what i wore {packing for a trip}

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 happy wednesday, friends! welcome to what i wore wednesday!  i started this weekly post to force myself out of my sweats and jammies, and into some presentable clothes.  after a few years of doing this, i still definitely have my jammie days, but for the most part i take a few minutes every day to focus on myself and i feel so much better when i do!  if you are in need of some motivation, join us!

this weeks post is a little different than usual.  i was packing for our trip so i took pictures of my outfits as i was packing.  our trip was supposed to be from our house, up to sacramento area where we have family, take a couple days in that area to explore the gold country (we just studied the gold rush), hen head up to oregon to visit more family, go to portland, and go camping and fishing.  so with those plans, i had to pack a variety of outfits – some for 90+ degree weather, some for chilly, rainy weather.

and then our plans completely changed!  we found out it was supposed to be raining while we were camping and fishing, so we decided to cancel heading to oregon.  but our bags were already packed and we were ready to go!  we headed out anyway, and just had to be a bit spontaneous with our adventure.  so the outfits you see were for our original plan, and i had to be pretty creative with what i packed to stretch out my outfits.

what i wore at the pleated poppy

chambray top – forever 21

tank – target

shorts – target

sandal – old navy

necklace – lisa leonard designs

what i wore at the pleated poppy

v-neck – forever 21

tank – target

shorts – banana republic outlet

sandals – old navy

necklace – lisa leonard designs

cuff – stacy lynn

what i wore at the pleated poppy

v-neck – forever 21

shorts – target

sandals – target

cuff – give jewelry

necklace – allora handmade

what i wore at the pleated poppy

chambray shirt – forever 21

long sleeve grey shirt – target

sweater – forever 21

leggings – walmart

converse – nordstrom rack

necklaces – lisa leonard designs {this one and this one}

what i wore at the pleated poppy

and in case of rain i was going to bring my rain boots from old navy

what i wore at the pleated poppy

top – forever 21

sweater – forever 21

jeans – forever 21

tennies – forever 21

scarf – volcom {gift}

what i wore at the pleated poppy

top – forever 21

sweater – forever 21

scarf – world market

jeans – local boutique

tennies – forever 21

necklace – lisa leonard designs

what i wore at the pleated poppy

sweatshirt – target

grey top – target

jeans – forever 21

scarf – the pleated poppy

necklace – lisa leonard designs

converse – nordtrsom rack

socks – target

what i wore at the pleated poppy

sweatshirt – target

grey top – target

jeans – forever 21

scarf – the pleated poppy

converse – nordtrsom rack

socks – target

what i wore at the pleated poppy

t-shirt – forever 21

sweater – forever 21

yoga pants – forever 21

tank – target

converse – nordstrom rack

do you wanna join me?  yay!  just follow the rules:

1. link to your specific blog post, not your blog’s main page. ex: http://thepleatedpoppy.com/2011/09/what-i-wore-wednesday-fall-inspiration/ not http://thepleatedpoppy.com/blog/.
2. please only link outfit related posts. your craft project may be adorable, or that may be a great giveaway, but this linky is for outfit related posts only – thank you!
3. please please please link back here to me so all this wiww stuff makes sense to your readers. and its just nice to do ;) grab a button from my sidebar (see the code box?).
4. check out as many links as possible! i am constantly inspired by so many outfits each week! and you will definitely find some new blogs that you’ve never stumbled upon before – so fun!

*this post contains affiliate links

 

mirror mirror on the wall {feature post and giveaway}

happy tuesday! i am excited to introduce you to a friend of mine today. robin is a friend from church. her husband, sean, and i go all the way back to our college days! she’s a mama to two sweet girls, a retired-for-the-moment teacher, a pastor’s wife, and must have minored in organization in college. hope you love her as much as i do!

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When Lindsey approached me about helping her with a blog post, I was very excited! She had a small issue when it came to writing about one of her sponsors, Mirrormate. Lindsey, as you’ve seen, has a stunning house and no frameless, standard builder mirrors. I have them in every bathroom. I have always LOVED Mirrormate’s product and think it makes such a statement, but have never had the guts to just order a frame already.

