Hi There

I finally made a new door mat! I told you guys that after making the new wreath for the front door, making new no-sew pillows, and getting new outdoor furniture, it was about time to have a happy, summery front door mat to finish out the cuteness!

Our old one was functional, but that's about it...Here it is:

It's not like it's ugly...it's just not what I wanted :) So I bought a door mat at Ikea for $4.99 and made plans to spray paint something cute on it in a cute color (very detailed, I know). After looking around Pinterest and google for about a week I decided I just wanted words on it in the bottom left corner so it looked modern and relaxed. I decided on "hi there" because Blake and I say that to each other from time to time while joking (it's from Doug in Up!). Once I decided on what I wanted I went to Microsoft Publisher to help me make it real (I would have used Photoshop, but I know Publisher better therefore it was faster).

I measured the door mat and put the dimensions in publisher so I could get the words the size that I wanted. Once I determined how large I wanted them, I copied and pasted into Word and printed them out! Here's what they looked like:

Then I took my X-acto knife and cut out the letters so that there was a stencil left behind and I taped it onto the door mat like this:

 Then I spray painted that with Krylon's indoor/outdoor spray paint in Blue Ocean Breeze. I also added paper around the edge of those pages once I realized spray paint was getting everywhere (unfortunately it was a bit too late for me to not have a little outline...darn) Anyways, here's how it turned out!

What do y'all think? Should I paint a pattern on the mat to cover up the extra spray paint outlines I made? I've also considered adding a border around the letters using craft paint to make them a bit sharper (definitely should have used painters tape..darn) Have y'all seen this idea on Pinterest and have tried it out? How did yours turn out?

Anniversary Gift

I'll tell you guys what I told Blake, "Don't get too excited, because it's not super legit." But since our anniversary was over two weeks ago now, I figured I should show you what I made Blake! (I know I totally fail at being consistent). As you know we went to Atlanta to celebrate our anniversary and because of that I wanted to make something really inexpensive for Blake. So I made a list of as many of our inside jokes as I could remember. I even went back through facebook and myspace so that I could try to remember the ones that we had both probably forgotten about. Once I made that list, I found images online that coincided with our inside jokes and stuff that we did or liked and made them jpgs using Microsoft Publisher. Then I printed them using Wal-Mart's online photo store thingy and made him a little card full of memories and laughs that we've had in the past four years that we've been together :)

So here's how it looked! It's really not awesome...it's very homemade, but I think that kind of makes it cute :) And Blake didn't seem to mind :) Anywho, I had a theme for this card and it was what I've Learned, Seen, and Loved over the past four years :) So this was the front :)

And here's the next pages. I started with "learned" because I really have learned so so much while being with Blake. We started dating when I was really young (15! Gasp!!) and so in a way I grew up and learned a lot about myself with him by my side and a lot of who I am today is a biproduct of our relationship and his relationship with the Lord and our church. But this part of the card was more towards the physical things that I've learned over the years. And with him being an IT and web development guy, a lot of what I've learned has been technology related. And that's a pretty recurring theme in this card as you'll see :)

Right before we got married, Blake got my netbook without me knowing and put a little batch script on it so that at 1:00AM, a text box would pop up and say I love you! It's actually still on there and sometimes when I'm sitting on my computer it'll pop up and I get butterflies just like I did a little over a year ago! :)

A few weeks ago, our internet had gotten unplugged and I figured I would go fix it, but apparently ours is set up weirdly and I learned something about how bridges worked on linsys routers! Also, as you can see, I put different shortcuts that I learned from Blake about how to copy and paste without having to right click. Also the ctrl+f shortcut is sooo awesome to use on a webpage when you're looking for something in a list of other words!!

Among the shortcuts on a PC, Windows+R is by far my favorite! There's just so much you can do and you feel so techy when you're doing it! Which is why I made it Windows+R = A whole new world! :)

Photoshop is how Blake starts most of his website, business card, and media designs before he moves on to other Adobe products, and I feel like I have learned a bunch from just watching all that he does. And now that I have photoshop on my computer, he's teaching me even more now!

Speaking of some of those media oriented designs, here's some vector images he created to use on a recent website he made!

