Happy Love Nest

A Couple New Dish Towels

2012-02-15T12:49:00.000-05:00

I'm picky with dish cloths, are you? I like them to be all cotton (for absorbency) and I don't like them to have anything printed on them. The plainest ones are my favorite, I guess you could say :)

Recently I found some good ones at Big Lots. They're 100% organic cotton and they are so soft and absorbent!

I got two dish cloths, one in cream and the other in olive green (not my favorite color but those were the only two colors they had). I also got a 2-pack of dish cloths in Dijon yellow. All for $6!

I might hit the Big Lots by my mothers and try to find a few more in different colors. I really like them.

Nightstand Knobs

2012-02-02T10:33:00.000-05:00

This is just a quick and easy update. While I was at IKEA last week I picked up a couple of knobs for our nightstands. I didn't like the ones that came with them. They're a little too modern for me.

I've replaced the knobs on our matching dresser too, but I didn't have the patience to go back to Lowes and look for the same exact ones we used.

I didn't really care if the knobs matched in design, just in color... and I found these that I liked.

FINTORP Knob, stainless steel color $4.99 / 2 pack

They turned out really well!

Fixing the Cut in the Carpet

2012-02-01T15:22:00.001-05:00

Remember how I cut the carpet so I could thread an extension cord under it so I could plug in my lamps?

Well, now that we're not using end tables because we opted for a sofa table instead, we had to move over the extension cord (so it would be hidden from view). So we made another cut -- closer to the sofa table, but under the sofa and threaded the extension cord through. But we were left with this gash in the carpet that wasn't being hidden by anything, so we needed to repair it, fast -- the kitties were getting too curious.

The internet says to use a latex seam adhesive or carpet tape. I didn't find the adhesive, but I did find some tape.

This stuff is super sticky, super easy to use, and super cheap. You cut this stuff to the size you need, you ear mark the paper side a tiny bit (think label maker tape), lay it sticky side down over your pad, you pull the earmarked paper bit, and then lay your carpet back down over it. I did a combination of foot work and a rolling pin to make sure it all stuck together.

Sadly it did not look seamless. I know I did it right, but the results were disappointing.

This sticky stuff is best for carpets (or rugs) you are laying down and want to secure -- it'll secure those things really well. It's just not the best to repair a seam, a gash, or a tear/cut in the carpet. It will do in a pinch, but it's not the best.

So I called a buddy of mine who's a jack of all trades, and asked him if he had any suggestions. He did one better. He came over and fixed it like a pro!

He told me the heat bond iron-on carpet tape is best for this type of job. This is the stuff pros use when they are putting carpets down and they want a seam-less look when they connect the seams -- and it's much more suitable for foot traffic areas.

I didn't take pictures of the process -- I was too busy apologizing for not calling him earlier and for having made his job harder (he had to cut away a shit ton of sticky carpet tape I'd used). But here's the gist of it:

Once he removed the sticky carpet tape I'd used, he slid a piece of the heat bond iron-on carpet tape in between the gash, placed a moist towel over it, set a hot iron over the towel and waited a minute. He used that rolling tool (called a tractor or seam roller) over the now practically invisible cut and...

Wah lah!

The cut was somewhere around there... I can't see it.

He asked me to wait about a half hour before I vacuumed the area, just so the glue got a chance to dry. Two hours later I can't tell where it is!

It's like it didn't even happen!

A New Sofa Table and Ottoman!

2012-01-30T13:12:00.001-05:00

Last week, right after I posed the question of buying a sofa table vs buying two end tables, I took a quick trip to IKEA to ~~take a look at it~~ buy it immediately! I couldn't carry it up the stairs though (instant gratification bummer) so I had to wait for the hubs to get home from work to put it together.

I knew it would work perfect, but when we saw it all set up we loved it even more!

I still have to decorate it a bit and buy a couple of boxes to organize some household stuff. I want to store spare candles, kitchen and dining linens and kitty care stuff. Right now I'm storing a sofa blanket in one basket and cat toys (including a huge play tunnel) in the other.

My boy kitty Lorne doesn't like us hiding his toys...

Ok, so the following day (Thursday) our matching sofa ottoman was ready for pick up, too! So we got to enjoy both the new sofa table and our new ottoman!

The living room is definitely starting to feel more and more comfortable. We want to replace our TV stand and I want to buy a rug, too (something I've never bought before).

One Sofa Table Or Two End Tables?

2012-01-25T12:05:00.000-05:00

I've been searching for end tables around town, hitting every store I can think of -- sadly, I haven't found anything yet. But all that running around led me to my new favorite thrift store! And funny enough it's called My Favorite Place (on Peachtree Industrial, Atlanta). Holy moley is that place huge! It just kept going and going! The isles are tightly packed and everything is out of order -- but I love thrift shopping like that! It feels like a hunt! I drive by the place all the time but a few days ago I decided to stop in and look around. I didn't expect to find end tables, but I was maybe hoping to find a dresser mirror to go above our fireplace.

Something like this:

Source: littlelovables.blogspot.com via Jerrica on Pinterest

They didn't have any end tables, or a mirror that I could use -- but I found a super-cute-tiny-special lamp! I'll post more about her later. But I was thinking...

Maybe I could use a sofa table instead of end tables...? It would look great behind the sofa, I would still have room for my lamps... and it would take up less room.

Maybe something like this?

IKEA HEMNES Sofa table (in gray-brown) $179

I've been wanting a colored piece to mix up all the wood in the living/dining room (I wish I could paint/refinish my tables but we don't have the room nor the ventilation for projects like that), and all those storage cubbies make me giddy because I can store all kinds of things -- like kitchen linens, emergency candles and spare tea lights, and throw blankets, kitty toys, magazines, etc.

I'm very drawn to this idea suddenly, and this particular sofa table from IKEA. I like that it's solid spruce wood so it would look and feel solid, and it's got a nice grey-brown finish which would look fantastic with our oatmeal colored sofa, and the dimension are all right on. Plus, the price is fantastic! Especially considering that the only end tables I've been able to find cost $156 each (a total of over $300). For almost the price of one I can have a sofa table that does the work and more of two end tables.

The more I think about it, the more I love it. I have to go... to IKEA! Next time I post, I just might have a new sofa table!

We Finally Have New Nightstands!

2012-01-20T16:32:00.000-05:00

We finally got new nightstands! Yay! Last summer (whoa time flies) I wrote about needing new nightstands and I ruminated a little about what colors and vibe I wanted for our bedroom...

Let me recap what I was working with first:

Ugly orange particle board nightstands.

Well at the time I did do some virtual shopping by hitting some online stores, I just didn't find much...

First I looked at the nightstands that matched our dresser. We love our dresser -- we changed the knobs but other than that it's perfect, so we were really leaning towards a matching set. Their prices had also been reduced since we bought our dresser a couple of years ago so that was a nice plus. Unfortunately they'd been out of both the 3-drawer and the 1-drawer option off and on for a long while. So all I could do was sign up to be notified when they'd be back in stock... and hope.

I had also found a cute option at Target which I thought would work. The Tiburon Nightstand in espresso looked great! It measured 26 1/2" wide, 15" deep and 25" tall -- it would've been a close fit but they would've worked on both our sides nicely. They costs $220.99, way more than I wanted to spend but I would have anyways -- but my husband didn't like them. I don't understand why...

And that's it. We didn't find much else we liked online. So we kept looking for something cheaper around town... But then summer passed, then fall, and before I knew it -- it was January (2012!) and we still had not found anything we liked.

Then a few weeks ago Overstock notified me that the Coventry Nightstands were back in-stock!

We liked both the 3-drawer option and the 1-drawer but we went with the 1-drawer.

It was cheaper
Because I like stacking reading material by the bed, and
Because it would force me not to hoard crap. Both of us have a bad habit of throwing things in our nightstand drawer instead of putting things away where they belong... cat toys, hair accessories, jewelry, mail, hardware to a speaker we installed a year ago...

Here's what the room looks like now... I even bothered to make the bed.

Some days I regret not getting the 3-drawer. I can see the electrical cords, and I miss having extra storage for my junk ;) -- I think I just need to organize it a little better...

Here's what the room looks like for real... I never make the bed :)

There's still a lot I want to do... but at least we've got the furniture out of the way. Still to do:

Add something above the bed
Hem the curtains asap (the cats are ruining them)
Buy a ceiling fan pull thing. You can't see it, but I can :(
Add a photo of us to my nightstand frame
Maybe buy a rug
Hang art or mirrors above the nightstands

Oh! But did you notice the new duvet cover? I love it so much!

Searching for Narrow End Tables

2012-01-17T17:08:00.000-05:00

I've been running around Atlanta for a couple of weeks now looking into furniture stores for side/end/accent tables, even counter stools and book shelfs that could work in our little room.

But I've found nothing, at least nothing under $150. So I'm starting to look online... Online furniture shopping is not my favorite thing to do but sometimes you're left with no other choice. Sometimes it does works out though! I've bought a bed and a dresser online before and I'm glad I did, so there are exceptions.

The size requirements are:

Not too tall: Our sofa has low arms - only 22" tall. That height is hard to find but it's non-nigotiable. I don't want the tables to be taller than the arms of the sofa.
Not too narrow: Something between 10-12" wide. Currently the TV trays we're using as end tables are too wide for the space, and those are 14" wide. Plus, the sofa arms themselves are wide so there's plenty of surface area for remotes, a magazine, etc, -- they just need to have enough room for the lamps I bought.
Finished from the back: Because the sofa is floating in the room the tables would need to look good from the back too.
Open: I wanted them to be open at the bottom -- on legs or an open design, so it feels open and airy because, again, the sofa is floating in the room and I don't want the space to look closed-in.

Overstock sent me an email about their furniture super sale so I started looking there, but I've also been looking through Joss and Main and One Kings Lane, Wal-mart, Target, and Amazon. Even Mercantila where we bought our bed from. I haven't found much. Finding anything shorter than 24" tall is really difficult (even counter stools were at least 24" tall).

For example, I liked these chair tables from Overstock, but they were too tall (24").

Black Chairside Table ($107.99)

Then I did find these at Wal-Mart online. They're the perfect dimensions (12W x 25D x 22H inches). The price was steep ($200), but I did some digging and found them for less at Furniture Butler ($159.97).

Anthony California Solid Oak Chair Side Table - Dark Oak

I still want to hit a few more stores on foot before buying online. Maybe even wait a few more weeks to find something at a thrift store, or hit some antique stores too. But I need two tables so that might be hoping for too much.

Proper Fireplace Tools

2012-01-08T17:03:00.002-05:00

Last January I wrote about wanting to find a fireplace tool set. I don't actually remember what happened, but we didn't end up getting one at all that year -- which is insane considering that we were making due using a soup ladle. You think I'm kidding?

I'm not. So it's January again (and some days, even cold) so I made a fire... and that's when I remembered I had no tools. Check out this text I sent my husband:

So this weekend we set off to buy a few home things, one of them being a fireplace tool set. I didn't want to spend a whole lot -- nice and heavy fireplace tool sets are often $40+ but I was hoping we'd find one for much less since I was willing to sacrifice a little on quality. Our fireplace is small, it's not heavily used since we don't have hard winters here in GA, and we don't often use real hard wood either (opting for the manufactured fire-logs). And honestly, if a soup ladle worked for a full year as a poker I think we've established a heavy duty set isn't necessary. Ha!

Still, I wasn't expecting to find one for $20! Woot!

Pleasant Hearth 4-pc Fireplace Tool Set, fromWal-Mart

It's only 28" tall and about 7-8" wide -- I love the size! Small and compact but not too short. I like that it doesn't draw attention to itself and blends in with the fireplace.

It's just perfect for our needs, and it sure beats a ladle! I would've made a fire and taken a few pictures of the poker in use but it's currently 65°F here. But the next time I make a fire I'll be sure to update the post :)

Here's Hoping for 2012

2012-01-06T11:52:00.001-05:00

I'm not a fan of making New Year's resolutions. I think it's because I don't want to disappoint myself. But this year I'm hoping for a great many things. I might be filling my eyes or getting ahead of myself, but I'm hoping and working towards some goals!

