The Landing Pad
Posted: June 3, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized 2 CommentsIf you have been a follower of this here blog or if you have newly found me, you will notice that there haven’t been any new posts since July 11, 2012….almost 11 months!!! That’s not because I have not been working on any projects. I have been doing plenty, including buying a new home and starting a new job.
The lack of posts is because I have been busy working to create a new life for myself along with being stuck in a mental block of creating a new blog.
As of November 2011, White Picket Bentz is no more. With the destruction of that “white picket fence” in my life came the need to move away from this blog and create a new home on the internets where you could follow my adventures in decorating, remodeling, cooking……all things life! Creativity comes at me in many forms…music, clothing, decorating, etc. but coming up with a new blog name and home-on-the-internet that felt “me” was harder than I thought! With lots of input from family and friends, I just couldn’t find what really felt like me…..me alone – not me with anyone else……just me.
I moved into my new home in July 2012. It was built in the 1940’s and having come from a new construction townhome, this new house was quite a switch for me. Well maintained and in pretty good shape, I worked to get myself settled. This was easier said than done….cue lots of frustrated tears when my furnace stopped working in 20 degree weather, my dishwasher leaked under my wood kitchen floor, when my plumbing backed up into my kitchen sink and when my bathroom faucet wouldn’t shut off during the night – continually running. Those were the times where I cursed this house and thought it would never feel like home.
During some of the darkest months of my life, a dear friend told me to look at my new house not as an obligatory place to live, but as my new “sanctuary”……a place that was all mine, where I could come, be alone and away from the world, and have it be all mine. While I was replacing my thermostat when the house was 40 degrees I laughed to myself and thought there was no way this place was my sanctuary….my safe place. This was a nightmare!
The weather has finally warmed and summer is practically here (hopefully my AC doesn’t skitz out on me like the heat!) One day recently after work, I pulled into my driveway, looked at my adorable (if I do say so myself) flowerbeds and smiled. I looked at my house and thought, I am happy to be home. Finally this house has become my home, all mine. When I walk in its as though I have landed on a soft cushion. Some place I can be totally me, comfortable and at peace……my house has become my landing pad.
Finally, after nearly a year and a half of struggling to find a blog name, I knew I had found it. This will be my last post at White Picket Bentz – that is no longer me. It is the past. My new home is now at www.landingpadblog.wordpress.com. I will continue to share my adventures in decorating and renovating my home, furniture updates, and recipes, but I will also be sharing updates on improvements I am making to ME. It will be more a lifestyle blog rather than strictly a “shelter” blog. It just feels more me.
The Landing Pad is not just a reference to my home. It’s a reference to my new life……one that I absolutely love and cherish and never thought would be as great as it is. The new blog will be my “landing pad” to share whatever life throws my way!
For those of you that have followed me here during my short blogging life, I hope you will move over and join me at my new home www.landingpadblog.wordpress.com. For those of you that have just stumbled here and found my “goodbye” letter, I hope you will stop by to see what goodness is waiting for you over at The Landing Pad.
Help!! Wood or no wood??
Posted: July 11, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Bedroom, Hardwood Floors, paint 2 CommentsSo, I am officially moving into the new house on Saturday (meaning there will be an entirely new blog to chronicle the updates/decorating adventures to be had….the new blog name is the hold up!)
I have been working on getting the house ready to move in, including new paint (not being done by me – WOO HOO!), cleaning away 38 years of old owner-ness, and getting ready for new carpets in the bedrooms. I pulled up the old carpet and there were hardwood floors under both bedroom rugs. Immediately I placed an order with Home Depot for new carpet….but a serious snafu (= them charging my account 3 times for the carpet) resulted in me cancelling my order. While working with Lowes to get my measurement done and waiting for them to call back, the bedroom got painted.
It went from this GORGEOUS baby pink with stencil border….
To this……
A calming, light blue that is totally out of my normal character for paint colors! This iPhone pic was texted to me by my uncle who is painting to see if I was sure I liked the color (which he does not) before he finished…..
A. I LOVE THE COLOR!!! Makes me even more excited to get into the house!
B. Now I love the hardwood floors with the wall color! ACK!!
I have had hardwood floors in my kitchen/dining room, and have them again here at the new house. However, I have never had them in the “cozy” spaces (living room, bedroom, etc). So many people have told me to get carpet in the bedroom because it helps keep the house warm in the winter, cuts down on noise, etc. However, I aboslutely LOVE the look of the floors!! I don’t want my toes to be cold all winter, but seriously, now I’m already envisioning AMAZING area rugs in both “sectors” of the bedroom!
