Inspiration: Chalkboards

Yet again I find myself at the mercy of my guestroom. I h.a.t.e. this room. I have redecorated this room 3 times in 5 years. It never looks the way I want it to. I make the mistake of hurrying the process and do quick fixes that I end up hating in the long run. It drives Erik crazy because he says it is a waste because the room doesn't get used- except to hold our backpacking gear.

**Side note: why do house guests that are male and under the age of 30 sleep on the couch and not a bed??

Anyway, upcoming house guests are the motivation behind my latest itch to get the room in shape. I am working on the tiniest of budgets so whatever I do has to be cheap and a DIY project. I have wanted to update my childhood dresser and give the bed a headboard. Both involve some paint and labor but I have a week so I think it is possible. After searching the web I found these awesome inspiration pictures for the headboard dilemma:

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One day when the room houses a little one, a chalkboard is a must in my eyes, so this could easily be adapted later on when the double bed is no longer. Plus I love the idea of guests leaving us a message. Heading to Ben Moore for some paint! Wish me luck that Erik doesn't flip... :)

The Deck Monster

It all started last summer... we wanted a way to beat the heat and enjoy our back porch. We started with this:

Then did this:

I thought we were done here:

Again I made some changes and had this:

Most recently we added even more wood and stain to help camo the ugly underside of the deck monster.

The last thing we will do is add some lattice to the stairs to conceal the dirt and weeds under there too. I hate lattice, but it is cheap and I'm going to find a sun lovin vines to creep and crawl all over it! Plants make me happy...

Weren't here to get all the details during the big build? Go here to see it all go down!

New Items: Yo Yo Pins

I have been working on some new pieces for the shop. Mini Yo Yo Pins!

These little bits are made with fabric and felt. I will be selling them in pairs and singles in the shop very soon!

UPDATE: The Pins are listed in the shop and ready for purchase!!

For the little ladies, I'm making these mini clips with rosettes and/or yo yos.

Don't forget to check out the mini showcase on the right sidebar.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Produce

Radio silence usually means lots going on, however because it is my summer vacation I have been very lazy. Usually I make a list of projects to tackle and go at them full steam ahead, but this summer has proven otherwise. I did make the list and it has about 8 items on it, but I have yet to fully complete one. Oh, well, I earned this time off right? At least our garden has been hard at work:

{Zucchini}

{Poblano}

{Better Boy Tomato}

{Roma}

Erik and I are trying to undo all of the cook-out gluttony that has occurred over the past couple weeks. We want to try and incorporate more vegetarian meals into our diet to lighten things up. I could live off pasta alone, but veggies need a more starring role. So I need help!

Do you have any go-to meals that you make with only veggies? Or can you recommend any cook books for veggie-friendly meals?

Much obliged.