Monday, February 27, 2012
Motivation Mondays
It's that time of the week again! Looking for some motivation, or at least some good advice? Here you go! This one comes from piccsy.com. They've got a lot of really cool pictures. Check them out!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Glitterfied Key Labeling
I saw this on another blog using regular Elmer's glue and nail polish as a sealer. I decided that I'd rather use my Mod Podge because I love it! To make these keys took a bit of time, but it was well worth it! Now I can tell the difference between my keys!
What you'll need:
Paper plate or something to catch the glitter (Super cheap, you likely have something around your house)
Gloss Mod Podge ($7 for a big bottle)
Glitter ($4 for Martha Stewart glitter packs)
Paint brush ($1 for craft packs)
Something to hold the keys up (I used scrap clay that was free!)
Total cost: $11 (but now you have a bunch of extra stuff for later projects)
First, take your key off of the key ring. You don't want to glue or glitter-fy your key ring. Paint Mod Podge on the whole top of the key (not the part that actually goes in the lock). Make sure it's a decent layer but not too much or you'll end up with a bumpy layer on the key.
Quickly sprinkle glitter on the key. Be generous! You can always put the unused glitter back in the container. Now, stick the key in to your holder. This is important. If you set the key on a flat surface, the glitter will come off or the key will stick to the surface. If you really can't find anything to stick the key into, you can set it gently on wax paper. Once the glue is dry, it will pop off the wax paper without a problem.
And now, WAIT! You have to wait til the keys are dry. If you're impatient like I am, do all of this right before you go to work. You'll be out of the house for 8 hours and when you get back, your keys will be dry!
Now that you've waited, tap all of the extra glitter off the key if any is left. Now, seal the key with Mod Podge. Give it a generous layer being careful to not wipe all of the glitter off in the process. Now WAIT again. If you do this step when you get home from work, your keys will for sure be done by the morning!
Time to complete project:
Glitter-fying keys: 5 minutes
Wait time: at least 3 hours
Sealing keys: 5 minutes
Wait time: at least 3 hours
Total active time: 10 minutes!
What you'll need:
Paper plate or something to catch the glitter (Super cheap, you likely have something around your house)
Gloss Mod Podge ($7 for a big bottle)
Glitter ($4 for Martha Stewart glitter packs)
Paint brush ($1 for craft packs)
Something to hold the keys up (I used scrap clay that was free!)
Total cost: $11 (but now you have a bunch of extra stuff for later projects)
First, take your key off of the key ring. You don't want to glue or glitter-fy your key ring. Paint Mod Podge on the whole top of the key (not the part that actually goes in the lock). Make sure it's a decent layer but not too much or you'll end up with a bumpy layer on the key.
Quickly sprinkle glitter on the key. Be generous! You can always put the unused glitter back in the container. Now, stick the key in to your holder. This is important. If you set the key on a flat surface, the glitter will come off or the key will stick to the surface. If you really can't find anything to stick the key into, you can set it gently on wax paper. Once the glue is dry, it will pop off the wax paper without a problem.
And now, WAIT! You have to wait til the keys are dry. If you're impatient like I am, do all of this right before you go to work. You'll be out of the house for 8 hours and when you get back, your keys will be dry!
Now that you've waited, tap all of the extra glitter off the key if any is left. Now, seal the key with Mod Podge. Give it a generous layer being careful to not wipe all of the glitter off in the process. Now WAIT again. If you do this step when you get home from work, your keys will for sure be done by the morning!
Time to complete project:
Glitter-fying keys: 5 minutes
Wait time: at least 3 hours
Sealing keys: 5 minutes
Wait time: at least 3 hours
Total active time: 10 minutes!
Trip to 7 Falls
Yesterday, we decided to go for a hike. Seven of us got out there and had a ton of fun hanging out and getting some exercise (maybe even getting a bit dehydrated). I was so happy to get out of my little box (although I still need to finish a take home test). The hike we went on was called Seven Falls. It's in Sabino Canyon in Tucson. Very rarely, there is water in the canyon and we were actually very lucky. There was so much water! There was running water in all of the streams and there were ACTUALLY seven waterfalls! It was such a pretty hike.
