Back to Basics - Christmas with mason jars and pallets

Anyone that knows me KNOWS that I love some bling. The more bling the better, especially when it comes to Christmas decorations.

But, simple and natural is beautiful, too. There is an upcoming Christmas Celebration and the decor we are planning is going to be full of magnolia branches, mason jars, and pallets. And it's going to be jsut beautiful, but without the bling.

Besides, glitter IS the herpes of craft supplies, right?

Check out these lovely invites for said Christmas party -- I LOVE the candy cane striped baker's twine. And the mason jar. And recycled card it's mounted on. Okay, I love the whole thing. 

And here's the best part of pre-party prep so far -- we upcycled pallets for yard decorations! My friend got five pallets (one that she stained that looks gorgeous) and we used a projector to paint them. Well, a few of them we traced then painted:

And we had two little helpers along the way... here's one:

...And then I was forced encouraged to step out of my perfectionist comfort zone and just straight up paint this one without tracing:

It's my FAVORITE!

My friend's hubby is going to put lights in all of them AND THEY ARE GOING TO BE EVEN MORE AWESOME. I am soooo excited about this project.

So excited in fact, that I am going to make one for our front porch. Sam's Dad is going to get me a pallet from his warehouse. I want to put it where you would see it at the top of the steps and then put garland on the top. I was thinking about drilling holes where the dots are and putting those big "bulb" light through it... but I don't know... let's not get too crazy.

Sew Chatt is *open!*

Well, I officially did it. I opened a boutique.

Granted, it's online, but it's a start and fun to get my feet wet.

Right now, I am facebook only, but depending on volume, may actually build a website for it in the near future.

Go "like" my page, buy some cute items, or send me pictures of items YOU want to see, and I will see if I can find them cheaper than the "big stores".

www.facebook.com/sewchatt

And eventually I will have a fun logo... ;)

Project Organized: Project Life

We interrupt this five month blog posting sabbatical to bring you the latest on what is going on at The Guin's: ORGANIZING! Everything.

As you know, I love Project Life. Especially the album sitting on our coffee table in the living room. I LOVE that when we have visitors, they always sit down and start flipping through it. Our memories, our life, recorded.

But I am behind, and I don't love that. I have completed through June, which is great, but it's October. So my goal by the end of the month of October is to catch up. On Saturday night, I took a step in the right direction -- I organized ALL of my Project Life supplies.

This is what I started with. A few boxes, random bags of cards, edge rounders, and no organization. It was driving me crazy. I had no clue what I had.

So I dumped the cards out of my Blush kit and started organizing them by types, i.e. calendar, grey based, pink based, cover cards, etc.

Then, I dropped them into labeled zip bags. This is AWESOME because they stay in their stacks, and I can fan them out and see them on both sides. (See also: OCD)

After they were all in their little baggies, I put them in my new Initials, Inc. divider bag - the Get a Grip (small). It's a game changer. I can just pull them out when I need them! {Side note: Kristy that sold me the bag is the same friend that got me hooked on Project Life}

In the awesome side pockets, I stuck my edge rounders, washi tape, date stamp, and 4x6 cards.

Lastly, I put ALL of my PL pages in an extra album I had. I added dividers, so it's easy to look at and see what I have or am running low on. I also discovered I probably won't need to buy ANY design A pages for two years. HAHA. Oops.

Do you think there is a Type A personality and Layout A relation? I do!

And this, my friends, is what I ended up with:

A bag, a binder, and totally organized and useable.

And pretty.

Time to catch up on Project Life, I have no excuses now! :)

And maybe my blog, too.

Project Organized: Upcycled Antique Cabinet

 I have a thing for antiques. Anything vintage really. It's classic. The latest version of my bedroom at my parent's house is all antiques, mostly from my family members. Beautiful collectibles and being surrounded by items that were treasured by those I loved is my idea of a perfect room.

