The Weird New Me

Since Bear and I have transformed our apartment into a functional living space, banishing the old bachelor pad/dorm room decor and our attitude of "well, it isn't clean but it doesn't smell bad, to that's okay", I have morphed into some sort of Martha Stewart superwoman.  My whole day starts with laundry and dishes, and ends the same way.  My lunch is actually cooked in the kitchen (okay, heated up dino chicken nuggets from the freezer) instead of picked up en route to work at a fast food chain.  When the cats knock over glasses of water, I clean it up right away, instead of figuring it will eventually evaporate.  When I get home, I hang up my purse and hoodie by the door instead of dumping them on the nearest couch.

I am turning into a responsible adult!  God help me, I don't know when it happened or why it's sticking, but my home is so much more user-friendly and I am not scrambling to clean when someone calls and says they're on their way over!  In a way, it's liberating.  In a way, it's scary.

I owe my success to many sources, including Do It Yourself Magazine, Real Simple Magazine, and various decor oriented blogs I follow and/or have found online.  I start to worry a little though, when I get to work and check in the periodicals, holding onto Better Homes & Gardens and Good Housekeeping until I read through them before I put them on the magazine rack.

Today I even had lunch and left the TV off!  WHO AM I?!?!?!  Instead, I picked up Do It Yourself and read up on crafts to do with photographs.  And I am feeling ridiculously inspired.  The kind of inspiration that only hits me when the house is clean and I know where everything is.  Is this how normal people feel all the time?!?!  It's wonderful!

So I figured today I'd give you a taste of some fun crafts and things I have seen online and in magazines that I have been DYING to do (and now may actually get around to doing)!

I get email newsletters from Photojojo.com all the time.  I love them.  I have a million things from them, including the Nikon Zoom Lens Coffee Mug and Nikon Camera USB.  I am such a geek.  Anyway, the newsletter includes cool projects for photo geeks, and I am so excited to try my hand at a few!!!  (All images are from Photojojo Newsletters!)

I have also found some fun DIY projects from Do It Yourself Magazine that I am excited to experiment with!  And Real Simple always has easy recipes and things to try out.  I am kinda stoked to get a move on all that!  If you are interested in what you see on the websites, I would subscribe to the magazines.  I usually don't do that sort of thing, but these are cheap (and you get a year's worth of Real Simple free if you buy Real Simple Weddings off your local bookstore's rack!  At least, that's how my addiction began!) AND you will get a lot of use from them!

What changes are you making to your lifestyle this summer?  What changes do you want to make?  And if you have any neat crafts or projects you want to share, leave me a link!  I would love to check it out!

Happy Thursday (evening)!  Tomorrow is a weddingtastic Photobomb!

xo

Etsy Monday: Sneak Peek of the Kitchen!

So today I have located items on Etsy that would go perfectly with our new kitchen... and I have prepared some sneak peeks for you, too!  The big reveal will come later, as we are still working on some details.  We probably will put off some of the finishing touches until after the wedding, since we are at the point where it looks pretty good and is functional.  The last few things are only aesthetic things we want to incorporate, but can live without for the time being.  Anyway... here are today's finds!

These copper measuring cups measure up to our aesthetic!

via: hurstdesigns

This beautiful color study would enhance our palate, as well!

via: painttheory

These earthy rock magnets would help to disguise the refrigerator in it's natural setting...

via: aremarkyoumade

This painting of orange marmalade against a soft blue background would help set the tone for a tasty treat...

via: permanentmagenta

These wooden shelves wouldn't look out of place with our cabinetry! (I like how the seller used one image and mirrored it... are there really two shelves?  You decide...)

via: sundaytreasures

So... here's the sneak peek... can you see where the above items may add to our design?  (Please forgive the weird colors... I tried to correct them, but this camera really picks up on the yellow tones in tungsten light!  Lesson learned...)

(haha, I have really messy chalkboard handwriting... that isn't how I usually write!  I swear!)

Psst... I also changed up my banner!  I like how this one is a little shorter, so the banner isn't as overbearing as the original!  I also updated my business site today!  Productivity makes me smile!

Hope you all had a wonderful Monday!

xo

Brief Hello!

