Ten Years.

Ten years. In some ways it has flown by, in some ways it feels like a lifetime ago. I can still remember exactly what I did that morning. I can remember how everyone came together in those months afterward. Bonded by our fear, our sadness, our strength. A nation united.

But years go by and the day-to-day struggles in life take over. As I sit watching documentaries on the firefighters of 9/11 and the families of victims left behind, it makes me feel so foolish for all of the insignificant little things that I let overshadow my life. Those people in the Towers and those who responded are the best of humanity -- the compassion, the selflessness, the hope.

As the faces of the firefighters who died during 9/11 flash across my screen,  I can't help but think, what are we doing to honor the sacrifice they made? Would they be happy with what our country has become? Fighting about our economy, acting like children arguing over a toy? Worshipping celebrities who are famous for nothing? Senselessly hurting our neighbors for no good reason?

We are better than that. For those who died on 9/11, we should be better than that. For those who will come after us, we need to be better than that. When was the last time you showed the selflessness that those men and women showed on that fateful Tuesday? Giving up your seat for someone on the train?  Helped your neighbor carry in their groceries? Simply saying good morning to the person behind the counter at the coffee shop?

Those brave men and women of 9/11 died so people they had never met could survive and get back to their families. Surely we can do small things in our daily lives.

Victims of 9/11

On this 10th anniversary, let's not just remember the bad that happened but see through the sorrow the good people who lost their lives on that day. Let's challenge ourselves to be better for them, for those who didn't get a chance to live to their full potential. Let's be the great nation that we can be -- showing that together we can do anything. If everyone had the mindset those firefighters had on that fateful day think of all the good we could accomplish.

One firefighter so eloquently said, "The legacy should not be of sadness. The legacy should be humanity and the resilience of life." What legacy are we leaving post 9/11? Only we can decide. Hug your family. Love your neighbors. Live your legacy.

Decor by the numbers

I wanted to make our wedding decor as personal as possible. From the minute we started planning the wedding, I knew music was going to be a big theme. It started with our Save the Date and carried through to the reception decor, including the table numbers.

Instead of using traditional numbers, we decided to make each table one of our favorite singers/bands. So I scoured Michael's and JoAnn Fabrics for ways to display the numbers until I found these wood frames.

They were the perfect size, but still needed a lot of work. Thanks to the master carpentry skills of my Uncle Art, we created wooden triangles for the back so that they were sturdy enough to stand on the tables. After they were all constructed, it was time to paint. Our colors were charcoal gray and yellow. The table linens, chair sashes and the girls dresses were all charcoal, so I wanted to incorporate pops of color as much as possible. So yellow they became! I chose Valspar Yellow, mainly because it was all they had at Lowe's. But it worked perfectly. 

Then it was time to choose the bands to include in the frames. We opted for photos of album covers that featured the bands' names -- so they could be more easily identified by guests. We chose bands that were important in our relationship (Michael McDonald) as well as our individual favorites. While Ryan chose bands such as Metallica, Van Halen and the Beatles, I opted to stay true to my boy band roots with New Kids on the Block, New Edition and 'NSync. Oh yes, I did. So I resized images of the selected clovers to  3.5" x 3.5" then adhered them to foam board and VIOLA! 

To further insure that guests could find their table, we added numbers in the corner. After much debate with my mom, she convinced me to use these puffy number stickers that had a little glitter to them. I thought that would look awful but was so burnt out on wedding planning that I was tired of thinking. So we went with her idea. 

I will admit, they were the best idea. They looked fabulous. See how nice the numbers looked in the corner? 

 I couldn't have been happier with how the table numbers turned out. 

Courtesy of Leppert Photography

And it seems that our guests agreed! 

A New Beginning

I know I promised to post more back in May, but I'll be honest - working and planning a wedding out of state left me little time to even think about decorating projects. But the good news is... I'm officially Mrs. Ryan O'Brien and I am ready to get back on the blogging horse.

One thing I found out through the whole process was that wedding DIY projects were just as fun - even though sometimes frustrating - as home DIY projects. Sure I could have shared my projects while I was doing them, but truthfully, I wanted all of the little touches to be a surprise to my guests. So now that the vows have been said, the cake has been cut and the dance floor is closed, I'll share some of those projects right here on My Life By Design.

After all the fun I had planning my own wedding, I think the blog will a naturally become a combination of wedding design ideas as well as home design ideas. I'll be sharing wedding ideas and inspirations here as well - both from my own wedding and all of the awesome wedding sites I used for inspiration. And there are sure to be lots of great new things to come as we navigate married life, buying our first real house together and all the fun that comes along with it!

