From Mizzou to Missoula

On the menu

2012-02-12T20:30:00.000-08:00

I decided to try a new method to motivate me to do 2 things: 1. blog more and 2. cook more new recipes. So I'm going to share what's on the menu in our household for the next week. I will make at least one new recipe per week, then share what I liked and what I didn't!

Sunday, February 12: Breakfast for dinner (pancakes, cheesy hashbrowns, sausage links, bacon, eggs).

Monday, February 13: Cornish game hens with garlic and rosemary. Also, it's our one-month anniversary :)

Tuesday, February 14: Special Valentine's Day Dinner! I'm attempting to make Ryan's favorite dish, Filet Oscar, which is a filet covered in crab, bearnaise sauce, and asparagus. Along with that I will make these smoked gouda mashed potatoes, these cream-braised brussels sprouts, these imitation Red Lobster biscuits, and some dark chocolate Ghirardelli brownies. Mmmmmm! This is a really ambitious meal plan and all are new recipes...crossing my fingers that it turns out okay!!

Wednesday, February 15: I have class from 3-10 on Wednesdays, so I don't make dinner those nights.

Thursday, February 16: Cheddar Beer Chicken. I'm going to use Boulevard Wheat for the beer--should be yummy!!

Friday, February 17: BBQ salmon for Ryan, Parmesan broiled tilapia for me. (I don't really dig salmon and he doesn't really dig tilapia, so I just make us two kinds of fish.)

Saturday, February 18: I'm hosting a Jurassic Park movie marathon, so we're being bad and eating lots of fried appetizer type foods.

Sunday, February 19: An old favorite, Chicken Tortilla Soup. Mmmmmm!

I'm excited to try all these new recipes and share my verdict with you!

Pinned there, done that!

2011-11-22T17:29:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the cheesy title. I love puns!

For the past few weeks, I've been challenging myself to actually TRY the things I pin! (Gasp, I know!) So I thought I'd share the results of several Pinterest recipes, tips, and projects that I've tackled. (There are a lot of recipes on here...don't judge me, I like food!)

Pin #1: Easy Masumun Curry from Shugary Sweets.

The verdict: DELICIOUS! To cut down on calories I used the low fat coconut milk and it was still great! I was happily surprised that Ryan enjoyed the dish, too. I added a little bit of sriracha to the recipe because I love it, but other than that followed the recipe. I'll definitely make it again--it could probably be made in the crockpot, too.

Pin #2: Mississippi Sin Dip from Plain Chicken

The verdict: Another winner! I have a reputation for being the dip queen at parties here. I love to make "grandma dip" (my grandma's recipe), cheese dip (the typical rotel + Velveeta mix--why mess with what works?!), and spinach dip especially. But for a post-reading reception last weekend I decided to try out this Mississippi Sin dip, so named because it contains hot sauce (again, I used sriracha) and is sinful (i.e. not for the dieting sort). Judging by the amount I brought back home (not a ton), it was a hit. And I didn't mind munching on the leftovers, either.

Pin #3: Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

The verdict: A pattern emerges--yes, another yummmmmy recipe from Pinterest! I made this for lunch today (and another to heat up for lunch tomorrow) and oh my goodness it was delish. It satisfied my huge Chipotle craving (minus the lime rice, of course--now I just gotta try this pin) and it was pretty easy! I added a little salsa to the wrap, but it would've been great without it, too. Definitely repeating.

Pin #4: Easy way to clean the microwave from Crafty Little Gnome (what an adorable blog name!)

The verdict: :( I was so hoping that this would work. The blog suggested combining water and a dash of vinegar, then heating it in the microwave for 5 minutes. The steam is supposed to loosen up stuck-on foods, making it super easy to wipe away messes! Unfortunately it didn't work all the way for me. I tried 5 minutes and wiped and a few smaller stains came out, but most were still stuck. So I did 5 more minutes and tried again--same sort of thing. Some of the more stuck-on ones came off, but not all. I ended up dipping my rag into the hot water/vinegar mix and using it to scrub off the stains, so it didn't go to waste, but I still had to use some elbow grease. Alas!

Pin #5: Yarn wreath from Decor Chick

The Verdict: Judge for yourself!

I love my wreath and plan to change it up for different holidays. Of course I'll probably retire it after Thanksgiving and put up a more wintery wreath, but I definitely see myself pulling it out in the spring and adding some Easter-y embellishments, then some summer-y ones after that, and maybe some Mizzou ones for football season next year! The leaves, pinecone thing, and Thanksgiving bunting are all detachable. Decor Chick's is still more gorgeous, but I like my version too!

All "Fall"ed Up: Halloween

2011-10-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks I've been getting our apartment all "fall"ed up for Halloween! I thought I'd share a few pictures. I'm listing where I got each thing under the photos. After Halloween, I'll switch some things out for Thanksgiving and share the changes with you again :)

Bookshelf:

Miscellaneous glass pieces: Goodwill, Ross, or on hand

Labels: Martha Stewart Halloween collection from Michael's

Keep Calm and Scary On: Craftily Ever After
Eat, Drink, and Be Scary: Craftily Ever After
Trick or Treat chevron print: Sprik Space
Chevron pumpkin print: Two Twenty One
Halloween subway art: Eighteen25

Boo! bunting: here (with white paper backing) and somewhere else...can't find the BOO one at the moment!
Halloween-y sticks: Target

Raffia pumpkin: Target (last year)

Lantern: Michael's (summer sale)

Candle inside lantern: Michael's

Candle next to lantern: Ross
Orange candle holder: Ross
Black glitter pumpkin: Michael's

Large white frames: Walmart

Black frame: Walmart

5x7 white frame: Target
8x10 white frame: Target
Beware: Target dollar spot

Coffee table:

Bamboo platter: Ross

Gourds: Walmart

Orange candle: Crate & Barrel

Wicker balls: Pier1

Pine cones: the great outdoors

Leaf napkin: Crate & Barrel outlet

Apothecary jars: set of 3 from Ross

Acorn vase filler: Walmart

Wood vase filler: Walmart

Mini pumpkin vase filler: Michael's

Side table 1:

Glass pedestal bowl: Thrifted
Potpourri mix: Walmart
Candle: Target
Candle tray: Thrifted
Green lamp base: Walmart

Side table 2 (aka our creeeepy bar):

Miscellaneous glass pieces: Goodwill, Ross, or on hand (My fave is the pitcher from Goodwill--it has a spooky quality to it!)

Labels: Martha Stewart Halloween collection from Michael's

White tray: Target
Spider: Target dollar spot

TV stand:

Pumpkins: Walmart

Halloween sign: Pier1 (last year on sale)

Large apothecary jar: Ross

Pillar holder: Pier1

Maize: Walmart
Pine cones: mother nature
Candle: Target
Candle holder: Thrifted
Scent jar: Target
Branches: Target
Blue/bronze vase: Ross
Quatrefoil votives: Carnation Collection
Bronze tray: Walmart
Orange candles: Target

Kitchen table:

Large mason jar: Michael's

Quart-sized mason jars: Thrifted

Acorn vase filler: Walmart

Wood vase filler: Walmart

Centerpiece mat: orange scrapbook paper with ivory lace vellum overlay from Michael's

Vase: Pier1

Wheat: Ross

Label: Martha Stewart Halloween collection from Michael's

Dining Room wall:

White frames: Michael's

Wreath: DIYed with coffee filters & Michael's flat wreath form

BOO hanging: Pier1 (last year on sale)

Halloween art: framed scrapbook paper from Michael's

Cider Cream Chicken

2011-10-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

When I saw that the fabulous Caroline at Good Times Never Seem Sew Good was hosting a fall recipe party, I instantly knew what I wanted to make! It's one of our favorite dishes: cider cream chicken. MMMM. Who doesn't love cider in the fall?

Lemme tell you, the first time I encountered this recipe I was skeptical that it would be good--cider and cream and onions? What? But trust me, it's veeeeerrrry good. Just thinking about it makes me want to eat it up! Since I just made it on Tuesday night, I'll have to hold off for a while--so you all need to make it now so that I can live vicariously through you!

The best thing about this recipe (besides its deliciousness, of course!) is that you only need 6 dishes to make it: one dutch oven, one spoon, one knife, one cutting board, and two measuring cups. I don't know about you, but the less dishes to wash, the better!

If that isn't appealing enough to you, here's a picture:

Looks good, right?

So here's the recipe (serves 2):

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

One large thawed chicken breast. Make sure you thaw it, or you'll go to cook the dish at 5:30 and then realize that you didn't thaw the chicken and you'll be very upset that you can't eat the delicious food that night!
One medium onion
1 tbls minced garlic
3/4 cup of milk (or heavy cream or Half and Half if you want it a little creamier). We're on a diet so I made it lighter by using milk.
3/4 cup of apple juice or cider
EVOO
Pam cooking spray
Tarragon (or Thyme will work, too. I've used it in a pinch).
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Spray the dutch oven with Pam or other cooking spray and drizzle the a little olive oil in there, too. (I started using Pam as a low-cal sub for olive oil per HungryGirl's suggestion and it usually works so well! Olive oil has a ton of calories, ick. I still add a tiny bit of oil to this recipe, though, because once I did all Pam and the onions stuck a bit.) Place it on medium low heat.

As the cooking spray heats up, halve your onion, then cut both halves into 6 pieces. When you've cut it all up, throw the onion in the dutch oven along with a little salt and pepper.

While the onions cook, prepare your chicken. Cut off all that nasty fat and dispose of it, and then cut the chicken up into pieces, around 1.5 inches long, until you have 10-12 pieces.

Return to the onions. By now they should be a little golden brown. Add the minced garlic and stir. Move the onions to one side of the ducth oven and give the free side another spray of the cooking oil. Turn the heat up just a tad over medium. Wait around 2 minutes for the oil to bubble.

Transfer the chicken to the dutch oven. Cook for around 3 minutes each side, until golden brown.

Pour in the juice/cider and let bubble for 2-3 minutes. Then turn off heat and add the milk/cream.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme, then pop it in the oven for 40 minutes.

I like to serve it with couscous and buttery brussel sprouts. The cider cream sauce and sweet onions taste delicious on the couscous!

Now hurry up and grab yourself a jug of apple cider--you can drink some of it and make my recipe! :)

Linking up to Caroline's recipe party--head over there to check out some more delish dishes :)

Cheap and easy spice shelf makeover

2011-10-08T14:54:00.001-07:00

This week I headed to our local Goodwill in search of a purple dress to use for my Halloween costume. I'm going to be Ms. Frizzle from "The Magic School Bus," like so:

{via here}

Sadly, I didn't find a dress, but I did pick up several other goodies, including some cute "Flour" and "Spice" tins ($1 and $0.50, respectively), some assorted glassware (I'll show you project I used them in later this week!), and this lightweight wooden shelf:

You've probably seen shelves like these in many thrift stores. Usually people put little tschotskes in them, but I knew right away that I wanted to use them as a spice shelf. We have a dedicated spice cabinet (see this post for a picture), but it always irked me a little that we weren't really using all of the space in the cabinet. I figured I could place our most frequently used spices out in the open and take advantage of the cabinet more!

Of course, I wanted to gussy it up a little. The backing of the shelf was this dark green color that didn't really suit our kitchen color scheme, so I picked out some colorful scrapbook paper to coordinate, then measured the backing and popped the paper in! Easy as pie! I decided not to modge podge it so that I can easily change it out as desired, but if you're using paper that you'd want for the long haul, then you could seal it in. Obviously you can customize the color & pattern of the papers you use, too--I'm a bright and colorful gal, but that might not suit everyone's tastes :)

Ideally, I'd like to paint it white, but we live on the third floor of our apartment and don't really have any place to spray paint. (I'm a spray paint addict. I'll admit it, when I paint by hand it's very streaky. Plus I don't have any white paint.) So I decided just to wipe it down before adding the paper. Luckily, it matches our kitchen cabinets very well!

When I went to hang up the spice rack, I realized that best place for it would be on the side of our fridge, since there isn't really available wall space near the stove. Our fridge was pretty cluttered (see picture below!) so I took this as an opportunity to clean it up, too!

I just took everything off of there and decided what needed to stay. All of the magnets were fun, personal, and colorful, but I think they just made things a little visually distracting. In the future I'd love to add a magnet board to the office, so I could use the magnets in there. I decided just to keep our menu planner and fridge inventories, along with a few wedding invites from friends (and ours, too!) I moved my aprons from the side of the fridge and hung them elsewhere in our kitchen/dining area.

Once everything was clean, I popped some command strips on the back of the shelf and placed it on the side of the fridge! It's so lightweight that I only used 3. For a larger one I'd use more, or even those velcro picture hanging strips, but these work just fine for my shelf.

