Outside the Frame: creative

Showing posts with label creative. Show all posts

11/17/13

a little love bird...

this weekend i found myself playing around with some graphics.

this was due to my attempt to use my creative abilities to create Christmas gifts since Paris is taking our Christmas fund lol.

i am excited to say i have come up with some awesomeness.

but i can't share all that until AFTER Christmas.

however, i'm in the Christmas spirit and feeling generous.....

so - here's one for you!

feel free to take the below image for yourself.

this little gem will be hanging in our bedroom soon!

8/2/13

notice anything different here?
i don't know, maybe an awesome new blog design?

why yes, i am in love with it!
fo realz.

so i gotta give my girl pam some props for her awesome design skills.
she's got great prices too!
i did the whole blog overhaul, but she does design pieces a la carte as well.
do yourself a favor and click HERE and check out her blog, flourishing.
then see what kind of little creative things you need to add to your blog!
she customizes everything just for your wants!

a lil' about sweet pam....
i met her a couple of years ago. she was an intern with my husband at the church he worked at in georgia.
then we had a small group at our house and i momentarily thought i was in college again from hanging out with them so much. absolutely LOVED that crew. they brought so much happiness to my heart.
anyway, girlfriend has an amazing voice too. and she's currently living in australia attending hillsong college so she can pursue the dreams god has laid on her heart.

ok so go visit her. and hire her.

7/15/13

craft time!

it's no secret that i've been a depressed debbie and a crabby patty.

truth.

but sunday i decided to do a lil' crafting to help my funk.

and craft i did!!!

i have a new baby niece scheduled to arrive at the end of next month.

and i couldn't be more excited!!!

of course i've been buying everything in sight, but i felt she needed a little auntie homemade goodness.

so i made a banner for her room!

yay!

they are decorating in a yellow floral pattern and i found the most perfect burlap daisies at michaels the other day.

i already had some blank burlap tags just begging to be used, so i painted her name on them!

it was super easy.

materials needed: burlap tags (packs of 3 were $2 or $3 at hobby lobby), jute yarn, and clip on flowers.

i used a paint pen to stencil the letters.

i took a glue gun to double the width of the jute, then just hot glued each letter.

then clipped on the flowers and done!

i am so very pleased with how it turned out!

this could be dangerous....i could be making banners for every room and holiday/season now.

let the banner making begin!

6/28/13

i have issues.

it's true. real life issues.
i've been on a shopping kick lately.
it's problematic.
kind of like binge eating, but binge shopping.
i do this about once a year...i guess the time has arrived!

ok, so peeps - i am uh-bsessed with the project life line of scrapbooking.
it's the kind of scrapbooking that works for my schedule these days.
i totally went on a major shopping spree for these kits.
but, but, but, let me tell you the good news.
so, the kits are $29.99 each. however, i get the weekly hobby lobby email with a 40% off coupon.
this works online as well. with the coupon, it ends up being like $17.
total win!!!!
i'm gonna need you to check it out.

so two trips to hobby lobby and a trip to michaels later.....i bought a keurig.
and i'm in love.
but no, that wasn't enough spending.

old navy here i come.
and i conquered.
i had super cash ($30 savings) that i surely couldn't let go to waste.

and then enter world market.
it just may be my new happy place.
luckily, i got out of there for a mere $12.

what is wrong with me??? i must stop. i simply must.

do you ever binge shop?

5/6/13

Jalapeno Popper Sammies

i love jalapeno poppers.
pretty much if they're on a menu, i'm gonna get them.
but i'm picky - i only like the ones with cheddar...NOT cream cheese.
when chris and i were first married, we were super poor. so we would go to Sam's Club and get a big pack of poppers, and then ration them out every night as our dinner.
oh, those were the days.
i digress.
so i've been seeing recipes for jalapeno popper dip, sandwiches, casserole, etc. but have yet to try any.
this past sunday, i had a lazy day of food network consumption and watched a show called the sandwich king. wouldn't ya know that he'd make a jalapeno popper sandwich?
and it looked SO super yummy.
after a long ~~debate~~ discussion about what's for dinner, we settled on giving them a try.
i didn't have all of the ingredients he used, so i got creative with what i had.
first of all, growing up i hated grilled cheese sandwiches. i can't even remember the last time i ate one.
so tonight, it was a bit risky. and definitely worth the risk!
something this good i just had to share!

i started with some fresh jalapenos. i used 4 small/medium sized peppers.
first, wash the peppers, then cut in half length wise. now, depending on how spicy you want your sandwiches will determine how you handle cleaning up your peppers. the seeds and veins are where the heat is. so i cleaned a few slices really good, and then left a little vein in a few to get a medium heat. place them skin side up on a non-stick cookie sheet and broil until they look a little burnt. then pop them in a baggie and let them steam for a few minutes.
once they were done steaming, i peeled the skins off of the peppers and cut into thin, long strips.

