DIY: a little home decor

I'm guessing most of you know that I live with some friends. And now that I've graduated from college, gotten my career started, and perused Pinterest for probably hours upon hours, I'm ready to have my own place and personalize and decorate it!!!

Last time I was visiting my parents, I ran across some wonderfully patterned retro sheets that my mom had. So I took them. :) I decided that they might come in handy some day for some Pinterest project. ;)

This is the gorgeous material I had from my mom! I kept an eye out for frames to put it in, and ran across these 12"x12" frames from JoAnn Fabric. The frames were originally 19.99 each. I got them on sale for 50% off, and I had a $5 off a $25 purchase and a 15% off deal since I'm a teacher. I scored the three frames for $21.75 total. :)

The frames looked a little bare on the shelf I have around two of my walls. :) So I arranged some of my books in front of them as decoration.

The first frame is graced by:

Real Marriage, by Mark Driscoll

some random book I was given

What Do I Know About My God, by Mardi Collier

and Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, by Joanna Weaver.

... and a glass vase that I scored for $0.99 at Goodwill that contains my change. :)

The second display:

Love and Respect, by Emerson Eggerichs

House Rules, by Jodi Picoult (INCREDIBLE BOOK!!!)

and Crazy Love, by Francis Chan

 and a $0.99 vase from JoAnn on sale and some flowers that brighten any room!

 The last display:

my personal journal

Taste and See, by John Piper

Erasing Hell, by Francis Chan

and a $1.99 score from Goodwill that will someday be painted Oil Rubbed Bronze, but currently holds my rings. :)

I'm so excited about my new decor in a room that is becoming more my own... hopefully just in time to get my own apartment! :)

DIY: personalized wedding gift: key fob

About a month ago, I bought these key fobs on Pick Your Plum (which might I add, is FANTASTIC! Seriously... hop on over and check it out, then subscribe for their amazing daily deals) and had them sitting around waiting for an idea.

My dear friend, Sunil, got married last weekend to a darling, godly woman, Amanda. Since I know myself, and I've gotten a decent clue as to just how wonderful Amanda is, I picked out the seemingly PERFECT gift to add to their already crafted wedding gift.

...and her new last name is on the other side. I know if I was a newlywed, I would freak at this gift, and possibly even just carry my keys around the house. So, I made my own... "Miss" on one side, "Roberts" on the other. haha! I'm paranoid enough about losing my keys... hopefully this will help if I ever do!

The key fob is made of thick felt, and the stitching is brown embroidery floss, leftover from my mug hug. I'm really excited to give it to her soon!!! :)

DIY: knitting, mug hug!

I tried (and basically succeeded at) my second knitting project! I made a coffee sleeve (or mug hug) for my to-go cups in a bonus attempt to go green, err, yellow... or just knit something small and fun. :)

I found the basic tutorial here and the extra fun stuff here. And as I looked back to link back, I realized I didn't even follow the tutorial. Oops! So basically, I just took the idea. ;)

My mug hug doesn't have a fancy stitch. I tried a stockinette, and then I tried k2p2, but both failed. Maybe I should "perfect" the basics before I branch out. I'm not exactly a pro yet. ;)

The mustache is brown, and the yarn is a burnt yellow. I love it. :) And since sewing is on my list of "things to attempt," I tried just sewing the back together (since knitting a circle anything is a far fetch at this point). I realized that looking nice was also a far fetch, so I went for the "Urban Outfitters" (I'll make this intentionally sloppy so it almost looks vintage) look. :) So yes, I know it looks terrible. I meant for it to. :)

I'm excited to try some new stitches and a few new projects... or just make one that looks like the original pattern. ;)

Knitting can now be added to my list of "things I have tried!"

DIY: my first knitting project!

A dear friend wanted to learn how to knit, so I caved and bought some stuff so she wouldn't be alone in her mini adventure. Well, I completed a project!!!

I struggled some with keeping track of how many stitches I had done in each row, but I think it looks decent for my first project. I followed a tutorial I found here. As I typed up this blog, I realized that I skipped to her Part 3 lesson rather than starting at Part 1. That probably would've helped. haha

My current project is a coffee sleeve! :) It'll be adorable if I actually get it finished! :)

Outfit of the Day: the back of my closet

Dress: Francesca's

Jacket: Maurices (hiding in the back of my closet along with the dress)

Tights: Target

Belt: NY&Company

Boots: Shoe Carnival

Necklace: The Limited

Mary Kay pin: Mary Kay Inc.

Earrings: Kohl's

iPhone case: Agent18

P.S. I'm a beauty consultant with Mary Kay now! If you'd like to place an order, catch me at jessicaroberts@marykay.com 

MaD Monday: making the difference you've always wanted to.

First of all, I'm sorry that 1. this is getting posted late at night. 2. I totally bypassed last week. I took a day trip to Columbia, MO to spend the day with a friend... SO the blog got put on the back shelf.

Last week (or two weeks ago): I have a bag in the middle of my room that keeps obtaining more items and will be taken to Goodwill tomorrow! :)

This week: Some of you might just decide that this isn't worth your time because it's too much work. That's fine. But some of you readers might just want to live a little bigger. Be a little more daring. This is your chance.

I doubt I'm the only one who has ever seen a homeless person on the side of the road and thought "I wish there was a way I could help without handing them cash that they might spend on booze." If I'm the only one who's thought that, get a heart, people! ;) Anyway, I saw this idea on another blog (which I cannot remember...) and I thought it would be a perfect way to make a difference over the course of time.

Make a kit for a homeless person (or a few!!!)

Suggested items (for a gallon ziploc bag) include:

1. granola bars

2. travel deodorant

3. baby wipes

4. crackers

5. a tract

6. a walmart giftcard

7. bottled water

8. Bible

9. fruit strips

10. poncho

The possibilities are endless. Once you get things together to make a kit, you keep it in your car for that moment when the homeless person is staring you down at a light. Now instead of staring ahead and acting like you got a phone call, you can brighten their day or maybe even change their life. :) And say a prayer for them. Don't judge them. They are a sinner in need of the same grace as you are!!!

**easy option for this week: When you're going through the drive through, pay for the person behind you's meal. I did this just last week. I happened to have an extra note in my wallet that said "You are loved. God loved us and sent His Son." I asked the attendant at the window how much the order from the car behind me was. He gave me a funny look, then told me. I smiled and said "I'd like to pay for theirs too. And would you mind giving this to them? (and handed him the note)" He said sure, and took care of it. This gave me energy enough to be smiling the rest of the evening. :)

I really am interested to see how you have been making a difference! Give me a shout!

MaD Monday: excess

Last week: I'm a little on the slackery side... but my letter of admiration just went out in the mail today, so the person I sent it to doesn't even have it yet. :( But they'll get it soon!!!

This week: Bag up some clothes and donate them. I don't really care which clothes. And I don't care where you take them. I have a feeling those of you who read my blog do, indeed (as I do...) live a life of excess. Take some time to "cleanse" and donate. Even if it doesn't "better" someone else much, just the act of prayerfully realizing what you can live without will better yourself and give you a nice little lesson in humility and gratefulness. :)

Next week, I'll get a head start on mine so I can give you more specific instructions since it's a little more detailed. :)

Go make your difference!!!