Home Office Wall Collage

Today, I am excited to share with you the collage I recently put up in my office! Instead of pictures of me and my people, I decided to put up a collage of fun printables, chalkboard art, and so,e of my arts and crafts projects. I think the hubby was a little offended that the wall wouldn't be covered in pictures of him, but he'll get over it. 

I started my collage by laying out my frames on the floor to see the layout I wanted. I didn't realize all my pictures either had a really dark background, or completely white, until I had them sprawled out on the floor. I had to take the colors of each piece into consideration when hanging them as well because I didn't wNt one side to be all dark backgrounds and one side to be all white. Or one side to be all blue and another to be purple. My goodness, who knew wall collages took so much thought? Aren't they just supposed to be frames thrown on the wall in no particular order or fashion? Maybe I just put too much thought into it! 

I'm sure you've all seen this simple way of hanging collages, but I'll share it here anyways. I cut paper to fit each frame and used painters tape to stick each one to the wall, making sure it was level and all equally spaced. Then, I had Adam hammer some nails into the wall right above each piece of paper while I hung the frames. 

I was so excited with how it all turned out! Slowly but surely, I'm getting ready to share with you guys the full home office makeover.

"The Days We'll Never Forget" Personalized Print- I made it myself

"Make Believe" Print

"Follow Your Dreams" Print

Lucy Chevron Print- I made it myself

"Life Isn't About Finding Yourself..." Print- Less Cake More Frosting

Michigan Love Art

Dotted Ampersand

"Olive You" Print- jandpaper Etsy shop

Happy Wednesday-- only 2 more days til I'm on SPRiNG BReaK!

DIY Pillow Sleeves

It seems like I change my pillow covers far too often... probably because I do. Adam has decided it's becoming a problem. I've decided I might have finally figured it out.

Ever since moving into this house, the living room has just puzzled me. I have not been able to decide colors, furniture, wall hangings, or anything. I have changed my mind more times than I can even remember, and to this day I'm not quite sure what on earth I want to do with this room. 

I finally came across these two fabric designs at hobby lobby, and decided to give them a whirl. I may even keep my coral polka dot pillows around with as a fun accent color.

In search of the perfect color combinations for the living room, I have created countless pillow covers over the past year. You would think by now I'd be an expert, but the truth is I am absolutely not. 

Almost a year ago, I shared this tutorial with you all. I have always made my pillow covers this way, but this time around, I decided to try something a bit different. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures, but I will try my best to explain it.

I purchased a yard of each fabric, and was able to make 2 pillows with each for a total of 4 pillows. The best part: the fabric only cost me $10, which means I only spent $2.50 on each one!  (see why it's so easy for me to keep changing my mind!?)

I started by ironing my fabric and cutting it to size.

To determine the height, I measured the pillow and added 1/2 an inch. To determine the width, I measured the width, multiplied by two, and added another 6 inches. 

Example: If I had a pillow that was 18inches x 18inches, I would measure the height as 18.5 inches, and the width as 42 inches (18x2=36+6=42). 

After cutting my fabric, I folded a seam along both of the shorter sides of the pillow. These will eventually be for the back flaps. 

Then, I laid the fabric out, facing right side up, and folded each side over. I pinned the sides in place to create an inside out pillow cover. Once the sides were pinned in place, I stitched the two long sides (top and bottom). 

Once the sewing was done, I flipped the pillow cover right side out and inserted my pillow.

Ta da!

I think they turned out great! They add a pop of color to my living room and really seem to brighten the place up a bit.  With that being said, these babies might be around for a while. 

And see that sunshine beaming in through the windows? Spring just may be closer than we think!

Crochet Love

I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but I learned to crochet over my month long Christmas break. I kept seeing adorable patterns on Pinterest and was determined to learn. I came across a crochet along from Maybe Matilda. While I was a few years late, the material was so easy to understand. If you are interested in learning how to crochet, I highly suggest you check out her blog.

My first project was the beautiful cowl from that crochet along and it is by far one of my favorite winter accessories. 

cowl pattern

My next projects were a headband with a bow and a tweed looking scarf.

bow headband tutorial

hounds tooth scarf pattern

Do you like my scarf model? haha.

Once I mastered the patterns that required me to only crochet straight lines, I decided to move on to something new. I had been admiring some baby hats since before I knew how to crochet, so I decided  to give them a go.

puppy hat

penguin hat

And my most recent project... Coffee Cozy's! You may have seen it in my post last Friday, but if not here it is again.

heart coffee cozy's

I never really thought I'd be any good at crocheting, but I am so glad I got the hang of it. It is so much fun. I am hoping that next year, I can make more hats, headbands, and coffee sleeves to put in my Etsy shop. I am so excited about my new hobby, it is so relaxing and simple enough to do while watching TV. 

