DIY: graduation gift box

This weekend, we got to celebrate my little sister's high school graduation. And I was happy to fulfill the big sister roll by spoiling her rotten with gifts. But honestly, she deserves it for graduating summa cum lade and landing a college scholarship. Can you tell that I am a proud big sister? 

I'm a BIG fan of the little details so I decided to wrap her big gift from me in a very special gift box. 

I designed this gift box to look just like a "cap and mortarboard". It got soooo many compliments at my sister's graduation party that I constantly had people asking me where I bought it and then how I made it, once I revealed it was a DIY. So I decided to share this quick DIY here since this is an easy project with a big WOW factor. 

Here's how I made it: 

engagement gift for ele

 If you're a regular around here and you don't know Ele, then you're missing out because she is my kindred. Ironically, we've never met in person, but we've connected over the fact that we are in similar life situations. Like me and my husband, she lives apart from her significant other while they both pursue their dreams at different medical schools. I feel that I know better than anyone how hard it can be to make a relationship work over so many miles. There's a whole new set of rules. But you commit yourself anyway and you support your SO in their dreams while pursing your own. It's kind of a lot. So the fact that they have managed to keep their relationship alive and thriving with all the distance is a testament of their love. So Ele's recent engagement truly deserves to be celebrated. And I love to support love, so I couldn't resist mailing off a care package to the bride-to-be to say congratulations.

husband's birthday in a box!

The hardest part about being in a long distance relationship isn't that we miss out on daily dinners or morning kisses goodbye. It's missing out on the special occasions…that's what I hate most. Yesterday was my husband's birthday and I couldn't be there to celebrate him. And while I am thankful that I will get a chance to see him this weekend, there is nothing like being celebrated on your actual day. So I sent Tom this "birthday in a box" filled with a few small gifts and treats. 

DIY "no sew" tufted headboard

I haven't had a headboard in years. As a poor college student that grew up to be a poor graduate student, spending money on something like a headboard always seemed so frivolous. I meant to get one, but it never seemed like the right time to spend that kind of dough. Besides, me and my mattress were doing just fine with a simple bed frame thank you very much. But when I moved into my new grad school apartment, I decided it was time. Adults have headboards and I was finally ready to join the club. 

In my complete naiveness, I budgeted $200 for the endeavor, only to find that I hated everything in my price range. Metal and wooden headboards weren't even a consideration. No, I wanted one of those nice plush fabric ones instead. You know the $600+ ones. All I wanted was to be able to sit up in bed comfortably without having to drop half a grand or more in the process. Is that so much to ask? Well apparently it is. 

And I couldn't bring myself to settle for any of the $200 options unless I loved it because do you know what I could do with that kind of money? I could pull off a long weekend in Chicago, or go air ballooning in Napa, or camping in Vermont for $200, so there was no way I was spending that on some crappy headboard that I didn't like. It was starting to look like I was going to be without again. And then I realized that there was another option. Why not make one myself, it can't be that hard right? 

And you guys, it really isn't. I've never done anything like this before. I don't have a garage full of power tools or any sewing skills. But I built (with the help of husband of course) this free standing headboard and it's perfect! So here's a little tutorial on my easy no skill no sewing required headboard. 

grad school apartment

Grad school is such an odd place to be in life. Gone are the days of being perfectly content to share cheap furniture with 3 other roommates. You're older now and have a desire for nicer things and your own personal space. Right now, I'm trying to balance wanting all the nice things with the reality of living on a student budget. Thus, my place is furnished with thrift store finds, lots of IKEA, a dash of Target, and a whole lot of DIY projects.

I've been living in my grad school apartment for a few months now, so it's about time that I finally share an apartment tour. With our crazy travel schedule and all the work that grad school entails, it has been hard to find time to work on the apartment. So I kept wanting to wait to share until the place was "finished", but our homes are a reflection of our lives and  this place will always be transitioning and changing. Even though I still have a few big projects to do, I want to remember it as it is now, so here goes.....

window sill garden

happy first day of spring! 

