What I love about this style is that it is comfortable and aged yet stylish and chic at the same time. I think am drawn to it because of the warm, vibrant colors and amazing patterns. I can't get enough of it these days. Here are a few of my favorite ways to add a dash of Moroccan inspired magic to your home decor.









DIY Chalkboard Clothespin Clips

Before I start today's tutorial I want to say thank you to everyone who read my last post. I was overwhelmed with more love than I could have every imagined receiving! Thank you all for your prayers for Darren and I. We appreciate it more than you know. Now.... onto the fun stuff!

As some of you may know, I have been gearing up for my very first craft show. Nervous does not even begin to describe how excited, scared, and downright freaked out that I have been over the past week. So as a stress reliever I decided to work on a few projects for the booth. Thankfully everything has turned out wonderfully thus far so it has been quite therapuetic. The first thing I went to work on was some homemade chalkboard clips to use as price tags or mini signs. I first saw this idea in an Etsy shop and almost bought some before I decided to try to make my own. Turns out they are actually really easy to make.

All you need are some simple wood pieces, clothespins, chalkboard paint, and wood glue. I found it all at Hobby Lobby, but I assume any craft store and possibly even Walmart would have all of these as well.

So all you do is paint the wood pieces with the chalkboard paint. I found that 2 - 3 coats looks the best. After you are done with all of the coats you want to put on them make sure you let them dry for about 24 hours. This is how mine looked after it was all said and done.

Notice the back of these bad boys? Yeah, not so cute. Especially since these will be on display in my craft show booth. Solution?
Washi tape! Did you really think I would suggest anything else? Yep, just throw on a few strips of washi tape, trim the edges, and it makes a huge improvement! I ended up Mod Podge-ing mine in order to make sure they hold up well, but you wouldn't have to do that. What do you think though? Do you like them? I LOVE them! It makes me happy that they looked bad and that I had to cover them up! I would have never known what I was missing...

Next, just apply the wood glue to your clothespins and stick onto the backs of the chalkboards.

Yes, you WILL get a gooey explosion of wood glue when you stick the clothespins down. This is normal. Just gently wipe off the majority of it with a paper towel (damp or dry will work). You can also wipe it off after it dries. So don't worry about that. The wood glue directions told me to put them in a wood clamp for 20 minutes. Unfortunately I didn't have any wood clamps lying around so I just put a heavy book on top of them. And here is the finished product...

Can't wait to pretty up my display with these cuties! I love them!

Learning Through Loss

Today’s post is going to be longer than normal, but please bear with me. This comes from my heart and everything I am sharing today is important. I promise it will be worth your time.

It’s a common occurrence according to the statistics. 25% of all pregnancies will result in this. There are about 4.4 million confirmed pregnancies in the USA alone every year. That means about 1 million of those pregnancies will end this way…. EVERY YEAR. So did it cross my mind before it happened? Definitely. Did that better prepare me for it to happen? Mentally… yes. Emotionally… not in the least.

MISCARRIAGE. It almost sounds like a dirty word doesn’t it? No one wants to say it or think about it happening. But it does. This isn’t something I ever wanted to have to talk about. I still don’t. But I feel compelled. I hope that through doing so that I can help someone else.

Darren and I had been trying to conceive for a couple months. At the end of July, I started to have the feeling that I was pregnant, and on August 8, 2012 we saw the 2 pink lines we’d been waiting and praying for. I took the test in the middle of the night because I had to go to the bathroom. I was so excited that I ran into the bedroom crying and woke Darren up to tell him. He thought something was wrong because I was acting so crazy, but once he figured out what I was saying he was equally happy. I couldn’t wait to tell EVERYONE we knew, but I was only 6 weeks along and I had always told myself that I would wait until after the first trimester to tell the whole world….. “just in case” something were to happen. We called our family though and told them. Both sets of parents were going to be first time grandparents. Both were ecstatic. That was on Wednesday.

On Saturday, I was getting ready to leave the house to go to a wedding. It was a beautiful day. I went to the bank that morning and spilled the beans to a very pregnant teller. I just couldn’t help it. Not an hour later, I started to bleed. I was scared, but I hoped it was nothing. This can be totally normal during early pregnancy. I felt horrible, but I went to the wedding and tried to forget what was happening. I hoped it would just stop.

It didn’t though. On Sunday, August 12, 2012, we lost our baby. For the first couple of days I was in shock. I didn’t cry much and I didn’t really feel anything except numbness. It really started to sink in a couple days after it happened. When I did start to feel emotion it was the worst kind. It was just emptiness. Darren doesn’t express himself much, but he told me that he felt like he went from the happiest he has ever been to the saddest he has ever been. He said he felt like there was a big hole in the middle of his stomach. Those are both pretty accurate descriptions.

I will never know why this happened. Why do bad things ever happen to good people? It doesn’t make sense and it’s not fair. How can some people have children with no problems and others are unable to or suffer a loss? I could ask this question till the end of time and I would never get an answer. Life doesn’t work that way. We don’t always understand. What we CAN do is try to learn from our situations and let them make us stronger. I want to share what I have learned from this so far.