Next I think I might try making a big blanket. Go big or go home, right?

Happy Hump Day!

Michigan Love Art

I absolutely love Michigan. I can't really imagine ever leaving this wonderful state, and I'm not sure what I would do without experiencing four seasons every year. 

Speaking of loving Michigan and celebrating all the seasons, we got dumped on again last night. I was finally accepting the fact that winter is nearly over and my chances for more snow days were slim to none, at least until last night when we were accumulating an inch an hour! I felt like a little kid waking up throughout the night and instantly grabbing my phone to check school closings. I won't even mention the fact that I wore my PJ's backwards last night... Guess what? My uncomfortable backwards PJ's paid off, because finally around 6am I got my snow day (good thing I hit the snooze a few times before getting out of bed)!

But back to the craft at hand, I decided to make some glittery state art. Another very simple craft (I've been doing a lot of tese lately, haven't I?) that took just minutes to complete. I used my cricut to cut out the state of Michigan and the heart. Glued it onto some scrapbook paper, and stuck it in an Ikea frame. 

I'm getting pretty fancy aren't I?

Don't worry, I'm working on a few more interesting projects to share in the next few weeks, when the stress of homework, scholarships, and passing my ACLS re-certification are done!

Crocheted Coffee Cozy's

 Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! 

I just woke up to big,  beautiful snow flakes floating in the air. Yes, it is February and yes,  this still excites me! I'm not quite sick of this fluffy white stuff yet, and I'm really not looking forward to the day the snow melts and we have to scoop up all the dog poop from the past 3-4 months. Yuck!

 Anyways, today I am sharing these adorable coffee cozy's I made for my friends for Valentine's Day. I already sent a few out in the mail, but everyone else is getting theirs today and I am so excited! I just love giving little gifts to make other people smile. 

**Update: These are also now available in my Etsy shop for purchase! You may click here to be sent directly to the listing.

The crochet pattern for the heart can found here. A crochet hook size E was used for the hearts.

Both the cozy and the heart use worsted weight yarn. I made up my own pattern for the actual cozy, using a size H crochet hook. Here it is:

Chain 30. Slip stitch into first chain to make a ring. before moving on, I would make sure that this will fit your coffee cup. If you crochet more loosely or more tightly, you may need to adjust this step.

Row 1: Single crochet into each chain all the way around the ring. Slip stitch into first single crochet to complete the row. 

Row 2-7: Chain 3. Double crochet all the way around the ring. Slip stitch into chain 3 to complete the row.

Row 8: Single crochet into each double crochet, all the way around the ring. Slip stitch into first single crochet to complete the row. Fasten off and weave in ends. 

And there you have it! An adorable coffee cozy. 

I can't wait to give these to all my coffee loving friends! I even stuck some of my Valentine's Day Popcorn Mix inside the cups for an extra special treat. 

Do you ever send gifts to your friends on Valentine's Day?

If so, what do you send them. I love finding new crafty, inexpensive gift ideas!

Valentine's Day Popcorn Mix

I almost always make chocolate covered Oreo's or Prolo's to send to friends this time of year. But this year, I decided to be a little more creative.  

I'm usually not one to like a bunch of random stuff mixed with my popcorn, but as a popcorn fanatic I must tell you, this stuff is amazing! It is very easy to make and its a quick treat to package up for friends for Valentine's Day!

INGREDIENTS:

popcorn, pretzels, melted white chocolate, and melted milk chocolate, sprinkles, and m&m's.

I even thought about throwing in some peanuts... yum!

1. First, pop your popcorn and lay it on a baking sheet. Add in pretzels.

2. Then, melt the white chocolate and pour it on top of the popcorn, mix well.

3. Add sprinkles and m&m's

4. Melt the milk chocolate and drizzle it over the mixture.

5. Let cool, then eat the whole cookie sheet. 

(just kidding...maybe...) 

What kinds of valentine's day treats do you make?

Send them my way :)

Heart Garland

If you saw my Photo An Hour post, then you probably already saw that I was making heart garland. I'm kind of becoming obsessed with paper garland, and now that I have a bulletin board to easily string it from, it's getting worse. 

It is so simple to make! I used my cricut to cut out 1inch red hearts and then set the through the sewing machine one by one. I used about 300 hearts and I think it ended up being around 15feet long. 

