Going greek.

La mer et la terre
This coffee cup always makes me smile. As I sip, a maritime scene is revealed.

As a constant "doer" and a girl who has a hard time slowing down, breakfast is the meal that gets me off on the right foot. I used to eat cereal or a piece of toast in the mornings, but would quickly find that come 11 a.m. I was fatigued and hangry ( angry do to pure hunger ). I booted that business out the door once I became more aware of what I eat and how to take proper care of my body. As a woman, I realize that it was not only important to fend off the hangry (who wants to loose friends and not be fun company?) and eat well in the morning, but also think of it as an investment for my bones, muscles, brain, skin, etc. etc. Honestly, the moment I stray from a well balanced diet, I notice my skin breaking out, fatigue sneaking in, and a long list of things I don't like. I am not much for coming up with brilliant meals, so I stick to the basics and combine whatever I know is healthy and tastes good.

Now, back to breakfast, and what I am loving as of lately-- I love yogurt. Love love love. But, have you ever really looked at a yogurt label? Have you ever noticed HOW much sugar is in a Yoplait? Tons. It may be close to 20g per serving I think. Greek yogurt in the morning is my go to choice. It is low in sugar and high in protein. I mix in sliced up bananas or berries depending what's in my kitchen. And, if I'm needing that "crunch" that makes me feel like I am having cereal, I add just a bit of grape nuts or granola (not too much though, because it is pretty fatty). This meal is delicious, simple, and keeps me going until lunchtime. What is your morning favorite?

On the topic of Greek, who else wants to jet set to Santorini because of their recent love saga with cobalt blue?

Elle décor

West Elm

Photo credit: Flourish and Design

West Elm

Traditional Home

Red tray fixer upper.

I set out to make a chalkboard this morning while doing some housekeeping and enjoying my cup of coffee. Yesterday I found this neat red tray at Goodwill, for $1.99. It was rather grimy, but after giving it a good bubble bath, it was smooth and clean and ready for paint. I wasn't really sure how to prep the surface other than cleaning it, because its not wood and its not a metal, so priming it was questionable. I went with just painting the chalkboard paint straight on it, knowing that if it does chip overtime, I can always redo it, and use primer if I need to (I am still learning all the simple things regarding paint projects).

I used my level to measure and make the spacing right. I wanted to first paint a simple rectangle with an equidistant border all the way around, still leaving enough of the pretty pattern showing. I gave myself some extra wiggle room in case I decided to add in edge detailing by hand after the rectangle portion was done (imagine painting a shape similar to the tray below, to get more of a victorian feel in the center of my red tray.... that's the best way I can describe what I'm envisioning).

Once the tape measured out well and I was happy with the spacing, I used my foam paint brush with the paint. It's better to use a synthetic brush with this kind of paint, and a foam brush helped create a more sleek application. 

The first coat needed to dry, so I decided to use some paint to make a label for Shelby's treat jar. 

This is only after one coat. The chalk board paint needs a few coats to look true black and matte.

After applying a few more coats to my tray and waiting 2-3 hours for it to dry, I peeled the tape off and this is what it ended up looking like. I just wasn't satisfied. Although, it does look pretty cute, right?

Onto the victorian look. I first took a pastel and made a light outline on the tray. I did not use any stencils, but did use that Victorian tray (mentioned earlier in the post) for reference of shape. I then took my skinny paintbrush and went over my pastel outline. Again, lightly, incase I made a mistake. To fill in the space between my fancy border and rectangle, I used my foam paint brush again to get a smooth look. It is still drying and I may add some touch ups, but it is done! All I need is some chalk to write on it with! (And I just realized that the border of this tray matches the style border of my blog. I must like this look or something.)

Total estimated cost: $1.99 for the tray + barely a dent in my can of paint = $3

Inspire me chalk board

Being a grown up can sometimes leave no time for the drawing that I still need to get out of my system. Although it is a goal of mine to draw and paint more, specifically for gifts and to put up in our home. Just as I like to make my house aesthetically appealing and eye catching, I can't ignore that other creative side of me that likes to delve into fine arts and putting pencil to paper. So, I thought, what not a better way than putting up a reusable canvas in my kitchen? There is a huge wall on the west side of our house that spans from the back door to the front door. All that takes up the space for now is a coat hanger, a hutch, and the kitchen bar that meets the wall, leaving the entire kitchen wall area bare to the bone. 

