{swoon}

Leave it to Apartment Therapy to find the most absolute drool-worthy homes. Erin and Ben's modern home is no exception...

 

 

 

 Lots of inspiration! Hope everyone is having a great weekend! 

{my craft booth today went very well by the way!}

{quick hi}

Hello friends!

Sorry for the silence..it has been a crazy week. Between getting a cold {and passing it onto the boys and the hubby}, a busy work schedule, and preparing for my first in a looong time craft show this weekend {!!!}, you could say I've been a bit swamped.

I'm super excited about the craft show. It is actually a winter farmer's market, and a new venture for my small town. It will be held every other Saturday through April, so tomorrow will be a good test to see if this is a good fit for me. I'll be selling my hats, paper goods and other items from my shop. I've even created a few new things that won't be in the shop until next week.

Want a peek?

You like? I'm pretty excited about them. They are my little works of art.

I also have some super cute {and personalize-able!} Valentine notes...

I would write coffee in the blank...or dark chocolate...or squirrels.

So wish me luck - hopefully I'll have good news to report next week!

And speaking of handmade...I just discovered this shop on Etsy and I'm in LOVE with theses scarves!

Gorgeous, right? You're welcome. :)

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

{too much adorableness}

Is that a word?

Well, if it is, you would see these two photos directly underneath it in the dictionary...

Thanks so much to my friend Brook for the first photo, and one of my customers for the second. It puts a huge smile on my face to see little ones wearing my hats!

{today}

I really want Genevieve's hair...

I know...totally random. But for some reason all of a sudden I really want long, wavy hair. And maybe my own show on HGTV. Or just a new kitchen.

{oh...if only}

I had $175 laying around...this would be in my entryway.

And look at all the color choices!

I think I would have to go with the celery green...or the gray...or maybe the dark woodgrain.

{good intentions}

I finally got up the courage (and patience) on Sunday to hang the cute wall decals in Ben's room that Gigi gave the boys for Christmas. They match their cute Target bedding. Ben was so excited about his new "stickers."

Here they are showing them off...

And here is what I found after Ben's nap...

They don't stick.

Bummer. What's up with that, Target?! And to think I kept putting this off because I was afraid they would stick so well that I wouldn't be able to rearrange them.

{I'm not naive enough to think that Ben didn't have a hand in this, but believe me, they were falling off long before nap time.}

So yesterday I bought some spray adhesive and I think they are going to have a date with some white art canvases. I'm not going to give up without a fight!

{be mine}

Some lovely Valentine's Day items in the shop!







And the perfect hat for your smallest little Valentine!

{in the running}

I've been researching storage solutions for our laundry room online and so far I have a few items in the running. First up is this industrial style metal shelving from Target...

{click on all product photos for direct link}




I like how it has locking casters, is very reasonably priced, and would give us lots of storage. I could add some baskets for smaller items, and also store some pantry staples on it as well.

I'm also a fan of this metal shelving unit, but it doesn't look nearly as sturdy as the system above...



In addition to shelving, we desperately need more hamper space in there, as well as a rod to hang some of my clothes, so this number, also from Target, would be a great multi-purpose solution...















I love how there is also a shelf on the top for even more storage. I'm all about maximizing people!

Target has some great choices for storage bins and baskets. I'm not sure about a color scheme for the room, so when I saw these tan fabric bins I was instantly smitten. They are neutral enough to go with anything,super affordable, and also have lots of style...

I love the long, skinny size for holding smaller items like the boys' socks when they come out of the dryer. We usually get them dressed in the family room so keeping them in the laundry room would be a practical solution.

And because I have to inject something fun into the mix, I've been thinking about a rug for the space. This pattern from Walmart really caught my eye...



Or this more modern one from Lowes...

 

But first we have to get this shelving situation figured out. Hopefully we can make a decision this weekend and move closer toward a more functional and friendly laundry room!

{new and improved}

I've been doing a little sprucing up around here. Did you notice?

One exciting new feature on This Girl's Life is the addition of search tags...over here under {topics}------------------------------------------------------->

Now you can search through my posts based on subject matter. So if you want to look at a plethora of cutie patootie twin boy photos, you will have a much easier time. Or if you want to read all of my ramblings about my home decorating adventures...well....you're welcome.

I've also added links to my scrapbooking layouts and home photos on Flickr.

Waaaay over there on the far right under my Etsy shop.  ----------------------------->

Just in case you hadn't had enough of me. It is OK to admit it.

And one more thing because it is getting closer to February. New Valentine's Day items in the shop! Check them out here or by clicking on my shop link over here.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------->

{I love making arrows, can you tell?}

{inspired}

This home tour on Apartment Therapy today has me so inspired...

 

*edited to add that I'm so in love with the coffee table in these photos, and I just realized that IKEA has a very similar model with a magazine shelf...

 

This is sooo added to the wish list!

{curtain call}

Want to see what *I've been up to lately with our family room makeover?

{*I should really add that this entire project would not have even happened without my Mom #2, who not only helped her drill-challenged daughter-in-law hang the curtain rod, but also hemmed the curtains...what a lucky gal I am!}

Well friends, we FINALLY have curtains up! Can I get an amen? Or an Hallelujia? Or just a pat on the back?

I'm seriously SO excited about this. Why you ask?

Because we have a wall air conditioner situated smack dab in the middle of the wall. It is really lovely. Now don't get me wrong, I love it more than coffee on a 90 degree summer day, but I still think it is hideous.

See what I mean????

Sorry for the horrendous photo quality, but it only adds to the shock factor, right?

Fast forward to today and the wall is looking a lot better thanks to a super budget friendly curtain fix. I used two 84" curtain rods and screwed them together (thanks to the hubby for this genius idea) to create a suuuuper looooong curtain rod. Added the awesome gray IKEA curtains that my friend Allison gifted to us, and voila...

Now I know what you are probably thinking if you are obsessed with curtains like I am...

And I've got it covered...enter a pair of white IKEA panels that were also a budget friendly buy...

{click to enlarge}

{which I have yet to hem}

And I will be one happy curtain camper. Now once the weather warms up it will have to look like this...

but I'm hoping we can afford to install central air in the next few years and say a permanent good-by to Mr. AC.

And then there is the rest of the room. I thought it would be best to let the photo speak for itself...

{click to enlarge}

 

You could say we have a ways to go, but just by adding curtains, the room feels so much more complete and cozy. I'm excited for the next step in this makeover process, which I hope will be a new mantle and paint on the fireplace!

{connecting}

I love having time on the weekend to sit on a shaggy rug with the boys, eat teddy grahams, and play with flash cards.

These are the connections I will cherish.

{office space}

So we've made a bit of progress with our desk space in the front room.

So far, we have this...

I know...the photo is hung in a rather odd place right?

Picture our IKEA lack shelf hung between Mr. Great Escape and the desk. And other accessories like in this mood board I created awhile back...




Can't wait to have it all finished and be able to enjoy it. And you can be sure I will give an update with photos!