Here's what I'm hoping for 2012

Spend more time with my family. Last year we didn't see each other or talk much. Months would go by without a phone call and when we finally caught up with each other we spent 10 minutes filling each other in on anything new-new and hung up. It wasn't personal, they were wrapped up too -- but I don't want a relationship of convenience with my family. Years are flying by, time is zooming past us, I want to make new memories with my family that stop the clock. So this year I want to carve out more time for my family. Who knows how long we're all going to be in the same state where we can always hop on a car and drive over for a visit.
Save more money and invest it. Last year we did ok. But between end of the year car troubles and a few unique medical expenses, our savings account was sputtering by early October. We've also talked about investing and this year I want to stop talking and start doing it.
Continue creating a home that makes us happy. I lost a lot of motivation when I realized our lease would end in just four short months and I thought "why fix/decorate/prettify anything if we might move soon? Whatever! We don't know if we will in deed move so I shouldn't neglect our home or give up on it. I love this place and I want to show it some love until the very end.
To Rent or to Buy: Speaking of money and home, we have to decide whether or not we want to continue to rent (this place or a new one) or whether we want to buy. There's a lot of factors to consider, the market, our personal and career plans in the next 5 years, our finances, etc. But this is definitely the year we need to decide this.
Make stuff: I've loved making my own soy candles and I want to make tons more of those, with cute labels and stickers and all that stuff. I also want to try my hand at a few crafts projects and maybe some painting. Oh, and I want to make more foods, I lost my cooking mojo somewhere around August last year but I want to make some great (new) dishes and share them around a table with family.
Pamper myself: It's not that I've let myself go, it's just that I'm not taking care of my myself. I'm going to make a considerable effort to look more put together on a daily basis, in and outside the home. Not just for myself but for my husband who deserves to find his wife dressed in something more than pajama jeans wearing a t-shirt with no bra, and wet hair wrapped up in a hair clip. I have to start buying underwear that doesn't come in a 3 pack, and I need to set aside the time every month to pamper myself. When I paid off my car last year I thought I would use the money on a massage every month or at least on some nice bras. Hasn't happened once.
Blog more about it: I'm still not used to volunteering information about myself or my life and this makes blogging weird for me sometimes, but I also really enjoy the outlet it provides. I'm going to try really really hard to stop being so scared of "what if?" and just have some fun with it.

I'm feeling really good about this new year! What about you? Any similar resolutions? What are you most looking forward to?

Extending the Living Room Lamps

2012-01-05T15:10:00.000-05:00

A while I go I saw this pretty beehive table lamp over at Copy Cat Chic (it was part of a giveaway that I sadly didn't win). The $49 sale price was great too but I really wanted to find end tables before buying more lamps so I didn't order them.

Kirkland's Beehive Table Lamp

Then a week later I was over at The Avenue shopping center in Lawrenceville with my mom and decided to stop in and look at them in person. As expected they were even prettier in person and still on sale for just $49 each! It was too hard to pass them up -- so I didn't! Actually while I was at the register the woman beside me offered me a 15% off coupon she wasn't using! Can you believe that? I thanked her like 20 times! So sweet, right?

Anyways, they sat for a while on the dining room table waiting for end tables. All through xmas and new years. It made me sad to see them sitting there, wrapped up, unused, waiting...

So I sat them on two TV tray tables I had so I could at least enjoy them.

And then I almost cried.

I didn't think about it! But how the hell was I supposed to plug them in? The nearest outlet was on the wall behind the sofa and the other was behind the TV! I can't run an extension cord across a traffic area!

I could use an extension cord between the two lamps and hide it underneath the sofa but I didn't know how I could hide it when I had to reach across to the wall to plug it in.

So I considered my options.

Live without living room lamps and light.
Buy battery powered lamps. It that even a thing?
Hide the cord under the carpet.

Hide the cord under the carpet it was! I've never lifted carpet up before and I knew I would have to cut the carpet too to guide the extension cord through it... I had no idea how I was going to do it, but I went for it.

I wish I had taken progress pictures, but I didn't. But here's what I did.

I lifted up the carpet as much as I could (watch out for the nails).

I wrapped my extension cord around a long metal bird feeder extension pole (it's all I had that would work -- we don't own any metal clothes hangers, and a long bamboo garden dowel I tried broke).

I slid the extension pole under the carpet and pushed it as close to the sofa/table area as I could.

Then with a box cutter I cut the carpet where I felt the end of the pole was (so I could reach it better). It was the scariest thing I've ever done to this place, which I rent!

I pulled the pole through and assessed the damage.

It's not the prettiest thing in the world but if it weren't for the extension cord sticking out, the carpet would actually lay flat -- so come moving day no one would be the wiser that the carpet was cut.

A table would hide most of it (if not all of it) so I'm not worried but it's definitely put a fire under my ass to find end tables.

I hammered the carpet back down over the tacks as best I could -- there's no obvious bump in the path but I do see one at the foot of the wall. I'll have to try and hammer that down a little better. Also, by cutting the warning tags off the extension cord and maybe stapling the cord down to the floorboard it should look a little more seamless. That wall needs something anyways so in the future the extension cord won't be the center of attention.

But at least we have light in our living room (that doesn't come from the overhead ceiling fan)!

I just realized this is the first time I've shown the cocktail table I brought in. I've had it for ages (since 1997?), I can't even remember where I got it, just that once I got it home it was too big, and it was too big for every single place I ever lived in. But here, once we got rid of our giant sofa chair, we realized there was plenty of room for it! It's not fancy, the color is dated (like my dining table) but both pieces are solid like a rock. I've considered refinishing it but I don't have the space or ventilation for that kind of project. But I think I can work with it.

I'm just happy the room is coming together...

Favorite Things: 2011 Gifts

2012-01-03T18:28:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I am so behind on blog stuff. Super behind. It's been crazy busy and on top of everything else I got sick new year's eve's eve. Ahh! Today I'm feeling good enough to sit up for more than 20 minutes and I decided I couldn't postpone this post any longer! Nothing makes me happier than shopping for others and this year I gave some good stuff! Here's my Xmas gifts of 2011!

I started early for friends (I have to, most of their birthdays also fall in December) and as usual I ended up finding a gift I could give to several people. It always works out that way -- a great gift is great for everyone!
Salt lamps! I gave away a few of these -- but when I noticed these had a dimmer I immediately ordered another one for me! I moved our current (non dimming) one into the living room. They are simply pretty, soothing, inexpensive, and everyone wants one when they see it. A great gift, seriously!

WBM 7-Inch Tall Himalayan Natural Crystal Salt Lamp

For a guitar player friend of ours I got this cool guitar tuner I'd seen someone rave about it online months and months ago (and I was smart enough to make a note of it for future gifting). It's an awesome tuner! If you have a guitar player in your list, this would make a neat present.

Snark SN-1 Tuner

For the money clip kinda guy: My husband and his friends are always trying out new money clips, so I bought them all this kind to try. There's a couple of names for it, both are an As Seen On TV Item, one is called the Slim Clip and the other is called the Smart Money Clip. They're inexpensive but you can find the same style much better crafted for a bit more -- in this case if they find that they like the style they can upgrade later to a fancier one.

For my brother: I got him the the first four books in the series of A Song of Ice and Fire (aka the Game of Thrones). By the time his birthday rolls around in April he'll be done with them and I'll give him the newest release. I'm already thinking ahead, see? ;)

4-Book Boxed Set: A Song of Ice and Fire (aka A Game of Thrones)

Also, like I do every year, I gave him a bowl. Many years ago I gave him a nice noodle bowl I thought was perfect for lo mein noodles. He still has it and still tells me it's his favorite bowl in the house. So every year I try* to get him a new bowl, it's kind of my thing. Last year I got him a Dansk Christianshavn Blue Individual Pasta Bowl. It's perfect for pasta servings, and salads, and rice and beans. He raves about it. This year I found him this cool looking udon noodle bowl (in shiitake grey) and I also included a pair of stainless steel chop sticks! I see him sitting in front of his computer chowing down on some left over take out.

For my mom and her husband I got a couple combo-gifts:

A salt lamp (mentioned above)
A wireless router so she could enjoy wifi with her new iPhone

But I splurged on my mom the most. She was in dire need for some honest to goodness shoes. She's a fan of the clog/mule type -- when she comes home from work she just wants to slip on a pair to go get the mail, run a few errands, take the dog out, etc. But she doesn't splurge on such heavily used and multi-purpose shoes. Every season her shoes fall apart and she's on the hunt again for another pair that's not only cheaply made but awful for her feet (not to mention her back/disc problems). So this year I was a sneaky daughter and got her to tell me her shoe size and bought her a pair of Birkenstocks! I also made her some soy candles and gave her an iTunes card for her new iPhone.

Birkenstock Women's Bern Soft Footbed Clog

For my husband: Who's birthday also lands Xmas week, I got him a ubersoft bamboo and organic cotton hoody (in black)!

Bamboo/Organic Cotton Zip Hoody (Black)

A also got him a book, it's a children's book called Firestar's Quest -- it's about a kitty who must embark on a quest to discover a long-forgotten truth!

Firestar's Quest (Warriors Super Edition)

And for his birthday I ended up following in last year's footsteps (last year I got him an awesome teakettle) and this year I got him a big tea pot! He's been using a giant Pyrex bowl to brew big batches of tea (loose leaf). This way he can brew it, discard the leafs, let it sit to cool, and safely pour it into a pitcher with his filtered ice cubes and everything. Fancy stuff. Note to self: Get him a better sized pitcher.

Chantal Teapot w/ Stainless Steel Infuser, 1.5 Qt (tea for 4), Red

My Xmas list is always pretty short (I have a small family and group of friends), and I like it like that! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I'll be back soon (health willing).

Slip Proof Window Curtains

2011-11-29T11:58:00.001-05:00

When I was hanging up my living room curtains I was having a hard time getting them to stay tightly scrunched to one side. I hung the curtains as high and wide as I could, given that there were only seven inches between the edge of my windows and the fireplace mantel.

Even though I hung them pretty wide (away from the window frames) I knew they would overlap the window some. I could have avoided this by buying curtains made of a thinner, looser material but I'm not a fan of thin and wispy curtains. I could've also cut the curtains in half so I would have less material and therefore they could easily stay to one side, but I didn't want to do that either. I liked the substantial look of the curtains and the gathered effect when they were scrunched up. I just needed to think of a way I could keep them that way. No matter how hard I scrunched them to one side, they would start to relax and slowly but surely slide down the curtain rods -- and I'm not a fan of the curtain swept to one side look.

This is like a curtain malfunction, I thought, if this was a dress I would use tape.

Bingo!

Fashion tape aka double-sided tape is a wonderful thing. I used to have strips of "fashion" tape on hand when I was working; I used it often to keep the neck lines of dresses and button down shirts in check. I always used "fashion" tape because I didn't know if the sticky stuff on regular double-sided tape was somehow different and could ruin my clothes when I peeled it off, but I think they're essentially the same thing -- still, for this project I went with the regular stuff:

I scrunched up the curtains just like I wanted and wrapped some double sided tape around the rod.

I pinched the fabric around the tape and wah lah!

Slip proof window curtains!

I can fluff the curtains without the tops moving back and forth, and when the kitties go behind them, and often rest against them the curtains stay put. I don't have a lot of tricks up my sleeve but I'm pretty proud of this one!

If you're not using pocket curtains, Kathleen over at Twig and Thistle had a similar idea for keeping curtain rings in place using magnets. Awesome right?

Our New Sofa

2011-11-17T11:37:00.001-05:00

My living room do-over is still in progress! So far I've gotten rid of my old sofa, moved stuff around and tried paining the wall grey. I didn't like the gray, and I thought the whole room would look a lot better all one color, so a couple of weeks ago I painted it back to it's original eggnog color, hung some curtains and taped out the dimensions of our new sofa (you can read my sofa debate here).

Take a look!

Man, taking photos from this angel sucks. Behind me is the kitchen -- there's no natural light from that part of the house (except in the bedrooms) so even when I brighten the photos they still look shady. But you get the idea, right?

I hung some IKEA curtains I bought a long while ago on sale for $19 for the pair (I can't remember which ones, but they look like linen), and hung them high and wide (like YHL advices).

I brought in the extra IKEA Billy bookcase from the spare bedroom. I'm not happy with that decision. Three bookshelves looked ok, four looks like too much. Plus it meant I had to scooch over the cases closer to the window... blocking it somewhat...

Ok, so I think I'll be moving out one of the bookcases... I wish I had a different place for them all together so they didn't block the window at all, but I like having my books in the living room, they house all my magazines and cooking books -- I just gravitate to having them there. I guess I can move the two Besta DVD shelf units (from the left of the television) to where the books are -- the DVD shelf units are much slimmer. I think I'll try that this weekend.

The new sofa will go across the fireplace, just like our old one did, it's the best layout over all. Speaking of the new sofa, it was delivered this morning without a single problem!

And it looks sooo good!

I've had those red pillows for a long long time (6 years?). I love them! I bought them for my first non-futon sofa when I was single, and used them again on our previous red sofas -- but they didn't look nearly as good on them as they do on this sofa.

