Pinterest Addiction part II

Hello All, Ashley here!  Sorry I have been on a blog hiatus this week, its been a long and busy one.  This week we celebrated Matt's birthday, so a quick Happy Birthday to him. 

                               First Up:  Our completed Color Me Mine pieces found in our post here.

Next Up:  Ashley's Pinterest Addiction! While not easy to pick a board to highlight,  I have chosen to highlight pins off of my "DIY Projects and Crafts" board.

First up:  Our Pantry Door

Original Project is found here .    Since our kitchen is connected to the dining and living room area I have always wanted to isolate the kitchen as its own room by giving my kitchen it's own decorative theme.  So, I've added this vinyl decoration onto my "to-do" list, but I'd love to make it on my Cricut!

Project #2 -  A DIY  bench, find the tutorial here.  It's actually a redone COFFEE TABLE!  How fun.  Once this project is completed I'd place the final product between the two tall windows in my master bedroom.

And finally something I have to complete to get a start on my to do list.

When it comes to security in my home I would like all of the bells and whistles that I can get, but that doesn't come over night, therefore near the top of the to-do list is frosting the glass next to my front door to add a touch more privacy to our entry. 

This project was found on this blog and also here on Young House Love

Pinterest Addiction

The two of us have a bit of an obsession with Pinterest.

If you're not on it...you should definitely change that.  Unless, of course, you value your time and doing things other than sitting in front of the computer.  Because, let me tell you, this crazy website will surely get you sitting in front of the computer.  It's genius!

So, today, I'm going to highlight some of my favorites from one of my boards.  Perhaps this will entice me to actually get moving on some of these projects, instead of just pinning...and pinning...and pinning.

Seeing as one of my new year's resolutions is to get moving on making my office look like it belongs to an adult instead of a broke college student, I'm going to focus on my "Decorating Ideas" board.  Here are some of my favorite pins:

This is one of my first pins, from houzz.com (the link from the pin doesn't take you to the right place, otherwise I'd give the exact link), and is my first office inspiration.  I love the corner desk concept...and just now noticed there are some bib numbers on the wall.  Woo for running!

I also can't help but go back and stare at this one.  I definitely want to do this in my little mud room/laundry room/basement.  The pin is from Made By Girl, and the blog  is super adorable.  Another great thing about Pinterest...it leads you to other fun blogs!

This is one of those that I was shocked to find myself repinning, because I am sooo not a green kind of girl.  However, I find myself more and more drawn to this color combo...pretty sure this is the route I'll take with my office (since it's a pretty blank slate and I can switch it out easily if I don't like it).  The pin is originally from Canadian House and Home magazine.

And finally, I'm loving this picture.  Why on Earth did she pin a picture of a kid's room, do you ask?  I don't blame you, because I asked myself the same thing.  However, this is the blue and green combo again.  In this one, I am loving the green accent wall with the curtains.  I LOVE the curtains.  Definitely on the to-do list for the office.  This one is from Little Green Notebook.

Hope you enjoyed this mini-glimpse into my Pinterest world!  It was fun to me to take a peek back at some things I pinned awhile ago!  Happy Pinning!

Spaces: Merry Christmas 2011!

We hope you all had a festive and fun holiday!  Amy and I sure did.  On Christmas Eve, we get together at our parents' house for a celebration with my mom's family.  It's always a very special time because the family keeps growing, and the space doesn't get much bigger to accommodate us.  It's a tight-fitting gathering, but that just makes it more memorable for us. 

On Christmas day, Matt and I hosted a gathering mixing some of his family and mine as well.  Amy and I put together the day, and her help was greatly appreciated.  It went mostly glitch-free, and the guests seemed to enjoy themselves. 

I (Ashley) received a new camera for Christmas, therefore Christmas day was full of picture taking.

Amy got a new Kindle reader for Christmas and tried it out before our guests arrived.

