Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

Eeeek!  So C and I went RING shopping! 

He has been saying for months that he would have proposed if he had a ring…but has done nothing about it. So finally I just gave him a little nudge J

I had mentioned a while back that if he got me a ring at an outlet store I wouldn’t mind one bit.  I mean why not?  That’s a bigger, prettier ring for a cheaper price! That’s definitely a win in my book.

Last weekend as we were headed out to Disneyland I suggested stopping by the Helzberg Diamond’s outlet store that is on the other side of town from us (and on the way out of town).  I was sooooo nervous going in. Obviously I have never done this, so I didn’t know what to expect.  I was really unsure of how C would act/feel as well.

We were both pretty quiet and I began showing the sales person what I liked while C just stood around and watched.  As we chatted with her though, he began to open up a tiny bit. When she told me to try one on though, I felt so awkward.  I kept looking at C’s face to see if he was freaking out inside, because I definitely was!  He didn’t seem to be though.  I know exactly what I want, so it was a pretty quick stop.  He made sure to have her write everything down on the one that was my favorite so he could find it again.  Cuteness.

After we got back from California, I suggested we maybe try some other stores.  I wasn’t sure what Helzberg’s prices were compared to other stores, so I thought it was worth a shot. I also thought it would be nice to show him several I liked in different places and then let him choose which one he’d like to get me.

I found out there were several other outlet jewelry stores in a mall nearby, so last Saturday we went there.  The first store we stopped (Kay Jeweler’s) had my dream ring. It was by Neil Lane, so I automatically assumed it was super expensive (I DO watch the Bachelor haha) and turned down the offer to try it on.  The sales woman pushed me a little and so I did.  I was shocked when I looked at the price tag and it was in our budget!!! We got all of the information once again and headed to a few more stores.

We went to a few other stores and it was cute to see that C had learned exactly what I wanted. He kept telling the sales people, “princess cut, white gold, and halo.”  He is a fast learner hehe. I found things that I liked in the other stores, but the first ring still seemed to be the one to beat.  It was also cheaper than all of the others that I found.  Before we left the mall, C wanted to go back in there to see how long the sale on the ring lasted.  He has until Mother’s Day, just a few short weeks away!

After that day, he hasn’t stopped talking about it. I think all he needed was that little nudge!  He is telling everyone about our plans and seems so comfortable with everything.  My guess is he was just so clueless about the process that he didn’t even know where to start, so he didn’t start.  I’m quite happy I put the bug in the ear J

I can’t wait to give more updates on this!!!

Happiest Place on Earth

C had a game Saturday and doesn't have another until Sunday so he has a extra day off this week. I suggested we take a mini vacay and he was up for it. I let him choose between Northern AZ, Vegas, or California/Disneyland. Since C is awesome and he loves me, he chose the last one. I have been talking about going to Disneyland for months. It really is one of my happy places!

Thankfully I was able to get some time off from work, so we left mid-day Sunday. We spent most of the day at the park today. I was pretty bummed because several of the major rides (Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad) were closed for refurbishment. Not cool! It really wasn't as fun without those rides since I usually ride them multiple times.

C hasn't been to Disneyland since he was maybe 7, so I was excited to show him everything. We had a lot of fun, but now my feet are killing me!

Next up, the beach!

A Lovely Blog Hop

Joining a new blog hop!  Can't wait to meet some new lovely ladies!

Who Needs Pinterest?

So up until C and I moved to the new apartment we didn't have an actual bed....just a mattress on the floor.  Lame right?  I felt like I was living in some dude's college dorm haha. I decided when we moved that I would do something about it!  I created my own custom headboard....without the help of pinterest!

I went to a store we have here that sells old and/or used furniture from major hotels like Holiday Inn and Marriott.  First, I picked out a metal frame for our king sized bed.  Mattress off the flooe? Check! Next my mom and I searched around until I found a headboard I liked. It was $30.  I brought it home and went to work!

All of the furniture in our place is black, so I knew I wanted to paint it.  First I primed it.  I decided not to paint the back since no one would see it, so I just primed the edges and the front.  Then I had to wait 24 hours before I could paint again.

