Design Contest

I entered my first design contest with the theme "Entertain in Style" hosted by WayFair, an online home decor site.  The winner gets $250 to spend at WayFair!  I decided to do something a little different and put together an outdoor entertaining space.

(click on the picture to enlarge)

The instructions were to include a minimum of three items from WayFair.  The items I used were the green rug, patio set, flower box, grill, and light blue outdoor pillow.  Some of my other favorite entertaining items came from Target.

I could use your votes!  If you are a registered user of Olioboard, click on this link to vote for my entry "Grillin' and Chillin" by clicking on the heart.  I would appreciate it!

Design Board: Teen Boys Room

I've picked up a new hobby (like I needed something else to do) of creating design boards for interior spaces!  It's been really fun and satisfies my need for creativity so, I wanted to share one of the boards I have been working on for my friend and co-worker.

(click on the picture to enlarge it)

She and I talk a lot about spaces we think are beautiful and some of the elements that we love.  When she told me she was re-decorating her oldest son's room, I challenged myself to put together a room design for her teenager. I grew up with girls so boys are a whole different world to me!  I've never met him so all I knew about him was that he was a teenage boy, didn't like anything floral and that he was a golfer! The good news is that her son really liked it!

I'm sure I will have more design boards to show you in the future - maybe in the form of an announcement next week...  Stay tuned!

Also, I am linking up this post here:

My New Favorite Magazine

Have you seen this yet?! HGTV has a magazine and I have fallen in love with it!

I scored this great find in the airport and I've read every page.  The magazine is filled with so many great ideas, how-to tips, DIY projects and they all come from the hosts of our favorite shows like Emily Henderson, Sabrina Soto, and David Bromstad.

Here are a couple of my favorite topics from this issue...

Shop Like A Stylist

Yard Sale Finds Reinvented

 

My subscription card is sent in and I can't wait to get my next issue!

5 on Friday!

Holy smokes - I can't believe it's Friday already!  This week really flew by.  It was definitely a busy week because I am tired today.

Here is a re-cap of the great things that happened this week!

1. It Finally Rained!

Now, most people would think that rain is kind of a downer but when you live in a rural community that is dependent on Farming, rain becomes SO important.  Wednesday night I decided that the dog and I need some exercise so we ventured out for a walk.  I knew the rain was close but we (actually I, the dog had no choice) decided to take our chances.  

Ok - so this was a little scary to be walking toward at 5:30pm but thankfully my heroic boyfriend decided to come and get us! :)

2. Painted Nails

This probably sounds just a little bit silly but I painted my nails on Monday night and they looked fantastic.  I don't think I have ever done this good of a job.  However, as I'm sitting here today, they are starting to chip a little bit so no pictures... 

3. Flower Pots

Toward the end of May I planted some flower pots to add some color around our house.  They are really filling out and blooming and have become so pretty with all of the bright colors!  I'm pretty proud of myself that they look so good because I don't have much of a "green thumb." ( I say that and notice I have some dead flowers to remove...)

4. Personal Development Calendar

Have you heard the idea that if you spend at least 20 minutes each day studying a topic that  you can become an expert in one year? I have always been intrigued by this idea and came across this personal development calendar that supports this concept!  I think I am going to make my own version and work on becoming an "expert" in interior design!

5. Steak Night

We live within driving distance of 3 awesome steak joints in western Iowa.  Last Friday night neither of us had any ambition to make supper so we went out for steaks at one of our local places.  Such good food!

Have a great weekend friends!

DIY Bulletin Board

Good Morning!  I have a little DIY project to kick-off your Tuesday! :)

My home office (I like it call it my "design studio" or "creative space" to sound like professional) is slowly coming together and turning into a space that I love to be in.  I completed this super easy DIY bulletin board project last week and so far I am loving it.  I desperately needed something on these basement walls!

My inspiration came from the Ten June Blog - her blog is at the top of my favorites list so please go check it out! :)  She had the idea of covering a bulletin board with burlap not long ago.  Since I couldn't decide what I wanted to use for material I decide to go with burlap to add a neutral texture rather than print or color.

This project really doesn't take many supplies either.  I found the bulletin board at Target and I the material from Wal-Mart.  Material is extremely cheap there, I think I spent $2.50 on 1 yard of burlap.

First, cut your burlap (or whatever material you choose) to the side of your bullet board, maybe an extra 1/4 inch in size.

