It's my Blogiversary!

Last week I celebrated my one-year blogiversary!  I thought I'd recap some of my most popular and favorite blog posts.

In April I did a series on my watercolor crush.  I shared some DIY watercolor art  that I made.

Another popular post in that series was the watercolor invitation that I made for the Mother's Day Tea I hosted.

In May I shared how I made a chunky statement necklace from vintage necklaces I had collected.

In June I shared a recipe for my Quick and Easy Pickle Mix.  I serve this a lot when I am having guests over.  If you haven't tried it, I encourage you to!

I've really enjoyed my first year of blogging.  It's a lot of work.  I think I've become a better photographer, though it's not really something I'm passionate about, it's necessary to be a blogger.  I've found it difficult to get on a regular schedule since I've started this school year.  I'm always looking to learn and improve.  What was your favorite post of my first year?  What kinds of posts would you like to see more of?

DIY Art

Last week I shared some vintage art that I've collected from shops around the area.  This week I'm sharing some art that I've created myself.  I don't create a lot of art myself, because, well, I'm just not that good at it.  I've tried my hand at a few pieces that I'll show you today.

I know this isn't the best picture of these pieces.  The picture is from the Mother's Day Tea I hosted.  These are two paintings that go together a little bit like a puzzle.  I took the inspiration from some wallpaper I saw in a picture.  I painted the background beige and painted the branches and the flowers with white.  I accented it with gold.  The best thing about these paintings is that they were free!  Everything that I needed to paint them I already had on hand.

These pictures are from my kitchen makeover.  If painting is not your thing, try using your computer.  I found a few quotes that I liked and got creative with the fonts and spacing.  The picture on the top is some clipart that I purchased from a seller on Etsy.  Just a reminder that if you use clipart as art you can only use it for personal use.  You cannot sell it!  By the way, we now have a fancy new black phone!

Finally, I added some ombre watercolor art to my bathroom walls.  I wrote a post about this.  It's one of my most popular posts.  If you'd like more information about how I created this, check out the full post.  You can see my vintage art in the background!

I hope I've inspired you to try some DIY art of your own.  If you have, share it in the comments!  If you haven't yet, share some ideas of what you'd like to try.

Vintage Art

One of my favorite things to buy at an antique or vintage shop is art.  It's often less expensive than any art you'd find in a gallery.  Often times it's even less expensive than mass produced prints you see in craft stores.  I believe it has much more character.  Today I'm going to share some pieces from my collection.

This is one of the first pieces I bought.  I think it may have been $15.  Clearly, it was painted by an amateur artist.  I like the colors.  I also liked the simple wooden frame.  

I passed this painting a few times before I finally bought it.  It was a little more expensive than the first one, but I really like the houses and the way the background is blurry.

This is a more recent purchase.  It is embroidery.  It was in a flimsy frame with a yellow mat.  It was fairly inexpensive and I really like the colors, especially the blue.  About a month ago I finally picked up a new frame, and it's looking much better!

I like these botanical prints.  I've always thought of doing something with the frames, but I never got around to it.  What about painting them gold?  What do you think?

Finally, here is my latest purchase.  I've been on the lookout for a few vintage sketches and haven't been able to fine anything I liked, so I turned to Etsy.  I picked up this sophisticated lady.  I've been calling her Mabel.  I haven't had the chance to get it matted and framed yet.  I'm thinking an off-white mat and a simple black frame.  

What kinds of art do you have in your home?  Next week I'll be sharing some of my DIY art.  I hope you'll stop by.

Field Trip: Watkins Glen, NY

A few months ago (Wow!  Was it that long ago already?) a few of my friends and I decided to take a weekend trip to Watkins Glen, NY to do a little sight seeing and wine tasting.  Watkins Glen is located in the Finger Lakes region of New York on Seneca Lake.  If you like wine tasting, it's definitely the place to go.  If you don't like wine tasting there are many small towns that you can explore.  One of our favorite places was the the distillery we visited.   The hard stuff wasn't for me, but I did pick up a bottle of raspberry liqueur.  On our way home we stopped in Corning to do a little shopping.  We found plenty of cute little shops to keep us busy.  Unfortunately a weekend wasn't enough.  We would have loved to visit the Corning Glass Museum and a few little towns we didn't get the chance to see.  Maybe next time!

What is your design style?

Since I have become interested in home decorating and design I've been trying to put a name to my design style.  I don't really think it's necessary.  You can throw together whatever you like in your own home.  That's what makes your home unique.  I still wanted to see if my particular style has a name.  Does your style have a name?

Do you like clean lines?  Maybe your style is modern.

Do you like bold colors and textures?  Maybe you like the Bohemian style?

Do you love all things Ikea?  Maybe you like Scandinavian design?

One way to narrow down your design style is to try to describe it in three words.  My three words are COZY, WARM, and COMFORTABLE.

Another way is of course, Pinterest!  After a few months of pinning rooms that you like, I think you'll start to notice a pattern.  I think I've noticed that my style is Modern Farmhouse.  I love the look of these chairs and that light fixture.

I love this light fixture too.  Look at those vintage parlor chairs.

Check out the mix of the vintage painting and chest with the modern sofa.

This might be the perfect living room.

I would kill to find a vintage hutch like this one!

One thing I can't get enough of is antique furniture.  The chippier, the better!  To update the look of your antique furniture, try mixing it with a modern lamp.  Place an antique chest of drawers in front of some modern wallpaper or a modern looking gallery wall.

Have you pinned down your design style?  Share it in the comments section below!

Welcome 2014!

Hello!  It's been awhile!  As a music teacher and a pastor's wife things get pretty busy for me from Thanksgiving until Christmas!  This year was no exception!  I'm back and ready to tackle this new year.  Like many people, I like to write down some goals for the new year.  Here are a few of mine.

1.  Exercise more
2.  Learn how to make and can jam
3.  Read more
4.  Enjoy peace and quiet
5.  Blog more consistently
6.  Journal more consistently
7.  A whole host of home decorating projects!

To save myself the embarrassment when I don't actually finish all of the home projects that I have planned, I won't list them here.  One big plan I have is to fix up this hallway and stairway.

When I started this blog almost a year ago now, I thought I would blog two or three times a week.  That may have been a bit ambitious.  I have found out that blogging is a lot of work!  This year I'm going to aim for a blog post every Wednesday.  If I get more than that, I'll consider it a bonus.

In the immediate future I am planning doing a few updates to the blog.  In the meantime you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram.  Have you made any resolutions?  Share them in the comments section!

Halloween Lia Sophia Party: Better Late Than Never!

Life is busy!  I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures of a little get-together I hosted a few weeks ago.  My sister just became a lia sophia advisor so I thought it would be the perfect time to host a party.  This was the first time I've ever had a party like this!  It was a lot of fun.  The party took place a week before Halloween so I decided to make it an Autumn/Halloween party too.

I don't usually use many Halloween decorations, but I found some easy, inexpensive Martha Stewart decorations at Michaels.  This guy was just relaxing in one of the drawers.

 I love using branches from our Burning Bush to decorate in the fall.  A few pumpkins and some creepy spiders crawling up the wall completed the look.

I kept the food simple.  I had a few little cans of soda with some vanilla vodka and some wine.  I served some of my favorite party foods.  Chips and salsa, my special pickle mix, and some homemade pretzels from a local bakery with honey mustard and spicy mustard for dipping.

I also served some hard cider and cheddar fondue, but I forgot to get a picture of it.  Ugh!

My sister did a great job with her presentation.  We played several games and three people walked away with prizes.  It was a successful party, and I think everyone had a good time.