DIY Drop Cloth Curtains

This weekend was busy, but I enjoyed every moment of it! I feel like I allow myself to be lazy during the week, arriving home from work after 7:00 pm doesn't leave much time to do anything. Sean and I usually watch our show and eat dinner, then it's off to bed to start all over. I have been planning on making curtains for the longest time, and finally set the plan to do them. They were so easy! I have a pair of curtains in the bedroom that look almost identical to our new curtains in the living room. I bought the curtain in the bedroom for $14 a piece, plus curtain rods. I went with drop cloth, and paid a whopping $16 for the cloth and drapery clips. I had a curtain rod laying around, which helped with price...but I was happy none-the-less.

Materials Needed

- (1) Drop Cloth
- (2 bags) Drapery Clips

- (1) Curtain Rod & Hardware
- Screwdriver

-Scissors

I bought my screwdriver at target, this one here. I bought the drop cloth and drapery clips from Wal-Mart.

I folded the drop cloth in half, and did my best to cut the cloth in half. The drop cloth is extremely long, so it bunches at the end. I love the length, but it's hidden by the loveseat...so it works. I had Sean put up the curtain rod. I'm extremely short, and can't work overhead very well. Sean and I clipped the curtain to the drapery clips and we were done. We both love how they turned out, and feel that the curtains really bring the apartment together.



I know the pictures are still off, and I apologize. I will receive my charger this week, and I'm so excited!

 

Hope you all have a great day!

 





 

Garage Sale Finds and Home Accents

Fall is in the air! I can't believe what a change we have received here in NC. I swear we were steadily hanging out in the 90's region, before nose diving in the 60's and 70's. Trust me, I'm not complaining...I just didn't see everything falling into place so perfectly.

Another quick week, which I'm loving, and payday is literally right around the corner! I plan on working on curtains for the living room, finishing up the gallery wall, working on some signs, and starting some projects in the bedroom. That's quite a list, and I'm sure some will extend through the week and into the following weekends. I wanted to share a few goodies I picked up garage sale-ing this past Saturday, and show off our bar wall. I have contemplated whether or not I want to pain our apartment...especially since we are on our second year of leasing and considering doing another year. I just can't come to terms with moving into another rental, when the location of our current rental is so wonderful.

 

Garage Sale Finds:

 I need to go to the dollar tree this weekend, and grab a large candle! Like I said before, Sean's mom and I found an entire yard full of pine cones! I love free!! I plan on sanding the tray down and either painting it or staining. I'm rather partial to staining wood however.

Home Accents:



I had shown a small peak of the wall a few days back when I posted a picture of the white pumpkins. A month ago, I decided to add a little something to our apartment, and let me tell you...it's made a HUGE difference. I bought this gray chevron pattern from Target for $30 - I should have just painted it...but I was being lazy. It was my first time putting up wallpaper and it was quite the task. I wasted an entire roll....what I learned...lay vertically. I don't know what I was thinking, but the roll didn't come with directions so I just went at it. Sean and I really like it, and it has calmed my itch to paint for now.

Hope you all have a great day!

Gallery Wall Part. 1

Happy Tuesday all! This past weekend Sean's mom and I went going garage sale hunting! She is quite the haggler, something I am not, so it's great taking pointers and seeing how low she can get a price. I was on the hunt for some decorative birdcages, cheap vases, items I can up-cycle, picture frames, and white cloth. I found A LOT of old school milk bottles, a basket, a tray, ribbon and a lantern. I'm hoping to run by Goodwill today, and the dollar tree for a large candle. I will be sure to put pictures up of the treasure I found. The first house we stopped at, the front yard was full of pine cones! They were perfect, as if they had just fallen. No one had stepped or driven over them yet, so they were in the best condition. [Is it illegal to steal pine cones from someone else lawn?]

As I stated last week, I started the gallery wall!! [Finally, right?] I was only able to put a few things, because I need to finish the scrabble letter project, and the wall will be complete. Let me know what you think! So far, Sean and I love the way it's turning out. I know it's not a lot, and like I said it's not finished but it's coming along!

I am getting a charger for my camera this weekend!! [Yay!!] So we will be saying goodbye to fuzzy, shadowy pictures, and hello to clear, beautiful pictures! So bear with me for now. The ampersand picture tutorial can be found, here, and I will post a link below for the site where I found the free printables! I found the picture frames at Goodwill, and cut the pictures down to size.

These two pieces I need to put up, but am unsure where I want to put the scrabble pieces, so I decided to wait. I also needed Sean around to tell me where they would look good, because it's hard to put them up alone. The free printables I found, here. I can't wait until everything is finished, and the gallery wall is complete. Fingers crossed I can tackle the scrabble project this weekend, and finish hanging everything!





Hope you all have a great day!

