Since we moved into this house almost two years ago I knew I wanted a specific functionality in the office upstairs.I had dreams of cabinets and counters or rainbow murals or so many others. What we ended up doing was even better and honestly way easier for us to manage do it ourselves!

Here is what the room looked like until we changed it - almost two full years and this functioned just fine until Andrew started working from home when the pandemic hit. He took over the desk where my computer is in these pictures, and then I moved to the smaller silver desk on the side wall. I was more than happy to give it up since we are so fortunate to still have this wonderful job throughout this pandemic. The dresser held my vinyl both adhesive and heat transfer plus the bottom drawer held all the sample shirts for my small business. I used the furniture we had to make the office functional and as I said, it was time for a change for both function and happiness!

First thing we needed to do was paint and put up the shelves I wanted. We used MDF board from Lowes and the brackets are from Amazon. Putting up the shelves was QUITE the feat! We got the brackets up on the wall, using the screws included with the brackets (see where this is going yet?) and as we tried to screw the board to the brackets, it came crashing down on our heads and ripped all but one bracket from the wall ouch! BUT we then went to the hardware store and got way better screws and then redid the brackets, and it worked! I pulled out all the trinkets I'd been saving in closets and boxes. My favorite things are the Disney ear hats I procured while working at Disneyland, my Holocrons from Batuu, the unicorn and rainbow lights! I love these shelves so much and Andrew has some things he's going to add to his side to make them a bit more HIM hahaha

We also added RGB lightstrips to the bottom of the shelves to light up the room with fun!!

The next place we needed to go was Ikea. We got Alex drawers (1 & 2) and Ekbacken countertops! The initial colors I was looking for weren't available, but according to the website (and the worker upstairs IN the Ikea) none of the office stuff was in stock in my store. We decided to check the bins downstairs regardless since we had driven so far (Our IKEA is about an hour away from our house so we don't go often). The plan was white drawers and wooden countertops for the desk and once we got downstairs we found white drawers of one of the types I wanted BUT not the others. Eventually we found that they had the drawers in both style in the same grey-turquoise color (which isn't even advertised online as an option!) and I was like - let's do this thing! The countertop we initially wanted was also out of stock BUT they had one that looked like white marble which would be perfect against the teal in the room so we grabbed it and I got excited! NOTE: the drawers are not the same size in any way, so if you decide you like this idea, measure everything for your space!!! The wider drawers are much shorter AND not as deep so be ready for that.

We got the drawers put together and after a quick online look at the hardware store for a platform type thing for the shorter wider drawers, we landed on pavers hahaha The original plan was wood but they couldn't cut what we wanted so Andrew found the pavers for .50 a piece and I was like "YEP! Let's get it done!" The drawers came with casters but since we already knew they were going to be short, we didn't want the wheels making our lives harder to find a way to raise them up. The rug is from Home Depot and I thought I had gotten the bigger size so oops - I'll be ordering it soon hahaha then this one will go somewhere else to light up a room!

Next was organizing everything that was already in the room and everything we had taken out. And we had to find homes for the furniture we were no longer using! The desk we decided to give to the girls as an official art station in their play room. This way they have a dedicated space and hopefully one place to keep all the craft crap to vs all over my house hahahaha The silver desk I had been using went to Rory and she was BEYOND thrilled that she now has a grown up desk, she's still not doing homework in her room (I don't think she's quite ready for that step yet) but she journals there and reads her books there when she wants to.

The closet was in desperate need of help. I had just been chucking stuff in there willy nilly, knowing I would "get to it later" and then forget immediately forget about it. So I emptied it, and emptied the dresser that held my sample shirts so I could have them all up and seen! It's going to make my business run so much smoother knowing what samples I have currently, and to actually SEE the colors! I added spacers between the sizes so I can find them easier too. This closet also holds all of my photography equipment and backdrops, our electrical cords/software boxes, gift wrapping supplies, extra backpacks, and my Disneyland backpack. It's a mish mosh of stuff but now I know where everything is!

I have a bit of a sticker problem and I just love them so much! I wanted to have them out and displayed so I could enjoy all the art that these stickers are! To me, they're like pins - little works of art people put lots of work into.

​Now for what you've all been waiting for - the grand reveal!

And there it is! Our shared office space and it works really well for both of us now. This office was first only for me when we moved in but with the pandemic, Andrew now gets to share it and have a dedicated space for when/if he continues working from home!

Artwork on the walls from the AMAZINGLY talented artist Christian Wizyakuza

Let's be honest: how many of us discovered so many things in our homes that needed attention once we were forced to sit still with it all???

