Bedroom Update

(no, I rarely make my bed any better than this)



I moved several years ago from a townhouse to the tiny house I have now.  Seriously, it's small.  About 900 square feet.  One day I'll show y'all my closet and you'll all feel sorry for me.  But anyway!  My old room had two windows, this one has only one, so I originally just hung one set of curtains, even though they were just a smidge narrow for the new window.  I found the other set of curtains the other day though, and decided to move the curtain rod from 1" away from the window edge to about 8", and hang BOTH curtain panels on the rod (am I making any sense here?).  What a HUGE difference it makes!  I wish I had done it two years ago.  Makes my bedroom window seem huge, and somehow my room is also much brighter.  LOVE!

And don't be jealous, but my son painted that super awesome painting hanging above my bed (and won a red ribbon for it!). 

My Favorite Summer Hair

I feel a little like a goober posting this picture, but I was really happy with my hair that day so I wanted photographic evidence.  I talked about Maegan's tutorial a while back, and since then I've worn my hair like this at LEAST once a week.  It's easy (most of the time, sometimes I have to braid it 4 or 5 times to get it right), and it's perfect for second-day hair.  My hair is layered though, so it DOES tend to come loose a bit when it's windy outside, but when that happens I just use a curling iron on the ones that came loose and go on with my day. 

Now I just need to CLEARLY get a better bra and my summer would be complete!

Fun Summer DIY's

For whatever reason I always feel extra crafty in the summer.  Maybe it's all the camp crafts I did as a kid, or because I sewed with my grandma a lot in the summer.  Whatever it is, I've found some super-fun summer crafts to try:

Maegan's Tanktop-into-a-carryall DIY

(I love this one because it doesn't permanently change your tanktop.  Perfect for when you forget a casual bag on your beach vacation!)

Sailor's Knot Bracelets

(Saw this furst on Maegan's site, and I've had these on my blog before as finished products from etsy, but just in case you want to make your own, here's the how-to!)

Sugar Scrub

(I've seen a ton of recipes for this online, but I love the cute little jars Rachel made for hers.  This scrub can be endlessly customized:  use coconut oil instead of olive oil, add lemon juice, use salt instead of sugar.....whatever you like best!)

Friendship Bracelets

(can't get any more summer than that!)

 

I think I'm going to whip up a few of these friendship bracelets for my trip to Toronto in a few weeks.  I've never been, so if any of you have any great "must-see's" please let me know! 

Things I Love: Monogramming

One of these days I'm going to get a sewing maching that has monogramming capabilities and proceed to monogram EVERYTHING I own.  Seriously.  Down to the toilet paper.  I love monograms that much. 

If you love monograms too, here are a few ideas to try:

6" wide vinyl monograms $6.00

There are a TON of cute ideas for these!  Slap one on the top of your cooler, put another on your water bottle, and you could even monogram your car or mailbox.  Vinyl letters will stick almost anywhere!

Monogrammed Market Tote $22.00

 LL Bean Canvas Tote $22.50-$35.50

My sister-in-law and I both have the extra-large size and they are AMAZING.  They hold everything (she has 5 kids, I have only one but I like to carry a lot of stuff).  And yes, ours are monogrammed.  :)

Oval Family Vinyl Decal $20.00

What a great detail for the entryway?!  Perfect for newlyweds, or a housewarming gift.



I could seriously go on forever with things that are monogrammed.  Really though, almost ANYTHING can be monogrammed.  I have a monogrammed camera strap (I took mine to a monogram store and they put my name on it in about 10 minutes), and a custom paif of Converse Low-Tops that have my name on them too.  A lot of catalog stores like LL Bean, Company Store, and Pottery Barn will also monogram your purchases, you just have to look around on their website for it and pay the small fee (usually around $5).  OR!  You can ask around and find a friend with an embroidery machine.  I have at least two friends who have one, and it's great to barter with them for their services!  Something like, you cook her dinner, she monograms your stuff.  Win win!

My New Favorite Summer Dress!

I'm embarassed to admit this, but I wore this dress three times last week.  To different things, only my son knew (other than me), but still!  That's how much I love this dress though.  I wore it to school with sandals and a denim jacket, then with those orange sandals I showed you yesterday a few more times.  In my defense though, it was in the 90's here last week.  Summer has DEFINITELY showed up around Dallas!

Braided-Trim Jersey Sundress $24.94

(this is listed as $19.99 online, but it's still full price in stores)

I wear this with the waistband around my hips instead of around the waist.  Not sure if this is how it's SUPPOSED to be worn, but that's how it looks best on my figure (I have a bigger middle). 

I wish Old Navy would get better colors.  I think that color is what makes the difference between something that's expensive-looking, and something that looks cheap.  Old Navy tends to have less sophisticated colors.  They'd do well to look at stores like Anthro and even American Eagle.  They get their colors right.  I'd love to have this dress in another color, but the other two options are a weird light-brown and an orangy-red.  Did not look cute in the stores AT ALL.  This teal though?  A great summer color (and also the only color almost sold out). 

Fun Find: Orange Sandals!

So remember what I said about being a leather snob?  Well I broke my rule with these sandals.  But to my defense I DID say that I'll buy inexpensive faux-leather sandals if they're cute, and these definitely fall into the "cute" category. 

Merona Emeline Braided Flat Sandals $15.00

I have worn these about 3 times already, and I think I bought them on Friday.  I LOVE orange.  LOVE.  Yellow would probably be my second favorite color, and you'd really be surprised at how much matches those colors.  Teal, Black, Brown, Navy.  You may not be able to pull off red, but every other color is fair game.  Oh orange sandals, how I love thee!!!

Fun Find - Target purse!

I swear I think half my wardrobe has come from Target.  Cheap and cute - that's the best shopping ever!!!  I was running around in there today (dog food and Oxyclean) and came across this super cute purse.  LOVE!!!  I'm a huge fan of anything vintage, and this totally has that vibe.

Mossimo Supply Co. Satchel $19.99



The ONLY reason this didn't come home with me was because the blue denim-y trim?  Leatherette.  It's super soft, but I wish it WAS actually denim.  I'm kind of a snob about fake leather.  I use my purses to death, and when the trim isn't leather, they start to look shabby too quickly.  And I'll buy some inexpensive faux-leather sandals from Target, but I'm not paying $50+ for faux-leather shoes that won't last, and don't breathe.  Yes, I'm a snob.  I know. 

This purse though?  So cute!!!!  I'm tempted to break my own rule.......maybe if it goes on sale!