Window Treatment, Anyone?

This window treatment is soooo amazing, and exactly what I'd want for a window in the kitchen or bathroom. Be sure to check out Brooklyn Limestone for the DIY Tutorial.

Photo via Brooklyn Limestone

Totally want to do this!

Budget Habits...

This is one of those sensitive topics that is so difficult, and yet so necessary to breach. Especially when you're married. I mean, clearly, we had to discuss money before we were married, but a few weeks ago, we really got into the nitty gritty of things. And it was hard.

But now I think we both feel a little better about it, although, we do wish that our situation was better than it is. But who doesn't? I mean, I'm so happy that we have a roof over our heads (that we own), food to fill our hunger, and enough to enjoy life. I couldn't really ask for that much more. When I get in that place of thinking we need more, I just remember that there are people out there with so much less. People who really do need more. When I get that reality check, I remind myself to be thankful for all that we have.

If you are newly married or newly engaged, I definitely recommend taking a day to sit down with your spouse/fiance and having a frank conversation about your finances. There's nothing worse than being on different pages and then having to deal with any consequences of bad spending habits later. Have you ever seen that episode of How I Met Your Mother where Lily and Marshall are trying to get a loan to by an apartment? It's the Dowistrepla episode. (On a side note, HIMYM is one of my favorite TV shows, so funny!)

In order to keep our finances in order, we use Mint.com. I actually started using Mint maybe four years ago after reading about it in Money Magazine. It's a great tool for tracking expenses, setting goals, and keeping budgets in check. OH and it's FREE.

It's an ongoing process, and I think that money is something you MUST be open to discuss. Otherwise, the relationship will suffer, undoubtedly. Stress will mount. Resentment may fester. It's just not healthy.

Fun DIY Vases

Gotta love the things you can find on Pinterest.

I love the idea of upcycling - especially for glass jars. I found this idea and just had to share.

To see the full tutorial, visit The Colorful Living Project

Car Trouble...

Oh for the love of car trouble.

Seriously. It's something I dread worse than the dentist. Or the OB/GYN office. Or home improvement problems.

Yikes.

Saturday, on our way to church, my car died. We got into my car and it wouldn't start. Dead. Kaput. Nothing. I could hear a little clicking noise and the power wavered. So my best car instincts (what little there is) told me that it was the battery.

Great. Luckily, between calling AAA, waiting for a tow, and figuring out what was up, the tow company that partners with AAA gave me a deal on a new battery with warranty. Phwew. This is not the time for having to spend an arm and a leg on car repairs. And my car has been soooo good to me for the last three years. The tow truck guy told me my battery was corroded! Yikes! And that it was about time for a new battery anyway. So it was coming.

That day just happened to be today.

Lovely.

Sometimes, I wish I was a mechanic. Or, at least had some of the rudimentary expertise of a mechanic.

Mocha Crepe Cake!

I saw this recipe and just had to share! I love crepes. I love cake. It's a match made in heaven!

Mocha crêpe cake from Home Life 
Serves about 10
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes (plus 30 minutes resting and 3 hours chilling time)

4 eggs, lightly whisked
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1 1/2 cups (375ml) milk
2 tbs caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Melted butter, to grease
Filling
200g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup (160ml) thin cream
1/4 cup (60ml) freshly brewed espresso
Mocha sauce
200g dark chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup (80ml) thin cream
1/4 cup (60ml) freshly brewed espresso
2 tbs coffee liqueur
2 tbs brown sugar

1. Combine the eggs and flour in a medium bowl. Gradually add milk, while continually stirring, until well combined and mixture is smooth. Add sugar and vanilla and stir to combine. Set aside for 30 minutes to rest.
2. Heat a 15cm non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Brush with melted butter. Pour in enough batter to coat the base of the pan. Cook for 1 minute or until lightly golden and just set. Use a spatula to turn and cook for a further 30 seconds or until golden. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter, reheating and greasing pan between batches.
3. To make filling, place chocolate, cream and coffee in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Use a metal spoon to stir for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until mixture cools and thickens.
4. Line a 20cm springform pan with plastic wrap. Place a crêpe in the pan. Spread with a little fi ling. Continue layering with crêpes and filling, finishing with a crêpe. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 3 hours or until chilled and set.
5. To make the mocha sauce, combine the chocolate, cream, coffee, liqueur and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir for 5 minutes or until sauce is smooth.
6. Turn the cake onto a clean surface. Use a sharp knife to cut into wedges. Place on serving plates and drizzle with hot sauce.

