SOOO EXCITED!

Because at 8 pm tonight I will be here...

Can't wait!! I promise to take LOTS of pictures!!  ♥

spring is back!

Well look over there...I think spring has come back! Yay!! I was not happy with the wintry temps we got the last couple of days--I am just glad that we did not get snow like some of you did.  That would have been too much...I am in the spring mindset now!

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend...mine has been great!  Friday night, Robbie & I went to dinner and then saw "Knowing".  It was entertaining, but not great.  {Very sci-fi}.  Saturday we went shopping @ Northpark, which was also fun.  After we had an early dinner at Manny's...yummmm...and then went to a birthday party for a couple of Robbie's friends.  It was a fun day/night!  

Today I have been laying low...working on blog designs, went grocery shopping...that's about it. If you have not been over to Fabulous K Creative in a while, be sure to click on over.  I've made LOTS of changes and have learned lots of new tricks; making my designs more fun than ever!!  

That's all for now...I am going to do some fun posts this week, talking about all my FAVS. It should be fun.  Have a great week!  ♥

earth hour.

Have you all heard about this?  Dallas (where I live) is one of the key cities participating, meaning their downtown will go dark.  I think it's AWESOME.  I kind of want to go downtown and watch the lights turn off, you know, take before and after pics or something.

Here are some of our downtown buildings that will be going dark to give our amazing planet a break for a very short 60 minutes....

I am definitley participating. No light in my home for one hour.  How cool is it to know that people all around the world are going to do the exact same thing....amazing.  Visit the earth hour site here for more info.

{image credits here}

more spring decor updates

I thought I'd share just a few more spring updates that I've made in my living room.  I hope you love them as much as I do!

I added this adorable black and white striped ribbon to this fun mirror.  The ribbon gives it a more vintage-y feel vs. the modern feel it had without the ribbon.  {I found the ribbon in, where else, downtown Mc!}

{look closely and you can see Mr. Tuck fast asleep on the floor having his afternoon nap.  Ha!}

Can I just say I love these pillow covers?  oh. so. glam.  And guess what, people...they were only $12 a piece.  {On sale at P. Barn}  Love!

I switched lamps...this is a hand blown lamp that my mom gave me.  I love the translucent color.  So pretty & very spring! {She found it at Eddie Bauer Home YEARS ago.}

And just because he is the cutest thing ever, a picture of Tucker, taken with my new camera {which I LOVE}.  He now can officially sit & when we play fetch will release the toy when I say "leave it".  Such a good boy.  :)

I hope you all have a fabulous Monday.  We are in for some spring storms tomorrow...those showers bring all the flowers!!  ♥

spring projects

Yesterday when my mom & I went in downtown McKinney we found some major goodies!  I was so inspired by all the stuff we got and had so much fun with my "projects".  I started with all this stuff:

I have been looking for a big vintage frame to turn in to a cork board for a looooong time. Trouble is, all the ones I have seen have been anywhere from $100-150 dollars.  That's way more than I wanted to spend, especially if the frame was one that I would have to paint myself.  We finally found one yesterday that was perfect...and only $50 bucks!!  I could not believe it.  It was exactly what I was looking for and was already white.  Yay!!  I found a frameless corkboard at hobby lobby as well as the perfect fabric.  Both were 30% off and ended up being about $20. So, for about $75, I now have this hanging in my kitchen:

I am in love it with. The fabric is the exact same color as my walls & I love the fact that I can easily change the fabric if I need to or want a change/pop of color.  

I think I will have to make some fun thumb tacks to match...

My second project takes me to this shelf:

It's a shelf in my living room that I hated.  I could not get the right combo of stuff...it was really bland, cluttered and just kind of an eyesore to me.  While we were shopping, I found an amazing bird print, for only $18, that I loved.  I knew I wanted to frame it, but custom framing is not an option, because it is so expensive (about $115 to frame it how I wanted to). Thankfully, all open back frames were 50% off at Hobby Lobby yesterday, and I found one that was perfectly ornate, but gold.  Yuck.  So, I painted it white & distressed it a bit.  I framed the print this morning and now my shelf looks so much better! 

I LOVE how it turned out! 

We found the chair prints yesterday, too.  If you look closely, they have a subtle animal print. So cute. I love how they look under the shelf.

It's funny how a few simple changes can make such a difference.  I feel so inspired by my spring projects.  What about all of you...how is your spring cleaning/re-designing coming along?

{special thanks to my fabulous mom, who helped me with all my finds yesterday...svettie, you are THE BEST!  Love ya!}

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. ~Proverb

First things, first...

It's officially SPRING!  Yay!!  I spent the first day of spring outside, with my favorite person in the world...my mom!  We headed to Downtown McKinney (my favorite!), walked around, had lunch @ Rick's (best burger ever...try it...it's seriously amazing) & picked up lots of goodies from our favorite boutiques.  