Hope you enjoy the ride!

It's been a while....

As you've probably noticed by the weather outside, it's no longer Christmas, or even winter for that matter. But on My Life By Design, it's been Christmas for far too long.

I wish I had some fun decor updates for you, but I'll be honest - wedding planning has been more time-consuming than I had anticipated. I've traded refurbishing for invitation design, redecorating for tablescape designing, DIYing for... well DIYing. I've been doing a lot of my own decor for the wedding to add a personal touch so that has been on my mind. All i've been picturing is yellow and gray for months on end. Here's a little taste of the inspiration I've used for the wedding...

Without giving too much away, I will be sharing some projects on the blog in the next few months, when the weather gets better and I can tackle some of the bigger projects outside.

Sorry for the dormant site, but I promise there will be more in store soon!

christmas finishing touches...

When we went to visit my fiance's family for Thanksgiving, my soon-to-be mother-in-law took me out for a fun afternoon of shopping at a some local antique and gift shops. If you're ever in Fort Dodge, Iowa make sure to stop by Fort Dodge Community Apple Orchard. They have the most darling store full of gorgeous home accessories. Plus their fudge is to die for!

I fell in love with this little guy as soon as we walked into the store. And surrounded by the beautiful silver, red and green berry swag, it's the perfect touch of Christmas on our coffee table. 

My fiance's mom pointed this out to me. This very cute skate is just the right shade to match our decor and adds a fun, winter twist to our kitchen. 

Since we live in an apartment building, I wanted to add a little personality to our front door. 

I took a $1.99 wreath from Michael's and wrapped it in a silver leaf garland with green, red and silver berries that match the swag in on the coffee table. 

Combined with our mantel, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our house. :)

Merry Christmas to all!

joy to the world...

my mantel's done. Let Earth receive... oh, you get the idea. I am proud to say, the bane of my existence is finished and I love it!

Ever since I saw the Crate and Barrel catalog this year, I knew I wanted to incorporate silver reindeer. Instead of spending $25 on each reindeer, I found some at Marshall's for $6.99 each. 

To make them a little sturdier (because the mantel is right by the front door and has been known to get jostled when we slam the front door), I crazy glued them to wood planks and spray painted them all matte silver. One a side note, even though I have said I hate spray paint, the metallic matte silver from Krylon is the best. A couple of passes and you're good to go! 

I also spray painted the candleholder, it was a faux leather from World Market but just sturdy enough for the candle. I then took some of the silver berries I used in my wreath and attached them to the candles with silver wire. Again using my silver spray paint to touch up the stems that were green. 

Speaking of the wreath, it is my favorite part! I started with a $2.99 wreath from Michael's and some miscellaneous decorations I picked up for 50% off. I also grabbed wooden letters that spelled JOY. I was going to use them in something else, but then got an even better idea for the wreath. 

I sprayed painted them silver, added some Modge Podge, then dusted them with silver glitter. Then I attached them to the bottom of the wreath with silver wire. Then I put just a few of the decorations I purchased in the top corner of the wrath for a touch of color and sparkle. I chose to stick with the red and silver theme to play off the green I have in my entire living room. 

I just love the final look! 

I have a few more touches to do around the house and then the decorating will be complete. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 

Inspired by young love...

for this project, I was certainly inspired by young love... in two ways. I was inspired by a similar project over at the awesome blog Young House Love - it's a must visit. And the recipient of this gift is a great friend who has found herself a great guy, so I wanted to give her a personalized birthday gift this year.

Customized wine goblets.

This project was so easy and it's a really great way to give someone a gift made just for them. First, I found stemless wine glasses (a must for klutzes like me) made of thick glass.

Then I used a glass paint pen by Vitrea to write fun love quotes on the glasses. I chose one of my favorite quotes from Moulin Rouge and another one that I found online, "Love is friendship on fire."  Isn't that so true?

Once I wrote each quote on the glass, I finished up with a heart to give the set a cohesive look.

Following the instructions that came with the pen (this is important as instructions may vary with different varieties), I let it dry for 24 hours. Then I baked it at 325 degrees for 40 minutes and Voila! a custom set of wine goblets.

A great tip I got from Sherry at Young House Love is to put the glasses in as the oven preheats and leave them in as it cools down. This way you can avoid any cracks that might occur from sudden changes in temperature.

The beauty of these pens is that they work on all types of surfaces. So your options are limitless: bowls, vases, plates, you name it!

ain't love grand...