The Numbers Fairy

Looky looky what came in the mail yesterday! It seems the numbers fairy has come to the hive once again and transformed ordinary objects into interesting, funky and unique pieces with just a few swishes of her numerical wand. And I looooove when that happens!!



Ok, so maybe it wasn't the numbers fairy, but I did get these vintage enamel numbers from The Graphics Fairy on etsy. I had been scouring the internet for enamel numbers like this, but all of them were $10 or $20 each! A thrifty girl like me just can't have that.



And then, I stumbled upon the Graphics Fairy's etsy site and it was like magic. Three beautiful enamel numbers for $10! Yes, please! You can ship those straight to Kansas.



So numbers 21, 53 and 45 are now a part of my growing numbers family, and they really love their brothers and sisters, galvanized pails 2, 3, 4 and 8, and votive candles 2, 6 and 9, as well as granddaddy number 4 pillow. They all get along great here in the hive!



Little 53 I added to my clearance galvanized planter. I am waiting for the dried lavender from save-on-crafts.com to come back in stock to fill it with. Would be perfect, don't you think?







Number 45 is now gracing my porcelain hand, and I think she fits in quite nicely.



And I added little 21 to my kitchen potting shelves on a galvanized bucket filled with moss rocks from the Dollar Tree. The moss bird was $3 from Nell Hill's. Lovely, no?

I'm sure my new numbers will travel all over, getting moved from project to project and vignette to vignette. I'm just thrilled with them!

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Ok, so these cherries aren't quite related to the numbers, but I thought these shots were summery and pretty.







Right now I'm working on a post about my favorite online shops. Stay tuned for that soon!

{live beautifully}

Courtney

Beauty in the Details

Good morning, beautiful friends! I hope you all had a lovely weekend and got to enjoy June in all its glory. I wanted to say a quick thank you to all who commented on my most recent posts, over from a few parties I posted to. Your comments and kind words meant more to me than you can possibly know! And to those of you I'm blessed to now have as followers, thank you and welcome! I'm so happy to share me life with you, and would love to hear about yours!

Yesterday Matt and I spent the evening with one of our favorite couple friends making homemade pizzas and playing our favorite board game, Settlers. So fun! As we were running out the door, I noticed the simple beauty of one of my favorite spots - my dressing table.

This weekend had been much less busy than usual and I actually had time to clean up my room a bit, and if you read my last post you know that's not exactly my forte : ) My dressing and make up space looked so lovely without all the make up, hair products and random accessories piled around (not to mention the loose foundation powder practically glued to the desk with layers of hairspray ... that was a fun cleaning project! : ). I thought I'd share with you a few details of my "beauty bar" since I think it really is the little pretty details that make life worth savoring.


{the complete view of my dressing table. my bedroom is much more girly and shabby chic than the rest of the house. the wall hangings are just a random grouping that didn't have anywhere else to land, but i like the way it looks.}


{a sweet bird jewelry stand displays my beloved necklaces}


{a hodgepodge of jewels, bangles and more in an antique dish from my nana. i love the little hand shaped nail clippers from Francesca's Collections.}


{My favorite bottle of perfume sits atop a metal rose mirror tray from hobby hobby with faux mercury glass candle holders. They were on clearance at Target several years ago and are perfect to hold my make up}

{my favorite headband. i would probably wear it every day if all my outfits matched it! from banana republic}


{the best hand cream ever created. i love any food with almonds or amaretto, but it's great to smell too! the thick cream is heavenly on your hands and the almond milk scent is amazing.}


{i created this earring holder maybe 5 years ago. it's just a frame from hobby lobby with the backing replaced with window screen. it's a simple project but really elevates your jewelry to artwork status.}


{can you tell i love pearls?!}

That's all for now! I hope these lovely little snippets brightened your day and reminded you to look for the beauty in the details!

{live beautifully}

Courtney

Guest Post and an Award!

Today was a fantastic day, folks! I did my very first guest post for another blog, and also received my very first blog award! Fabulous-ness all wrapped in a Friday!

First of all, go read my guest post over at [Life of Meg]!!! Well, after you read the rest of my post, of course ; )

Secondly, my bff Meggie Moo (haha that's what we called her in middle and high school!) gave me the Beautiful Blogger Award. Pardon my blushing, but I'm just so flattered to be honored so early in my blogging career! Not to mention that she was the one who turned me on to blogging in the first place! Could a girl ask for a better friend?!

In order to receive my award, I'm supposed to post seven fun facts about myself and then pass the award along to a few other beautiful bloggers. So here it goes...

image from here

1. My favorite movie ever is You've Got Mail. As in I can quote every single line. And I'm not kidding. From beginning to end I could literally recite that movie. Obsessive? I prefer to think of it as therapy for my soul to watch that movie for the 4,567th time : ) Also, Meg Ryan's apartment in that movie was one of the first times I remember falling in love with a space and decor scheme. I saw it in the sixth grade ... and have been decorating ever since!

image via Country Living

2. My favorite holiday is Halloween. I LOVE it. I love fall, love pumpkins, love dressing up ... love the whole dang thing! Give me some black and orange glittery decor item and I'm a happy camper!





