2013 New Years Resolution

Holy smokes, is this really the last day of 2012?  Where did the year go?!  Regardless, it was a fantastic year and I wouldn't change a day of it.  As this year comes to a close I'm finding myself thinking about all that I want to accomplish in 2013... and it's a lot!  So, instead of thinking in terms of "resolutions" (because in my mind they come with limitations and for me end up in not fully happening) I like to think in terms of "themes" for the new year.

Here are my 2013 New Years Themes!

1// PRODUCTIVITY!  I have so much I want to accomplish in 2013 - planning a wedding, getting my interior design business off the ground and running, becoming a better blogger and photographer, and launching a big training initiative at work... too name a few! Whew!  (I'm sure I'll come up with more goals too)

Either way, I am going to have to be productive which means managing my time better, getting up earlier and prioritizing.

2// CAPTURING HISTORY.  This theme may sound strange at first but it really means that I want to start journaling regularly about every day things... farm life, accomplishing our goals, wedding planning process, weather, crop yields, local, national and international happenings, family life... you name it, I want to write about it.

All of these things are so normal and yet may become so interesting to our children and grandchildren one day.  I think about the stories my grandparents told me about growing up and their families and I wish I could capture them and pass them on forever.

There you have it - my 2013 themes!  What are yours?  Please share below or join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter (@beth_dydblog)!

Happy New Year!

High 5 For Friday!

This will be my last H54F post of 2012!  Wow time flies!  I've had so many "high's" this year and I'm glad that I captured them through these posts. 

Here are my high 5 for this week!

1// I found a wedding dress! It's not quite what I had picked out in my mind but I love it and it was a unanimous pick by me, my mom, sisters and girlfriends so I said "why not" and said yes to the dress!  I'm pretty excited!!

2// I am a proud owner of a Pioneer Woman Cookbook.  I love her recipes so I've been trying new things all week!

3// The perfect cup of coffee!  Adam gave me a Keurig for Christmas.  I love this little coffee-making machine.  It really does make the perfect cup of coffee anytime!

4// Paint-A-Pig Inspiration. I am participating in a Paint-A-Pig fundraiser held at the Iowa Pork Congress as a way to support a local college organization and to promote my aspiring home design business.  I finally found some inspiration to paint a "classy" pig.  It is going to be a Kate Spade, dot art, sorta pig.  (I'll share before and after pictures...)

5//My Grandma.  She is 93 years old and so special. (I'm actually getting tears writing about her.) My sisters and I have grown up with her so it's hard to see her get older.  I think we celebrated our last Christmas at her house this year and my true Christmas wish is that she can be at our wedding in August.

I hope you all have had a fantastic week of celebrating and I look forward to sharing more with you in the new year!

Definitely stop over at From My Grey Desk to see my high 5's...

Merry Christmas! (a little late...)

Merry Christmas to you all! I am a little behind in wishing you all a Merry Christmas but thankfully the Christmas season lasts a while.  

I hope you all had wonderful celebrations with your families... ours was so much fun!  I must admit that some of my favorite days of the holiday season are those that follow Christmas when you get to wear your pj's all day, drink a cup of coffee while watching tv, go for lunch on a whim with friends and play with your new toys! :)

I also find myself to be extremely thankful and humbled at this time of year by all of the giving that takes place.  I hope that this holiday season brings so much peace and joy that follows us all into the new year!

Many thanks to you all for reading and following this tiny little blog...

High Five For Friday!

Happy Friday Everyone!  Our Christmas celebrations start this weekend and my sister and her husband are staying at our house tonight on their way back to Minnesota from Nebraska, I couldn't be more excited! :)

This week had so many highs and I am continually reminded of everything I should be thankful for!  Here are my high 5!

1. Last weekend we took a weekend road trip to Stillwater, OK for a couple of cattle sales.  I have never been to OK before so it was fun to see the landscape and spend a weekend away with Adam!

2. All of the gifts are wrapped!  I love giving gifts but wrapping them all turns into a big job. :)

3. Snow!  Iowa hasn't had any significant snow for a couple of winters now.  The moisture is definitely welcomed and it's always fun to be caught in a blizzard (until you have to dig yourself out anyway....)

4. Our new entryway is coming together.  I have a long way to go on the decorating, but this is a start in the right direction.  Believe it or not the "Man Cave" sign was my idea.

5. I got to spend my snow day with these two.  It was a fun lazy day.

Shopping Bags to Gift bags (a DIY project!)

One week until Christmas and I am working on wrapping my gifts!  This year I'm not going overboard on my gift wrapping considering it just gets ripped off and thrown into a black garbage bag. (I know, I'm kinda being a scrooge about it, but I'm also trying to be practical) I did however get a little creative when I realized that I hadn't bought any gift bags or extra boxes to actually put the gifts in and came up with these DIY beauties for gift packaging! :)

I dug out some of my nicer shopping bags and Birchbox boxes and simply covered the store name with scrapbook paper.  I also used a couple of holiday stamps to add some extra holiday spunk!