Trust God. That is really all you can do in a situation like this. You just have to trust that there was a reason that it happened. Maybe by going through this, I will be able to help someone else someday. I really don’t know… but I just have to trust that He let me go through this for a reason.

It is an honor and a privilege to be blessed enough to conceive and bear children. I already knew this before my miscarriage, but I realize it even more now. So many people take for granted that they are able to have children. They complain the entire time they are pregnant, they complain after the baby is born about not getting enough sleep, they complain when the terrible two’s arrive, etc... What they don’t realize is that there are probably thousands and thousands of women that would do anything to be able to get morning sickness and throw up. I’m serious! It’s so true. When I lost my baby that was something that really hit me hard. The nausea disappeared. It reinforced it in my mind that the baby was gone. I would have done anything for the sick to my stomach feeling to come back. Don’t ever take that for granted.

Good friends and family are invaluable. I would not be doing as well as I am right now if it weren’t for the people that Darren and I have surrounded ourselves with. Our families have been very sweet during this time. My brother was especially worried for me….. he kept calling and texting me to make sure I was ok. There was nothing he could do to make it better, but it was so good to know that he was there for me. I am so glad that we have the friends and family that we do and that they have been so supportive during this time.

You have to choose to let things make you a better person. I could be bitter, angry, and hateful right now. I have every right to be. But that’s not going to help. So I have chosen to let this mold me into someone stronger and wiser than I was before it happened. Yes, I’m still extremely sad. I will be sad for a long time. But I am determined to use that sadness to make me a more compassionate person. Don’t let a bad thing that you couldn’t prevent ruin the rest of your life. Let it teach you something and grow from it.  

My prayer is that none of you ever have to go through this situation, however we all know that the odds are against that and even if you don’t experience this particular scenario you are going to face some sort of obstacle similar to this at some point in your life. Please don’t let it make you bitter or angry or stop trusting God.

So yes, I have and am learning from this trial; however I am still experiencing my ups and downs. One day I’ll be living every word of the advice above and the next I’ll be moping on the couch all day with a carton of Mint Chocolate Brownie Chunk ice cream. The pain is still there and I am reminded of my loss every day. Nothing anyone can say or do will make it better. I just have to choose to remind myself again and again that God has a plan.

I hope that my candor about this situation will encourage or help you in some way. I felt moved to share my story and I know it was for a reason. Darren and I appreciate all of your prayers that we can make it through this and that God will bless us with another baby someday. We are trusting that He will. Love you all!

**************************************************************************************

PS –

Just thought I would include this little bit in case you are wondering what you can do or say for someone experiencing a miscarriage. Here are some quick Do’s and Don’ts:

DO:

Do say “I’m so sorry”. That is really the only thing that will help.

Do say “I’m here if you want to talk” (and mean it).

Do say “Are you doing ok?” (and listen for the answer).

Most importantly, do pray for them.

DON’T:

Don’t say “At least you didn’t lose a ‘real’ kid” (meaning later in the child’s life). That doesn’t help. You think I’m kidding? Someone actually said that to Darren.

Don’t say “My friend had a miscarriage once…. she never was able to have kids after that”. I know you are trying to relate to the situation, but please relate inside your head and not to me.

Don’t say “Don’t worry you’ll get pregnant again and everything will be fine”. That is what we are hoping for, but you don’t know that it will happen.

Don’t say “I understand” if you haven’t gone through it.

In other words…. don’t say whatever pops into your head. Think before you speak.

Life

Life quote print by NeueGraphic on Etsy

I wanted to apologize for not really blogging about me lately. I will eventually get back to doing that, but for now I just can't. My life is by no means bad. In fact, I am very blessed. But sometimes life just throws me for a minute and it takes a little while to get going again. Right now I'm in the middle of one of those minutes. So don't give up on me and my Lovely Little Life blog adventure! Life is still lovely.... it's just a bumpy kind of lovely at the moment.  :)  Thanks for hanging in there with me!

New Today at Bahana Splits Boutique!

Halloween Treat Bags galore! These are just way too cute! Be the coolest house on the block (or in the city) by handing these out on Trick-or-Treat. Wouldn't they be awesome with a monster cookie inside?! How fun!!!


Buy them HERE



Buy them HERE



Buy them HERE

Buy them HERE



Buy them HERE



Fridge Coasters

Fridge Coaster has got it figured out. They have created a stylish way to keep your refrigerator clean! Basically they are beautifully designed, super absorbent "liners" that fit inside every refrigerator no matter the manufacturer or refrigerator model you own. When I first learned about Fridge Coasters a couple of weeks ago I couldn't help but order some for our fridge. We are in the process of trying to sell our house so I am up for anything that I going to help me keep my house clean and look amazing. You can currently choose from Chevron, Polka Dot, or what I call the Morrocan pattern (there are more patterns to come). The color choices are Gray, Pink, Yellow, and Blue. I went with Gray since it's neutral and will be better for showing the house. Once we move I may have to go for something a little more colorful.

Needless to say my day has been pretty amazing since Darren brought a box home from the post office with these beauties enclosed...

So here is my fridge all decked out in Fridge Coaster awesomeness!

Another great thing about these guys is that I will have more incentive to keep my fridge cleaned out since I want to show them off! I know! I told you these were awesome!