great idea : gallery wall layouts

Aren't these great guides for starting a gallery wall? Definitely handy!

Source: flickr.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Heather on Pinterest

good {party} idea : carnation cones

I've been sifting through some old issues of Martha Stewart Living and came across this sweet idea that I wanted to file away.

The idea is originally for valentines but I think it would be so fun to use as a party favor, say maybe for a baby/wedding shower. It could also be used as a place card for a brunch or dinner. Carnations are relatively inexpensive and you could use any kind of heavyweight paper to go with your theme. 

currently loving...

1. the library ladder (!!!)

2. the mini shoe/handbag closet

3. the penny tile flooring

{image}

*This post was originally posted yesterday but it looks like blogger had issues so I'm re-posting it. Any comments that were made are now lost...sorry!

guest post : things I've learned as a homeowner

Hey you guys!! Ten points if you can name that movie. Anyway...today I am excited to have Nikki guesting here today on olive & a! Nikki does double blog time blogging at Que sera sera and Perpetually Engaged, she never fails to make me laugh and she's super sweet. Please give her a warm welcome!

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We're on the verge of moving out of our house and I'm feeling a little guilt about leaving my first house behind. I'm anxious to move on, but we've learned so much from our little home. I wish we could take it with us...and tear down some walls and add on ;)

Last weekend while I was cleaning house and doing yard work I was thinking of a few things I've learned as a first time home owner. I had never decorated a whole house before, unless you count Sky Vodka posters in our college apartment. Then we skipped growing pots (not pot) on our balcony and jumped right into a yard. A bit overwhelming for someone like me.

I imagine you're pretty stylish folks and probably not as much of a mess as me, but I thought I would put together a few mistakes I made so you wouldn't have to...

{photo via Country Living}


1. Pick your furniture and fabric before you pick out paint. It's so much harder to find fabric you love than to pick paint to coordinate.

I learned this one the hard way. Everything in our house was brown, brown, brown when we moved in. So we picked paint colors and went at it. Then I had the hardest time falling in love with throw pillow patterns and chair covers. 5 years later, I want to paint everything white.

Which brings me to...

2. Just go for it. It seems the longer you hum and ho about a project the faster you'll want something else when it's finally through. Trends change so don't sit there and think about it too long. Go for it, if you hate it you can change it, but you won't know unless you actually do it.

My backyard has been through so many changes in the years we've lived there. We tore out beds the old owners had, planted grass where we wanted it. Tried to make it the backyard we'd always thought we wanted. Planted veggies in one corner, moved them to another, put them in pots.

Which brings me to...

3. Don't fight nature. Sure you want that exact backyard in Sunset magazine, I do too. But the sun doesn't shine in that corner that is perfect for raised beds. And that area where lush grass would be perfect for your bare foot babes to play gets swampy in the winter. Then the dogs do their Nascar routine through it and you no longer have grass at all.

Work with it, not against it. Sit with your yard one year before making any major changes. You'll find it's secret spots which will keep you from building raised beds over here, and putting grass over there, when you really should have put the gravel and a sitting area in that corner for privacy. Phew! Do you see all the mistakes I've made?

Which brings me to..

4. By the time you think you've finished every project in your house, you'll start redoing them.

Whether it's repainting, replanting or redoing your floors for the 3rd time because your hot water heater exploded in the kitchen (what the heck is the hot water heater doing in the kitchen anyway?). Just when you think you have it all under control, you want to change something, add something or just plain maintenance work.

Which brings me to...

5. Love your house. No matter the shape or size or color.

It might not be your forever home or perfect but this is where today's memories are made. So instead of dreaming of the next one (like I do) with more space, relish in the fact that it only takes 1 hour to clean the entire thing. Or that you have no garage for your Husband to hide in.

Think of it like your first baby. You're going to make some mistakes and possibly mess them up a bit, but on the next round you'll be that much more prepared.


Willing to share any of your mistakes that we can learn from?

great idea: make your own sprinkles

Spotted this idea over on pinterest and couldn't resist sharing because it's such a good idea. Good because you know what ingredients are in them and just think of all the colors you could make to match any event.

{pin}

great idea : marshmallows as cupcake frosting

I saw this idea in September's Real Simple and thought the suggestion sounded good enough to try next time I bake cupcakes.

When your cupcakes have about three minutes left to bake, pull out the tin and place one marshmallow on top of each cupcake. Return the tin to the oven for the remaining time or until the marshmallows are slightly melted but still fluffy.

{photo - Jim Cooper/Real Simple}

DIY Framed Handkerchiefs

Such a sweet and charming idea, finding and framing vintage handkerchiefs. 

I will have to remember this next time I'm thrifting and look for handkerchiefs.

cooking up organization

{A guest post by Jackie Norris}

A few months ago I found myself buried in recipes! 

It seems I find so many great ones online and in magazines. 

I would print or clip them out but they were just a mess. 

So... I devised a little organizational system for myself, and maybe it will help you out!

First I went to my local craft store and picked up an album that holds 4x6 photos. I designed some of my own recipe cards and had LOTS printed! 

Now when I find a recipe I'd like to try, I print or clip it out and put it in the clip in the back of my binder. When I'm planning meals I'll go through and choose a few I'd like to try that week. Those recipes move to the front where I can easily access them... because as you can see the pile under that clip is huge!

