May After – Entertainment Center

I can’t believe May is already over! You know what that means - it’s time to share the progress I’ve made on my May project!

I started the month with my new IKEA entertainment center. So much prettier than anything that previously occupied that spot, but so empty! My May project was to dress this guy up!

I will say that I’m definitely not done with these shelves. I love how a few of them turned out, but most are subject to change. And a few just got some random items thrown together. Styling shelves is SO hard!

You’ll notice that I did change the knobs as promised (glass knobs from Hobby Lobby), but didn’t add bead board to the back of the unit. Honestly, I just didn’t have time this month, so that’s still on the list.

Let’s take a closer look at the shelves on the right:

And the shelves on the left:

One last look at everything together:

I already owned everything on the shelves except:

3 succulents (top-left, second from top-right, second from the bottom-right) – Home Depot $1.98 each

Fake flower (third down – left) – Target $9.99

Lantern (left – middle section) – Pier One $10.00 $7.50

Bird Cage (bottom – right) – Salvation Army $4.98 $2.49

Prints (third down – left, middle – middle section, second from bottom –right) – Wal-Mart $1.57 each

Free Printables available here (Keep Calm and Carry On), here (Octopus), and here (Life is a Beautiful Ride)

It definitely looks better than it did, but some of the shelves look too cluttered and a couple of the shelves look too plain. I think my favorite is the Keep Calm and Carry On/Flower shelf. Which one do you like?

And thank you to Lisa for hosting this party every month and forcing inspiring me to actually finish something around the house!

Beauty Box 5 Review

I know I hardly ever talk about beauty products (because I’m definitely NOT an expert), but today I want to introduce you to Beauty Box 5.

A few weeks ago I was asked if I’d like to review a new-ish cosmetic sampling company – Beauty Box 5. I currently subscribe to Birchbox, so I was definitely interested to see how they compare. For those of you new to monthly beauty boxes, here’s a little info about Beauty Box 5:

Beauty Box 5 is a cosmetic sampling program that delivers a Beauty Box with 4 - 5 beauty samples once a month with subscription options of $12 monthly, $30 quarterly, or $100 yearly. Our Beauty Box introduces you to hair care, skin care, makeup, fragrances, and anything beauty related. Subscribers receive products from brands of all scales to include luxury, organic, boutique, and more commonly known brands. Our Beauty Box includes packet samples, deluxe, travel size and full size products too! Our goal is to introduce you to innovative products that will fit your lifestyle and to do away with buying products that just end up in our drawers.

A few days later I opened the mailbox to find this:

Getting packages in the mail is the best feeling ever! And I love the color of the box!

This is what was inside:

Psssssst! Instant Dry Shampoo – I haven’t tried this yet, but I was excited to find it in the box. It’ll be perfect for those days I sleep past my alarm or for that camping trip I know my boyfriend is going to drag me on this summer.

Lavera Mango Milk Care Treatment - This sample was big enough for 2 uses and both times my hair felt really soft.

BECCA Eye Tint – I really like this product. I never wear eye shadow because it wears off really fast and/or creases on my eyelid – not a good look! This eye tint lasted longer than any others I’ve tried and didn’t crease!

Supergoop! Face & Body Lotion SPF 30 – This has kind of a funky smell, but it made my skin feel really soft. It wasn’t greasy or sticky like some products with sunscreen.

Skyn Angelica Line Smoother – I don’t really have any lines or wrinkles (yet), so I can’t tell you how well this works on those, but I can say my forehead has never felt so smooth. It also didn’t make my forehead shiny or greasy during the day.

Overall, I was really happy with what I received in my beauty box. I loved that they included different types of products – hair, skin, and cosmetics. I think that the samples were pretty good size – especially the dry shampoo and eye tint. The eye tint was full size (a $24 value).

Compared to Birchbox, it’s $2 more per month unless you sign up for a quarterly subscription. I wish Beauty Box 5 would include a sheet with information about the products and how much they cost like Birchbox does. However, you can find that information on the Beauty Box 5 website.