Phot Credit: Little Green Notebook

After seeing this mirror painted with chalkboard paint on the frame, I decided I need to make one similar, but instead I want to paint the actual mirror space and leave the frame, so that it is one big chalk board in my kitchen. (I see this as a place to draw, write recipes, leave love notes, a dinner party menu, etc.) One of my best friends did something similar in her dining room. She actually painted straight on the wall, if I remember correctly, then put of a cluster of mix matched vintage looking frames, with the middles missing.  It was so fun going to her house each time and seeing the lasting doodles that house guests had drawn with chalk. But, in a rental, painting the wall is a hard off limits to me.

Photo Credit: London Reid Blog

While at Home depot yesterday, I purchased a can of Chalk Board paint. Today I hope to come across the perfect piece to paint when I go to Goodwill and Ross. I would love to be instantly gratified and do this project asap. A chalk board project like this may not be that original, but I just love it, and that's all that matters. Can you tell I have an unecessary itch to get things up on my walls?

Fast forward to now. I have been to Ross and Goodwill and came home with some treasures. I almost came home with a skinny yet tall dresser that would have been the PERFECT steal, however, when I was loading it into my car and saw the spiders and egg sacks on the bottom, I quickly rolled that thing right back into Goodwill. Spiders were not the project I wanted for today. I did not quite find the items I was looking for during my bargain hunting. But let's be honest, how often does that happen? Its usually when you least expect to find the item that you find it. And patience is a virtue, I am learning. I did replan my chalk board project for now. I am going to do two separate projects and continue looking for that perfect mirror/frame/sheet metal combo to make a large chalkboard canvas. One of the many reasons I love bargain hunting, you can never plan on what new project or inspiration you will walk away with.

Air tight jars with cobalt lids: $2 a jar, Ross.

The plan: Mini chalk board labels on each.

Red tray with black floral pattern: $1.99, Goodwill.

The plan: Chalk board painted in the center with detail edge work (so I still have a place to doodle)

An Ode

One chip, two chip, three, still more

Flour, eggs, stir, and pour

Bake golden, bake right

In the morning or night

Lip smackin' delicious

A little ambitious

Served best a la mode

After reciting this ode

Oatmeal Scotchie

Full Oatmeal Scotchie Recipe here.

(warning: not for the health nut. contains 2 full sticks of butter)

What is in a name.

There is more to the name than just alliteration, so here is the background to pearls.poppies.pinkies.up.

Pearls, because they are rare, fine, admirable, and valuable. All characteristics that every woman should feel she embodies. Because they are a constant reminder of my grandmother's go to accessory and the love of my grandpa as he placed her pearl necklace draped over her collar bone. And because a pearl, buried at first inside a shell, is like the true beauty that can be found in the heart of each woman.

Poppies, because they are wild and free, radiant and soft, and carry Califonia memories and roots from my  home.

Pinkies up, because it is lady-like, and a saying echoed in my family ever since I was little  by an aunt who has a love for all things girl. Because it is a reminder that it is okay to be elegant, polite, and a pretend that the world is like Pride and Prejudice with a Mr. Darcy out there every once and awhile.

Mirror Pop.

This was an easy project that was inexpensive and a simple solution to getting me over my boredom with a green mirror we already had rather than spending a dime to get a new one. 

I bought this mirror at HomeGoods about 3 years ago. It was red tagged and dirt cheap because it had a scratch in the corner. I saw beauty beyond this mere blemish, and was so grateful for it because it made a $$$$$ mirror only $20.
This is the last place it hung. At our most recent home in Burbank, it sadly sat in the garage, accumulating dust and a few new scratches from our move to Colorado.

The first step was sanding. As an after thought, I question whether sanding was even really necessary because they paint was not peeling and it was not sealed with a finish. I think it could have done without this step, but it did no harm, except maybe delay the priming and paint process and test my patience. (Who knew sanding was such intensive labor?)

Next up, I taped off the edges. Don't want that paint on my reflection! Although, the primer was water based, so if it did get where I would not want it long term, simply a wet rag did the trick. A low VOC primer was then applied. A little goes a long way, so it primed and dried quickly on this 90 degree day. I also painted some side mirrors originally rusty red from ikea that I never had up because of the color just being too ho hum. I painted those orange sherbet, to compliment the aqua and sea foam in the bathroom.

