Confessional Friday

Another week has come and gone my friends.  Link up with Leslie at a Blonde Ambition to confess!

1.  I confess that I went to see Magic Mike with a few girlfriends two Saturdays ago and although the story line was pretty bad, the scenery more than made up for it.  I literally caught myself with my jaw on the floor several times.  Who knew Channing Tatum could dance like that?!

2.  I confess that I just realized it was Friday the 13th.  The older I get, the less superstitious I am I guess.  Doesn't bother me one bit!

3.  I confess that I ordered this chair from Target on Tuesday and it has already arrived at my door step.  Not gonna lie, I am pretty excited for this beauty to be in my living room!

4.  I confess that even though I only live half an hour from the beach, I have yet to go this summer.  I know, I know, what is wrong with me?  I'm thinking this scenario may have to change THIS weekend!

5.  I confess that I am uber excited about date night with my hubby tonight. It is long overdue for a nice dinner out with just the two of us.  

P.S.  My blog sale is still going on.  Click here to check it out.  Spread the word!

DIY Spring Wreath Tutorial

Welcome to the Fender household!  We are now ready for Spring thanks to this easy DIY wreath courtesy of Pinterest.  I found a link to an amazing blog with this wreath tutorial!  It was the perfect craft for me, because I had 90% of the required items leftover from our wedding last year.

What you will need:

18" Grapevine Wreath (I got mine from Hobby Lobby with a 40% coupon)

14 Artificial Hydrangea Blooms (these are from Michael's-50% off)

Scissors

Hot glue

1. Cut the stems of the hydrangeas to about 3 inches.

2. Start placing the hydrangeas in the wreath.  Do not glue yet.

3. You want them fairly close together so it will be full.

4. Continue placing flowers until none of the wreath shows.

5.  If you are happy with your creation, place a small dab of hot glue at 

the base of each flower where it meets the wreath to keep it in place.

Ta-da!  Literally 15 minutes for a beautiful wreath!

I even made two.  A good friend of mine bought her very first home this past Friday, 

and I made one to give her as a housewarming gift!

Now go make yourself one!

Master Bathroom Updated!

After work yesterday I had an urge to visit Tar-jay.  This can get me in trouble sometimes, but I was on the hunt for a specific item.  Last week Michelle from Ten June asked the blog world to help her pick a shower curtain.  I fell in love with one of the shower curtains she displayed and decided I had to have it!  Lucky for me, my Target had one in stock.  When I got home, I ran straight upstairs to hang it.  

I love how it immediately made the space feel more open and bright!  Let's take a look at the before:

Scary and drab, right?  This was right after we moved in and I need a quick solution.  It's amazing the difference a curtain can make!  I love the birds and tree branches with all the colors, and it blends well with our master bedroom scheme.  Of course it needs to be steamed, and that's on my to-do list!

Thank you Michelle for inspiring me and finding that beautiful shower curtain!

"Hearty" Decor

It feels like yesterday was Christmas, but before we know it the beloved 14th of February will be upon us.  I've never really decorated for Valentine's Day, and I don't think I will start this year.  But if I ever do, I would definitely use the following "pinspiration"♥

Nothing says I love you like a beautiful wreath when you walk in the front door.

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These mantles/shelves make me want one even more!

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Frame your love.

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Creative and classy ways to spread the love.

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How do you plan to spread the love this year?

All of this beautiful decor makes me want to go home today and get crafty!

Deck the Halls

As Christmas Day creeps closer and closer, I have finally given up trying to add more decorations to the house.  Every time I walk in the door with another bag filled with goodies, my husband asks what I am up to now!  This is our first holiday season as a married couple, so I am just getting started on my decor collection.  Last year, after Christmas my sister and I racked up on a ton of decorations at over 65% off retail value.  I plan to do the same this year as well!  Without further adieu, I present to our our Christmas filled home:

I found the Santa and Snowman "sticks" at Kirkland's last year for $5!

One of my favorite vendors at work gave a few of us fresh pine wreaths to adorn our front door!  

They came in all the way from Maine and smell so fresh.

This is the view of our dining room when you first walk in the door.  I wanted to fill this room with silver accents to match our china.

The buffet is adorned with a leaf tree found at Marshall's (left) and a Gorham ice bucket filled with silver ornaments of all sizes (right).  I purchased the wreath on the mirror last week at Michael's for $1.99 and found a thick silver ribbon to tie a bow.

Tablescape

Ice bucket filled with ornaments of all sizes.

I received this cute Gamecock plate last Christmas from my aunt and I have placed it on top of the fridge.

 Our stockings hung with care.  We don't have a fire place, so this was my best alternative!

Full view of lit garland and Santa sleigh I also found last year at Kirkland's for $5.

Once again, our beautiful Christmas tree that I am very proud of!

How do you and your family decorate for Christmas? Are you ready for the holiday?

Our House: Living Room Wall

With Christmas and the end of the year quickly approaching, I have been trying to cross all of the to-do's off my list.  This long list includes projects around the house that I still haven't gotten around to.  Since I have a few friends coming into town this weekend, I thought it was time to finally get something up on those bare living room walls.  I have been collected frames and objects to make a collage on the wall, and finally found my last piece this past weekend.  I have been looking for a mirror and I found the perfect fit at Marshall's.  It's been awhile since I gave you an insight into our home, so here are a few pictures of the project I completed last night!

I started by tracing the outline of the shapes of the frames and objects I wanted to put on the wall and marking where the nail holes should be.  Then, I tacked them to the wall to get them perfect.  I found this idea on another blog and thought it was very clever!

 
After I got them just so, I put nails in the corresponding places and then pulled the pieces of paper off.  I hung the picture frames, mirror, and other decorative items, and now I have a beautiful collage.  Ta-da:

Sorry I haven't been able to post much this week.  Work has been consuming a good bit of my time!  No complaints here though!  Happy Thursday, we're almost to the weekend!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

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....And I can now say that because it is December!  Where does time go?  It seems like just yesterday it was the first of the year.  I think the older I get, the faster time flies!  This week I have been working on getting my Christmas decorations up in the house.  Boy, what a time I have had!  Bradley helped me set up the pre-lit tree on Sunday and I successfully put about 175 ornaments on the tree.  Look at her in all her beauty:

I was tired Sunday night, so I stopped there.  On Monday evening when I got home, I plugged in the tree and about an hour later Bradley asked me what was wrong with it.  I looked over and only the bottom section was lit.  YIKES!  I fiddled with it for about a half hour and even got Bradley over to try and see what was wrong.  No success, so I let it be for the night.  Tuesday when I got home, I tried to see if it would work again and still no lights.  On Wednesday, I was telling one of my co-workers the story and he suggested I change the fuses within the adapter.  Ta-da!  It works like a charm now.  So glad I didn't have to take ALL the ornaments off and return the tree.  I would not have been a happy camper :).

{the naked tree}

{all dressed up!}

I have added a few other touches to our dining room, living room, and kitchen but am not fully finish.  I will be sure to post pictures as I complete the holiday decorating process.  I also plan to make a Christmas wreath this weekend for my front door.  More on that next week!

Do you love Christmas as much as I do?

What are your favorite decorations to put up?