WANT!!!

This Christmas, David and I finally broke down and got rid of our HUGE old-school television. We splurged on Black Friday and got a nice 55" flat screen...which we LOVE by the way :)

The only problem is that we didn't really have a tv stand to put it on. So we improvised and we are using our entry way table...which is way too small, but you do what you have to do until you can afford to get what you really WANT!!!

Here is what our tv and stand look like right now...

Sorry for the flash spot on the tv, but you get the idea. We have a HUGE wall where our tv is so we need something pretty larger to cover the wall.

I've been browsing sites and stores for a while now and I think I've found the perfect media and tv console...

I WANT this media console and towers from Pottery Barn so bad! But of course, it costs a pretty penny...one of which we don't have right now. So my thought is that we can just get one piece at a time. So I'm thinking we could get this bottom piece first...

Of course I'd want it in black, but you get the idea. Once we get this piece, we'll be able to add the end pieces and the shelving towers later.

What do you think? I think it would look GREAT in our living room!

Valentine's Day Decor...

I have been waiting to share some of our Valentine's Day decor because I was expecting a vinyl for our mantel. So now that it finally arrived, here is what I've done for Valentine's Day...

I LOVE this board...and what's even better is that I ALREADY had it! We have a bookshelf that we bought years ago and you can exchange some of the shelves with a solid wood piece or a glass piece. I chose to put the glass piece on our shelf and then put the solid wood piece in a closet.  I happened to stumble across the wood piece when I was putting up Christmas decorations and thought it would look nice on our mantel. So it's been sitting on our mantel (plain) for about a month.

So when the vinyl came in that I ordered from A Lasting Expression, I placed it on the wood piece and it looks GREAT! I ordered  the Valentine's Day bunting last year from this adorable Etsy shop called Blue Moon Studios.

You probably remember the little ornaments I got for our little Christmas tree this year. Well, Erin from the Peanut Paint Shop made this Valentine's Day sign for me...

It is hanging on our kitchen pantry door. She does such a GREAT job with detail...pretty, pretty, pretty!

Of course I have a few other pieces of Valentine's Day decor around the house too.

I set this heart wreath on a shelf in our guest bedroom...

And since I got that gorgeous Be Mine door hanger from my friend, Allie, I put the red burlap wreath I made in the guest bathroom...

I also had these heart bowls that are sweet and simple...

I just LOVE decorating for holidays...who am I kidding? I LOVE to just decorate :)

Be Mine...

Ya'll!!! My friend Allie never ceases to amaze me with the door hangers she creates. I literally tell her the colors I'd like to use, the design (polka dots, stripes, etc.), and she does EXACTLY what I ask of her!

Check out the Valentine door hanger she created for me...

Isn't it just DEVINE?!?! And I must say that the bows she puts on her creations are THE best bows I've ever seen...

I can't wait to hang this sweet Be Mine door hanger on my front door this February...

Please make sure you visit her Etsy store HERE...she has quite a few other Valentine's Day door hangers for you to choose from. And trust me...you will NOT be disappointed!

Moss Letter DIY...

I pinned this DIY Moss Letter on one of my boards on Pinterest...

It looked SO simple and since I already had all the supplies, I gave it a shot.

I hot glued the sheet moss I had on top of my letter K...

You can't really tell that it's the letter K, until I trimmed it up with some scissors...

EASY! I then hot glued a ribbon to the back...I was undecided on how to attach the ribbon because there really isn't a part on the top of the letter K that would work...

Then I hot glued a bow on top of the ribbon and then nailed it to the pie safe in our guest bedroom...

(And yes, those are old school speakers...we are going to put a flatscreen tv in this cabinet one of these days!)

I think it turned out pretty sweet!!

Another successful Pinterest project!

The Cummer Museum...

This blog post is WAY overdue!! I went (before Christmas) to this great exhibit at our local art museum, The Cummer, with a group of our students. After the students experienced the exhibit and heard the guest speaker, we traveled out to the gardens at the Cummer. And the gardens literally TOOK MY BREATH AWAY!

The gardens are SO well maintained and just the picture of beautiful!!!

Even though it was in December and we had a few freezes, the flowers were still blooming. I can't wait to go back in the spring or summer and see how gorgeous the flowers look then.

This tree was picture perfect and I can just imagine how great this place would be for a family photo session. And that is DEFINITELY on my to-do list in the future!

 

So if you ever get the opportunity to visit Jacksonville, Florida, please make sure you add The Cummer Museum to your list of places to tour.

ANOTHER Valentine's Day Wreath...

Hi...my name is Lianna and I am addicted to PINTEREST!!

I just can't seem to pry myself away from all the adorable photos, DIY projects, and decorating ideas. But, one of the things I am thankful for is all the EASY and INEXPENSIVE projects that I pinned and plan to try.

I have been admiring all the cute ribbon wreaths I've seen like this one...

Or this one...

So I said to myself, "Self, you can make one of these adorable wreaths too!"

So I stopped at Michaels (and used the gift card I received from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law for Christmas-SCORE) and bought some of the $1 Valentine ribbon.

Then I took an old wire coat hanger and shaped it into a circle. Then I alternated the ribbon colors and tied them to the hanger. And this is what I came out with...

How easy is that?!?!?

I absolutely LOVE it and think it looks just as adorable as the ones I've seen on Pinterest.

Total cost of this project?

6 spools of $1 ribbon= $6

1 wire coat hanger= FREE

It took me all of 30 minutes to cut the ribbon and tie them to the coat hanger.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day Wreath...

