No Function Friday – Upcycled Mail Sorter

This week’s project actually does have function, but since it’s a crafty, redo, updo, kind of thing, I’m still going to post it today. :)

I purchased this sorter at Goodwill about a month ago for $3,99. I thought that was a little steep, but I usually think Goodwill asks a slight premium on their stuff.

I loved the curvy lines…it just made it a little more unique!

I spray painted the whole thing white, just cheapest Wal-Mart white. I wasn’t going to age this one…but after it was done I realized it needed it. So, of course I ran some Ralph Lauren glaze over the whole thing, wiped it off and used Jim Holtz Distressing Ink around the edges of the paper. I added cute scrapbook paper and Modge Podged it to the fronts and glued ribbon to each one to cover the seam between the papers…and that’s it.  Oh, and I always use a sanding block to sand around the edges to knock down any unsmooth edges left on the paper.

Super simple and a fairly inexpensive upcycle (less than $10)!

Side by side before and after:

Until next time...

Living Room Updates and a Tour

Ok, first let me set the record straight, this is not a post you will see very often.

I do not typically move my furniture around or redecorate my home very often. Once I have things the way I like them, they pretty much stay that way until I redecorate for Christmas and Halloween…or move. That’s about the only time it changes or occasionally when I get something new.

Since I don’t like chotchkies (they tend to make small spaces look cluttered and I hate clutter), and I really only keep things I absolutely love around me, I really don’t need to move or change much…once it finds it’s perfect home.

That is the key part here…once it finds its perfect home. That usually doesn’t take me long since I mentally decorate a room well before my stuff ever makes it there.

But with that said, since purchasing my home a year and half ago, I’ve had a vision…a vision that would require new furniture and new things. You know how it is when you are a renter, you work with what you have because you don’t know might work in your next place.

But when I bought my home, I no longer needed to work with what I had. I could purchase with ONLY this house in mind!! It’s exciting to know I won’t be moving anymore and that THIS is the home I will be in for many years (hopefully).

So, slowly I have been making this house the home I envisioned. Like this summer when I was able to trade in my 6 year old couch and chair (which I purchased out of the classified from a rich lady who had never sat on it…SCORE!) for the sectional I knew was the perfect solution to my small living room (which I got off Craiglist for half the price of a new one…with a pullout bed…SCORE again!).

I had planned from the beginning to modernize more in this home. Not modern by any stretch, but not so “Granny’s Cottage”. I wanted something ‘cleaner’ looking. This look was too busy for what I knew I wanted in this home ultimately:

So, it wasn’t long after I moved in and got settled that I began to go from that look and started to make the transition.

Enter this room:

I traded my ex-husband the ottoman for the coffee table I now have, figuring it was going to be a temporary placeholder until got what I really wanted...but that big old thing is growing on me, darn it!  We use it almost daily to do crafts on.

So, after I got the sectional, I went to this look:

Getting there...but the pictures weren’t quite right. They really bothered me. They were too straight, or too sterile or something. Plus I really needed light on that side of the room.

So, I moved them and added light:

I got the wall lamps back in July on a road to trip to Ohio to visit the nearest IKEA. It had become clear I needed more lighting for things like reading, crafts, etc. Since I couldn’t lose any space by adding something like a table behind the sofa, this was the next best solution.

But still, something wasn’t right. It was warmer, yes, but still kind of sterile or too symmetrical. I lived with it for awhile and I knew it still had to change. So, a couple weeks ago I made some more changes.

I added sheers back behind the orange curtains again. I used to have them there but loaned them to my friend for staging his house. Don’t you know…the woman who bought his house included the curtains in her contract! So, I finally replaced them.

I added nesting tables I got on my trip to IKEA to replace the small black table. I added a cozy animal print throw and the biggest change…I added a shelf behind the couch and removed 2 of the pictures!

I think I may FINALLY have it!! (On this side of the room anyway! LOL)

This is ME!!! Warm, cozy, inviting, clean, organized, and not sterile or boring!

I only kept my two favorites of the pictures up (which was cut from a larger print – it was WAY cheaper than having the odd sized original framed), plus to the shelf I added a fake plant from IKEA, the blocks I made of the Doodle and the cats earlier this year, an awesome little plate I just got at JCPenney’s on clearance (for $3.20!), and a finial-y-fleur-de-le-y-thingy (also on clearance for $3 and change at Garden Ridge several months ago) and a battery operated candle (on clearance at Target for $9!).

Oh, and um, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m CHEAP!! And proud of it!! LOL

I added a box to the coffee table to store the remotes in because they make me nuts sitting out. Have I mentioned I LOVE leopard print?? :) I got that at Home Goods not long ago. It was a little on the pricey side for me at $15, but I had to have it!

