Washer Monogram

It’s time for Pinterest Challenge DIY project #2.  (Check out Project #1 here!)

I’m usually not a huge fan of monograms but I thought this one was unique enough for me to get past the whole monogram thing.

And the dresser in our master bedroom needed something to live on it.  And washers are surprisingly pretty and cheap, especially when you already have a bunch hanging out in your garage.

This project was pretty straight forward.  Slightly time consuming. Lately I have this impressive ability to make simple tasks extremely difficult.

I printed out a large “S”.  I then placed a piece of cardstock over the printed “S” and lined up various sizes of washers on top using the “S” as a guide.  I then glued the washers in place using tacky glue. I liked using both sides of the washers for added contrast. Easy.  I did get a little carried away with the glue at the beginning.  I was like a pre-schooler on the first day of class…except I didn’t eat it.  Luckily it dried clear.  I then placed it in an inexpensive from purchased from the Target.

Here’s my final product…

It makes me smile.  I kind of want to make the entire alphabet. Making this was weirdly therapeutic.

It now lives happily in our bedroom.  Along with a couple of Salvation Army finds, our framed engagement collage, and another Pinterest inspired print that I made in Photoshop.  (The word “darling” makes me laugh. These heavenly muffins were part of the inspiration.)

Are you a monogram fan?  What would you call someone “darling” for….muffins, waffles, pancakes, ice cream??  A new ceiling fan in your master bedroom?  Oh darling, Nate….

Check out project #3 here!

Giveaway Winner- UPrinting

The lucky winner of 250 Customizable stickers from UPrinting is…

 

Congrats Lacie!  Please contact me with your e-mail!!

Thanks to UPrinting and everyone that entered!

Don’t forget to check out today’s earlier post (read it here)!

Not a Terrarium

I mentioned yesterday that this week-end I tackled 4 projects that I had previously pinned on Pinterest.  First up, a terrarium…

I channeled my inner hippie (terrarium’s were popular in the 70’s) and headed to Lowe’s and the Salvation Army to purchase my supplies. 

Here’s what you need for a terrarium:

• A glass jar (I purchased mine for $0.25 at the Salvation Army)
  • My jar is not enclosed.  My brother kept telling me over and over again that I was not making a terrarium because it was open.  Research tells me that open containers are “dry terrariums”…but he still wouldn’t listen.  I told him I would title the post “Not a Terrarium” just for him.
• Rocks (Found in my driveway)
• Potting soil (Found in my garage)
• Small plants (Lowe’s $3.00)
• Moss (Lowe’s $2.50)
• A furry assistant (Purchased 4.5 years ago)
• I suggest working outside..in your pajamas.

Step 1: Add rocks to your container.

Step 2: Add potting soil.

Step 3:  Add plants. Carefully.  My brother kept telling me that I was too violent with the plants.  Girl just doesn’t know her own strength.  Brother is pretty bossy with regards to projects.

Step 4: Add a small amount of water.

Step 5: Add moss.

Step 6:  Tell your assistant to stop sunbathing and get back to work…

Step 7: Enjoy your “Not a Terrarium”

It’s currently residing in our living room.  Let’s hope it lives.  The colors work nicely with everything else that is already on the shelves.  It’s a little 1970 but who doesn’t need a little extra hippie in their life? And the cable box/DVR keep it 2011 (I should pin a solution to those cords.)…

Are you digging anything groovy from the 70’s?  Do you have a terrarium?  Or are they too 40 years ago for you?

Pinterest Challenge

Have you heard about the Pinterest challenge over at Young House Love? 

I like a good challenge.  And I love Pinterest. 

So while this week-end was the largest sports week-end in the state of Iowa (a 7 mile running race and the end of RAGBRAI (a bike ride across the entire state of Iowa)), I decided to take on 4 DIY projects that I had previously pinned.  Nothing too major but I do know that I need a break from crafting.  Crafts are not for impatient people.

Check back tomorrow to see the first completed project.  The big link party is on Tuesday so you still have time to tackle one of your favorite pins!!  Let me know if you’re participating!

5 Year Anniversary

Nate and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary last Friday….and by celebrated I mean that I sat on the couch watching tv with an awesome stomach virus while Nate spent some more time with his family at his parents’ house.  It was very romantic.  We’re not big on celebrating anniversaries but we might do a re-do for #5…maybe.