You can’t buy the products directly from them, like Birchbox, but they do include a link to buy it directly from the company. Beauty Box 5 is still a newer company, so I’m sure there will be changes and upgrades coming as they become more established.

I did read some bad reviews on other blogs about the products and the customer service, but based on my experience I have no complaints. The products were great and Cheryl was so nice to work with! Honestly, I’m thinking about switching my Birchbox subscription to Beauty Box 5. My last Birchbox included a notecard as a bonus gift, but it had a pink smudge on the front of it, so it ended up in the trash. And one time the nail polish they sent was broken, so I had to throw that away too. But the Dior mascara they sent last month makes my eyelashes look ah-maz-ing! I think I’ll see what’s in my June Birchbox and look at couple June Beauty Box 5 reviews before I decide.

Do any of you subscribe to any monthly cosmetic boxes? Or another kind of box o’ goodies? There might be something awesome out there that I don’t even know about!

 

 

Disclosure: I received a complimentary Beauty Box to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

7 Years Bad Luck + Curtains

I’m about to show you something I’m completely ashamed of…the reason I haven’t posted any pictures of the living room….

Remember this mirror? The one I ripped off the bathroom wall 10 months ago?

Yeah, so it’s been sitting in my living room ever since then.

I left it there because it’s really heavy and that’s about as far as I could move it. I figured I’d put it on Craigslist for free and it’d be gone in a few days. 10 months later…I still hadn’t listed it on Craigslist and it was just sitting there mocking me for being a procrastinator. Before I tell the rest of my mirror tale, I realize I could have just listed it on Craigslist and been done with it. But I didn’t, mostly because I hate dealing with people from Craigslist and I hate giving strangers my address…especially if I’m not making any money. Yes, I’m paranoid and selfish.

Anyway, one night last week I snapped. I said to myself, “Screw 7 years bad luck! I’m going to break this thing and throw it away. It’s probably bad luck to have a mirror blocking a window for this long!” Then I realized that there’s no way to break that big of a mirror without making a huge mess – scratch that plan.

Then I thought, “I could cut it into smaller pieces and throw those away.” So, the next day I went to Home Depot and bought a $4 glass cutter. That night I laid a couple of towels over my coffee table and then put the mirror on top. I decided to cut the mirror into 3 pieces and then cut those pieces in half. I cut the first piece off with no problem – that mirror cutter is seriously awesome. I cut that piece in half and stacked them on a chair. I scored the next piece, snapped it and this happened:

That piece was hanging too far off the table, so it fell when I cut it. Ugh, it took forever to clean up – good thing I didn’t go with my original plan of breaking the whole mirror.

I cut the last piece in half and was left with this:

Success!

So, I take off my safety glasses and gloves and go get the trash can. I come back and accidently catch my hand on a piece of mirror and it slices the top of my hand. As I’m running my hand under water and hoping it’ll stop bleeding, I wonder if 7 years bad luck really starts that quick or if it’s karma for throwing the mirror away instead of finding it a new home or if I’m just really that clumsy…

Fast forward a couple days: my hand is healing, the mirror is safely in the trash can, and I’m ready to hang some curtains! I saw these curtains at Target about a week ago and almost bought them, but I’m indecisive about anything fabric related so I didn’t. Then I saw them again at Inside-Out Design and decided I did want them.

Did you know Target has Target specific coupons? They do and they happened to have a Buy One Get One ½ Off coupon for any Target Home curtains! So, instead of paying $19.99 for each panel, I got both panels for $30! $10 savings – I’ll take it!

Is it just me or is it impossible to get a good picture of a window?! Especially the biggest one with the most light!

Anyway, here’s an up close shot so you can see the real color of everything:

The curtain rod is from Wal-Mart. I wish I could hang it a little higher, but then my curtains would be high-waters. Maybe someday I’ll add trim to the bottom of the curtains and re-hang them…don’t hold your breath though.

