photo SUPER THIN LINE 4_zps4xjugusw.png  photo ENTER 188X24_zpsan0no3qw.png  photo HOLIDAY 134X24_zpsivdh8utq.png  photo PROJECTS 118X24_zpsmt1mfnap.png  photo RECIPES 112X24_zps5kyaynje.png  photo SHOP 100X24_zpsgecoqzk4.png  photo CONTACT 134X24 SECOND_zps0icpk3so.png  photo PRESS 100X24_zpszfhijryx.png  photo SUPER20THIN20LINE204_zpsq5i2ucyd.png

September 27, 2013

five on friday

Hip, hip, hooray for Friday!  Five on Friday happening with these amazing ladies DarciNatasha, Christina, and April.


1.  First up this picture from 10/3/2009.  I posted it on instagram yesterday for #throwbackthursday.  I have great memories of this day and feel so blessed to have these two.  Sometimes I look back and miss how little they were (#tear), but I also love experiencing each new phase with my kids as they get older.  Bittersweet for sure :)


2.  So excited to have this show back.  Love it!  You?


3.  Loving my new, high quality print from Map My State.  Just what Preston's room needed.  This giveaway still going on if you would like a chance to win an 11" X 14" print from Map My State.  Map + typography = perfect!
 
 
4.  Jeans update.  After much debate earlier this week on these very cute, affordable jeans, I finally purchased them.  Because Nordstrom's offers free shipping and returns, I went ahead and ordered.  I figured it was cheaper than spending money on gas driving to go try them on, since I could return them for free :)  They should come next week, so I'll let you know how they fit. 
 
This Is Happiness PROJECTS tab
 

5.  And finally blog organizing.  I spent some time yesterday organizing my tabs on my right side bar.  I use InLinkz's project manager tool and have created five categories:  ENTERTAINING, FOOD, HOLIDAY, ORGANIZATION, AND PROJECTS.  My hope is that it's helpful to readers, but I also love seeing all my projects, recipes, etc. organized on one page.  Above is a sample page of my PROJECTS page.  Settle down my organizing heart :)  How do you organize your blog?
 
  And that's a wrap!  Have a wonderful weekend!

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September 25, 2013

Decorating with Map My State & a giveaway

 
 

Happy Wednesday!  Do you love maps as much as I do?  And what about a map with typography...perfect!  Today I'm excited to share an amazing on-line site call Map My State.  They specialize in unique, customizable typography designs featuring states, cities, countries and more.  Personalizing these prints, they offer affordable artwork that will add style to your home. 

 
This 11'' X 14'' state print, added the finishing touch to my son Preston's room.  With his recent room makeover in progress, I have changed his room colors adding orange, gray and a bright blue to his room.  Ashley and Ben, who are a pleasure to work with and the owners of Map My State, made this custom Texas state print in gray and then highlighted our city in orange so the colors fit my son's room perfectly.  They also added my tiny hometown to the print as well.  So if there is a city that is important to you that is not already included, they will add it in.  And they can highlight a city in a color to make it stand out.  Awesome, right!! 
 
So with a variety of colors and customizable options, you can have a personalized print of the place you love!  In addition to their prints, they offer mugs too.  To see all their amazing products you can visit their site Map My State.
 
 
I'm so happy with my new high quality print of the state I'm proud to call my home.  And now to the fun part for you.  Map My State is offering 20% off your purchase.  Just use the code "happiness" at checkout.  With Christmas knocking at our door, how perfect would these make as gifts. 
 
And that's not all...they are also offering one lucky reader a 11'' X 14'' print of your choice.
 
Giveaway
 
Just use the rafflecopter below to enter.
The winner will be announced on Thursday, October 3, 2013.
  

September 24, 2013

style finds

Adore these three pieces for Fall and best of all love the amazing prices.

 
Jeans are so hard to find and can be pretty pricey.  According to Cassie and Sheaffer these are "magic" jeans that look great on every body type.  I love the look and the price!  Getting some for sure :)  And with Nordstrom's free shipping and returns, I think I'll just order them.