Next, I did two coats of the black.  This took a little while because I had to wait 24 hours in between coats.  I also had to wait until someone was available to help me move it, because let me tell you, that darn thing was heavy! I think it was solid oak. I decided I wanted to do fabric panels in the big rectangle areas, so I chose not to paint that part.  I wasn't sure how I'd attach the panels, so I didn't want to paint the whole thing. I didn't want to end up attaching something and then pulling up the panels and having an uneven paint splotch mess.

Next, I gathered up supplies for the panels.  I used cardboard I found laying around the house, some quilting batting (make sure its batting, not stuffing), a glue gun and a stapler.  Oh and this awesome fabric I had found that looks like leather....but is much cheaper and softer!

I glued the batting on the front of the cardboard, then covered it with the fabric.  I flipped over the panel and glued the fabric down on the back.  It wasn't tight at all, so I decided to use a basic stapler to pull the fabric tighter and attach it. Gotta use what you got!

 Next I attached the panels to the headboard.  I was going to velcro them down so I could easily switch them out if I wanted, but ultimately decided to just nail them down. I put a teeny tiny nail in each of the four corners. You can barely see them in the picture, but they are white.  It's all I could find at the time.  I ended up painting the top of each nail with a tiny drop of black paint to hide them.

Next was the hardest part....I added nail head trim. That stuff isn't too cheap....but thankfully I had a couple of 50% off coupons for JoAnn Fabrics. I cut the trim into strips (one for each side) and then nailed them down.  It was very difficult to get straight, so you just have to go slowly.  I only gently nailed them in at first so I could adjust if I needed to, then I pounded that stuff in!  I still didn't get the bottom completely straight (thats the side I did last) but I figured it would be covered by the bed and/or pillows anyways.

Here's the final product! I love how it turned out and I am so proud of it. I think I spent about $75 on the entire thing from start to finish.  Not too shabby for a custom headboard!  I didn't look at pinterest (or any other site for that matter) once.  I just came up with this in my head and figured out a way to do it :)

Here it is up in our bedroom.  This is a terrible picture because the room has terrible lighting.  We have one lamp on one side table.  Geez thanks furniture rental company.  Maybe that should be my next task....creating my own side tables!



Zoo Day

C and I went to the zoo last weekend. It was a beautiful day. A little overcast and windy, but really lovey. Just thought I'd share some of my awesome iPhone pics!

Champions

A few weeks ago C and his team had their championship ring ceremony. 

The owner of the team threw a huge party at his mansion in the hills of Phoenix for everyone and their dates.  He sent several buses to the hotel the team was staying at to pick us up so we could completely enjoy our evening.  I finally didn't have to be DD!

We were told there would be amazing food, flowing alcohol and of course diamond champion rings.

The week before had been sunny and high 80's so I went shopping and found a lovely springy type chiffon dress to wear with some wedges.  Guess what the temperature was the day of the party? Why it was 50 degrees and rainy of course.  Just my luck.

Since I was staying at my parents at the time and living out of the single suitcase I had brought with me, I scrambled and spent the day shopping for something warm to wear. I mean, I probably spent 6 good hours going from store to store, mall to mall trying to find something.  Ugh.

I finally ended up with a simple black sweater dress that would match one of the three pairs of heels I had brought.  Not my favorite look and quite boring, but at least I'd be warm. Oh yeah, the best part?  It was $10. 

When we got there we were shuttled from the bus up the hill on golf carts.  The house was huge!  They even had two sets of washers and dryers in their laundry room (which was right off the kitchen, I swear I wasn’t snooping). Three people live in this house if that gives you any perspective! They had several bartenders in a dropped bar in the middle of the room, chefs on site cooking and serving appetizers, a Rattlers ice sculpture….I mean, the works! I wish I would have taken more pictures

                             The Ring                           

                                                        

                                                     The man next to me is Alvin Gentry, 

                                                   the former coach of the Phoenix Suns

The night was so much fun.  C finally got his ring, something he has been aiming for since he started his football career.  I am so proud of him J