Ottoman Stylin'

Since I brought my grandmother's china cabinet home, I have been rearranging my living room.  Not furniture, just decor.  I added a few pieces to the end table, taken some from the ottoman, and dressed up the china cabinet!  I am very happy with the end table, head over heals in love with the china cabinet, but now disappointed in the ottoman.  What do I turn to for inspiration? Pinterest of course!  Here are a few pins that get my heart fluttering and give me great ideas for styling my ottoman.

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A tray is necessary.

Flowers are a must.

What are your must have accessories for styling an ottoman?

Linking up with The Vintage Apple for Oh, How Pinteresting!

Oh, How Pinteresting!

Happy Wednesday!  I'm linking up today with The Vintage Apple for Oh, How Pinteresting!

Success:  The china cabinet from my grandmother has been safely nestled in a corner in my living room.

Fail:  It's still empty.

There are two reasons why it is still empty.  One being that I am lazy have not found the perfect inspiration for this piece.  Two, I am going home again this weekend and will collect a few pieces of crystal and china of my grandmother's.  I want to be able to add these to the masterpiece as well.  In an attempt to quit being lazy find an inspiring photo, I searched the one and only Pinterest.  I want to keep the antique in it's original condition, so I have to be creative with what's inside!

I love all of the different pieces that are in this display.  

I even have the middle dish on the center row from my grandmother!

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Although the wallpapered background is not an option, I love the contrast.

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Layering will definitely come into play!

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Love how the white pops against the dark cabinet!

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Most of the pieces that I will get from my grandmother are crystal or white.  All of my china is white, with a silver rim.  I am thinking I need to pick up a few pieces that will add a pop of color to the display.

My goal is to have this project complete by next week.  I'm counting on you to hold me to it!

Oh, Pinteresting Wednesday!

My front door has been naked since Christmas.  Just plain ole black and naked.  I've been on the hunt lately for an easy DIY wreath that I could put together quickly, that would add some charm and character to our house.  Here's what I've come up with thanks to my friend Pinterest:

I have a TON of green and white hydrangeas left over from my wedding that would be perfect!

The lima beans are so cute and inexpensive!

Love the look of moss in the spring!

Who can resist burlap?

Love all the colors...SCREAMS Spring!

So which wreath is your favorite?  Let me know which one you think I should make!

Linking up with The Vintage Apple!
View my craft board on Pinterest for all pins and references.

Wedding Shadow Box

I've waited far too long to reveal the wedding shadow box I created a few weeks ago.  I got so caught up in the fun from posting wedding recaps in honor of our one year anniversary!  This is a perfect follow up to reliving those wonderful memories.  Now, I have some of them captured in a shadowbox so I can enjoy them anytime!

Two friends from work and I gathered a few weeks ago for some appetizers, wine, and crafting fun with a little Pinterest inspiration.  We created our own wedding shadowboxes, and although they are very different, they are each uniquely beautiful.

(Please excuse my awful picture taking skills) From L to R: Mine, Rachel's, and Morgan's

Here is a close up of my work of art:

And the details:

1. Our Program from the Ceremony

2. Something Blue

3. Beautiful box my cousin made for cards from the guests

4. My Garter

5. A penny made the same year both of my grandparents were married- 1949

6. Our Church

7. Rehearsal Dinner Invitation

8. One of my Favorite Pictures

9. Our Rings

10. My Dried Bouquet

The shadowbox has found a home in our bedroom on top of our armoire.

To make your own all you need is a shadowbox from Michael's, several straight pins to keep the items in place, and any wedding memorabilia you wish to include. Just arrange and pin in place!

Oh, How Pinteresting!

It seems that all I want to pin these days are ways to display our wedding memoirs.  

Currently most of the items are in a black box in the top of my closet, with the exception of 

my dried bouquet (it is lying on a desk in the guest bedroom).  I want a cute, sophisticated display 

of a few prized possessions from our special day.  These items in particular:

my dried bouquet; garter

maybe a program

I would also like to include one of my grandfather's handkerchiefs that I had my grandmother 

monogram, which I carried with my bouquet.  My mom and sister have one as well.

So where do I go for inspiration?!  Does that question even need a response?  

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I received a shadowbox for Christmas, and I have some leftover burlap material that I may incorporate.  I think the only items I will need to purchase are straight pins and maybe some ribbon for accent!  

This calls for a girls night with some wine to tackle this fun project :).

Follow me on Pinterest to see what else I have been pinning lately.

I'm linking up today with The Vintage Apple.  You should too!