The main reason I’ve not ordered a frame yet? We are renters. You really can’t take on a major renovation in a rental. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind one bit. This is where God has us at the moment. We are new to the San Luis Obispo area, so we knew it would be smart to rent first and find out what area we love the most before we consider buying a home. Turns out, I’m in love with my rental. I love the location, I love (most of) the house, I love my landlord. (How many people can say that?!?!)

The problem? My house is stuck in the mid-90s. Seriously stuck. The exterior is peach. Not leaning towards earth tones, not faded colors, just straight up peach. I’m not against the 90s. A lot of wonderful things happened in the mid-90s: my husband graduated high school, I started my freshman year, and we all were glued to the TV to see if Kelly would pick Brandon or Dylan. However, in the case of my house, the color inside and outside leaves much to be desired.

The interior, like most rentals, is white. A yellowing white, but white. Every. Single. Wall. As a renter, I get it. It’s neutral, it’s easy, goes with everyone’s stuff. So that’s why I have an avocado green couch straight out of a Mad Men episode. I need color. I want my house to be updated but I’m always too afraid to ask the landlord.

When Lindsey mentioned Mirrormate, I knew I was in. I called up my landlord and promised an updated guest bath with my new mirror being the focus. She agreed and I got online immediately. Mirrormate specializes in taking plain mirrors – the kind with clips, crazy amounts of glue, and usually the length of the wall – and making them modern and a statement in any bath. I have a huge mirror in a small bathroom.

Before Bathroom

It is really hard to photograph this room!

Essentially the bathroom is an upside-down “L”. Standard white tile, oak cabinets, and laminate flooring. I have lived here since last July. I hadn’t even hung pictures on the wall because I wanted to lean them against the mirror to hide it. The only thing I had done was put up vinyl lettering that my mother gave me for Christmas on one of the big blank walls (to the right as you walk in).

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I spent a good hour browsing through all the different frame option on Mirrormate’s site. I couldn’t get over how many frame options there are! They have some pretty awesome before and afters so I was inspired. I narrowed my frame choices down to the Lexington in Polished Silver because I wanted a mid-60s modern, polished look and it would match the hardware, or the Cherokee in Mocha Walnut because it would draw out the dark tones in the oak cabinetry. I ordered samples of each to hold up against the tile and cabinets and was sold on the Lexington frame.

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Then came the fun part. While waiting the few days for delivery, I did something I’ve never done before. I painted… in a rental! We wanted  a blue that was brighter than baby blue but less than aqua. We settled on Benjamin Moore Tear Drop Blue. What a shock to see color on the wall. Still a monstrous mirror, but we were making progress! I thought I might be able to paint over the vinyl lettering and then peel them off to reveal the text in white. I totally didn’t consider the textured walls. (The photo below may have been taken around 11pm at night so it doesn’t do the paint justice.)

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That obviously didn’t work. An extra sanding and additional coat of paint and that was fixed. No big deal!

The Mirrormate box was huge when FedEx dropped it off, but my mirror is big so I guess that’s to be expected! When I asked my husband to help me put it together, he was a little worried that it would be some huge daunting task. It actually turned out to be so easy!

We took the frame out of the box and laid it out on the kitchen floor upside down. The kind Mirrormate people had even labeled it “top” and “bottom” so I couldn’t possibly mess it up. A few dabs of wood glue, and eight brackets later, we were done.The instructions said inserting the brackets was the hardest part, but it was a piece of cake. I then picked it up and went to hang it.

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My sweet husband (who apparently reads directions better than I do) reminded me it had to rest for one hour for the glue to dry. That was the hardest part!

After an hour, and cleaning the mirror with rubbing alcohol, we held the frame up and put up the temporary cardboard guides.I was surprised how light it is! The frame is made of MDF, but you would never know from looking at it. Then just peel and stick. Literally, it was that easy!

Check out my non-90s guest bath now!

bathroom final

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I was so blown away. It looks so custom. It’s my new favorite room in the house, and it only took us one hour and twenty five minutes to put together – one hour of that time I was reading a magazine and rocking a baby.

Here’s a final before and after!

bath before and after

I can’t wait to take on the other two frameless mirrors upstairs!

