Couples Shower Invitation Design

JM Invite

I’m going to admit something – I don’t love designing invitations. I don’t know why, but they totally stress me out. I think it’s because there’s a fine line between really boring and really tacky, and that sweet spot in the middle puts a lot of pressure on me. But, I designed this invitation for a shower we hosted in Midland over the weekend for Mr. Right’s cousin, and I’m so delighted with how they turned out! He’s an outdoorsy guy and she’s pretty feminine, so I thought it was a great combination for the invitation.

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Wrenn did great on the 5 hour road trip (which we did two days in a row), and I have decided that that dry West Texas air is perfect for my impossible-to-curl hair.

Now excuse me while I rush to finish start their wedding quilt – I’m a little behind!

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PrintFor prints and other lovelies, visit Texas Lovely on Etsy.

Other places you can find Texas Lovely:

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/texaslovelyshop
On Instagram: texas_lovely

Lovelies, Inspiration, and Encouragement

I’m not a huge shopper, or spender. I’m a saver and a minimalist (unless it involves fabric). Whatever… I’m cheap. But occasionally I’ll find some lovelies that even I can’t turn down, and I wanted to share them with you. And of course, since I try to avoid brick and mortar stores at all costs, these finds are almost always online.

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Mr. Right found me this shirt at Target. He’s so good at picking out clothes for me (random fact: he buys me clothes all the time, but I have only bought him one vest and one t-shirt in the history of our dating/marriage… because he’s super picky… God bless him).

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I love the shirt because it’s a neutral, it’s loose enough to be forgiving, and it’s longer in the back and covers my rear… which means I can wear it with leggings. My goal in life is to wear leggings as often as I can possibly get away with. As long as my hiney is covered. Because, well, ick.

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I have been reading this book, a Christian perspective on decorating. The gist: it’s okay to be imperfect. In fact, it’s preferred. It’s refreshing to this perfectionist’s soul… not to mention there are pretty pictures. And it has inspired me to do a ton of decorating in our house with stuff we already have, and selling tons of clutter on Facebook.

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See above for evidence of my new desire to decorate with things we already have. I actually hung up pictures. The book teaches that decorating is all about enjoying things now and not waiting until you find the perfect item. Which has given me the freedom to just stick things on walls and table tops and tell myself that it’ll work until we figure out a more permanent plan. This happens to be in our dining room (we got that dresser for free and refinished it ourselves to turn it into a buffet that stores most of my tableware).

I’m pretty sure Mr. Right thinks I’ve lost my mind. I need to lend him the book. And if you look closely, there may or may not be 348 holes in that wall in our dining room. Whatever, we plan on repainting someday anyway. #reformedperfectionistil_570xN.711822817_5935

Speaking of decorating, I think this pillow would go perfectly in our bedroom. It’s just cool. (But let’s get real… it’s not in the budget… but maybe I can find an excuse to gift it to someone.)

9438Mr. Right and my inlaws got me a gift certificate for Christmas to this online boutique. If you don’t follow them on Instagram, go do it now (@shopthemint). Everything I’ve ever bought from there has been just as cute in person, and a flattering fit. I got this striped shirt with the adorable lace back right after Christmas, and I may or may not have worn it every other day in the month of January. Because I’m an adult, and if I want to wear the same shirt over and over and over… I can do that. Go me.

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And finally, I want to be Lindsay Letters when I grow up. She is such an inspiration to me (not to mention I have one of her prints framed on my nightstand). I simply adore her work.

What are some of your favorite finds lately? I’d love it if you would share in the comments!

Also – don’t forget to enter my giveaway for the free Adopting Dallas t-shirt. Details and enter here.

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photo 1 (31)For prints and other lovelies, visit Texas Lovely on Etsy.

Other places you can find Texas Lovely:

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/texaslovelyshop
On Instagram: texas_lovely

Look at us, we started the nursery!

Folks, we have a nursery! After a few months of putting it off, then brainstorming, then putting it off some more, we finally cleaned out Mr. Right’s office/guest room (what a great guy), taped everything off, and got the thing painted, all in 24 hours.

