why i diy

I thought I’d end this week with one more reflective post before jumping into the projects and posts for this year. My big focus right now is turning Two Live Colorfully into something awesome and in order to get in the right mindset for that I wanted to really tackle the question “Why do I DIY?” (Wow, that’s a mouthful).

Bright & Flowery Art from the 2012 Summer Pinterest Challenge

Going the DIY route give you more control. Maybe that pillow/art/whatever is awesome, but you’re not digging the color scheme. Or maybe you’re in love with a headboard or even some shelving that doesn’t fit the space you have. Doing it yourself allows you to get a custom look. If I DIY a project, even if it turns out as a stinker, I know that there is nothing 100% like it out there. It’s unique to me. And that’s a seriously satisfying sensation. (Obviously, I’m on alliterations today!)

Josh’s Colorful Classroom Makeover!

DIYing parts of my home also helps me to develop a more focused style. I feel like a lot of people have a hard time finding a cohesive style of their own (even though Emily Henderson is certainly doing her part to help us out! I cannot describe how much I love Secrets of a Stylist!), and not having a direction can be overwhelming when you’re trying to create an entire living space that works for you and reflects who you are. I know that I can go into a store and fall in love traditional, modern, and shabby chic styles but I know that throwing together store bought items from such varying styles can look a little crazy in my actual apartment. Getting hands on and making color and style combinations on your own is a really great way to find your distinct style for yourself. 

Easy Painted Wood Christmas Ornaments

And, lastly, DIYing is a productive, creative outlet. It’s like creativity with purpose. I know that I can take on a project and (if all goes well, which it mostly does) it can serve a purpose in my home. There’s a distinct ‘heck yeah’ feeling that comes with seeing the product of your hard work in action. Even the little projects. We’ve got some really fun (and budget friendly) projects coming up this month and all year and I can’t wait to get crackin’!

So, that is why I DIY. Why do you?

a colorful life list – 2013 ed.

It’s 2013!! It’s crazy to think we’re starting a whole new year! But we are, and I thought today would be the perfect time to share my goals for 2013. These are actually a part of my new “Colorful Life List” which I’ll be working on for a while!. Now, I’m not one to really climb a mountain or go bungee jumping but I wanted to put together a list as a reminder of all the skills and experiences I should be seeking out. After all, this is Two Live Colorfully, not Two Sit on the Couch Watching The Office (even though that is exactly how we spent our New Year’s Eve! What can I say? We’re total homebodies!).

But now, I’m putting it out there! Here’s what I’m doing this year! (And here’s where you can check out the rest of our colorful life list!)

So, I think I’ve got an interesting mix here. And I’m happy to say that already, two of these are in the works! I have signed up for the Color Run 5K here in Dallas on April 6th. And, just today, I bought my ticket for the Haven Conference (which I am unbelievable stoked for)!

What’s are your goals for the year? And do you have a life/bucket list! What’s the craziest thing on it??

from us to you

Josh and I are home for the holidays but we wanted to take a moment to wish you all things merry and bright! Enjoy your family and friends! We’ll be back Wednesday to start the 2012 year end wrap up!

farewell, scribble

Today, we’re taking a break from Christmas stuff to share a personal post. About two weeks ago we lost our pet rat, Scribble. For a while, I hesitated to even write this post because I feel like pet rats have a weird/icky stigma but, in all honesty, if you have a pet that you dearly love, the loss is painful, no matter what type of animal they were. In more ways than one, Scribble was like our first child. We loved this rat and we’re happy to have had him as a part of our lives.

We got Scribble in March 2011 as a belated birthday gift for Josh. He crawled right up to the window at the pet store and we knew that he was coming home with us.

Most days you could find him lounging on the couch, under blankets, with just a nose indicating his location.But he also liked to romp around and find new hiding spots like our pantry or, during the holidays, under the Christmas tree skirt.  And even though a lot of people don’t believe it, he knew his name and that we were his parents and he trusted us to take care of him.

Towards the end of November, he had trouble breathing and would hardly move around. In the hopes that it was just a temporary illness, we took him to a veterinarian who said that because he was an older rat, the chances of recovery were slim to none and he would continue to get worse. We decided to give him peace and let him go. He was a wonderful pet and we miss him but we’re just glad to have had the time we had with Scribble as our adorable and loving pet.

get out your party hats, it’s a blog birthday!

