DIY Accent Wall to Brighten Our Den

Our house turns 90 next year.

She looks pretty good for her age, huh?

Matt bought this house before we met. He spent the first 4 months he owned the house doing a total rehab of the kitchen... including moving multiple bearing walls, installing cabinets & countertops and repainting EVERYTHING. He loves working on this house.

On my side, I lived in one condo (with my roommate, Ashlee!) where I was able to paint my walls, and I only got through my bedroom (and 3 coats of purple paint on ONE wall) before deciding that the bathroom and hallway were fine just the way they were ;)

Before we started the master bedroom project (one that took almost an entire year, I might add) we committed to making the den habitable so we had a nice place to relax. It was the first room we did together and I loved it.

Curtains: West Elm // Rug: Ikea // Couch & Ottomon: American Signature (similar) //
Shelf: Garage Sale // Pillows: Target // Media Cabinet: Pottery Barn (via Craigslist)

Lamp: Ikea // Side Table: Garage Sale

Ignore the seat from our car when I snapped these photos & messy media cabinet! But you get the idea.

Even though I love this little room, I could never figure out what to put around the TV that wasn't distracting. I liked the yellow accent wall but I realized it didn't serve its purpose of lightening this space up. I also felt like it was a little too matchy-matchy and wanted something different. I think being home for the last several weeks has made me look harder at our house.

I started looking online for inspiration and finally found something on A Beautiful Mess.

via

via

Like I said, I am usually trying to avoid doing work on the house, but I was definitely inspired. I showed Matt this blog on Thursday, and we were making a trip to Home Depot on Friday after work.

By Saturday night we were watching a movie in our newly painted room.

I am in LOVE with how it turned out! It looks super bright because I took these photos in the morning... but it brightens the entire space up! Since our wall didn't have windows like the room on A Beautiful Mess, I decided to space my dots further apart. I also wanted to use metallic paint... it just sounded like fun. We did this wall in less than 24 hours. Here's how.

1 gallon Glidden Marshmallow White  
1 quart of Ralph Lauren Metallic Antique Bullion 
1" flat craft brush (like in this set)

Painted 2 coats of Marshmallow White over my goldenrod yellow wall. I painted the 1st coat Friday night and the 2nd coat Saturday morning. By Saturday afternoon, I was ready to paint my gold spots. 

Now, this was definitely risky -- but I did the gold spots completely free form. 

I decided that life is too short to worry about little gold dots. I did a practice round on our decaying shed out back and just went for it. The key was using the bottom half of the brush and having a fresh dip of paint with every stroke. 

In hindsight, I probably only needed a "sample" size of metallic paint since the dots were single-coat and spaced apart. But I think we'll find a fun way to use it up.

There are a few dots I might erase at some point... but I think it turned out pretty well! Don't you think?

Now I'm searching for a new rug (the $20 Ikea rug is being retired to Matt's office!) and some new pillows. 

Even though I typically avoid working on the house, I really enjoyed this project! I think it might have to do with living here for almost two years now and being ready for a change. Now I'm feeling confident and trying to think of ways to add a fun wall to our guest bedroom/my office.... any ideas? Have you ever painted a free form pattern or accent wall?

xo

CSA Veggies: Sweet Potato Bruschetta

Even though I haven't picked up a CSA in over two weeks (it's over until springs... wahhhhh!) I still have a few sweet potatoes to spare :) However, I was stuck in a bit of a rut, making the same few things with them. Until tonight.

A not to secret is that i LOVE bread. Anything that involves bread, count me in. I'm the person who goes to Panera and PRAYS that they give me the baguette instead of the apple. It's a serious problem. I never buy it because i'll eat the entire loaf, but I love something that makes me think i'm eating bread. Cue bruschetta.

Who doesn't love bruschetta? It's SO GOOD! But instead of bread, i used sliced up sweet potatoes. I barely missed my beloved bread. Not to mention this is vegan, gluten free, paleo, and anything else you can be these days ;) It's also super filling! Great for an appetizer or in addition to a main course.

Sweet Potato Bruschetta

2 - Regular sweet potatoes, peeled
a little grape seed oil for the pan

1 - tbsp olive oil
2 - tomatoes, chopped
2 - green onions, chopped
handful of italian flat leaf parsley
1 - tsp salt
1 - tsp pepper
1 - tsp garlic
1/4 - tsp chili powder
couple dashes of cinnamon

1. Peel your sweet potatoes and then cut them in half, Slice each of the halves into 1/4inch slices.

2. Put a large pan on medium heat and add grape seed oil. Lay the slices of sweet potato in the pan and cover. Flip every 3-4 minutes until cooked through.

