raw cotton.

furniture bathed in white paint.  "raw cotton" by name.  deliciously breezy and light. 

 

before: 

after: 

 
the wooden appliques on the front were ones from a bag sale last weekend.  i love the detail they add. 
and sandpaper, i love you. 

for more inspiration using whites, visit one of my favorite blogs here. 

blessings to you on this tuesday.

- jessie

love hard

i want to have a life that loves hard

even when we sadly know that

distances sometimes grow

and sisters move

but forever will

be here

soon.

thoughts on pinterest + diy leather handles

if you are anything like me, your Pinterest boards fill up faster than you can hit the "pin it" button. we dream. we imagine. and if we lived in a perfect fairy tale land, all our little pins would pop into our lives in a happy puff of pixie dust!!

warning: i'm coming back down to earth now. 

the reality we live in is very different. we have families, expenses, jobs, and time commitments. i know that i can't try every recipe, complete every craft, or afford everything i pin. for a while, i must admit, i had to take a step away from this site. i looked at my life and thought about what mattered most. was i allowing "stuff" to consume my heart's affection? one pastor's wife recently shared with me this simple reminder: "the most important things in life aren't things." that has stuck with me, especially coming from a woman who has a gorgeous, antique-filled house. but she can still say that. and mean it. it could all be taken away and she would still have the Lord. and he is enough. 

so i'm coming back to my boards now with a new perspective. i'm setting a simple goal: make some pins come true this summer. create. try new things. but keep your heart in check. we are not home yet.

so without further ado, here is my leather handles project inspired by an image pinned from here. 

total cost for 4 handles: $3.25 (for the leather from Michael's...or you could use an old belt for free!)

first i removed the old handles

then i decided what size my leather needed to be. i wanted each handle to have this size curve and to extend around the screw a little bit. after that, it was as simple as creating holes in the leather and adding the screws!

 i really love the way this project came out. the leather goes perfectly with the red and white knobs i found at world market (a lot cheaper than their counterparts at Anthro, by the by).

more pins-coming-true on the way!

summer drink flags

so, in keeping with my promise to you last week of a great summer entertaining idea, here you go...     nothing crazy or complicated, just a fun element to add to your life and to make your guests feel at home.  last summer i made dozens of these drink flags which lasted me throughout the season, and now carry me into this summer.

i picked up a bamboo placemat (similar to this one) at the Dollar Tree and took it apart by cutting the strings holding it together.   i then cut each bamboo slat in half, and used hot glue and decorative paper to make the flags.  i only had to spend $1 for the placemat, and these adorable drink flags have literally lasted me through dozens of parties.


make a bunch at the start of summer (which is officially tomorrow!) and let the summer partying begin...

- jessie

figs

"it's a window in the world, a little glimpse of all the goodness getting through. 

and all along the way the days are made of little moments of truth."

andrew peterson

my favorite spot in the world. at least for now.

it's a simple porch, attached to a simple house. yellow brick stack by stack. the first time we visited, i merely looked past it, more curious as to the inside of the house. i thought it would just be a place that we would neglect. my mother in law saw it properly though, "this porch is perfect!" i didn't quite have the vision.

but then came summer and meals outside. and two years later of renting, it's my happiness. 

we seem to never leave it and have now grown accustomed to sleeping all night on the futon that sits against the three sliding windows.  the curtains that i made blow softly when a breeze slips past. even the rain can't reach us - it can only send a little mist through like earlier tonight.

i love this space of our home.

Introducing

Scarlett Elizabeth Murphy

She was born on May 27, two weeks early.  She weighed 7 pounds and measured 19 inches long.  We are honored and blessed to have her as our daughter.  I took white yarn (gender neutral) to the hospital, hopeful to crochet a hat with some quiet and free time.  She wore it home!

Her big brother and big sister couldn't love her more.  Paladin still calls her "my brother/sister" because we always referred to her inside as "your brother or sister." 

diy glassware.

as you already know from my post here, the Dollar Tree takes the cake for me as far as shopping goes.  the aisles are filled with limitless possibilities.

this cake platter was made using a $1 candlestick and a $1 plate, plus a little super glue to hold it together.  i love its fresh simplicity. 

 

in true jessie form, i couldn’t just make one thing of course… so these vases and candlesticks were used to make my own apothecary jars.  i took the lid off of another one of my lesser-used jars in order to complete the look.  the whole project-- only $2 a pop!   

our home is still getting in order after our recent move, but here are a few photos…

come back next tuesday for another sneak peek at a great summer entertaining idea, using supplies again from one of my favorite stores… 

- jessie

30 day challenge

it's the best type of roommate challenge. for 30 days, can we wear something from each other's closet? three days down. 

to market to market

the weather in our little town has fortunately changed just enough to give the gardens a chance to grow and produce. and so this morning brought the first farmer's market of the summer, a welcome sight.

a sweet way to start a saturday and a weekend, coming home still with money in my pocket and a bag of freshness.

now my new goal is to make a market bag. hopefully this happens.

have a happy weekend