Here's the exciting part. Color pop! I knew that I wanted a blue mirror, with it being a great accent to the other items in the living room. I had two colors to chose from (I bought sample sizes at Home Depot- only $2 and some change, what a steal, right?) Peacock and Silent Storm were my choices and I went with Peacock because it had a little more richness to it. Quiet Storm is closer to Navy...I'll keep that one handy for a rainy day.

I applied 2 thin coats of paint. I was surprised by how thick it went on. Because I purchased sample sizes, there was no option of glossy paint. It was just the pure paint, giving the mirror a more matte look in the end. I was happy with this though. If I were doing a bigger piece, I would have gone with a glossy finish. For a bigger piece, I would have needed to purchase at least a quart of the paint, giving me that glossy option. After the paint dried (only about 2 hours), and a few days later (once we purchased the hooks to hang the mirror), it landed on the wall perfectly in place above a writing desk to transition the space from the main living room to the hallway connecting the bedrooms and bathroom. Forgive the bare walls you see in these photos. I have yet to hang a single framed photo of artwork since we've moved in. That is a whole project in an of itself. Maybe tomorrow I tackle that one.

My favorite balm.

I by no means have perfect skin. Blemishes, sensitivity, fair and prone to sunburn, oily; you name it, my skin can be a constant battle. A wise woman once told me that if she could give any beauty advice, it would be sunscreen sunscreen sunscreen. Apply always and apply often. This is the key to youthful skin. And I couldn't agree more. I was always in the sun growing up, and as a teenager who swam competitively, my peaches and cream complexion constantly basked in the rays, and I did not care as much about skin damage. Now, I notice those fine lines creeping in and what I am sure are other presents from the sun on my skin (although, freckles do add character, right?) but I have gained a greater awareness of the importance of SPF for skin protection, and not just for the face. If you have easy going skin, then you can probably use any type of skin protection (Neutrogena, generic moisturizer with spf, Aveeno-- sticking to paraben free I recommend though). For me, however I use either a moisturizer with SPF in it, combined with a higher SPF sunscreen on sunnier days....This does sometimes leave my skin feeling a little bit sticky depending on the lotion I used, but I have found a PERFECT primer to apply after the SPF application that helps bring my completion back to a powdery finish and makeup ready.  Cue Stila's Beauty Balm.

What's so great about this beauty balm?

I have tried a handful of primers in my young adult life, and I have finally found a keeper. One of the reasons I really like this product is that it stays all day, I use it in place of foundation, and it gives my skin such a great canvas before I apply makeup in my minimal routine (it really consists of mascara, concealer for those darn blemishes, mineral veil with spf 15, and a bit of blush...and the occasional splurge of eyeshadow, but that is very very rare). I use a foundation brush to apply it, but fingertips work too. What is your must have beauty product?

Hooks, wood, and brass bits.

How to make your own...

I am very excited about this one. Like I told you in previous posts, I have had so many projects stacking up on my to do list, and now they are finally getting done! I had purchased these black and white hooks from Anthropologie back in January, knowing fully that I wanted to use them to make a entry way coat hanger. I splurged on the hooks, because I absolutely loved them and couldn't get them out of my mind after seeing these same hooks on the LittleGreenNotebook blog. I also knew I wanted to mount them onto wood, going for a feel somewhat like this forest found hook. The piece of wood to mount them too was the tricky part. I wanted a worn in rustic look, which meant finding a piece of wood that was used with the right dimension to place three hooks side by side, with the right amount of spacing. Living in the city, I couldn't just go to the countryside and pick one up from the farm. So, the hooks sat in my closet for awhile. But then, thanks to my handy cousin Natalie, she gifted me an old piece of wood that had a New England Fishing Co., Seattle painted on it in faded letters and a neat fish design on it. I thought the combination of the design with the hooks would make a unique finished product, so I set off to finally make the piece.

The board was 30" long.  Matt picked up a scrap piece of cedar that he screwed into the back of the FishCo. wood piece to give it extra reinforcement. This also ensured that when the hooks were screwed in, they would have some thick wood to fasten to rather than sticking through the back of the FishCo. wood and risk splitting it. 