Still to do:

Move bookshelves around some more and see what works best
I'm planning on purchasing the matching ottoman for a chase-like effect and to double as a window seat for the kitties when not in use
I also want to get a new tv unit. Maybe something modern? Maybe something traditional?
Some new roller blinds or those popular bamboo shades
Bring in a cocktail table I've been storing in the spare bedroom - if it fits in the room
A rug
Change the celing fan for a light fixture.

I'll be back next week (if thanksgiving plans don't keep me busy enough) with a cool curtain trick I tried when I hung up our curtains and they wouldn't stay tightly scrunched up to one side. Oh, and if you remember my tip for a slip-proof shower caddy, you know I broke the shower head in the process -- but we got a new one!

Sofa Debate

2011-11-15T12:04:00.001-05:00

Remember last month's when I mentioned we got rid of our sofa? And that after a lot of shopping around (online and off) we settled on the IKEA KIVIK sofa:

Well, borrowing a truck and manpower arrangements fell through so we weren't able to pick it up that weekend like planned. That turned out to be a good thing though, for two reasons:

1. IKEA wasn't having a sale then, but they are now
2. I found another couch I love

The following weekend (while picking up litter at Petsmart) we decided to stop by the Havertys next door to see if I could find some nightstands. We'd been into a Havertys before looking for a sofa and found nothing we liked so I wasn't expecting to find this dream sofa:

Havertys Siesta Sofa

It's called the Siesta, which means nap in Spanish. How appropriate is that?! It comes in various fabrics but I was in love with Jute (pictured).

The $899.99 price tag was the only thing that kept me away. I debated the two sofas for a week (my twitter feed proves this). I was obsessed. On one hand I had a dream sofa that costs a pretty penny, and on the other hand I had another great sofa for a lot less. I would have been happy with either, but I clearly loved one more than the other. But sometimes love isn’t enough; it's about being practical too, you know? So I debated. And debated some more. And went back and forth. Every day I would make up my mind differently. I was driving my husband insane! I didn't feel too positive either. It was hard for me to choose between the two. But then, just when I thought I'd made up my mind (on the Siesta) for good this time, both stores decided to have a sale!

Sales are great though! It just made me question my decision a little harder... so I made a comparison sheet to help me decide.

They were similar, except for obvious construction (frame materials and the cover/fabric) and of course the cost differences. It was like comparing oranges and... grapefruit! They're both a citrus fruit, it's just a matter of preference. The warranties are very different too but I couldn't put too much weight on that since I didn't expect either of them to fall apart, and they both have a warranty that covers parts and labor, one is just way longer than the other. I suspect that if anything is going to go wrong, it will in the first year. The return policy on both is fair.

So I went back to both stores to sit on them again, and take some pictures.

Havertys Siesta Sofa w/ an identical-in-size footstool for a chaise effect visual

IKEA KIVIK Sofa (purse not included)

Havertys Siesta Negatives:

The price

IKEA KIVIK Negatives:

I wish it had legs, or that it was slightly taller, but I looked into it and found out I can add my own legs so it's fixable.
I wish it was even deeper
The cushions over hang a little and I can see myself being annoyed at having to constantly push them back after getting up.

Honestly, I would have been happy with either one, but if my main objective was to get a good sofa, at a great price...

IKEA wins.

So after beating the subject to death I checked IKEA to make sure they had the sofa available and I made arrangements to borrow my mom's husband's truck. My husband even took the afternoon off. We were ready and set!

But then out of curiosity I checked the Havertys website this morning... the Veterans Sale ended yesterday so I was curious to see if they'd announced any "holiday" sales yet. Nope.

But they'd marked down the sofa by $100!

Uh, yeah. This will do!

I immediately bought it, right then and there. Actually I called my husband first to tell him he wouldn't have to carry 160 lb. of furniture up three flights of stairs. Then I told him why and he said "buy it, buy it right now" to which I replied, "already checking out".

I was so excited I squeaked! I literally squeaked! Delivery is scheduled for Thursday and I'm crossing my fingers it goes smoothly. Our stairs are no joke.

My First Birchbox!

2011-11-10T17:41:00.001-05:00

Waaay back in May I'd read about a nifty beauty subscription service called Birchbox from 7th House on the Left (in one of their His + Hers Favorite Things segments). It's essentially a monthly subscription service for beauty product samples. Each month they send out a mix of 4-5 generously sized beauty samples from luxury brands -- but you don't pick what you're going to get, it's a surprise! I thought it was really cool. Surprise beauty samples in your mailbox once a month? I'd love that! I love it when my aunt gifts me Avon makeup samples. She does it every year for my birthday and for x-mas. Some might think that's cheap but I like it because you get to try things you might not otherwise, and that's always fun!

Anyways, after reading everyone's praises, follow-up experiences with the service, and after a lot of surfing around on their site I finally signed up last month in October! Birchboxes are like magazines -- they come out once a month so my birchbox took a whole month to arrive!

Look, look!

I know not every month is going to be a slam dunk, but as a first birchbox I am pretty impressed!

I love perfume samples just as much as make-up samples and it just so happened that I got a sample of Shalimar. Which smells really good! I think my mom would really like this scent so I might give her a tiny bottle for x-mas.
The HydraFull lip gloss by Anastasia Beverly Hills looked too light-pink in the bottle but it went on a lot more sheer so it didn't look bad with my olive complexion. But it was super duper sticky, and glossy. I like my gloss super glossy but not as sticky as this.
The peppermint foot salve by J.R. Watkins smelled so yummy that used it that very night before bed. It does make your feet soft -- but it's by no means a miracle worker, but I don't need a miracle, I needed pampering. My toes felt tingly and fresh for hours under the covers, I liked that. I've actually tried J.R. Watkins lotions before, they're nice because the scents are pure and fresh smelling, like they're the primary ingredient.
I had no use for the coasters, my husband took them work, he said he needed them or something.
The mud mask by Borghese I'm wearing right now as I type!

All in all I'm really happy I signed up. I think it's a really neat and worthwhile way to spend $10 a month. Especially for a woman like me that hates beauty product shopping, and hates walking into those heavily perfumey department stores even more. They smell like a thousand different bottles of perfume broke over a giant puddle of melted soaps and wax. It's overwhelming, it gives me a headache and I can't stop sneezing. And you don't really know what anything really smells like or looks like until you try it at home. That's why I love samples!

I can't forget to mention that each box is customized to your beauty profile, filling that out is so important to get the most out of the service. Oh, and you get points! For every 100 points you earn, you get $10 off a full-size product order. You can earn points when you buy full-size products, when you give product reviews and by inviting friends (which had I known, I would've given Ashley her due points).

Anyways, for me, since I love beauty samples so much it's a lot of fun! If you're interested and want to try it out here's a referral link!

Enter the Shoe Cabinet

2011-11-04T16:25:00.001-04:00

I’ve been wanting to do something about our foyer for a while. I ~~try to be good~~ think about putting our shoes back in our closet at the end of the day but I never do. To make matters worse I have a habit of wearing a different pair of shoes every day (even in the same day), so they can really pile up. Out-going packages also get thrown by the door so we’re reminded to mail them out. Plus, as cute as it is to find cat toys hidden in our shoes, it’s not so cute to find litter debris (I sweep it every day, but their paws will always track a little, it happens). So by the end of the week my entry way looks a mess.

My entry way is quite small, I only have 34" of wall space (the width) to work with and the cabinet couldn't be more than 8.5" deep (technically 13", but we can't cover the light switch). So the solution needed to be small and slim. IKEA's shoe cabinets were the only affordable solution I found. They’re perfect for small spaces and you can’t beat the price. The blogosphere agrees:

Jen's (form IHEART Organizing)
IKEA HEMNES Shoe Cabinet

Jena's (from Involving Color)
IKEA STALL Shoe Cabinet

Sherry's (from Young House Love)
IKEA RETUR Recycling bin (turned shoe cabinet)

from Real Simple
IKEA SKAR shoe Cabinet

Out of all the options I liked the SKAR the best. It was small, but tall and slim and it fit the space perfectly.

I like it! We've had it for a couple months now and our entry has never stayed tidier. I like having a small shelf near the door too. I used to keep the candy dish on the breakfast bar but everyone uses it more here. I like to watch people dig for their favorite kind, makes everyone smile before they leave. My little tea light birdie is super cute and cheerful up there too. The shelf underneath stores my spare sunglasses, a spare hair clip and any out-going mail. Basically anything we might forget to take in a hurry. Out-going packages still get thrown under the cabinet, but I don't mind, they don't stay around long.

Good Deal: $15 credit just for signing up!

2011-10-21T13:01:00.001-04:00

The Nester over at Nesting Place recently posted about a hot deal going on over at One Kings Lane which gives new customers an automatic $15 credit just for signing up! You can use your credit towards anything you want -- use it on one small $15 purchase and just pay the $6.96 shipping fee or apply it towards a bigger purchase. Pretty cool, huh? I've never heard of this place before so I was glad to try them out and get to know them. If you want to know more about how this place operates the Nester wrote up a super helpful post, so check that out.

I went looking for the set of hummingbird glasses she had suggested immediately (I'm a sucker for anything hummingbirds), but sadly they were sold out! Then I went looking for the pom pom throw she also mentioned but I didn't find that either. Bummer!

So I waited.

Then yesterday I saw these cute little tea light holders on sale for $15-19! Look how cute!

Barreveld Blossom Candleholder, Medium $19.00

Barreveld Glass Tealight, Silver $15.00

I love a cute tea light candle holder! They're my favorite candle to have all over the house -- they're super cheap and the candle holders are often the cheapest around too. I prefer them over a pillar candle any day. I don't know, I just think they're so dainty and romantic! ;) And they're easy to clean up too!

Anyways, if you tell others about One Kings Lane you'll also get another $15 credit when they sign up and make a purchase! Are you interested yet? Get your $15 credit by signing up here! If you're like me (I like a bargain), you'll likely browse the clearance section first ;) -- which is at the bottom of the page where it says Downstairs.

Happy shopping!

Out With The Old Sofa

2011-10-12T17:16:00.003-04:00

A while back I'd written that I was doing over my living room and I even showed a couple of before pictures -- well today I'm going to share some of the progress. Nothing pretty, I'm not there yet ;)

Here's out living room a few months back, before we changed anything -- wait, actually I did move our bookshelves from behind the big red chair (I was in the midst of trying different things to give us more room).

I was trying to avoid buying new furniture so I tried moving things around and rearranging things some more.

I even primed/painted over the brown fireplace wall.

But nothing I did made me feel better about the space -- I knew what was wrong, it was the giant sofas. That's when I called my younger brother and offered the sofas for free if he would come pick them up that same weekend. He's been collecting an arsenal of home goods for his first place so he was pretty stoked!

Impulsive? Maybe. Why give away a perfectly good sofa set? Well, we bought them within days upon arriving in Georgia (at the Rooms to Go Outlet no less) and yeah we loved the red back then and how deep the seats were, but now years later we find there's little else we like about them.

I am sick of red. In fact having so much of it makes me the opposite of happy. You could even say it makes me see red. I love the color but not on something that large.
The piping on the couches was really hard and uncomfortable! It was hard and it hurt our toes, feet, legs, and arms -- Ugh! Our next couch will not hurt us when I use it.
They were too big for our space (too big period). Clearly we didn't think to measure before we bought them. We even had to put the big chair in front of the fireplace during spring and summer months. That probably breaks some ancient feng shui rule but I like symmetry and that's the best I could come up with.
Microfiber-plush can suck it! I don't like the way it feels, I don't like the way it streaks, and it makes me itch.
The big over-stuffed back cushions were so annoying! This was more my problem because I am not very long/tall so no matter where I sat my neck was constantly hunched over.

In general, I'd get so mad at them sometimes that I'd punch them and violently throw all the cushions off. Stupid sofa.

So we went into full furniture shopping mode - movie nights aren't the same without a couch you know? We looked online, went to Macy's, local furniture stores, brand outlets, Big Lots, IKEA. But we didn't love-love anything, and honestly I think it had a lot to do with the prices. Whoever said you can't put a price on love has never shopped for furniture on a budget.

The sofa pictured above was our favorite. Not because it was a sectional, we were looking for separate sofa/love seat pieces, but because we loved-loved the texture oatmeal-y fabric, it was so nice and the seats were super-duper comfortable even though they weren't as deep as what we're used to.

With that in mind, we actually bought the IKEA KARLSTAD sofa because it looked so much like a lot of the sofa shapes we liked most, but at a fraction of the cost. But after a couple of weeks of using it we were less than happy with it -- it just looked and felt like doll furniture to us (not comfortable at all) so we ended up returning it (IKEA was awesome and refunded the sofa, and gave us store credit for the covers).

