Chevron Rug

Yes, my sister is very cute and very goofy :) While she is wonderful, I'm using this picture as a "Before" pic of my white rug. you can only see a corner of it in this photo, and i must say that it looks a lot better in the picture than it did in real life. After 3+ years of dorm life it was stained and icky. So I decided to give it new life, here's how:

What You'll Need:
-old rug/boring rug
-a great paint color to match your decor
-fabric paint medium- found at any craft store
-a stencil of your pattern
-masking tape/blue tape/ frog tape
-cheap foam paint brush
-scissors

Here's What to Do:

1) make sure your rug is clean and vacumed!

2) create a stencil out of cardboard or buy one in a pattern you like. I made a stencil/cardboard pattern and used it to get my tape lines straight because i didn't have a piece of cardboard big enough too fit the width of my rug.

I decided on a chevron stripe because it is fun and very "in" right now. Oh, and in the above pic you see that i skipped the scissors and used my Exato Knife because it was easier for me. See how i am using my stencil? More like a guide line then a stencil i guess.

3) Once your rug is all taped up (or you have a fancy stencil, like these ladies) use your foam brush to carefully sponge and paint your rug. Be careful not to get any paint under your tape (this is especially hard to do with a stencil, tape is a bit easier to get a clean line but it is more time consuming).

Make sure to lay down something underneath your rug to protect your floors if you are doing this inside!

4) Let the paint dry completely. Peel it away and enjoy!

If your painted lines are too "pokey" you can gently take a sander to it. See here.

I love how my "new" rug makes my apartment look and feel a bit more complete :) And i did it for under $6! Whoot whoot!

Crock Pot Creativity

Chuck steak
lemon juice from 1 lemon
4 red potatoes
a handful celery stalks chopped up
handful of baby carrots
a bit pf garlic
half of an onion
1/2 cup of water
salt and pepper
rosemary

Put it all in the crockpot on high for 5ish hours.

devour.

yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

PS: don.t throw in the lemon peels after squeezing the juice out of them. Although it makes for a pretty picture, i left them in there and the potatoes were too sour.

Squishable Robot

I made this stuffed toy robot for my sister's 19th birthday...

 She was VERY excited :)

It was easy enough to do, but it took a loooong time.

Here is the tutorial i used for sizing and inspiration.

My sewing machine certainly made it easier and faster to make the cubes but i hand sewed the cubes after stuffing them to make them more square-that's what took so long. But it turned out great! I'm super happy with the results, plus it was the very first project i made on my very first sewing machine. :)

Latest Etsy Finds

Spring is just around the corner and these things have me inspired for spring!

Find these on my Etsy favorites page!

find it here!

Saw a jar like this in a thrift store a while back, wish i had grabbed it!

Nikki and Riley's wedding is coming up soon! Wish i could afford these...

Perfect for hauling books to school! can't wait to start riding my bike again!

Happy (almost) Spring!

No Fancy Diet for Me

America, the land of the diets.

I, like so many out there, struggle with belly fat. I'm over weight, not terribly so, but enough to know that i could be heathier and, yes, look better too. But just so you know, I'm a big supporter of beauty on the inside and the outside. Beauty starts off on the inside- knowing who you are in God, that He loves you and made you exactly the way you are. Then there's the outside- we were given these bodies to take care of, so be healthy, make good choice and "honor God with your bodies." (Plus it is always nice to want to look better for your spouse, there's nothing wrong with that. And Jeff always tells me he loves the way I look.)

This week I started researching, thanks Google, belly fat, healthy foods and fun but productive ways to exercise. I'll write a more detailed post later on my findings up to this point (as I need to be doing homework for my next class, but instead I'm blogging, haha) and continue to update you on how everything is going.

But just so you know, I started out the week at 165 pounds- my goal weight by summer is 145 pounds- and just by changing a few easy food habits I've already lost 3 pounds!

Here's what I've done-

I've always ate cereal, i could live on the stuff! but, thanks to my supportive husband, i'm not going to buy it and i've cut it out of my diet, replacing it with oatmeal and a small English muffin for breakfast.

In general i've cut down on bread- not eliminated it, and i've been eatting more fruit and salads.

I've been trying to workout at least 3 times a week- good hard cardio on the elliptical and ab workouts that use a variety of motions to work my whole core. i definitely need to be more consistent with my workouts but this is a start.

Remember- (I tell myself) this about being healthy, feeling good, honoring God, and honoring my husband.

Hope you are enjoying this lovely day! Go for a walk, its good for your body and stress level :)

Bestie's Bridal Shower

My best friend is getting married in June! I'm so excited to have her as a sister-in-law and to be able to share in this incredible new stage of life together! Best friends and sisters- who da thunk it? :)

She is such a beautiful. strong, passionate and loving woman of God. I'm so blessed to have her in my life!

It was so fun to spoil her a bit by hosting a bridal shower for her at my home this weekend. It was a small party done up in pink and Paris.
(a big thank you to my little sister, Rachel, for helping me plan and set up and bake a lot of cookies!)

Here are some of the things i made/did- i found most of these ideas via Pintrest:

Chocolate bowls for ice creme

Pom Poms for decoration

Decorated butt shaped cookies with lingerie

Lingerie invites (sorry i didn't get a picture of the
one i made. But this is ver similar only mine had
book page background and real lacing )

We also made her a Jar of Date Ideas
(again, no picture- but this is the type of jar i found to put the
ideas in and give to her. We both have a love for antiques.)













And here are some pictures from the party!

Victory!

I dont know what it is, but despite the crafty bone i inherited from my mother, i could not figure out how in the world to knit or crochet! I kept seeing all these cute scarves and hats and headbands and i didnt want to just buy one- not when i could make one!

But today, today I won! i found a crocheting style that is super easy for beginners (click here if you want to try!) I made this headband ten stitches wide and just kept measuring my head for length, add a cute button, and presto! cuteness success!

I find it hard to stay focused in class (or not fall asleep) sometimes but i found that keeping my hands busy with crocheting kept me more attentive. Most teachers dont mind, though it is nice if you ask them first and make sure you arent distracting those around you.

In other crafting news...

Well, there isn't much new craftiness going on in this lil apartment lately with our hectic class and work schedules but I did make these cute pom poms for Nikki's bridal shower during homework breaks. They are super easy to make and cute for any party or just sprucing up your room- and they are cheap! (Cheap is good in the newly-wed-college-student world!)

Happy crafting!