DIY Necklace Holder

I have a confession to make.  I might have a slight addiction to "high fashion" jewelry. ;)  In other words, I'm in love with big, chunky, bright, colorful necklaces.  They're generally not that expensive, so that's not the problem.  Unless you have over fifty of them. :)  The problem I've encountered with my jewelry collection is storage.  I have a nice jewelry armoire that does a great job storing all of my bracelets, earrings, rings, and more slender necklaces.  Meanwhile, my larger necklaces have slowly taken over two whole shelves in our linen closet. 

 

I've been meaning to do something about it for a while now, but finally got around to it today.  Yay! :)

 

These are the supplies I started with:

 

 

The wood plaque and gold paint came from Michaels, the stickers and gold knobs came from Walmart, and I already had the spray paint. (Valspar La Fonda Mirage from Lowes)

I found these really cute knobs from Anthropologie, but they were $8 a piece and I needed 6.  $48?  No thank you!  So, I decided to try a similar DIY version.

 

 

I took the brass knobs from Walmart and put one of the circle stickers in the middle.  Then, I taped off the end and got to spray painting! :)  Here's how they turned out!

 

 

They're not perfect, but I like them!  And it only cost me $15 to make all 6 knobs!  If you want to save even more money, you can make all 6 for $8 if you buy unfinished wood knobs, but I opted for the quickest method. :)

 

I then spray painted the wood plaque white, but it was looking a little plain to me, so I freehanded a stencil and used a gold sharpie to add a little pattern.  Once again, it's definitely not perfect, but that's where being an impatient perfectionist causes problems. ;)

 

 

I actually drilled the holes myself and then screwed on the knobs. :)  It was finally ready for necklaces!  I took 13 of my favorite necklaces that took up the most space and added them to my new jewelry holder/artwork. ;)

 

And here's the final product!

 

 

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, especially since the cost of the whole project was less than $25! :)  Now I just have to figure out what to do with the rest of my necklaces. ;)

 

Hope everyone had a great Saturday!

 

Colorful Family Photos

 

Maybe it's a case of the winter doldrums.  Maybe it's because it was 65 degrees here today.  Or maybe it's because stores started putting their spring collections out before Christmas was even over.  Whatever it is, I'm ready to break out some bright, fun colors in my house and closet! :)  May and June are going to be crazy months around this house as Cole celebrates his first birthday and Blake turns three!  We'll also be doing family pictures and pictures of the boys around that time.  Needless to say, this mama already has her planning hat on. ;) 

 

For this year's family photo shoot, I am going to attempt to break out of my obsessive compulsive habits and put together fun looks that aren't so matchy-matchy.  I have a hard time with this.  And home decor that is not symmetrical.  It's a weakness of mine. ;)  So, if you're like me and want to branch out and get crazy this year, here are a few ideas for bringing some color into your next family photos.

 

1.  Outfits

Clothing is the easiest way to add a little bit of color (or a lot, in this case.)  These are the looks I put together for our session, and they are definitely out of my normal comfort zone.  There's black in each outfit, which helps tie them together, and then I made sure that at least one color in each outfit coordinated with a color in someone else's.  The hubby's outfit is rather simple, but it's about all I can get him in during the warmer months. :)  Comfort is always a major consideration for my three men, and of course, for me since I'll be dealing with them. ;)
 





 

 

2.  Location

I love photos I see that have colorful walls as the backdrop.  It's such an interesting way to add gorgeous color to your session.  And it's completely free. ;)

 

via

 

3.  Props

I love the idea of using oversize balloons, or even a bunch of regular balloons, to add an extra pop of color.  And maybe it will even entertain the kiddos! :)

 

via

 

Well, there you have it!  Just a few ideas for how to add some color to your family photos!  What do you guys think?  Over the top or totally fun? :)

 

 

A Few of My Favorite Things

Last night we got the kids dressed up in cute costumes.  I packed baggies with candy in case we had visitors.  We walked outside into the cool, autumn night, piled into the family vehicle,and went to church.  The kids had a blast and we had the privelege of hearing Brother Randy Wright preach again.  What a blessing!  We ended the night with sweet fellowship at Chick-Fil-A.  Can you say cookie sundae? ;)  Now for some kiddie cuteness!  So, Blake dressed as a tall, dark, handsome man!  Appropriate, right? :)

And here's Clark Kent! 

