Log Wall Christmas Tree

Here we are in the Christmas season and I'm loving every second of it!

During our last cooking class lab, our instructor put on Elf while we made candy - this is already starting out to be a great Christmas.

It started with a great Thanksgiving weekend too! A trip to the lake, seeing the new Mockingjay movie, and Tucanos were highlights for sure!

To finish the night off, we put up our Christmas tree and I think it's beautiful! 

We had a blast doing this tree and it's a great option for anyone who lives in a small apartment. Plus, there is little to no risk of fire without those pesky needles.

Merry Christmas Y'all!

Love It -- List It -- HATE Them!

Michael and I have started watching a little bit more HGTV!

We really like "Love It or List It" because it combines a little home renovation and listing for other homes. In case you haven't seen the show, the basic run down goes like this: A couple needs a different home so Hilary renovates their current home to fit their needs and David looks for other homes for them to move in. It's fun to talk about what we would do, love their home or buy the other one.

I only have one issue.... the home owners!! I swear they pick the most unreasonable people to be on this show. They refuse to listen to the professionals and end up getting mad at them when they can't do what they want on a limited budget. That's what happens when you have a budget. You can't have a mansion with $300,000 so stop expecting them to make it happen.

Plus, they never want to leave their neighborhood. So they want updates, modern homes, in older neighborhoods with $0. Get over it, you can't have EVERYTHING!

I swear after watching this show I'll be reasonable when it comes to having a home. Plus, I'm very grateful for our DIY attitude when it comes to home projects and Mike's skills that are begging to break through in our apartment.

Anyway, I had to just vent a little bit about Love It or List It. We love the show and accept that some people are just crazy! :)

A Broken Heart and Contrite Spirit - [BLOG Design]

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram then you've seen all about this amazing blog design that I did. I assure you, my design is not the amazing part. The subject matter is.

Let me tell you a little bit about the Ipson Family.

I work with Tim at BYU. He has a beautiful wife and two sweet little boys, who I am so lucky to know! While working last year we were all so excited to hear that they were going to have their second baby.

During the pregnancy they found that their baby was having some major heart complications. They talked to tons of doctors, learned everything they could, and got ready to have this new baby boy.

Joshua was born on December 1st.

The amazing doctors took such good care of little Joshua and his mother. He had so many tests, a life flight caravan, doctors who made sacrifices to be there, and the most loving family.

Joshua went back and forth between the hospital and home a few times. I know his family rejoiced when they got the chance to bring their sweet baby home, even for a short time.

When Joshua was 75 days old he left this mortal world to continue his mission with Heavenly Father.

I love the way they talk about Joshua's journey. I have never been to a more beautiful service than Joshua's. They spoke of his life and his strength. They also spoke of how his journey will continue and how blessed they feel to know that they will have the opportunity to raise their son later. They know that, through the Plan of Salvation, families are eternal. Although I never met little Joshua, I see his light in his family and I feel his spirit when they talk about him. I have been strengthened through Joshua's memory and every time I read something about him I feel the Spirit so strong. We all love you Joshua!

Please visit www.abrokenheartandcontritespirit.blogspot.com to learn more about Joshua and his family.

Home Decor Tutorial - {great gift idea}

My family stays connected through the holidays with our gift rotation. We don't draw names anymore, we just have a rotation so we always know who we have. This year I had my sister, Candi, who lives in Alabama. They are in a new house and I know she loves decorating so I ran with that idea. Check out what I came up with!

I love the way it turned out and how easy it was (it took me about 10 min). Here are the steps I used:

1. Pick a frame that is longer. I used one with different spots but you could put it all in one opening. 
2. Find paper that will fit the opening. This would be more difficult if you have a frame that is longer than the size of common paper. That's why my frame made it a bit easier. 
3. Print or write the words onto the paper.
4. Find maps of the areas you need. I went to AAA because if you're a member you can get free maps! 
5. Trace a heart shape around the cities you need and carefully cut out. I'm a bit OCD so this took me the longest. 
6. Paste the hearts only the paper. I used regular Elmers glue because mine is behind glass but you could use Mod Podge if you needed.
7. Place it all in the frame and you are set.

With finals, my birthday, and the bowl game I didn't have a chance to do this until I got to Boise. So sadly it did not make it to Alabama until after Christmas so I decided to give it to Candi via Skype. What would we do with out technology?

I miss her like crazy and I love that we got to spend a little bit of Christmas with her. Even if it was over the internet.

Sponsored Post - SimplyInspired

Even though we've been living in this apartment since April I'm still nesting this place and while looking for something amazing for my walls I came across some Etsy goodness!

When spending all of my waking time browsing Etsy, I came upon this gem from simplyinspired. I love their super cute prints in tons of different styles.

simple and chic wedding gift and a super cute baby gift... 

love these ideas!

I decided to go with this one: 

but of course with Idaho, Texas and Utah. 

Working with simplyinspired has been such a great experiences. I wanted very specific colors and a very particular set and she worked with me so well. She's awesome and as I thought more about this I realized this would be an awesome Christmas gift! Personalized and perfect for everyone!

Go check her out and let me know what you get! 

One SPOILED girl and an *amazing* refurbish!

So this last week has been.... *CRAZY*

My in-laws came into town and literally brought a TRUCKLOAD of furniture.

Lets back up here. Barbara, Mike's mom, is an antique dealer in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas. She has quite an eye for finding $13 dollar thrift store tables, flipping them and selling them for easily $160. She once took a lamp from $8 to $100. Can we say WOW?

Well now we had an unfurnished apartment and they have a truck. Put two and two together and we have a week of refinishing work ahead of us!

I'm going to reveal one piece at a time! I'd love to drag out this greatness because I can't get over how much I love these projects!

Here we go!

*Vanity Time*

My husband get super annoyed with my layer of make up on the bathroom counter after I get ready every morning. Plus we don't have a ton of counter space in our bathroom to begin with. 

Enter an amazing husband! MINE! 

He talked with his mom and they all surprised me with a vanity all to myself! 

this is the way they bought it. :)

Now once they got to Provo it was total refurb time!

First we removed all of the hardware and
spray painted those Rustoleum's Winter Gray.

The actual drawers were painted Heirloom White.

The frame and bulk of the piece was also painted the Winter Gray.
We just made sure we were getting all of the surfaces that would be seen.

As for the mirror we just covered it with paper
and sprayed it the same color as the drawers.

look at my cute little husband!
We put everything back together and roughed up the edges.
It's a great shabby chic piece and I love doing my hair and make-up at it!

What do you think? Are you ready to tackle your own vanity and give yourself a great pampering spot on a budget?