Family Archives - Marge Swearin

Creating a Gallery Wall

May 24, 2020 No Comments

Hi Friends! Our home is full of odd nooks and crannies, and this one seemed like the perfect spot to feature some sentimental photos and decor. So here are my tips on creating a gallery wall! From a completely unqualified interior designer, other than I gather enjoyment from it! This is a fun way to display important photos / keepsakes and be sort of an “intro” to your life & story for your guests!

I found these narrow photo shelves and knew these would be perfect to fill the space. If you have an awkward narrow wall like mine, I thought it might be really cool to hang 4 of these vertically!, “stacked”, in a sense. (I, however, have two mischevious dogs who would knock everything off the shelves).

I chose black and white frames and metallic patterned frames that match my decor in the rest of my living room, and chose to hang an oversized clock on the wall above this. I added a small sequined candle holder to break up the space and add a different shape.

I choose to vary the shapes and heights of my frames and items on the shelves to keep the look interesting. I even have several items overlapped to create more depth to this narrow shelf. Many of the items were previous DIY projects, but I linked up some similar items below. One of my oldest friends hand stitched the needlework for me – I know it’s tough to read but it says “be nice or leave” – PERFECT description of my attitude. Ha! I found some similar ones available for purchase on Etsy.

My style is contemporary but comfortable, maybe even verging on farmhouse. Be sure to check out my southwestern room for a little taste. If your home has more of a contemporary style, it would be a cool look to intentionally replicate the same frame on all your shelves in either black or white

I’d love to see how creating a gallery wall worked out for you! Challenge: Post a photo on social media and tag me to share!

Family, Home Decor & DIY

Wedding Card Keepsake

May 11, 2020 No Comments

Hi all!, Has Covid-19 got you using your old crafting supplies like me? I can tell you that during the time of Covid, I knew I did not want to reach the end of our “stay at home” orders and wonder how I had spent the last 8 weeks…. so I made it a goal to actually complete a few projects that I would generally complain that “I never have time to do”. This feels so shameful actually writing it, but I have had our wedding cards in a canvas bag for the last 5, yes, FIVE years… just sitting around! (Anybody else?, No?…) I finally got around to making a Wedding Card Keepsake out of them! Keep on reading for the details.

This is the culprit. The bag that held these cards for FIVE years!

First off, I have a tough time throwing things away that seem sentimental. Someone put time and effort into shopping for the cards and writing messages of good wishes for our future! Just throwing them out seemed so wrong! I didn’t want this project to take up a lot of space, so I created something to frame, and now it hangs in our entry way! I love walking past it and smiling about the happy messages every day. Click here if you missed my previous post on Our Story.

I grabbed this hexagon punch from Amazon to frame and punch out the nice phrases, pictures and fun patterns from the cards. I debated on a quatrefoil-shaped punch (like this one) because those have a special meaning in my life, but ultimately decided that I appreciated the symmetry of the hexagon a little more.

Don’t mind the mess in the background… Cleaning regularly was optional during Covid!

When I started, I really didn’t have any rhyme or reason to my paper punches, again, I just chose patterns, colors, and phrases that I liked from the cards. I got a little pleasure out of ripping the cards apart too…. to be honest! If your cards are really thick, you may need to rip layers apart so you don’t break your punch, and you’ll need a good pair of scissors handy too. Pro Tip! – You may have to cut the card in order to get to the picture or phrase you want.

Here’s the destruction! All the leftover card scraps that yes, I did recycle! 🙂

After I punched out all the shapes, I organized them on a piece of black 12×12 cardstock that I happened to have around the house, and laid them out in a pattern that was pleasing to me. Well, actually it was 2 pieces of cardstock that I stuck together to make 1 that would fit in my frame size (11×14). I tried to alternate solid patterns or pictures with words and phrases because I liked that look best, but every craft will turn out a little different because your cards will all be different!

Once I liked the overall look of the pieces, I used photo adhering squares – available near the scrapbooking supplies at your local craft store, to stick each piece onto the card stock. You could also use glue, but this was WAY less messy and seemed a lot faster to me.

I snagged a cheap frame (matted to 11×14) from Walmart that matches the general decor in my house, and voila! The hardest part, honestly, was figuring out where to hang this bad boy! We ultimately decided to hang it somewhere we could see it every day and somewhere others would be able to see it too. It’s in our front entryway as a piece of art, now and I love it!

Here are the supplies I used for my Wedding Card Keepsake project:

Have fun and be sure to customize to fit your space & style! Everyone will have varying amounts of cards and you could certainly go for a larger or smaller frame and add a few patterns/punches of some scrapbook paper if you want to insert more of a themed color throughout.