Before

After

I must say, they look pretty nice under the Christmas tree! :)

Holiday House Tour of Our Home

Welcome to the virtual holiday tour of our home! I would be fibbing if I told you that I transformed my home into a winter wonderland.  Instead, we just add a little Christmas decor here and there to make it feel festive.

Enjoy...

Instead of going all-out with personal ornaments this year, I kept the tree pretty simple with a few traditional ornaments and snowflakes to give an ombre effect.

I always have a DIY project going... this was a simple paper mache letter project.  All you need is paper mache letters, Christmas scrapbook paper, and mod-podge.

Instead of changing out all of my current decor, I just mix in a few Christmas colors.

Our dining room table is pretty simple... and for some reason I can't resist hanging things over the back of chairs (below).

At night, the lights behind the sheers look awesome and so wedding-esk!

My new Christmas card display idea consists of ribbon and clothes pins on a door.  Love it!!

I'm pretty sure I have an ornament of some sort  hung over every door knob in our house.  Since we forgot to put a doorbell on the outside of the house when we were building the garage and entry (can you believe we forgot, who forgets that! ha!!) the bells on the door have come in handy!

The wreath serves as a nice little buffer over the window so we don't look straight into the garage.

Please don't mind my modest, unfinished entry way.  As I write this post, the trim is getting put up and that will mark the project complete - probably the best Christmas present I will receive! :)  

I hope you enjoyed this quick holiday house tour! :)

Client Update: Living Room Design

I am really loving my "on the side" job of helping people to create beautiful spaces they love to live in!  I recently help Melanie, from Indiana, design her living room.  Here is the design we came up with.

The goal was to lighten up the space while still creating a cozy, comfortable and put together feel.  They are also planning to add built-ins and a fireplace to their living room.  This will be a fun space to pull together! :) 

If you, or someone you know, would like to create a new look and feel for your home, email designyourdwellingblog (at) gmail.com to get started or check out my Design Services page.

High Five For Friday + Giveaway Winner!

1. Betty Crocker cookies come out perfect every time.  Not sure how she does it! :)

2. The Christmas Tour of homes when great for the client whose house I helped to decorate. See the house here.

3. I am trying to cook like The Pioneer Woman.  So far so good on the pot roast and cobbler I made this week!

4. Tomorrow I am participating in a vendor fair in our community. Here is a quick look at some of the greeting cards I am bringing.

5. 'Bam' has been hanging out with me in my office lately.  He loves it and I think it is hilarious when he starts having puppy dreams. 

What are your high 5?!  Stop over at Lauren's Blog, From My Grey Desk to read more high 5's!

Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara Giveaway Winner! Congratulations to Katie O.!  I'll be in touch with you about getting your mascara to you!!

Glittery Reindeer Canvas

I found this Glittery Reindeer Canvas on Pinterest about a week ago and had to make one for myself because it was so darn cute and festive!  Since I made it and posted it on my Facebook page, I've had requests to post the instructions on my blog so here you go!

This project is so incredibly simple!  The only warning I have for you is that you may spot specks of glitter around your house.

You only need a few things to make this project happen...

The first thing you will need to do is find a Reindeer Silhoutte, I used this one, and blew it up to 125% to fit my canvas. I used a 12 x 12 canvas.

Using a pencil, lightly trace your reindeer pattern onto the canvas.

Next, I squirted school glue inside the pattern and used a paint brush to bring it to the edge and evenly cover the inside of the pattern.  I actually covered the line I drew too so that I wouldn't see pencil marks in my end project.

Then I put a newspaper down and poured glitter all over the canvas.

Once I had glitter everywhere it needed to be (and where it didn't need to be) I sprayed the canvas with hairspray - the stickiest stuff you have - to hold the glitter in place.

That's it!  Your done and now have this awesome piece of Christmas art in your home!! :)

Client Home: Celebrating Christmas

Over the last week I had the opportunity to help a client decorate her home for a local Christmas tour of homes.  Here is a virtual tour of her home all gussied up for Christmas!

Their home is a beautiful Victorian home. They have completely remodeled the second and third floor of their home as well as the kitchen so it didn't take much to beautify this home for "tourists" since they were most interested in the remodeling that has taken place. Regardless, we did make sure to bring the feel of Christmas into each room of their home.  Here are some of the highlights!

Entryway

Family Room

This room is the first room you step into when you enter their home.  She had a vision for the tree to be decorated in gold so we did just that and added in some silver so the tree would shimmer and shine.  Plus, you can see the tree from the outside window.  To add a fun element to the tree, I found these snowflakes and believe it or not, they are gift tags!  While we decorated the house, her two daughters made these DIY coasters.

