friday link love.

do you ever start off your week thinking that the weekend will never get here? that was my monday (and tuesday). but now friday is here! i'm feeling pretty motivated to get a few things done around the house this weekend... the yard really needs some attention!

anyway, happy friday! here are some links from my week:

i'm normally a trial and error type gal when hanging up stuff on my walls, but this is a smart alternative for those that are picky about nail holes. found on the little green notebook.

this chili and cornbread in a jar idea (on giverslog) sounds perfect for a fall get together. my husband would probably disagree, though. while he likes both, he doesn't want to eat them together...

cute inter-changeable bows for your shoes on a lemon squeezy home. perfect for a cheap pair of flats!

great photoshop template download on shutter sisters to create your own photo calendar. i have been brainstorming a diy calendar to give out as christmas gifts... should i just take the easy way out?

this spiced applesauce cake sounds yummy. thanks smitten kitchen!

design*sponge is hosting a create your own alphabet contest with quite a substantial prize.

cute cardigan refashion on ruffles and stuff. you can never have too many cardigans...

instructions for homemade pumpkin puree on food for my family.

loving anna's new black wall on door sixteen. d lets me do some crazy things in our house, but i doubt he would okay a black wall!

images 1/2/3

diy camera bag?

remember when i was lusting after a new camera bag? well, i still hadn't purchased one, even though it was supposed to be my birthday present. i just couldn't make myself spend that much!

but, i bought some new equipment yesterday and decided it was time to figure out the bag situation. i came so close to getting the jo tote in scarlet... but when i saw how much shipping was and the fact that i was about to spend over $90 on a bag... i just couldn't do it. i did a search on 'diy camera bag' and several photographers mentioned this little ditty:

the tenba pro digital photo insert. $20 + free shipping? sold. it has great reviews, and i'm positive i can find a sturdy bag to use this in. and the freedom of being able to switch it out depending on my outfit/needs? that's awesome too.

so, i ordered it this morning. i'll update when it gets in and i find a bag for it. i'm so excited that i'll be carrying around something other than my plain black bag that screams CAMERA!

diy gift list | jewelry & accessories.

okay, now this is the list i'll be pulling from to make gifts for all the girls in my life! i've listed several flower tutorials here - i love to put pinbacks or alligator clips on these so they can be worn however the recipient desires.

leather chain necklace | cumbersome

you could use an old leather jacket to make tons of these!

shabby chic ruffle necklace | poppy chic designs

beaded fabric flower necklace | pretty ditty

fabric flower tutorial | house of smith's

one of many, but definitely a favorite!

fabric rosette tutorial | little birdie secrets

leather/vinyl hair accessories | make it and love it

satin flower headbands | make it and love it

faux gold dinosaur necklace | papernstitch

this would be awesome for a young girl who's into science or a friend who likes quirky jewelry

several other fabric flower tutorials | craftee

autumn blooms | i am momma

on my mind:

rugs! we are in the market for a new one in our living room, and i'm having a tough time deciding what i want. i don't know if it's the dogs constantly playing on top of it, or if we just bought a dud from the start, but our brown shaggy rug is starting to look pretty bad.

here are a few i found on overstock that i really love. all are really reasonable, and shipping is under $3! several of these are also wool...

jullian grey shag

alexa zebra blue/beige

alexa flora grey

dershyl blue floral

alexa damask grey wool

alexa flora grey/black

alexa paisley brown

our current rug is a brown shag. i'm half tempted to just replace it with a solid brown again since we know it will look good... but i'm just not sure. rugs are a great way to add a splash of color and pattern into a room, but maybe we have too much color right now? maybe that's why the brown works so well - it grounds it all together. although i think a dark grey would probably have a similar effect.

friday link love.

i can't believe how quickly time flies by. the older i get, the faster it goes!

i guess that's what happens...

this kitchen before and after is gorgeous! i can't believe it's the same space. from urban grace interiors.

these framed dessert trays are really cute. i would probably add some handles at the top to make them more portable... found on ruffled.

these have made the rounds, but i really love the dexter posters designed by ty mattson. my favorite tv show + awesome design = one happy graphic designer. d*s also announced he'll be getting a walk-on part in the next season.

madebygirl posts a great list of resources for (affordable) cow hide rugs. lillie has just about destroyed our shag rug in the living room, and i've really considered replacing it with something like this. would the dogs consider it just one big rawhide though?

this fold up and snap bib tutorial on made by rae looks like it would be useful (to those with kids, you know). i'll be keeping this in mind if i ever get my sewing machine dusted off...

good advice on understanding your light meter at giverslog.

this pipe and plywood shelf is genius. another idea to file away... found on manhattan nest.

i guess that's all... have a wonderful weekend!

photos, post processing and actions: less is more?