3. Chop onion, parsley, and tomato (to pico de gallo consistency), add spices and olive oil, stir and set aside. (Note: Try this, you may want to add a little more chili powder or cinnamon, just to go with the sweet potatoes. Or wait until you try just one slice and then add seasoning accordingly)

4. Once sweet potatoes are browned and cooked through, take off heat and top with tomato mix. Serve immediately, enjoy!

CSA Veggies: Potato Gnocchi

Doing a winter CSA, you're basically guaranteed several pounds of potatoes each week, and perhaps a few other vegetables. To be completely honest, I don't remember the last time I bought potatoes before we signed up for this CSA, so the abundance has been a challenge to use up!

so many potatoes.

I should also mention that I had Yukon Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, and Red Japanese Sweet Potatoes (what?!)

After making mashed potatoes (coming soon) and several soups, I tried to think of any other meals that were primarily made of potato. Finally it hit me - gnocchi.

My first thought was how unhealthy they were. My second thought was how terribly long they would take to make! Not to mention I was hungry RIGHT THEN, and didn't want to wait hours to eat. Once i checked out a few recipes, I combined them to make my own. I ate a handful of almonds to tide me over, and got to work.

Homemade Potato Gnocchi
45-60 min prep time, 5 min cook time
Will make 10-12 servings of gnocchi

4-5 Medium sized potatoes. or 10-12 small ones (if using the baby gold ones) - we used the Japanese Red Sweet Potatoes (they were delicious for this)
1 cup flour; additional for dusting surfaces
2 beaten eggs
salt
optional: 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

1 - Peel potatoes and cut into chunks. Put into a large sauce pan and boil until soft. Potatoes should easily be poked by a fork. About 20 minutes.
2 - Drain potatoes and return to pan. Use potato masher (or ricer if you have one!) until very smooth.
3 - Add flour, eggs, and pinch of salt. Use hands to mix everything until you have a big bowl of very sticky dough. Add parmesan if desired (after initially mixed). Do not use electric mixer.
4 - Put another pot of salted water on so it will be ready for you in a few minutes (if cooking now - if not, skip this step)
5 - Cover flat surface with flour, and begin to make long, skinny tubes of dough. These should be about the size of a nickel around.
6 - Cut the tubes into 1" chunks and set aside until all dough is finished.

If freezing, place on a flour covered cookie sheet or wax paper, and place in freezer overnight. Transfer to freezer bags after 12 hours.

If cooking, place the desired amount of gnocchi in the boiling water. Once the gnocchi float to the top, allow to boil 1-2 more minutes, the remove from heat.

all ready to be frozen

We ate ours with vodka sauce and really enjoyed it. I will say, they are UGLY. I didn't take any photos of them in sauce because they just looked awful (seriously, see above). I will have to work on making mine look like something edible, but they really were tasty.

I'm also really into the idea of these, because it was super short on ingredients, didn't take that long, and made us extra meals for a while! Now we can have 'home made dinner' in 5 minutes on a busy weekday night. YES!

I'd like to experiment with these, see if I can come up with a wheat-free option, perhaps a vegan one as well.

Have you ever made gnocchi before? Any other tips for making them look nicer?

DIY Glitter Votives

I was on the search for some simple festive decor, and i couldn't seem to find anything that wasn't overpriced or SUPER gaudy.

Enter - making it myself.

Here's what you'll need:

A few tubes of glitter. I chose white, silver, and rose gold

Mod Podge

Sponge

Small glass votives

Tea Lights for after

1 - Apply Mod Podge with the sponge to desired areas (I did some all over and some more 'color blocked') - make sure it's not too thick, but covers everything.

2 - Pour glitter over and tap lightly to loosen excess glitter.

3 - Set upside down to dry overnight

4 - Add your tea lights and display proudly! 

DIY Natural Laundry Detergent

So i'll admit it. I'm kind of becoming a hippie.

Maybe not an actual one, but I'm far too aware of all the chemicals in things we use on a daily basis, which has triggered a change. I've been seeking natural alternatives to household products and personal care products.

