Yum: Spicy Kale Chips

I never liked kale before, but I've been seeing all the buzz about making chips floating around the internet. A few weeks ago a friend of mine whipped up a batch while I was at her house....they lasted maybe a minute fresh out of the oven before we devoured them. They melt right in your mouth, which is a strange thing to say about a vegetable.

I decided to put my own spin on these and make them spicy! And man...they really had a kick! I have made these several times now and have found that whether you keep it simple with just a little bit of salt, add in a mixture of spices or sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese these are going to turn out great!

You'll need to heat up your oven to 350 degrees, drizzle your kale with some olive oil (I massage it into the leaves to make sure that all of the crevasses are covered), lay out on a baking sheet and sprinkle with spices. These will bake for 8-10 minutes, flipping at 5 mintues.

I'm looking forward to trying out some Italian spices and Parmesan cheese too! Next up: brussel sprouts!

Vows + A Sneak Peek

 I've been working on our new bookcases for about a week now and am loving how they're turning out! One project that I have been specifically excited about is finally printing out our vows and framing them. In case you're a new reader I'll give you a quick recap: Craig and I have been married for over 6 years now. When we got married we eloped and ran off to the court house - it was sweet and so romantic, but I always knew that I wanted to have a real wedding. It was really so important to me. We made plans to renew our vows and have the wedding that we always dreamed of on our 5 year anniversary - and we did! You can see some of the pictures here.

Anyways! I've been wanting to print out our vows and frame them for over a year now, but nothing seemed right. I wanted to do a custom framing, but never made the time and didn't want to spend the money. So finally I decided to buy some frames and wrap the mat in fabric. Bonus: the frames were only $10/each and I only needed 1/4 yard of fabric in each print! So affordable.

I couldn't be happier with the turn out! You can find a quick tutorial that I did last year here if you've never done this before.

I'll be back later in the week to show off the rest of the book cases :)

Flowers pictured are from my bouquet. Words in vows are purposefully out of focus ;)

Easy Weekend Reading

This week went by so fast! I did a lot more working on projects than I did posting them. Eh, some weeks are just like that. I'm also a bridesmaid in a friends wedding, so I spent a lot of time putting together invitations for her lingerie shower and shopping for gifts. Add in laundry, trying to cook more at home and working late somehow all of a sudden we're here at Friday. Whew!

Craig and I have also been swamped with making some major life decisions. No big deal, right? Once I have some more concrete information I'll be sharing a post about it. Exciting stuff though! I have the personality that tends to obsess about whatever I'm currently doing or wanting so I've been a bit wrapped up.

This weekend I would love to be sitting around with Kennedy Buttons and a warm blanket online shopping while it rains outside...but no. Craig is off Saturday and we have a date to clean the house. Like major cleaning. Also, we're throwing our bride her first shower, so there's plenty to plan and do for that.

If you have the luxury to grab a cup of tea and rest for a few minutes this weekend, please do so for me! Here's a list of some of my favorite posts that I read this week.....Enjoy!

Favorite outfit here

Best way to start your day here

Most inspiring words here

Something I'm looking forward to here

Decorating Inspiration here

Best instructional video here

DIY I'm most likely to complete here

Best Film/Cutest Pixie here

DIY: Watercolor Art

I did this quick 5 minute DIY on Saturday. After the color crush that I put together last week I was really craving some pink around my space. This tutorial is easy and basically just a larger version of the valentines that I made last February, so if you want the full instrustions you can check it out there!

What you'll need:

White Crayon

Print to trace (optional)

Tape

Paper

Watercolors 

Here's how easy it is....
1. Draw out your phrase or picture with the white crayon
2. Paint over with water color
3. Let dry.

Easiest DIY ever? Probably.  I'm thinking that this might be a neat project to do with a larger print. It would probably take a lot of time and patience but I think the outcome could really be worth it. For now, I'll just take my little 8x10.

A healthy start...

all reciepes can be found on my Pinterest ymmy page.

Do you ever get into a rut? Like you feel that everything is so far gone that there really isn't even a point in trying to do better? We've all been there...and I'm there right now. Eating out, crappy snacks, whipped cream out of the can. Okay...that's gross...but true. So much shame.

I'm not usually this terrible in my habits, but when you get passed a certain point its hard to really care. But its so important! You only get one body and why would you not want it to be the best that it can be? I have a lot to do in the future so I need to make sure my body can keep up. I'm always really inspired by Savannah's Living Well series. She is such an inspiration with how much she's turned her habits around in the last year.

I've done a lot of research on different diets....gluten free, eating non-processed foods, eating clean, paleo....but that would be kind of like going from 0-60 in about 3 seconds and I don't want to set myself up for failure. Starting today I am taking a baby step. No eating out for 2 weeks. Period. I have so many recipes pinned that I've been wanting to try and this is just the excuse that I need to try some of them out. I'm trying to keep it realistic so I'm not saying that I'm going to cut out all of my guilty pleasures, but I'm going to try to make better decisions. Starting with putting down the whipped cream and by preparing all of my own food. Hopefully one good decision will prompt another.