With the shelf hung, I got out my most used spices and arranged them on it:

But then, because I can't just let things be, I decided the spice bottles needed a little spicing up (har, har)--so I grabbed more colorful scrapbook paper and used my favorite font, Honey Script, to add labels to the front of each! Here they are now, all colorful and happy:

And I still have two cubbies to fill! Exciting!

So, again, here are the befores of the plain ol' spice rack and the messy fridge:

And here are the afters:

I'm already loving how clean the fridge looks and how easy it is to grab the spices! The pegs are a bonus, too--now my measuring cups are close at hand and I have a place to hang our box tops collection & oven mitt without over-cluttering the fridge. And in the future, I plan to grab more of these little shelves--they also look great as craft storage, as Beckie uses them:

{via here}

What do you all think? Anyone have other ideas for how to use these ever-present wooden shelves?

Crafty to do list

2011-10-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

Since I can't do any wedding crafts for a while, I'm trying to keep my crafty side occupied. Here are a few Pinterest projects that I hope to do over the next few weeks to keep my mind off of the W word:

{via here}

Eat & Drink: These would be so colorful and fun over our dining room window! I have the perfect scrapbook papers to use and I picked up the letters from Michael's today. This one should be done in a jiffy.

{via here}

Felt ruffle wreath: I know I'm light years behind on this one, but I've never made a felt wreath and would love one in a cheery color. I'm thinking a mustard yellow that I can dress up for various seasons: with black for football times, with fall leaves for autumn, with greens and pinks for spring, etc. It would probably look at home above our sink, since the gallery wall there is full of yellows, grays, and teals, and the high ceiling allows for plenty of space:

{via here}

Yarn Wreath from Decor Chick: I love this wreath for fall. It would look fab on our otherwise drab front door. Seems easy enough to do while watching TV, too!

{via here}

Tile coasters: I plan to use scrap paper from the Eat & Drink project so that they coordinate. I will probably make some as gifts, too. They'd be great for the holidays, for housewarmings, for hostesses, etc.

{via here}

{via here}

Cupcake storage: Love these ideas from 20 going on 80--storage for sprinkles and cupcake liners! As a huge cupcake lover, I want to recreate these ASAP. A trip to Goodwill is in store!

{via here}

Plastic bag storage: Though I love my reusable shopping bags, inevitably I forget them on some trips to the store and have to use plastic bags. So I love this fun, functional, and green (reusing old containers) storage for bags crafted by Beckie at Infarrantly Creative. That way I can easily keep the bags on hand to reuse or to take to Walmart & recycle!

So that's what's on my crafty plate for the next few weeks! I'll let you know how they turn out!

Ding, dong, the bells are gonna chime!

2011-09-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

Lately, the biggest thing on my mind hasn't been school or work. It's been wedding! With tons of our friends tying the knot--the soonest in October, which we're going home for, YAY!--it seems like weddings are all around us, including our own.

Luckily, I finished up most of the planning when we were home for the summer (two things left: signing the floral contract and sending my lovely MOH/sister Megan to meet with the cake decorator) so my wedding fever mostly consists of daydreaming rather than stressing/planning. Thank heavens--planning from home was crazy enough, but planning from 2000+ miles away? That would suck.

Anyway, the fiance and I will be waltzing down the aisle on Friday, January 13, 2012. (Yes, you read that correctly. We are crazies who are messing with fate/superstition and picking the unluckiest day of the year. Please cross your fingers for us that there isn't a freak snow/ice storm.)

Of course I don't want to reveal all of the deets on here (gotta surprise the guests and leave some stuff out so I can recap it later!) but I thought I'd use the blog as a mood board for what our wedding will look like. So, without further ado, some wedding inspiration!

{via here}

I obviously can't show my dress on here in case the fiance might see it, but here are the bridesmaids dresses in our three colors! Originally I wanted orange and pink, but that felt too summery for our winter wedding, so using the peacock feather as an inspiration I chose this trio of jewel tones. The girls will wear them in that order (one lapis, one sangria, one jade, one lapis, one sangria...and so on). The boys were going to have matching vests and ties, but one of the vests (the lapis) came in a different pattern than the rest of them, and it drove me bonkers, so they're all wearing goldish vests and matching ties. The girls get their pick of goldish shoes (flats, pumps, or pumps with cute bows!)

{via here}

I am obsessed with this bouquet. Our wedding has a loose peacock theme, so the peacock feathers got me. And the colors are exactly what I'm looking for! I also love the eclectic look of the arrangment.

{via here}

Also obsessed with these adorable shoe clips from The Headband Shoppe.

{via here}

More peacock goodness. I love the look of this cake! I have a few ideas up my sleeve to make it my own, though...

{via here}

{via here}

A few fun diversions for guests at their tables--perfect for the reception! I plan to personalize these in our colors.

{via here}

This is my inspiration for our table numbers: a menu glued to the bottle and the number stuck in the cork. Unfortunately we can't have full bottles of wine at our tables (the bartenders have to serve all alcohol), but on the bright side, that means my family, friends and I have to consume enough of a specific wine so that we have empty bottles at each table ;) ha ha. I'll share the results of this wedding craft after the big day!

Our reception hall has tons of bulletin boards, so we want to personalize those as well. Here are some ideas I have for decorating the boards:

{via here}

{via here}

{via here}

{via here}

I absolutely can't wait to start crafting for the big day! I've had to hold myself back for the past few months. Once we get back home for winter break, I'll break out my (huge) wedding to-do list and get crackin'. (Preview of that list: 1) make 60 tissue poof balls; 2) prepare decorations for bulletin boards; 3) make thank-you cards; 4) design, print, and cut out seating cards; 5) make banner; 6) craft table numbers...those are just a few of them!) And I'll make sure to take pictures as I crack away so that I can share the projects with you on the blog!

Ugly, Dysfunctional Hall Closet to Pantry!

2011-09-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things magically fall into line.

Example: for the past few weeks, I've been gradually redoing our hall closet, which is just around the corner from the kitchen.

I don't have before pictures of said hall closet, because I was totally embarrassed by the space. It was full of random junk: our extra towels and linens piled up messily, miscellaneous decor that I stuck in there as I changed things out for the holidays, a box full of broken glass (?! Yeah, not safe), random tools, our vacuum, etc. Nothing pretty or very functional at all, since it wasn't maximizing the space. In a teeny apartment like ours (since we both have plenty of stuff...lemme tell ya!) we needed to be maximizing each and every space!

I thought for a while about how the space needed to function, and I realized we were in desperate need of a real pantry. Our kitchen is teensy and there's barely enough space for our dishes and our food. We definitely do not have a designated in-kitchen pantry spot. After salivating over some gorg pantries (hello House of Smiths and Decor Chick!) I wanted to have my own pretty pantry space. Obviously, in an apartment I can't paint the back of our pantry like Shelley, but I could do my best to prettify through containerizing and labeling! (Plus, I knew if I invested smartly in durable containers, I could remove them and use them in our more permanent pantry--can't wait to make over that one!) So I set to work!

Of course, now I'm kicking myself for not taking a before picture, because it could come in handy right now! If I had to pick a picture that could represent the mess, this would work:

[image from here]

Except my shelves are the white wire ones without a pretty liner like that.

Anyway. I've been working on the great hallway crap pile... I mean, closet redo, which has entailed moving stuff that didn't belong (like our tools and our stockpile of toilet paper and paper towels...all relocated to the new shelves in the laundry room!) as well as containerizing and prettifying the whole space and our cabinets, too. I finished last week and have been dying to blog about it. Then I come to find that this week's CSI project theme is "Pantries, Closets & Cupboards!" PERFECT motivation to get this blog post up and running now :) And, even more magically, I found myself done with my homework and done with grading, so I had a little down time in which I could blog. Oh happy (and rare!) day!

My closet did not magically fall into place, though. It took some effort! So here's the final result and then some step-by-step info for those that are organizing/container freaks like me!

Disclaimer: I am not a crazy hoarder. I SWEAR! (though my fiance tries to paint me as one...) We are Costco fans, though! Buying in bulk can save a lot of money if it's something you legitimately use all the time! As long as you don't buy stuff that spoils soon or stuff you just want to try out and end up disliking, it's super helpful! Thus we have a lot of groceries for only two people, but they last us :)

Okay, so here's the after shot of half of the pantry--we have those annoying sliding apartment doors so I can't show you both sides at once:

Let's zoom in:

This side features my excess baking stuff (flour, powdered sugar, sugar) and more of the sweet snacks (graham crackers, oreos, etc). I used Better Homes & Gardens' small pantry labels (download free here!) in orange to label everything--just printed them out and laminated them, then used double-stick tape to affix them to the containers. Speaking of which...I got all of the Oxo SoftWorks Pop containers from Ross or TJ Maxx for $5.99 - 11.99 each-- a big savings from their normal retail prices! Seriously, those stores are like container heaven for me! If you don't have a TJ Maxx or a Ross near you, I don't know how you function. Seriously. Confession: I may or may not have bought out the entire stock of those containers at both stores...in a period of about a month. Once I started I couldn't resist. Confession 2: The containers used to be on our registry. But I saw them on sale and had to get them! Confession 3: I may be a shopaholic. No, I am not paid by Ross or TJ Maxx to blather on about their greatness..I WISH!

I got the large green basket months ago on sale at Michael's. It holds our excess bags of cereal & snack food--I like to get rid of the bulky boxes right away. I wanted to use it in the living room on our entertainment unit, but it was too big to fit on the shelves! I had it in our outdoor storage closet but I rescued it during the great pantry creation :) The under shelf basket was a recent Ross find: $10 for two of them! Since the wire shelving didn't offer the best support for the wire basket (read: the basket hung off of it and was useless) I had to do some crafty thinking. So I tied the basket on to the shelves with some spare twine, like so!

I was a little worried that the twine wouldn't hold the weight of the basket (especially since it stocks a lot of our bulk canned food) but it has held up well! If it starts sagging, I'll add more twine :) I love that I can easily reuse these baskets when we switch pantries!

Okay, now to zoom on the other side. This is more of our salty snacks and our great noodle collection! The fiance loves pasta! (Can I just say that containerizing our Costco packs of Mac N Cheese, while time consuming, was so worth it? We were never able to finish a whole box by ourselves and a little bit always went to waste...now I can just scoop up less noodles & less cheese mix and we'll get more servings out of it! Saves money and calories! Love!)

The pink bag holds our colored plastics. We have most of our recycling in the front closet, but it's a bit crowded, so I put the least-likely-to-overflow stuff in the prettiest bag and popped it on the floor in here. The other under-shelf basket (tied with twine again) holds more excess canned goods (beans for chili! Soups for casseroles!) and other bulk purchases.

I also put our olive oil in the pantry, because I'm trying to cut back on our usage...I've been following HungryGirl's advice and using Pam on the stovetop or foil packets in the oven to cook our food instead! (I know the Pam thing sounds bizarre but it works...tastes just as great with 0 calories!) So it's an out of sight out of mind thing. But funny story: I bought these great number decals on Very Jane a while back and then found the perfect bottle to use one on at TJ Maxx ($1.99! Cute & cheap, just how I like 'em!) So I put on the decal, then poured in the oil. Perfect!

Later that night I realized I'd used the "No. 1" decal on the bottle...and the oil looked very yellow in the jar...I'll let you put two and two together on that one. It looked like I had bottled up something very unappetizing. My fiance won't let me live that one down!

Moving on...

Since this closet also borders our laundry room and bathroom, the top shelf of the pantry houses our spare linens and towels. We always kept them in there, but they ended up in messy piles that would occasionally fall of the shelf in a colorful cascade of terrycloth. They're much prettier (and less avalanche prone) in their new baskets. I got the large brown one from Michael's, the sunburst patterned milk crates at Target ($4.94 on sale in May), and the longer media baskets at Target, too (here they are!) They're great for stacking!

As I said, I also did some reorganizing in our food cabinets, too, since the new pantry allows them a little breathing room. I'd already acquired some containers over the summer after my second-ever visit to the Container Store (loooooove! I got two of these and one of these and a medium one of these) and after we had to move my grandma into an assisted living place :( Since she doesn't have her own kitchen anymore, she gave me a lot of her old organizing stuff, like white rubbermaid bins and wire spice racks. So I put those things to use in our revamped cabinets.

One of the spice racks holds our Campbell's soups. The under-shelf basket houses instant rice, canned chicken & crab, and canned chiles (love them on nachos or in chicken tortilla soup!) I corralled our spice packets in the little wire basket. I also made & laminated my own labels so that the fiance can help me put away stuff :) Otherwise it's "Where does this go?" all the time ;) I just stuck 'em on with double-sided tape.

