Spring wreath {a tutorial of sorts}

{supplies}

linen fabric, scissors, sharpee, wooden initial, fake hydrandeas, wreath, hot glue gun

*the wooden initial, wreath, and white flowers are from Hobby Lobby

*linen fabric I had left over, but I believe it came from Foam and Fabric

*green hydrangeas are from wal-mart. Actually had them in a vase in our living room, which I updated, so this is kinda repurposing!

{my assistant}

As I am cutting off the stems, he actually tried munching on the wreath. Rude!

{attached flowers & leaves}

Once the stems were removed, I grouped the stems back together, secured them with a rubber band and then hot glued the whole flower to the wreath. It was easier for me, but you could hot glue each stem individually if you wanted. I glued a few of the leaves to the wreath as well.

{outline initial on fabric}

I just did a general outline so that I knew I would cut enough fabric. 

{hot glue fabric to cover the initial}

This is where I had to kinda go with it. Covering an "S" is not so easy because of the curves. I ended up cutting a slit in the fabric right up to the letter and hot glued sections. 

{completion}

Viola! Other than the hiccup with covering the letter, this was a pretty easy project! Probably 30-45 mins.

{hung on our door}

Yay! I know it is still February, but I am just really ready for spring!

Also, I noticed the initial hangs slightly crooked! Oops. #embracetheimperfection

Living life according to your real intentions....

*Image found here.

Living with intention, a platitude of sorts, but so very very important. Up until a few months ago, I would have told you that "Yes, I absolutely live my life with intention." I set goals. I think ahead. I plan. From the outside looking in, I'm doing everything that needs to be done to live intentionally. The only problem was it didn't feel natural, authentic, or even good. I was exhausting myself and became so unbalanced. But, how could this be? I was achieving goals, making progress, and "succeeding."

I was going in the wrong direction.

You see, I had forgotten a very important rule to living intentionally, being clear on your purpose. Because if you aren't clear on why you're doing something it is exhausting. It can suck the life out of you and leave you suddenly feeling like you just hit a brick wall, but even worse, not knowing how it happened.

I did not come to this right away, of course, because I can often be very good at deceiving myself. Thinking I have it all figured out and how I'm so great at achieving and getting things done. So humble, I know. Truth be told, I was building up walls. I was organizing, categorizing, and putting my life in a tiny tiny little box all wrapped up in pretty packaging with pretty little bows. Looks so great on the outside. 

I was suffocating on the inside. Kept hitting the walls, going around in circles and bumping into the same wall again. My expectations were so high that no matter how much I achieved, how much I did, how much I lived "intentionally" I was going to fail. Nothing was good enough. I was trapped in my own misery. 

What I desperately wanted was freedom, peace, and love. My intentions were really quite simple, but I made it so complex. I forgot my true intentions. Not the intentions of finishing this project at work, finding the perfect shoes to go with this outfit, or cooking this perfect meal. The truest most pure desires of my heart were simply freedom, peace, and love. I wanted to live life, feel energized, feel excited for each day. 

So now, I am in the process of tearing down these walls and running into the wide open space as fast as I can. It is hard work, but it feels good to finally have some breathing room.

Today, I try to live each day according to my real intentions. 

Five things....

{face of contentment}

Enough said. :-)

{pomegranate green tea}

I'm into fruity tea right now. Preparing for spring/summer.

{pussy willow}

Currently displayed in our master bedroom. Reminds me of our wedding. We used pussy willow as an accent in our flowers. 

{therepe candle}

Received as a hostess gift for a friend's baby shower. Green tea and ginger!

{twisted cuff bracelet}

This guy goes with everything! Purchased from Swell Carolina.

Also, I finished my "About me" page. Check it out over here! Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Winter chopped salad..

{paleo/vegan/gluten-free}

Original recipe found over here at key ingredient. You can easily make this your own adding whatever ingredients you would like. 

My version included the following:

chopped romaine

white cabbage

pears

apples

cranberries

For the dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red vinegar

1/2 tablespoon honey {local is even better!}

splash of balsamic vinegar

I'm really getting into making my own dressings these days since most commercial and restaurant prepared dressings contain gluten, since it is a thickening agent, not to mention other additives. The honey in this dressing served as a thickener and helped to bring out the natural sweetness of the fruit! 

Five things {from last Friday}

{wine cork tradition}

I love establishing traditions! This past week, I started a new one....saving the wine corks from memorable events with the date included. Currently displayed in a see through lamp base in our dining room.

