A Small Bedroom Update

I know I have been slacking lately in the posting department. I promised with the beginning of a new year I would post two days a week but lately it has been a stretch just to post one day a week. I think this is because we are finally getting to a place with our home that we are happy. Yes there are still things that we want to do, like remodel the kitchen, but that's a big project and it is going to take both of us. So we must wait until summer when Jose has some free time and can help. Overall though our house is starting to feel more like home, our home. Especially after spring cleaning last week. I can now walk in and feel content and comfortable.

Well this post was not just to apologize so here is the real reason for posting. I finally made our fabric headboard! I ordered the fabric what seemed like ages ago and I have had the peg board backing for a year now. In my defense the peg board was originally meant for the kitchen to hang pots and pans. Then we found the amazing lockers, so that idea go scraped. My original thought for using the pegboard was that i wanted a tufted headboard and what an easier way to mark your holes right? That idea sort of went by the wayside when I started looking at Pinterest and Young House Love. The headboards I am drawn too are simple except for their fabric makes them interesting.

 So the only piece missing was the batting. This I got from Hobby Lobby ages ago as well. If you have never made a fabric headboard or reupholstered anything it is amazingly simple. You just need your pegboard backing, batting, fabric, and a staple gun.

1. The first step is to lay your batting out on a flat surface (large enough to lay down your peg board or any type wood backing). I used the floor. 

2. Then place your backing down upon your batting. Next just pull the batting tight and staple all the way around. 

3. Next stand your batting covered headboard up so that you can lay your fabric out flat. If your fabric has a pattern that needs to be straight make sure that it is before you start stapling. Now staple all the way around just like you did for the batting. 

4. Now trim the excess fabric and hang on the wall or attach to your bed. Whichever you prefer. I hung ours on the wall as I believe this is the best positioning for our bedroom to maximize the space so I do not think i will be moving it anytime soon. 

Well now that you have spent a significant amount of your time reading this I hope you feel comfortable tackling a fabric headboard of your own. Sorry to be so wordy, I guess I am just making up for not posting the last two Thursdays.

Happy Monday! What projects did you tackle this weekend? Do you have a fabric headboard? Do you wish you did? I hope this post will give you the gumption to tackle one yourself! Have a great week!

The Long Awaited House Tour

How many of you have clicked on our Home Tour tab only to see that message of "coming soon"? I guess when I put that up there (almost a year ago) I thought it would be soon. However I am slow about getting our house photography ready. I mean I do not want pictures of a dirty house posted on here.

So in the spirit of Young House Love's winter pinterest challenge I spring cleaned our home. The reason I am linking up to YHL's challenge is that most of my cleaning products were homemade from recipes found on pinterest. I am not going to be too wordy today and just let the pictures do the talking. Here we go: 

The Living Room

The Dining Room/Kitchen

The Bathroom

The Master Bedroom

The Office

The Guest Room

The Hallway

Hope you guys enjoyed taking a look around our home. Isn't is so nice to have a clean house? I love coming home and knowing that our home is clean and tidy. Is there any better feeling? Are you guys planning to spring clean any time soon? If so will be you making your cleaners or do you use store bought?

I Stopped Shampooing My Hair!

My hair six months into CG

I no longer shampoo my hair. And yes you read that right. Back in September I challenged myself with no longer straightening my hair. The method I chose to follow is called the Curly Girl Method. I did a bunch of research on the Internet about this method and its benefits.  For those of you that know me in real life then you know how difficult this is for me. I have done nothing but fight my natural curls since childhood. I could not even recall the number of "permanent" straighteners that I have had over the years. Or the number of straightening irons I have gone through. Well finally in September I decided that had to end. My hair was just terribly damaged and looked awful straight or curly.

Now it has been almost six months and my hair is healthy and growing quickly. (another thing I was hoping to accomplish because I am ready for my long hair back) Don't get me wrong I still have days that I long to straighten my hair but those days are getting to be few and far between. So what is the Curly Girl method exactly:

The Curly Girl method is one in which you use three conditioners to wash, condition, and deep condition your hair. This works for curly haired individuals because moisture loss is our biggest cause of frizz. Also you avoid conditioners with silicone in them. And if you must shampoo your hair then you need to make sure that it is a sulfate free shampoo. I know for me this sounded like it could get expensive and fast. However there are several sites that help you weed through drug store products to see which ones are curly girl approved. My routine is as follows:

1. I co-wash (that's short for conditioner wash) with VO5 shampoo or Suave Naturals Coconut

2. My heavier conditioner is Loreal Ever Sleek 

3. My leave in is Loreal Ever Sleek 

4. I then use La Bella gel in my hair 

5. And I finish it off with Aussie hairspray

I do not claim to be an expert in this but I just thought I would share with you guys what has worked for me. I am truly happy to be a curly girl now and am loving my curls. 

What unconventional hair methods do you use? Are you a Curly Girl? If so what products do you have success with? I would love to hear!

Wintry Weather and a Recipe

The past few weeks have been glorious weather wise. Daytime has been in the high 60's and nights are still chilly (basically the normal worlds fall). However on Saturday it decided to actually give us a small taste of winter, and I do not think it go out of the 40's all day. It was the same Sunday so I decided to make Chicken pot pie for dinner. I know not exactly an exciting post but this was my first time trying this recipe and it was delicious. I substituted puff pastry for the pie crust (simply because I had some on hand) but the rest of the recipe I followed exactly.  Here is the recipe for those wanting to try it:

http://kokocooks.com/2010/09/chicken-potpie/

What did you guys do this weekend? Any excitement? I know that some parts of South Carolina actually got snow! (My mom's house included.) We did see a few flurries here in the low-country but nothing major. Hope everyone has a wonderful President's Day!

Sorry but He's Taken. . .

So I was going to save this post for Monday but I just have to let the world know how amazing my husband is. Let me start by saying I am not a huge Valentine's person. I am more of a random acts of love through out the year, not just one day. Anyway I digress. I am truly such a blessed girl and I do not know what I did to get so lucky but I hope it never goes away.

Jose had a full day of work, class, and studying yesterday (normal things for a law student). I am used to this by now (at least most of the time). So we decided to cook together once he got home last night. Well I just have to say this was the best Valentine's ever! Jose and I exchanged gifts before cooking a delicious dinner. I have to say I thought I was being romantic and thoughtful with my card and my date night jar. I even tailored the jar to be more boyish but romantic at the same time dates. Well let me tell you I was seriously upstaged by my hubby! He made me a newsletter of pictures from our past year and it had the sweetest messages in it. I won't go into detail as to what it said but just know that I was balling happy tears by the end of reading it. To top it all off he also gave me an awesome watch. It's actually a kids watch and I love it. I also love that he knows me so well. It has an adorable owl on it with glasses, because I am sort of obsessed with owls!

Anyway I hope you made it through my ramblings and Jose if you are reading this: How did I get so lucky as to find you and marry you? I hope everyone had a fantastic Valentine's and enjoy your weekend!