MIA

Sorry y'all. It's been one of those weeks. Hopefully I'll be back Friday w/ some fun updates.

Happy Easter

Bunnies, eggs, and candy are good...but this is really what we celbrate. 




Jesus is alive.  Jesus is alive.  Jesus is alive.  JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!

Inspiration Corner

Imagine if you will softly playing music {a little Bach or Schubert perhaps}, a lazy dog asleep on the floor, a lovely afghan across the lap, and, oh, what's this, a charming novel in hand.  Ahhh, perfection. 
{No I'm not joking...or 100}. 

B.o.o.k.s. 
I love 'em. 

Check out these brilliant book storage solutions.  source. 

They are amazing.


I seriously want this...in a smaller version....on my wall. right now.





I wish this came with a tutorial.  I want to create this amazing sculpture shelf. 
amazing.





Yes. I'll take it.






Brilliant!










This is beyond clever.  I could stare at it all day. 


Do you have any favs??? 
If you want to see more check out the source link at the top for the rest of the "20 Insanely Creative Bookshelves" list.

This concludes today's inspiration corner.

"pan out, dim lights; fade music"



{I'm a dork. :)}

The Never-Ending Story

Office Update {or lack thereof}

Welcome to Faith's house of horrors design mistakes 101. Nothing about what I'm about to show you is correct.  In fact, this whole project might be a lesson in futility what NOT to do...but it's a real work-in-progress and something that I'm hoping I can learn from.

 I just threw those pillows on the bed...I don't think any of them are staying...not sure about the daybed either.

I also don't like the wall art arrangement.  It's just just quite right.  I'm not sure what to do w/ it.

Stump #1 & 2

I still like my Target/shower curtain bookcase...but it needs some tweaking. 

Stump #3

 Shelf arrangements.

Stump #4

I love this glass jar.

Art: lace doily, hankie; original watercolor. 

Stump #5

Ahhhh!!

Stump #6

Table - to paint or not to paint, art; lamp.

Stump #7

 Photo from our trip to Venice in 2008.

Love.

One of grandma's lovely linens. 

Love. 

I'd love to hear any thoughts or suggestions on this space if you have any.  Oh yea, and I still haven't decided on the curtains {thanks for all your votes!}. 

I'm in design gridlock.

I Saw the Stars

We had a blast with our friends on a mini-vacay the weekend before last.  We wanted to be intentional with our time aiming for a fun, relaxing, and Christ-centered weekend.  I think we achieved just that.

The cabin we stayed in was gorgeous!  Historically the word cabin would have brought to mind smelly mothballs and dusty furniture, but not this place - it was nicer than most of our homes!  This 4 bedroom, 4 bath house had a huge wrap around porch, dirt bikes, four-wheelers, a loft with a ping-pong table, huge river rock fireplace; granite everywhere.  Amazing!!!

Here are some pictures from our weekend adventure in the woods.

water lilies on the lake

 view from our fishing spot across the lake to the dock

 Lindsey and Derek (she has a great blog...check her out!)

Receiving education on the mechanics of pistol shooting.

Whose loving the high school cross-country t-shirt and old yucky jeans look?

{don't judge.}

Four-wheeling - the men haul off a large tree that was on our trail. 

Yea, we went up that.  {Ok, so Angela and I got out and walked...our husbands drove up}.

 The living room.

Wish I would have thought to get a picture of the gorgeous kitchen w/ granite and river rock.  You'll just have to use your imagination. :)

 The upstairs bedroom where we stayed.  Had a great en suite bathroom too.



Our friends.  

(l to r - Josh & Brittany, Louisa, Bear, & baby Chloe, Lindsey & Derek, Me & D; Angela & Craig) 

Ahhh, memories. :) 

Dessert for the Eyes

{because candy's already been done}. 

So have I mentioned how crazy I am about BHLDN {beholden}, the new wedding/accessory store from the brilliant guys at Anthropologie?  c.r.a.z.y.

It's not just for brides ladies. 
Just look at these delicious treats.


Shoes.

I die.


This shoe is so fun and perfect for attending all of those summer weddings you just started getting invites for. {yes, I leave my prepositions hanging...rule-breaker}.



I know...same shoe as the first just a different color...but come on, it's magnificient.
I want one of each.




Yes, please. This shoe screams summer.


Jewelry.


simple. stunning.


rubies!!


fancy necklace for a hot date. Mmmhmmm...


I love green onyx.
{one of my favorite colors for brunettes [me]...or anyone for that matter.}


Cover-Ups.


gotta love this little bolero. 


I'm a lace freak. this is to. die. for.


Just for Fun.

smokin' gloves. 

Truth be told I think just about everything they have is drop.dead.gorgeous.  I picked this stuff at random b/c it's almost impossible to chose a favorite.  Most of their items are on the pricey side but you can still find some very reasonable {and unique} items...especially if you shop smart.  {I know some people use their credit cards but I have a strict no cc policy for things like this.} We all have budgets we need to stay within.  Buy because you have a need and then plan, save; work to make sure you are able to make splurge-worthy purchases without immediate regret or depleting your resources entirely.  Also, browsing beautiful stores like this can spark your imagination to create {yes you can} or look for similar items at less expensive prices.  I used to be discouraged that so many things I loved were out of my budget, but now one of my favorite things to do is shop for a bargain {I'm not crazy/compulsive though}.  I love the challenge and creativity it takes.  Plus, I often find things I love just as much, if not more than the original inspiration. 

So eat your eye candy up.  You won't gain a pound.

Pie Pops

Yesterday we had dinner with some sweet friends.  They cooked a great meal and we brought dessert.  I wanted to find something easy AND delicious for our special dinner and ran across a recipe at Bakerella that I just had to try.  {If you don't know about Bakerella click here to see her fantastic blog.} 

Meet the pie pop
 {similar to a cake pop/ball only with pie...very astute this one}.  

Wanna know how to make 'em?

Here's what you'll need:

{Now I would certainly prefer to make my own filling and crust...but I didn't have time.}

Here's what you do:

use a circle cutter to create the pie disks.

place disks on an ungreased cookie sheet and push the lollipop stick into the dough.

place pie filling in center of each disk.

{so pretty}

place another disk on top

 use the end of a stick to seal the edges

brush tops with egg whites

bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

voila!

Beautiful little pie pops

Disclaimer:

This recipe is {big surprise} not clean, organic, or nutrient-packed. 

 {well, it IS clean...as in "no dirt"}

The key: careful moderation. 

Say it with me: "portion control".

Limit yourself to one of these bad boys and you will be able to stay on track with your fitness/health goals while indulging just a smidgen {the smidgen is the key sister...don't get carried away}.

If you care about these things {which some of you may not}, how would you tweak this recipe to be a healthier dessert?  I wanna see those cogs a'turning so let me know.

{Fun Food Challenge}

*Note:

- When making these again I'd use popsicle sticks instead of lollipop ones due to the weight of the pie. 

- I would also be careful of the thickness of the pie dough. Some of them cracked so if you don't want that then be sure to not roll the dough out very thin.*