Engagement pictures... again?

Yes, well. Kind of.

I have been really really wanting our picture taken for Christmas cards and for our new home. I felt awkward asking people about family pictures because we obviously don't have any kids! A lot of photographers want stinkin' cute kids for family portraits---someday that will be us but right now it's only Josh and I.

That's when I saw Leigha Jane Photography's website (through facebook) and decided to see if she'd be willing to take pictures of a boring couple. ;) What really stood out with the photography was the fact that she didn't charge a "sitting fee" or any fees up front! Her prices for photos are really reasonable--it was all affordable. I appreciate that.

They turned out wonderful... I'm REALLY happy, and can't wait to order them!

The color version of this will probably be our Christmas cards this year! It's our 3rd Christmas together and we've NEVER sent out Christmas cards! :)

Leigha - "Who wants to sit in the chair?"  Obviously, we were quite distracted.

This one we plan on getting really big for our living room.

We definitely have quite a few favorites! It'll be tricky picking out the ones we want to buy for our parents, and our new home!

Thanks Leigha! We had a REALLY great time---and I promise to work on my "soft smile" before next time. ;)

Wow! I love....

Sew Dang Cute! I've been a reader now for quite a while (my husband calls me a 'blog-a-holic').

It is Sew  Dang Cute's 1 year blogiversary!

And to celebrate, Tam has 16 giveaways happening now! :) Head on over there before Friday evening to enter! There are some FABULOUS giveaways! It's amazing! :)

I finally entered almost every one and I'm keeping my fingers crossed--maybe I'll win something this time! :)

Go check it out....
http://www.sewdangcute.blogspot.com/

Bed, Bath, and Beyond

So, I went into Bed, Bath and Beyond today to get a birthday present for my dear hubby.

As I was there, I got looking around and wandered in the bedding section... oh, big mistake! It got me thinking of some ideas for our bedroom in our new home. :)

Here is the bed frame I want to make:

Found on Facebook - Knock off wood photos (by Rachel Berry)

 So, I wandered through Bed, Bath, and Beyond and saw this....

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I thought this was fun and colorful. :) It's maybe a little too much yellow but I kind of like it.

Here's another one...

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What a dilimma! :) 

Our bedroom will probably be started in the next month of so, since this may be the FIRST room to get completely done! However, our first decision is to pick out the duvet cover/comforter! It's a tough task, but someone's gotta do it! :) I wanted something that will be the centerpiece of the room--so we can pick out paint, curtain colors, etc. I also am thinking about looking into color therapy since I need this room relaxing (I have a difficult falling asleep most nights) so we're hoping to get this room sleep friendly. 

We've found some other duvets as well....

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You'll have to go to this link to see the next one. Press here.

We definitely want something with COLOR!! We love color over here at our house. :)

This house has been good to us...

and the ministry!

Josh and I first felt God tugging on our hearts as my Great Aunt Rosemary told us about the house.
Honestly, we didn't want to live that far out.
So we tried finding our own home--there were 3 houses that we loved over the course of finding a suitable home but every time we were just behind someone else. Someone had already beat us to the homes we liked.
Once again, Great Aunt Rose told us about the house and the ministry again.
This time we thought we could take a look at it.

As we walked in the doors, we liked that it had the 2 stall attached garage. bonus! Walked into the kitchen, it was a great size but painted brightly blue. We walked throughout the 4 bedroom, 1.5 bath house. It was ok. Yes, just okay. It wasn't what I had in mind when I asked God to show us the right house, but this was it.

The New Hope House is a ministry helping families begin a financial adventure by going to financial meetings through Love Inc., having financial mentors, and by preparing for a home.

Whether you've owned a home, or not, this ministry is fantastic.

Not only have we learned what it means to be givers for Christ financially, we have been blessed now buying a home.

New Hope House works by using the donated land/home to allow a family to live there. They figure out 30% of your income and that becomes your "rent" or your "house payment". However, after finishing the program, you get ALL of your money back for a down payment on a home. Any home. Yes, ALL the money you put in goes towards your down payment.

Sadly, before we came the house stood empty for almost 4 years. Isn't that CRAZY? 4 years. Maybe it's because people didn't want to give up their pets (dogs, cats, etc) or a bad habit (smoking) but this program is totally worth it.