Whew, that was a pretty long post just to tell y’all that I hung curtains!

Cleaning Out My Closet

Are you ready to see the mess that used to be my closet?

I have this wonderful walk-in closet and I could barely walk in there! A couple nights ago I’d had enough and went on a cleaning spree. I pulled all the clothes I’d never wear again, the purses and belts I didn’t like anymore, and all the shoes that hurt my feet. I couldn’t believe how fast everything was piling up!

One night of manic cleaning later, my closet now looks like this:

I’m sure you’re thinking that it doesn’t look much different other than the floor being picked up. And maybe a few less shoe boxes. Well, here’s the Goodwill pile:

3 trash bags full of clothes, purses, shoes, and even a pirate hat! Plus 2 pictures I’d been hoarding in the back of my closet. I can’t believe I’d been hanging on to that much stuff I didn’t even use. I feel so much better now that my closet is cleared out. And it’s easier to get ready in the morning. I don’t have to flip through endless shirts that I won’t wear.

Plus it’s not like I don’t have anything left, I’m sure you can see from the pictures I still have plenty of clothes hanging in there. And let’s be honest, I’m still going to buy more. The clothing racks at Savers call to me…But I need to make sure I only buy pieces that I love and will wear; otherwise I’ll be doing this all over again in a few months!

Any other thrift store/secondhand clothing addicts out there?

Photobooks

It’s already May 21^st and I’ve only posted 4 times this month! I didn’t realize I was slacking that much…

The good news is that my last presentation is today and they’ve all gone really well so far. I’m so happy to be almost done – public speaking is one of my biggest fears! In other good news, I’m not sick anymore! It took me out for about a week, but I feel fine now. So, I guess I don’t have any more excuses for not posting!

Today I want to share one of my new favorite things – photobooks! I’m obsessed! I’ve used both MyPublisher and Shutterfly to make books and I’ve been happy with both companies. I should note that I’m in no way affiliated with either company - I just love photobooks.

The first book I made was with pictures from our New Orleans trip.  

I used MyPublisher to make this one. When I signed up they were running a special – a free 5.75”x7.75” hardcover book for new customers. So, I only paid $8 (for shipping)! The quality is excellent and I ended up ordering another copy for my mom for Mother’s Day. They have deals all the time, so keep an eye out!   *You do have to download their software to make your photobook.

The next book I made was from all our 2011 pictures.

I used Shutterfly to make this one. I bought a Groupon a few months ago for an 8”x8” hardcover book, but waited until the last day to order it! Sigh… Oh, and don’t judge the quality by my pictures. These are just a printscreen from their site.

Right now, through 5/29, you can get your own free 8”x8” book (just pay shipping) by clicking here or with code 4Y82-D3M9 at checkout (Thanks to The Cents’Able Shopping for finding that deal).

So now I’m obsessed with photobooks! They are a great way to organize and show off your photos. Both are only ½” thick, so they take up way less room than a traditional photo album. I think I’m going to keep an eye out for more deals and start making books out of my older pictures.

Have you made a photobook before? How long does it take you to put one together? It took me 4 hours to make the 2011 one!

Have you tried any other companies? Would you recommend them? I have another Groupon for Mixbook, so we’ll see how they rate.  

Sickness

Ugh…disease has taken over our house!  My boyfriend woke up last week with a sore throat, which turned into a cold. I woke up on Thursday with a sore throat and now I have the same cold. Needless to say, we’ve both been pretty worthless lately.

I’m sure no one wants to see a picture of sick people, so here’s Ringo and Abby instead:

Anyway, that’s my excuse for not having any projects done the past couple weeks. Hopefully I’ll be back soon – healthy and full of finished projects!

PrintRunner Giveaway!

**Now Closed**

And the winner is: Becky Collins! Congrats!

Yay! Another giveaway!