Four brass colored screws attached the cedar piece to the back,  with an additional 6 screws to hold each of the three hooks in place. We placed the middle hook at exactly 15" in from the sides and 2" up from the bottom. The top part of the hook goes slightly higher than the top of the wood, but the bottom curve of the hook is parallel to the bottom of the wood. The outer hooks were measured in 6" from the sides and 2" up. This placement was decided on because it looked best that way (I'm more of an eye baller rather than an 'exactly like so' builder, not sure if this is a good thing or not....)

Because this is a coat rack, people will be pulling things off and on of the hooks, making it more likely that the rack could come out of its nail fastenings or wall attachments. Matt bought some "child proof" picture hangers that actually click locked. They are hangers you would use to hang heavy picture frames, but then have a top portion that locks the piece you are hanging in place. Brilliant, right? Pictured above is the hardware that will rest in hooks on the wall (your ring hangers).

The finished project. Ready just in time for non-coat season. I'm sure it will be filled come rain and snow. Also a great place to hang canvas grocery totes, scarves, purses, umbrellas, and hats. 

If you didn't quite get the just on how to make this coat hanger from above, here is a little recap:

You will need:

• 3 hooks or knobs
• Option One (clean cut wood): 1 Piece of wood measuring about 30 inches, or measured to your preferred size depending on where you plan to hang to finished product.  Option Two (vintage wood): A piece of used wood from an old shipping box or a rustic scrap piece of wood, and an additional thick wood piece to anchor/nail the worn wood onto that is at least 1 inch shorter in both width and length than your "rustic" wood  (can be found in the scrap bin at home depot for $0.50 to $1.00) 
• Wood Screws (Amount varies depending on the screw holes in your hooks. My project consisted of 10 screws. Four to anchor each corner of the rustic wood to the scrap backing wood, and two screws for each hook. Color also varies depending on your preference. I went with 1" antique brass screws.)
• Nail and hammer (for helping with screw placement)
• Power drill (for getting those screws securely into your wood- coats and purses need support when hanging on your wall!) 
• Ring hangers (the hardware that will fasten to the back of your finished project so that you can hang it on the wall) 
• 2 Picture hangers (hardware that can hold up to 30lb. per hanger, these are what you nail into the wall)
• Measuring tape

Assembly:

• If choosing option one, you can skip down to attaching the ring hangers.
• For option two, place your rustic piece face down on your table top and center the scrap/anchor wood on the backside. Flip over and make sure the piece is still centered.
• Screw the wood pieces together at the 4 corners of the scrap wood using your drill. To give yourself visual of where to place each screw, take your hammer and nail and tap a small mark into the rustic wood where the scrap woods' corners are behind it. 
• Attach your ring hangers to the back of your wood piece, leveling it so that when you hang the finished product is sits straight.
• Now your wood is ready for the hooks. Measure the length of your wood. Find the exact middle and hold your hook/knob in place. Using your eye, or a tape measure, decide how far up from the bottom of the wood you want to place it. With your hammer and nail, tap another little marker in the hook/knobs screw hole, to make a place for your screw to rest. Screw it in place, making sure you are happy with the placement.
• When placing your left and right hooks, measure equal distance both from the side of the wood and the center hook. Also, make sure the placement from the bottom of the board to the hook's placement is the same as the center (unless your wood is very uneven of course, then just use your eye for placement). Screw in just as you did with the center hook.
• Find where you want to hang your lovely piece in your home, and hammer in your picture hangers to match the ring hangers on your piece. But out your level (or your designer eye, like I did) to finish off your placement.
• You did it! Now you need a coat to hang and maybe a tote or two.

About me.

Hi, my name is Lauren. I am a wife, Christ following, early childhood educating, design enthusiast with a new found love for blogging. After a few years of writing on my personal blog, intended to capture moments while my husband and I navigate through our new life as a married couple, I decided that I needed a place for my posts aimed at the female reader. And being a born and raised girl from southern California, I thought it might be refreshing to begin a new writing venture on this Colorado soil I now call home (although, I cannot promise that my California terminology will disappear). So, here it is, that place where I can write and be ever so feminine doing so.

Ready, set, write, post,
 and feel lovely.