I didn't bring a lot of those items to our home when I moved in because we have limited room. BUT, I was recently gifted with a gorgeous antique curio cabinet and I made room for it after a little suggestion from my mom that made a big difference:

Upcycle it. Line it with fabric and use it for storage. I pinned a bunch of pins on your pinterest with pictures you can look at.

Shut the front door. Sheer genius, that woman.

Here's the before:  {Notice the wall color changes in these pics - more on that later!}

Zoe thought she had a new perch to hang out on...

I bought fabric with typewriters and typewriter keys (eeek!!!!) printed on it from Etsy, lined the inside of the cabinet with adhesive, cut the pieces to cover the glass, and stuck the fabric on the adhesive. And voila:

Upcycled Craft Cabinet that hides all of my goodies!

And displays typewriters for that photo. How fun!

Later on, I moved it to another wall and now the tv sits on it ;)

The best part: It holds a TON of stuff and it hides it!

I Married a Hero

So we had date night tonight and I really just wanted to stay home, but glad we went. We ate at Ichiban and saw Fast 6 and then Sam got a fire call as we were eating the theater. A good one. A house fire. So we came home and he left immediately. Sometimes he is home within ten minutes, but not this time, it really is a house fire so it may be hours before he comes back. But as long as he comes back, I don't care how long it takes.

On April 28, 2012, I married a hero. But not just any hero, a firefighter. 2325.

He risks his life at the drop of a pin, at the sound of tones, day or night, he leaves to help those in danger. He saves the lives of strangers, and sometimes friends, neighbors, that need help.

He chooses to take this risk and that is just one of the many reasons I fell in love with him -- he is unselfish, humble, and compassionate. He likes to help others, just like I do, but on a totally different level. He is always prepared to give the ultimate gift and I pray every-single-day that he never has to.

He runs to his truck when the calls go out, but first kisses me goodbye and promises me he will always come back.

But there is always that chance... I ignore it. Sometimes I get this uneasy feeling when he is gone and I know "it's a good one." Sometimes I hurt from worry, and I'm not okay until he is back home and I am in his arms, his skin filthy from smoke and his clothes smelling like a bonfire. I can't sleep, I lie in bed with Zoe. It's uneasy and terrifying, and all I can do is pray.

Because I believe, whole-heartedly, that God will bring him home to me, just like Sam promises me before he runs to his truck, to run into burning buildings. For strangers. With his brothers who have got his back.

He tells me not to worry. He has had hundreds of hours of training. Classes. Continuing education. Certifications. He is knowledgable and passionate about it. But that still doesn't always make me feel better.

Sometimes I get defensive about his occupation and people don't get it. They think that firefighters just sit around. And sometimes they do when they aren't busy pre-planning buildings, flushing hydrants, saving animals, taking kids on tours of the firehall, regardless, they are always ready to help someone. To risk it all for anyone who needs help.

In the past, they have been overlooked, mistreated, and even called lazy at times. But guess what? When those people's houses catch on fire, or they have a car accident and the jaws of life have to be used to get them out, guess who does that? Firefighters. The ones you called lazy. The ones you need to help you. Right now.

[rant over]

And on a totally unrelated side note -- he looks hot in uniform. And bunker pants. WHOA.

So I thank God every day that He brought this hero into my life. I have been blessed with a selfless man that thankfully loves me for who I am (and that has to be hard sometimes, seriously), sees the best in me, and says he's happy to be with me forever and that he loves me more than anything. I love him more than I could ever explain to anyone because honestly, there are no words. I am beyond proud of him and blessed to be his wife, living this fire life. I wouldn't want it any other way.

Oh, HI!