Weekend Buys

I love this time of year more than any other season. I feel happier, the weather is amazing [not too cold and not too hot], the clothes are fun, the colors are on point, and I get to wear my scarves! I received a coupon from Michael's and World Market this weekend....[broke as a joke.] I also stopped by Total Wine to grab a few bottles of my favorite wine, and American Eagle for a new pair of pants...or two.

World Market
Pumpkins//Apples//Tier Stand

I just saw that they have these pumpkins in white also....and I have another coupon! [Just Bought!]

 

Amazon

I bought the smaller cage from Michael's and couldn't find it online. I just bought mine, and they are 50% off!  I would definitely recommend running in and seeing if there are a few in the home décor section. There were a few large one's and one small one left!

 

Don't be fooled, the Nightfall Green is actually a navy blue color. I am in love with these pants. The Raisin Wine is the perfect burgundy and matches almost every single infinity scarf I own. I am in love!

Nightfall Green

Raisin Wine

 

 





I have some big things coming that I'm hoping to share soon. I want to get all my ducks in a row before doing so, but keep your fingers crossed, send your good vibes and pray that everything works out for me please!

Hope you all have a great night!

2015 Summer Favorites

Ok...first, I want to apologize for being MIA this past week. My group learned the second report platform at work, and between the stress of training and using the platform alone, it's been busy. Every time I would even think about starting a post, a call would come in. Anyways, I thank you for being patient with me, and I believe from here we should be on track.

Since summer is on the way out, I felt it was a good time to show a few of my favorite items. The items I couldn't live without. The items I tried, and fell in love with.

1//2//3//4&5

I don't know what it is about the Clean&Clear morning burst cleanser, but I swear it fully wakes me up in the mornings. It must be the orange citrus scent, or the tingly feeling...whatever the reason, it's amazing. I have extremely oily skin, and have yet to see one blemish appear while using morning burst this summer.

Although I use body scrub twice a week through all seasons, I have found the bodycology exfoliating sugar scrub in toasted sugar to be my favorite. I exfoliate the entire body once a week and then legs, armpits, elbows and feet, once again later in the week. We will discuss the benefits of exfoliating at a later date. But removing the dead skin not only keeps my skin smooth, exfoliating also helps in the prevention of ingrown hairs...which we all know I struggle with.

Lounging by the pool lathered in sunscreen and tanning oil, afterwards, a shower is necessary. You all know I have to apply lotion after I shower. I am an avid Bath&Body Works shopper....during the fall and winter months. Earlier in the summer, I received a free item coupon. Typically, I don't go into B&BW during the spring and summer, because I don't have a need. I am a Jergens girl all the way, but I cheated this summer. B&BW had lured me in. I read the fine print of the coupon, which clearly stated the free item had to come from the new summer selection, and I wandered around the store for at least an hour. I figured I'd try Endless Summer, because it smelled good, and heck, it was free -- what did I have to lose? I've gone back twice since then for more. No need for perfume, the aroma of Endless Summer is strong and long lasting. I've received many compliments on how good I smell, and Sean loves the scent. After a grueling 8 hours of work, and then a trip home in the car, Sean can still smell the scent.

I don't really feel that I need to go into depth with clothing. Everyone needs a good hat, and every woman should invest in a nightgown or two. I'm just saying.

What were you're summer favorites for 2015?

Hope you all had a great week, weekend, and a wonderful Sunday!

How To: Hide the router and modem

What a weekend! I kept quite busy, and I have a lot to show you all. For starters, Sean and I went to the Studio Movie Grill for date night and saw Fantastic Four. It was actually really good, I would recommend seeing it, far better than the last Fantastic Four. But the Studio Movie Grill make the entire experience that much better. Nothing beats watching a movie while eating dinner, and drinking. Plus, the seats are really comfortable, compared to normal movie theater seating...but I digress. What I am going to show you today, is how I made "faux books" for our router and modem. I found the original source, here. This project was both difficult and easy, depending on the type of book you pick up. I went to our local Re-Store [or Habitat for Humanity, as some know it as]. They have a cart of books outside for 25 cents each. I can't bare to destroy the books I own and love. So I up-cycled a few that someone decided to throw out.

What you'll need:

6-8 Books

Adhesive Super Glue [Dollar Tree: Amazing!!!]

Storage Crate

Scissors

Cut at the corners where the inner cover connects to the binding.
This is the perfect example of a book that cuts easily...
I ran into a few that were glued and gave me a really hard time.



Easy version

 

Glued and difficult version

 

Cut the left cover off

On the right, fold the spine cover over to use a guide for where to cut.
I would use and exacto knife or box cutter here if you have one. I used
scissors, and it was really difficult. Glue the spine to the back piece. 



Choose two books for the ends, and leave the cover on.

Add glue and stick spines together.