3. Coffee Mate Amaretto creamer in my coffee makes my life. As in I might die without it. It is my heroine.

4. I love my mommy. She is the most amazing, beautiful, kind, caring, giving and hard working person I have ever met. She's my inspiration. And she's also the most gorgeous early 50-something woman you will ever see. Seriously, most people think she's in her 30s, and I swear more guys check her out than me when we're together. I've got one hott mama! (Also, ten bucks says she will cry when she reads this... you're crying right now, aren't you mom?)

5. I LOVE my job and the fact that I get to do the perfect mix of writing, creativity, planning, graphic design, communications, marketing and advertising. Most people only get to do one small part of that, and I'm lucky enough to do it all! But the best part is, all of that work is so that people can know who Jesus is, and how incredibly loved they are by him. Do you know that? I hope you do. If not, I'd love to talk to you about why that's the most important thing you can hear.

6. This one is my confession fact: I have the messiest room ever. I keep the rest of the house pretty clean but I am horrible about keeping my room picked up. It looks like Francesca's, Anthropologie, Target and Dillard's got in a fight in there. Clothes, jewelry, shopping bags and shoes galore... *sigh*

7. I've decided that the few short months I've been following blogs have changed my life. It has strengthened my dream more than ever to someday own a home decor boutique or go into decorating. I truly love communications, but I think I'll need some combination of both of my passions to be happy. This blog community has strengthened my passion for decorating, as well as made me realize it is possible to live a creative and beautiful life, and maybe even make a living from that creativity ... with a really great business plan, that is. Maybe someday!

And I'm passing along the love to some of my very favorite bloggers. The award goes to...

- Ginny at The Story of Us

- Beth at the Everyday Life of Bellom

- Jeanne from A Bushel and A Peck

- The Thrifty Designer

Over and out for now! Don't forget to go read my guest post!! : )

{live beautifully}

Courtney

Projects and Finds Galore

Well friends, it's been a week of birthday celebrations, projects and treasure hunting over here at the hive! I was spoiled to death for my birthday and showered with all kinds of goodies, including a...wait for it...new computer!! Hooray! I will now be much more connected and able to answer your comments, as well as post more regularly.

{all the stuff i got for my birthday while i was at work! awesome!}

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I got some birthday money and of course had to scour all my fave Wichita places for some frugal finds. Here's what I've come across lately.



I (finally) bought some faux lavender stems from Hobby Lobby while they were 50% off. $10 for all that lavender! (I already had the fun planter they're in). The galvanized French planter was on clearance at Michael's for $5.



I found the great wire urn at this weekend's flea market for $8. I've seen almost exactly the same one at Pottery Barn for $50.

The chicken wire cloche and planter was a little pricey, but I bought it with birthday money. It was $29 from my new favorite store, Roo Grayson, in Wichita. Officially in LOVE with that place!!


The mini bee skep was $5 from a high-end boutique in Wichita, Trio's. It was on clearance and I don't even want to know what the original price was. They don't do cheap there : )


I ordered the fabulous numbered votive holders from Modern Chic Home. On sale, of course, for $3 each.

The burlap grain sack-ish towel is from Dandurand's in Wichita. Loving it!!


The baby cloche I made myself, and it was super easy and cheap. Here's how:

Easy Wire Cloche

1. Simply purchase a "gutter strainer" (I guess that's what they're called) from your local hardware store. They're about $2 or $3 each.



2. Bend a little bit to get the desired cloche shape.

3. Spray paint to your heart's content.

Here's where I ran into some trouble. First I sprayed it my usual cream. But it was just a little too white for me.



So I mixed some cheap-o black craft paint with a ton of water and slapped it over the wire, wiping with a dry paper towel as I went.



I think I like that version the best looking back. But I guess I just couldn't help myself and had to add some copper. I sprayed copper paint onto a paper towel and then wiped it over the cloche, sort of wiping on and wiping off at the same time.

I definitely think I like the plain white and grey version the best, but oh well, got carried away! I'll just have to make another one!

I added a bitty drawer pull as a topper and then tied a little metal number on with some jute to dress it up a bit. Cute I think! Got the idea here.

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My next project was to add a number to a burlap pillow. I just bought burlap from Hobby Lobby and had my *amazing* Aunt Kathy sew a pillow cover for me for a pillow I already had. Thanks soooo much, Aunt Kathy, for sewing it for me! You know I would have been a lost cause : )



I just spray painted the pillow using a number stencil. I think after this project I've decided to only hand paint when using stencils. I just can't ever seem to get it to stay inside all the lines when I spray paint, no matter how hard I try. So, you can see where my stencil was, but for some odd reason, I kind of like it that way. Maybe it looks tacky but I'm still happy with it!!




