Hey!! Remember me?? It's been a while.....too long really. Unfortunately for today I am gonna have to leave you hanging but keep checking back for some big news!!
You know that we have been house hunting and one of the big things on my wishlist is a fireplace. I just LOVE the idea of snuggling up to a toasty fire with a big (anthro) mug of hot cocoa. And although I am SUPER excited about Spring (especially after the beautiful weather today) I know that we will probably be seeing more snow before Winter is over.
Now saying that I want a fireplace is very vague because there are SO many options when it comes to the design of a fireplace. I'm really not concerned about that because I know its something I can modify in the future. I do want something with a mantle (hearth optional) for decorating purposes.
I personally prefer a white brick or white stone (like marble) facade but I thought it'd be fun to show you some unique or just plain stunning fireplaces.
Before I let Gabby take it away, I want to let you know that YES I am alive and I miss you all. Life has been pretty crazy but I will catch you up soon :) Hopefully with all of the snow we are supposed to get, I will have some spare time to write! And before you read the amazing tutorial that Gabby has for you, I just want to say that she has been such a blessing in my life. I got a permanent smile after opening this package and she never ceases to amaze me. She is always encouraging me and I am so thankful for her :) Sorry for all of the mushiness....it is Valentine's Day week after all!! If you missed Gabby's 1st post on quilting, check it out here!
Hi Readers! I’m back! I’m really excited about my latest DIY because it was a spur of the moment
project brought on by a JoAnn Fabrics trip. Meet my inspiration: fuchsia and fuchsia polka dot burlap
material! Love love love!
I was randomly walking through aisles and the material caught my eye. Then I noticed it was 30%
off. I knew it was coming home with me and I knew something Valentine’s Day related was going to be
involved. By the end of my shopping trip I had a basket full of stuff and tons of ideas. The one that stuck:
Valentine’s Day goody bags for my sisters!
Next stop: Pinterest! (sigh…I love Pinterest…) As I was searching I found some really great ideas, so I
decided to combine a few of them.
To start I had to make a trip back to JoAnns and Michaels to pick up some cool V-Day related
stickers, paper and stamps. I found a heart shape online to get the right size and traced the burlap to
cut it out with the word design I wanted. I had to be careful as I was cutting because burlap frays really
easily.
I started sewing the heart shaped buttons and glued the edges together with fabric glue. I left the
top open so I’d have room to shove the stuffing in. Make sure you give the glue plenty of time to dry (I
let it go overnight). This will help keep the burlap from fraying!
After that I decided to do a gold blanket stitch, I just Googled blanket stitch and a bunch of tutorials
came up. I stitched the edges, added the stuffing, and then stitched them up! NOTE: I started with gold
thread, but I was trying to use several strands to make the stitches more pronounced. THIS WAS WAY
TOO DIFFICULT. Try gold yarn instead.
The last step was
hot gluing the flower
embellishments and the gold ribbon loops. I let them dry about 10 min and they were ready to go!
I also made these cute little frames with Valentine’s Day stickers I bought, random cardstock I had
laying around the house and little frames from Michaels. It’s a great little decoration for your work desk
or kitchen. Maybe $3 each tops!
To top it all
off I made
some cards to
send out with
the pink
letters I found
at JoAnns
and
cardstock I had from previous projects. The heart stickers I found at Michaels. Just cut, glue and stick! I
have a “Homemade by” stamp, so I decided to put them on the back of the cards. After I sealed them in
their envelopes I sealed them with a stamp I got at Michaels for $1.50!
Look at these cool mailers I found at Target! I made the heart labels with the Hallmark Card Studio
software my husband gave me for Christmas last year!
I decided to make a CD of my favorite Christian songs to send in the package too. I’ve been listening
to KLove radio station on the way to work, and it’s been so uplifting! Plus what better way to celebrate
Valentine’s Day than with a reminder of God’s love!
I love to send little things in the mail, so I thought these would be awesome gifts to send to family
just to say “I’m thinking of you”!