I’d like to introduce you to PrintRunner.com –

PrintRunner.com was established with little more than a small press and a dream. Ten years later our company became one of the foremost quality printers in Southern California. Our commitment to provide the best value and high quality full color printing at affordable price made our company grow.  PrintRunner is a full service high quality printing company located in Chatsworth, California.

Check out PrintRunner's online sticker printing and other printing services.

Today PrintRunner.com is offering 1 lucky Junk House reader a set of 250 custom stickers!

The winner will receive 250 standard stickers (2” wide x 3.5” tall) printed on premium sticker stock – available in full color (4 color process) or black and white. Ready to ship in only 3 business days! No proof will be provided.

You can use these in so many different ways:

Use them to customize your Etsy packaging or as address labels! You can use them to decorate your bags at craft shows. They would also be great for labeling items around the house or in the classroom. And of course, you can use them to promote your blog, shop or business!

Here’s How to Win:

(please leave a separate comment for each entry)

Follow The Junk House via GFC, Linky or RSS (1 entry)

Like The Junk House on Facebook (1 entry)

Like PrintRunner on Facebook (1 entry)

Follow PrintRunner on Twitter (1 entry)

Facebook, tweet, or blog about this giveaway (include link in your comment, if possible) (1 entry for each)

7 chances to win!

Giveaway will close Thursday, May 24^th at midnight (AZ time). The winner will be chosen via Random.org and will be announced Friday morning. I’ll e-mail the winner (please leave an e-mail address if not on your profile). Open to US residents only, ages 18 years old and above. Not eligible to win if you have won another PrintRunner giveaway within the past 2 months.

Disclaimer: I will receive a set of stickers for hosting this giveaway.

Tough Choices

Can we all agree that picking out fabric is extremely difficult? The choices you make can really dictate the entire look and feel of the room. That’s probably why it takes me so long to decide on fabric.

I’ve been planning to work on the living room for awhile now. It’s the first room you see when you walk in the house and right now it’s not giving a very good impression.

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture…you’ll have to take my word for it.

To start off the makeover, I have an entry project that needs fabric and I want to update my throw pillows. There’s a lot of other work that needs to be done, but that’s a good start. Hmm, I think I need to do a living room to-do list post soon….

Anyway, today I finally sucked it up and made some fabric decisions! Worst case scenario: I order the fabric, hate it, and waste some money. I finally figured out that that isn’t scary enough to hold up the entire living room makeover.  And so this is what I picked out:

Waverly Cross Section Charcoal

P Kaufmann Lila Raspberry

P Kaufmann Indoor/Outdoor Woven Slick Aquamarine

Premier Prints Chipper Slub Corn Yellow

Right now I’m really happy with my picks, but we’ll see how they look in person! I’ll probably get them in the mail sometime next week.

What do you think? Which one is your favorite?

May Before – Entertainment Center

Oh man, I wanted to have this post up 2 days ago, but I’ve been working like crazy and haven’t had the time. My schedule the past couple days has been wake up, get ready for work, work, work late, dinner, work from home (company laptop), and then go to bed…and it sucks! I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I now have a massive headache. My first big presentation is tomorrow at noon (wish me luck!) and then I have 2 more next week. Hopefully everything will be back to normal after that.

Anywhoo…

Look what we finally finished!

Yep, almost 4 months after putting together the TV stand everything is bought and assembled! I think it looks so much better than the original built-in.

And it takes up a lot less space – that sucker was DEEP (as demonstrated by me in the picture).

Of course it looks WAY better than the cheap TV stand from my college apartment days.

So, now we have this:

Which brings me to my May project – styling this bad boy!

The Grand Plan:

Fill the shelves (where’s Emily Henderson when you need her?!)

New knobs for the drawers (probably glass because I’m obsessed with glass knobs)

Beadboard backing? I really want to cover up those outlets plus I think it’ll make the piece look less modern…we’ll see.

Alright, that’s the plan – we’ll review at the end of the month!