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So what have YOU all been up to lately? I'd love to hear about your latest finds! And to my friend Mira, since you don't have a blog, how did down south thrifting go? Find anything good?

That's all for now! Have a wonderful weekend!

{live beautifully}

Courtney

Linking to: Frugal Friday Party on the Shabby Nest
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday on Coastal Charm
Thrifty Treasures Party on Southern Hospitality

P.S. I'm a guest blogger! Go check out my guest post on my best friend Megan's blog, [Life of Meg]!

The Evolution of a Vignette

Hello friends! I have had a completely fabulous day so far! It's my birthday and I just feel so loved by my friends and family. You've all done a great job of celebrating me, so thank you so much to everyone for the birthday wishes and cards and flowers and gifts. Your love means more to me than anything, and everything else is just the icing on the cake!

So last night I was up late playing around with some decor (of course) and I just kept building little vignettes that I loved, and knew I had to share with you. Here's how things started:

First, I put a bitty nest with one of my favorite aqua eggs on top of a little white cupcake stand. Cute, no?




Well, of course I had to add a cloche!



And what's a cloche without a little dressing up around it? It needed a mini-vignette.


Then I got really carried away, threw some burlap on the table, and pulled out all my current favorite things.







What do you think? I really love how this turned out! Of course I don't have the room to leave this up so I snapped all the pictures and then had to take it down, but it sure was fun! I really need a boutique so I can just do this full time : )

I hope you enjoyed my little vignette. Over and out for now!


{live beautifully}

Courtney

Sources
- Aqua glass egg: Purchased at Lucinda's in Wichita, but you can find it here

- Bitty nest: from Hobby Lobby

- Cupcake stand: purchased at Dandurand's in Wichita, but you can find it here and here

- Galvanized pail with number: Purchased at TJ Maxx in Wichita, but you can find similar ones here

- Alphabet and number ceramic balls: From Pier 1

- Potted greenery plant: Purchased at The Curious Sofa in KC

- Aqua urn: From Anthropologie

- Tulips and bulbs: purchased at Tuesday Morning, they are also at Nell Hill's

- Porcelain hand: purchased at a junque sale, but you can find one here

- Violets in burlap: purchased at Stems in Wichita, haven't seen one anywhere else, sorry!

- Galvanized pedestal: Purchased from Dandurand's in Wichita, but you can find them here, here and here

- Wire cloche: Purchased from Hobby Lobby

Strange Love

Well, this weekend was definitely good for thrifty finds/garage saling/junking. I have some finds to show off, but I think I want to simplify this post and just talk about my favorite thing I found. As in the new love of my life.

The worst part is, I want so badly to not like it. Because I think a lot of people might find my newest discovery ... a little odd. What is my new love, you ask? Why, a giant hand ... obviously.

Here she is.



I LOOOVE her. It seems so Pottery Barn/West Elm/Wisteria-y, or something.



And it even has numbers!!


I found her at a "junque" sale going on next to the sidewalk sale at Juliana Daniel's (for those of you from Wichita). Now first of all, you should note that there are not junque sales in Wichita. There are no Barn House boys, no Queen of Tartes, no lovely flea markets full of numbered galvanized things, ironstone and heavenly other diddys. There are only garage sales, the kind where you have to hit 75 before you find anything worth buying. The "junque" crazy has not hit here yet ... at all. So of course the second I stumbled across that kind of sale, I just about fell over dead. It was too good to be true!

I snatched up the hand the moment I saw it. When I found the little lady selling things, she told me it was $25. She's a tiny little lady with silver hair she piles all on top of her head, with swingy skirts and bright coral-y pink lipstick. She lives in my parents' neighborhood and always has awesome stuff. I've been to her garage sales a few times before. I thought it was ironic I actually knew who she was.

When I winced at the $25 price tag, she came right up against me, peering the eight inches up from her face to mine. "What would fit within your budget?" she asked. The cheap side of me wanted to say $15, but I knew better with her.

"$20?" I stammered.

"Can we compromise at $22?" she asked as she brought her coral-clad lips closer to mine.

"You really need that extra $2?! Are you kidding me? This stuff is straight out of the back of your mini van sitting in an abandoned parking lot!" I was thinking in my head. But between her intense little old lady stare, and the fact that she was so close to my face she could have kissed me, I caved and said "Sure, $22."

Was I crazy to pay $22 for a giant porcelain hand? Am I weird that I think it's so fabulous? Oh well, I don't care. I flat out LOVE this thing!!


So what do you think, creepy or classy?

PS- just to make myself feel better, I looked up how much one of these things would have cost me retail. I guess I did pretty well...

This one from fishseddy.com is $70. Yay!

{live beautifully}

Courtney

Linking to: Frugal Friday party