I will let you in on a little secret/project spoiler….I pulled the carpet up in the spare bedroom too and the floors were in even better shape. To save some moolah, I was going to carpet the main bedroom and refinish the hardwoods in the spare bedroom myself. I am still going to do that, but I think the master bedroom will be too big of an undertaking. I move in in 3 days and I will not be as speedy as a professional in finishing these floors. Also, some of the boards need to be replaced in the master and those pesky carpet tack strips around the room need to be dealt with.
Before I finalize my carpet order with Lowes, I am having a floor refinisher….finisher….I don’t know, either one…… come out tomorrow to give me an estimate. Fingers crossed it’s cheaper than my carpet option. But I’m still nervous to pull the trigger and say YES to hardwood floors in the bedroom. Here’s another angle……(sorry for the bad iPhone pic)
Anyone have any thoughts? Hardwoods or carpet in the bedroom??!?! What do you have and love? What to do????? Maybe this Home Depot hiccup and the pokiness of Lowes in finalizing my order was meant to be and I was meant to have hardwoods in the bedroom…hmmmm….
Missing…..
Posted: May 2, 2012 Filed under: Decor Ideas, Life 1 CommentMissing………
……..NEW POSTS FROM WHITE PICKET BENTZ
LAST SEEN: FEBRUARY 20, 2012 (GONE FOR 2+ MONTHS!!!)
That’s right, to the whole handful of you who actually follow this little ole blog of mine, you may have noticed I have disappeared with no new posts since February. The reason?? I have done absolutely NO home or decor projects since my cozy sweater pillows I shared here. None, nada……zilch.
Don’t get me wrong, I have a HUGE list of projects (and garage full of projects) that I want to work on/finish, and with the on-and-off nice weather we have been having, my spray painting/paint something/build something/update my decor mojo has been working overtime!! However, at this point, no more projects are being completed on the Bentz house. You are probably asking why!?!?
It’s because……I’M MOVING!!! That’s right. Due to life’s twists and turns (and blessings in disguise), I am almost the proud owner of my own little humble abode. The deal is almost done, with one potential hiccup that I am waiting on. Fingers crossed this puppy gets finalized and my moving date gets set!!!
Will I miss my “new construction” townhouse that I have been so proud of? Yes. But will I be even more proud of my own little house that is ALL MINE?? HECK YES!!!! EXCITED GIRL RIGHT HERE!!
And lucky for my “wanna spray paint something/knock holes in something/upholster something” self, this little ole 70+ year old house needs some definite cosmetic lovin!!! It’s not too bad though. Not enough that I ran out of the house crying on first entry (that may or may not have happened at one or two other houses I looked at……). Everything major is in awesome shape, but the decor styling of a couple who have owned the house for 38+ years is much different than what I want to live in! I am inheriting some awesome built-ins, but also a TEENSY kitchen that has cabinets just BEGGING to be knocked out to open up for more natural light. Can’t wait to get my sledgehammer-ing on!
I have a few projects that have been done completed around the “old house” which I still have to write-up and post, and I might as well put up an “old house” tour before I go, but new projects are going to be very few until late summer when this girl is gettin busy at the new house!
Now, because I can barely contain my decor excitement, I have whipped up a little mood board for my new, all mine, girly, wonderful bedroom. Here is what I will be moving in to (minus the furniture)…..
There are no real good pics yet (I will be snapping away at my home inspection coming up) but the bedroom is painted a really pale, baby pink with a pink and blue stenciled border around the top. I’m sure the stencil took a lot of hard work and arm strength to complete, but it will be painted over! Here is what I hope this fab space will become…………
The entire board was generated based on the new bedding I am longing for in the bottom left corner. Right now the bedroom at the “old house” has tan walls with white and light green bedding. I’m itching for some bright and sunny color, but still with some subtle-ness going on. You may recognize the chandelier from my closet makeover here. There is a standard 1970’s “boob” light in the center of the room which will be swapped out for this lady-like fixture which will be removed from my closet when moving.
The dresser here is from IKEA, but I have a similar one that just needs a darker coat of stain…..PROJECT! I LOVE long mirrors over dressers and right now only have a lame-0 square one. This is from IKEA and will be a definite early purchase for the house. I am still dreaiming of which paint color I want on the wall……this girl is finally branching out of using tans on the wall for once (SCARY!). I am leaning toward the lighter, “Misty Aqua.” Both colors are Glidden which I will color match to Olympic no VOC paint.
Right now my teensy bed is just a bed frame. I have all the materials necessary to build an awesome upholstered headboard, but now I have changed my mind and I think I REALLY want to build a farmhouse bed like the one blog-pro Katie Bower and her hubby built. This is a DEFINITE project and I am itching to move JUST so I can get my build on. No sense building it now and having to move it! Who am I kidding?!?! I won’t be doing much of the heavy lifting…that’s what the guys are for….HOWEVER, I am nice and will save them one more heavy thing to move!
