Home : The DIY Patio

It's almost midnight and hubby's been asleep next to me for roughly 2 hours - I'm a late night internet junkie.  I love the quiet, the glow of the computer screen against the dark of the night, the silence between subtle mouse clicks and key pecking, and the never-ending inspiration that lies only hyperlinks away from my fingertips.  I sound like someone with a serious problem, right?  {In my defense, I did down a massive cup of coffee around 8:00 pm. We had company and they were drinking it...what's a host to do?}

One of my favorite things about our tiny apartment is the adorable {and incredibly stark} patio space. It counts for about 1/3 of our living space and somehow, 5 months later, we haven't done a thing to it. *sigh*  I've been on the hunt for quaint and budget-friendly patio furniture for quite some time now, but have yet to find anything.  Not without trying though...I bartered with a Target manager for 25 minutes today, hoping she would let me walk out of the store with a super cute bistro set for $125 that had been on sale forever and hadn't budged....it's seriously overpriced.  I lost. {But I'm not so sad anymore.}

During this evening's midnight internet binge, I found some super cute sites of DIY patio inspiration and I couldn't be more excited to get my hunt on!  Forget the store bought sets...I'm going DIY all the way, and I'll be happy to share the end result asap.  Until then, I have some shopping, brainstorming, creating and sewing to do!  Take a look at my inspiration....

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Do you have a cute outdoor space??  I'd love to see!  Hope you're having a lovely week.

Home : Chic Flooring

So you have wood or cement beneath that carpet, but it's less than perfect and it costs a small fortune to restore it....what do you do?  Paint!!  I love what these homeowners have done with their flooring.  Take a look...

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It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint and a little imagination can do!  Would you be daring enough to paint your floors??

Monday Musings & Weekend Recap

After running errands and spending some time with my mom this afternoon, I was happy to come home to a package with my name on it.  (Don't you love mail? Well, fun mail?  Usually it's just bills and credit card companies after my business, but every once in a while I get fun mail. :)  It was my much anticipated order of tree branch buttons!  Aren't they fun??

I started crocheting these gorgeous cowls last winter for friends as Christmas gifts and totally meant to make myself one, but I was crocheting till March for other people before I even had an opportunity to think of myself.  Needless to say, I wasn't ready to face a needle and yarn till September.  A few weeks ago I finally decided to break out the yarn and make myself one, but it didn't come easily.  I was half way done with MY very own beautiful cowl, when my Blakely (yr old Yorkie) got a hold of it and chewed a nice large hole through the middle of it, washing it down with half of my needle (no worries, he didn't actually swallow it...just chewed it to pieces).  Nothing motivates me more than frustration - I headed straight to JoAnn's the next day, bought a new needle and several spools of yarn and made my little fingers busy.  I was finally able to make the project complete once my buttons arrived today.  A little larger than I anticipated (see below), but I think I like the oversized buttons made from a maple tree branch.  Now I need the weather to accompany it.

{Button on right was the size I was anticipating.}

{Finished Product!}

Here's the pattern if you wish to make yourself one.  I won't lie - it's time consuming.  Oruaka Cowl

Changing the subject - we had a fabulous weekend!  Made a big gfree brunch on Friday, did some painting, had a double date night Saturday with my parents at one of our favorite restaurants on the beach followed by gfree brownies and card games, and enjoyed a beach baptism and picnic with friends and family from our church.  It couldn't have been better!  Here are a few photos from my phone...

{Painting & watching chick-flicks}

{Date Night!}

{G-Free Brunch}

{Candid pic of me and my nephew Sawyer...most precious kid ever!}

Decorating With Wooden Pallets

I was out and about running errands yesterday afternoon and while crossing the bridge, I saw a large truck carrying a major load of wooden pallets.  For a solid minute, I debated flagging the man down and asking if he'd like to share his pallets - ha!  Don't worry, I didn't do it....but I was certainly tempted.  I've seen so many cool diy projects consisting of minimal hardware, paint and pallets - so simple!  From bed frames to headboards, coffee tables to book shelves, I'll share a few of my favorites.  Have you done anything with pallets?  If so, I'd love to see/hear about it.  Also, don't forget to enter our giveaway - contest ends Thursday at midnight.  Enjoy!