{ so halloween happened... }

This may be the absolute last year I'm able to convince my family that it's fun to coordinate our costumes.  I'll take it though....I only spent $19 for everything for our costumes this year! ;)

I did, however, have to agree to let Happy Jack help with the spray painting job.  Not exactly a mama-of-the-year decision.

They may have been delirious because it was SO cold and wet.

Not sure if Georgia has forgiven me yet for this, but she did get an extra special doggy treat for putting up with this nonsense.

                      h  a  p  p  y      w  e  e  k  e  n  d  !

{ October LOVE }

I love October. It's kinda silly how happy this month makes me actually.  Fall gifts us with perfect temperatures, crisp, smokey smells, and - my goodness! - the COLORS!  Fall is our favorite season as a family too.  We love cozy nights by the fire, all snuggled up together as a big ol' pile of a family, sipping apple cider.  Ahhhh, does life get any better?  We see Autumn as such a radiant, fleeting gift, and we try to cherish every minute of it.  The second week of this month feels especially magical to me for some reason. This week, we visited the obligatory pumpkin patch, and the whole family had an absolute blast.  The boys got to ride horses, play in the hay, go through the corn maze, of course, pick pumpkins. I'm still picking straw out of my shoes three days later, but that's just fine with me. ;)

Hope you're enjoying Fall as much as us!

{ i spy a diy - the primrose pumps }

Anthropologie stocks some pretty, flippin' fantastic shoes.  I almost never buy them because they are often too expendy for me, even on sale.  But I fell in love with these shoes, the Rensselaer T-Straps, a few seasons ago, and haven't been able to get them out of my head since.  Aren't they lovely? 

These beauties retailed for $148.  Eeek!

Then last week, I spied these $2 Candies mary janes at the thrift store.  They were in like-new condition. Hmmm, they got me thinking about a DIY version of the Rensselaers.

I knew I needed some leather so that I could make some pretty blooms, so I picked up these ugly boots for $3.

And then I cut up the boots and used the leather and leather glue to make some sweet, little flowers.

I added some bows, and this is what I ended up with....

Here's another look at Anthro's and mine.

I spent five bucks.  FIVE.

I am happy. ;)

{ wednesday wish list (come true) }

Hi there. No posts for a month.  Oops. I've been a bad blogger. So sorry about that. But sometimes the internet just gets in the way of living life, and I don't really like how that feels. ;)

But...I am loving every minute of the crisp Autumn air!  Are you?!!  I've also treated myself to a bit of a Fall wardrobe update.  Here are some goodies I've snagged recently.

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Have you scored anything drool worthy for Autumn?

{ (another) first day! }

Happy Jack started his second year of preschool today. We had one excited four-year-old this morning.

I am so proud of my big guy!

And little brother can NOT wait to join you at school next year.

hope you're having a great week!

{ seeing stripes }

I bought this striped blazer at Target last week.  The fit was good, and it was cozy.  And it's Target, so, of course, the price was right.  

Then, I checked out Pinterest for some stripey pinspiration.
Oooh, stripes and lace!

Gwenyth pairs hers with green denim.  Love.

These next two looks are my fave.  But am I brave enough to mix stripes with a floral like this?  Way out of my comfort zone, but this is so unexpected and fun!  These girls are impossible chic.

h  a  p  p  y    w  e  e  k  e  n  d  !

{ back to cool }

Whoa. It's been awhile since my last post. We've just been having too much fun soaking up all the fun that is to be had the last few weeks of summer.  And the last thing I've wanted to do is sit down at the computer!

But, I'm coming to terms with summer ending, and that means back to (pre)school for Happy Jack.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Autumn, but I'll miss our carefree summer days. I was one of those kids that LOVED school, and so I can't help but get uber excited about shopping for school supplies. Now, a preschooler doesn't really need much in the way of school supplies, but who can resist these adorable backpacks from  Skip*Hop?  Happy Jack has the monkey, and Grant, who won't be attending school for another year, is all abuzz for the sweet bee. 

These used to be only available online or at specialty stores, but I spied them at Target last week!
Oh, and they have some cool new designs...

Are you mourning the end of summer or are you psyched for Fall?

{ ABC in 3D }

How cool are these 3D letters?  This an awesome paper craft project, and can you believe they are completely free to download too?!!!

Maybe these clever guys will get my boys more excited about alphabet fun ;)

{ i spy a diy - the ravishing rose belt }

I've had this sweet Anthropologie belt on my list of DIY projects since 2009, I think.

It seemed like about time to take an hour to tackle this lady.  And I love how it turned out!  I used this tutorial to make my fabric rose, and the rest of the belt was super simple.  And, bonus.....it cost me nothing because I already had the yellow fabric and the D ring closure in my stash of goodies!

 

happy Monday!

{ totally into tassels }

I am digging all things tassels lately.  There are just so many embellishment possibilities with these little cuties!

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I picked up this on ebay recently, and I LOVE the tassel border at the hem!

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                             h a p p y    m o n d a y !

{ you're never too old... }

to get excited about celebrating your birthday!

Yep, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it ;)

{ boys of summer }

I love the relaxed pace of summer.  We have been having a blast, and are squeezing every minute of fun out of the season.  
Here's what we've been enjoying lately.

A little swimming.
A LOT of silliness.

A little baseball.

A LOT of mud fun.

I hope this summer is treating you well!  :)

{ woofing walls }

I am head over heels for this fantastic doggy silhouette wallpaper.

It's quirky and whimsical, but still feels pretty sophisticated too. 

                                     Happy Monday!

{ beautified billy }

I am such a fan of IKEA Billy Bookcase hacks. 

 This one from blog, Life as Grace, looks pretty fantastic.

The black is such a dramatic backdrop for her bookcase styling.

And all the pops of color, especially the yellow chandy are fun, yet sophisticated.

* all images via life in grace

                     Hope you're having a great week!