DIY Leather Chevron Necklace

I found this neat and very simple necklace diy project on another blog (here) and just had to try it and of course, share it! So I made this one as a Christmas gift for my sister-in-law. 

What you need:

Scissors

Necklace chain ( I used 18")

Pen

Leather Scrap

Chevron pattern shape

Pin or nail

Metal necklace rings

I chose to use the thickest leather scrap I could find so it would be sturdy and keep its shape. 

1.) Trace and cut out 3 chevron shapes.

2.) Poke holes on the corners of each shape, except the bottom one.. only poke holes on the top corners of that shape. I had to hammer a nail through my leather because it was so thick.

3.) Join the chevron shapes together with the metal necklace rings and attach the chain to the top rings.

It should look like the picture below. And that's all there is to it! Make it your own and try it using other leather colors and chain sizes!

Family Christmas: Part Two

Christmas Eve was spent with my side of the family, and it was a good time! Emery, my nephew, was ever so impatiently awaiting the time he'd finally get to open his presents (after dinner). I tried my best to entertain him and teach him about traditions, but he was not having it. When the time finally arrived, he got to open the majority of the presents, which were some of his favorite toys! It's always such a joy to see a child's happy face light up....as cheesy as that sounds.

Christmas Morning was equally a fantastic time! We enjoyed a delicious breakfast and then sat around the fireplace and opened gifts. Cody and I got some lovely and much needed things for the house! Afterwards, we taught Saffley how to play with some of her new toys. It was sooo cute watching her bake her little, fake cookies and play with her tea set! 

How did you spend your Christmas?

Family Christmas: Part One

Yesterday, we celebrated Christmas with Cody's side of the family. We ate good food, opened presents, and played with the kids. I even got to shoot a rifle for the first time! There were so many holes in the target already, I couldn't tell if I even hit it, but I think I'm a pretty good shot. 

Since the family is quite a big size, we always draw names for the holiday gift giving. Cody and I made those cute little tables above as our gifts. They are made out of pallet wood, and we painted and stained them! Super easy.  

The weather got pretty crazy yesterday. Normally, in December, we have cold temperatures... maybe some snow or ice. Not this time! It was warm and windy all day. After dark, it started to rain very hard and the wind really picked up. We started out under a tornado watch, but after a while it turned into a tornado warning! At one point the sirens were going off outside and my phone was buzzing with weather alerts telling me to take cover! Thankfully, it didn't last long. The storm blew over rather quickly and all was well again. Whew!

Five Faves

I don't remember how I stumbled across this shop, but I'm so glad I did! Their stationary and party supplies are just too adorable!! The prices are surprisingly affordable too, so you can easily add the cutest little details to any special occasion.

Ruffled Paper

Rachel O's Etsy shop is another one that I recently came across. I don't know where she finds these fabrics, but OMG.... I can't even handle how cute her little accessories are! I could seriously buy them all up! 

Rachel O's Fabulous Whimsey

How great of an idea is this?! Bonnie shares a neat alternative to gift packaging!

Check it out here.... Going Home to Roost

I am obsessed with everything on this website! Each piece is handpicked from small boutiques and indie designers... and only between $30-50! Not bad! Not bad, at all.

Bonne Chance Collections

Jewel is such a cool girl. I just love scrolling through her blog and reading all her fun DIY projects, from easy holiday decorations to oh, so pretty nail art! Check out all of that and more at Jewel Sha'ree

Another Rainy Day

It's so cold and dreary outside today. There's a light, constant drizzle and chilly breeze that's just miserable enough to keep me inside all day. Harper has been begging me to let her go play in the back yard, but the grass is far too wet and muddy. Days like this make me feel so lazy and tired. Even though I have a long list of things to do today, all I want to do is wrap up in a blanket and hibernate. Hurry back, sunshine!!

What do you like to do on cold, rainy days?

Easy Holiday Stovetop Scent

One of the things I love most about Christmas is the smell! That spicy, yummy, cozy fragrance that fills the house when you heat up apple cider, bake warm cookies, or set up the Christmas tree. I like to add to those smells with a stove top simmer! This is the easiest, budget-friendly recipe that includes only three ingredients!

1. Fill a small pot 1/4 of the way with water.

2. Drop in 2-3 cinnamon sticks and a few pinches of whole allspice and cloves.

3. Heat on lowest setting and let it simmer.

4. The water will evaporate after a while so be sure to check on it every now and then and fill it back to a 1/4 of the way.