Later today, I will be posting the DIY on my craft project for the week. Stay tuned!
midway through the hike
Pretty flowers!
Really old saguaro! Yup, typical Arizona.
We made it to the falls!
Yup, He's pretty high up the cliff.
Later today, I will be posting the DIY on my craft project for the week. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Chicken Piccata
Kelly's version (Eat Yourself Skinny)
My version...Definitely not as pretty, but VERY tasty!
Any suggestions for what I should cook next?
Monday, February 20, 2012
Motivation Mondays
I don't know about you, but on Mondays, I need a little bit of motivation! Today's motivational quote makes me happy and foreshadows my next craft project!
Okay, maybe not the best quote for the men out there, but still... Happy Monday, everyone!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Menu Board and Steak Dinner
I've decided recently that I spend so much money on lunch because I work on a University campus and it gets so expensive because they can charge exorbitant prices. Since I'm sick of spending so much money (I could eat home made steak for every meal for what I spend on lunch every day), I've decided it's time to start making my own food more often. I signed up for some recipe email services and I've told myself that I'm going to try at least one a week. I know myself well enough to know that unless I plan, my meals every day would be bought on campus and I'd be eating pasta for dinner. So I saw this idea for a menu board on Pinterest and fell in love, but I didn't have anywhere near enough recipes for it yet! So I've decided that until I have enough recipes for it, I will make at least one new recipe a week (usually on Thursdays because that's my somewhat free day) and, eventually, I'll have a super awesome set of recipes for a menu board. This also takes care of my lunch problem because I can make two servings (three if the boy is here) and bring the extra serving to school with me!
This Thursday's recipe was one from Real Simple. It was steak and cauliflower. It was so yummy! I have to say, it was one of the most tender steaks I've ever eaten! (Sorry, dad!) Since I really like garlic, next time I'll probably add more garlic and maybe some more other seasonings, as it wasn't quite seasoned enough for me, but I was still really impressed. I brought the leftovers to work yesterday and my friend said it smelled SO good! Also, the other modification I made to it that I was super happy with was using chibata bread instead of a baguette. It gave the bread crumbs a nice almost sour dough flavor that really added to the flavor of the meal. Next time, I'll try it with bread I make with my bread maker.
Anyone else have awesome recipes? If you do, please share!
This Thursday's recipe was one from Real Simple. It was steak and cauliflower. It was so yummy! I have to say, it was one of the most tender steaks I've ever eaten! (Sorry, dad!) Since I really like garlic, next time I'll probably add more garlic and maybe some more other seasonings, as it wasn't quite seasoned enough for me, but I was still really impressed. I brought the leftovers to work yesterday and my friend said it smelled SO good! Also, the other modification I made to it that I was super happy with was using chibata bread instead of a baguette. It gave the bread crumbs a nice almost sour dough flavor that really added to the flavor of the meal. Next time, I'll try it with bread I make with my bread maker.
Anyone else have awesome recipes? If you do, please share!
Opinionated Bloggers
As many of you know, I'm an avid blog reader, especially the ones about organizing and DIY projects... I think they give me great ideas for DIY projects I can do at home AND inspiration for jewelry. That being said, I read a blog entry yesterday that really bothered me. This woman had publicly scrutinized another person's blog post on facebook, saying that her idea of having a trash can in her car was disgusting and an idiot and that she would never get in to a car with a trashcan because it was disgusting. Fine! Everyone's entitled to their own opinion (although I would point out that she very likely has a trash can in her house and not only does she go in to her house, she LIVES in her house). That being said, when her friends said "wait til you have kids and your opinions will change," she got so offended that she deleted this friend on facebook! Hello! If you are scrutinizing someone in a public forum, you should be willing to take criticism yourself! I had originally found this blog because of a super awesome DIY project that she had on there, but after reading this post and reading a few more about her conservative opinions that don't seem to be open for debate in the slightest, I don't think I'll be returning.
What's your opinion? Do you think people who post things in public forums should be more open to debate about their opinions?
What's your opinion? Do you think people who post things in public forums should be more open to debate about their opinions?
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Second Saturday!