And for the curious… the rug is from Target (mine is smaller than online though), “This is The Day” print is a free printable from a The Flourishing Abode, the “Anchor Print” and “Everything that Has Breath” print are both from Rooted in Paper, and the tree painting is a custom wedding gift painted by my childhood friend’s mother.

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thanks to robin for letting me use her bathroom for a demo and to mirromate for the frame. it looks so great!

mirrormate wants to offer you a chance to re-do your frameless mirrors too! they are giving away a $150 credit to one lucky pleated poppy reader. $150 goes a long way on mirrormate and would cover the cost of most frames!

to enter, be sure to like both the pleated poppy and mirrormate on facebook. once you’ve done so, come back and leave a comment to let me know you did! only one entry per person, open to residents of the united states.

the winner will be chosen this saturday afternoon! good luck!

patriotic decor

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 one thing i have always loved about having a neutral base in my house (white trim, white couches…) is that i can easily transform a room for different parties, seasons, and holidays.

since the 4th of july is coming up, and i haven’t done anything seasonal for summer yet, i’d do something fun and colorful on my mantel.

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 i basically walked around my house and grabbed anything that was red, navy, and other shades of blue.

 

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 i love the way it turned out!  it has a sort of eclectic/vintage/campy look, which was totally unintentional.

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 the larger bunting i made awhile back for a baby shower, and the scrappy bunting is from my shop.

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 i love the addition of turquoise with my red letter words canvas!

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 i mentioned a sneak peek to my newsletter subscribers, and they snatched up all the bunting before i had a chance to let you all know about it!  but i picked up some great new fabrics this week and am hoping to get more made in time for the 4th.

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 i also found a handful of pillows that worked along with the theme as well.  it was much easier to find colors that worked when i opened my eyes to more colors than just red and navy.

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 i also added a couple sets of posy pins to my pillows.

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 a super easy, quick change!

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 these patriotic posy pins are on sale today!  grab a set of 3 for just $20 – thats a $6 discount!  use code PATRIOTIC at checkout for your discount!

 

instafriday

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i love instafridays.  love them.  you know why?  because they are why i started blogging in the first place.  i began six years ago, blogging about my kids and our adventures, and my crafts and our house.  and that’s what friday posts look like to me.  they are all the happy moments that i want to remember, but know i’ll forget otherwise.

and while i’m on the subject, i also love instagram.  i think its the happiest form of social media out there.  i am not big on facebook.  i hang out on my business page a bit everyday, but i almost never check my personal page.  when i do, i feel like its filled with junk.  there is definitely beauty in the junk, but its just not a happy place for me.  but instagram?  its so pretty!  i love all the people i follow and i love keeping up with them in real time.  and maybe its just my feed, but i feel like most of the people i follow share the beauty in each of their days, and not all the ugly.  my feed feels like an inspiring, happy place!  now, i know thats not reality for anyone’s world.  we all have ugly in our days.  but seeing the beauty in everyone’s days is so uplifting.  i do appreciate when people share the days that are hard and the messes that are huge and the problems that are overwhelming.  there is still beauty in that.  but when i have a few minutes to check in on insta-g, i like those few minutes to be filled with mostly happy.

ok, on to my week!  i’m linking up again with jeannett. if you want to follow me on instagram, i’m thepleatedpoppy.

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here we are all on our way to a civil war picnic!  our school celebrates with history days a few times each year, and we ended this year with a good one!

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this was at the end of the party, after playing, running around, eating and lots of dancing.

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we even had a caller and a trio playing fun music for us!

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we allowed the kids to roam free until it was time to eat, as long as they stayed with a buddy.

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gracie wore my old pageant dress and lily wore a dress i think my mother-in-law made, and we made a hoop skirt for her using a hula hoop!

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amidst the crazy messes all around my house, its nice to find something pretty that makes me smile :)

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we started our saturday at the beach to watch kids from our school playing volleyball.

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then we went to a 6 year old birthday party at a skate park.  this was the cutest boy at the party ;)

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most of our hydrangeas are in full bloom, but a few are coming late to the game.  one thing i love about living on the central coast is that with our mild weather, our hydrangeas will often bloom at least twice!

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there are some days where i just don’t have it in me to cook dinner.  thankfully, we have an awesome mexican restaurant just 3 blocks down the street from us, with crazy yummy strawberry margaritas.  they’re like adult icees!

