Your Weekly Pins

Another Friday, another week of pins! Here's what caught my eye on Pinterest this week...


HOME DECOR

[Is this not one of the most serene, peaceful bathrooms you've ever seen? I love the checkered floor and french door. I would certainly not have a hard time taking a bubble bath here.]


[Being obsessed with everything mint at the moment, it's no one I adore this kitchen. I love the unexpected color used on the cabinets, and I'd love to see more of the room with those pops of brick, too!]


[After finishing our kitchen backsplash, I've got new counters on the brain! This multi-colored Terazzo countertop is stunning, whimsical and just plain fun. Plus, Terazzo is one of the most earth-friendly materials you can use in the kitchen (all post-consumer product). Because it's super pricey and not super practical, we probably won't use it, but it sure is pretty to look at!]


FOOD

[You like bacon, right? How about candied bacon? What if you were to throw that in some salsa and add a little corn? This spicy-sweet candied bacon corn salsa is the frontrunner in my "must make" list for Labor Day weekend.]


[My all-time favorite Halloween snack is a candy corn peanut mix... but adding popcorn, Reese's Pieces and M&Ms to those two, then drizzling it all in white chocolate is something I would not contest. Chances are high I'll be chowing down on this Monster Munch while doling out Trick-or-Treat candy this year.]


I CAN HAZ STYLE?

[This outfit is just perfect for fall - comfy while still super stylish. I'm going to have to throw together my own version once the weather cools down!]



[Brace yourselves, because not only are these flats super adorable and available in a variety of colors, but they're also only $15! I know... one in every color, please!]


[I'm a hair idiot. I mean, I pretty much don't do any style to my hair that takes more than five minutes (after blow drying). Naturally, I've never learned how to make a fishtail braid, but I covet that skill every time I see it on a nimble-fingered girl rocking the cool style. This tutorial is probably the best one I've seen - almost idiot-proof even for me! Will try this weekend.]


CRAFTS

[Tissue poms are still such a cute, inexpensive way to decorate a space, but don't you think it's time for an upgrade? This tutorial for a multi-colored tissue pom may be a little more intricate than the single-hued version, but what an impact! It looks like a fluffy, tropical flower!]


[I don't know about you, but I have an awfully difficult time tracking down an earring's mate in my current jewelry box. This pretty lace earring holder would be such a cute, functional addition to your bedroom wall!]


GETTIN' HITCHED

[I'm floored by this pretty bouquet. It's so full and fluffy and I love the colors and flowers that comprise it.]



[Speaking of being floored, how breathtaking is this backdrop? Though the couple could stand to look a bit more psyched to be married, this backdrop definitely make up for it!]



[This centerpiece is also a part of the above wedding. Each table had a different centerpiece with pieces that were sentimental to the couple. I love how simple and meaningful they are.]


FUNNEE

[I absolutely lost it when I first saw this. In fact I'm losing it right now, as well.]


[Let's face it: we've all attempted a project we've seen on Pinterest with, um, less-than-stellar results... Pinstrosity is a hilarious site that features submissions by all those poor souls whose good intentions turned out awful. It's a riot to go through!]




There are plenty more where these came from! To see everything I pin all week long, follow me on Pinterest.

Photos, Friends & an Island Getaway

Hey gang! I just wanted to get a quick post in just to say "hi" to you all and catch up on recent happenings. Life as been ultra busy lately, but I'm looking forward to a long holiday weekend, hopefully filled with fun projects to share with you all soon!

I spent last weekend, Thursday-Sunday in Ohio, seeing family and friends. While there, I was able to visit one of my favorite events growing up: The Great Darke County Fair! Held in my hometown of Greenville, the fair was always a must-visit for me (at least a few times during its nearly two-week run). I loved playing games, riding rides, people watching and of course eating all the tasty fair food. Sadly, I hadn't been back in years, so I was excited to get the chance to visit again. Only this time I went back for a special occasion: Eric and I got our engagement pictures taken there! I got the idea to have a fair-themed engagement shoot months ago, and thankfully our incredible photographer, Look Here Photography, was ecstatic to hop right on board. You know me - I'm not one to do anything "typical" so I was so excited to get some different-style engagement photos with a fun theme. I loved the idea even more because because the photos will pay sort of an homage to my hometown roots in Ohio, as the wedding will be in Wisconsin.

The shoot was last Thursday evening, and we shot for nearly four hours, so obviously there are a lot of photos to sort through. I don't have anything to show you now (although if you visit Look Here's Facebook page now, you can take a sneak peek at one of our photos from the night!), but with our photographer's blessing I'll share a few of our favorites when they're all done. 

After our engagement shoot, we came home, crashed hard, and the next morning I dropped Eric off at the airport to return back to Milwaukee alone. I had serious business to get down to.

Friday-Sunday were spent on Kelleys Island in Lake Erie for my friend Kelly's bachelorette party! I met Kelly my freshman year of college and we've been close ever since. She's one of the most fun people I know, so I knew this would be a bachelorette party for the books.

