DIY: Antique Gold Affect

Hey there! So I got all three of these candle holders from a garage sale for $1 (the guy just wanted to get rid of them) and I liked them but I really wanted to freshen them up and give em a new look! Hey why not for a buck?

So here's the down low...

What you'll need:

• Candle holders... or any objects in your house that is in need of a makeover
• Gold spay paint (man I love that stuff!)
• Black acrylic paint
• "Dry" paint brush

 How to:

 1. Spray on the gold spray paint outside, making sure to make nice even coats over the entire object.

 2. Make sure to turn it upside down to get those spots underneath!

 3. Then once it's dry, paint black paint with your dry brush.  You will want to put it in all the nooks and crannies - this gives it it's old vintage feel.

 4. Once it is slightly dry, wipe off the paint with a dry paper towel.  Just do it on the surface, and leave the black in the deeper areas!

Aaand.. done! Seriously. Easy as that.

 

Enjoy!

With Love,

Engagement Story

So as many of you probably already know, Cal and I are engaged!! Here is our engagement story:

So Cal and I have been talking and planning on getting married for a long time... as in around 2 years.  So with this long of time to plan and wish for getting engaged and getting hitched, it would be hard to not see this coming.. but somehow Cal managed to surprise me - big time.  It was around a week before the July holiday weekend when I suggested that we go on a picnic to the beach rather than going to the parade which we always do on the Fourth.  He agreed, and we loosely made plans for our excursion.  The weather threatened to rain out our fun, but it thankfully held off and we made some wraps and snacks and headed out toward the beach.  Now he was super chill and on the fly about the whole thing, so I had nooo clue at all.  I seriously said during lunch "Yano, I wish we could talk more about this whole engagement thing, I hate not being able to talk really at all about it. Like I almost thought you were going to do it today, but there is NO way, since your not nervous or making sure everything is going along to plan."  Literally. But he still gave no hints!

We then went to another beach that we had both been to together, and had fun memories there in the past.  We laughed and talked and looked out over the water.  A little while later, when we were both quietly taking in the view, he said he had a gift for me.  He described the gift, saying it was like me, unique and different on the outside, but once you really get to know it and look deeper into it, you see really how beautiful it is.  I still had no clue. I laughed and said maybe I should see the gift so I could understand it better.  He smiled and said I had to wait a little bit.  He then pulled out a little book out of his pocket and said it was a flip book and he wanted me to flip through it.  I saw that he drew a ring and a heart on the cover, and I started to sit up a little straighter and my heart started to beat a little faster.  As I flipped through it spelled out: "Will you marry me?" As I was reading this he got on one knee and said "Cathy, will you marry me?" At this point I am freaking out.  I am taking in the book, the gorgeous ring in front of me, and the love of my life asking me to be with him to the day we die.  I gasp and smile and eventually say yes, which he said felt like eternity.. which was probably a few seconds. We laughed and giggled and hugged and he placed the ring on my finger. We laughed and talked and had to pinch each other to see if it all was really real. It was a sweet moment of happiness that I will never forget.

It kind of blows my mind how faithful God has been to our prayers.  It somewhat seems like it has been a long time coming, yet I am nervously excited for this short time in our lives while we are engaged.  God has given me the man of my dreams, the man knows how to take me at my worst and encourages me to be my best. I am so blessed.

This cutiepatootie reenacted it for me :)

Thank you for all the love and support, the encouragement has blown us away!  We truly appreciate it.

With love
Cath and Cal

Maybe when we're 80 things will slow down...

You know, one thing I really like about blogging is that you can make all your recent memories stand still with a single blog post.  Cal and I were talking about how if we don't really take time to soak in and enjoy the happy little things around us, life is just going to fly by without really knowing what hit us.  So here is just a pile of recent pictures and memories of things that I don't want to forget...

Cal and I went out to ice cream last weekend with my family.  We joked and laughed and played games all night and it was wonderful.  I love when we're all just goofs! Side note: figured out that sundaes are just not my thing - the plainer the better for this girl! (lol I know it's sad that it took me 20 years to figure this out.)

 Fishing is the must boring/frustrating/rewarding thing one can do.  I enjoy to fish because it reminds me of fishing when I was a little girl with my daddy.  Good times!

Bahaha and Cal makes some pretty accurate (and hilarious!) fishy faces!

A warm and cuddly little max.  Mmmm.

Campfires with my bestie on summer nights. Now that's what I'm talking about.  Also - that is an awful fire.  Paper and logs apparently doesn't really work.  Gasoline? Now were talking...

I love this man more than words could say.  This picture reminds that even when things get tough, or busy, or confusing that I have the most wonderful man for me on this planet.  I am so blessed to have him.

 And here's a little video of us being goofs and showing off our "moves."  I think this one will make me laugh for years! :)

With Love,

Lately.