i actually had left over peppers after the sandwiches were made, so i threw them in the food processor with some sour cream to use as a dipping sauce for either quesadillas or nachos later this week. multi-purpose here!

next, it's cheese time.
i grated a block of extra sharp cheddar cheese. i find block cheese melts a little better.

and you've gotta have something to hold it all together.
so for a spread, i used light sour cream, a dollup of light mayo, garlic salt, black pepper and parsley.
the mayo helps it hold up to the heat a little better. you could also use cream cheese or mascarpone cheese.

now bread is a big decision. just so happens we had some sour dough. perfect! i would suggest a sturdy white bread.

and like any grilled cheese, you have to butter the bread.

assembly time:
so you butter the side of the bread that goes in the skillet.
then place a little of the sour cream spread on the inside of the bread.
place cheese and press it down, so the cheese sticks.
then lay a few slices of the peppers on the cheese.
add a little spread to the other piece of bread and cook it until both sides are golden brown.
then cut and serve!

now, go get creative and make yourself one!

4/8/13

be still my heart.

this weekend was a doozy, in the best kind of way.

my lil brother and sis in-law spent the night on friday and we had a fun little slumber party.

priceless moments.

as i've mentioned, we're moving in a couple of weeks.

and saturday i went to see my nephew play baseball.

it was opening day.

my goodness, he's a cutie pie.

and i cried through the whole game, knowing it was the last one i'd see this season.

ugh.

but you know what made it awesome?

well besides a perfect game?

my precious niece showing up to the game with the same tennis shoes as me!

twinsies.

sunday was filled with crafting.

holli's gettin' married y'all!

so we started the center piece making.

i can't wait to see them all put together, and i don't want to give too many details away before the big day.

but as you can see, we got all kinds of dirty!

these are some mighty fine wine bottles!

oh!!! and you see the yellow piece beside it?

well i repurposed a vanity that my step mom gave me.

it was old 1960s laminate and now it's a beautiful butter cup yellow!

i'll have some pics of it soon.

i'm super proud of how it turned out!

and then i literally spent 3 hours doing 30 minutes worth of homework because i'm a procrastinator.

boo!

oh, and be prepping a post full of music goodness for tomorrow's link up!

3/22/13

Favorite Pinterest Finds

pinterest is my happy place.
seriously, it's how i wind down every night.
and so i only find it fitting to devote a whole post to it!
so here are some of my absolute favorite pinterest finds!

recipes written in grandma's handwriting and framed in the kitchen. i want to do this with my mom's old handwritten recipes.

Source: diyhomedesignpins.com via Lauren on Pinterest

a wreath made out of cotton. be still my heart.

Source: chezreneeshop.com via Lauren on Pinterest

diy projects for mason jars.

Source: tipjunkie.com via Lauren on Pinterest

just because beards are awesome.

Source: hydrocarbon.tumblr.com via Lauren on Pinterest

truth.

Source: artsymumof5.tumblr.com via Lauren on Pinterest

date night!

Source: thedatingdivas.com via Lauren on Pinterest

3/3/13

New Decor!

I have a chronic problem. You see, I am a Pinterest addict, but it's not too often that I actually DO the things I pin.

I have been dying to redo our bedroom.

It just needed to be done.

I have been completely obsessed with gray and yellow. And as a result, I have been on a pinning frenzy!

So this weekend, after apparently effectively sharing my vision with Chris, we were on a mission to find all of the pieces...on a budget.

First, let's take a look at our bedroom before.

Before heading out to buy all things new, we rearranged the room. We moved our dresser into the closet, freeing up lots of space in the room itself. We pulled a few pieces from other rooms in and created a sitting area. And then we were off!

The winning pieces came from Target.

We started with HomeGoods, Marshall's and TJ Maxx, but couldn't find anything we absolutely loved.

I should have known Target would have met all my needs ;)

We got the quilt, shams and two pillows for $69!

I also bought a yellow blanket to go under the quilt since it's not as thick as our previous comforter.

This lamp....I am completely smitten with.

So of course I have lots of plans for the walls. We have a big open wall that I want to put 2 big black and white photos on.

But I also wanted to paint something for our room, and I had the perfect wall for it.

I love dandelions and I wanted to make a sort of abstract piece.

So Sunday afternoon, I dove in!

Voila!

I love it!

So what greatness did you do this weekend?