It’s amazing what a girl can do when she’s snowed in. :)
Happy LOVE Day, until next time!
My goodies are sitting proudly at my office desk :)
Before we get started, I want to wish my mom a Happy Birthday!!
I am borrowing this from Tanika who got it from Amberly. I thought this would be a fun little way for you to get to know me better (especially since there are a lot of new faces around here)
I also asked Gabby to participate so you can see how we are alike/different.
Samantha's answers:
If I were a month, I'd be June
If I were a day of the week, I'd be Saturday.
If I were a time of day, I'd be sunset.
If I were a direction, I'd be South.
If I were a piece of furniture, I'd be a dining table (place to gather and fellowship).
If I were a liquid, I'd be Coca-Cola.
If I were a flower, I'd be a peony.
If I were a kind of weather, I'd be a warm, breezy summer day.
If I were a musical instrument, I'd be an acoustic guitar.
If I were a color, I'd be TEAL (if you didn't know that one by now....)
If I were an emotion, I'd be laughter.
If I were food, I'd be macaroni and cheese.
If I were a place, I'd be an island in Hawaii :)
If I were a scent, I'd be cookies baking in the oven.
If I were a song, I'd be Oceans by Hillsong (country song- American Honey).
If I were an item of clothing, I'd be a cardigan (or a pencil skirt).
Gabby's answers:
If I were a month, I'd be ...October! The weather is beautiful, the scenery is beautiful and I love pumpkin!
If I were a day of the week, I'd be...Saturday. So many possibilities!
If I were a time of day, I'd be...sunrise. It's the start of a brand new day!
If I were a direction, I'd be...north. All I can think of is the north star.
If I were a piece of furniture, I'd be ...a comfy couch. There's something cozy and comforting about a comfy couch.
If I were a liquid, I'd be...water. can't live without it!
If I were a flower, I'd be...tulip. simplistic and beautiful.
If I were a kind of weather, I'd be a...thunderstorm. love the sound and smell of thunderstorms.
If I were a musical instrument, I'd be ...cello. love string instruments and love the rich tones.
If I were a color, I'd be ...teal. it's the best color ever!
If I were an emotion, I'd be...joy. enough said!
If I were food, I'd be...lasagna. comfort food!
If I were a place, I'd be...the mountains. Just love everything about them.
If I were a scent, I'd be...honeysuckle. Reminds me of my childhood every time I smell it.
If I were a song, I'd be ...How Great is Our God by Chris Tomlin. Every time I hear it it always lifts my spirit and makes everything right in the world.
If I were an item of clothing, I'd be...don't know if this counts, but a scarf. Great for accessorizing and keeps me warm! Double whammy!
Okay...I know I'm getting a little ahead of myself because we haven't bought a house yet but I was perusing Pinterest and stumbled upon some adorable housewarming ideas that I couldn't resist sharing. (wow that was a long sentence...whew..)
Have you ever hosted a housewarming party? I'd love to hear about it :)
If you've been following along, you'll remember that I shared a challenge Tim and I decided to take on in 2014. We are donating to a different charity each month and Charity: Water was our January selection.
I first learned about Charity Water my senior year of college. We were to select an organization (from a list) to design an office space for. After watching one of Charity water's promotional videos, I knew this was the one! If that doesn't inspire you, I don't know what will. They are doing great things and I am happy to help in any way that I can. You can keep up with them here: website/blog/facebook/ twitter
Part of my job as a designer is to help our clients make selections and if we are doing kitchens and baths then that means tile, countertops, cabinets, etc. You get the point. We are constantly striving to give the client the best product for their budget.
It seems as though everyone has an expectation that their kitchen should have granite and stainless steel appliances these days (probably because of HGTV). Well I hate to break it to you but that stuff costs lots of money. Most people want it but don't realize how much it could set them back. So now I'm gonna take the blindfold off and open your eyes to some other great options for countertops. That is not to say that granite isn't amazing but there might be a better choice for your budget or situation.
Marble (requires a lot of maintenance and can be very expensive)