This is the second page (all of what I've learned about couldn't just fit on the first page) :)

We've been looking at getting new phones for quite some time now and it seems like every couple of months we get a new favorite phone! Hopefully by the time we save up enough money to get new phones, we'll decide!

This side of the card is all about Starcraft 2! Starcraft 2 is a computer game made by Blizzard (the same people who make World of Warcraft) and it is a strategy game (so you build an economy, build an army, and go to war). It's pretty fantastic I have to say! Blake played the first Starcraft and when the second one came out a few months after we got married, let's just say he came home with a little surprise! They even have options for players to build custom games and Blake has found those to be pretty fun too! The one featured here is called Marine Arena and it's pretty much the same as the original Starcraft 2, but there's more units and it's waaaay longer! lol

The third page was the "What I've Seen" section. It's no secret around my friends that I am a definite television and movie fan! Blake isn't one nearly as much as I am, but when he finds something that's cool, he gets on board with me! So over the past few years we've watched some different TV shows, music shows, and youtube videos!

The little bird at the top right is Einstein! He was featured on Animal Planet and after we saw his act, we quoted it for months (and occasionally I still do it and it was over a year ago I think!). Right now we're into Burn Notice (Season 5 is awesome so far!!!). The guy singing in the middle is the lead singer of Mute Math, which is Blake's favorite band. The first year we were together, I bought him tickets to the Mute Math concert for his birthday and we went and saw their show (which was awesome!). Then last year, I bought him tickets again to see their show, only I forgot the date of the show. So I got an email saying "Now that you've seen Mute Math in concert, tell us what you think!" And...my heart sank. Then I had to call Blake and tell him that we had missed the concert....which was totally terrible! And he definitely joked about how only I could pay that much for tickets and then forget about the event lol! And at the bottom you can see the Lost logo! My freshman year of college we got into that show and watched the series finale with a group of friends from church (we were pretty disappointed with the ending but I've only watched it that one time, so I'm considering going back and watching it again and maybe I'll like it better the second time around) :)

Not much commentary needed here, we like Andy Griffith and The Office....like pretty much every other sane human being on the planet... ;)

The fourth page was the "What I've Loved" section!

Yes, I was one of those people who farmed on Facebook back in the day...but Blake was too so it's cool right? lol Actually it wasn't that long ago...Blake got me Farmville cash for Christmas...lol! And of course we both looovvve Taco Bell! We eat it at least twice a week :) The rest on this page are little sayings or whatever that we've either made up or just randomly started saying often to each other! :)

This page looks like it's dedicated to Starcraft 2 again, but it's actually a bit more specific. The guy in the center picture is Sean Plott, otherwise know in the Starcraft community as Day9. He's a professional player and commentator and he hosts a show every Monday through Thursday where he gives game tips and is really just incredibly witty and hilarious and totally awesome. And we love to watch him!! :)

The final page was the articulation of what I've really learned, seen, and loved over the past years, Blake.

He is truly inspiring. His level of perseverance, humility, and logic both challenges and enchants me. I am so blessed to have a man that is actually the spiritual head of my household and I look up to him spiritually as well as in every other aspect. That's definitely not to say that we don't disagree from time to time or get on each other's nerves, but at the end of the day we adore each other. I have no doubt that he loves me and that is such a peaceful feeling. I heard an inspiring woman say this weekend when discussing choosing a mate "never settle" and I can honestly say that I have followed that advice. I'm so excited that I get to spend every day of the rest of our lives with my husband, and that too enchants me.

The Tack Attack!

A while back I found this image on Pinterest:

{From here}

It is Styrofoam balls covered in thumb tacks and spray painted. So cheap and so chic! I got everything I needed to do this project at Dollar Tree and spent $4. Now, I haven't painted them yet (because as I mentioned in this post I can't decide what color to do in that entry way) but I have them finished and in a vase on the table! Here's what they look like right now:

The how-to is pretty straight forward....Get some Styrofoam balls...

And some thumbtacks:

And just stick those puppies in a line (preferably with a movie...it gets less boring that way) until you have something like this:

I started at the bottom and moved up, but the girl that thought of this idea has also done it starting in the middle; so try it out and see how you like it! In the mean time, what color do you think I should paint these? I think white would not bring in enough color, so maybe some kind of red? I love the color that the original person used (that blue and green are to kill for!) but that doesn't really match anything in my house sooo....I guess I shouldn't do that! What do you think? What color?