Home Decor & DIY

Southwest Home Accents

April 29, 2020 No Comments

So in our new place we have this really odd room… It’s got a nook- for who knows what? A fireplace that sits immediately next to a wall, and limited space for furniture due to the need to keep walkways clear. Oh, and these walkways are between the primary guest bathroom, the laundry room, a sliding door to the backyard, the stairs to the basement and the kitchen. The moral of the story is it’s a weird room! The answer: Southwest Home Accents.

southwest home decor, cow, cow hide, bright color, home decor, home inspiration, orange, southwestern, molly cow, cow hide rug

It took a while for me to figure out how we wanted to utilize this room, but we’re now fondly referencing it as “the party pit”! This is primarily because we made a makeshift bar area out of the questionable “nook”.

A friend of ours had this great cow hide accent rug in her very modern home, and I immediately knew I wanted to decorate a room similarly. Honestly, I’d secretly been coveting a cow skin rug for quite some time… Mine is authentic – purchased at the local rodeo! (Is this normal? – I was really pumped to find one there at a decent price… In case you’re not anywhere near a rodeo, I linked up a couple cute ones below.)

I linked up all my decor and/or similar products here, or by clicking the photos in the image below.

I had so much fun putting this room together! I think maybe it was because it’s so different than all the other rooms in my house? After all, most of my room is decorated in blues and grays. What do you think?? Do you have any ideas of other items I should include in the southwest inspired decor?

Home Decor & DIY

Blanket Ladders

April 6, 2020 No Comments

Hey world, I hope you’re all finding quarantine to be restful and not stressful. One thing I have been putting a lot of focus into is making my living space my oasis. If I’m not comfortable and at peace being in my home, why would I want to be home? (Which is a really silly question when most of us are under national “stay at home orders” during the Covid-19 global pandemic. One element I find adds a lot of texture and comfort to my room is my blanket ladder!, so I rounded up a few of my favorite blanket ladders under $100 so you can spruce up your living room – from the safety of your home! – too.

I rounded up a handful of blanket ladders under $100 in all sorts of styles for almost every home. A lot of these styles are generally a little more “rustic” or “farmhouse” looking because of the general concept. I did add a few modern styles in addition to a few really rustic styles that look more like the timber itself! Enjoy!

Here’s a pic of my blanket ladder from our living room!, I incorporated the colors of the room with a couple neutrals in the blankets I chose to put on the ladder which, I think, really ties it all together! I used this piece to fill up an otherwise empty corner.

living room, blanket ladder, blue tones, cozy living space

I was lucky enough to have a friend of ours who does woodworking as a hobby create this beauty for my living space. If you have the time (and frankly you might!) be sure to look up some tutorials on how to DIY – they’re always a little more special!

Until next time, stay safe – AT HOME! – and be sure to update me on how you incorporated a blanket ladder into your living space. For more home decor inspo, check out my pinterest Home Decor Board!

Family

Our Story

October 22, 2019 No Comments

Let’s get personal!… well, I will anyway. I wanted to share a little bit about our story – My husband and me, that is. We met exactly TEN years ago today! (I don’t know where the time has gone??!)

It was a cold, gloomy night… j/k. Completely. It was night, and maybe a little cold because it’s October. I met my bestie at a local watering hole, where we would visit for our weekly date on Thursday nights. I was 23. (Ripe old, 23, sigh). I had been pretty jaded from the last relationship I’d had, and so, was complaining about how I didn’t want to meet anyone. I wanted to move away, and to just “be me” for a while. Which is of course when I met my future husband.

I noticed him as soon as he walked in. His legs were black, and mechanical looking. My husband wears two prosthetic legs, that I knew immediately were definitely not cosmetic. I was doing that thing where you’re casually staring but you’re trying not to blatantly stare or get caught, you know? I had never seen anyone with a prosthetic limb before, so I was a bit mesmerized by them.

After a short while, he came over. To ask me to help out his buddy and grab the bartender’s attention for a glass of water- because of course, I could do it quicker than he could. Flattery – 1, Winning the girl over – 1, Intro complete. We talked all night and the next day he called me to ask me on a date. CALLED me. ON THE PHONE. I think that’s practically unheard of these days!

I quickly realized that this guy was pretty impressive. He had worn prosthetics basically since he started walking, as his legs were amputated at about 9 months old. He was raised by two loving parents who treated him exactly like any other kid. There was no extra hand-holding, or coddling. He did chores, took the trash out, and was expected to work harder, because they knew he would have to in order to be successful in this world. I’m so grateful that he was raised by such realistic and loving people.

Our Very FIRST photo! — Our VERY first photo together! We went to a wedding – and I wish that dress still fit! Ha!

