The Monogrammed Life: January 2013

Did you know that MarleyLilly was named after 2 dogs???? So you know we are animal lovers over here! So, check out this cute, creative, and fun way to suprise your loved one from Stephanie at Beautiful Mess.

Well. Here we are.

It's time for Saw it. Pinned it. Did it!

I should go ahead and preface this by saying today's post is 1000% birthday related in honor of Beau's birthday.

Mmmkay...now that that's out of the way...

We've been debating this whole "puppy" thing for quite some time now. Do we get a small dog I can carry around with me? Do we get a big dog that we can take to the river/ranch with us? What about Beau's allergies? We're in a new house...what if it chews on the walls? Do we get a dog at all? Etc, etc...

While Beau pretty much pitched a fit when we left the breeder because I didn't put down a deposit right then and there, little did he know I would be I "ordering" him a puppy for his birthday. The only problem? The puppy wouldn't be here in time for me to give to him on his actual birthday (minor detail) so I needed to find a way STAT to "give" him this unborn puppy. (Weird. I know.)

Breed: Rhodesian Ridgeback (aka: African hunting dog, you know, because we're in Africa and all?)

Due date: Feb 28th-ish

So my creative juices began to flow. And then they stopped. And then they started flowing again (or maybe that was the wine?). And then they stopped. So finally I gave in and hit up good ol' Pinterest. Duh.

(New life motto: "When all else fails, go to Pinterest.")

Via

Hallelujah. Dog bowl turned gift basket. Flippin' genius!

Here's what you'll need:

Dog bowl (I got this one from Hob Lob for a STEAL! $30!)
Cellophane
Crinkle paper
Dog goodies (toys, treats, collars, leashes, etc.)

Basically, rather than using a typical gift basket, you'll use the dog bowl as your "basket" so first you need to fill the bowl with crinkle paper to support all the toys so they don't fall to the inside.

Next, go out and purchase the most redneck dog toys you can find. (Hey, I thought a deer, rabbit and raccoon were appropriate?)

Arrange all the toys in the bowl so that they look nice.

Cut out a square of cellophane, place your bowl in the middle and bring the corners up to the top. Bunch the cellophane together about 1/3 the way down and tie off with a rubber band. (Sorry-it was too hard to take a picture of myself demonstrating this.)

Tie it off with some wired burlap ribbon, or any ribbon, for that matter...but lets be honest here, burlap just makes everything better...

Voila!

Finally-blindfold your birthday boy, take a gazillion pics because you find it absolutely hysterical he let you blindfold him for 10+ minutes and unveil your gift.

I promise he won't be mad at you for your "pinterest" inspired gift...

Who would be?

Now that's puppy love.....

Wednesday, January 30, 2013 10 comments

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Friday, January 25, 2013 1 comments

Thursday, January 24, 2013 3 comments

When I was in college I always looked forward to the weekends because it meant going out with friends and game day fun. But then came the dreaded Sunday where I would have to spend the entire day in the library writing papers, working on design projects, and preparing for the following week. No fun.

Now I look forward to the weekend not only because I get a break from work, but because that also means time to relax. I don't have to bring my work home with me, I don't have to stress, and I don't have anything to do on Sundays. Which, to me, is nearly perfect. I can spend all day doing what I want to do!

Here are some things that I enjoy doing on my Sundays!

Cozy up with a good book: I love reading. During the week it is hard for me to find time to read, except right before bed, so I love spending my Sunday laying around catching up with a good book!

Catch up on weekly TV shows: I have a confession: I don't have cable in my new apartment. Weird? Yes. Beneficial? Yes. I am working from 8:30- 5:30 during the week, so I didn't really see the point in having cable when I am rarely there to watch it. Instead I have the Roku, which like Apple TV, has Netflix, Hulu Plus, and a number of other apps. I can still watch all of my weekly shows that I love (that I missed during the week!)

Write my blog posts for the week: I'm not always inspired to write all of my blog posts at once, but occasionally I will have so many ideas running through my head that I find it best if I just write them while they come to me! If I am lacking inspiration or words I simply brainstorm what I could blog about for the upcoming week.

Get in a good workout: With the holiday and all the food I really got slack in my workout routine. No more of that. Warmer temperatures are just around the corner (in the South at least) and that is all the motivation I need to get my butt back in the gym!

Clean, organize & do laundry: Nothing starts my week off better than having a clean apartment, knowing where everything is, and having fresh clothes and sheets. It starts the week off on a good foot and allows me to have more time for other things during the week! Plus, these are things I like to do anyways, so they don't seem like chores!

What do you like to do on your Sunday?