I PROMISE I haven't forgotten about this blog since I haven't written in it in over a month. My bad. I've been a little busy. But I have all kinds of fun tutorials and neat crafty things I want to post but for now, here are some life updates:

• I got a new job. It's amazing and I love going to work every day. I work with wonderful people that save lives. Losing my previous job was a HUGE blessing in disguise. I am busy, but not traveling near as much, and HAPPY. And I love surgery. Even if they make me late/miss things because I can't "break scrub". I almost wish I would've gone to med school... and then I remember how hard biology was for me. :)

• Sam and I celebrated our one year anniversary. I should probably write a one year reflection post, but I'll just acknowledge it here in this quick update for now... I love him more and more every day. Seriously, words can't describe it. 

• I repainted our kitchen! Hubby wasn't thrilled but I think my com paining got to him (seriously it was way to dark. It was a man cave color) and now it's in-your-face-bright. Pics to come -- there is one on my Instagram if you just can't wait...

• I made my first paid window treatment for a friend and it was gorgeous... so if this marketing thing doesn't work, I'll just make custom window treatments. Okay, just kidding. But it's still fun to do on the side.

• My Panera billboards I have been laying out are actually on billboards! I saw one on the way to Cleveland, on the way home from Knoxville, and Sam saw one outside of Nashville. Pretty awesome.

• My Grandmother turned 86 in March but she doesn't act her age at all, she is so feisty! 

• Kali graduated fifth grade today and sang a solo at graduation! AND got the good Samaritan Award. I am so proud of her!

• Will got the "Most likely to say something nice" award and also the "Most Cheerful" award. I'm not surprised. He's precious and I am proud of him, too!

• We booked a vacation to Florida in July! WOOHOO!

• My friend gave me a BEAUTIFUL, registered, sweet, persian cat with a mashed in face for my Mom and she is SO happy. I love that kitten, too. And glad she wasn't for sale :) {Pics on Instagram}

• I'm obsessed with the song "22". No joke. My birthday weekend theme for the ATL celebration at the end of June. Get. Ready. 

• I'll be 27 next month. HOLY. COW. Where does time go? I feel like I am still 22 (hence obsession with aforementioned song).

• I am so behind in my Project Life album. There. I said it. I'm going to to work on it and will show you the cute layouts that are stored up in my head right now.   :)

• I've been working out like crazy and after I saw that wasn't cutting through the jiggle (literally) I started making healthier choices (most of the time). I am really seeing results now and it's great. 

• I've run 3.25 miles in the last week (not all at a once, in one-mile intervals, usually) and didn't stop. My ankle swelled for two days after the 1.25 mile run but I made it, at least!

Basically, I am super blessed, busy, and happy. The Lord has been so good to me and I cannot thank Him enough for all of the blessings I have received in this season of my life. Yes, there have been some snags, but there's way too much good going on to get hung up on the little snags. God is good, all the time and I am so thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Bring on the Sunshine!

Yesterday after work my friend Kathy cut and highlighted my hair. It's super convenient because its about two minutes from my house and she's wonderful :)

She also waxed my eyebrows for the first time ever. I have always plucked them but this was super fast, and only burned for about 30 seconds. But I love how they look - they are already going in this shape, but now they look better! :)




I feel like I look like the old Vanessa. The last time after I died my hair it just never really lightened up again. But now it did :)

Yay for a summer look -- bring on the sunshine!

Spring has Sprung

Spring is my FAVORITE! We have so enjoyed our new outdoor room and sit outside regularly. I found the cutest, brightest accessories to accent our furniture:

We also found some shade plants that will survive under the pergola (and I made that pot!)

And I found these sweet shade plants at WalMart -- perfect for our covered front porch. And they are pink. YAY!

And here is a wide-angled view of the finished project in our backyard! I am so thankful we have this new outdoor living space and I LOVE it!

Project Life: Check-in

Well, I've been sucked in. I bought the kit, started and got hooked. I have really gotten hooked on making DIGITAL core kit cards of my own (um hello cutesy fonts and fun colors and original ideas!) and I've gotten hooked on looking through it. The 4-ish pages I have finished I just flip back and forth through because I LOVE looking through them and remembering.

And that's what this is all about. Remembering those moments.

Like....