When we got back I had a present waiting for me...A NEW CAMERA!!  Not just any camera...a fancy schmancy Nikon.  I am so. very. excited!!  Photography is a passion that my dad and I share and now, thanks to him, I have a fabulous, fancy camera.  There are so many buttons...I need to sit down with the instruction booklet to figure it all out.  Yay!!  My parents are THE BEST...thank you both...love ya'll!  Oh...here is one of the 1st pics I took (this is completely unedited/raw):

Speaking of Tucker....we went to the vet today.  (Round 2 of puppy shots!)  He did so good, even with all the poking and prodding!  $182 later...we were done (OUCH).  I love him though...he is the sweetest 'lil pup; fast asleep at my feet as I type.  I got him a fun new collar at a little shop in Downtown Mc today.  It makes him look handsome.  ;)

On another note...the TWILIGHT movie comes out on DVD tomorrow.  CAN'T WAIT.  I finished book 3 last night and bought book 4 tonight.  Everyone says book 4 is the best so I am looking forward to reading it {finally}.

Well, that's all for now.  I will leave you with a little sneak peek of some very fabulous projects I am currently working on.  I should be able to post the finished products tomorrow, so stay tuned!  

I hope your first day of spring was full of sunshine, flowers and lots of smiles! :)

P.S.  I made a new header for my blog layout...very spring-y!  Check out the picture of Tucker, taken by my very talented Dad.  I could not LOVE it more!  :)

gotta love days like this...

{sitting by the pool, in the sunshine, with my sweet pup & a good book.  ahhh.}

I hope you are all having a fabulous week!

they're always after me lucky charms...

May you have the LUCK of the IRISH the whole year through! :)

Everyone loves an Irish girl...

We had a lot of fun celebrating St. Paddy's Day on lower Greenville yesterday.  I wish it had been sunny and 75, but it was so fun getting our whole group together.  Here are some pictures from the fun:

Robbie & I on the way down to meet everyone

First we went to Swaim's, where Robbie & Swaim enjoyed some of Swaim's corned beef. (I am not a fan, but they both said it was good.)  He makes it every year.

After Swaim's we met everyone at Anna's.  She lives on the M streets so we go there for mimosas & breakfast.  It was all fun and very yummy.  After, we headed to Greenville Ave.

the girls

the guys

Swaim & I

(do you see ryan peeking through?) ha.

Anna found a leprechaun!

Sic 'em Bears!

GREEN hair!

(thanks to some random guy with a spray can.  I hope it came out!)

We bumped into my {former} co-worker Mai.  

She is such a sweetheart!

After Greenville Ave we went to Robbie's friend Cory's house for a crawfish boil.  By 5 pm, I was exhausted.  Robbie & I headed home, I picked Tucker up from my parents (thanks for watching him!) and we order Campisi's in and watched "Role Models".  I was so tired & slept SO good last night.  I hope you all had a great Saturday...hopefully we will see some sunshine and warmer temps here soon!

st. paddy's day giveaway...

...at Fabulous K Creative!

I'm a Greek Irish girl.  My name is Kelly, I have a sister named Erin and a brother named Colin. (All VERY Irish names). So, I love St. Paddy's day. Lots. Because of that, I am giving away a spring blog re-design over at Fabulous K Creative, which I will give away on {when else?} March 17th {aka St. Paddy's Day}.  So follow the rainbow to the pot of gold :) and enter today! Happy Friday!

P.S.  Dallas peeps:  are any of you heading to the parade on Greenville Ave tomorrow?  We'll be there, rain or shine! :)

facebook.

I have made the switch from {liking} myspace to {loving} facebook.  I {personally} think facebook is a fun. It's funny to me how many people you can connect with that you have not seen or talked to in a billion years, but because of the FB site you know get caught up on their lives in no time.  

What do you all think about facebook?  Fun or complete waste of time? Both?

Also, let me know if you have a facebook.  leave a comment or email me a link to your page and we can be friends.  :)

Happy facebooking!

P.S.  Is it bad that I love status updates?  hee hee!

happy 6th birthday olivia!

Yesterday, we celebrated {sue's daughter} Olivia's 6th birthday. Olivia wanted to have a party where her friends came over and "just played". So, Sue organized a birthday playdate. (You can see the invite I designed for the party here.)  It was a flower theme, so the girls painted watering cans, had cake, opened presents and, of course, played. The party was a success...Olivia and the girls had a lot of fun! :)

{click to view larger}

I *love* Fridays!

I really do.  Especially lately.  Work has been, we'll say "challenging", so by the end of the week I am exhausted & ready for the weekend.  Today is no different. :)

I took Tuck for a walk this afternoon in the 80 degree weather we are having and noticed that spring is here. Need proof?  All the trees look like this:

*so pretty*

Tucker loved his walk.  We are not going all that often, since he still has some puppy shots left to get.  He does great on the leash and is always completely wiped out after.  {He slept for HOURS this afternoon.}  

TUCKER SIDE NOTE:  I have gotten many comments asking what kind of dog Tucker is.  I wish I knew the answer.  Since I got him from a shelter, there is no telling.  We are thinking Cairn Terrier (think Toto from Wizard of OZ) & Dachshund (Weenie dog).  He's got a long torso and short legs with the terrier face but floppy ears. I get stopped & asked what he is every time we are on a walk.  I guess he is just my little mutt!  :)

(I think the pic above is funny...it looks like Tuck is posing.  Ha!)

