DIY Faux Zinc Letters

You know those super trendy zinc letters that are all the rage in home decor?  The ones you see on Pinterest, Instagram, and about a zillion other places?

I, for one, happen to love the look of them... what I don't love?  The price.  At $18 a piece; depending on the initials, name, or word you're looking to spell out with them, the resulting bill could be apretty hefty one.

Awhile back, I was fortunate enough to find a knockoff version at Michael's, and purchased an "M" for Max's room.  However, recently, whenever I have come across more budget friendly options, they never seem to have the letters that I am looking for.

{zinc letters}

So... I decided to take matters into my own hands.

The end result:  3 letters, that with coupons/sale prices (and a few materials I already owned), cost me less than $10!

This project is just about the easiest DIY ever.  So easy, that I'm not even sure that it is worthy of a tutorial, but I figured why not share the steps!

Materials

black acrylic paint

silver acrylic paint

cardboard or wood letters

paint brush (straight edge preferred)

First things first, you want to paint your letters with the black paint.  Be sure to cover all of the sides/angles that you will be able to see.  Then, once the letters are dry, with your silver paint, using large back and forth brush strokes, begin to paint over the black.

Depending on the look you are going for, you may want to apply more then one coat of silver paint.  I applied two, but didn't have any issues with this covering the black coat of paint 100%... you want it to still show through a bit.

There you have it friends... I think when you compare these to the (much) pricier version, the look is pretty darn similar.  I know I'm pretty pleased with the end result.  Plus, I can use the money I saved towards buying more latte bowls.  HUGE win!

                                                

Ella's Room | Part 2

I promised when we moved, that I would share photos of our new home as soon as we were settled in, but...  as much as I'd love to do a BIG reveal and give you the full tour of our new place, the truth is, that it's not quite ready yet... We are still working on the getting settled part... you know how that goes.

{pink drawer knobs | basket (homegoods) | moccasins | changing pad cover}

It seems, that our "reveal" is going to have to go down as more of a one-room-at-a-time type of affair. So, seeing as M&E's rooms were major priorities of mine when we arrived in NY, because it was important to me that they immediately felt at home, it seemed only appropriate, that I shared them first.

 I'm kicking it off with some photos of Ella's nursery, along with my best attempt at providing links for many of the items along the way.

Our sweet girl's room is by far one of my favorite in the house. It is bright, cheery, and full of color... Just like Ella herself!

{book ledge (ikea) | bunting (diy)}

{quilt (diy) | pillow (target, old) | pom pom curtains (diy) | lamp (homegoods)}

{moccasin print | barrette print }

{cloud mobile}

{blanket (diy, pattern here)}

{gold wall stickers | crib sheet (diy) | baskets (target, old) | anywhere chair}

{rocking lamb}

{artwork (hobby lobby)}

{moccasins}

I can't wait to share more as it comes along!

                                                

Weekend Recap

Perfectly uneventful. Totally lazy. Zero agenda.  That about sums up the past weekend.

We spent a boatload of time outdoors. Lounging on the deck, splashing in the pool, and we even made another trip to the lake on Saturday.

Dinner was grilled, naps were taken, and ice cold white wine was sipped in the sun.  The weather was amazing. It was perfect in every way.

Aside from the expected occasional toddler meltdown, it was a weekend well spent... and now it's on to the week ahead.

                                                     

Swoon Worthy

Despite the fact that while roaming the aisles at Target the other day (for things I don't need but undoubtedly ended up in my cart anyway), I discovered that they were beginning to stock their shelves with "Back to School" items, we are still very much in the throws of summer, my friends.

I cringe at the thought of wishing away one of the most cherished seasons, so this Swoon Worthy post is 100% all about summertime favorites.  It's only mid-July, so Carpe Diem, let's enjoy it while it lasts!

Here's what I'm loving lately...

1.  Mike and I are always on the hunt for the perfect summer cocktail.  Generally I stick to white wine, but every once in awhile I step outside of my comfort zone and take a walk on the wild side.  The always inspirational Something to Snack On, posted this killer cocktail recipe awhile back.  If gin is your jam (see what I did there?), than search no further, this concoction is sheer perfection.  Personally, however, I am more of a Vodka girl, so the following is my twist on Caryn's original recipe, which was delightful to sip last night on the deck:

Ingredients

2 oz. vodka
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
1-2 Tbs strawberry jam
Splash of club soda or seltzer water
* I chose to omit the simple syrup, because I used homemade jam that was already quite sweet.