I started with the detergent because i've heard of friends doing this before, and having wonderful results!

It takes about 5 minutes, and what you make last over 6 months. Not to mention it cost me about $8 for all the ingredients.

Some people use Fels-Naptha soap, but I love Dr. Bronner's everything. Plus it smells amazing! They have lavender, almond, and a bunch of other scents, but we like the peppermint. I also use a cheese grater to shred up the soap. I've read about using a food processor, but mine is a little hard to clean, so I don't want soap bits leftover :)

That's literally it. I put mine in an old Oxy Clean tub and shake it for about 10 seconds to make sure everything is mixed, but you could easily use regular tupperware or any other type of bin. I found that i need about 1/8 cup for a normal wash, 1/4 cup if it's really large or really dirty. You could mark an old laundry scoop or use a leftover measuring cup you don't use anymore. 

You could make as large or as small portions of this as you wanted, just stick to the 2 parts Borax, 2 Parts Washing Soda, 1 part grated soap. The baking soda isn't even completely necessary, but it's naturally anti bacterial and doesn't hurt :)

Have you ever made your own cleaning supplies before? 

Five on Friday - Link Up

I thought it would be fun to get involved with some other bloggers.... so here it goes!


1 - Upcoming 'Friendsgiving' Celebration

eInvites via PaperlessPost!

We are hosting a dinner for everyone in our Village (read: our church's word for 'small group') two days before actual thanksgiving, since most of us won't be here! I am beyond excited as this is my first time hosting a Thanksgiving type celebration, and my hosting brain is on overload. I bought cloth napkins, i'm crafting, i'm dreaming up signature cocktails, and reading as many magazines as i can to find perfect recipes. Here, here, and here are where i'm getting some of my ideas!

2 - Bath & Body Works Seasonal Candles

Some people are all about Christmas music.... I'm personally all about the candles. If you ever are at my house, chances are I'm burning at least one. But holiday season cables are the BEST! I've been enjoying Bergamot Estates and Leaves for Fall.... they're so cozy without being overwhelming (I'm not into sweet candles, so the apple pies and pumpkin doughnuts are NOT my personal style!), but just this week as the temperatures went FREEZING around here, I had to bust out a Fresh Balsam candle at my desk. It makes me so happy! I also have a coupon for $10 off $30 purchase.... which I intend to use during a 2 for $22 sale and get myself 4 candles for $30! EXCITED! Any new scents I should try?

3 - Upcoming Trip

Capella Ixtapa, in Ixtapa, Mexico

Big Sky, Montana

In just under two weeks, i'll be leaving for about 13 days to celebrate my first anniversary in Mexico, Thanksgiving/Christmas with Matt's family in Bismarck, ND, and take our annual snowboarding trip to Big Sky, Montana!! Thanks to a little something called the Multi-Way ticket, we were able to do all three of these trips by hopping from place to place instead of making three separate trips - for the price of just ONE of these trips. BNA -->ZIH, ZIH-->BZN, BZN-->BIS, BIS-->BNA. Yeah. We'll be on a lot of freaking planes.... and going from 90 degrees down to 9 degrees. Also, i'm convinced i'll only take a carry on. So wish me luck ;) But I can't wait to get in all sorts of quality time! QT with just Matt, QT with family, and QT with awesome friends. Stay tuned for updates on these travels.

4 - Steve the Kitten :)

This little guy is 100% personality and he makes me *SO HAPPY*. Yes, I am a cat lady, and i'm pretty excited about it. I wanted a kitten my entire life and Matt got him for me as a birthday present this year. The gift that actually keeps on giving.... because every day he snuggles up next to me and purrs like crazy... and it's all i ever wanted. I love my little Stevie kitty! He's sitting on my lap as I'm writing this... what a little love. Also, disclaimer: I did not name him Steve. The deal was if I got a cat, Matt was allowed to pick the name... and the name would definitely be Steve. So here we are, with our Steve. But i think it fits him pretty well ;)

5 - New Routine

Now that it's cold outside, it's even HARDER to get out of bed, especially with nowhere to go at a specific time most mornings.... so i decided I needed a routine. I get up and walk about two blocks to 8th & Roast, a coffee shop right by my house. Despite the cold, the walk there warms me up, and i get to enjoy a nice cup of coffee when I get there. Sometimes I bring a magazine or a journal, sometimes I've just been sitting and relaxing. It's become an extremely enjoyable part of my day.

