My New Favorite Way to Hang Pictures

I am not the best at hanging pictures, especially when trying to hang them in a straight line or in a pattern. But, thanks to my new technique, I no longer have any issues.

This is a modified idea of one you may have seen on Pinterest. All you need is your nails, hammer and a roll of painter's tape.

First, lay out your pictures on the ground how you want them to appear on the wall.

Next, cut a strip of painter's tape the same length as the pictures and line it up over the hangers.

Then, take your nail and poke a small hole right where it would hang. Once, done, place the painter's tape on the wall where you want the pictures to hang. 

Using the holes in the painter's tape, hammer the nails into the wall.

Remove the tape and viola! Straight pictures!

These pics were hung when I was getting my guest room completely ready for our marathon of guests.

These particular pictures are very special, because they were a gift from Landon's sister, Allison, and her husband, Adam, the Christmas before we moved from Nashville. They are actually pressed leaves taken from the backyard of our Nashville house. They are absolutely gorgeous, and even though we no longer live in that house, they are a very sweet memory.

I also took the "Nashville" pictures and hung them up beside the bed.

And last but not least, I hung up my DIY Tennessee and Texas art.

I also added in a few "Texas" books for visitors to peruse.

I actually feel like, minus a bit of paint and some curtains, this room is almost complete.

What do you think?

Welcome to Texas

Our final house guests left on Monday. It was bittersweet. We had such a good time with everyone! While we didn't do anything crazy, we were able to explore some of our town and just spend great time hanging out.

While our parents and Allison and Adam (Landon's sister and husband) have all visited Texas, it was when we lived in Fort Worth, which was several years ago.

So, in order to ensure they received the full Texas treatment while they were in town, I decided to make welcome baskets for each.

I started with some white "popcorn" bowls, some red and blue raffia and some authentic Texas items, including:

• Texas Monthly magazine;
• D.L. Jardine's Texas Chili Mix (because chili is the official dish of Texas);
• Texas hot sauce;
• Our favorite salsa, Clint's;
• Lammes' Texas Chewy Pecan Pralines (because the Pecan Tree is our state tree); and
• Dublin Dr. Pepper, made in Dublin, Texas, with Imperial Pure Cane Sugar.

I also bought some Texas Blue Bonnet seeds for Landon's mom. She loves to garden and while I have no idea if the state flower will grow in Miami, I still thought she would enjoy trying.

I decided the basket wouldn't be complete without a "welcome" card to go along, so I got out all my scrapbooking items, which had been collecting dust from such little use!

My friend Ashley had bought me a Texas stamp a few years back. I remember her giving it to me and saying, "You may never use this, but ..." Well, it was perfect for my card.

I had also bought some bottled water, originally planning to include it in the welcome basket until I decided the Dr. Pepper was a much better choice. Still, I wanted to include the water in the guest bedroom, but felt it needed a little sprucing up. So, I decided to remove the label and make my own.

Once it was all put together, the baskets looked really cute, if I do say so myself.

It was a fun way to welcome all our guests! So, what would you include in your town's welcome baskets?

A Splash of Color

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. Landon's parents were in last week, and we had such a great visit with them. We hadn't seen them since Christmas, so it was nice to have them here for nearly a week. They were also able to help us with a few projects around the house, which was also nice.

Today, our third and final set of guests arrive -- Allison and Adam Dye. Allison is Landon's sister and Adam is my fellow "outlaw" in the Cole family. We are very excited for them to come! They live in Nashville so it hasn't been so long since we've seen them, but they haven't been to Texas since 2007.

They'll be staying in the guest bedroom like the rest of our guests have. When I was planning what to do in that room, I really wanted a comfy, white bedding like these.

Source: blog.hgtv.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Source: marleyandlockyer.blogspot.com via Sara on Pinterest

Source: canopybed.com via Sara on Pinterest

But, I quickly realized that just wasn't me. So, I bought some new colorful sheets for my guest bed.