I Have Made A List!

My mind has been going ninety to nothing here lately with all the DIY ideas that I have rummaging around in my head thanks to the fantastic blogs that I follow and Pinterest! I have made a list and checked it twice have put the things in order of what I want to tackle. I love lists, don't you? There is no greater feeling than crossing something you have done off of your list! Anyways, I'm going to share with you some of the things I have been looking at doing and maybe you can tackle some of them and tell me how they go! :)

One of the things that's on my short term list is this little guy! We have WalMart sacks coming out of our ears and falling out of our pantry which makes it look super gross. So I'm on a mission to make this! The only thing is...we don't drink coffee, so I'm either going to buy a coffee can and give all the coffee to my mom or ask around to see if anyone has an extra coffee can laying around!

 {Found here}

This is one of those "Why didn't I think of that" things! It's so simple and would save us sooo much time! This is definitely on my list! But again, I have to find these things, because the bread that we buy has the twisty wire kind and not these kind....looks like I'll be hitting up my mom again ;)

 {Found here}

I haven't quite figured out how to do these...but they are pretty much totally awesome so I'm going to figure it out! I may get some white cardstock and cut into it with my exacto knife and mount it to a canvas frame? Idk but I'll figure it out eventually (probably with the help of google).

 {Found here}

This I just want mainly because it is so cute! I loved the Mother's Day gifts we gave our moms and I would like to have something where we could write cute stuff to each other too! Or regular stuff like "don't forget to take out the trash" or something along those lines :) But it's cute scrapbook paper and a frame! Doesn't get much more simple than that! :)

 {Found here}

And we definitely need a dry erase calendar! We could buy some from Wal-Mart or Target, but this just looks so much more fancy! We'll see what we actually do when we start comparing prices (how much will it be to print it and buy the frame as opposed to just buying a calendar from somewhere).

 {Found here}

I reallllly want to have some awesome jewelry organization going on in my life! When I moved out of my mom's house, I left my jewelry armoire behind and wow do I miss that thing! Luckily, my mom is willing to bring it halfway! So once I get that back and hopefully get a dresser soon, I'll be able to make cute stuff like this to house all of my jewelry! Right now all my jewelry is either in a plastic bin, a makeup bag, or a walmart sack....so I wear like three different pieces of jewelry...it's so sad!

{Found here}

In my head I'm picturing something along these lines on top of the dresser, but a bit more modern and organized :)

{Found here}

I also really want to frame the mirror in our master bathroom! I think it makes the whole bathroom look more expensive and fancy and I'm pretty sure home buyers like framed mirrors! So I'll probably get some crown molding and glue and talk the hubby into doing this with me!

 {Found here}

This headboard rocks my socks! It's pallet wood stuck together and then the brilliant people who made this painted that love on there. It's so pretty! I want it!!!

 {Found here}

I have also inherited a love of maps from the folks over at Young House Love and I just love these little heart maps!! We could frame our wedding location or our house address or where we honeymooned! The possibilities are endless and suuuper cute! :)

 {Found here}

More hearts, and I'm pretty sure there's no way that Blake would let me do this because it's so girly, but it could be done so cheaply! Just take an old book from the thrift store or a book that means something to you, cut it up into hearts and tape it to the wall and color one red! Oh it would be sooo cute!

{Found here}

This is just perfect for our office! I love all the cheesy sayings we could put up (like the "you are my type" pictured below). And we basically live on our computers so this would be very fitting to our lifestyles!

 {Found here}

Leave it to Martha to do something so simple that is so awesome! She put velcro on a kitchen towel that hangs from the stove so that it wouldn't fall off! I am definitely doing this when I get a new kitchen towel (right now we just have a filler one, but I want one that is really bright and cheery like our button monograms!)

 {Found here}

This is awesome and would be so great for us! It's laundry baskets that you can fold your clean clothes and separate them by room and then take each laundry basket to whatever room instead of having to haul stuff a little at a time! It does require some actual building though, but it isn't that crazy, so I think I could do it! I also think I could find something that would fit this size at a yard sale or something, but laundry baskets are pretty wide so...Idk! I'm up for a challenge (especially if it means spending time with the hubby pants!)