    Well I can finally crawl out from underneath my large pile of assignments, study flashcards, and final projects and make a blog post.  I finished my last final today and it feels wonderful.  All I want to do is create, photograph, spend long hours on the beach drinking on an Arnold Palmer, and do DIY projects galore. Thankfully, I have all summer to do so!

Our last Tuesday Lunch together

Cal will be graduating in a couple of days and it makes me pretty emotional when I start to think about it.  It's been so nice having my best friend, lunch buddy, and one I complain to about my insane professors with right there with me.  He added a smile to the middle of my day, when I'm all stressed out.  BUT! I couldn't be more proud of him!  You're GRADUATING baby!  I couldn't be more happy for you. You are one dedicated little turtle (sorry couldn't think of a better animal), and your hard work sure has paid off.

Other than school, Cal and I have been hanging out in all the in between times. It's been so nice.  We love to dream and talk about the future on nice spring night walks on the canal.

Also... my brother got married!! I am so happy for the both of them! It was such a beautiful wedding - so nice to see family and get down on the dance floor.  If there's one thing you need to know about me and Cal it's that we love to get funky on the dance floor at a wedding! And of course, me and my family LOVED the photo booth!

Arrriba!

LOL! Me and Dad! <3

~FAMILY~

It's been crazy but so so good.  God has been so faithful to both me and Cal.  We've had some relationship and personal things to pray about and work on and God continues to show how faithful He is to us.  So glad that we have his constant and eternal love to be grounded in.  It's so awesome that the closer you grow to God the closer you grow to each other.

Alright well I think I am going to celebrate finishing up this semester with a cheesy Netflix movie! Peace!

With Love,

DIY Family Map Sign!

  So my immediate family lives all around the country, and Cal came up with this wonderful idea to show the closeness of family is not measured in miles (hey.. that should be added to the sign!).  So anyways, he got the states and the sign, and I, well, made it pretty. Here's a few tips so you can do this on your own!  I must say it's a great conversational piece, because you get to talk about your family or those close to you.

• Don't have a map of the US that you're willing to cut up? Neither did we! Check out THIS website, with individual maps of each state!

• For the paper I just used scrapbook paper, that is found at Micheals. Other material you could use: newspaper, brown bag or paper, or black paper with a white paint pen to give it that "chalkboard" feel.

• I also put the number of miles and the amount of time to get to each place, just to keep it interesting
• The quote: "Family like branches on a tree we may grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one"

 This was all put in a 16x24 frame.  Hope you enjoyed this little project - would love to know any of your ideas or interpretations!

With Love,

Love happens

This is Cath and I a few days before our "1 year anniversary of dating". 

 What you don't see behind this pic is the story I'm gonna write today. Anniversaries can be a difficult time for the guy. There are so many pressures to deliver a special, romantic, sometimes original, sometimes traditional gift to your loved one. Sometimes you can get absorbed in the pressure and miss out on the purpose of the celebration.

I went through that last year. Some people would say that one year of dating is'nt that big of a deal, but for us, it's different. After knowing cath for so long, 1 yr of dating doesn't make sense, because it feels like we've been together much longer than that. What I mean is that I felt like I knew everything about her. So, I really wanted to make something special for her on our 1 year anniversary. I don't really remember what I got for her, but I do remember making this foot long card out of construction paper that I thought was the greatest expression of my love that I could create. What I wrote was what got her attention, not  the blue and yellow construction paper with a pretty rough anchor drawn on it. I guess my elementary education in Arts and Crafts is'nt enough to get by anymore. With time flying by so fast, we sort of overestimated when our 1 year anniversary was. We jumped the gun and celebrated it a month early on accident, but at least we were both on the same page.

Here's a pic of us from last month:

Now we try to celebrate our love anytime we can. I don't think it ever helps to put so much pressure on one day to show your unconditional love for one person on just one day. What happens is blue and yellow construction paper cards that don't do your love for her justice.

This is a print that Cath made out of my card, complete with very emotional language. She knows how to make anything look good.

 Caleb Craft

Proverbs 4

Guard your heart above all else, For it determines the course of your life.

  -Proverbs 4:23

     Last weekend Cal and I went to a Basic Conference, which was full of good teaching and worship.  The conference focused on dating, singleness, and relationships.  We we're both pumped, for we needed some encouragement and just some solid Biblical views on relationships.  Let me tell you, we weren't disappointed!  Something that has helped and encouraged me recently is Proverbs 4.  Seriously, this stuff is great.  Not only does it push you, like 4:13 - "Take hold of my instructions; don't let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life." it will offer great encouragement, like 4:12 - "When you walk, you won't be held back; when you run, you won't stumble." And Proverbs 4:23, the scripture above, really hit home.  Your heart determines where your feet go.

    This chapter is such a refreshing encouragement to me, and I hope it may be to you as well.  Hope you are having a great week! 

~Read Proverbs 4~

My two lovelies and I, enjoying our weekend in Rochester!

With Love,