So by now we've lived without a sofa for a few months and we were starting to get a little pissy ;). I blame myself for impulsively getting rid of the old sofas before we actually had one in mind -- but in my defense we wouldn't have gone sofa hunting, or even considered buying a new sofa if we'd still been able to "make due" with what we had, we're lazy and cheap like that. Also I couldn't even picture new furniture in there, is was so cramped. Let alone tape off new dimensions on the floor to get an idea of how something new might look.

Anyhow, our living room is looking pretty bare there days!

I've moved the bookshelves back against the wall there (the picture above only shows three but we have four, I was just trying out things). I painted the wall the same grey as the laundry closet -- but I don't like it and I've decided to paint it back like the original wall color. I think making it an accent wall breaks up the length of the wall, which isn't fair since we have nice high vaulted ceilings. I sound like I know what I'm saying, but I don't, it just sounds right in my head.

We got rid of our old speaker + sub setup for a much more space efficient and better sound quality surround sound system bar (it cost us a pretty penny, but big things in small packages always do, and a traditional set up would've cost even more).

The taped off areas are our guidelines for if we wanted to place the sofa across the TV, versus in front of the fireplace. Because we have a short wall dividing the open room, it's hard not to block traffic between the sunroom - dining room - living room.

I think it could work. I also have to remember that it's a small space and no matter what I buy it will feel cozy. I also have to keep in mind that this is not our forever home, so we don't need to buy our forever sofas. We'd be happy with finding something for right now.

Speaking of, there's still tons of things to do but I'm happy to report that looking for a new sofa isn't one of them anymore!

We hit every furniture place at least twice in hopes of finding something we liked but everything was twice what we wanted to spend -- we almost even resigned ourselves to buying that one from Ethan Allen, but then last weekend we strolled through the IKEA show room looking for a new TV unit and noticed a sofa we hadn't considered before.

The IKEA KIVIK in Teno light gray!

We've always walked right past this sofa but on that day, in that fabric, in that display it looked great and when we sat on it it felt even better! We spent a good 30 minutes sitting on it, lounging, walking around it, kicking it (just kidding), and it won us over. I went home and did some research and other than the typical "IKEA is cheap don't buy furniture there" complaints from people that don't even own the thing, it got great reviews. I'm a little concerned about a few of the reviews that complained about this particular fabric being itchy, but I didn't find it itchy while I was there so I maybe it takes some use and time to soften up the fabric. Our second favorite fabric was the Ingebo light beige (which was buttery soft), so we have a backup.

We don't know why the KIVIK feels bigger than the KARLSTAD -- it's only 9 3/4" wider, and the seat depth is only 1 5/8" bigger, but it's certainly worlds more comfortable. Maybe it's the low and wide armrests that give you get a sense of more space? Maybe it's the top layer of memory foam that makes it feel so soft and supportive all at the same time? We just loved it! We walked out of there way more enthused and confident about our decision this time than when we got the KARLSTAD.

We just can't wait to pick it up this weekend!

Anyway, that's my living room do over update! Maybe now that we have a sofa set picked out, the rest of the room can start coming together a little easier! How 'bout you? Do you love your sofa? How long did it take you to pick it out? I'm hoping [crossing my fingers] that these last us a while -- I hate furniture shopping.

Kitchen Pantry Containers

2011-10-03T16:38:00.000-04:00

Continuing with last week's post on my kitchen pantry do over, this post is all about the containers I used, where I got them, and why I chose them.

What I was looking for in containers depended somewhat on what I was storing in them but I pretty much stuck to using glass whenever possible (or ceramic and porcelain), and made sure they were dishwasher safe. I also prefer it when they're clear so it's easy to see that's inside and how much (which makes it easier to take quick stock before heading to the store). But most importantly I needed them to be big enough for a brand new bag/box of -whatever- and still have enough room for refills. So when I'm running out of something and buy more of it I can refill it on top of what little is left -- and it will all fit.

I didn't want half full bags/boxes of goods laying around somewhere else because I couldn't fit it all in its designated container. That would defeat the purpose in this case.

side note: Storage containers typically tell you how much they'll hold in liquids -- so it wasn't as easy as matching the weight of something to the listed storage weight of a container. I had to consider my storage needs by volume (or dry weight), so sometimes I just had to eye-ball it or consider the dimensions of the product.

I started with the sugars.

I chose the IKEA BURKEN Jars and a large DROPPAR Jar because when I was cleaning up the ants I was surprised to see only one had made it inside my white sugar (they were crawling all over it, but only one got in), that's pretty good.

White sugar: We've been storing our white sugar in a large DROPPAR for over a year and I love it! It's big enough for a whole (4 lb) bag of sugar with plenty of head room for when I refill.
Soft sugars: Powdered sugar, and brown sugars usually come in 2 lb (32 oz) bags and the BURKEN 74 oz jar as you can see from the picture has plenty of room!
Cane sugar: I chose the medium sized 37 oz BURKEN jar for the cane sugar (aka turbinado sugar) because it was the perfect size for the box I typically buy. There's no head room left over but that's ok in this case because it's not something that gets refilled often (it's something I only use for certain recipes and it lasts me a long time).

I tackled the flours next.

I knew exactly what I liked storing those in: Wal-Mart's Mainstays 4pc Canister Set. The set comes with a large, medium, small, and tiny canister. They're are plastic but in this case it's more functional since I stack some and store them on the ground floor of the pantry. They're also light weight, so I can pick them up and drop them down without worry. The lids are tight fitting but still easy to pull off, too.

All-purpose flour: I've used the larger 1.3 gallon canister for all-purpose flour for years (my mother actually uses hers to store rice) and they're big enough for a whole bag of flour and then some, and you can even leave in a measuring scoop.
Bread flour: I wanted to store my bread flour the same as the the all-purpose so I got a whole new canister set and used another 1.3 gallon canister.
Baking flour: I don't buy self rising baking flour very often (which is just flour with baking powder and salt added to it) but certain recipes call for it so I like to keep it around. Since I don't buy it often I didn't need a canister with a lot of head room. The medium size canister works fine for this.
Corn meal mix: For the smaller bags of flour mixes like corn meal mix (which I use to make hoe cakes on special occasions) the small canister works perfectly.

Buckwheat pancake mix: These are my husband's favorite pancakes in the world and I like to have the mix ready to go for a quick weekend surprise breakfast. Sometimes I make the mix from a recipe, sometimes I just buy it, but the small canisters made a good fit either way.

What's next? Oh yeah, baking stuff!

I chose these neat Better Homes and Gardens Flip-Tite Storage Containers I found at Wal-Mart. Aren't they compact? They have vacuum-seal airtight lids! Look how well they stack! Love them, I'm so glad I bought them.

Yeast: I bought a big brick (32 oz) of yeast (I don't normally buy that much but the price per ounce too good) but the rectangular 35 oz container I chose didn't come close to fitting it all so I gave the extra to my mom and in the future I'll be sure to buy less yeast ;) or store the packets inside.
Baking soda: I buy the 16 oz baking soda box and the smaller 16 oz square container it seemed, to me, by the look of it, that it could hold a little more, and it did, that smidge more is all the room I need for refills.
Baking powder: I normally get the 10 oz size so another small 16 oz square container was ideal, especially since they stacked together so efficiently!
Baking chocolates: I had a bag of chips, a bag of chunks and a few left over baking squares. I chose more of smaller 16 oz square containers for all those too. I usually end up using the whole contents of a bag on one recipe so I didn't need any head room for refills (I'll just re-buy and fill 'em up again).
Rolled oats: I buy it for baking (oatmeal cookies, yum!) and again a recipe usually eats up most of the container so I chose to store any left overs in another rectangular 35 oz container.
Corn starch: It usually comes in 12 oz (at least the one I buy, Rumford), but it was a tight fit when I tried putting it in one of the 16 oz square containers so I used the larger 37 oz square container. It's got way more room than it needs but I didn't care.
Chocolate powder: The chocolate powder I buy comes in 16 oz pouches and the 60 oz square container was a good fit (it's actually holding a whole new bag and about 2-3 cups from the previous bag).
Marshmallows: I liked the tall square 80 oz container for the mini mallows, they stay fresh for a long long time which is great because I only used them for hot chocolate and on occasion to make rice-krispy treats.

Now on to the rice! Ants don't care about rice, but rice bags are beyond annoying, so I was really looking forward to finding containers for this.

First I tried the Anchor Sobek jars (found them at Big Lots for super cheap) but they didn't work out -- they had a lot of thread so it took more than a few turns to screw the lid closed, and the lids didn't naturally fall on the threads either so they were really annoying to use.

Then I tried the IKEA RARITET jar because I thought it would work better... it doesn't. Pouring is not smooth at all, and the measuring cup didn't slide in/out smoothly either.

So I chose to go with mason jars!

Long-grain + Basmati + Jasmin: I like to keep it stocked and I usually buy 1 lb bags or larger so I used the big half gallon mason jars for those.
Panko: I don't buy it nearly as often and the bags aren't too big so I chose a quart size mason jar. I plan on using the same size for croutons!

Now for the spices!

I'm so excited about this part! I have been on the hunt for spice containers for years! I don't buy spices from the grocery store (unless it's an emergency), it's highway robbery. I get mine from the farmer's market for less than a $1 (sometimes for as little as a quarter, for 8+ oz!), so over the years, especially when I ventured into Indian foods, it's added up to quite a collection! And let's not forget the spices you buy once and only use a few times...

BEFORE

The plastic containers they come in are cheap plastic tubs and the lids don't pull off smoothly which caused a mess with certain powdery spices. I've wanted to store them differently for years but I've never found a spice container that I've liked or thought could work in my pantry. I don't like carousels, I don't have drawer space, I didn't want cabinet contraptions, I don't like magnets solutions, and spice racks are designed to fit "small" spice jars so those wouldn't work either. And since I had so many, my solution needed to be affordable, and space saving.

Then I remembered this post on Apartment Therapy's The Kitchen about using mason jars for spices -- Oh, this could actually work! I could work with this!

At first I got these super cute half pint "elite" jars, I thought that since they were similar in shape to the current containers the spices came in I wouldn't have to change my set up (which works for me). But they did not stack well. Here's a quick video. Or you can skip it and I can tell you how it ends -- they didn't work.

So I went back for the regular half pints (as the AT post suggested). Those stacked excellently! Their flat bottoms allow them to stack inside the 'metal canning' lids so they stay snug when I have to move rows around.

Quick tip: The full pint size jars don't stack nearly as good as the half pint jars do because they have a round-er bottom. In general, if the bottoms are bigger than the lid, they will not stack well, if at all.

I also bought a dozen boxes of the plastic storage caps. They have a thin ridge around the lid (not as deep as in the the metal canning lids, but still good) which still allows them to stack well. My husband and I both agreed the metals lids may look better, but the plastic ones function better. Function first, aesthetics second!

And Ta-Da!

AFTER
Note: I keep extracts and cooking packets in a bamboo box on the right

Now let's get serial about cereal. You'd think the obvious container choice for cereal would be the tall (2 qt) IKEA 365+ containers, right? Not so much. I'd tried them in the past and I found that since their tops are bigger than their bottoms (which are slightly tapered) they don't stand next to each other very well -- you know how sometimes you have to shove things closer together to fit other things? Well, they kept toppling over.

So I decided to try more of these Better Homes and Gardens Flip-Tite Storage Containers. The verdict? Awesomesauce!

Cereals: A typical cereal box (the regular sized ones, not the family size) is 12.25 oz and these tall 92 oz rectangular container are perfect! I can store a whole box of cereal in these puppies and there's extra room! And ants can't get in there! -- these babies have vacuum-seal airtight lids!

Hot Breakfasts: Our oatmeal and cream of wheat are stored in these vintage Heller Designs glass canisters that I found at Goodwill a year ago (love them, I just wish I had the taller one, maybe I'll buy it off eBay).

Now for pastas!

I debated even getting containers for pastas... I mean, the containers are usually bigger than the box they come in -- that's not space efficient. But I understand leaving a box/bag of pasta open or even clipped isn't a good storage solution either. I don't even keep pasta in stock usually, but sometimes I'll cook half the amount of pasta called for, instead of cooking the whole 1 lb box at once (and just cook the rest again with leftovers) and that adds up to having a little bit of everything, so I went for it and got some pasta storage.

I considered using mason jars but I needed something much taller (at least 11") for ribbon pastas and I wanted all the pasta jars to match so after a lot of searching around I ended up going with the IKEA DROPPAR jars.

Ribbon pastas: The tall (51 oz) DROPPAR jar is made for this. I can store 2 boxes of spaghetti comfortably and when I end up with two kinds of ribbon pasta I just use kitchen twine to tie them separately.
Short-cut pastas: The medium size (61 oz) jar is ideal for short cut pastas such as bow ties, penne, elbow, etc.

