{in the good ol' summertime}

Whenever my husband and I are separated by the Marine Corps, I like to create a list of projects and goals for myself so that I can keep busy and not focus on the separation. Here is my list for this summer:

1. Work on JackJack's first birthday party! {theme: life is a beach}
2. Make a King-size quilt for my bed {pattern: chevrons}
3. Complete my scrapbooks!! {obviously this has been on the list for a while....}
4. Spend lots of time with my wonderful family {we're staying with them, so that shouldn't be a problem}
5. Design my line of Christmas decor and get it ready to sell come fall {think modern Christ-centered Christmas that isn't kitschy!}
6. Meet our new son at the end of summer {obviously this is the most exciting thing to happen this summer!}
7. Write a book? {something I have been toying with...we'll see, though}
8. Improve my photography skills {both taking shots and editing} 
9. Create photobooks using online companies to send to my husband {Paper Coterie is my favorite so far}
10. Meaningfully invest into others' lives through face-to-face encounters or handwritten notes or gifts {definitely need to work on this!}

{project 6}

Well, Friends, we are winding down with our lofty-crafty goal. We are moving out of our apartment this weekend, and that was my deadline! So, I would like to share with you Project 6!

This is a little quilt that I made from a kit I was given 2 Christmases ago. It was supposed to be a queen-size quilt where you supply your own back, but I decided to use the fabric to make a smaller quilt where I wouldn't have to buy any fabric for the back.

This was a lot of fun as it was a bit of a step out of my comfort zone {I struggle with the crazy quilt part!}

 All I had to buy for this project was the batting {because that is a bit of a pricey item that is very specific to each project, I don't keep this on hand}. 

Total out-of-pocket expense: $12. And I spend approximately 4 hours on it. 

I think we will stick this with our picnic blanket for windy days at the beach or park!

{inspiration}

“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” — Jack London

Doesn't that quote just make you laugh? While I don't exactly go after inspiration with a club, I do like to always be thinking about that next project, or that next party, or a new touch of personality for my home. It is easy to get lots of inspiration at once {and forget some of it} and then all of a sudden be stuck in a doldrums and feel like you have no original ideas. Today I would like to share my inspiration box with you!

This is just such a fun thing to look through and I hope you will be encouraged to start one! {It is kind of like my "real-life" version of Pinterest, which I don't do}. 

My box is from a lovely company called Paper Coterie...check out their May special on Memory Keepers {which is what this box is}! These are just the best boxes, and I wish all of our belongings were not going into storage, because I would order a couple more!

I keep all of my Pottery Barn paint swatch books in here {Pottery Barn has a new paint selection every season, and their swatch books are free in stores}. I love to not only look at the colors, but read the names - I think that is lovely inspiration! 

I also keep swatch books {made at Paper Coterie} of my favorite palettes from my own pictures. These are a lot of fun to create, and are a good way to notice color pairings! 

This is also a helpful tool if you are struggling with what colors you personally enjoy. I can pick out my favorites very quickly just by looking at the colors! Maybe it would be fun to take pictures of things around your home to carry with you for color-matching when shopping!

Whenever I go to Pottery Barn classes {and a lot of times they have them around the store}, they hand out lovely handbills of different techniques, some are for decorating, entertaining, gift-giving - just a lot of fun etiquette in one little pamphlet!

I keep a set of markers in my box - just for kicks! You never know when you might need a beautiful marker!

And lastly, I keep this little set in there. My dear friend, Glenda, has a lovely blog, and one of her series was what to do in a rough patch. I added my own pictures to it - and it is just a wonderful reminder when I get stuck. 

Thanks for joining me and taking a look through my inspiration box! I hope you create one, too!

{sneak peek}

I have been so busy packing and finishing up all of the projects that I have sitting around my house. Oh my goodness!!! I do have a sneak peek of a new project that I will be working on this summer! I cannot wait to begin!!

This will be something special to work on just for me while my husband is on the other side of the country...

{happy may day}

"Spring's last-born darling, clear-eyed, sweet, Pauses a moment, with white twinkling feet, And golden locks in breezy play, Half teasing and half tender, to repeat Her song of "May."” 

~ Susan Coolidge