Today's Pinterest Project: DIY Cornice Boards!

So today my friend Ashleigh & I tackled a Pinterest DIY project! I have been wanting to make my own cornice boards for the living room window(s) for a while now and knew of the perfect fabric I wanted to use at Hobby Lobby.

FYI: In case you didn't know, Hobby Lobby is a Christian company {which I love!} and they offer *about* everything in the store 50% off every other week. So if you go in there & fall in love with something, come back next week & you can get it for 50% off! If you absolutely have to have something and it's not on sale that week, you can go to Hobby Lobby's website on your smartphone & show the cashier a 40% off {one non-sale item} coupon on your phone off their website {or print one off before you get there.} They always have one on their website & it's bound to help you on something. :)

I looked on Pinterest to find a tutorial on how to make my own cornice boards. I first found this one, which is great and practically the same thing my friends Becky & Randall did for their DIY cornice boards. The only difference was that they bought the wood at Lowe's {or wherever} and had them cut it in the correct dimensions there so no power tools were needed, except a drill to screw the brackets into the wall.

I was convinced "there was an easier/cheaper way" so I kept perusing on Pinterest and found this. I already had a hot glue gun, hammer, nails were only $1.30 at Lowe's {I got the tiniest "trim nails" I could find-- they come in different sizes}, & my fabric was 40% off at Hobby Lobby thanks to my trusty coupon!

I couldn't find the exact Styrofoam she used since I was at Lowe's and not Home Depot but they had something similar back where their lumber is. It was a huge piece!! The man at Lowe's cut it in two & I could barely fit it in the back of my SUV!

I tried to follow the directions to a T but had a couple "issues."

First, I have a double window instead of a single. I was afraid the inside would sink in so I had to put something in the middle to push against the middle window frame. I basically just made a frame/board like she did, and attached another top piece to the other side of one end and another end piece to that piece. {Gah, I'm sorry. I know that makes little to no sense.}

I also didn't think to cover the back as well as the front. This window is one that's in the front of our house and you can totally see the {currently} non-finished back when the blinds are open, and they usually stay open. So if you're going to do this, do back *and* the front!

We also didn't use a butter knife. Heck a butcher knife was difficult when you stood the thing up & tried to cut "down." The best way to cut the board is to lay it on the  ground, cut straight pieces one at a time {the slow but sure way} and when you're done, stand it up and fold the foam so it'll snap apart. One side will be crooked as all get out, but the other edge will be surprisingly super straight!

You can read the directions on the site yourself if you're super interested in how to do this project. But for now, I will leave you with an "after picture" of today's Pinterest project! I think Ashleigh & I did a GREAT job!! So what if it's not perfect? I love it!! {Just gotta fix the back...}

I figure this will be WAY easier with a single window and can't wait to try it in another room now that I think I've got the hang of it and some of the kinks worked out! 

I am just so tickled with it. I love me some DIY. I love me some chevron. And I love me some new home decor!! Especially cheap DIY chevron home decor! :)

Next I'll show you how we chevron'd my friend's wall in her future baby girl's nursery last weekend!! Now THAT was interesting... Stay tuned!!

♥,

Nicole

 

My day. ... What if?

I had one of those days yesterday when nothing went right. To end the day, I broke my flashdrive. You know, the thing that held ALL my work-related everything and the thing I had NOT backed up since June. This has happened before. You'd think I'd learn. You'd think. Either way, I spent an entire day today in front of a computer, re-doing the notes I had done last week, that were due yesterday, and pulling any documentation I could recover via email. Let me tell you...it was a fun day. Oh, and I stapled my finger this morning. That was a first. I'm not gonna lie, it hurt and it bled. But I had a fuss fest nice lunch with three of my awesome co-workers today. That was the highlight of my twelve-hour-workday. That and telling Paul about the time I cried going down the slopes at App Ski Mountain. Good times, good times.

I really shouldn't complain about my day, but that's what I've been doing. I fit into a size smaller pair of jeans today that I must have bought last year on clearance {because I know I did not wear that size last year.} That's a definite plus! And I laughed the whole way to work listening to Wake Up With Taylor on COSMO Radio and the local Ace & TJ Show {my two favorite morning shows}. That's something to be thankful for, right? ...Right!

I saw this on Pinterest tonight while I was watching two hours an hour and 45 minutes {I wasn't super into The Mindy Project} of comedy TV on FOX tonight. I love me some New Girl and tonight was the season premiere of Raising Hope. I had been missing that show!! Ben and Kate got me LOLing too, so, I'm probably going to add that to my list for now. I totally just got side-tracked {ADHD brain}... What I was saying was I saw this on Pinterest tonight:

Wow! What if??

I just want to say- Thank you, God, for loving me no matter how thankless or thankful I am. Thank you, for all your blessings, even those I find annoying and inconvenient.

It really makes you think, doesn't it? What if?

This week's favorite pins!

Check out some of my favorite pins from this week. It's the least I could do for being such a bad blogger.

-----

So, my hair is annoying me. Again. My next color job is gonna be something along these lines! I'm loving that "it's blonde, but it's not"... I seriously have a problem. Thank you God that I still have hair!! I am soooo ready for LENGTH!!! 

This seriously happens to me every time I go to take a nap...

Unfortunately this is also true...

And this amazing photo...

Follow me on Pinterest! 

Bible Verse Love on Pinterest

I am house-sitting for a friend's family & watching American Idol.
I need to
u-n-w-i-n-d
& how better to do that than share some Pinterest love with y'all?? :-)

Tonight's Pinterest sharing theme:

Bible Verse Love ♥

Follow me on Pinterest :-)

My rut somewhat explained

So, I'm not going to lie. I talk about being in a rut. I talk about being down & out. I talk about yada yada yada. The cold hard truth is that I am depressed.  {Hence the previous post.} I don't think I'm alone and I don't think I'll be this way forever. So, that's why I'm being honest.  Usually my blogs are about YouTube videos I like, what's going on in my life, or probably something pertaining to makeup.  I didn't mean to go all clinical on y'all on the last post, but I know some people are interested and some people are ignorant. 

