Life As of Late + a 2015 Calendar

I have started this post probably 10 times.  My thoughts are such a jumble that I've had a hard time pinning down exactly what I want to say.

You may have noticed I've taken an extended leave of absence, which has me feeling a little neglectful of my blog, but life lately has become more of a priority and I can't say I'm super upset by that.  But it's a new year, full of new opportunities, new objectives and an obvious excuse to reevaluate things.

My blog will be 5 in April.  When I started it, there wasn't much of a "blogosphere" and making a living blogging was nearly unheard of.  But in the last couple of years, blogging has exploded until any and everyone has some sort of online diary.  Not that there is anything wrong with it, but it's causing quite a stir in the blog world.  And I admit to sharing in some of the feelings being put out there.  (I'm not going to really go into what's being said.  Just google "state of the blog" if you're interested and you'll see what I'm talking about.)

But it has made me step back and think about why I started blogging, do I want to continue my blog, and if so, what do I want my blog to be about?

I was totally one of those bloggers that got caught up in the numbers game.  And it was exhausting, and quite frankly, took the fun out of something that I started for fun.  And it had me seriously considering hanging up my blogger hat.  

I am a doer.  Always have been.  And I felt like I was always doing something with never a moment to do nothing but enjoy what I've done because I had to keep doing to do my blog.  You follow?  And in the past few months I've purposely tried to not do things so I can enjoy try to enjoy life more.

And my husband and I have been busy doing just that, taking each day at a time, being spontaneous, doing things we've talked about doing forever.  It's been wonderful, and I really hope we can keep that momentum going in the coming year(s).  We have also been drastically de-cluttering our house and making things simpler, cleaner, maybe a bit more modern.  If you follow me on Pinterest, my "Design Love" boards are full of Scandinavian inspired designs and I can't get enough of them, so I'm trying to emulate their design philosophies in my own home.  No knick-knacks unless they have meaningful value.  Keeping items only if they serve a purpose or serve a particular function I need in my life.  Working with a neutral palette and keeping things quiet, but incorporating my love of color.  Finally letting go of things I held onto of my mom's simply because they were her things.  (That last one has been the hardest to work through, but I'm getting there.)

I have had little baby projects here and there around the house as well, but nothing I've felt was "blog worthy."  Sure, I've done the photographing and staging just in case, but I haven't felt the desire to sit and share.  (Although you might say I've got a "micro" blog going on with my Instagram account.)

And I think, therein lies the issue.  I started my blog with little baby projects that probably weren't "blog worthy" but I shared them anyways because I enjoyed creating, I enjoyed sharing, and I enjoyed writing.  I wasn't worried about it being photographed perfectly, or it being the "next big thing" on Pinterest, or going "viral."  None of that mattered.  I just shared for sharing's sake.  Ok, and because I'd hoped it might generate a bit of business for me BUT I wasn't obsessed about it.  It didn't consume my life.

So, what does all this mean?

It means that I'm making life a priority, not this blog.  It means I'm going to be doing things to better enjoy what I have.  It means I still am, and will always be a doer, so I still plan on blogging.  It means I may blog about things other than design/DIY because I'm making it more about what makes me happy.  It means I'm blogging because I want to, because it makes me happy, not everyone else.

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So that was a much longer version of what I'd hoped would be a short explanation of my absence and the future of my blog.  :P  But I'm looking forward to what is to come, and what I have lined up to share, because even though I haven't been doing like crazy, I have been doing some that I'm excited to share.

One of them, I've got for you today.  This was a project I actually created last year but never got posted because that big ol' cloud of doubt hung overhead.  But I really liked it, so I figured, screw the doubt!  I know we are already well into January, and 2015, but maybe you don't have a calendar yet, so I've got a cute little one for your free printing pleasure.  (:

There's probably lots of ways to display it:  bulletin boards, picture easel, washi tape.  I just hung it on the wall with a binder clip.  So easy!

You can download it for free here!

{Cute Sidenote:  the colors of each month correlate to that month's birthstone.}  (:

So, my goal for 2015?  Less really is more, or at least it is in my world.  Less clutter in my home, less worry about what project will I do next, less stress of trying to be like everyone else, less unnecessary anything.

TTfN!

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Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Times, they are a'changin'.

Or, maybe just I am.

Which is an odd thing for me to confess because I've never really been a big fan of change.  But yet, when I think about it, I am always changing things up, always wanting to mix up my routine, always varying my interests.