Happy Friday!
xo

Link up here if you'd like to join!

Brussel Sprouts: Not the Enemy

Poor, poor brussel sprouts. They have such a bad wrap.

And to be honest.... I have no idea why! I'm going to blame TV shows for this one, because I seem to remember most characters turning their nose to brussels.

Or something like that.

I remember being a kid and thinking THANK GOODNESS MY MOM DOESNT MAKE THOSE. Even though I was not a picky child, the idea of brussel sprouts made me nervous.

I'm 27, and I will admit - I just tried brussel sprouts for the first time about 2 months ago. In those 2 months, I've ended up eating them 1-3 times a week. Because they are DELICIOUS. And i can't believe i spent 26 years without them, thinking they were disgusting!

If you think they are disgusting, you're totally entitled to that opinion. HOWEVER - I'm guessing they tasted disgusting because they were mushy and gross. And i agree, that sounds awful.

When brussels are cooked properly, the taste is to die for. Plus they are hearty, filling, and full of good for you stuff. WIN!

My Brussels Recipe

- 1 bag of brussel sprouts (mine were from Trader Joes. They also have them at Publix, Whole Foods, etc). This bag probably contains 20-25 brussels.
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil/coconut oil (or whichever oil you prefer to cook with, those are just the ones i use for high heat!)
- 1 tbsp (or less) of grated parmesan cheese.
- sea salt and pepper to taste

I cut the bottoms off of my brussels, then cut them in half. Throw them in a bowl with the oil, salt and pepper. Mix them around, then throw em on a large skillet.

I turn the stove on HIGH and let them cook as it heats up (i also have a gas stove). For the first 3-5 min, i move them around a lot. After they start to soften up, i try to flip them all so they are cut side down.

Then i grate a little parmesan cheese on top. Not too much even, but the smokeyness opens up so much over heat.

They should be done within 7-10 minutes total. Once they start to get juuuuuust a little brown on the bottoms, they're done! Remove from heat and transfer into serving dish. Grate a little more cheese on top.

YUM.

When i'm talking about the cheese, it's really a minimal amount. it does not need to be covered in cheese for you to get the flavor! It's so smokey and delicious with just a little.

Come on, give them a try! If you don't believe me that they're delicious, just let me know when you want to come over for dinner so I can make them for you.

ENJOY!

xo


PS - to any Nashvillians reading this - try the Brussel Sprouts at Virago. They are absolutely divine.

Broiled Grapefruit

This is the easiest, and most delicious thing you can make if you're looking for a new spin on fruit, or if you're avoiding sweets!

Broiling a grapefruit. Yes, it's that simple.

I've had this at a local restaurant, but they use a torch (like for crème brûlée), but i'm a normal person with limited kitchen tools (let's be honest, i don't even have a mixer), so i just broiled it :)

Broiled Grapefruit

Ingredients

- 1 large grapefruit, cut down the middle

- Optional: 1 tbsp of sugar, brown sugar, agave, honey, etc. Totally optional!

Directions

- Turn your oven or toaster oven to BROIL HI.

- Cut your grapefruit right down the middle (not from 'top' to bottom... you want the nice little triangles! I'd also suggest using a small knife to cut along the lines of the trianlges... it's a little harder post broil. But whichever works!)

- Optional: Dust 1tbsp of sugar over the top. This is not necessary, but just adds an extra touch of sweet if you want it! Also, try with agave. DELICIOUS!

- Pop in the oven on a cookie sheet. Watch. Takes about 5-8 minutes, but when the peel starts to get a little crispy, it's time to take it out! Your grapefruit should be bubbling by now, and look like this

Yes. Delicious. DIG IN and ENJOY! This could be breakfast, brunch, snack, dessert, side.... you name it. It goes great for any type of occasion and couldn't be simpler to prep.

I suggest eating out of a bowl, as it's pretty juicy. And there is no judgement if you want to drink the excess juice out of the bowl afterwards. I mean, i didn't do that or anything.....

xo

DIY Almond Milk + Almond Milk Cinnamon Sugar Coffee Creamer + Almond Meal (or almond flour)

I've been drinking almond milk for years, because i've always been weary of too much dairy in my system. And to be completely honest, i'd rather save my dairy consumption for cheese.

