Zac's New Stocking

Zac has been wanting a UK stocking for awhile, and this weekend I finally got a chance to make him one.

I started with this sketch from him of what he wanted:

And here's the finished product:

What do you think? It's pretty close to the drawing!  

A few close ups:

I made my own stocking pattern, but I used this great tutorial from Noodlehead for help with the assembly.  It definitely was an undertaking, but I think making more stockings from here would be a lot easier. The good news? Zac loves it!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!

I'm linking up here:

* The Girl Creative * Someday Crafts *  Sew Much Ado * Fun to Craft * 504 Main * Simply Designing * Creation Corner * The DIY Showoff * Under the Table and Dreaming * Kuzak's Closet * Tatertots and Jello * Sew Chic and Unique * Perfectly Imperfect * C.R.A.F.T. * The D.I.Y. Show Off * Making the World Cuter * Sew Can Do * Skip to my Lou * Today's Creative Blog * Sugar Bee Craft Edition *

Something blue!

I've been on the lookout for blue shoes to wear on my wedding day. I love the idea of wearing a funky color shoe, and since navy blue is the color running throughout the wedding, it seemed like a great personal touch.

I've been looking for blue shoes all over the place, but everything was either too bright, too light, too high or too trashy.  Then today,out of nowhere, I saw these beauties:

They are PERFECT!!!! High enough to be beautiful but still pretty comfortable. They won't make it all the way through dancing, but they'll definitely stay on through dinner. And... they come in a beautiful gold color that the bridesmaids can wear.

The best part? I snagged them for a sweet $39.99. Love it!!!

Now on to find something old, something new and something borrowed! 

My favorite things

I took the day off from work today to run some errands and get some sewing done. You'll get to see the results soon, but in the meantime, I caught Oprah's "Favorite Things" episode today, and it got me thinking about MY favorite things!

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

I got a sample of this from Sephora and immediately purchased the full size tube. It is awesome!! You just put it on before your eyeshadow and 12 hours later, it will look like you just applied it. Love it - and makes wearing decent eyeshadow worth it since it stays on all day!

The Bounce Dryer Bar

You already know that I'm a lazy chore doer, and you may also know that Zac is notorious for forgetting one step in the laundry process. Sometimes this is soap, sometimes this is fabric softener.  The dryer bar is fantastic - it lasts for months and you never need to worry about remembering fabric softener! Plus, it smells amazing, and my clothes come out feeling fresh, and not with that nasty residue that some fabric softeners leave.

EBATES

I've professed my love for Ebates before, but if you online shop and you like free money, Ebates will make you very happy! You get rebates for things that you were already going to buy online, and sometimes they have additional perks, like free shipping.  You can visit Ebates now and sign up for free! We're getting $30 back already this quarter!

For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage

A friend recommended this book, and I'm really enjoying it. It's a good balance of science and decent writing, and it's nice to read statistics and mark yourself above average!

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

If this doesn't make you happy, what does?!? And along those lines...

The STRAIGHT NO CHASER Christmas Albums

These are the only CDs I've bought since high school - SO worth it!! Amazing acapella voices and fun new twists on classic songs. Love it!

What are your favorite things?? Did I forget something wonderful?? I'm linking up to 320 Sycamore where you can learn about other people's favorite things!

Why I'm excited for Thanksgiving...

I love Thanksgiving. It might be my favorite holiday (though of course, that will change in a few weeks).  I love that everyone is together, I love that at least once, we'll laugh until we cry - and if we're lucky, my Papa will laugh that hard too. I love when people share what they're thankful for. I especially love that my parents and Zac's parents are in the same place, and (almost) our whole family is together (Josh and Steph, this is the last Thanksgiving you're allowed to miss!!). I can't wait for next week!

Thanksgiving 2009

Happy Birthday Beth!!

Today, my littlest sister turns 21 years old. I guess since she's taller than me and pretty much a grown-up, she isn't so little anymore!!

Then:

And now...

Happy birthday, Lulu!

Do you coupon?

Coupons seem to be coming back in style. There are entire blogs devoted to coupons. The other day, when I went to the grocery store, I was the only person there who didn't have a thick black binder full of money saving coupons.

I get the appeal - saving money? Like that part. Cutting paper out on dotted lines? I can get behind that. I can even get excited about planning a menu around coupons (let's be honest here - I can get excited about Zac planning a menu around coupons).

So we get the paper. And I look through the inserts. And I go to the coupon websites. And I find a zillion coupons - and not one single coupon for anything we actually buy.

I've read about how you can't be brand loyal when you're using coupons, but even if I take that into consideration, I can't ever find coupons for things we actually buy.

What am I missing here? Do you use coupons? What's your secret?

Living room AFTER!

It's finally here - the big living room reveal!!! Technically, there are still a few things left to do, but if I want until it's perfect to show you, you'll never get to see it!

To see the before pictures, click here. And here... are the afters!

This is the room where we spend most of our time, so we wanted it to feel comfortable.

The cream colored walls mean we need lots of colorful accents!

Close up of the picture wall

Close-up part II

The TV cabinet is finally all one color!

My favorite part!! The blinds are from Overstock.com, and the curtains are from IKEA. I made these pillows, and plan to make about 8 more to fill the bench. That's the part that isn't finished yet!

And of course, our favorite accessory in the room. It's like she poses for these things.

I wish I had a camera and photography skills that could do it justice. In person, it feels really comfortable and cozy, and it's the perfect place to spend time.  If you want to see the real deal, you'll just have to stop by and visit!!

Linking up to:

* Newly Woodwards * The Girl Creative * Fireflies and Jellybeans * Skip to My Lou * Making the World Cuter *

Living room BEFORE

The fun part about a BEFORE post? That means there must be an AFTER! Here are some before pics of the living room before our redecorating last weekend...

This built-in cabinet was here, but Zac and his dad had to enlarge it (literally one inch) to fit our TV. The black/wood combo was getting old.

Let me tell you how much Zac loves painting ceilings. About as much as he likes cheering for the University of Louisville. And reading my blog...

Ugh... NOT my favorite part of redecorating - other rooms filled with too much furniture!

It's like a couch maze play pen for the cat!

I hope you'll love the AFTER pictures...... stay tuned... they're coming tomorrow!

Save the Date!

I spent a lot of my weekend addressing our save the dates! What do you think??

I'll let you see the front once everyone gets them in the mail.  There's no turning back now! =)

Fa la la la la... la la... la... la!

'Tis the season...... to keep talking about holiday cards!! Like I said before, my very favorite cards are picture cards. I love seeing how people's families grow and change throughout the year, and they look so great hanging up in our house!

My favorite picture cards are the flat cards with neat designs. When I stumbled upon these from Shutterfly the other day, I was speechless! They have Christmas cards, Holiday cards, invitations for holiday parties... everything!

Could these be any cuter??

But this one... this one just catches my eye:

I love the sleek modern look, and the way the colors look on the black and white photo. It's simple yet sophisticated... perfect for a 20-something who doesn't have cute kids to highlight yet!!

I'm definitely going to order these for our cards this year. You can edit them online to see what they'll look like, and they're adorable! Now I just need to get those engagement pictures taken in time for the holidays!!

**Disclaimer: Shutterfly.com is providing me with 50 free cards for writing this review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are not influenced by Shutterfly.**