Pinterest Achieved...

So the other day Paul and I completed our first Pinterest Project, the Photo Heart! And I think the relevance of having Pinterest is to be able to achieve those things we think would be great for our life, whether it be for our home, for our taste buds, for wearing or just for fun!

a·chieve

verb (used with object)
1. to bring to a successful end; carry through; accomplish: The police crackdown on speeders achieved its purpose.
2. to get or attain by effort; gain; obtain: to achieve victory.
 

I think I will make this a regular thing, to "achieve" a Pinterest on a monthly, bi-weekly, or even weekly basis. Hopefully more often than not, but we will see as we go. One day when I was searching for the Pinterest logo, I stumbled upon this image (below), and I think this was created by someone with a lack of drive and motivation.

Well, I have achieved three Pinterests last week and have several others in the works! First was our Photo Heart for our bedroom wall...

Second was purchasing this super cool shirt  from Forever 21(it was only $23 including tax and shipping - and I probably could have gone to the store for it... but I was impatient and wanted to be absolutely sure I didn't miss out!).

And third was making this fun scarf (and it was even easier and took less time than the blog said)!

I think Pinterest is all about collaboration and inspiration! THere are not to many original things out there anymore, but there is definitely individual personality, desire and achievement, and Pinterest is totally helping me achieve!


We Did It!!! It's Our Photo Heart!

I've been wanting to do something with our HUGE accent wall in our bedroom for some time now, and to buy art or print large canvas photos for this wall would just cost too much money! I was torn because I wanted to be able to feature images that were meaningful to Paul and I, so I either wanted pictures of us, or photographs Paul has taken.

I found this idea on Pinterest, and fell in love, and was determined to make it happen! I calculated costs for frames, printing prints, and nails to hang everything, and it wasn't bad (about $120.00 total). Now our heart is about 5 ft wide at the widest point and about 3.5 to 4 ft tall from the bottom most point to the highest point. To purchase canvas prints to cover that approximate space, we would need at least two and at Paul's cost it would be a minimum of $300 (not including shipping)! So doing this cool and sentimental design, not only did we save probably $200 or more, we now have a very cool piece of art that is all about US!

From conception to completion, it only took us a few hours, not including the time it takes to purchase the frames and time waiting to get the prints in the mail. We bought the frames at IKEA ($1.99 a piece), and got the cool metallic prints through Paul's Photography Vendor Smugmug. We got a deal b/c Paul is a photographer and was able to get them at cost, but we did splurge a little for the metallic prints, so you could easily do it for as much or less than we did! And Paul, being very meticulous about design laid out the design on our computer with exact measurements. It was great for us to be able to visualize how it would look! He just took a picture of the bedroom and digitally put in frames with pictures so we could measure out how many frames would fit, based on the size of the wall and the 5x7 size I chose! With the upfront work that Paul did, it only took a small amount of time to hang! I think I spent more time putting pictures in the frames than he spent hanging them. Paul was definitely leery about putting 28 holes in the wall, but as you can see, it was totally worth it! It is AWESOME!

And you know what I love most about this!?? It can totally be a living piece of art.... as we get new pictures or grow our family, I can swap out old pictures for new ones. I absolutely love that!

Pin It


Loving My Pinterest!

So I've had an invite to Pinterest for some time now, but hadn't taken the leap cause I knew it would be another thing that I would truly become addicted to and I was right. But with the constant stream of COOL stuff that I find EVERYWHERE, I need a resource to hold all these cool things I would love to have, try, and do, so I'm in it and collecting and adding new things daily to my boards!

I imagine my account will be huge not too long from now, and it will be a great resource for any and all ideas I've got for our life! Not only that, but I imagine it could be a very good "hint" resource for Paul when it comes to knowing all things I'm into and loving right now! Couldn't hurt!

I've found several ideas I am ready to implement soon. I think my first project will be this one...

But another very cool one that both Paul and I are loving is this! I image this one will be further down the line as we don't really have a bar area for bar stools YET, but it will happen, and these puppies will be in the picture of our bar/living space.

But this isn't just a resource for home decor ideas, it's about anything and everything you can imagine! Whether it's a frame of mind, a frame to put on the wall, a frame you make, or a place to go so you can put it in a frame... you can pin it!

It's like the new "there's an app for that", but now it's "pin it!"

