New Home.

I will try and get some time maybe this weekend to write some more. But for now Instagram and other little snapshots will have to do. 
We've been busy with many house projects & working on our cars, as well as both working. My family is also staying with us for the next few weeks so most of my time is going there.

But for now, here's some sneek peeks of our new home.....hope you like the progress. I think I love it more than our last home even though I didn't know it was possible :) 

I haven't finished the master bedroom or painted the guest room (shown above) yet...so more on those soon. 

The Nesting Place /It doesn't have to be perfect to be Beautiful/ By Myquillyn Smith

This book couldn't have come to me for review at a more perfect time. I downloaded it two days before we were due to pack our current apartment into boxes, and finished it before we physically moved everything. It was that good! I know I will be reading it again! Myquillyn drew me in from the first page with her hilarious stories, helpful tips and motivation to try new things that I will probably love. 

The next thing is that I get to put it all into practice, having moved immediately after I felt like I was handed a blank canvas and given tips and resources to go with it. The hubby and I laughed hard over her story of spilling fresh paint on the floor of the rental (ok I may have cringed a little too knowing the horror I would feel if it were me). The pictures in the book of her beautiful home encouraged me and inspired me to try things I've never tried before. (I can't wait to look into have a canvas with all the streets we've lived on since being married) 

It felt like a big sister slightly further ahead of me, in a similar journey of moving every 12 months, giving me the permission I needed in the area of decorating our home. To try new things, to go ahead and paint those wood items which everyone keeps telling me I shouldn't even consider doing because who dares to paint perfectly good wood.

So I've been experimenting these last 2 weeks taking baby steps, my huge wall art of a London bus is hanging in the hallway of all places this time.....and you know what I LOVE it even more than I did previously!!! My $0.50 frames from goodwill got a coat of wall paint this week (no I didn't sand or even wipe down the frames) and they look AWESOME! I LOVE them!!! I even found $5 cabinet doors in Ikea on Monday which I have huge plans for.

This book is incredible. Be warned, its hard to put down and it might keep you up at night dreaming up ways of improving your home. Who says you can't love a rental.....I'm falling pretty hard over here as I adapt many of Myquillyn's ideas and dream up my own. 

Definitely one of the best books I have read in a while! A fast favorite! Be sure to head over to her blog as well if you want a sneek peek of Myquillyn's incredible work on a great budget. 

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through BookLook, however all opinions expressed are my own. 

Our Current Home: We move this weekend.

Bedroom: Reality of how it normally looks, but I love that gallery wall

I realized that just over a year ago when we moved into this home we had waited so long for, I mentioned that I would post pictures once it was painted. I think what I really meant was once it looked like a show home. So this week I devoured Myquillyn's book 'The Nesting Place: It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful' (full review coming soon: its awesome!) and found that I totally was hoping for this beautiful show home to show you guys through pictures.

But that isn't us, it just isn't who we are and how our home will probably ever look, and I'm slowly learning to be ok with that. 

So as I'm boxing it all up to move again to our new home, I figured now is as good a time as any to share how our home has looked this past year. 

Bathroom: That colored ceiling is incredible! My favorite room in the whole place!

Kitchen: Deep Wine red wall - I did hang pictures but apparently I don't have any pictures of the finished look.

Living Room: My African pictures with our warm colored throw pillows.

Reality: Christmas Morning in our Living Room 

My desk: Where many of the posts here have been created during the daily grind of life.

The pompoms were from tissue paper made for a party. 

Some Details I loved this past year:

A Winter DIY: I found these all on clearance at Michaels and made them for about $2 each! 

A Winter DIY: I made this wreath from things I had at home and bought the berries on clearance for $0.20 at Michaels.

Easter Wreath: I splurged and bought this from Target for just under $20

Numbered Portraits: Every year we've been married so far, we have taken a picture with the number. I can't wait to keep adding to this over time and see how our family changes. 

Artwork in the middle was done by the amazing Margaret Barley.

