What inspires you?

I'm a VERY visual person, which also makes me a big book and computer nerd! :) I'm always curious to know what books, magazines, web sites and blogs other people are reading to inspire them! So, tell me - what are you watching and reading that inspires you? I'm always looking for new books to reference, new shows to watch, new blogs and web sites to view!

Here's books I've got saved in my "wish list" on Amazon.com:

Here are two books I've recently bought from Amazon.com and a magazine I've subscribed to:

If you're an avid reader beyond the craft and party planning books - what are you reading in your spare time?

Another fabulous Valentine's Day decorating idea!

I stumbled upon the Tatortots & Jello blog and had to share this super cute Valentine's DIY decorating idea! Jen, the creator of this fabulous site, made this awesome Subway Canvas Art. I love that this piece would look good anywhere - in an entry way, resting on a mini-easel on a dining room table, decor in a bedroom or living room - seriously the locations are endless! Best of all, it's super easy to make! Check out here what supplies you'll need and instructions on making your own!

Choose your own words that you correlate with Valentine's Day and love!

Make the canvas as large or as small as you would like - it's your creation!

I think we finally did it... we found "the one"

My boyfriend and I have been house hunting for what seems like an eternity - I swear, most of our Saturday's (not to mention the hours searching online) have been devoted to hunting for "the one"... and I think we finally found it! While I'm not going to post the pictures displayed on the MLS listing (because trust me, they don't really do it any justice), I thought it would be WAY more fun to show photos of decor and furniture inspiration... kind of like window peeping!

The MASTER BEDROOM: Our bedroom furniture looks NOTHING like the photo below, however I'm in love the idea of placing a collage of mirrors above the night stands. I also like the idea of hanging a set of 3 of 4 photos on the wall above the headboard (note: I wouldn't do both... just in case I had readers out there cringing and going "she's really going to do both of those?!"). I love our bedroom furniture, so the decor is the major element I'll need to work on. As of now, I'm thinking deep purples or soft teal and brown. (image via the style files)

The DINING ROOM: We actually have an oval black dining room table a 4 black leather chairs similar to those shown below (which I'm absolutely obsessed with to the point of being adamant that we NEEDED a separate dining room just so we didn't have to give up the table). The dining room in our "it" house is actually connected to the kitchen, like a big eat-in area. I envisioned putting some type of shelving in... and when I came across this idea, I loved it! Dining room inspiration - CHECK! (image via Ikea)

The BASEMENT: One of the biggest thing my boyfriend was looking for in a home was a place to make his own - to display sports memorabilia, have a pool table and ping pong table, a place to hang with his friends - you know, all the elements of a MAN CAVE! This house definitely has it, and I think the photo below is just what he would envision his man cave to look like. Add a nice bar, some more sports stuff and you're good to go. (Mental note to self: make sure furniture, carpeting and decor is easy to clean up - the smell of stale beer is NEVER a good thing!) (image via mybadpad.com)

The FAMILY ROOM: There's a nice family room right off of the living room that this would look perfect it - the main focal point of this room is a HUGE fireplace. We're thinking of mounting a TV above the mantel, making this the perfect place to hang out and watch some movies or my favorite design, decorating and craft shows! I love the furniture below because it looks amazingly comfortable and functional for a family room. :) (image via CSN Stores)

The LIVING ROOM: The living room has a dark bluish-grey paint color that we both actually really dig, and both thought it would look great with black furniture and accent pieces. Here's a living room set that I really like - ample seating, while still looking simply and classy - although, I'm not sure how comfortable it looks, but hey, you get the idea! (image via furniture store NYC)

The HOME OFFICE/CRAFT ROOM: This will most likely be my favorite room to decorate because it's going to be ALL MINE (he has his man cave, I'll have my office/craft room). Because it's my favorite room to dream about, I couldn't just pick one... so here's three favorite choices, but believe me... there were WAY more that I loved!

While this would be like my dream office - I don't think it's something I'll be able to afford anytime soon... (image via favoritespaces.org)

Something like this is more do-able, while still allowing enough space to do all the things I love! (image via Cheyenne Milwork and Custom Cabinets Ltd)

Another good one and probably the most affordable because I've already got a desk that looks like those! However not sure this one allows enough space to do everything I'd like to do in my office/craft room. Maybe adding another desk so it makes an L-shape would be ideal, at least for space. (image via good design)

While I could go on and on DREAMING of decorating what I hope is my future home, I better make myself stop as it's making me "decorating hungry"... and we all know that's not good for a bank account - especially the bank account of a new home owner!