New Year's Eve - fun times with friends and confetti cannons messes 

Jack's first car (and ride in that car), Trip to ATL, losing my job (ha)

Close-up on my detail of NYE party :) I looove using cutesy font on PL (and only PL)

Valentine's Day & Baby Miller's early arrival!

Denim and Diamonds - FAVE non-profit event of the year.

I danced so much my shoes broke.

Yay for writing things down you want to remember -- like Miller's EARLY arrival!

These planner pages are AMAZING. My SIL Sarah (who I got hooked on PL - WOO!) found these babies online and they are AWESOME. You pick out your layout and print them and write in what goes where. This is much easier than the notebook I had been scribbling in.

And since I am OCD and like to have a design plan, this is GREAT!

 These Fiskars edge rounders are a MUST! I got the Large and medium sizes and they are perfect!

 And if you are doing it for a year, you NEED month dividers. :) You could probably make your own but I bought the ones that matched my book, of course. :)

In my next Project Life check-in: money-saving tips and layout tricks! And more pictures, of course!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from the Guin's! 

After we exchanged Easter baskets and Sam went on his special egg hunt (each egg had a note inside of a reason why I loved him) we went to church and spent the day with family.

As I have been adjusting to the Methodist faith (I was raised Southern Baptist) there is one thing that this particular Methodist church does that I LOVE - the flowering of the cross. Every Easter the children in the congregation bring flowers from home and when they are called down for children's church, they bring their flowers and put them in this cross that is lying on the floor. When they are finished, they stand it up and present it to the congregation -- it is BEAUTIFUL. Today when Mark was talking about it, the sun literally started streaming sooo bright through the top of the church that it illuminated the cross. It was a God moment. I hope people notice. The presence of the Lord was definitely in that place today.

Here's a picture of the cross from the balcony -- I got a close up one but it's blurry:

Hope you had a blessed Easter, too!

Mark 16:1-8 "When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' " Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid." (NIV)

Sew Cute: Easter Baskets

My SIL Sarah found these cuuute basket liners on Etsy and asked me if I thought I could replicate them. I could at least try - so I made one for myself on a small basket first that is on our kitchen table.

Then I tackled the boys baskets and made matching shirts out of the scraps. I finished them two days before Easter (hey, at least they were finished in time!!). That new job took up a lot of my sewing time I used to have. ;)

Aren't they cuuuute? Sarah picked out the pattern (which, I love and not gonna lie, reminds me of Tory Burch), ribbon design, and thread color. I think it looks great together! And to her point, they aren't "Eastery" so she can use them out in their rooms year-round -- oh yeah, and it matches their room decor. Brilliant, sis!

Maybe the next basket liner I get to make in the future for her will have some pink in it and we can put some lace on it and girl-it-up! :) But if it's another boy basket, I will still make it cute. :)

She Cooks: Sorta Spicy Chicken Veggie Pasta

Sam and I are *trying* to eat healthier. I found this recipe originally on Pinterest and added a few things (chicken, zucchini), took out a few things (carrots), to make it an "original". We ate it last night and it was really good, not too spicy, and VERY filling. One plate was enough for Sam and we had enough leftovers for both of us.

Yield: Makes 4 large servings or 6 servings (a side would be needed - keep it healthy, don't pick bread)

Ingredients:
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped into small chunks
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 zucchini, diced
2 cups whole wheat pasta (I used penne)
2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cooked (we grilled them)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups (8 oz package) Sargento Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp. breadcrumbs (optional)

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Set a medium pot of salted water to boil. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining with aluminum foil and coating with a little olive oil or non-stick cooking spray.

Toss broccoli, red pepper, and zucchini on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until vegetables have softened. Remove from oven and set aside.

Once water is boiling, lower heat slightly and add pasta, cooking according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil (slowly) in a large (deep) skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and cook 30 seconds. DON'T SCORCH YOUR GARLIC. Whisk in flour and cook one minute. Gradually whisk in milk, stirring constantly until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in cheddar cheese until well distributed and melted. Add red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Add pasta, vegetables, and grilled chicken. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and serve.