i was taking photos of a project when the dogs distracted me. how could you not want to photograph this face? i've learned, if you ever want a photo of scottie, just open up the blinds so he can look outside. just hope nothing walks by... otherwise he'll start barking his pretty little face off.

i wanted to talk some about post-processing images and actions. i have very mixed feelings about this... on one hand, i think they can be useful. on the other, i think they can get ridiculous and way over done. and (don't shoot me) i think they are way over-used in the photography world.

the example above is my photo, straight out of the camera. i take photos in raw so that i can adjust the white balance and fill light as much as possible.

this next photo is after i've 'processed' it. basically, i took some of the yellow out of the image and adjusted the exposure. while i really liked the colors in the raw image, i wanted to adjust it so that the colors looked normal. the whites look white, and the wall is much closer to its actual color.

and this one is an action i run on it. specifically coffeeshop buttercream from the coffeshop blog. it's a beautiful action, and would work well in any number of applications.

this is a cross process action, which i can't take credit for either. it was already loaded on my computer, and i believe miss brandi is responsible for it. this is probably the one i've used the most just because i love the colorful/retro effect.

what are your thoughts? on actions or post-processing?

i certainly believe in editing a selection of my photos before posting or printing them... rarely do i take a photo that i believe is perfect straight out of the camera. but - what about actions? i think there is a place for them, but i don't use them on every photo. and i would certainly rather spend my time learning how to take better photos than learning how to fix them. But, they are so much fun to play with and i can definitely see using them to make some artwork for our home!

diy gift list | upcycling

last year, i remember the rush to finish our christmas shopping. it wasn't much, but there was always that nagging feeling that we had forgotten something. or someone. i swore that i would spend some time next year making some of my gifts. i figured that now would probably be a good time to start... so i'm going to do several roundups of tutorials/diys that i've found that might inspire you to make some of your own gifts this year! i'll be splitting these up into different sections, and adding to them if i find more fun stuff.

i thought i would start out with an upcycling list. i know there's only a certain group of folks this will probably be okay with, but there are some fun projects out there... and a few things i'd really like to make for myself!

diy moss frames | ruffled

mason jar soap dispenser | fresh crush

grandma bling pushpins | a pretty cool life

(these would also make super cute magnets!)

twig push pins | design*sponge

(these too would make super cute magnets!)

decorative chess set | just something i made

porcelain paint pens | going home to roost

(not really a tutorial, but great ideas on using these to personalize a gift!)

denim cutoff wine bag | design*sponge

antique spoon plant markers | shrimp salad circus

recycled cake plates | design*sponge

doily bowl | the happy home

stamped tile coasters | poppy chic designs

recycled calendar coasters | prudent baby

if you find others worthy, feel free to email me or add them in the comments. i really just pulled stuff that i think is appropriate for gift-giving.

friday link love.

another week gone by? of course, and very quickly. which i guess is okay. i've felt like crap pretty much this entire week, and blame the changing seasons. enjoying wearing layers? yes. enjoying sinus headaches and not being able to breathe? no.

and in other news, it's boss's day. did you know that? you didn't! well, you should tell your boss how much you appreciate them. or not if they don't do a good job...

i know i keep saying this, but i am going to try and post more... i've got some tutorials (hopefully) and a few before/afters i need to tackle. if i can get to feeling better anytime soon, that is...

here are some links from my week:

i find blogs all the time i've never heard of. ruffled is a new to me blog that posts about handmade/vintage inspired weddings and projects. fun to look at, and some great ideas for parties! (and these diy paper doily envelopes would be really sweet for a shower for a baby girl!)

i emailed this to d, who thought it was awesome. star wars flocked wallpaper... what's not to love? now, if only there were a star trek version... found on apartment therapy.

these felt letters on made by rae are really sweet. i'll have to keep this one in mind for the next baby shower i help host.

another cute fabric flower tutorial, this one from jones design company. these are so great! i've been making some different ones lately and will try this one out soon too.

this picky eater taxonomy is hilarious. except that they don't always turn out to be normal eaters. case in point? my husband. thanks dinner: a love story for making me laugh!

i mentioned maybe using one of my new scarfs as artwork earlier, and then this post showed up! perfect timing. how to frame a scarf on high-heeled foot in the door.

loving this sneak peek on d*s. bright, cheery colors will always have a place in my home!

you need to check out this roundup of diy's for mason jars. so many options! on h is for handmade.

these doily lanterns are really beautiful. another party idea to keep in mind! via the happy home.

images from: design* sponge, made by rae, the happy home.

the weekend.

always seems to go by so fast. i did manage to have a few hours to myself, scouting estate sales, antique stores and thrift shops. sadly, the only purchases i made were at one of the estate sales. but, at least they were good ones! the photo above is a little section of our living room. the brass lamp in the corner is one of my finds at the estate sale. i've been looking for a vintage floor lamp for what seems like forever - and found this one for $5!

