Peace, Love and Shutterfly!

This season, Shutterfly is having a great Christmas Card promo deal for bloggers! Get in on this, they have GREAT selection! Christmas cards have been really fun since we send them as a family now :) This year, we'll be including the dog in the mix...he can't wait.

I'll be getting them through Shutterfly because they literally have hundreds of choices, and I know they'll be great quality. It's hard to choose because of all the options though! I may even make calendars for family this year!

Here are the three cards I'm down to...I just can't decide!

Peace & Love 

Peace 2010

Peace & Joy (I guess I'm all about the peace, huh?)

Bloggers, if you want to get 50 free Christmas cards, enter here!

Our New Kitchen!

Major update!!

We just moved into our new home in Suwanee 2 weeks ago, and we have been hard at work! There isn't a whole lot to change about this house, it's in great shape. Our biggest urge, though, was to do something about the outdated kitchen. So we did!

Here is a before shot of one side:

And with the cabinets painted:

Also, my husband/my project hero installed new counter tops from IKEA (VERY cost efficient!)
AND I got a farmstyle sink from IKEA for HALF OFF in the As-Is room! Swoon.

Here is the final project! I LOVE it!

I'll post some more from the rest of our house this week...

Life is Crazy

Wow, what a crazy month this has been! We're still in a whirlwind, so I haven't been around in a while...

Our biggest project this month has been buying a house in Suwanee, GA! We're excited to move and everything has been going smoothly until this past week. We've had a minor setback with our loan, but we only had to move the closing date back by a week. Whew. I can't wait to live across the street from one of my closest friends Beth!

Unfortunately, the toughest part of the month was losing my cousin, Tammy. She has had a tough journey suffering from a brain aneurism and then ultimately dying of cancer that they found a month ago. Her funeral this week was really hard, but we know she is where we all want to be :)

Also, I had surgery yesterday! I got my gall bladder removed, and I should feel much better after the soreness is gone. I'm up walking around, but it still hurts.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving week because all will have settled down by then and we get to just visit with family. Sigh :) Talk about a tornado of a month!

Free Project!

If you know me, you know that I'm frugal. So that's why a free project makes me feel really good! If you've followed by blog for a while, you may remember this:

I figured the tulips are pretty summery, so I decided to change them out for another look. The new accent is still just as bright, but it adds a little taste of fall. I already had some spray paint, so all I needed were some branches from outside!

 I'll probably change the apples out at some point for some pine cones or maybe something a little more "fall like". Then at Christmas I can do cranberries! So easy!

My Latest Inspirations...

I. Love. IKEA.

I'm sure many of you do. We went to browse a few weeks ago, and it really got my senses stirring. I love tearing out pages in magazines for home inspiration, so I went through the IKEA catalog and tore out plenty. I'm mainly fascinated with their kitchen designs. Here is a taste of what has lately been running through my head:

I like the brightness of this kitchen. One day, I would love one of those hanging utensil racks (Only $25 at IKEA!) If this kitchen were mine, I would redo the counters with the amazing chopping block wooden counter tops from IKEA. I adore that type of surface.

I also LOVE the look of these shelves instead of cabinets! It really opens up the space.

 

I really just like the back wall again with the shelves. I've always wanted a sink by a window so I can put plant life on the windowsill.

And I just like this look from Pottery Barn

Inspiration abounds!!

Dog Toys Don't Match

So as you may know from a previous post, Daniel and I have a lab/boxer puppy named Duncan. He's 8 months old now, and is still just as precious! We, unfortunately, are going through a phase of getting him new toys where he destroys them in 10 minutes flat. Hard to be mad, when it's just impressive...

I hated how his toys were sprawled all over the house and in the couch cushions, so I came up with a happy medium. I've always loved galvanized metal, so I got him his own bucket from Lowe's! Not only can he grab a toy out of it himself, but it actually looks decent.

So for all you dog lovers out there, it can be an organized, simple and cheap fix!

Cheap Expensive Taste

Sometimes (ok more than that) I feel that things I like are too expensive...all the cool looking things are just out of my price range! Well, not this weekend!

