red hearts & brain waves

Thursday night, a dream literally came true for me-

we had a Valentine's Party! 

I know there are a lot of mixed feelings out there about Valentine's day, 

but I am, and have always been, a HUGE fan.

Partly because I love hype, sweets, little crafts and gifts, 

and of course, love.

Two of my good friends from work started planning this a couple of weeks ago, 

and the prepping, baking & crafting side of this party

may or may not have been my favorite part. 

Let get's real, those are the reasons I always want to have parties.

And my friend Kelley's love language is parties, so she totally gets it too.

strawberry cake balls by kelley

sugar cookie cupcakes

mason jar + burlap + lace +wooden heart = v-day vase 

the cuuutest felt heart garland, also by kelley

please note Roux checking out the snack table...

This table was full by the end of the night,

so many sweet friends brought awesome desserts that disappeared quickly.

Ross even made pigs in the blanket for the first time!

empty tazo tea box + burlap + string + a doily = v-day candle holder

The Mexican Valentines flags were my absolute favorite!

Kelley simply folded tissue paper, cut holes, and then taped the flags to ribbon.

Super cheap & easy, and they were a hit!

Remember the hearts everyone wore in Julie & Julia?

That was my favorite part for sure. 

Kelley's sister brought over this game...

it is so crazy...

you control the movement of this ball with your brain waves.

I'm still not sure I believe it, but everyone loved it!

It was such a wonderful night, 

and we feel so blessed by our friends here. 

Our hearts are full to the brim.

Looking forward to more Valentine's celebrating to come!

fall wreath 2010

like any good DIY-er,

i can't just simply buy holiday decor.

it has to be original! it has to be crafty!

let's be real: it has to be cheap :)

i was happy with last year's 

but wanted to go in a different direction this year.

anyway, here is this year's wreath:

to make it, i simply wrapped different colors 

of burlap & fabric around a wreath form.

next, i cut strips of fabric and bunched them 

into the form of flowers

and topped them off with shiny tacks.

the final touches were acorn bells 

which wrapped around the wreath with twine.

of course, all fall crafts must be done

with a pumpkin spice candle 

warming the apartment with it's familiar

autumn smell wafting through the air. 

crafts galore!

just found out about this

& that i's coming to austin may 15th.

yahoo!

should probably start saving now...

free wreath!

the other week mrs. frazier 

posted about her amazing DIY wreath.

using just a hot glue gun, an old book, some paint & cardboard scraps

she created an eye catching and free holiday wreath.

so following her step by step guide, i made one of my own.

super easy to make & even cuter to look at.

all our nerdy med school friends especially liked the fact

that the pages were from a lord of the rings book

{don't worry, we had two copies}

so, if anyone out this is reading this, 

you should check out mrs. fraziers how-to and make your own!

trick or treat!

happy halloween!

from my hands, to yours. 

haha

perpetual paris

{via littlebrownpen}

from one of my favorite blogs:

a perennial calendar made up of photos 

she and he husband took around paris.

how cool is that?

i showed it to ross, and suggested we try our own version

with photos from around college station.

haha, what the heck. maybe we should. 

check out the how-to video.

d.i.y. map

1. get a map

2. put it on some foamboard

3. mark where you've been & where you want to go

4. go there

procrastinating, again.

one good thing about school work: it ispires me.

inspires me to do what? well, procrastinate obviously.

this morning, in the form of checking out fun blogs & finding things to make next week.

whats more important? finishing a paper

or finding the perfect butterless cake recipe and the perfect easter garland!

i mean, duh...

{from here}

{from here}

back to writing about fireproof. if you haven't seen it,

it's amazing cheesy but really touching. the acting makes you want to hate it,

but you can stop watching or hold back those darn tears.

st. valentine

{from here}

a lot of people like to hate on valentines day.
i argue that a different perspective should be taken towards this day.

valentines day is all about love.
love of your family, friends, roommates, pet, etc.
there are so many people who we love and love us!
this emotion is not limited towards 'significant others.'
valentines day is for celebrating all the relationships in our lives that we cherish!

i have always looked at the 14th this way
and it has always been a favorite holiday of mine.

which is why i'm bound & determined to have a valentines day party this year.

creepy...

here is this stamps description:
OBSESSION: OBAMA
When you feel extra crafty and need to be reminded that this year is the most important one of many, this stamp will clear your muddled thoughts. Bailout - Wham! Obamad! Madoff - Wham! Obamad! Iraq - Wham! Bam! Obamad! Stamp it around and have his head fill your dreams and your and everyone else's visions. Funky with rainbow ink.


...

thank you

{from here}

DIY thank you cards... so cute.

whatever, im a baylor girl

real simple has instructions on how to make
beautiful wedding bouquets from supermarket flowers!

although i am not planning on getting married anytime soon, the economy & my frugal nature make me especially interested in having a low-budget wedding someday.

our culture has turned weddings into a huge industry, when really,
they boil down to two people
celebrating their love for one another in Christ.
in more ways than one, this love is free.

maybe part of being in the world and not of it is
separating ourselves from societal trends,like spending
huge amounts of money on one evening.
do we really need our initials on every napkin?
should a slice of cake cost $15?

or maybe, this is the one day to splurge a little, on behalf of your guests, of course.

or maybe i just like the daisies in the picture.
they remind me of meg ryan in you've got mail. tom hanks brings her some when shes sick as an attempt to reconcile. she forces a thank you and says,
"don't you just love daisies? they're such a happy flower!"
i agree!