Today I had a morning meeting for work, so I am leaving here early.  We have a ton to do at the house before the wedding!  Last night, my future mother-in-law painted our living room our new not-so-dirty blue shade (as opposed to the old, really dusty dingy shade of blue).  When I got home, I tried to help her without getting in her way... she is a pro at painting walls!  It's practically faster to stand back and let her go, but I felt pretty guilty doing that.  We have yet to finish the kitchen, which I imagine is the goal this weekend, and we have to construct the hallway closet since the portable furniture closet is being relocated to the new room (also currently under construction) on Tori and Doug's side of the house.  Then I will be in massive cleaning mode: dusting, vacuuming, organizing, moving furniture, etc.  We also were gifted a new-to-us fold out sleeper couch to replace the ugly old futon (which will find a new home on the porch so we can retire the current porch couch with huge cat-claw-induced holes in it).  I am pretty excited to get our apartment looking new and cute... and mostly functional.  I cannot wait to wash dishes in a working dishwasher!!!  I still have to pick out fabric for new curtains and see if my vintage sewing machine can be salvaged to a working condition... phew!  We are some busy busy bees these days!

I still have a ton of photos to share soon!  I plan on doing so tomorrow AND Friday.  It will be a double Photobomb feature!  I hope it will make up for my moderately lame posts as of late.

I will also try to post a finished product for the coloring/activity books I am putting together for the wedding and have plans for a new video to share!  Eep!

Thanks so much for bearing with me as my life spirals into crazy wedding mode.  I am learning so much for my own, and have brilliant ideas I have to share soon!  Here's a hint: may involve camping, outdoor movies, and other fun activities incorporating our love of all things theatre, color, art, lighting, pasta, local bars and local parks... all on a really moderate budget!

xo

The Tuesday After a Holiday Weekend...

And WE FINISHED THE KITCHEN!

I wish I could say that without the sarcastic face I am wearing.  Which you can't see.  But trust me, it's on right now.

We ran into more issues (if you can trend your own hashtag on Twitter, I am trending #kitchenrenovationnightmares right now...), including but not limited to: the pole cover we purchased to cover the ugly AC freon pipe in the middle of the room will not work until we first cover the pole in a PVC pipe casing; there are no studs in the walls to support our awkwardly sized hanging cabinets; there is a working water pipe running through the wall where we planned on adding said missing studs that has to be rerouted, involving ripping out more drywall and then patching, painting, and all the other things involved in that.  Also, we need special adhesive for the pole project that we didn't know about because the instructions and required goodies list was imbedded in the packaging for said pole cover.

But we did get quite a bit done: the new fridge is in and all food items have undergone their relocation program, the cabinetry is all painted, the backsplash tile has been purchased, the sink is installed and works, and the new lighting fixtures are... underway.  Phew.

In other news, it is now my birthday week!  Yay!  I am pretty excited about feeling special for a while.  :)

Things we plan to do/ things Bear agreed to do for me:

* thrift store adventure

* photo safari with friends

* a make-believe trip to Disneyland that may or may not involve creating a pretend park in the back yard out of cardboard boxes...

* a poem written by Bear for me!

* possibly hit up an Estate sale

* see the new Pirates movie with friends on Friday night (I saw the other movies on my birthdays in the past, so I am excited to bring back that tradition!)


* get a kiwi smoothie

* hit up the Local Karaoke Bar for a bit tomorrow with friends?

* laugh a lot

That's about it.  It would be pretty sweet if I got some of my birthday wish list items too, though!  haha

And... this totally made my day.  Muppets are a necessity in life!



Happy Tuesday, Snappers!!!

Thursday Treats

So, clearly we've been up to some stuff in our kitchen.  I am a bit obsessed with the renovations.  It's all I do right now.  I wake up in the morning and begin painting.  I go to sleep at night and consider where my salt and pepper shaker collection will reside.  I anticipate where shelving for my elephant collections should go where cats won't get to them.  I dream about a fully functioning kitchen and baking cupcakes in a room with a real floor and counter space!

Anyway, here's a little of what we've been doing...

My Dad has been coming over to help Bear install the new flooring (it's not blue carpet!  Hooray!).  I've been painting cabinets to look like some fancy high end ones we saw and liked.  I am rather proud of how they are turning out, but you will have to wait for a great unveiling!