I also made a pantry inventory (stuck on the back of the door) to keep track of what we had (since the cabinet is brimming with stuff!) Easy peasy: I just picked some scrapbook paper, cut it to size, and printed a list of our most-purchased goods on there. Whenever I cook something for dinner or buy new stuff and put it away, I update the list with a dry erase marker stuck on the door with a velcro command strip. When I'm getting low on something, I write the number in red so I can easily see what we need when I'm making grocery lists.

I bought two mini fabric bins at Target (here) to hold our boxed meals (Chicken Helper, Mac n Cheese, etc.) It makes it way easier to reach the boxes, since I have to stand on tiptoe to reach them.

The repurposed soda can dispensers from Container Store make the frustrating corner cabinets way less annoying! All the usually wasted space (a whole FOOT!) is eliminated because I can push these babies back in the Siberia corner and they'll dispense our canned goods. When we're running low I grab some extras from the pantry and load 'em up! Love!

Check out how much room there is back in Siberia:

Score! No wasted space for me! Now I'm in search of an inexpensive slim bin to put the Chef Boyardee in to make it easier to grab...

The other cabinet is less impressive--it holds our snack foods and breakfast bars/drinks.

We also have a lazy susan in our lower corner cabinet (Love it!) I store our cereals, pasta sauces, brownie mixes, and extra condiments down there.

Last two. The dreaded slim spice cabinet and the above-microwave hideaway. These two used to be the bane of my existence. The spice cabinet was stuffed full of the little bottles. No spice rack would fit in there. To get out the larger bottles positioned in the back, I had to take out literally all of the other spices. The above-microwave space, however, was almost empty. I had some mixing bowls up there, but that didn't take advantage of all of the vertical space the cabinet had to offer. So BOOM! I mixed some stuff up!

I took one of the wire spice racks and popped it above the microwave. Then I added the taller spices/mixes (gravy mix, taco sauce, & cinnamon sticks, all from Costco) to the spice rack, along with bulkier/less used spices (like the extra salt & pepper, bouillon cubes, special BBQ spices, etc.) This maximizes the vertical space and makes it easier for me to make out all of the labels and reach all of the bottles! Love. The other side of the cabinet holds a lazy susan with some of our larger/bulkier bottled stuff used in cooking--Pam, vinegar, Crisco, cooking wines, etc.

I'd already streamlined the spice shelves by banishing the lesser-used/bulky bottles to above the microwave, so I just organized the bottom shelf by placing the spices I use more frequently there. The second shelf holds baking supplies--cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, cocoa, baking soda & powder, etc. The top shelf stores my cupcake stuff (silicone liners, holiday liners, sprinkles) and cookie cutters. Since I don't always need to access those things (wish I could--but I'm dieting for the wedding, people!) I felt okay putting them way up high.

So that pretty much covers the great pantry/cabinet redo! Now run out to Ross or TJ Maxx and snag up some containers of your own!! And stay tuned because I'm hoping to blog about our freezer organization and share some of the little decor changes I've made around the house :) Plus, fall is coming up--which means fall decor will be broken out soon! :)

Linking up here! :)

P.S. Yay! I made the top ten projects!

Apartment parade!

2011-05-22T22:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a bajillion years (again). I've come to the conclusion that I'm pretty much a summer blogger...I just don't have the time during the school year!
I have gotten a few requests for a peek into our place, so I just put together a few photos from each of our rooms (when they were clean, of course! Our apartment rarely looks this nice. Haha).

I'll start out with the living room:

Here's a close up of that art on the far wall. This used to be a big empty expanse of wall, until I remembered the cheap travel prints I'd snagged last summer that were sitting in the hall closet all lonely. Popped 'em into some white Walmart frames (seen lately in our V-day decor) and buh-bye boring wall!

Here's a shot of the coffee table, which we nabbed from Ryan's house. Now that I look at the pic I'm not loving the color of the candles. Might need to change them out.

Here's the media center:

And our super-comfy and cute recliner, and the Suzanna Anna print behind it:

Here's the bookshelf by our entry. I clearly love lime green, blue, and orange together. Perhaps too much! Haha.

Here's a close-up of the shelf.

On to the dining room/kitchen area! This might be my favorite area (when it's clean. When it's not...ugh I hate it! Dishes are not my favorite thing, and our dishwasher is not the best so we basically have to hand wash everything). Here's an overview:

We recently added shelves and frames over the sink to make it less naked. I love our little rainbow gallery wall! The best part? The shelves and the frames were all stolen from other rooms in our house! Gotta love free decorating. Here are the links to the "Home" and "I Love Us" printables, both from the girls at eighteen25. Both come in a multitude of color combos. I'm loving the sunny yellow, clearly!

Check out the YUM on top of the cabinet!

And here are some close-ups of a few areas:

Here's our little coffee, key, and mail station. We got the Keurig spinny-mo-bob (the technical name) from Costco for $18 bucks, which is cheaper than all the other places I've seen it. The other K-cup holders came from Bed, Bath, & Beyond (we stacked 2 of them). I got the coffee print fo free from Google images (I'm cheap) and made the frame myself with some Dollar Store frames & spray paint. (How I Met Your Mother fans will recognize the print from Ted's apartment! Love it).

Here it is from the other angle. Just because:

Now for the bedroom. It has evolved a little since we moved in, so you might notice some changes in these pictures. (Why not take new pictures of it now, you may ask? Well, when I was taking pictures I was too lazy to make the bed. Hahaha.) Plus, the cat looks cute in this picture. Had to include it!

Here's half of the dresser (the other half holds the giant and ugly TV...no pics of that beast) and our hamper. And another art print (which was later moved and replaced with a small quatrefoil mirror).

We added a little seating area right next to the dresser. I got the chair at Pier1 and just love how well it matches the poster ( another by Suzanna Anna! Love her art.)

Here's our bathroom. As a transition picture I had to include this. I was kind of giddy when I realized that our bathroom towels and color scheme matched our bedroom so well, since eventually we'll probably have a master bath and the two rooms will need to be visually tied together. It was a completely happy accident. Please ignore my ugly hair.

Now on to the actual bathroom:

Well, that's all for now! Hope you enjoyed this virtual tour! :)

Adorable giveaway from my friend Katie!

2011-02-12T11:54:00.000-08:00

You know that girl who is the sweetest gal you know?

Kind? Compassionate? Hardworking? Classy, put together, all-over-just-plain fabulous?

My friend Katie from Live Originally is that girl.

She founded her own business at like, age 14 or something insanely impressive like that.

She designs and sews custom wedding gowns.

She used to run a blog about all things wedding, but after planning her own and thinking about weddings for years and years, she (understandably) got a little burnt out. Now she also runs Live Originally, an adorable (and gorgeous looking!) blog about crafting, design, sewing, homemaking, etc.--basically all things fabulous, just like her!

Katie has a great giveaway going on now, but it only lasts through today! You can win these cute as pie pouches that she sewed herself.

{photo from Live Originally}

Head on over to Katie's to enter! And even if you don't win, check out her awesome tutorial!

Valentine's decor

2011-02-08T00:50:00.000-08:00

I always like sharing how we spruce up our apartment for the holidays, so without further ado, here's what our place is like for V-day!

Our little bookshelf in the entry way is prime decorating real estate. Here I hung up the lovely subway art from Eighteen25, along with the "Keep Calm" variant and a sparkly heart from the dolla dolla bills store. (I honestly can't recall where I got the Keep Calm print from...somewhere fo free on the blogosphere).

On the shelves below we have some awesome cheap-o decor from Target's dollar spot (LOVE & the plate), as well as my favorite quatrefoil votives and a super lovey pic of me and the fiance (thanks again, Kristine!) I kept out my red berries from Christmastime, as well as the silver & red balls and the red sparkly candle. The "plate holder" is actually a heart bookend my mom got me. (Thanks, mom!)

Now for the other V-day art I have floating around on my walls--more subway art (again, for the life of me can't recall from where...but I LOVE IT! I'll try to find the blog and link it up):

and the ABC's of looooove that I made the other day. Gotta love free art :)

Well, that's all for now!

Valentine's printable

2011-02-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

I'm on a roll with making printables this week! Inspiration for this one completely comes from Sprik Space's blog...I just changed the font and colors to my liking. Here it is:

And the link if you'd like to print one yourself...just click on "File" and "download original" or "print." It might be a cute card design, too!

UPDATE:

Hah, just after posting this I hit up Target to get the Kitchenaid hand mixer for $39.99 + a $10 gift card. While there, I cruised the decor aisles and saw this:

$19.99! And I made it myself for free and popped it in a frame I already had on hand! Mine's a bit smaller but I like it like that.

I also stopped myself from buying this lil cutie, knowing I could likely make it myself:

Since I only decorate for V-day for a teensy bit of time, I think being thrifty and doing as much DIY as possible is very important!

Well I'm off to cook some Super Bowl snacks (and put away my Christmas decorations during the game! Whoops, I am so slow!)

Free weekly calendar printable!

2011-02-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

I was searching the web for a cute weekly calendar to print, and I couldn't find anything that was to my liking...So with a few free font downloads and a few minutes, I created one myself!

Click here to access the PDF if you'd like one too!

What do you think? I might make some more printables in the future...and may even try to make my own planner for 2012! I really like the idea of customizing everything in there, and making it fun and colorful :)

And just for kicks, here are some of my favorite freebie organizing printables and printable shops!

Clean Mama Printables' Etsy Store. So many adorable lists and such to keep you organized! I got her Bill Pay & Budget Kit and the Grocery Shopping Kit. I love them both!
Mommy Tracked's FREE Party Planning Worksheet and To Do List. The party planning sheet is adorable! Can't wait to use it next time I am throwing a soiree. And I love that the To Do list has 3 columns--today, this week, and this weekend--since I usually don't get everything on my to-do list checked off :)
Perideau Design's FREE "My Next Project" printable and "Ultimate Gift Tracker." As an obsessive listmaker, I obviously love being able to make notes about future craft projects. I'm also big gift-giver, and I often buy things in advance, so it's great to keep track of what I have and what I need.

I hope you like my weekly calendar! I'll likely make some coordinating montly or daily pages when I get the chance!

In 2011, I will....

2011-01-05T12:53:00.000-08:00

1. Eat better.

2. Exercise more.

3. Be patient.

4. Follow my budget & save more each month.

5. Laugh lots.

6. Embrace change.

7. Keep in contact with those I love (through the phone and this blog).

8. Write write write! (And submit submit submit!)

9. Stay on top of grading.

10. Explore Missoula more.

11. Keep our apartment clean.

11 goals for '11. Watch as I try to achieve them (and blog about them, too!) I smell some reorganizing & streamlining projects coming up, and I hope to share new recipes, budgeting tips, & simple solutions with you all!

Happy New Year!

Christmas decor #1: Living Room

2010-12-21T18:46:00.000-08:00

I meant to get this post up much earlier in the holiday season, but all the school work and roadtrip preparations prevented me from doing so! But now I am here to share the holiday decor we put up in our little apartment before heading home to our families. It evolved a little over the month as I snagged up more stuff while shopping, so I guess it's good that I didn't post them until now :)

Starting with the entryway:

I put this Christmas bag and jingle bell bunch on the doorknob, so every time we opened the door, we heard the sound of Christmas cheer!

This tinselly wreath (festooned with a velvety bow and bells, all bought from Dollar Tree a few years back) took the place of our dart board in the little entryway.

Here's an all-together shot of our bookcase which is just off the entryway. (Sorry it's a bit dark). I loooove having this shelf here, because it gives me so much space to decorate! Here are some close-ups of the shelf itself:

I downloaded these fabulous prints for free on the blogosphere (subway art from eighteen25 and "Keep Calm" variants from Craftily Ever After and Funky Polkadot Giraffe). I just downloaded them, ordered them from Costco photo (only $2.99 for an 11x14! Such a great deal!) and popped them into some white frames from Walmart.

The angel was a gift from my uncle on a Christmas past, the glass centerpiece was a Goodwill find (which I also used in my fall decor), and it's filled with ornaments, jingle bells, and decorative balls that I already had :) I got the plate from Target (a name that you will see repeated many times in my post...it is my go-to store!)

I got the apothecary jar in an awesome set from Ross! It was only $12.99 for all three (see the other two below). Comparable jars at Pier1 cost $20 per jar, so this was an awesome deal! I filled it with sparkly red balls from Target. The glittery golden leaves, red berry sticks, and the bronze reindeer are also from (you guessed it) Target. I already had the bronze plate and the quatrefoil votives, and they fit in so well with the color scheme, so I kept 'em out!

The bottom two shelves feature red and green frames, a little decorative sled, a glittery stocking pouch, a festive Kleenex box, and a "Season's greetings!" sign that I got from Michael's.