Dear Valentine

Dear Valentine,

You are the most patient and understanding valentine I've ever had. I really love to be around you. It's like somehow our souls have connected themselves to each other and no matter what is going on, good or bad, I always want to be right by your side. You fill my heart with so much love, and continue to teach show me how to be a better person each day. You're the glue that holds me together, and I just can't imagine anyone else being able to handle the job of being my valentine quite as well as you do.

Thank you for agreeing to be my partner-in-crime again for the 7th year in a row. I am a lucky girl.

I love you always.

xo


Pictures taken by Swell-Studios on our 5 year anniversary. 

Color Crush: Blush

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

I think it's pretty much impossible for me to put together a color crush list and not add a piece of beautiful upholstery. Just look at that chair! Swoon!

I love pinks and corals, and find it a darn shame that I don't incorporate them more into my space. What do you think? Does pink have to be too girly, or is it safe to use while decorating?

Peach Pie for my Valentine

What are you planning to do for Valentine's day? Craig and I very rarely go out for dinner, we try to stay in to avoid the crowds. We really enjoy cooking together, so we usually try to make something new. If you're not into cooking a big dinner, but want to impress your sweet-heart, these little pies will do just the trick!

I have never made pies before, so I just sort of winged it when I was making these...but they turned out so great! If I had to do it all over again I would probably fill them up a little more and make sure that it gets nice and close to the edges. You live and you learn! 

Okay so first of all I bought some frozen peaches and just let them thaw out over night and they worked perfect. Also, I bought the premade crust - judge if you will...but it was quick and easy!

Here is how I made the filling: 

About 8 Peach Slices, chopped 

1/2 C Brown Sugar

1/4 C Sugar

1 tbsp Cinnamon 

Pop those babies in the oven for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees and make sure to eat them while they're hot! Add a scoop of vanilla icecream for me, please. Before you know it they'll look like this...

Before & After: Upholstery

One of my favorite places to shop for furniture to reupholster is the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Do you have one of those in your city? It's a real hit or miss, but sometimes you just strike gold. That was my experience when I found this chair. It was so comfortable - just the perfect size for me to curl up in.....and it was only $18. Um, yes please!

This chair was my first unassisted upholstery piece, and probably my favorite piece of furniture that I've ever had. I kept the legs the same, and just cleaned them up a bit. Luckily the foam and cotton were both in good condition so I could reuse them after disinfecting. It's really gratifying to see how it started and what I've been able to take it to. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back or anything, but I'm really proud of it. 

Puppy out-takes. 

Kennedy seems to be pretty fond of it too. I keep telling myself that she is NOT allow up on my new furniture, but darn it if she isn't just the cutest thing. It's her favorite seat in the house, of course. So I moved it over to the window so that she can look outside while she's lounging. I swear she's a cat in spirit, and apparently I'm a sucker. 

I'm already shopping for fabric to re-do an armless chair at the house which will be the first piece that I'll sell aaannndddd I've already picked out fabric to redo a sofa for our living room...I just have to find the sofa. haha!

Fabric from chair can be found here.

Warby Parker: At Home Try-On

First things first....please ignore the awkward ''I'm holding my camra out in front of my face'' pictures above. I mean really, they're quite terrible. And why does my face do that thing when I'm holding something in front of me?!? Needless to say the camera timer and I were not bffs this weekend!

Okay...moving on. Have you ordered Warby Parker's at home try-ons? Its so much fun - and free!! 5 days to try on 5 pairs of glasses and then you just ship them back!

Here are the 5 that I tried on. I have my favorite, Craig has his favorite, and some friends have their favorites! We all have our least favorite. haha

I'm going to do one more try on before I make my final selection, and Craig wants to try a box too! Have you ever tried ordering from Warby Parker? Which ones are your favorites?

Project 365: January

So far I have kept up with my Project 365 - shocker! I'm pretty sure that I'm already further along than I got last year! haha

In January....I turned 24, got the worst flu that I've ever had and then shared it with a friend and Craig, chopped off my hair into a pixie, made and sent out invitations for my friends bridal shower (eeepp!!), had the BEST night out on the town, finished my spare bedroom remodel, started my first quilt, and watched the entire series of Rules of Engagement on Netflix.
It was a slower month than what I had planned, but that's the way it goes sometimes, right? I'm excited for what February has in store! I'm hoping to do some new upholstery projects, finish my quilt (sneak peek soon!), get back into my work out routine and finish up some DIY projects to share with you.

If you want to follow along with my Project 365 progress I am posting most of these pics on my Instagram.