Maxi Dresses Year Round?..Why not!

I've had a few people ask me if it's okay to wear your maxi dresses on into the fall/winter season and if so, how??  So I decided to do a blog dedicated to the infamous maxi dress for Fashion Friday.  The answer to the question is simple, yes.  The secret ... layers, lots of layers. I know for some that might be a challenge that leaves them feeling frustrated and walking away from their closets in despair. To get you back in your wardrobe and creative juices flowing, here are a few examples of just how you can do it.  Be inspired by the color, print or fabric and just go with it.  Don't get caught up in being to matchy matchy or you can get stuck.  The more you layer, the more color palette you have to play with and the more options your closet can offer.
Have some fun and enjoy!

feel free to leave comments with questions or message/email me pics of your favorite maxi dress & I'll help you give it a winter flair!  

Clean It Up

So of all the crafty organized people I have had the pleasure to encounter, I have to say my sister Lori ranks right up there at the top.  Her house is unbelievably organized (down to her pantry & labels) and every room has clever & chic decor making it look like a page from a magazine. The best part about it is she does it all on a budget!  Being financially savvy has been apart of Lori since she became a wife & mother at the young age of 20 and it has only flourished since then.  I love walking up to her house when in town for visits and admiring her latest seasonal decor adorning her porch.  It's like a warm welcome for friends and family before you even enter her house. But my most absolute favorite time of the year at Lori's house is Christmas. It's like walking into a beautiful winter wonderland accompanied with hints of cinnamon & peppermint in the air and classic holiday carols in the background.  I don't know how she does it.  It's not over done, it's not corny in anyway, it's simply inspiring! So when I walked into her adorable and functioning laundry room a few months back and saw she was using a homemade laundry detergent, I had to have the recipe!  It seemed so logical and easy I wondered why I hadn't done it before.  Now that I've been using it myself for awhile I have to say it is so much better than the expensive chemical filled garbage I had been using before.  Our clothes are clean, smell good and have absolutely no ingredients that could be harmful to us, which makes me especially happy with a 2 year old running around here.

So here is her fabulous recipe:
1 (4lb) box of super washing soda
1 (4lb) box of baking soda
1 (4lb) box of borax
3 regular size bars of Fels Naptha soap.  If you choose to use Zote or Dr Bonner's, you don't need to use as much because the bars are very large size. Maybe 1 1/2 to 2 bars will be enough.

Use a cheese grater and shred soap into a large container.  Pour the rest of all the ingredients in with the shredded soap and mix very well.  Some people like to add several drops of their favorite essential oils for additional scent.  I chose peppermint for this go round, but lavender seems to be a popular choice as well.  Use 2 large tablespoons per load and it will last you months!

Enjoy your homemade, safe and budget savvy laundry detergent!

Apple Cinnamon Goodness!

 I think I have found the perfect Christmas breakfast! This apple cinnamon oatmeal delight feeds several people, takes no time at all to make & is thrown in the crock-pot the night before.  That means there is no messing around in the kitchen come Christmas morning when it's time to open gifts and be with family. Oh yeah and one more perk...it had the kitchen smelling oh so yummy!

Below is the original recipe I saw on Pinterest, but we made a few adjustments to compliment our taste buds.  I am not really one for apple skins so we peeled our apples before putting into the mix.  Also, my daughter and I thought tossing some raisins into this delicious dish added just the right touch.

You could try it on top of a warm piece of toast or aside a glass of almond milk.  Or here's a thought....fill your crock-pot first thing in the morning and have this in the evening for dessert over homemade vanilla bean ice-cream instead!! YUM!

Here's what to do:
Throw 2 sliced red apples, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, & 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
into the bottom of the crock pot.
(here is where you can add raisins or any additional goodies you like)
Next pour 2 cups of oatmeal & 4 cups of water on top.
Do not stir or mix, just let it sit.
Cook overnight for 8-9 hours on low.

Serve when you're ready to feast! Enjoy!