The rest of the stuff is just coordinating accessories that I love that will help round out the space. I found the chair over at Joss & Main and I really wish I could stop drooling over looking at it every 10 seconds! Although its “on cheap” at $222.95 (down from $299) I can’t justify buying that right now with all of the other new house expenditures coming up. Housewarming gift anyone (wink wink!)?!?!?!?
I really love the plan to use dark and white wood in the room for contrast. The bed will probably be white, and as I said above, my dresser is going dark. Not sure about my current nightstand which will be getting another definite makeover. Maybe white like the bed? Or maybe a fun coral color???? NOW THERE’S AN IDEA!!
I have spent a considerable amount of time daydreaming about the rest of the house but the master bedroom is the only space that I have mentally ready to go! Want a sneak peak of some of the other spaces??
This is the 2nd bedroom………of course it has a full corkboard wall and baby blue ceiling fan……..why wouldn’t it?!?!?! 🙂
But it has awesome built-ins, begging to be painted. Who wants to be the first to say in this cork-filled wonderland?!?! Oh, and it has blue carpet in this room…my favorite!!!!! SIKE!
That’s all of the sneak peeks for now. Hope I didn’t jinx myself and this potential one hiccup comes around and rears its ugly head, and then this place is only a fond memory of what could have been! CROSS YOUR FINGERS PEOPLE!
OH! One more thing…..White Picket Bentz will no longer be White Picket Bentz……as soon as I can come up with a new name. Anyone have any good ideas?!?! Lots of changes coming! Who’s excited?!?!?!
Cozy sweater pillows
Posted: February 20, 2012 Filed under: Accessories, Decor Ideas, Sewing 2 CommentsHoly hiatus!!! It has been a while since I have posted. I realized I had better get a move on posting some of my “winter” projects since spring seems to be coming quickly here in PA!
Much like everyone else in the blog world, I have been longing for a cozy sweater pillow or two for the couch during the winter. Pillows like these….
Via Pottery Barn
just make me want to curl up on the couch while it snows outside, or while catching up on my weekly DVR shows! There are a million and 7 tutorials floating around the internet, but honestly, making these two pillows on my own….
was SUPER easy.
I told you that when I reorganized my closet here, I had 5 bags of clothes to donate and 1 for consignment. Before these clothes were collected, I quick remembered that two of my all-time favorite sweaters, that had become too old and worn out to wear would be PERFECT for sweater pillows!!!
First I decided what sized pillows I wanted. I had a square pillow insert that I was able to use, as well as a rectangle green pillow that I hated since the day it was bought. Once I knew my pillow sizes, I got to work on the sweaters….
I laid out my two sweaters…..
and thankfully my sized medium sweaters were both the exact width of the pillows so I only had to cut the sweaters straight across at the underarm line. EASY!!
Now, if you follow me on Pinterest, you know I have a board called “I can’t even sew a button.” That is 100% true. I have no idea how to sew anything. If I have to hem pants, its no sew hem tape. If I have to sew a button on, it gets passed to my mom! I don’t own a sewing machine and I told myself these pillows would be the time to figure this whole sewing thing out! I learned to use a sewing machine in 8th grade home-ec, but there was a reason I won the wood shop award rather than the home-ec award for the entire 8th grade!
I went to Target, bought myself a tiny sewing kit and got to work. First I turned the sweaters inside out. Then I got to work sewing one end closed.
Now, I have no idea if what I did is actual technical sewing, but I just followed the same pattern of looping the thread around the sweater, working my way down until it was closed……..
Apparently this is some sort of sewing b/c it worked!
I turned the sweater right-side-out and the seam felt pretty secure…….pure giddy excitement here! I actually sewed something!!! WOO!
I tried out the pillow and this sweater needed a little trimming to size…..
In went the pillow and I used the same Tiffany-sew method to close the open side of the sweater. SUCCESS!!
Prior to getting started on my pillows I was browsing through my new favorite store…….Charming Charlie’s. Honestly, I am obsessed. Have you ever been there???AMAZING!! This place is an accessory mecca! It’s almost overwhelming to walk around and try to narrow down 1 or 2…….or 20 things to buy! While I was browsing, I came across this headband that had adorable flowers attached…………
I thought they would look perfect to make my sweater pillows a little more girly and fun! I took the flowers off the headband and sewed the white and tan flower onto the pillow…….
the third white flower was an earring with the post cut off the back, sewed on.
I also bought that burlap/feather flower clip to add to the bigger pillow! ADORBS!!!!!
I love them. They are super cozy to curl up on the couch with!
Total cost for two brand new pillows??? $10!!! For the totally unnecessary but awesome flowers and my little sewing kit from Target!! This was an awesome, cheap update to my winter decor!!
Warm up Winter (and big blog surprise!!!!)
Posted: February 1, 2012 Filed under: Accessories, Decor Ideas 2 CommentsI am SO excited I can barely contain myself!! I have a special surprise here on the blog today (SO EXCITED) but first let me tell you what its about!