Three years blogging today. That’s right, three years! And we’re just getting started.

adorable dino candle

Three years ago, I started a blog by the name of Are We Wed Yet to chronicle our DIY wedding adventures. Then in 2010, the wedding was over and my focus shifted from weddings to home design and living a fun life with my new hubby. So, we switched it up and now here we are with Two Live Colorfully.

Up until recently, I’ve approached blogging with a very loose structure, blogging when I wanted and about whatever I wanted. But I feel like I’m finally embracing the direction of this blogging and am ready to move towards something bigger and better. I want TLC to grow from my own personal musings and occasional project to a true source of inspiration for people trying to create and embrace a colorful living space.

So here’s to the next year. To more projects, more styling, more color, and more fun with Two Live Colorfully.

thanks!

Thanksgiving is mere hours away and I wanted to take a step away from the kitchen (where I’m cooking a 100% from scratch feast for four!) and reflect on the things I couldn’t live without. In all honesty, I have a wonderful and very fortunate life with a great husband, nice apartment, a job and though I take these things for granted all the time, I will always take this time of year to reflect on how lucky I am to be me.

image via

My husband, obviously. Without whom, I would be a very unbalanced individual. Josh is great at a lot of things. He’s a super analytical-thinker but he also has an amazing creative side. He broadens my scope to include things that I normally wouldn’t care about but should, like politics and how to pack things in the most efficient way. He also saves me from myself a lot. There is so much I want to do in life. I have about a million projects on an ever-lengthening to do list; I want to grow this blog, open a business, make our apartment perfect and so many times, I try to do these things all at once and burn out. Josh is amazing at reminding me that it takes time to do these things and that the people I admire in these areas didn’t become a success over-night. He’s my soul-matey and I don’t know where I’d be without him… but my best guess in institutionalized.

My family. It almost feels a little generic to just write “my family” but I think it’s important to take some time to reflect on the impact they’ve had on my life. Like my mom, she is one of the most hilarious people I know and she works so hard to be an amazing parent. My grandpa has been one of the biggest motivational forces in my life. He’s always pushing for me to reach my full potential. One of the reasons I always knew I was going to attend college is because he talked it up all my life. My Uncle Scott and Aunt Brandi are the most amazing family model. I was a flower girl at their wedding in 1995 and I’ve never seen anything but love emanating from their relationship. They got married young, they’ve taken chances, and, together, they built this amazing life. I have so many wonderful family members, each as unique and amazing as the next. Though I probably don’t call as much as I should, I love them all.

This blog. An ever-growing, never ending, creative project that I love working on. I’ve been blogging for almost three years and I’ve recently decided to really commit and try to turn Two Live Colorfully into something awesome. This means more frequent posts, more DIY projects and tutorials, better interaction with the blogging community, and a lot more. I’m in the perfect time in my life to pursue something like becoming a professional blogger so why shouldn’t I? It’s something that I love doing and I’m going for it.

It would take me forever to write out everything I’m thankful for (because there is a whole lot!) but these are the big three. What are you thankful for this holiday season?

our colorful life: hired.

via the love shop

Yesterday was my first day at my new job. That’s right. After three months of post-graduate down time, I’m back in action. I’ve entered what is probably deemed as one of the least creative industries out there; the mortgage industry, but I am so ecstatic. Ecstatic to have a full time job (and, thus a full time paycheck). Ecstatic to be learning something completely new (that will most likely prove fantastic once we decide to buy a house). And ecstatic for my hobbies to become my hobbies again. Yup, I’m feeling pretty good. So, what’s up with you?

and the lame blogger award goes to…

It’s me! Good golly gracious, it has been over a month since my last post! Ridiculous? Yes. Warranted? Maybe. The jury is still out.

But either way, August turned out to be a crazy month in the Willis household. Mostly because Josh officially started teaching high school algebra! All of a sudden, it’s like we’re adults or something. He’s been dedicating most of his time to school and my mission has been to be a sort of safety net while we’re in transition (keeping the apartment clean, making lunches, and such).

Of course, I’m still on the job hunt myself, but it seems as though some progress is being made.

The weather here in Texas has been amazing this past week. Mid-to-high 80’s, with clear skies and breezes that I refuse to interpret as anything other than the start of fall (my favorite season, without a doubt). I even saw pumpkins pop up on my most recent grocery trip!

So, of course, I couldn’t leave the store without getting a fall scented candle and some candy corn. I’ve been stalking the holiday category on Pinterest looking for inspiration for the upcoming months. It. will. be. awesome!

