house decor – Page 2 – emerald city diaries

friday I’m in love.

this will be a new series where I will write about things we are loving each week, whether it be a product we’re using, a recipe we’re eating, or something we’re doing. some weeks will be more exciting than others but this is a chance for me to share a little more about the small things happening and a chance to write more freely about whatever topic I choose. I hope you enjoy it! I am excited to see how it evolves over time. I am also excited that Kendra will be sharing the same each week, so make sure you pop over to her blog too to see what she’s up to. we would also love for you to join us! leave a comment and we’ll come check out what you’re loving each week!

{one} the sjp collection at nordstrom.

have you heard about this? I have been anticipating it since it was first announced this past summer & can hardly contain my excitement! I am a HUGE sjp fan, both as carrie bradshaw and as herself. {its really great to see such a chic gal who isn’t as tall as a super model!} plus, nordstrom? I can’t think of a better collab. seattle might not be the trendiest of cities, but it does boast the flagship nordy’s. the collection is set to launch of february 28th & I bet you can guess what will be on my birthday wishlist this year!

{two} caramelized butternut squash, crispy kale, & fontina pizza.

aaron has been making pizza for years, even making his own dough & pesto for a while there! we both like pesto-based pizzas {rather than traditional red sauce} but are pretty open to a wide variety of toppings. I am always interested when I see a new pizza recipe, & this one is no exception. butternut squash, kale, & pomegranate seeds on a pizza? count us in. we are planning on making {& enjoying} it this weekend!

{three} sadie had surgery last week {mentioned here} to have a growth removed. it grew so fast that we {okay, just me!} were worried. aaron got a call from the vet today & the growth was benign. yay! feeling very lucky that our sweet dog has a clean bill of health!

{four} beats by dre x beats pill “happy.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH1FCBmcNGg&w=448&h=252&hd=1]

uh, yes. this is a commercial. the first time I heard this song, I was hooked! plus, I sorta love those speakers dancing around…

{five} target threshold tufted bench.

I saw this bench from target’s new threshold collection & I am so in love! it’s a great looking piece for a great price {$99!}. it would be great at the end of a bed, or in a small entryway. now, where could I find a place for it…

what are you loving this week?

catalog feature {west elm}.

as some of you know {from our christmas letter or instagram & twitter} our living room had a small feature in the january west elm catalog. to say I am ecstatic is an understatement! thank you also to all of you who have shown your support – we feel very loved!

{if you are interested, here is the living room post featuring our west elm curtains & the dining room update featuring our chandelier.}

thanks west elm!

do you ever give a shout-out to companies you love? have you ever felt the love in return?

my weekend in pictures.

{watched despicable me 2 on an exciting friday night.}

{after lunch with amanda, we indulged with a cupcake from trophy.}

{we took a family walk to & around greenlake on sunday morning. it was so incredibly gorgeous (this picture doesn’t do it justice!).}

{decided I should probably pack up the christmas decorations. the house is definitely not feeling as festive…}

{aaron took down the lights from the outside of the house. & apparently he was also doing some strength training as well.}

so here is my weekend post. on monday evening. where did the weekend go? I swear there weren’t enough days that passed from friday night to last night to count as an entire weekend. I blinked & went from saturday to monday! I am blaming on it being such a weird week since the holiday was on wednesday… how was your weekend? M

highlights of 2013.

{via}

happy 2014!

i’ve said it before, & i’ll say it again!, yearly recaps are always my favorite kinds of blog posts. its a small way to sum up your year & to see how much the last 365 days have brought. as i look forward to the New Year, i am humbled & grateful by all of the wondrous events of 2013. here’s the rundown of ours:

january: I started out the new year with a bout of the flu. we hosted our first blog giveaway! we installed the west elm hanging capiz chandelier over our dining room table. I framed my diy polaroids for our bedroom walls. amanda & I met john & sherry from young house love during their book signing tour! I diy-ed campaign dressers for our bedroom.

