fresh + bright

I've been a little late getting this out - but hey!  It is technically still Spring, so I am technically within the time frame :)

If you liked my DIY Spring Wreath you'll love this one because all of the decor coordinates with that wreath.

I love getting the Spring stuff out because it is so bright and fresh and earthy.  I especially love the little twig/grass bird!

I hope you have been enjoying this Spring season - what do you do to brighten up your home?

diy: spring wreath

Ahh, it is that time of year!  The birds are chirping, the grass is green, and my allergies are crazy!  It must be Springtime again :)

Looking for an easy afternoon project, maybe between yard projects or for a rainy day?  Check out this pretty spring wreath:

As usual, I started out with Pinterest for some inspiration.  Here's a link to my { holidays + seasons } board if you want to see what I've pinned.

What you'll need:

• basic twig wreath
• ribbon, 2 sizes: appx. 3"W and 1.5"W (I just cut the 3" roll in half to get the 1.5" wide pieces)
• appx. 15-20 individual floral stems (you can purchase a floral bunch instead of single stems, just make sure you have 15-20 flowers total)
• floral wire
• hot glue
• floral snips
• wire snips

supplies

Step 1:  if you purchased a bunch of stems, snip each stem off of the bunch so you have individual flowers to work with

Step 1

Step 2:  work with the flowers until you get an arrangement you like.  You don't have to be precise, but this will help you know where to start working and which flowers should overlap.  If you are adding a bow and ribbon like I have, make sure to leave a gap for the bow and some space between the flowers for ribbon.

Step 2

Step 3:  begin to wire each stem onto the frame.  If you can, tuck the stem under large twigs in the wreath for added stability.  It is important to wire each stem at least once, this will ensure the arrangement stays during use and storage.  Occasionally hold the wreath upright to see if any stems move or sag; add additional wire if needed.  As you work, you may want to cut off some of the leaves that are on the stems - I only left about half of them and cut off the rest.

Step 3

Step 3

Step 4:  (optional) wire accent stems onto the wreath

Step 4 (optional)

Step 5:  make and attach your bow.  If you have read any of my other tutorials, you know I am not the greatest bow-maker.  I completely made this bow up, to the point that I even feel bad calling it a "bow".  It is more like a bow-imposter.  Feel free to reference youtube for various bow and centerpiece tutorials.  The yellow metal flower I found in the garden section.  Don't be afraid to think outside of the box for your supplies - you never know where you might find something great!

Step 6:  wrap the 1.5" ribbon around the wreath, gluing it in place on the backside of the wreath

...And you are finished!

my love handles have a story

Can I get really off-topic for a minute?  Kthanks.

I'm about 15 pounds overweight.  I have concluded this on my own without a medical or fitness education, so take it for what you want.  Even if it is more than that I don't know that I could be that honest with myself.

Source

I have worked pretty hard the past two or three years to lose weight.  Some months I worked a lot harder than others.  I never went on a really strict diet or a crazy exercise routine.  I did workout several times a week, we cleaned up some of our eating habits and I even trained for and ran a half marathon.  Unfortunately, I haven't seen much success.  I have lost a few pounds here or there, but inevitably I have gained them back.  And trust me, this is not a pity party; I'm simply giving you some context for where my head is at right now. 

Do I want to be overweight?  No.  Am I willing to completely sacrifice or give up things that I enjoy that may not be very healthy just to shed a few pounds?  Probably not.  And you know what?  My love handles have a history.  A story all their own.  And as crazy as this sounds, I have earned those extra pounds.  

College did a number on me, like most people I think.  In high school I played sports nearly year-round; sometimes the sports seasons would overlap one another.  Several weeks throughout the school year I would have double practices, spending four hours after school doing physical activity, 3-5 times a week.  So naturally, when you transition from that schedule to one consisting of hours in class, hours in studio and hours watching One Tree Hill reruns on Soapnet, I gained a few pounds.  I tried to be conscious of what I was doing to my body, but there is only so much you can do when getting through college is your only goal.  And when I say "getting through" I mean surviving without failing a class, completely running out of money or suffering a nervous breakdown.  I'm sure there was more I could have done; hindsight is always 20/20 as they say.  But I don't know that I would have done anything differently, given the chance to do it again. 

Sure, I could have bought my own groceries and made fresh food in my dorm instead of going to the dining hall.  But then I would have missed out on unforgettable moments with my new college friends.  I would have never learned how to make "Derek's Mac 'n cheese" when nothing else looked appetizing.  I wouldn't have gotten to know the sweet old lady who swiped our meal cards.  I wouldn't have been able to hear the gossip from last night's shenanigans. 

And yes, I could have not gone on so many "ice cream dates".  But I would have missed precious time with a new best friend.  A best friend that I would live hours away from in just three short years.  A friend that, five years after graduating college and moving back home, I can still say is my best friend. 

Now, you could look at me and judge me - say I'm making excuses.  And that's fine.  You haven't heard my whole story. 

Here is what you don't know: those extra pounds are my "battle wounds", if you will, from my three years at college.  Three years that is scheduled to be four years - but I was broke; I lived off of scholarships and money from being a Resident Advisor, and refused to get a student loan.  Three years that required me to spend every summer taking classes to graduate on time.  Three years away from my boyfriend (now husband) that were brutally painful for us at times. 