 

 

And Cole was a sweet little puppy dog!  Also quite appropriate for his personality. :)

 

While I had my chevron fabric out, I snapped a few pictures of two of my recent purchases that I'm excited about!  Here is our family Christmas card for this year (front and back).  I love the way they turned out! :)

 I've been looking for a mint/seafoam statement necklace for a while now, so I was super excited when I found one as I was shopping for Blake's nerd glasses.  Not my typical store, but I found it at Rue 21.  And for $9!  That's what I'm talking about! :)

 

And this lovely yellow fabric that works great as a backdrop?  It's about to become curtains! ;)  Can you guess which room it will be going in? :)

J. Crew Bubble Necklace

Don't you just love this outfit?  And that necklace?!?!  I've been drooling over it for a while now! :)

http://www.jseverydayfashion.com/2012/06/todays-everyday-fashion-blank-slate.html

If you want the real thing, check out this one from J. Crew.  I just couldn't break down and spend $150 for it, although I'm sure it's great quality. :)

http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/jewelry/necklaces/PRDOVR~92687/92687.jsp

I'm happy to share that I found an abundance of look-a-likes on Etsy.com that start at $17!  Hallelujah! :)  Because I already have around 10 turquoise necklaces, I decided to order a yellow one.  This one is actually $29, but the seller has thousands of reviews and they are all positive.  That's something I always like to look at when shopping on Etsy. :)  And she's a quick shipper too!  Mine is already on its way, so I'll be sure to share pics when it arrives! :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/StudioLaTouche?section_id=5013532

What do you guys think?  Drool worthy or not? ;)

 

Bag Lady

I've seen some great organization tips on Pinterest that really get my OCD blood pumping!  There are so many inexpensive ways to organize every aspect of your house, and that is just so exciting to me! :)  Oh, the things that bring joy to a neat freak! ;)  I just recently saw a tip for using a shower curtain rod and rings for purse storage, and this is something I did almost three years ago when we moved into our new home and I found myself with an empty closet.  Here's the picture from Pinterest:

and here's my version :)

My next project is to find a good system for my jewelry.  I have a jewelry armoire that I use for my rings, earrings, bracelets, and more delicate necklaces.  My problem is the multitude of fashion jewelry that has now taken over four shelves in our linen closet. :)  It is organized by color, but it's just taking up too much space right now!  Have any of you found a good system for storing big, chunky jewelry? :)

Savvy Shopping

I can admit it-I have a weakness for adorable clothing that has extended to my boys as well. ;)  However, with Blake growing like a weed, it's hard to justify spending a ton of money on his clothing.  Thankfully, I've learned of a few great places to find excellent deals on name-brand clothing.  Some of my favorites are T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, Belk, and thrift/consignment stores.  Here are just a few of the amazing deals I've found recently.

Janie and Jack, $54

Once Upon a Child, $4.99

 

Ralph Lauren, $27.50

T.J. Maxx, $12.99

Ralph Lauren, $39.50

Belk, $7.99

Ralph Lauren, $27.50

Marshalls, $12.99

Ralph Lauren, $42.00

Goodwill, $1.99

Do you guys have any favorite places to find great deals?

It's Easy as 1-2-3!

I know quite a few people who are terrified when it comes to decorating.  They view decorating a home as an extremely difficult, painful, and almost impossible task.  And while some people will never be as comfortable with decorating as others, I have good news!  If you can pick out an outfit, you can decorate a room! :)  And some of you are probably thinking, "Well, that's a problem...because I can't pick out an outfit either!"  Yes you can!  Don't be so hard on yourself! :)  It's easy peasy! ;)

Step One:  Think about the colors of your favorite outfit...I know we all have at least one!  For instance, one of my favorite spring outfits is navy, white, coral, and beige.

