The urge

It's that time of year again.  The time to want a new haircut!!

 

I feel like this happens every year.  But I have been seeing so many adorable shorter hair cuts and just can't get the idea out of my mind. 

The big hold back for me is our wedding in September, but I think 5 plus months is plenty enough time to grow out any disasters; hey, I have grown out PLENTY of disasters before, what's one more!

 

So here is my most recent obsession

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It would not be that much shorter than my current length, and Brandon already gave it the okay! (after a run in with a stylist from jersey who wanted to give me "more volume" and a bad choice of bangs, I like to run these ideas by him first!)

*definitely have to do a post about my recent adventures in the stylist chair

 

I have been loving to curl my hair recently and think curls would look perfect at this length.  Hey they look great on Keri!

 

Do you get the urge to cut your hair when spring is around the corner?!



High Five for Friday!

HighFive for Friday link-up with the lovely Lauren @ From my Grey Desk today!

 

 

 

{one}

 

 

E-mail conversations with these lovely ladies about our upcoming girl's weekend at Katey's!! Yayy  I so miss the college days where Katey was in the bedroom next to mine and Heather lived on our couch!  (oh that apartment was the best!!)

 

{two}

Brandon and I our finally signed up for our pre-marital classes.  We are having a Catholic ceremony (just ceremony, not the whole mass). 

 

{three}

We have also picked the wedding colors.  Leaning towards a romantic, beachy feel.  I spent a lot of time in the paint aisle at Lowe's staring at all the color combinations! 

We are starting to get down to business and are working on this whole wedding to-do list!!

 

{four}

Brandon will be back from his snowboarding trip with his buddies this afternoon!  I think he has found a new favorite hobby. 

 

{five}

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it's Friday... that deserves a highfive all it's own!

 

I hope everybody has a great day!! Are you linking up with Lauren's H54F this week?

Not everyone can make a tutorial video

No not me, I didn't try to make a tutorial video... but I saw this little gem on the Today Show this morning and had to share.

This is a prime example of why you need to be cautious of who's video tutorial advice you take (and why I have a strict 'no advice from middle schoolers in beauty videos'... it's a good rule!)

What a rough way to start your day!

I am a wimp in the cold

I believe the worst part of cold weather is the fashion choices. 

Now let me explain, there are tons of to-die-for sweaters and boots that I could live in (and I own those boots, they are from target) but when it comes down to actually staying warm in said clothing and being presentable in say, an office setting, it is tough.

Source: c-hernobil.tumblr.com via Summey on Pinterest

Now being cute and comfy while hanging out around the house, or out and about for the day is easy to come by!  I could spend all day putting together outfits to be cute and cozy, but what do you do when you have to transition that into office attire?

 

 

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Laura on Pinterest

I am always worried about things like how big is 'too big' of a scarf to wear all day?   I love the cream one above, but how long can someone sit at a receptionist desk with that beauty on and not look like a crazy person?!

 

Source: reachli.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

What kind of outfits do you transition between the outside bitter winter weather and the inside office space?

Oh Monday

Happy Monday Everyone!!

 

This week for me consists of some photo-editing from my sister and I's little photo shoot this past weekend to get some new images for the boutiques website. 

I do not think I could state enough that I have no future as a model.  I think the only hand placement I know is on my hips and I look severly confused when I try to do the whole "stare longingly into space"

I am still learning photo shop editing, but man I have seen some amzing pictures around this little blog world and hope one day mine can look pretty snazy too!

 

I will also spend this week scouring the internet for some model inspiration that will hopefully give my hips a break from holding up my hands!

 

What are your plans for this week?!

Saw it. Pinned it. Did it._lego board

Happy Thursday and a very Happy Valentine's Day!!

I have been waiting for the Saw it, Pinned it, Did it link up this week to share the birthday present Brandon and I made for my nephew's 2nd birthday this past weekend!

pinterest

This was time number 2 making this project.  We had made it for my older nephew for his birthday back in September and apparently was a hit, and my brother-in-law asked if we would make it when Jack Jack's birthday rolled around.  For Jack we used the dublo lego blocks instead of the smaller lego pieces.

{I have to admit I did an awful job of getting photos while we were making this, but it was pretty simple!}

For the Lego Board project you will need:

1 x 2 plywood cut to 2 pieces at 15" and 2 pieces at 16.5" (this is what the directions called for, I think next time I would make the board just a bit bigger)

1/2" plywood sheet at 15"x15" (again here I would make this a 1/4 inch bigger on each side)

15" x 15" lego board (I got the lego board at toys-r-us and the dublo lego board from amazon)

screws

gorilla glue

sandpaper

spray paint

self-stick floor care pads 

2 drawer handles

I bought a long 1 x 2 board and had Brandon cut it to the measurements needed (the first time I made it the friendly staff at Lowe's cut it for me!  So if you don't have power saws, it won't stop you)

He also cut the 1/2" plywood board to the measurements needed

Then we lined the 1 x 2 plywood boards and screwed them into the side of the plywood sheet (we skewed from the project on this step, but it worked out fine)

After the sides were drilled in tight I sanded the edges and bottom smooth.  Then spray painted the bottom and sides (don't need to worry to much about the top base since the lego board will be covering it.)

