His & Hers: Travel Totes

It's Monday baby!  Time for a little His & Hers action. The hubs had a business trip last week so I packed up the boys and headed to Gramma's for one of the nights he was away. Something I do quite often - I just can't sleep well without him by my side.

Can you tell who goes for looks and who goes for practicality? I'll give him this though...his carries far more stuff. Are you playing along with Alli and me? We'd love to see your pics if so - Holla! xo

Around the House: Playing with Paint

One of the things I love most about home ownership is getting to do whatever I want with paint and flooring! A while back I mentioned we were thinking of putting Marmoleum in our kitchen. That project got put on hold for a while, but now I'm thinking of doing something fun and playful to the playroom floors - the hubs hates them and has wanted to update them since before we moved in. Here's what I'm thinking... a row of squares in different colors with points painted in the centers and a hopscotch board. Why not right? That's when I saw this...

fun!

divine

sighhh

I'm pretty sure I also need to paint some house rules in our entryway...it needs a change.

adore

yes, another chalkboard wall

I love that something as simple and affordable as paint can create so many endless possibilities. What's your next home project?

Weekly Challenge: Enjoy the Little Things

When life is more than I can manage and it's all I can do to keep my head above water... it's a great reminder to enjoy the little things. Here are a few of mine from this week.

*Amazing morning sunlight streaming into my sewing room.

*Car rides without kiddos so I can listen to my music and turn it up as loud as I want. (Thank you Led Zeppelin and Kings of Leon!)

*Mexican food with one of my dearest friends.

*The sweetest of notes typed by my oldest on my typewriter.

*A sweet voicemail from my Dad that melted my heart and made me grateful for loving parents.

*A newborn baby named Harper.

*Giggles with my youngest while he's on the potty.

*Apples eaten in the strangest of ways. (Uh-huh, he eats the core.)

*Free babysitters named Gramma.

*Unexpected packages filled with goodies.

*Late night pillow-talk with one very tired husband.

What are the little things that you've been grateful for this week? Happy Weekend sweet readers - enjoy the smallest of details. xo

Teachable Moments

My friend Barb over at Knack shared a little candy makin' she did with her daughter last week. I was so inspired I thought I'd give it a go. Confession: Yes, you guessed it. I have never dipped pretzels or even melted chocolate before. And yes, Barb's turned out much prettier than ours.

We're gonna give it another go with white chocolate. How is this a teachable moment you ask? Before making, we opened our bibles and talked about Naaman and how he had to dip in the water 7 times before he was healed. Naaman had to trust God before his health could be fully restored. He could not do this on his own or with his limited power. The boys dipped their pretzel sticks and covered them in sprinkles (God's grace). It didn't go as smoothly as I had planned, but we had fun and I think the boys learned a little something too. Got any teachable moments you care to share? Or kitchen challenges maybe? xo

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Chalkboard Paint

Let me start by explaining today's post; I feel it's kinda necessary.

1) I'm addicted to chalkboard paint.
2) I sick of wasting paper on memos and to do lists.

inspired

I found the above image both lovely and amazingly inspirational. But, I have to be honest...I have way too much to do and not enough time to be doodling my dreams onto pretty paper and dropping them into a jar. So, I changed this little number up a bit and fashioned my "Bored Jar" into something similar. You might be thinking, "how is this a reduction?" Well, when my oldest tells me he's "bored" he gets to dip into our new jar and pull out a chore to do - one that helps me and minimizes my to do list. Reduction!

As I mentioned above, I'm not a fan of wasting paper on to do lists or personal notes. Cute little hand-made chalkboards/memo boards are proving to be very handy.

Here's the best part about these reductions - they're easy to make and extremely affordable. All you need is a small can of chalkboard paint, tape and a brush. Easy peasy! What's your favorite reduction? xo

Introducing the LOVE Collection...

new love pillows

There's more coming, but I'd love for you to take a look at the new stuff and tell me what you think! It has been so much fun creating stuff for Valentine's. Funny...I never really liked the holiday all that much before. What do you think...wonderful holiday to celebrate love or just another Hallmark guilt trip? xo

His & Hers: Christmas Gifts

Is it too late to share these?  I kind of can't resist sharing my favorite gifts received for Christmas. My fave for him and for me.

Uh-huh...that's a Superman Snuggie. ha ha ha. Does it get any funnier than that? My sister bought that for the hubs. Even funnier...he actually wears it. And how much do you love my leather feather earrings? My Mom-B got those for me. Yum!
Can't wait to see what Alli shares today. Are you playing along with us? Let us know so we can link up to your pics. What was your favorite Christmas gift received? xo

Around the House: Layers

One of the things I love most about super cold weather is getting to bundle up in layers. This applies not only to clothing but bedding as well. It's one of the few times of year that the hubs puts up with a major dose of girliness.

starting with some thrifted floral sheets

and pillow cases...

my favorite vintage floral sheet (for the moment)

top off with some colorful quilts... (doesn't the yellow look divine with that pink?)

end result - layered goodness that makes me want to snuggle in bed all day!