Step Two:  Identify patterns from your outfit to use as inspiration.  For example, stripes, polka dots, toile, damask, paisley, chevron, floral, etc.

Step Three:  Translate your favorite outfit into ideas for decorating a room. 

And here's a great example of how to turn a favorite outfit into inspiration for creating a gorgeous room!

Outfit: http://www.polyvore.com/navy_coral/set?id=44752297,

Bedroom: http://galleryeight.blogspot.com/2011/02/colour-by-room-navy-blue-coral-too.html

Now go raid your closets and get inspired! :)

To Buy or Not to Buy

I don't know about you, but my favorite stores started bringing out their spring collections right after Christmas, or so it seemed. ;)  I've been itching to get my hands on some cute spring outfits but wasn't sure what size I'd be. :)   I'm still wearing my "normal" clothes at the moment, but I know I'll be needing a few maternity items soon, so I decided to check out Motherhood Maternity.  They didn't have a great sale selection in the store, but they did online...and they were buy one get one free!  So, I ordered four cute tops and anxiously awaited their arrival. :)  They came in yesterday, and I was so excited to try them on!  And guess what?  None of them fit!  They were all way too long, and I don't usually have that problem since I'm 5'7".  Not only that, but even though they were all the same size, two were way too big.  Maybe it's just me, but actual maternity clothes are not very flattering.  They always look so cute in the pictures, though!  I swear it's because they have size 0 models with fake bellies.  They are not real pregnant women! ;)  Anyway, Blake and I went out to return my disappointing purchases and I decided to run in Old Navy since we were right there. :)  And, lo and behold, in the regular misses section I found a ton of pieces that were adorable and flattering!  Hallelujah! :)

And here's Blake having fun in the dressing room :)

I also found a few nice things for Josh while we there.  They have a great selection of adorable clothing for little girls too, but not so much for the poor little boys.  Shocker! ;)  And for any of you who are also expecting, Old Navy at Lynnhaven has a maternity section.  I haven't checked it out yet, but I will definitely be doing so in the near future! :)

Spring Family Portraits

Choosing outfits for family portraits can be difficult sometimes.  You know, because you want to match without looking like you're trying too hard to match and coordinate without looking exactly alike.  And if you're like me and overthink everything, then it gets really fun! ;)  I found this great inspiration board that might just be the color scheme I use for our upcoming family photos. :)

Source: http://www.faberphotography.com/

If you're having a hard time choosing outfits for family photos, http://whattowearguides.com/ is an amazing resource with inspiration boards for every month and holidays! :)

Spring Fashion

Tomorrow is the first day of spring! :)  There are so many great styles out for this spring, but, as always, there are considerably less choices for the mama-to-be.  And by considerably less I mean next to nothing. ;)  However, I have found some cute items recently, so I thought I'd share some of my recent purchases and a few extras as well!  HAPPY SPRING!

1.)  $19.99, http://www.motherhood.com/Product.asp?Product_Id=912989002&MasterCategory_Id=9996

2.)  $34.99, http://www.target.com/p/Liz-Lange-for-Target-Maternity-Sleeveless-Maxi-Dress-Black-Camel-Cream/-/A-13933261#?lnk=sc_qi_detailimage

3.)  $49.99, http://www.apeainthepod.com/Product.asp?product_Id=116949007&MasterCategory_Id=9996

4.)  $39.95, http://www.dsw.com/shoe/kelly+.and.+katie+tupelo+patent+sandal?prodId=dsw12prod3760148

5.)  $79.95, http://www.amazon.com/JJ-Cole-Collections-Theory-Diaper/dp/B002VJYEAK

6.)  $11, http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/x6.aspx?deptid=70737&catid=83560&grptyp=PRD&itemid=1e0506f

You Paid How Much?

Isn't this a lovely black diaper bag?  It's nice and large and looks more like a purse. :)

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/search.jsp?No=0&Ntt=diaper+bag&_requestid=89899&N=0&va=t

It's also $1395!  No, that's not a typo!  It's really almost fourteen hundred dollars!  Yikes!  Guess I'm going to have to pass on that one! ;) 

On a positive note, look at this little black beauty that I found today!  Do I need another diaper bag?  Not really.  Could I pass up a $99 bag for $19.99?  Nope. :)  Gotta love T.J. Maxx!