He had left a professional career where he was already climbing the management ladder, to drop everything, move to Oklahoma, and play volleyball. Wait, what? Yes, volleyball. You see, there’s a small niche of athletes, that completes in a separate athletic realm. My husband Charlie was exposed to sitting volleyball (the Para version of the game) and loved it. He practiced with the team for nearly a year, prior to moving, to train full time.

Of course, I realized much of this as our dating adventure continued. We would date for another 4 years before he asked that question that all women in love want to be asked. “Will you be on my cell phone plan?”; and then 6 months later, we were engaged. 😉

We have been married for 4 years, together for TEN today! {OMG!} I realized 10 years isn’t much in the grand scheme of things, but when it amounts to about 1/3 of your life, it is quite a bit! And I wonder how it sped by so quickly?… It may seem weird, but we celebrate October 21 (our meet cute day) more so than our actual wedding anniversary.

Devon Boathouse Wedding Photo 2015 OKC Oklahoma City — Guess what happened on this day?

Do you celebrate the day you met/started dating as your anniversary or your actual wedding day? Tell me a little about your story if you want to share!

Family

How to Stay Inspired

September 6, 2019 No Comments

Hey all, I’ve taken a short hiatus, frankly because I had a bad attitude and had one of those “just can’t” periods happening. I wanted to share some of the life stuff that happened and a few strategies I return to when trying to stay inspired.

A bit of background: I intended this blog to be a lifestyle blog for ambitious women like me, and honestly, some of that comes with some hard times as well. These days, maintaining work-life balance is SO important. I think when most people reference that phrase it’s because work is extremely demanding. In my case, it’s been quite the opposite. Work has been absolutely NOT demanding.

I transitioned to my current job about 15 months ago, as a stepping stone. This was it! I was finally taking a step forward in my career, after restarting at ground zero when we moved to Colorado a few years ago. It took me another 4 years to ascend to this awesome job. I was so thrilled to be working in a specialty field, being more autonomous in my work load, and truly being respected and valued for my input on this team… And then it all came to what I interpreted as a screeching hault 8 weeks later (due to some unforseen complications totally unrelated to any work that I had contributed to), and it has remained haulted ever since. Now, it will eventually resume, but the “when?” is still up in the air.

My day-to-day routine is mundane, to put it lightly. I have moments that I resent the job, because I haven’t been doing what I was hired to do – my specialty – in over a year. And recently, I’ve been struggling to stay inspired. Let me tell you something – it is TOUGH. Tough to get up out of bed and go to work to do ‘work’ you don’t actually enjoy doing or is completely unrelated to your job (i.e. being a secretary, or an errand girl, or performing data entry) –I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here! But let me tell you, I get it.

My mom’s advice is: “Well, get a new job!” But unfortunately, it’s not that simple. There is insurance to take into account, and 401k, and it’s one of those situations that I get more vacation because of the years I’ve been an employee of this company. It’s just not that simple, and bailing isn’t always the right answer. So – through all of this, how does one stay inspired?

I recently read “Girl, Wash Your Face“, by Rachel Hollis, and had a total attitude change. I love her voice in this book, and that she too is a major support and inspiration for ambitious women. Do yourself a favor and read it, especially if you’re questioning any of your life choices.

Staying inspired involves a lot of self-motivation, and optimism, that for me, waxes and wanes often. I pursued as much as was possible professionally, during this time. In the medical field, there are additional levels of achievement that you can work on to better your knowledge and career. I’ve accumulated nearly all my continuing education for the next 5 years… and am working on an additional certification for the alphabet soup behind my professional name. I’m perfecting all my processes & equipment so that I can be prepared when my workload does increase again. But most of this was done in the first 8 weeks after “the hault”.

Mostly, I’ve tried to stay busy and better myself. This is the most difficult part, I’ve found. Some of this has been researching community-based education (I’ve always been interested in learning calligraphy!), expanding my knowledge of literature (audio books are incredible!), podcasts (almost every one out there!), and working on maintaining my positive, optimistic attitude about the future. Do something to keep you personally optimistic. I think ambition, or a drive for the future is one of the sexiest attributes one can have. When I met my husband, it was his ambition that I was attracted to, and I notice that I gravitate towards ambitious friends as well.

Staying positive in the face of adversity, or even on one of those days you “just can’t” is tough, but you can do it! And even on those bad days, allow yourself to feel bad, sad, angry, mad, to cry, Get it out! Whatever you need to do to emotionally release. Then come back to your reality and handle it. [Flash to “Put on some gangsta’ rap and handle it”]

What do you guys do to stay inspired? To stay motivated and on track when you have so much pulling you the opposite direction?