Stitch, Stitch, Stitch

Amongst all the other random things going on right now, I have this deep nagging, urging feeling that I need to improve my sewing skills. 

Why?

No clue.

Maybe it's because everything is so stinkin' expensive these days and

 I think, "With a little practice, I could totally make that."

So here I am. Planning all these sewing projects when I should be working on lesson plans. 

Oh well.

Here's some pictures of a few things I've been wanting to do. 

Maybe I'll get around to attempting them around.... Christmas time?

    

DIY plans

My friend and future roomie, Jenn, and I put down our deposit for our first apartment today!!!! I think the quote of the day has been "I'm so excited I could pee myself!" We've already started dreaming and scheming about how it will look and all the plans we have for our future home. 

Here's some DIY projects that I've been itching to do!

First off, I would love to make an upholstered headboard and I'm loving the shape from this one.

Apartment Therapy

Second, who doesn't love a precious bench? I think it would work great for dining. 

When it's not in use, just scoot it under the table! Instant space saver!

 Here's all the parts Carrie used to make it:

 You can find Carrie's awesome tutorial through this post.

This globe idea would be perfect for "Don't Forget..." or "I'll be at ____ for the weekend!" 

 Design Sponge

And can you say cutest night-stand/end-table/coffee table ever?

Design Sponge

BAH! I'm so excited! Now I just have to find time/funds to make all these wonderful things!
Hope you're having a wonderful week!

Upcoming Events

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have nothing to blame it on other than sheer laziness. During Spring Break I did absolutely nothing (good times) and I really haven't had a lot to do since I got back to school either so I'm just here... twiddling my thumbs. I've got some projects and events coming up that I really need to work on and prepare for, but come on, it's the first few days of spring. I usually blame everything from a head cold to bad moods on the weather and so I think it's fitting that I blame my laziness on it too :)
As for the upcoming events, I have several on my schedule. First is this music festival/craft fair that's going on April 1-2 at Harding called First Thaw. The festival is bringing in bands like The Avett Brothers and The Non-Commissioned Officers. The purpose of First Thaw is to support and educate the public about Heifer International. If you don't know about this amazing organization, follow the link HERE. I'm going to be selling some of my pottery at one of the student art booths and 15% of the profits made from the festival will go to support Heifer International. If you're in the Little Rock/Central Arkansas area during this weekend, you should come out and support this wonderful cause!
My next 2 events are both on April 9th. One is another craft fair called the Harding Bazaar which will be open from 11-4 (again, stop by if you're in the area!). I'll be selling more pottery along with paintings, prints, and photography. I'll be running from that event to my social club's Spring Formal that I've been planning (along with my friend Whitney) so I have a feeling I'm going to be a little nuts that day. Thank goodness my parents are coming down to help with the Bazaar!

Whew.

Looking at all that freaks me out a little. Plus I haven't even thought much about my 10 page art history paper that will be due in the middle of all that. But I'm a lot more at ease about the formal now that we've got a ton of the details nailed down. Our theme is "A Night in Black and White" and here are some pics that I'm drawing inspiration from:

Forgive me, but I don't have sources for any of these pics. They probably came from the wedding blogs located in my daily reads section so check them out! The string ball picture is mine though so I can at least source myself :) We're going with a clean, slightly vintage feel and we're really excited about how everything is falling into place. I'll be sure to take a ton of pictures during all the events and have lots to show and tell :)

Hope you're having a wonderful week!!!

Dorm Goodies

My roommate, Shannon, and I are moving into a new dorm and into the largest room (!!!) in there so we're uber-excited! We'll have lots of room and hardly anything to fill it with so we've been looking into new items and here are a few possibilities.

We threw out our old shower curtain last semester so this will be it's replacement.

Target

We're probably the only college girls who do not already have paper lanterns. We'll get several to either put in mass or spread around the room.

Paper lantern store

I just really like this pillow.

Pier 1

More seating is needed and we'll actually have room for it!

Target

And I'd like to do some large artwork to break up the big walls. Something with simple lines like this piece would be good.

BHG

I'll definitely post pictures when we get moved in! Anyone else have cool ideas for dorms?

Plan for the Upstairs

My parents just got back from their trip to Scotland and spent a bit more than they expected so the plans for repainting and wallpapering the downstairs are put on hold. The upstairs, however, is our new target. Since we'll be doing the painting ourselves this summer, we can also redo the floors in the fall. We're going to paint all the woodwork white (it's a dark stain now that sucks up light) and paint the walls in soft neutrals. The windows are small up there so the lighter the color, the better. Now the tough decision, what neutral color? I just recently painted the bathroom a light gray-blue (Silver Lining by Medallion) and we're thinking about extending that into the hall and TV room. There are two bedrooms upstairs and we'd like to warm tones in them. Here are some images that might give you a feel for the look we're going for.

Domino

BHG

BHG

BHG

BHG

You guys got any ideas or images that could help me out?

The Garage

Many of you probably have that one room in your house that you steer clear of. Well at my house it's the garage. Every time we pull our car into it we just hang our heads in shame. Every year we vow to clean it out and get it organized... and every year we break that vow. So this year (as usual) I am going to try to clean and organize that sucker so that my dad can actually get his car into it without the fear of scratches. These next few images are inspiration to help spur me on!

Images via Better Homes and Gardens

Anyone else have inspiring organizational before and afters or even those dreaded to-do items that never get done?