We are packing up and moving---our 2 years have gone by and it's time for us to move on. Starting on October 1, this house will be up and looking for a new family to help.

Is this house perfect? no. Is there projects to be done? yes. Best part--there are people on the board to help with the things that come up.

If you know someone who may be interested please have them contact us at: jevanmalsen AT hotmail.com
The home is located in Allendale, Mi between all major cities. The school districts are fantastic here (I am a substitute teacher)!

Let's get crafty.

Since I have a bit more time on my hands, I would love to get crafty again! Often, I stumble upon blogs that have great crafts/projects and then I bookmark and forget about it. So, I thought I would post a some ideas I'd like to make sometime soon or in the future. :)

An adorable Ruffled Chiffon Scarf @ The Flamingo Toes!

A cute Baby Gym Makeover @ HoneyBear Lane

I've been trying to find cute baby shower gifts--this one would be a fantastic shower gift but too bad I don't have that much time!

Cheap Easy DIY Bathroom Cabinet Drawers @ Pregnant with Powertools

We actually have quite a lot of cabinet space in our new home but this is a great idea to organize stuff under the sink and it totally looks "do-able"!

Birthday Wreath @ bugaboo, mini, mr & me

I love this idea--what a fabulous thing to hang on the door ALL week for someone's birthday! (Maybe I should make one before my husband's on the 20th)

Ruffled Wrist Strap @ Nikki's Nacs

Interchangeable Wreath & Picture Frame Erring Organizer @ Scraps n Scribbles

Or this Earring/necklace holder, which looks fabulous @ Red Heads Craft More Fun

Scrappy Flower Pillow/Brooch @ Cluck Cluck Sew

How CUTE!!

Paper Pumpkins @ Make Mine Lime

Cute for fall! I've been telling Josh we should have seasonal/holiday decorations to change up our home decor! What a great way to have variety in the house!

Make your own floating shelf @ Little Nanny Goat

Ok, now below is wreath galore... only because they are so cute and for different seasons!

Easter Wreath

bead wreath

Valentine Fabric Wreath

Valentine Wreath

Icy Winter Wreath

Ornament Wreath

Ok, so we do not have a main floor pantry at our new house but look at this beauty...

Don't you just LOVE this kitchen Pantry? Well, I do!

Ok, on to sewing items.

Pinwheel Skirt

Scribble Flower Shirt

Empire Waist Dress

T-Shirt Shrug

Scarf

20 minute simple skirt

Long Stemmed Fabric Flowers

Checkbook Cover

Laptop Cover

crepe streamer ruffles

So, there's a few ideas of craftiness. I'm ready to be crafty again--it's been a while. Sometimes I feel like it's hard for me to be creative again but I just gotta go for it!

Who loves Etsy?

Oh, I do! I do!

I ♥ love Etsy. If you have never been to Etsy, I suggest you visit it! It's a great place to get homemade items and one of a kind things! I could spend all day looking on Etsy because there is SO much! So I decided to look a moment and find a few items that could be some inspirational pieces/decoration items or that are just plain adorable!

I will be grateful for this day.

I found this piece a while ago--we've been going through some tough stuff and thought this would be something that would remind me that I will and CAN be grateful for every single day, even the "rainy" ones.

mae chevrette @ etsy

I just love how this artist puts lots of color, inspirational words, and fun into her artwork. I would love my home to be inspirational--maybe that's because my love language is words of affirmation.

Pillows.... I'm excited to finally have a place to sew because I think instead of buying some I can actually make some, but here's some cute pillows...

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Here's something colorful--josh thought I was crazy for liking this but I think this wreath would be so much fun on the front porch! Too bad it sold over a year and a half ago! I think it's pretty!

decorative wreath with birdie

Lights.... once again, I think I could get crafty and make some look alikes.

velvet circles

Big Big Shell Lampshade

At our new house we have a mailbox right outside our side door. We always joked that it was a selling point for us--whats better than getting the mail in your Pj's?! We love mail and we love our pj's, so it's perfect! Especially on chilly days! Here's a fabulous mailbox that I think we may end up getting (or one like it!):

White Poppy Townhome

Cute! Cute! Alright, enough with Etsy for today! Can you see why I love etsy?! :)