Bedroom Decorating and Chair reupholstering

At the end of July Emil found himself on a work trip in the middle of South Africa, and I found myself decorating, painting, and DIYing for 10 whole days. There is nothing like a good long house project and a glass of wine to get you through the lonely evenings when the baby is in bed sleeping and you are by yourself. Emil was sent on a 10 work trip to South Africa where he did some training for Precision Planting. Before he left he helped me pick out a color to paint our bedroom and told me to have fun decorating while he was gone. =) He even left me home his Menards card... ladies, that is like an open invitation. ;) 

After getting several paint samples and trying to figure out the perfect shade of the color I had in my head, I finally chose this beautiful minty green color. This was our sample wall in our bedroom. I had a full list of projects I wanted to do while Emil was gone, and decorating our bedroom was the biggest project of them all! I wanted to find/make curtains, paint, decorate the walls, paint the fireplace in our bedroom, paint the bathroom, and make some mason jar projects that I found on pinterest. Needless to say, I stayed pretty busy while Emil was in South Africa. Many nights I was invited to friends and family's houses for dinner and to hang out, which was very nice! 

This is what the fireplace in our bedroom looked like before I got my hands on it. I have always disliked the brown color the previous owners painted the fireplace. But there had always been other projects that kept pulling rank and getting the painting of the fireplace pushed down the list. So when Emil first talked to me about the trip to South Africa, this was the very first things I said I wanted to do! 

I dropped Emil off at the airport on Saturday morning and then spent the afternoon at Costco with my parents, and then at Aldi finishing the grocery shopping for me for the week. Liam and I stopped by the resale shop where my sister, Ashly, works and we got this darling antique chair that I had been keeping my eyes on. I wanted to reupholster it as a completely new project for me. And then the evening was spent beginning to tackle the bedroom fireplace. 

This is what the chair looked like before I took my trusty scissors to it. =) 

After reading a few things online of how other people reupholstered, I just kind of dove right in. I began by cutting off the fabric that the chair had on, careful to make sure I was able to use them as pattern pieces for the new fabric. I then was able to take the necessary measurements and cut the new fabric pieces out for the chair using the original pattern pieces. This seemed to work really well! 

A glass of wine and a new project always goes well together! Reupholstering this chair was quite possibly my favorite project (next to painting) that I did that week! 

My next project was a mason jar one. I wanted to mount 4 mason jars onto this plaque of wood I cut and stained. (Ashly actually helped me cut all the wood with Dad's power tools for all my projects this week, she's the best!) 

I got the hose clamps for pennies at Menards. 

And voila! The hardest part was drilling through the hose clamp. There were a few scrapes, but when I am determined and have a drill in hand, I would suggest not questioning "if" I can do it... maybe just how "long" it will take me. ;) And just an FIY, I did not do the drilling over my living room carpet. ;) 

And then the next project was.... A jewelry hanger for the bedroom! Another inspiration off of Pinterest! Again, the wood was helped cut by Ashly, and then I stained it up and bought the necessary hooks. 

Emil texted me these pictures while he was in South Africa... 

Apparently he was at a lion farm... Those baby lions are 3 months old!  The days that Emil was gone were hard, but I am so thankful that we were able to chat, call, text, email, just about the whole time he was gone. It was so exciting hearing all about his experiences out there! 

And then it was time to finish the projects and hang them up! Emil was due to be home soon! Ashly came over and helped me move furniture back, which was so nice! And then up went all the decorations; my favorite part! 

 Here we have the jewelry hanger I was working on! I was SO thrilled with how it turned out! And so happy to have my jewelry off of my dresser! Here are a few pictures of the decorating and projects that I worked on for the bedroom and master bathroom.

I had saved some wine bottles and wrapped them with twine. I then found some fake red flowers to give a small pop of color by the fireplace! The lanterns were 50% off at Hobby Lobby that week, so I thought those were a perfect addition as well. Here is what the fireplace looks like all painted and decorated now. I hope to get some heat resistent rustoleum and paint the gold around the fireplace, but that one will have to wait until next time. ;) 

My chair turned out amazing, I was so thrilled! I trimmed it with a burlap lace that contrasted well with the linen look reupholstery fabric I had gotten from Hobby Lobby. 

And I was able to whip up some curtains as well! So I bought the panels and then sewed them together to create a romantic overlay. We have blinds on the windows, so it was okay to have the curtains sheer. 

They are complete with lace bows to hold them back. 

I hung the Mr. and Mrs.  back up above our bed. 

And I made 2 more mason jar mounts for flowers! I painted these mason jars white before mounting them with the hose clamps. 

