Pinteresting Wednesday: Jewelry Faves

I recently joined Pinterest (I know, I know I'm way behind) and oh so conveniently stumbled across a link party hosted by The Vintage Apple. Of course, I must join the fun. This week I am featuring some lovely jewelry I have had my eye on lately.  I have been dissatisfied with the selection I own right now and am thinking about getting a new item or two.  Which pieces do you like???

Source: etsy.com via Ashlee on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Ashlee on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Ashlee on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Ashlee on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Ashlee on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Ashlee on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Ashlee on Pinterest

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DIY: Envelope Pillows

My first nursery project was to figure out what to put in the large empty window sill.  I decided that decorative pillows were the perfect answer.  Since I was on a tight budget, I knew buying new pillows was not an option.  Instead I found six hideous pillows at a thrift store for just $.25 a pop and chose to cover them myself with fabric I found on sale.  I wish I could say that I came up with the slip cover pattern myself, but that would be a lie.  I actually used this very simple tutorial and then free-handed various leaf designs into the fabric using silk embroidery thread so that they would fit the "earthy" theme. 

Before:

After:

Super easy.  So easy that since then, I have recovered all the pillows in our living room.  Such a great little project to update the look of a room. Give it a try and have fun!




 

Nursery on a Budget

When I was pregnant with Ashyr and deciding on a nursery theme, I didn't have a very large budget to work with.  Less than $150 in fact...and that included the cost for the crib.  Every crib I had ever seen in stores was well over my entire budget.  So, I scoured Craigslist and landed an incredible deal on a brand new crib for $80.   Sweet deal, but bummer because now I only had about $70 to decorate the whole nursery!  The answer? Thrift stores, clearance aisles, and stumbling across free stuff from friends and family.  This was I ended up spending on everything:
Crib $80
Desk turned dresser $8
Fabric $20
DIY Crib Mobile $5
Storage Bins $12
Pillows $2
Mirror, rocking chair, tree FREE
Total $127
I was wanting to make the nursery calm, simple, and earthy so 3 a.m. feedings would be relaxing for me.  And also gender neutral so a future baby girl (hopefully) could use it too.  This is what I came up with:

 I was thrilled with the turn out and would love to share how I made some of the items, so come back next week to see!

Recipe: Mexican Casserole

As a kid, my mom would make this recipe and it was always one of my favorites. There are only FIVE ingredients and it is super easy!  The meat mixture is also good as a dip.  Just serve hot with tortilla chips.

Mexican  Casserole

1 can Spanish rice
1 can Pinto beans
1 lb cooked ground beef
1 pkg 10 inch tortillas
Cheddar cheese
(*I usually use 1 or 2 cans of Spanish rice, 2 cans of pinto beans, and 1/2 lb beef.  Stretches your meat and makes more!)

Cook ground beef in skillet.  Add rice and beans and heat mixture on low for about 15 minutes.  In a casserole dish, layer meat mixture then tortillas (twice) and then sprinkle with cheese.  Repeat the layers and end up with meat mixture on top (tortillas will get too dried out otherwise).  Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350.