It's been super hard for me lately. I don't know why. For whatever reason, the devil is trying to attack me from left and right and for another unknown reason, God's letting it happen.  {I like to think of myself as a modern day Job, haha.} But in all seriousness, I know this season in my life is God allowing the devil to kick me while I'm down, just so I will have no choice but to turn to God for relief from it all.   I know that true joy comes from the Lord and some days I feel like it's been 100% God & God only getting me out of the bed, getting me out the door, and putting on a happy face.  I want to be the best for my clients and I'm really trying.  I'm actually seeing some great results from some of my clients, which makes me feel like I am making a difference, which really does help.  

It also helps that I have some pretty wise clients.  Like I said in my last post, one of my clients told me, "85% of your circumstances come from your attitude and your actions."  And I reiterated saying It isn't always about what you're going through in life, but how you view your circumstances and what you do with them. 

I don't always take my own advice, but I'm working on it. I think, "If my client told me that, what would I say to them?" or "What homework would I give them?"  The thing is- I've never been good at doing homework, so, that's something I'm working on.  I know I must get through this patch and I am seriously working on it.  It takes time AND EFFORT, but most importantly, God.  Without Him, I don't know where I'd be.  I really don't.  I am thankful each and every day that I am where I am, because so many people have it so so so much worse.  We don't even know.  We can't even fathom.  And no, I'm not talking about the pot-bellied children in Africa that we see on the commercials.  I am talking about people in your very small hometown.  I am talking about people you went to high school with that you didn't even recognize.  Or people who you pass in the grocery store, or people you talk to each and every day.  We have no idea what people are going through, what they've been through, or what they will go through.  This isn't a big "love everybody" PSA, even though I think we should love everybody, haha, but I am just saying....BE. MORE. AWARE. and be more compassionate.  Help others, on purpose, and without seeking assistance in return.  

That has absolutely nothing to do with where I was going, but honestly, I promised a part two and I wanted to deliver a promised post {for once}. So, my mind is in a million places, but I hope you understand a tad bit of why.   Please keep me in your prayers.  I know there's things I need to do, but it's really really hard sometimes.  I want to do and I want to give and I need to learn to take care of myself before I can take care of others. But, I know I can do this! Alex has been super helpful, being extra sweet and encouraging lately, which is what I needed.  And I know that at the end of the day, it's all God's doing.  I just need the devil to LAY THE FREAK OFF so I can do my thang. ;)

and I need to remember these things:

Thanks Pinterest for your awesome motivational quotes tonight. 

Photography Tips for your Point & Shoot Digital Camera

Thanks to Pinterest, I have found some great tips for using your P&S {Point & Shoot} digital camera. You know, for us too broke to buy a fancy pants camera. Just thought I'd share some of the links that I found helpful.



How to Make the Most of your Point & Shoot Camera by Ashley at Under the Sycamore

angles, angles, angles...on my point & shoot by Ashley at Under the Sycamore

How to Get the Most from your Point and Shoot Camera

Mommy's Camera is a great site for all things point & shoot!

Point & Shoot Tips

Macro Photography Tips for a Point and Shoot Camera

I hope this helps you all as much as I think I have learned. Honestly, it's night & I haven't tried anything yet. BUT- it's on my mental to-do list!  ;)

If you know of any tips & tricks for your P&S digital camera, feel free to share! :)

In a morning funk & right back out....

This morning was not my morning. Nothing bad happened. But it was just "one of those mornings." And I will tell you EXactly why.

For the past two days, I have planned on going to the gym super early in the morning. Like 5:30-6:30 early. Going to the gym in the morning makes so much sense to me. I would start my day off with doing something positive. I would get my heart and my blood flowing. I would only have to take one shower a day. I have to be at work at 9:00 instead of 8:00, so that's another incentive. But more importantly, I wouldn't have to go when I get off work! I got in the routine of going and working out, then when I started working, I just don't want to anymore. I took a week off {big mistake} and for the past two days I've tried to get back in the habit of working out. It has to be a habit or else consider it not happening. Well, I get sleepy driving home after work and the last thing I want to do is spend an hour on the elliptical {or doing anything else at the gym for that matter}. But for the past two days, I've done it anyways. Trying to form that habit.  I get so sad though, thinking about driving half an hour home every day, then spending an hour at the gym, then by the time I go home, shower, and eat dinner, there's little time for quality time with the boy, cleaning, doing laundry, or, you know, catch up on DVR'd shows-- especially if I want to get to bed EARLY like I'll need to if I'm going to do this early morning workout thing.

I don't know what in the world I'm gonna do once all my favorite shows return.

{You can tell I have my priorities lined up.}

But anyways, for the second morning in a row I have not  gotten up to workout. Correction: I get up, then I go RIGHT back to sleep. Then when I wake up and get ready, having to pack my clothes for the gym after work, I get SO mad at myself for not getting up and going earlier that morning. Then I just get thrown in a funk the rest of the day, mad at myself, feeling lazy and guilty for not doing what I know I should have done.

That may sound silly to you, because really- who gets up at 5:15 in the morning when they don't absolutely have to? But it makes sense to me, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who kicks themselves when they don't do what they know they should have.

Here's some of my relatable Pinterest finds:

But to help me get out of my funk this morning, I have Bits of Truth to thank, for this:

Amen! I really should just be quiet and try again tomorrow. I have nothing I {should} complain about!