Living Room Before & After!

We have made some great headway in the house in the last few months! **By the way, how cool is that Picstitch above of the before & after?!** In fact, I am pretty excited to say the living room is complete, at least for a while ;). While some parts have been mostly done for quite some time, we finally got around to painting the gosh awful yellow neutral walls to a much more light and airy gray, Benjamin Moore Gray Owl, with the trim being painted Benjamin Moore Simply White. 

It looks soo much better in my opinion! I also added a few more things like the yellow trellis bench from Target. This room has come a long way since we moved in. Don't believe me?! Scroll down to the photos below from when we first moved in! 

Without further ado, here are the before and afters...

Befores:

March 2013- Days After Move-In 

May 2014

After:

Yellow Trellis Bench: Target

Grey Knitted Pouf: Target

 

Crate Table: DIY from here.

Magazine Tray: DIY from here.

Framed Map Art: DIY 

Window Picture Frame: DIY

"The Best is Yet to Come" Poster: Elise Blaha #Make 29, here. 

Chevron Lampshade: DIY from here. 

Painted Stripe Curtains: DIY 

Standing Globe: Thrift find 

Iron and Cherry Wood Shelf: by my brother at Hous Made 

Leather Chair: World Market 

Striped pouf: Target

"Make Your Own Magic" Print: by Elise Blaha #Make 29, here.

Painted Antlers: DIY here. 

Unexpected Chalkboard Wall: DIY

& A sneak peek into the newly painted kitchen! 

LOVE Cork Letters: DIY 

Lion Bottle Opener: World Market 
Wall Color: Benjamin Moore Gray Owl 
Trim Color: Benjamin Moore Simply White 

What do you think? Lots of fun stuff going on, huh?! 

.:Want to see more? Check out the updated House Tour Tab!:.

Peace, 
Allison 

.: Linked up with Inspire Me Please :. 

Sink Update

Just a little glorious before & after action here on your lovely Wednesday afternoon. Last week we updated our sink faucet to the Peerless Stainless Kitchen Faucet. To say we are loving it is an understatement! So convenient with the pull down hose that's hooked into the faucet itself. Plus we got 10% off at Lowe's which is always a plus in my book! It goes to show that even doing small updates periodically can have a LARGE impact even on a small budget. 

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Happy Hump Day!

Peace, 
Allison 

Our Save the Date Magnets

When picking our Save the Dates, I knew I wanted them to be magnetic so our guests could put them on their fridge (I not so secretly love magnets on the fridge, particularly the Save the Dates of friends and family) but I didn't want to pay as much as actual magnetic Save the Dates are. After picking my favorite design on Minted, I decided to get the full 5x7 cards printed and then I just picked up a roll of magnetic stripping from Michael's that I cut into small pieces and attached to the back of each card. Simple, yet still the same idea.

Peace, 

Allison 

.:If you like this wedding post, check out our Rustic DIY Barn Wedding tab above or click on the link!:. 

Coffee Cart Completion!

I had been on the hunt for an old cart or cabinet that I could DIY into a coffee cart for quite some time with no luck. When I finally found this utility cart (from Sam's Club) turned bar cart transformation, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for; industrial and chic. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen this sneak peak of the cart in progress. 

It was a very simple DIY consisting of a little date with my trusty spray paint cans and some simple additional features. I love how it turned out and even more so how convenient it is!

Print from KatyGirl Designs.

In order to be able to show off some of my favorite mugs, I picked up some silver S hooks and spray painted them gold to blend in better. So fun and functional! 

Finally, I hot glued a leather remnant I found at Hobby Lobby for 40% off to the handle to make it look a little more put together and less like the utility cart it was meant to be. 

Overall, I am giddy with how it turned out! My coffee game has definitely gotten a boost in the right direction. Now I just need to remind Brandon that you can never have enough cute mugs. ;)

Peace, 
Allison 

Linked up with: DIY Vintage Chic, Inspire Me Please, and Project Inspire{d}. 

Matron of Honor Duties

As the Matron of Honor for my sister's wedding, I had the honor to co-host her bridal shower with her soon to be mother-in-law near Baltimore, MD this past weekend. I think she had a fantastic time thank goodness but I'm not going to lie, I think I stressed more about this party than I did my own wedding. Is that crazy?! I know, I'm a little psycho, but it really is more stressful throwing a party for someone else's tastes rather than your own. Amiright? 

