My Woodland Creature Obsession

I'm obsessed with the idea of a woodland nursery.  My friend Liz (http://hartthings.blogspot.com) got a print of this amazing this image:

 from this shop on Etsy, and I couldn't move quickly enough to gather every whimsical image of woodland creatures possible.  I made these just to add more stuff to the bin labeled "Woodland Nursery," for my children who do not yet exist.

Organization

I am very particular about how things are organized.  I have all of my books, CDs, and DVDs alphabetized.  All of my clothes are organized by color, and within color sections, by sleeve length.  Even my underwear drawer is organized by type and color.  It's that serious.

My husband and I have extensively discussed what to do about DVD storage once we move.  It always ends with him wanting to get rid of all of the cases to save space, and with me not wanting to let go.  When I found this Pin, something in me changed.  This woman's blog is wonderful.  I'll soon be purchasing the fabric to make this happen:

From http://unclutteredlifestyle.blogspot.com

I haven't made much progress to this point.  So far I have DVD sleeves and binders purchased, which I thought would be much more expensive (I found them on clearance for $2.50 apiece!).  I needed more than four, obviously...

Our binders will be categorized by letter.  While I like the idea of genre separation, my husband and I have very different ways of classifying movies.  Also, I want finding a specific film to be a quick process.

I'll be purchasing the same Martha Stewart Book Plates at Staples.  I need to find a pattern/fabric that will be durable and also go well with our style, no matter where we move.  I like the French ticking Iesha chose, because it's pretty and timeless.

Once the process of recycling the cases and transferring our discs to sleeves is complete, I'll share before and after photos.

Happy Spring cleaning!

January/February 2013 Favorites

Basically, I like looking at what other people have/buy.  I also don't like wasting my money of stuff that isn't amazing.  I've decided to do six posts this year that mainly focus on products I've tried.  I've been watching way too many YouTube haul videos by makeup gurus lately.  Anyway, I'll sort of review products and things I've purchased. 

The photo quality will improve as I have the chance to use natural light.

Coachfactory.com
I love big purses.  Sometimes, though, I like to avoid the hassle of lugging a big purse around.  There was a pretty great flash sale at the beginning of January.  I love this color (I think they meant for it to be Persimmon, but it said Permission.).  Anyway, it's great in winter, but I'm looking forward to using it in Spring and Summer, too.

I love sweet scents.  I love sugar.  Obviously I needed these.  They smell amazing and they look pretty, too.  They were only $4 apiece at Target.

Promesse by Cacharel
I smelled a sample of this in magazine like six years ago and bought this on a whim.  I've been switching my perfumes up once per week, in order to remind myself of all the stuff I have already.

Yes To Tomatoes Acne Spot Stick
  I LOVE THIS.  I never would have purchased this, despite the fact that I love all of the Yes To Carrots products I have, had it not been on clearance.  I went to a local Walgreens and saw that it was half price, so I grabbed it.  I was surprised how quickly it worked.  I might even pay the full $10 for another one now.

Yes To Cucumbers
This was recommended by a YouTube guru as "the best makeup wipes ever."  I hardly wear makeup but I've been wanting to try these since summertime.  I hate leaving work knowing my face is harboring sweat and grease.  If I had a sink at my disposal every moment, it wouldn't be an issue.  Anyway, these work well, but the scent leaves something to be desired.  I'll try the new Yes To Grapefruit ones when I run out of these.

I first tried the Root Beer Float flavor and liked it a lot.  The flavor goes quickly, but it's still cheaper than buying a real root beer float and it saves me some calories to burn, too!  The Lemon Square flavor is amazing.  I didn't plan on becoming obsessed with these, but now there's a Mint Chocolate Chip one.  I'll obviously be all over that.

Canning Jar Lid Ornaments

I haven't done as much canning as I would have liked to these past few years.  My extended family, however, has been like a scurry of squirrels, stocking us for the winter.  We get wonderful Christmas gifts of salsa, jams, jellies, pickles and canned vegetables.  The only problem is the aftermath.

There's a mess of Kerr, Mason and Ball jars, popped lids and bands.  While the lids are for one-time use, they're still too good to throw away.  I'm like a trash collector, but this time it turned out to be a good thing.

I took some family portraits for my friend earlier this year.  I used the goofiest image I could find for this project, because those make me smile the most...They seem to spark the best memories.  I printed it with Photoshop and it took me awhile to get the shape right, but I cut it down with scissors.  There's obviously an easier way of doing this right in Photoshop, but 

I'm pretty sure I haven't seen this on Pinterest.  But I spend so much time on there that there's a definite possibility that I am wrong about that.  The only supplies required:

I used wrapping paper to decorate the other side and stickers to display the year.  I think when I make more, I'll continue to use wrapping paper but perhaps try scrapbook paper, too.  Also, I might try puffy paint or something instead of the stickers for my next batch.  I may also use them as gift tags next year, depending on how productive I have time to be.

By no means is it perfect, but the mess is off the counter top.  :)

White, Pink & Red

I love the Valentine's Day color scheme.  It's the only time of year when I can justify ignoring what my mother has told me since I started putting my own outfits together as a child: pink and red clash.  I honestly have not worn an outfit comprised of these two colors.  Ever.  I just might change that this year.

Anyway, I find combined shades of a color (ombre, if you will) very aesthetically pleasing, so naturally I love this color combo.  Pink and white alone are enough to fuel my girly jets, but the combination of this trio just makes the world right for a little while.  Plus, I'm kind of a drama queen.

Without further ado, here's my compilation of Valentine-y amazingness:

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I'm in the mood to decorate now.  And bake and craft.  Oh, and put together that outfit, too.

Taking more photographs: Old Red Chevy

I like things.  I find old forgotten things (like this truck) and I get stuck on them.

This inspires nostalgia for old Christmases.  I'll have to work on next year's decorating,  using this as a color guide.  I'm led to believe that OurUnexpectedJourney is what I really used to connect this to Christmas.  

This might be my favorite.

2013

A lot of people make resolutions for each new year, and leave them in the cold a few weeks later.  I'm not going to do that.  I am going to make a conscious effort to do a few things, though.  I've made a goal list for this year and I'm excited to work at it.

2013 Goals

- read at least ten new-to-me books

- finally graduate

- grow sunflowers

- set up a space to grow sunflower seed sprouts (they're healthy and delicious!)

- make more homemade gifts

- continue trying to eat locally grown meat/veggies

- take more photographs
- keep record of good memories/things I'm thankful for

- save more money than I spend

- go four-wheeling and camping more often
- make a Photo an Hour post once per month

- make applesauce with Adam's grandma's recipe

- plan a party (maybe welcome home, maybe house warming)

Photograph from www.homesteadroots.blogspot.com

Photograph: Camping by Barriere Lake, British Columbia

Photograph from olivecocomag.com

www.catchmyparty.com