We're expecting snow tonight, but it's supposedly spring so today we worked on our window sill garden. We spent 3 hours making a huge mess, the pup broke a clay pot, and I managed to get a cactus spine stuck in my arm {tweezers to the rescue} BUT it was worth it to see the finished product. If it's going to be cold and snowy outside, then we will have to recreate spring inside.  

Just because we live in an apartment doesn't mean that we can't have a garden. First up was replanting our amaryllis and tulip bulbs. The amaryllis are done blooming for the year, but I'm hoping the tulips bloom just in time for our Easter table. 

 target dollar spot galvanized bucket + chalkboard label = 

Instant Adorable Planter! 

We finished planting the succulents from our wedding. I'm still completely amazed that planting this succulent petal will turn into…

these gorgeous beauties

a panoramic of our window sill garden…it's officially filled with planters, which is the perfect way to usher in spring

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Dressing up Christmas Cards + a DIY Card Display

Blogmas Day 5 
it's Christmas card time, 
which is the most wonderful time of the year for a girl who
 loves a good card and has a trunk full of them!
We have been sending out personalized cards every year since we got married, and this year was no exception. 

It's so easy to communicate via text or email or social media that I think it's especially nice to take the time to write out a good card. Whether you're making it yourself or spending an hour in Target reading every single greeting card there {totally guilty of this}, sending someone a card requires forethought and planning. To do that is a truly special thing. 

In addition to sending our cards out, I always like to dress them up a bit. We always write a cute little message, which involved chalkboard markers this year! 

/// 

I normally like to get colorful envelops, but the extra cost just didn't make sense. Still, I wasn't a fan of the plain white envelopes and decided to dress them up a bit with fun holiday stamps. It was such a budget friendly way to add a little extra to our Christmas cards and I love how these turned out. I'm never going back to colorful envelopes. 

One of the best parts of sending out Christmas cards it getting cards back. But then the question becomes what to do with all of them? We love to keep our cards out in the open, which in the past has consisted of them just being strewn all over the place. We decided to get a bit more organized this year with a little DIY project...

 With the holidays being so busy, I wasn't sure if there was time for another project, but this one was super quick. And the best part is that after the holidays are over, the Christmas banner will come down and we will replace the holiday cards with photos. We will be able to use this year round! 

Tools & Supplies 

Frame {any size of your choice}

Chicken Wire 

Wire Cutters

Staple Gun 

Gold Spray Paint 
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I was all prepared to scour Goodwill for frames, but then I stumbled upon this gorgeous rustic frame. It was marked down, plus I had a coupon, and I walked away with it for only $12. That's great for a frame this size. 

I ultimately decided to give the chicken wire a quick coat of gold spray paint because I give everything a quick coat of gold spray paint. This is optional of course, but it made all the difference in the world for me. After the paint dried, I simply cut the wire to fit my frame and then secured the wire to the frame with a staple gun. 
Done! 

This was the easiest project ever. It filled up a big empty space on the wall {which we needed to do} and now we have the perfect spot to display our holiday cards.

Follow along with Blogmas to see more holiday fun everyday this month

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DIY $25 Holiday Bar Cart

Blogmas Day 9

I have been wanting a bar cart for forever. They are just so pretty and shiny and perfect, but they are also very very expensive. The best option I found was the Target version and even then, it's not cheap. So it was time to get creative and make one for myself. Here's the finished project.... 

Merry Christmas ya Filthy Animals!

Blogmas Day 8

This weekend hubby and I hosted our first Christmas party. It was a huge hit and I love Christmas so much that I'm thinking that we should make this an annual thing. 

One Year Anniversary Weekend Recap

Hello All, I thought I'd do a quick post on how hubby and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. Because of our school situations, we weren't sure if we would have the opportunity to spend the actual day together, but luck was on our side. Husband flew in on Saturday and we decided to stay in the city since he had to fly back to Boston on Sunday. We grabbed a quick lunch, enjoyed a relaxing couples massage, and did a little shopping. And that evening we headed out to dinner together.