Organizing Ribbon Storage

This is my before photo of my ribbon storage. Not really working. I got a great idea from Simple Mom's blog to use a paper towel holder for ribbon storage. I can't find the link so here is one from Real Simple.

I realized that unfortunately that wouldn't work for me personally because most of my ribbon is not on the individual spindles like when they were bought. So I decided that sandwich ziploc bags would work instead to keep all the ribbon separate. This is a plastic case that is meant to hold 12x12 scrapbook paper that has been holding a variety of craft essentials the last few years.

With the lid shut its much better to see each individual ribbon instead of one big tangled mess. Much better indeed.

Confessions of a Spray-Paint-A-Holic

I love spray paint. That is no secret around here. But I wonder if I crossed the line when the first two words are....Princess House. I received a set of Princess House plates complete with a serving platter and dish, bowls, and a pitcher. A family member was moving across the country and gave them to me as she was radically downsizing her house. Since space is at a premium in my kitchen, I really make sure that I only have things that I use. This large bowl was sitting in the back of the cabinet and if I was going to keep it around I wanted to make some good use of it. It's definitely a pretty pattern, but I knew I would use it a lot more if it was solid white as a decor dish. So I did just that.

I used Kilz spray primer - it took two coats for the pattern to fully disappear. I had a can of almond appliance epoxy spray paint laying around so I decided to use that since it would give it a really hard finish.

And here is the completed bowl! I love the change.

And here it is sitting complete with its current inhabitants - more yarn balls. I've been doing different colors and I've been throwing them in there as I finish them. I am loving that turquoise color, I'll definitely be making more of those! I'm definitely looking forward to spring colors coming soon!

Bathroom Vanity Mini-Makeover

I think a lot of us who either own or rent have bathroom vanities that look like this. Our home was built in 1992, and we bought it in 2007. So previous owners/tenants can make a mess inside, and you really don't know what was in there beforehand. Even if you're a renter this is something you could do without it being a permanent change and having to ask your landlord for permission.

This is our guest bathroom. It is literally the size of a closet. The width of the vanity? That's how wide the room is - the tiles are 12x12 so you can see its quite a small space. It's perfect for guests because its always clean as our family uses the other two full bathrooms in the house. Now I probably could of gone to the store and picked out some contact paper or something to the like but I wanted to see if I could pull it off without having to spend anything and just shop my own house.

I wanted the floor of the vanity covered up because of the various water stains and such that have happened over the last 18 years. I took an old towel I had and measured out what the dimensions were and cut accordingly.

Then I grabbed my stapler gun and started stapling the towel down on all 4 sides. It looked unfinished/raw with the staples showing through that I went into my ribbon box and found some ribbon to make it look more finished.

Much better. I also stapled the ribbon as well but since the ribbon is patterned the staples blend right in.

The main reason for this little mini-makeover was that I wanted a place to put towels, toiletries, and the like for guests in all one place so that when we have friends and family stay, they have the things they need at their fingertips and don't have to feel awkward looking through our cabinets for a clean towel, toothpaste, ect. This is what I included: Towels, washcloths, travel sized shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, lotion, soap, facial cleaner, chapstick, his and hers razors, shaving cream, baby powder, dental floss, a few toothbrushes, and most definitely feminine hygiene products. I know how embarrassing it can be to ask your host for a pad or tampon when the lovely "time of the month" comes. I also had an extra blowdryer, curling iron, and flat iron that I rarely use so I put those in there as well.

I had this small white plastic bucket that was being unused and it fit all the loot perfectly! I did not go out and buy any of this stuff separately, they were all things around the house that I corralled. The travel sized shampoo, conditioner, and lotion were from hotels that we had previously visited. I grabbed a metal tin that I wasn't using that I had previously spray painted and put the blowdryer and curling irons in it.

And here is my completed guest bathroom vanity! I can put those white towels on a clean surface finally!

Yarn Ball Tutorial

How to make yarn balls. I love these things-and no they are not cat toys they are for decor :) They are really simple to make - I think one of the reasons that I love yarn so much is that it reminds me of my Grandma who crochets loads of blankets, potholders, ect. Can I crochet? I've tried it several times over the years, but I'm too much of a perfectionist when it comes to making uniform loops to truly enjoy it plus it takes a long time! I definitely admire those of you that can crochet! I start with these foam balls that I got at a local dollar store, then my yarn of choice and some tape. (I used packing tape because that's what I had around). I've also used a tennis ball and it worked great as well - you can get those typically in a 3 pack at the dollar store too.

Although you can barely see it, I stuck a piece of tape over the beginning of the yarn to hold it in place. It'll be covered so it really doesn't matter what tape you use, just that it can hold the yarn in place for a bit.

