Belated Love Day

I realize that I'm about 2 weeks too late on this post. I also realize that many people view Valentine's Day as a pathetic excuse for Hallmark and Chocolate makers to take advantage of us...and maybe it is. But I love what this little faux holiday can represent:

Love for each other. Love for our Creator. Love for life.

Plus...I love any excuse to give and receive gifts :)

Here is what our "Love Day" consisted of:

...and much more :)

Even though it's no longer Valentine's Day, it's always good to share some love.
So, be sure to tell someone you love them today!

What are your thoughts on this "Holiday"?


P.S. Thank you so much for the great Giveaway, Cecia!

The gift card will be used to purchase some much-needed items for our home, like...

{hehe, "much needed"}

I'll be sure to post pictures of whatever I end up buying. Thanks again! :)

Rug City

Thanks for your help on the rug selections for our kitchen! Here are some great ones I found online:

{jcpenney}

{kohls}

{kohls}

{jcpenney}

{kohls}

{jcpenney}

Who knew that Kohl's and Penney's had such great rugs? I'm still going to stop by Home Goods/Marshall's to check out their selection {hopefully right after I pick up my sneaky little Chevron pillow from Target! Post regarding that one to come}. If nothing there calls out to me, I'll most likely order the JC Penney rug from the last picture; I absolute LOVE it! What is the name of that pattern, anyway?? It's one of my favorites but I don't even know what it's called! Help me, savvy designers!

Etsy Love

Ode to Ruffled Pillows...

{aliceslookingglass}

{hettle}

{hettle}

{missmosh}

{makegood}

{hettle}

{hungryhippie}

Underfoot

I am on the hunt for a new rug. Our kitchen is not a very large space, but after seeing this beautiful image, I feel that we could easily do something similar:

{Caitlin Wilson Design}

I'm looking for something inexpensive {$20-$40 range), as it will frequently be walked on {and spilled on}. We like the rug pictured above and are interested in a 2x4' or 3x5' size, simple lines, geometric shapes, and the colors black, grey, and white.

Any suggestions?


Thanks for those of you who commented on my design dilemma this morning. As you can see, I decided to go with a 3-column template implemented by myself {found here} with a white background and a header I created. I really appreciate your input!

Makeover?

In August, I considered ordering a custom-made blog design. However, I gave up on the idea because:

I had no idea what style I wanted


I was averaging 2 posts a month


I only had a handful of followers

So, I decided to hold off on spending any $$$ on my blog until I was more consistent with my blogging and until I had reached 50+ followers.

I figured: Hey, if that many people are taking the time to read my blog every day, I should at least give them something pretty to look at! :)

{This picture is totally unrelated. I just thought I'd share a glimpse of my Bridal Bouquet for those of you who enjoyed yesterday's peonies. Pictured here:  pink-tipped white peonies, green hypericum berries, pink and coral roses, and white stephanotis...Tied together with a white organza ribbon and ornamented with my great-grandmother's antique brooch}

In the meantime, I have opted for some cute {and free} blogger backgrounds from sites like this and this and this...oh and this.

Well, it has been six months and I know exactly what style I want {simple & fresh}, I'm averaging 4 posts a week, and I have {as of just a few minutes ago} 56 followers and counting...

{Another unrelated picture. But who doesn't love Audrey? So fabulous, even when she's sound asleep}

So, what do you think I should do?

a) Continue using free backgrounds


b) Opt for a simple white background like the one I have now, using a header I created


c) Buy a template from a web designer


Is it really worth spending the money to fix up my blog if I don't use it for a business {except for etsy}?

Also...Is there a way {either by paying someone to do it or by doing it myself} to make a 3-column layout on Blogger?


Help!


P.S. I want to thank you for being such faithful followers. You always leave me the sweetest comments and I truly appreciate every one of you! :)

Happy Day!

Jesse, over at Good Girl Gone Glad, tagged me with the Happy Award!

