Wedding Wednesday

Hello blog world :)

I'm back at this whole thing again. I LOVE the idea of blogs and I absolutely love to write. One would think that blogging would be a very natural endeavor for me, and I happen to agree, however life has gotten in the way in the past and blogging has fallen to the way-side. But here I am again, giving it another go.



I recently got engaged to my amazing boyfriend of nearly 7 years, and have started the whole wedding planning process. Ok, to be honest, I'm one of those girls whose dreamt of her wedding her whole life, so it was basically already planned... Except for any of the logistics. I've started chipping away at  the details and let me just say, WHOA! This stuff is expensive! In my mind I thought any more than $10,000 for a wedding was absurd. Clearly I was delusional. They weren't kidding when they said weddings are a billion dollar a year industry. Now that the boyfriend (I kinda hate the word fiancé, so I don't like to use it)  and I have covered his wants and needs for the wedding and our guest list, I am searching high and low for cost cutting tips, outside of cutting half of our guest list. And as much as I love a DIY, the things that I'm interested in DIY-ing don't add up to much.

Any tips for cost cutting? I'm open to any and all ideas!

Love,

Nicole

Spring 2012 Style Report

I hope everyone had a good weekend! I had a crazy busy weekend. But of course I squeezed in some time to look over Spring trends. I'm seeing so many looks I'm swooning over and so much DIY inspiration it's ridiculous! Color me a happy girl!

 Nautical LOVE! Everything about this ensemble is amazing... I take that back... I can't get on board with the gladiator sandals. They've been lingering around for a while now and maybe it's just because my big ol' Fred Flindstones would look absurd in them, but I think they've gotta go. I can't even imagine the tan lines! But I digress... I am in love with Nautical. The navy, the gold, the stripes, it's all perfection. 

Ab fab!? I love this piece, bit I can't decide how I feel about that much skin showing. Clearly this isn't an outfit you wear a bra with and all I can think about is, one misstep and you're going to be pulling a Janet Jackson. As separates, this skirt is completely on trend with the color blocking, and I'm smelling a DIY coming soon!

The bold and the beautiful! These dresses are striking and I love them!  

So sexy and classy-I dig it!

Feminine and subtly sexy = Ugh YES!

Yummy pastels! Ok ok this dress is completely ridiculous for a Portlander, but it's inspiring a little DIY... and no, I'm not going to be making the head piece... or maayyybbee I am?! 

When you live somewhere that rains more than half the year hoods are your friend. But lets be honest, a hood doesn't exactly scream chic! This however is fabulous, and most definitely on the DIY list!

So lovely!

I am obsessed with this dress!

And this...

And this...

And this...

Well obviously I am in love with pastels! I love the femininity of pastel shades, they feel dainty! What Spring trends do you love?

Love

Nicole

Chalk lovin'

I don't know about you, but there is something about a chalkboard in a kitchen that I love! It just seems to make so much sense. No matter how important the grocery list is, I lose it! I'm pretty sure little elves come hide them from me when I sleep. (Only half kidding) Being able to jot things down as you think of them on a chalkboard, making it impossible to misplace the list, is genius! By now I'm sure everyone knows about chalkboard paint. While the paint is completely awesome, for us renters, it is money down the drain the day you move. I had been thinking I would just buy the paint, when I found chalkboard fabric. The fabric is perfect for someone who doesn't want to buy a whole can of the paint for a small board. 

This DIY Chalkboard is perfect for a renter, easy to make, inexpensive, and really customizable to fit your aesthetic. 

What you'll need:

• A frame of whatever size you choose, with no glass or back - I'm not sure why, but I always see these at garage sales and typically for less than a $1.
• Chalkboard fabric 
• Staple gun
• Double sided sticky tape and foam

Start by stapling the fabric to the frame - You want to make sure you are pulling the fabric as tight as you can. I stapled in an L shape on the frame and then went back and forth between the other sides to prevent rippling. 

I placed each staple approximately 3 inches apart

*Note - Wait till all sides are stapled in place before you trim the excess off. If you cut the fabric to fit first, it will be more difficult to grip and pull tight.

Once your sides are stapled and the excess has been trimmed, place double sided foam tape on the edges of the frame (the foam tape can hold the weight of the frame) and regular double sided tape onto the back of the fabric. The tape on the fabric is as important as the foam tape, because it will keep the fabric tight on the wall.

Press the frame against the wall and run your hand over the fabric to make sure its stuck really good.

And then....

Write your grocery lists and love notes!

I love how my board turned out, and I love that I can take it with me someday or even move it around the apartment. It also added a little flavor to my hideous stock kitchen (you can check out my gross floors in an above picture). So what do you think? Do you have a chalkboard in your kitchen, or do the elves not come to your house and steal your lists? =)

Love
Nicole

Ps. The ledge of the frame, where the glass would normally go, provides the perfect ledge for holding your chalk.