I thought I’d share with you some of our wedding photos….and you thought vacation photos were bad.  The photos are grainy scans…because we are old.  Now all these young kids get their pictures put on the interweb….we have scans from our album.  Iowa weddings are pretty low key and inexpensive.  We’d rather spend our money on sweet corn….

We were married in the church Nate attended growing up.  Our reception was at the botanical gardens.

I’m not big into roses….or bows…but the pews needed some assistance.  I decided on buckets of daisies that doubled as centerpieces at the reception.  And can you believe the florist kept trying to throw in roses?….and bows….ack…

The bridesmaids and I looking all pretty…and young…getting old is hard…

These girls gave Marilyn a run for her money…

As did my brother…(ladies, he is single)…

And my favorite photo from our wedding…right before it started to downpour…rain on your wedding really isn’t so bad.  (This photo also shows the luminaries (light blue paper bags with candles) that lit the walk-ways outside of the botanical gardens.)

There you have it.  Our pretty little wedding day! 

Remember to enter our customizable sticker giveaway from UPrinting…

Giveaway- UPrinting Stickers

How about some free stuff today? Okay!!

UPrinting is offering up 250 customizable stickers for my lovely readers.  Who couldn’t use stickers of your very own?  UPrinting offers a variety of custom printing services including Customizable Stickers, books, brochures, greeting cards, and Label templates.

I’m thinking about making these and give them to my nieces and nephew….

I hear toddlers are great with stickers….

How do you enter?

• PRIZE: 250 Customizable Stickers for One (1) Winner
  • 2" x 3.5" 70lb Label Matte
  • Front Only Printing
  • 4 Business Days Turnaround
• TO ENTER (required):
  • Leave me a comment telling me about something on your wish list…besides free stickers, of course (because I need something to entertain me at work today…)
  • Please be sure to leave your e-mail if it isn’t visible on your profile!
• BONUS ENTRIES: (Leave one additional comment for completing any of the options below.)…
  • Like UPrinting on Facebook, follow UPrinting on Twitter, or sign up on GiveawayBlogs
• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Sunday July 31, 2011 at 11:59 PM CST
• NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
• PRIZE SHIPS: Limited to US residents 18 years old and above only
• OTHER STUFF: The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Monday August 1, 2001.  Good Luck!

This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive stickers for hosting. Check out standard label templates on UPrinting.com.

Social Media Icons

I swear I will have some kind of house related goodness for you next week...it's just really hard when we are NEVER home!

In the mean time, you may have notice the addition of social media icons at the top of the ol’ sidebar that look like this…



It took me way longer to install them than it should have.  Mainly because I have zero skills when it comes to html code.  Luckily, the husband does.  He thinks it’s funny that I can write a blog but have no clue about html.  Thank you, Blogger!

Today I am going to share with you how to add social icons to your site.  It’s easy.  If you have all of the information in one post instead of piecing it together from 100 posts.  This is for my reference as much as it is yours. 

If you already know how to do this or just don’t care…enjoy a nice photo of Ike eyeing Nate’s Big Mac…because it makes me laugh…



Back to social media icons…for dummies…

Step #1: Search and download icons that you like…

I used Icon Dock.  Other options include HandyCons or Web Designer Ledger.  I guess you can also design them…but this tutorial is for dummies..like me.  You can also Google them individually….like I did for my Pinterest icon.

Step #2: Upload your files to Photobucket…

Photobucket is critical because it gives your image a home on the web that is important in the coding.



Step #3: Add a html gadget…
If you are using Blogger (if not, I can not help you…dummies, remember)…click the Design tab, click Add a Gadget, then add a HTML/Javascript gadget.

Step #4: Copy the code below, paste in the html gadget box, edit for your site…

<a href=”Add your social media direct link here”><img src="Add you Photobucket direct link here"/></a>

My facebook code looks like this…

<a href="http://www.facebook.com/decorandthedog%22><img src="http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee382/decorandthedog/facebook.png%22/></a>

Step #4: Repeat for each additional social media site…

Just keep repeating this code for each social media site.  Easy.  The code for my first two buttons looks like this…

<a href="http://www.facebook.com/decorandthedog%22><img src="http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee382/decorandthedog/facebook.png%22/></a>
<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/decorandthedog"><img src="http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee382/decorandthedog/twitter.png%22/></a>

Step #5: Check out your awesome new buttons on your blog and pat yourself on the back for being so awesome…

Maybe eat some ice cream too…or a Big Mac.  Well, maybe you don’t get ice cream….because I made it easy for you….just frozen yogurt or a grilled chicken sandwich for you.