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i enjoy my hydrangeas in my yard so much that i often forget i can cut them and enjoy them inside!  the blue one, second from the right, was bigger than my head!

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i’ve been on a creative kick lately (finally, sheesh!).  of course, this could possibly be the WORST time of the year to do something creative.  with school just ending we have had a ton of extra things to do, emails to read, parties to attend, gifts to buy… but yet, i still give into those creative urges.  i’ve got BIG plans for summer, people.  big plans.

i’ve been eyeing this rug at target for quite awhile, rubbing my hands against it every time i walk by.  i finally decided to go for it, and love it!

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the kids love it too!  as soon as they got home and saw it, the tore off their shoes to dig their toes in (its really deep)!

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a new rug always leads to a new pillow, right?  if you give a mouse a cookie…

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we picked up our yearbook and to my surprise, my painting i did was on the cover!

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some days just call for double braids.  if you tell me i’m too old for them, i don’t care ;)

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i’m loving my rainbow shelves!

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at the stables where grace does her horse back riding lessons, there’s a couple of miniature ponies that had a baby.  the mama is buttercup and the baby’s name is cupcake – how cute!  i thought cupcake looked like a little lamb.

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with our “common sense” diet, the easiest fix is to simply replace any carb-y side with more veggies.  thankfully, no one in my house complains about that!

we have a busy weekend filled with summer plans!  visit me on instagram and you’ll be the first to see what we’re up to!

get it ready. get it done. get it clean.

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this is our sad barbeque area.  containing only a bbq.  against an ugly cinder block wall.  with dead/burnt plants above it.

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sean got this bbq only a year ago as a gift from my parents, but already it looks like this!  we do bbq year round, but i am still shocked at how bad it looks!  i guess the fact that i’ve never cleaned it might have something to do with it…

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in walks the clean team!

ok, i’ve expressed my love for mr. clean before.  those magic erasers are my favorite household cleaning tool.  but now they have magic erasers made special for outdoor cleaning, and also an outdoor pro spray that works wonders!  along with the bounty paper towels, all of these products can be found at a home depot near you!

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because of the year of build-up, it took lots of scrubbing and wiping to get this guy clean.  the magic erasers aren’t recommended for use on stainless steel, so i used the spray and the bounty paper towels.  the spray came out bubbly and started to dissolve the grease right away.

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this huge pile of paper towels is just what i used on the outside of the bbq!  i have never been particular about paper towels, but these ones definitely held up well to all the scrubbing i did – not a single one tore!

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unfortunately, i waited a little too long to pay attention to the burner covers and they got a little rusty.  but look at the difference between the 2!  these cleaned up really easy.  i just worked on the grass so i wouldn’t get any grease runoff on the concrete patio.  i sprayed each of the 4 burners with the mr. clean outdoor pro spray, let it sit fir a few minutes, then just scrubbed it with our wire bbq scraper tool.  all the big chunks came off easily.  then i finished it off with the outdoor magic erasers.

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i wasn’t able to get the grill perfectly clean, but it is so much better than it was!  the warming rack above is almost back to new, and i was able to scrub layers and layers of grease off the inside of the bbq.  while i was all nasty from this job, i also emptied the grease trap at the back of the bbq.

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and after getting rid of all the nasty, it was time to add the pretty!

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we have seating areas and tables kind of lining our back yard, but i decided to make a fun little grouping right near the bbq.

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it only makes sense – when you have a bbq, don’t the men usually hang out near the grill?  this way, the whole family can be together, and the grill master can have a place to sit between grill checks.

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i love the color that these hydrangeas add wherever they are placed!

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having a table near the bbq allows for space for the dinnerware to be prepped, and some snacks to be set out for the kids playing outside.  in the summer, i try to plan most of our meals to be bbq’d, completely if possible.  i hate turning on the oven or using the stove when its warm and i’d rather be outside.  thankfully, we love grilled veggies and our bbq has a gas burner on one end for any side dishes.

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having a cozy spot to sit is always more inviting, for company and conversation.

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i added a table next to the grill because we are always looking for a spot to set plates of meat or veggies waiting to go on the grill.

