My "Want List"... Lately

Happy Monday!  Did you have a great weekend?  We went to an Eric Church concert this weekend and had so much fun - I would like to say it was "awesome" but I'm convinced I would only say that about a concert if I was standing in the front row.  Regardless, I like his music a lot and would go to see him again.  I'll share a few pictures as part of my 5 on Friday post.

Today I thought I would share my "want list" with you!  Blogging and my love for interior design and DIY have introduced me to so many awesome things and ideas that I am starting to keep a want list.  This should help me to easily form my Christmas and Birthday wish lists! :)  So, here are a few things on my "want list" lately...

Custom Address Stamp

Via Papersushi on Etsy

LOVE this!  These would make a great wedding or house warming gift!  Either way, I definitely want one because I like sending snail mail and I hate writing out my return address when I pay bills.

Kellan Rectangle Tote from Pottery Barn

Via Pottery Barn

My vision for this wire tote is to hold extra blankets and pillows in my living room.  I didn't realize wire totes are so hard to come by.  Not sure I'm ready to spend $99...

Home Design by Sabrina Soto

Via Amazon

I really like Sabrina Soto and have always watched her shows on HGTV!  I took a sneak peek at this book and know that I could get sucked in!  You can find it on Amazon.com for $12.04!

If you are curious about any of my "want list" items, click on the caption under the picture for the direct link!

What are you wanting lately?!

5 on Friday!

It's finally Friday!  I am really looking forward to this weekend because we are going to an Eric Church concert.  I love his music and I can't remember the last time I went to a concert.  The best part is the concert isn't far from home so there are so many people going that we know!  It's gonna be fun!  Besides that, here is a recap of great things that happened this week...

1| Girls Night Out
I invited over the two fantastic summer interns that are working on our sales force training team for a little girls night out.  I made dinner and my friend Kenzie, a Mary Kay consultant, came over to talk skincare and make-up.  I'm excited to get my new TimeWise Microdermabresion set and two new mineral eye colors - Gold Coast and Truffle.  Kenzie is great, if you are looking for any products - check out her website by clicking here.  Plus she always offers FREE shipping!

2| High of 86º Today
It has been in the 90-100+ degree range here in Iowa for a couple weeks now.  Today's high is only 86, that is like 20 degrees cooler than "normal." We need the relief from the temperatures - the animals, the crops, and us!


3| New Camera
I am getting a new toy today!  A Cannon EOS Rebel T3i.  I've wanted a nice camera for awhile but I'm too cheap to buy one but I'm finally giving into my "want."  One of my goals is to take better, more high quality pictures.  This is a big investment for me so hopefully you will be seeing more pictures on my blog!

4| He's Home
Adam is back from RAGBRAI (Regsiters Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa).  As much as I like have time on my own, it's always great to have him back!  We've dated for 2 years now and I'm still excited to see him after we are apart for awhile - it's a good thing! :)


5| Training Session 101
Besides my love for home design and DIY I also enjoying my role working with a training group and facilitating workshops whether they are product knowledge training workshops or sales training.  This week I facilitated a workshop on how to be a good facilitator.  I had a great time with the participants and I'm pretty confident they took away some good "nuggets" to lead their next training session.  My number #1 rule for training is to have fun. 


There are my top 5 for the week! I hope you all have a great weekend a remember to find excitement in the every-day things!

{DIY Project} Monogrammed Post-It Notes

I continually have quick little DIY project ideas running through my mind so my project list continues to grow.  Last night I finally made the Monogrammed Post-It notes that I been wanting to - I'm in love with monogrammed things lately!  There were no good shows on TV last night and Adam is gone for the week so my free time equals my creative time.

Aren't these cool?  And they are super simple - I think I was done with both of these in 10 minutes!

Here is all you need:

1. Clear or Rubber Stamps

2. Clear Stamp Mount (if using clear stamps)

3. Ink pad (color of your choice)

Don't forget your post it notes!

All you need to do is stamp the letter on each page of the paper!  Simple, huh?!  These make great gifts and additions to personalized stationary sets.  If you don't want to use letters, use any stamp you want!

Have fun!

5 on Friday

Finally Friday - Woohoo!  It's not that I don't like my job, there is just something about Friday that is laid back and relaxing and I love that.  I'm also looking forward to the weekend!  My parents are coming down to visit and Adam will be celebrating a birthday - still no idea what to get him so suggestions are welcome!

I haven't done a '5 on Friday' post in awhile so I was reminded that I have a lot to be thankful for!

1} Lunch Date
My dear friend Melissa who I haven't seen in SO long was driving through Des Moines on her way home from a work trip and stopped to have lunch with me.  It was so kind of her to think of me!  Conversation was great and I am happy to hear that she is enjoying life.  I probably could have spent all afternoon catching up with her.  Thanks Melissa!


2} I Conquered some HTML code
Did you see the updates to my blog design?  I'm pretty proud of this!  For those of you that know HTML code, you are probably laughing at the pride I am taking in this but for those of you that don't, it's rather painful.  Thankfully I found some good tutorials to help me get the job done!

3} Cattle Photographer Extraordinaire 
Kidding!  I'm not great at taking pictures - one of my goals is to improve my photography skills.  We have a couple of heifer (girl) calves that we are hoping to sell as show heifers so we had to take a few pictures to get them onto a local sale.  We spent two nights trying to photograph these little buggers.  I think we came out with some pretty decent pictures!  (These weren't the pictures we submitted - instead I am sharing my favorites)

4} New Shoes
When I get a picture of something I want in my head, I have to have it.  I saw a pair of wedge sandals a friend was wearing on Facebook and finally found a similar pair which are exactly what I was looking for!  Click here to see them! 


5} Haircut & Color
Today is a big day - I am FINALLY getting my hair cut and colored.  The last time I got a real hair cut was April and the last time I had my hair colored was February.  I am going to Salon W in downtown Des Moines.  From what I've read it is one of the top 200 salons in the US.  In my mom's words "Sounds Expensive!"  Yep it does, but a girl's got to treat herself once in awhile.  (I've started to get used to "blah" hair so I'm a little nervous about getting it cut today)

What are the best things that have happened to you this week?  Have a great weekend everyone!