And then the bathroom! 

We had had a clunky mirror vanity thing in our bathroom that Emil was kind enough to remove for me before he left for South Africa. He also hung and installed the light for me. So while he was gone I picked up the mirror and made the mason jar storage. 

This was late one of the nights and after trying mount the mirror on the wall for like 30 minutes. It was seriously no easy task; that thing was heavy! But I was determined! And I succeeded!

I also painted a few more glass jars and filled them with some bright yellow flowers for down in the living room. 

 Monday dawned nice and early and Liam and I headed out to pick up Emil from the air port! We stopped by Dunkin Donuts to grab coffee for both Emil and I, and also some munchkins... ;) 

And Daddy is back!!!! 

Since having Emil back we have gone on an extended Ryken family vacation in Tennessee, worked on some landscaping, and celebrated our second wedding anniversary! Life sure does keep moving over here. :) But we sure are loving it. Sumer is almost over and fall is right around the corner. The little munchkin is almost 9 months old and is close to trying to walk. I don't know where the time has gone! 

Its so good having my man back again! <3 <3 

During my time when I'm not decorating or dreaming up decorations, I knit and drink my share of coffee ;) Currently working on a vintage sweater for a friend of mine! 

There are not many things that coffee, an oversized sweater, yesterday's curled hair, and lipstick can't fix... I seriously can't wait until its sweater weather All. The. Time. 

Until next time!! 

2nd Anniversary... A Wedding and Mexico

"They slipped briskly into an intimacy 

from which they never recovered." -F. Scott Fitzgerald 

Today marks 2 years since Emil and I stood infront of our friends and family and vowed that we would love and cherish one another till death do us part. 2 years may not seem like that large amount of time, but to us it is forever and then at the same time these 2 years have flown by! And yet we feel like completely different people. I feel as though since getting married I have gone through some of the most life changing events that mold and shape you. First off, I turned 20, which for me was big. I wasn't a teenager anymore. Then Emil and I bought our first home together. I got pregnant with our bundle of joy and energy, Liam Hunter and then 9 months later Emil and I experienced the hardest but most rewarding 24 hours of our life as I gave birth to our son. And then a few months later I turned 21! All of that in just the 2 years we have been married! Emil and I have grown closer than I have ever been to any other person. He is my one and only, my confidant, my husband, my best friend. He is the one I want to stay up late with and eat pizza in bed while watching a movie with. He is the one I want holding my hair back as I'm puking into the toilet during the 1st trimester of pregnancy, he is the one I want to hold and comfort me. The one I rant and ramble to, the one I get frustrated with and love to pieces at the same time. Emil, you are the best thing that ever happened to me and I love you so very very much! Happy anniversary, babe! 

And as a tribute to our anniversary, I thought that I would share some pictures with you. I don't think I've ever shared a large amount of our wedding pictures, and they turned out so beautiful I thought today would be a good excuse to share! Thank you Katheryn Grace Photography for all of the amazing pictures! 

The day was beautiful. It was exciting, a little scary, full of love, and all around an amazing day that I will remember for the rest of my life! 

I woke up the morning of the wedding feeling a little under the weather. At first I thought it was nerves, but then a few others from my family started to feel flu like and a few threw up. I took some charcoal pills and cold medicine and prayed for the best. Emil said that he remembers getting a text saying that I wasn't feeling great and he didn't know what to expect. He told me later that he couldn't even tell that I felt a little under the weather, and honestly as soon as the wedding started I completely forgot that I felt sick, I became overcome with all of the other emotions and feels that you get when you marry your best friend. 

All of my bridesmaids got ready with me at my parents house. My sister-to be-in-law did my makeup, a friend of my to be -in-laws was a hair stylist and she offered to do my hair as a gift. Those two aspects were just about the best thing ever. There was no stress, I was able to get ready and be surrounded by my friends and family at my home while getting all prettied up. Plus it saved a lot of money, and when planning a wedding on a budget, saving a few hundred here and there is huge! 