With all this talk of change, I bring you a post all about change!  Betcha didn't see that coming, did ya, haha!

First things first, the blog itself.  I am finding myself leaning more and more towards modern design:  in my pins, in my home and now in my blog look.  I've gone through several modifications (even an entire name change!) to get to this point, but I hope (really hope) this is it.  For a while.  A long while.  (:  And I hope it speaks more to what I hope this blog will be about:  me doing whatever makes me happy and sharing it with you guys, whether it is a DIY project, a graphic design project or a design trend or space that I'm in love with.  

The blog's new design has been up for a bit, but I thought I'd formally introduce you.

{Trending} Lucite + Rustic

I love a good contrast, and what contrasts better than crystal clear Lucite with rustic textures??

Lucite is coming back -- did it ever go away? -- but a new trend has it being paired with rustic, earthy woods, giving a warmth to this starkly clean, modern material.

image found here

Lucite has been around for a long while, and I would say it was mostly seen in residential design with this chair:

Louis Ghost Chair by Philippe Starck

Other designers jumped on that bandwagon and created other "ghost" chairs, and from there tables and accessories followed suit.

Enjoying a Piece of Humble Pie

Funny how epiphanies reveal themselves at perfect moments.

Especially life-related epiphanies.

Especially life-related epiphanies that have you choking on humble pie.  Well, ok, not really choking...maybe more like the "trying-real-hard-to-swallow-that-huge-lump-in-your-throat" piece of humble pie.

via be made designs

Somewhere along the line in my life, I developed a personality trait that can be a good thing, but also a really bad thing.  I strive for perfection.  And I don't mean I just try my very best at everything I do (even though I do), but I try my very best to be perfect at everything I do.  And when I'm not, I feel like a complete and total failure.

We Took a Trip

I went to the mountains, y'all!

I haven't traveled out of Texas much in my life.  Not nearly as much as I'd have liked to.  For one, I'm afraid to fly.  {I know, I know...}  So that kind of limits things.  But I'm working on it.  Secondly, time and money are always an issue.  But I have been lucky enough to visit a few places I'd always wanted.

Like the mountains.  Didn't really matter which.  Living in South Texas for nearly all my life, I've only ever really experienced flat, sand-based land, with the occasional rolling hill.  Living in the Hill Country for a few years exposed me to hills that seemed like mountains compared to my almost-sea-level "homeland."  But I've never really seen true mountains.

Until my 30th birthday.

Well, actually, a couple of days before, but you get the idea, haha.

By my hubby's sheer determination, we made the 2-day trek to Denver a few days before my birthday.  We decided to not do a straight drive and stopped over in Amarillo for the night on the first day.

And I'm super glad we did because on our way on Day 2, we spotted the Capulin Volcano in New Mexico, and I had. to. stop!

By the time we reached the volcano, we were looking at a snow shower blowing in, but we didn't care.   Well, maybe a little.  I think secretly both of these South Texans were a little worried about driving in the snow, haha!

But the volcano was amazing.  Not just because it was a volcano that I was on top of (!!!) but also because that's probably the highest I have been up until that point in my life, and it was so scary and exhilarating at the same time!  Words cannot even describe the view, and pictures certainly don't capture it, although I tried.

DIY Jones' Update: The State of Me

I've written this post maybe 5 times.  The last time, I was ready to hit the publish button.  But one final proof-read had me hesitating.  I was trying to keep myself in check after posting this about nine months ago, and probably vent a little, too, but it seemed in the end I just sounded like a whiny brat!  I was trying to be honest with myself, and you guys, but somehow that honesty came off as juvenile.  So, I'm gonna try again...

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{Trending} Crushing on Blush

Design is my first love.  I mean, I love to make things, but ultimately it is design that inspires those things I make.  I want to focus a little more on my love of design on my blog as part of me refocusing myself and being true to who I am and not someone else.  (:

The beginning of a new year usually brings on a plethora of trend predictions for that year, as does nearly each season.  I keep seeing articles on designers' predictions and several have caught my eye.  Generally, I don't do many trends in my own house, but that doesn't mean they don't inspire me, or that I can't drool over some amazing rooms that are "on trend!"

So I'm sharing the trends that are really speaking to me.  

First up, {blush}
Perfect start considering a certain holiday coming up!