My poor sweet husband has had to listen to me gripe about how much I hate the wall color in our home since the day we saw it and decided to buy it, and to be fair, I still do and someday we'll be able to have the entire house repainted but for now.....

We were fortunate enough to collaborate with PhotoWall for this Master Bedroom Glow up! It wasn't a complete renovation but we did quite a lot to make this into a more serene, grown up space!

Here's our oh-so-glamourous before shot of our bedroom! We were in desperate need y'all!

Now I'll be real honest, I've never worked with wallpaper before. Like the closest I've ever gotten to wallpaper is when we made a paper mache chocolate waterfall for the jr high play in 7th grade! Hahaha so to say we were noobs is a complete understatement but we were willing to try it out!

When I finally picked out the print I wanted, I knew I needed to change up the walls in our room too because this contractor beige nasty color is just that - nasty. So I used the handy dandy Home Depot ProjectColor App to find the perfect shade of white to match the wallpaper (also did you know there's a million shades of white??? WHY?!) I ran to Home Depot, wearing my mask made by a sweet lady in my neighborhood so I could stay as safe as possible while being out, and grabbed a sample of Winter Morn from Glidden! It has a slight purple hue when you open the container but it's a gorgeous white once it's on the walls!

​When we got the product it was even more gorgeous in person than online! I was so excited to finally make an accent wall in our room. As we got started we discovered that they had given us quite a bit extra on the bottom of each panel (which could absolutely be my fault when entering measurements, lezzzzbe real) so we tried to move it up a bit to keep the excess a bit less but that was our first mistake hahaha

About halfway through we realized we had made an even bigger mistake so we just kinda made it work hahaha I won't tell you the mistake for fear of making ourselves look fools (again) but I will say that once we were finished we realized how we should have started and begun the process. Aaaaaaand we also realized that that was what the instructions were telling us the entire time but we were just too impatient/inexperienced to understand that hahaha OOOPS! *facepalm*

Overall, we discovered we are not handy enough to handle wallpaper on another surface hahaha the product we received is incredible, amazing quality, and for people that have done wallpaper before it's probably easy but for us that have never done anything like this it was a bit over our heads hahahaha

After getting this gorgeous wallpaper up on the wall, I knew we needed something else to make it even better and more of a grown up room - enter Wayfair with a killer sale!!

We've been without a headboard since we moved into this house because it got broken in the truck - it's always at least one thing right?? When I found this one on Wayfair I was so excited! It's the perfect simple style with just a hint of glam ya know?? We've been wanting wall lamps for a long time, even before we moved into this house. I knew the general idea of what I was looking for but couldn't ever find the right one until these beauties showed up on my search! And on a serious sale too to boot! I was so happy to add them to my cart!

One of the only things I actually liked in our room before was the vinyl on the wall with the words from our wedding song. So I knew I needed something to be able to have them back up again. My sweet friend and her husband actually built me this 24 X 36 sign and then I painted it and used vinyl from Expressions Vinyl to complete it!

My heart has been so happy these past couple days with a beautiful new master bedroom! I have PhotoWall to thank for this amazing transformation! And as a thank you, they're also giving me a discount code for all of you lovely people!

Use code: ourhappilyeverafter2021 at checkout for 25% off your treasure for your walls!

They have so many amazing prints, it took me almost 3 weeks to finally narrow it down and then an extra one to make sure this was the one! 

Thanks PhotoWall for the opportunity and the amazing wallpaper makeover!

Let's talk crafts shall we??? 

Y'all know I LOVE Disney and that I collect Disney pins both from the parks and from independent creators. And for the past 10 years I've had them inside a pin bag which is awesome....except that no one but me could really see them on a daily basis. Plus then I'd have to get the bag OUT and what a pain! 

So I've had this idea of a shadow box type thing for the pins but I couldn't figure out how to display them in a cute way. Enter Expressions Vinyl and their amazing adhesive PATTERNED vinyl and inspiration struck!

Aren't they so cute!? I was seriously proud of what I came up with! SO let's break it down just a bit so you can make one too!

To do this project I needed:
- Disney pins
- Corkboard squares (mine are 12 X12)
- Floating Picture frames (again mine are 12X12 from Hobby Lobby)
- adhesive patterned vinyl from Expressions Vinyl
- scissors

First thing I did was decide which pins would be grouped together. I did mine based on the pages I had them on in my pin book, so all my Mickey and Minnie were already together and such. Then it was time to sort through my collection of amazing vinyl from Expressions (no, this isn't sponsored at all, I just really REALLY love their products, pricing and that they are a family run small business - so I support them wholeheartedly!)