My Mom and sister, who was also my Maid of Honor, took me out dress shopping one Saturday a few months before the wedding. We started at a cute little bridal boutique downtown a neighboring town. I found one that I liked the style of, but it wasn't quite perfect. Then I wanted to check out a second hand dress store that was across the street, just to see what they had. We had made an appointment at David's Bridal for the following week, but we thought we would check this place out just for the fun of it. I had tried on maybe 12ish dresses by the time I put this one one. It was several sizes too big, I think it was a size 10 and I need a size 4, so when I tried it on I wasn't a fan. But then Mom and Ashly, my sister, helped pull and pinch it places where it would be altered and I began to fall it love. I tried on a few more, and then tried it on one more time. "I think this is the one" I told my Mom. We took some pictures and texted a friend who alters clothing and we made an appointment to meet back at the second hand store later that afternoon. We went home and showed Dad the pictures and looked a little more online. By the time we went back to the store I was pretty convinced that dress was the one, and our friend said she could alter it for us and gave us a quote. It was perfect. I had always wanted to go to David's Bridal and find a dress, but then after talking to the store owner I learned that this dress had never been worn by anyone. It was actually a floor model that had been on a mannequin at David's Bridal. I got my name brand dress after all. =) And I had such a fun time shopping and dressing up with my sister and Mom. <3 

The ring was completely and totally Emil's choice. It is stunning. He chose a beautiful wedding band that matched the engagement ring and I absolutely am in love with it still to this day. I picked out and bought his ring special for him and got our wedding scripture engraved on the inside of it. 

Instead of a pillow for the rings. We opted for a little wooden box. Mr. and Mrs. with some lace and burlap on the inside to tie the rings in. 

sparkle shoes 

Pretty Little Details

Me with my 3 bridesmaids and my 3 junior bridesmaids

Emil and I wrote each other letters to be opened the morning of the wedding. We didn't see each other until I walked down the isle. We talked about a 1st look, but I wanted the first time for him to see me all dressed up and pretty, to be when I walked down the isle to become his wife. 

Emil and his groomsmen got dressed and ready at church 

I flashed Emil a flirty smile as Dad walked me down the isle to him. I could tell he was a little nervous (so was I!) but as soon as we took hands and could look into each other's faces and smile and whisper sweet nothings, everything was perfect in the world. 

We had our Pastor officiate the first half of the ceremony...

And my Uncle Mike officiate the last portion and pronounce us Mr. and Mrs. Bandy 

Our first kiss. Sure, a little awkward maybe, but believe me... we've had lots of practice and I'd say its pretty much perfect now. ;) 

Bubbles!!! 

We were whisked away to a park near to our reception venue, where we got our wedding party pictures and then couples pictures. <3

For the 2nd time, Mr. and Mrs. Emil Bandy!!! 

Dad praying over the food 

Our beautiful wedding cake that my amazing sister-in-love made! 

Playing with bubbles with my little brother at the reception. 

We grew the sunflowers ourselves to help cut down cost for decoration. I had so much fun growing them with my family, and although I had reservations as we decorated the place, everything turned out stunning! A huge thanks to my amazing family who put so much hard work, love, and tears into this wedding. It was the best. 

Cutting the cake... and Stuffing it in my husband's face! 

Ashly, the Maid of Honor, giving her speech 

And Ashton, Emil's Best Man giving his speech 

Our first dance

We danced to A Thousand Years by Christina Perry 

We had practiced a few times before the wedding day, but I would say our first dance as a married couple was the best. <3 

And then the Father Daughter dance. Yup, I cried. It was beautiful and sweet. It was scary leaving everything I had ever known for something completely new! But my Dad did an amazing job helping to guide me as I searched for the right man who would take care of me and love me. <3

Then dancing music started and everyone got out on the dance floor! 

We had a s'mores bar at the reception. It was pretty much the most awesome thing ever! 

We danced, we laughed, we met new family members, we said tear filled good byes, and the night ended with Emil and I driving off to start our new life together, but not before a 10 day honey moon in Cancun, Mexico! <3 <3 And its been just about the most amazing thing ever; living life with this man. I wouldn't have it any other way! 

Cancun, Mexico

We got to go out and visit some Inca Ruins one of the days. 

This was post snorkeling in an underground cave. 

We got to repel from a platform at the top of the trees... 

And do zip lining in the jungle...

This was taken at our resort, and yes, it really was that beautiful and bright there! 

See? Already getting amazing at kissing! ;) 

I'll spare you any more kissing pictures... 

We HAD to get a selfie with the sombreros 

The beach was beautiful and I have no idea how many hours were spent walking it at night... We dreamed up our life together, we talked about kids, about family, about anything and everything that entered our mind. These 10 days were the best 10 days ever. Emil and I were such great friends before our honeymoon, and I thought I was in love with him before we got married. But while we were in Mexico... I fell in love with him more and I continue to fall in love with him more and more every single day. 

Emil and I are saving to go back to Mexico someday. <3 <3 But till then we are living everyday loving each other and loving making a family together and experiencing normal life. I love "normal" life with this man. <3 

Happy Anniversary, Emil!