That's Kelly in the middle left, long with my friends Jenna and Taylor.

It was so great seeing friends I hadn't seen in over a year, and meeting new friends, too! 

Kelleys Island was a cute little place with the perfect atmosphere for just cutting loose. Naturally, we spent the whole weekend eating, laughing and maaayyybbeee indulging in a drink or two....

(No, those weren't all mine...)

I had an absolute blast, and can't wait until her wedding in October!

[all photo credits go to my friends... I was a bad photographer this weekend]
With weddings being the talk of the weekend, I realized I need to get cracking on some wedding projects of my own. I hope to have a few new things to share with you coming up shortly! Until then, hold tight... things are only going to get more interesting in the coming months.

Your Weekly Pins

Another Friday, another week of pins! Here's what caught my eye on Pinterest this week...


HOME DECOR

[I adore this bedroom. The tufted head and footboard, the group of antlers, the serene white walls and sheer curtains.... a beautiful rustic chic.]


[This little kitchen nook is so lovely. I'm crazy over the skylights above, the colorful pillows on the bench and that shelf that's just the perfect place to collect cookbooks. I would LOVE to have this space in my home.]


I CAN HAZ STYLE?

[Such a simple look, but there's a reason why it's a classic - it always looks polished.]



[How incredible it the lace back of this shirt? It definitely makes a statement!]



[I think I drooled the first time I set eyes on these boots. They are absolutely gorgeous and actually look comfy! I'm sold.]



GETTIN' HITCHED

[I may have already pinned this.... but I just think it's such an adorable way to line the aisle at a wedding. And easy/inexpensive, to boot!]



[Peonies, ranunculus, tulips and billy balls.... all of my favorite flowers in one fun bouquet?? I love this combo!]



[I love when a couple incorporates their sense of humor into their wedding. This mock pamphlet "So, you're going to sit through a wedding..." absolutely cracks me up. What a fun handout to give your guests before the ceremony!]




ADORABLES

[Ohhhhh my goodness. I love Harp seals... I think I love them even more upside down.]



There are plenty more where these came! To see everything I pin all week long, follow me on Pinterest.

DIY Subway Tile Backsplash

You know those projects that, in your head, seem so easy you guarantee you'll finish them in just an afternoon? This backsplash is one of them. Except it didn't turn out that way.

After a long summer of things being very quiet on the home-improvement front, we began our subway-tile backsplash almost three weeks ago. We bought our materials at Home Depot, read/watched a few tutorials and started putting tile to mortar to wall.

We purchased a "tile installation kit" from Home Depot that came with a notched trowel and a grout squeegee.

At the corners of each tile we placed a 1/16 spacer.

Once we got all our full tiles up on the wall, we were excited about how things were turning out. But we soon realized that, thanks to a couple of awkwardly positioned electrical outlets, we'd have to be doing a lot more tile cutting than we'd planned on. 

So rather than just moving onward and getting the job done, we took some time off, went on a trip to Door County and lived with our kitchen looking like the above for a couple of weeks...

After a weekend away, we returned clear headed and ready to finish our backsplash. Eric diligently got to work doing the extremely tedious task of measuring and cutting the tiles to fit, using a wet saw.

Honestly, everything about tiling a backsplash (especially in a small area, with no intricate patterns to work in) is very easy.... except the measuring and cutting part. I have to give Eric a million high-fives for his patience (though it waned throughout the day) in doing all the cutting and measuring. While he got to work on this part of the project early Saturday morning, I was out on a long run, enjoying the beautiful weather.... So, bonus points to him for being diligent.

Eric began the whole process at around 8:30 a.m. I returned from my run at around 10:30 and while he'd made progress, I could see he was frustrated. The previous owners installed our kitchen cabinets just a little unlevel, and because of this Eric had to cut and re-cut a few tiles that would line the cabinets to make them even. As he cut the tiles, I mortered them up and stuck them to the wall (using the notched trowel held at a 45-degree angle). Teamwork!

At around 2:30 that afternoon, Eric was spent. He threw his hands up, grabbed a beer and announced that he was done. He'd had a long, frustrating day, so he deserved some time to unwind.

The next day we decided to tackle the next step and finish everything up. I told Eric to relax, and that the grouting detail was up to me.

I feel a little bad, because grouting is probably the easiest step of the whole process.

Just dip your squeegee into the bucket of grout and spread it over the tiles, making sure to hold the squeegee at a 45 degree angle, spreading diagonally to ensure grout gets deep down into the crevices. And honestly, after a while I got a little dirty and just started slopping the grout into the gaps with my fingers and then smoothing with the squeegee. I found it was a little easier/more precise/kinda fun in the long run.

Also: Check out the name of our grout color! We knew we wanted a shade of gray (ugh... spare me the obvious "Which shade out of 50?" joke...), but once Eric saw our kitchen had the option to be sporting DELOREAN gray, that sealed the deal.

