Gorgeous Chandeliers

I love chandeliers. They are simply one of the most gorgeous pieces of home decor. Plus, they look fabulous in any room - and there's also the added "princess-y" effect. lol One of these days I will have one of these in my home!!

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I hope everyone's summer is fantastic already! (For all you college aged people - I'm sure it is! lol) So far mine is full of working, pursuing better job opportunities, reading, and going to the pool in any spare time! Oh yes, and of course - working on my blog to make it better and better! Thank you so much to those of you who read and especially those who leave comments! (That's how I know you're reading! lol) I love the feeling that people are interested in what I'm writing so thank you for that :)

Small change - BIG difference... Reupholstered chairs.

Yesterday we went to Joann's to check out some fabric. Well, we (or I) ended up falling in LOVE with a black and ivory damask fabric so we purchased it and got right to work!

It's actually quite easy to reupholster chairs. It was our first time and we didn't even try to research how to do it. lol (You basically just unscrew the seat, recover, and staple. lol)

You need: fabric of choice and a staple gun

(fyi - don't buy your staple gun at a craft store! Joann's had a plastic one for $12 and a metal one for $20. We went to walmart and got the metal one (shown below) for only $9!)

Before

After

Before

After

We are so in love with our "new" table! This was a very fun project and made such a HUGE difference in our living space... high class for cheap!

Yard Sale Success!

The Fiance and I decided at the last minute Saturday morning to go check out a few yard sales... I am really surprised that this was the first time I've ever gone "yard sale shopping"! I am so excited because we only hit up one yard and got some great stuff :) We definitely plan on getting up early this Friday & Saturday to see if we can score some great vintage finds.

Here's what we found this past Saturday:

Vintage mirror - $5

This was their grandmother's mirror that hung in her house for years. She recently moved into a senior community apartment complex and didn't want to take it. It was love at first sight for me AND it was only $5! [I seriously couldn't believe they gave it to me for only $5.]

Kitchen Table w/ 4 Chairs (2 not shown) - $25

It's a small round table that expands with a leaf. This also was their grandmother's... lol

We are going to reupholster the chairs -

I want something like this (but maybe a different color):

fabric sample

Vintage-y picture frames - $1 each

Total for mirror, table, 4 chairs, 2 frames - $32.

I think I've found my new favorite pass-time. :)

Funny guys are hot.

I'm not sure why it is but funny guys are my favorite! A sense of humor is just a major factor in my attraction to them... But that makes sense because laughing is one of my favorite things :)

Paul Rudd

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Jimmy Fallon


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Andy Samberg


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This trend most definitely runs in the family. My dad is one of the goofiest, funniest people I know! My mom has always said that's how she fell in love - he always made her laugh! It just figures I'd follow suit. My fiance can be pretty humorous [when he wants to be] lol You know, I go for a sense of humor so much that I tend to choose friends who make me laugh too! This is just an all-around common factor in all of my relationships it seems.

What are you most attracted to?

Bella Cene' Jewelry is back!

I am so happy to announce that my Etsy store is open again!! After my major life change/turn last fall (some of you know of if you have been a long-time follower), I abandoned my jewelry shop to focus on taking care of myself. It's been almost 9 months and I am so excited to start doing what I love again...

I will be working on new items daily so before too long, my store will be full of beautiful, unique pieces :)

These are 2 of my all-time favorite pieces -

Elegant Pearl Earrings - $10
I love these earrings so much that I've made a pair for myself as well as a gift for my mother on Mother's Day.

Be Free Necklace - $15
The other side of the "Be Free" pendant reads "Trust in Your Dreams"

I will keep you updated when new items are added to my shop. Thank you for your support!

Bella Cene'

Engagement Ring Alternatives

Engagements and wedding planning is such an exciting time. But ask any woman, and what's the important issue that's to be taken care of first? THE RING.

