Making It In The Mitten

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

On The Nightstand: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer?
As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet? ---GoodReads

It's been quite a while since I really got into a good book. As my first book in a while, I am so glad I enjoyed this book so much! It was AMAZING! At this point, I feel that I am one of the only people that haven't read this book, but I still don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it. I just loved how this book had me on my toes from the very beginning. While disturbing at times, it really kept you guessing the whole way through. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, something else would change my mind. Ah, I can't wait to read more of Gillian Flynn's books now!

What are some good books you've read lately?

Monday, March 9, 2015

St. Patrick's Day Vignette: Gold, Green, and White

I can't believe St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner! Wasn't it just Valentine's Day? I swear, this year has just flown by so far!

This year, I tried to keep things simple for my St. Patrick's Day Vignette. I loved the gold from Valentine's Day, so I decided to to change out the pink for some green.

My favorite part of this vignette is the shamrock burlap table runner! Its the same pattern that I used for my Shamrock Burlap Bunting that I shared last week. I reused the gold candlesticks from my Valentine's Day Vignette, and topped them off with some of my famous St. Patty's Fabric Balls. I also spray painted one of our redneck wine glasses gold. LOVE IT!

I traced out a shamrock onto glittered scrapbook paper to put in the frame. Easy 5 minute project!

Lastly, I decorated my large white frame with some sparkly green and gold paper garland. I have always loved paper garland, but hardly ever think to make it. It's such an inexpensive way to decorate for any occasion!

Well, there you have it, my St. Patrick's Day Vignette! Isn't that shamrock burlap just perfect though?

Have you decorated for St, Patty's Day yet?

Happy Monday!

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Motivational Monday: March 8th

Happy Sunday!

Adam and I had a little mini vacation this weekend to Traverse City, and my gosh was it ever beautiful! Of course being gone all weekend has led to a rather busy Sunday trying to get things ready for the week, doing laundry, and cleaning up messes we left behind on Friday. But even so, after springing ahead last night, it feels amazing to have an hour more of daylight in the evening!

Your lovely hosts have had a busy week of wonderful projects. Here's what we've been up to:

Fabric Rose Tutorial from the DIY Mommy.

Shamrock Burlap Bunting from Making It In The Mitten.

Non-Toxic Disinfecting Wipes from Dwelling in Happiness.

DIY Spring Decor from Burlap and Babies.

No Weave Yarn Art from the Logbook.

Gold Monogrammed Tray from Curly Crafty Mom.

St. Patrick’s Day Centerpiece from the Southern Couture.

Weekly Meal Planning Printables from Sew Much Crafting.

Now, let's see what you've been up to the past week!

MEET YOUR HOSTS

Make sure to visit these other 7 wonderful ladies and show them some love!
When you link up with us, your posts are seen all 8 blogs to get you even more exposure!

Burlap and Babies

The DIY Mommy

Dwelling in Happiness

Curly Crafty Mom

Sew Much Crafting

Making It In The Mitten

The Dempster Logbook

Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter

The Southern Couture

Ready to share what motivates you? Link up a recent post of yours, something that motivates you to create or just be awesome! Our goal is for this link up to focus on craft, DIY, & home posts so please try to remember that when linking up.

Limit it to three links per week and remember to link directly to your post, not your blog.
Do not link stores, giveaways, or other link parties.
Be sure to hop around some of the other posts that have been linked up to share the love and get motivated by what others have been up to…because of course, this is Motivational Monday after all.

Each week, your hosts will choose a few posts to feature from the previous week. If you want a chance at being featured, you must follow all of the hosts. By linking up, you agree to let each host share your photo and link back to your site. Link party goes live Sunday at 6pm PST and ends Thursday at 5pm PST.

Feel free to grab a Motivational Monday button in the sidebar to put on your own blog if you want to help spread the love!

Each host is now featuring one post, so be sure to check out all 8 posts to see if you've been featured! Here is my feature from last week's link up:

Maggie from Polka Dots in the Country shared her DIY Polka Dot Easter Eggs with us last week, and they are adorable! This is such a smart way to use up any leftover vinyl from pasts projects, and those colors are perfect for Easter! I love simple projects that don't take too much time or, so this is right up my alley.

Don't forget to grab our button if you've been featured, and hop around to all the other blogs to see if you've been featured there!

PARTY TIME

It's time for you to link up your recent craft, DIY, or home decor posts. Make sure to check out other's projects as well for some motivation!

An InLinkz Link-up

Friday, March 6, 2015

My Michigan Bucket List

I am a Michigan girl, born and raised! Since I have lived here my entire life, there are many beautiful places in the mitten that I have traveled, but there are still so many more that I want to see! This is a list of Michigan cities that I have either never been to, or I traveled to when I was younger but didn't appreciate it as much as I would now.

