brushstrokes.

Brushstroke patterns seem to be all over the place this season, from fashion to home decor.  I love the color that it brings to things in such a natural, unpredictable! No two brushstrokes are ever exactly the same, and I think that is definitely part of the beauty of them!  I was in need of some new stationary, and decided to make my own using blank note cards and envelopes. You could do so many different types of strokes and color combinations, so the variations are endless!

I used acrylic paint and 2 different sizes of brushes, then layered one color on top of another.  I also added a little brushstroke patch in the center of each envelope for addressing!

Paint Love.

I am so excited to be a part of Paint Love.  Paint Love's mission is" connecting artists and nonprofits for a positive impact on youth."  They help connect artists with organizations throughout metro Atlanta. If you are an artist interested in being a part of this organization, contact them! Last week I worked with the founder and one of their interns to stretch canvases!  You can check it out here. 

And a recent cut paper design I made.

      Try to make something every day...it's good for you.

oh, baby.

 A few weeks ago I helped throw a shower for my sweet friend Bethany who is having her 1st baby, sweet Nora Kate in August! Our friend Carley, and Bethany's sisters, Alesa & Whitney and I all worked to bring this event together.  We went with a rain shower theme, complete with real rainclouds (it actually poured raining that day- so we didn't plan that part! We kept most things neutral, but used bright pops of color and patterns. 

 To keep things childlike, I spray painted some little safari animals that I had rescued from one of my student's science projects:)

 We also used a mix of cactus and succulents- a great flower alternative for fun color accents!

 

I drew and created the invitation in  Adobe Photoshop. I have blank 5x8 cardstock and envelopes that I purchased from staples that I print on my home printer.

 We had the shower at Carley's beautiful home in Kennesaw! I made the rainclouds using tissue paper and fishing line to string raindrops that I painted with watercolors.  Tissue poms are super easy to make and can easily be adapted to use for this!

 

Some homemade flags printed with cute phrases, or scrapbook paper helped us incorporate more colors and patterns!

The adorable umbrella favors made by Whitney and Alesa. 

Excited to share a post on making these vegetable onesies! (Bethany is a dietitian so I deemed it fully appropriate for the babe)  I drew each illustration in Photoshop using my Wacom Bamboo tablet and printed them on the onesie using tranfer paper! Stay tuned!

We also set up a photo booth with some baby themed props! Was definitely a fun thing for the guests to do as they arrived and was a great way to document everyone that attended.

diy mirrored & stained wood coffee table.

        My husband built me one AWESOME coffee table this spring that I have been so excited to blog about! You might have noticed it when I posted some updated home photos a few months ago. This spring we invested in new living room furniture.  Our new navy blue set was much larger than our small white Ikea sofa, and the table I had upcycled to go with it was just not a practical size for the larger furniture.

       Shane designed this table on his own after I showed him some Pinterest examples of ones that I liked.  I really wanted a second level to the table so it would help serve as some practical storage. I think this is a great kid-friendly option too because it would be a great place to stash toys! For now I have a few baskets underneath where I store books, remotes & magazines.

    After the table was constructed I stained it with Minwax Dark Walnut wood stain. I kept going back and forth about whether I should put glass on the table or figure out another option.  Glass would work, and I could do a cool painting or stash photos under it.  However, with the dark color of the furniture, things really needed to be lightened up.  I had a mirror cut to fit the table exactly at local auto glass shop.   It brightened up the area so well and reflects the colors of things hanging and sitting around it! 

Old sofa and table

 

colorado & utah.

Last month, Shane and I had the opportunity to go with my family to see my cousin graduate from the United States Air Force Academy! This was such an awesome experience and we also decided to see as much of Colorado and Utah that we could squeeze into the trip! We had lots of fun and some serious family bonding! Here's some of my favorite photos from our adventures!

We landed in Denver, rented a car, and started driving to Breckenridge, CO.  However,we were not expecting the snow storm that awaited us! Shane thought we were going to hike a trail that afternoon, but we arrived to the trailhead looking like this, and the only other hikers were wearing snow shoes and equipped with some serious cold weather and snow gear:)

 After Breckenridge, we headed to Alamosa, CO to see Great Sand Dunes National Park. Think... biggest sandbox you have ever seen.  It is one of the most unique things ever! We rented sand boards and sand sleds which I highly recommend if you ever go!

 It was also insanely windy! We quickly learned just how these great dunes are formed!

After Alamosa, we headed to Colorado Springs, CO for all of the graduation festivities. I am so proud of my cousin, Bo for his incredible amount of hard work, motivation, and dedication to our country!

Do you see the planes? As the graduates threw their hats, the Thunderbirds flew over & performed an airshow! Such a crazy feeling!

 Before leaving Colorado Springs, we also went to Garden of the Gods.

We saw these guys just hanging out on our way to Utah.  Just 5 minutes before this, we stopped at a viewing area for these big horn sheep and looked through those tourist binoculars for at least 20 minutes searching for these hiding in the mountain. They were right down the road all along!

 We stayed in Moab, UT the rest of the week and hiked and explored Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.

 

My awesome parents.

Some of these hikes were a little too high and scary at some points:) Found a little more adventure than we were looking for!

This was my scariest moment:)  Walking along the trail, furthest behind taking pictures, and this guy leaps out in front of me on the trail.  And.... I only have a picture because after screaming and leaping backward thinking I was going to be eaten, all my sister could yell behind to me was  "take a picture, take a picture, take a picture!" Thanks Savannah:) Thought it was a rattlesnake, but later saw one of those too!

My brother:)

 

 I loved all of the textures and different plant life we found on the trails!

 

And some of the most breathtaking views on our way back to Denver...