Dining Room Table

We kept the table simple with a festive flare.  I found the red metallic burlap fabric at JoAnn fabrics and ordered enough to make two table runners.  The centerpiece was easy - all we did was spray paint paint wine bottles.  For place markers, we filled clear ornaments with faux snow, wrote names on them and attached tied them to the back of the chairs.

Buffet Table

The buffet in the dining room is a beautiful antique piece of furniture.  Our favorite element on this buffet is the reindeer silhouette. (I'll share the tutorial!) Simple things like holiday serving platters make all the difference when decorating your home for the holidays - they are so festive and fun!

Christmas Card Display

This idea for displaying Christmas cards was so easy and so unique!  It adds a ton of holiday flare to the kitchen without getting in the way of functionality.  All you need is Christmas ribbon, clothes pins, and painters tape!

Family Tree

Family trees are my favorite!  I love all of the memories that they hold! :)

I hope you enjoyed this holiday home tour and found some ideas to use in your home!  If you have questions about any of the decorations like how-to's or where we found something, leave a comment below!

Easy Eye Makeup, An After Photo & A Giveaway!

I love to experiment with eye color! I usually stay in my comfort zone of neutrals but at the Mary Kay color session I attended, I learned I could experiment with neutrals and make them just a little more daring!

Based on what I learned, I am going to share three steps to easy eye makeup!

First things first though.  In order to have great eye makeup, I highly recommend eye primer!

Can you tell a difference?!  Eye primer does two things; first, it makes your color more vibrant.  Second, it makes your color last all day.  (And in my case, my eye makeup was prefect the next day too since I didn't wash my face before I went to bed.... ooops!)

Here are the neutrals I experimented with. I used a combination of shimmer shadows with a matte shadow to give a balanced look.

Step 1 |  Apply lightest color, moonstone, all over your eyelid - eyebrow to lash line.

Step 2|  Apply the medium shade of color, chocolate kiss.  This is where you can start to get more daring.  When you apply your darker shades, think about applying them in "shapes." With chocolate kiss, I applied it by making the shape of a square from the center to the outside of my eye and from my brow bone to my lash line.

Step 2 | I applied the third and darkest eye shadow, Espresso, last.  I applied this color in the "shape" of a 7.  Kind of like drawing a triangle without filling it in...

Here is what it looked like when it was done!

A couple of keys to consider to applying eye shadow.  First, brushes are essential in being able to have great eye makeup, plus they make application a lot easier!  Second, if you start out light, you can always add more and go darker.  Finally, if you start out dark, you can always blend it out or add your base color to lighten the color.

The final steps are eye liner and mascara.

When applying eye liner you have a lot of choices - pencil, mineral eye shadow, liquid liner or gel.  I used gel eyeliner for the first time during this session and it is my new love!

Eyeliner should extend across your top lash line. (Nice face, huh?!)

And if you are wearing dark makeup like I am, it should only extend 1/3 to 1/2 of your bottom lash line.

Don't you just love how perfect this gel eyeliner looks?  Perfectly straight and smooth!

I didn't get a picture of applying mascara but that is pretty self explanatory! :)  I will mention my favorite mascara to you and that is the Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara!  It makes your lashes look perfectly thick and long!

After all of these steps, here is my "after" picture.  I know, it's a little random but I was messing around because I couldn't get good light, Adam wasn't around, and I don't have a remote for my camera yet.  But, this is the best "after" picture that I have! :)

I loved my makeup and felt very confident wearing it!  Thanks to Kenzie, my Mary Kay consultant, for hosting this great color session! :)  I hope you've enjoyed these posts!

Here is a list of products I used in this post:

Eye Primer

Mineral Eye Colors: Moonstone, Chocolate Kiss, Espresso

Gel Eyeliner (limited edition)

Ultimate Mascara

Mary Kay Brush Collection

Giveaway!!

As a special conclusion to this series on makeup tips we are giving away a Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara to one of you lucky readers!! :)  It's at the top of my Mary Kay favorite list!

Here's how to enter:

1. Leave a comment to tell us what your greatest makeup challenge or splurge is! (+1 entry)

2. Become a follower via GFC. (+1 entry, leave a comment)

3. "Like" Design Your Dwelling on Facebook (+1 entry, leave a comment)

4. "Like" Kenzie's Mary Kay Facebook page (+1 entry, leave a comment)

Giveaway closes Thursday and the winner will be announced on Friday, December 7!

Specials ONLY for Design Your Dwelling readers - that's you! :)

DYD READER SPECIAL:  10% off your total purchase, use the DYD as your promo code. www.marykay.com/kenz.kral

FREE SHIPPING:  Automatic free shipping on orders of $20 or more!

*You wont see the discount when it's it your basket, Kenzie will apply it for you,make sure to use the promo codes.
**Orders need to be placed via the website and paid with debit or credit