I am not a pink girl.  Or at least, I didn't used to be.  Never in my wardrobe.  Never in my house.  And I always swore if we ever had a little girl, she wouldn't have a pink nursery.  Too cliche and I don't do pink.   But lately I've been drawn to it and I keep seeing it pop up in my closet, on my pin boards, even in a project of my own!  Usually its the brighter shades I'm drawn to -- like fuchsia -- but I'm noticing blush taking center stage in interiors and I gotta say, I like it. 

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And just like blush for your beautiful cheeks, blush in interiors comes in many shades.  It is so subtle, yet it makes a big statement when used right.  And it is a great color when paired with bold jewel tones, like navy or emerald or purple.  I like it with grey or black also -- made obvious by some of my inspirations below.  And of course, it's great with polished copper, since copper -- in my opinion -- already has a rosy shade.

My Top 13 of 13

I know traditionally this is done at the end of the year, or the very beginning of the new year, but I've debated about doing a post like this for a while.  In the end, I swayed myself to do it.  I love a good reminiscing.  (:

So, here's what ya'll were loving in 2013 from {be made designs}:

Happy 2014 & a Sweet Little Desk Makeover

Happy New Year!!

I hope you guys had a great holiday!  Mine was actually pretty swell, save for a small case of the flu infiltrating a portion of my family, but all in all, I had a really nice holiday.  And I gotta say, not being overwhelmed by Christmas projects was such a relief.  That feeling has inspired me for 2014 and how I want to "run my life."  I have no resolution for this year.  While my past resolution {to try new things} has served me well, I feel like it has become enough of a habit, or second nature to me, that I can let it go as a standing resolution.

And I didn't want to give myself anymore pressure with a new resolution, continuing that relaxed feeling I had during Christmas and New Years.  I am going to keep that feeling by not creating a goal list for myself and my business for this year.  Not that I don't have goals or things I'd like to accomplish this year.  Because I do.  More than I'd like to admit to, ha ha!  But if they get done, they get done.  If they don't, they don't.  I'm just going to go with the flow and see how it goes, and while that goes against EVERYTHING in my personality, I'm excited to try to break away from that planning restriction.  Although, I am still going to make my lists so I can cross off what I do {such a feeling of satisfaction there!} and because it seems to be the best way I can organize my mind.

Know what I mean?! / via

Ok, enough of that!  I've got a couple of fun things to share with you to start off this new, carefree year!

If you follow me on Instagram {which, if you don't, you should.  It's the best way to get to know me and my quirkiness}, you probably saw a few fun things from this last month:

{1}  My hubby informed me he had NEVER seen "White Christmas!"  At the time I thought he had to be from another planet or something because that was a holiday staple in my house -- and everyone elses, too, right?! -- but I quickly learned there are countless others who have never seen it!  Crazy!  I'm thinking a social intervention is called for.  Community-wide "White Christmas" festivals.  Or something.  Who's with me?!

{2}  I watched both my nephews (18 mos & 4 yrs) Christmas Eve Eve, and upon arrival at my house, Matthew (the 4 yr old) asked me if we were going to make cookies for Santa like last year.  Uh, yeah, sure.  We took a quick trip to the grocery store to get sugar cookie supplies, which were next to none the day before Christmas Eve.  Lucky for me, Pillsbury heard my pleas for help and provided me with instructions on how to make cookies from a cake mix right on the box.  Santa cookies saved!  They are pretty yummy, btw.

{3}  I have seen the entries and winners for Design Within Reach's cork chair competition for years and have always wanted to try my hand at creating a mini chair just using the cork, wire and foil from the New Year's champagne bottle.  After years of saying "I wanna," I did.  I'm not going to submit them but it was fun trying to imagine what I could do with those small parts and what I could create with them.  And that cork is harder to carve than you'd think!  

I also got back to designing our Christmas cards after a hiatus last year.  It took me a little bit to find inspiration but eventually it found me, via the hubby.  He found this cute little graphic of Santa and his reindeer that had been heavily pixilated on purpose -- like the classic video games.  I've also been drawn to the winter sweater pattern {you know, the snowflakes & deer one} that seem to be everywhere now, so I thought to combine the two.  I was quite pleased with how they turned out.

There was a project I completed just before Thanksgiving but with the Christmas posts and my blog on hold until the new year, I haven't shared it yet {unless, of course, you saw on Instagram}.

I love color.  Like, all colors.  I hate being asked what my favorite color is because I don't know!  But as much as I love color, I have always stayed away from it in my interior designs, especially my own home.  You can see this in all my makeover posts.  Mostly whites and browns with hints of color here and there, but nothing bold.  Nothing that really says, "Look at me!"