Don't you just love the two she sent me: (I can't wait to switch them out occasionally or start our second frame eventually)

Hope you enjoyed our REALLY late walk through of our home. Maybe it won't be a year before I show you the results of our move this weekend. 

Much Love! 

P.S. I can't wait to head over to The Nester and see all her projects for future ideas :) 

A Colorful Life.

Well I'm sorry that I'm not sorry, for being absent. 

Things have been super busy with us moving, although I have been on Instagram still.

Lots of this:

And I am so thankful for the help in moving all our things up three flights and into our new apartment.

And the reason I'm still not present much is we are actually allowed to paint this time. Eeeekk.

So I've been spending my evenings organising, dreaming of paint, planning DIY projects and finally getting to this today:

Shower Curtain: Meijer 

Paint: Hang Ten from Valspar at Lowes

So I will be back, and hopefully with a tour of our cute new home.

But for now, I will probably continue making our place cute.

So thankful for the ability to do so.

I will be instagramming along the way ;)

@GloriousWithin

Much Love!

L

Bridal Shower Planning & Tutorial.

My sister is the first person I have ever been Maid of Honor for.

So I am totally loving these few weeks before heading across the Atlantic 

mainly because I have been able to plan her Bridal Shower.
Here are some ideas so far:
(I know she doesn't read my blog....if you do happen to be on here sister STOP READING)

{via}

I went to party city and picked up some cupcake holders like these so that we can make a garland of flowers with fairy lights.
(Totally appropriate for indoor or outdoor depending on the weather, its England after all!)

And these pompoms will be in pink & silver.

{via}

I picked up some other fun things like a sash for her to wear and a Banner.
(I debated making a bunting but decided there were enough things to DIY)
I'm super excited to see all these things made up once we get there.
I will totally try and take some pictures of the finished product for you guys.



I also wanted to share a tutorial for the craft we will be doing together at the shower.



My sister has lately been into crafts so my mom & I decided we would add that as an activity to do as there won't be any gift opening. 
(partially because bringing gifts to a shower in England is not a tradition there and also cause they are moving to the States so we are asking everyone to have them shipped instead)



So.......

{I apologize for the bad lighting, this is due to the fact that our humble abode is currently a basement}


Materials Needed:
~ 2 earring pieces ~
~ 6 jump rings (I used 4mm) ~
~ 6 head pins (I used different lengths from a variety pack) ~
~ 1 larger pearl bead & 2 smaller ~
~ Jewellery making tool (I used A's Leatherman, but flat pliers would work) ~

Start by making a chain with your 3 jump rings (for one earring) and connect them to your earring piece using your tool.

Place the larger pearl bead on a long headpin and using the tool, bend it back to form a loop which ends back at the pearl.
(You may also want to loop the headpin through the last jump ring in the chain you made in the previous step, before you close it completely) 

Repeat the same process with the two smaller pearls, attaching them both to the first jump ring in your chain instead of the last. 

And repeat the entire process to make your second earring. 

And there you have a simple craft and a beautiful pair of drop pearl earrings.

Of course you can totally personalise these by adding more pearls to different jump rings 

and using different sized beads. And even make them longer by making a longer chain of rings.

Oh and just fyi, I bought all the supplies for $15 from Michaels (not the Leatherman though).

Happy Crafting!!

And if anyone tries to make these, I totally want to see your creation.

Much Love,

L

{On My Heart} Mondays. [Keeping a beautiful home]

I felt it was time to write about why I feel home decor is so important.
Yes, it totally has to do with more than just loving beautiful homes and pottery barn catalogues.
God himself loves beautiful things....look at our world. He made things beautiful, like sunsets. Just because He could.
Not to say that for us humans, wanting things too beautiful and too perfect doesn't become a problem. Because it totally can. But that's slightly off topic for today, anyway....back to why I feel beauty in a home is important....

Your home has been given to you by our wonderful Father. For the enjoyment of your family & for you to share with others (hospitality). Just as we should take care of the bodies he has given us, the children he gives us and the money he gives us.
Why should we not also take good care of the homes he has given us.
A home which is not full of clutter can be a beautiful sanctuary cultivating intimacy. Intimacy with our prince, with our spouse, with our children and a beautiful place for those coming into our home to enjoy. It can be kind of awkward having someone come into our home and having to remove unmentionables off the floor so they can walk through to the couch.
Not exactly a relaxing atmosphere. That might be an extreme example but you get the point.