You can't see, just by looking at me, that part of that weight comes from eating a sickening amount of ramen noodles.  There were times when I had no money to buy groceries and I literally ate ramen noodles four times a day.  And even when I did have some money for groceries, it was never much.  My college diet could pretty much be summed up with the following: processed food, dining hall food and fast food.  None of which are good for you or "healthy", but all are cheap and affordable when your monthly income is $80. 

You also don't know that my lack of sleep probably assisted in my weight gain.  Sleep was optional more than it was required during college.  My third and final year in school, I went to sleep more often during daytime hours than nighttime hours.  The parking lot closest to the studio was only available to students until 7am.  I would stay up all night working and leave with just minutes to spare to narrowly miss a $25 parking ticket from Public Safety.  I would call my boyfriend and say goodnight to him when he was waking up to get ready for work.  My whole world was on a different schedule. 

You weren't there the nights we actually made time to go out and let off a little steam.  We were so stressed out every single day that we were desperate for a little fun.  And you weren't there when my closest friends were turning 21.  When we were able to celebrate one of the most exciting birthdays in a person's life.  "The nights you won't remember with the friends you won't forget".   Nights I could not reschedule, nights I could never replace. 

So I will continue to work on myself, improving my fitness and physique.  And some days I will be really hard on myself, regretting the decisions that led me to where I am now.  But on those days I will have to remind myself that everything in life is give and take.  And if I had to take a little weight gain to have an unforgettable college experience, that is fine by me.  If earning a college degree without any student loans mean having a muffin top, that's okay.  If I had to go up a pant size in order to acquire lifelong friends, I'll take it.  That is a price worth paying in my book. 

So cheers to those of us who have earned our extra pounds.  Whether it be because you had a rigorous college experience, grew a human (or two, or three...), struggle with sickness/disease, or maybe just haven't made super great choices 100% of the time, we all have our reasons.  Everybody has a story and every body has one too.  To those of you who are trying to be a better version of yourself, I toast to you with a giant glass of water in my hand (working on those 60oz!).  And to those of you who are perfectly content, extra pounds or not, I strive to be like you everyday. 

diy: easy card holder

Is this a familiar sight for you?

Our fridge pretty much looked like this during our first Christmas in the house.  I loved having our cards displayed, but it got to be a pain when we were getting in and out of the fridge.  The dogs would knock cards off with their tails, the tape would rip and the card would fall to the floor... sometimes they were more of a hassle than anything.  So, I was determined to come up with a different solution for hanging them up.  I headed over to Pinterest to do some research and came up with a couple of ideas I liked.  My husband and I headed to the hardware store to figure out the rest.

What I really wanted to do was find an old shutter and use that... buttttt these days (thank you Pinterest) they are not that easy to come by, and usually have a hefty price on them because they have become so sought after.  So, we ditched that idea.  We were wandering the aisles and I came across the molding section.  I found rectangle shaped molding and thought that would be a good place to start.  My husband chimed in that we had left over chicken wire in the garage and suggested we staple it to the molding.  A quick coat of spray paint and I would be all set!

This project can easily be done for under $20.  The best part: you choose the size and shape of the frame, the color, the clothespins, etc.  You can personalize this as much as you want!  You could even stencil a design or paint a monogram onto the frame.  Ours is pretty simple which works well for us.  I also like that the size is not "unlimited", so when the frame gets full I know it is time to start recycling some old cards.

At Christmas we still have to use the fridge for a little bit of "overflow" space, but this card holder works great for us all year long!  

cruisin'

My husband and I went on vacation with my parents a couple of weeks ago.

Have you ever noticed that the amount of work you put in before and after a vacation almost make it not worth it?  But let's be honest, it is still awesome to get away, even for just a few days.  Get away from the noise, the busy-ness, the work.  Ya, it is pretty great.

We went on a cruise to Florida and the Bahamas.  If you have never been on a cruise before, let me tell you, I think they are GREAT!  There are so many great things about cruising that I just don't feel like you get with many other vacation experiences.   *Disclaimer: I have never been to an all-inclusive resort, but I imagine it might be similar to the perks of a cruise.  I think one of my favorite things about being on a cruise is the great food that you don't have to prepare yourself!  Not only is the food delicious, the service is top-notch and dining is available nearly 24-hours.  (This is why people gain weight on cruises.)  I also really enjoy the entertainment that is offered on a cruise.  Between live music, dance, musicals, comedians, and orchestras, there is something for just about everyone.

Anyway... this is really starting to sound like a commercial.  Sorry about that :)

Would you like to check out some photos?

Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean private island

Bionic Bar, Quantum of the Seas

Pool Deck, Quantum of the Seas

Nassau, Bahamas

So onto my story about how, even in the year 2015, internet sleuthing is hard:

During our time on the ship we made two friends, Max and Susana, who worked for Hublot, a watch company.  Both Max and Susana were not technically ship crew members, but they did have to work some during the week.  We had the chance to hang out with them several evenings and had a great time getting to know them.  So naturally, when we returned to the land of wi-fi, we tried to find them on facebook to connect.  It turns out, if you don't know someone's last name and you literally don't know any other facts about them besides the company they work for, it is really hard to find someone!  We did find one random article about Susana on some watch fanatic forum, but that only gave us the first initial of her last name... So, our friendship with Max and Susana will have to be short lived, I suppose.  If we wanted to be really creepy and desperate we could make one of those posterboards with our story and post it to facebook and have it shared around the world... but we aren't really that desperate.  They were fun though!  That is another great thing about being on a cruise, it is easy to make friends because most everyone else on the ship doesn't know anyone either :)

Now we have to get back into the swing of things... who wants to come to our house and cook for us? ;)