In one of our super cool downtown Athens stores, they sell sheets of wrapping paper for about $2.95. Seems a little ridiculous, but this paper is amazing. I wanted some of the wall space in our dining area to be filled a little more, so I decided to make some art! My friend Staci and I had talked about how neat it would look to frame a pattern that we like, so I did just that.

I got 3 different patterns and Daniel and I got some really great rustic frames at Hobby Lobby at 50% off! I don't know about yours, but our Hobby Lobby has A LOT on sale for half price this week!

Daniel then cut some foam board to back the paper, so it was more solid and wouldn't rip.

Then we just used double sided tape and placed them in the frames! We LOVE them!!

Here's another thing we found for half price...I've always wanted these in my kitchen!

Since I've been doing so much, I've been cut off from home projects for a while :) Enjoy!

Making Old into New

Lately, I've been in major home project mode, so today I acted on it!

Last week, my friend Beth put some project inspiration on her blog here, and I saw something that I loved! It was a moss-covered letter. I love the look of moss, and I already had our initial in a white wood, so I decided to run to Michaels and get some moss to glue on it!

I got a bag of this:

And just hot glue gunned it to the "A", and here's how it turned out! It was a little messy, but it all came together.

My next project for the day was to make some use out of the multiple glass vases that have collected in my house over the years. They were just sitting on top of my kitchen cabinets, so I wanted to recycle them! I went out and bought some glossy white spray paint, made them white, and added some fake green hydrangeas. 

 

I'm trying to reduce some clutter in our house, so I think these really helped! And they brighten up the room! Ahh home projects...

Mail, Mail, Go Away!

I feel like the clutter that's in my house is mostly due to mail that I have not tended to yet. I'm not always Johnny on the Spot, so if I haven't taken care of it yet, I can't throw it out right away....that brings up the question of "where do I put loose mail??"

It usually ends up in a few different places, which can cause some confusion and "old lady brain" from not remembering where I put something.

Well, today I implemented a solution! I got a 2-tiered hanging basket from TJMaxx for only $12! Love it there. I put it on a small wall space in my kitchen, so it's easily accessible, and I know I'll walk by it multiple times a day.

I think it will be a great problem-solver. I love that it has 2 tiers so I can keep a to-do list and my new return address stamp handy for when I need them!

Return Addresses Can Be Your Friend

Sorry it's been WAY too long since I've posted something...We've been busy with the dog, work, our 1 year anniversary cruise (!), etc.

So I've mentioned before that I work at a stationery/gift shop called PlainJane Designs, and I just got an order in for something that is changing the way I send mail!

We have a vendor called PSA Essentials and they specialize in stamps. I decided to jump on their bandwagon and I ordered a return address stamp from our store. I love it!! Here is a picture of the design I got (it's not my address, but it's an example of what mine looks like):

 Let me know if you're interested in ordering one! It makes personal notes and even bills that much more pleasant. Thank you PlainJane!

Rescue

Some of our friends from church, Bryson and Emily, had the amazing experience and blessing of adoption this past January. Their new little girl, Evyn, came from Ethiopia and she has clearly been a light in their life (based on her smile alone, I can see why).

They just put together an incredible video that shares their journey, and it's definitely worth watching. Just being a part of their story has blown me away, and they do such a great job reminding us that adoption is a rescue, just as Christ rescued us.


Evyn's Gotcha Day + Adoption story from emily Vogeltanz on Vimeo.

May Merriment

Sorry it's been so long since I've said anything! I blame it on this new little guy:

Yes, we got a puppy. His name is Duncan and he's a lab-mix. He certainly is a rascal, but he's precious and has quite the personality. We've been pretty preoccupied as of late, but in a good way :)

________

On another note, I want to be sure you all know about some Stella & Dot deals that I'm offering this month! If you order a piece of jewelry at www.stelladot.com/annaarmstrong under the hostess name "May Jewelry", you'll get a flat shipping rate of only $5.95! Believe me, some of the jewelry can be heavy and this pays off!

Also, if you order by May 31st, I'll put you in the running for a free pair of earrings. It will be worth it! If you are interested in hosting a trunk show to get some amazing jewelry credits, e-mail be at annaarmstrong01@gmail.com.

