HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOUSE!

I absolutely can not believe that I closed on my house THREE YEARS ago this week. Time really does fly. 

I'd been house hunting for about three years before that, so finally finding a house and closing after all that time felt pretty crazy. I wanted to get most of the interior painting and cleaning done before I moved in, so I didn't actually end up living here until Bastille Day (I'm a Francophile, what can I say) of 2012. 

We've done a lot of work and it's changed so much, but there's still a lot more to be done! I don't live here alone anymore either... that's a nice change :) I gather my house likes B too, because he's accomplished more around this place in his few months of residency than I did in years!

I got a cake to celebrate. Buying a house is a big milestone that is worth celebrating to me!

In honor of my house's birthday, here are a few more photos of the interior! We'll be updating the kitchen soon (thank God) and I can't wait to do make even more improvements around here. We've done a LOT on the sunporch/office/craft room area, but none of it is particularly photo-ready, so I'll spare y'all's eyes for now.

My dark grey almost black bathroom. I think it works well with the original yellow tile.

View into our bedroom. I love my ceilings.

Ravenclaw felt banner that B and I made hanging from the door knob. I need to do a DIY tutorial on that.

JUST KEEP WALKING

In case you haven't noticed, life can be hard, y'all. I'm always thankful to get some encouragement and a reminder that we are not alone in this journey. So I was super happy to get some really wonderful motivation at church the other day. 

The topic of the talk was "just keep walking." The speaker opened with a story about overhearing a snide comment made about a woman who was on the heavier side and was out walking for exercise. "Just keep walking, lady," the smug commenter said. The thing is though, she may have had a long way to go, but she kept on walking.

Walking is a theme that we see many times in the Bible. The Israelites walked in the wilderness for years to get to the Promised Land. It had to have been so incredibly hard and they lost faith so many times, but they had to just keep walking. 

Alternative Wedding Bouquets

As I've mentioned before, I'm pretty new to Instagram and I love it. Besides being fun because of all the pretty pictures, it's a great way to meet new people and find new things. I've long been obsessed with paper flowers and I'm planning on using them for my wedding. Through Instagram, I've found several paper florists (is that what they're called? is that a thing?) that I was previously unaware of. I also found another cool alternative to fresh flowers that even though I probably won't do, I'm super in awe of them. And well, I make alternative bouquets too, so I'll talk about myself a little (haha).

Like I said, I've been loving on paper flowers for awhile now, but I just recently found a few really good makers of them on IG. Probably my favorite is Margie Keates from The Lovely Ave. I've been Instagram stalking her for the last few weeks and she does some great work. I'd love to have some of her flowers at my wedding (if I haven't been too creepy of a stalker and she'll talk to me, that is).

From The Lovely Ave @thelovelyave on Instagram.

From @thelovelyave on Instagram.

Super pretty, huh? And check out her beautiful new website!

The other super talented maker of alternative bouquets that I've been in awe of lately, is Meghan LaCroix. She makes the most gorgeous, fresh-looking bouquets that I would never believe are actually dried and preserved.

From @MeghanLaCroix on Instagram

Roundup for the Week: Bridal Market, Prom, and Self Esteem

Hello! I've been a little more absent from the blog lately, so I've been amassing a bunch of things that I want to share with you! 

I had no idea that this week would be Bridal Market, but it's been blowing up my Instagram and Facebook today!

RIVINI Fall 2015. Photo from Bridals by Lori on Facebook. I love the shape and embelishments, but maybe a little too sheer in places for my tastes.

RIVINI Fall 2015. Photo from Bridals by Lori on Facebook. I'm loving all the sleeves and in general, the lack of strapless! So glad that trend is at least temporarily over.

Checking in!

I haven't been posting as much lately because I've been busy with my Marketing Certificate coursework.  It's loads of fun and super interesting and I can't wait to put what I've learned into action and share it with you all.

We've also been having little adventures around town, like we do, including Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival.  We even saw the Village People! (They're a good time.)

DIY: Easy Framed Art

So for someone who's as dubious of DIY art as me, this is my second tutorial for it in as many weeks.  Today, I've got the easiest DIY art tutorial ever for you! 

You only need two things! An interesting frame and a wallpaper swatch piece that you like and/or goes with your decor. Easy, huh?

I found a mid-century frame that I love at a garage sale for super cheap.  I'd been trying to find something that fit in the frame and looked good in the empty spot on my wall.  I'd tried lots and lots of pictures in prints in that frame, but nothing seemed right.

You can see my framed wallpaper art hanging out over my wingback chair.  That spot on the wall really needed something.

I'd also gotten a sample of the beautiful Ode to the Unhasty wallpaper from Grow House Grow about a year ago.  I want to put it on a wall in my kitchen, but so far I haven't been able to afford it. Whomp.  Still though, I wanted to at least be able to show off the piece of wallpaper that I had. So, I popped it into that empty frame and I loved it!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to you!

I went to a lovely church service with my family.  Now I'm home, working on school work with a roast in the crock pot (yum) and waiting for B to get home from work.

I hope you have a joyful day today! There are always difficult things and situations that leave us with a heavy heart, but I am so thankful for the joy of salvation and the ability to be victors over death.

Happy Easter!

-Robin

Good Things Happen to Those Who Hustle

I have BIG NEWS!  So, as I alluded to a couple of weeks ago, I've had something big in the works for a new educational opportunity.  Well, as of yesterday, I'm working on a graduate certificate in Marketing through Cornell's School of Business!  I'm ridiculously excited.  I've been searching for the right educational fit for me for awhile and I can't wait to learn more about the how and why of marketing, not just tips and tricks.

ANYWAY, because of this awesome opportunity, I won't have quite as much time to blog for the next few months because I'll be HUSTLING.  I'm planning on still posting at least once a week, so keep an eye out!

Cross stitch pattern PDF from SatsumaStreet on Etsy (I love her work)

All the best!

-Robin