Today's the day! My mom and I were able to get booths at Second Saturday in downtown Tucson to sell our jewelry! If you have some time today, stop by and say hi! We'll be set up in front of Sapphire night club on Congress.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Desk Reorganization
Well, I just realized that I never did get around to posting the pictures of my desk reorganization! So, as I said, I've decided doing organizational tasks in small chunks is the best way to go, so I started the first day by telling myself that I would just organize the books on my desk. Here's the before picture:
Yea, I'm super embarrassed to show this. All I had room for on my desk was my computer! I had to use my pullout table for anything else. Here's what happened after I got rid of the books that I didn't need:
Big improvement! Still a mess, but MUCH better. I at least felt like I could breathe... And look! You can actually see DESK back there! Sadly, my desk is a not-so-great gray color, so it wasn't that exciting.
My next task was to organize that gigantic stack of papers you see over there on the right hand side. Here's the after:
Woo hoo! Look at how much more amazing my desk looks! Now, actually, apparently in this picture, I had not organized all the papers (see them in that lovely stack on the left). Well, now, they are completely organized and I can work at my desk! My office mates came in later that week and gawked at how clean my desk was. It was exciting!
Last note: I forgot to post the picture of my super awesome planner from Emma Rose and Me. Well, here it is:
I'm so happy with it! It's so stinkin' adorable! Well, that's it for now! I'm off to go start my jewelry project for the night!
My next task was to organize that gigantic stack of papers you see over there on the right hand side. Here's the after:
Last note: I forgot to post the picture of my super awesome planner from Emma Rose and Me. Well, here it is:
DIY: Morning Checklist
So I guess this is really my first post about how I'm trying to get my life organized in small tasks. Let me explain the background here. For the past few months, I've been feeling extremely disorganized and discombobulated. I've been super busy and cleaning and organization have been put on the back burner. For the new year, I decided that needed to change. I needed to get my life together and work on getting organized. I spend so much of my time wonder what that one thing I forgot was or trying to find that one shirt and I think it's time for me to get things in order. That being said, I don't have a ton of time to devote to getting organized. Although the weekends are more free, they still don't leave a ton of time for me to get things done, so I've decided that every day, I will do at least one small organizational task. Last night, it was as simple as hanging all of my clean laundry (yes, this was a step in the right direction for me).
After the laundry, I decided that wasn't quite enough. I wanted to do something to improve quality of life and my actual ability to stay organized. I tend to forget a lot of things, so I've become a list fiend over the last year, but I waste so much paper and I feel so bad! So I decided to try to come up with a simple solution to a morning list that would be easy, cheap and most of all, quick! So I brainstormed for about 5 minutes and decided that something where I could check things off every day and then erase them the next morning and start over was the best solution. Thinking what I could use for this, my mind was immediately drawn to some sort of dry-erase option. Glass was, of course, the next place my mind went. I could put interchangeable lists behind the glass and check off my to-dos on the glass every morning. I had an old picture frame lying around that had nothing in it, so I thought it would be perfect for the project. Then it was time to think about what to use for paper for the check list. First, I thought of scrapbooking paper, but then I realized that I did not have any scrapbooking paper lying around the house and, as it was 10:30 at night, I was not about to go out and buy any. I though of what else I could use and, although construction paper came to mind, I eventually settled on the idea of using a picture from an old magazine. I have a huge stack of magazines sitting on my bathroom counter (in hopes that I'll read them, but that never happens), so I know eventually through this organizational binge, they will be disposed of and I realized I should get some use out of them before that happens.
So I started looking through the magazines to find some super awesome pictures that weren't too dark so that I could use them for this project. I found one that I really liked, but knew it wouldn't work because it was too dark.
I'm going to find some use for this picture, I swear! I then found a pretty picture of a beach and decided that would be it (if I organize my life, it will be more like paradise, right??) I took it and made sure it would fit inside my frame:
After checking this, I carefully cut it out, making sure that I left enough room on all sides so that I wouldn't see the cardboard that was pasted behind it. I wrote my morning check list on it (I even put in a small motivational check :) ), put the frame back together and now I have a super awesome organizational tool!
