crafty! baby shower cards

up until about 2 weeks ago, i had 2 boxes full of old greeting cards i've received in the past. these went back to high school, and i hadn't looked through them in a very long time. once i got the nesting bug, i threw about 85% of them away, only keeping a few that mean a lot to me and i actually remember getting.

that said, i was a little anxious about what to do with the baby shower cards we've gotten/will get for ellie. i don't want to start up my hoarding tendencies again and keep them all, but i didn't really want to just throw them out either.

as usual, pinterest has a solution: make them into wall decor!

i saw this idea browsing around pinterest one day and it stuck with me as something i should do when we started getting cards. our shower this past weekend was the perfect opportunity to try it out!

here's what i did:

1. started with a blank frame. we made an ikea trip on sunday, and we both agreed on the below frame. we have lots of gray, white and pink in the nursery, but we've stuck with a light wood color with a touch of gray for the wall decorations which i really love. it makes the whole room look less matchy-matchy, which is a good thing in my opinion!

2. laid out all of my cards and started cutting away! i cut a random heart out of the back of one of the cards to use as my template so they'd all be about the same shape and size. i used almost all of the cards we got from the shower. the only one i kept was one from my brother which made me cry, so i couldn't bear to cut it up! i, of course, tried to cut hearts out of the cutest parts of the cards (see that pink dress? i had my eye on it from the get-go).

3. consulted my canine assistants, who were eager to help. kona offered silent moral support, while loki...

...just wanted to cuddle and step on the cards as much as possible.

4. arranged my hearts the way i wanted them, glued them to photo paper, and outlined them in gold glitter. voila!

this will be hung on the wall above ellie's crib, where we used to have a clock. i love that clock, but it doesn't feel right in the nursery, so we're replacing it for now. this picture was taken in our glider (which is amazing, by the way). hanging it is on michael's honey-please-do list this week. :)

my hearts are nowhere near perfect, and the whole project definitely looks crafty, but that's kind of why i love it. one day i'll be sure to tell ellie about that afternoon i sat on the floor with the dogs in her nursery slaving over cardboard hearts just so her walls would be decorated when she got here. memories!

time to peace out before the crying starts...

diy crib mobile

happy hump day everyone!

if you follow me on instagram, you've already seen the final product of my diy crib mobile project. i'm really not a fan of any of the mobiles that i've found in stores or online. they're all just a little cartoony and kitschy for my taste, so i decided to make my own!

i had 2 inspiration pictures that i pinned on pinterest awhile back that i used as my guide:

from the glittered barn etsy shop

this one is from a blog that provided the instructions i used

making this mobile was SO easy! the hardest part was picking out the ribbons (as my bff can attest to, who thankfully was with me when i made the trip to hobby lobby for supplies).

all you need is:

• embroidery hoop (i used a 12" size)
• spray paint (if you want! you could also just keep the hoop its natural color)
• assorted ribbons, cut into varying lengths
• hot glue
• twine or some other hanging material

step 1: spray paint your embroidery hoop (if you choose to!). i used krylon's brushed metallic champagne nouveau with a valspar clear sealer top coat.

step 2: lay out your ribbons and figure out the pattern before you get started gluing. i actually ran out of a couple of types of ribbon and had to change up my pattern 3/4 of the way through, but thankfully you can't tell at all! try to have a plan, but if it doesn't work out it's no big deal.

step 3: start gluing! you want to separate your embroidery hoop and glue the ribbons to the inside of the large hoop. try to glue them so that there's no (or very little) excess sticking out on top.

step 4: once all of the ribbons are in place, put the small hoop back together with the large one and cut off any excess ribbon at the top. tie your twine in 3 places around the hoop for hanging. stand back and admire your super cute and easy diy mobile. :) then ask your handy husband how to hang it...

copper fever

happy  monday everyone! what a boring football game that was last night, but we got to celebrate anyway with lots of great friends. i hardly noticed the game was on anyway until bruno mars and his gold sequined band caught my attention.

this post was inspired by a brunch we had with some friends a couple of weeks ago. the restaurant where we ate (napa on providence in charlotte) serves water in the cutest copper cups. they are really heavy and beautiful and make you feel like a medieval queen (no? i'm the only one? ok...)

those copper mugs led to many internet searches of ways to incorporate copper into the home. it's such a pretty metallic shade that is getting more and more love these days after decades of gold, brass, and silver/nickel all over home decor. 

here are a few favorites:

copper canisters - pier 1

copper cups - napa style

copper flatware set - lenox via bed bath & beyond

copper mug - west elm

copper pepper mill - crate & barrel (there's a salt mill to match!)

it's the little things

saturday i spent some time (way too much time) at homegoods shopping for a few decor updates for the house. sometimes i feel like the smallest changes go a long way in making a house look fresher, especially during the transition from winter into spring.

our house was feeling a little heavy with a few winter items still laying around so i made a few updates that made everything feel lighter and brighter! it was also a fairly cheap makeover...the glories of homegoods, yall.

---

i finally got a picture of my bouquet framed! i've been wanting to do this
for awhile and it matches our yellow guest bedroom perfectly!

frame: already had; poster print: $5.99 [walgreens]

replaced a few dark tea light holders with this bright turqouise patterned one. this is the accent color in our bedroom so i was really excited to find it!

candle holder: $2.99 [homegoods]

we've had the candleholder on the right for awhile in our other guest bedroom but i found the glass on the left to go with it. i love mixing blues!

glass: $3.99 [homegoods]

the silver frame is new and holds one of my recent favorite pictures of michael, loki and me at Christmas (thanks mama!). we've had the vase and flowers, but the arrangement used to be really busy with several types of flowers in it. i pared it down to only one kind and i'm liking how it looks a little more modern in the traditional hobnail milk glass vase. 

frame: $4.99 [homegoods]

sadly, until saturday, i still had a dark red and brown flower arrangement in our kitchen. so much better now!

leaves/branches: $8.99 [homegoods]

before & after...the power of a picture frame change in the bathroom

frame: $6.99 [homegoods]

i love this cute little pot! it's sitting in the corner of our downstairs half bath. loki still can't figure it out and wants to fight it

pot: $4.99, faux grass sphere: $10.99 [homegoods]

this yellow beauty is still on the shelf at home goods but as soon as i find a place for it, i will be back! they also have an orange one...be still my heart.

priceless. [but really, $25.99 at homegoods]