Start wrapping yarn all over the ball. There really is no right or wrong way to wrap. Then when I finish wrapping the ball I tie a knot in the end and tuck it under some of the yarn strands. That's it! This is also the same way that I made my yarn balls that I stuck on my headboard (which are still there cause I love them so much.) You can read that post here.

Got Pillows?

I got back home this evening after spending a few days in San Diego. My husband was there for work for 2 days so the boys and I tagged along since they don't go back to school until Monday. When we walked into the hotel room these pillows stopped me in my tracks. I always love good design, but these pillows...WOW. I have never seen pillows this HUGE!!!

Here is the TV remote propped up against the pillow to show you some scale on just how massive these things were.

And here's another photo of me (cheesy grin and all, couldn't help it) Have you ever seen pillows so big?!?

To My Readers

Can you believe its the first of the year already? Amazing. First off, I want to thank each and every one of you who read my blog - especially the 50 awesome followers that I have. Each time a new person follows my blog it really makes my day. I know that there are a lot of wonderful blogs out there so it really touches and humbles me each time I get new followers. Truly, thank you. From the bottom of my heart.

Here's to a great 2011!!

Creative Ornament Storage

I loved this idea I heard somewhere about creative uses for everyday things. We pick up apples regularly at Costco, and they come in this plastic case aka whatever-you-call-these-things. These cases actually make perfect ornament storage! I was excited to try them out this year, and I'm pretty impressed, they work great!

Another tip that I loved was that when you pull out your Christmas decor, put the decor you are taking down for the season and put them in the Christmas storage boxes. That way when you're ready to take down the seasonal decor and put your regular display items up they're already stored together, and you didn't have to find extra space on a shelf somewhere (like I did this year but definitely not next!) Genius.

The Best Macaroni and Cheese Ever Recipe

I've learned that tried and true recipes are like a good hairdresser - worth their weight in gold. My sister in law gave me this recipe and it has been a hit ever since. I have had a lot of requests from friends for this recipe! Best thing is, its super easy!

I did not like mac n cheese growing up, the powdery cheese mixed with noodles...blech. I even tried some homemade ones over the years and I still didn't care for them. Until now. This one is awesome! In fact, one of my sons ordered some mac n cheese off the kids menu at a restaurant and after tasting it told us it was gross (I warned him beforehand) - after you've tried this you'll understand what I mean, there is no going back! In fact, my middle son Derek turned 8 today and this is what he requested tonight for his birthday dinner!

Macaroni and Cheese

2 cans evaporated milk (the lowfat cans works great too, done it multiple times)
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp ground mustard
4 Tbsp cornstarch
4-5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
16 oz pasta noodles

Cook pasta according to package directions. Put the first 5 ingredients in a saucepan and whisk together BEFORE turning on the heat. (This is a crucial step as the cornstarch will clump if it is not cold or room temperature) Stir almost constantly over medium high heat until boiling/thickens. Add shredded cheese. When melted, pour over noodles in a 9x13 casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

We also add smoked ham when we have it from the BBQ Pit in San Diego - its the shredded meat that falls off the bones. It is awesome!

Picasa

I just figured out how to make a custom blog header as you can see, thanks to Sarah at Clover Lane! If you've been wondering how to, here is the link, it is very self explanatory and once you have done it, its so much easier the next time!

Sarah also has a great tutorial on how she caught up on her scrapbooks using Picasa as well. It's a long post, but its full of great information and step-by-step help! It's one of my all time favorite blog posts.

I absolutely love Picasa. I have Photoshop Elements and I have yet to fully figure it out - and I have spent hours on it. I do all my photo enhancements for my blog through Picasa, and I use a point and shoot camera as well. I'd love to invest in a digital SLR in the future! Any recommendations?

Contact Hooks, Ribbon, and Clothespins

In the past we've taped the Christmas cards we have received to the back of the front door with scotch tape. I've seen some great ideas in magazines using fir garland all the way to copper tubing. Nothing that would exactly work though in our home. So I decided to try out contact hooks since I did not want to put nail holes in the wall just for the Christmas season. And of course.... festive ribbon!

I took two spools of WIRED ribbon that I have used previously. Cranberry and gold are my signature colors for decorating for Christmas. I just tucked the ribbon into each side of the contact hook and let the rest of the ribbon drape down.

I took clothespins and pinned each card or photo on the cranberry ribbon, and let the gold ribbon curl around on the sides for accents.

And here it is as of today. Much better than the old scotch-tape-to-the-door! And the contact hooks have done great! (Where were you contact hooks when we were newly married and renting??) I am so glad I don't have to put nail holes in the wall for things I just want to temporarily put up for display!

Yarn Balls

Photo: Better Homes and Gardens

When I received my December issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine in the mail, this photo instantly caught my eye. I love the look of yarn balls and I have made a few in the past before, but wrapped together on a wreath - it looked stunning to me!

