For the Love of {Pillows}

Ok, so anyone who knows me well knows that I have a slight LOVE for throw pillows. Call it an obsession; call it indecisiveness; call it what you want...but I LOVE pillows! I could window shop on Etsy for hours and even days looking for the "right" grouping of pillows. I browse Pinterest looking for great pillows and ways to arrange them.

I think throw pillows can change the whole look of a room. I think I have changed the throw pillows in my living room at least (and this is not an exaggeration) a dozen times. They have been green and yellow, neutral, french country, cow print, pastel chevron and now are a mix and I know I am missing a few in there...I pretty much lost count.

I love how changing a few pillows can change your color scheme, add textures and adds prints to a room. It is, in my opinion, next to paint the cheapest way to transform a room. And not to mention a lot less physically demanding!

The best grouping of pillows to me is when they don't quite go together. Mix the patterns (stripes and plaid and floral), mix in an array of one color (all shades of green), mix different sizes (big, small, lumbar, round) and so forth.

Here are some great examples of what I think a good mix of pillows is...

All in the same color scheme with some symmetry but a mix of patterns and sizes.

Love the round leopard pillow thrown in.

Great mix of color, shapes and textures. 

All have same color scheme, but fun patterns to incorporate it in.

Here are the pillows that are residing at my house...for the moment!

One Man's Trash Is My Treasure {Ballard Design-Like Chairs}

My in-laws recently bought a rental house. Well my hubby took me over to see it and as I walked up the driveway to the open garage I saw them...upholstered dining chairs! My jaw dropped and it dropped even more when I was told I could have them. Apparently the previous owner was just going to throw them in the trash! NOOOO!!!! They have so much potential! I have just been picturing in my head what I can do with them and how they will look around my dining room table...my mind is going wild!

There's the beauty! (I have 4 total)

I have been wanting to teach myself how to reupholster but like I have said before; I'm cheap. Therefore, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something and then I never get it reupholstered...or I find out I just can't do it...what a sad day that would be. But, being that these were FREE I can't go wrong. If I screw one up, well, I have 3 more to practice on. I really only plan on using two for the ends of my table. So, technically I can screw up two and still have the other two to use!

So after looking around stores and websites I came across my inspiration for these chairs...ENTER...Ballard Design. If you haven't ever checked it out you need to. I do a LOT of window shopping on there. And strictly only window shopping....some of their stuff can be a bit $$$.

LOVE!!!! I am definitely adding the nailhead trim too!

I also found some inspiration at World Market (LOVE that store).

Now my only dilemma is what kind of fabric to use? Do I do a plain fabric in a linen look or do I go fun and wild and do a print like zebra or Greek keys or Ikat?! So many options!

Print or Plain? That is the question.

Stay tuned to find out!!!

One Man's Trash Is My TREASURE {Pallets}

Just about over a year ago I started doing a lot of DIY-ing around my house. I realized that I was cheap and I have a tendency to change things...often. With this sort of habit it makes it hard when you spend a hefty price on something. That is where my DIY-ing came in and met up with Pinterest (pretty much the best website EVER!). I began to develop my love with spray paint, the antique swap meet and Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. I started to reuse things around my house and make them new again. Plus this made my habit of changing things a little easier since I don't spend much on them initially.

Side Note: This does not go for everything. I believe that some things you need to splurge on, but I have just learned that I (myself) need to LOVE it before I purchase it for the hefty price.

Anyways, back to my DIY-ing. Enter...the Pallet. A simple piece of multiple strips of wood put together to serve a helpful purpose of packaging and transporting items. An item that so often gets thrown into a dumpster, out on the street or in an alley way. I had requested some pallets from Darin's uncle to make a bench in our front room. Well, they sat for a long time collecting dust so I decided to do something with them. I had remembered seeing a sign on Pinterest and Etsy made out of pallets. I gave it a go and turned out to LOVE it...literally (that's what is written on my sign)! The nice thing was as Darin said, "If you don't like it we can always use it as fire wood."

Well, it has been up on our wall in our living room for over a year now. I think that may be a record for me!

I got creative and went to work making signs for my sis-in-laws boutique and to my surprise they were a hit! I only made a few since I feel these are very personal. So, instead I took custom orders. That way people are able to choose what they want put on it. I love the word "love" for my living room, my sis-in-law has "Blessed," and others chose their last names and the day they were married.

The thing I love about doing these; not only are they personal and fun to make for people, but truly the sky is the limit when comes to designing them!

Here are some I have made...hope you likey!

XOXO

This is the one hanging in my living room:

"Ahoy Matey's!"

Nicole {Maternity} - Part 1

So I got the chance to shoot some pictures of my dear friend Nicole. She is beautiful inside and out and is glowing as a soon-to-be Mama.

We went down to Shoreline Village to take advantage of the beautiful day and the ahh-mazing scenery. I am helping to plan a baby shower for her which is a Nautical theme so I wanted to capture some with the abundance of sail boats available there. We were even able to take some on an actual sail boat! (Those will be in Part 2...I have to keep something a surprise for her).

It was fun to capture such great shots of such a great friend. Pregnancy looks good on you Nicole! Can't wait to meet your sweet baby boy!

Well that's it...until Part 2...stay tuned!

XOXO

Meet Baby Sophia

So I recently got the chance to work on my camera skills and take some pictures of my parent's neighbors. Armando and Rosalie have lived next to my parents for a couple years now and they just had a beautiful baby girl, Sophia, two months ago.

Sophia has a head full of beautiful hair and the most adorable little smile. She was just in awe of the trees outside and I truly enjoyed taking pictures of her and her wonderful family. Thanks for the opportunity and letting me practice some with my camera!

I went a little crazy with the amount of pictures, but I couldn't choose which ones I liked best!

 LOVE baby feet!

 Love the smirk on her face!

Love this picture. We have the same one with Darin and I and Hollyn when she was one month from the talented Sisterlee Photography!

 Rosalie and Armando, I hope you enjoy them! ;)