Thanks, Jesse! :)

In order to accept this blog award, I must post 10 things that make me happy and then pass the award along to 10 bloggers who make me happy. So, in no particular order:

1. Spending time with my mother, sister, and husband
{and all of my other incredible relatives and friends!}

2. Organization

3. The Twilight Saga {hey, don't judge me!}

4. DIY projects

{My lamp makeover}

5. Taking Pictures

{via}

6. Fresh Flowers {peonies are my favorite}

7. A tall, white chocolate mocha from Starbucks

{via}

8. Animals

{via}

9. Ruffles

{via}

10. All of you fabulous bloggers and your amazing creativity!

{via}

Tag! You're it:

Life in the Fun Lane

All Bower Power

Simply Mae
Live Creating Yourself

Ish and Chi

Salt and Sentiment

Oh, hello friend

Lavender and Lilies

Cakies

The Pioneer Woman

Oh Brooke
Freckles Chick

Thank you all for writing such interesting, imaginative, and oftentimes hilarious posts!

In case you noticed, I ended up choosing 12 blogs instead of 10. Well, it's my blog and I can do whatever I want! ;)

Also, there are several other blogs I adore that did not make the cut. That is because the bloggers listed above are those who give updates on a regular basis and whose posts are chock full of DIY projects, Recipes, Before and Afters, and lots of other goodies!

I hope you all are having a very happy Tuesday!

Point and Shoot

On Friday, I accepted Chantelle's challenge to take a picture over the weekend of something worth sharing.

This is what I decided on:

:: A glimpse of the adorable desk calendar I won from Stephanie

:: A square Ikea vase that once held peonies, roses, and hypericum berries at our wedding, now filled with vibrant blooms in orange and yellow

:: A vase, given to me by my mother, holding balls of twine

:: Two turquoise books from the thrift store

The flowers were a housewarming gift from Lindsay of Salt and Sentiment. Aren't they lovely? The cheery promise of Spring to come. I, of course, love the aquamarine grosgrain bow she tied them together with {now tied around the vase}. Be sure to check out Lindsay's blog! It's filled with fashion, decorating, and all things fabulous.

I also entered this week's challenge over at I Heart Faces, which was "Hands-On Fun". I posted a picture I took of Ben holding my hand, the weekend he proposed to me in NYC:

Unfortunately, I only got about half of the things done on my list that I posted about yesterday...wups! Oh well, that's what Mondays are for. So, what did you do this past weekend? Were you lazy like me? :)

Good Morning!

Isn't this a fabulous breakfast nook?

{Canadian House and Home}

I love the corner bench and fluffy pillows. My plan is to have something similar in our future kitchen. For now, we are renting, and the only table we have is a teeny tiny oak one that once belonged to my grandma.

The funny thing about that picture is that I actually own two of the grey/brown patterned pillows. About a year ago, I found them at TJMaxx and immediately snatched them up for our Master Bedroom. They had the 20x20" size and the 12x18" size but I only needed the 20x20"...now that I've seen this image, I wish I'd bought more! Still, it's kind of neat to see something you had already bought show up in a design magazine :)

Well, the husband is at a conference so I am skipping church this morning. Here are my fabulous plans for the day:

:: Finish this yummy piece of toast with grape jam

:: Fold laundry while catching up on last week's episode of Grey's Anatomy

:: Get the house back in order {Does your house look like a bomb exploded in it after you have had company over? It always seems to take a few days for us to get it back in shape}

:: Have my wedding and engagement rings cleaned and inspected

:: Stop by Borders to make use of this

:: Clean the bathtub/shower {ahhh my least favorite chore}

:: Order pictures for the Hall

:: Order pictures for the Living Room

:: Take a picture for this {most likely of the beautiful flowers some friends gave us as a housewarming gift the other day}

:: Watch a chick flick and fold more laundry {for just the 2 of us, we certainly have a lot of it!}

Pretty glamorous, huh? ;)

So, what are your plans for the weekend? Better yet, have you ever bought anything that you later found showcased in a store or magazine that you admired?

Etsy Love

Here are my favorite finds on etsy this week:

{bankgrrl}

{bpoetic}

{pigeontoeceramics}

{AMradio}

{jillybeancraft}

{summersville}

What have you been loving on etsy lately?