Top 11 of 2011: Projects Edition

I know I just did this post but this one is different.  Here are the top 11 projects of 2011.

Fabric Flower Tutorial

Bow Tutorial

My favorite - Bow Tie Onesies

Deck Refresh

Stripping my PB Dining Table

Football Hat

Chevron Hat

Corbel Shelf

Oversized Frame

TV Cabinet Transformation

Front Porch Remodel

I think that sums up the year pretty well.  But it is making me worry.  Now I have to think of projects to do this year..........

Top 11 of 2011

I'm joining the trend and sharing the highlights of the previous year.  

So welcome to the Top 11 of 2011.

 The great adventure that was Snowpocalypse 2011

Our wonderful trip to Boston, MA and the north coast with my family for my brother's graduation.  

This is Motif no. 1 in Rockport, MA. (As seen in The Proposal)

4th of July at the lake.  Nothing better.

Lola.  The pups love our trips to the lake too.

A trip to Colorado with the Keith family for some cattle herding - and hiking of course.

The boys. 

Oh and then there was the TRIATHLON......

Enough said.

Our front porch transformation.

The End of Summer Bash 2011.

Another quick trip to Colorado - just the two of us. 

(Just realized that I forgot to post about this trip....coming soon.)

And my favorite holiday - Christmas.  

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year - actually we had such a wonderful year.  I'm sad it is all over but the great thing is we get to do it all over next year.  Plus we have a lot of great things to look forward to in 2012 like my best friend's wedding in California and hopefully a trip to Scotland for the Keith family reunion.  And the best part of the new year is there will be so many fun, unexpected adventures.

Happy New Year!!

Where is the snow Chicago?

Seriously, what is going on?  Even Colorado seems to be in short supply of the powdery white stuff that keeps their winter tourism alive and well.  I'm glad I at least snapped a few pics of the pups playing in the snow on the one day morning we've been lucky enough to have a minimal accumulation.  I think this melted a few hours later and turned into a mud bath for the dogs to roll in.

I swear they love the snow.  They love to run, wrestle, play and eat it.  I think the skeptical faces are more a result of the giant black camera in their faces instead of the snow.

This will keep me going until Snowpocalypse 2012.

Guest Room Re-Do

This Christmas I received the West Elm duvet I've been eyeing.

Yay!

And since my guest room/craft room currently looks like this.....

It is time for a total re-do.  

This room was just a collection of random items from college and it was screaming nursery.  And since it is definitely NOT a nursery, it is time to get off my couch, shut down pinterest and get to work transforming it into a modern and fresh retreat for myself and the occasional guest.

But before I officially get off the couch and shut down pinterest I decided to come up with a vision and scheme for this space.  I usually jump into project with no plan or vision and I just creates a mess with no style, no statement and no fun.  It's just blahhhh. 

I am done with blah and I have come up with a fun scheme that will inspire my creativity and be a great starting point for the rest of the house.

What do you think?

This week I am hoping to the paint the walls Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter.

And then sew some roman shades (tutorial found here) in the kelly green color.  

The main color scheme will be grey and white with splashes of green in the pillows, lamps and wherever else I decide to splash it.

I've been trying to find a room with this color scheme already in place so I can get a sneak peek at how these colors mesh since this could be a disaster.

But I am ready to take the risk.

Christmas #1

We just celebrated our first Christmas of the season with my extended family.  Everyone (almost) made the trek down from WI to my parent's house for the Hock family Christmas.

The house was full and busy - just how we like it.

We played games.

Watched football.

And had a really fun gift card and family photo exchange.

Everyone knows the gift card exchange but this year my cousins suggested we try a family photo exchange.  Everyone picked a family photo (old or new), put it in a frame and wrapped it up to exchange.  I wasn't sure how this would work and if the photos people picked would be interesting enough for all but it really was SO MUCH FUN!  A new family tradition.

I forgot to take a picture of it but I received a photo of my grandpa on his navy ship from WWII.  It was a photo that I had never seen and it was really meaningful to catch a glimpse of his life then.  The best part was passing around the photos and sharing the memories.  Both my grandparents have passed away and this was a special way of remembering them during the holidays.

I highly recommend introducing this tradition to your family this Christmas.

But the best part of the holidays is cousin time!

 

Santa even came to visit the girls! 

 

And brought Elf on a Shelf!

And because these girls are so darn cute and I am slowly getting the hang of my camera can I share some adorable shots of these girls from the day?  I love having little youngins at the house.  So much fun!

Aren't they so cute?!