In the meantime, I want to take a moment to direct your attention to a couple locations on my blog.  On the right hand sidebar is a list of blogs I read, and I would recommend taking a moment to check some of them out!  There are so many creative, passionate people around the internet!  On the top bar, I have a tab entitled "Blogs I Love" which are blogs that had buttons I could grab to link back to them.  If you have a minute, check those out as well!  Some of them are the same blogs as ones I have listed to the right, but some are not.  All the blogs I follow have some truly unique voices!

A lot is going on in my life right now... but I am most excited about finally reaching one of my lifelong ambitions, and I can't wait to get in on that project... being in a band.  I have always wanted to front a band.  I was that kid jumping on the bed singing "No Doubt" into my hairbrush for a wild and crazy audience of stuffed animals.  I may still do that...  Anyway, I have been asked by a friend to start up a band and I am stoked!  We're both really super busy and it will probably be a while before anything comes of it... but I am so excited I can barely contain myself!

Well, be sure to stop by tomorrow... I have a ton of photos and a video for you!  Get pumped!!!

Playing Catch-Up

Not to be confused with ketchup.  Ew.  (I'm allowed my "ew", I can't eat tomatoes.  Don't cry for me... Argentina..., I only miss the little cherry tomatoes.  Otherwise, I feel it's no real loss.)

An old cell phone picture of old entrance to kitchen (Cyn is in the doorway!)  Not pretty.  Look at that carpet!  Bleh.  There is a 2x4 holding up our countertop there... and the microwave is on a rolling cabinet from the 1980's that was once painted white,, and has since turned grey.

Lately, we've been renovating our "kitchen", which had blue carpet and yellow and blue walls and a hideous blue flower wallpaper edging around the ceiling. It was once Bear's childhood bedroom (with a different paint job back then!).  The house we live in is divided into apartments, and we have the upstairs, which was originally designed for Bear and his brother and sister when they were kids.  Because our space originally had three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a common "game room", we have had to do a lot of work to make it work as an apartment.  One room is our master bedroom (it was his older sister's room and has it's own bathroom).  Another is our office space/ guest room/ music room/ studio.  The "game room" is now the "living room".  And we are in the process of turning the last bedroom into a REAL KITCHEN!!!

I'm sure I haven't mentioned that... right?  Maybe once?  Or... constantly?

We knocked down walls and painted the room "Toasted Apricot", as well as repainted the hall wall a brighter blue.  No more carpet!!!  The color is pretty intense at the moment, but once the cabinets, backsplash, etc are installed, and we get the hutch and furniture back in (we have all really dark wood furniture), I think it will be perfect!  By the way, this is the same viewpoint as the first picture!!!

Clearly, I am excited!  We've been working non-stop, knocking down walls, painting, installing new flooring, patching walls, rewiring things, measuring, running to Lowes, Home Depot, then Lowes again, looking online for things, getting my parents and his to help, wrangling cats and dogs from open paint cans... it's tiring but so wonderful!  I can't wait for everything to come together!

See?  We started with the left, found supplies and made a plan (center, but we opted for the deeper apricot shade under the one pictured; you can kinda see our shade poking out), and now are on the right... well, actually a little more has been done since this last shot...

Please forgive the lack of creative posting... I am just so incredibly preoccupied.  We're also getting the house ready for Bear's sister's wedding which takes place here in June!  It's just plain crazy town where we are right now!

Regardless, I will keep posting as planned, Monday - Friday, and hopefully I will get posts back to interesting topics.  This little blog is becoming very important to me... my little corner of the universe as it were.  I hope it will continue to grow over time.  It's one of the few things I have been completely dedicated to since getting started, and I am loving learning about so many other people... and myself.

Well, I will be back tomorrow with some wedding things!  Today, Patchie and I may be meeting up for another romp through the State Park (which will be nice, since my morning will involve lugging a ton of 2x4's to the dump and painting a million cabinets, and yet another run to Lowe's!).  I talked about it for the last Photobomb on Friday, and you can see the park through Patchie's eyes here!!!

She took a bunch of photos of me looking awkward with way too many cameras hanging off my neck...

Photos of me via Patchie

Have a lovely Tuesday!

Etsy Monday: Cooking Up Inspiration

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!  Bear and I did, his family had a lovely gathering here, and my parents were able to attend as well!  When the day slowed down, Bear, myself and our parents got some work done on our kitchen renovations!  We should have a REAL KITCHEN by the end of a month!  YAY!