I took Christmas and all of its sparkly glory down two-ish weeks ago, and just stared at the blank empty spaces in the house just begging to be decorated. Although our winter in eastern PA has been pretty mild (60 degrees today – flip flop weather!!), I am still itching for official spring. Part of me wanted to get all of my light blue and beachy decor items out to lighten up the house for spring already in January…….but that’s just silly when we could still get 4 feet of snow in February (hope I didn’t jinx us!!!)
So, spring is still in hiding (for now)……..but until then, what could I decorate the house with to make it feel cozy and winter-y without feeling too Christmas-y or snowman-esque?? I decided to look to some of my favorites, the pro’s if you will, for inspiration!
(Here is the exciting part!) I have the honor of introducing to you two of my favorite bloggers (for those of you who are new to this whole home decor blog thing!!!) I mean, this is like being in the presence of royalty just having these two awesome women agree to share their wisdom here on this little ‘ole blog! Star struck….geeky…..nerdy groupie…..yes, that’s me! Consider me a big nerd!!!
And now, without further ado………the pros!!!
I first stumbled upon Anna’s blog Take the Side Street through the great home decor inspiration-space, Pinterest. She had an awesome mercury glass tutorial that I used here to create my own faux mercury glass! After reading her tutorial and scoping out her other awesome projects, Anna has become one of my new favorite blogs! This girl is SUPER funny and always has awesome ideas and isn’t afraid of taking risks! Make sure you check her out! Here is how this pro decorates her house during these cold dark months between Christmas and spring! Take it away Anna!!
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The only holidays I really decorate for are Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas… so by the time January rolls around, I am all decorated out. It’s like I enter decor detox after the holiday decoration overload. I like my decor to be on the sparse side during the months of January and February; Valentine’s Day is lucky to get even one or two small touches throughout the house, and that’s only because I have kiddos who ask for it. Such a mean mom, I know!
I’m a big believer in having natural touches throughout my decor, and while I may feel it’s not quite time to start pulling out bird nests and starfish, you will see weathered wood, rocks and even some moss around my house right now… oh, and this year I did leave my snowflake chandelier up (hey, it’s still winter!). Other than that I keep my decor very simple and clutter-free for a little while. Sparse. Clean. Less to dust, right?
Amen to the less dusting Anna!!! And now……….the next celebrity I have for you is like an A list celebrity being stalked by the less than D list celebrity (….that would be me).
Anyone that has poked around Pinterest or has ever looked at a handful of home decor blogs has probably already seen this awesome lady’s work featured and raved about! She is on practically every blogger’s blog roll and has been featured in magazines, worked with amazingly fabulous photographers and has an absolutely BEAUTIFUL home! Her creativity is absolutely “centsational!” I would love for you to meet Kate from Centsational Girl……..
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For many, it’s hard to imagine anything good about winter, but I prefer to take a positive attitude and embrace the season. After all, without the dormancy of winter, there would be no glorious spring!. In my world, I like to bring a little green indoors and one of the easiest ways is with small terrariums of succulents or orchids that prefer indirect sunlight. Add a few cozy knit blankets, and some faux fur pillows, light a fire and cozy up in your favorite chair with a pet or loved one to await the fairer weather that will soon arrive!
OMG!! I am absolutely IN LOVE with those chairs in Kate’s house! And that awesome mirror has been pinned on Pinterest countless times!!! That fireplace looks so cozy (for days that haven’t hit 60 degrees during winter!!) What are your favorite parts?? Share!
I am more than grateful to these two ladies for taking time out of their busy lives to share some inspiration with me to share with all of you! You girls are truly awesome!!!
And now, after these two heavy hitters, I am going to share my warm winter decor…….it is nothing like what these two are capable of, but hey, this blog is me!
Cold winter days and nights, with occasional flurries (hopefully no shovel-able snow!) calls for warm textures to cozy up in while watching a movie, catching up on some Real Housewives on the DVR, and some hot chocolate or tea!
The throw above came from Pier 1 and is SUPER soft and comfy. It has gold undertones which just makes me feel cozy and warm during the cold winter! The branches in the back help bring in natural textures to cozy up the space! There are two new sweater pillows on the couch made by your’s truly!! They are beyond cozy to curl up on!!
The rest of the house is decorated with natural touches and some warm colors of winter.
The pillar candles are clearance items from Pier 1 and reminded me of logs or tree stumps. I pulled out my little white bird from Pier 1 as a little glimmer of spring to come! Everything is set on top of two books with positive titles reminding me to be thankful for all I have……all that’s good….and the many blessings I have been given! A burlap covered box helps add some winter texture to the spot. I made the branch in the front after being obsessed with much more expensive versions from places like Pottery Barn, Z Gallerie and West Elm. Being a cheapo, I decided to make my own…..I can’t say its perfect, but it adds some additional natural touches. I will share the details with that project soon!