{mason jar makeshift vase}

Because when you don't have another available base, this mason jar easily steps in for the challenge. Flowers are from the hubs for vday. He loves me....*blush*

{Hot pink nail}

Dita by Zoya. It's actually a tab bit bolder than the pic displays. Nice for vday/end of winter.

{cozy blankies and the furbaby that loves them too}

Meet our 2nd furbaby, Jackson. He loves to cuddle in our blankets, which we have several of draped over our couch...protection and comfort. 

Little known fact: Jackson loves the blankets and Harvey loves the sofa pillows. Evidence against whoever said dogs/pets don't have personalities.

{washi tape wine glass markers}

Not sure where these came from but how simple and cute??

Also, I am happy to have finally given the blog design a makeover, which was.not.easy. Quite the learning curve, but I'm so thankful for all the people out there who have taken the time to educate others on how to customize their blog. Overall, I really did enjoy it, and I still have some work to do. So, bare with me as I continue the process of making changes!

Giving up gluten and dairy....

Bye, bye gluten and dairy and hello more greens and veggies....er, well, let's hope so! For the first time ever I am giving something up for lent. When discussing my options with my husband last night I casually suggested wine. He told me it needed to be something realistic! Ha!

He may have a point....

Regardless, I decided on going gluten and dairy free, for real. I've been dabbling around with the Paleo diet, which I stick to about 85% of the time, but this will be the real deal.

I know from trying to follow the Paleo diet that this will not be easy, especially when eating out and eating with friends. Going paleo definitely takes planning and discipline. I do believe this choice will be a sacrifice and hence serve it's purpose.

Plus, after 40 days, I will be able to assess whether gluten and dairy need to go for good.

So, expect more gluten-free and dairy-free recipes!

Five things...

{hydrangeas}

Love them always. Hubs came home with them a few nights ago...because he knows that sometimes a girl just needs fresh flowers. 

{pretty little packaging}

..for a divine smelling candle called Cabana with scents of agave juice and fresh lime. Perfect for early spring. Bonus points for being a soy candle.

{fabric art}

I actually cut the fabric from an old pillow that had chewed corners and was torn thanks to our pups. I already had the frame from none other than TJX. Took me all of 5 minutes to do. #repurposingisfun

{downward facing dog}

Because this common yoga pose had to get it's name from somewhere. Harvey wanted to demonstrate for us today. 

And on a side note, I've started hot yoga recently. Never sweat so much in my life, but I highly recommend it!

{winter sunlight}

Just reminds me that longer days filled with sun, warmer weather, and all that comes with spring and summer is right around the corner!

Right now, I'm listening to some good ol' country, finishing up some white bean and kale stew {recipe found in one of my previous posts here} and thinking about opening a bottle of white wine. 

Happy weekend!

Simple Valentine's Day details....

A few pretty little {simple} things to get you prepared for Valentine's Day because I'm all about easy and simple these days. 

1. Mason jars with striped straws and lace for easy entertaining

2. burlap sign from etsy for photo ops or home decor {found here}

3. linen love pillow from etsy {found here}

4. printed brown paper bags for sweet treats and gifting

Also, anyone else as blown away by Beyonce's performance last night as I was? She.rocked.it! Best half time show in a longgg time.

Five things....

{linen memo board}

Finally got this project finished and up. I used a cheap ikea frame and covered the backing in a linen fabric that I got on sale a longgg time ago. Just used a dry erase marker to write on the glass. 

Wish I could say hanging it up was as easy as making it. Oh, ikea, why must you make things so complicated?

{vintage key art}

Another easy project finished and up on the wall in our guest bedroom. I simply hot glued vintage keys, which my dad had picked up a long time ago, onto a shadowbox type frame. 

{new stationary}

I picked this up a while ago from TJ Maxx. {Love the parentheses} :-)

{peppermint green tea}

I'm still sipping on this left over from the holidays. One of my favorites for winter that I picked up at Trader Joe's. Bonus that it's decaf, at least for anyone like me who tends to overindulge in good caffeinated beverages. #noselfcontrol

{maroon nail}

One of my fav go to colors for the winter because it goes with just about everything--neutrals, bold colors, and even brights! The color is actually called Anja from Zoya. If you aren't familiar with Zoya they make more natural nail polish with out all the harsh chemicals. They have about a million different colors and often have specials. You can check it out over here.

Hope everyone has had a great week!