Then I cut the corkboard down to the right size, the frames may have been 12X12 but that meant that the corkboard had to be trimmed by a bit to fit. Once trimmed then I adhered the vinyl to the square. Trim off excess vinyl, you could save them as scraps for another project too!

Take the frame apart and get rid of one of the glass pieces, you don't need both. Place one of the glass piece back into the frame and then stick your pins through the vinyl/corkboard. You will not be able to put the backs on the pins but that's ok! Once you have the pins all in place put the corkboard pin side down right against the glass. Carefully put the rest of the frame together minus that extra piece of glass and voila! You are finished! 

With all of this extra time we've been given to do so much I'm hoping to get more crafting done so that I keep busy! Plus even though my office has been taken over currently (curse-you-work-from-home-situation-but-also-thank-you-that-Andrew-still-has-a-job-to-do!) I'll have to get more creative on how we do crafting in my house hahaha

What's your latest crafting/sanity project been??

Last week we went on our family vacation to Disneyland, my favorite place of course, and I shared most of our adventures on my InstaStories! If you don't already follow me,  you really kinda should cuz I'm hilarious haha
 
SO! I wanted to show you the Disneyland swag we were sporting while we visited the parks!
 
First up I painted these shoes to help make the girls' Minnie Disneybounds (aka, dressing up but not in a costume) more authentic and look perfect!

shoes/paint
 
Initially I thought I would just buy yellow shoes for them but to be honest, kids shoes are so expensive and I was able to make these at a fraction of what already-yellow shoes would cost. I got their dresses from Alyx who used to do a children's clothing boutique! The shirts and leggings are from Children's Place!

We also got the AMAZING opportunity to work with Magic on Main and we got some super cute stuff!!

The bracelet was ALLLLLL the heart eye emojis guys! If you're relatively new to the blog, I had the privilege of working at Disneyland for a year as a college internship in 2010. I worked in the stores in Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and ToonTown. I also was a hat writer for a few months of that time (writing names on hats was literally the BEST!) Tomorrowland though is my "homeland" I was trained and learned the ways of the Force there so it holds a very very special place in my heart and I rarely see anything celebrating this spot of Disneyland.

So as soon as I saw that bracelet, I HAD to have it! The girls were more than excited for their pink princess shirts! "After all, if you dream a thing more than once it's sure to come true"  (points if you know which movie that's from!)

I got some other amazing Disney bling from another shop on Etsy that I fell in love with. These bracelets are so fun, easy to put on too! I will say though I somehow lost one of the charms for the Disney Parks themed one and I was super devastated! The stroller had gotten knocked over and the bracelets flew off! Luckily I found them but my one casualty was that charm :(

These ears have been so much fun!! I ordered these when the owner was still on the team for Fantasy Ears Co but she has now broken off to do her own shop: Castle Design Co! She's the sweetest and I have LOVED these! I got stopped so many times and asked about them!

This shirt was also super popular! The most I got asked about it was when I was sitting at Red Rose Taverne eating The Grey Stuff  (which by the way, IS totally delicious!!). I got this from Kind Hearts Vinyl and Decals!! She's so nice (and lives close by thank heavens!) and it's amazing quality!

Next time you're on the hunt for some good Disney gear, check out these AMAZING shops!!

You guys, it's September! Finally!!!
 
This means it's one month closer to my birthday! And hopefully some cooler temps PLEASE!
 
I wanted to share what we did for Jade's birthday this year and just kinda what we've been up to!

We took her to Build A Bear to give up her binki for a new "buddy" (aka stuffed animal, we call them buddies in our house) And she picked a UNICORN! Yeah I know, she's from My Little Pony but my kids don't watch the show so she just knew unicorn! Also, *I* want to go back and get this one ahhhh! (ok and I probably NEED this don't I?!)

After Build A Bear we HAD to stop at the Disney Store or what kind of mother would I be?! They were super sweet to Jade and even to Rory about her birthday! They gave a Rory an UNbirthday button and a bag full of goodies for both of them.

After the Disney Store we took them to Famous Dave's BBQ just like we did for Rory's 3rd birthday! Sadly they don't do the giant ice cream sundaes anymore for birthdays BUT she got to sit by her Daddy and Grandpa (2 of her most favorite people) and Daddy shared all of his corn with her which made her so happy.

And guys she's done GREAT with letting her binki go! She cried for a couple nights then when she realized we weren't giving in nor could we get it back (it's INSIDE the unicorn) she relaxed and is fine now hahaha

We're getting into a better school routine and now Rory is wanting to do everything herself. And I let her do most things but making her sandwich is still MY job cuz I don't trust a 5 year old with a knife yet.

