A MOOD BOARD

I can't believe I am less than two months away from my one year anniversary - time flies! It my intention to share my special day much earlier, but life happens and here we are. So over the next couple months I will be sharing bits of our day, and the journey we took along the way. Below is my initial inspiration board that I created when I first began thinking about the day. Things did change a bit along the way, which I will share, but the overall feel stayed the same. Relaxed, fun, organic, colorful, handmade and simplistic. Just the way I had hoped. 

CHANGE THE WORLD IN YOU

(watercolor background by tikkido)

You would think that not blogging for two years would leave me with about a million things to say, but instead it's more of where to start? So much has happened in that time that I want to share, but I guess it all just has a time and place. As for now, a simple list of things I'm thankful for this week:

• Friends that believe in me and in my talents
• Supportive family
• A wonderful, loving husband
• My health
• A creative mind (which never leaves me bored!)
• Color
• A warm, cozy home
• Laughter

Like the quote says, you may not be able to change the world, but you can make changes in yourself. My goal is to never stop being thankful for how blessed I am, and focus on all the things that are going right instead of all the things that aren't. 

BUTCHER AND THE BOAR

Looking back at photos, I came across these little gems, and boy does it make my mouth water just looking at it (odd, considering there's no food in the photos). Matt and I went to the Butcher and the Boar a while back, and it was delicious! We had stuffed jalapenos (filled with peanut butter!), ribs, brussels sprouts, french fries (spicy!) and sausage (can't remember what kind).

Definitely a must-eat if you're in the Minneapolis area!

DIY WASHI FLAG TOPPERS

(photo by Char Beck Photography)

Speaking of being MIA for awhile, I got married almost a year ago! I can't believe that time has gone so quickly, and my vision of sharing the day here has gotten quite delayed. Better late than never, right?

First off I wanted to share an easy little DIY that I did to add some pizzaz to my cupcake centerpieces. You guys, this was seriously the easiest thing. So how did I do it? 

What you Need:

• 8" bamboo skewers
• Washi tape in desired colors/widths (the 1/2" - 3/4" widths looked the best I thought)
• Gold glitter - I used Martha Stewart
• Elmer's glue

Instructions:

• Lay a piece of washi tape (sticky-side up) on the table
• Lay skewer in the center of the tape (leave a little bit of skewer above the tape)
• Fold the Washi tape in half so it sticks to itself
• Trim the ends of the tape so it's in the flag shape
• Dip the tip in Elmer's glue
• Dip in the glitter
• Let dry (I found it worked well to buy a piece of styrofoam to stick them into while drying)

JUST DO IT

Wow, has it really been over 2 years since I have written anything here? It's crazy how fast time goes, and how putting off things to the next day, and the next day, will snowball you into a world of procrastination. It's like I have so much I want to share with the world, and yet, it seems the world is already so full of millions of people trying to do the exact same thing. What's the difference? What do I have to contribute that's so important?

Well it really doesn't matter. If nothing else, this can me a place for me. A place to document my inspirations, catalogue my everyday happenings and maybe make a few people smile. It doesn't have to be a big occurrence or be read my many people to be important. I'm going to try and stop letting little excuses stop me from doing things that I enjoy and find happiness in.

So here's a start. I'm not going to make any promises to post once a day or do this or do that. I'm just going to let it go on its own and see where it takes me. Because, let's be honest. aren't the unexpected journeys oftentimes the best ones?

>> do not worry

I thought this quote was fitting for these past few days. As some of you know, my boyfriend Matt's mom has been in the hospital this past week in critical care. Currently her heart, liver, and kidneys are struggling to work as they should, which has made her very tired and weak. As of now, no one can really say what the next few days will look like, and what will be the outcome. It's always hard in situations like these, because there are so many what ifs, how comes, and why nows. Why do there have to be these situations? Why do such amazing people have to face such difficult circumstances? There's never really an answer to questions like these, and really the only thing to do is pray. God has a master plan, and reasons for situations that are far beyond anything we could ever comprehend. So we wait. Pray. Love. Hope. Smile. Because at the end of the day, today is just another gift, and worry can only take us away from cherishing every moment that we have. 

>> project files : chalkboard

Ever since I saw this picture, I have been inspired to create something similar in my own home. While out thrifting with my friend Sondra, I found the large frame (shown in the first photo) for a mere $7! One look and I knew it was the perfect start to my project. Add a trip to the hardware store for a couple pieces of wood (one for inside the frame, and one for below), and some paint, and a trip to Target for some hooks and I was all set. Here's the steps:

1. Spray paint the frame ( I used a high gloss white)
2. Cut the board for below the frame down to size so it's the same width as the frame. Spray paint.
3. Measure the inside of the frame, and cut the board that will be used as the chalkboard down to size. 
4. Paint the board with the chalkboard paint. I probably did about 4 thick coats with a roller using Rust-Oleum chalkboard paint. 
5. Mount the chalkboard inside the frame.
6. Attach hooks to board, evenly spaced. 
7. Mount to the wall!

I was really pleased with the final product, and am so excited to see what else I can use my chalkboard paint for ... I will keep you posted when I decide!

>> love is in the air

>> card . pins . bag detail . arrow . cookie . fabric wrap .

>> four happy photos

These four images are sitting next to my desk at work, and make me smile every time I look at them. Isn't it amazing how a simple arrangement of pictures can bring so much happiness?

{arrows / geometric / awesome / floral}

>> a perfect day

Spent the day with my best bud Gina, and we hit up the town with some of my favorite activities:

1. Breakfast at Patrick's bakery. It's located in a garden/plant store, and feels like you're outside even though you're not (which was probably good since it was - 2 degrees today). Chocolate croissants were the BEST! I had to go back for more! I'm pretty sure all we talked about the whole time we were eating was how good the croissants were. Seriously, go get one. 
2. Thrift shopping at the Cottage House. I had heard tons about it and never been. It's only open 5 days a month, and this was the perfect time to check it out. So many awesome pieces, but only took home a little gold shelf (probably the smallest thing in the store!). 
3. Shopping at Southdale.
4. Lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. BBQ Chicken pizza was delicious. 

Perfect day with one of my favorite people. What more could I ask for?