Spring Must Haves

One of my favorite places to shop, The Limited, has launched a new clothing line, 'eloquii', to give "full-figured women the fashionable clothes they long for."  And they definitely succeeded!  Here's a collage of eloquii's must have items for spring.  I'm officially in love with all of them! :)

Check out the full line here:  http://www.eloquii.com/.

Spring is in the Air!

It was absolutely beautiful outside today, so I decided that we needed to get out of the house!  So, we took a little stroll down to our community playground, only to find that it was overrun by mosquitoes. :(  Instead we walked around the neighborhood for a while and then went to Chick-fil-A to enjoy some nuggets and sweet tea and play in the playset. :)  Well, my ornery little man wasn't content to stay in the toddler area and decided to climb all the way to the top of the playset before Mommy could stop him.  So, guess who had to climb up and get him?  That's right, you guessed it!  Since I was already up there, we played for a minute and then went down the slide together. :)  I'm just glad no one else was in there, thank goodness! ;)  Anyway, this weather has me ready for spring!  Have you noticed all the spring collections coming out in the stores?  Here are two great spring looks from one of my favorite stores, the Limited.  View these outfits and more here:  http://www.thelimited.com/category/whats-new/top-looks.

Are you guys as ready for spring as I am? :)

Mommy Bling

My necklace came in today, and I love it! :)  This picture was taken with my phone, so it's not the best, but it is gorgeous in person!

Here are some great places to find custom hand-stamped jewelry:

http://www.thevintagepearl.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/OakHillDesigns?ref=seller_info

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Something-Charming-Custom-Hand-Stamped-Jewelry/270405276311441

http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/Necklaces-C32.aspx

A Stylish Diaper Bag?

No, it's not an oxymoron, and yes, they really do exist!  If you're like me and prefer diaper bags that are both practical and stylish, I'll save you the trouble of going through what I went through to find one.  Yes, I actually googled "diaper bags that look like purses" and went from there. ;)  Here are three chic diaper bags that look more like purses, and I've even selected prices that range from high to low to prove that you really can find a cute diaper bag at almost any price point these days. :)

HIGH

Timi and Leslie Annette Diaper Bag in Pewter, $150

http://www.buybuybaby.com/Product.asp?SKU=129237

MEDIUM

Super Star Diaper Bag in Gray and Yellow, $90

http://www.laylagrayce.com/Products/Super-Star-Diaper-Bag-Gray-Yellow__BTDB05GY.aspx

LOW

Carter's Metallic Hobo Diaper Bag, $40

http://www.diapers.com/p/carters-metalic-hobo-diaper-bag-bronze-240964?site=CI&utm_source=cse&utm_medium=cpc_D&utm_term=WB-051&utm_campaign=google&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=WB-051



How to Choose Family Portrait Outfits

I'm so excited about Cole's newborn pictures that I've already been working on outfits! :)  I'm hoping to get a few shots of all four of us, some of our two boys, and of course, some of just Cole.  We're most likely doing the pictures in Cole's nursery, so our outfits need to coordinate with the room.  I'll be doing our outfits in navy, aqua, and green.  I'm looking for a little tie or bow tie so we can get a picture of Cole like this:

And I thought a "little man" outfit like this would be perfect for Blake!  We already have the hat ;)

http://www.childrensplace.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/bundle_10001_10001_-1_836832_24651%7C72471_baby%20boy%7Coutfits_babyboy

I found this website that shares three different methods for choosing family portrait outfits:

Check out the full article, including pictures, here:

http://www.alittlegreat.com/2011/06/little-clothingchoosing-clothes-for.html

I tend to stick to method one or three, or a combination of both. :)  For our first look for Blake's 1st birthday pictures, I used method three, where I chose two or three colors.

For our second look, I used method one, and planned around Blake's madras shorts. :)

Call me weird, but I actually enjoy this, and am looking forward to finding the rest of the pieces for our next session with Immeasurable Moments Photography! :)