I even added some cheer to the coffee table! The green basket is there year-round, but I made it more Christmas-y by adding abother festive tissue box (I get lots of winter colds!) and a little red and green tin.

Literally all of these items are from Target--the twine tree, large jingle bell, and snowflake balls are new, while the brown balls and metal basket were items I had on hand :)

I was so excited when I found this cheese dome at Ross (Ross + Target = decor nirvana for me!) for only $5.99!! I snagged it up and then added some berry garland from...yes...TARGET! Haha. Then I nestled in some little $.99 pine cones (also from Target...how I love thee). I love how it turned out!

Okay, moving on to the tree! (Had to give a night shot, because I love all the twinkly lights!) As you'll see when I post our Kitchen/dining room decor, we actually had 3 trees in our apartment :) I bought a 4.5 ft tree a few years back for my room in the sorority house, and we'd intended to use that in the living room...but it looked so sad when we put it out (probably due to the vaulted ceiling). So we hit up Target on Black Friday and grabbed this pre-lit 6-ft tree for $25. It looks so cute with my sequined red tree skirt and all the Hallmark ornaments I've accrued over the years. I hung up our velvety stockings next to the tree for Santa to fill them up while we're away :)

Next to the tree there's an end table (and next to that, our apple green recliner), so of course I used this tabletop as another decorating region!

These apothecary jars were part of the awesome three piece set from Ross. I filled them with some tiny glittery ornaments (from Target and Michael's), some glass jewels (Pier1), a few jingle bells, and some decorative balls from Pier1. The large JOY ornament is from Target and the little "doorbell" from Hallmark plays "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas!" when pushed. Loooove it! The festive branch is from Target--I popped it in a vase, added a white bow, and called it a day! And the red frame was purchased plain at Target and then spiced up with some sparkly white snowflake stickers from Michael's.

Almost done, I swear! :) Next up is our entertainment center, aka the SPARKLE ZONE as I nicknamed it...all the sparkly candles, containers, and words found a home here :)

To the left there's a Pier1 corner because almost everything (save the Merry Christmas ornament) is from there! I placed some glittery red and green candles from in the hurricanes I already had, popped more of the decorative balls in a Goodwill glass, and put a glittery LED-candle tree next to it all.

On the right size, I propped up a little Christmas tree, a huge apothecary jar ($9.99 at Ross--great price compared to the $55 at Pier1!) filled with sparkly ornaments, a glittery NOEL from Target's Dollar Spot, and a simple white frame which I dressed up with a "JOY" sticker and a picture of my friend Anna and I bundled up out in the snow.

Last available surface in the living room! On our other end table, I displayed some favorite Christmas photos in more decorative frames! (I added stickers to the white frame, and the red one's from Target, of course!) Of course, I forgot to snap some pictures of the ornaments displayed behind these frames, so I will have to take pictures once we are back in January and I'll amend the post then!

Stay tuned for more pictures of our Christmas-ified kitchen and dining room!

Craft Corner: holiday planner!

2010-12-04T16:45:00.000-08:00

Waaaay back in this post I teased you all with a picture of a Christmas craft I completed: my holiday planner. I saw this project on eighteen25 (a fabulous blog run by three sisters) and I knew right away that I needed to make my own! I make lists all the time, especially around the holidays--I like to keep track of the gifts I've bought or plan to buy. So this planner, with its sections for a calendar, gift list, to-do-list, and addresses seemed like just the thing for me.

The sisters at eighteen25 lay out a very clear step-by-step process for assembling the planner, so head there if you want more details on the process. Here are some snaps of my final product:

For my cover, I used some Christmas paper I'd bought at Hobby Lobby years ago. I simply traced the scrapbook paper to fit the cover and glued it on. The "Christmas planner" label is from the downloadable planner template at eighteen25. I made the tabs out of extra scrapbook paper; I cut out squares, used double-stick tape to adhere them to the notebook paper, then cut out a rectangle of paper to cover up the tape exposed on the back.

I also papered over the inside cover of both the front and the back of the composition book. Then I took some small manilla folders, cut them in half, and papered those as well. The front cover has two envelopes for my coupons, and the back has two envelopes for my receipts. The "my coupons" and "my receipts" labels are again from the downloadable template.

For the calendar portion of the planner, I downloaded a free monthly template from calendarlabs.com as well as weekly calendars. I went ahead and printed out months and weeks for 2010, 2011, and 2012, as I anticipate using this notebook in those years as well, given that there are many pages.

For the addresses section, I created my own headings on Word. Since pink, green, and red are the main colors in my planner, I used those colors in my design. It's great to have all these addresses in one place as I prepare to send out our super cute holiday cards from Shutterfly :)

So far I've copied most of my addresses, made a lot of gift and shopping lists, and jotted down some holiday crafts I'd love to complete!

Stay tuned for pictures of our holiday decor. Our living, dining, and kitchen areas are all decked out :)

In honor of Thanksgiving: our fall decor!

2010-11-25T19:58:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, friends and family (and random blogosphere folks!) I hope everyone is having a wonderful day filled with family, fun, and foooood!

I am lucky enough to have a fiance who cooked the big old Thanksgiving meal for ME since I have a lot of homework to do and papers to grade. He is a bonafide chef, my friends. Here's a picture of my man at work with his turkey, mashed potatoes, and homemade gravy:

Here's the table all pristine, waiting for the incoming food:

And here is our delicious spread:

After gorging ourselves today, we set to Christmas-ifying our place. I realized that I should post some snaps of our fall decor before I show you how we've decorated for the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! :) So, without further ado, here are the pictures of our little fall-scapes. All are from our living and dining rooms. (I will have to show pictures of the living room as it normally looks later on!)

Here's the centerpiece from our dining room table, featuring a candle I already had, some pinecones we collected from outside, a glass cake stand from Target, an acacia wood plate from Walmart and some maize that Ryan bought for us:

Here are the decorations on either side of the television. I got the large glass vase on sale from Pier 1, and I filled it with some harvest gourds that Ryan brought back one day from the store! The hurricane was also on sale from Pier 1; I put mini maize in it. I had the little stuffed turkey already, as well as the reed diffuser, the square frame, and the print inside it. I'll probably switch out the picture depending on the holiday.

Ryan bought the gourds and maize at the grocery store. The harvest basket is from the Dollar Spot at Target, the wood bowl from Walmart, and the little green dish from a consignment shop.

Here's our end table, next to our recliner:

I got the vase from a thrift store in Missoula, the frame from Michael's, the apothecary jar from Pier 1, the two smaller glasses from Goodwill, the wood chips and acorns from Walmart, and the pinecones from the great outdoors (Ryan scooped the big one up during our engagement photo session, so it has a nice memory associated with it!) Here's a close up of the glass things with the fillers:

And here's our little bookshelf in the entryway. The berry sticks are from Target--I just stuck them in a leftover olive oil jar I had handy. The hurricane holder next to the berries was on sale at Pier 1; I filled it with some maize. The hurricane in the center and the twig balls inside of it were also on sale at Pier 1.

Next year, I plan on replacing the bird prints above the bookshelf with some Thanksgiving art (which I featured in the last post!)

Here are some close-ups of this tablescape:

I got the plate from Walmart, the filler from Target (I added some of the acorns from Walmart and some wooden balls from Target) and the bowl itself from a thrift store.

I already had the frame with this photo in it, and then I realized it matched perfectly with this fall landscape, so I moved it to the bookshelf. The three bronze votive holders are from the Carnation Collection--they have a quatrefoil design on them that shines through when the candles are lit. (They are LED votives from Target and I love them--they have a delicious cinnamony smell!) The tray holding the votives is from Walmart. Here's another angle--you can see the quatrefoils on the votive holders better from this angle:

Here's another glass I got from the thrift store. I filled it with some itty bitty pumpkins from Michael's. Ryan actually found them as we were cruising the store for some discounted Halloween decor.

Well, that concludes our fall decor tour--stay tuned to see our Christmas spirit!

Sneak peek at our Christmas card!

2010-11-25T02:07:00.001-08:00

This is just ONE of the five beautiful cards Ryan and I designed on Shutterfly. We ordered 10 of each design as a part of their "50 free cards" for bloggers promotion, which was as awesome as it sounded. I only had to pay $7.99 for shipping (since there is no sales tax here in Montana! Holla!) I should note that I designed 35 cards and Ryan and I had to narrow these down to 5. There were too many adorable options to choose from! I can't wait until we get them and start sending them out to our loved ones :)

Sweet And Retro Christmas Card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Free Thanksgiving Prints!

2010-11-24T16:33:00.000-08:00

As we're all gearing up for Thanksgiving tomorrow, I thought I would share some of the Turkey Day art that I've seen floating around the great blogosphere. All are from one of my new blog obsessions, Craftily Ever After--check it out, it's full of decor and DIY inspiration! Best of all, these designs are free to download, so you can use them as your computer backgrounds, you can print them off yourself, or you can order larger prints from Costco, Walgreens, or Walmart! (I personally prefer Costco--I ordered some of these prints in 11x14 for $2.99 each, compared to $6.99 at other stores. Click on the prints to open the image in a new window and then right click on them to save the print to your computer.

Thanksgiving Subway Art from Craftily Ever After:

Faux-Burlap Thanksgiving Print from Craftily Ever After:

And these three are Thanksgiving-themed versions of the iconic "Keep Calm and Carry On" print originally designed by the British Ministry of Information; again, all are from Craftily Ever After:

As I said, I ordered some 11x14 prints to go in these frames from Walmart. I plan on hanging them in my living room and rotating in new prints for each holiday season! In fact, here are some of the Christmas prints that I've found so far:

The prints would also look awesome as 8x10's matted in an 11x14 frame, like Jessica of Craftily Ever After has them displayed:

I do really like the look of the dark frame, the white matting, and the print! Maybe someday I will upgrade from my white frames to bigger dark wood 16x20's matted to fit my 11x14 prints. Once I get the frames in the mail and pop in the prints, I'll be sure to share some pictures!

Come back tomorrow to check out our fall decor--I realized I should share some pictures before we packed it all away to replace it with Christmas stuff!

FREE Holiday cards from Shutterfly!

2010-11-19T21:47:00.000-08:00

Okay. I have been the world's worst blogger. I blame it on school, on teaching college composition for the first time in my life (writing lesson plans and grading papers takes FOREVER!), and on the general adjusting I've had to do after our big cross-country move. But I have time to catch my breath now, and I want to catch up the blog. To that end, I have a lot of posts planned, including:

The absolutely adorable Christmas planner I crafted!!! (So excited...see the sneak peak photo at the bottom of this post!)
Our engagement photos! (Preview the pics in this post!)
More of our apartment tour (including multiple views of our bathroom and living room, which have changed a lot since their first dressings).
Fall decor (I figured, oh snap, I can't take all this stuff down and replace it with Christmas decor without showing the blog world!)

And there will be more, much more!

For my first post back, I just have to gush about this A-MA-ZING deal that Shutterfly is putting on for all you bloggity gals & guys out there. They're offering 50 FREE holiday cards. Click here for more information. I've pretty much gone gaga over their entire holiday gift collection, particularly the photo cards, as I have some engagement photos that I'd love our loved ones to see. Here are my absolute favorites:

Seasonal Chic 2010 Christmas 5x7 Card. Non-denominational? Check. Spots for multiple photos? Check. Space for warm wishes inside? Check. And such a cute color theme.

Custom mug with chocolate. You can customize the design (over 20 to choose from!) I love personalized gifts, and who doesn't love chocolate? Could be adorable for grandparents--they love to see smiling tots as they sip their morning brews :)

Joy and Love Holiday 5x7 flat photo card. Again, I love that there are multiple spots for photos on this card. The message is simple: "Joy & love" from our family to you! Joy is one of my favorite words throughout the year, as it symbolizes the relationship I have with an absolutely amazing friend, Anna! So I particularly love this design :)

Personalized wall calendars. Calendars are a classic holiday gift (Happy New Year! Here, keep track of it!) But instead of giving your loved ones a pop culture calendar that they'll recycle once we great 2012, why not customize it with photos that mean something to them? I've received personalized photo calendars before, and I always keep them in my memory trunk. Shutterfly's version is way better than any I've seen before, however, because you can add photos to individual days, not just the monthly headers! How ingenious--instead of writing out "Sam's birthday," you can insert a picture of Sam to get that message across!