I always thought drinking the unsweetened, 40 calories, plain almond milk was healthy, and most likely only included almonds as the ingredients! I also was wondering how to "milk" an almond.......

Turns out my unsweetened almond milk wasn't as healthy as i thought (and i won't lie.... i tried to turn Matt from regular milk to almond milk since i'm kinda convinced he's lactose intolerant and i thought it was better for him!)

i can't say most of those words.

Low in calories, and the fat included is of course good fat from nuts! But what is D-alpha-tocopherol....?


Well, you learn something new every day.

So i decided i was going to milk my own almonds.... somehow.

I did a little research, and learned about something called a cheese cloth. They also make ones for nuts, called nut milk bags. I bought mine here.

The entire process is so easy, you aren't going to believe it. It would actually take you longer to *go* to the store and buy almond milk, except one part that involves time overnight. This recipe makes 2 quarts of almond milk. I chose to make 1 quart of milk, and dffffhhvvvvvvvh1/2 quart of almond milk creamer instead.

Ingredients

1 cup of raw almonds (none of this dry roasted or salted business!)
8 cups of water, additional 4 cups / 2 cups of fresh water.
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Optional ingredients for coffee creamer:
3 tbsp. agave
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

Almond Milk

First, take your 8 cups of cold filtered water and put it in a bowl (i actually put mine in the blender to soak. Hey, one less dish to do!) Add your cup of almonds. Add your salt. Allow to soak overnight. So do this process right before you to go bed, and you can make your milk in the morning! Or throw them in before you go to work, let them soak throughout the day, etc. But 8-12 hrs of soaking is great, up to 24 hrs is fine.

Once your almonds have soaked, drain and rinse them. You don't want to use that water, because the salt breaks down acids and builds enzymes in your almonds. I don't necessarily know what that means, but everything i've read suggests this is beneficial! Anyway, once you've rinsed your almonds, take half of them and put them in the blender with 4 cups of water. Put the lid on, and blend like crazy for about 2 minutes. Once your almonds are pulverized, take your cheese cloth or nut milk bag and put it over your pitcher or a bowl. Pour the pureed almonds into the cloth, and allow the milk to sift through. Use your hands to squeeze it out, so all the liquid is in the bowl/pitcher, and the dry almond meal is left in the cloth. PLEASE DONT THROW THAT AWAY! Set in a tupperware for later. We'll get there :)

That's it. Put in a pretty jar and enjoy! I'm using a 1 quart mason jar.

Coffee Creamer

Take the remaining portion of almonds and add to blender with half the water you used for your milk (i used 2 cups last time, and i think next time i'll use about 1.5 cups to make it a bit creamier!). Blend water and almonds for 2 minutes.

Same as last time.... strain the milk through the cloth, save the almond meal.
This time, return the milk to the blender and add 3-4 tbsp of agave, and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Blend for 1-2 minutes until well mixed. continue to sweeten to taste.

This is the flavor combo i used, but the sky is the limit! If you have pure vanilla or pure hazlenut, go for it! I also thought pumpkin spice would be easy to make with pumpkin pie seasoning. My only advice is to add a little less than you think, and just continue to sweeten by adding a little more and blending for another 30 seconds,

Now you have gorgeous, chemical free, gluten free, dairy free, paleo, and did i mention DELICIOUS almond milk and creamer, just waiting for your breakfast.

Almond milk and creamer last about 5-7 days in the fridge.
Note: They will separate in the fridge. Totally normal. Just give it a shake before you use it!

Now, what to do with that almond meal

If you don't have some time to be around the house right now, have no fear - you can put this in an air tight container in the freezer for a few weeks.

Put your oven on 170 while you prep. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle the almond meal over it evenly. Pop it in the oven for about 2-3 hrs, or until it's totally dry. I left my oven cracked just a little to help this process.

Once it's dry, put it in the food processor or blender to make sure its very fine in consistency. Now you're ready to bake with almond meal! Which if you haven't done before, is delicious.

Not to mention, it's crazy expensive in the store. and by using the milk and the meal, you're creating NO waste and totally getting your money's worth!

Do you think i'm crazy? Try it.... way easier than you think! :)

Rethink Your Greens

When I became a vegetarian, I did so because of a location change and the fact that i'd been living with a veggie - and not eating much meat at all.

The questions you get when you become a vegetarian are "how do you get enough protein? what about iron? do you only eat salad? are you EVER full?"