Next use the gorilla glue to secure the 15" x 15" lego board to the top base of the board

Now here is the first picture I took...

the dublo lego board glued onto the wooden base

Then attach the handle bars to two opposite sides of the board (both times mine have been uneven... next time, I will use a ruler)

Last, but not least, paste the self-stick flood care pads onto the bottom of the board to keep it from scratching hardwood floors and table tops.

I used some ribbon to attach the bin of dublo legos to the top to complete the gift

The gift was a hit again!

the birthday boy playing with the new toy!

The boys love their lego boards.  They can play with their legos in the living room and pick-up and take their big structures into the playroom. (also great for a quick grab when the dogs start to get that "wonder how those blocks taste" look in their eye) Gabriel even slides his lego board under the couch in his playroom for safe keeping.

This was such a fun project to make (well supervise Brandon making)!  I wish I had taken more pictures... but if you have any questions, just let me know!

What are you linking up with Katie {keep calm and carry on} and Stephanie {beautiful mess} to show?!

The time I looked nothing like the Victoria Secret Model

aka - my epic online shopping fail!

So I am sure some of you have seen the Victoria Secret catalog picture of the girl with the awesome beach cover wrap, kind of looks like a towel with arm hooks?  Well I have had that little beauty pinned to my pinterest board forever and when my sister told me it was on NoMoreRack.com I hopped on over to pick myself up one.  Oh how impatient I was to get this amazing summer staple in the mail (granted it was January...)  Well when it came I ripped that bag open like a kid on Christmas, whipped it out, put it on and then laughed so hard I am surprised I didn't pee myself. 

It was the epitome of an epic fail.  Words can not do it justice, so please follow my photo-montage of me attempting to recreate the V.S. ad...



from: Victoria's Secret



Me rocking the look {i did not rock out the bikini for this little photo-op}

right off the bat the material was a tad bit stretchier than I expected

I looked just as thrilled as the model, right?!

Hot stuff's boobs aren't showing in the ad... this is where we go downhill!

Throwing my hair back as I easily slide this little number over my shoulder... just making sure I am following directions

Yep... something is very wrong!

I will leave you with the final reason why this may end up tucked away in the dark depths of my closet forever

It was a sad day...  I may have to see if I can recreate my own with some less stretchy material (and perhaps a yard less of it!)

Have you ever had a online shopping fail?



A little baby love

Brandon's brother and his new wife are expecting a little on!  They had an adorable gender reveal back in November when we all got to bite into our cupcakes to reveal the pink icing!  {Brandon's first thought was that was leaving all the baby boy genes for us (gotta love how that man thinks!)}

Well last weekend was another celebration for the baby shower.  Justin and Bethany are naming their little one Tenleigh and boy is she one loved little girl!

I wanted to make my gift for Tenleigh special so I got to work on a homemade baby blanket made. 

Now I can't knit to save my life, and my sewing skills leave much to be desired, but I did my best to make little Tenleigh her own sweet blanket.  I have made blankets for friend's little ones before, so I have a simple pattern down.

I went and picked out some fun, girly fabric to go with her pink nursery.



Kind of obsessed with polka dots lately

And I have to give a shout-out to my mother's amazing sewing skills (the women made her own wedding dress... and my prom gown) She did the dreaded hand stitching part for me! {and let me use her machine.. and taught me the little bit that I do know!}

The baby shower was a great time.  There was a pre-lunch activity of letter decorating for the nursery (Love pinterest ideas put to good use)



 

I was pretty proud of my chevron-inspired E.  That is until i saw this P

These letters are about 4 inches tall!!  look at the detail. 
Hopefully this was from a relative so Tenleigh has this talent coursing through her!

I was so excited with how much Bethany and Justin loved the baby blanket.  All the ladies gushed over the homemade sweetness! 



Maybe one day my "talent" for sewing will be more evolved than straight stripes!



Now I have the fabric for a little boy blanket sitting by the machine ready to be made for my adorable friend Denise and her little mister #2!!  {I have to admit the patterns that can be found for little boys at the local fabric store had me gushing!!}

One of those Days

Having one of those days where I am chanting this mantra to myself....

 

 

Some days you just need a personal cheering squad!!

Winterizing

We have some super cute dresses over at Simply Style Boutique, but I have been a little too impatient for warmer weather to get the new outfits out!  I had a baby shower to attend this weekend so I grabbed one of the dresses and added a few fun layers so I didn't freeze.

 

Polka Dot Sleeveless Dress

The pale skin is blinding... summer can not get here soon enough!!

The arm party is a must, obviously!

What other wardrobe pieces do you like to transition between the seasons?