True Blue Menorah Hanukkah 5x7 photo card. For my Jewish friends out there (shout out to Miss Sara Aisenberg!), Shutterfly not only has the non-denominational photo cards I highlighted above, but also tons of Hanukkah designs! Commemorate the festival of lights with this adorable card. I love the menorah design, and I must admit that the card model child is such a little cutie! (She doesn't come with, though :P)

If you're not hooked on Shutterfly's many holiday options by now, I urge you to check out their stuff, from photo cards to other customizable gifts. The best part? Their photo uploader is so easy to use! After you've created a FREE account, you can upload images directly from iPhoto, Picasa, or Photoshop! If you don't have any of those programs (like me) you can use their standard uploader to select a ton of pictures at once (it's so fast!) Plus if you have a iPhone or iPad, you can download the Shutterfly app and upload photos stored or taken on those devices. Once you've uploaded some suitable snaps, you can sub them in to your favorite designs and preview your purchases by simply clicking the "Get started" button on the product's page! Here's a preview of my photo card (one of the many I messed around with!):

The photo featured is one of our engagement pictures, FYI (more to come in another blog post!) The picture was really easy to edit using Shutterfly's site--I changed the photo color to black & white by clicking on the picture, the "effects" tab, and selecting "black & white." Here's a screenshot:

I can't wait until my holiday cards arrive (will they be the same as the preview I showed you above? That I cannot reveal...) Just to prove that I will post more, here's a preview of what I'll feature next--my very own Christmas planner, as inspired by the lovely sisters at eighteen25!

I love how it turned out and can't wait to share the project in its entirety! Until then, have a lovely weekend--it's supposed to drop to 15 below up here, so we'll be holed up for the weekend under our blankies, drinking hot cocoa :)

Apartment tour: Kitchen

2010-08-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

For months and months, I have been blogging in anticipation of sharing photos of my new space. As anyone who moves knows, it's stressful and it takes a while to get everything in its proper place. So even though Ryan and I have been theoretically moved in (meaning the boxes were all out of the truck and into the apartment) for a week and three days...our apartment is still a work in progress. Most of the boxes are empty, but now they are flattened and stored in our dining room until we can get them to the recycling center. Most of the major furniture has been purchased, delivered, and placed (save a pear green reclining chair for the living room, but more to come on that later). Most of my decorative accents have been positioned on tables, countertops, or bookcases. We have little moments in our apartment that are exactly as I wanted them--stylish little vignettes. But unlike the living spaces in the catalogs or inspirational photos, we actually live in our apartment, and it's bound to get a little messy.

With that being said, I am not 100% ready to share photos of every room's every detail....so I am going to take this slow and reveal one room at a time! And as we settle in further and get the finishing touches, like that pear chair or the black floating shelves I'm imagining over Ryan's workspace or our bedding (yeah, we don't even have bedding yet...we are stubborn and can't find what we like), I will continue to post some fabulous before and afters that show the final product of each room!

So here are the oh-so-blah befores of the kitchen:

And here's one of me fretting about fitting all my stuff in:

And here I present the room as it is now, stocked full of my bright gadgets and goodies :) Here are some shots of the rooms overall:

We're still looking for a mirror to go in the awkward empty space above the sink...

And here are the close-ups of my favorite spots :)

The tall shelf was originally stationed in Ryan's townhouse bathroom. We decided that it matched our kitchen cabinets very well, so we placed it in the dining room for overflow kitchen storage! Now it houses our cute towels, some snacks, and a few decorative items.

Under the cabinets, there's an "over-the-sink" shelf that I nabbed for 6 bucks from Big Lots. It didn't fit over the sink, so we just stuck it there to stash more doodads! And the wood also matches the cabinetry, luckily. Here's a close-up of those doodads...

Which include my aqua bread box (imperative because Belle likes to tear open the bread bag with her teeth and lick the crusts...she is a silly kitty), flower measuring cups from Pier1, and some Ball mason jars. (Oh, and see that cutting board type thing on the counter? Yeah, that's my cheese slicer...also imperative as I am a big cheese fan. hahaha). And in addition to the glass jars on that shelf, you might have noticed the collection on top of the cabinet....

Originally these were arranged on top of the fridge, but Belle decided that she wanted to jump on top of that frequently to climb to the super-high upper cabinets, so these had to be moved. Since this cabinet is far from the fridge, I can sleep safe knowing she won't knock them down. Speaking of the fridge, it is bedecked with photos and magnets. Here's a picture of it, pre-removal of the jars and pre-addition of pictures of Ryan's friends:

And here's a picture of Belle in her spot, along with the DIY art I created (originally for the living room) that matches the kitchen colors nicely, and adds interest to the whiteness above the cabinets:

And now to another corner of the kitchen, where we keep our utensils, wine, and baking cannisters:

I love this space! All the colors are tying together well, and you can't really tell that the utensil holders, wine rack, and orange shelf were all bought/made on the cheap :) In the close-up, you can really see my cork collection (stashed in a cute glass from Goodwill). And there's some delicious Montana wine stashed in the wine rack.

And here is a close-up of the other section, with the shelf, patterned "Y" (on sale from Anthropologie -- it doesn't stand for anything, I'm just aiming to collect all letters of the alphabet in different styles) and the mismatched canisters. I got the blue ones in a 3-piece set from Target, and later found the lime green one with the spoon at Pier1, so I simply put the smallest blue one elsewhere in the kitchen (can you spy where?) and plopped the green one in the middle to round out the set!

And for the last major area in the kitchen...my tea and coffee station!

Since there isn't really a convenient place to stash our keys near the door, we also put our key rack there. Notice my dollar store tiered tray is next to my coffeemaker, where I can stash my coffee and hot chocolate cups!

And now, moving on to the adjacent dining space. Here's the before:

And now the after:

We have the fun, bright table and chairs from Echo, Echo and other thrift stores, as well as, against the wall, my craigslist-scored sofa table. (Turns out it looked dwarfed behind the futon, so we relocated it to serve as a buffet in the dining room!) And here's a closer look at that table with its decor:

I tried not to overcrowd the table, as I intend to use it for serving extra food and just don't want it to get cluttered. The candlesticks were nabbed at Ross in Missoula, the tablecloth was gifted by my future mother-in-law, and the framed "art" is actually color-coordinating scrapbook paper that I put in on-sale shadowboxes from Target.

You might remember from my previous kitchen post that I painted some shelves which I intended to put in the dining area. After looking at the space, however, I decided adding them would just over-crowd the room. I did hang the orange one in a nook in the kitchen, as pictured in the photos above.

So, what do you think of my colorful kitchen and dining room? Let me know in the comments and come back to tour the rest of the place! :)

I'm alive, promise!

2010-08-17T20:22:00.001-07:00

I have been an awful blogger this past week. But I am happy to report that the apartment is receiving the finishing touches (such as a bookshelf for the office that was delivered today!) and I will be blogging about settling in soon! I love and miss everyone and stay tuned for more pictures.

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Wish List: Container Store/IKEA edition!

2010-08-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

**Note: This post was composed on August 6...I'm scheduling it to post today so that my blog won't be completely neglected as we unpack!**

Moving to Montana means lots of big things. It means I'll be 22 hours and 1,391 miles away from almost everyone I love (except my new roomie, the fiance, and my cat, Belle). It means I'll be taking a big step mentally and professionally in graduate school, and meeting a lot of new awesome people (while of course staying in touch with the old awesome people I already know and love). And it also means that I'll be only eight hours away from two great things...that's right, people, I'm talkin' bout actually visiting the physical stores of two websites I like to frequent, The Container Store and IKEA!

The fiance and I have already planned to go to Portland the weekend of Halloween to see one of my favorite singers, Ingrid Michaelson, in concert. (Even if you've never heard of her name, I bet you've heard her single "The Way I Am" -- she is fabulous and you should check her out!) Well, I got an email from TCS today advertising a 20% off sale...and I thought, hmm, I wonder if there is a store near Missoula? I searched and found that there is one in Portland, along with the fabulous IKEA!!! (Living in Missouri, both of these stores are super-far from me...so it's very exciting!)

So, the weekend of October 29 is going to be packed with fun: a concert and container shopping! I'm so excited that we're going then, because we will be really settled in the apartment and I am sure some decor/organization needs will become apparent...so we will have a little wishlist of goods to buy in person!

In honor of this exciting shopping discovery, I am making a special Container Store/IKEA edition of my weekly Wednesday wishlist! I'm sure I will find a ton of things in person, and I'll blog all about my experiences once I've gone!

1. Grassy Toothbrush Organizer, The Container Store ($8.99).

Oh em gee, this would look too cute in a kids' bathroom! Though it doesn't match with my current bathroom decor (bright blues and greens -- this is a little too sagey), it would just be too cute in a nature-themed restroom for tiny tots! I love that it's adorable and functional. You could also store other bathroom goodies in there, like headbands or hair ties!

2. Flora fabric storage boxes, The Container Store ($12.99, $14.99, and $19.99).

I can just picture these colorful and whimsical cloth boxes in my closet, housing scarves, belts, clutches, and other accessories. I love the unique floral pattern and the little white spot for labeling the contents.

3. Partridge Jewelry Stand, The Container Store ($15.99)

Another adorable and functional piece from TCS! I kinda have a thing for birdies, so the details on this acrylic jewelry stand are right up my alley! I also love the tray at the bottom, which would be perfect for stashing my ring at night, along with other smaller baubles. If I didn't already have my jewelry storage under control, I would totally nab this cutie.

4. Frigoverre Fun Food Storage, The Container Store ($6.99 - $11.99 each).

I love the bright colors, floral print, and labels on these glass containers! (It's always important to mark dates on your leftovers so that you know if they're still good or if a tossing is in order). I might consider buying these in October, unless we opt to go for Costco glass-loc containers instead.

5. Water Week water bottles, The Container Store ($14.99).
These water bottles are not only bright and boldly patterned, but they're eco-friendly, too. Think metal instead of plastic, people! I love the idea of having these cuties around to tote to work and around campus. I'll see what I think about them in person come October.

6. Asker cup, IKEA ($5.99 each).

I love the endless storage possibilities for these cute little cups. Just look at all the things Jen at IHeart Organizing has done with them! Combined with a rod and some hooks, these babies have made appearances in her home office, laundry room, and bathroom. With all her gushing about their cuteness and functionality, Jen has me hooked. I can just picture them in my own office space, and maybe even in the kitchen for holding scrub brushes or spatulas!

7. STAM bottle opener and can opener, IKEA ($0.99 and $1.99).

I'm a fan of bright colors, and the turquoise option of these utensils would work well with my existing kitchenware! I just need to convince the fiance that we need them...shouldn't be too hard, considering they are inexpensive!

8. Barometer floor/reading lamp, IKEA ($59.99).

I know from extensive in-store and online searches that lamps can come at a hefty price, so the face that this beauty is only 60 bucks makes my jaw drop! I love its classic look and adjustability. Once we've set up our space, we might just snatch up one of these for the office or living room..

9. Asele table lamp, IKEA ($59.99).

Unsurprisingly, another IKEA lamp caught my eye -- this silver stunner would look great in the living room or bedroom! Again, I'll have to wait until we're fully moved in to decide where it could find a final home...but I know that I'll definitely be cruising the lamp section when I do visit the store.

10. SOLSTRÅLE vase, IKEA ($6.99).

This funky jade-colored vase is just my style -- a dash of color and eccentricity equals my heart's delight! I'll definitely look out for this one in store, and maybe it'll join my crew of eclectic baubles that grace my bookshelves!

Well, that's all I got for now! Tune in soon for pictures of the apartment all done up (gasp!)

On the road

2010-08-09T07:19:00.001-07:00

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Wishin', and hopin', and prayin'

2010-08-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I mentioned that I was hoping to keep on the blog train with two project posts this week. Ha ha ha! Joke's on me. I had zero time this week for crafting...it has been all about packing, packing, packing, with a dash of fun thrown in here and there. Tomorrow this shows up in my driveway

and I will be so happy to banish all the boxes piled in the garage ! (I know I have to unpack them next week...but for a few days they'll be outta my hair!)

So really for this week's wishlist, I should be wanting a teleporter to magically move all my stuff, or if that fails, a giant crew of strong men who would move it for free...but of course I have some material wants. Without further ado, here's what I've had my eye on lately:

1. Plaque Dots Wall Art from Bed, Bath, and Beyond ($39.99 for set of 3).

Ahhhh! I just have to let out a scream for these little beauties! I love the modern look and the cool (literally cool -- like icy, calming -- not just like groovy) colors. I think these would look super chic in our future bathroom or bedroom. Alas, since we're not moved I am indeed holding off and waiting until we're settled -- that way, I can see if some spot needs a little artsy lovin'! Or I could always attempt a little DIY...with 3 Dollar Tree canvases, some paint, and a steady hand, I might possibly recreate this!

2. Fiesta Pitcher ($45 at Kohl's, but available in consignment or thrift stores if you hunt!) in...I can't pick a color!

What do you guys think, persimmon or turquoise? As I've said before, I love the look of the Fiestaware and I can't wait to start my collection!