The answers are: yes, yes, no, and YES!

Just to confuse you a little bit, technically i am a 'lacto-ovo pescatarian' - this means i eat eggs and dairy (lacto-ovo), plus fish (pesca). Which takes care of my protein and often helps me fill up. Along with other proteins like chick peas, black beans, and quinoa.

But there are only 2 things really that are high in iron: red meat and dark, leafy greens. So, i decided i had to step up my game with the greens - and i love them.

There is WAY MORE to greens than lettuce, and i'm going to highlight a few that i absolutely love.

1 - Swiss Chard

On top of being delicious, swiss chard is the #2 vegetable out there you can eat. There are just vitamins on top of vitamins and it's thick, hearty texture is great for a variety of things.

I chop up chard for a salad, add to sandwiches, throw in with quinoa or pasta. And it's delicious. My fave prep is sauté with lemon, garlic, and S&P to taste - until it's cooked down. Serve as a side or on top of a grain. 

There's also colored chard.... it looks a little more fun and tastes awesome!

For more info: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16

2 - Kale

When i was in high school, i worked at a chain seafood restaurant, so every plate was served with a garnish of lemon wedge on top of a piece of kale. Then, it was basically thought of this basic greenery. Since, people have really explored the perks of kale! Wayyyy more than a cheap garnish.

It goes great with citrus (there are tons of recipes for this online). This is also a good one to throw into omelets, smoothies, or juices! It's got a soft enough texture that it cooks down/blends easily and can add some fast vitamins to your meal or snack.

3 - Bok Choy

This was part of my dinner last night. The stalks are really thick like celery and the leaves are very spinach like. i chop it up in big chunks and season it, throw it on a hot skillet and go to town. The texture is different, but i really enjoy it.

4 - Arugula

Have you ever eaten a salad made with 'spring mix', when suddenly there's a little burst of FLAVOR in your lettuce? Pepper-y, almost? That's arugula. It's by far my favorite flavor addition. I grew arugula in my garden last year, and it was the best! I had handfuls to add to salad, pasta, eggs, rice.... anything. It adds a splash of color and flavor to every savory meal. It naturally has that 'pepper' flavor and it's naturally delicious. So now when i make salads, i use about 2/3 kale or chard, and 1/3 arugula for added flavor and texture. My other favorite thing to add it to pasta with some chopped tomato and parmesan cheese. Simple and absolutely delicious. 

So, if you're bored with your veggie selection, there's always something new out there to try :) These just happen to be some that i love personally for their flavor, versatility and availability (they're in every grocery store - trader joes, publix, kroger, whole foods. Also, available in regular or organic brands.)

ENJOY!

A Little About Our Wedding

Yes... crazily enough... i am now a married woman. 7 months and 4 days of dating, 63 days of engagement. If you haven't spent time around me with Matt, you probably think we're crazy. But i think it's the right kind of crazy, because i simply adore him :)

If there's anything i've learned over the past 4 or 5 years through my own experience and through doing life with friends, it's simply this - everyone has their own story.

and i *love* ours.

If it was my decision, you'd be reading a blog about how matt and i eloped and ran away to greece!!!!!

But alas, he wanted a real wedding. And i know if it was the other way around, he would have made sure i had the perfect wedding - so i practice that compromise thing everyone is always talking about in marriage ;)

I'm writing this blog because i've had a lot of people ask me about the planning aspect of our wedding, especially with a short engagement and not spending a fortune! I've never liked spending a lot of money, unless it's on a plane ticket. Here are some of the details that went into our big day.

Our Short Little To-Do List.... :)

1 - The style

Although it's what's popular right now, i've always loved vintage stuff. All of my furniture is my grandparents, from a yard sale, or quite frankly found on the side of the road. So, all of my natural tendencies are to go for something slightly worn over something new and shiny. So i trusted my gut (and i'm SO GLAD i did!)

All of the furniture we used for the wedding was ours already or Matt built it. He built about 20 pallet benches, that we actually sold after the wedding. Otherwise, we used my dresser (gifted to me from my grandpa's house), my vintage trunk (found on the side of the road). Plus candles, candles, candles. I bought all of the pillar candles i could find, because i LOVE candles. They make everything cozy.

