Life is busy. This post is late..from 2013, to be exact!

It seems I would have all the time in the world since I only work 3 nights a week (12 hours though!) but I honestly don't know where my time goes. I would love to keep this blog better updated but *sigh* stuff happens. Anywhoo, I am just now posting my crafty projects from the 2013 holidays!!

I love those collages I see all over Pinterest, so I decided to make a few for my sisters. I took a little trip to our local Archiver's & got my hands on some 7 Gypsies goodies. I decided to make one Christmas themed & the other more antique looking. I know my local sister's home decor better, so I customized hers to match. They only had brown, so for one I did a quick spray paint of antique white.

 I tried to use stuff I already had in my craft stash, but I did buy some items, like the mini bird cage & the canvas flowers. I used some scrap paper I already had for the background, and purchased a 12x12 sheet of burlap for the middle lower square & as an accent to the upper space. The small letters are from Bottle Cap Inc (I found them at Archiver's) and the mini bird cage is Tim Holtz (I found it at Hobby Lobby, but his product line is sold at numerous places.) The clock sticker came from a 4 pack of 3D stickers from Jolee's boutique (Hobby Lobby) and the gems (bird, upper space, lower left; and the key, lower left corner) were my own. I also used some craft twine & button stickers I had on hand.

All that is left to do is cut and fit. Pretty easy. The hard part is deciding what to put where and when to stop!! These were small, approx 7 x 7 so I didn't want to clutter them up too much and take away from the look. I do think they turned out cute!

Taco Soup on a windy, dreary, rainy day!

I love to cook. I like to try new things, using whatever I have on hand. Tonight, since it was a dreary, rainy, windy day I decided to make Taco Soup for supper. There are many variations of this recipe, and I have tried many and liked them all, but tonight I opted to experiment. Of course, feel free to experiment and make your own "version!" ***Also this soup, as far as I know, is Gluten-Free, which is good for our daughter's diet.

Taco Soup

1.5 pounds lean ground beef (turkey or chicken would work as well)

1 package Taco Seasoning, or if you have larger containers, 1/4-1/2 cup

32 ounces beef broth

1 cup corn (I used up leftover corn from a previous meal!) I used frozen; if you use canned, drain first

1 can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes & chilies, original flavor, dump entire can in!

1 package Knorr (formerly Lipton) Mexican Rice (bagged instant rice with seasonings) or 2.5 cups instant white rice

1 cup water

Cheddar cheese, sour cream, crackers, chives and other garnishes to taste

Brown ground beef, drain off fat if present. Add meat to large stockpot, add all ingredients except the garnishes, and cook on medium heat for approx 30 minutes or until heated through. Top with your choice of garnish. Serve with your choice of side dish, if desired, but this soup is filling just on it's own. 

There you have it, a perfect soup, in my opinion, for a day like today! 

Some New Before and After's!!

Feeling frustrated with my current make up situation in my small master bath, I decided I needed a new solution. I was tired of picking through my makeup bag, having to rummage through all my eyeliners, mascaras, and concealers until I found just the "right" one. Plus, I hated the counter top being so cluttered! I decided I wanted a set of cute drawers, something I could open & clearly see the contents. I bought this small drawer unit at my local Target, but I wanted to embellish it a bit, add some "pretty" so it's not just sitting on my sink looking blah. I went to Pinterest for some inspiration, and many had used paper to line the bottom or the fronts of the drawers. I didn't think I could line the front of the drawers, due to the shape and the handle, so I just lined the bottoms. I had bought this paper on clearance at Hobby Lobby, it is embroidery paper made by the Paper Studio, all in shades of black and white.




So, first things first. I took out one drawer, traced the pattern, and cut it just a bit smaller. I did a dry fit it to make sure it was going to work, then used double sided tape to anchor it down. It has a vinyl feel to it, so I hope it stands up for a long time; I didn't want to permanently adhere it so I can swap it out later, when my color mood changes. 

I had some rub ons left over from my sugar hand scrub jars, so I decided to use those for the fronts of the drawers. I wanted some "bling" so I then used Stickles to embellish those just a bit, but only on 2 drawers. Once I get the other color I want, I will add it to the other drawer.


 I then cut some paper to stick to the top, added a strip of the paper leftover from the drawer liners, added a circle & circle frame, and of course, some flowers with some "shiny" in the center. 

There you have it!! Now to fill it up with my makeup and admire it on a daily basis!! I plan to also add some labels once I figure out what is gonna go where, kwim??!! :) I love it, it is so pretty!

Counting Collection

My 3rd grade daughter's teacher sent home a letter asking for help and donations for "counting collections" for the classroom. This is a technique they use to help the students with basic math skills when they need practice, like counting, sorting, and place value. We started saving lids from 2 liter pop bottles and water bottles, and I wanted to send them to school in style..so I started looking for a cute container that I could re-purpose! I finally found one that was perfect, so here's the before and after!