3. "Good Things Happen Over Coffee" sign from Amazon.com ($19.99).

Any "How I Met Your Mother" fans (love that show!) should recognize this sign. One of the main sets of the show is Ted's apartment, and he has this adorable sign hanging in his kitchen. I've fallen in love with the sign, and a quick google search told me its location. I might consider snagging it once our kitchen is unpacked and I see if we have any space.

Normally I'd list 5 things on my wishlist....but I am so busy that I have to go pack right now! I promise more updates will be made soon. Until the big move I am spending every possible moment with the people I love, so the blog may be a little neglected! But check back in a while for updates on Montana and the apartment :)

A trip to the River Market

2010-08-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

This Friday, I headed to the City Market to eat, shop, and explore with my sister, her hubs, and Ryan. None of us had ever been before, so it was all new to us. We ate at a yummy little place, Cascone's Grill, and then walked by the farmer's market before heading to our final destination, the River Market Antique Mall. We walked in and WOW...the place was so large! It was 4 floors split into tons of different booths/rooms that housed tons of treasures. I'd never seen anything like it! These pictures will give you the idea (note how it's room after room after room...with shelf after shelf after shelf!)

We were there for almost 2 hours, but we really only checked out the first floor fully. We spent so much time browsing that we had to rush through the second and third floors, and couldn't even go to the fourth! But from what I did see, I know that the place is amazing and definitely worth a trip. I saw tons of beautiful blue glass mason jars, which are pretty rare.

Of course, as with most antique stores, among the many, many gems there were also some very hideous things (which Ryan took tons of pictures of), but overall the place was so interesting to browse around! I did bring some things home, but here are some snaps of the things I resisted:

I am collecting decorative letters -- I hope to have all of the letters of the alphabet, to have a fun feature wall (or perhaps just to place them around the house). This "F" was right up my alley, but it was so large and a bit pricey, so I passed on it.

I loved this kitschy old cupboard door turned mirror! It's just the right combination of old and chic for me. However, I took this as more of a DIY-inspiration....maybe in the future I can find a door and make my own!

These retro spice jars were adorable and colorful (I love that spicy orange!) Again, they were a bit expensive, so I passed on them...but their little cork toppers still call to me!

Of course, being a lover of thrifty finds and eclectic decor, I had to snatch up some things. When we first walked in, I spied this cute little sea-green clock sitting on a weathered wooden shelf. I can already picture it in our place!

I also snagged a trio of the aforementioned blue mason jars in 3 different sizes. I love the original zinc lids and the cool glass-loc lid. I have already snagged some clear masons from other thrift stores, so I'll have a cute little collection for storage in the kitchen (and maybe even the bathroom...wouldn't they be cute for stashing toothbrushes or cotton balls?)

I took a close-up of the bluest one so that you could see the jar's true shade.

I also found a great stash of letters for my eclectic alphabet collection!

This one looks like it was from an old sign or something, because it has large screws attached:

And Ryan found these awesome old print press letters. Coincidentally, the only large letter was a backwards R, which he of course loved because of his name. He also picked out an apostrophe and his favorite number, 19. The aged letters are a really cool color and are completely one-of-a-kind. I can't wait to show after pictures of them in our new apartment :)

I really want to go back to the antique mall to check out the other floors...I'm sure I would find some other goodies! Unfortunately I'm swamped with last minute packing and pre-move errands this week, so I don't think a trip is possible before I head west! I do think I'll check it out before Christmas for potential gifts, though :)

Speaking of all of that stuff I have to do before we move...I have some posts and projects that I'm hoping to get done this week -- I'll try my very best to get them up! Next week (2 days of traveling, tons of unpacking) will be when chaos truly ensues, so posts will probably be few and far between then.

Packing is a party

2010-07-31T15:59:00.000-07:00

...okay, so not for most people, like my friends Asian or Whitney, who have both blogged about their dislike for the time-consuming task. As you should all know from reading my blog (and I know, you read it each and every day, treasuring my words...ha! Sarcasm) I am moving in 1 short week to Montana. I started packing a while ago, but I've really kicked it into overdrive now. Anyone who knows me/has seen my room also knows that I have a lot of stuff. Any sane person would be overwhelmed and extremely stressed by packing...but as my blog title implies, I really like it! It's sort of like a puzzle for me, getting everything to go nice and neat into my boxes...so, since I love it and it seems like others don't, I thought I'd share my top 10 tips for successful (and yes, FUN!, packing!)

1. If you're preparing for a big move or long trip, start packing early. One of the things that people seem to hate most about packing is that it takes a long time. If you start early enough and give yourself the time you need for those long vacations (study abroad) or big moves, you will enjoy it more because it won't seem like it's consuming your life. Do a bit each night before bed, and when you finish one box or bag, move it into the closet or garage or wherever, so that the boxes aren't overflowing in your room.

2. Make a list and check it thrice! I'm a big fan of lists...first of all, they make me feel like I'm more in control of my crap, and they also ensure that things won't be forgotten. I have one of these "Pack This!" notepads and I love using it whenever I pack, whether it's for a cross-country move or a weekend vacation. I usually make a hash like this / across the checkbox to indicate that I need to pack an item; once it's packed, I complete the x with another hash \ and I know it's taken care of! And having a record of what you packed is important if a box goes missing or you really can't find an item.

3. Attempt to group your stuff into categories...but don't be afraid to throw in some random things to round out the box. Having your like items grouped together makes for easy unpacking and also makes you feel accomplished (i.e. "Look, Ryan! I have been packing! I packed away all of my DVDs, see???") But don't waste space by calling a box done just because all of the like items are already packed. If there's empty space, find another item to fit it and make note of the unalike item on top of the box (i.e. "Shoes and wooden candlestick holder").

4. Always check box heaviness during and after you're done filling it. Nothing sucks more than finally figuring out how to best pack your box...and then realizing there's no way any human being could lift it. This happened to me during my packing process, and I wish I had done periodic weight checks as I added more stuff to the big ol' box. Moving and unpacking are pains enough...why add any extra strain to your back?

5. Pack heavy things, like dishes or books, in smaller boxes. This is another easy way to prevent boxes from weighing too much.

6. Before packing, weed through your stuff and host a garage sale! Anything that doesn't sell should go to charity. If you haven't worn the clothing or used the item in over 6 months, ask yourself if you will realistically use it when you move. Probably not, and the less clutter you have during the move, the less stressful it will be. Plus, you might get some extra cash (or, if the stuff doesn't sell, you can create an itemized list and get money off of your taxes!) Even if you do use the item but you don't like the style anymore (like an old laundry hamper from your college days -- you might want a more adult version now), you can always get rid of it and purchase a new one once you've moved!

7. Don't be afraid to get creative. Wrap your breakable dishes in clothing rather than bubble wrap -- if you're taking both, might as well combine them to save space! Or, if you have lots of large baskets or bins to organize things in, pack inside of those containers -- you won't waste a box, and you'll be able to clearly see what's packed, leaving for easier unpacking! Using containers you already have as packing boxes makes for insta-storage; for example, last time I moved into my sorority house, I packed my purses in underbed storage bins, which I slid under the bed for permanent storage!

8. Labels, labels, labels: rude when you put them on people, essential when you're packing to move! As an avid list-maker, I am also a fan of labels. [Not as much as my mother, who has taken to labeling the light switches...really, mom?!]
Friends and family who are so kindly helping you haul your stuff will need aid when it comes time to set the boxes down -- so help 'em out by writing "KITCHEN" or "BEDROOM" or wherever. Jot down a more precise listing of what's inside ("silverware" or "board games") so that you know what boxes house essentials and should be unpacked first. [Speaking of unpacking...I'll probably post tips for that later, too!]

9. Whenever possible, condense! Sometimes, you might have a large group of items already stored away. Though it might seem convenient just to pull it all out and take the full container with you, stop to consider if you'll really use it all. For example, I'm a big fan of hitting up after-Christmas wrapping paper sales, and I also store old bags given to me with gifts, so I have a ton of wrapping paper that I'd already stashed under my bed. Since I want to have the paper with me this holiday season, I grabbed the two underbed boxes to take with me. I could've taken both, but realized that condensing my favorite materials into one bin would save space -- plus would eliminate the headache of carrying an unneeded box up 3 flights of stairs, and would make it easier for me to find the good bags and paper later. So instead of grabbing all your already-stored DVDs, games, or whatever, actually sort through the collections and be realistic about what you'll need.

10. Make it fun! Don't just stand there staring at the daunting task ahead of you -- have a movie marathon, listen to some music and dance as you pack, or, my personal fave, make packing into a game or challenge. My sister and I used to challenge each other before family trips -- we'd race to see who could finish packing first! Even if you have no one to challenge, challenge yourself: set a timer and try and finish packing one group of items within a certain time limit. Also, don't sequester yourself in your room. The one thing I hate about packing is that it separates me from loved ones -- and when you're moving, you want to be around them as much as possible! To combat this, I bring boxes and possessions down to the family room and I pack in their presence. Just that simple step makes me happier. I strongly believe that if you go into things with a positive attitude, you're more likely to have fun. Make a fun environment for packing, and you should have a good time!

Lazy days at the Lake!

2010-07-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

Last week, my sister, brother-in-law, fiance and I took a week off and headed to the lake! I can't speak for them, but I know that it was just what I needed -- time to relax and clear my head before throwing myself back into packing and gearing up for the big move.

The last time we were down at the lake (Labor Day with Ryan's parents -- woo hoo, the in-laws get along!) Ryan started this intense 2,000 piece coke puzzle. He got some large chunks done but had to pack it up when the weekend was over. So last week he pulled it out and started it over...

And with some help...

He completely finished it!

The decor at the lake actually used to be all coke-themed, and Megan and I are quite nostalgic about that, so we decided once we inherit the house we're going to bring that back. Which meant we wanted to keep the ginormous coke puzzle together to hang up. Which meant we needed to find a ginormous frame to put it in. Well, here's the beauty:

Ha, I know, it is hideous and so is the ooooooglay mountain picture inside. But we trolled Wal-Mart to no avail, and as a frequent Michael's shopper, I know that they don't stock a 42" x 36" frame. We'd have to have a custom frame made, which would be really expensive. So imagine our happiness when we found this speckled poster frame in a little furniture consignment store on the way back from the outlet malls! Ryan spotted it hidden in a corner and we snagged it for only $40, which was good considering a custom frame that size would be $50+. We plan on spray-painting it later, but for now, here's the final-ish product.

Since my sis and I are big thrift store shoppers, we decided to stop at another thrift store in Osage Beach. It was such a cool place! The shelves were brimming with things to look at, and we both found some adorable things.

I got a retro camera that would look really cool on the bookshelf that I'm eyein' for our living room.

In addition to the cool camera, I also got a fun slanty vase:

...and began my love affair with Fiestaware.

There was a shelf full of the bright, beautiful dishware in the store. I was drawn to the turquoise right away (which is no surprise, since my kitchen has a lot of the bright blue in it!) I ended up getting a large mixing bowl (or, as Ryan thinks it should be, a "mashed potato bowl" -- hahaha) and a spoon rest, both for much cheaper than I've seen online. Though I love the dish sets, I think I'll probably just stick to getting accent pieces like these (I'm eyeing the persimmon teapot and pitcher for my next purchases -- or Christmas gift lists) rather than all of the plates and bowls.

Of course we also hit up the Outlet Malls for some shopping -- both the fiance and I got some discounted new garb at Gap, and we got a few utensil essentials at the Kitchen Collection. But shopping wasn't the highlight of the trip -- we had so much fun relaxing in the water and enjoying the outdoors!

And we spent a lot of quality time together:

We also had some delicious home-cooked meals, like chicken tenders:

Crab cakes and salmon:

Mexican fiesta food:

On our last night, we went out for seafood -- but found out that the place we wanted to go to was no longer in business. We decided to drive back to Osage Beach and eat at the Pasta Factory. In the end, it was very fortuitous: after dinner, we went next door to Home Depot for electrical parts to fix the dock lighting, and there we found a rug on a super-duper good sale! I bought it for Megan and Brandon as an anniversary gift.

Here it is all rolled out at their home, after we made our way back to LS:

All in all, it was a fabulous time with fabulous people at my favorite lake spot :)

Check back later this week for more updates on some crafty projects and my packing progress!

Dollar Store Craft #3: Bulletin Board Center

2010-07-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

This post marks the last of my Dollar Store Craft imitations -- but I did find some steals of my own and of course added my crafty touch to the materials. Posts on these projects will be coming soon!

Back to the present...another Dollar Store Craft I absolutely adored was the bulletin board center by Joanne.

I'd already been eying the uber-organized memo center from Pottery Barn, but it is waaaaay out of my budget.

