Mossy Monogram Tutorial + Fall Festivities

Hi everyone!

Hope you enjoyed your weekend! I had a good one - Mr. G and I went to a corn maze with his sister and her fiance and we all carved pumpkins afterward. :) Unfortunately, much like the glue gun incident, pumpkin carving proved to be more dangerous than expected... I ended up carving my finger more than the pumpkin, so I needed help finishing. Whoops. At least the pumpkin turned out well! Here are our masterpieces (guess who made the monogram):

Mine is the G (of course), and Mr. G's is MN Gopher hockey themed. :)

In other news, as an update on our bedroom furniture, we've pretty much decided on a set, but it's actually none of the ones I previously posted haha. As it turns out, Ashley furniture got REALLY bad reviews on quality and customer service, so we eliminated those two options. I wanted to look around some more, so we went to the furniture capitol of the world (Edina, MN) and ended up finding our perfect bedroom set at Crate & Barrel. I fell in love with the canopy bed and the modern design of the pieces. Plus, I like that there are no handles... It means I can add some later if I want without having to take anything off. :) Here's the collection (click the link below to see the rest):

Pavillion Canopy Bed

We also decided to wait a little longer to start buying the furniture since they're more expensive and we have other purchases that take precedence (such as an iPad...). Speaking of which, I upgraded my iPhone to the 4S! We decided to go for it because Mr. G was due an upgrade anyway and we were able to sell my iPhone 4 on Craig's List for more than we paid for it lol. So, we made money and I got a new phone! Not a bad deal... And yes, Siri is awesome. And yes, I got it the day after it came out and I felt pretty cool.

Another purchase we made this weekend was an IKEA picture I've had my eye on since we moved here 6 months ago. It's a HUGE canvas picture that fills a lot of our expansive wall space (thank you, vaulted ceilings), and it was well worth the wait. :) I had a bit of a scare, though, because IKEA took it down from their website this week! I literally saw it on there last weekend, so naturally I freaked out, but thankfully our store still had plenty in stock. Otherwise, I probably would have thrown a fit... Seriously. Here it is (sorry no link):

Please ignore the ugly, off-center light fixture. 

And last but not least, here is my (finally!) finished mossy monogram:

Here's how I did it (get ready for all these steps):

1. Supplies needed: cardboard letter (I got my big one from Michael's), hot glue gun + LOTS of extra glue sticks, moss sheets (mine took 2-3), craft scissors, and ribbon for hanging (I used burlap ribbon from JoAnn and LOVE it)
2. Cut out strips of moss and hot glue them to the letter. I recommend cutting strips for the top and then each of the sides. Don't bother with the back unless it will show. Use spare moss chunks to fill in bald spots.
3. Hang with the ribbon (if using nails, go just below the bow). That's it. You're done! It's not hard, but if you're not skilled with a glue gun (like me) you'll probably burn yourself a lot since moss isn't very thick. So be careful! But all the burns were worth it, because it's definitely my favorite part of my living room now. :) Well, that and my IKEA picture.

Coming soon: lots of recipes! Banana cake, apple pie, apple crisp... Good stuff. :)

I also have more upcoming craft projects... Namely, another pumpkin project (no knives) and a homemade cake stand. So stay tuned!

<3 Mrs. G

Window Treatments & Life Update

Hello all!

My curtains are up!! Finally! Here are the choices I made:

• Guest room - Bamboo shades from Home Depot (same as my last post)
• Living room - White sheer curtains from IKEA for the window, and grey scroll Fieldcrest curtains from Target for the sliding glass door
• Kitchen - same IKEA floral curtains from the previous post

The last thing I need to get now is a sheer white curtain to cover my ugly but necessary (and expensive!) vertical blinds in the master bedroom window. I also still need to hem the IKEA curtains to the right length, so I'll post pics of all the curtains once they're done! They're up, though, and I couldn't be happier with my choices. I love the grey/white combination in the living room - it goes perfectly with my grey rug and modern-ish furniture. And the kitchen is so colorful and fun, while still letting in lots of natural light.