february: I did lots of diy-ing for valentine’s day {here, here, & here} I celebrated my birthday! we bought a kitchen island. I tried to be better about getting in front of the camera!

march: I tried my hand at painting an antler {& was so impressed with the results!}. we took my 91-year-old grandmother to target for the first time! amanda & I diy-ed framed house keys on maps. we sold jez the jetta & bought a new car.

april: we updated our bathroom vanity with a converted antique sideboard. we updated the closet doors by stripping off the old paint in a crock pot. we celebrated our one year anniversary in our house & I reviewed all of the house diys!

may: we finally got some good weather in seattle! I painted the ceiling & hallway walls. we celebrated aaron’s thirtieth birthday with a beer tasting party! we had a fun-filled memorial day weekend. we were featured in west elm’s blog front & main.

june: aaron replaced our toilet. sadie was featured in the seattle dog spot blog. my parents visited for a long weekend en route to the olympic peninsula. my diy his & hers maps were featured. we finally got some summer weather!

july: we celebrated the long Fourth of July weekend with a holiday parade, fireworks, & time with friends. I made a nine layer ombre cake! we replaced our kitchen track lights with globe pendants from west elm. we road-tripped to idaho for my ten-year high school reunion. we started growing our first eggplant.

august: we celebrated our three year wedding anniversary. the blog got a Liebster Award Nomination. I diy-ed the tiniest baby hats for our friends’ new baby. we road-tripped to hood river, oregon to celebrate my cousin’s wedding.

september: we went to the husky vs. bronco game to kick-off labor day weekend complete with husky-style tailgating {via boat}. we took advantage of the warm weather & cleaned up the front yard with a fun game called love it or lose it. we celebrated sadie’s ninth birthday! I attended the Alt Summit for Everyone blog conference.

october: I attempted to start doing fashion posts again. we celebrated our two year blog anniversary at emerald city diaries! I finished up with the #embracethecamera challenge. we went to the pumpkin patch & carved pumpkins with friends.

november: aaron joined a team for movember 2013. we snuck off to hawaii for thanksgiving.

december: I reviewed some of my favorite weekend in pictures pics. I participated in A Pinterest Christmas for the third year {see this year’s projects here, here, here, here, & here}! we celebrated Christmas in indiana with aaron’s family.

reflecting back on this year, i am reminded how blessed we are & also how different this year has been than the year previous. it has been such a wonderful year & ringing in a new one is a bit bittersweet.

how was your 2013 – was it a year to remember, or are you itching to start 2014 already?

see past yearly highlights for 2011 & 2012.

a pinterest christmas: glitter letter garland & chalkboard wreath.

welcome to week three {& the final project} of a pinterest christmas! {see the first two weeks of projects here, here, here, & here} i have been eyeing the glitter letter garlands that have been floating around Pinterest & the inter-webs for some time now, waiting for the perfect occasion to make one {if christmas isn’t the perfect occasion for glitter, i don’t know what is!}. i also wanted to make use of our chalkboard entry again & found a fun way to marry these two projects.

{original pinterest link – glitter letters}

supplies:

letter stencils – i made my own in Word
glitter cardstock – i got mine from Michael’s
scissors
exacto knife – i highly recommend this for cutting out the inside of the “a”
plastic straw – {optional} i used to string the letters onto ribbon
ribbon/twine/string
glue – {optional to use with straw} i used tacky craft glue

first i chose the phrase i wanted to use. “fa la la la” seemed like a fun choice! then i made my stencils using Word. i just typed in the letters i needed – F, L, A – & played with the fonts & sizes until i found something i liked.

then i cut out my stencils, traced them backwards onto the back {non-glitter} side of the cardstock, & cut out the letters.

in order to string the letters onto the ribbon i chose, i decided to give a straw a try. i cut a plastic straw into small pieces, about an inch or so {less than the width of the top of the letter to disguise it} & glued the side of the straw to the back of the top of each letter.

i then strung each letter onto the ribbon.

for the chalkboard wreath, i decided on the empty wall where i drew last year’s festive chalkboard art {see here} as it is the first thing you see when you walk thru our front door. my main goal for this wreath was to create a simple backdrop for the glittery garland.