For now, the house is quiet with its decor, just warm and inviting, to ride out the cold days of winter, post Christmas! Natural touches and cozy textures (and a blazing fireplace if you are lucky) will help keep those winter days and nights cozy until spring arrives!!!
Hope you all enjoyed the inspiration and eye-candy from the celebrity bloggers Anna and Kate!!! I can’t thank them enough for gracing us with their presence and sharing their awesome talent!!! Make sure you regularly check out their blogs Take the Side Street & Centsational Girl. There is always awesome stuff happening over there!
Joss & Main
Posted: January 30, 2012 Filed under: Accessories, Decor Ideas 1 CommentHow was everyone’s weekend? It is supposed to go from 30 degrees today up to 60 degrees for the rest of the week. I can’t wait!!!
Anyway, I get a ton of “junk” email every day as I’m sure all of you do. I usually grumble about it but never bother to unsubscribe. Most of it I don’t pay attention to.
Daily I receive an email from online retailer Joss & Main. I’m sure those of you who are familiar with the home decor blogland have heard of them. For those of you who don’t know, Joss & Main offers several collections daily to purchase home decor, accessories, furniture, kitchen items, etc. These are typically high end items offered at major discounts. Some stuff is still too spendy for me, but other stuff is an awesome deal! But there are only a limited number of each item and the sales only last for 1-2 days and then it is gone.
I have been scouting their emails a little more closely the past few weeks and boy, I have had a hard time not whipping out the credit card! Today’s email especially was chock full of fabulous items and I admit, for the 2nd time in two weeks, I made a TEENSY purchase! But let me show you some of the other stuff that I am STILL pining away for……
The Amy Butler bedding collection has fabulous bright colors that are sure to bring spring to any dreary, drab bedroom! I absolutely fell in love with this pillow! It’s the Sari Blooms Square Pillow regularly $40, down to $26.95. I had a hard time saying no to this ruffled beauty!!
This duvet cover that is part of the Amy Butler collection is also gorgeous! I can’t decide which side of the cover is my favorite!
Today, the Maison Maison collection offered tons of chic home decor and furniture pieces. Two of my favorites are the white studded clover ottoman, reguarly $199 on sale for $88 (limited quantities left!)
and this gilded Hollister framed mirror which is SOLD OUT!! This mirror was regularly $256 on sale for $89.95! Isn’t it pretty!?!?! I LOVE it!
How about this Eco-Natural storage basket in gray…..$129.99 down to $56.95
That basket would be awesome with cozy blankets or magazines in it for winter!
Joss & Main doesn’t just have accessories, occassionally there will be artwork or even wallpaper like this gorgeous, colorful wallpaper event from Amy Butler!
And a few things from this Home Essence office supply collection may or may not be ending up on my desk at work shortly!!!!
Hey, for $6.95 that was too good to pass up!! And the matching pencil “cup” and business card holder may have been added as an impulse purchase!! I told you, I can’t resist!
To shop their events, you need to “join” Joss & Main, which just means signing up to receive their daily emails. There are no fees and you can choose how often you want to receive their emails!
I invite you to sign up today as my “friend” for Joss & Main through the White Picket Bentz event here. You can also refer your own friends once you join. For any purchase that your friends make through each event, Joss & Main will credit your account toward your future purchases!!! But I’m warning you…..joining may be dangerous for your financial health! But everyone deserves to treat themselves now and again dont’ they?!?
Take a look at today’s events! What are YOUR favorite items??? It is too hard for me to decide on one favorite, but that pillow is STILL calling me to come back! Happy shopping!!!
Squeeeeky clean!
Posted: January 24, 2012 Filed under: Bathroom, Cleaning & Organization 5 CommentsSo, a sudden weekend bout of sickness has kept this girl off of the project party bus. The things I was hoping to have done this weekend did NOT get accomplished. So while I am working on those things, I have something else for you.
Meet, my nemesis….
Yes that’s right….my shower! From the time we moved in, the shower and I have had a hate/hate relationship! Not only for its lack of space, especially for girl things like shaving ones’ legs (….I have hit my head one too many times on the walls!) but these glass windows are also a NIGHTMARE to clean!! Routine soap scum, coupled with our hard water, made cleaning the shower a chore to be fought over!!
I tried several different cleaning products and up until now, the only things that worked were squeegie-ing the windows daily after showering and using a product that claimed to be free of obnoxious fumes. So as to not give this company away, its name rhymes with HA-DOOM. This spray worked OK in helping to remove the soap scum and hard water, but it did not get rid of ALL of the traces. Not fully satisfied. Also, the fumes were HORRIBLE. The lucky cleaner of the shower had to hold their breath when using the spray, hope it wasn’t too cold out to open the windows, and rush through the entire process.