Anywho, despite the minor (hah, riiight) stressing I did, it was fun to get back into the planning mode after having put it all in the back of my mind after our wedding last September. My sister and her fiance's wedding colors are navy blue, grey, and pops of orange so I focused on Blue Ombre as the general theme. 

Of course being me I wanted to DIY as much as I could. I started by creating a blue ombre fabric garland with fabric quarters I got from Joann's and then created a "Bride-to-Be" banner out of pre-cut chipboard triangles and silver Sharpies. You really can decorate for a bridal shower on a budget and still make it personal and meaningful! 

I puffy painted a plate (from the dollar store, shhh don't tell Lindsay ;) ) that served as a guest book as well as something that Lindsay could take home to remember all of the ladies that traveled near and far for her shower! 

On the same table, I had a Ball jar that I had painted "L <3 N" on that was a Date Night Idea Jar. I wrote in chalk some basic instructions for the jar to encourage guests to think of specific and creative date night ideas to fill the jar. We filled about half at the shower itself and then one of the bridesmaids who also traveled from afar like myself for the shower (Thanks Sarah!) brainstormed with some wine after the shower to complete the rest of the Popsicle sticks with cutesy date ideas. 

Some of the festive food and drinks we had included a spiked drink called "Brunchy Punch"  that was so yummy, fruit kabobs with heart shaped watermelons on the top that I made thanks to a bridesmaid's awesome suggestion, and cupcakes in the shape of a wedding dress made by the groom's mother. They all turned out so delicious and cute at the same time!

 The favors were one of my favorite parts for sure! One of the bridesmaids (Thanks Amie!) handmade the cucumber sugar scrub as well as many of the foods we enjoyed and I made the tags for the jars. Funny story: my sister and her fiance met on Halloween three years ago while she was dressed as Puss in Boots and he was dressed as Batman so to this day her nickname from him is "Boots," hence the Boots' Cucumber Sugar Scrub, hehe. 

Of course what's a party without a DIY Photo Booth like the one I put together for our wedding?! I packed up my trusty tripod & camera, picked up a cute grey, polka dot fabric from Joann's for 50% off (what, what?!) and created some pretty funny cardboard cutouts of my sister and her fiance from the night they met to add some pizzazz to the pictures. Honestly, my first idea was to try and find a way to make lifesize cardboard cutouts of their costumes but in an effort to not be too creepy and without a human size printer I didn't get a chance to.

Here's a taste of our photo reel: 

Lindsay looked gorgeous as always but it was definitely the best feeling to see her smile as big as she did when she walked in the door of the venue to see twenty of the ladies that love her in her life. Cheers to the soon to be Mrs. Jarosinski! She's going to make a beautiful bride! I love you big sissy! 

Et Cetera
Lindsay's Thanksgiving Proposal
Lindsay's Engagement Photos by Moi

Peace, 
Allison 

My Fitbit Review

It is no secret I am a sucker for a bandwagon to jump on, as long as it is a good one, of course. Perhaps, the Fitbit was one of those bandwagons, but I am seriously so glad that I did! If you have been around me AT ALL in the last three weeks or so, you know that the Fitbit has me hooked... bad. 

What's so good about the Fitbit? 

The Fitbit is a device you can get in a wristband form, like the one I have called the Fitbit Flex, or in a clip form (which one of my friends has and loves as well). It measures your steps, distance, active minutes, calories burned, and sleep pattern throughout the night (this feature is pretty interesting!). There are also options to track your calories eaten and water intake (but I haven't done these yet). You can track all of these items on their free Fitbit App which I check (somewhat obsessively) throughout the day. However, you can set one of them as your particular "GOAL" for the day. For me, I keep my goal at 10,000 steps for each day but you can increase or decrease this as you choose. You can track your progress for your daily goal by tapping your Fitbit twice which shows a small bead of light for each 20% of your goal you have reached (five lights total). When you achieve your daily goal all five of the lights dance on your Fitbit and it sends a small vibration to your wrist celebrating your accomplishment. The idea is quite simple I must say, but the intensity in which I have tried to achieve this goal daily is awesome and a little embarrassing I might add. 

The night I got my Fitbit!

Why Now? 