Corn meal: I had this cute (32 oz) Anchor Hocking Cracker Jar already but they still sell them at Wal-Mart.

This is the longest post I have ever written...bare with me.

Next up, snacks! All kinds! Cookies, crackers, nuts, pastries, etc.

We're huge fans of the Kashi bars, can you tell? ;) There's nothing worse than not wanting to eat anything in the mornings and then realizing an hour later while you're walking through the market that you're starving, going weak and becoming moody. Just grab one when you're on the go, they'll save your life.

Pastries: I love the Better Homes and Gardens Flip-Tite containers so much that I wanted to use them to keep our pastries fresh. I had to search high and low for the big square 103-oz container but it was totally worth it! It's so roomy, and I can see us using it for bagels, or huge batches of cinnamon roasted almonds, or fresh cookies, or even brittle!
Crackers: I went with the IKEA 9x7x3 KRUS container. I'm not impressed with the seal but crackers and cheese + wine are popular around here so they don't sit around too long to go stale.
Tea Packets and other food envelopes: Tea and miso soup packets fit nicely in a 9x6x4 KRUS container.
Cookies: I like to use quart size mason jars to store those instead of messy packaging.
Nuts: I'm a huge fan of the IKEA 365+ Jars (10 0z) for nuts and dried fruit. They're the perfect size and they keep things fresh.

Next on the list, coffee and tea!

We get our coffees by the ounce (some bags are smaller than others) from the farmers market so I didn't have an exact size to guide me when looking for a container but we always pick the smaller bags anyways since we shop there so often.

I had my heart set on IKEA's CELEBER jars from the start! I just love the look of them, simple and clean.

Coffee: The tall (8") 37 oz container is perfect for coffee. The porcelain is great storage for coffee and the lids go on tight which keeps the grounds fresh.
Tea: I found one single spice container in the as-is section and I'm using it to store a little bag of green tea.

fyi: Some genius in corporate decided to discontinue half the CELEBER line -- the line will now only consist of the tall container, the medium size canister, and the soy sauce pitcher. The big huge canister? Gone. The tiny little spice ones? Gone. The oil/vinegar set? Gone. -- straight from the mouth of an IKEA CSR.

Popcorn has been kind of annoying to store in the past. I tried using a mason jar but I have a specific measuring scoop I like to use to remind me of how much to scoop and I like to leave it inside. No wide-mouth mason jar was wide enough for that but this new (2 qt) LJUST plastic container at IKEA is perfect for popcorn! You can fit a whole bag of popcorn with plenty of head room for refills or a scoop.

Lastly, the root vegetables!

We only buy what we need for a couple of weeks so I didn't need a huge storage solution but I did need to two separate bins. For a long time I used these IKEA STAPEL banana fiber baskets, but I needed something stackable. Plus, the kitties had the tendency to run in and hop inside them whenever I opened the door.

BEFORE

So I got these narrow mesh stacking bins from The Container Store to try and I absolutely love them. You can find similar one in size and function at Wal-Mart or Target, or even Big Lots, but these were much narrower than anything I'd ever seen and they fit my pantry space perfectly. They'll be easy to add to in the future, too.

The kitties still try to hop inside them though, and if they're empty, they succeed :)

AFTER

... and that's how my pantry went from looking like this:

To looking like this:

I hope this helps someone out there looking to organize and store their kitchen pantry. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!

btw: my pictures were taken at different times throughout this whole thing, so you might see things in some that do not match in others. The pantry changes in a single hour at my house, and most of the storage containers I chose for "revolving" foods get reused by different things.

Kitchen Pantry Do Over

2011-09-30T15:52:00.000-04:00

Remember a while ago when I said I was getting antsy and that I wanted to bite the bullet and finally get some food storage containers? Well my husband loved the idea of getting food storage too, so not only did he help pick some of them out he didn't mind the cost (which after the first $60 were spent we just stopped keeping track).

Once the ants were totally gone I was able to take stock of the pantry situation and draw my plan of action. Here's what I was working with -- this shot was taken in the midst of the ant war, it's not normally this messy. Things aren't even in the right place...

At the time when I found them (the ants) I didn't have any ant bait so I had to settle for using bug spray, which really messed up the walls. Lovely.

Never spray your walls with bug spray.

As you can tell (to the right of the door) the walls are a mess. So I had to paint the pantry and the whole kitchen (yeah, the whole kitchen, the paint was so old the new paint looked like a different color). This was a hard lesson. The walls could've used a fresh coat of paint anyways and I've always wanted to paint the pantry shelves white so I'm glad I did it, I'm just sayin'.

But before I did any painting my priority was food storage (function first, aesthetics second). Some things already had storage containers, but a lot of stuff didn't, those are highlighted.

Sugars: White, turbinado, powdered, light brown, dark brown.
Flours: All-Porpuse, baking flour, bread flour, corn meal mix.
Buckwheat pancake mix
Yeast
Baking soda
Baking powder
Baking chocolates (chips, chunks and squares,)
Rolled oats
Corn starch
Chocolate powder
Marshmallows
Rice: Long-grain, Basmati, Jasmin
Panko bread crumbs
Spices: 40+ of them!
Cereals (x3)
Oatmeal
Cream of wheat
Pastas: Ribbon pastas, short-cut pastas
Corn meal
Various snack nuts
Various cookies and snacks
Tea and soup packets: hot and cold, and miso soup packets
Sugar cones
Coffees (x2), and matcha tea
Popcorn
Cat treat flakes
Root vegetables (maybe get something new?)

Here's the kitchen pantry now:

I won't lie, it took me far longer than I thought it would to find all the containers I wanted. I'm glad I took my time searching for and trying out containers though, I wanted to make sure they worked and that we could live with them, plus I wanted to happily recommend my choices.

So what do you think? Way better right? I love looking in there now, everything looks so clean and organized. Quite a few times now my husband comes back from the kitchen and says "I like our new containers". And so do I!

I didn't want to overwhelm you with a long-ass post so next week I'll post the what-where-why-and how.

Have a great weekend!

Back From Vacation!

2011-09-27T16:15:00.002-04:00

We're back from an amazing trip out to Colorado! We had phenomenal weather, we couldn't have visited at a better time, seriously, we drove through the mountains and to Red Rocks and the trees were just turning gold and the sun was bright and the breeze was cool -- it was beautiful!

I wasn't at all bothered by the high elevation, my skin did get a little itchy and dry (but nothing a bottle of lotion didn't fix), and for once my hair didn't frizz! But sadly it did fall a little flat.

We had two different motives for this trip:

To see our friends and have a fun vacation. My husband's lived there before but I've never been anywhere west of the Mississippi so seeing mountains was a huge thrill for me!
To scope out the place in case we wanted to move there next year.

We definately accomplished having fun with friends and having a great vacation there, but as far as living there -- no, I wouldn't want to, not unless I could live in the mountains. I have a fondness for trees and downtown denver and the neighboring suburbs are not as green and lush as I'd like. I guess Georgia has spoiled me with its abundance of trees and woods, even in the suburbs.

Anyways, here's a few pictures we took while at Red Rock. What I wouldn't give to see a concert there!

It was a perfect vacation. My only dissapointment was that it wasn't longer and not seeing Boulder. But maybe next time! Also my husband dropped his iPhone right before these pictures were taken and the screen cracked all to hell -- total bummer. We also missed our kitties like crazy! I kissed them and squeezed them and totally molested them when I got home! lol

Slip Proof Shower Caddy

2011-09-12T17:46:00.002-04:00

I was looking around my place for neat tricks I've heard of that have worked and I've successfully incorporated in my home. The first one I thought of was how to slip-proof your shower caddy so it doesn't slide down the shower arm. Ever had that problem? If you have it's pretty simple to fix, here's how.

Use a rubber band!

It's pretty simple huh?

In an effort to demonstrate this little tip I re-did mine so my steps are a little different.

My previous rubber band was yellow because my rubber band ball at the time didn't have any white ones at the top, but for this no-brainer demonstration I destroyed my neat rubber band ball and got a pretty white one from the middle.

Next I took off the shower head.

I don't have a picture of this part because when the shower head came off so did some left over water which got on the camera, and my hair and legs, so I was too busy drying off. Just picture it. Not me, the shower arm!

Now take your pretty rubber band and wrap it around the shower arm a few times. Don't worry about where it's placed yet -- just make sure it's loose enough to roll back and forth so you can position it when the time comes.

Hang your caddy behind the rubber band, and position the caddy where you want it.

Now reattach your shower head. But be careful not to over torque it, or you will break it, like I did.

I've destroyed my rubber band ball and my shower head for this demonstration. I am a committed blogger!

If you break your shower head, take the one from the spare bathroom, which you also broke once but repaired and deemed good enough for guests, but not for yourself.

Step back and admire your craftiness.

Now take a second to write down "buy new shower head" on your to do list. And while you're at it, write down "buy new shower caddy" too, the guest bath could use another hand me down.

Tell Me A Little About Yourself

2011-09-09T16:06:00.003-04:00

Sometimes I like to interview myself ;) Here's a one-on-one interview à la Inside the Actor's Studio.

What is your favorite word?
Free. No, leisure. No! Free.

What is your least favorite word?
Rape

What turns you on?
Jewelry

What turns you off?
Misbehavior

What sound or noise do you love?
Purring

What sound or noise do you hate?
Car alarms

What is your favorite curse word?
The F-bomb

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Professional waxer! I want to spread warm wax over unwanted hair and pull it right off in one smooth rapid movement.

What profession would you not like to do?
Farmer

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
You're late

What would your answers be? I'd love to know!

Post edited because, well, because I changed my mind :)

Goodwill Hunting: Marble Board

2011-08-30T14:26:00.004-04:00

I've wanted a marble board since I read that it's the ideal surface for rolling out dough, since it stays cooler than room temperature. This is a big deal because my favorite working stations in the kitchen happen to be next to the stove (which is usually in use or being pre-heated), making my tiny kitchen warm.

So when I found one at Goodwill for $5.95 a few weeks ago I snatched it quick! The only problem with it was that it had only two feet left (which I popped off shortly after getting it home so I could store it flat until I could get some new feet for it).

This thing is heavy so I know it won't slide away form me while I'm rolling dough, and it's a good size (12x16) for my counter top. Similar ones will cost you around $25, like this one from amazon.

I have a pecan pie to bake this weekend and I wanted to take this board out for a spin so yesterday I bought two kinds of rubber pads/bumpers and today I got to work on giving my new slap of marble some feet.

I chose rubber round bumpers because they were the perfect size to go over the marks left by the previous ones.

I also got some of this Amazing Goop. It is pretty amazing goop but that's really the name of it. It claims "Glues whatever, bonds forever". I liked the sound of that!

The instructions say to apply the goop directly to the surface to be bonded and allow to partially cure for a minute before bonding anything together, so I just went around dabbing goop in the center of all the previous feet marks -- the goop is a lot like hot glue, kind of stringy, so by the time I did all of them, and cleaned up, a minute had passed.

One by one I centered them and pushed them in nice and snug.

Not all my dabs of glue were neat but the instruction say you can clean up any uncured goop with acetone, but I cleaned up around the edges using a Q-tip. Any dried/cured goop can be removed by cutting or scraping.

When I was done I very carefully turned it over and gently placed it on its feet, the weight of the board will make sure your rubber feet will glue on nice and flat.

Now we wait 24 hours (or 48-72 depending on the materials and temperatures, so say the instructions) before using it. I can't wait!

Do you own a marble board? How do you like it? I even like how fancy it makes my counter top look!

ROOMinating: New Nightstands

2011-08-24T01:49:00.000-04:00

A while back I posted pictures of our bedroom just days after I'd painted, at the time we'd just gotten our new bed too. Well, nothing much has changed but I was inspired to get movin' in this room because of these two pages from the new 2012 IKEA catalog -- when I saw the pillows I knew this was the pallet I wanted to use for the bedroom. I loved the soft colors and the shimmery fabric. I was a little surprised because pink is not a color I gravitate to.

I bought the two DAGNY cushions and the HENRIKA throw (in pink). I'm even considering getting one of the rugs, that's how much I like this whole ensemble. Another pillow too.

But let's stay on track, I need new nightstands bad! I've been looking for new nightstands since we got our new bed but they've been harder to find than I thought, and even harder living with my husband's cheapo's from his bachelor days! They're really killing the vibe in the boudoir.

Look at this.