Annual "sister" Christmas picture

Matt and I on Christmas morning

Our table setup

Table 2 set up

Amy and our mom looking through store ads to discover any good after-Christmas sales

Mom and I with the load of food we served

                                           

Until next time.............

Sisters/Spaces: The Christmas Countdown is ON!

I have always loved surveys (remember how they were SO popular to send to your friends through e-mail?), so I was pumped when I saw this survey today from Clean Eating Chelsey.  Needless to say, we are about to survey it up!

Does Santa wrap presents, or just set them under the tree?

Amy: Clearly, it is the elves job to wrap.  Santa is much to old and much to busy for that business!

Ashley:  Of course not!  The gifts were made by him, someone else can do the wrapping!

Colored lights on the tree/house or white?

Amy: Well, I have both going on right now, but I prefer white.

Ashley:  I'd prefer white lights as well.  That's what I have on my tree and outside this year.

Do you hang mistletoe?

Amy: Nope.

Ashley:  Not usually.

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

Amy: I love this jello/applesauce/red hots stuff my aunt makes, but she doesn't make it every year.  I am definitely a turkey fan...so I'll go with that otherwise.

Ashley:  I'd have to say I'm a fan of the potatoes.  Not exclusive to Christmas however...

Favorite holiday memory as a child?

Amy: Riding my new bike through the neighborhood on Christmas morning, even though it was freezing.  Or, making noise so my dad would get up so we could open presents.

Ashley:  As a response to Amy's bike comment- I got the same bike on the same Christmas morning, however too terrified to ride it, I sat on it in the living room for months!  My favorite Christmas memory is playing dolls with my cousins on Christmas eve because I would usually get a new doll and was ecstatic to have someone that wanted to play dolls with me. 

Snow- love it or dread it?

Amy: Generally, I would say dread it.  I love looking at it on Christmas, but would rather go without because it makes it hard for people to travel to be together.

Ashley:  Dread it!  I like to look at it when its all clean white and smooth on the grass but after a few pictures I'm ready for Summer!

Real tree or fake tree?

Amy: Fake...our mom is allergic.

Ashley:  Agree with Amy!

What is the most important thing about Christmas for you?

Amy: Spending time with family.

Yay for Elf Yourself!  This picture cracks me up every time!

Ashley: Being together with family and making the memories to talk about for years.

What is your favorite holiday dessert?

Amy: Um...all of them.  Haha...if I HAD to choose I would go with just about anything pumpkin.

Ashley: Peanut Butter cookies with a Hershey kiss on top!

What is your favorite tradition?

Amy: I LOVE our Christmas Eve gathering with my mom's side of the family.  There are tons of people in a house that isn't quite big enough for everyone, but I love that we are ALL together and the house is full of laughter.

Ashley:  I love Christmas Eve as well, but my absolute favorite is setting up my ceramic Christmas village my grandma painted for me.  She had one when I was a kid, gifted one to my mom and then to Amy and I when we moved to our own places!

What tops your tree?

Amy: A silver, glittery star.  Follows my decorating theme!

Ashley:  We don't have anything this year!  I would like an angel in the years to come. 

What is your favorite Christmas song?

Amy: Do You Hear What I Hear...the Glee version makes me cry and get goosebumps on my face...lol.

Ashley:  Oh my this is a hard question... I think I enjoy all of them but Little Drummer Boy probably tops the list followed by Silent Night.

What do you leave for Santa?

Amy: Nothing anymore.  Used to be cookies.

Ashley:  Cookies!

Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?

Amy: My family always eats cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning...yum!

Ashley:  We eat Cinnamon rolls while Amy and I watch the Macy's parade.

Do you prefer to shop online or at the mall?

Amy: I like to take at least one good mall trip of the season to get the holiday shopping experience.  I've been doing more and more shopping online in the past couple of years, which I find to be much less stress.

Ashley:  I have done a lot of shopping online.  I love Black Friday shopping however after that I do most shopping online with a few trips out here and there.

