by Mandi | featured guests
Today we welcome Vanessa from Our Life on Two Wheels. Vanessa and her husband Kelly are avid bikers. Their weekends are spent outdoors… in a race, down the road at a park in Raleigh, NC or out on vacation, traveling the country one trail at a time. We couldn’t think of anyone better to be our guest blogger this week, wrapping up the theme… NATURE.
Hey, I’m Vanessa and you could say that I’m a city girl. Sitting here, typing a post about nature. If you would’ve asked any of my friends five years ago to describe me, “outdoorsy” is not what they would have said. And, as I think back to my days in high school, I’m reminded that I joined the marching band to avoid gym. Yeah, not outdoorsy or athletic at all!
But, that was then and this is now. And now, I’m a mountain biker. I think you can safely say that my main hobby is both outdoorsy and athletic. Go me!
This is along the Blue Ridge Parkway near the Pisgah Inn in North Carolina.
About five years ago on a whim, my lovely husband bought me a mountain bike. Mind you, we have been together since high school (yes, we are high school sweet hearts…. that could be another post!) and in all of those years, I NEVER rode a bike. He had gotten a bike a few months prior, and thought that I might like it. Back then, I liked to watch TV. Grey’s was still interesting and vampires hadn’t taken over the world of female entertainment. And looking back on it now, that was about it. Something was missing, I just didn’t know it at the time.
My first trip to Fruita, CO for some fun on the 18 Road Trails!
My first bike was great. I will never forget the first time Kelly got me out on an actual trail. I hadn’t been on a bike in years and now I was expected to ride over rocks and roots and logs laying in my way. But you know what? It was so much fun! Did I struggle because I had no fitness? Yes, many, many times. Still do! But, did I make it until the end and have this great sense of accomplishment? Yes. Each and every ride is another example of me putting myself out there and pushing thru the tough times. When you are in the middle of the woods with your only mode of transportation back to the car, you just have to keep pedaling. And oh yeah, the woods….back to that theme of nature! I certainly wasn’t getting outside while I was so enthralled with my weekly TV shows. But thanks to my fancy pants new bike, I was getting outside all of time. And realizing just how beautiful and rewarding it can truly be.
A beautiful overlook in the Pisgah National Forest near Brevard, NC.
Waking up after a night out in the forest—the only mode of transportation that weekend was my bicycle.
My mountain bike has given me rich, full life experiences. My husband and I have been able to see parts of this country that I never dreamed I would see. There is nothing like the feeling of being in an absolutely stunning place and knowing that at any one moment, I am the only person in the world seeing such a beautiful thing. It has happened to us many times. And it has filled us both with this sense of accomplishment. Not to mention, it gets the two of us out of the house and experiencing life. Together.
Finally getting to experience the infamous 401 trail in Crested Butte, CO with my husband, Kelly.
Mountain biking has given me the feeling of adventure. It has also given me a drive to continue to improve at something other than my 8-5 job. I have something outside of my professional life to push me and to get me to experience life. I am so thankful that my husband took a chance to get my butt off the couch. I love being outside and I love living life. I’m still a city girl, but now I’m one that isn’t afraid of a little hard work and time outside.
Along the 401 Trail in Crested Butte, CO
This one is just too pretty not to share!
by Mandi | weekly specials
The theme of the week is NATURE and if there is one thing I know about Nature, it is the one place where I feel like you can truly escape. You can “get lost in the wild” and spend some quality time alone – just you and your thoughts – or with a friend – disconnected from technology… only you and that person or group of people will stimulate your thoughts.
I grew up taking family camping trips, going to a camp each summer where we learned to hike, canoe, rock climb, cook out doors and play outside. Nature was a part of life for me then. Sadly though, as I get older, and especially with a career that keeps me behind a computer most of my day, I am not outside as much as I would like. The picture I took above was on a hike from TWO years ago and I realized… wait, was that my last hike? I have GOT to get out more!
I am going to sound old here, but do kids today get outside as much as they should? Do they play in creeks making home-made pottery from clay that they dig up? Do they build forts out of old sticks in the woods? Do they go on nature walks or witness a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly? Do they catch lightening bugs, punch holes in the top of an old mason jar and keep them in their room at night? Where would we be without the wonder and beauty Mother Nature gives us?
I will say that today I was so excited to talk to a friend of mine that is going to take a camping trip with her husband and kids to a “wilderness camp” of sorts. While at the camp, they will hike and learn to survive off the land. How cool would that be? Learn which plants you can eat, how to split wood and all of the other things people knew how to do 100 years ago, that we could never figure out! You can read more about the specific camp they are going to here.
I’ll close with a few of my favorite photos I took on one of my favorite mountain days! The following pictures as well as the first picture in this post were taken on a hike in the North Carolina Mountains right outside of Blowing Rock at the Linn Cove Viaduct! Beautiful place with an easy hike! What pictures do you have? Have you found anything fun while being outdoors?
Can you see the man’s face in the rock?