To celebrate this epicness, I put together a small Etsy edition of kitchen related things.  I say small because it isn't as involved as some Mondays of the past, but for good reason!  Bear got off work really early, so we are about to run out the door for the hardware store to get some supplies so we can continue kitchen things!

So, without further ado, here are today's featured items!

We are excited to have a dishwasher and say good-bye to hand washing all our dishes!!!  We are ALSO excited to have a real kitchen sink (instead of a laundry tub) to use for the fine dishes we still have to hand wash...

Here's a handy sign for the dishwasher, with an easy flip switch!!!

via: wonbien

I am a sucker for pretty plates and platters.  Even when I have no use for them... look how lovely!

via: clayswan

We could get fancy in our new REAL KITCHEN (ha!) with some fancy shmancy gourmet salt!  And it's oh-so-pretty!

via: craigsmarket

These little postcards would be adorable framed and on the wall in the kitchen!  I love the mid-century modern look to them... and they are BRIGHT which is perfect, since we painted out home to look like the inside of a bag of Skittles (I kid you not)!

via: amyawalters

And what REAL KITCHEN would be complete without a collection of recipes and a handy place to jot them all down?  I love these colorful cards!  You could color code your breakfast, lunch, dinner, desert and appetizer recipes on them!!!  Yes please.

via: 1canoe2

Like I said, today's a short Etsy post, because the real world insists I get the kitchen renovated before filling it with adorable colorful things!

In similar news, I can't decide which KitchenAid stand mixer I should register for!  There are so many lovely colors.  Our kitchen is painted "Toasted Apricot" and the cabinetry will be a distressed black (with chalkboard paint coated front panels for easy to-do lists!  Also, I always wanted to write on furniture and walls and have it be OK...), with copper and cream accents.  Maybe I should go for a pale yellow that leans towards the cream color?  I just don't know!  Anyone have a KitchenAid stand mixer?  Do you love yours?  What color do YOU have?

Have a wonderful Monday!  Hope your weather is as gorgeous as the weather is here today!

A Busy Day Ahead...

I should probably be asleep, but it's technically Tuesday so I will go ahead and post earlier than 3pm for a change.  Tomorrow I have a job interview, so I am excited and nervous!  I am hoping I get the position, but a lot of people are vying for it, so I am trying not to get my hopes up...

In the meantime, here are some neat things around the interwebs...

*LinkLove*

* An e-course about interior decorating... I could probably use some help once we finish renovating (which may now also involve ripping out a sink and a bathtub, as well as knocking out a few walls and building new ones...).  I love that Rachel is all about vintage finds and art pieces, but I have to say my style is definitely not as cohesive as hers seems to be.

* This one of a kind ring is amazing... and was made by a man for his wife on their wedding day!  The engagement ring is equally as amazing and thoughtful.  Guys, if you have these skills and creativity, this idea is so much more amazing than "going to Jared's" (barf).

* I am a serious literature nerd.  I am also a craft lover.  This series of book covers has me drooling!  I know it's a gimmick to promote classic literature and up sales, but it's a really pretty gimmick!

* Clearly, I like cupcakes, which is unusual for a girl who doesn't really enjoy cake or lots of sugary foods.  Anyway, this poster about cupcakes is so adorable and simple!

* Living with four cats, a dog, and a guy, I find that Fabreeze is my best friend.  However, sometimes, Bear and I can't agree on a scent or we buy a dud spray bottle that won't spray, or I simply look at the price and figure it's not worth it.  Recently, I've noticed that it's not environmentally friendly either.  This tutorial about making a green alternative to Fabreeze is fascinating, along with the debate and discussion in the comments.  I guess I never figured it was something I could make myself without a Chemistry degree...

* After the whole bird fiasco I experienced on my porch recently, I have begun to wonder about the other birds moving in on the property.  We have a few acres, so I know there are tons of birds.  I always try to grab the camera and telephoto lens to snap some moments of quirky birdness, but I can't always get the moment.  This bird camera lives where the birds do.  How great is that?!?!  There is also a camera for time lapse photos of your garden growing! I bet watching that as a gif would make winter seem less barren!

* As a photographer, I love seeing a body of work that inspires me, tells me a story, and educates me about a cause or condition.  Heck, as a PERSON I love seeing those qualities in art!  This series about breast cancer is so haunting.  The images are all beautiful, and none of the women appear a victim of the camera- or of their cancer.  They are tough survivors who volunteered to help the photographer depict that breast cancer is "not a pink ribbon".