3. Enjoy the smell of the holidays!

*This recipe is totally customizable! You can add citrus slices, vanilla or almond extract, or cranberries to create different scents. Have fun with it!

What are some of your favorite holiday scents??

Lush Review

I love LUSH cosmetics so much! Recently, I bought these fabulous products and thought I would share what I like about them. First of all, with my purchase, they sent me a free chunk of citrus scrub soap that smells so fresh! I haven't used it yet because I don't want it to go away!

Silky Underwear, with its jasmine and cocoa butter fragrance, is a light powder that left my skin feeling amazingly soft! Dab it on oil/sweat prone areas of your body to stay fresh and dry!

This Tea Tree Water spray is the most refreshing toner I've ever sprayed on my face! It has antibacterial tea tree and grapefruit juice to help clear skin of gross blemishes. Trust me, I get my share of them and this stuff keeps them on lock!

The Smell of Weather Turning perfume is soooo awesome. I am not at all a perfume wearer. I can never find a scent that I don't mind smelling all day. This one changed my mind for sure! It starts out sort of minty-sweet when you dab it on and then settles into a woodsy/outdoors type fragrance! It's that smell in the air when October rolls around. Perfection.

Have you used any LUSH products?

Click on the LUSH ad banner in my sidebar to check them out!!

The Creative Initiative (Link-Up) - Week 5

This weeks theme was Dreams.

I love this one because lately, (due to a side effect of some medicine that I'm on) I've been having either really intense, vivid dreams or completely random/weird dreams. I decided to use Pusheen, the cat, to demonstrate a random, recurring dream that I've been having! So, in these dreams I have a pet. Sometimes it's a cat... sometimes it's a piglet or turtle, etc. But during the dream the pet that I have keeps gradually getting smaller and smaller until it fits in my hand like a marble. Nothing really happens besides that. Haha. It's just really cute and random :)

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If you would like to be a part of this creative link-up, feel free to hop on board with this week's prompt OR you can wait until next week's...

- Try Something New -

Here's the link-up rules:

1. Create something in your sketchbook based on this weeks prompt.

2. Post about your artistic endeavor on your blog and link-it-up to this post.

3. Comment on other bloggers posts! The prompts leave a lot of room to use your imagination and we should all support and encourage each other and we explore!

Holiday Fun!

I'm back from my little blogging hiatus! Last week was awesome but sooo busy. Cody and I did a little bit of traveling to visit each side of the family for Thanksgiving. Then my brother-and-sister-in-law came down to visit from Nashville. They brought along our adorable little niece, Saffley, and our brand new, tiny nephew! 

Everyone, meet baby Oliver!

My sis-in-law, Cass, just posted the sweetest story of little Oliver's birth. You can see it here - Meet the Hickmans. It's definitely worth a read!

Saffley is growing up so quickly! She's adorable and full of energy! We all decorated the Christmas tree Sunday afternoon and she had fun helping. Though, she may have broken more ornaments than she hung up... Haha :)

Thanksgiving week was so much fun. I can't wait for Christmas! Also, my birthday was Monday. I'm 25!! Woah. It's so strange... I still feel like I'm 18 sometimes. Crazyyy. Cody and I went on a hibachi dinner date last night after work to celebrate. We're going to celebrate more with friends this weekend, so I'll probably be blogging about that later! Yay!

Baby, it's FINALLY cold outside...

It's finally getting cold enough here to actually wear jackets, boots, and sweaters! It's very bittersweet to me though. Like I've said before, I love wearing lots of cozy layers but I hate cold weather... But yesterday, aside from being super cold, was such a beautiful day! Cody and I spent some wonderful quality time together. We snapped tons of pictures downtown, got some delicious lunch, played with the fur children outside, and watched the latest episode of The Walking Dead. It was pretty much perfect.

I love being downtown. Not just our downtown, but ANY downtown. I love the artistic, cultured, and historic look and feel of that part of town. Old buildings are preserved (or at least not completely torn down), gardens are planted, walls are painted with colorful murals.... Newly developed areas just don't compare to the character of downtown.

Sweater Dress - H&M // Coat - Urban Outfitters // Necklace - Reed's (local boutique) // Leggings - H&M // Boots - Forever 21 // Purse - H&M