Breathing this stuff in felt like a herd of elephants was sitting on your chest. I knew there had to be something better out there that didn’t feel like it was asphyxiating me while cleaning! Cleaning should not be hazardous to my health! It should be the opposite….not cleaning is a health hazard! In this case, it was a double edged sword!!
I did some research into natural or homemade solutions to clean shower stalls. I figured someone else out there has to have this same problem! I came across this recipe from food.com…..
and decided to give it a try. The recipe calls for 12 oz of each ingredient, but I only had a 12oz bottle available so I halved everything!
Ingredients:
12 oz white vinegar (I used 6)
12 ounces liquid, blue dawn dish detergent (i just filled my bottle halfway)
Directions:
1. Heat vinegar in microwave until hot and pour into squirt bottle.
2. Add dawn soap. Put lid on and gently shake to mix
Easy enough right??
I used it on my bathroom sinks, the tub, the tiles, and most importantly, the shower…..I am IN LOVE with this stuff!
It is a miracle cleaner! This stuff is UH-MAAAA-ZING!! I first used it on my sinks…..(umm….so embarrassed to be showing you this! But hey, blogging is about being truthful right???)
Just a FEW squirts of the miracle cleaner and wiping with a damp cloth, the grimy sink and mirror were absolutely SPARKLING!
I was hoping the shower would be the same. The instructions said that for tough areas, you could spray and let sit overnight. I was too impatient and spraying this stuff onto the grimy shower, wiping a few minutes later……let me tell you…..the shower has not been that clean since the day we moved in!
It doesn’t photograph well, but take my “singing in the shower” word for it!! It is awesome! And it didn’t even require too much scrubbing! Just a few spots needing more than others. And you don’t need much of this magic cleaner. The more you spray, the more you have to rinse because of the soap in it! A little goes a long way!
Even the tile surround on the soaking tub next to the shower practically glow in the dark. I’m not kidding! I’m like a crazy woman smiling at my clean tiles, even in the dark!
I also gave it a try on the kitchen sink. The house was built with a standard builder-grade sink. Scratches easily and gets TONS of marks. I would love to switch it out, but again, not our forever house, so I haven’t decided if its worth it or not!
Nasty sink before………(hanging my head in shame – although you can’t help it with this stinky sink!)
And after miracle cleaner…….
There is some difference but that’s about all you’re going to get with this sink!! I typically used a scrub with bleach and it didn’t really do much. Again, I’ll be sticking to my new miracle cleaner!
I feel MUCH better cleaning my house with vinegar (edible) and soap that is safe enough to wash dishes with! No crazy bleach or fumes here anymore! Oh, one warning, the cleaner smells a bit like vinegar, but I would imagine adding a few drops of scented oil of your choice would help get rid of that! It was so much better than what I had before, I can deal with a little vinegar!!
HAPPY CLEANING!
I linked up at the Weekend Bloggy Reading party at Serenity Now!
New….
Posted: January 18, 2012 Filed under: Life 1 CommentJust a warning….I’m going to get a bit serious in this post!!! And a bit wordy! No decor here!
Alright, let’s continue…..
So, earlier this week during my normal blog surfing, I came across The Lettered Cottage’s Word of the Year link party. In short, Layla teamed up with blogger/designer Ali Edwards who, yearly, selects a word for herself to represent the upcoming year and to focus on throughout the entire year.
Normally, when surprise ideas like this pop up, I typically shrug them off thinking “oh, it’s too late for me to start doing this” or “January is already half over, I should have started January 1st…too late” or “(SIGH) now I need to figure out something to work with.”
However, this time, I decided to embrace the challenge….who cares when I start….its my word and my year!
If you haven’t guessed based on the title of this post, my word for 2012 is going to be….
Let me give you some details on how I chose such a simple word! In looking at some of the links for inspiration, some people had words that really encompassed one thought, feeling or goal. I started thinking deep and trying to find a deep, complex word to represent what I hoped the upcoming year would be. However, just as Ali Edwards said in her advice over at The Lettered Cottage, I realized my word was exactly that…..MY word. It didn’t have to be complex. It could be as simple as I wanted and it only had to represent MY meaning. Not what everyone else thought it should be. So, the word “NEW” kept popping up in my head. Simple right?
For those of you that don’t know me personally, and for those of you that do, I have always been the “good kid” doing what everyone expected and what they thought I should be doing, living my life measured up against some set plan for how this “good kid” should live and how life “should” be. I began this “expected” life right out of high school, through college, and continuing right out of college. I had a life plan, and it was on course. However, I learned an important lesson at the end of 2011. There is no such thing as a set life plan. No matter what my personal life plan is/was, God has something bigger and better in store for me, even if I didn’t think so at the time. Just because I had a plan for my life and some 5 & 10 year goals, it didn’t matter. Sometimes God’s goals for my life aren’t the same as what I had chosen. I learned this the hard way, but can only rely on my Faith that God’s plan is bigger than mine.
