DIY jewelry box

I am dying to make this.  I think it's too big to take back to the mainland with me from Hawaii, so for my last year in Hawaii, I'll just drool over the pictures and wait for the day when I'm in a home that I'll actually be in for more than a year and can justify making this.  But, if any of you wonderful friends decide to make it, I would LOVE it if you sent me pictures.  You know, so I can lust after it even more. ;) 

I found the full tutorial for this awesome project at Design Sponge. Go check it out ya'll. :)

guest post with Christal from Mustard Me Yellow

Hey everyone! I am back in good ol' Virginia these days! I'm sorry I wasn't able to put up the wonderful guest posts I have sooner, but unfortunately I had some unexpected internet problems.  I do believe they're all resolved now though, so for the next few days, sit back and enjoy listening to some fabulous posts.

Today you get to hear from my lovely friend Christal.  She lives in Hawaii as well.  Remember when Beau and I had those awesome pictures taken? Well, that was Christal.  Now, enjoy her awesome post and then head over to her blog and say hi!

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Hello. I'm Candace's friend, Christal!  I am so glad that she has asked me to be one of her guest bloggers!  I am a lifestyle blogger and I love photography.  I love taking pictures and I can't get enough of it. I also love thrifting and doing little DIY projects whenever I get the chance. Feel free to follow me HERE.
Here's a little DIY tutorial on a ruffled wreath that I've been wanting to make.  Enjoy!

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Thanks again Christal!

Driftwood upgrade

Remember when I attempted to be artsy? I wrote the post about driftwood?

Well...it turns out I've got a long way to go in my driftwood art-making abilities. 

I'm not giving up hope though--I just need some practice.  

My cute neighbors are moving from the island in April and got a head start on selling some of their stuff.

They make the most adorable driftwood pieces and I was lucky enough to buy one from them.

It was a steal of a deal for sure. 

Sooo for now, I've taken down my weird diamond driftwood art and replaced it with this lovely piece, 

with the hopes that it will be inspiring enough for me to give the driftwood another try someday.

Driftwood art

When you live in a tiny town that you hardly ever have time to escape from,

you tend to get a little creative when it comes to decorating.  

Plus, when I know I'm only going to be living in my tiny studio for another year, it's hard to justify buying legitimate house decorations.  And as much as I would love to spend an entire day working on cute house projects, with school and work and whatnot, I just don't have the time. 

Sooo, I get creative. At least I like to think of it as creative. 

No, I'm not the artsy type. Not by a long shot. Unfortunately.

But, every now and then I like to try something new. 

So, since I don't have the time to do anything elaborate and we don't have the money to buy anything super nice, I've found a few uses for driftwood. 

Yep, driftwood. It's free, and easy to collect.

Beau and I go strolling on the beach sometimes and pick out the perfect size pieces. 

We let them dry out, and then wa-lah! Instant aids in house decorating.
Add a thrift-store vase, and there ya go!

Anyone else out there ever have to get creative?

I'm dying for some low-cost, quick and easy ideas.

Enjoy your Monday!

Picture Project

Have I ever mentioned that I only have one wall that I can put nails in?  

Every other wall in my house...good ol' cinder blocks.  

Lame, I know. But remember that when I say "house," I mean studio. A very small studio. Very very small.

It's home though.

But, I bought these picture frames from a friend a while back and only just got to putting them up.

I made a collage of 7 frames, but wanted to mix things up a bit, and so I came up with this idea to use pages from an old book as a sort of background for some of the pictures. I cut out pictures of Beau and I and pasted them over top of the book pages.  

Easy peasy.