fill in the blank Friday!

play here! 

1.   My current obsession is     greek yogurt .

2.    Fall weather      makes me happy.

3.  My greatest strength is   my passion to create, along with the need to make people happy   .

4.    My impulsiveness, along with the need to make people happy,   is my greatest weakness.

5.  My life is    HECTIC right now. I feel like I never have a moment to breathe and relax .

6.  In high school I was     friends with everyone, including the outcasts and the popular kids  .

7.  When I'm super tired    I get giddy  .

DIY fall decor

well would ya look at that. I promised to keep you updated on something I was planning on accomplishing over the weekend and I'm ACTUALLY posting about it! 

anyway. typically, I skip fall and only decorate for the holidays, but this year, I was really hoping to add those warm fall tones to my decor. what I didn't want to do though, was spend a fortune on accessories that I would only be displaying a few weeks out of the year. so, I went to Michael's in search of cheap solutions. 

I ended up picking out a few floral arrangements, a few plastic pumpkins, some fall colored scrapbook paper, a few fillers (pine cones, little mini pumpkins, wine corks), metal word art, a basket that says "harvest", and some candles. my total at Michael's was around $100, but that also included some other miscellaneous objects that were not used for fall decor. I'd say that I spent about $60-$70 on supplies for the fall stuff, which isn't bad considering that I would probably spend 3 times that much if I chose to decorate for fall by shopping at Pottery Barn. 

here's what I did in the living room... 

one of our end tables.
handmade art by me (tutorial to come later), CREEPY word art from Michael's. 

the tray on our coffee table - the pumpkin & candle are new.
please excuse the mess. 

I like to treat the top of my entertainment center as a mantle, and so I set up two vignettes on each end... 

the only new items are the basket and the pine cones - I already owned the books, woven fillers, and the pear reed diffuser.  

the pine cones didn't come up high enough initially, so I packed some paper into the bottom of the basket to allow them to peek out of the top. 

the vase and the candle holder were things I already owned... just added the white pumpkin and flowers. I think that yellow vase could be my single favorite decor accessory... it makes it's way through every season! 

for the middle shelf, I recreated this DIY artwork that I spotted on Pinterest using fall colored scrapbook paper and cut out letters spelling FALL from brown scrapbook paper. I simply glued everything together and placed them in simple black frames. easy peasy. 

I decided to switch out some of the accessories in the bookcase this weekend too. 

luckily, we already had those orange office storage boxes from Ikea, so it wasn't too hard to make the bookcase look ready for fall. 

my excitement over this mustache scrapbook paper was embarrassing. 

glass vase filled with mini pumpkins, wine corks, and natural fillers (already owned). 

so that's it for our fall decor so far. I plan on switching out some of the art in the gallery wall for more autumn appropriate images and patterns (like this and this and this), so I'll make sure to shoot some pictures of that when it's completed. I still want to make a leafy garland out of scrapbook paper too (kinda like this, but strung together instead of hanging from a branch). 

other than adding the accessories, I keep fall scents burning in my Scentsy warmers until Christmas time comes. right now, we're enjoying the smell of Gingersnap! baked goods always remind me of fall. 

have you started to add some fall decor to your home yet? 

ALSO...I'm already working on convincing Sean to let me get real pumpkins this year for our porch! he's not buying it just yet, but maybe with the prospect of home baked pumpkin goodies, he'll change his mind! ;) 

Friday loves! [on a Sunday]

YHL's anniversary week! I love their Q&A video and the roundup of stats from this year. I've been a follower for a few years now, so it's really cool to see how they've evolved. 

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totally not internet related, but Sean bought me surprise tickets to the Caps home opener game against Carolina. CANNOT WAIT for hockey season to begin! 

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the new baby girl, Shirley, over here. 

GAH, she's so cute! I just want to squeeze her! 

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this Mustache Mania print. so fun. would look great in any room. 

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this roundup of painted pumpkins. 

if time allows, I might take on a project like this in a few weeks. 

I think it'd be fun to have one displayed in the house with a big ol' painted Q on it. 

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dipped monogram bottles. 

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the I'm a Giant dollhouse decorating challenge. 

participants include Emily Henderson of Secrets from a Stylist and Jenny from Little Green Notebook. 

I can't wait to see how they all create perfect little mini rooms. 

Lonny did this dollhouse last year, and I wanted to be shrunk 

"Honey, I Shrunk The Kids" style and live in there forever. 

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Happy Friday Sunday!

what I've been pinning lately...

since not everyone is on Pinterest (although, really... what are you waiting for? you should be there), I decided to share what I've been pinning lately here on the ol' blog. I've been feeling particularly inspired lately... probably has something to do with the change in weather, which further feeds my need to reinvent. 

I'll be decorating for fall this weekend, so be on the lookout for that next week! I'm hoping to gather some supplies for a few cheap DIY home decor projects (and will document the process, if my pending homework allows) at Michael's... so fingers crossed those ideas work out. 

anyhoodle. here's a look at what's caught my eye recently... 

gorgeous black & grey nature sleeve
[originally from here]

printable gift tags
[originally from here]
and on a similar note, I'm totally DIYing Christmas gifts this year.
details to come in a later post. 

these boots are fucking hot (and reasonably priced)
[originally from here] 

I heart this drawing and I think it would look rad in my bedroom
[originally from here]

I truly believe I would be a happier person with this bag
[originally from here]

the Gibson tuck... haven't tried it yet, but it looks SO easy and fancy
[originally from here]

I'd never want to live in a studio apt, but if I had to, I'd want it to look like this
[originally from here]

Emerald Gorge, in Oregon
[originally from here]

what have you been pinning lately? 

anyone else taking the homemade route for gifts this year?