Just over three weeks ago, I was feeling slightly more curvaceous than my usual self, lethargic, and in a negative mood more often than usual. For someone who likes to be active but was not currently as active as I would like, I knew something had to give. After reading a few reviews on the Fitbit, I hoped that this might be a tool to get me back on track and motivate me to get more active again. ..And it has! 

Since I started using my Fitbit, I have lost about a pound (just by increasing my activity level) and have felt noticeably more energized and in a much better mood. 

Is it hard to reach your goal? 

What I've found is that it really isn't hard to get my goal of 10,000 steps each day if I set my mind to it. If I'm consciously parking just a little farther away, walking just a few more steps around the grocery store, taking a quick moment at work to get out of the car and walk a few laps around my patrol area, I can easily hit my goal. When it gets to be 10pm and I only have 5,000 steps, I have found that I am much more motivated to do a quick little workout or get the leash out and walk Rhiley around our neighborhood to get my steps in.  

I started using the Fitbit when I was switching to night shift which has made me much more aware of my much lower activity level on these work days. On those days in particular, I really have to consciously decide to get up and MOVE, get out of my car and WALK, or try to get a RUN in before work.

Perhaps the most exciting thing is when you achieve a new goal! While visiting my friends in Washington, DC for the Fourth of July, we walked over 15 miles one day and reached my highest steps ever, 37,000. Pushing yourself to these new limits is what I think the whole purpose of the Fitbit is, motivation to just be more active.

Anything you should know before getting one yourself??

I have found that although the wristband states it is waterproof (it is) I personally do not wear mine in the shower because the water does need to be dried out afterwards which is somewhat of a pain. FYI, it also needs to be dried after sweating a lot on a run. That being said, I have found that because of this water/ sweat issue, the band can start to smell after a little so you may want to wash it every once in a while. 

The band itself is pretty secure with the clip it comes with, however, if it gets caught on something it can come off. This has happened to me a few times at work when I pick up a large bag and set it down and don't realize it popped off without my knowledge. That being said I have never had it come off on it's own otherwise. Not a huge deal, just something to be aware of. 

I wouldn't rely solely on the distance traveled when going on a run because it is counting the average steps in a mile, not quite distance actually traveled. Although, I do believe they have added a feature under the exercise tab where you can track your run by GPS, similar to the Nike + app so that may be a better tool to use with the Fitbit that I have yet to use.

Who would I recommend a Fitbit to? 

I would personally recommend a Fitbit to anyone wanting to be more active, whether you are already or would like to be. If you are a Type A personality like myself, the drive to achieve your daily goal is motivation enough (just set your goal so it is attainable!). If you are already fit and active, the Fitbit is even better because it will push you to push yourself just a little bit more. 

I think it goes without much more saying that I am a pretty happy camper with my Fitbit. What has been your experience with it?? I'd love to hear!

Peace,

Allison 

life lately.

It's been a while. Like, literally over a month since my last post. I apologize, but let's not dwell shall we because lots of fun things have been in the works including lots of paint and closing in on some new room reveals soon. On the edge of your seats, I know. Stay tuned. 

any whooo, wondering what I've been up to lately... here's a rundown. 

making decorations for my sister's bridal shower coming up. & the cart above I shared on Instagram. Can you guess what it will be??

eating Brandon's awesome marinated skirt steak & asparagus. the best summertime dinner, hands down

drinking lemonade and Bud Light Mang-o-ritas (not together, don't worry!) 

reading Allegiant now, and just finished Lean In (great advice for women in the work force both starting and established)

watching Bachelorette & Orange is the New Black (just started!) 

wanting a Kindle fire so I can stop lugging books everywhere when I want to read 

looking forward to July 4th girls weekend coming up with two of my best girls, Maggie and Lauren, from college. it's going to be Legen-wait for it-dary! 

planning a bridal shower and bachelorette for my older sister and remembering how much fun it is to plan wedding festivities

playing hide and seek with Rhiley. refer to the picture above to figure out who always wins

enjoying our new living room & kitchen colors (room posts coming soon!)

feeling like I've got a sinus infection.. no fun, especially since it is my 2nd time sick in a month

loving my Fitbit flex. like seriously loving it. to the point that i have done step workouts late at night just to "get my steps in" (Link to my review of the Fitbit, click here!)

Have a great weekend! 

Peace, 

Allison