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this spot is perfectly shaded in the day by the umbrella, in the late afternoon by the shadow of the loft, and lit up by the strings of bulbs going between the loft and the house at night.

i was able to do all of this in time for sean’s birthday and father’s day!  nothing like giving the gift of hard work!

ready. done. clean!

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{proctor & gamble gave me these sample products to try out.  this is a sponsored post.  but i truly love these products and wouldn’t endorse them if i didn’t!  all thoughts expressed are my own.}

 

 

what i wore

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oh, this week was so much better than the last!  somehow, amidst the end-of-the-school-year craziness, i found time to get dressed each day.  and as comfy as it is to stay in cozy clothes each day, i just feel better about myself when i’m dressed.

do you struggle with getting dressed?  or wearing the same “uniform” day after day?  check out the links below to get some inspiration on new ideas.  its amazing how much better you can feel by adding a scarf or a necklace to your usual routine.  and when you’re feeling brave, take some pictures and link up!

what i wore at the pleated poppy

i wore this on a “work day” – the kids were at school, and i had a half day to work.

sweater – forever 21

jeans – target

flats – target

necklace – groopdealz

what i wore at the pleated poppy

this was a cozy at-home outfit, then good enough for running errands in the afternoon.

chambray shirt – forever 21

skirt – target

sandals – target

necklace – forever 21

bracelet – street fair

what i wore at the pleated poppy

now this is my favorite kind of outfit!  its so comfy, but i still felt great in it.  a couple details helped to elevate it a bit for me: the touches of gold and wearing my hair up.

sweater – forever 21

v-neck t-shirt – forever 21

jeans – forever 21

shoes – forever 21

what i wore at the pleated poppy

i call this “day after” hair.  the day before my hair had a ton of product in it and was curled for our history day event with school.  my hair usually is pretty limp and lifeless, so having texture to my hair makes it more fun.  doing my hair in a high bun is usually pretty easy, but with the added texture, it was extra “fluffy” and easy to put up.

what i wore at the pleated poppy

this is my go-to necklace lately.  every time i wear it silas asks if its a real chunk of gold, or just a rock painted gold.

what i wore at the pleated poppy

yes, these shoes are crazy.  but they were only like $7 and are comfy and add just a little kick to an otherwise simple outfit.

what i wore at the pleated poppy

totally boring sunday outfit, but it was one of those days where just getting dressed and out the door was an accomplishment.

top – target

jeans – forever 21

sandals – target

what i wore at the pleated poppy

polka dot cardi – forever 21

tiger t-shirt – forever 21

jeans – forever 21

shoes – nordstrom rack

do you wanna join me?  yay!  just follow the rules:

1. link to your specific blog post, not your blog’s main page. ex: http://thepleatedpoppy.com/2011/09/what-i-wore-wednesday-fall-inspiration/ not http://thepleatedpoppy.com/blog/.
2. please only link outfit related posts. your craft project may be adorable, or that may be a great giveaway, but this linky is for outfit related posts only – thank you!
3. please please please link back here to me so all this wiww stuff makes sense to your readers. and its just nice to do ;) grab a button from my sidebar (see the code box?).
4. check out as many links as possible! i am constantly inspired by so many outfits each week! and you will definitely find some new blogs that you’ve never stumbled upon before – so fun!

book shelf update

book shelves at the pleated poppy

inspiration seems to strike at the oddest time for me.  i was busy with another project, when my book shelves caught my eye.  i started looking at the colors on each shelf, then looked around the room.  then i was hit with an idea!  i love when that happens!

book shelves at the pleated poppy

i’ve organized my bookshelves before be ROYGBIV order (rainbow order), but never included accessories in it.  i decided to try making each shelf focus on a different color, or group of colors.

book shelves at the pleated poppy

the first shelf started with reds and oranges.  i added a couple accessories on each shelf that don’t match exactly, like the old print blocks on top of these books.

look closely at my collection of books in the following pictures – they totally make me laugh because of their randomness: greek philosophers, an organizing book, prayers for husbands, sewing books and a vintage dictionary.  love it ;)

book shelves at the pleated poppy

it was fun shopping my house for colorful accessories

book shelves at the pleated poppy

along with the green books, i added in the black and white on either end.  i love the look of the shelf packed with books, but didn’t have enough of just green.

