{Update} New Web Address

UPDATE: This blog has moved! You can find all old AND new blog posts here:

http://www.lovesweetpress.wordpress.com

Thanks for visiting! :)

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary {Gardening + Sweet Relish}

It's still cold here in Charlotte, but I'm itching for spring days where I can open the windows and let the spring air seep in. There's something therapeutic about the smell of fresh air and freshly cut grass flowing through the house.

Apparently there's also something therapeutic about gardening, but I wouldn't know because I've never really done it. At the end of January, it was an unusually warm day in Charlotte and I suddenly decided that I wanted to become a gardener. Corey and I went to Lowe's and loaded up on soil, fertilizer, shovels, gloves and a variety of dying pansies and other cold-weather flowers that I wanted to nurse and bring back to life. Rather ambitious for a virgin gardener in the middle of winter.

Regardless of zero odds being in my favor, I was pleasantly surprised with my creation:

Needless to say, that random warm Sunday turned into a cold February and March, and the state of my potted creation is now too ugly to be pictured. 

HOWEVER, I remain optimistic and look forward to fine tuning my new hobby once the weather turns for good. I was further inspired this morning by this sweet little collection of gardening goodness from Sweet Relish: 

And no, the fact that nothing in this collection is actually a live flower does not escape me. But it is exciting to think about the cute little accessories I can add to compliment the flowers that I will (someday) have, planted and blooming in the ground. 

Luckily for me, I just stumbled across this great new site called SweetRelish.com. Half-Pinterest, Half-Amazon, Sweet Relish is a one-stop shop to discover tons of cool products from all over the web. I searched Sweet Relish for gardening (see below), and was able to find lots of fun new gardening products from sites I've never heard of. 

Once you sign up, you can save and organize all the products you love in custom lists, then share your lists with your hubby, boyfriend, mom, grandma... whoever! Not only are the lists self-serving, but they're also available for other Sweet Relish users to browse, enabling everyone to find new products that they love. Online shopping made easy! Sign up here to start drinking the secret sauce, and stay tuned for my gardening adventures! :) 

{Freebie Friday} Hakuna Matata Free 8x10 Printable Wall Art

Brighten up your life with this Disney-inspired wall art. Whether you hang it in your child's room, office or kitchen, this lovely little print will serve as a daily reminder to always stay carefree and young at heart. 

[ download here ]

{HOME} DIY Star Garland

This easy-to-make garland will add a lovely touch to any mantle or doorway. 

HOW TO:

1. Print this free printable star cutout. You can print directly onto colored paper, or cut it out and use it as a template to trace onto scrapbook paper. I purchased a variety of different scrapbook paper from Michaels and old sheet music from an antique shop (also used in my DIY Mason Jar Candle). 

2. The printable star freebie has two different sized stars. Use the larger one for your backing and layer the smaller star on top. Experiment by mixing and matching different papers and patterns. Assemble your layers using glue or tape.

3.  Punch a hole at the tip or in the corners or each star, depending how you want your garland to hang. 

3. String twine or raffia (pictured) through your holes, knotted at each hole punch to keep stars in place. 

4. String garland along your mantle, doorway, archway, as party/wedding decor, wherever you see fit! Enjoy the prettiness :) 

{Life} Snow Day

Corey and I spent four years in Boone, so snow is nothing that we're not used to. However, snow in Charlotte is something that we are definitely not used to seeing! Apparently it hasn't snowed and stuck to the ground here in two years, so it's magical to see what Charlotte looks like covered in snow. Here are some pics from Saturday, hours after the snow began falling.

Saturday evening {inside warmth + snow-falling bliss} 

Sunday morning we took off for a walk around the neighborhood, and within an hour, the majority of the snow was gone. 

Here today, gone tomorrow! Fun and beautiful while it lasted. Maybe we'll see it again in another two years? :) 

Inspire Me Monday {Office Space}

Want to visualize a room, wedding or craft project before you begin putting it together? Head over to theinspirationboard.com to create your dream combo in minutes. My home office is in major need of a face lift, so I crafted together this quick concept of the office that would really get my creative juices flowing:

Now if only I had the funds to pull this room together :)
>> Click here to explore more inspiration boards or create your own!  <<

{FREEBIE} Free Valentine's Day Printables

Print these free 4x6 printables and add some LOVE to your home decor! Enjoy! :)

DOWNLOAD: [1] be mine [2] all you need is love [3] i love you [4] you are my happy place