And to top all of the fun decor stuff we will be implementing hopefully soon, I'm also in absolute DIY mode, and Pinterest has totally been feeding my "to do" list of things I KNOW I can make, and they WILL be so cool you'll want to pin them. I think I may start with the Christmas ornaments... It is that time after all.

Either way check it out!


Fall Inspiration! Herb and Flower Arrangements

The Wall Street Journal is providing some awesome fall inspiration, and this one, of many caught my eye! It sounds delicious and beautiful all at once, to have the fragrant herbs and flowers to create a beautiful home arrangement!

WSJ: Herb & Flower Arrangements - "Mint and basil are flowering, autumn is releasing its early blooms—now is the moment to combine them. New York flower expert Nicolette Owen explains the basic steps."

For details about how to make the pictured arrangement read on!

Mint and Lavender + Pom-Pom Dahlias + Grass

Step One: Start with a slightly asymmetrical base of greens. We used flowering mint. Leave some stems nice and tall so the arrangement will be taller than the pitcher. Step Two: Place your large showy blooms throughout the base of greens. We used pom pom dahlias. Play with the directions of the "face" of the flowers so they are not all looking the same way. Step Three: Finish the arrangement with a bold gesture of grass to balance the shape of the pitcher. Sprinkle little sprigs of flowering lavender throughout to add some extra fragrance.

Click here to view "The Off Duty Fall 50"

I'll definitely post a pic when I get the opporunity to make my own arrangement!


Fall/Winter Weather = Boots + Scarves

The cool down this past week has definitely put me in the mood for Fall! I am so ready for the Fall and Winter weather and along with it my boots and scarves! YEAH! I think this year I will need to get new boots to add to the collection, and maybe even make a new scarf too!

My birthday is around the corner and I've got a little gift from DSW, so this could be a nice birthday treat! Keep in mind price... I mean if they are the ones, they are the ones and I could be flexible, but let's try to be conservative! So the Vintage Style Boot is in...what do we think about these??

Civico 10 Sportster Leather Riding Boot - $99.95

I love the riding boots, they are just so versatile!

SM Women's Aspenn Wedge Boot - $79.95

But these are also fun too!! I can totally see them with some skinny jeans, leggings or even a skirt! They come in black too...

Back to the riding boots, in suede. I like both of these colors, but this is the priciest one of all of them!

Nine West Vintage America Cookin Boot - $64.95

I like these a lot too, they have a little riding style to them but also that vintage rugged look! And they are the least expensive!

Which do you think I should get??


Interesting Read... "What if your house was burning?..." Check It Out

Interesting Read...  "What if your house was burning?..." Check It Out  What if your house was burning?....

Name: Karoline Evans | Age: 29 | Location: Levittown, Pennslyvania | Occupation: Student | List: * My husband * My wedding dress, in which I have married the man of my dreams * The watch my parents gave me for my 18th birthday * My grandma’s watch that my mom gave me before my wedding * Favorite high heels and sunglasses * My handbag with my life in it * Engagement and Wedding Ring * My family pictures * MacBook Pro and my hard drive, with all my memories on it * Our wedding guest book with our wedding vows in it * Passport and Green card * Iphone 4

 


Trying to Decide on a New Do... Tell me what you think!

So next week I've got an appointment at Tigerlily Salon. She's a family friend and client of Paul's, and is kind of like our family hair stylist! But even though I'll probably get to the salon and tell her to work her magic, I always have to do my research for style options!

This is what I'm in the mood for this time around!

Option One: Mandy Moore style with her short hair! I've done something like this before... and did like it, but it took a lot of getting used to! What do you think about this option??

And then there is Option Two: Katie Holmes style...

Her hair always seems to look great short! And she's got a bit of a bang or no bang style that always looks good! I love this cause it's got a funky fun look to it! I naturally have wavy/curly hair, so it's always nice to have a style where I can wear it straight or with a bit of curl!

And finally, Option Three: Rachel McAdams style... she always looks good from red to blonde to brunette and seems to have a different style for each color! I will always look best brunette, and love this option!

I think if I were to do this, I would do a shorter version, cause I don't know that my hair is this long right now... but it just looks to awesome! Of course I've never been able to do bangs... always want them, but for some reason no one thinks I should have bangs! It's so sad!

Anyway, let me know which you think would suit me best! And after my appointment next week I'll post a new pic of me with my New Do!