Happy Monday

Happy Monday to all!

So I just ran across some pictures of a craft I did a couple months ago. I thought it was a good use of those neat candle jars that I just hate to throw away sometimes. I taped out a square appropriate to the size of chalkboard/writing space that I wanted.

 Then I sprayed it down four or five times with chalkboard spray paint!

 Then I peeled the tape to reveal a perfect rectangle!

 These candles came with adorable handles, so I popped the handles back on and wrapped some hemp around the top. These are now sitting on our desk and I just love them!



I have also spent some time sewing. I made the easiest slip cover the other day. We had some ugly pillows stuffed in the closet that came with the couch so I took it upon myself to pretty them up. Really, these envelope slip covers are mindless and I can't wait to make more!!

This is the back of the pillow. Shows how you just shove the pillow in!

Kev and I went to Chili's on Friday night and little did we know (as we ate our delicious triple dippers) that we would be watching a wedding as well. Indeed, a couple got married in a section of Chili's! Here is the proof: Wedding Bliss. Everyone including the workers were all watching and taking pics. They said their vows, kissed, and went to the bar with a few people that were with them and had dinner! Classy! Why didn't we think of that? We love absolutely love Chili's, and it was actually one of our first dates we went on. It would have been the epitome of our love for one another and just plain memorable. Don't ya think?

 Kev got something really great in the mail a couple of days ago which confirms our small trip that we are planning for August:

That's right, Chicago it is! We are excited for our little trip and can't wait to get away and visit this city. I've been to Chicago once but Kev's been there many times. He already has a list of places he wants to take me, and I'm excited as it seems like I may have my own personal tour guide!

Oh vacation hurry up!!

A Much Needed Weekend.

This weekend was fabulous. Saturday, we went to a wedding in Memphis that was absolutely precious. It was very very hot. Matter of fact I think it was record temperatures for early June. I was melting away and reminded of why January was not such a bad idea for our wedding after all. I often say, "I don't look cute nor do I act cute in the heat." I'm just miserable when I'm hot and sticky. After the wedding, we got to spend much needed time with friends that we haven't seen since our wedding. We love hanging out with other couples, and it is just good to be around people that are in the same walk of life as you!

Sunday, we got a lot done around the house. We got our collage up in our bedroom finally. We got three frames from Goodwill for almost $0.75 a piece. I sanded one completely down, sanded the edges of one to give it an aged look, and painted the last one with a crackle finish!

Kev worked hard on getting that pesky bulletin board up along some of the frames that didn't even have picture hangers on the back of them. It is exactly like I pre-planned (great trick: we cut newspaper out to the shape of each frame so you can move them around and not have your wall look like a cheese grater), but it is still growing on me and I may have to make some changes. I'm just glad that frames aren't lying all over the room anymore. I bet Kev is thinking "Are you kidding me??" We also did some more sanding on the trunk, and we tried that paint and stain stripper. Not really sure it made much of a difference. My dad informed me that I may not paint the trunk!! So I will persevere and just keep sanding till my hands fall off.

Today, I took it upon myself to start couponing a bit more than the few that we already do collect. Now I'm not going to be a psycho mom and spend an ungodly amount of time clipping coupons and dumpster diving, but I have started writing companies in hopes of some freebies! I also got on product websites and found coupons just sitting there! I had no idea after getting on the General Mills website that we eat quite a few of their products. On that link there are pretty good coupons and they change every month. So I'll be waiting these next few days to see if any of the companies send me any goodies. I'll let ya know if it works out or not ;)

Kels and Jen came to visit me, and Jen came bearing bright blue cup cakes.

Absolutely delish! I loved seeing them. We first attempted to try out two antique stores that I found out about in downtown Jackson, but they were both closed. Strange. So I just took them to ole faithful....Yep, Yarboro's Antiques!

Still keeping the graduation chain dare on my mind. I need some savvy crafty ideas......

Towels and Popsicles

A few weeks ago I was complaining about the towels we registered for from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Don't get me wrong, we are very thankful for the people who purchased the towels for us, but we should have registered for different ones. Our mistake. I just have gotten fed up with pulling lint from from my mouth and eyelashes. So this weekend we were at Bed, Bath, & Beyond checking out the towels and we ran into some friends who were registering for their wedding in a few months. They told us that Macy's had great towels, and that they have had the same ones for years now. So we jumped on that wagon and headed straight there. So to all my registering/soon to be married friends...WE FOUND GREAT TOWELS!! They are soft, don't shed, and get the water off!! What more could you ask for from a towel? I love them:



These are Hotel Collection from Macy's

Summer is here and my skin is evidence of that. Yesterday I thought I wanted a bit of sun, so I went and laid out for maybe 30-40 minutes. Not smart. This is the first drop of sun my skin has seen in a long time. Even driving in the car to the store was torture. I was trying to inch out of the sun as I drove. I was practically sitting in the middle console. Ridiculous! There is one good thing about summer and that has to be my childhood favorite: FUN POPS! Kev picked these up from the store the other day, and I got so excited! I have had at least one a day!

Last weekend, we went home to celebrate my Happy Day with friends and family. We ate dinner at Bahama Breeze and boy was it good! I finally got to see my sweet friends as well. I hadn't seen them since our wedding in January, and I have missed them so much.

We also got to see Kevin and Chloe!! We played marbles until almost 12 a.m. before driving back to Jackson and might I say that Chloe and I won one game out of two! Victory is sweet. Can't wait to see them again!

I have been working hard on sanding down the trunk I got last week. It's definitely taking a lot longer than I expected. We got some varnish and stain stripper to hopefully pull off the imprint left from the painted on circus scene. My last resort is to paint it. I hate to paint over any good wood, but we will just have to see what happens.

Off to see what I can make with some new fabric I got yesterday!