After our walk I got a VERY fabulous surprise via Fed Ex.  Back in late December I did a blog redesign for Kim at Endless Possibilities.  She has a business called Small Words that is amazing. We decided to do a design swap...I designed her blog and she painted me one of her fabulous canvases.  I am *so* thrilled with how it turned out!

I loved seeing that cute logo on the box...

...and could not get over how cute she packed the box!

It's was all adorable.

I would send this as a gift knowing how awesome it all looks when you open it.  She thinks of every single detail, down to a VERY sweet thank you note:

How cute is this all wrapped up?

I ♥ love ♥ the final product...

...from the glam details...

...to the leopard print sides.

I could not have asked for more.  Thanks so much, Kim.  YOU rock!  :)

[Happy Friday]

Enjoy your weekend.

prayer requests

Just a quick post to ask for a few prayers for some of my family members:

• First, my cousin, Jonathan (and his family).  Jonathan is a Marine and left for his 2nd tour of duty to Iraq last Saturday.  He will be gone during the birth of his baby boy, which is especially heartbreaking considering he missed his daughter Taylor's birth during his first tour. Please pray that he and his fellow Marines stay safe and come home soon.  I am posting a yellow ribbon on my sidebar that will stay up until he is home, safe and sound. God bless and protect you, Jon.

• We have a sweet baby girl on my mom's side of the family, Sophia.  She is only 2 years old and has had pneumonia.  The chest x-ray showed a spot on her lung and they had to do a biopsy.  Sophia is the granddaughter of my mom's cousin, Claudia, who passed from brain cancer last year. Please keep Sophia in your prayers that God will heal and reveal that the spot is nothing to worry about.

• Lastly, please pray for my grandmother (We call her Grammy or Gram) in Chicago.  She has many things going on...and is going to need to be hospitalized.  Some of my happiest memories are from my summers spent in Chicago with her.  She is amazing...has survived ovarian cancer...and has the biggest heart you could ever imagine.  Please pray that the doctors can help heal her and that she does not suffer much pain. This is very hard for me to type, being so far from her, but my dad is there and I know he will do whatever it takes to figure out how to help her get better.

I post these 3 prayer request because I have seen the power of prayer in blog form and truly thank you all for being along with me on this blog journey.  It's times like these that remind me how awesome it is to have my blog (& real life) friends. Lately, I've had some very challenging days.  Whenever I have days like that I think of the 3 people above and tell myself it's not that bad.  If definitely puts things in perspective.  So, that's all for now.  Again, thank you in advance for your prayers!

nothing spesh.

Happy Tuesday everyone!  I hope that you all had a fabulous day!  I called this post "nothing spesh" because that's exactly what it is.  Nothing special. I had to post because I am tired of looking at the post about Mr. Idiot from last night. Ha!  As I type this, I am watching "RuPaul's Drag Race" on VH1.  Have you seen this?  It's ridiculous and fascinating at the same time. Crazy.  I think I'd like to be RuPaul's friend.  Tori Spelling is and I love her so surely I'd get along with Ru. When a person gets eliminated from they say "Sashay, away".  LOL. Ok...I just went off on a tangent there, didn't I?  ;)

Oh...I got my hair done today {cut, highlights, lowlights...the whole shabang}.  I needed it...the last time was months and months ago!  Here's a little sneak peep at the new 'do...

Don't judge...it's a pic from the camera on the macbook & it's 9 pm, so my makeup is pretty much gone...  :)

Anyway...I love it.  Well, that's about all I have for now.  Goodnight!

my thoughts...

...on the bach.

• jason is an idiot.  a complete jack a--.  or, to quote melissa, "such a bastard".  I could not agree more. {and he looks just like a monkey.}

• melissa handled herself so well.  I am proud of her but felt so bad when she said that an engagement is a once in a life time thing...and he took that from her.  heartbreaking.

• molly is also an idiot.  how are you going to take someone like that back?  they deserve each other, I guess.

And my last thought...how much do you think they were all paid to do it all like that? To break up/reconnect in a show after the finale.  Hmmm...

that's all. not wasting another post on this {stupid} show.

finally!

It's here!  The BACH final rose!!  Yay!!!  I have been looking forward to it all day.  Are the rumors be true?  I can't wait to find out.  {Not to mention that Deanna is making an appearance.}  Only half an hour left until THREE WHOLE HOURS of bach goodness.  A little much?  Yes.  Will I watch it all? Every stinkin' moment. 

Who will he give his final rose to??!

Will it be {fellow dallas girl} Melissa...

...or Molly?

Check back for my thoughts after the show...and be sure to tell me what you think! Enjoy!! ♥

{images via abc}