I really love you. Really. You are the one catalog I cannot bear to cancel because whenever I see you in the mail, my mind does an adorable little heel kick out of excitement. I settle onto the couch and get ready for a case of the wants. Some hardcore wants.

Like when I saw these adorable jewelry frames adorning your pages. Really what more could a girl desire? Well, maybe to use that $50 a pop on something more productive. Like shoes.

So I did what all my fabulously crafty friends would do: I decided to make my own!

I headed over to Big Lots and purchased some incredibly cheap 8 x 10 wooden frames. The next stop was Walmart for some metallic spray paint. Then rummaged through my storage closet for a little picture hanging kit I’d purchased from Target a while back. Armed with a TV remote programmed to Bridget Jones (because chick flicks are also part of the supply list of any DIY project), I got busy.

Supplies are ready!

Assembling the earring holders

And getting the necklace hooks in place before a thorough coating of spray paint

A finished project and a nice, useful display for in our closet

A close-up of some dangly earrings

It’s always a sign of a project well done when your husband tells you how nice it looks! So in between late work nights and busy weekends, even I was able to squeeze in a little time for me. Now I just need to find time to give myself a much needed manicure and pedicure. Yikes!

The always necessary picture proof of a blogger meetup

A few of you asked what in the world I was painting in my daily photo. Well since you asked…

The new paintings to go over our bed

(For anyone who has already read this and commented on the picture in Flickr.. THANK YOU! Gosh you guys are so sweet you have no idea.)

I had to replace the previous painting that hung above our bed because it looked as my husband so lovingly described it like poop smears. That’s what I get for painting while drinking and watching Sixteen candles.

This time I painted completely sober while watching Sex and the City. What is it? No clue.. maybe a branch with the buds of new leaves? I just wanted something big and simple that would not resemble poop smears and would not compete with the numerous patterns going on in our room.

And viola… the picture of… something that does not resemble poop smears.

SUCCESS!

(and I totally made our bed just to take this picture. le sigh)

And one last poop smears just for Kerri.

A little on my painting history. I took several classes in high school (with Alyssa!) and took another class in college. I haven’t really painted since, and even in those classes I wasn’t all that great. It’s just something I like to do every once and a while. So I just kind of paint whenever I actually have time and whenever I can clean the paints up in time before I have my cat tracking blue paw prints throughout the house. And just to show that the limited skill I do have just runs in the family, one of the many many paintings my grandma has passed our way over time:

And yep, that would be me in that painting.

What are your plans this weekend? My dad is coming to visit on Sunday evening. Also depending on how much work I end up with, we even may try to take the dogs to the beach. We’ll see. But I hope you have a great one!

I bought my pumpkin for Alyssa’s Crafty Challenge. Sometime before Oct 23rd (that’s next Thursday) post a project involving a pumpkin. So you better believe me and this pumpkin have a date this weekend.

Saturday night, the hubs and I had a very exciting evening ahead of us. We got Chipotle, rented Devil Wears Prada in blu ray (along with 300 for Cale, but of course that was not what we watched together), and I sat down with some black paint to decorate my white pumpkin. Somewhat inspired by my latest Better Homes and Gardens magazine I decided to just freehand some black swirls on my pumpkin. Super easy, not overwhelming, and done before I was even finished with my glass of wine.

So go and participate in Alyssa’s challenge! It’s fun and is a good way to finally do those projects you’ve been putting off.

Hope you all are having a good day. I will now go back into my coma. Last night I went to sleep with a bad migraine only to wake up and still have one! Not fair!

Cale: “You spent HOW MUCH on old keys?!”

Cale: “Well now that’s cute”

Steph faints, then jumps back up, and dances around screaming

“I WON! I WON! I’m right and you’re wrong. Neener Neener PSHHH”

In other news.

I bought my pumpkin for Alyssa’s Crafty Challenge. Sometime before Oct 23rd (that’s next Thursday) post a project involving a pumpkin. So you better believe me and this pumpkin have a date this weekend.

Also this weekend I am going to spend far too many hours in front of the computer redoing this blog’s theme, so if you notice crazy stuff that’s why.

EDIT: Cale would like to stress that he said that in the manliest voice ever.

Wrong. The one main present I got the supplies to make? Still sitting in my nightstand ready for me to put together. So instead, she got the secondary gift and other cute little goodies that I gladly picked out. Because if I don’t have a baby to accessorize, you better believe I’m going to use little Maddie as an opportunity to visit Janie and Jack for some shopping.