So, after seeing Joanne's idea and snagging the bulletin boards from Dollar Tree, I decided to really mimic the look of the pricey Pottery Barn centers. Thus, I did not emulate the ribbon connecting Joanne's boards, and I painted the wooden frames of the boards black. (Side note: at first I used ordinary acrylic craft paint for this job, but it wasn't covering at all.

Then I turned to my new BFF, Valspar spray paint in flat black, and it worked its magic!)

Best of all, the paint didn't seep through the magazine clippings/tape I used to cover the cork!

I also added a step that Joanne didn't mention: gluing cardboard behind the cork. Since these are dollar store bulletin boards, the cork is very thin and backed with a thin layer of cardboard. Adding the extra layer (which I cut out from a strawberry box, haha) ensures that the pushpin or tack won't stick out and injure the wall or your fingers!)

Check them out below in action with the other message boards I already owned. The monthly dry erase calendar was a gift card purchase from Target, and the photo clip frame was a birthday gift from Pier One!

I think they turned out well! My brother-in-law actually thought that they were picture frames, which got me thinking that if you had something to frame, you could remove the cork/cardboard and place the art inside -- instant display!

So, is my low-budget DIY comparable to the PB inspiration? Let me know what you think!

Dollar Store Craft #2: Double Display Frame

2010-07-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has been in my room knows that I love to have tons of photos displayed in my space. I love taking pictures and remembering the events they commemorate. So when I saw the Double display frame by Blue Artichoke Interiors featured on Dollar Store Crafts, I wanted to mimic the project right away. Here's their version:

And here's the important info:

Supplies:

Assorted frames from your local dollar store (I opted for two square 8 x 8 frames, one 5 x 7 frame, two4 x 6 frames, and one 3 x 3 frame)
Spray paint (on hand or at craft/hardware store)
Scrapbook paper for matting (on hand or at craft store)
Stick-on velcro (I just used 3M command strips because I had them handy)

Instructions:

Take glass and backing out of frames and spray paint in desired colors! (Don't forget my Pizza Box paint station idea from last post). For my project, I chose to paint one 8 x 8 pink (leftover from my tiered tray project), and one chrome (again from the tray project). [Sidebar: The first go-round, I bought a tiny frame -- wallet-sized -- to paint blue and put with the pink 8 x 8 frame. After the paint completely covered the thing, I thought spray-painting it with clear enamel was a good idea. NOT. Apparently, Krylon spray paint + Clear spray enamel = wrinkly uglies on the previously perfect paint job! I say skip the enamel...the paint will be glossy enough on its own. This mistake led me to make some alterations on the project...see below!]
While waiting for the paint to dry, measure and cut out scrapbook paper for the larger frames. The paper acts as the matting, like the burlap fabric in the inspiration project.
When the paint is dry, insert the scrapbook paper into the large frames. Do not place the glass in the larger frames, as you will be adhering the smaller frames to the surface of the scrapbook paper matting.
Apply the stick-on velcro to the scrapbook matting and the back of the smaller frames. Stick on the frame and PRESTO! You have a double matted frame, which looks much more sophisticated than a dollar store buy! [Sidebar: The original project called for the smaller frame to be glued onto the scrapbook matting, but I decided to use stick-on velcro instead of glue, so that the pictures could be easily changed out!]

And here are my snaps of my final products:

The pink frame is intended for my desk, which is large and black and could use pops of color. [I have other dollar store projects that will accomplish this task..but more on them later!] I used the floral paper and bright paint to tie-in with the scrapbook quilt that I crafted for the office. The other frames don't have an official home yet, so I kept the colors fairly neutral.

Also note that the pink frame with the floral paper is not a double display frame...that was the one I intended to use with the blue Krylon paint/enamel victim. I ended up ruining the frame with the enamel, so I decided to use scrapbook paper to create my own lime green matting, because I couldn't find another wallet-sized or square frame at the dollar store to fit my liking. In the future, if I see a little guy I'll snag him to paint lime green -- but for now the paper works just fine as a 2-D frame :) Of course, I wanted a blue frame still, so I took this old oooglay gold frame and spray-painted it with the pretty Krylon color....for after pictures, you will have to check back later this week!

So, what's the verdict? Do my versions match up to the original?

Dollar Store Craft #1: Colorful Tiered Trays

2010-07-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I am a big fan of the amazing website Dollar Store Crafts. What's not to love? DIY low-budget decor? I am so in! So I chose my top 5 favorite projects featured on their website, and decided to recreate 3 of them. Here's the first, with lots of in-progress photos and helpful tips:

Colorful tiered trays by Julie [Joy's Hope]

I love the colors featured in this picture, and thought they would match perfectly with my kitchen and dining room decor, so I wanted to mimic them in my project; however, I couldn't find a good lime green spray paint color, so I went with a chrome instead and used that color on the candlesticks that join the plates together. Also, since I have more of a modern style, I tweaked Joy's project by choosing decorative plates with a bubble pattern on the outside ring rather than the more shabby chic metal trays that she used.

Overall, the process was very simple and the supplies were low-cost!

Supplies:

3 decorative plastic trays or plates
2 crystal candleholders (long enough to provide enough space between the trays -- I found some shorter candlesticks that came in packs of 2 and glued these together to form a longer one)
Spray paint (my new fave is Valspar -- check my tips #1 and 2 below for tips on buying spraypaint and repurposing old pizza boxes when painting!)
Glue (I used E3600 and Krazy Glue... see my tip #3 below for more info)

Instructions:

1. Prepare well-ventilated area for painting and spray away!

Awesome Tip #1: Next time you order from your favorite pizzeria, stash the empty box for future uses as a makeshift painting station. Just grab the crumb-free box (important -- shake it out first so that crust doesn't stick to your paint!) and place the item to be painted in it. Then you can tote the box around easily. For example, I like to paint outside, since any residue is quickly mowed away, so I placed the plates in their boxes, painted outside, and then carried the boxes into the garage for the plates to dry. Super easy!

Awesome Tip #2: I decided to try Valspar's chrome "odds and ends" spray paint for the candlesticks. I love this paint! It covered the candlesticks in one coat, and at $1.99 a pop, it was also affordable. I highly recommend it! I loved the shade so much that I decided to use it on my previously orange lamps, which I had painted weeks before but wasn't quite happy with...but I'll be posting later on the lamp redo.

2. Once you're satisfied with your painted baubles (the number of coats you have to do will depend on the shade/type of paint you select) and they're completely dry, it's gluing time! First, glue one candlestick to the bottom of the top plate. Flip the plate upside down and set a book on the candlestick to help the glue work its magic. Then, glue the other candlestick to the top of the bottom plate and again use a heavy book to help the glue set. Repeat the glue and book step by adding the middle plate to the mix: glue the top plate/candlestick conglomeration to the top of the middle plate, then glue to bottom plate/candlestick to the bottom of the middle plate.

I used a combo of E3600 and Krazy Glue for this task. Why, you may ask? Well, that leads into Awesome Tip #3! which is less of a tip and more of a me admitting my mistakes. I had never used E3600 before, so of course I slathered too much onto one of the chrome candlesticks. When the goopy glue met the silvery sheen, a messy chrome ooze resulted. Sadly, you can see the aftershocks of the mistake on the middle plate:

But, since the plate will be covered with stuff, it doesn't bug me too much! So the tip: be careful with your E3600 application, or just stick with Krazy Glue!

3. Let the trays sit overnight and then enjoy your beautiful creation!

Without further ado, a picture of my final result!

Since these colors fit so well with my kitchen, I am planning on using my trays as a "tea station" where I can store tea bags, sweeteners, creamers, and coffees! I staged this picture in my parents' kitchen, since I don't have one yet...but you get the idea!

I am also very tempted to make another one for sorting mail: one tier could hold bills, one cards/postcards, and the other catalogs/magazines...or I could do one for incoming, one for outgoing, and one for postage and stationery. I might wait until post-move to make this one, or I might go ahead and do it soon...time will tell!

Well, what do you think of dollar store craft recreation #1? Stay tuned for more!

Craft Corner: Dollar store creations!

2010-07-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

My fabulous sister recently introduced me to a blog that I now love, Dollar Store Crafts! The website features the projects of tons of bloggers who take cheap dollar store finds and transform them into amazing "no-way-that-only-cost-that-much" creations!

Of course, after browsing the site and picking my favorites, I just had to give some them a go. I'm going to unveil my finished projects over this week. Here are my Top Five favorites -- I'm attempting the first 3 and saving the last 2 for later, if we have some bare walls that need some extra somethin' somethin' once we've set up the apartment!

Craft no. 1: Colorful tiered trays by Julie [Joy's Hope]

As you can probably tell from my kitchen and dining room decor, I am a fan of bright colors! Thus, when I saw these bright-hued beauties, I knew right away that I wanted to attempt my own. Check back in soon to see my version!

Craft no. 2: Double display frame by Blue Artichoke Interiors

I am not a doggy owner (though I love pups!), so my desire to copycat this project does not have to do with the canine theme, but rather with the layered look of the frame! I love having lots of pictures around me that document my favorite moments and loved ones -- and especially since we're moving so far away, Ryan and I will really want those familiar faces and memories with us. Look later this week for my creations.

Craft no. 3: Bulletin board center by Joanne

As you can see from this wishlist post, I absolutely love the look of a repetitious, symmetrical message board center. When I saw Joanne's project, my heart was aflutter! Although I made some changes with paint and a little hot glue, Joanne's board collection really inspired me. If you want to see my version, keep an eye out over this week :)

Craft no. 4: DIY Necklace holder by Wendy [see her Etsy store!]

I hate, hate, hate tangled jewelry but love, love, love scrapbook paper and cutesy decorative knobs, so of course I fell in love with this idea! Thought I was itching to make this ASAP, I realized that I should wait until we move and put together our apartment -- that way, I can see if I actually need this instead of just wanting it. But, as I said above, if I have a lonely wall in the bedroom, maybe I can make this later! If I am to craft it later, I would make my version a bit brighter, however, by choosing more colorful paper to put in the picture frame (yeah, that's what this is made of) and colored knobs (half off at Hobby Lobby!) to boot.

Craft no. 5: Starburst mirror by Heather [creator of Dollar Store Crafts!]

When I saw that this project cost Heather only $8.95, I was in disbelief. It looks so stunning and sophisticated! I've seen look-alikes for way more, from $69.99 at Target to a whopping $503.80 at Lumens.com. I have always loved this style and think it might look good in the bedroom or bathroom. But since I can't be sure that we'll have wall space until we're all set up in Montana, I decided to wait and potentially tackle this project later!

What do you think of my copycat/favorite projects? Inspired to craft anything yourself? Check out Dollar Store Crafts and let me know which creations inspire you!

Organization overload

2010-07-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

In terms of organizing, last week was all kinds of productive. The fiance and I tackled his closet by literally tossing his clothes off the landing. This pile of clothing on the stairs resulted:
Yeah, that's actually half of it. He hasn't gotten rid of any clothing in a loooong time. We sorted the keepsake clothes (boy scout gear, favorite shirts from high school, etc.), give aways, throw aways, and the wearables. We found some real gems in there, let me tell you…I wish I had pictures of some things! These piles resulted:

Keepers:

Give-aways!

We also conquered a major, major mess: his cables. In case you don’t know, my fiancé is a big computer/technology geek. The result? Tons and tons of wires, cables, plugs, and other tidbits that pile up. He used to have them all corralled in a camp box, but that was just not working. They kept getting tangled and it was impossible to find the right wire when he needed it. It looked a little like this but ten times worse:

The solution? I snagged these 6-quart Room Essentials shoe boxes from Target.

The damage? A measly $5 for 5 boxes! Awesome, especially since all the comparable storage options were $5 a piece and up! We sorted his various cords and components into categories, made labels accordingly, and presto -- fabulous techno storage for cheaps! The bins are very stackable, so I know these will be great on the shelves in our office closet. These bins don't yet have the cables in them, but you get the idea:

This week's other major organizing project was undertaken with my amazing sister Megan! After I purchased an awesome behind-the-sofa (or futon, in our case) table from craigslist for only $30, we had to shift around some other furniture and find a home for some cardboard recycling. Since the garage was pretty horrifyingly ugly before (and we were so focused on cleaning the place out quick) we did not take before pictures, but this is a bit comparable:

Now, the space is muuuch better! The furniture is all placed so that everything is easy to get out if I need it.

All in all, I feel accomplished knowing that Ryan's unsightly coils of tangled cords are no more, and that I can easily add or take away stuff from my growing moving pile in the garage! I'm sure as we move more organizational challenges will come my way...and I'll try to tackle them and share the solutions!