After I applied grout to about a two-foot square section of the tile, I wiped off the excess with a damp sponge, then continued on.

After letting it all sit for four hours, I went back with the lightly damp sponge and cleaned off any remaining haze from the tiles.

And with that, our kitchen's back has been splashed. 

Behold, the before and after of our kitchen:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 (Oh, what a surprise: Look who decided to hop up on the windowsill right as the camera came out so he could photobomb the pictures??)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

We didn't have a huge space to work with, but I think this little bit of a change makes a huge impact. Doesn't it make the whole room seem brighter? I also like how it just makes everything seem more polished and all grown-up like.

What's more, because we didn't have a large space to tile, this project was super easy on the wallet. Here's the cost breakdown:

Case of 3x6 white subway tiles (enough to cover 12.5 square feet): $22.00

1 quart of Delorean Gray pre-mixed grout: $9.47

Tube of matching Delorean Gray Caulk: $6.97

Tile installation kit: $4.00

Grand total (minus tax): $42.44

And we still have about 20 tiles, 1/3 tub of grout and a TON of caulk left.... so cheap!

While it was a bit more tedious than we originally thought it would be, we're so happy we finally knocked this project out. We love the look of our new backsplash, and if you've got the patience to do all the measuring and cutting, it's really not a tough job to do on your own.

It feels great to have another project from our "home to-do list" checked off! Have you checked anything off your list this summer? We've had a hard time motivating ourselves to tackle any other large projects this summer between the intense heat and squeezing in all the fun we can!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Pancakes!

Oh, they grow up so fast... Today is Mr. Pancakes' THIRD birthday! Eric and I were talking about it over the weekend and we kind of feel like he should be older than three, because we have a really hard time remembering life before him. It seems like he's been part of our family forever!

How do we know his birthday is today? When we adopted him from the Humane Society, they told us he was probably born in mid-to-late August. We figured August 22nd seemed like a good estimation, so it became his birthday.

In the past, I've tried celebrating Mr. Pancakes' birthday by serving him Fancy Feast or giving him a new toy to bat around, but he won't touch wet cat food (he won't even eat fresh salmon off the grill. I tried giving him a piece once and he just sniffed it and walked away) and he's way more interested in rubber bands and little pom-pom balls scattered around the house than "proper" cat toys. He got an early birthday present last week when a package I ordered was shipped with two HUGE rubber bands. He's been carrying those around the house all week to play with (we keep finding them in random places), so suffice it to say he's happy with his new "gifts."

The one thing I know he will not be getting is a birthday card that makes a meowing sound. A friend (and my maid of honor!) sent me a birthday card this year with a big cat on the front, and when you open it, it "meows" the "Happy Birthday" song. The first couple times I opened it, I noticed Mr. Pancakes' eyes get HUGE. Then I put it down to his level and he absolutely freaked out. Every time I let it play for a while, Mr. Pancakes gets horrified and runs away. I shouldn't laugh at his utter terror, but his reaction is priceless.

Here, see for yourself!

So, happy third birthday, P-Cakes! May you not be startled by loud noises and may your day instead be filled with head scratches, rubber-band fetch and your beloved Whisker Lickins treats. Here's to many more, little guy. 

Your Weekly Pins...

Another Friday, another week of pins! Here's what caught my eye on Pinterest this week...


HOME DECOR

[Is herringbone the new chevron? Although I kind of hate myself for actually typing that question, I've found myself falling for anything sporting the classic herringbone pattern, including these beautiful gray-tiled walls.]


[An under-the-stairs passageway provides a little more flow to a home, as well as totally cool, unexpected architectural detail.]


[Sure, you could buy these bright, whimsical bookends at PB Kids for $49... or you could attach a plastic toy to a wood block and spray paint them to create this look for less!]



I CAN HAZ STYLE?

[These soft, leather ballet flats look so comfortable, with a nice retro flair.]


[Although these sold already, I'd love to have this trio of vintage button earrings. Simple, elegant.]


I WANT

[As if the Bill Murray coloring book wasn't exciting enough, now you can color your own Ryan Gosling... who wouldn't want to spend time admiring his lines?]


[This has been my personal mantra since I first heard it from Tracy Jordan's lips on "30 Rock." And although I'm not exactly sure what that lifestyle entails, I'd proudly display this embroidery hoop in my home to inspire everyone who visits to do the same.]



GETTIN' HITCHED


[Because each of my bridesmaids will be wearing a different color at our wedding, I've been pondering how I'll fashion each of their bouquets. I absolutely love the idea of a plain, white bouquet adorned with a ribbon of each color of the wedding palette (with the bouttonierres all wrapped with the groomsman's specific color, as well).... eclectic cohesion.]


[I get super excited whenever I see a Wisconsin wedding on one of the many wedding blogs I follow. This one was featured on the Queen of Them All, Style Me Pretty, and took place right here in Milwaukee! I pinned it mainly for the list of local vendor recommendations for future reference.]





There are plenty more where these came from! To see everything I pin all week long, follow me on Pinterest!