Then, spray your adhesive on the cork board and press down your material.  You may have to spray the corners again. This is probably a good outside project, but if you do it inside, make sure you have newspapers covering your surface.

Once you have given the adhesive time to dry, approximately 5 minutes (I'm impatient), tuck as much of the edges as you can into the side of the board with the credit card.  Then trim the excess material from the edges of the bulletin board.  Once you've got this done, take a damp cloth and maybe some warm, mild soapy water to wash the edges of the board.  They are sticky from the adhesive and there will probably be some burlap fuzz around the edges.

You're done!  See, I told you this was easy!  I'm sure you will run out to pick up your supplies during your lunch break today! :)

Have a great Tuesday - I'm off to a sales meeting for a couple of days!

5 on Friday

It's been a couple of weeks since a '5 on Friday' post - that doesn't mean that nothing good has happened.  In fact, it's the exact opposite because so many great things have been taking place lately.  This week I will share the first 5 that came to mind!

1. Weekend Getaway!

I love weekend trips - almost more than I love long vacations.  On Monday we got back from a weekend trip to San Francisco, CA.  This is the first time that either of us had been there, my rockstar boyfriend earned a trip through work! (Can't beat and all expense paid trip, can you?!)  If you haven't checked out my post about our trip, click here.

2. Three Thrifty Finds

I am generally not a consignment/thrift store shopper, but I think I could become one after making a random stop today (yes, I get side-tracked way to easy sometimes) the store was right next to Sears where I had to stop anyhow. :)  Thank goodness they only accept cash, or my home would have went from country/modern to flea market finds in a hurry!  Here are my finds!

 

This egg basket is probably going to get a new paint job!

I am in love with the brown clutch - I can't wait to use it! :)

3. You Look Like (fill in the blank)!

Pretty regularly I get told that I look like someone that someone knows! While we were in San Francisco this past weekend I was told that I look like Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland, Kirsten Dunst, and like someone's niece.  I must have a familiar face.  Regardless, I always take this as a compliment.

 

What do you think?

4. Home Office Progress

I am making some progress decorating my home office.  This week I completed two DIY projects.  You will see this in an upcoming post.  It's starting to come together and look like the vision I have for it!  (Sorry, no pictures yet.)

5. New Connections

This week I made a connection with an Iowa blogger.  Based on a recommendation from a friend of mine, I checked out the Sawdust and Embryos Blog and left a comment on a recent post.  Beth, the author of Sawdust and Embryos, was kind enough to send me a sweet email to start a connection. I hope we have the chance to meet soon.  In the meantime, stop by her blog (click below) - you will enjoy it!

Weekend re-cap from our trip to San Francisco

We're back from a weekend trip to San Francisco and a lot of fun was had!  Adam won a trip through the company we (yes we work for the same company) work for -- it's awesome dating an "over-achiever!" 

Here is a re-cap of our trip to the little France (or Paris) of the west... I think that's what they call it!

We arrived on Friday and set sail on a yacht - the California Hornblower - in the San Francisco Bay with the other contest winners. I think there were nearly 200 people in all which included winners and spouses/significant others.

We saw some great sights during the cruise in the bay.  All of my pictures were taken from inside the yacht because it was really chilly outside.  Who knew San Francisco's average daily temperature in the summer is only the mid-60's?!

We cruised past the Giants baseball stadium.

Sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge - this is the only picture I got!  I didn't realize this until I was scanning my pictures when I got home.

Port of San Francisco - nighttime skyline.

Pioneer always gives gifts.  When we got to back to our hotel room a whole box of this chocoalet-y goodness was delivered to our room.  (I didn't know that Ghirardelli chocolate was from San Francisco - where have I been?!)

The second day of our trip we headed north to two vineyards - one in Sonoma Valley, the other in Napa Valley.

(We like to dress alike on vacation... just kidding. Ha!)

The first winery we went to was in Sonoma Valley.  It is a family owned vineyard called Benzinger.  During our tour we found out how much work goes into a bottle of wine.  At Pioneer our committment is "Right Product - Right Acre." These vineyards take this to the extreme by taking into consideration micro-climates, how the sunlight hits the grape vines, the exact depth of their top soil and the types of grapes that are grown.  It's very impressive.

I found this in the gift-shop.  It is pan-rack (not sure if that's the term) to put your hot pans from the stove on.  I can see a DIY project in my future...

