A thrifting date leads to a...

Yesterday James and I had a thrifting date.  We went to Kerrville to go to some of our favorite thrift shops and get coffee at our favorite coffee shop, Spirit Wind Java.  From the start of the day, it seemed destined to be doomed, from dealing with our internet issues, and then James dropped his phone and it stopped working.  So we had to make a pit stop at Sprint.  So far we have only had horrible experiences with the people who work at sprint, at least in the city.  We dread going in there.  But much to our surprise, everyone in Kerrville was so super nice and extremely helpful.  So not only did we get james phone fixed, and got alot of questions answered about our internet, i got a new phone!  My upgrade had been up for over a year but I hesitated on spending the money.  But they had super great limited deals with in store rebates and such, so I decided to bite the bullet and upgrade with the rest of the world to a smart phone.  Im a bit behind the times I guess.  So now, I get to take my own photos instead of always having to steal James phone!  This is going to be great!  Im so excited.  So when we got home, I kind of took photos of everything on our porch.  It was like Id never had a camera before, ha ha, so funny.  I have a bunch of my moms old planting pots, and some mosaiced ones...

(oh, and i got a Doors tshirt at a thrift shop for .49 cents, SCORE!)


This is the view from our back porch.  Behind our fence there is a whole line of trees that separates us from the other street.  Im hoping and praying no one comes along and builds back there.  Someone owns the land to come up and camp on for now, and that is just fine with me!


My mom's sun broke during the move, and I just cant bare to throw it away.  James actually was the one that brought it over here to keep it.  So sweet.  I still love it, even if it is just half of a sun.

Um... I need some dirt!!!

Bella absolutely loves sprawling out on the porch.  She goes outside now most mornings with Violet and plays outside for quite a while.  I love that she is able to spend so much time outdoors now.  She was limited to a concrete porch at the old house b/c we were right in town.

This is me, right now.  Just woke up.  Coffee in hand.  Wearing my favorite PPP pj pants & a thermal.  Getting ready to start my day. 

PEACE,
Laura

DIY - Eclectic Boho Bunting Tutorial

First of all, you may have noticed the blog has a whole new look.  Ive been working super hard in my extra hours lately designing it, and Im so happy with the way it came out.  It is so much more me.  I used all of my own images for the backgrounds and header, which made it so much more personal.  The background image is a quilt my mom made in the 70's.  Let me know what you think of the changes, Id love to know!

I thought it would be fun to kick June off with a fun DIY bunting tutorial.  I wanted to make this bunting for our new house since we found out we got it!  And since i dont have any curtains for my windows yet, it was the perfect little thing to make it cute.  You can make this for any space though.  It would be super cute on a mantel or in a doorway, or even just strung on the wall.


MATERIALS NEEDED:
trim, ribbon or really anything for the main part
trinkets, ie: doilies, photos, buttons, feathers, etc.
scissors
needle & thread or sewing machine


Sew any parts the need to go together first.  My vintage lace was too short, so I sewed 3 peices together to make it longer.  I also needed to sew the pom poms on the velvet strip.


Once all of your little pieces are put together, lay it all out on a large flat surface and place everything where you want it to go.  This is the fun part.  Change things up until you get it just right in your eyes.


If you want to add a photo (or bookmark like i did), all you need is a hole puncher and yarn.  I just tied it in a loop in one of the holes of the lace.


Pin all of your pieces down so you dont lose their perfect place.  I like to pin it all at once so I dont have to keep coming back to the table for each piece.


And its always nice to let your kitty help you decide too :)


I used vintage ribbon to create two loops on the end for hanging.  You can use anything, yarn, string, ribbon, etc.


For the feather, I just used a needle and thread and pulled it right through the stem, and attached it to the lace.  I wanted it to dangle, so I left a space between the feather and trim.


Then all you have to do is find the perfect spot in your home for your new little bunting!  I love this bunting so much more than a typical fabric bunting (not knocking them, i love them too)... just b/c it can be so personal with your own stuff.  Use stuff that has alot of meaning to you, and you will enjoy it so much when you walk past it and are reminded of great memories!


Now my window just need a pretty curtain!  If you make a bunting, Id love to see it!  Please send me a link if you post it!  And feel free to share this on your blog, just please please link back to this post, thank you!

PEACE,
Laura

HOME TOUR - Living Room

Our living room is a very happy place for me.  As I sit and work on my computer here in my open office, I am facing our living room area, where James enjoys most of his time when he is not working.  Some of my all time favorite and most sentimental things are in our living room.  I love love love decorating my spaces with meaningful art.  Honestly I wouldnt have it any other way.  The things I place on my walls to look at everyday must have a feeling of comfort for me, and I get the biggest comfort from things having history.  Family history most importantly.

On our mantel I have placed a large framed photo of one of our engagement shots.  My dad handmade the frame for our wedding, so it is super special.  The white and brown pitcher was my moms and is a very old piece of 'stapleware', which is very rare these days.  She loved the broken and recycled history of stapleware.  The tiny antique bottle collection was also hers with a few of mine mixed in.  We both shared a big love for old bottles, especially little tiny ones.  And the old non working violin was hers too.  She wanted so badly to learn to play the violin and never really got around to it.  Even some of the feathers, like the large turkey feathers are probably about 20 or so years old.  I love them to pieces.


The quilt on the back of our couch was handmade by my aunt, and I just adore it.  She gave it to me to cut up and use in my crafts, but I couldnt bare, its too wonderful.  The red velvet chair I got from my friend Shauna of Poor Pitiful Pearl, love it!  My coffee table was just a boring little table my bestie was getting rid of years ago and I re-painted it and gave it new life. 

My mannequin Moon has been tagging along with my since I was about 14.  She sports a tshirt from Greune Hall.  My mom got it when she waited tables at the Gristmill over 30 years ago.  The restaurant is still alive and kicking, such a cool place.

I did the painting of Claire Danes for James when we were just friends years ago.  And he got the custom skateboard two years ago for xmas.  Two of his favorite things.  My daddy made the bookshelf which I have always admired.

The shelf above our tv has some of the most meaningful stuff on it.  An embroidery of james and i that i have him for xmas a few years back.  Two kaleidescopes, one that my mom made when she was about my age, and one that was a wedding gift.  Marbles from my grandfathers collection.  One of my nanna's sparkly shoes from her dancing days.  My aunt has the other one, her and my mom each took one.  A framed pic of me and my mom.  And other various wedding gifts and knick knacks that I love.

This sun quilt was another piece my mom made before I was born.  I think she was pregnant with my brother when she made it.  This is my most single special thing I have.  If we had a fire, I would be ripping it off the walls as I ran out.

When my mom started making Broken China Jewelry 30 years ago, she was saving all of the hallmarks off the back of the plates.  She made this little wall hanging and Im so glad she did.  Its a nice little reminder of what she did with her life.  And I found just the perfect spot for it!

As you can see, I really do keep alot of my mom around me.  It comforts me so much.  None of this stuff can replace her, but it fills some of the holes in my heart having it around me, if that makes sense. 

PEACE,
Laura