Perfect Combo...Quick, Easy & Healthy!

This recipe is so simple and quick and my favorite part is it''s super healthy coming in at less than 150 calories!  Since I've started my journey towards a more clean eating & healthy lifestyle, (sometimes a really slow start with a couple relapses) I have come across tons of recipes and concoctions and this has been one of my favorite. Not only is it good for you and easy on the budget, it provides yummy left overs and is ready to go in just a matter of minutes.

What you'll need:
1/2 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/2 cup chopped acocado
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
a large pinch of black pepper
combine in bowl and chill or serve immediately

I slightly altered mine b/c it was very creamy. I added some more cucumber, tomato & avocado to help balance the taste of the yogurt.  I like to eat the salad on either Tricuit crackers or wrapped up in a spinach tortilla. Delish!

instant bliss in every room

It's finally here. Cold weather that is. Even though it is already the middle of November, I just now turned my heat on in the house and only at night. I've had the pleasure of not having to run my a/c or heat for the last few weeks, one of the rare perks of Texas weather.  So today as I went to change my air filter I wondered if something might work..and it did!  This is so easy I still can't believe it actually works. I took one of my favorite essential oils, peppermint, and sprinkled a few droplets on both sides of the filter.  A couple hours later when the heat kicked on I had an instant breeze of peppermint kiss my nose! It was bliss. I was excited because I had almost forgotten about the oil and was pleasantly surprised by the sweet scent.  Now every time the air kicks on the rooms are instantly filled with a burst of that sweet mint.  I'm not sure how long the oil will last, days or weeks, but I do know it's the perfect thing to do to your filters before family & friends come over this holiday season.  I can't wait to try this again!

Room For The Whole Family

I love to decorate! If I had a room for every different idea & theme I had blossoming in my head, I'd need a 20 room mansion at minimum. But my reality is much more humble so I often rearrange, change out pics on walls, swap pillows etc to keep things fresh around here and allow room for creativity to flourish.  Yet I have had this one space...this awkward and unused space I just couldn't figure out what to do with.  It's that small front room that welcomes guest as they enter into your home. There really isn't any room for furniture, a TV or table with chairs so it's has only served as a walk through area these former years.  Recently I had an epiphany and started planning.  I really needed some space for Catori to play in that allowed her the room she needed yet kept her close so I can keep an eye on her as well. No matter how independent she thinks she is, there are still questionable choices made at 2 years old that keep me on close surveillance.  So I slowly transitioned this space into a fun play area for Catori where she can learn, be creative and play with friends yet not look like a daycare center when guest walk in.  This gave us so many opportunities to be creative and make our own decor and engage in some fun crafts together as well.  Here are some photos of the room and several DIY crafts and projects that we embarked upon.  I will follow up this blog with tutorials on the ones we really enjoyed and ideas you can try at home as well!

This is the small space directly in front of the door when you walk in, somewhat of my ode to Anthropolgie, one of my most favorite places for home decor and inspiration.

so easy to take a old dressing jar and fill it with some great dried flowers 

easiest plant stand..garage sale bargain stool.

this is where we keep our weekly library books so we don't get them mixed in with ours

this clock was really fun to make. see my previous blog for details

my mom gave me an old school desk for Catori. We took the legs off for now and updated it with a coat of bright yellow spray paint and chalk board paint on the top

We found a fun way to store our chalk, colored pencils, crayons and paint brushes. These tin buckets were $1 at the Target dollar spot and the frame was upcycled with a fresh coat of spray paint

Keeping the upper portion of the shelves kid friendly with a horse and bird house keep with the flow of the room. The bottom shelves contain baskets to house various toys and children's books.

 

There was a huge open space in the shelves that we decided to turn into a ready nook. We picked some fun fabric and I made all the pillows and seating pad. To keep it from sliding on the tile floor, I bought a floor mat for kids (the big puzzle piece kind) and painted it solid white. The curtains are just one panel cut into 2 pieces that I trimmed down and hemmed then hung on a tension

We also added lights all around the inside walls of nook area so we can snuggle up and read at night too

We love this wall of art because it includes master pieces by both Catori and her daddy!