book shelves at the pleated poppy

this side of shelves is not quite as bold as the left, but still fun.

book shelves at the pleated poppy

again, a funny mix of book titles

book shelves at the pleated poppy

along with the blue books on this shelf, i mixed in silver accessories: a tackle box, and silver footed bowls and cups.

book shelves at the pleated poppy

the bottom shelf is organized in its own way, not by color, but by history.  at our school, we study history in a 4-year cycle, so the books to the left are on the ancients, the middle ages, the renaissance, and early american history.

how often do you rearrange your shelves?  i probably do it a few times a year, whenever the inspiration strikes!

 

messenger bag love

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i think my messenger bags are the perfect bag for summer!

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not only are they super cute and colorful…

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but also super roomy and practical!

the messenger bag has a large interior – large enough to fit a 17″ laptop (and the bag is extra padded, don’t worry!).  the interior has a hard base for extra stability, and a divided pocket for phone storage, a spot for pens, and an extra pocket for other small goodies.  but my favorite detail? the key loop on the top right side.  i keep my keys on a caribeaner clip so i can clip them easily to the loop, and i’m never searching for my keys at the bottom of my bag!

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i rarely have these bags on sale, but you can grab yours today for $15 off!

use code MESSENGER15 at checkout.

be sure to check out all my smaller accessories that coordinate with the messenger bags, to organize your goodies!

 

instafriday

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i’m linking up my weekly phone pics with jeannett again! i’m thepleatedpoppy on instagram if you want to follow along!

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aren’t hydrangeas the prettiest flowers in all the world?!  we have tons of them in our yard and they are my favorite!  we turn ours different shades by tossing our coffee grounds in their soil.  i know there are other methods, but this is the laziest one i could find!

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while sean and the kids were planting our very-late-to-be-planted veggie garden, i worked on a little 3-tiered succulent planter with a bunch of succulents i had around in random pots.  i need to fill it in a bit more, but i love it so far!

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sean and i were able to sneak away for a date night on my birthday.  once the kids were down our niece and nephew who live locally came over to stay with the kids and we went out!  we did a full on real date too!  not just our usual coffee shop and bookstore date, but started with dinner, then dessert, then coffee, then a movie!  because our town basically shuts down after 9 (other than the bars), the streets were empty, so we played in the middle of them for a few pics!  i love my husband dearly.  he’s my favorite.

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we had such a fun time with our nephew and i was sad to tears to have to give him back.  i think i would keep him for good if i could.

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i have been hoarding this fabric for so long, and finally had the perfect project to use it on – a new market tote!  lily tells me this is her favorite bag – sweet girl :)

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sean and i are back on the “common sense” diet plan, so this has been my breakfast on the days i’m tired of eggs.  i do sneak in a bit of granola in there, which is actually pretty unhealthy, but it makes everything else that much better.  so common sense tells me to do it ;)

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another new bag debuted this week – the city tote!  i have had these bags made and sitting in my space for months because i couldn’t decide on a handle for them.  i finally made up my mind and love them!  and it cracked me up when i was photographing them that i was wearing an outfit that perfectly matched them!  this color is currently sold out (more are waiting for their handles) but i have another really cute version!

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my business gave me this new desk chair for my birthday!  i have been sitting on a wobbly chair that has completely come unscrewed more times than i can count, so i decided to treat myself to something safer and prettier!  i got it from target.com with a discount and free shipping!

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i listed another batch of bunting yesterday and as of late last night, i still had 2 sets left!

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2 exciting thing for lu yesterday: she got to dance at farmer’s market, and her tooth came out at dinner!  she needs some new ones in soon, otherwise we’ll need to order her some dentures – the girl needs her teeth!

i hope you have a fabulous weekend!  we have our school’s final history day today – a civil war picnic!  we’ll all be decked out in full costumes (1 of which i still have to make – yikes!).  and then i’m hoping for some creative time to myself on saturday, and then we celebrate seanie’s birthday on sunday.  he’s turning 30-old!  i can say that because he said i was now oldy-five!

