owls. And for colors she likes pinks, browns, pastel greens and pastel yellows.


As you can imagine I went to Etsy and then proceeded to send her 40 emails on stuff I found. Check out some of this cuteness:

Fun fact: this is probably going to be her name.

ADORABLE, right?!

I've come up with 40 different things to make and I want to start...right now. I'm so, so, SO excited!!!

Green Light!

My best friend is having her first baby in September. (Due on the exact same day as my brother and sister in law!)

Yesterday she gave me the green light to throw the shower. Well, it's not like she had a choice in the matter. When you've been best friends for 10+ years it's kind of like, "Hey, I'm throwing your shower...and you're going to like it!" I was kind of the same way with her wedding shower...

She doesn't find out the gender for a couple of weeks...but that hasn't stopped me from searching for ideas! Like her shower, I'll probably go overboard with decorations. (Long story, but basically her wedding shower had been planned since high school.)

Her baby shower will be no different.

Here's some inspiration I'll keep in mind:

Source.

Regardless of gender, there will be cupcakes. Oh yes, there will be cupcakes.

Tutorial Found Here.
I can't get over how cute these are! Too funny!!!

Source.
An ice cream sundae party! GENIUS! Especially since it'll be so hot!

Source
That elephant is so cute. Complete with tutorial on how it was made - and it doesn't seem to difficult!

Source.

More cupcakes...no really - I make cupcakes for these events. Its my weakness.

Martha...obviously.

And of course there will be adorable little poms, pink, blue or whatever! I've been looking for an excuse to make them and it's arrived!!

Oh man...I have some time to plan and pick up things here and there for this event. But I'm so excited to throw this thing!!!

The Dilemma

My living room...

Where do I begin?


My living room is comfortable. We have an open layout and I'd tried to add pops of green in there to give it some life.


Well it's boring. It's needed a punch of something for a long time so as my husband and I were shopping for curtains we came across these:

Please keep in mind that these have much more of an aqua hue than the computer screen shows. They're a little brighter in person.

So of course, adding a new color to the mix means I'll need to find accessories to tie them into the existing room of tans, dark browns and greens.


I've been doing a little e-window shopping and have come across a few candidates:

Found here.

And then I found this picture which makes it a little more interesting:

Also found here.

BUT - is the Chevron pattern a little too trendy?

I also found this little number:

Found here.

That is the correct color of green and brown and I like the addition of light blue as well.


And speaking of light blue and another interesting pattern:

Found here.

But again...too trendy? (Also it'd take a lot to get the husband on board with animal prints)


And with accessories do I want to pull in bright colors?

Found here. (Yes I realize they're not for sale)

Then we have some fun ideas like this:

Found here.

I'm always worried that if I go with something very trendy like this I could wind up having buyer's remorse. But if I disliked them I could always paint them and find another use...



I'd like to add little soft accents. Possibly something like this:

Because this is easily arranged. Except just green and blue. Very subtle, but it could give a softer accent to a bold room.


I'll still be scouring my favorite stores like Hobby Lobby and other places to find the perfect accents that won't cost too much. (I am on a budget...) But it's hard to know where to go and what to look for if I don't know what direction I want to take with that room.

Decisions, decisions...