And that concludes our Holiday Survey!  We'd love to hear some of your fun holiday traditions!

Spaces: Christmas Work-In-Progress

When I moved into this house, I didn't (and still don't) have much Christmas decor (I feel so swanky typing that, haha) of my own.  So, this year is definitely a work-in-progress sort of year when it comes to decorating.

I love that this year I get to kind of create my own "style" when it comes to Christmas decorating.  I have a white and silver "vision," but I believe it's sort of impossible to truly stick to a vision when it comes to Christmas decorating, because there is just so much cute stuff!  So, here is what I've got going on so far in my casa this year.

Ashley and Matt got a new tree, so they were so kind as to pass their old one along to me.  I think it's adorable.  It's pre-lit, which I've never had before and think it AWESOME.  I have a few of my own ornaments, but most are some plain or glittery silver balls.

The night I put it up, I sat in the dark for like 45 minutes because I thought it was so pretty lit up, haha.

I have this weird ledge in my living room, so I thought it would be a good place for the Christmas village my grandma made for me a couple of years ago.  Doesn't fit the white and silver theme, but looks cute!  I'm using the other part of the ledge to display my Christmas cards...at least until they start falling down and driving me crazy!

You may notice that most of my decorations are in the same room.  :)  I think my TV stand is cute.  I have a santa statue I got from a student a few years ago, the terra cotta pot Christmas tree I made at the Craft-stravaganza, and a couple of snowmen my mom and I made a couple of years ago.

On to the kitchen...and this one is probably my favorite.  I have been seeing this ornaments-in-vases thing all over blogs and Pinterest, so I had to try it.  I definitely love it!

I've got some other trinkets here and there around the house, but these are my favorites.  I'm looking forward to building a collection of things I love!  Now, on to sprucing up the outside of my house!

Spaces: Upcoming Craft-stravaganza!

Amy and I have put together the idea of our first annual Christmas Craft-Stravaganza.  Both being in new houses this year we are in need of some things to decorate our houses with and what better things to decorate with than things we have hand made ourselves!!  So we've taken some ideas from Pinterest and are going to put them into action this upcoming weekend. 

Here is a preview of what I plan to make!

Winter Shadow Box

Photo frames on candle sticks.

   and wooden hearts painted with chalkboard paint for ornaments and gift tags!

I (Amy), have some projects up my sleeve as well:

I'm really excited to get to develop my own Christmas decorating "theme," and I want to go with a silver/white sort of thing.  I'll have other things mixed in, of course, but I just think the silver and white is so pretty!  This project is from bhg.com, but the link I click on Pinterest gives me an error.  Looks like I'm coming up with this tutorial on my own!

Ashley and I have been saving up wine bottles for months, so I think this project project will be a great use for them.  Now just to find some elegant things to put in them!

This is my first time having my own Christmas tree, so I will be making LOTS of ornaments to decorate it.  This idea (from mommysavers.com...Pinterest link is broken) is one of my absolute favorites...you write memories from  the year on it.  I think this will be a great tradition, and I'm picking an amazing year to start it!  I'm thinking a white ornament with silver Sharpie?

We can't wait for the Craft-stravaganza!  It's gonna be epic!

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On to being thankful!  Ashley first...

Today I am thankful for feeling appreciated.  I started my day today with a message from my boss saying how much i'm appreciated for the hard work I do every day and it put me in the best mood.

And now Amy...

I am thankful for to-do lists!  Even if there is a lot on it, somehow having it on a list makes me less stressed.

Spaces: "L" Marks the Spot

If you know me, it's no surprise that I wanted to make something for my sister and new brother-in-law's wedding gift.  I had been eyeing this tutorial from Lemon Tree Creations for quite some time now.  My sister loves personalized stuff, so I decided now was the time to make them!