 {Found here}

This is awesome! It's a piece of sheet metal attached to the back of a cabinet and canisters with magnets glued to them, so you can always find what you need quickly! I don't have anywhere that I could do this, but if I did I would definitely do it! It's just so handy!

 {Found here}

These I love for outside above the patio table. They would cast a really romantic glow I think :)

 {no source}

This is what I want for the nook that I can't figure out what to do with. I really want a bench with a shelf underneath so we could sit down and take our shoes off or whatever and it would look custom and awesome. Blake doesn't think it's a good idea because if new home buyers don't like it, it's kinda permanent, so I probably won't do this, but I like it!

 {Found here}

Now this puppy I am in love with! The thing I wasn't in love with? The price! If I'm going to DIY something it needs to be worth the money I'm saving! This version calls for these certain orbs that are $18 for the small ones and over $20 for the large ones! That's just not cool in my book. But it looks awesome!

{Found here}

This one on the other hand, calls for orbs that are $1.95 for the small ones and $3.95 for the large ones! Now that's more like it! I'll definitely be trying this out soon....well actually I may have to wait because I'm not sure prospective home buyers would like this....and I would want to take it with me not leave it with the house! So I'll just have to decide what to do :) But I know this is in my future sometime! (btw, the cheaper orbs are from here)

 {Found here}

This is another DIY lighting project I want to try! We have a small light above our sink in the kitchen and it is just the regular light fixture that comes with a new house, but I really like these made of twine and a ball and glue...I'm considering doing this in this house, but I'm also considering waiting due to the reasons above...this wouldn't be as big of a financial investment and probably not a time investment either so I may do it anyway!

{Found here}

These I just love! Sherry over at young house love recently put up a tutorial about how to attach prints to canvas, so I could definitely do this! These photos are so quaint and sweet...usually I'm all about contrast and abstract and cityscapes, but this appeals to me for some reason and I may just put it somewhere in our house!

{Found here}

I'm wanting some roman shades in our laundry room! I was going to do some fake ones like the ones from centsational girl, but then these don't seem to hard, so I may give these a try!

{Found here}

This is more lighting ideas...they look kinda girly so I don't know if Blake will go for them, but I think they look awesome!

{Found here}

These I want somewhere near our entry way (maybe instead of the bench, I'll put up a shelf and put these on top!). They are so springy! And super cheap! They're just thumbtacks pushed into Styrofoam balls and spray painted! So so cute!

{Found here}

I'm picturing some toilet paper art around the chevron paintings in the dining room! Not something this big, but I like the idea that I could make something this epic with toilet paper rolls!

{Found here}

I've also considered something like this around those chevron prints...love the tone on tone words!

{Found here}

If I had spare boards laying around, I would do this tomorrow! I loooove this!

{Found here}

I thought this was so cute for a wedding gift!

{Found here}

I think this would be so cute in the laundry room! I would paint the clothespins a different color, but it's so easy and fitting for a laundry room, I couldn't resist!!

{Found here}

I'm not really sure how exactly I would do this but I'm thinking something with christmas lights....just have to figure out how to get power to them without a gross cord showing!

{Found here}

I like this for a table runner for our dining room table! Well...something similar...this requires sewing and since I can't sew, I'll have to make this my own but I like it!

{Found here}

 I think I'm going to do this in our bathroom drawers! I recently organized them, but now there's stuff sliding all over the place in the drawers when we go to close them or open them, so it's making everything look unorganized again. I'll probably hit up a thrift store, find some bowls like this and put some felt down to keep everything still!

{Found here}

I'm realizing how much lighting I have in this post....whoa. But they're so cute and simple!! This is book pages cut to be round on the end glued to a paper lantern! How simple is that??

{Found here}

And finally, I'm thinking something along these lines for above the TV in our living room! I love the saying, but it also ties into a cinematic feel which I've come to find that we both like!

{Found here}

So there you have it! A million pictures full of fantastic ideas! Do you see now why my mind is running around like a chicken with its head cut off?? But not to worry because I made a list! Hope you all have a great weekend!!! :)