In a cocktail shaker, add vodka, lemon juice, jam, and ice cubes. Shake, then strain into a glass with crushed ice, and top with a splash of soda water.  Garnish with a fresh strawberry and enjoy!

2.  Summertime is for freeing our feet and living in sandals... If there is any better combination than chubby baby toes and these, I don't know what it is!

3.  This print screams summer to me, and reminds me of Maine, totally a winning combination if you ask me.  I'd love to hang this in our family room.

4.  The color of this dress, paired with a great tan, have me swooning for sure.

5.  I absolutely adored Judy Blume books when I was growing up, so this latest title from the beloved author is on my summer reading list.

6.  I am on a HUGE strawberry kick lately, so this salsa sounds right up my ally.

7.  I really and truly want one of these bracelets in every color, but the "Portland" really speaks to my heart.

8.  Old Navy is having their huge summer clearance sale right now, and I'm totally digging this tunic as a beach cover up!

9.  Always, always in favor of handmade shops, Wren & James makes the most beautiful items.

10.  I'd buy this candle for its cute nautical design alone, but the scent sounds delicious too!

I hope you all have an amazing summer weekend!

                                            

Playing Catch Up

It's been a bit of a whirlwind around here lately, not that that's anything out of the ordinary for us, but...  Mike was off from work for 4 days over the holiday weekend, and as soon as he left us to head back to the office on Monday, my mother in law arrived from Pittsburgh for a visit.

The last several days have been spent at the lake, at the pool, running errands, entertaining, and celebrating the birth of one very special little boy... hence the radio silence on the blog.

Since I haven't had a whole lot of time to sit down at the computer and write lately , I thought I would bombard you instead, with a whole bunch of photos to catch you up to speed on the events of the last week or so. Here's to hopinh that I can get back to business in the very near future, and return to some regularly scheduled blog posting.

On Thursday we took a cruise up to Lake George, which was beautiful, but not exactly relaxing since I spent the majority of the day trying to deter Ella from eating sand-coated veggie sticks, and taking turns with Mike freezing swimming with Max.

It rained pretty hard off and on, most of the day on the fourth, but we still ventured out to do some strawberry picking before the season passed us by. Then we whipped up a batch of homemade strawberry jam with our haul.  There is just something so satisfying about making and canning your own jam... I'm sure we'll be slathering this stuff on everything for weeks to come.

{sunglasses}

{curtains | chairs}

After all of that excitement, it was on to preparing for Nana's arrival... cleaning, more house decorating, and stocking the fridge.

Lastly, we celebrated Max turning 3, with a low key day full of trips to the toy store, presents, and chocolate cupcakes with sprinkles... per the birthday boy's request.  How in the heck my baby is already 3 is totally beyond me... but we are so proud of the little man he is growing into.

I hope you all had a wonderful fourth!

                                                 

Maine ❤️

{higgins beach}

For those of you who might happen to be new around here (welcome!), you may or may not already know, that despite the fact that we are currently dwelling in New York, I was actually born and raised in the beautiful state of Maine.

A little over 8 years ago, I packed my bags and took off to Baltimore to be with my husband, who was working there at the time. Shortly later, we headed for his hometown of Pittsburgh where we finally settled down, bought a house, and started a family. 

I love (loved) Pittsburgh. I love my husband and his wonderful family. I adore all of our friends there. I love New York too.  I'm very happy here.

You know what I also love though? MAINE! My family and friends that are still there, the ocean, the food, the shops... and every other little last thing about it!!!

So, as you can probably imagine, a few months ago, when I first got word of our impending move to NY, I was ecstatic to learn that our new home would only be about a 4.5 hour jaunt to Maine by car. 

Last weekend, I put my big girl panties on, stocked up on veggie sticks, fruit snacks and diapers (you know, the essentials), and then I loaded M&E, along with all of our junk, into my car and we took off for Vacationland...  that's right, just the 3 of us!  

The drive was only slightly painful at parts, but the weekend, was pure perfection. It felt beyond amazing to see our loved ones and visit some of our favorite spots.  I literally cannot wait to head back again in the near future.

In the meantime, I thought I would share a few photos, along with some of the links, to a few of the places that we visited and love in the greater Portland area...

{pinleand farms}

{boutique little}

{alaina marie}

And... because poor Mike couldn't make the trip with us, we brought back some lobster meat and made him lobster rolls to cheer him up!