1/28/13

change is a good thing

it's a new year and it's time for some changes here at the ol' blogaroo.
when i first created this blog, i thought i had an awesome and nifty blog title.
the crazy life of lt.
but as i've grown and come up with an actual direction for my blog, it was time to change things up a bit.
and i was getting to where i hated my blog name.
no bueno.
so, with lots of researching, and color swatches, and tutorials, the madness has begun.
be prepared to see lots of things changing over the next few days and weeks.
but for now, let's go with a name change.
there's a lot to be said for a name.
and naming this blog has become quite as daunting a task as i would imaging naming your child is!

after pages of brainstorming words, and ways to put them all together, chris helped me come up with "outside the frame".
you see, i'm revamping my photography business and website as well, but i didn't want to have a separate blog. i wanted to keep my personal and business blog as one. i want my clients, and prospective clients, to be able to tap into the real me. i think it makes for a better photo session as well as allowing me to share my work here. i want to share all of my life with you!

so that being said, my business is all in a frame, and my life is all outside of it, hence the name, outside the frame.
clever huh?

props to hubs for pulling my new blog header together. he separated that dandelion all by himself in the lovely land of photoshop. he's got mad skillz...and he's for hire!

next up...i'm taking a blog design tutorial. holla.
i don't want to design blogs for others, but watch out world for what this ol' bloggy looks like!
happy monday!

oh yeah, holli and i will be starting our tuesday tunes link up in full swing tomorrow, so be preparing your posts and join in. tell us what jams are rocking your world this week!

11/7/12

Goodness and Greatness!

it's been a beautiful week here in the great state of texas.

most of the week, wallace and i have been working outside on the deck.

he's so handsome.

in october, i participated in a fun craft swap.

you know how i love a good craft supply!

my awesome swap buddy, marilyn, sent me a fantastic package!

so i open the box to see this cuteness!

and then the goodies inside just made my heart so happy. everything in shades of teal.

ah, heaven!

we've got beads, paint, handmade coasters, glitter, tape.....

happiness i say!

and molly cat likes it too!

she's a photo bomber.

much to my surprise when i checked the mail yesterday, i had my target beauty box!
i had completely forgotten that i signed up for this!

it was full of beauty samples and a super cute little cosmetic bad.
for free!
there's really nothing better than a fun package in the mail!

over the weekend i had a super fun photo shoot with some of my cousins.

the key to a great photo shoot is fun.

and fun is exactly what we had!

of course this week i headed out to vote.

in ga we get cute little stickers with peaches.

kind of sad not to get an awesome sticker, but i'll take it!

and then just because, the cutest little fella!

this is a pic i snapped a couple of weeks ago when i was hanging with my nephew!

look at that smile!!!

10/14/12

Blog Angel Reveal

So a few weeks ago I signed up for something called Blog Angel through Craftbotic. I'm always looking for fun new bloggy things to do and this seemed like so much fun. It's all about spreading the bloggy love and meeting new followers and blogs. Basically, we're anonymously paired with another blog to comment and befriend, and then at the halfway point (which is today), we get to reveal ourselves and really get to know our angel!

Happy Reveal Day!!!

So...for the last two weeks, I've been following The Sapphire Bee.
Brittany owns a shop called The Sapphire Bee and she sells some awesome, fun, quirky jewelry.
You can check out her shop HERE.

The Sapphire Bee celebrates a love for fashionable living with modern pieces that have a twist of Victorian flare. First conceptualized in 2010 with my official online boutique launching in late 2011 as my entrepreneurial spirit and love for the handmade movement grew. Armed with an appreciation for designer brands, creative styling and affordable DIY fashion I have created an inspired collection of eclectic accessories. What started as a hobby quickly grew and as dreams cultivate and change, the ideals that The Sapphire Bee were founded on stay the same -- a girl lovingly hand-making beautiful accessories for everyone to enjoy.

I've basically just been reading along and commenting here and there...you know, trying to get a feel of her blog. It's so much fun. She lives in California (jealous) and posts all about her shop, recipes, life, etc. It's a great all around little bloggy! Since this is my first blog angel experience, I was honestly a little intimidated about the process and making sure I was doing it right! Well...I have to say it was really easy! I'm really looking forward to getting to know Brittany a little more now that the secret's out!

9/24/12

Antique Alley...Who Knew?

this my friends is the goodness that is antique alley that took place this weekend.

have you heard of it?
it happens twice a year in texas.
37 whole miles of antiques and yard sales.
pastures upon pastures of booths with wonderful items for sale.

holli found out about it through a little boutique business that she follows on facebook.
we've been planning this trip for weeks.
our honeys were supposed to tag along. but saturday night/sunday morning, my honey was puking his guts out. and holli's honey had had a long week...so it was just us girls.
truth be known, the guys wouldn't have enjoyed it quite like we did.
and lord knows they wouldn't have lasted all day!

as with anything like this, there were some awesome booths and some not so awesome booths.

holli and i got there right around 8am and left around 3pm.
and that was only about 6 miles of the 37! hahaha!
i got some amazing deals. amazing i say!
i took $100 with me and here's the loot i walked away with:
(i'll have a post completely dedicated to pictures of those items and how they've been incorporated in my house)