Too good not to share

This past weekend was one of those weekends that had me in the best mood. Right now, at this very moment, I'm still smiling about how much fun and how rewarding it was. This past Friday was just too much fun not to blog about it. One of my favorite people graduated from LSU and I just love all the pictures that we took! Congrats Libby, we're so blessed to have you in our lives! And thanks for all the photos :)

Another project we started, once we recovered... MUCH to my mom's delight.... is our landscaping adventure. All I'm saying is, someone should've bought this girl a hedge trimmer a long time ago. Who knew that thing was so much fun?! Beware.. overgrown might just be an understatement! Here's a tiny glimpse of what's going on in the backyard. Sunday we did so much work back here and it shows! Can't wait to show you what things are looking like later on. Before....

It was such gorgeous weather this weekend and that made being outdoors so nice. While I'm busy landscaping, planting, etc.... Josh's next project is to build us some outdoor furniture. You know, because I suggested a set to him and he replied "I can build that". So there's that. Hope everyone had a blessed weekend. It's my last week of work for the school year... cheers to that!!

Friday Favorites:: Maxi Dresses

So let's try something a little different around here. We're going to be on a bit of a break on renovations for a minute or two. Well, we may have a few more closets up our sleeves to tackle - but for now, let's talk about my favvvvvorite topic... Clothes! Thinking I'll check in on Fridays to talk about what I'm obsessing over for the week. Yes, obsessing for the week. Every single one of my friends knows shopping makes me happy... we all have our vices. And, I gave it up for Lent. Withdrawal is an understatement. Luckily for my habit, I'm a thrifty shopper for the most part... with a boutique or two thrown into the mix. Total girly girl from head to toe.

I'm a total sucker for a maxi dress, even though I'm a bit of a smurf. I found a few affordable favorites as I was making my rounds this week. As I was filling up my new closet, I noticed that I need more solid and not so much pattern. I LOVE pattern - but sometimes you gotta go classic. Another thing I noticed, is that I have a dress deficit. I used to live in dresses. Now, I'm more of a separates girl. Maybe next time, I'll do a roundup of patterns.

I think I could die a happy girl in a few of these dresses... Especially that mint one.... Enjoy! 

// Old Navy  //

// Forever 21 //

// Zara //

// asos // 

// asos // 

...hello date night!...

Hope y'all have a good weekend! We have such a fun weekend planned. Tonight one of my favorite people is graduating, and the rest of the weekend is gonna be spent doing NOTHING! I think ordering one of these cuties might be in my near future!

xoxo

One Room Challenge -- The Reveal

When I think of the right words to describe this "new room" in my home, all I can think of are: bold + loud + girly + my inner-tween self. This space is for me. I know this isn't everyone's taste as it can be a bit obnoxious with all the colors - but this room is FUN. Dare I say it, but something I love even more than decorating is clothing. This translates to this space because my clothes are bright and colorful and almost always there is a leopard print included. And hello, the real jewel of this room is my new closet. (Side note: all these pictures were taken at approximately 8:00pm so excuse the night time setting, down-to-the-wire stress and last-minuteness that is the awesome One Room Challenge. And we all know photography is not my strong suit.)  

I could not love my copper floor length any more than I do in this picture. And I've grown to cherish every single cheetah spot on that wall.

So on the other side of the room, I made a little "get ready" station. Obviously my heap of makeup is no where to be seen, but I just love the idea of having a designated space for all my junk. 

When I was thinking about what I wanted for my new closet, I just KNEW that I had to have a lot of storage space and hanging space. When I tell you I can.not.wait. to get in this space and play, that would be an understatement.  I know what everyone really wants to see is my DIY turquoise beaded chandelier.

Everyone close your eyes and pretend you don't see that strip at the bottom that still needs to be painted. Floors were stained that morning!

Now who wouldn't want to play dress-up in that room for a girls night or a date night?! Total confidence boost, right? Can't forget the wine :) And, it just wouldn't be a good after without a little before.

Closet area BEFORE. 

The rest of the room before! Notice no more doorway in the background? Makes ALL the difference. 

Thanks so much for all the kind words over the past 6 weeks. I adored having you following along. Thank you to Linda for creating this One Room Challenge, for without you, my husband would still be lingering on our dining room project. Make you sure you check out all the other linkers! 

One Room Challenge --- Week 5

Y'all. I can't even lie - this week was like a big come to Jesus meeting. Me, Josh, and all the work we had to do had to sit down and make a plan. If you remember from last week, we had a laundry list of items to complete. We totally went crazy.... with wine in hand.... and stayed up super late each night with alarms set in the 5:00 hour for work the next morning. All totally worth it! I'm so excited to be able to show you some pretty pictures instead of pictures of table saws and saw dust.

1. Josh sprayed texture on the doorway we closed in. Then he sanded it and dust got EVERYWHERE in my entire house... at which point I threw a major hissy fit and that's when the wine was poured. I finished painting the room White Dove by BM. Can you even tell that there was a doorway along that white wall?? Props to my amateur drywaller husband.

2. I started and almost have completed the wall stencil. We also hung the faux wood blinds.

I took this one this morning. Still need to do up top. And still need to paint the trim.

3. DIY'ed my turquoise beaded chandelier from an old light fixture that was hanging in this old pink house.

So this is the light fixture before. I removed the glass and am actually using it to put a candle in for the room. 

Then, I shared this picture on IG. Basically, I took apart the chandelier, spray painted some Mardi Gras beads, and hot glued them into place. 

Total cost of the project: $15 - only had to buy the spray paint and beads! Yes, I live in Louisiana and don't ever keep my beads from Mardi Gras. You'll get to see the finished beauty next week. 

4. Finished the closet!!! And I got mostly everything primed. Then, Josh trimmed out all of the shelves and cubbies. Cannot wait to play in this closet!

5. Josh installed the baseboards! They're all caulked and ready to be painted.

6. I ordered curtain panels for the room. Hoping they're in by the weekend so I can add some trim :)

7. Since I don't have enough to paint, I have decided to make a little art for the walls using ANOTHER stencil. Crazy, crazy pants. 

8. All the electrical is complete. See those outlets on the wall? No more wires hanging out. 

Left to do:

 - Paint, paint and more paint. Namely: the entire closet, the baseboards, all the trim, and touch up the stencil wall. I'll be the crazy lady with the paintbrush. 

- Hang the poles in the closet. Is that what they are called?
- Frame the oversized mirror and paint it

- Set up the bed

- Trim curtains and hang them

- Accessorize! 

The only thing we don't see happening that we have on our wish list is adding the crown molding to our closet to give it the finished look. (Josh is on a friend's bachelor party today-Monday) But, you never know! Thanks for following along - hope to see you back next week for the big reveal!

Make sure you go check out all the other linker-uppers here. And, don't forget to check out all these awesome girls.

Abby M. Interiors 

Because it’s Awesome 

Bijou & Boheme 

Calling It Home 

Chez V 

Chinoiserie Chic

Copy Cat Chic 

The Decorista 

Design Crisis 

Design Indulgence 

Design Manifest 

The English Room

The Glam Pad 

Little Black Door 

Mimosa Lane 

My Notting Hill 

The Pink Pagoda 

Simple Details 

My Sweet Savannah 

Verandah House