hangin' around: the gallery wall is UP

Finally. The gallery wall is up! 

Over the last several weeks (or even months) I've collected miscellaneous items to include in the gallery wall for our re-done living room. Before the living room's transformation, the "gallery" was mostly full of pictures and random hanging items we had accumulated. However, I wanted it to be full of more "art" than photos this time around. 

To hang them all accurately, it took some measuring, pre-planning and a little toothpaste. Yes, toothpaste. I first measured the area. Apparently, you shouldn't hang items more than seven feet from the ground. Who knew? So, that's what I went with. It ended up being perfect height given the window's height. 

Once I measured the height and width (to go just beyond the buffet's width), I taped it off in the floor and started placing. After a few trial and error placements, I decided on my plan.

And then I went to work. The toothpaste came in when I needed to figure out just where to hammer the nails. I put just a dab of it on the back of each frame/item before pressing it onto the wall where it was meant to go. Nail, wipe then hang. It's easy and pretty error proof. 

So, with some old and new mixed together... here you have it (top to bottom rows). 

(1) A sign I bought at Dottie Couture Boutique, one of my favorite places to shop. Who doesn't love a good Beatles quote?

(2) This is an extra frame we had lying around that was waiting for it's place. A year or so ago we had a subscription to Papirmasse, which sends various artist's prints each month. This was one of my faves.

(3) This is the pillow to art DIY project I did a few weeks ago.

(4) Found on Pinterest, I made this framed map and key art awhile back. It was featured on our previous gallery wall, too.

(5) My mom sent me this little notecard earlier this year, which features a drawing of our cabin on the front. Since that's one of our happy places, I thought it was the perfect addition. 

(6) There are no words for this one. While it is a photo, it's also art. The Sample Gates at Indiana University are as beautiful as it gets!

(7) Each time we visit my Grandma's in Wisconsin, we always look through the things she has saved around the house. We found this print - of a church in Boston - and snagged it right away knowing it'd be perfect for the wall. 

(8) The cutting board to art DIY project here is the perfect item to mix up all the squares and rectangles up here. (Note: I'm still deciding how I want to hang this one so that it's less angled or completely straight!)

(9) My favorite quote - "The biggest victories in life are the small ones." - says it all on this piece. I made this canvas last year. It also had a home in our gallery before.

(9) This is a postcard I gave Sam earlier this year. It has a penguin on it, which is one of my favorite animals. And a cute little phrase at the bottom: "I will never waddle away from you."

(10) Thanks to my Grandma (again), we have this artwork to add in. It is a set up five, but we only hung up one. The others will eventually all be split between the kids. Vintage and very awesome.

Productivity feels so good. So do house to home projects. 

diy cutting board to art piece

Slowly, we're building a collection of gallery wall art to hang in the living room. Similar to the pillow I repurposed in a frame, I took another home product and turned it into "art," as well.

While browsing Bed, Bath & Beyond for some wedding gifts, I came across this Indiana cutting board. We don't need a cutting board, but I had another idea in mind (Pinterest inspired, of course) and had several coupons to make it worth it. With a self-made stamp, red paint, a paint pen and Modge Podge, I made a little piece of "art" to add to the collection for the  much-anticipated gallery wall I'm dying to get up.

The heart is placed over Bloomington, Ind. - where we met, dated through college and then got married. Love.

get fit gear i love

What goes along with a workout kick? A shopping kick for workout gear. It's true that if you feel better in what you wear, you can be more motivated to workout more effectively. 

With the help of several coupons and sales, I've rounded up some purchases that have proven to be well worth the investment:

Ultimate X-Training Capri (Lucy)

I've found that I'm most comfortable working out in cropped pants like these. Everything is held together and they also are slimming, so you feel great. I have a few different pairs of crops, but this style is my favorite so far. 

Sand To Savasana Duffel (lululemon athletica)

After starting morning workouts, I needed a duffel bag to hold all my stuff each morning. I have several totes, but none of them worked well in terms of hauling everything in an organized way. This duffel from lululemon has all the pockets you need, short and long straps, a netted compartment for yoga mats or wet towels, and more.

Nike Free Run (Lady Foot Locker)

I've always been a Nike girl. Currently, my Nike Free shoes are just perfect for support, comfort and circulation. They've been great and adapt well to a variety of workouts (running, strength training, biking, etc.).

T1 Flow (Nike)

I drink far more water with this water bottle than any other. I like that I can see the water as I sip on it, and I love that it's easy to take a drink without much coordination as I sit at my desk or workout on a machine (the straw is key, here).

Women's Charged Cotton Capri (Under Armour)

Post-workout, these babies are the perfect thing to slip into. Thick band around the waist, loose fit past the knees and finished off with an elastic cuff. The fabric, by the way, is crazy soft, too.

Workout Racerback (Lucy)

Considering I have three of these, I'd say Lucy's Workout Racerback tanks are my absolute favorite thing to wear to the gym. They are super lightweight, soak the sweat just like a dri-fit shirt and have a nice cut for comfort and style. Done and done.

Fly Away Tamer Headband (lululemon athletica)

 I have a lot of hair -  a lot of curly, frizzy hair - so, I take my headbands seriously. These Fly Away Tamer Headbands are as good as it gets. No slip and a couple inches in width makes them perfect for me. lululemon also has some thinner and thicker ones, both of which I'm wanting to try.

What are your favorite workout products?

10 things for 20-somethings (re-blog)

A friend shared this on her blog - Sometimes, Always, Never - earlier this week, and I couldn't help but share it again. Her short and sweet points are all spot on.

Our twenties are a decade for becoming, and these "10 things for 20-somethings" definitely resonated with me. All of them are things I've gradually realized and started finding ways to figure them out through my own personal life. 

Check it out: http://whitneybiber.blogspot.com/2013/08/ten-things-id-tell-someone-starting.html.

What's your advice for 20-somethings?

h&m goes home goods

H&M ... you have my heart. 

I've been dreaming of shopping online at H&M for years, and now, not only can I do that, I can ALSO shop for home goods. Say what?! Say, yes.

Just look at some of these amazing looks:

Bedroom

Living Room

Kitchen

Bathroom

So clean, yet also very vintage-y. Count me in!

With that discovery, I fully plan to incorporate H&M goodies into our home at some point. 

diy: pillow to art

So our perfect little boxer pup chewed the pillow corner just enough one day to ruin the zipper closure (thankfully, the pillow itself is still fully capable of being recovered!). I bought the pillow for sale at Urban Outfitters back in college, and it served its original purpose for nearly five years. While, I could have fixed the pillow cover, I felt it might be time to give it a new life. 

So, art it became. It will make its way onto our gallery wall in the living room once I get around to it. I have a few more pieces to DIY or frame up before I start visualizing it and all its glory.

How have you turned something old into something new?

bidding farewell to our furry friend, juno

Today, we bid farewell to our family pet, Juno! This furry friend is headed to Germany on a new adventure with our family friends. Their two kids just love her to pieces, so I'm more than positive Juno will be well taken care of in her new home.

I must say, dogs are indeed the best medicine. And while not everyone will admit it, Juno most certainly counts. She's the sweetest pup - despite her crazy tendencies to run away or mount other dogs during play - and deserves to be walked, played with and snuggled with on a daily basis.

Who would have thought that this little girl from the pound would be such a world traveler?