I did have a brush with boldness when I redid this little metal student desk.  That green was just perfect.

And this little desk inspired me to step out of my comfort zone and do something bold again.

But this new redo may be my favorite makeover to date.  Well, maybe second, but just barely.  That metal student desk still holds my heart.

A tiny bit of history before the before and afters.

I had this chair forever.  We had bought it several years ago at a garage sale with the intention of making it over.  But some major life events pushed that project to the back-40 burner and we just used it as a chair here and there.

Great little back detail!

I really wish I could have gotten a true before pic of the chair so you could get the whole effect.  The seat was upholstered in this creamy satin stuff that would have been all that in the early 90's, but obviously over the years it got dingy.  Plus, the seat base was made of particle board and time had taken its toll, and it had begun to disintegrate, until one day I sat on it....and fell through.  Ugh.  Yeah, that's a boost of confidence, lemme tell ya.

So we replaced it -- der! -- with plywood so it's super sturdy now.

Then one day the hubby came home with a desk in the back of his truck from our landlord, saying he was just going to throw it out but wanted to see if I wanted it first.  Heck yeah!

I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it -- makeover-wise -- but I knew I would be painting it because it did have a bit of water damage at the bottom.  Plus, I knew we wouldn't be keeping it because we just had no use for another desk, so maybe that's another reason I was ok with doing something different.  I wouldn't have to live with it, ha ha!

But since I was going to try and sell it, I knew it needed a chair, and that's when I remembered that poor lonely garage sale chair.

From there, I found my fabric I wanted to redo the chair in -- something fun -- then picked a color from the flowers to paint the desk.

Initially, I was going to go with the lighter blue for the desk.

However, when we got to the paint swatches, the blues just weren't doing it for me.

But the pinks were!

So I picked the perfectly Pantone "Raspberry Wine" pink, shaking in my boots the whole time.  Was I nuts to paint a desk this bold of a color?  This bright of a pink?

Hubby said no, and I trust his judgement when I doubt mine, so I went with it.

And I love it!!

He does too, believe it or not.  In fact, he said if it didn't sell, it looked good where I had it for photographs and we would just keep it there.  Wow!  I was shocked!  But that made me feel good when this Army-green-&-neutral-lovin' dude was diggin' my bright, bold pink desk!

Ok, ok, without further ado.....

{Before}

{After}

{Before}

{After}

I thought it would make a perfect desk and vanity, so I styled it as such for the sale photos.

Kitty photo bomb!  She couldn't resist trying out the new chair.

Isn't she lovely?!  I just loved how it turned out, and so did everyone else.  After I nervously posted her for sale, I had all kinds of interest, and she sold rather quickly.  Now I am earnestly looking for my next redo to sell and spread the beauty!  Exciting!

Wow, that was a lot for my first post of 2014, but I'm thinking its a great way to start!  I'm hoping to share some other new stuff -- including an Etsy shop announcement that's been way too long in the making -- but I'm in no rush.  I know non-regular posts are a turn-off to readers, but, selfishly, I'm looking forward to the go-with-the-flow plan and only bringing you guys posts I feel are valuable and not time wasters.  Because that annoys the heck out me!

So here's to a low-stress, carefree 2014!!  Hooah!!

TTfN!

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Soul Mates & Veterans & Birthday Parties

I am one-of-a-kind.

Ok, I know we are all one-of-a-kind, but I am...unique.  That's something I have long embraced.

When God created my soul, he made me creative but practical, traditional but free-thinking, classic but retro/vintage, frugalistic with expensive taste.  I LOVE history, but am strongly drawn to modern design.  I love to laugh & play & explore.  I love to sit by myself in the quiet of my home and think & plan and plan some more.  I love to serve and be among people, but I am terribly shy.  I love to share, but am fearful of others' opinions of me.

Basically, God made me a walking contradiction.

But, when he formed my one-of-a-kind soul, he also made someone special just for me.  Or, actually, I was made for that someone special, seeing as how his soul was formed before mine.

Well, however or whenever these two souls were formed, they were made with just the right holes and protuberances so that they fit together so perfectly you would never know they were ever two.

My mom told me once, just before our wedding, that she had prayed each and every day for my future husband.  That he be a Godly man, my perfect mate, someone just for me.  And he is.  My best friend.

But little did we know that that man, the someone just for me, would one day be a soldier.  A veteran.