1. Traverse City: Wine, wine, wine. Need I say more? In all seriousness though, I would LOVE to tour all the wineries up the peninsula, and I know there are plenty of breweries that Adam would enjoy. Great scenery, a beautiful downtown, and right on the beach also put Traverse City on the top of my of my list.

2. Grand Rapids: Another city that always seems to have so much going on, not to mention it has been named Beer City USA. Our first three stops would be Perrin, New Holland, and Founders.

3. Torch Lake: This lake is said to be the most beautiful lake in Michigan. Judging from the pictures I have seen, it has most definitely earned it's reputation. I would have absolutely no problem spending a week one summer on Torch Lake!

4. Ann Arbor: I have heard wonderful things of downtown Ann Arbor, and while I wouldn't necessarily need to vacation here, I think it would be fun to spend a day walking U of M's campus and shopping/eating downtown.

5. Pentwater: Another summer weekend destination to the beach please! It's true, we really do have the best beaches.

The best part about My Michigan Bucket List is how close each of these cities are. There is no need to use a week's vacation and pay for a flight to travel to these places because all of these places can be visited on the weekend.

What are some places in your home state that you would like to visit?

Anyone planning a trip to Michigan?

Have a GREAT weekend!

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Shamrock Burlap Bunting

March means packing away all the pink and decorating with all things green.
While searching for gold polka-dotted burlap, I came across this shiny shamrock burlap at Joann's on sale this weekend and knew it would be the perfect addition to my St. Patrick's Day decor.

This project took me about 15 minutes to cut the triangles, glue them to twine, and hang it on my shelf. The result is better than I had imagined!

I've also been working on creating my St. Patrick's Day Vignette.

Can't wait to show you what I've come up with!

Does anyone else decorate for St. Patrick's Day?

Happy HUMP Day!
Tomorrow is my Friday, thank goodness! So excited for my three day weekend!

Monday, March 2, 2015

Half Bathroom: Before

Good Monday Morning, and Happy March!

After two weeks of being "present", without actually being present around here, I am finally on Spring Break for the week. I am hoping to catch up on things around the blog and create some awesome content in case things get crazy, because let's face it... they will!
Confession: I had over 1,000 unread posts in my bloglovin' feed last night and hit that "mark all as read" button real quick.

Anyways, today I am sharing with you all the BEFORE pictures of our little half bathroom off the kitchen and laundry room. And trust me, when I say little, I mean little.

When we first moved into our home (over two and a half years ago now) I didn't think this bathroom was too bad. While I wasn't in love with the wallpaper by any means, I figured it had a bathroom theme and was cute enough for our little half bathroom that is basically hidden anyways. This winter, Adam was determined to get that wallpaper down., which ended up being much easier than either of us had anticipated.

Let me just say, after giving the room a fresh coat of paint and a little updating, I am pretty embarrassed to look back at these pictures and admit that I didn't think it was that bad.

I can't wait to show you what we've come up with, although there are still quite a few things that need to be done before the room is anywhere near finished.

What big house projects are you working on this winter?

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Motvational Monday- March 1st

Thanks for joining us for another week of Motivational Monday! We have decided to change a few thing up this week, so get excited! First of all, we have decided to each feature one of our own posts from the week, with links to each post for your viewing pleasure. Also, because the party has grown so much, we wanted to give more bloggers an opportunity to get their post featured. Now, EACH HOST will be picking one of their favorite posts from the previous week to feature on their blog. This means there will now be 8 features every week! Just hop around to each of the host's blogs to see all the features. Pretty exciting stuff, right?!

Here's what we've been up to:

Mommy and Me Infinity Scarves from Burlap and Babies.

Beadboard Hook Wall from the DIY Mommy.

DIY Coastal Lamp from Dwelling in Happiness.

Pom Pom Initial Embroidery Hoop from Curly Crafty Mom.

Favorite Baby Books from Sew Much Crafting.

Gift Card Bouquet from Making It In The Mitten.

5 Tips For Caring For Cut Flowers from The Logbook.

DIY Jewelry Cleaner from The Southern Couture.

Burlap and Babies

The DIY Mommy

Dwelling in Happiness

Curly Crafty Mom

Sew Much Crafting

Making It In The Mitten

The Dempster Logbook

Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter

The Southern Couture

Limit it to three links per week and remember to link directly to your post, not your blog.
Do not link stores, giveaways, or other link parties.
Be sure to hop around some of the other posts that have been linked up to share the love and get motivated by what others have been up to…because of course, this is Motivational Monday after all.

Here is my feature from last week's link up:

Amy from Home Remedies shared her DIY Pet Bed with us last week, and I am in love! Such a clever idea to use a chair and turn it into a pet bed. I'm a sucker for anything pet related. Too bad Lucy is way too big for this!

Don't forget to grab our button if you've been featured, and hop around to all the other blogs to see if you've been featured there!

PARTY TIME

It's time for you to link up your recent craft, DIY, or home decor posts. Make sure to check out other's projects as well for some motivation!

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a wonderful week!