If You Want My 2 Cents

As some of you may know, my sister Nicole recently got married, and I had the wonderful privilege to host her bridal shower. The world of Pinterest has really required that we step up our game to be the hostess with the mostest, and I was definitely up for the challenge. The most important thing to me was not however all of the food (breakfast casseroles, sangria and yogurt parfaits), but rather creating something she could carry into her marriage as a reminder of those who love and cherish her.

So as a shower activity (Lord knows there are far too many cheesy ones of those) I hand stamped card stock tags laced with twine to read ALWAYS on one side and NEVER on the other, allowing guests to dispense all of their words of wisdom for the bride-to-be. Nothing gets women talking like asking them what they think after all. These were then hung from a "tree" in the corner of my living room, on display for all to see. 

I had already purchased this fabu feline for the project, and pulled it out at her shower letting her know it would be going on display in her new home. She, of course, refused, but little did she know I was right. 

Nothing quite like popping tags to get my creative juices flowing. I obvi removed the cat painting from the inside of the frame, and have actually repurposed it underneath my cutting mat in my sewing station. 

Removing the paper, painting and glass was the easy part, but pulling the staples out that held it all together took a little bit more wiggling. 

Then I chose a nice black to paint the front of the frame, acrylic paint works wonders and dries super quickly, cause "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

There was no need to sand, just slop the paint on with a sponge brush and call it a day. 

Then I flipped the frame back over and nailed two lengths of twine across the long diameters of the long side of the frame. 

Make sure you use short nails so they don't pierce through the front. 

After that was done I cut a piece of burlap to fit the frame, laid it across, and nailed it from the back as well. 

Once that was finished I simply hung the tags (that were mostly appropriate) from the twine with bamboo clothes pins (which she of course switched out with silver glittery pins.) I tried to keep it neutral for her husband, but of course the Wifey's always right. 

It's home is now on her mantle, and I am proud to say I have seen some words of wisdom popping up on her husband's Facebook page. 

Congratulations sissy!!! To many many years of happiness and prosperity for you both!!! 

Party Rock All Weekend Long

Nothing makes a great weekend quite like loads of family time, and this one served up just that! Saturday one of my lovely sissy-in-laws got married (wedding to come next summer) so we had a huge family dinner at a local Mexican restaurant to celebrate. 

Today was the hubster's brother's six-year anniversary, so we all went out to party rock sans babies last night. I didn't know this lil' momma could last until 2 in the morning, but somehow I brought the house down and danced the night away. 

And this afternoon we BBQ'd it up at my mom's to enjoy good food, and good company. My very favorite things. 

For some reason I've been user the assumption that I hated sauerkraut, and today I learned differently. Needless to say, this weekend definitely goes down in the record books as an all around success. 

4th of July

I am not a fan of fireworks, but food and fashion will always be a few of my favorite things! So sunshine, BBQs and beautifully bright colors naturally push 4th of July up there on my list.

 I also love anytime I can semi coordinate my family's clothing, and while my husband doesn't always cooperate, my son is still too small to argue. Yet another reason to take full advantage this year. 

Hope you all had a phenomenal Fourth, and a huge shout out to all of my friends and family who have sacrificed to any extent to uphold freedom both here and overseas. 

No Serious Faces Allowed Here

In the midst of the busyness it is so easy to overlook the absolute beauty hiding in every day. And I have far too often been guilty of taking notice of only the big things without realizing that the little things are the big things. The smell of concrete after the rain passes, the laughter of my son splashing in the bath tub, the calm of a freshly cleaned house. We are pre-programmed to get caught up in the stress of bills and responsibilities mistaking those as driving factors in life when in reality the exuberant chaos, and the quiet of reflection are where truly authentic life exists. 

Give yourself a chance to step away from "life" and really live. Dance in your living room when you should be vacuuming, let your kids eat ice cream for dinner dribbling messes all over their white t-shirts, and laugh without fear of the future. Remember always: life isn't so serious, nor was it ever intended to be.