BEFORE

AFTER

Not sure if you can tell, but the color of the sheets is also found in the quilt, so it actually ties in really well. Plus, I was able to score these Kate Spade sheets for a great price at HomeGoods, so that makes them even better!

Changing Things Up

First, I must say happy birthday to my little sister, Allison! I hope you have a fabulous day full of celebrations despite all the classes you have to go to today!

Allison with her daughter, McKinlee

Next, I must tell you some good news and some bad news. The good news is I was able to work all weekend on my dining room chairs. The bad news is I didn't get them finished. So, you'll have to wait a little longer to see the final product.

In the meantime, I thought I would tell you about a little change I made a few weeks ago ... I decided to switch the guest bedroom and office. 

I'm going to tell you this, but I don't want anyone getting any ideas. See, you might remember we put our desk in the closet of the office.

We decided that we really liked it and we wanted to keep it that way. Well, being a "planner," I decided that if we did ever have a baby, I didn't want to get rid of the closet office, so naturally, we would need to use the room that was currently being used as a guest bedroom as a future "baby's" room. 

Now, I told you, don't get any ideas. "Future" is the key word here. It's just I didn't want to decorate an entire room knowing it would one day change. Hence, why we decided to make the bedroom / office switch.

Landon was going to help me do this, but one night I got impatient (I know, hard to believe, right?), so I decided to do the move on my own. Thanks to our handy, dandy furniture movers, it wasn't too hard.

And, today, we have this ...

Excuse the mess ... we're still cleaning this room up!

The pictures above the bed will be going soon. Landon jokingly said our guests would enjoy the wall of "us." But, I have many other things to put on this wall. 

Really wish I had time to paint these rooms before our guests arrive, but considering how long the chairs are taking, I don't see that happening. So, "deep in the heart of Texas" will still be around to welcome them!

Travel Table

I decided the only way my guest bedroom would be complete would be with a suitcase nightstand.  I saw so many cute ones on Pinterest. 

Source: None via Kristin on Pinterest

Source: finecraftguild.com via Maddie on Pinterest

Source: finecraftguild.com via Maddie on Pinterest

Source: greenupgrader.com via Monica on Pinterest

I knew I needed one, so I went on the hunt for some vintage suitcases. 

I actually first inquired about a few on Craig's List, which brings me to my pet peeve. If you post somethng on the site and someone emails you about it, you should respond, even if it's just a "I sold it." Really ... what's up with all the Craig's List sellers not answering emails? It bothers me.

So, giving up on Craig's List, I thought I would try the Antique Mall down the road. And, guess what? They had three that were perfect! 

After a little cleaning, I stacked them to create my table.

What do you think?

This now means that my original nightstand is going to have to go somewhere else. I'm not sure where right now, but I'll find somewhere for it!

Pillows Made with Love

Oh, man. I spent all day Saturday and much of Sunday working on a big project and yet I STILL didn't get done! I can't wait to finish and post it for you, but you'll probably have to wait one more week.

In the meantime, I wanted to show you something that I recently added to my guest bedroom .... pillows!

These aren't just any pillows; these are pillows made by my wonderful and very talented mother! She surprised me with them when we went to Nashville a few weeks ago. She is one of the biggest fan of my blog and my coach who helps me get through all these various projects (I call her anytime I have a question or frustration). Since she knew I had blogged about my fascination with pillows, she made me two new ones, complete with ruffles (which is what I love)!!

I love them both but the white one is the most special, because it is made out of the same fabric she made my ring bearer's pillow out of more than six years ago.

I already placed them on my guest bed. I think they look great and pull in all the various colors of my quilt, which was made by my wonderful and talented mother-in-law (yes, be jealous. I have two great moms).

I've added a few items to give this room a "Nashville" flair, and now that I have two DIY items from my mom (who lives in Nashville) and my mother-in-law (who formerly lived in Nashville), I think it's even better!