{original pinterest link – no original link}

i started by softly outlining the shape of the wreath in chalk so that it was big enough for the garland to stretch across. then I erased the lines I drew with a wet washcloth in the circle shape that I wanted. i started to add white dots within the wet area, followed by red & green ones. I added dots somewhat randomly & then stepped back to see where I needed to fill in. it wasn’t a very scientific process & I liked that it didn’t need to be perfect {which is a lot if you know me!}.

i hung the garland across using push pins after I had the basic shape in place so I could use it for reference.

ready for some more {p}inspiration? check out these ladies:

amanda @ Without A Doubt

maggi @ Greg, Maggi, & Rodney

abbi @ The Pena Family

kendra @ The Gilbertson Family

{also, catch up on the last two years on my diy tutorials page here.}

have you been {p}inspired by any christmas projects this year?

a pinterest christmas: kraft paper table runner.

this is not really a christmas-y craft, but it was a fun addition to the snowglobe forest i shared on wednesday {see here}. you could make this paper runner for any occasion, or just for your everyday table.

{original pinterest link – paper table runner}

supplies:

paper – i used the kraft paper roll from aaron’s birthday {see here}
scissors
ruler
pencil
chalkboard paint pen

i started by measuring my table & figuring out how wide & long i wanted the runner to be. then i measured out & cut my kraft paper to make the basic runner {it was a really long rectangle}.

then i had to figure out what shape i wanted the end of the runner to be – straight, one pointy end, or two pointy ends. i chose two pointy ends, & measured & cut .

i could have just left the runner as is but i liked the idea of having some kind of design that ran along the edges of the runner. i went with a simple dot & dash pattern that i freehanded with a chalkboard paint pen.

finally i placed my new runner on the table & set up my snowglobe forest.

i like the way that kraft paper runners look, but they are also really practical since you can use them to protect your table from food {& throw away afterwards} or for a distraction for kids or dinner guests {just leave out some crayons!}. i like to cover our table, sideboard, or kitchen island with kraft paper when we are entertaining to fancy up those spaces a bit, but also to streamline clean-up {no laundry like with cloth runners or tablecloths!}.

ready for some more {p}inspiration? check out these ladies:

amanda @ Without A Doubt

maggi @ Greg, Maggi, & Rodney

abbi @ The Pena Family

kendra @ The Gilbertson Family

{also, catch up on the last two years on my diy tutorials page here.}

have you been {p}inspired by any christmas projects this year?

a pinterest christmas: mason jar snowglobe forest.

welcome to the second week of a pinterest christmas! {see last week’s here & here} this snowglobe project is one that i have been wanting to do for the last few years & i am so thrilled with how it turned out {& how easy it is}!

{original pinterest link – mason jar snowglobe}

supplies:

jars – i used various sizes including mostly mason jars & baby food jars
trees with wooden bases* – i picked up an assortment of trees from Michael’s
craft snow – i picked up some at Michael’s
glue – i used a hot glue gun
cardboard or paper to cover your workspace

*you can add anything to your snowglobe so be creative! i loved the idea of a tree on top of a toy car {see here} & ordered this West Elm ornament.

first, be sure your jars are clean & dry. the mason jars i used were brand new, but i had to wash & dry the small baby food jars. {note: if you are like me & need baby food jars but don’t have kids, pick baby food that you can actually use – i chose applesauce – if you feel bad throwing the food away.}

then i set out each tree to match up with each jar. i chose to put the bigger trees in the bigger jars & the smaller trees in the smaller jars. i put a glob of hot glue on the bottom of a tree base & stuck it to the thin metal lid of the jar, right in the center. i would recommend gluing all of the trees to the lids at once to make the next step easier. with the car {after making sure the car would fit into the mouth of the jar} i globbed glue all over the bottom of the 4 “tires” & stuck the car to the side of the jar.