I believe that uniqueness should be embraced and I carry that over into the engagement ring as well. If all your life you've dreamt of a huge sparkling diamond then go for it! That's what you want. But there are gorgeous alternatives out there that will catch eyes and leave his wallet a bit thicker ;)

I love this shade of purple - such a beautiful color!

Amethyst Diamond Ring (14k white gold) - $353.99

If pink is your thing...

Pink Sapphire and Diamond Ring (14k white gold) - $169.99

Pink Topaz and Diamond Ring (14k white gold) - $268.99

This one is a bit more expensive than the others but it is g.o.r.g.e.o.u.s. !! I love love LOVE this :)

Green Amethyst and Diamond Ring (18k white gold) - $1,274.99
(normally it's $2,436.65)

Blue Topaz and Diamond Ring (14k white gold) - $203.99

Green Amethyst and Diamond Ring (14k white gold) - $193.99

All rings are from Overstock.com

It's been an awful weekend :(

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This weekend I went to Corpus Christi for my cousin's graduation... Congrats to him! However, every other aspect of this weekend has been a lot like hell, or at least how I'd imagine it (except WAY hotter in reality)

Basically - We get up to leave Friday morning and AFTER filling up his truck $65 in gas, we get rear ended before we even get out of town. We finally got a rental car and got back on the road - 5 HOURS LATER.

Now we've got a hunch that his truck may be totaled but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I'll get back to regular postings starting tomorrow. Thanks to all of you who have stuck around here! You don't know how much I appreciate you :)

Lil' bits of happiness :)

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Only 2 more finals to go... then it's summer time :) My last final is on Thursday and I'm off to the beach on Friday. Luckily for me, my cousin is graduating college in Corpus Christi right in the middle of a much needed vacation time. [2 birds with 1 stone]
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I am really trying to enjoy the simple things and find true happiness in what's around me. As my Aunt Kathy says, "Stuff should not make you happy... You create your happiness. It is a choice you make... Someone in your life should make you happy - so let them."

My Fiance -

We hit a rough patch recently but with a little outside help, things are starting to look wonderful :) He does so many sweet things for me and I tend to overlook them. My goal is to do just as many (or more!) sweet things for him, appreciate him more, and make him feel as loved as he tries to make me feel.

My children - well, sorta.

Dierks cuddling up to his mama...

Jake loves to go anywhere :)

Jumping on the trampoline with my lil' brother

My 2 1/2 year old brother just recently learned how to jump on the trampoline and he is so much fun to jump with!! (And makes me a nervous wreck at the same time...)

Jewelry making

I'm starting my jewelry making back up - The bracelets pictured are for my little sisters and I made those earrings as a gift for my mom on Mother's Day. I'm super excited about getting back into it - I'll let you know as soon as my Etsy page is back up and running.

I can't wait for summer to begin and I can finally relax - well, work and relax. :)

What are your summer plans?

So I'm a little late... that's just how I do.

Me & Mom - way back in the day

Happy (late) Mother's Day to my gorgeous momma!

Trying to find my happiness

Please excuse my absence... I've been moving! I'm starting to get settled into my new place but once I'm happy with the decor, I'll post some pictures on here. :)

Oh, and don't mind my blog layouts... I'm trying to find the blog layout I love the most. One this is "me". (You know what I mean?)

I am so excited because summer is upon us! Next week is the last week (i.e., FINALS) until summer time! This summer (since I won't be stressed about school), my goal is to find my happiness. I'm not saying that I'm unhappy - but I could definitely be happier about my blessed life.

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My cousin is graduating from college in Corpus - yes, the same school as I did (some of you know this) - so I am excited about the trip to the beach! On the way, I want to try to stop and visit one of my "bestest" friends Kelly who just had a baby :)

Congrats girl! We've certainly come a long way since these days:

high school/senior year - 2005
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Moving back to the topic of being happy -


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& repeat.

I need to remember this!

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We ALL deserve to be happy :)

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At the end of the day, the important thing to remember is that happiness is a choice - choose to acknowledge the good in the bad.

What will you do to be happy?