After the laundry, I decided that wasn't quite enough. I wanted to do something to improve quality of life and my actual ability to stay organized. I tend to forget a lot of things, so I've become a list fiend over the last year, but I waste so much paper and I feel so bad! So I decided to try to come up with a simple solution to a morning list that would be easy, cheap and most of all, quick! So I brainstormed for about 5 minutes and decided that something where I could check things off every day and then erase them the next morning and start over was the best solution. Thinking what I could use for this, my mind was immediately drawn to some sort of dry-erase option. Glass was, of course, the next place my mind went. I could put interchangeable lists behind the glass and check off my to-dos on the glass every morning. I had an old picture frame lying around that had nothing in it, so I thought it would be perfect for the project. Then it was time to think about what to use for paper for the check list. First, I thought of scrapbooking paper, but then I realized that I did not have any scrapbooking paper lying around the house and, as it was 10:30 at night, I was not about to go out and buy any. I though of what else I could use and, although construction paper came to mind, I eventually settled on the idea of using a picture from an old magazine. I have a huge stack of magazines sitting on my bathroom counter (in hopes that I'll read them, but that never happens), so I know eventually through this organizational binge, they will be disposed of and I realized I should get some use out of them before that happens.
So, cost! Materials:
Frame: Free (if you don't have an extra one, I purchased a frame at Target for a different project for about $5)
Picture to go in frame: Free! (taken from a magazine)
So overall, the project was free for me, but at most will cost you about $5 if you want to use brand new materials.
Time:
Brainstorming: 5 minutes
Finding frame and picture: 10 minutes (again, this is how unorganized my life is right now)
Cutting picture and assembling: 5 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes!
Twenty minutes and I now have something super awesome that I can use every morning to make sure I do the little things (including packing my lunch which will same me money as well!) Time well spent if you ask me!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
And the Giants Take It!
Today, I had people over for the Super Bowl. Yup, I'm a huge football fan! I honestly didn't care about who won (I'm Seahawks and Cardinals fan), but it's always fun to hang out with friends and watch the game. The half-time show was actually pretty good this year, although I have to admit, I felt Madonna could have brought it more than she did. Did anyone else catch the other performer flip off the camera? Well, I found it amusing!
My boyfriend and I spent most of the morning fixing up my house for the big game (putting the projector up higher, cleaning, putting curtain rods on my back doors so we can see the projector!) I'm really happy that we had such a productive morning! This last week has been so stressful, I haven't gotten much of anything done, at least not around the house anyway. My office is still clean (yay!) but I still haven't finished my room. One counter in my bathroom is clean, which is improvement, but so much more has to be done before I'll be happy with it. My next project is to tackle my closet and get some things out of there and off to Good Will!
I'm just happy I got to be productive today. With all this stress, I ended up in the hospital Friday night. Not fun. I think I'm fine now, but who knows. I've been referred to a specialist, so hopefully soon they'll be able to tell me what's wrong.
Today, I also picked up some wood for my next improvement project that I found online and I also will be working on some awesome jewelry this week and a fun Valentine's Day project for the boy :) Also, I'm going to finish my Teach for America application soon (it's due on Friday), so I've got a busy week ahead, but I'm optimistic!
My boyfriend and I spent most of the morning fixing up my house for the big game (putting the projector up higher, cleaning, putting curtain rods on my back doors so we can see the projector!) I'm really happy that we had such a productive morning! This last week has been so stressful, I haven't gotten much of anything done, at least not around the house anyway. My office is still clean (yay!) but I still haven't finished my room. One counter in my bathroom is clean, which is improvement, but so much more has to be done before I'll be happy with it. My next project is to tackle my closet and get some things out of there and off to Good Will!
I'm just happy I got to be productive today. With all this stress, I ended up in the hospital Friday night. Not fun. I think I'm fine now, but who knows. I've been referred to a specialist, so hopefully soon they'll be able to tell me what's wrong.
Today, I also picked up some wood for my next improvement project that I found online and I also will be working on some awesome jewelry this week and a fun Valentine's Day project for the boy :) Also, I'm going to finish my Teach for America application soon (it's due on Friday), so I've got a busy week ahead, but I'm optimistic!
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