Does your winter bed get anything special that makes it super cozy for you and super hard to get out of bed, especially on a Monday? xo

Weekly Challenge: Get Loaded

***

Pictures are worth a thousand words. The above image could not ring more true for me. I can't tell you how many times I've said, "I know it in my head, but my heart tells me otherwise." Jeremiah 17:9 (The Message) "The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out..." So this week, I am taking action to load my surroundings and heart with the bullet of truth. I'm finding new and creative ways to surround myself with scripture - my bullets.

bullets

1. Paint a few clipboards with chalkboard paint. Attach chalk via string and place in closet with this, "Adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty." Job 40:10 BOOM!

2. Hang tags will adorn my car and windows. Not just any hangtags, I'm in the process of making some of these little guys... BOOM!

hangtags

3. Memo boards out of mirrors and picture frames. "We walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7 BOOM!

memo

4. On a post-it right below my computer screen: "Don't love money, be satisfied with what you have..." Hebrews 13:5 BOOM!

That's right. I'm gettin' my heart loaded with truth to set myself up for a week (for starters) of peace and contentment. Wanna get loaded with me? Have an armed and dangerous weekend! xo

Stylish Blog? Really?

While I must admit I like my little ensemble above, I think of my blog as anything but "stylish." I'm glad there are those of you out there who see something I don't. A couple of weeks ago sweet Eleni of My Paradissi gave Pure and Noble a "Stylish Blog Award." Thank you Eleni. This is so sweet of you. You should know, your blog inspires me. Confession: I was so taken aback and humbled by this, I almost didn't respond. Then I thought better of it, realizing how incredibly rude that would be, regardless of whether I see myself or blog as stylish or not. 

The "rules" of receiving said award: 

* Thank and link back to the person that awarded me. * Share 7 things about myself. * Pay it forward to 15 recently discovered bloggers. * Contact those bloggers about the award! So without further delay here are my seven:

* I sleep in oversized pajama pants and old maternity tee shirts most of the time.
* I'm fully convinced that "mom jeans" look good on NO ONE! I don't care how trendy they become.
* I can eat hot tamales by the box. Jumbo size please.
* My girlfriend Cricket makes me laugh so hard I almost pee my pants every time I'm with her.
* I've kind of given up on exercise, but I don't think it's given up on me.
* When I take a shower I get creeped out that the people living in the house behind us can see me. Ick.
* I rock granny panties without shame.

How's that for stylish? Ha ha ha. Now I'm suppose to "pay it forward" to 15 other recently discovered bloggers. **I wish I could proceed with this part of the challenge, but it's really a struggle for me. I think that EVERY blog is stylish in it's own right, whether it's the writing, the heart of the blog or it's content. It's kind of like beauty...it resides in all of us. So, if I visit your blog, you can trust that I am passing this award on to you! xo

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Tea Towels

(please excuse the poor photography)

It's no secret; I'm a sucker for a deal. So when I saw these awesome cupcake tea towels on sale at Ikea, 3 for 50 cents, I had to get them. I knew that even though I'd never use them in the kitchen, they could definitely be repurposed for something else in the future.

Wouldn't you know, a few months later a dear friend asked me to make an apron for her 7 year old daughter. Perfect! I just cut the top quarter off finished the raw edge and added a pocket and some ties. Voila - delicious.

I'm a firm believer that if it's fabric, it can have another life after it's original purpose. Skirts become purses and totes, dresses become skirts, scraps become necklaces... Remember this handbag I made out of another Ikea tea towel?

Tea towels come in such amazing prints it would be a shame to leave them in the kitchen for cleaning up! How do you use your tea towels? xo

Happy Days

I have big news! Well, big for me. I've been complaining since early December that I needed a new sewing machine because I was pretty sure that mine was on her last leg. Guess what? I fixed her. Yes me. All by myself. And, she sews like a dream. Wahoo. Yes, happy days are here again. Get ready etsy shop - your about to filled up with some Valentine goodness! xo

His & Hers: We're Baaaack!

The His & Hers feature kind of trailed off at the end of the year, but never fear...we're back in full swing for 2011!

There's no doubt that boys rule in our house and silliness abounds. Above is a look at my husband's favorite photo of our awesome boys and mine. xo

PS - Be sure to check out Alli's H&H post today. It's a fave because it rings so true.

Around the House: Bedroom Envy

Do you ever have a love/hate relationship with your decor?  Example: I love my bedroom but, I kinda wanna change things up - without spending any money. Tough job that I'm not quite sure I'm ready to take on just yet. Here's a look at some bedrooms that really get my heart beating fast!

dreamy headboard

clean and simple 

ditto

sighhh... ( i love, love that dark, rich wall)

vintage goodness

completely off the beaten path

There are many, many more, but I have shown you a lot of them already. No need to repeat myself - it's Monday and I'm sure you're busy!  Have a lovely week. xo