10:46 on a tuesday evening.

Right now I'm:

eating chocolate cake,

listening to Laura Marling's Hope in the Air on repeat,

& editing camping photos.

♥ Our holiday was a little longer than expected. We had fun camping [obviously, there were horses!], but the weather got a little nasty our second day. Also, Philip started to get sick again. We left early and camped out at his parent's house for a couple of days. We didn't get home until this afternoon. [I haven't forgotten about you, friends!] I'm going to bed now, but wanted to say hello [and goodnight].

Sweet dreams. xo. ♥

Gone camping.

source

source

Good morning. I'm know I didn't post my giveaway yesterday. I was busy getting ready for our weekend. Philips birthday is on Monday, so we decided to go camping. That just means that when I do post the giveaway, the prize will be even bigger :) I hope you all enjoy your holiday weekend! See you on Monday.

the entry way finished.

So I joined Project ReStyle a while back, but haven't posted anything yet. This was a group created by Elsie and Rachel (it was actually Rachel's New Year's Resolution).

"One of the big purposes of the group is that it encourages green living and is budget friendly. You can use items from your own closet/ attic that you no longer love, thrifted finds, or hand-me-downs."

Technically, I didn't revamp the ladder or shutters (besides the good spray wash they got), but I gave them a new purpose. If not, they would have just been tossed. Also, I forgot to take a 'before' shot of the entry way, but I'll do a better job at sharing my next project, ok?

Each step is like a shelf for displaying something. I wanted to have lots of wood and metals mixed together for that rustic feel:

Before, we had a small table here. It was getting really cluttered and the drawer was full of junk. This is why I decided to spruce it up a bit. The entry way needed to remain functional. When we come home, the first thing we do is hang up our keys, drop the mail somewhere, ditch the sunglasses, and hang my purse. I mounted the key rack above the ladder for keys and sunglasses. The shutter (shown in the first set of pictures) is somewhere to put mail. We have a rack mounted on the wall opposite of this one for purses, coats and hats.

I have a few owls that I started collecting around the house. When I worked at Starbucks, one of my sweet customers found out about my collection and slowly gave me hers! She had so many beautiful vintage owl pieces (decor and jewelry)! I always think of her and her son when I see these little guys all over our house.

You can read more about Project ReStyle and "pledge" here. You can see more projects shared in the Flickr group here.

I was planning on posting a giveaway today, but didn't have time. It should be up tomorrow!

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♥

I added some new headbands to the shop today. A few of them would be great for flower girls. Also, don't forget about the coupon that expires at the end of this month! Enter the code BERRIES at checkout for 15% off of your purchase.

I hope you all had a lovely day. Mine was productive and lots of fun (that's a great mix if I do say so myself.)! I got a good amount of work done and had a coffee date with a dear friend that I've been missing.

I'm off to bed to dream of having yet another productive and inspiring day. I should be back tomorrow with pictures of the entry way and a giveaway :) Good night!

finally.

Look at this cute family! That's my sister, her husband, and my sweet niece. They are finally together! Yay!!! Danny's been in Afghanistan for the past year, so it's been a long one for them. Danny's stationed in Germany and that's where they are as of now. We were so sad to say goodbye to Kaleigh and Mary Jane, but these pictures made it all worth it :)

Danny and Kaleigh, we're so proud of you and grateful for the sacrifices that you both made. We love you so much and are so happy that you're little family is finally together again. We can't wait to see more pictures and hear about all of the adventures you guys are going to have in Europe.

Love you!!!

made with love ♥

I'm not the most amazing chef ever- heck I'm not really that brilliant in the kitchen. However, the things that I do know how to make, I try and make them as fancy as I can (explains the love I have for sandwich making). This recipe is a favorite in the Hansen home (and too easy to make).

...............................................................................................................................

Ingredients:

You could get all of this on a trip to your local Trader Joe's.

- 1 regular sized package of boneless, skinless chicken fillets

-1 bottle of Trader Joe's Goddess Dressing (If you don't live near Trader Joe's, I've seen Annie's Goddess dressing in regular grocery stores)

-Feta cheese

-Fresh sage

-Brown rice (I just buy Trader Joe's 3 minute rice)*

..............................................................................................................................

Preheat your oven to 375. Put the chicken fillets in an oven safe dish. Lightly coat the fillets in the dressing. Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese on both sides of the fillets (the dressing will make the cheese stick). Pour more dressing into the dish (I usually pour enough to almost cover the chicken). Once your oven is preheated, bake your chicken for 20 minutes. When your timer goes off, flip the chicken and put it back in the oven for 12-18 minutes (This depends on how much you're making. Just make sure that your chicken is white all the way through.)