a little better view of the couch... yes, it's purple.

i got these 3 scarfs as well, for 25 cents each. they are lovely... the middle one is huge, and i'm thinking it would be great framed. i also got a set of 4 stainless steel nesting bowls and a huge watercolor. it was rolled up, and too large for me to hold and photograph at the same time...

also, the floating shelves finally got installed in our bedroom. yay! (thanks dwayne!) i'd had a hard time deciding where to put them, and i'm happy with the end results. now i just need to decorate the rest of the room... i'm hoping to do so with stuff from the rest of our house. i've also been on the lookout for a cheap vintage headboard, but haven't had much luck.

friday link love.

friday again. i'm really looking forward to a little down time this weekend. this week has been interesting and i feel like my body is trying to catch a cold, on top of everything else. i am hoping to catch up on some diy projects this weekend...

here are some links from my week:

i am loving this house tour posted on young house love. i think the guest bedroom is my favorite. gray and orange? yes, please. and their announcement last week that they are going to move! stunned. but, i can't say i blame them. i mean, they've practically updated everything they could on that house. so why not start over?

this idea on d*s for a design swap is great. all my friends have awesome taste, you can't lose!

i adore the new online mag adore! it's wonderful. there have been a slew of online magazines appear lately, and this one really fits in with my design aesthetic the best.

this fireplace makeover is pretty amazing. let's make it ours took a standard fireplace and made it modern, but something that will be in style for a long time.

this apple cake sounds delish. from a new to me blog: all things farmer.

one of the only fall/halloween decorations i can really get behind. these leaf skeletons from the idea room are pretty, and could be left out all year. no offense to all the other halloween decor out there, i just don't want to store a bunch of decorations for most of the year - with the exception of christmas.

love these new bags from katie henry. old lace/doilies are the perfect addition to her line. too bad they sell out quickly... and i don't have an extra $158 laying around...

this lemon cake also sounds good. make it and love it is a great resource for recipes and cake decorating tips!

i guess that's it.

images found here: 1, 2, 3, 4

the hodgepodge.

this past saturday, my good friend dinah celebrated her store's 6th birthday! if you live in or around lubbock, hodgepodge is one of the best places around for a thoughtful gift, beautiful home decor and amazing stationery. i should know, i used to work there! dinah is one of the sweetest girls you will ever meet, and i am so honored to call her my friend!

thanks for letting me snap a few pictures of the store! christmas stuff is coming soon - look for it all to be out the first week in november.

october books

a few october books went off in the mail yesterday. i really took them to fedex, but i think mail is easier to say and basically means the same thing.

this was the last of my olive flocked paper... it's so pretty. i just love flocked paper.

i just ordered this red a few weeks back. it is lovely in person, although i'm usually not a red person. not sure why, it's just never been a favorite over the years.

i was trying a few things out with the photos. i'm loving the shots from right above. you can see the whole book and nothing is skewed out of perspective. i guess i always thought that setup was too simple... but i'm learning that most of the time, the simplest solution is often the best.

it's starting to be that in-between time of year. you wake up in the morning freezing, and by lunch, you are rolling up your sleeves because it's too warm. aahhh, fall. just make up your mind already!

friday link love.

so glad this week is almost over. i say that a lot, huh? nothing against my job, i love it dearly, but i have a logo that is sucking the life out of me right now... and hopefully that is coming to a close soon.

what are your plans for the weekend? i'm going to try and get a few things done around the house and stop by the hodgepodge on saturday for their bday celebration! you should too, if you are in lubbock.

here are some links from my week:

while i love the look of concrete countertops, i don't know if i'll ever be up to constructing one. if you are, frugal farmhouse design has a great tutorial and tips making your own.

a great post from desire to inspire on white kitchen appliances. i happen to love ours, and think that they are much easier to decorate around than black or stainless steel. of course, it depends on the colors in your kitchen... but i plan on having white cabinets forever.

re-nest's top 30 how-to tutorials of all time. a great list to refer to for anything from cleaning solutions to diy lighting.

i've really wanted to try out some chalk-board paint, but i wasn't sure what i'd use it on - and didn't want to spend a ton of cash on it. but the idea room posted a cheap way to make your own! this is great - you can pretty much make it out of any color or type of paint.

this cardigan makeover on welcome to the good life is amazing. i've really got to get out my sewing machine!

these knitting and crochet tutorials posted on d*s are great. i've been trying to teach myself crochet with a book, but i think i'd learn better by watching.

grosgrain is a (new-to-me) blog that i love. my favorite posts are thriftstore thursdays, where she takes a thrifted article of clothing and makes it into something awesome.

have a great weekend!