There’s the succulent I got on clearance at Michael’s (ok, yes, it’s fake…I’m having some plant killing issues lately…I've lost my confidence momentarily...sue me) and a warm candle (which I’m going to figure out a way to cover the labels very soon!).

On the nesting tables, I have an older but favorite picture of the Doodle, the Dollar Tree box and bird I redid and another fake plant from IKEA.

Oh, and something I’ve not shown you yet (because getting a good picture is near impossible), which I did about six months ago and LOVE…my orange accent wall!! You see this as soon as you walk into my house.

My beloved pie safe.

You’ve seen the technique I used on the lamp shade here. The frame is another Dollar Tree redo (which I never showed you because it was pre-blogging), scrapbook paper covered old dictionaries, another fake plant, and my little plaque my friend got me that says “I’m not a crazy cat lady, I’m THE crazy cat lady” :), with my Kirkland clearance plates over to the side that I’ve had for years.

The vignette on top of the TV cabinet, with my garage sale lamp, books I actually like and read, a birdhouse I’ve had forever (but recently added to the top of a Goodwill candlestick for height), another Dollar Tree frame redo, and a topiary (whose details will be shared soon in a No Function Friday).

And that’s it! This may be the last real look you get of my living room for awhile because I think it’s finally found its perfect balance between modernized and cozy!!!

Oh, and let's not forget...I plan to have Bamboo floors put in the living room, kitchen, and hall in the spring!  Good-bye nasty stained carpet!  Our parting of ways can't come soon enough!  :)

Until next time…

A recipe, a gift, and more

A couple weeks ago my Doodle locked herself out of the house! She had forgotten her cell phone at school and her dad and his long-time girlfriend (who live behind us – yes, strange, but it works for us) were not home.

We had never really gone over a ‘what-if’ plan. (Can you say, “Mommy of the Year strike again!”) But luckily she had the foresight to go to the neighbors across the street. My neighbor is almost always home. And as suspected, she was there.

My neighbor calmed the Doodle down (she was near tears) and let her use her cell phone to call me at work. I asked her if she’d let Doodle stay there for a bit while I tracked down her dad. I knew they were near because I had just talked to them.

Sure enough, they had just pulled up at home and she must have missed them while cutting through the yard.

But because my neighbor was there to provide comfort for Doodle I wanted to do something for her.

So, doing what I do best…I baked! (Yes, I’m a baker too! Not so much a cook…but a pretty darned good baker if I don't say so myself! LOL)

I made her (and my coworkers…and my ex, his girlfriend (Joanie)…and me, LOL)…

Crème Brule Cheese Cake Bars!

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1 box (4 serving size) French vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

½ cup butter or margarine, melted

2 ½ teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs plus 3 egg yolks

2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

½ cup sour cream

½ cup sugar

2/3 cup toffee bits, finely, crushed

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, pudding mix, brown sugar, melted butter, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and 1 whole egg until soft dough forms. Press dough in bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of pan.

In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add remaining whole egg, 3 egg yolks and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla; beat until smooth. Spread over crust in pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until set in center. Immediately sprinkle top with crushed toffee bits. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until chilled. For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

This was my first time making these and they were FAN-FLIPPIN-TASTIC!!! That’s why I just had to share this with you!

Baking Tip: Get rid of all those fancy pans and baking sheets! The thinner the pan the better the baked goods come out! I can bake fantastically on my Dollar Tree pans! The expensive, thick pans always burn the bottoms of anything I bake. I sold them all years ago (and laughed when everyone thought they were getting such a deal) and will only buy the super thin, cheap pans now. Plus you don’t feel bad when they get rusty and you have to replace them. :)

Then I took a metal pail I got at Goodwill (washed it really good, obviously) and put some ribbon around it and paper flowers. I just used a small amount of glue so she could remove it if she wanted to. I lined it with wax paper and put the bars inside.

I also made her a recipe card to go with it just using scrapbook paper, which you know I had to antique up some. :)  I Modge Podged the whole card when I was done a couple times on each side to seal it so it wouldn’t get bent and messed up too easily. I was going to laminate it, but I thought that would take away from the old look.

And that’s it. My very heartfelt thank you to my neighbor!!

I am so appreciative of my wonderful neighbors!! I know that some people might snub their nose at a neighborhood like mine. It’s older, vinyl sided, mostly smaller homes, some of the homes are in need of some serious repair, quite a few renters, sadly, quite a few foreclosure (that are slowly being bought up, thank goodness!)…let’s just say, it’s not the kind of neighborhood you drive into unless you are visiting someone. But, you know what…most of the homeowners are just hard working people, trying to get by and almost (isn’t there always one or two, LOL) every one of them are the friendliest people you’d ever want to meet!! They’ll water your plants when your out of town, bring your cat back when he’s slipped out AGAIN, knows your kid by name, and waves when you’re out on the porch! It may not be my dream location…but it’s becoming my dream home!