2 - Invitations

After going back and forth on designs, colors and everything else.... we both decided we wanted something beautiful and simple. I didn't want a flashy colorful invitation, but i wanted something that reflected our style - vintage, shabby chic. So after a great idea from Matt, we checked out stamps on Etsy. We ordered two custom stamps (one of our logo - M+R in a heart, and one of our actual invitation details), bought stock paper from the craft store, and we made the invitations.

M+R Stamp - http://www.etsy.com/listing/89481555/personalized-solid-heart-hand-carved?ref=pr_shop

Wedding Invite Stamp - http://www.etsy.com/shop/lovetocreatestamps?section_id=5677892

Total Cost: $95 + 2 hrs of creating/addressing

I absolutely loved them. Not to mention, i used the rest of the card stock and M+R Stamp to write thank you notes, and in other aspects of our wedding

Our Mad Libs - an alternative to the guest book!

Customized Vino - created by yours truly

Labels for food - it's important to know where the peanut butter cups are on the dessert tray!

3 - Flowers

This was a fall wedding, so it was hard to find the things i wanted that were in season. I wanted "dusty" colors, all very light, as that was the developing theme. 

I chose garden roses, because they are HUGE - similar to peonies (which are not a November flower). I used the purple lionium instead of lavender, which was also out of season. And the greens were sage and eucalyptus - they were both chosen because they were almost a faded green, and not super bright. My bouquet had gardenias in it - my favorite - and were the most expensive part of the entire process.

I was also lucky to have a friend volunteer her flowers arranging services. Megan did the most amazing job arranging our bouquets, boutonnieres, and misc. arrangements throughout the wedding! We ordered the flowers from Import Flowers, and they were designed by our dear friend Megan! - www.impfl.com

Our Flowers: $215 total. And we had tons left over!

5 - Cake

I wasn't set on a traditional cake. I also didn't want to do cupcakes. My friend Pam suggested a friend of hers that does cake pops! I LOVED this idea. We ended up ordering oreo (my favorite) cake pops and cheesecake (matt's favorite) as well. We also got a small, red velvet rose cake for us to cut (per matt's request!). 

They were delicious, as well as adorable.

Cake pops: 75cents each, + cake + delivery - $200 (note: we probably had 100 pops left over!)

To order from Sam (she does small and large orders!) - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Sam/338201469622230?ref=ts&fref=ts

7 - Bridal Party Wardrobe

Personally, i've never had to spend more than $50 on a dress to be in a wedding. And i think that's awesome. I feel very lucky to also have always felt comfortable in the dress i was asked to wear - bonus! So, with that in mind, we let our bridal party pick their own outfits in a color scheme.

The Inspiration

Dusty, light pinks and purples for the girls

Grey cardigans or vest for the guys... with dark jeans

The Outcome

I was pretty happy with the way it looked :)

We got the ties for the boys, and we got them from http://www.solidcolorneckties.com/ - which sounds insane. But seriously, the ties were about $6 each and had free shipping. WIN!

7 - Venue

This one was the biggest thing for us. I was dying to get married outside. Even though it was a total gamble in November (btw - we couldn't have been luckier, with a sunny, 70 degree day), but i was hell bent. I also was furious that most venues, ie a patch of grass with an electrical outlet were trying to charge upwards of $7000 for 8 hours. And it didn't include anything. This might be typical for a wedding, but i KNEW there had to be a better way.

We stayed about as local as we could - and got married on the front porch of a bed and breakfast that shares a backyard alley with matt's (now, our) home. It couldn't have been more perfect.

Afterwards, we moved the party to our backyard - which was my favorite decision we made.

We spent money re-doing the backyard and making imporvements to it, rather than renting a space. We now have a beautiful backyard for hosting friends and family! It was win-win. 

before the party started

8 - DIY Photo Booth

I have a dear friend who deserves credit for allowing me to borrow his camera set up (in exchange for me promising to take very very good care of it!). I bought a handful of dress-up items (pirate hat, feather boa) and printed out some funny phrases, as well as some celeb faces (let's be honest, i just wanted justin timberlake at my wedding) and matt and i's as well - because i thought it was funny :)

Cost: Probably like $20 on props and printing.

I should also probably mention, the most important thing on my radar was our PHOTOGRAPHER! And we made an amazing decision with Eden! The photos above are by her, and i love them :) 

www.edenfrangipane.com

Those are probably the questions we've been asked about the most. Everyone has their own style, and i felt like our wedding was ours! It was a great day, and i'm glad it turned out the way it did :)