I have to admit that 2012 has NOT been good to me so far. I started my first week back to school with a sore throat that ended in what I thought was laryngitis (NO voice). A few days later, I woke up to a swollen foot and I was hardly able to put any weight on it. I went to the doctor and found out I not only had a sprained foot...which is scary because I have NO IDEA how I did it...but my laryngitis had turned into strep! Slowly but surely my foot healed...the swelling went down and the soreness got better. Unfortunately, my throat was not the same. I could not shake the cough and it was keeping me (and the hubby) up all night long. I finally broke down and went back to the doctor, only to discover that I have pneumonia. What?!?!? I've been home for the past two days and I'm going stir-crazy!!

I finally took down all our Christmas decorations...I know it's mid-January, don't judge :) And then I got busy on putting up some of our Valentine's Day decor. I really wanted a cute wreath for our front door and I'm hoping my friend Allie is going to come up with something creative for me. But in the mean time, I thought I would spend some time creating my own wreath.

I am REALLY loving this burlap wreath and even searched forever online to find a tutorial...

Found on Pinterest

Unfortunately I didn't find a tutorial, but I thought I could probably figure it out.

I purchased this red burlap right after Thanksgiving. I had planned to use it to make something for Christmas, but never got around to it.

I thought it would be perfect for a Valentine's Day wreath. So I pulled out my trusty hooks...

And found an old styrofoam wreath and got to work...

I cut the burlap into long strips and then bunched it up and pinned it until it had the look I wanted...

I started with an inside layer and then added a layer on the outside until I ended with this...

LOVE it!!! Now I just need a little something to go on my hook to the left of our door.

I really can't even begin to tell you how easy this wreath was...and it literally only took me about 30-45 minutes.

Perfect for Valentine's Day!

Ringing in the New Year...

David and I rang in the New Year a little different this year. We traveled with my parents to Kinder, Louisiana and spent a few days at the Coushatta Casino Resort. 

My parent's friends are big gamblers and were able to get us complimentary tickets to the resort, casino, New Year's Eve Buffet Dinner, and the New Year's Eve Party.

Here was the casino on New Year's Eve when we walked in the front door...

David and I posing with the 2012 balloon :)

Before we started to gamble, we went to the New Year's Eve buffet. Check out this fruit and cheese display...

YUM!! The food was delicious...they had a variety of items that ranged from filet to seared tuna to lobster pasta.

The banquet room was just gorgeous...

I kept thinking how pretty this would be at a wedding reception.

Here is a pic of us at dinner...

We spent the majority of our night playing Black Jack...we didn't win a lot, but I guess it isn't about winning, is it???

Right before midnight, we were able to get into the Mikko Lounge. They had a great band that night and at midnight they had a balloon drop and free champagne.

We had a great 2011, but we are SO looking forward to what lies ahead in 2012!

Happy New Year!!

Baby Blaise...

On our way to Texas (and on our way back) we stopped by to see our friends, Blaise and Julie. If you remember, I helped host a baby shower for Julie in October. They also found out in October that they would be moving from Florida to New Orleans. David and I were pretty upset...Blaise and Julie are one of our closest friends. But Julie's family lives in Louisiana, so we knew she would be happy. We were also pretty upset because we were hoping to be at the birth of their first baby, Blaise Junior.

Blaise and Julie moved at the end of October. They stayed with us for a few nights while the movers were packing their home. Julie wasn't due until the first of December, but Baby Blaise had other plans. We received a phone call on Thanksgiving Day that Julie was in labor and they would have their very own little turkey.

We could NOT wait to get to Louisiana to see that sweet little turkey ourselves...

He is SUCH a sweetheart...

So glad we were able to meet Baby Blaise and we hope they'll come for a visit to Jax real soon!

Where Do You Park Your Car?

Everytime we go to Texas, we try to visit our friends, Will and Jen. David and Will worked together, became great friends, and ended up living together at one point before we got married. It is very difficult to meet a couple that BOTH you and your husband get along with, but Will and Jen are just those people. They were generous enough to even host our engagement party on their boat...good times!!

We met up with Will and Jen right after the Christmas holiday at one of their friend's house. I was in total shock when I saw their garage. Check this out...

Yes, this is a garage people...can you believe this???

They have a full stove and oven...

And take a look at this bar?!?!?!?!

We had a great night and even ended up staying the night...on the Murphy bed IN THE GARAGE!!!

Here is a pic of David and I and Will and Jen...

I don't know about you guys, but my garage looks NOTHING like this :)

Christmas Wedding...

While in Texas, one of my friends had a Christmas wedding. Tracy and her boyfriend for years finally decided to tie the knot.

The venue was just gorgeous! Here is the chapel where they got married...

It was candlelit and just beautiful!

The couple did the most ORIGINAL thing at their reception. They had this sign that read "Kindly Log In." The guests were encouraged to sign one of these logs wishing the couple all the best.

Here is another pic of the reception entry table...

Here is the couple entering at the reception...

The wedding cake was FULL of bling!!!

Check out all the sparkle on this cake...I loved it!

And you KNOW I was head over heals about he flowers...GORGEOUS!!!

The couple also had the tables labeled with all the places they have traveled. We were lucky enough to sit at the Vegas table...

I had a great time and was so thankful to get to see some of my old friends from Texas.

What a FUN anniversary Tracy and Henning will have next year. They will celebrate Christmas, their first wedding anniversary, and then bring in the New Year!