Oh....and we now have a back up plan in place at our house! :)

Until next time…

Living with Less

One of the things you learn pretty quick when you live in a small home is, besides being organized, you need to pare down your stuff.

Organization is great.  But no amount of organization will make too much stuff fit comfortably into too little space!

It’s just that simple.

That’s like me trying to squeeze my size 16 rear end into size 8 jeans!  Even if by some miracle of cosmic dimensions I actually do…the seams are going to burst out, I won’t be able to button them, they will be too short, cut off my circulation…you get the idea. :P

Stuffing too much stuff into a tiny house…you get the same result.  You can’t breath! There’s no room to move! The seams are going to burst!

It’s essential that you pare down your belongings to fit within the constraints of your home.

How do you decide what goes and what stays?  Well, that’s easier for some us rather than others.

Me, I don’t like to hold on to anything I’m not using or I feel has out-served its usefulness.  Sometimes this is to my own detriment.  I have a tendency to get rid of stuff on a whim when I’m feeling overwhelmed and then regret it later. (I also buy things on the same whims…not good!)

This probably isn’t the best approach.  Ok, no probably to it…don’t do it my way!!  Wait to sort through your belongings when things are relatively normal or calm.  You don’t want to make these decisions based solely on emotion or you will probably end up with some regrets when it's all done.

The other thing I do a lot which forces me to go through my stuff and purge is…I move a lot.  On average, every 2 years! I also do not recommend this approach!  It’s costly and exhausting!

So, what do I recommend you ask?

Well, I’m glad you asked! :)

Start in one small area.  Don't try to do your whole house in a day!  This process could take months! 

Some books say set a timer for 15 minutes when the timer goes off your done this time around.  I think you can go longer than that...but the point is the longer you spend at one time going through stuff, the less impartial you become and tend to keep more.  So, start with one drawer, go through it and stop.  Don't overwhelm yourself!! 

In Erin's school of purging, you would create three piles...Keep, Donate, and Unsure.

Obviously the keep pile will be pretty easy.  It the Donate pile that's tricky.

One of the first things to look at when you are considering whether to keep something or purge it, is, ask yourself when is the last time you used the item?

A good rule of thumb is, if it’s been over a year since you used it or wore it, chances are good…you don’t need it...so donate it!

If you still aren’t sure, one of the things that is recommended is, box up the item you are unsure of. Put a “Discard Date” on the outside of the box, six months from the date you sealed the box. Now store the box in the basement or garage or shed or wherever. If you haven’t needed the items in the box by that date, donate the UNOPENED box! Or better yet…have a friend store it and discard the box for you if you haven’t asked for something by that date! That way you aren’t tempted to open it and keep the stuff that’s in there (that you probably forgot was in there in the first place)!

Resist the urge to open the box because you ‘forgot what was in there’! That’s the whole point. If you forgot and haven’t needed it…you still don’t need it! Just take it unopened and donate it…you won’t miss it!

Sentimental items…well, I could (and probably will someday) dedicate a whole post to the topic. But essentially, WHY do you hold onto items you deem sentimental?

I’ll tell you why…it’s the MEMORY that is attached to the item.  It isn’t usually the item itself; it’s the memory of the person or event that you cherish.

So, take a couple really good pictures and get rid of the item.  Looking at the picture will bring back that same memory...and storing a picture takes up a lot less room than storing the stuff.

Now, please don’t misunderstand me. Sure, there are some things we won’t want to get rid of…and that’s fine!  This is a just a way to help you let go of excess stuff…not stuff you love.

If you are serious about paring down your belongings and are unsure what to get rid of or where to start, I recommend any of Don Aslett’s books!  “Clutter’s Last Stand” was probably my personal favorite.  And I’m sure you can borrow it from your local library for free.

I’ve also read “Clutter Free Finally & Forever” and “For Packrats Only” which are pretty similar in nature to “Clutter’s Last Stand.”

They are very easy and quick reads…and funny!  He makes you look at some of the things you hold onto for fear of ‘needing’ it someday or guilt of throwing it away.  He addresses gifts, clothes, and everything in between.  It’s been years since I’ve read them, but I STILL refer back to what I learned in those books when I’m cleaning out my house.

Now…get emotionally stable and start sorting!

I crack myself up! :)

Until next time…

Update

I have had the craziest week at work!!  Don't you hate when a short week turns into 'one of those' weeks!