this next part is easy, but messy, so lay down your cardboard or paper over your workspace. fill each jar with the “snow.” i found that i didn’t need nearly as much as i thought, so i would start with just an inch, maybe two. once the snow is in the jar, put the lid {with the tree glued on} onto the top and then put on the ring & close the jar. once sealed, you can turn the jar over to see if there is enough snow. if not, then turn the jar back over, shake the snow off the lid, & add more as needed. i liked having the snow line be under the bottom of the tree or else it looked like the tree was swimming, but this is completely a personal preference. also, the snow that i used had big glitter chunks in it which is fun because those chunks stick to the inside of the jar & make it look like its a real snowglobe {but sans liquid}.

amanda convinced me that i could do an entire snowglobe forest & i love the grouping of all of the snowglobes – thanks amanda! i have them acting as a table centerpiece, but sort of love the idea of using lots of snowglobes together – a good alternative to a christmas town scene!

ready for some more {p}inspiration? check out these ladies:

amanda @ Without A Doubt

maggi @ Greg, Maggi, & Rodney

abbi @ The Pena Family

kendra @ The Gilbertson Family

{also, catch up on the last two years on my diy tutorials page here.}

have you been {p}inspired by any christmas projects this year?

a pinterest christmas: gold-tipped pinecone garland.

yep, this is the second project for week one of this year’s a pinterest christmas {see the first project here} – i am planning two projects per week so stay tuned for those.

today i wanted to share a fun new garland. it is definitely festive & has some sparkle {which i love!} but could be awesome to keep up year-round too!

{original pinterest link – pinecone garland}

supplies:

pinecones – i had some displayed in our living room plus my mom mailed over some from idaho – thanks!
craft paint – i used a metallic gold paint from Michael’s
glitter – {optional} i used a fine glitter by martha stewart from Michael’s
paintbrush
twine/string/ribbon – i used this twine with gold from Amazon
cardboard or a box – i recommend this to contain the glitter

this was a really simple project that i was able to complete during a crafternoon with Amanda. it was easy enough to paint the pinecones while chatting & catching up, so you could do it in front of the tv as well.

i used a small flat craft paintbrush with a small amount of gold paint to brush just the tips of the pinecone {note: amanda used a small foam craft paintbrush which worked well too}. i avoided painting the very top stem of the pinecone so that i had something to hold onto once i started painting. i started from the top of the pinecone & worked my way around the top, moving down once i had painted the tips in the top section.

if you are adding glitter, be sure to be working at a space that you don’t mind having residual glitter for a while. i used a shallow cardboard box {Amanda got it from Costco} so that i could contain most of the glitter.

i would recommend painting just two or three tips in a section near each other & then sprinkling glitter on while the paint is still damp. you don’t need a lot of paint to coat just the tips, so if you wait until all of the tips are painted, the glitter won’t stick to the section you painted first. i used a very fine glitter so the tips weren’t encrusted with glitter, but just enough stuck so that there was a shimmer.

once the pinecones are dry – i would wait at least half a day – you can string them. one of the tutorials i found on Pinterest {see here} had instructions on screwing eye hooks into the tops of each pinecone, which is definitely an option if you are up for it. i decided just to use the twine/string that i had to see if that would work. i enlisted aaron to help & he came up with a way to loop the string around the pinecone stem & another tip which worked out so well. so this is the trick: you take the string in both hands & make a loop; pull one piece of the string thru the first loop to create a second loop; place the first loop around the stem & the second loop around a tip right next to it; then gently pull the loops to close & repeat for each pinecone.

i added a garland of gold paper tassels that i had made for aaron’s birthday party {see here} though i think the pinecones are fun on their own, especially if you had a mantle.

also be sure to check out Amanda’s pinecone DIY over on her blog here!

ready for some more {p}inspiration? check out these ladies:

amanda @ Without A Doubt

maggi @ Greg, Maggi, & Rodney

abbi @ The Pena Family

kendra @ The Gilbertson Family

{also, catch up on the last two years on my diy tutorials page here.}

have you been {p}inspired by any christmas projects this year?