I can't wait to throw these in the Goodwill pile!I can't believe they've lasted this long (but in my opinion something like this has never seen better days). We've almost replaced them dozens of times (since moving here in 2008) but even particle board furniture is expensive these days and I didn't see the point in spending money on something temporary. There's lots of stuff left to do to the bedroom but nightstands are the only furniture that's left to replace. Here's my to do list:

Replace nightstands
Get a new duvet cover, something creamy, not white.
Maybe get some new lamps
Add something above the bed.
Hem the curtains asap (the cats are ruining them)
Buy a ceiling fan pull knobby thing.
Add a photo of us to my nightstand frame.
Maybe buy a rug.
Hang art or mirrors above the nightstands
Get another decorative pillow for the bed.
Hang picture frames around the TV on the opposite wall?*

So I'm thinking nightstands don't have to match the dresser. Our dresser actually has matching nightstands (here's a link), but if I'm wrong and they need to match someone please clue me in-- thanks!

Here's what I'm working with:
My side has approximately 4' of room between the floor boards and the side of the bed. I measure from the floor boards out because every inch counts. But I don't want to use up all 4 feet, it will look too tight.

My husband's side has approximately a little over two feet (26") of room between the floor board and the side of the bed. Currently his nightstand is using up 22" and that size looks really good in the space.

Here's what we want:Since I actually have more space on my side of the bed mine could be bigger since I like a lot of surface area. Something with enough room for a lamp, a tissue box, a small jewelry catch-all, a picture frame, a candle, my phone, and maybe-hopefully a place to lay down my laptop (but not to do any serious work, just to type up a quick email -- ok fine, a blog post!). Something similar to a vanity would work and it would definitely come in handy when I'm getting ready.

His could be smaller since he prefers a smaller surface area. Something with just enough space for a lamp, a picture frame (which he's not married to, [cough] but the woman in the photo he is), a tissue box, his phone, and the TV remote.

We want drawers -- any drawer is better than none (I hope I don't regret those words), so in theory a single drawer will do, but nothing too shallow.
I'd also like them to be on feet instead of one whole cabinet piece.
As far as color goes the dark brown of our dresser is nice and we wouldn't mind having them match but it's not essential. In fact I was using a white parsons desk as a nightstand for a while and it didn't clash at all (sadly it no longer fits since upgrading to a king bed), it actually made me see how much I'd like a colored piece.

So the hunt is on! I'll be sure to post any findings, but in the mean time here's a few inspirational pictures via Pinterest!

Source: macroimagen.net via Jerrica on Pinterest

Source: designsponge.com via Jerrica on Pinterest

Source: ckminteriors.com via Jerrica on Pinterest

Happy Thoughts

2011-08-23T16:19:00.001-04:00

Ever since I pinned this poster print on Pinterest (27 weeks ago) not a day goes by that it's not repinned! Over 50 repins! I can see why -- it's such a happy thought, no?

Source: None via Jerrica on Pinterest

I couldn't remember where I found it for a while -- before Pinterest I would right-click willy nilly but I've been trying to find where it came from for a while, hoping to give credit where credit is due. Today I went about it a different way and google searched the file name (luckily I hadn't changed it), and guess what? I found it!

I recognized the page the minute I saw it, plus I remembered the print was available for sale and I was happy to see it still is, so if you love it too please check out Studio Mela @ happylittlenest.com (I like their url too!) and get your own 8x10 poster print for just $23!

Enjoy!

Goodwill Hunting: Glass Planter

2011-08-22T15:54:00.001-04:00

Remember the Goodwill Hunting "segment" I started back in February? I've been terrible about sharing my recent finds, I know, but that ends today! Here's another great Goodwill find!

I found this pretty milk glass planter recently and I couldn't wait to show it off here on the blog and in my kitchen where I could look at it every day!

Having living plants in my kitchen is nearly impossible since I have no windows for natural sunlight, so I didn't know what I could buy that would be 1) happy to live indoors and 2) small enough for my pretty glass planter. But on a recent trip to IKEA I found this pretty little Maya Red (Syngonium podophyllum). She's a good indoor plant that doesn't like direct sunlight. I really love her fading shades of soft pink and pale green undersides, plus she was the perfect size! She's been doing well for the past couple weeks so I think she'll fare well here.

Late Summer

2011-08-18T15:05:00.006-04:00

I don't know where you are in the world but here in Georgia summer is waning. It's still hot and I'm sure "summer" will be here for another month or so but the trees are reminding me that summer is fading fast!

It started last weekend, we had an unusually breezy day and I thought "whoa, already?" It felt good, getting a break from the mind numbing heat but it made me take notice of how quickly time flies by!

It seems like yesterday that I saw my cherry blossom bloom and now today I noticed a few specks of gold.

As much as I love fall I hate to see summer fading so quickly. Didn't the hummers just get here? Now I find myself keeping tabs on them, I only have another month to enjoy them. My chickadees, titmice and nuthatches are also reminding me that winter is just around the corner by hiding more and more seeds away (which the squirrel just digs out and eats, that f-beep beep).

Speaking of the squirrel. Twice she's knocked down the orchid my mother had given me as a gift (this is the second orchid she's given me that hasn't survived), the last fall (three floors down) I think finally did her in, she lost her blooms and her stem has not recovered. She also killed my last petunia two weeks ago, and the last of the lettuce crops were destroyed weeks before that. Towards the end there I had two living lettuces left in my flower box and then one afternoon I caught her digging them out. I watched her for a while... She'd been visiting me twice a day and I'd even caught her taking a nap out on the tree in front of of our bedroom. Have you ever seen a squirrel nap? It's cute. But I still hate her. Apparently she hasn't been digging out my plants to hide food or find food. The real reason she's been so destructive is because, get this, she's hot. She digs the plants out until the soil feels moist and cool and then she settles in to cool off! I've even caught her drinking from the birdbath and washing her face! The nerve.

Are you seeing any seasonal changes in your area? What's your favorite season? My favorite is fall.

No More Damp Towels

2011-08-09T16:08:00.004-04:00

Last week I mentioned getting fancy new towels and today I'm going to talk about how we solved our damp towel problem by going from door hooks to door rails.

But first, let me explain what I'm working with. Our bathroom is pretty small. There's not much wall space (except under a window, and behind the door). So there's not many places you can hang stuff. The other thing that the bath doesn't have going for it is good ventilation/air flow. Not only because the bathroom is small, but because it doesn't have an air exhaust vent! Needless to say our towels have a hard time drying in this room. There used to be a towel bar under the window when we first moved in but I took it down (and fixed the wall) because our towels would touch the floor boards. Ew. Oh, and there's a towel bar inside the shower -- I've never understood those, ours is used to prop our shower radio and our shampoo and conditioners upside down when they're almost out.

Anyways, the best place for us to hang our towels is behind the door because it has the most room for two towels to hang separately and it's out of view. But hooks don't allow towels to dry well and we need all the help we can get in that department.

When I stumbled upon this picture on Pinterest I thought "So that's how we can hang our bath towels!" I don't know why I never considered putting the towel bars behind the door (hello!). Hanging our towels against the wall (behind the door) was never an option because our bathroom walls are prone to mold (we have tiny little spores that I clean all the time over our bathtub, a result of management using the wrong primer/paint). Keeping things against the door was the way to go and this was a brilliant idea!

marthastewart.com via Jerrica on Pinterest

But most towel bars are too wide for our smaller than average bathroom door (it's shy of 2' wide), and they also stick out far too much (impeding the door from opening completely). We weren't against sawing off a chunk to make it fit, but we really needed them to be slim and compact. We also didn't want to spent $40 on towel bars we weren't sure would work and would have to hack (thus couldn't return).

Enter IKEA. If there was a store super hero, IKEA would be it!

On an urgent shopping trip for storage containers (we were being invaded by ants, that post is here) I found myself in the bath area where I found these stainless steel towel rails.

IKEA BAREN Towel Rail

They're 26" long (about two inches longer than I needed) but they only stuck out about 2 inches! For $12.99 each I wouldn't feel too bad if my plan didn't work out (I could at least return the one I didn't hack). So in the cart they went, along with my storage containers and my kick ass bird tray (an awesome and shocking surprise find! You can read about that post here).

Getting them on the door wasn't as easy as dumping them in the cart but we made made them work. When we mocked them on the door and marked where we would need to saw we noticed something really important about these towel rails -- the end knobs screwed into the bar, meaning that the rod was ribbed inside. If we cut one end of the bar to make it shorter how would the end knobs go back on?

My auto response of "we'll glue it!" wasn't going to fly this time. These things needed to be secure or the whole thing would slide right off the hold the second we tried pulling the towels off. We stood there for a minute looking at it and thinking of a way -- they were so absolutely perfect otherwise, I didn't want to give up.

Then I had a light bulb moment.

"We'll sand the ribs down the knobby things and tap them in with a mallet!

"You do only need one of the ends to come off..."

"Right!" I screamed, and ran to get our tools.

A rubber mallet, a medium grain sanding sponge
and our old IKEA KVARTAL Miter Box and Saw

I didn't take a picture while we were sawing or when we sanded down the ridges of the knobs but it wasn't that hard. We went slow, we sanded a bit and then tried to tap it in place. It took three tries before it worked but the knobs went on nice and tight.

The first one we cut didn't turn out as flush (but it'll be hidden under the hold):

Once we had our towel bars cut and installed it was time to test them out. The perfectionist in me staged them for this photo.

But in reality, they hang like this -- but you wouldn't know it!

We only stacked two towel bars on the door (versus three, like in the Pinterest pictures) because we don't keep out towels doubled up like that. Hand towels folded neatly over the bath towels = staged photo or infrequently used guest bath. In our house we've been known to reach for our towels from all the way in the tub and then we half ass try to get them even over the bar so they can dry. That's my reality.

They've been hagging up like this for a week or so and I've noticed I can shower at night and they're already dry with no damp smell by morning (and vise versa). Hanging them up on a towel bar definitely makes a difference!

How about you? Do you use hooks or bars? Do you mind hanging up towels where you can see them? Where do you keep them?

Getting Antsy

2011-08-08T13:33:00.008-04:00

A few weeks ago we discovered a trail of ants in the inside of our pantry closet. We get ants every year but every year, I don't know why, I am surprised to see them. So gross.

I hate bugs (roaches, ants, flies, they're all the same to me), but I hate killing them even more -- you have to get near them, you have to be brave (I'm not brave), and after you brave getting near them so you can smash them with like, a fly swatter, or the nearest shoe you can find, or a like a shit ton of paper towels jumbled in your hand like a baseball mitt -- you have to clean them up! You have to sort of handle them, even if it's through 20 layers of paper towels, and then you swear you feel them crawling on you -- ohmygod [shiver]

Every summer (and sometimes even in the winter) I throw out compromised food and buy more storage containers. Last year I thought I learned my lesson for good to not leave anything (especially sugary stuff) remotely loose, open, or otherwise easily penetrable. But when you don't see them for a while you let your guard down...

This year I'm biting the bullet and putting my goods in storage containers. No more "they only got into the cereal so I only need cereal storage". Everything will be safely stored. I'm not saying bag clips and food containers will keep bugs out (not many things can, unless they're air-tight), they're mostly for organization and freshness -- but if bugs can't smell it they can't find a way inside. Storage containers make it harder for ants to find/smell the food, which is very helpful even if it's not fool-proof because once an ant gets in they leave a trail for others to find and before you know it you're being invaded! But more on our storage containers in a later post, first I have to kill the ones that know where I live.

There are dozens of ways to kill bugs (any bug spray will do) and you can even kill them in a eco-friendly fashion (especially ants) but those methods have not worked for us. I do keep a natural eco-friendly bug spray that gets the job done of killing dead (without harming my baby kitties) but I use it on stray bugs -- I don't recommend them to "control" a situation. Also, bug sprays will stain your walls as I learned this past weekend.

This gel stuff is what we like to use at our place. It's called Optigard Ant Bait Gel. I buy it from a local DIY Pest Control store for $10 a pop.

You can get a box from Amazon for $25.70

It's a an indoor and outdoor (ant) pest control gel you can apply pretty much anywhere but we prefer to apply a line of the gel on a scrap piece of paper and hide it in one or two of our pantry shelves (or in the back under the sink cabinet, out on the balcony, or anywhere you're having a problem). The ants eat it, they take it back home and then they die. The gel hardens when it dries up but they'll continue to eat the bait. Although it's safe to use on porous and non-porous surfaces without staining I find it's a real pain to clean off once it's old and crusty, especially off cabinet shelves or around tight edges. So if you try this stuff remember to set it on something disposable and away from curious pets and children.

What I like about this stuff is that I don't have to touch them to kill them. The second you set it out you can see them going crazy looking for the source of the smell, and once they take the bait they'll go back to where they came from and die there. All I do is wipe the area with a soapy sponge. Easy!

