Happily Ever After

This weekend Kate Middleton celebrated her first year anniversary with her prince. Because I had to study basically all weekend, I was able to watch a special on the couple one year later! Here is a look at Kate's first year as royalty...

In between studying/watching royal couple specials, I did manage to venture out for drinks with some of my best friends. What a great way to unwind!

 

I also took a break yesterday to catch some rays and read in the park. Catching Fire is done and I can't wait to be on to the next book! 

Everything Paper!

Ever since choosing our wedding invitations, I have gotten really into paper goods! I love looking a beautiful invitations, especially letterpress! One of the things I had on my list of things to do post-wedding was teach myself calligraphy. I don't have time to go to a class, so I bought a book and began my first lesson this week! So far I'm just learning the basic strokes of the letters. Next, I will learn capital letters, numbers, and how to connect the letters. Here are some of my practice sheets:  

I wish that I could learn everything before my thank you notes go out!! But considering I've addressed most of the thank you notes and they will go out within the next two weeks, I don't think its an option. Maybe for our christmas card???

Ohhh gorgeous letterpress, I could look at you all day!

Old Window Project

I've finally completed my old window project and hung it on the wall. This has been one of my first successful DIY projects and I can't wait try some others! I distressed the old window with paint, and then replaced the glass panes with mirrors. This was my inspiration for the project from Pottery Barn: 

Step 1: Get an old window. I bought my window from an antique store on the side of the road for 10 dollars. I tried to find one that was structurally sound, but other than that it doesn't really matter what it looks like.

Step 2: Clean the window. Although you won't ever see any of the dirt after the painting, you need to make sure you have a clean surface to paint on. After this you will also want to sand it a little to make it a smooth canvas.

Step 3: Pop out the glass. If you are going to put mirrors in the window or a chalk board, etc. you need to get the old glass out of the window first. My glass just kind of popped out the back because the caulk was really old. I had to bring in back up for this part :)

Step 4: Prime the window. I used Bulls Eye 123 Primer for all surfaces. It went on easy and covered well. 

Step 5: Fake the wood. When you distress the window at the end, parts of the wood will be showing through. I used brown paint to get the window the color that I wanted.

Step 6: Wax it. Using a candle, rub wax onto the surfaces where you’d like to see some of your fake wood exposed. Edges, and corners are all places that would normally see some wear and tear. After you rub the wax on use a paint brush to lightly dust off the excess so that there aren't remnants on the wood. 

Step 7: Paint it. I chose Princess Ivory and I actually only did one coat of paint to increase the weathered effect. 

Step 8: After the paint dries, take a butter knife and lightly rub it over the areas where you put the wax. This will cause the top layer of paint to come off, revealing the fake brown wood look. Don't rub too hard though!

 Find a great place to hang it and enjoy it!! 

 

 

Weekend Recap

Ohhh Monday, you came way too quickly this week. My last weekend of freedom before finals was fun/relaxing at the same time. On Friday night, I packed up a picnic dinner and headed downtown to meet Blake outside of the courthouse. We had dinner on the tables in front of the building and the weather was perfect! It was also surprisingly quiet so we had a great date to celebrate our one month of marriage! I made chicken cutlet subs, packed some snacks, and baked cookies. 

After dinner we went to the Aziz Ansari comedy show at TPAC. He was the funniest comedian I have ever seen. If he comes to your city buy tickets to his show immediately!! 

Saturday, I headed to brunch with some friends while Blake took care of some things around the house. We had a girls brunch at Tavern and it was so delicious! 

Saturday night, we made fajitas and relaxed on the couch watching Will Ferrell movies. Sunday we got up, cleaned the house, and headed to Radnor Lake for a walk with our dog Penny. The weather was cool, but perfect for a walk. Penny was excited about her trip there if you can't tell!

Hope you all had a great weekend! 

A Picnic Dinner

Tomorrow, Blake and I have tickets to the Aziz Ansari comedy show at TPAC. We got the tickets as a wedding gift from one of Blake's friends. It was such a unique gifts and I can't wait for the show because I have heard Aziz is hysterical! Before the show, I am going to bring dinner downtown to meet Blake after work, and we are going to have our own little picnic outside of the courthouse on one of the little tables. I turned to Pinterest (obviously) for some inspirations: 

Chevron Craze

I have been seeing a ton of Chevron in stores, blogs and on Pinterst lately. The pattern suits the bold colors of summer perfectly. With the season upon us, I want to figure out ways to incorporate the pattern into my style and decor. 

 And maybe even try out a few chevron DIY projects I found on Pinterest....

 {DIY napkins)}

 {DIY flat tray}

 {DIY wall art}

{DIY beverage tray}

{DIY accent wall- might be a bit ambitious!}