2012 Home Goals

Y’all know I like making lists, so I’m sure no one is surprised that I’m participating in Nester’s 2012 Home Goals party.

Instead of just listing specific projects I want to write this list a little differently.

#1

It’s almost been a year, time for my house to stop looking/feeling like I just moved in!

This means I will finish unpacking boxes and actually make some decorating decisions.  Instead of waiting for the perfect piece I need to start using what I have. I can always update/replace things, but for now, something would look better than nothing.

(Not a good look – The tile has been fixed since this picture)

#2

Stop being a cheap ass and spend some of the money I’ve been hoarding!

I’ve been saving money for a couple big projects/furniture pieces, but I’ve yet to act on any of them. I’m planning to:

Extend the Back Patio

Buy a New Couch

Buy a New Entertainment Center

And I’m planning to use my yearly bonus (depending on the amount) to replace my stove and microwave to match the other kitchen appliances.

#3

Simplify!

This one is going to be hard because I love stuff!

via Pinterest

However, I don’t like dusting stuff. And I’m starting to feel like I’ve accumulated too much stuff! My boyfriend and I recently dropped off 2 boxes and 1 trash bag full of stuff to the Goodwill…it’s a good start, but I’m sure we have more.

#4

Stop apologizing for my house!

We work full-time and have a puppy – our house isn’t going to be perfect. It will get messy and things will be out of order. I need to remember that.

And I think we all know DIY projects take time. I can’t expect everything to happen overnight. This year I want to stop being embarrassed about the things that need to be fixed and start enjoying the fact that I have my own house. I know I’m very lucky and I want to try and be more appreciative of that.

Here’s a great “Quit Apologizing” post from Nester.

The Dog House

Ringo has been spending a lot more time outside after chewing up my couch. He’s no longer allowed in the house unsupervised. But don’t feel too bad for him – we have a HUGE backyard and thanks to my mom, he has his own house.

1 bedroom/0 bath – 6 sq ft…perfect for our little pup

My mom won the dog house at a silent auction just before Christmas. Yes, it was one of his Christmas presents. And yes, she wrapped it for him.

(I had to bribe him with treats to get this picture)

If you are interested, this is his house. And no, Ringo and I aren’t getting paid to share this product.

Ringo vs. Couch

Alternate Title: Damn Pup!

Sigh.

Photo Challenge

  
Today I’m partying with Leslie for Photo Challenge Monday…except I’m joining on a Thursday. Let's just say I’m fashionably late. And I didn’t even take pictures for all 5 categories...Photo Challenge FAIL!

Transportation

 And this is why you don’t stain furniture next to your car…

Light

I just bought new lamps for the master bedroom!

IKEA Frame to Shadow Box

Yesterday I showed you my updated gallery wall and the seashell shadow box that I made. Today I’m going to share how I turned a cheapo IKEA frame into a shadow box.

While I was updating my gallery wall I decided to add a sentimental piece. Last June my boyfriend and I went to California with his family for a cousin’s graduation. Of course we had to stop at the beach while we were there! My boyfriend spent part of the afternoon in the surf looking for seashells. He ended up with a nice collection, but they’ve been scattered on my nightstand since I unpacked our beach bag. I decided to frame them up and add them to the wall as a reminder of our first trip together. 

I used a RIBBA frame from IKEA ($2.99). These work the best because they are nice and thick (and cheap).

Step 1: Remove the glass and innards. Paint the inside edge of the frame. I used Krylon Dual Paint + Primer Black in Satin. If you paint the inside anything other than black you’ll want to remove those black metal thingys too (I assume just pull out with pliers).

Step 2: Once the paint is dry, add a drop of hot glue to the inside corners of the frame. Place glass on top of hot glue. Be careful not to use too much glue – you don’t want it smushing out and showing through. I used hot glue, but you could also use gorilla glue or super glue.

Step 3: Cut background piece (I used scrapbook paper). Glue the mat that came with the frame to the background paper. Layout your items and then glue them onto the background paper. I used hot glue to attach my seashells.

Step 4: Add your items and the cardboard backing. Secure the cardboard backing by hot gluing around the edges. It ain’t pretty, but who will be looking at the back of the frame?  No one!

It’s not easy to get apart later, but it’s possible - trust me. An hour after I finished I dropped the whole thing and one of my shells fell off. I had to cut/peel the hot glue off to fix it. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t hard either.

Step 5: Hang and admire your handy work!

I’m sure there are other ways to do this, but this is what worked for me. Feel free to play around if you want yours to be less permanent. And if you don’t want to hassle at all, you can spend a little more money and buy a real shadow box. I would have bought the $9.99 option from IKEA if it had been the right size.

Pictures of You #2

10.   Expand Gallery Wall

Winter Break is officially over and it’s back to the grind today. Ugh! Last week I promised to finish 3 projects during my time off. I’m going to show y’all those projects over the next couple weeks…I can’t post 3 projects in one week – I don’t want to spoil you guys! Ha! Let’s start with the gallery wall expansion.

This is what my original gallery wall looked like.

Nothing wrong with it…just time for an upgrade.

I’ve been hoarding frames for the past few months for this project. I still have some leftover so expect Pictures of You #3 one of these days. I found all of these frames at various thrift stores. I’m pretty sure I didn’t pay more than $2.99 for any of them (most between 99 cents - $1.99). I sprayed all of the frames (including the original ones) with Krylon Dual Paint + Primer Black in Satin.

I promise they are all hung straight even though a few don’t look like it from the pictures.

OK, now let’s look at the individual pieces:

Top Left (moving clockwise-ish): our family dog Molly, sophomore year in college, free Nest printable from taidye original, group picture at a friend’s birthday, mirror, Bates Mercantile Co. Pink Louis Chair print (I won the print from a Crafty Scrappy Happy giveaway), Ringo in Greer, my boyfriend and I at Halloween, free peacock printable from Children Inspire Design, and free Olive You printable from Big D & Me.

Top Left (moving clockwise-ish): senior year of college, our first New Years Eve, my parents and me in Hawaii, my boyfriend and me at the BBQ festival, Ringo, shadowbox with seashells from our trip to California (tutorial tomorrow!), and free Home Sweet Home printable from The Pretty Blog.

All together from one more angle:

1 Winter Break project down; 2 to go! Anyone want to guess what other 2 projects I finished?

2011 - A Look Back

Happy 2012 everyone! I hope y'all had a fun and safe New Years Eve. I wanted to do this recap post a couple days ago, but as you can see, that didn't happen. But better late than never right?
 

Here are my 2011 blog highlights:

February
I started this blog!
First post here

March
I became a homeowner!

April
My mom and I painted the kitchen, dining room, and living room!

May
My mom and I painted the guest bedroom. No more hot pink and blue!

June
No more Purple Pooh!

 

 And I turned 25.


July
One of my most popular projects: ORB glass jars for the bathroom.

August
I bought the pretty white bedding of my dreams.

  
September
I finally finished my guest bathroom makeover!

 

And we had a new addition!

(I wish he was still that sweet and little)

October
My boyfriend's dad built us a new gate.
 

 

November
I sewed bird-y goodness pillows for my master bedroom.

 

December
I cooked like a madwoman!

2011 was such a great year and I'm so thankful I got to "meet" all of you this year! Here's to another fun year of projects, blogging, and new friends!