What types of decorating tips do you have for a new home owner? What chic (and cheap) designs and tricks are up your sleeves? I'd love to hear them!

A Valentine's card for your favorite music lover!

If I could pick one thing that my boyfriend might love more than me (ha!), it would have to be music (OK, and maybe his mom... but that's a different kind of love, right?!). He's seriously obsessed. When we first started dating, I think one of the first things he asked me was "So, what kind of music do you listen to" - and I don't think it was necessarily to keep the conversation rolling, I think it may have been a small test (guess I passed!). After a little while longer, he made a CD for me that featured some of his favorite songs... and while I can't find the CD anymore (seriously, I'm so sad over this!), I remember the songs on it, which will always be songs that remind me of him. So, when I saw this AMAZING idea for a Valentine's card and CD holder combo on Elle's Studio's blog, I knew I had to share - and I know that I'll definitely be trying to make this sweet little number myself! Check out the full post here for what supplies to pick up and instructions on how to make this adorable creation for the music LOVE-r in your life!!

What I did last night...

Well if you read my last post, you know that my grandma has recently been diagnosed with cancer. As a reminder that myself, my siblings and my cousins are always thinking of my grandma, we decided to make her a little care package. While I don't have a picture of the entire package put together, I thought I'd show you a couple of the pictures I took of those things I made myself - including some homemade chocolate, caramel, cookie lollipops and a card.

I found the link for these adorable lollipops on another bloggers site - although whose site I saw it on is escaping me at the moment. However, her blog post directed me to Parents magazine's web site, which is where I found the ingredients and directions on how to create them - it was just one of a few different Valentine's treats that I'd love to try out - which hopefully I'll be writing about soon that I've made them and will have pictures, too! Now, let me tell you, the 'pops that were shown in the picture look WAAAAY better than the ones I made, but hey! - it was my first round at this... I know my next one's will be better! I also learned a thing about melting chocolate - don't mix in milk or it will make a paste (rather than making it creamier, which is what I thought would happen... silly me!). Another thing to note, make sure the bowl that you are using for the melted chocolate is deep enough so you can dunk the 'pops in there - my bowl was too shallow so I ended up spooning the melted chocolate on the cookies... not as efficient!

The next thing I made was my grandma's card... I know, I know... there's a lot more I could have done with it - but with the short time I had to spend on Joann Fabrics, and not having all of the supplies laying around, it's what I came up with - I don't think it's too shabby, though! I bought a stack of blank cards from Joann Fabrics, along with some "grandma" stickers and voila, you've got yourself a homemade card! Next card I make will include more embellishments, ribbons, rub-ons, etc. Hopefully the next card to my grandmother will one for her being in remission!

I hope you enjoy a peak into what I do other than blogging and working all the time! :) And please don't don't mind my photography skills - I'm still trying to get down the whole lighting thing!

Help in Finding a Cure

My family and I found out (well, got confirmation) that my grandma on my mom's side has been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, which is a type of cancer that affects ones plasma, blood cells and bone marrow, as I understand it. While we're still unsure of the stage of the cancer, it's come as a big shock to my family. There's nothing worse than feeling helpless to try and help the ones you love. When I heard the news, I instantly began to think of ways that I could help out with this disease that's hurting my grandma - I've gotten as far as holding my own fundraiser (which seems like a good idea, but not sure I'll have the time to do it all on my own), purchasing wristbands and selling them to friends and coworkers, participating in the marathon being held in October (October in Minnesota can be sketchy... and I must admit I'm in NO shape to be running a marathon anytime soon... even with 9 months of training, that might be pushing it!) and creating something of my own and trying to sell it... however, what that creation would be, I haven't a clue - my creative juices aren't flowing the way they normally would because I'm still in shock (I haven't had to deal with friends or family being diagnosed with cancer). What I could do right now was start looking up products that are being sold to benefit cancer research, specifically Multiple Myeloma. While I'm already trying to come up with ways that I myself can help (partially to relieve my creative ability), looking up what other people have done adds great inspiration! So I hope you enjoy the Multiple Myeloma items I've picked out - stop by the Cafe Press and Choose Hope web sites and find something that supports your loved ones who have been diagnosed cancer or other illnesses - they have a great selection! I will post any creative ideas I've come up with to help the fight against all cancers when those brainwaves start working again!

I'm diggin' this card

I fell in love with this DIY card that DannisDoodles featured on her blog. I'm a huge fan of Sex and the City, and this card is totally Sex and the City-esque! She created this card, with simple embellishments and rub-ons by Martha Stewart and Glitz.

Enjoy!