While your waiting for the chicken to bake, cook your rice and finely chop a little fresh sage. Once done, let the chicken sit just for a minute or two before serving up dishes. (The dressing will thicken to create the perfect sauce to pour over the chicken and rice.) Sprinkle some fresh sage on top and voila! I'm telling you, this dish tastes amazing (and smells so good as you're making it). Serve it with your favorite salad and some garlic bread and you've got yourself (what seems like) a fancy dinner.

*you could substitute the brown rice for quinoa. yumm!

in sequence

notice one of kitty's eyes is open:

puppy is curios and kitty's eye is opening wider:

notice both of kitty's eyes are open:

kitty strikes:

...notice there is only 1 step between them. that's improvement.

San Francisco Adventures [part 2]

So remember when Philip took me to San Francisco for my birthday? Yeah, I know it was in February. Well, I was having so many problems uploading these photos. I was so frustrated and couldn't figure it out, so I finally gave up and forgot about it. Now that I have a better understanding of photo sizing and html in my blog layout, it was a piece of cake.

I wanted french macarons the entire trip. We stopped in every bakery and cafe looking for them. We asked every local that we met. For some reason, no one knew where to get one. You'd think with smart phones it would be easy to find something like that. Well, when you are searching yelp for "macaroons" and not "french macarons", you're not going to find them. When I finally figured out that silly mistake, we were off to Paulette's. Paulette's is in Haye's Valley (an awesome neighborhood new to our San Francisco favorites).

The macarons at Paulette's were fantastic! I had chocolate, cappuccino, red velvet, and rose... Oh the rose. I truly enjoyed every single second that I was consuming that little piece of heaven. We had to go back and get two more.

Bistro 69 is one of my favorite places to eat in San Francisco. I think the biggest reason is the location. It's on a little walking street where it's pretty quiet. The sound of the city was murmured in the distance. The only noise we could here was this guy belting out opera across from us. He was very good. It was perfect for our little lunch.

It was such a great birthday surprise. LOTS of walking and exploring. I hope we can go back one day soon ♥

pinterest picks: diy

1. Doily pendant lamp via Dos Family.

2. Doily print bowl via Creature Comfort

3. Making your own ruffle via 2 Gypsy Girls.

4. Jordan Ferney's fringey streamers via Brittni on Oh Hello Friend.

5. Pretty string chandelier via Ruffled Blog.

6. Braided hex nut bracelet via Honestly WTF.

All of these can be found on my pinterest boards.

Philip and I have been sick all weekend. So far, it's cold and gloomy outside. With those two things considered, I don't feel bad about staying in my PJs today. I'll be crafting, watching some more Arrested Development, taking lots of vitamins, sipping throat coat, and eating soup. I hope your Monday is nice and productive :)

real wedding. malorie and nels.

I was so thrilled when Malorie sent me pictures from her wedding! I made a custom Love Birds Cake Topper for her special day. I also sent her a set of Hearts Cupcake Toppers and was impressed on how those were incorporated into the cake design.

Tim Fitch took these lovely photos. You can see his full post with more pictures from Malorie and Nels's wedding on his blog. (She wore the prettiest lace tights and cowboy boots under her dress!)

Congratulations to Malorie and Nels♥

entry way progress.

My sister left for Germany yesterday. I already miss them terribly but I am so excited for her and Mary Jane to finally be together with Danny (and that his deployment is over!) The past few weeks had been leading up to yesterday. Family dinners, sleepovers, baby photo shoots, and a grand trip to LAX- basically any time that I could spend with Kaleigh and Mary Jane, I did.

With all of that said, I am terribly behind on work and creating. Today, I'm playing catch up. But you know how sometimes you start the most random projects at the worst times? Yeah, I did that this morning. See, I've been wanting to makeover our entry way for a while now. I have been looking for old ladders every time I'm in a thrift store. Of course, my amazing husband found one for me. We brought it home yesterday and I couldn't help but start setting it up today. Here's just a sneak peek of how it's coming a long. Hopefully it will be finished by tomorrow, so I can share more :)

colors inspired by:

Photo from one of Savanna's Thread posts

1. Gemstone and Layered Brass Necklace. The Vamoose

2.Dara Ettinger Melanie Petrified Wood Ring. Urban Outfitters

3. Wanted Crochet Oxford. Urban Outfitters

4. J.F Mimilla Frost and Chain Necklace. Worthwhile

5. Hobo Sadie Wallet. Libby Story

6. Celadon Ceramics Dress. Mod Cloth

laura's baby shower.

I had lots of fun putting this shower together for my sister-in-law. This is her 2nd and we're so excited to meet her little one :)

1. I made this congratulations banner by following this tutorial.

2. I made these little buttons for Laura and Skyla to wear.

3. Cailen (my brother-in-laws girlfriend) made these yummy cupcakes and I made the flag toppers (soon to be available in the shop).