This realization led to my NEW plan for 2012. At the end of 2011, I started a new job, still in accounting, that I love a bajillion times more than the job I had before. I am actually thinking I could MAYBE enjoy a lifetime career in accounting (ACK! Still trying to stomach that realization!!!) as this was something I didn’t think was going to happen, 4 years out of college. This new job has brought me so many new experiences in 1.5 short months and I am learning so many new things, that for once, I am excited to get up and go to work every day! This job change was not planned, however, and not part of my immediate life plan back in 2011!
Realizing that MY plan for life wasn’t really what God had in store for me, I am still going through a bit of a shock. I am a bit of a control freak, not liking surprises, and like knowing what is coming up because I made the plan! My life plan, and who I have been over the past 10 or so years, has defined who I was and who I thought I would be! Now, due to life circumstances, having no set plan, I have almost lost my identity. I need to create a NEW life plan. However, this plan has to be something that is molded along the way. Not something I am going to come up with today, January 18, 2012, but something that evolves throughout the year and the years to come. Letting go and letting God help with my life plan is something I need to figure out.
This year, I am going to focus on this word NEW as I figure out who I am….the NEW me with a NEW life plan. This will involve NEW experiences, NEW activities (Saturday morning Zumba rather than sleeping late), NEW people and NEW friends, NEW decor projects (including some new skills…like sewing…that were things I could not do before!), NEW challenges, some NEW changes for the blog (hopefully) and visiting NEW places.
Admittedly, thinking grand scale, realizing that I am figuring out a new me……….scares me. So, to make it easier, I have determined that each month, I am going to do something NEW…..go somewhere NEW, meet someone NEW, try something NEW, etc. This will force me out of my comfort zone (the comfort zone created by my former life plan). As I experience these NEW things, weeding out what I do and don’t like, the NEW me will evolve and God’s NEW plan for my life will start to take shape. Focusing on these little things will allow me to step back, release control of the overall plan, and let things fall into place.
LUCKILY the year has 12 whole months (well 11 1/2 at this point) giving me plenty of time to learn as I go. Reading back over this, it all sounds like butterflies and rainbows! However, already 18 days into the year, this isn’t as easy as it sounds! It will be a challenge, letting go of the past, my past that I created and shaped, and figuring out a NEW future. But life is a challenge and going through challenges makes people stronger in the long run! I am choosing to embrace this NEW challenge, with all of its inevitable ups and downs, to be a stronger, better person in the long run! I just have to remember to take it slow. I can’t figure it all out today. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will the NEW me!
So…..I am embracing the One Word challenge for 2012. Anyone else out there want to join me? No matter that it’s half way through January! Challenge yourself! And you don’t have to decide right away. It’s your word, on your time, let it come to you! Anyone want to share their word of the year???
Alright, enough with the serious….back to the projects at hand!! I have some projects in the works and on the list to start. Hopefully I can get them done to share soon!
Low Cost Closet Expansion!
Posted: January 14, 2012 Filed under: Closet, Decor Ideas, Organization Leave a commentWhen I revealed my pop-up New Year’s resolution here, I shared this disgraceful mess with you….
…and mentioned that I was beginning a master bedroom closet expansion!!!
I already shared one piece with you, the installation of my new sparkly friend…..
Ah yes, one week later I am still stopping by the closet every time I pass to turn on the light to “ohhhh…ahhh…..” in admiration!
In the first picture above, you can see that the closet door opens in. The closet is immediately behind the bedroom door, which opens toward the closet, creating an obstacle course just to get dressed or put clothes away.
This is just one of two doors to move to get to the shelves in the closet. It honestly made the closet feel smaller than a phone booth!
First step in my closet makeover…………REMOVE THE CLOSET DOOR!!
WOO! Doesn’t it already feel nice and spacious?? All it took was removing the pins in the hinges and lifting that puppy out of there!
Then comes the closet mess. See all of that junk below my dresses, and the MESS of sweaters above the dresses?
That mess and junk HAD to be contained. 5 bags of clothes to donate and 1 bag for consignment later (yes, that’s 6 bags!!!), the mess was finally starting to be corralled!
The sweaters on the other hand, are another story. When our house was built, it was blessed with standard Rubbermaid wire storage racks! Awesome. This is not our “forever” house, so at this point putting awesome closet storage in there, like these awesome closets……
Found here
Found here
is really unreasonable and out of the question. A girl can dream though, right?
The problem with these wire racks is that any clothes that are folded and stacked on them end up with these awesome ribs!
