We are trusting you enjoy celebrating with loved ones and are filled with joy over the amazing gift we were given 2000 years ago...the birth of a Savior!
Merry Christmas!
December 22, 2013
I've never stepped into the handmade wreath world, but this year figured I'd like to make the journey. I always see photos of cute wreaths all over my FB feed or Pinterest and, gosh darn it, I felt left out!
The first one I saw and absolutely LOVED was this:
The first one I saw and absolutely LOVED was this:
I was a bit overwhelmed at the thought of all that hot gluing on a wreath and also questioned how well it would stay. Then I found another tutorial where you use a wire hanger. It seemed way easier and had less chance of me burning my finger off with hot glue. I can't find the tutorial I used, but here is a link to a similar one.
And here is my finished product!
It was super simple and took only about 1 1/2 - 2 hours from start to finish. It cost me about $15 in ornaments from Dollar Tree (I bought around 100) and I had about 20 left over that we put on our tree. So in the end, I probably could've saved a few more dollars, but I'm still really happy with it!
In case you don't want to follow the link above, the basic instructions are:
- Hot glue the tips onto the ornament themselves so that they don't fall off later
- Bend a wire hanger into a perfect circle
- Start stringing the ornaments onto the hanger, alternating sizes and colors and overlapping them so that all gaps are filled in
- Once all your ornaments are on, hook the two sides of your wire hanger together at the top
- Hang and enjoy!
November 11, 2013
Who knew the search for a rocker/glider for the nursery would be such a pain? I cannot believe the price of chairs out there! I thought it would be relatively easy to find a chair that I liked at a reasonable price.
Mothers around the world scoff at my naive and optimistic outlook.
There was one chair that I absolutely fell in love with during my search. The Pottery Barn Wingback Convertible Rocker. Take a look at this beauty...
Sigh.....
At over $800 I tried to justify purchasing it but just. couldn't. do. it.
So the search continued. There were a few I thought might work, but nothing seemed to be right. I just wanted something that was nice to look at, comfortable, and wouldn't break the bank. Well, I think I might have found a good alternative, and from Walmart of all places. Now, granted, I haven't received the chair yet and things from there are always a crap-shoot, but I'm willing to take my chances for this:
Despite the hideous metal glider base sticking from the bottom, it definitely has great possibilities! And pretty similar to the chair that I love. We are even considering waiting until it arrives and seeing if it's possible to add rockers to it instead of using the glider base. If not, we can always stick an ottoman in front of the chair to help cover that unfortunate eyesore. The price?
$289!
That's pretty much the cheapest chair I've found anywhere while still maintaining a decent look. Not to mention a savings of about $600 over the Pottery Barn option. Here is link for anyone else who has been looking for a nice chair, but doesn't want to go into debt to get it. I'll be sure to pass along my review once it arrives and we test it out. One final side-by-side comparison:
Mothers around the world scoff at my naive and optimistic outlook.
There was one chair that I absolutely fell in love with during my search. The Pottery Barn Wingback Convertible Rocker. Take a look at this beauty...
Sigh.....
At over $800 I tried to justify purchasing it but just. couldn't. do. it.
So the search continued. There were a few I thought might work, but nothing seemed to be right. I just wanted something that was nice to look at, comfortable, and wouldn't break the bank. Well, I think I might have found a good alternative, and from Walmart of all places. Now, granted, I haven't received the chair yet and things from there are always a crap-shoot, but I'm willing to take my chances for this:
Despite the hideous metal glider base sticking from the bottom, it definitely has great possibilities! And pretty similar to the chair that I love. We are even considering waiting until it arrives and seeing if it's possible to add rockers to it instead of using the glider base. If not, we can always stick an ottoman in front of the chair to help cover that unfortunate eyesore. The price?
$289!
That's pretty much the cheapest chair I've found anywhere while still maintaining a decent look. Not to mention a savings of about $600 over the Pottery Barn option. Here is link for anyone else who has been looking for a nice chair, but doesn't want to go into debt to get it. I'll be sure to pass along my review once it arrives and we test it out. One final side-by-side comparison:
UPDATE: Since this is the most viewed post on my site, I figure that there are quite a few people who also love the Pottery Barn version, but are searching for something less expensive. Now that we've been using the chair for awhile, I'm happy to report that we really like it! The back could be a little bit higher to make it easier to rest your head back while rocking/feeding a little one, but that's really the only negative. It looks nice, rocks great, and has gotten the job done for us. I would recommend it to anyone who wants the look for less!
October 20, 2013
Ok, so we technically finished this weeks ago, but there's been so much going on I hadn't had a chance to blog about it.
Have you seen the pedestal table makeovers in pinterest/blog land? I've seen a ton of people turn a hum-drum table into a thing of beauty with just a little paint and stain, so I figured I could do the same. When I was still living in Singapore last year, I spotted a pedestal table on Craigslist here in Lynchburg for a mere $60. My sweet sister was willing to go and pick it up for me and her in-laws held it for me until we returned. Gotta love family.