4. I was really happy with how these little favor bags turned out. They were so easy to make. Cailen made the cute favors for all of our guests.

1. So many lovely ladies came to celebrate with us.

2. Skyla was a great helper.

3. Me, Laura, and Cailen. I wore my Ellie Paper Flower Headband for the occasion :)

1. We had turkey wraps for lunch.

2. I had so much wonderful help with the party. I love potlucks and enjoying so many different foods. yum.

After the shower, Philip and I hung out with Jake and Natalie. That meant we got to see this handsome man. He's getting so big!

mary jane and the hat.

We had another great and eventful weekend. A baby shower, a going away party, a graduation, a day spent with dear friends, a visit to Chuck E. Cheese, and more precious time with the little ones. I'll share pictures from the baby shower this week. I'm ready to fall asleep in our cozy bed wearing my comfy sweat pants.

I took these pictures of Mary Jane today. She loves tummy time and chewing her hand. She was very happy and chirpy today (as usual). She makes the sweetest sounds (very high and girlie). Because of these sounds, her papa calls her squirrel.

pro procrastinator? yep, that's me.

I'm getting ready for my sister-in-law's baby shower. It's tomorrow morning and I'm still prepping. I'm a professional procrastinator. I thought I'd take a little blogging break. I have a few lines written on the new banner. I wanted to share where they came from.

Before I opened my shop I wrote a little story. My brother [who is quite the musician & writer] wrote a happy melody, switched some words around and turned it into a lovely song. The lines in the banner are some of the song lyrics. If we ever record it, I promise to share it here. [We're hoping to do that soon]

Sometimes we sing together. At random events, church, the living room, and even at Starbucks [once]. We always have so much fun. He writes the cutest songs about his wife and we do some of our favorite covers too. I'd like to sing and write more. That was one of my goals for this year. The only problem is that I'm pretty shy about singing. I want to get over that, but it's pretty hard to not be shy about something. I'm very comfortable singing with my brother, but that's about it. Philip hadn't really heard me sing until Jake and I performed at some event [and I think we had been dating a couple years at that point]. I'm finding that the more Jake and I sing together, the less intimidated I feel.

Here is the story I wrote.

welcome. new to these parts? well, let me tell you the story of the dainty woods. this is where music wrote her lyrics. she said it was easy- the trees were humming her a melody. that is the place where dreams were born- you can thank slumber and his colorful imagination. this is the spot where you fell in love and rested in her arms. here, she painted you a memory that you can have forever. and it was this place that you took your pretty ponderings and turned them into something lovely. now we can share them with the world. so stay awhile. you're always welcome. we're here if you gather any questions while exploring the dainty woods.

Well, I should get back to prepping. Hope you are sleeping right now. That's what I wish I was doing. ♥

deja vu.

Dave and Shelly were married a few weeks ago at the gorgeous Temecula Farmhouse. I was so excited when I saw Bethann's pictures because I noticed something familiar. I made this ring bearer book stack for another wedding last year. [This handsome ring bearer was in charge of it at both weddings]. I was happy to see it used in another wedding. You can see Bethann's full post of her lovely photos here.

finally

You may have noticed that things look a little different around here (neater, I hope). I have been wanting to give the blog a little face lift for a while. My html and photoshop skills are very very new and I'm still getting the hang of it all. I haven't taken any classes or anything. Basically, I call my husband at work anytime I don't know how to do something. I'm learning different hot keys and photoshop tricks over the phone on a daily basis. Therefor, my learning process has been slow, but one that I am eager to conquer.

I used different elements from three different sites for the design. Everything I used was free and came with multiple options (colors, patterns, textures, etc). Pugly Pixel has a lot of freebies on her site! That's where I found Fuzzimo and Mellow Mint as well. (Check out the links at the bottom of this post to get the same design elements)

I have been practicing with our camera too. I definitely have no desire to be a photographer (editing photos is one of my least favorite things to do) but I enjoy taking somewhat quality photos at family gatherings. These pictures are from Mother's Day weekend. There were so many to choose from, but here's just a few.

These two seem to be getting cuter and cuter every time I see them. Kaleigh and Mary Jane are leaving this next Wednesday for Germany. I can't believe it! We're all trying to see each other as much as we can before that happens. A long with that, I'm throwing a baby shower this Saturday. This is why it's been a little quiet around here lately. I'll share pictures of the shower once it's done. I'm making lots of little decorations that I'm' excited to share.

On a random note: I'm having a much needed girls night tonight. We got tickets to Eisley tonight! I can't wait! Hope you are enjoying your day. Tomorrow's Friday :)

[Banner pictures by Chelsea Hansen, Ocean's Ink Photogrpahy, and Limelife Photography]

[Background//colored tape (on banner)//polaroid frames.]