Enjoy! :)

One Day Room Addition

Today we added/finished (almost) our outdoor room!

I told you about how we found the perfect furniture for our patio... well we also had picked out a beautiful matching pergola to go with it. We couldn't find one of those on Craigslist so we actually had to buy it from Lowe's. I picked it up last night and today after Sam got home from work, he put it together. I helped a little, but he really did about 90% of it. He did a GREAT job!

There pergola came in a box with directions BUT Sam did extra research and read the reviews about the best way to put it together -- he added 4x4's in the posts and anchored it with screws to concrete pads (not our existing stone patio)

It also has this great "shade" and in this picture we left it even, but have since pulled it down on the side you see in this picture -- it is GREAT privacy, especially since we haven't purchased trees to put along the fence line. 

Sam picked out the lights at Target -- I was shocked because usually he goes for something more metal-y BUT I told him these looked like little crystal grenades. And he liked them even more. We debated on four strands but after being out there tonight, three is perfect.

I am soooo excited about having our new outdoor living space! It's beautiful, functional, and private! It will be great on sunny days and also really nice during the evenings.

Up next: Replant the bed you look at while sitting on the outdoor couch and find cute outdoor accessories for the table. (The lantern pictured was borrowed from the front porch)

Time flies

...when you are unemployed.

After my previous position at SunTrust was eliminated, I knew I would go on to something bigger and better. I didn't know where that would be, and to be honest, I was nervous. Yes, I got an 8-week severance, but what if I didn't get a job after 8 weeks? What was I going to do at home all that time? How was I going to keep from getting depressed from not having a job {because I realized my old job was way too much of my identity}?

And all that time it was a big 'ole test of faith. Another link in my TESTimony. There was no reason to worry, God has a plan (I knew that) but I kept saying, "sometimes we just wish we knew what it was!"

Well I found out on Monday.

Last Thursday I was officially offered the position of Marketing Manager for a large surgical practice. To be honest, I didn't think it was a good fit for two reasons. But after attempting to decline the position with the HR lady, I got roped into another meeting with her and the CEO on Monday.

When Monday rolled around I went to Erlanger to meet with them. I wasn't nervous at all and had a sense of peace and calmness. I also had a list of 25 questions. :) We worked through my list and they answered those plus more, and made it very clear they wanted me and after talking with them that day, I walked away very sure of what my decision was (but had to pray {more} about it and talk it over with Sam that afternoon).

So after Sam finally got home to drive to Nashville for school, we discussed it, and I called the HR lady and my new boss (the Practice CEO) to confirm that I did want to join their team.

I have never been this excited about a job. It feels so good to have a company that can't wait for you to start, tells you that they desperately want you, values what you do and the talents that you have, and makes sure that you have the tools that you need to succeed. 

PRAISE BE TO GOD. I am truly blessed and can't wait to start this new adventure on Monday, March 25th.

She Cooks: Homemade Sour Patch Grapes

I originally saw this on Pinterest and pinned it because Sam and I both LOVE Sour Patch Kids. But as well all know, they aren't the most healthy snack, so I was excited to try this recipe and try it out on Sam.

The verdict: He loved it and so did I! This is a great snack that is easy to prepare with quick clean up, and great to take for a summer event or to keep in your fridge as a healthy snack option.

Ingredients:
3 sandwich bags
1 package watermelon Jello
1 package lemon Jello
1 bag of green grapes

Open packages of Jello and pour half of watermelon Jello into one sandwich bag, half of the lemon into one sandwich bag, and then pour the remaining halves into one sandwich bag together.

Wash grapes and set on a paper towel. Pull grapes off stems and drop into sandwich bags. Seal bags and shake to coat the grapes.

Open bag and remove grapes - store in rubbermaid container in refrigerator for one hour (at least).