Part one of the adorable Janie and Jack goodies.. but I forgot to take a picture of the rest

A baby shower present from Auntie Steph isn’t complete without an etiquette book

I made this little bonnet for Maddie. The night before. Because I’m that much of a procrastinator. Hopefully it fits her head. Maisie wasn’t too keen on being my head model, so I had to use the shopping bag.

All wrapped up and ready to be opened!

Then I got to Morgan’s shower and ate one of these lovely cupcakes. They were so yummy! Good job Mimi and Grammy!

As you saw here, we met up at Starbucks and chatted to round out the evening.

I still find it highly ironic that now I look forward to visiting Fresno. That is something I never expected as I was suffering through my early years of college. Sure I had friends, but looking back fondly on my Fresno days? Never… Except, I actually do. I had such a great time meeting Morgan and others that I would never take back a minute of my time at Fresno State. It brought me such amazing friends. Moral of the story? I’m so glad I got to go to Morgan’s shower, and I’m so happy for her and her hubby’s baby that is rolling around in her tummy right now. That baby who I totally got to feel kicking this time! Yay!

Two lovely ladies: Mrs Sarah Marie P and Miss Sensibly Sassy Sarah inspired quite a wonderful family get together for my family a few weekends ago where we got crafty. Sarah and Sarah both made wreaths that they were going to post about on October First, and they invited others to join in. I was elated. I love crafting. Two Valentine’s Days back my family got together and made Valentine’s wreaths; it was so much fun to see how different everyone’s turned out and of course to hear all the great ideas that were shared. Once I heard about making autumn wreaths I immediately called my mom and told her about it. So before we knew it I was in town, and my mom and I were in Michael’s buying out all things fall: leaves, berries, wreaths, feathers, and of course, metallic spray paint (you should know I’m a big fan of that).

What better way to welcome October than by sharing my creation.

The crafting station. A must have for any crafting adventure. Ours was outside, and in an attempt to avoid the hot Bakersfield sun, we waited a wee bit too long and ended up crafting in the dark. That results in some interesting wreaths.

The finished projects ready to be taken home. Look at all the fall goodness!

My sister Cait had a hot glue gun injury. Be careful! And no she is not just pouting because she couldn’t have that Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

Oh yummy metallic spray-painted acorns.

And feathers!

And the finished project! I would like to thank Talia for that beautiful bow. Mine looked like a kindergartner who was just learning how to ties their shoes made it.

You can also go check out Talia’s lovely wreath as well.

Happy October everyone.

We had some fun fall craft time

And the kids got a little crafty as well. And messy.

But don’t worry the men found ways to occupy their time

How was your weekend? Are you enjoying your first day of fall, but really are you ready for fall?

Note: Pardon any dust. This was a rushed photoshoot before we head out of town. Hence, no time to dust. Bleh.

This was a recent project. I saw something similar during a wii tournament at one of our relative’s house. And I knew I had to copy them (though I did give fair warning: “Oh my gosh that is so cute. I’m going to copy you.”) The jars were purchased on sale at Pottery Barn with a gift card, and the balls and tees were stolen from my husband’s golf stash.

My husband got these for me for Christmas this last year. (You know, after I sent him the link along with a nice little threat that I would hold his present hostage unless those were in my stocking). Theyarejusttoocuteomg.

Ohhh these chairs. My amazing cousins, with help from my uncle, made these two chairs for me as a wedding present! I could not love them any more.

These were inspired by the Country Rose Tea Room in Bakersfield that has several of these around their shop. So I started my own while I was procrastinating during college. Now they adorn the top of our fridge.

Once Christmas was over, I didn’t have anything to adorn our front door. So I grabbed this little canvas that had decorated my college dorm room and strung it up on a hook. I love how different it is.

I painted this fan a while back, and I still just love it. (It’s a good thing we’re ignoring the dust.. remember. Morgan I can feel your death-rays all the way from Fresno).

We decided at the last minute to have this at our wedding for our guests to sign after I saw how adorable Morgan’s looked over their fireplace.

This was one of the first things I specifically did for our new house together after we got married. The pattern matches the pillows we chose together. I went on Pottery Barn’s website and printed out the pattern from there.

We received this adorable little guy from our Grandma Betty. She found it in white, so she painted him black to match Brodie! I just love it.

Our new ottoman. I randomly decided that is was absolutely necessary that we have a place to put our feet up. So we went to probably a total of ten stores one Saturday looking for the perfect ottoman that would not break our budget. We left empty handed. I later found this one on sale on Target.com. I love it. And the tray on top used to be a light wood, but I spray painted it black. Then I got a placemat from Target, used craft glue to fold the too-long ends in, so that now it fits inside the tray perfectly.

What about you? Even if you don’t make it in time for the Talk to Me Tuesday, share! Let us all see the things you love most about that place you call home.