 Again,  I did not take a picture, but first glue the spine with the front cover to the left or right of the storage crate. I was alone, and had to hold the cover in place on my storage crate, because my curves and I didn't take that into consideration. In the original tutorial posted above, she uses a wooden crate -- I'm beginning to think she was a genius. The gluing capability would be far easier, but I was cheap and bought a 50 cent storage crate from the Re-Store. Once the cover dries, glue the spines to the front. Once the spines dry, glue the remaining cover with the spine completing the front, and the cover covering the side.



This is what the area looked like before....yuck!

Not too difficult, unless you make it...like me. But I love the way it looks, and that  the router and modem aren't just hanging out for everyone to see. I used a poster our friend Alex made Sean for his 21st birthday. It was the perfect size to cover the wires until I can determine how to untangle them without having to shut everything down. Or maybe we will keep it there...we shall see.

Incubus Concert at PNC Pavilion

I had bought Sean and I tickets to see Incubus months ago. The day finally came, and the concert was amazing! Unfortunately Sean and I had to work the next day, so we were unable to stay for the entire set, but we had a great time with Phi-Phi all the same. It’s been awhile since I’ve been to a concert, and it was Sean’s first time [exciting]. It was fun getting to people watch; we noticed a lot of people wearing tights that were very see-through. Do we dare tell them? We decided to keep track instead. Sean and I like our beer, and neither of us were willing to pay the $11.50 the Pavilion was charging. So we paid $4 for the value market draft; Natty Light. Let me say, Natty Light never tasted so good.

It was so awesome getting to see Incubus live. What's funny is Sean and I had bought chairs at a garage sale, and totally forgot them in the car! Everyone had a blanket, or some sort of sitting device...rookies we are. We will be more prepared next time for sure. Technically we had paid for seats, but decided to sit in the lawn instead. It was a great time, and I'm so happy we were able to make it out.



 

 

Hope you all have a great day!

Gallery Wall Ideas

As I've said in the past, I have numerous projects to work on. I've decided that since one project typically takes me an entire weekend, I am only going to work on one room at a time. I am itching to rearrange the living room to incorporate more space in our one bedroom apartment. The floor plan is very open, which I love, so it's time to play with that space and see what can be done. I am planning on creating a gallery wall behind the TV, incorporating Sean and I in who we are and our life together so far.

Just a few projects that I plan to work on:

 

I can not wait to get started! I love seeing projects and knowing that I can do them! I can't help but smile, in knowing how far I've come and what I am capable of. Let me know if you have any ideas for the gallery wall...I am on the hunt and could use an extra pair of eyes.

 

Hope you all have a great day!

 

 



Hanging Herb Garden

A few posts ago, I mentioned starting a few DIY projects for the summer. I have only attempted some easy DIY projects in the past, because I am terrified of completely messing the item up. So I am going to take baby steps, and work my way to my ultimate project; turning the coffee table into an ottoman. I know I can do it, I think I am just not ready yet. So I hung my herbs instead.

I took an empty mason jar..

...covered the bottom in rocks...

...added a little soil and the herb [I chose rosemary and basil]...

Target: Dollar Spot

...wrapped, tied and wrapped again...

...and hung the herbs from the pre-installed hooks on our apartment porch. I triple knotted the rope to ensure it doesn't loosen and fall. That would be so bad, considering we live on the third floor.

White Water Rafting Fireworks

I indulge in any reason to celebrate [Thanks Mom!], and I become very antsy if I don't have something planned for a holiday. Luckily, everything came together really well and we had a great time! Stacy, Sean and I decided to go to the White Water Rafting Center for their 4th of July celebration.

Of course, it was packed.

But we were able to find a place to sit on the lawn, grab a few beers, talk and listen to the music.

The fireworks were definitely worth waiting for, and don't you worry, I captured the grand finale for you all to see :)

Have a great day all!

Fun in the sun

What a weekend! A whole lot of fun in the sun and getting to spend quality time with friends and family; it was amazing. Sean and I started the weekend off by meeting my parents for drinks at the Corkscrew in Birkdale. If ever you find yourself bored and looking for a good time, the Corkscrew is the place to go. The drinks are great and the people are interesting.

This is the only picture that actually turned out from the evening. 

On Saturday, my good friend phi-phi  came to see me. We spent a good hour or two at the pool before the deciding to leave due to the clouds being a bit to dark, and the temperature a bit to toasty. We laughed, had a few serious talks and walked to Birkdale. Unfortunately, I did not snag any pictures from our lovely outing, but we did stop at Bath & Body Works [I can never say no!!]. They are currently holding their annual 75% off sale, I would highly recommend grabbing what you can from the website or visiting your local shop.

For Father's Day, Mom rented a pontoon boat for the day. It has been at least a year since I've gone out on the lake, and I came to realize that I've missed boating oh so much.

There he is, the man of the day!

As you can see.....we had a great time.

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!