Photography: Steve Brown  Stylign: Jane Hann

Gorgeous bedroom wall

I'm having total WALL ENVY. Seriously. 

If I had another bedroom to spare, I would totally go for this wall treatment. Part of my heart is always in Paris, so I can't help but swoon over this wall! A map of Paris on a huge wall, yes please!!

{Photo via}

Oh Happy Day!

I know I'm probably late to the game, but I just discovered...or re-discovered Jordan Ferney's blog, Oh Happy Day. And she just embarked on my dream, a year in Paris! FRANCE. As she says, "The good one."

And there's a giveaway. Just check out the post here. If anything, her blog is a fabulous resource for DIY projects and all things for making your home pretty.

A New Mantra...

And it works for just about any endeavor.

1. Shoot what you love.
2. Pimp that work.
3. Repeat.

-Chase Jarvis

So "shoot" could also be:
-write what you love
-create what you love
-craft what you love
-draw/paint/design what you love

In essence, DO what you love.

Chase's blog post on the topic was about stop trying to get everyone to like your work.

WORD.

Guest Room Ideas

So last summer we finally decided to paint. The only color that we really agreed upon was to paint the living a light yellow color. Other than that, we had the two other bedrooms to paint and weren't really sure what color to go with. My husband decided to paint his man cave the navy blue of his school colors. I decided to paint the guest room a purple color, I guess because my sister said that would be her room when she came to visit.

After browsing some blogs, I came upon this fantastic guest room on 7th House on the Left.

{source}

It's just so pretty and my kind of colors! I love the grey and yellow with turquoise. It's feminine, but not overly so, and yeah...swoon.

Cute Baby and Kids' Rooms...

So the Mister and I have breached the topic of kids. We talked about it before we got married, and now that we are almost two years into our marriage, we've revisited the topic. At first we said that we'd start trying in 3-4 years (from when we married). Then that became 2-3 years. And this weekend, he mentioned that he wanted to shorten the timeframe to start trying in 9 months or so. Not going to lie, I was both shocked and excited. Part of me is terrified to have a baby, but the other part of me totally has baby fever, especially with so many friends pregnant or with new babies. I guess it's just that time in our lives. First it was dating. Then weddings. Now babies!

Since babies are on the brain, I thought I'd share some baby room inspiration for when the time comes. Not yet though!

Photo via Young House Love

Photo via Pinterest

Photo via Pinterest

Photo via Chic Cheap Nursery

Happy Tuesday!

Bookshelves that Inspire

To say that I'm a bibliophile is probably and understatement. I love, love, love books. However, I probably don't have as many as I could. But I do love me a freshly printed book. There's just something about that new book smell, the crispness of the pages, and the dreaminess of the content (depending on the book, of course!). I really would love to have some built in bookshelves for books, collector's items, and accent pieces. I love the idea of having a wall of bookshelves.

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}

Ah, dreamy bookshelves, you'll be mine one day. One day...

Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

I recently discovered this baking blog Confessions of a Cookbook Queen through the Zite app on my iPad. And I've been hooked ever since. Kristan, the voice behind the blog, is just hilarious. Every post that she writes just brings a smile to my face or makes me laugh our loud, yes LOL in real life. I highly recommend her blog if you are looking for a yummy dessert recipe or for a good read.

Doesn't this Mississippi mudpie cupcake look heavenly?!

DIY Art for the Home

After browsing through Pinterest and all kinds of different art for the home, I stumbled upon a couple of pins that were of important dates. So that got me to brainstorming and designing. And after a little tinkering in Photoshop, came up with this. I think I'll print it as a 5x7 and frame it for my future gallery wall. It includes our birthdays, when we started dating, our engagement anniversary, and wedding anniversary.

I think it makes a great graphic keepsake.