I smell like stain.

So I have been dying for a shelf that goes above my couch for my amazing Wos Studios original. I was going to go get the regular Ikea ledge that looks like this one...(but the length of my couch)

Instead, I decided I wanted to do an old rustic barnwood ledge to bring some warmth into the house. However, barnwood is expensive and not that easy to come across. So I decided I would try and make it look like it with a stain. So Jake and I went and got a large pallet (The length of the wood just happened to be the exact length for our couch. I was stoked.) My handsome husband cleared the beams from the rest of the pallet and I was ready. With some dark oak stain from the hardware store (about 3 bucks) and some nails I made this lovely thing.... 

The pictures that you see upside down and stuff next to it are just a layout of how the frames will look. I am going to be putting black and white divinci, dali sketches in it so that it has flair without taking away from the painting.

And, that's not my last project of the night. I found this giant lightbulb in the trash a few years back and knew I wanted to do something with it. I have been holding onto it for years. This is what came of it last night... 

After this part I made poor Jake run to wal-mart with me at midnight to get some of these cute tangerine and white flowers that I saw the other day. What a fantastic splash of spring!

Anyways. That's the how thus far. I am loving it.

Progress!

Alrighty, we have progress on my dream of a yellow sideboard. It's not completely finished, I ran out of paint but wanted to put it in its space until I get around to it again. We added a few more accessories and lowered the poster behind it. But here is a sneak peak! (Please excuse the mess on the coffee table.) I wish I took a picture of the before! It was a glass iron rod shelving unit that took up that whole space and was filled with clutter. I am loving what we have going on now. So fresh and clean over there.

Here are some other things that I am loving right now and hoping to incorporate into our home. 

This is going to be the new runner for our table/desk in our kitchen. I think i'll be able to find fabric and make my own. but I am loving the zig zag print and it will look so cute on my black and red table with my beautiful mac sitting on top of it.

I love these books! They're from a thrift store. You rip off the cover and wrap them up. I might need to find some teal and white ones for my new yellow sideboard. hmmm delicious. 

I love a gallery wall and when I have children and lots of pictures I would love one at the top of my stairs. 

I just like the yellow on this one. 

Umm. Where do I find that Rhino?

This room rocks. That table behind their couch is amazing and I am going to make a shelf out of the same wood treatment for the amazing painting above our couch. 

Another cute gallery wall. 

Gorgeous stencil treatment on the wall. Took 2 months. I would do something more simple.

I want to make a bench like this and put it in front of the fireplace for extra seating. Not so bold. Something more conservative seeing that it will be by my red leather couch and bright yellow sideboard.

Umm still love yellow. 

Pretty dark room.

I found this today and I want it to be my future childs room. Delicious. 

I have a light bulb that is oversized and I found it like 2 years ago. I have been saving it, not knowing what for. Turns out it's for a vase. Woot Woot.

I love this studio room.

 

Our Home

I love our house. And I am so glad we have it. I have loved figuring out how we're going to make our house a home. I love big bold design. Vertical black and white curtains? Yes please, Jake agreed. We will them one day! Anyways. Here's all the stuff I have been loving lately!

Kill ME!

Kill me, I love this room. Can I redesign everything?

I could hear the birds!

Today was my first day of finals. I had to turn in my brand application project and had an art history test. The art history test sucks because it's a lot of memorization. It's also an essay test where you literally just spill everything you know about the question. I think today mine came to a total of like 8 handwritten pages. However, I knew that as soon as I finished the test it would be the beginning of my summer! And honestly in the middle of the test I could hear the birds chirping in my ear, singing, summer baby, summer!

Ohh and speaking of birds, maybe that chirping came from my new feather hair extensions!

I ordered them off of Etsy and installed them myself. I am loving them. They're neutral colors so nothing crazy but they are a lot of fun. 

Also, we know summer is coming around because we're starting to see golf balls in our yard. I am really worried about the quality of golf this year because today, I found a ball in our front yard! What happened to the good old days when people could actually hit the ball where they wanted.

To take the good with the bad I also took a picture of my lovely tulips growing in my front garden. 

I hope you enjoy the happiness these bring as much as I do!

That's all for now. Have a fantastic weekend!

Popcorn Popping!

Aww. So much going on right now. School is coming to an end and I just finished my last day of classes for the semester. Besides my one processing class this summer life is going to be a breeze.
The effects of the stress of school have taken form in the shape of a red dot square in the middle of my forehead. They say beauty is symmetry, if this is true than this would be the most beautiful dot anyone has seen.

Jake started road biking. He told me he was going to and I honestly was not convinced. But he got his bike back on Wednesday and sure enough he's been biking! The whole 2 days he's had since! What a rock star. Overcoming my doubting glares when he told me he spent money on biking stuff was not an easy task, but he did it.

Umm what else?

This is one of my dream  rooms. I would love to have this in my house. Except the vases no the mantel. I would find something else for that. I wonder if I can get Jake to agree. Oh and that ceiling fan, that doesn't work for me either. 

And Just for fun look at this!

it was an add for Monster that said. "In the wrong job?" GENIUS. 

Stupid Brilliant people...

Hanging on!

I haven't updated this in a while. I apologize. Things have been soo good but soo busy. We are both so excited for summer we could die! This month has been a fun one. We've been married for 4 months now and I am pretty sure we still love each other... so we're golden. This month we attended Jakes missionary reunion. It was fun to go however, we mostly just hung out with the Hunsaker's and the Thornock's who live down by us anyways.

It was our good buddy Berks birthday this last week and we went to Salt Lake to eat at a place that I can't think of the name right now. And that was fun. 

Jakes made a ton of progress with his health and can bend his wrists further than I have ever seen him do before. I have been trying to fatten him up. However, I have not had much luck. I have been trying to expand my cooking to gluten free dairy free. Here is some of what I have made...

Nachos. These are Jakes favorite. He would eat them every day if I let him. However, I don't like to eat them that much so he has to go without quite a bit. I don't know how he's not a little fatty. This plate that he eats by himself has a pound of turkey burger on it and about the same in cheese. Hence why I don't join in most of the time. 

This, if you couldn't tell, is alfredo sauce. Jake always said as soon as he is better again he is going to eat a ton of chicken alfredo. Since I feel bad that he can't eat whatever he want I figured out how to make it and adhere to his diet. It was actually pretty delightful considering! 

These were one of my favorites. Jake begged for Nachos one day and I just couldn't get myself to do it again. So using gluten free flour mix I made a cheese biscuit type thing and we dipped it in sugar free dairy free queso. Wahoo! 

School is going well. I am almost done for the semester and I am clinging to the little bit of sanity I have left. I may have let some things slip recently but it needs to happen sometimes to keep someone surviving. 

Here is a glimpse of a fun project I am working on at school. 

It's in it's very rough stages but you get the general idea. I have been loving this whole motion graphics thing and want to keep learning it, however my class for it is almost done.

This summer I am taking a processing class. I have never done anything like it so it will be interesting to see what it involves and how well I do. Other than that our life is going to be pretty easy going this summer.

Oh and I almost forgot! My little brother Mason is submitting his paperwork for his mission. I will miss him so much but hey, one less person to hog Monroes attention.

Here is the photo of the handsome fella! Couldn't love him more!

Anyways, I'll try and update more but here is what we've been up to for now!