Happy Wednesday!

oh, baby Rhys!

I am SO in love. 

I can't wait to snuggle you again on Friday. 

I am so thankful that I get to be a part of your life. 

you are absolutely perfect. 

aye to zeeeeeeee.

I've seen this floating around everywhere (most recently over at Vanessa's, Danielle's and Amy's blogs), so I figured I'd go ahead and participate. I'm fairly certain that I've done it before, but I don't think there are any laws against posting the same blog meme twice... right?


A. Age: twenty-five. 
B. Bed size: king. it feels weird to sleep in a bed smaller than ours.  
C. Chore that you hate: I have to pick only one? dishes. I HATE doing the dishes. this will change once we own a house built after dishwashers were invented. 
D. Dogs: non-existent. 
E. Essential start to your day: my long morning pee. feels so good. 
F. Favorite color: green, grey, and mustardy yellow. 
G. Gold or Silver: either or. 
H. Height: five foot eight-ish. 
I. Instruments you play: I don't. 
J. Job title: Project Estimator. fancy.  
K. Kids: sadly, none yet. but working on it. :)
L. Live: in Maryland. 
M. Mother’s name: Mary. 
N. Nicknames: Sean lovingly calls me stank ass sometimes. 
O. Overnight hospital stays: just once when I had an abscess of fluid in my tonsils.  
P. Pet peeves: hypocrisy. 
Q. Quote from a movie: "do we have time for a movie montage?"
R. Right or left handed: right handed. 
S. Siblings: four brothers: two full blooded, two halves.  
U. Underwear:  um. yes I wear them. 
V. Vegetable you hate: green peppers. ick. 
W. What makes you run late: anything and everything. I'm lazy and I like to wait until the last possible second to get ready for an event. 
X. X-Rays you’ve had: teeth, wrists, face, ankles... pretty much everything but my head. 
Y. Yummy food that you make: I can make a mean mac & cheese. 
Z. Zoo animal: motherfucking hippos. 

fill in the blank Friday!

fill in your own blanks here! 

1.   You should always take time to     learn. there's no such thing as too much knowledge. 

2.    Perfect weather      make(s) the world a happier place to be.

3.  I can hardly wait for   the moment when I have a child of my own   .

4.    Saturday   is my favorite day of the week.

5.  Something totally dumb and ridiculous that I love is    the Target "denim" jingle commercial . seriously, I laugh out loud EVERY time. 

6.  If I could, I would   leave work right now and head down to meet little baby Rhys .

7.  I rather like    this crisp fall weather we're experiencing today  .

Friday loves

Missoni for Target. duh. 

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book stamps! 

this one is immediately being added to my Christmas wish list. 

(and yes, I already have one started).

I lend my books out a lot, so I figured this cute stamp would help me keep track of my shit. also, my friend Jen has one and she LOVES it. yes please!

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this post by Veronika about how to pack, move, and stage your home. 

lots of great tips, especially for those of us who tend to stress out about packing and moving.

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West Elm & 20x200 collaborating.

fabulous pieces, fabulous artists. weeeeee!

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the discovery of this blog. 
this girl has lost 135lbs and has SUCH a great outlook on life.
her journey is so inspiring and I've found myself reading through her archives all week long.

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this DIY art project.

I'm thinking I will definitely be attempting something like this for our future office.

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John & Sherry's updated office light. 

it's amazing what a little spray pant and a big ol' drum shade can do to transform an outdated fixture.

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Design*Sponge at Home. 

yes please, for the love of Richard Gere, and thank you very much. 

ALSO going on my Christmas list rightfuckingnow.

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Lisa Sherry's home in the newest Lonny. 

if you haven't seen it, check it out. you will not be disappointed.

Lisa is one of my favorite designers and it is very clear that she didn't spare an ounce of talent when it came to designing her own home.

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Jenna Marbles' new video on creating unique pickup and hookup lines. 
effing hysterical.
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I would also like to give my best friend a heartfelt congratulations on the birth of her new baby boy, Rhys Anthony! he is just as beautiful as the rest of the family, and I cannot wait to snuggle him! 

Happy Friday, ya'll! 

Missoni for Target

it's here, it's here! 

the extremely pumped up Missoni for Target collection has finally hit stores as of yesterday.

I haven't had the chance to hit the store yet, but I'm loving what they've got online. 

here's a quick run down of what I've got on my wishlist that I'd love to check out in person 

(most of which are sold out online)... 

FOR ME: 

ZigZag Print Swimsuit

Floral Silk Scarf - Yellow

Pleated Maxi Skirt

Two-Tone Tights in Rose

FOR THE BEDROOM:

Aqua Pentagonal Pouf

Jar Candle

FOR THE BATHROOM:

Small Ceramic Vase

Famiglia Wavy Bath Rug

Famiglia Wavy Hand Towel

FOR THE LIVING ROOM:

Framed Tile - Passione

Throw - Passione

AH! so many awesome things! 

apparently the demand for the Missoni collection was 

so high that the Target website crashed, and the stores looked like Black Friday. 

I've talked to friends who say that all our local stores are completely 

SOLD OUT. 

how insane is that?

so have you been coveting the much awaited Missoni line as well, or is it not your cup of tea? (you people are crazy)

Happy Wednesday!

disclaimer: the opinions expressed in this blog post are purely my own. I was not perked or reimbursed for raving about the new collection at Target. I did not receive free merchandise or store credit or anything of the sort. although, that would be awesome sauce. 

eye candy

[all images via Decor Pad]