****

Veteran's Day used to pass as just another day.  I'm really embarrassed to admit that.

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While it's no excuse, growing up I never had any real interaction with soldiers or veterans.  I studied wars in school, understood that people were in the military and they could go to war, but didn't know anyone close to me who had served, so it wasn't a "reality" for me.  And I had yet to live through a war.

Of course, that all changed that day in September.

My senior year of high school.  My hubby -- then boyfriend of just a few months -- had already enlisted that summer of 2001.  But we knew, after that day, he wasn't going to just be a soldier in the Army.

He would serve his country in war...overseas.

And he did.  We debated splitting up, with me going off to college, him going to basic training, then later overseas.  We'd be apart so much.

But neither one of us was ready to let go of what we had.  We already knew in our hearts what we hadn't yet voiced out loud:  our souls were formed for one another.

So, here we are.  12 years later.  And each day, I see more and more why we were destined for one another.  He is everything I'm not, yet everything I am.

He makes me laugh, dries my tears, supports my creativity, explores with me, lets me brood while I'm mad and listens when I vent, gets the random weirdness that comes out of my mouth sometimes.  He imagines with me, plays with me, brings me back down to Earth when my ideas go way out there, or my taste gets a little too expensive.  He crafts & designs with me, indulges me, aggravates me, loves me for me.  He plans with me, is spontaneous with me.  I could probably go on.  And I won't speak for him, but I hope I do the same for him.

Because God made us each other's compliments.  How lucky am I?!

So I live everyday with a veteran -- have one as a father-in-law as well -- and it is now such a personal holiday to me now.  Is that selfish?  But not just on Veteran's Day do I appreciate what my husband, and SO MANY others, have done, but everyday.  Because I've seen the effects of war, felt the stress of it, understand how fragile life can be.

****

Birthdays are just a bit more special because of what could have been.  Another blessing we have been given.

This year was my hubs 30th.  I cringe to think of it because I'm next, but it means I was blessed with another year with him.  And because this was the big 3-0, I wanted to do something extra special.  Something fun.

And how glad am I that my partner-in-life is just as much a kid at heart as I am!!

Not only is my hubby a vet/former soldier, but he is also a police officer.  That has been a passion of his heart as much as being a soldier for as long as I've known him.  And I'm sure other police wives would say the same, but he is such a good cop.

But, that little kid living inside of him -- the little boy that wants to be a policeman when he grows up -- absolutely loves toy police cars.  And that same little boy who became a policeman when he grew up collects toy police cars.

And, ohmygoodness, does that boy have a collection!!  I think he's at 250+, maybe even 300+.  Yikes!  But he loves it, and I just can't seem to say no when he finds a new one to add.  The joy on his face is too contagious.  I'm such a sucker for my hubby. ha ha!  Or maybe it's because one new toy car equals some new something for me, ha ha!  Let's go with the sucker thing.

So, recap: my other half & a veteran blessing, a big birthday means a special party, police officer who collects toy police cars...did I mention he loves Legos, too?

****

I wanted to give my hubby a birthday he would remember.  He never really had a party like that as a kid -- with a theme, games, favors, friends -- and I wanted him to have that memory.

I decided on the theme {Lego Police}, designed the invites, planned the decor and food, invited friends and family, and got his favorite:  ice cream cake from Dairy Queen!

We couldn't resist making this shirt!

It was so much fun, and I think my hubby had a blast.  And I felt so blessed to have this guy a part of my life, to have all these people over that love him almost as much as I do, and to just celebrate life and love.

****

This Veteran's Day I'm reflecting.

I think it's very appropriate to honor vets so close to Thanksgiving, since November is now thought of as the "thankful" month.  In spite of all I lost last year, I have so much to be thankful for.

Thankful for instant messaging {you'll have to ask me about that one!}, for selflessness, for love.  Thankful for laughter, for memories, for birthdays.

Thankful for life.

I am thankful for my police-car collecting, kid-at-heart, law-enforcing veteran one-true-love.

And I am thankful for all the trying-to-protect-our-country, just-doing-their-job veterans who came before, and those still to come.

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Next time you encounter a veteran/soldier/police officer/firefighter, tell them thank you.  They CHOOSE to put their lives on the line for YOU.  And they may not have someone in their life to treasure them.  Like I treasure mine.

They don't ask for the thanks.  And that makes them all the more deserving.

God bless you all!  And, thank you!

TTfN!

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