 
Old Navy Tassel Zip Tote - $36

Mimicking other more expensive versions, this little number is a steal at this price. 
 
 
 
And finally, I bought these animal print scrunch ballet flats from Target and love them!  They are cute, comfy, and only $16!  Yes!
 
Have you found any great buys lately? 

all these items and more under my SHOP tab
 

September 20, 2013

five on friday {halloween}

It's time for a five on Friday link up again.  I think I really love this link up because of amazing group of bloggers that not only host (DarciNatasha, Christina, and April) but the really sweet group that also participates.  I have found some really great blogs from this little link up.  It's been fun to find some new inspiration.

This week is all about post from Halloween past.


1.  Halloween candy wrappers.  We made these last year for the kids' teachers and I'm thinking we'll do the same again this year.  Follow this link for a free printable.


2.  Simple purple and white Halloween mantel with countdown chalkboard.  I don't go overboard on decorating for Halloween, but like to add a little something for the kids.


3.  Fun Halloween lights.  Loved these!  Pulling them out again soon.


4.  Friendly "out of candy" sign for my door.  Since my kids are in bed by 8:30 pm at the latest, I made this little sign to put out on my front door, just to keep the doorbell from ringing once we're in bed :)

 
5.  And just for fun, here are my little trick-or-treaters last year.  And don't ask me what Preston was...he wanted to be something scary, but I thought he was still too young, so this is what we agreed on :)

Have an amazing weekend friends!


September 19, 2013

diy kid's desk / the how to

Well, hi there Thursday!  That means the weekend is right around the corner!  Yay! 

On Monday, I shared pictures of Preston's new desk we made for him and today I'm back to share how we did it!  Just to refresh, here are a couple of pictures of the finished product.



As I mentioned in the previous post, we already had the top shelf unit hanging in his room, so we just moved it next to his bed to create the top part of his desk space. 

On to the how to part.  Because of limited space our main goal was to make his desk small, yet functional and without spending a lot of $.  We already had the stain, sanding sealer and polyurethane, so all we had to buy was one board for $8 and two brackets for $8/each.  And then here's what we did.

 
1.  Using one board (1 x 8 x 1) we created the writing surface.  Grant cut the board into three 28 inches pieces, routed over the edges and used a biscuit joiner to connect the boards together.  He placed the biscuits, glued and clamped overnight.

2.  To ensure the boards would stay together, he reinforced the underside with a smaller strip of board attaching it to all three boards.  Then we sanded, vacuumed and wiped clean.

3.  Next we stained the boards.  Let dry overnight.  Applied sanding sealer.  Let dry overnight.  Did a light sand, vacuum, and  clean.  Applied a coat of polyurethane.  Let dry overnight. And then repeated the poly coat again.  (we have learned from past experiences to make sure the coats with these products are completely dry, so we let them dry overnight to be sure.  it's worth the wait)

4.  To ensure the desk would be sturdy, we cut and painted (same color as the wall) an anchor board and attached it to the wall ensuring it was attached to the wall studs.  Then using brackets we attached the desk surface to the anchor board.

And then that was it!  New, custom, kid approved desk!

 
Once the major construction part of the desk was complete, then began the fun part of this project for me...accessorizing it.  Once again, looking to spend as little as possible, I created several small diy's to complete the look of this space.

 
 
The first one, was dressing up this plain cork board with duct tape.  Keeping with the orange and adding this bright blue, I created a large center stripe across the middle of both cork tile boards. 
 
 
 
Next up was giving this $0.50 clipboard a little style.  I used a piece of gray and white chevron patterned scrapbook paper.  I simply traced the board, cut and then used a self laminating sheet over the top and wrapped it around the back of the board.
 
 
 
And finally, I wanted a small tray to place on his desk.  I actually looked at several places for something that would work and came up with nada!  So, I made one out of a shoe box lid.  Applied the blue duct tape, then used a piece of laminated scrapbook paper in the inside.
 
 
My only bigish purchase was the orange industrial stool from World Market.  It was on sale for $44, and then I had a coupon, so I ended up paying about $35 for it.
 
And that's a wrap!  We have one happy 7 year old boy (and a happy mama too :)