Confession time - I STILL haven't finished my crafts... But in my defense, I don't have a hot glue gun yet. I refuse to buy it anywhere but Family Dollar since I'm cheap, and they're all out right now. Haha.

But as promised, here is a photo of my tiles as decor:

In other news, I've had a lovely week. On Friday, I went out to lunch with my mother-in-law at Edina Grill by 50th and France. I had eggs benedict, and it was amazing - I think I will try making it sometime soon... We also stopped in at an adorable cupcake shop, the Monique Lhuillier boutique, and a yummy bakery called Breadsmiths, where I got my newest obsession: lemon lavender bread! So delicious. Now I feel inspired to try my hand at the lavender cupcakes in my recipe book. :) 

I had an awesome interview yesterday, and I have another one tomorrow as well as on Friday. I also played tennis with Mr. G yesterday. I was terrible at first but eventually started improving and had a lot more fun. We joined a beach volleyball league that starts next month, so I definitely need to work on my athletic skills ASAP. I'm excited, though!

As for more upcoming excitement, we officially have vacation plans for the summer! We will be spending a week at a beachfront cabin upstate with Mr. G's family at the end of June. And pets are allowed, so Molly can come with! I can't wait to take her swimming for the first time. She is truly my child. ;) The cabin is pretty far north, though, so I'm hoping the weather will be warm enough for swimming. It's about 60 miles short of the Canadian border - if my passport wasn't outdated, we could have gone over the border for a day. :( And speaking of Canada, Mr. G will actually be there in a couple of weeks. He is going for a work conference, so unfortunately I won't be going with. But he knows to bring back souvenirs.

Anyone else have any fun vacation plans for the summer? I'm also hoping to to hit up Nashville at some point... It's been too long!

<3 Mrs. G

Parents' Visit & Curtain Ideas

Hi everyone,

So sorry for the delay in posts. My parents came to town this past weekend, and we had a fabulous time! We took them to the Mall of America and through Minneapolis and St. Paul - we even walked around the city's signature Walker Art Center, home of the famous spoon and cherry sculpture. We also ate REALLY well - we had Mexican on Cinco de Mayo (of course), amazing chicken and veggies by Mr. G's mom on Friday, steak and potatoes on Saturday, and a yummy turkey burger lunch on Mother's Day with fresh apples and grilled corn on the cob. SO good!

Also, as a housewarming gift to us, my parents have offered to pay for our much-needed window treatments. We did a lot of shopping over the weekend, but I still have a lot more to do. So far, we only got curtains for the kitchen, but we've priced a lot of things. I know the color scheme I want for all the windows, but from here it's picking the right curtain/shade. At first, I wanted all bamboo Roman shades, but now I think only the guest room will have them. In the living room, I have the challenge of finding something for a window and a large glass sliding door that are right next to each other. I'm thinking I want one white sheer curtain and one thicker grey curtain (preferably to cover the door), but I'm having trouble deciding what to get.

Here are the curtains I got for the kitchen (from IKEA, of course):

IKEA Birgit curtains

I'm very excited about these! I think they will look great next to my colorful tiles. :) Speaking of which, I finally found something to hang my tiles on! They are black plate hangers I got from Bed Bath and Beyond, and they're perfect! I have a lot of black accents in my kitchen anyway, plus now I don't have to attach anything to the tiles or worry about them falling off shelves... Success!

I was also hoping to get my shades from IKEA, but they only make one size, and they're too small even with two panels. :( I do love their shades, though, and they have amazing prices. Here are a couple of my favorites:

IKEA Anno Stra curtain

IKEA Anno Ljuv curtain

In place of IKEA shades, I think I have decided on some from Home Depot to put in our guest bedroom. 

The bamboo will go nicely with my green comforter from Urban Outfitters.