Trend Alert Thursday

Blocking is all the rage these days- color blocking that is.  

This spring's latest trend will feature a bright sorbet of colors 

ranging from fuchsia, turquoise, yellow, orange, and red.  

And don't be afraid to mix colors; these ladies aren't scared!

Adding in accessories can also be fun!

So "block" it up this spring ladies.  I mean, if Sarah Jessica Parker is, shouldn't we all?!

Follow my "fashionista" board on Pinterest for sources!

Weekend Catch-Up

Whew!  Happy Monday!  What a fun and exciting weekend we had.  Going to see a movie premiere, friends in town, and new recipes consumed all of our time, but no complaints here. 

Let's get started with a full recap, shall we?!

On Friday, our friends Kevin and Caroline headed into town for the weekend.  When I got off work, they met me in the parking lot so I could take Caroline with me to the movie premiere while the guys headed to do their own thing.  We stopped off to grab a bite to eat at a local Mexican restaurant before heading to the theater, and picked up Caroline's younger sister along the way.

{ATTENTION: SPOILER ALERT...skip down if you haven't seen the movie}  

I enjoyed the movie.  I really did, but I left needing more.  I didn't cry as much as I thought I would, and I definitely think some scenes could have been expounded upon.  I wanted Rachel's character's mind to come flooding back with all the memories that she couldn't remember from the injury.  I wanted Channing to get more angry and frustrated.  I also wanted to see them get married again at the end.  I did, however, enjoy seeing Channing Tatum's cute bare butt!  What are your thoughts on the movie?  

Most of Saturday morning was spent relaxing and enjoying our company.  I fixed a hashbrown casserole for breakfast and we watched Crazy, Stupid Love {which I love by the way!}.  For lunch, we introduced Kevin and Caroline to one of our local favorites, Sesame Burgers and Beer.  

I think they enjoyed it more than we did our first time!  

Earlier in the week, Bradley and I decided to invite our friends Dean and Jess over to join us for dinner Saturday evening.  I prepped this amazing recipe {found on Pinterest} before we headed to lunch.

{Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken}

Yummy is not even close to the best description I could give this recipe.  It was amazing!  The chicken fell apart, had rich flavor, and was super easy to make for a small gathering.  I paired it with wheat hamburger buns, potato salad, and baked beans.  It was a hit to say the least.  Nothing better than sitting around the dinner table with great friends and an awesome meal!

Sunday morning before Kevin and Caroline headed back home, I tried my hand at another new Pinterest inspired recipe.  

{Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring}

This recipe also did not disappoint.  The biscuits were moist and full of flavor, even though they came out of a can.  The syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon were just enough to sweeten the dough!

I'm not going to lie.  After Kevin and Caroline hit the road, I climbed back into my warm bed and spent most of Sunday afternoon curled up watching movies.  It was the perfect ending to a great weekend!

How was your weekend?  Anything fun and exciting?

Oh, Pinteresting Wednesday! {Valentine's Edition}

I'm linking up today at The Vintage Apple!

Whether you are going out for a night on the town, or staying in for a nice home-cooked meal, check out these outfits that will have your significant other saying "Be Mine" all over again on Valentine's!

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These would be adorable paired with the right top.

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And don't forget about a cute bag...

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...or your nails :)

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Come follow me on Pinterest!

Just Can't Get Enough

...of Pinterest, that is.  It seems that when I need a brilliant recipe, inspiration for decor, or a fun new outfit the first place I look is Pinterest.  To whomever came up with the idea and put it in place, I think there are a lot of women out there that would like to thank you for the genius idea, but curse you at the same time.  It can easily suck up hours of your day if you aren't careful :).

This weekend was very relaxing to say the least.  I wasn't feeling the best, so the majority of my Saturday was spent curled up on the couch with Netflix.  My kind of day!  Sunday morning, I awoke bright and early since I was all rested up, and decided to fix a nice treat for breakfast...Pinterest inspired of course!

With ingredients that I already had on hand, I made a variation of this lovely treat:

{Strawberry Cream Cheese Croissants}

Although I didn't have any homemade strawberry jam (and sadly had to leave it out), this was still delicious. I also topped mine with brown sugar and cinnamon. A sweet Sunday treat!

Sunday evening, I decided to try a baked chicken parmesan.  My sister whipped up this recipe earlier in the week and loved it.  Mine did not disappoint either.

Served over a bed of whole wheat noodles and a side of asparagus, and you have yourself a nice, healthy meal.  I'm off now to finish the leftovers for lunch!

Happy Monday!