Necklace Holder DIY

This weekend I was finally able to take hold of my craving from crafting. I have been dreaming about a simple way to display my favorite gems. With a little paint and a glue gun I made my dream come alive this weekend. Enjoy!

 I had a blank 16" by 20" canvas lying around that was dying for a little color.

 I took some acrylic paint and did a loose striped pattern across the canvas. I wanted to keep the design simple to not take away from the detail of the necklaces that would hang form the completed project.

 With a glue gun, I took relatively large picture hooks (with flat backs) and glued them to the dry canvas. I covered the nail hole on each picture hook with a faceted bead for extra pizzazz.

 Let your favorite jewels become art on a wall. Don't just let them sit in a box, display them.

Currently Loving {Chocolate, Chocolate, and More Chocolate}

What can I say, I am a chocoholic. So we I started seeing chocolate being pulled into the accessory world, I couldn't help but get excited.

Fall: Not Just For Layering Clothes

Fall is just around the corner and I must say it is my favorite fashion season of the year. Out come the scarves, my favorite riding boots and lots and lots of sweaters. But as much as I love layering my wardrobe with cotton comfort, I am very happy about the latest layering trend, bangles!

Try mixing and matching your bangle and bracelet collection this upcoming season. Play around with colors and textures, even add a watch if you wish! Bring a little eye candy to the wrist with this fun trend.

Let's Take A Ride

Another one of many reasons why I (slightly) wish my life was in California would be to have a beach cruiser. Although it technically could be acceptable in the old Americana town that I currently am calling home, it just isn't the same as riding a bike through the sunny streets of Cali.




My ideal Saturday morning: Wake up, have a nice cup of Joe, catch up on my favorite blogs/sites, grab my beach cruiser and hit the market for some fresh flowers.

Someday.

Home is Where the Heart is

As I enter the newest chapter of my life, there are many uncertainties and excitements. I thrilled with the idea to soon be looking for a place of my own. Dishes, sheets, furniture, there are so many things to begin thinking about. But, in the meantime, why not search Pinterest for some home inspirations? Oh, if I could have any combination of these items/rooms in my home:

Words To Live By

I am feeling inspired tonight:

Hello Darlings from London!

It is thrilling to be in London! We are staying in a charming little garden apartment in Bayswater and love having lots of space compared to the small hotel rooms we have been staying in.



Since arriving yesterday we have been very busy. Last night we ventured down the street to eat at an old English pub, and then took The Tube to Westminister to do some good ol' sight-seeing.

After a good nights rest, we headed to the Tower of London this morning. We found ourselves in the middle of a monsoon for most of the morning (hence, no photos). Pouring down rain and wind moved us into the closest Starbucks (I was in heaven). But, when the sun cleared it was time to get back on The Tube (which I have really become a fan of) and see more of London. SHOPPING, and VERY successful indeed!

We're getting ready to head back out on the town tonight, I think a double-decker tour bus trip is in store!

Only a few more days left on the right side of the Atlantic, I don't want to leave!

Enjoying the Beautiful Sites of France

The past two days have been very busy and hot for all of us.

Yesterday, we spent the morning touring Notre Dame and took a nice stroll along the Seine River. We were all thrilled to find a little something from back home, thank you McDonalds!



After a quick bite to eat, we visited the Louvre Museum, along with every other tourist in Paris. It was a great museum, but very overwhelming. But, once again, we consultant our bible, the Rick Steves' Paris book and quickly made our way to all of the main sites.


My siblings and I even pushed and shoved our way through the paparazzi of tourist photographers to see the Mona Lisa.


After a few hours at the Louvre, we "accidently" ended up on the Champs Elysees. I had to resist from doing quite a bit of shopping damage. So many cute stores!

Exhausted after another busy day yesterday, we ended it under the Eiffel Tower and watched the lights twinkle all over it at the top of the hour.


Another glorious morning in Paris with a café au lait and a croissant. We boarded the metro with all of the crowds and headed to Versailles.

We shuffled our way through the crowded Chateau and were releived to reach the beautiful gardens outside.

A few pictures from today:

Je t'aime Paris!

Thanks to my sister, who after 3 years of high school French, still gave me the incorrect spelling of "Je t'aime."

Oh Tuscana....

The last four days have been filled with beauty, yet quite a bit of adventure in Tuscany.

To start off, let me point out that we rented a car, and drove, in Italy. This baby you see right below is the wonderful Fiat van that my father "mastered" by our last day in Italy. And I quote, "man, I drive better than most of the Italians."

But, let's go back to the first day. We had a bit of an adventure when we first reached the ranch we stayed at in Tuscany. After driving down a steep dirt hill and realizing we needed to turn around, Kristino kept stalling the manual transmission and, let's just say we almost went off a cliff. Below you will see evidence of the incident.

(Skid marks).

We spent the last four days staying in a 1600's farm house which had been converted into apartments. It was in a beautiful setting and definitely makes you appreciate the simplistic life that Italians live.

Our final days in Italy were spent touring Florence and the hill towns of Orvieto, Siena and San Gimignano. Below are some pictures from some of my favorite sites over the past few days:

It was thrilling to be in Siena yesterday as we were able celebrate the Palio with all of the locals. The Palio is a large horse race held in the famous Piazza Del Campo. The crowned streets and excited fans was thrilling. Although we didn't stay for the actual race (it was much later in the evening) we had a great time touring the charming town.