a pinterest christmas: envelope advent calendar.

welcome to a pinterest christmas 2013! for the past two years i have done this blog series of DIYs during the holiday season – the first season you can see here & the second season you can see here. there are a few other bloggers participating in the series whose blogs & posts are below.

i love the idea of advent calendars & it seems fitting to kick-off this year’s series with a calendar to count down the days of december. there are lots of ideas for advent calendars & i wanted to do them all {see my pins here}, but i decided i wanted to go with the minimalism look & to do festive daily activities {rather than toys, ornaments, etc.}.

{original pinterest link – advent calendar}

supplies:

24 envelopes – i made my own & created this template
printed paper – only if you make your own envelopes
gluestick or double-sided tape – to assemble envelopes & attach envelopes to board
foam-core board or cardboard
kraft paper – to cover the board
scissors and/or paper trimmer
activity cards – i made my own & created this template

i started by making envelopes. i picked up a package of christmas paper at jo-ann’s & made my envelope template based on the size of the paper. then i traced & cut out an envelope from each page, choosing which printed side i wanted for the outer envelope. {note: if you want some part of the printed envelope to show, it needs to be on the outside of one of the four envelope flaps as the flat side of the envelope (where you would usually write an address) will be glued or taped to a board – does that make sense?} then i assembled all of the envelopes by gluing a small strip of paper inside each envelope flap.

i arranged by envelopes on the foam-core board to determine how i wanted them to be laid out. i liked the more square shape & cut the board accordingly, leaving a ½ inch around the perimeter & a ½ inch between rows. then i cut & attached a piece of kraft paper to my board {as it was black & would have looked terrible with the envelopes}.

lastly, i printed out the activity cards – 24 in all – on white cardstock. i cut out each of the cards using the paper trimmer. {note: if you print out my version, trim all around the perimeter first & then trim vertically down to get two long columns or else you won’t have the cutting guides that i added.} then i just randomly placed one card into one envelope!

i chose activities for each day of the advent calendar & did so based on activities that i thought would be fun for aaron & me. i liked that i could change out some of the activities over the years that seemed more relevant {like once we have kids, etc.}. be sure to put in festive activities that your family likes to do!

ready for some more {p}inspiration? check out these ladies:

amanda @ Without A Doubt

maggi @ Greg, Maggi, & Rodney

abbi @ The Pena Family

kendra @ The Gilbertson Family

{also, catch up on the last two years on my diy tutorials page here.}

have you been {p}inspired by any christmas projects this year?

halloween festivities {pumpkin patch, carving party, & décor}

we kicked off the halloween season with a trip down to a pumpkin patch the weekend before last. it was fun to pick out the pumpkins right from the field, though we should have gone a few hours earlier as there were so, so many people in the afternoon when we were there. we picked up three different colored pumpkins – orange, green, & white – & a little kettle corn. all in all a fun trip!

this past weekend we drove up to see our friends cale and jessica for a pumpkin carving party. I have carved pumpkins every halloween (that I recall) but have never had or attended a carving party. so fun, I didn’t know what I was missing! I worked on scraping & carving with jessica’s adorable daughter jazmyne, & aaron cleaning & roasting the seeds. in the end we ended up with two carved pumpkins & about a half gallon bag full of delicious pumpkin seeds!

I also decorated the house a bit this year as our neighborhood is apparently quite popular with the local kids. while we don’t get too many trick-or-treaters as we don’t live on the “main drag,” there are hundreds & hundreds of kids in costume running around the neighborhood on halloween. there is even a neighborhood costume parade. it is awesome! anyways, I like to decorate the house for holidays & halloween isn’t an exception.

we are planning a pretty low-key halloween this year by staying home, hosting a few friends, & trying to bribe kids to trick-or-treat at our house. yep, the first 20 kids that trick-or-treat at our house will get a full size candy bar!

did you partake in any halloween festivities? do share!