a little DIY...

Time for a little update!  I've been very busy, and made lots of changes to our house which I'm excited to share in the near future.  First up though, a couple DIY projects I've completed recently, just for fun.


I found this idea on Pinterest (where else?) and had the perfect pair of shorts to transform.  

I know I've already worn them more times than I would have if they were plain!  So fun for summer :)


Then Bryce found this almost vintage garbage can at church - it was on it's way to the garbage but he wondered if we might be able to paint it?  I thought, why not?  So I grabbed a light blue spray can and went to town.  Love the colour it adds to our mostly grey living room.

Up next, the DIY Ottoman!

garden makeover.

This weekend was packed full!  I worked my final shift as a restaurant server - my longest running job to date (7 years!)  I'll miss everyone, but I'm excited to have my Saturdays free for more projects like this....


We decided to yank out the 4 huge bushes in our tiny front garden, and start over.  I was nervous/excited about the thought of a total overhaul, and in the end I'm so glad we went for it!


Here's the before:

And after!

I was covered in dirt, but totally satisfied!  I planted a boxwood, another shrub (the green one on the left...I can't remember the name), 3 hosts, 10 geraniums (coral & pink), and some petunias that were on sale and matched perfectly.  All in a (long) days work!

I love that it's so much more colourful, open, and inviting!  I also planted a couple of window boxes that I got on sale.  And I purchased a little cilantro plant!  I'm so excited about the delicious thai dishes I have lined up to use it in.  Any suggestions?

Neon & Neutral

To wrap up the colour combos I'd like to try - here's the brightest of them all: neon yellow!

1. Maxi skirt
2. Neon Shirt
3. Living Room
4. Nails
5. Purse
6. Gladiators
7. Macarons

Embracing Colour: Fuchsia & Aquamarine

Here's another pretty colour combo I would love to try!  I especially love the tablescape with the gold details...

1. cardigan and sweater
2. tablescape
3. shirt/skirt
4. party decor
5. home decor

Embracing Colour: Pink & Orange

Do bright colours make anyone else a little nervous?  I absolutely love colour and would not want to live in a world without it - but this crazy thing happens in my mind when I see something I like in a bright colour.  It's like a battle between my left and right brain.  My right brain is all about the vibrant, go-get-em, boldness of everything bright.  But it doesn't take long for my practical, you-can't-pull-that-off, downer of a left brain to kick in.  What's up with that??  Part of the problem is that I don't pay attention to what crazy colour combinations work well together, so I tend to stick to one at a time.  

Until recently, when I bought this $10 shirt from Garage Clothing Co...

 

There were other colour options that were more "safe", and easier for ol' left brain to swallow.  But you only live once right!  So I took the plunge into the pink/orange-ness of it all.  (Side note: My sister was there and pep-talked me through it - she wouldn't steer me wrong)  I'm really glad I did, and now I'm caught up admiring all the other bright colour combos out there!  I've decided to dedicate my next few posts to random inspiring combos that work - in fashion, at home, anywhere; from crazy and bold to simple and subtle.

Here's to throwing caution to the wind and embracing all the bright, vibrant colours the world has to offer!

1. Striped Dress by H&M 
2. Couch and Pillows
3. Pink Skirt, Orange shoes
4. Decorative Pillows
5. Macarons
6. Balloons

Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes.

Here's my dessert for "Guess Who's Bringing Dessert?"!  Chocolate cupcakes with raspberry filling and topped with raspberry cream cheese icing - DELICIOUS. I honestly loved them because they were super light, not too heavy/sweet.  Just right enough that I could have eaten multiple (or is that a bad thing?)  I love the rich, butter based icings as well - but after one bite of those my head gets swirly.  Not with these super moist cupcakes and extra light (but still sturdy!) icing.  I just used the Duncan Hines chocolate cake mix, and dug out a little hole in each one.  I spoon-filled them with raspberry filling (ED Smith).  Then, I used this recipe for the icing.  I added 2 tablespoons of raspberry filling for some extra flavour (and to use up more filling - and I still have more left over!  Gotta get creative...)

I don't have an official set of icing tips - but I managed to find one of my mom's old ones and I stuck it in the corner of a freezer bag - worked like a charm!  I probably should have used raspberries as a garnish, but I had fresh strawberries so I couldn't resist using them. I'd love to know if you give them a try!

Shorts with tights.

I've been loving this trend for a while now, so it's about time I posted a few pics for inspiration.  I may even pull out my shorts & tights sometime this weekend!  (ps how cute is the little girl with the pink tights?) 

photo credits are here.

600 cupcakes.

Last weekend on the agenda was the baking and decorating of 50 dozen cupcakes - yep, that's 600 cupcakes!  We pre-sold the cupcakes to raise money for our upcoming mission trip to South Africa (Jody, Kaitlyn, and myself).  Thanks so much to everyone for supporting us!  And to Kathryn and Ariana for helping us decorate :)

Chocolate Dream:

Raspberry Coconut:

Vanilla Dream:

Triple Chocolate:

All packaged up and ready to be enjoyed!

...and a picture of the big mess we made...

monkey pizza bread.

Some of my Pinterest followers may have already seen this recipe floating around: Pepperoni Monkey Pizza Bread from jasonandshawnda.com.  Just wanted to let you know that I tried, and it worked perfectly!  Absolutely delicious - it definitely disappeared on New Year's Eve :)  (Bottom 2 pics are my own)

can it be true?

Toms ballet flats - coming spring 2012!  www.toms.com

colour of the year.

Last year, I posted about 2011's "Colour of the Year" so I thought I'd do the same for 2012!  Enjoy the inspiration - all photos found here..

silk scarf pillow case.

A little variation on the no-sew pillow case for you!  I had this silk scarf (thrifted for $2.99?) and this old pillow form just waiting to be covered.  In a little flash of spontaneous creativity, I decided to get them together.

Lay the scarf on a flat surface.

The colours are bit more muted in reality (less peach, more pink) - so pretty.

Put the pillow on the scarf (corners to sides).

Fold 2 ends of the scarf together, and tie them in a double knot.

Fold the other 2 corners together, tie, and voila!  No sewing required :)

You can face the knot in..

Or out!  I prefer it this way - love the colours and the gathered effect.

Give it a try for yourself!