modified wardrobe: altered top

A couple weeks ago we had a cinco de mayo party...on the 11th.
Once de mayo if you will.
Call it whatever you want, it was an excuse to drink margaritas
and each chips and salsa with friends. ;)

I used my beautiful birthday pitcher for the first time.

It looked perfect with margs in it. ;)

 I also made some "questionable" looking sombrero cookies. Fun times.

And this is what I wore...

top: modified by me // white skinnies: forever 21 // coral necklace: world market

Ok, here's the before...

A friend gave me this shirt and I liked the detailing and the color (army/olive green)

but it was still kind of just..."meh".

So...

1) I cut the sleeves off a little before the shoulder seam, turned them under and stitched.

2) Then I put the shirt on inside out, grabbed the sides and pinned along the curve of my body,

making sure the sides were even.

3) Then I stitched along these lines making the top more fitted.

This is a technique I use a lot on shirts that don't fit properly.

Its amazing how much better they can look with this slight and easy modification!

Here's a close up of my necklace - it is the perfect pop of color for spring and summer!

feliz fin de semana!

mint + coral + gold graduation party

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of assisting with one of the cutest graduation parties ever.

Shari needed a little help pulling the final details of her daughter's party together

and I was more than happy to help out.

However, her and her daughters were doing a rockstar job already!

They had the color scheme, details, and most of the ideas already figured out!

I'm starting to think I was there for moral support and nothing else. ;)

I made white bunting with gold trim and paper dot garlands

that we hung in the entry.

They really made it feel like a party!

{how amazing are those giant gold 2013 balloons!?}

The girls glittered Hannah's name and made this tassel garland for the fire place.

We strung up some extra coral and gold dots to tie all the colors together.

Shari's daughter, Taylor, made all the signage and tags.

All these little details really made the party.

Yeah. Pretty sure I'll be hiring her asap.

Everything on the dessert table was mini.

Which is refreshing when attending SO many graduation parties!

This allowed guests to try a couple different treats 

without committing to one giant cupcake or cookie. ;)

The girls borrowed my cobbler-in-a-jar idea from the country inspired grad party I did last year!

Hannah, that's right, the guest of honor, made all the little pecan and key lime pies!

I loved all the sweet little quotes sprinkled around the house and mixed in with photos.

These girls are seriously so talented!

I have never felt so useless while working on a party - ha! :)

Hannah. you. are. blessed.

Congrats!!

mother's day

my 3 favorite things about mother's day this year...

1) my gift from jaymin :)

2) jett coming into my bathroom where I was getting ready for church

and saying, "Um, I yuv you and um...uh... (thinking really hard, hands on hips, looking up)

...Daaaad! What I sposed to say to mom?...oh yeah, happy mudder's day." :)

3) adding some color to my front porch.

our landscaping is still a mess but at least I have some potted flowers to deflect from it. :)
(also LOVING our new paint job. maybe one of these days i'll post about it :) )

and of course, the 3 faces that made me a mama :)...




just trying to remember each one, where they're at and who they are, right now, in this moment.

modified wardrobe: eyelet trim shorts

top: target // shorts: target, embellished by me // necklace: vintage pearl

These shorts were one of the first items I modified

{and actually documented} last summer.

I'm just now getting around to posting them.

I thought it might be a good time with summer {hopefully} around the corner. :)

I got these denim shorts from target on clearance.

But they had two problems.

They were pretty short and the bottom hem was really scratchy and uncomfortable.

Adding cotton eyelet trim fixed both problems.

Okay. So they're still pretty short. But at least they're better.

Just grab some trim from a fabric or craft store and stitch to the inside of the hem,

pretty quick and easy! :)

mother's day goodies

I thought I'd share some lovelies I have my eye on for mother's day.

I need a new apron and anthro always delivers in that department.

I think this one would be pretty hanging in my mint and white kitchen. :)

{photo}

I want to fill in an area by our soon-to-be fence with lilac bushes.

Growing up we always had them and I looooooove the scent and the blooms.

Mother's day would be a perfect time to plant some. :)

Now that my kids bathroom is done is time to turn my efforts onto our master bedroom.

This wheatfield print is a must. :)

Our new porch cries out for adirondack chairs.

These are from home depot but I think they also sell them unfinished for cheaper.

I can't get over this mason jar drink dispenser from pottery barn.

Lots of places are selling them now but I still think this one is the cutest.

our home: kids bathroom

I always take my instagram "selfies" in my kids' bathroom.

They have a big mirror and its the only bathroom we've painted so far.

I finally finished it last week and am ready to share it!

Here's the before...

Yikes.

It reminds me of a crummy apartment bathroom.

Our house has only ever been a rental so that makes sense.

And here's the after...

There's no natural light so you'll have to bear with these photos.

rugs: jcpenny

step stool: ikea

I painted it yellow.

I made Jia a hooded towel like the boys'.

I really loved this print by the wheatfield.

I'm kind of obsessed with her work and have tons of it on my wish list.

But I really wanted it to say "Rise and Shine and give God the Glory",

the most important part.

I also liked emily's at the jones design company,

but it wasn't the right size.

So I made this one myself.

I love these showers hooks that look like old fashioned "hot" and "cold" faucet knobs.

I've had them forever and have no idea where I got them.

oil can soap dispenser: target

So here's what we did:

1) painted

I knew I wanted a fresh breezy/beachy blue color

but I could not, for the the life of me, find what I was looking for.

I had a bunch of old blue paints that I had used on other things

and just started painting them on the wall and ended up mixing my own combination

and taking it to home depot and doing a color match. :)

So this is a custom "chelsea" color. :)

2) added white beadboard/wainscoting, trim and hooks

{we used emily's tutorial}

3) painted the vanity white and changed the drawer pulls

{see kitchen post}

4) framed the existing mirror

It is ginormous, spanning the length of the whole vanity,

and we couldn't get it off the wall if we wanted to.

So we bought some trim, mitered the corners and used silicone to attach it to the mirror.

At first I thought it might be a waste of money but then I saw the difference it made.

It really adds so much and makes the bathroom look a bit more polished.

5) added toilet paper holder and hand towel ring

Our house was first a rental but then a foreclosure

and therefore stripped of every single toilet paper holder, towel rack, appliance

and even some knobs and light fixtures!

So we've got a lot of replacing to do.

The plus is getting to pick them out myself. :)

6) changed the nasty yellowing "white" plastic shower head to a shiny silver one

7) gave it a good scrubbing

Again. Rental plus foreclosure plus vacant for months.

'Nuf said.

Eventually I'd like to replace the faucets.

They're kind of awful.

And maybe the light fixtures.

Someday.

Again, thankful for the neutral tile.

Even if it is ev. rey. where. in this house.