I think the garland would look great in mixture of colors as well. I might make another one with red, pink, and white. We'll see! 

I feel like such a slacker this year. Valentine's Day is a week away and I have yet to get out all of my decorations! I meant to last weekend, but between a broken furnace, homework, and the Super Bowl I was a bit busy. Oh well, that's what this weekend is for! 

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

Gourmet Grilled Cheese

 I don't know about you, but I love grilled cheese. I am one of those people that still orders grilled cheese when going to say... Apple Bees. It's kind of embarrassing, but I can't help it. They are just so good!

Well, this weekend I decided to jazz it up a bit and make what I know call the "Gourmet Grilled Cheese." It is very simple to make and oh so delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

2 slices of bread, butter, avocado, red onion, and shredded cheddar cheese

You butter your bread just like you would with a regular grilled cheese and then throw in the rest of the ingredients to your liking. I have discovered it works much better if the avocado is soft enough to spread on, otherwise flipping the sandwich becomes rather difficult. Seriously, you should have seen me trying to do it. I didn't even know my arm could twist that way.

Of course, this grilled cheese may not be for everyone. I am in love with onion and avocado, so I love it. But my hubs would never even consider eating it. Avocado and onion are his two least favorite things. Is this just an Adam thing or are all guys like that?

Happy HUMP Day!

Chevron Heart Door Hanger

This project has two of my favorite things: chevron and burlap, so it's no wonder why I love it so much! Especially hanging against our teal door (which yes, badly needs a new paint job). This project was very inexpensive. I think I paid $1.50 for the heart after my 50% off coupon, and 50 cents for the ink paint. The rest of the supplies I had on hand.

in order to make this, you'll need:

wood heart, twine, burlap, paint, hot glue gun, chevron pattern, painter's tape

I first painted a few layers of white onto the heart. When that dried, I used this pattern from Billie Monster to create my chevron design. Then I used the pink paint to fill in, I did this twice to be certain the pink was bright enough. 

When the paint was dry, I peeled off the painter's tape and hot glued the burlap bow and twine to the back for hanging. 

To tie a perfect looking bow, I found this tutorial from the Southern Mess blog.

I couldn't wait to hang this on my door, so I headed out in the freezing cold temperatures in the middle of a snowstorm to hang it and take these pictures. But doesn't it look like it was a warm sunny day?

I am the last person to be complaining about the snow. I actually love that we've had snow on the ground since November, but even I'm starting to dream of warmer temperatures. Especially since our furnace died this weekend and it was a cool, crisp 57 degrees in here this morning. Yikes! 

Happy February!

Did you bust out your valentine's decorations this weekend? I had every intention but just never got around to it! 

A Photo an Hour

I was so excited when Stephanie from The Southern Mess Blog announced that she would be doing a Photo an Hour Link-Up this past Thursday. Well, silly me, I completely forgot about it. Thursday has come and gone, but better late than never, right?

Sometimes I feel like I don't share enough about my life with you guys on here, I just post craft project after craft project. I'm hoping this will give you a little more insight into my home life, whether you want it or not. Either way, I think this is a great way to show you.

I LOVE taking pictures... of anything really. Instagram is my absolute favorite app and form of social media, so this Photo an Hour is right up my alley! Just like the title says, you simply take one photo every hour for an entire day. Not that I think my life is super entertaining or anything, but I loved getting creative and finding fun ways to document the events of my day (or lack of). Let's get started shall we?

{getting some studying done before Adam wakes up, the only benefit to waking up early on a Saturday}

{Adam rolled out of bed and made blueberry muffins for breakfast}

{time for a workout}

{getting ready for the day, although I'm sure it will be spent at home}

{We are getting hit with a bunch of snow. Lucy doesn't mind one bit, and I actually don't either}

{gourmet grilled cheese for lunch}

{trying to stay warm with a broken furnace}

{saturday is almost always craft day, today I made some paper heart garland}

 {we finally got around to hanging the gallery wall for my new home office}

 {headed to home depot to try to fix he furnace and raided the paint samples. why do i feel guilty taking like 10 of one color? They are free, after all!}

 {Margarita time!}

{my family came over to visit. Dad and Adam worked on the furnace while the ladies played a round of Qwirkle}

Well there you have it, my day in hourly pictures! I hope it didn't completely bore you!
I am thinking of making this a monthly thing on the first of every month,  maybe even make it a monthly link-up. I've never done one of those before. Would anyone be interested?

79ffe6
8d8d8d