Well, what is a dining table without chairs? Besides a catch-all for junk...really nothing, cause we had nowhere to eat for the first month in our new place. I wanted to find 4 chairs that had an upholstered seat that I could change out and Craigslist came through again for me. I got a set of 4 for only $30! Here's what it all looked like before:
Yes, 70's! They were really appropriate for the kitchen with the all mushrooms, onions, and asparagus goodness, but alas, I decided to change them out for more updated fabric.
Now, this was the first experience I had with Annie Sloan chalk paint. I'm not sure I would use the white again. After four coats, the coverage still wasn't very good, but I honestly just got tired of painting. Maybe it was the wood tone underneath, but I think if I paint white again, I'll probably prime and then paint with a different type of paint. Personal preference.
We sanded the top of the table and stained it a darker color which turned out perfect! Here is the finished product:
I'd say this was a successful makeover on our small budget!
The only thing I would change is the color of the walls, but considering I've made my husband repaint every room in our townhouse except for the dining/kitchen area...I've gotta let this one go. It may not match the blue in the fabric, but that won't matter in our next place.
Up next: Projects for the baby room! Here's a glimpse at my mood board:
Have you seen the pedestal table makeovers in pinterest/blog land? I've seen a ton of people turn a hum-drum table into a thing of beauty with just a little paint and stain, so I figured I could do the same. When I was still living in Singapore last year, I spotted a pedestal table on Craigslist here in Lynchburg for a mere $60. My sweet sister was willing to go and pick it up for me and her in-laws held it for me until we returned. Gotta love family.
Well, what is a dining table without chairs? Besides a catch-all for junk...really nothing, cause we had nowhere to eat for the first month in our new place. I wanted to find 4 chairs that had an upholstered seat that I could change out and Craigslist came through again for me. I got a set of 4 for only $30! Here's what it all looked like before:
Ahhh, gotta love that orang-y wood tone :) And the fabric on the chairs? Please, take a closer look...they are amazing!
Yes, 70's! They were really appropriate for the kitchen with the all mushrooms, onions, and asparagus goodness, but alas, I decided to change them out for more updated fabric.
This is a photo I snapped after finishing the first chair. I was in love :)
We sanded the top of the table and stained it a darker color which turned out perfect! Here is the finished product:
I'd say this was a successful makeover on our small budget!
The only thing I would change is the color of the walls, but considering I've made my husband repaint every room in our townhouse except for the dining/kitchen area...I've gotta let this one go. It may not match the blue in the fabric, but that won't matter in our next place.
Up next: Projects for the baby room! Here's a glimpse at my mood board:
October 08, 2013
Well it's been almost a week since we found out we are having a little girl. It's still sinking in. Who am I kidding? The fact that I'm pregnant is still sinking in.
My siblings have basically been a male baby production line. The first grandchild was a girl...and that was the last girl we've seen. Since she was born, we've had four boys come along. And my brother Evan found out a few days before us that his wife was having a boy too! So needless to say, I think there were a lot of people holding out hope that we'd pull it out a baby girl win.
Of course I consulted the Chinese gender predictor months ago, which said I was having a girl, so for months I've been thinking that's exactly what we were having. That thing is freakishly correct! But once Evan and Christina found out they were having a boy, I started having my doubts.
We went to the ultrasound on Thursday and I told the tech that we didn't want to know. When the baby first came up on the screen, it was a full-body shot, but I swore I saw something "wiggle" in the bottom half. I quickly thought "Was that his thing?". Obviously I think in very adult terms.
Then I was SURE it was going to be a boy. Even the ladies in the office saw the ultrasound of the face and said it looked like a boy. But THEN someone mentioned it was probably the umbilical cord I saw. Duh.
So basically by the time the reveal rolled around, I had NO IDEA what it was going to be. And honestly I didn't care. Baby Clarence or Baby Girl Clarence....both are fine with me, as long as it looks like it's daddy!
We had my parents and my sister and her boys come over along with Clarence's parents on Skype for the big reveal. My best friend, Amy, was passed the envelope with the big secret inside and went to get us two cans of silly string. We just didn't know if it would be blue or pink, but we figured we might as well have some fun shooting each other.
In case you missed it, I've posted the video below. We are both so excited and can't wait to meet our baby girl! Now we just have to agree on a name. I've already vetoed Clarence's first suggestions of Eunice. Yikes. I think we have a long road ahead of us :)
My siblings have basically been a male baby production line. The first grandchild was a girl...and that was the last girl we've seen. Since she was born, we've had four boys come along. And my brother Evan found out a few days before us that his wife was having a boy too! So needless to say, I think there were a lot of people holding out hope that we'd pull it out a baby girl win.
Of course I consulted the Chinese gender predictor months ago, which said I was having a girl, so for months I've been thinking that's exactly what we were having. That thing is freakishly correct! But once Evan and Christina found out they were having a boy, I started having my doubts.
We went to the ultrasound on Thursday and I told the tech that we didn't want to know. When the baby first came up on the screen, it was a full-body shot, but I swore I saw something "wiggle" in the bottom half. I quickly thought "Was that his thing?". Obviously I think in very adult terms.