I recently got some new juice boxes from Apple & Eve to try with the girls and they LOVED them! I'm a member of Influenster and we received these samples for free which is always amazing and the kids just loved the flavors!

I've been adding more to my "office/craft room/MY room" gallery wall!
 
Unicorn Chalkboard/Lightbox/LED Mickey Ears/4 square prints/large print/square print
/calendar (similar) 
 
I've been LOVING putting things up on the wall finally! I have more I'm wanting to display but I need more frames and I gotta wait for the "redecoration funds" to come haha

And just in case you thought I wasn't busy enough, here's what my desk looks like pretty much all the time!
 
And this weekend we're headed "home" to Disneyland and guys I can't WAIT!!!
 
How have you guys been?? What are your big plans for Fall!?

So after realizing how much I loved having fun hair, and after it had grown out/faded quite a bit, I decided to get it refreshed by a professional that knew what she was doing haha I got so lucky and found Michelle from Shea Madison Salon right here in Queen Creek AZ!
 
She was amazing and so sweet and fun. Best part? She's been a hair technician for over 17 years, a color correction teacher for over 4 AND specializes in colored hair, as in FUN colored hair! AND she's super affordable. (also, this is NOT sponsored at all, I just really want to share with you how awesome she is!) 
 
Here's my before:

Golly it was bad huh? We had such a fun time during the whole process which also only took about 3 hours (color me shocked! See what I did there? Punny!) And after sharing everything on IG stories (which you should really follow me cuz I'm "hilariously real" or so I've been told)

Here's my after:

I look like a real mermaid/unicorn/fairy/fantastical creature! I fall more in love with it everyday. And I'm going back to her before our Disneyland trip in a few weeks just to make sure I look as magical as the place I'm visiting! If you're local to AZ, check out Michelle AND the opther amazing ladies in the little studio!
 
Also, here's after about 3 washes:

STILL super vibrant and amazing! (I'm also using my own DIY colored conditioner - see my FB page and there's a video!) 

This weekend we had a big party for my mom!
 
She turned the big 5-0 and asked for a Harry Potter party! Guys, you all know how much we love Disney around these parts, but you may not know that we're big Harry Potter fans too! My mom is one of the biggest ;)
 
SO it started as me, my dad and brothers doing most of the planning, but my mom is a party planner. Like she LOVES this stuff and since it was HER party, she asked if she could help too, and with our powers combined we made it EPIC!

Well guys. It's finally here. Rory's first day of school! Like official school. Kindergarten. Riding the bus to get there type school!

 Shirt/Backpack/Thermos/Jeans
 
And I am rejoicing! I had a meltdown on Sunday I'll admit it about her starting school, mostly because I'm not sure what our new normal is going to look like and I'm not the best with change hahaha But just like I thought, SHE LOVES IT SO MUCH!  Jade wanted her picture taken too since she starts preschool in about a week or so! I can't believe I'm going to have kid free time DURING THE DAY!

But back to the reason for the post haha The first day of school was a torrential downpour. Need me to say it again? TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR! In Arizona?!

I mean it IS monsoon season but still it was coming down in buckets and soooooo so heavy!

So I took her to school the first day (plus the bus had gotten messed up somehow in the mix of school starting so I needed to talk to the office any ways) but I loved that I got to walk her to her classroom by ourselves (my mom came out and sat with Jade in the car) and I watched her walk right in to the classroom like she owned the joint. Just like preschool, this girl was READY to learn. She waved at me very emphatically and then went to work. 

And I left.

I left my baby girl. And I didn't cry. I smiled at her enthusiasm and her optimism. She was ready for this. I knew she was but still you worry as a mother if it's the right time sometimes, it was for her.

We spent the rest of the day at the movies (Summer movies at Harkins!!) and then lunch at Chik-fil-a so Jade could play without missing sister too much. We then went home for a much deserved nap and waited to go get Rory from the bus (I had gotten that all sorted while I was st the school thank goodness!)

She came home in a flurry of  "MOM GUESS WHAT?!"s and homework, and slightly cranky haha It was hot on the bus plus she's not acclimated to school yet. That night we had some family over for dinner to celebrate her first day and Bri from Breezy&Co designed some AMAZING party decorations So many in fact that I couldn't use them all but trust me, they're wonderful!

Everyone was hungry and you all know Rory won't resist a moment to be the center of attention so she LOVED everyone coming out to see her ;) Then we had her take a bath and into bed to start all over the next day hahaha

I'm exhausted from this first week! I can't wait for the weekend for us to recooperate!