Urban Outfitters is actually one of my favorite places to look for decor inspiration. The only downside is that their stuff is usually expensive and not always practical. Nevertheless, I am in love with their curtains, and maybe some will show up in our house after all. Here are my favorites by Urban that will serve as my inspiration, if nothing else:

Urban Outfitters Drawstring Ruched Balloon Shade

Urban Outfitters Flounce Ruffle Stripe Curtain

In place of the balloon shade from Urban, I found this great balloon shade at Target that seems to be more sheer, which I would prefer, and the plus side is I don't have to mess with drawstrings. I also love this gray scroll curtain from Target to cover the sliding glass door. 

So many choices! I never thought it would be this hard to pick out curtains... If you have any suggestions, let me know!

I'll post pics of everything once I hang them up, and I'll also post the recipes soon for the desserts I made for our family gathering on Friday - dulce de leche cupcakes and berry custard pie. :)

<3 Mrs. G

Crafting my Nest

Hello all!

So as you probably know by now, I just moved into a new home in the fabulous state of Minnesota. If you read my last post, you also know that it's my first house (yay!) and... it needs some work. I can't do anything about the big stuff right now, but I can use what's left of my birthday money to decorate the place. However, after buying bar stools and an area rug, my decorating budget has diminished significantly, so I'm left with no other option - I must craft.

Let me be the first to say that I am not a crafty girl. I can follow instructions as well as the next person, but that by no means makes me a natural talent. You don't even want to know how long it took me to make the escort cards for my wedding, and while they were cute, they definitely weren't professional quality. So, crafting isn't exactly my thing, but I'll do it when it saves me money, satisfies my creative urges, and fills up my expansive wall space (thank you, vaulted ceilings).

First of all, here is the wonderfully inexpensive area rug I bought from IKEA that serves as my "inspiration" for the living room:



Have I mentioned that I love IKEA? Because I do. I also plan on getting my window treatments and light fixtures from there, as well as eventually our new bedroom furniture. Basically, I want my house to look like an IKEA catalog. But who doesn't?

At our old place, the color scheme for the living room was black and brown with accents of red. Not a fan,  but you work with what you've got. Now that we have a new couch and a new rug, though, I'm going for a more sophisticated look with a touch of whimsy - that is, if my DIY projects work out; otherwise it may be whimsy with a side of trashy. The color scheme I'm planning is neutrals with splashes of blue and green. I want it to feel romantic and relaxed while still being clean and modern. If that makes no sense, just bear with me.



Here are my (anticipated) DIY projects for the living room, as well as the websites that inspired them:



Book Page Wreath





Mossy Monogram



Pillow Covers - found this one on Etsy, but Martha Stewart will help me make mine

I plan on hanging the wreath above our fireplace (yes, we have a fireplace!) with a pretty ribbon, the moss-covered letters above our couch - also with pretty ribbon - and the pillows will obviously go on the couch. Martha will be proud.

The other room that I am focusing on is the kitchen. I was inspired by these little Mexican tiles I brought back from our honeymoon, and I've decided to make them the focal point of my kitchen. My project is to find four large, white tiles and paint them in different colors and patterns evocative of Mexican talavera tiles. I'll hang them or put them on display shelves next to my table. I would also like to find a pretty mirror to go with them and eventually install a fun light fixture. I saw a beautiful rustic window-turned-mirror today at T.J. Maxx that would be perfect, so I'm hoping it will still be there when I have enough money to buy it... It's a little unusual, so nobody was really fighting over it.

Here are some other random decor items I love:




Borrby lantern from IKEA

 


Ikat chair from Urban Outfitters



 


Maskros lamp from IKEA




Vintage tile-inspired wall art from Etsy

  

If you have any ideas to add, or suggestions as to where to find some of the craft materials for cheap, please comment! I would love some input. In the meantime, I hope I've inspired you to make some fabulous decor of your own. ;) I'll report back on how everything turned out, and I'll post pics - good or bad.

Happy decorating!

<3 Mrs. G