Fall Sunflower Wreath

Happy Labor Day Weekend Y'all!

I had a pretty relaxing weekend, I tried to do basically nothing to decompress after the first two weeks of school, but on Sunday I got my DIY on for the first time in a while.

Guys, I really told myself that I wasn't going to drag out the fall decor until September 22, and I really wanted to mean it. Alas, I lit a fall candle and began decorating.

My fall decorations are basically the same as last year, although I typically change up the arrangement year to year.

The one thing I didn't have is a good fall wreath. I have a burlap wreath that I made a few years back, but I've never really been super in love with it, even though it's good for all seasons.

I believe that patience is a virtue, but I don't have a multitude of it, so instead of waiting a day for Hobby Lobby to open,  I made do. I got the flowers all from Walmart (the were actually all part of a $5 bouquet) and the wreath and berries came from Michael's. I did have the chevron ribbon in my ribbon box, but I believe it is from Hobby Lobby.

Guys, I'm obsessed. I keep opening my door just to see it!

DIY Vanity Desk Makeover | Magnolia Home + Amy Howard

I have spent years lusting over pictures of vanities on Pinterest. I have just always wanted a beautiful place to sit and do my hair and makeup in the morning.

For Christmas this year, my mom found me a refinished desk (and chair) on Craigslist. It was beautiful and the shades of Grey actually perfectly matched my duvet cover. Unfortunately, the person who refinished the desk, didn't do any kind of sanding or stripping and painted latex paint over the already existing varnish. With the the slightest scratch, the paint would just peel right off.

Even so, my vanity has become my happy place. I love starting my day there.

We knew pretty much from day one that we would need to refinish the desk and my mom agreed that as soon as the weather warmed up that she would come over and help with the project. I really wasn't in a super big hurry, though.

Cut to last week, I happened to be in ACE Hardware and saw Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Home paint colors. I fell in LOVE with Ella Rose. My favorite color of all time is light dusty blush pink. I was drooling over several shades wishing that I lived in a house I could paint instead of my apartment, when it dawned on my that I did in fact have a project that I could use the paint on- my vanity.

I decided to use Amy Howard One Step paint and tinted it to the color Ella Rose. This paint boasts that not sanding or stripping in necessary, but I went ahead and sanded anyway to be safe. I'm such a fan of Amy Howard's paint, it goes on smoothly and really goes a long way.

We sanded the desk and chair down to bare wood, so the repainting process went really smoothly. I decided to stain and not paint the top of the desk and used Rust-Oleum's stain in Kona, which is a deep chocolate color. I think it paired really nicely with the Ella Rose color. I sealed the whole thing with Miniwax's Polycrylic in a satin finish.

I decided not to recover the chair cushion yet, I haven't found anything I like better and I think it ties in nicely to the color of my duvet cover. I bought the new drawer pulls on Amazon and I really like the look of them.

pics

Over all, I'm so happy with how this project turned out. A makeover has made my happy place, even happier.

Holy Grail Makeup

I'm definitely not at pro at makeup, but in the last couple of years I've really gotten into it (aka I've gotten older and I need it more). I've tried a lot of both high end and drugstore makeup, and these 12 products are the ones I can't live without.

1. Two Faced Natural Matte Eye Palette I love and adore this palette. On an average day, I am more likely to reach for mattes than shimmers, and there is nothing I reach for more often than this. The shades are so buttery and it is the only palette I own that I use every shade of. Runner up: Two Faced Natural Neutral Eye Palette This palette shares some shades with the matte palette and I often combine the two. The shade "Silk Teddy" is by far my favorite.

2. Rimmel London Stay Matte Primer I have combination to oily skin and this is the best product I've found to keep my makeup on my face. I was formerly a lover of The Makeup Forever primer which costs a hefty $36. I felt that this works as well if not better and is $30 cheaper #doesntbreakthebank

3. Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Dollface Blush is probably the makeup I lose the fastest and this really does stay all day, Dollface was my favorite when I tried them out in store, but they are all beautiful. Runner up: Wet n Wild Color Icon Blush in Mellow Wine This matte blush is gorgeous and super pigmented, it's staying power is pretty good, but not quiet at the level of the Tarte blushes. I love this color for fall and for $1.99, you can't go wrong!

4. Benefit Dallas Blush I know this is technically a blush, but I use it for contour. As a pale girl, this rosy brown is perfect. In the box it appears to have some shimmer, but it goes on matte. Runner up: Two Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer Before I discovered Dallas this was my favorite, this is great, but I find Dallas a bit easier to blend

5. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Taupe I adore this. I have very blonde almost non existent brows and this brings them to life. The taupe is nice because it's super cool toned. I don't know that there is anything better. I would love a drugstore option, but so far nothing has come even close for me.

6. CoverGirl Clump Crusher I'm really picky about mascaras. I need something that's not too wet and has a thin brush. I've bought and given away several high end mascaras and I keep coming back to this. 

7. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion My eyeshadow last so much longer when I wear this. This is an everyday product for me. Runner up: ELF Shadow Lock Eyelid Primer

8. ELF Makeup Mist & Set I was once loyal to the Urban Decay setting spray, but I feel like this works just as well and is super cheap. It's a total win!

9. Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation This foundation is my love. I have several shades I use depending on the time of year and it's pretty flawless for me.

10. Maybelline Shine Free Oil Control Loose Powder This one is an old classic, I seriously fear that they will discontinue it, because it's so dear to my heart. It is exactly what my face needs, is somewhat translucent and sets the whole look.

11. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser I have terrible dark circles and I love the "brightener" shade of this stuff. It has great coverage and doesn't crease!

12. L'oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Gloss I'm not a huge lip person, and most days I just wear balm, but if I am wearing lip color it's this. It sets matte, but is comfortable. My favorite shades are Statement Nude and Forbidden Kiss

Apartment Life: Mini Gallery Wall

I LOVE gallery walls. Really from the moment that I moved into my house, I have pinned several on pinterest. However, living in an small place meant that in my living room the only real location for one was above my couch and I flat out did not love that idea.

I pretty quickly bought this huge map from Hobby Lobby, which I love, and found some prints and arrows coordinated. But it wasn't a true gallery wall.

For a Geography teacher- this print is pretty perfect!

This is an older pic, but I really still love the look of these items above the couch. I designed the smaller framed pictures myself, and I think it all fits the theme of the room well. I do change out the framed pictures for Halloween and Christmastime.

Last year I had picked up two pictures from Hobby Lobby, I bought them on a whim (and on sale) and really didn't know what I would do with them. They sat in the corner of my room for a few weeks until I was given a collage frame for Christmas. "Friends are the family we choose" is a tenant that I live by. I don't have a close relationship with a lot of my family, and I have "adopted" family who are truly my people. I paired it with some prints from Pinterest and it's my favorite part of my living room!

Adventure Themed Classroom!

This year, I embarked on my 4th year teaching. And with that, moved into my 3rd classroom.

I thought, fresh classroom, fresh start and decided to do a huge overhaul. I really wanted my room this year to feel "homey" and less "classroom-y". This year I am teaching Geography, so the adventure theme came naturally!

Most days, I spend more awake time here, than I do at home, so I have to create a space I love!


This summer I purchases a Cricut, which was one of the best things I've ever done. Not only has it fed into my love to monogram- everything, it helped me create my favorite bulletin board ever.

 These are some of the countries we will "visit" this year in Geography. For me, bulletin boards have always been more decorative than anything else, and I LOVE this one. Typically the "new" wears off pretty fast, but two months in, I'm still obsessed!

 Boy Meets World is my favorite show of all time. Mr. Feeny has always been a role model to me. So every one of my classrooms has had "Believe in yourself. Dream. Try. Do good." It's a reminder for me as much as it is for the kids.

Because of the tech set up, my desk needed to be in front of a bulletin board this year, so I decided to make it a picture wall. I made DIY Polaroids, and used my Cricut to cut out the words and bunting, as well as my name for my desk. The blocks on my desk came from ETSY and I LOVE them and always get so many compliments!

The pom-poms were another Pinterest tutorial that I bring back every year, and the other decor was picked up from Hobby Lobby! I could not love this room more and I'm so hoping I keep this room, so I don't have to redo everything next year!

My file cabinet makeover is detailed here :)

Apartment Life: Fall Decor +Halloween Print Freebie

So living in a small space is often a struggle for me. I see all these cool decor ideas online and I just think, "Ughhh why don't I have more space?" However, I do love decorating for the holidays.

I mostly keep my decor limited to the living room, where I spend most of my time, and really the only place guests spend their time. My main floor is just the living room and kitchen, and I've just never gotten too into decorating the kitchen seasonally.

My fall decor is mostly small touches, but I love them so much that I would be sad to see them go- if Christmas wasn't up next!



Orange Pillows- Marshall's
Hey Y'all Pillow- Hobby Lobby (no longer available online)



I made this chalkboard print myself (available below), and these pumpkins have been around since I was a kid



This pumpkin is a new addition this year from Hobby Lobby, I love the look if it!



I found and framed these prints (Wreath, Pumpkins) from pinterest, and I feel like they look like they are meant to go together!



These silk flowers are from Walmart, and I won the vase in a local auction fundraiser. It came from a local store in town, I thought it was beautiful and looked very Kate Spade-esque. I'll definitely keep the vase out and change up the flowers for the seasons!



I'm WAY more into fall decor than Halloween decor, but I love this little skeleton guy! His pumpkin is from Hobby Lobby.



These little guys are from Walmart and meant to be Salt/Pepper shakers, I liked them for decor and they match my big white pumpkin!



This is from Hobby Lobby as well, but also not linked online.



Lastly, my blanket ladder gets some cute plaid blankets!


Here's that chalkboard print for you guys!

Happy Fall Y'all!

DIY Decor: Wood & Fabric Cross Wall Decor

Look who's back, about 14 months later. Oops.

I actually have a few crafty posts to do in the near future, so maybe I'll stick around for awhile, no promises though!


So recently my Grandma saw these beautiful wooden and fabric crosses online and fell in love.



They are totally beautiful, but pricey at $70 a pop.

I decided to try my hand at making her one and honestly this may be one of the easiest DIYs I've ever done. Literally the most difficult part is cutting and sanding down the wood.


My Grandma was so excited she cried! <<I'm not even joking!



The fabric was from Walmart, and very much compliments her house, the flower came from Hobby Lobby.


My best friend teaches at a local Catholic school, so I decided to make her one that would compliment her classroom. In her case both the fabric and flower came from Walmart.



Seriously a simple, cheap and beautiful DIY. My mom has requested that I make her one to hang in a gallery wall! (Hopefully a post to follow when I finish designing her gallery wall!)