House of Hydrangeas

For those of you who don't know, Jon and I will be moving out of Enid by September, possibly even as early as July depending on his next job.  With moving and relocation costs less than 6 months away, we thought it would be best to scale back our original plan of an extravagant 1-year anniversary trip, for one that will be more practical for us at the moment. Aside from our upcoming move being a factor, we also wanted to finally capitalize on our surroundings.  We always talk about how we should take advantage of the places that are within driving distance of us while we're here.  So after doing a fair amount of research, we've decided to spend our 1-year anniversary in (drumroll please.....)  Kansas City, MO! At first, you might only think of barbecue, but let me tell you, this place has way more to offer than just that!  With more boulevards than any other city in the world besides Paris, it has been deemed the "Paris of the Plains."  Kansas City is ...

A little over a week ago I mentioned a honeycomb mirror that I had fallen in love with and was determined to make mine.  (If you missed that entry, you can read about it here .)  Well, I'm happy to say that I was able to track it down that weekend (it was the last one left within an hour and a half radius of us!) and that it now hangs in our home!  It sat in the floor for about a week while I was trying to figure out where I wanted to hang it, knowing I didn't want to have to do any drastic changes since we'll be out of here by September. So instead of moving things around and adding more holes to the walls, I decided it would be great in the dining room.  One of my paintings hung in the space before, so I simply took it down and replaced it with the mirror--a pretty quick and painless swap.  And I love it! Here is the before:    And here is the after: I just love all of the little mirrors and intricate details it has.  And I think it will look...

What a great reminder.  I really want to get this print. Happy Sunday to you and your's!

One of the easiest ways to welcome spring into your home is through your desktop background.  I just recently stumbled upon these beautiful prints and had to share.  If you want to make one your background, simply right-click to save it and then set it as your background image.  These are all by a 20-year-old photographer in France.  The colors are amazing and the blurred backgrounds make it easy for you to find your desktop icons (if desktop is as cluttered as mine). This is the one on my screen right now. All images via Samantha Meglioli.   She sells her prints as well.  Click here for more info. Happy Friday!

Spring is just a few days away.  And you know what that means...wedding season is about to be in full-gear!  If you've been a reader for awhile, you know that I love all things wedding.  And that even though I've been married for 11 months now, I still enjoy perusing wedding blogs and dreaming of what I would do if I got married again...to the same man of course :)   Seriously, if weddings weren't so expensive, I would have one every year.  That's how much I love them!  Don't get me wrong, I loved my wedding.  But it's kind of like redecorating a room in your house.  You love it when you first do it...and then a few years down the road you think of other great ideas you'd love to see in the space!  It's a never-ending battle with evolving creativity and style.  But since I won't be having another wedding, I'll just share my newfound ideas/loves with you guys and pretend like I'm planning one all over again. :) I love love love this ve...

I just love before and afters.  Don't you?  There's nothing more inspiring than seeing something that could use a little help be transformed into something beautiful.   Today that something is my sister's kitchen. The "before" of this kitchen was nothing to write home about.  The lighting, the cabinet layout, the countertops- everything needed a makeover.  And that is exactly what she and her hubby did (along with the help of his dad).  Aside from installing the countertops, they did just about everything themselves.  And I have to say, I think they did a great job!  Before  After The additions include new a countertop, undermount sink, faucet, backsplash, outlet covers, cabinets and extended pantry. Before The kitchen seemed smaller and closed off with the overhead cabinets blocking the view and the fluorescent lights did nothing for the space. After The overhang cabinets are gone and more storage was created by adding cabinets to the ...

Many people have the outdated, all brick fireplaces in their homes.  And many are afraid to paint it. But I'm here to tell you, do it!  In fact, paint it black and then add white wood surround.  And if you're not quite sure about that suggestion, let me show you just how wonderful it is. This is a before picture from The Lettered Cottage .  Someone had already painted over the brick, but you still get the gist--their fireplace was ugly and outdated. via The Lettered Cottage And here is the after--beautiful and classic.  And they did it all for $82!  Not too shabby! via The Lettered Cottage   And here is another example of the black brick with the white wood surround.    via Hillary Thomas So if you have an outdated fireplace like this... Don't worry.  There is hope.  You can work some magic and come out with a stunner like this.   via Hillary Thomas For the whole tutorial from The Lettered Cottage, go here .   Tomorr...