FYI: If you don't have a serious ant problem you can probably get away with only applying it twice a year. A couple of years ago they were relentless and I had to reapply it every 3-4 months, but we had particularly dirty neighbors in our building that year. Normally I just set it out and forget about it until I clean the pantry.

Do you have any persistent pest problems? I get the occasional roach or centipede but ants are the only reoccurring pest we get. What's your favorite tried and true way to dealing with pests?

New Towels

2011-08-03T12:56:00.003-04:00

New towels are nice, they're so nice looking all fresh and new. But our towels stopped looking fresh and new two years ago, they were old and they didn't all match.

This was our towel situation two months ago (it's a simulated photo taken a few days ago as I never remember to take pictures of the changes I make). But look! I included a handy zoom to show you how ratty looking they were! HAha!

We only had four bath towels, it's just the two of us so although they're on heavy rotation it's all we really need. Plus, having less to wash and less to store is a good thing!

So we've been looking for a good set of simple cotton towels that were soft yet absorbent -- neither of us like super soft heavy plush luxury towels that wipe off moisture instead of absorbing it (at least not for every day drying off). I'm also wary of the bands on towels because most aren't as soft as the rest of the cotton and they end up scratching my skin when I dry.

Anyway, I've found them! I was walking around Costco when I saw them...

Martex Hospitality Bath Towels (6-Pack)

I never considered "hotel" towels before (not to be confused with motel towels), but now that I think about it those are typically my favorite kind: simple, white, soft, and absorbent. Plus, they have to be durable to be washed that often and still feel so good. Oh, and the best part? They cost just $25 for a pack of six. YES!

I washed them immediately when I got home and I took my second shower in four hours that day just to try them out!

No lint
No shrinkage
No loose threads
Soft but you're dry in minutes
They're normal size (30"x52") so I'm able to wrap them around me. Our old towels had either shrunk ~~or I gained weight~~ or something over the years and they barely covered me. They also feel really good when I wrap up my hair.
No scratchy parts (not the seams or the wide band)

Having new matching white towels really cleans up the look of our tiny bathroom too -- but I don't have a picture of that part because as I'm writing this post my husband is installing two new towel bars behind the door so our towels can dry off better. I'll post more about that later!

Do you love your towels? How many do you have? We're still using only four, we keep the spare two in the guest bathroom.

Freedon 2012: Pay Off Car

2011-07-18T17:02:00.002-04:00

I paid off my car July 3! I got the title a few days ago and it had my name on it!

That's another "to do" crossed off our Freedom 2012 checklist, which means we're 3/4 of the way to our goal!

The minute my last car payment was sent I knew we were just going to add that 'extra' money onto our other credit card payment but I also wanted to treat myself and celebrate so I decided I'm going to to both, pay $100 more to debt and also gift myself a spa day once a month! I've never gotten a full body massage but I can assume it's pretty damn amazing -- but to get a mani-pedi and a wax too?!

[insert blissful sigh here]

It's a Slippery Rug

2011-06-29T18:34:00.001-04:00

When I came upon this picture on pinterest of an easy way to slip-proof your rug using acrylic-latex caulk I couldn't wait to try it! The tip came from Martha Stewart so I felt confident to try it on a rug I recently purchased for my kitchen.

The instructions on Martha's site say: To give a sisal or sea-grass area rug some traction, flip it over, and apply lines of acrylic-latex caulk every 6 inches or so. Once dry, you can safely put down your rug; the rubbery strips will hold it in place.

My rug is made of polypropylene, but I figured that shouldn't matter too much and since the rug isn't fancy schmancy and it only cost me $35 I decided to try it.

I got some caulk (acrylic-latex caulk) and a caulk gun and got to work. Actually, I took pictures while my hubby did the work -- but it was easy work, I could tell.

The hardest part was keeping the lines straight

The really wiggly lines were my attempts

We took on this little project after dinner so it was easier for us to let it to dry over night. But you only need a few hours of drying time. We did have to sequester the kitties in the bedroom for a few hours because they like to paw everything (especially new things) so it you have curious pets you will need to keep them away from it.

So, did it work?

Sadly, no. Here's the slippery rug (yes, I'm still wearing pajamas):

I guess there's no avoiding those slip-free rug pads.

Kitchen Faucet Upgrade

2011-06-09T12:27:00.001-04:00

I wanted to share a quick and cheap kitchen upgrade I wish I'd done sooner! Living in a rental usually means one has to make do with the standard subpar kitchen fixtures but I was really tired of my ugly and annoying kitchen faucet so I asked management to install a new one for me (at my expense) and they agreed. I looked for a while in the clearance sections of Wal-mart, Big Lots and Target but I didn't have any luck finding a goose neck faucet under $20 (I didn't want to spend a whole lot since I'd be leaving it behind when we move) so I went online and of course Amazon had just what I needed! I ended up getting this Dual Tulip Handle Kitchen Faucet with Gooseneck Spout (Used - Like New) for just $19.99 from Warehouse Deals.

This was my old faucet. It was ugly, but the worst part was how short it was into the sink. It felt like a dollhouse sink -- cleaning a pan or a pot was awkward because you were always trying to avoid hitting the neck. Filling a pot of water was the worst -- I always had to lift the spout (or tip the pot and loose water) to get it out from under the neck (which stressed the base). Annoying.

But this is what it looks like now! I lost some room for my hand lotion due to the tulip handles but I just put it on the other side.

I definitely like the new look and function way better but the best part is that I only spent $20 for it!

Twice A Day Every Day

2011-05-24T12:42:00.002-04:00

I've been meaning to write/update on my flower boxes and edible container but I've got a hateful squirrel set on distroying my work and every day I'm so mad I can't even talk/write about it and I'm growing more and more mad -- so I'm just going to keep it short (but picture heavy).

This creature is the bane of my existence.

This picture is from last year. I'm certain it's the same one.

I know she's after the bird seed but I add this liquid chili pepper formula to my birdseed precisely to discourage squirrel visits (I wrote a whole post about it last year check it out here). But I guess I must've not added enough of the liquid to last batch of seed I mixed because this is what I find twice a day.

TWICE.A.DAY!

She digs out everything!

It's been going on for a week and I've already lost one petunia...

half my lettuce crops...

and she's chewed off the rubber feet on one of my bird feeders...

The flower boxes that have been spared are doing really well though...

Anyways, I'm out of the liquid and making the trip to Gwinnett to buy more wasn't an option this week so I made some of my own.

I was hoping the fresh liquid pepper bomb would do the ~~trick~~ teach her a lesson but she keeps coming around!

Squirrels are such nuisances (just rats in a tutu)!

I'm off to replant my flowers. But they can't survive much more of this...

Flatware

2011-05-18T15:11:00.003-04:00

Last year I replaced my old garbage disposal damaged flatware with this nice J.A. Henckels Bellasera flatware set. I liked the contemporary style of it and the brand was good, so although the $90 price tag was high (to me) I knew that these were of much higher quality than the stuff I'd bought when I first moved out on my own. However the "special standing dinner knife" design drives us crazy (I wrote a review about it here). Which is funny and sad because that's what we liked most about about it.

Anyway, I've been looking for new flatware since January -- I wanted a more classic shape and traditional style this time but there's a lot of ugly out there in that criteria and nothing's really caught my eye (at least not in my less than $100 price range). But last month Karen from The Art of Doing Stuff blogged about cutlery etiquette and she pictured her own flatware ... and I loved it! I loved how simple and classic it was with its curvy quill-shaped handles and beading.

Now that I knew what I wanted I just needed to find it. I didn't have to wait long, I got lucky and checked the woot last night and found this very similar set for just $65! I was stoked!

Reed & Barton Concannon

But then someone pointed out it was 18/0 not 18/10 and that that meant it was no good -- that it wouldn't last as long and that it would be plagued with rust. Blah Blah Blah. I got sad, but the price pushed me to do some more reading on stainless steel and after reading a few reviews on other (and same brand) 18/0 flatware that raved about how well it's held up I decided to go for it and get it. The price -- $65 for a 77-Piece set was excellent!

Complete 5-piece place settings for 12, with matching 5-piece hostess set.
Plus 12 bonus steak knives.

Reed & Barton Concannon 77-Piece Set

I showed it to my husband he liked it too -- I think we're both looking forward to having round edges and flat knifes again. Do you love your flatware? How long have you had it? I'm hoping I don't have to (or want to) buy a new set for a long long while.

ROOMinating: Living Room Do Over

2011-05-06T21:35:00.003-04:00

A few months back I tweeted that my living room was getting a makeover, and I am happy to say that I am following though -- it has begun! But I'm really scared to show you a before photo, but it's only fair, right?

Remember, I am not a decorator. I am totally out of my element, and I don't think I have a gift for it, but I'm trying to learn. I want to make our rental to feel more "us", to feel like a home.

Here goes...

*cringe*

*ugh*

*this hurts to do*

*ok, breathe...*

Points if you can spot my husband hiding?

Hear me out.

First, I will admit two things: This first picture is too dark. I know the brown wall doesn't help but my living room doesn't look this cavernous. We get a ton of light from our sun room which brightens the place a lot. See?

The brown wall was like that when we moved in. No, that's a lie... I painted it! I thought it would make "a nice accent wall color"!

Sometimes I am shocked at how confident I am in my own ideas.

I plan on repainting it back to the original color -- an eggnog color management uses everywhere, even on the ceilings the entire apartment. I don't mind the color. I'm just bored with it (we've lived with it for four years), and I hate not having white ceilings.

Secondly, I know the couches are too big for the room. We purchased them days after we arrived in Atlanta (2007) from the Rooms To Go Outlet --

Huge mistake, huge! We were better off sitting on the floor.

I hate them and I've had to put up with them for four years but we're planning on getting a new couch and a couple of chairs soon. I'm obsessed with the IKEA Karlstad, I've read a lot of other people love the couch and the youngsters at Young House Love took a chance on them recently which is a high endorsement to me. Plus, IKEA's 10 year warranty impresses me...

The rest of the room needs help too but furniture and wall color are on the top of my list of things to improve. Don't even ask me what I plan on doing to that horrible dining room track light. It hurts to think about.

So that's what I'm working with. Where's a magic wand when you need one? I am not discouraged, I just feel overwhelmed by the space because it's connected to the dining room and the sunroom and that makes my to do list just a tad longer ;)

Here's a couple inspirational pictures on my Pinterest:

Source: studioten25.com via Jerrica on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Jerrica on Pinterest

Do you have any ideas for a wall color or anything else? I wouldn't mind hearing it!

Hummingbirds On The Brain

2011-05-02T16:21:00.004-04:00

I have a soft spot for hummingbirds. I think they're awesome. I even have hummingbird art, jewelry, coasters, t-shirts, even a tattoo. They're my favorite bird, and I can't imagine my garden without them.

Last month I mentioned their upcoming arrival and shared my favorite hummingbird feeder for anyone out there that might also want to attract them to their gardens. But today I am going to share my new feeder.

A few days after that post announcing their impending arrival I found this hummingbird feeder at Ross for $13 -- it's from Bird Brain and it's made from 100% recycled crushed glass.

Bird Brain Sequin Glass Hummingbird Feeder (Green-Purple)

I decided to add a new feeder this year in hopes of defusing some of the fighting that went on last year -- it was flattering to watch them fight over me my feeder but I couldn't put them or me through that again this year.

The new feeder adds two feeding stations, and it holds around 2 cups of nectar. It's not hard to clean at all -- the rubbery flowers come off so you can rinse it out and fill it back up using a funnel.

I have it hanging up by one of our living room windows (around the corner, about 30-40 feet away, from the other one) and it'd been up for only two days when I spotted my foy (first of the year) hummingbird! I didn't think they would find/take to the feeder so soon. I wish I had a picture! But those guys are fast!

When the sun hits it just the right way we get sun sparkles on our ceilings. It's really beautiful! I hope it lasts a long time and that it makes the birds happy. I normally buy my feeders based on function not on looks but it was just too pretty to pass up.

Do you have a soft spot for hummingbirds or pretty bird feeders?

Chipotle Avocado Sandwich

2011-04-27T16:23:00.006-04:00

I made this sandwich for lunch yesterday. I just completely winged it. I've never made a three-tier sandwich before -- but now I understand the purpose of the extra piece of bread. More food!

It turned out so good I sent a picture to my friends to brag.

You will like this too -- if you like guacamole and chipotle. If you don't... well that's too bad because that's what I'm serving up today.

Chipotle Avocado Sandwich
Makes 1

Ingredients:
Three slices of sandwich bread (I used Publix's Italian). You can use isle bread but the good deli stuff from Publix is best. Just don't use Kroger's bread, you will cry.
Deli Mesquite Turkey (I like mine thinly sliced). I used four slices.
Aged Swiss Cheese. Baby Swiss is fine, if you like baby... cheese. Use two slices.
Mayo
1-2 Chipotle Chiles in Adobo. They come in a can, and you can find them in the Latin isle.
Lettuce. Just a few leaves.
Left over guacamole. But a few slices of avocado will do (but add some red onion for flavor).

