The Easter Bunny is Coming!!

I have decided to host an Easter brunch at my house for my family. We don't get all of us together nearly enough and I think I reserved everyone far enough in advance to make it work. I want to make the house as fun and "Easter" as possible and I have come up with the following:

I am going to make an Easter egg garland like the one from Modern Parents Messy Kids. How cute is this?

She used paint chips and strung them out. I just so happen to be going to Home Depot today for some molding for my birthday project this weekend. I will have to pick some up!

My younger sister Morgan will also be in attendance and I thought it would be fun to have some special treats for her. I thought a fun and cheap present for her would be something like this bunny jar I found on Icing Designs.

Dollar bunny ear headband from Target and a jar filled with Easter candies - genius! And of course I have multiple variations of pink ribbon to use.

I also thought  it would be cool to make some marshmallow pops. I have been wanting to make some for a while and I think everyone will enjoy them. Being table decor and edible make them a win/win.

Is anyone else doing something special for Easter?

Decisions...Decisions.....

Hello. My name is Lauren and I am addicted to purses. I do not discriminate - I love small ones, big ones, leather, cloth, top handles, cross body, clutches and all colors. While I have been known to buy on impulse I like to shop around and pick the one I like best for what I am going for. My latest hunt: "black leather top handle classic everyday." I have a BCBG doctors bag in black but the quality isnt as nice as I would like. I want this bag to last for a really long time. I have narrowed it down to 3 finalists:

Up first - MARC BY MARC JACOBS 'Classic Q - Little Ukita' Convertible Crossbody Flap Bag

The leather looks super soft and I like the option of the top handle or the longer strap. It's the perfect size but I was a bit hesitant for the big MJ emblem on the front flap.

On to contestant numero dos - Kate Spade Five Points Camille

I have been wanting a Kate Spade for a while. All the reviews I have read they are impeccably made and they last forever. Plus, the small Kate Spade emblem is much more my size and style.

Last but not least - Kate Spade Cobble Hill Leslie

This bag is pretty big and I love the way it looks. Only drawback is the top - I'm not sure how much I like how it zips and fold over. If I needed to get something out of it quickly I'm not sure I could.

I want them all!!! But of course that isn't reasonable...which one would you pick?

The Wall Pockets Saga

I was overjoyed when my mom said that the Jazzy Junque sale still had the Ballard Designs wall pockets when she was there. She snatched them up for a steal at $35 (originally $89).

They originally looked this when I got them:

(The 4 pocket black one). Not a problem: I knew I wanted a white one but I could paint it no problem! I already had some liquid sand paper in the garage so I rubbed that all over the shelves and let it dry. I then started spray painting the pockets. I started at the bottom and worked my way up. All was going fine until I got to the top pocket. At several places the spray paint was not sticking. I as a novice just tried to keep spray painting over the cracked areas (for future reference - do NOT do this). I should have just stopped and let it dry and then sanded it down.

I decide to go get actual sand paper and I start sanding the cracked areas. This was taking FOREVER and I got tired. It was sanded down a lot just not all the way smooth...what could go wrong. UGH. I made an even bigger mess than the first time. It was sticking but it was so uneven it was hideous. My sand paper is now demolished and Kevin is nice enough to go get me some more sandpaper.

Of course he comes back with an electric sander. That thing is a gem! Makes life so much easier and since we had a gift card - it was free!

I sanded it all the way down this time and tried a light spray paint coat. you could still see the big bad boo boo spot on the top pocket. I didn't take a picture because I was upset and hot from working in the garage but here is a very close to real-life depiction:

Then I remembered that I have white paint from painting the furniture in the "white" room. I gave the wall pockets a nice layer of paint with a small roller and it looked so much better. Not professional grade smoothness but I'll take it after my spray paint mishaps. After letting the paint dry I screwed the label holders back in and viola!

Looks like it was a piece of cake....*rolls eyes*

Avalon Organics

I have horrible skin. It is sensitive, oily, and I have rosacea. Not a good combination. I have finally become fed up with bad skin as an adult. I am nearly 25 years old and I shouldn't still be getting the light/mild acne that I do. I still have not found a cure all but after being introduced to Avalon Organics products I have seen a significant improvement. I use the Lavendar cleansing gel for my face:

And the Lavendar body wash for the shower:

It is the only facewash that I have come across that actually makes my face feel clean with out it also feeling dried out and itchy. Plus, the price isnt bad either. The face wash is $11.95 and I bought a HUGE body wash for less than $20. For my fellow Texans, you find Avalon Organic products in the organic aisle/section at HEB.

I think what will finally nip most of my acne problems in the butt will be when I get a Clarisonic Mia. Those things are supposed to work wonders. Everyone who I know who has one loves it!

Ruffle Attempt #1

With all of the craft blogs I follow I have been getting the itch to make something with ruffles. I see all of these wonderful ruffle pillows, sweaters, table runnerts, you name it; it has been made with ruffles.