Then enjoy!

Craigslist for the Win: Patio Furniture!

Sam and I have been discussing updating our backyard. We have thrown around the idea of a deck, new patio, sectional furniture and then I lost my job, so that took a backseat.

Well last night Sam was looking online at patio furniture on Lowes.com and saw a few sets he liked. I mentioned to him that we should check Craigslist.com. He said something along the lines of he didn't want someone else's "used crap" but he looked on craigslist.com anyway and low and behold we found the SAME set from Lowes.com being sold in Appison:

The Lowe's price for this lovely set is $1,198 plus tax = $1,308.82. For patio furniture. This stuff is OUTRAGEOUS and I am not sure we could've/would've paid that at any point anyway. That is INSANE. 

So Sam texted the guy last night in the ad and we drove to Appison and met the really nice couple who are expecting a baby girl in September and needed the money to buy a crib. And it was only $650. 

That's 50.4% off. That is muuuuch better :)  {Did you see me my math skills there? Sam had to help me.}

And to make it even better,  the set had been inside, then moved recently to a covered porch and covered with blankets. It is pretty much brand new, with the manuals, screw covers, and the tags are still hanging on it:

That's me enjoying it in the lovely 40 degree weather -- warm weather, come back!

So blessed to find such a good and totally unexpected deal on AWESOME patio furniture that we were already looking at online! We are looking forward to planting some trees in the backyard for privacy and enjoying this patio set on the upcoming spring and summer evenings! :)

Wedding Invite Design

While I have had some extra free time lately, I have picked up a few projects. Check out this GORGEOUS invitation for an upcoming wedding I am coordinating:

Now props to the Bride-to-be for finding this design -- she found a beautiful invite on Pinterest and then we used a different font and put our own twist on it, but these invites are to-die-for (and I am not a fan of brown AT ALL) and match her theme perfectly.

I didn't include a picture of the RSVP cards, but they are off-white as well with the matching font and brown color.

It's so natural but elegant. I love seeing a finished design in it's full glory and completed form with the beautiful details (especially lace)!

Project Life: 2013

Kristy (that leads the high school girls small group with me) has gotten me hooked a new addiction: Project Life. Here's a short video on what exactly it is.

Basically it's scrapbooking without the mess, the expensive embellishments, major time commitment, and it's EASY. And pretty.

What's even more awesome about it is that it's not super time consuming AND if you have graphic design background, you can make your own cards to go in the pages!

So I ordered the Seafoam Green kit thinking I would scrapbook "Our first married year" (anniversary in a month and a half BTW) and decided  would just start with 2013 and do one annually. I had the old blog to remember our first married year and pre-marriage.

This is out of the box condition :) {Seafoam Edition} And Zoe.  These "editions" mean the color you pick -- so the binder color coordinates with the core kit. You don't HAVE to do it this way, but if you are OCD like I am, you get everything that matches.

Pictured: Seafoam 12x12 binder, insert pages (more like sleeves), and Project Life Core Kit.

Closeup on the PL Core Kit:

Core Kit is really a box of cards that go in the sleeves. You write memories on them (short), things you don't want to forget, or integrate them in as part of your full design.

And here is my first page (no pictures, yet):

I are really excited to get started. I have a lot of things I want to include from January-March, and need to go ahead and start printing pictures. Another neat thing about PL is that they encourage you to print pictures weekly and have them mailed to you, so you can just stick them in your binder. You can even get rounded edges like the PL core kit cards.

And as with most things, you can find other products with these cards that are seasonal-themed, free printables on Pinterest, or make your own!

I am suuuper excited about this ongoing project and hoping that I can hang in there with it. I know one day I will be glad to look back and remember the little things. To help hold me accountable, I will be posting updates biweekly (maybe weekly? I don't want to be too ambitious) with some of my layouts.

So are you excited and ready to get hooked? Buy it now and let's start documenting life better than we have been. :)