All I really needed for this project was some plates and a porcelain pen.  The hardest part was the plates, as I was kind of picky and wanted a set on a stand, and the only one I could find was at World Market, only in stores (not that I have a problem going to the store because I LOVE it...but let's say I may have procrastinated a little and wasn't happy about the 40 minute drive to get there).

Once I got the plates, I started off my finding "l's" in fonts that I liked.  I got a set of 10 plates, so I made 5 matching sets.  I scribbled all over the back in pencil, then went over the outline in pen to transfer the pencil onto the plate.

Then, I colored in the outline with my porcelain pen.

After finishing all the plates, I let them dry for about a day, then baked them according to the instructions on the porcelain pen.

I was really pleased with the way they turned out...and I hope the newlyweds are too!
_________________________________________________________________

Today, I'm thankful for coffee!  Although I may hold the record for the fastest development of an addiction, that stuff is just. so. good!


Ashley's Turn!
  Perfectly fitting along with the theme of the blog above.  Today I am thankful for my hubby Matt!  Today marks 2 months since our wedding day.  And we use the plates shown above with our dinner tonight!  We love them.

Spaces: Changes in Ashley's house

I've had a lot more free time since my wedding has came and gone.  I've had time to look around my house and think about what needs to be done to make it less of a house and more of a home.  I wanted to start out adding more things "to scale" in the house.  And figured that our little table in the kitchen was a great place to start.  I didn't want the wall to be bare when we first moved in so I added a little couch table to the space.   It just started to look too small so Matt and I headed to ikea to pick up a new shelf for the kitchen. 
I didn't waste any time getting started with the building process...

This is where we started......

after the box was emptied...this is what I had to work with there are some additional big pieces that were not included in this photo.   (The cardboard is not part of the shelf).

In progress...

It's complete!!  Next up now is bigger baskets for storage.

Matt and I are still getting used to this new and bigger piece of furniture but it's growing on us and looks much better in the space!   I love how the options for using it are endless!  We can change the baskets, add more or remove them completely.  I've also decided that this shelf will become a display for my holiday decorations. 

I've also been busy adding these saddle back bar stools from JCPenney to our kitchen for additional seating!

And finally: 
Today I am thankful for sleep.   It's been a long day and I can not wait for a goodnight sleep!

Amy's turn!

Today I am thankful for the rain.  It's kind of cozy being cooped up in here...

Spaces: The Big To-Do List

Now that both of us are settled and comfy in our new homes, we have been looking at more and more ways to make our spaces our own!  Time, of course, has been the missing link, but we're working on that!  Here are each of our top five items on our house to-do lists:

Amy's List

1. Finish the dreaded laundry room window frosting project.

2. P-a-i-n-t!

This project actually encompases multiple projects, as I want to paint my master bath, living room, kitchen, and guest bath at some point.  I've pretty much decided on all the colors.  First on the list is the master bath, which I am planning to paint a cool gray-ish purple that I picked up on the "oops" rack at Home Depot for about $5.  I'm thinking about painting stripes on the walls like these from Young House Love.

3. Get new curtains.

  

The previous owners of my house were kind enough to leave all the window treatments, which has been a huge help to me.  However, I'm ready for a change!  I'm loving these curtains from Ikea but looks like they might be discontinued, so I smell some DIY!



4. Touch up the ceilings in my master bedroom.

Let's just say that we got a little lazy toward the end of our painting experience, and there are some mistakes that need fixing.

5. Make a window seat in my loft

So excited for this one!  This idea was inspired by the infamous Pinterest, which led me to this adorable office picture.

 When I showed Ashley, I said, "All that's missing is a window seat."  That smarty-pants sister of mine gave me a GENIUS idea to make it work...and I can't wait to make it happen!  I better get to frosting that window!  :)


Ashleys ever-growing To-Do List.

1.  Backsplash in the kitchen!

Our kitchen is just one big blank canvas, however since there is no "break" in the wall separating the dining room and living room we would either have to paint the whole room one solid color (boring!) or we would have weird paint lines where the color changes.  Therefore, I have the idea of adding a mosaic tile back splash in my kitchen to add color with out having to paint the whole room one solid color. 