Not only that, but there is some great jewelry on sale right now!

Bloom Flower Necklace $62

Berry Cocktail Ring $19!

If you want to order, but are not sure what you are looking for, e-mail me at annaarmstrong01@gmail.com.

Hair Lop

So I got a major haircut this week! I had been thinking about cutting my hair short some, but sometimes I get a little impulsive :) It feels so different, but I'm liking it!! I've never had my hair this short before...

Before:

After:

It's still taking a little getting used to, but I think it's going to grow on me!

Plain Jane Designs

So tomorrow I'm starting to train in a new job at an invitation & gifts boutique called Plain Jane Designs. I'm really excited about this new chapter of my life!

I have a friend who needs to step out of her position, so I'm going to step in as their new invitation printer. I love the idea of doing something fun and lighthearted at this stage of my life, not to mention I'll be working in a great part of town.

If you need any invitations made, this is the place to do it! Showers, birthdays, weddings, you name it!

They don't really have a website, but take a look at their Facebook page!

Kitchen Island in the Making

Daniel and I LOVE projects, and we've been busy lately with some fun ones! Our project this evening is making a kitchen island.

We currently don't have one, but would really enjoy the extra storage and counter space. We have a good amount of space for one, so I think it will be a great addition.

We went to a thrift store in Athens and found the storage piece below that we will restore:

Daniel is going to take out the back, so it's open, then I'll paint it a shade of tan and antique it.

Next Day:
Daniel finished repairing and solidifying our island, so then I painted it! I just used leftover paint from the walls in our house (efficient, right?). I only did one coat so it looked antiqued and old.

It turned out so well! Better than I thought it would! We're using baskets from Target instead of building a drawer, and we sealed the surface with a table top resin so it's protected from any spills. All in all, we're really happy about it! Very cost efficient.

Goodreads

One of my favorite Web sites is called Goodreads. Basically, you have a profile where you can make a list of all the books you've read, give them reviews, etc. On mine, I've made a separate 2010 Reading List (that I need to get cranking on), and other people can see what I intend to read this year!

It IS a protected site, though, so you can approve certain users to be your "friend" on Goodreads.

I have definitely found it easy to get lost in this site simply because it gave me a chance to reminisce on all of the great classics and comedies that I've read over the years. You find yourself searching for every book you can think of to add to your list. I love it!

Anyone have any books on their list they would recommend?

Home Projects Here and There

So on Friday I got a little curious and rearranged all of our living room furniture for fun. Turns out, we really liked the change! {I love/need a little change in my life often}. After taking in the new arrangement, we were inspired to go further and to check some projects off our list, so that's what we did today!

We started out by taking down a mounted coat rack that was just messy and moved it into the closet, which made that wall look so much better.

We also have a bookshelf in our dining area that is full of games, cookbooks, etc. and it just looks cluttered to the eye. So we went to Hancock fabrics and remedied the issue. Here is a before and after:

Before:

After:

A few months ago, Daniel added some sliding baskets under our coffee table for extra storage (he's very clever and handy), and we just now got around to painting the wooden support for it. Now it looks finished and we love it!

So that has been our Saturday of home projects. We love them!

Fashion Experimentation

I don't really buy new clothes often, but since I've gotten into jewelry lately (personally and professionally), I've been having fun recreating outfits from my own closet!

I'm not a tall person (5'3"...I told you), but I've found a style that helps a bit with that. Here is an example of Katie Holmes in a style that's somewhat similar to what I'm talking about:

This example is a little more casual than what I made from my closet, but the jeans are what I'm most referring to. I have these retro flare jeans that are somewhat high-waisted that I have rediscovered. I wear them with a wide brown belt, a tucked in white tee, a cotton jacket and boots (need a little height). Love it! Most of all, I've loved accessorizing this outfit.

I wore this necklace with the outfit mentioned above, and it made all the difference!! Turquoise jewelry can make anything pop.

With these earrings and this bracelet, it's a transformed outfit! I love mixing and matching...it's so conservative!