A special thanks to my awesome sister who came over and painted the nursery for us! Talk about a servant’s heart. She knew that my doctor said no painting for me, and Mr. Right is crazy swamped with finals (oh, how we’re all counting down the minutes until grad school is OVER), so she just decided to do it for us. It was such a blessing.

You should have seen Mr. Right and I prepping the night before she came to get the room ready. I was in my work dress (because dresses are so much more comfortable than anything else right now), on my hands and knees taping off the baseboards while Mr. Right was on a ladder caulking holes and removing blinds. I’m not very graceful under typical circumstances, but I’m like a clumsy beast at this point, so I’m sure the neighbors got an eye full through our blind-less windows at 9:30 at night. And I’m just pregnant enough to not really care.

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The next morning Mr. Right assembled our crib, and suddenly the room felt like a nursery. He has since moved in other furniture (an armoire for storage and a dresser that we’ll use as a changing table – pics to come), and slowly but surely we’re moving closer to being baby-ready.

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The nursery will be mostly neutrals – grays and whites – with pops of color in our accents. This fabric, which is part of the quilt I’m making for her, is the inspiration for those pops of color – lot’s of tangerine-oranges, turquoises, and a few other random colors here and there.

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And here’s the rest of the fabric for her quilt. We’ll be using the leftovers for pillows, possibly a bedskirt, etc. You know, whatever I get inspired to sew. Don’t be surprised if you don’t find some leftovers in my Etsy shop in the form of baby quilts or pillows.

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And, finally, we’re thinking about using this picture for above the crib. Mr. Right and I have a real love for internationals (especially our ESL students!), and we also love to travel, so we think this is the perfect picture to go above our tiny sleeping baby. Plus, it reminds me of a quilt.

Stay tuned for more pictures as we make progress on the nursery. I’m 29 weeks along, so not too much longer until she’s here with us napping in this very room!

Decorating with Chalkboards

My mama kept a chalkboard in our kitchen when I was a child – we used it for shopping lists and spelling words and reminders. My dad taught my sister and I how to play softball by drawing diagrams on that chalkboard when I was in the third grade.

Who knew that my mom was absolutely ahead of her time when it came to decorating her house with chalkboards. For awhile I thought white boards were the wave of the future, but as usual, mama knew best.

Mr. Right and I are trying to carry the tradition to our own house by decorating with chalkboards. So far I have one in my laundry room:

And we’re pinching our pennies until we can turn this frame into a giant chalkboard/menu in our dining room. We tried to do it ourselves with plywood but it’s just too big, so we’ll be taking her to be professionally done at our local framing store. Soon. Until then it’s backed with burlap and I occasionally hang seasonal bunting on it to add a little color.

Until then, I continue to be inspired by some gorgeous DIY chalkboards I found online. (click on each picture to be taken to the original source)

Our marriage mentors have one of these in their kitchen that they post bible verses and prayer requests on. What a sweet way to keep the family on the same prayer page.

Or how about some chalkboard place mats?

A weekly menu (ps- don’t you love those green shelves?).

Chalkboards + bunting = bliss.

And then there’s this great endcap to a kitchen cabinet – perfect height for littles ones to enjoy. The second one is even cuter since it’s framed out.

 What about you? Have you found a unique way to use a chalkboard in your home or office? I’d love to hear about it.

You + Me

Mr. Right and I absolutely LOVE to ride our retro beach cruisers around town. It’s one of “our things” that makes us all mushy as a couple. Whether it’s riding it through our neighborhood at dusk, or taking them out on Trinity Trail armed with a picnic, they’re one of our favorite things.
Plus, I feel like I’m eight when I ride it, what with those big handles and banana seat. I’m still searching for the perfect basket for my handle bars.
So in honor of our blue and red bikes, I designed this card just for him.
It debuted this week in the form of a love note from me to him, and I’ve also framed an 8×10 print for my sewing room. It makes me want to sigh and then cuddle up with a quilt and a good book in front of my fire place. In other words, it gives me warm fuzzies.