Anywho...as a result, I did not get my craft post ready for yesterday's 'No Function Friday'.  I apologize.  :( 

Also, in the course of my insane week, I did not visit my own blog or get to read much of anyone elses except one evening earlier in the week...so therefore I did NOT notice when mine went all BESERK-O!!

I am so sorry if you stopped by in the last day or two and got a crazy looking page!!  Leelou, where I get my free Blog layout from, made some updates and I missed her notice.  Luckily, it was very easy fix and as you can see I am back up and running. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend and be sure to come by on Monday I have great post ready about uncluttering your stuff!

And as a side note...today is 9/11!  Take a moment today to pray for our troops that are overseas...or anywhere for that matter!!  Being in the service, no matter where you are stationed, can be extremely tough!

Furniture for a Small Space

I came across something the other day I thought was ingenious!! 

So, of course I just had to share.

This table from CB2:

Which EXPANDS to this table!!!

Seriously, this is a small home owner/renters dream!  It goes from seating 4 to 6, like that!  

And honestly, it's not that expensive - $449 for the table.

I thought these chairs from Target would be a nice, inexpensive alternative to go with this table.

They are fairly inexpensive ($69.99 for two), comfortable (I own a set in white, one for my office and one for Doodle's desk in her bedroom), come in four colors (espresso, white, green, and this great blue)...and they stack!  Stacking is nice option for storage in a small space.

Until next time...

The Doodle

This may seem like a strange post, but Zerique (who BTW, was my very first follower!!) asked me last weekend if my daughter was creative like me. So, I thought instead of answering her directly, I would dedicate a post to the Doodle!

The answer, Zerique, without a doubt is…YES!!!

As early back as I can remember she has loved to draw!

We had Magna Doodles all over (and no, ironically, that has nothing to do with her nickname) when she was small. In the house for sure and usually one was kept in the car, taken into restaurants with us…you get the idea. And I can’t tell you how many we replaced when they broke or the pictures weren’t clearing away anymore.

She used to spend hours drawing pictures and telling stories to go with them.

One of my favorite pictures of all time, which I actually keep with all my important stuff like birth certificates and passport, etc is the giraffe she drew when she was about three years old. I cherish this little scrap piece of paper!!

In Kindergarten she won third place in a local art contest.

And had two pieces of art shown in the school district art fair in first grade. We thought it was one of those things where every kid had something in it…but nope, it was the real deal, only the best pieces. :)

In more recent years, she’s taken up jewelry making. For now, with larger beads for kids, but I can easily see her transitioning to some pretty cool stuff very soon!

She’s what I would call “artsy fartsy”.

Style trends don’t affect her. She’s not into what all the other kids are into. Doodle makes her own choices about things, like, what shows to watch, what to wear and definitely what music to listen to.

The Doodle, well, she beats to her own drum. She loves music! She listens to Enya and other easy listening musical type stuff when she’s going to bed at night. You’d catch her in Wal-Mart in the candle section picking out a CD from those little kiosk things well before you’ll catch in her in the mainstream area! And yet, the child hates Harry Connick, Jr!! What is wrong with her! LOL

Don’t get me wrong, she loves Justin Beiber too! But it’s clearly her choice when it comes to that stuff and not just doing what everyone else is doing. Which I LOVE and encourage!

She got a guitar last year for her birthday and is getting ready to finally start lessons!

She loves to sing and plans to join choir next year in 6th grade.

She’s been a Girl Scout since second grade.

She is a lover of all animals!! I swear they are drawn to her kind nature. At the state fair a couple years ago a COW followed her around (well, around his pen anyway)! The farmer said, “He’s been waiting for you all day little girl.” A sweet memory. :)  Anyway, she just has a way with animals that can’t be explained until you see it for yourself.

(Sorry for the poor quality…I took this with my cell phone…but I couldn’t pass it up!)

She is a drama queen of the worst kind! And there are days I wonder…will I EVER marry her off! ;)

She’s LOUD! I don’t think she CAN whisper. When she’s next to you, she’s talking to you like you are across the room. I’ve even had her hearing checked when she was younger because she’s so loud!

She’s funny!! And sarcastic…I have NO idea where she gets it. ;)

She’s always looking for the ‘loophole’ in any situation. Sometimes I wonder…will she be a great lawyer someday? Or a fantastic con-artist? Hmmm…

She’s kind! Her heart is huge! She wants to help everyone in need. And she wouldn’t hurt someone’s feelings on purpose if her life depended on it.

She adores hugs!

Doodle still likes bedtime stories…even at 10 years old! It’s always been the one time of day we have solely for each other no matter how crazy the day has been.

And she’s happy!! There are days she is so hyper I want to strap her down and duct tape her mouth. Then I think…but she’s happy. How you can cage that in?

Until next time…