I'd absolutely LOVE it if my backsplash looked like this:

                                                             Idea came from this site

                      This is the location for the back splash...apologies for the clutter shown in this photo!
2.  Paint!  
Matt and I have to turn our white walls into something more warm and "home" like.  We have discussed colors but just can't pick the look we feel we want in our house.  I like the neutral and natural colors like this while Matt wants to get a little crazy and add colorful accent walls.   

3.  Hang pictures! 

I love pictures!  I'm not the best at photography however I just LOVE taking pictures of pretty landscapes and I love candid photos of people and taking fun pictures of children busy at play.  I have alot of photos I have taken myself as well as framed pictures of our wedding that I want to hang.  It's just so hard to figure out the best place to put things.   However, Matt and I have been extremely busy getting a head start on these projects and here is where we are at this point: 

                                            Kitchen word art

  Master Bedroom Art and the blinds we have put up in there (project #4)

      Our first wedding photo framed and hung in our staircase...We are thinking a taupe color for this wall.

4.  Finish hanging Blinds and Curtains:

We have already done quite a bit of this project thanks to some help from our family, however it's just become an issue of FINISHING!  We've transformed most of our house so far and are loving the new window treatments.


5.  Frosting the glass on our front entry door... (must be a sister thing!)
We love the windows around out front door as it allows us to see who may be on the other side when the doorbell rings.... however, its also been a topic that comes up often when we discuss the security of our new home.  We don't really know whats visible from the outside, therefore we would like to take on the project of frosting the glass to make it less visible from the outside! 

It has just begun!

Spaces: The Frosting on the...Windows

Before I start, I must admit that this may be one of the laziest projects I have ever not-completed.  Something that should have taken me an afternoon has taken me--literally--months.  And...I'm still not done.  Yikes!

What is this simple-but-not-in-Amy's-world project, you ask?  Frosting my mud/laundry room window.  This window is the only one in my house at ground level, and the fact that it is so exposed kind of creeps me out.  I didn't feel like it would look right with curtains, so I decided frosting it was the way to go.

I decided to do the same with the small window in my master bathroom, so I headed over to Lowe's (with a coupon, of course) and picked up a roll of window frosting film. 

(I must digress for a second...is it weird that every time I type the word frosting, even if reference to a window, I can't stop thinking about the cookies calling my name from the kitchen?  I didn't think so.)

Anyway, I ended up having to pick up two rolls for the two windows, and it knocked me back about 50 bucks when all was said and done...yeesh!

When I got home, I took a break and spent some time on one of my favorite obsessions: Pinterest.  Lo and behold, I stumbled upon this link that described how to "frost" a window with contact paper.  Six dollars for a roll of contact paper as opposed to the 25 I spent on the fancy stuff?  Yes, please!

So, I printed 7th House on the Left's awesome stencil template and got to work tracing and cutting.

Not the most entertaining of jobs (hence the WEEKS it took me to complete this phase of the project...motivation was not easy to find), but I persevered...if you could call it that.

So, after lots of tracing and cutting (and some frustration, because for some reason they didn't line up evenly), I was left with a bunch of cut out shapes and was ready to rock on my window.

I cleaned it really well and started sticking.  The trickiest part was the edges, because a full shape wouldn't fit.  Luckily, I had the tool from the expensive stuff (which I still used on my bathroom window), which made it really easy. 

At first, I was nervous, but I stepped back and was loving it!  And this...

...is as far as I got.  Despite the fact that I thought I had cut out plenty of pieces, the ones I had only covered half the window.  Then...school started.  And, hence, my window has not changed in the two months since.  Oops!  Now that the wedding and NYC trip are over, though, I'm planning on finishing this one soon.  So, be sure to come back next time, when Amy finally gets some motivation and finishes the fairly easy project!  :)