Now for sweatshirts, tank tops and even jeans, these ribs go away easily with a nice shake. However, sweaters aren’t so easy and I’m not a fan of having to iron ribs out of sweaters in the morning before work. Temporarily, I laid a giant beach towel/blanket down on the shelf to protect my sweaters….
…but this new closet update needed something more permanent, and less insane looking! I searched all of the major stores for some sort of closet storage solution, to no avail (hmmmm…..this might be a business opportunity for me!) I cut a piece of ply-wood to the size of the shelf and covered (read: wrapped) it in an extra piece of linen fabric I had in my stash.
MUCH better. Now there is no chance of extra ribs in my already ribbed sweaters!
Note to self…..you wear a lot of brown (5 brown sweaters and 1 in the wash not included in this picture – spice up your wardrobe with some color!!!!)
So, let’s recap at this point…….
1. Door removed from closet
2. Chandelier hung
3. 6 bags of clothes donated/consigned
4. Sweaters corralled and rib-less!
I was loving the closet without a door, however, I felt it was a little naked and boring and needed some spice. I saw this AWESOME curtain at Target and knew I had to have it!
I could have gotten fancy with its clip to hold it back, but I just used a 3M hook with removable sticky!
As you can see above, when I removed the hinges for the door, it left a nice mark in the molding. They were natural wood color, but I painted them the same color as the trim so they would blend. I could have filled them in with wood filler, but I figured at some point we will be moving and maybe this place’s next owners will want a closet door back, so really I’m doing them a favor!!! And it’s not too noticeable. No need to get crazy!
Now, by this point I’m sure you have figured out that there was no real “expansion” going on in this here closet! Not that I wouldn’t love to knock a wall down and get an even bigger closet, but let’s be reasonable! And giving away 6 bags of clothing, my clothes now fit in the closet! Just a few little tweaks and the closet feels 10x bigger!!
I can actually move around in the closet and even dress in there!
Ahhhh, so spacious! Clean, organized spaces can do wonders for the soul! New Year’s resolution #2: Keep closet neat and organized (and make the bed every day – let’s see how long that one lasts!!)
So Lady Like…
Posted: January 8, 2012 Filed under: Decor Ideas, Lighting | Tags: Closet, Ligthing 3 CommentsIs it just me or has every girl dreamed of having a fabulous closet for dressing….full of fabulous clothes/shoes/bags and topped off with a gorgeous chandelier? Yes? No? Well for years I have dreamed of having this super girly space that I could call all mine….enter the master bedroom closet. When our house was built, our walk-in closet came stocked with this standard “boob” light….
Not only was it SUPER ugly, it didn’t really give off great light, making the closet drab and dreary. Enter the Kristaller chandelier from the ever awesome IKEA….
It is so feminine and delicate, but not too old and stuffy…..and for only $40, it was perfect! And it was SUPER easy to install!
The first step was to make sure the power was off to the closet/master bedroom……
= me getting nervous!! Death by electrocution, falling from a ladder is really not how I want to be sent off to the Pearly Gates!! I was like a MAD WOMAN running up the steps several times to make sure the power was off to the master bedroom closet. Once I was sure it was off, I was ready to go. HOWEVER, now that the power was off, this interior closet with no windows was DARK…….duh! Slight roadblock, resolved with a work lamp plugged in down the hall!
After unscrewing and removing the old, ugly lamp (which was relatively easy), I installed the new mounting bracket that was supplied with the IKEA light. This was the only real roadblock I encountered during the process. I dropped one of the bracket screws from up on the ladder and could NOT find it in the closet…..
After trying several alternatives from the basement stash of extra screws, this blip on the radar was solved and the bracket was securely mounted.
Next came the scary part…..the electrical wiring. I didn’t take any pictures of this process b/c I was too consumed with getting it right and not falling off the ladder! HOWEVER, the smiling IKEA instruction guide was pretty on point with the uber easy process!
There was a black ground wire, a white “hot” wire and a fancy green/yellow additional ground wire. I matched up the black and white wires with the wires in the ceiling….seriously, how hard is that??? Then the green/yellow wire got matched to the additional copper wire in the ceiling. BAM! Done-zo! I put the light bulbs in and ran back downstairs to turn on the power………imagine me yelling and singing a loud HALLELUJAH when I arrived back upstairs to find this!
Glorious, sparkling, pretty light. HOWEVER……look how long that cord is!! Womp womp! Luckily, IKEA realizes we don’t all have 50 foot ceilings and provided this handy “S” hook to hoist ‘er up!
Quick and simple clipping of the chain higher resulted in this glorious sight…….
Ahhhhhhhhh…….isn’t she a beauty?! Nothing but smiles coming from this girl! Every time I walk past the closet I just stop and turn on the light, stand and smile for a few seconds, and move on! I am officially in love! It just screams “lady like!”
Isn’t it FABULOUS????? I can’t wait until all of my little touches are done on the closet!
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