Before: A plain Planters cashew plastic container.
(The tray is for another project I am working on...that will be posted later.)















I measured all 4 sides, cut some paper to fit, and using double sided tape, I attached it to the container. To better hold the paper in place, I covered it all with a coat of clear Mod Podge. I also wanted to spice it up a bit, so I added a ribbon around the top, and it also covers up the stamped expiration date on the container. I wanted to decorate it further, so I added some felt sticky back numbers that I had left over from another project. I felt the white ones faded in to the paper, so using some Sharpies, I added some dots. 

Here is the finished project!

I threw in the bottle caps we had been saving & sent it to school with her. Now, for the next one I am going to decorate it a bit more, but since I wanted to keep this one simple, I held back and used the "less is more" theory. It is for 3rd graders, ya know!!??

Organizing 101

I happened to find this blog while I was searching for organization inspiration (say that 3 times fast, LOL) and found this workshop called Organizing 101. They were offering the first part of the session for free, so I checked it out! I decided it was a great opportunity for me to focus on my need to get organized, so I signed up for the entire session. I am glad I did! We just began week 2 and were given a small task to organize something small--I decided to tackle my hall closet that had been begging for a clean out for a looooonnng time! So, here are some before, during, and after photos!!

First, the before. I used the center shelves to store towels so they were easy for everyone to get to. The top shelf I had drawer units where I just "threw" stuff into, and it had no organization whatsoever. The bottom shelves held extra shampoo, body wash, feminine products, rags, cotton balls, and whatever else didn't have a home! It was time to purge & clean!


I also store a step stool inside the door so I can grab it when I need something out of any of the closets. That is going to stay, but I might try to devise a hook system to keep it out of the way...


The obstacles of this closet were: 
*the size: it was narrow & tall. There is a lot of space at the top but it is hard to get to because of the doorway. The shelves were installed by the builder, so they are fixed. I am trying to make the most of the space without having to do any structural changes. 
*I had too much stuff to store in there! I had to make some decisions as to where stuff needed to go. 
*Since I had too much stuff in there, just thrown in, I was constantly searching for stuff! I hate that! I want to know where stuff is & where it goes when I bring something home from the store!

Step 2: I cleaned out the bottom shelves, threw out, recycled bottles, found other homes for stuff and installed some spice racks I bought from Home Depot. I wanted to use the space on the door, but it was pretty narrow to use a standard over the door hanging device. These are actually installed into the door. The over the door unit was pretty spendy, so I opted for these instead (each unit was $14 each). I thought they would be perfect for those bottles that were taking up space on my shelf, and they are! 2 of the shelves are wider than the others, and they hold shampoo & body wash perfectly, while the narrow ones hold nail polish & smaller items. I Love It!!!!!


I utilized a basket that wasn't being used (2nd shelf from bottom, Left) to corral the feminine products so they weren't on full display. I tossed the cotton balls on top. The basket next to it houses some other items that didn't fit in the spice racks and needed a place to go. The bottom of the closet I used a wicker basket to hold my cleaning rags & swiffer dusters. The plastic bins on the left are going to be cleaned out later. 

I took the drawer units out, emptied them, labeled them, and organized them!! I am much happier now!! 

Top shelf of closet. I found a plastic shelf and placed it to give me some more vertical space. I emptied the bottom drawer into the bin next to it, because there were so many little samples & travel sized items the drawer was beyond capacity. I also wanted something I could grab and take into the bathroom when I pack. I moved the basket with the rags up here too, since it fit so well under the shelf. I am very happy with this so far, and totally pumped that I have an empty drawer!!!! 

This is my closet today. I am pretty satisfied with how things are looking!!

Here is the bottom shelves now. I moved the other drawer unit lower since it has things we use most often. The little bin on top is my daughter's nail stuff, and I will have her clean that out when she is home. I plan on getting a cleaning supply organizer to put on  the bottom in the empty space so I can access it quickly. Since I don't have small kiddos anymore, I think it will work out well!! 
Now to go make some labels for my baskets!!

Happy New Year!

2012 is here. Time for reflection on the past year. Time to look forward to the new year. Time to get all those items checked off my to-do list, and probably add more....

I decided to make "goals" this year, not resolutions. I like goals so much better, because I know how to make them attainable. I am also vowing to get more organized (I know, it's a life long process) by keeping better home records, conquering my clutter areas, battling with my paper burden, and just keeping my calendar up to date so I feel more in control.

Here is my 2012 mantra:

I plan on posting this where I see it frequently, and it is also the background on my laptop. I have this beautiful space I call home & I am so not happy with how it looks. I need to find the peace & happiness that organization will bring me.

So, what are your goals for the year? I have many more, but those are on a list in my mind...yes I need to write them down. "Don't just think it, INK it!"