 

Q & A {homeschool}

q&a

hey friends!  its been awhile, but i’m finally getting around to finishing off our Q&A series!  all of these questions were asked by my readers, so hopefully you can relate to some of them!

if you want to catch up on the series so far, you can read about my house herewiww and my blog herepersonal questions here, and shop questions here.

today’s questions are going to focus on homeschooling, or our version of it…

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What age did you start homeschooling and what was the deciding factor?

we started homeschooling at kindergarten for grace and lily, and jr. kinder for silas.  we sent all of our kids to a tiny, wonderful little preschool for 1-2 years, and silas also did 1 year of jr. kindergarten at the girls’ school (he was in the first jr. k class offered there).  so all that to say, we have never put our kids in public school, but both sean and i were educated publicly.

so what was the deciding factor?  hmm, lots of things really.  our school that we are part of is really unique, and i was able to watch it build from its very beginning.  a good friend of mine started the school about 8 years ago, so we have been able to see what an amazing place it is, know its core values, and see the results of the school in the incredible students it’s producing.  i used to think homeschooling was nuts!  i never ever thought i would homeschool my kids.  ever.  but when it came time to make a decision for school for our oldest, i couldn’t imagine her being away from me 5 days a week.  that honestly was my first reason why i kept her out of public school.  then the more we researched public education vs. classical education, and our hybrid model, choosing sloca was the obvious best choice for us.

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i’ve said it before, but i don’t love teaching at home, but i love having my kids home.  it doesn’t feel that way every day.  in fact, most days are really hard.  but i have finally learned after years of struggling against it that not all good things have to be easy and feel good.  lots of good things and right decisions are hard.  and thats ok.

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What exactly is classical education? 

for a really great explanation, go here.  but for my quick version, here goes:

classical education may be gaining popularity now, but it is not new.  some of our greatest minds in history were classically educated.  our school specifically focuses on “ the forging of character, the fostering of wisdom, and the nurturing of a lifelong love of learning.”  how can you not love that?!  one element of classical education is the trivium: the 3 stages that a student’s learning progresses through (grammar, logic/dialectic, and rhetoric).  these 3 stages align with developmental stages children go through.  another hallmark of classical education is reading and discussing great books.  we also study history in a four-period cycle of ancient cultures (especially greece and rome), the middle ages, the renaissance, and early american history.  we are just finishing up the last of the cycle, so next year we will be studying the ancients again.  i am so excited, because this will be our second time learning about them, only grace was 6.  she will have an even greater understanding of all that we learned last time, on a new level!

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How does part time homeschool work?

its awesome!  apparently, some parents who do this don’t consider what they do as homeschooling, but co-teaching.  but i’m at home, with my kids, teaching them.  i’m calling it homeschooling.  i feel like i get to do the best part of it.  so my kids attend school 2 days a week, and are home the other 3.  each week we are emailed what we call “the grid”: each teacher sends out their plan for the week, along with what we’re supposed to do on our homeschool days.  so i don’t have to choose all of my curriculum – its awesome!  no writing lesson plans – yay!  we do choose a handful of our at-home programs, like spelling, grammar, reading/phonics, but other wise, the school decides on all of our other subjects, which i personally love.  so what the kids do at school on monday is followed up with us at home on tuesday, and so on.

and the classroom setting is pretty traditional, other than the small class size (max 14 students).  its not a co-op.  real teachers.  real awesome teachers.  the kids are at school from 8:30 -2:30, and best part?  there is no homework!  so we are never assigned extra work to do on the kids at-school days – love it!

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How do you balance the kids with school and the blog/shop?

oh this is a tough one!  as you can see in the pic below, my work space is in the kids’ playroom/homeschool room.  that is good and bad.  mostly good.

since my kids are at school 2 days a week, i try to get as much work done as i can while they are gone.  and then i work pretty much every evening once they’re in bed.  but since my work is so fun, and it sits behind me while i’m working with the kids, and emails are constantly needing to be answered… distractions come easily.  so i try my best to not do any work during homeschool time.  i keep my computer closed and try not to answer work-related texts (i’m not very good at that one).  i’ll check my email in the early morning before we start school, at lunch, then after we’re done.

the balance is always hard and i’m always trying.  harder sometimes than others.  i think the key is not in finding balance because thats impossible, but in always trying for it.

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