 

I totally fell in love with these lights that were in the tasting room.  Aren't they awesome?!  They were actually selling the metal baskets, but it was $70 and I wasn't sure if they would ship it to me. 

I can't remember this vineyards name (oops!) it's in Napa Valley and was designed to look like a French Chateau. It's beautiful! This vineyard's specialty is sparkling wine.  Did you know that Brut wine was actually named as a insult to the English because they didn't like the French's taste in wine.  The French called the English Bruts.  I think I laughed out loud when they told us that.

One acre of land with grapes growing on it is worth an upwards of $100,000/acre.  That is about $90,000 more than one acre of farmland goes for here in Iowa.  Crazy!

The last full day of our trip took us on a city tour and to Alcatraz Island.

We took an audio tour of the cell house at Alcatraz.  It was extremely interesting.  They had approximately 1,500 prisoners in their 30-year time period and only 14 escape attempts.  I don't think that a prison on an island is a bad idea...

Here is a view of the San Francisco skyline from Alcatraz.

After Alcatraz we went for dinner in Ghirardelli Square.  On the walk back from the hotel, we stopped to get a "family portrait" (as Adam calls it) drawn by a street artist.  It actually turned out pretty good.  Now I need to find a place to put it!

Does it look like us?! :)

We finished off our trip with our company renting out a famous club from an early era of American history called Bimbo's.  We all got dressed up, had a fantastic dinner, and listened to an awesome live band.

I really like this picture of Adam and I - it's not often that we are both dressed up! :)

There is our trip in a nutshell! I would definitely recommend San Francisco - there is plenty to do there!

I hope he wins again next hear (hint, hint!) Thanks for taking interest in what we are up to!

Gift Ideas For a Fabulous Father

Father's Day is this weekend! ahhh - this holiday completely snuck up on me! If you are still looking for a gift for dad (like I am) here are a few clever ideas to get your thoughts going!

1.  Create your own 6-pack

Have you ever noticed this section in your local 'wine and spirits' store? (I love this section!) Create a personalized 6-pack for your dad, most liquor stores have this option and it's fun to get creative and help dad to experience something new!

2. Tickets to a sporting event

Does your dad have a favorite sports team?  If so, spoil him with tickets to see his team play their rivals!  Even better, get tickets for the whole family - this will make the father's day gift extra special! We love to take my dad to Minnesota Twins baseball games, the stadium is great and it's not something that he does on his own regularly.

3. Gift Cards

Yes, gift certificates might seem like the easy way out, but you can't go wrong with them!  Get them a gift certificate for a place they love to browse, get tools, or their "project headquarters."  Sears, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Menards are some great places for dads.  My dad generally uses his gift cards when the four women is his life (3 daughters and a wife) drag him along shopping! :)

4. Support a hobby

If your dad has a hobby - help support it!  

Golf - A box of golf-balls or a new driver he's been eye-ing

Grilling - Get him the latest and greatest grilling accessories or maybe a set of spices?

Hunting - shot gun shells or hunting must-have's

Yard Work - options are unlimited

Hopefully these ideas help you out if you are still searching for the perfect and clever gift for your dad! 

Here is a shot of me and my dad after I ran for Miss Minnesota in 2009!  He is a fabulous, kind, smart and supportive dad... I wouldn't trade him for anything!

Guest Bedroom Gallery Wall

Good Morning - Happy Hump Day!  I'm glad it's already the middle of the week, we have a weekend trip to San Francisco planned that I'm getting pretty excited for!

I haven't been blogging too much lately but that hasn't kept me from house projects.  I recently created this gallery wall for our guest bedroom!

I also hung this starburst mirror from Target above the dresser to add some extra flair!

Don't let the thought of creating a gallery wall intimidate you.  I had all of these wall hangings from previous houses that I've lived in or had in different places around my current home.  (I can never seem to leave things in one spot for too long.) In fact, I have a clothes basket of random art in my basement.

Before I hung the pictures on the wall, I created the layout on the floor to see if I would like it and to measure the spacing before I started pounding nails.  There is nothing worse than filling nail holes and re-painting!  This was the end result - it added a lot to the large empty wall in the guest bedroom!

If you are interested in where some of these pieces came from here is the list:

Large bird picture: Hobby Lobby

Framed Art - DIY project with matted frame and wall paper sample

Mirror: IKEA 

Cross: Pier 1 Imports

To see the guest bedroom click here!