Oh Harry Winston, How I Adore You!

So we all know about the 45-carat blue diamond, famously known as the Hope Diamond, currently is housed in the National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C

But do you know how it GOT there??

Keep reading...



According to an article I read in the Washington Post, the valuable gem wasn't delivered to the Smithsonian under guard! World famous jeweler Harry Winston donated it to the museum and mailed it in an envelope!! And not just an envelope, a regular first-class mail envelope.

Harry Winston paid $2.44 for the postage, but he insured the diamond for $1 million, which cost an extra $142.85.

The envelope is postmarked November 8, 1958. I just cannot imagine this stunning gem going through regular mail that week, wow! God forbid it didn't make it there, yikes!

Anyway, if you've never seen the Hope Diamond up close and personal, I highly recommend it along with the other Smithsonian museums in DC. I feel very lucky that I live within minutes of the city and I could visit anytime I'd like. It's all part of history and is just so cool to see these things in person.

Happy Monday friends!

"So What?" Wednesday

...if I burn through candles almost once a week. It leaves my house smelling oh-so-pretty and the new scents reminds me of spring.

...if I leave clothes on the floor if I don't decide to wear them. I pick them up eventually but at the time I don't "feel like it". I do know that this is something that I need to work on now that I'm living with someone, lol!

...if I only wear makeup to work when I know my district manager is coming in for a visit. Most mornings start for me at 4:30 am and quite frankly, the last thing I feel like doing is slathering my face in makeup when my eyes are barely open.

...if I'm an overachiever. I not only work full-time but I come home and keep busy up until the time I crawl into bed, which even then I'm still on my phone playing around. I like to try out new recipes, read and do some new crafts that I find tutorials about online. It keeps my mind fresh and creative.

...if Nick and I had frozen pizza and watched Beauty and the Beast for Valentine's Day dinner. We went out to lunch and spent the day together earlier on in the day on Monday but at night, I didn't want to get into the hype of it all. I just wanted it to be us<3

...if by Monday I can't wait to go into work and get my free pound of coffee. Yes, I do drink that much coffee in a week and yes, it's only me (Nick will drink a cup here and there but is really sensitive to caffeine). I work at Starbucks and I love me a great cup o' joe.

...if I prefer filtered or bottled water. This doesn't make me a snob, I just prefer clean water. Plus I have a theory that my immune system has been much, much stronger since I started sticking to filtered/bottled water. I haven't been sick with a cold in god-knows-how-long (knock on wood!).

...if I stare at etsy for hours on end. I don't consider myself "obsessed" but I am instead, inspired. I could browse all day long if I could. I think there are so many talented people out there who put their skills to good use. It's incredible!

Hop on over to Life After I Dew if you want to join in So What Wednesday!

DIY Tutorial, Craft Board!

This weekend I was really getting a lot accomplished with all of my craft endeavours:o)

I was proud of what I made but didn't want it to lay in a box or become cluttered in my home so I brainstormed with Nick's mom on a way to display these items instead of storing them.

This is what we came up with, pretty neat huh? and it was SUPER easy!

Want to make one for yourself? Here's what you need to do:

Head to Target and your local craft/fabric store and grab these:

• corkboard, any size you'd like
• hot glue gun and hot glue sticks, if you don't already have one
• yard stick, if you don't already have one
• fabric: you can either cover your board in one color or do panels of different colors like I did, use whatever colors you have
• plastic knobs, you can get them from Target or Home Depot (where I got mine, they are cheap, about .98 a piece)
• wooden dowels

Step 1:

Plan out how you want to design your craft board, consider the items you want to hang on the knobs. Arrange fabric to your liking and hot glue to the corkboard. Make sure you measure your fabric with a yard stick before you hot glue it to the board otherwise you will have unwanted gaps!

Next you will need to arrange the knobs in the areas that you want to hang your items. Consider the size of the items to leave the appropriate amount of space for each! Hot glue the knobs and dowels to the board. Let dry.

Step 2:

Hang your items on your board and pat yourself on the back for a job well done! How easy was that!? I chose to add my little owl friend at the bottom after I found him laying around my home. He needed a more appropriate hideout:o)

Voila!

A Super Sweet Giveaway!

Go check out Taylor's blog, she has a GREAT giveaway going on!

I am swooning over this beautiful bag from Charm Design, I would go admire them if I were you! They are all handmade with love:o)

 

To win, hop on over to Taylor's blog and tell her which bag you would love to own! Good luck!

i heart valentines

I am NOT a big fan of Valentine's Day, at ALL. As a matter of fact, I told Nick I don't want to celebrate it this year (and I may or may not have made him promise not to even buy a card). Why? Well for one thing, I am a veryyyyy lucky girl. Nick will randomly come home with a sweet card or fresh flowers for me on any given day. So in some ways, I get "Valentine's Day" a lot around here:o) I just don't like the idea of companies being able to scam consumers by marking up the prices of gifts, cards and flowers for one day. I'm sure most of you feel the same way. I know Nick works way too hard to go spend $50-100 on roses that would be half that price the very next day. Lame.

I do however, love to celebrate Valentine's Day with blog friends! There's something so fun about getting assigned to swap with someone who lives fairly close to you and learning new things about them! It's even more fun when you get a surprise package in the mail, like I did today!!!!

My blog buddy, Samantha, must have known me in another life! She filled this box with EVERYTHING that I love! Thank you girl! I got lots of baking goodies, nail polish, a delicious candle that smells like the islands, Southern Living magazine (one of my absolute favs) and some stuff to use in my kitchen! This made my day, even Nick was impressed to learn about this swap! Thanks to Neely and her friends for setting it up!

I also got this adorable Hello Kitty valentine bundle from my friend Charisse at work! How sweet!

Are you celebrating Valentine's Day? Did you partake in a blog swap?