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We are in the home stretch (whoop whoop) of this master bedroom and what is one of the last things you do before leaving your room each morning?

I would accept 'hide dirty clothes in closet' but really 'make the bed' is the answer I'm looking for.

Since the beginning I've had monogrammed shams in mind. Now we've already established my love of out-of-my-budget-linens, but I though since I wasn't going crazy with linens on the rest of the bed, I could certainly spring for two Euro shams.

Turns out I couldn't. Everything I found that would work was upwards of $75 each and still not right. And I'm not spending that much on something I don't absolutely love. I do have a pair of old Pottery Barn shams but their polka dot color wouldn't work. Too green and gray.
Other than the color though, they were in perfect shape. I couldn't see spending money on new shams when I had two perfectly good ones sitting in my perfectly organized linen closet. So... I bleached them.

I figured they would either sit in my closet forever and never get used, or I could take a chance that the bleach would work.

And luckily, it worked. Wonderfully. I should have done it long ago.
With crisp white (and wrinkly) shams in hand I called the local monogram shop that I've used several times before.

"How much would it be to monogram two Euro Shams?"

"Well, it depends on the size of the monogram and the type, but it would start around $150 per sham."

Excuse me?
Does that include the crack you are smoking, or is that separate?

Did she not know the conversation I'd been having with myself about cost? See paragraph above lady!

I mourned my perfectly stitched monogramed shams for about two minutes and then thought, I'm just going to have to do this on my own. Kirsten at Restored Style and Jenny at Little Green Notebook have both tried similar things. So I know I wasn't crazy. I can do this.

First step, finding the monogram. I played with some fonts on the computer until I found the style and size I wanted.
After printing out the monograms, I laid them out on my cutting board to cut out the letters. If you have 'B' 'O' or any letter that has a cut out, be sure to keep those cut outs as you will need them later.
With the monogram cut out, it was time to transfer the template to the sham. I taped it down super tight and put a book inside the sham to 1. prevent any bleed-thru from the paint and 2. keep as flat and hard a surface as I could for painting.
Time to get down to business. I used craft paint I already had on hand (fabric safe) and a little, very stiff, paint brush. It is super important to always brush away from the paper so you don't paint 'outside the lines'. Slow and steady wins the race. Full concentration is required. I even had to turn off Bravo (gasp) for a bit as it was too distracting.
After its all painted, pause for a quick 'Did I really just paint my bedding?!' and then
slooowly pull the tape and stencil off. I admit, I did this with only one eye opened.

Tadah!
Wahoo!

Now just lather, rinse and repeat with the second sham. I did lay the second sham onto of the first one (after it was dry of course) to make sure to line up my stencils. It was faint, but just strong enough to help.
Now I've got what I was picturing in my head and didn't have to spend $$$ to get it. This project was 100% FREE since I already owned everything I needed.



This means I can cross another thing off my 'f' list:

• find a rug
• finish art project for walls
• finish bedding
• find bedside table alternative
• finish seating - 80% finished

I'm making one final push this weekend and then I'm slapping a big old 'done' sign on this sucker.  Wish me luck that I keep my momentum going for a few more days. What do you have planned this weekend? Tackling any projects? Tackling any BBQs?

Just in: 4 colorful nail polish that I love, recently found, and something not so new, this white sheer shirt . Just the perfect combination : bold nails and a white clean outfit and maybe a red lipstick ? o yes, soon !!!

My house is currently a reverse mullet. 
But its OK, because even if I could step out onto my deck, I'd have no way of walking down the stairs.

This adds a new level of fun to letting the dog outside, let me tell ya. However, the hubs has been hard at work and hopefully this will all be done by the end of the week.

So to counter the chaos in the back of the house, I added some party to my front. You know, to complete the mullet. Thanks to Linda, for the flower box inspiration.

The Bib+Tuck Forward Fashion Project  continues! Here is item number 7, this navy and white polka  top from Tibi. I also received the great news that this top is a gift for me :). I love polka dots, it is well know already, so this was a piece that I was happy to add to my"polka collection" in my closet .
I wore also my vintage polka dots shoes and yellow jacket along with light denim trousers and blue oversize clutch.
I hope you like it and check here  for more great outfits with this top, styled by the other bloggers in the project.

                                                                                Top: Tibi/ another great version Here
                                                                                Jeans: Mango/ Here
                                                                                Shoes: vintage/ similar Here
                                                                                Clutch: American Apparel/ Here
                                                                                Bracelets: vintage, Poshlocket
                                                                                Sunglasses: Betsey Johnson/similar Here
                                                                                Jacket: Route 66/ Here

Hello lovely readers!
Many of you asked me to make a tutorial about my DIY necklaces. Here is my new necklace, and I know that there are some of you who like it, so I decided to make a tutorial about that. I will try to explain all the steps.
P.S this necklace will gone be the next GIVEAWAY, so if you like it stay tuned!
 Firs step:
 Materials:
1. I used a sink mat:), yes you heard it right, I just saw this mat at a restaurant store and I immediately knew that I wanted to use it for a necklace. No matter in what type of store I go, I always look for flexible materials in different shapes, colors, plane or with texture; e.g. rubber ,leather (anything that is to craft)
2.Magnetic clasp is what I used, but you can use all kind of chain locks.
3.Craft plier and a strong scissors.
4. I used a leather strap, but again you can use all kind of materials that you like or have.
 The next step is trimming the necklace in the desired shape. You can make a long or a short one, depending on the design that you like. I chose a wide dimension for a statement result.
 After you have the shape that you wanted, it is time to put the straps and the magnetic clasp. With a little bit of glue you can help making the strap stronger and you know they 'll stay in place. Also, when you add the clasp, you may put a drop of glue.
And there you have it:)


A tip: with the remaining material, you can make a bracelet  or two:)
I hope it was easy to understand all the steps of the making process and I will be happy to see your result if you decided to try.
                                                                                 Enjoy!

I wish to have more days like this! endlessly sunshine, and just good mood in a great company.
I wore this outfit a couple of weeks ago on a beautiful Sunday. White was the base and I just added a green cardigan and printed scarf for a bit of texture.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend with a lot of sunshine !

                                                                                Cardigan: Mango/ Here
                                                                                Top: Victoria's Secret
                                                                                Skirt: Gap/ Here and Here
                                                                                Shoes: MIA/Here and Here
                                                                                Bag : Furla/another great design Here
                                                                                Scarf: H&M/ Here and Here
                                                                                Bracelet: vintage /another great design Here
                                                                                Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren/ Here