Then I was SURE it was going to be a boy. Even the ladies in the office saw the ultrasound of the face and said it looked like a boy. But THEN someone mentioned it was probably the umbilical cord I saw. Duh.
So basically by the time the reveal rolled around, I had NO IDEA what it was going to be. And honestly I didn't care. Baby Clarence or Baby Girl Clarence....both are fine with me, as long as it looks like it's daddy!
We had my parents and my sister and her boys come over along with Clarence's parents on Skype for the big reveal. My best friend, Amy, was passed the envelope with the big secret inside and went to get us two cans of silly string. We just didn't know if it would be blue or pink, but we figured we might as well have some fun shooting each other.
In case you missed it, I've posted the video below. We are both so excited and can't wait to meet our baby girl! Now we just have to agree on a name. I've already vetoed Clarence's first suggestions of Eunice. Yikes. I think we have a long road ahead of us :)
September 29, 2013
Have you seen some of the adorable outfits with military vests lately? It's such a cute look and one that I've been wanting to replicate. Here are a few I love:
I've had a hard time finding a good vest that I like and is not too expensive. Apparently they are so popular they're hard to find. Or maybe I'm way behind the trend and no one is selling them anymore. I'll blame living overseas on that if that's the case.
I found one vest online that was adorable and in my price range. It was selling on a website called Conversation Pieces and boasted that it was back in stock! Score. So I click on the link to find....sold out. Crap! Here is a pic of the vest:
Cute, right? Well too bad. So then I did want any compulsive shopper would do, I did a search on www.shopstyle.com. And I found a really good option on JC Penney's website in the junior's section (I live in denial, ok?) It was on clearance for $15 too! It was too good to pass up. Here's what I ordered.
A little snip snip of the jewels on the collar, and I am in business! If you're looking for a vest, you really can't beat the price and style. Here is a link and it's still on sale. I plan to put it to good use! What do you think?
September 25, 2013
Me in the kitchen does not equal MasterChef. There's a reason I never went on that show.
I don't mind cooking, but I'm not a natural. I can't take 8 random ingredients and MacGyver something together in 30 minutes time. I need a recipe and full ingredients and google nearby in case I screw up...the whole 9 yards.
So, once Clarence and I moved into our own place (and sadly away from my mother's cooking), we decided to try out something I had heard about for awhile; eMeals. Who knew that I was capable of being in love with something other than an asian? Well it's true.
eMeals is basically a meal planning service that makes your life 100x easier. You choose your meal plan, what grocery store you go to, and each week a menu, shopping list, and recipes are sent to you. It includes 7 dinners (though you can also add breakfast and lunch plans too). It's only $5 a month which is a freakin' steal. We actually signed up via a Groupon deal for $29 for a year which made it even sweeter. It's definitely worth the small price tag! On top of that, they plan the meals based on sales in the store you chose so it's affordable. You can choose the family plan or one for two people.
We chose the low carb plan (our small attempt at being healthier) and though I miss potatoes, the meals have been really tasty! There is excellent variety and lots of flavor. And if we ever get sick of the low carb plan, we can change it to one of the other plans every month if we want.
I'm not getting paid by eMeals to recruit people to use the service, I just really love it and wanted to share for others who are not kitchen-inclined like me. I much prefer eMeals to pinterest-ing dinner ideas every week and trying to figure out what to make from day-to-day. Too.much.work.
In case you're interested, you can check out the meal plans and details and Signup here. If you do, let me know how you like it! And definitely download the eMeals app; it's amazing!
Here are some photos of some of the dinners we've had in the past weeks:
I don't mind cooking, but I'm not a natural. I can't take 8 random ingredients and MacGyver something together in 30 minutes time. I need a recipe and full ingredients and google nearby in case I screw up...the whole 9 yards.
So, once Clarence and I moved into our own place (and sadly away from my mother's cooking), we decided to try out something I had heard about for awhile; eMeals. Who knew that I was capable of being in love with something other than an asian? Well it's true.
eMeals is basically a meal planning service that makes your life 100x easier. You choose your meal plan, what grocery store you go to, and each week a menu, shopping list, and recipes are sent to you. It includes 7 dinners (though you can also add breakfast and lunch plans too). It's only $5 a month which is a freakin' steal. We actually signed up via a Groupon deal for $29 for a year which made it even sweeter. It's definitely worth the small price tag! On top of that, they plan the meals based on sales in the store you chose so it's affordable. You can choose the family plan or one for two people.
We chose the low carb plan (our small attempt at being healthier) and though I miss potatoes, the meals have been really tasty! There is excellent variety and lots of flavor. And if we ever get sick of the low carb plan, we can change it to one of the other plans every month if we want.
I'm not getting paid by eMeals to recruit people to use the service, I just really love it and wanted to share for others who are not kitchen-inclined like me. I much prefer eMeals to pinterest-ing dinner ideas every week and trying to figure out what to make from day-to-day. Too.much.work.
In case you're interested, you can check out the meal plans and details and Signup here. If you do, let me know how you like it! And definitely download the eMeals app; it's amazing!
Here are some photos of some of the dinners we've had in the past weeks:
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