But, in the spirit of getting this blog back on track, I thought I’d share my one-line-per-day journal entries for the month of August to let you know what I’ve been up to:

1. A joint workout then lake trip prep.
2. J & I left for my family lake trip.
3. Boating & swimming all day.
4. More fun at the lake, s’mores with Tabetha.
5. Home from the lake.
6. Back to routine. Grocery shopping & awesome workout.
7. Feeling a little sick but got in a workout.
8. Interview at Sugar Bee Sweets.
9. Poolside dinner & evening swim with J.
10. Watched documentary “The Business of Being Born”
11. White board making & school shopping with Josh.
12. Five loads of laundry & a workout.
13. Started Josh’s classroom makeover
14. More painting & celebratory dinner @ El Ranchito.
15. More work on J’s class & interview.
16. Laptop is caput, but new big idea in the works.
17. J bought me an amazing touch screen computer!
18. Goal: getting organized.
19. Perfect weather & a foot dip in the pool.
20. Blueberry & plum cobbler w/ homemade whipped cream.
21. A quick visit with Mom, Dad, & Rachel.
22. Day trip to Commerce to get Rachel moved into her dorm.
23. Whipped up some awesome posters for J’s class.
24. Brainstorm ideas for an etsy shop.
25. J’s classroom is done & awesome.
26. Enjoying the calm before the school year.
27. J’s first day teaching & a funfetti cake to celebrate.
28. We posed as sexists to post a joke review of a ridiculous product.
29. Inspired by ShayCarl
30. House & baby talk with Josh
31. Dinner @ Country Burger & organizing J’s class.

And now we’re in September! We have a lot of fun things to share on TLC this month, like the reveal of Josh’s bright classroom, holiday prep, and lots of organization madness. I joined the Home Organization 101 14 week challenge over at A Bowl Full of Lemons, so stay tuned for updates on that!

our colorful life: goodbye july!

It’s August 1st! Isn’t that just crazy? Josh and I are getting ready to head out for a little family vacation this weekend. I thought to wrap up July posts it would be fun to share last month’s entries from my daily line journal. I’m pleased to say that I have kept up with the journal everyday since I started it in May and I’m so glad! It will so awesome to look back on this in a few years and remember fun moments I would’ve otherwise forgotten.

So here is my July 2012:

1. Birthday pedicure + a new recipe: ham & cheese sliders
2. Up early. Made muffins to ease the Monday blues
3. Painted dining room art: floral over gold stripes
4. Lazy holiday. Pool, brisket, and watching scrubs
5. Interview at Sprinkles
6. Window shopping with J. Apple Store, Z Gallerie, Crate & Barrel
7. Trial day at Sprinkles Cupcakes
8. New recipe: chicken and artichoke lasagna
9. We finished decorating the dining room!
10. A bloggy day! More content and improvements
11. An epic search for Scribble yielded no results
12. Lots of blog brainstorming
13. Jennifer & Rachel arrive for an overnight visit
14. Oaklawn tour, lunch out, & siesta with J
15. A life epiphany of sorts
16. First workout in months
17. Lazy day… Psych marathon
18. Lazy day #2
19. Almost fully unpacked + living room curtains almost done
20. Living room curtains done! Bold and awesome!
21. An afternoon swim with J
22. Jack Daniels pulled pork & corn on the cob for dinner
23. Blog planning. “Where am I taking TLC?”
24. More TLC blogging re-design
25. The job search continues
26. Shopping at World Market and Anthropologie
27. Evening reading outside on the porch
28. Playing, laughing, & lounging in bed
29. New recipe: pan-fried chicken
30. Fitness in my #1 priority
31. Spontaneous movie date – The Dark Knight Rises

What was your July like? Do you keep up with a journal or diary? Share below!

happy 22nd to me + my new plant

Yesterday was my 22^nd birthday. So many things have been going on in the past month that it kind of snuck up on me this year. The past twelve months have brought a lot of changes and challenges. Obviously, going from student to college graduate and job seeker is quite the life jolt, but we also threw in a move to one of the largest cities in the United States. As we continue to settle-in, I decided it was time to test myself (again) and get a plant.

A few summers ago, I optimistically purchased a small pot and plant and that ended tragically when I unintentionally neglected it for weeks (in the Texas heat no less) and then added the final straw by over-watering it in attempt to bring it from the brink of death. No such luck.

This time I bought some hard-to-kill succulents and they make me very happy.

So, here’s to another year and to my new plants. Wish them luck, people.