* This is another photography series that is gaining a lot of attention and has a wonderful message: being grateful for something daily.  A lot of us overlook the small things that make us smile.  Taking time to appreciate one aspect of life a day can completely change your outlook on life.  Hailey is now embarking on a journey to create a documentary about the project she started, and how it's effected those who have participated around the world! (You can see Hailey's original project, shot entirely on polaroids, here!  This is where I first learned about the project, back in 2009, exactly a month after she completed it!)

* Finally, a little fun project!  There are a lot of camera bags marketed to women that look like a typical purse, but inside are constructed to protect and support heavy and fragile cameras and lenses.  These are beautiful and I really want one, but they are a bit pricey.  This instructional teaches you how to take a cheaper bag and modify it to be a custom camera bag!!!


*I am starting my own 365 Grateful!  I am learning quickly that the people and things you appreciate may not last forever, and I want to train myself to fully appreciate them while I can.  I will be posting my photos here from the week, once a week, as part of Photobomb Fridays.*


Okay, I am off to bed before I have to wake up and collect myself and my references, resume, and conflicts list for tomorrow's interview!  Wish me luck!

Ambition

Today is Katietron's birthday party!  Yay!  We will be meeting up at the Usual Thursday Night bar on a Tuesday to celebrate!  I love my friends so.

Katietron!

I have a few new things going on, some things that may be happening, and some things I hope to have happen soon.

* we're renovating pretty hardcore here.  Starting with the kitchen.  I know I must have mentioned it before, but with our schedules, the project is taking foreverrrr.  We finally made the flooring decision today (as we currently have a carpeted kitchen which is not fire safe).

* I have a couple groups of friends who want to form bands with me!  Yippie!  It's always been my secret ambition to be in a band, and since all I can really do is sing (my guitar experiments and playing about two songs on piano really don't count), I never really thought I would have the opportunity!  Stoked!

* I am planning to open an Etsy store in the nearish future.  It will house all things photo related: jewelry, pillows, coasters... yup.  I have to pick up supplies and light a fire under myself to get started, but it will happen.

* Wedding planning.  Being a professional procrastinator but realizing the enormity of the job ahead of me is a little scary.  I don't want to throw everything together at the last minute, but I don't want the wedding to consume my life (because really, the wedding is nice but the marriage is the goal here!).  Finding a balance between the two is a challenge.

Well, I am off to make myself a bite to eat and get to work in that pesky kitchen!!!  Have a lovely Tuesday!

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire

I have the WORST time keeping promises to myself.  I can keep promises to other people, but not me.  I never went to the thrift store.  I sat home and worried about whether or not it would rain, and thought of ridiculous worst-case scenarios (ie. what if I get to the thrift store and a freak abducts me?  what if I can't get out of the parking lot and onto the main road safely because it's a bad intersection and it starts to rain and all the drivers freak out because there's weather things going on?  what if my windshield wiper that my Bear fixed isn't actually fixed and it rains and my wiper flies off my car and impales a pedestrian?).  Yeah.  That's me.  I'm so close to being a shut-in, Bear says.

Anyways, I think I was using it all as an excuse to stay in as it's been overcast here for days (and finally rained, poured, and literally turned to flooding here today).  When the weather sucks, I get depressed and unmotivated.

Bear didn't really have a lot of work today due to the lovely Biblical storm, and as we have no boat to go anywhere, we cleaned the house.  Which got us into the kitchen doing dishes.  Which made us PAINFULLY aware of how ridiculously un-kitchen-like our kitchen is.  It has carpet, a ugly paint job/wallpaper trim that's falling off, and next to no space for storage and/or movement.

So we waited for a parting of the waters and took off to Lowes.  We picked paint, a backsplash, flooring, cabinetry, hardware, and countertops all in one go.  So proud of Team Indecisive!  We made decisions!  I'm excited to see it all come together!  Maybe I'll have a nice home for that KitchenAid stand mixer I want to register for...

Well, I am leaving this post sans pictures at the moment again (lame, I know), as I have to go to bed so I can go to my NEW JOB IN THE MORNING!!!

Wish me luck!

While I am away, what are you interested in hearing me banter on about, or see in photos on here?  I'd love to hear from readers... apparently some of you are in Russia!  How cool is that?!?!  (How did you find me?!  Hope I don't bore you...)