I haven't fallen off of the face of the Earth...

...although it probably seems like I have!

Summer is finally here and I am so excited to be back and blogging with you all again. I am getting married in June and have been hard at work on invites, decor, and the like. Of course, I wanted to have the creative control of the invites, so I DIY'd them! Duh! :) When I get the pictures gathered up, I will share them with you all. I am looking forward to having time to create again and see what you all have been up to!

Also, look at our two crazy cats! (I caught Lucy in mid-yawn!) They get along very well and are so funny to watch.

Spring has Sprung!

Hi folks! I have been horrible at keeping up with my blog and for that, I apologize. Thank you all for being such loyal followers.  :) I have been interning/student teaching as my last semester of college before I graduate in May and it keeps me to busy (and tired!) Also, hubs-to-be and I are trying to plan our wedding for this summer AND be in gazelle intense mode with our savings for a house. (This is a Dave Ramsey term that I love).  We want to be able to put a down payment on a house so so so bad!

Without further ado, here is my spring mantel. It is my spring break and I finally have the time to decorate! I have been coveting simplicity and clean colors and it shows in my mantel.

 I gathered up my stark whites and put them on display. I love my quirky teapots.

 

I left my grapevine wreath a plain Jane because the flowers I wanted to add looked odd, it reminds me of a large birds nest, aaaaand I really like the simplicity of it. :)

 

I added my faux apples for a pop of color and left my cute little quail from my Valentine's Mantel. 

Above our television sits lyrics from one of my favorite tunes from childhood.

I hope you all are having a great week and hopefully the spring weather is where you are! :)

Obviously these two are loving their lives... :)

Cheers!

Linking Up With:
The Project Queen
Tip Me Tuesday
Today's Creative Blog 
The Lettered Cottage

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hi folks!

 I just wanted to share with you an easy and simple Valentine's Day gift I put together for my main squeeze: Movie Date Night!

 Using Word, I created "movie tickets."

I found these little popcorn holders at Target in the dollar bin. I put popcorn and chocolate in a baggy, tied it with twine, and attached the tickets.

Of course, it goes without saying that movies need be purchased for this. :) The Lord of the Rings series will provide for many hours of movie dating pleasure!

Here is the personalized (freebie!) card I used to go with the "ticket" theme:

I hope you all enjoy the day with your sweetie tomorrow!

XOXO

Linking up to:

Under 10 Tuesday 

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday 

Tip Junkie Homemade Projects 

Debbiedoo's
Home Stories A to Z 

Couponing

  I have always been a "couponer," but as of late, I have been really trying to focus on getting really good deals by stacking coupons and buying things that go on super sale. This weekend, as soon as I got the Sunday paper and ads, I headed out to CVS.

CVS, Walgreens, and Target are great places to save because you can stack manufacturer coupons on top of store coupons and you are also able to receive extra rewards at Walgreens and CVS, which is like cash in hand. You might be thinking "But, these places are overpriced to begin with, why not just go to Walmart..." I used to think the same way, but as soon as I did my first coupon "stack" AND got extra care rewards back, I was sold. The trick is to wait until it goes on sale and to also check the multiple 25%-75% discounted items throughout the store. 

Take for example, the Speed Stick deodorant. Each stick was marked down 75% to $1.04. I also had a buy one get one free coupon. So, I was able to get two for pennies each.

Now, take the two Vick's medicines. CVS had a sale on them for 2/$12 but you would get $3 extra bucks back. I also had two manufacturer coupons: $2 off the Nature Fusion and $1 off the boxed medicine. I paired all this together and essentially payed 2/$9 PLUS $3 in rewards, which is like saying it was 2 for $6 or $3 each. This is a great deal for a high quality brand. And now, I can use those extra bucks towards future purchases.

3+1

Our family is growing.

Meet our new addition:

Lucy! :) (Yes, we now have a Desi and a red headed Lucy). :D

At first, Desi was very unsure, but you ought to see them now chasing each other around and touching noses. It feels good to adopt an adult cat. :) Money may not buy happiness, but it CAN adopt a cat, which is the same in my book. :) Happy early Valentine's Day to me!

Fluttering Hearts Mantel

Hi folks! It has been such a busy few weeks. Worker bee here finally had some time to sit down and share my latest home decor project with you. I worked on my Valentine's Day mantel this weekend. I know it is still a month away, but I really do love all the cheesiness associated with the day, so I couldn't resist. My budget for this was $5. And all I spent was $.95. Yep, that's it! I just used what I already had and tweaked things a bit.

The $.95 was spent on the heart shaped doilies. Those are from Hobby Lobby. Their Valentine's Day things are not yet discounted, so I used my 40% off coupon on it. The cute quail were a gift from my mom and the heart shaped wood and metal baskets were from Hobby Lobby ages ago when they had them 80% off. :)

For the wreath, I just used my Thanksgiving wreath, took the pine cones off, and added the felt hearts that I hand cut and made to look embroidered. This was very easy to do, I just eyeballed them to cut them out, then used a large eyed needle and some thick thread and just went around the edges.

I like the detail it gives the hearts. Next, I just hot glued them to the wreath. 

 I just looped the doilies through string to hang them.

I have some ideas brewing for home made gifts to the beau, too. That will be tomorrow's project! I hope you all enjoy your long weekend!

 

Linking up With:

Funky Junk Interiors

Craftomaniac Monday

The Girl Creative 

My 1929 Charmer 

Debbiedoos Newbie Party

Funky Junk Interiors SNS 

Finger Prints on the Fridge 

Making Memories in 2012 (and a jar to keep them in)

This year, one resolution we have is to start some new traditions that we can one day do with our children. One of which is an idea I have seen floating around on the internet; to have a jar that we can drop "memories" in such as funny moments, exciting little details, or just a milestone in our year. At the end of 2012, we will pull out the slips of paper and read them to each other as a way to reminisce and recap the year. I got a wee bit of a head start on 2012. :) Happy New Year, blog land!

Linking up To:

Funky Junk Interiors SNS
Debbiedoos Newbie Party
My 1929 Charmer
Singing Three Little Birds
The Girl Creative