In our home, I try to keep our bedroom clutter free, to keep it orderly and inviting. This way when tired in the evening, I can head in there for some much needed rest. There is no mountain of papers, computers, books and other miscellaneous items needing to be put elsewhere before I can turn down the covers and climb in. It is ready should one of us need to lie down for a nap in the afternoon. It helps aid rest, not frustration because you first have to remove the clutter mountain.


While I fail to always keep our home in order, as you can tell from the pictures. I try to do so. Why?
Because having a clutter-free home creates a calmer atmosphere. If things are always in their place, I always know where they are. This way when I need to urgently find something, I know where it is. It helps keep me calm, it stops me feeling frustrated.

It also helps keep distractions to a minimum. When working on a pressing task, the last thing I want is to find that a pile of books or papers is sitting next to me. So when I glance at it, I see that letter from the bank I've been meaning to reply to and never got around to. So I take care of that and forget where I was in my task. Or sometimes, I forget about the task all-together as once again I saw something else I needed to see to.



Having a beautifully kept home can inspire you. It can help you when you are trying to creatively make something or even just spend some time with your heavenly prince. You can keep the distractions to a minimum and focus on Him.

A beautiful quote from the Set Apart Girl Magazine (Leslie Ludy) from Nov/Dec 2010 (p.83)
 says this:

'The purpose of your place puts prioruty on clearing out distractions, staving off frustration, and redeeming your time. It's not just so others can ooh and ahh over a snappy room and your divine organizational skills, but so they may see a life ordered, disciplined, and freed up to spend itself for what truly matters.'

Proverbs 31 mentions indirectly the home multiple times and we see the proverbs 31 woman keeping it orderly also.

'...She watches over the affairs of her household
   and does not eat the bread of idleness.'

(Proverbs 31:17)

 These are some of the reasons I try to keep an orderly beautiful home. Hopefully aiding with a relaxing atmosphere for both A & I as well as any guests we invite into our home. I see it as a beautiful gift from the Lord to take care of and continually be thankful for, even when washing dishes for the 5th time that day. 
Enjoy the blessing of your own home today. Whether that be a dorm room, apartment, bedroom at home or huge mansion. Be thankful for the blessing of the room the Lord has blessed you with for now. Take delight in caring for it =)

Much Love,

L

First Dance Picture.

So this was a project I did over Christmas and only just got around to sharing.

Sorry for the reflections in the pictures from the glass.

I decided to create a picture from our wedding to go on our wall, specifically our first dance.

I wrote the words to our first dance song around the outside using dymo tape. 

I love the way dymo tape looks.

Colored paper was used to form a border around the outside.

The frame came from Ikea for about $7!

I was happy with the way it turned out =)

Much Love,

L

Inspiring Desk Spaces (Part 2)

Source: hautemamasfaves.tumblr.com via L on Pinterest

My problem is I like too many styles. 

I end up mixing & matching, 

ending up with a room which looks nothing like these pictures.

As much as I love the white furniture, I also can't get over the rustic look of this desk.

Or maybe its the back organising unit and chair I am in love with.

What can I say, I love bold prints and well organising things......in love.

Enjoy!

L

Christmas Tree Fun Part 1.

 Since we didn't have Christmas in our own home last year, we never got to buy a tree.

So this year we went shopping for our first Christmas tree.

Super exciting.

We got the space in the living room all set up before we headed out.

 We looked around the lot for the perfect tree.

I never knew that there were different types, call me naive =)

 Then, we found it. Our very own Douglas Fir tree.

 Here it is in our living room.

And we set about setting up our tree & decorating the home.

Anyway I will have Part 2 showing the finished tree up soon.

I gotta head to work.

Much Love,

L

P.S. I spent the morning working on this year's quilt so hopefully photos of that soon also.