Catori painted these stained glass canvas pieces all herself!

easy easy...this LOVE piece took me hardly any time to make and we felt the word was the most appropriate to put in the front room and greet all our guest

Rose...Nose. Rodney painted this one for Catori as she was learning to talk. Easy rhyming words and pictures to help her along the way.  One of our favorites!

I love how colorful and fun this piece is. Our dear friend Nicole used an old quilt of mine and and created this cool installment piece for an art showing. We were lucky enough for her to gift it back to us and now it's the perfect decor for this fun room

Chalk boards are a must for any child's room. This was an easy and cheap project and we have gotten so much use out of it. Catori colors and draws here on a daily. It's also a good place for me to teach and go over shapes, colors, numbers and letters with her as well.

Stay tuned as I'll be posting tutorials on all the DIY projects from this fun play room and cheap easy way to decorate.

Upcylcle Your Old Clocks!

So I tend to be one of those people who always see something else in old objects. This can make it hard to get rid of things from time to time, but I refuse to be an absolute hoarder so it has to really make sense and already have an idea attached to it in order to get put on the project list.  I could take the credit for being so logical and realistic but if I were to have a larger garage, junk room available or a nice storage unit in my backyard, I might not be so willing to see them go! Especially the items that may have some sentimental value to them or were a gift from close friends or family.  What do you do with an item when it no longer works with your decor, or you've literally had it hanging on the wall for years now or the chair cushion has seen its last day?? You up-cycle! That's what I did with this large clock my sister Lori gifted me many years ago.  This was the perfect Christmas gift.  I was younger, single and had just moved into a much larger apartment and was so ready to decorate.  But since then I've moved a couple times, my space is no longer just my own and we added a new addition to the family.   Even though the clock didn't seem to fit in any of the rooms or decor we currently have going on, I just really didn't want to part with it. So I had an idea....check it out!

BEFORE

1. Always make sure you remove the clock box before painting. It is so much easier that way. 
2. Before painting over the numbers, I stuck thumb tacks on the side edge of clock to mark where the 12, 3, 6 and 9 were located so I had a better chance of lining things up write.
3. I suggest a thin coat of primer first just to make the new paint job stick and look much cleaner
4. Get creative! You don't necessarily have to just write new numbers.  Paint a picture, create a pattern, or even modge-podge your favorite picture to the surface. It doesn't really matter what you do as long as you can reattach the hands properly afterwards.
5. If the original clock box or hands are bent, not working or you'd just like new ones, Michael's has them in various sizes and colors for an inexpensive price.

during...

 

 

AFTER!

A few of my favorite things...!

So anyone who knows me well or has spent significant time at my house knows that I am obsessed with scents.  Not in the sense that I go around smelling everything with in reach, but rather that I love it when my home smells clean, welcoming, warm, covy and just plain good!  So when I can smell a faint scent of something funky in my space, I'm on it.  And yes, living with a 2 year old I have had to let some of that slide by me because unpleasant smells seem to have somehow become a familiar way of life...  Anyway, all of that leads to the fact that I am a huge sucker for candles.  When it comes to a beautifully packaged candle that will not only fill the rooms with heavenly fragrance, but wrap all that up in trendy decor that will add a presence to any room, it's a win win in my book! Like my last post where I raved about the stylish and low priced sweatshirts Target is offering this season, I am also a huge fan of their candle isle. I seem to get lost in that small 20 x 5 foot space and spend way to much time smelling all the latest delights, but I'm guessing (or rather hoping) I'm not the only one.  So here are just a few of my favorite things from the wonderful world of wax that have sent my nose on a frenzy this season. So pretty, so sleek and oh so delish!  Perhaps a tutorial on how to make your own candles should be part of my next DIY venture...stay tuned!