So I made my own too. In the magazine it said to use a foam ball, then stick a pin in the first strand of yard attached to the ball. I am not a fan of anything potentially poking me, so I used a small piece of packaging tape. I was able to get a package of 8 foam balls at the dollar store.

And here is more of a detailed shot. I strung them over my bed since I finished them around 1am and I didn't want my boys waking up and playing with them. :) I actually like them there, so they're going to stay for now!

Table Centerpiece

I made this centerpiece for my table earlier this week. I made some more shimmer candles that I wanted to display so I "shopped my house" for some decor to pull a centerpiece together.

I had this black wooden tray in my master bathroom that had some rocks in it as filler as well as 2 candles. I got the tray at a garage sale for $1. So I emptied out the rocks and put them in a ziploc bag to use later. I went through my gift wrapping and found this shimmer stringy stuff that's almost like tinsel that I used a few years ago for some clear gift bags.

I laid the shimmery "tinsel" on the tray, then I placed my shimmer candles on them. I grabbed some of my mini ornaments from the dollar bins at Target that I was using in my glass hurricane and sprinkled them around the candles. I figure after Christmas I can remove the red and green ornaments and put in some more silver and gold ornaments and it will easily last through New Year's.

The Entertainment Unit Evolves

After posting earlier today about my entertainment unit, I got inspired and wanted to show you the before and afters. This is how it looked when we bought the house in 2007. It was faux painted to look like wood and the rattan/whatever you want to call it panels were falling off too. Definitely not my style. And the color of those vertical blinds? Ugh. Even those had a faux color effect to them! I am so over vertical blinds.

Right after we moved in we had the house painted top to bottom, the exterior, the interior walls, ceiling, doors, and trim. Everything. I ripped off those rattan type panels and painted the entertainment unit black, which made a huge difference! Then my husband and I were watching HGTV one night and on one of the shows the designer painted the entertainment unit ALL one color, including the wall to make it look like one large unit. My hubby was all about that idea! So we got out the black paint again and did it!

And here is what it looks like now. I didn't like so much black at first but I really do think it pulled the whole entertainment unit together. And now that I have the lamps there it really adds some color contrast, which I love. Overall, I'd definitely do it again!

Two New Lamps

When I was at Lowe's the other day I spotted this 2-pack of lamps on clearance. Price? $12.97 for BOTH! I've been wanting to put matching lamps on the ends of the entertainment unit but have never found any that were a great deal...until now! Even the lampshades were the right color! Love, love, love them!

The green topiary I got at a garage sale for $1 (I added a sprig of berries for the season), and the advent calendar I got for free from a good friend that was moving across the country and was downsizing her stuff. Live/Laugh/Love sign was from Kohl's for 10 dollars, and the red hat box is from Williams-Sonoma and has brand new mugs in them - I scored that at a yard sale for 5 bucks!! I love the vintage snowman print on the top. So there's some more thrifty decor for ya!

Personalizing Stockings on the Cheap

2 years ago I scored an awesome deal at the Pottery Barn Outlet after the holidays. They had the whole store at 50% off, and I was able to get Christmas stockings for 1.99 E.A.C.H. Score!!! Since they were a plain cranberry color, I wanted to add an initial to each stocking of the first name of each person in our family.

My sister in law was able to find some at Target for 1 dollar each, but they were plain silver. Exactly what I wanted, but of course they were all sold out when I went to check. All they had were these pictured above with the crystal bling. Considering I have 3 boys.....no bling please. And they are expensive! They were 9 dollars each at Target! Amazon has them currently for 12.99 each here. Okay, I paid under 2 bucks each for these stockings....you think I'm going to shell out 5 times the amount of money for an initial??? Sorry, wrong number.

So I racked my brain, and started browsing the internet. I came across zazzle.com - I could make my own personalized buttons! And for 1.45 each, that was my kind of price! I got the small 1 1/4 inch buttons and I was able to choose the font, color, text size, and the way I wanted the text positioned! The text color is cranberry as well, I tried to match it to the color of the stocking as best I could. You can try out making your own buttons here on zazzle's website. The link is for the standard 2 inch button, but just click the box that makes it 1 1/4 inch. If you want the standard size button they are 2.45.

They even have them in a square shape if you don't want a circle. My concern was that if the buttons were that cheap, they must charge a nice price for shipping. Boy was I surprised! If you choose economy shipping ordering 5 buttons is only 1.99!! (Standard shipping is 6.99, but I don't mind waiting a few extra days to save some $$).

And here they all are! ( I apologize you can't see all the names but I couldn't get all the stockings in the photo without some distance)

The larger red bead garland is from Michael's for 2.99. The smaller red bead garland is from Target for 3.00.

And you know what? In the end, I think I like my buttons better than the silver pins since I had to get creative!