Any questions?  Are you interested in more “Dummies are Blogging” tutorials (avoiding copy right issues)? Now I want chicken nuggets....

Chillin’ on a Dirt Road

Before we left on vacation, Nate and I headed out for a drive through the countryside.  And by countryside, I mean 2 miles from our house.

Why? Because that’s what you do in Iowa.  Usually there is beer involved.  And ‘coon beating.  But we decided to keep it low key. Just Nate, Ike, and I cruising in my Jeep…sans baseball bats.

Nate recently read that in order to take great landscape photographs, you need to be able to be inspired in your own backyard.  If you can’t be inspired by your everyday surroundings, how can you easily be inspired in new places that you travel to?

Bring on the inspiration…

At sunset we headed to a little lake….(After we ran back into town for gas.  Note to self…when “cruising the countryside” have a full tank of gas…amateurs…).  They are currently working on enlarging this lake and adding nature trails.  Only 2 miles from home.  We are pretty pumped about this situation…

This last photo didn’t turn out the greatest but it still makes me smile…love that dog!

Have you stopped to enjoy the beauty in your backyard recently?

The Sweaty City

One day of our recent vacation was spent in Chicago.  We both love Chicago.  The architecture, the food, the shopping…what’s not to love?…

I want to move to Chicago for one month.  I’m sure I’d miss my cornfields after that…and have $0 left to my name.  Why?…..the food…and the shopping….at least observing the architecture is free…

I talked Nate into stopping at the multiple stories of wonderfulness that is the Crate and Barrel on Michigan Ave.  He willingly obliged…because they had air conditioning and it was 1 billion degrees outside…and he made the stipulation that whatever I bought…I had to carry home on the train…

He had fun. I swear.

I loved this Lyle Side Chair…for our kitchen eating area…with the District Dining Table.  Nate liked the added benefit of fart holes in the seat.  This is when I began to laugh hysterically and a saleswoman came to kick us out of the store see if we needed assistance.  The heat was definitely getting to us.  Needless to say, we went home empty handed.

We also made the rounds to some of our favorite touristy spots in the city…

The Field Museum…

The Field Museum is packed full of information…like the evolution of my awesome posture…

The Cloud Gate…

The spitting faces…

And Buckingham Fountain…

We are thinking about heading back later this fall to further enjoy the wonderfulness that is Chicago….minus the profuse sweating…

Have you been to Chicago?  What’s your favorite restaurant? tourist trap? museum? etc.

And for you non-Chicago fans…what are you loving at Crate and Barrel these days?

The Hamptons of the Midwest

Thanks to my guest bloggers for holding down the fort last week while I was hanging out in Miller Beach, IN….

The house was very unique.  6 floors total.  The kitchen was beautiful…

Miller Beach on the other hand….not quite the Hamptons.  We wouldn’t recommend the location as a destination for your next vacation (not the safest town, had to travel 20 minutes to decent restaurants/shopping, not the safest town)…but we enjoyed our family bonding and beach time!

The views from the house were impressive…

You could see the Chicago sky-line from the top deck…

The sunset on Lake Michigan was great for pondering life…

and posing with the love of your life….who was DISGUSTING from sand volleyball (we’re closet pros…ask the fam)…but look at that sunset…

Who doesn’t love bonding with their Kindle in a hammock? (P.S. Black Heels to Tractor Wheels and Bossypants….great beach reads!)

Ike had a rough start to vacation….barfing in the car while stuck in Chicago traffic (awesome) and a near death experience falling down some deck stairs (I can never have human children)…but things started to look up after a good run with his cousin…

We also hung out with some cute kids….oh yeah, and their parents…

Have you taken a vacation with the whole family? Did you survive?  Where’s your favorite place travel with the family?

I cleaned up the side bar a little bit yesterday.  You will now find fancy buttons at the top of the blog that better enable you to stalk us on multiple social media sites.  We included a link to our recently opened Flickr account…for those of you who can’t get enough of our vacation photos…and to save the rest of you from having to view them on the blog!