Craft Corner: DIY Scrapbook Quilt

2010-07-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Another week, another post! I actually have lots of things to share, so expect tons of entries in the near future. I have just been too busy to blog recently: for the past two weeks I have visited relatives from out of town, started packing for the big move, tackled some major organizing projects (pictures to come!), plus celebrated two birthdays and a bachelorette party!

My fiance and I posing with my maternal grandparents!

Amanda, the bride, along with Maid of Honor Brittany and close high school friend Ashley!

A large group of friends celebrated Anna's 22nd birthday at the Power & Light District in Kansas City!

Amidst this month's hustle and bustle, I also found some time to be crafty, both on my own with a few close gal pals. Some super-cute, sophisticated, but not bank-breaking results were had by all! I didn't take any pictures during the actual crafting, but my friends made some a-maaaaa-zing canvas art by taping off their own designs and painting the sections with their chosen hues, a la this project I did a few weeks ago. It was very fun!

We also intended to make some wall art that I dreamed up (which I am terming a "scrapbook quilt"). We didn't quite have time, but here is my finished quilt to give you an idea:

I dreamed up this project after I read a Color Inspiration post on Real Simple's blog. The post featured images from Leslie Shewring's "A Creative Mint" blog. I loved the look of this print, and realized I could craft something similar using posterboard and scrapbook paper!

The process was straightforward and simple: pick out coordinating scrapbook paper, measure the poster board, and determine how many squares to cut and what size. I had a 22" by 28" poster board and ended up cutting 35 squares total, each 3.5" by 3.5". I measured out one square and used that as a template for the rest. This part is perfect for multitasking -- I watched TV as I traced and cut out all my squares!

As you can see, for my "quilt" I selected shades of pink, brown, and lime green, pulling my inspiration from the floral paper (top row, second from the left in my scrapbook quilt). Obviously you can choose whatever colors or patterns to suit your room.

I plan on hanging this unique DIY art in my office. What does everyone think? What colors would you use, and where would you hang yours?

Thrift Shopping Fever! 8 steals for only $39

2010-07-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

As my blog should make clear, I am kind of (okay, totally) a shopaholic. Being a frequent shopper, I of course love to find deals that can save me money as I nab my goodies. After I shop for the deals, whether they're from craigslist or garage sales or retail clearances or thrift or consignment stores, I love to share my finds here. So without ado, here are my latest thrifty gems!

Stop one was a local consignment store, Sack's, with my sister and hometown bff Ashley. I got 7 great things for only $9! My finds included a pretty green decorative bowl for $1 (it looks like an ash tray, sorta, but is way too pretty to be one)

two Ball mason jars for $0.50 (I think I will use these in the kitchen somehow. I love the old glass)

a pair of metal candle holders for $4 (these are great quality, like new! The middle is a sort of bronze color that the picture doesn't really capture.)

a file holder for $1 (which I plan on repurposing to use as a cookie sheet/pan holder, much more affordable than this one from Amazon and practically the same!)

and a $2 wine rack! (I have been eying various wine racks for a while, most notably this steal from Target, but this very economical and like-new wire version ultimately won!)

All in all, the store had some great buys (as I'm sure my sister would attest to -- she got some awesome things herself.) Unfortunately the prices were so low because the shop was going out of business :( I wish I had discovered this place before it had to shut down!

So if all that was only $9, why does my post title say the total was $39? Well, I also found a great deal from my go-to furniture store, craigslist! I got an awesome behind-the-sofa (or futon, in my case) table for only $30. It's real wood with a beautiful chevron pattern on top, and is in wonderful shape. Here are some quick pics of it (excuse the piles of stuff on it...these are garage sale items that I'm hoping to get rid of next weekend!):

And here is a close-up of the chevron pattern:

All in all, I did pretty well for myself! I can already imagine these finds fitting in to my cozy apartment :) Can't wait to post before and after pics of the space!

Sale alert: AllPosters.com

2010-07-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

Looking for some wall art that won't dent your pocketbook? I hit the jackpot earlier this week when I discovered the Clearance Sale going on at AllPosters.com! As I browsed the super-sale (9 x 13 prints as low as $1.98!) I found some cool vintage travel prints that struck my fancy. As you might recall from an early decor post, I bought this retro "Greetings from Missoula!" print from Art.com.

Since then, I decided that it might be fun to have a loose "travel" theme in the dining area, so that I could justify bringing along some favorites from my expansive snow globe collection [this is only half of it...]:

The vintage travel prints that I found fit perfectly with the theme and go well with the Missoula art! As I said, the All Posters sale is amaaaazing. I got four 9 x 13 prints for $19.08, including all taxes and shipping. At the original prices, I would have spent $67.92, putting my savings at $48.84! Here's what I got:

Check out the All Posters sale ASAP! Maybe you will find some great steals as well! Another money-saving tip: I always google for coupons before I buy online...you're likely to find a code that works, and some retailers (not All Posters, sadly) allow multiple coupons to be applied to your order!

Another Wednesday, another wish list!

2010-07-07T16:35:00.000-07:00

This week's Wednesday wish-list will probably be followed up quickly with another post -- I've been doing some major organizing and thrifting this week, plus I am having a craft night tomorrow with some friends, and I want to share! But I am still excited to share my weekly wishes, which are all loosely connected in that they're items that would fit quite well in our office!

1. Organizing Essentials Craft Cart from Joann's. Ahhhhhh, I love this! I enjoy scrapbooking and I love keeping my supplies organized, so how could I not love it? The top drawers are slimmer, the middle ones are divided into compartments for stashing decorative doo-dads, and the bottom ones have lids so that you can tote your scrapbook paper to other rooms! Right now it is 50% off, but since my organization station for my scrapbooking supplies is alright for the moment, this is not a must-have!

2. Dry Erase Board Decal from Simple Shapes' Etsy Shop. As an organizing freak, I am also a big fan of calendars and to-do-lists and the like. I love that you can customize the colors of the weekdays and the year. It also comes with the numerals for 2011 and 2012, so you can use the calendar for more than just a year! It might be a little hard to write on the squares, though, especially if you have to add more events. I don't like writing on things mounted to the wall (it makes my wrists hurt!) and it would be annoying to take the squares off every time.

3. African Suns Printed Rug from Urban Outfitters. As you can tell from my living room and dining room decor, I'm definitely not afraid of splashes of color. This beautiful rug would look great in the office because it integrates colors from other rooms (I really love the spicy orange color, obviously!) which is important since the carpet and walls in our new place are all a boring white. I can't splurge on this yet, but I hope it goes on sale in the future!

4. Satin Finish A to Z bookends, Barnes and Noble. I've been eying these cuties for a while. I sort of have a thing for letters of the alphabet -- I collect various letters and am planning on tucking them throughout my home! These are a bit too much for my tastes ($50), but again, I'll look for them to go on sale (or find some knock-offs!)

5. Daily System in Black, Pottery Barn. I love the look of this ultra-organized wall system! Some of the pieces are very hi-tech, too: one contains an HDTV, and one has a digital picture frame integrated in it (neither of those ones are featured here; they come in white). Of course, those things are incredibly expensive. Since I won't be getting the dry-erase decals or this super-expensive system from PB, I am still in need of a good dry-erase board. I think I could imitate the Daily System by buying cheaper versions of certain components (like these dry-erase boards from Target), using existing pieces (like my black digital picture frame), and scouting for thrifty finds (if I hunted enough, I bet I could find a wooden or metal letter organizer on clearance or at Goodwill!)

Well, that's all for now! Check back soon for a post on this week's adventures in organizing, thrifting, and crafting!

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-04T13:03:00.001-07:00

In honor of America's birthday, I thought I would post my four favorite 4th-related crafts and cooking projects...enjoy!

1. Firework Pens. What a cute idea for sprucing up pens around the office for the holiday!

2. Keep guests cool while they're out enjoying fireworks with these festive fans!

3. Who doesn't love a welcoming holiday wreath? This one from Family Corner is bursting with US pride!

4. I looooove cupcakes, so of course I love the blog Cupcakes Take the Cake! They've had a ton of adorable 4th of July cupcakes featured lately, and here are some of my faves:

Adorable and mouth watering, right?

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday (I know I am - it's great to relax with the family and watch fireworks!) and check back soon!

Wednesday Wish List #2

2010-06-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, I guess life has been so crazy (and fun!) today that I completely forgot to post my second Wednesday wish list! Whooops :) Luckily my great friend Sara reminded me of my own invention by posting her list! Even though it's technically Thursday, here is my wish list:

1. Chocolate Vineyard Vines Tote, Carnationcollection.com. I love this bag. And what's not to love? Quatrefoils, a dash of pink, and inner pockets for storage? Why not buy it now, you ask? It's a little steep for a bag ($99) and I already have tons of purses. But this is a definite shoo-in for my Christmas list!

2. A Bookcase. This is a really general wish, because the fiance and I have yet to find a bookcase that suits both of our styles and needs. I did find some potentials online at a furniture store in Missoula, but we will have to wait to buy anything until we move. We are both avid readers, and I love having pictures and knick-knacks around, so some sturdy, nice shelves are a must! Here are a few that have caught my eye so far, all from Conlin's Furniture:

3. A laptop skin for my Sony! The back of my poor computer has gotten scratched and uglified in the past 3 months of ownership. I have googled to search for a skin, but to no avail - I guess they don't make them for my model? Anyone have suggestions?

4. A decent Mexican restaurant in Missoula. We tried 2 different places on our first trip up. One didn't even have cheese dip on the menu (the horror! If you know me, you know I love cheese!) The other was okay, but could not compare to my faves (El Maguey and Tequila Harry's). I know that the northwest isn't exactly known for Mexican cuisine, but c'mon - not even having cheese dip? What?! I was outraged. We will probably be cooking our own Mexi-meals up there. Haha.

5. KitchenAid Stand Mixer in Persimmon. This is definitely going to be something on our registry. I love baking, and this beauty will help out with that! Plus I am drawn to the bright orange (and it's the fiance's favorite color! Score!) and it will go with the other orange accents in there! Then again, the cornflower blue is lookin' pretty nice, too...

Well, that's all for now! Check back later this week/weekend for an update on another crafty project I recently completed :)

Terrific Transformations Part Two: The Kitschy Kitchen

2010-06-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

I have taken a little blogging hiatus lately, but I am back to report on the crafty details I've completed to go with my kitschy kitchen! As you might recall, when in Missoula I visited an awesome consignment furniture store, Echo Echo Home Furnishings, where I purchased my super cute and kitschy lime green dining room table and two teal chairs, along with a plain wooden chair.

Well, after thrift storing, I found another chair to round out the dining set (only $1.99! Great!) and I settled on a sunshine yellow and the bright coral/orange as paint colors for the chairs. My fabulous sister helped out with both projects. We also painted three shelves in aqua, yellow, and coral to hang in the dining area, so that I can add some photos and decorative elements to the space. I already owned 2 of the shelves and the other was an inexpensive buy from Echo Echo, so that was a major plus, too! You might also notice an aqua coat rack there. That's another thing I already owned - I thought it would be great for either the dining room or the kitchen, as I plan to hang aprons, oven mitts, and the like on it. Best of all, the blue color matches my kitchen cannisters from Target almost exactly!

Speaking of cannisters...the other project for the kitchen that my sister and I have completed is totally fun, inexpensive, and DIY! I took a tip from one of my favorite blogs, iHeart Organizing, and reused some old soup cans by covering them in pretty scrapbook paper! I did 2 regular soup cans, 2 family-sized, a jar, a small and clean paint can I found in the garage, and a pringles can! (I know that last one seems odd, as it can't fit regular kitchen utensils or gadgets as the others can...but I plan to store tea bags or sweetener packets in there.)

I really loved this project for tons of reasons: 1. I love injecting colors into rooms, and this was an easy way to do so! 2. I love scrapbook paper, and am always looking for creative ways to use it outside of a scrapbook itself. 3. It was sooo easy, just a matter of scrounging up cans, washing them, measuring paper, and gluing! Presto! I loved the project so much, in fact, that I made a few pencil cans for my desk...and then for my fiance's (in appropriate, male colors, of course)...but I think I'll share those pictures (along with another office crafty-art project I just completed) at a later time!

You might notice the little cannisters labled TBCG to the right of that photo. What are they? Ingenious spice holders that my crafty sister dreamed up! You can read all about the process here, at her blog, and learn how to transform old Eclipse gum cannisters into your own spice containers! (It involves more scrapbook paper and stickers - so of course I love it! - a magnet, and a little glue...) Here are the spice holders in action on a fridge.

Adorable, right? So a little paint and scrapbook paper truly goes a long way...I think our kitchen and dining areas will be bright and cheery :) I'll be sure to post pictures of the completed spaces once we're actually moved in!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's Wednesday wish list, and part three of the transformations!!