I had some leftover burlap from my wreath and some extra fabric from various projects. The ruffles were not as easy I would have liked. However, I definitely think I will be able to make them easier/better next time.

Lessons learned:
1. Cut fabric longer than you need (and when you think you cut it long enough add 2 inches)
2. Hem the sides of the ruffles...yes it does make a big difference
3. Stuff that sucker until you can put no more stuffing in it - mine is kind of flimsy

I can't decide what my next ruffle project will be but i'm sure i'll come up with something!

A Few of My Favorite Things....

It really is the little things in life that make life worth living. Sometimes I will catch myself in a moment and make myself remember how I happy and how lucky I am. I thought I would share some of my favorite things from around my house at the moment. Random and unique, just like Kevin and I :)

1. My Purdy Puss. Originally my grandmothers, I used to love finding where the Purdy Puss was in her kitchen. On top of the freezer or cabinets...it always changed. She surprised me with it one day and it is probably my most prized posession. Seriously - it didnt even get packed when we moved. I carried it in my lap in bubble wrap. Purdy Puss is the cookie jar's actualy brand, it still has the original tag inside. And....yes, he is wearing a sweater because he's super fancy like that.

2. Wakeboard Guest Book. Instead of a traditional guest book at our wedding, we used a wakeboard. A sport that Kevin and I both share a passion for and it's how we met. It's now hanging in our computer/media room and I love re-reading the messages everyone wrote us on our special day.

3. Killer Fish. This bad guy was bought at the Peter Anderson festival in Ocean Springs, MS in 2010. It's one of my favorite festivals to go to and it only features artists from the Gulf Coast. I had seen him in 2009 when we went for the first time but I had already spent quite a bit of money already and he wasn't a necessity (per Kevin). In 2010 I was on the lookout for my killer fish scrubbie holder and I found one that fit in perfectly with my kitchen decor.

4. Big Buddha. I had been oogling after these wall panels ever since we moved into our small apartment downtown. We didnt have room for them then and when we bought our house in April 2009 I knew exactly what I wanted to fill our entry hall way. I am always a little bit calmer after looking at him and he makes me happy

Anyone want to share a few of their favorite things around their house?

Guest Room Update

I had mentioned earlier that I was re-doing one of our guest rooms. Every single piece of furniture in that room was made by my grandfather. It was first my fathers and then my bedroom furniture. Each piece has gotten quite a few layers of paint added to it over the years although I believe the main color has always been white. I was inspired by this nightstand DIY and I realized that I had that exact same stencil! I used it to stencil my pantry.

I started with the nightstand and stenciled the design with the same yellow paint that I painted my pantry with. I just marked the middle of the nightstand and worked my way out from there.

Close-up of the stencil:

Then I decided that the dresser should match the nightstand. I didnt want to just do the top so I decided I would just stencil the front of the drawers.

And the close-up:

I think it came out really well. I still want to add some pulls to the drawers but I haven't made my mind up on those yet. My overall design inspiration was this bedding from West Elm. I got it on sale, too!

I also picked up a pillow cover from West Elm while I was there....I just couldn't help myself. Then, of course there is the cute burlap pillow I made!

I'm really loving the grey and yellow color scheme at the moment, and I think this room came out really classic.

Happy St. Patty's Day and My Mirror

Happy St. Patricks Day!!!!!

I hope all of you are wearing your festive St. Patty's Day attire like I am. My husband got home from camping yesterday and surprised me with pictures of my newly re-done mirror! I had been meaning to do so for a while and kept forgetting. This mirror was originally my grandparents (painted gold), then it was sent to our family lakehouse (painted sherbert orange). My dad has since given it to me and I decided to paint it heirloom white. I was going to hang it in the laundry room but I think it is just too pretty to not be on display all the time; so now it's hanging in our hallway. Turned out pretty  good, huh?

Spray painting the mirror was pretty easy. I just washed it with a wet rag beforehand and then let it dry. However, the shelves I tried to spray paint did not turn out so well (I'll be posting about that later).

Update: I just saw this mirror on One Kings Lane on sale for $1,299 (originally $2,900) say whaaaaatttt?????

Same size and all but I like mine way better :)

Stationary Love

I have been lusting after this desk set from Elum forever. I would like to think that one day when I have my own office/craft room that I can have my desk set of stationary just waiting to be used for thank-you's, and letters to friends. But $150 for something I probably won't use for a few years...it can wait *sigh*

Pretty though, eh?

The Bragging Mommy

Although Kevin and I don't have kids yet - I am finding myself following more and more parenting/mommy blogs lately. I like reading about the real world experiences, trials, what works and what doesnt for them. It helps to get as many aspects as you can although I realized NOTHING prepares you for parenthood except actually becoming one.

One of my favorite blogs is The Bragging Mommy. They do reviews on all sorts of products and give you feedback on the pros and cons. Very helpful for someone like me who feels very overwhelmed with all that comes with being a parent. Today they are doing a review and giveaway of a $500 stroller - can you believe that? Definitely head over there to check them out!