If the recipe is a winner, then I copy it down onto one of my recipe cards and file it away by type {appetizer, bread, main dish, salad, dessert, etc.}. 

As a little treat for you, I'd like to share the recipe card I created. It's nothing fancy, but it works!

{click to enlarge...prints a 4x6 card}

How do you organize your recipes? I'd love to hear your ideas, too!

great idea : neighborhood fruit

My always in the know sister in law passed along this website and I thought it was worth sharing. Thanks Jamie!

Neighborhood Fruit is a website where you can find and/or share fruit locally. By putting in your zip code, you are able to find people with extra produce and then you can go and pick it on your own!  It goes the other way as well, if you have an abundance of backyard fruit, you post on the site the fruit you'd like to get rid of and people come take it off your hands.

Right now locally, there is someone in my area who'd like to get rid of some plums. Of course what is available totally depends on your location and if there are people in the area who know about this resource. It'd be great if the word got out so that everyone can benefit.  I'd love to find someone with an over-abundance of peaches so that we can bottle them.

confession

I'm a little bit ocd when it comes to towels and how they hang. If they aren't nicely folded on the towel bar, forget it. So I've come to prefer hanging my towels on hooks. It's just better that way. The idea of adding color-coded ribbons to designate who’s towel's who's makes hanging towels even better.

getting organized

I'm notorious for hanging onto magazine articles, photos or other random things but doing nothing with them but let them collect dust. It drives my husband crazy (don't blame him). I finally decided to do something about it and have been scanning in the tear sheets I've pulled from my design mags. I've also decided to write down what aspects of the room appeal to me in an effort to try and hone in my design style. I've also been using my tumblr and interior tuesday as a sort of e-file for images.

Do you pull design images (or recipes, or articles, etc.) from magazines? If so, what do you do with them?

take a chance

What a wall! Kate Spade collaborated with graphic designer Cheree Berry to create an interactive installation in their St. Louis store. Tucked inside each envelope was a card encouraging the reader to take a chance with ideas such as crash a party, embrace color or improvise. Such a fun idea! If only I lived in St. Louis I'd love to pick a card.

p.s. can you think of any ways to use this idea for a party?

hello friends! did you have a lovely weekend celebrating with your loved ones? we made it to Utah and have had a great time visiting with family. i apologize for the radio silence last week. between finals, packing and driving 20 hours i had to let some things go but i will be back this week!

i was browsing the country living site and came across an idea book of spring crafts. i thought these mugs were pretty cute and would actually be an easy gift. too bad mother's day is over but perhaps they could be modified for father's day. find instructions and other ideas here.

pretty papered walls

Last week I came across two different but similar photos with the idea of gluing book pages to the wall. I'm liking this look. It'd be perfect for a small wall such as an entry, bathroom (you'd have lots to read ;), or maybe in a playroom. We are hoping to be in a house by the end of the summer and i've been decorating an un-seen house in my head. I've had enough of white-walled apartments so this idea is something i'd like to try.

Emily from Jones Design Company papered a small half wall in her living room. It's no wonder she claims this as a favorite spot in her house. Oh, I also really like that table! It's pretty.

I came across this pretty picture on from the right bank. On this wall they used pages from a dictionary but I'm sure anything goes. It'd be pretty to find a french novel or a vintage childrens book with illustrations.

daliha domes

Love this idea from Country Living using cake stands to hold brightly colored floral domes.

To make, cut the bottom of a foam ball, so it sits flat. Then soak it in water for 30 minutes before inserting the flowers. Pretty pretty!

delish

Lately I have had some intense cravings for ice cream. These delicious looking ice cream sandwiches would certainly satisfy my cravings. If only we had Trader Joe's here in this sad state of Texas. I'll have to be on the lookout for some kind of replacement. Wouldn't these be fun for a party/shower?

Anything you're craving lately?

well wishes

my parents golden anniversary is coming up this year and my sister's and I are planning a party to honor of them. one of the ideas that i loved while browsing through the second issue of Nonpareil was the wishing tree. such a sweet idea that allows guests to write their well wishes for the couple.

sweet treats

i'd love to host an ice cream party to make these drumsticks.
they look seriously easy and so good.
i've gotta do that soon! 

{via giver's log}

natural elements

i was flipping through my mom's family circle the other day and came across an article about warming up the home by using different natural elements. all of their ideas are really easy to replicate so i thought i'd share a few.

 here they spruced up a vase of flowers by using a strip of birch bark. birch bark is something you can buy from a florist shop. it makes a garden-variety bouquet florist-worthy.

 a strip of bark hot glued around a candle. simple.

a pinecone wreath hung over a mirror.

of butterflies and bark

i think this is a fun, whimsical idea...

these butterflies were cut from bark that had fallen off trees. if you don't have fallen tree bark handy, you could recreate this idea using wood veneer paper. this idea came from a whole lotta lovely, which is a very lovely read and one i'd suggest.

while we're on the subject of wood, husband and i scored a sweet deal on a dining room set a while back and we (well mostly the husband to be honest) spent the weekend sanding it down.  today we plan on staining and making it sexy! :) i'm so excited to have somewhere pretty to eat. i'd like to share pics when it's finished, if you don't mind.

(on a more random note) speaking of bark, i am so totally craving peppermint bark. yum! i love this time of year!