{sunshine}

here's hoping you have a sunshine-y day!

You Make Me Happy print

from Almost Sunday Designs

Sunburst Earrings

from jewelscapes

flower hair pins

from Bead Flora and Jewels

Rose Ring - Yellow

from Sparrow's Nest Designs

{diy} will you be my bridesmaid?

I saw this idea first on the lovely Caroline's blog,

and I knew I wanted to do something special for my bridesmaids.

It was the perfect idea, and they all loved it!

First, I needed a chalkboard.

I bought a wooden plaque at JoAnn's,

some chalkboard paint, and some fun pink paint for the border.

I painted the edges of the plaque first, with the 2 shades of pink I'd chosen, then carefully painted the middle with the chalkboard paint. I ended up doing 3 coats of the chalkboard paint, and the worst part was waiting for it to cure for 24 hours!

{I hated taking these pictures. I felt SO awkward. Seriously.}

I wrote "Will you be my bridesmaid?", and snapped some photos with my sister. Sent them to Target to be printed, and then worked on the frames.

I just got some $1 frames at Michael's and painted them to match.

I loved painting them! It was so fun to do the pink edges & scallops. :)

I found the perfect complementing ribbon, made some adorable little cards {which you'll see on the blog sometime in the future}, and mailed them off!

This was a great {and easy!} project, and you could use it in other ways, too. I plan on using that chalkboard again, for sure! Many thanks to Caroline for sharing the inspiration!

{lovely finds} for the birds

Lately I've been finding myself drawn to birds...

they're so sweet and pretty!

Here's a few of my favorite birdie finds:

this sweet little bird neclace

these lovely birdcage seals

this card is just too adorable!

and I'd love to sip my coffee from this pretty mug.

What do you love today?

{rainy day} & 7 things

cloud hoop art

{1} I woke up to rain this morning. Not my favorite kind of weather,

but I guess I'll live.

{2} I love {these brackets}. I use them all the time, probably too much. I've even gotten pretty good at writing them myself.

{3} I signed up for a hoop art swap recently.

I've never really done hoop art. I hope that whatever I make turns out well...

{4} My latest hobby {or obsession, depending on your point of view} is embroidery! I kind of picked it up because of the hoop art swap, but also because I need something new. Sewing, but just for fun. I'm mostly just learning as I go, figuring out what works and what doesn't. Not sure if I'm doing it right, but it turns out pretty well. ;) I hope to share some of my projects soon.

{5} I have about 4 different things {DIY, projects, etc.} that I want to blog about...I need a less busy life so that I have more time!

{6} I made a checklist yesterday of the things I need to get done, and I finished {almost} everything! I love productivity. :)

{7} Yes, 7 is a random number, but I have things to get done. What are you up to today?

{project: simplify} update - my closet

On Monday afternoon, I tackled the monstrosity my closet had become.

Seriously, it was bad.

I've realized that I have formed the habit of "Well, I don't want to get rid of this, because I've never worn it, and I just might want to someday!"

But, my new goal is to simplify, so I worked hard to keep only the clothes I really like, that actually fit me, that I will actually wear.

Are you ready for the before & after?

{please don't judge for how bad the closet was before...}

I love how much cleaner it is! My closet has a floor after all! I can see all of my tops, skirts & dresses! {do you see my wedding dress peeking out?}

Of course, now I need to finish cleaning up the rest of my bedroom...but that will have to wait for another day. :)