#tircoloringbook

While this post may contain affiliate links, all opinions are 100% mine.

Well this is fun!  One of my favorite bloggers, Melissa Michaels of The Inspired Room, is releasing a home decor coloring booknext week and I am so super excited to have received an advance copy of this beautiful book (thanks Melissa)!!!

The Inspired Room Coloring Book: Creative Spaces to Decorate as You Dream

Are you on board with the coloring book craze?  I am a big fan. I guess I am still a kid at heart but coloring is really relaxing for me.  Sometimes the boys and I all sit at the counter and color together...we love it!  The Inspired Room coloring bookis unique, however, because it focuses on Melissa’s love for making a house a home.  It’s just full of sweet images, including some with inspiring quotes, including this one which is a favorite verse of mine:

I'm also fond of the pages with a series of objects you might find around the home:

This book is especially nice because of the attention to detail: the paper is nice and thick and only printed on one side, in case you want to use sharpies without ruining the next image.  And I just think the hand-drawn images are super sweet.  Want to see more?  Even though this book doesn’t officially release until July 1^st, you can  already order now at amazon.com(and --bonus!--it's on sale for less than $9).  Head on over to see more pictures of some of the pages inside.  It would be such a relaxing summer activity for yourself, or a perfect gift for the home-décor lovin’ woman in your life!

Easy Fix for Cardboard Magazine Files (Ikea Fluns Upgrade)

This post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% mine.

So, back to the open shelving in my kitchen.  It vexes me.

I told you recently that I was gonna restyle it soon...and here's what it currently looks like:

I meant to get a plant up on that top shelf. before I shot this pic...whoops!

I also wanted to add some magazine files to corral all those catalogs, magazines, and papers that tend to clutter up my kitchen. Enter the Ikea FLUNS magazine files, which are white cardboard and will set you back a whole buck for four. FOUR FOR A DOLLAR???  Yep.  Great price, but unfortunately they look as cheap as they are:

If you don't have an IKEA near you, you can buy the exact same ones for a little bit more by clicking here.They are just so plain and so white, so I used craft paper and little label frames from the craft store (spray painted gold) to spruce them up and allow them to blend with my summer-y coastal blues and browns:

Spray adhesive worked great for this project.  If you want more of a tutorial, let me know!  By the way, my very favorite gold spray paint is Rustoleum Metallic Gold.

The categories are "Read" and "Plan:"

I did this quick project a few weeks ago and (in spite of being cardboard) the magazine files are holding up great!  This would be fun to do with a pretty patterned paper, too.  Let me know if you try it!

Stitch Fix Review #2

This post contains affiliate links but all opinions are always 100% mine!

Hey people!!!  I got my second Stitch Fix yesterday, woo hoo!

It is such an easy and exciting way to shop for clothing, shoes and accessories.  If you'd like to sign up, you can click right here.  Here's the run-down on my June shipment:

Dillan Strappy Sandal:

Belissa Ribbed Detail Knit Top:

Tammi Printed Dress:

Galinda Printed Maxi Skirt:

Anjuli Dark Wash Denim Jacket:

Some cute items, to be sure...sadly the maxi skirt was just too big for my short self.  I *love* the denim jacket but its a hard sell because I already have a similar one (although it's not as comfy!  not as distressed!  not as cute!)

Kinda liked pairing the Belissa top with skinny jeans and the Dillan strappy sandals:

 And really loved the Tammi dress paired with that cute Anjuli denim jacket:

So what will I end up keeping?  Aaaahhhh!!!  I actually don't know yet.  Hard decisions are hard. Any advice?

Sock Treasures (A Guest Post from Joy Reclaimed)

I have a treat for you! I'm welcoming Laura as a guest to the blog today.  This special lady is a new friend of mine but was once my hubby's Sunday School teacher!  Laura is also a mom who is currently raising her five-year-old grandson.  She recently started a blog, Joy Reclaimed...would you please take a moment to check her out there as well?  Here's just a taste of what she has to offer:

Bedtime at our house is filled with typical five year old antics–stalling, more time in the bathtub negotiations, tooth brushing, water drinking and the ritual of choosing the toy of honor that gets to share the bed for the night.  “No, you can’t sleep with that one, you’ll roll over on it in the middle of the night and wake up!” Then a story, bedtime prayers and lights out.

These are normal activities for households with small children, except that we were supposed to be empty nesters.

Last night, I was helping Zachary get ready for bed when he warned me as I reached for his foot to remove his sock.  “There’s art supplies in there!”  In his sock?  Since school?  Sure enough, carefully peeling his sock off his foot revealed seven  brightly colored broken pencil leads that he had collected and placed there for safe keeping during craft time at school.  I asked the obvious questions.  “Why did you save these?” and “Why did you put them in your sock?”  And I got the obvious answers.  “Because I liked them.”  and “Because I didn’t have a pocket!”  Oh.

Against my looks-like-trash-to-me-so toss-it instincts, each tiny colored piece was carefully placed in a dixie cup and several seconds were spent marveling over how pretty each was in the bottom of the cup.  “I like the red one best!”  And then after prayers and kisses; a moment to double check that the small cup with the treasures inside was safe until morning.

I am blessed to again be able to experience the joy of ordinary moments. The ones that really matter. Once again, I get to see the world through a child’s eyes.  Coming from a place of understanding I couldn’t possibly have known as a young parent, I am amazed by how much of what is really important I missed the first time around and am determined to make the best of this second chance.

The road to last night’s bedtime ritual was paved with the stones of poor choices; resulting in bumps, delays, detours, potholes and heart breaking consequences. But it led to a beautiful place of joy I would never have found any other way.

(Isn't this a great reminder for all us moms?  Again, please take a moment to check her out at Joy Reclaimed, and thank you!)