EXTREME CLOSE UP of tree bark
One of my favorites that a friend snapped when I wasn’t paying any attention.
This weekend we are heading to Charleston, SC and I can’t think of a better way to experience being outside. I think we will take a long walk on the beach with our feet in the water, walk across the bridge staring out at the ocean, walk through a garden and take in nature … see what we can see!
* The firefly picture was “borrowed” from 2 Chicks and a Road Trip. The lightening bugs picture was used on their #10 Southeast Delights post.
by Mandi | personal
As a graphic designer I love EVERYTHING that has to do with design. I love not only graphic design, but art, fashion and especially interior design and home decor.
When I thought about the word for this week… savvy I am very excited to share with you my passion for home decor. I love it, but do not love the price tag that comes along with finding furniture and artwork. My solution for the past few years is to beat those prices, be a little more savvy, and do a lot of the work myself! I visit Goodwill, antique yards, yard sales and even sometimes the side of the road (I am not kidding) to find a random piece of furniture or salvage and make it into a new piece of “art” for my house. Below I have shared two rooms in my home with an explanation of where I got my pieces and how much I actually spent project! I hope it will show you ways that you can also be SAVVY with your home decor!
First up is my living room:
1. These are old floor grates that I found at a local antique yard and cost only $5 each! I didn’t have to do a lot to these – just sand them REALLY well and spray painted them with a clear protecting layer.
2. This table I had bought for my apartment in college YEARS before as part of a 3-piece set at a local flea market. The entire set was $75. I have both of the side tables (one here and one in my office). I sold the coffee table about a year ago for $50, so I am left with $25 dollars for two side tables! They were a light wood, so I painted them white and recently gave them another update with some simple stencil work.
Here was my inspiration piece I saw one day while out shopping.
I took that inspiration and made one for myself! I was really happy with how it turned out!
3. Tucked in the far corner you can see a frame. For this space, I have typed out one of my favorite quotes and printed it out to fit the frame. This was very simple and very inexpensive for a another piece of custom art! The frame was free (re-used one I had), new mat for $2.99 and a custom print that will typically run you just a few dollars at any local print shop! Here is the quote I used, from one of my favorite RomComs – Hope Floats!
4. My tv credenza was a steal at Goodwill for $40. It was tucked away and was a dark wooden color. I brought it home and with one coat of white paint, well – maybe a few more than one, I it turned out great! I get so many compliments on this thing – and for only $40!
5. These antique ceiling tiles were another great steal at the antique yard at $10 each. I loved that they had aged and have some great discoloration that matched my living room just perfectly!
Secondly is my guest bedroom. I use this space to display some of my personal artwork as well as a few other custom pieces:
1. This custom headboard is hand-made by… me! My sister and I started this trend years ago when we were in college and had no money to put towards an actual head-board. Dad cut a piece of wood to size, we covered it with some backing and then again with a piece of fabric of our choice. Under this headboard I am sure there is probably about 4 other custom head-boards that have been used throughout the years! This takes about 2-3 years of fabric. I think mine was about $10 a yard – so I have a headboard for $20 – $30 dollars!
2. This was a piece of art that I painted at a local art shop. It is from an art studio where you bring your own wine and they teach you to paint a picture. I bought this on a groupon so I think the cost was around $20.
3. This was again another piece of furniture that I have had since college. I painted it a fun shade of blue and added a new drawer pull making this total makeover about $3.
4. Probably my favorite piece in the room was free! This is a quilt that my great-grandmother made. Every piece of fabric is an old shirt of my great-grandfather or a dress of another family member. I am lucky enough to have a few of these and LOVE having them around my home!
A few other pieces in the room are below.
This idea is to take a mirror and give it a punch of color. This mirror was an old mirror from my great grandmother’s house. I gave it a new look by adding a fresh coat of paint (The same color of the side table). The shower curtain you see was a custom-made from the same material that I used for the headboard!
Another inexpensive idea is to frame a few greeting cards. These cards cost me about $3 each!
I got inspiration for this piece from The Nester. I love her style and ideas for home decor! The cost of this was $8 for the canvas and about $4 for the map “wrapping paper”.
Finally here is one more custom piece of art – just a simple design that was easy to paint in under an hour! I re-used an old canvas, so this was another FREE piece of art!
I get the majority of my ideas from other bloggers that share my love for thrifting and repurposing. A few of my favorites that show great before and after ideas as well as inexpensive ways to decorate your home are listed here. There are many more, but this will get you started!
The Nesting Place
Southern Hospitality who does a reoccurring post titled Thrifty Treasures. Here is last week’s post.
Button Bird Designs
Better After
Vintage Revivals
Nate Berkus
I am a firm believer that everyone needs a creative outlet. Something that you do for fun outside of work. For me it is finding or creating these one of a kind pieces for my home. I once saw a sign that said, “Surround yourself with things you love”. Since then I have taken it upon myself to only have things in my home that I love – that bring back memories or that either I have created of a friend or family member has created!