Foreword:
I don't remember how I assembled it exactly, I'd never made a three-tier sandwich before so I just made up my layers as I went along. In fact I forgot a slice of cheese. But I made one for my husband later that night and I took these pictures while I figured it out.

Instructions:
Lightly toast your bread. Meanwhile chop one or two of those chipotle chiles. They pack some heat so you only need one but some are small and don't render much. Mix it in with some mayo.

Slather some of that creamy spread on your bread and start layering:
Flat meats (that's what our cats call deli meat), lettuce, guacamole, and cheese. Cover with a slice of bread and repeat.

I forgot to add an extra slice of cheese, but I didn't miss it.

Doesn't that look good? Nom Nom! If you end up trying it let me know what you think! Do you send pictures of food to your friends? Do your friends send you pictures of delicious foods?

Water Jel Burn Jel

2011-04-21T13:42:00.001-04:00

Las night I was cooking some steaks on my cast iron skillet (something I do all the time) but one of the steaks accidentally fell from the fork as I was turning it and it smacked down and caused a huge grease splatter that went up my arm.

After I stopped screaming -- that's a lie, I held it in like a big girl (but in my head I was screaming in pain), I asked my husband to snap a picture of my injury -- I wanted a photo so I could tell you about a great product I use on burns called Burn Jel.

What can I say? I am a blogger commited to my craft.

As I stood there waiting for him to snap a few pictures the pain really started to heat up and I started feeling really dizzy...

The pain...

It was unbelieveable...

My husband tried to get me to the bedroom where I could be safe until the dizzy spell passed but I insisted he take a damn picture. As I tried to ignore the blinding pain for the sake of I-don't-know-what my dear husband snapped one picture before I murmured "oops" and then everything went black and I grabbed whatever I could find of my husbad and tried not to faint and vomit.

I was fine five minutes later. I just needed to lay down. But here's that picture. It felt much worse in person...

The glob is Burn Jel

Believe it or not it's looking (and feeling) much better today. I rinse with cold water every couple of hours or so and reapply a thick coat of Burn Jel everywhere it hurts. I like to keep it in the fridge so it's nice and cold when I put it on.

See that tiny scratch? I was holding a wet paper towel to the burns and my cat thought it was a game so he attacked me. This time I really did scream.

The crease in my arm hurt to stretch but it's better now.

I hope they don't scar.

But seriously, Burn Jel is the bomb! Get some and keep it in the kitchen, you won't regret it. I'll be back soon with a much prettier post! Promise.

A Dish Brush For The Ages

2011-04-17T15:54:00.003-04:00

I have my laptop back! Now let's dish.

Do you use a dish brush? Or are you strictly a dish sponge person? I keep both under the sink but a dish brush is my favorite. A (long) dish brush keeps my hands out of the water, and it's scrubby enough to get dishes clean enough for the dishwasher.

I have a very very old dish brush. I've had it for ages. Who keeps a dish brush for ages? I guess I do.

I'm not saying you shouldn't replace your dish brush when it gets old and nasty. I'm saying I didn't.

The top bristles are more like a brillo pad now.

I've had this brush for so long I can't even remember when I got it. But it's been ages! Since way before I even met my husband in 2007. In my defense, when it started getting kind of worn out I went looking for another -- dozens of times! But I didn't find it. I couldn't remember the brand, I couldn't even remember the store I got it from. It didn't even have a brand on it, all it had was "patent pending" stamped on it.

Anyways, I've bought dozens of different dish brushes since then but none of them worked out. They were too soft, too short, too stiff, too flexible, too stupid. One day after scrubbing a particularly cheesy casserole I forced myself to throw my old brush away and just make do with the new one. But a few days later I dug through the trash to get it back. Defeated and degraded I gave up the hunt for a new brush and kept the old one. I cleaned it and never used it to clean cheese ever again.

But yesterday I had two hours to kill before my mani-pedi appointment so I went to Target to browse. I don't browse Target -- I don't browse any store (unless it's on the internet, or Goodwill) because I end up over spending. So without a list to follow I found myself walking the cleaning product isles.

I notice these new Greener Clean Scotch-Bright Scrub Sponges.

Cool! I get a pack.

Then I look up. I see a blue brush. I recognize it and quickly reach for it.

I'd found it! It's my brush!

Scotch-Brite Glass Brush

It's a match!

I couldn't find a picture of this brush anywhere, not even on Scotch-Bright's official site. It's no wonder it took me so long to find it! But my blue dish brush is technically a "glass brush" intended for drinking glasses and bottles.

Here's the tag.

Do you have a favorite cleaning tool? Aside for this brush I'd say the dishwasher is my favorite cleaning tool ;)

My Incredible Lettuce Garden Update

2011-04-12T22:10:00.002-04:00

I had to take my laptop to the Apple store this past Saturday because it suddenly stopped working (as in it wouldn't turn on at all). They seem to think it's the motherboard, which wont be cheap -- but that's good news, compared to having to buy a new laptop I mean.

Anyways it will be a few days before I hear back from them so in the mean time I thought I'd give mobile posting a try.

Here goes!
[edited to say: Mobile posting sucks. Photos did not appear so I have edited the post using my husband's work laptop.]

Last week I moved my lettuce greens, that I started from seeds using the AeroGarden seed starter, to their outdoor home on my balcony!

At first I has a little disappointed in how sparse my lettuce garden looked in my containers but I had to remember how compact those seed sponges are.

I wasn't supposed to plant them all as close as they were on the starter foam right? Because I transplanted them 1-2" apart. I hope I did this right. At least I gave the leftovers to a friend who has a shady balcony, so it's not a total waste.

Anyways, they did get a little limp by transplanting them to dirt but they seem to be improving. I think I let them grow a bit larger (before transplanting them) than I was supposed to -- they were in a seed starter after all, not their own pods.

We've had a few warm bordering-on-hot days which has only made them look even worse. I've kept the soil moist -- yet they don't seem happy. Maybe they're still in shock, but maybe my balcony is too warm for lettuce after all [insert sad face here].

If they don't improve/fill out more I'm considering this a bust. But hey, it's still early enough in the season to start again!

How are your gardening plans going?

Spelling and Grammar Disclaimer: This message was sent from my iPhone.

Laundry Closet Turns Out Great!

2011-04-06T17:49:00.010-04:00

Last month I wrote about my laundry closet woes. It was painted all one color (floor to ceiling), and one night I just up and started painting it (read that post here). Well here's the laundry closet "after", finally!

This project isn't all that dramatic but to us it looks so much better than before!

Before (mid-paint)

Finished

Here's all I did:

Painted the walls with some left over grey paint I had. I just thought it would look nice with the midnight blue w/d set.
Painted the shelf, trim, and bi-fold doors a fresh out-of-the-can white.
Added clear shelf liner for traction and grip. It's not visible, but that was the plan.
Added a under-shelf wire basket to hold the laundry mesh bags. I used to just throw them on top of the shelf.
Added a small bamboo tray (on the left) beside the laundry soap dispenser to hold the stain remover spray bottle and small measuring cup. I use to have to clean dry crusted soap rings off the shelf but now I just clean the tray.
Got new door knobs.
Everything else I already had.

The top shelf only stores things that (1) I can reach or (2) things I don't reach for all that often (like the bucket).

I keep the laundry soap in a plastic water dispenser so it's easy to pour out into my washing machine soap tray (which I just pull out and insert back in). It holds two gallons, which is great because I buy a gallon at a time but when I'm running out and buy more I can still fit an additional gallon.
The large bamboo basket you see up top keeps a ton of clean microfiber cloths inside. I used to keep the basket on top of the dryer but I always ended up shoving it back while I folded laundry and one time it tipped over and all my clean towels fell behind the dryer. It's not a fun time to have to climb on top of your dyer so you can fish out 20+ towels.
The smaller bamboo basket is where I throw all my dirty kitchen towels, oven mitts, cleaning cloths, aprons, etc. It's strategically placed on top the washer, below the soap dispenser so it can catch any soap drips.

I am not lying when I say this is the neatest, most organized closet in the house. Before we had front loaders everything was stored on that top shelf. Everything was visible. Now it really does look like this most of the time -- I did put up a pile of folded laundry before I took the photo.

When we got our W/D set I debated on getting the matching pedestal drawers units but in the end I knew extra storage is always, always needed. Especially storage that I didn't have to stand up on my tippy toes to use. Oh and how I love them!

When I open these drawers I'm looking for something so I like them to be neat and tidy so I can find what I need, quick.

The drawer below my washer stores other essential laundry and household products like vinegar, oxiclean, rit, bleach, swiffers, bug spray, twine, goo-gone, velcro, glues, light bulbs, puddy, batteries, you name it -- it's all out of the way but accessible right below.

The drawer below my dryer stores all our tools. There's our tool box, our drill case, a saw, various types of tapes, a rubber mallet, wrenches, rags, etc. If there's a project going there's only once place to look and all the tools are visible and accessible.

That's it! That's my laundry closet! My next project will most likely be the bedroom walk-in closet. What's your next project?

Fool for Rubies

2011-04-01T16:12:00.002-04:00

Another one of my favorite things about spring is the yearly visit from my hummingbirds! And according to citizen reports our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are returning right on schedule! Hummingbirds are creatures of habit -- some even traveling the same migrating route and returning to the same gardens year after year. So get your feeders out and make a batch of nectar for your ruby visitors today! They'll be here any day now and they're counting on you as much as you're counting on them!

Any feeder can attract hummers, so the most important design feature to look for is ease of disassembly and cleaning. I've had a lot of luck with this type of hummingbird feeder:

Small Hummingbird Feeder (8 ounce) $16 from Amazon

I think it's an excellent size for apartment dwellers, or anyone with a small garden area. The smaller capacity is also ideal for using several feeders for territorial hummers who don't like to share. It has a built-in ant moat, a perch for them to rest, and the raised flowers are designed to divert rain water from diluting the nectar solution. It's also really easy to fill and clean (it's top shelf dishwasher safe).

Mine has the nectar recipe written on the inside of the red top -- but I got mine at Wild Birds Unlimited, I'm not sure if all of them are like that.

Correct (Hummingbird) Nectar Mixture

1 part white sugar - 4 parts water.

Boil water. Stir in sugar until it dissolves. Let it cool. Serve.

For example, I use 1 cup of sugar and 4 cups of water. I store the leftovers in a glass bottle in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. But I clean the feeder whether it's full or not every 3-4 days, sometimes earlier if it's ultra hot, so 4 cups will last you about 2 weeks, which is perfect.

Have a great weekend! Let me know if you see any hummers in your neck of the woods. The minute I catch sight of my foy (first of the year) hummingbird I'll be sure to tweet/blog about it!

Amazon 4-for-3

2011-03-30T15:27:00.005-04:00

It wasn't that long ago that I discovered Amazon's 4-for-3 promotion. I'd never heard of it until I read a review that mentioned it. I was like, "how'd I miss this?!"

I'll tell you how: I do most of my Amazon browsing/shopping though their iPhone app and the app doesn't list if items are part of a promotion. Boo!

So yeah, I've totally been missing out. Grr!

The lesson here (at least until their mobile app gets real) is to add the items you want to buy to your list or cart and later check them on the Amazom site to see if they're eligible -- before you buy them. You're looking for two signs:

Special Offers Available link under the price

Special Offers and Promo info (right above Product Details)

The 4-for-3 Promotion is really simple: Buy three Home & Garden products or Books and get the lowest-priced item FREE! The "promotional credit" shows up on the final checkout page.

You can include items from different product categories in a single order, even the same item, just as long as each individual item is eligible.
Eligible items vary over time so make sure to check that your items still display the offer message.
Items that do not display the offer message do not qualify. Period. Say you're browsing and you sort by "Promotion 4-for-3" and this kitchen scale is included in your search results, but when you go to the product page the offer message isn't displayed. No matter. The promotion only applies to products sold by Amazon.com.

You could spend a lot of time trying to get all four items to match in price for a super duper deal but by page 462 out of like 2,158 I gave it up. I would just pick items that you already have on your lists so you don't buy stuff you don't really want (or waste time like me, haha). Sometimes I do try and find items within the same category as the item(s) I'm already buying -- for example if you're getting a cake mold, maybe now's the time to get a cooling rack, or a new set of decorating tips or a portable cake carrier.

Do you try and take advantage of Amazon's 4-for-3 promotion?

Replacing Coco Liners

2011-03-26T13:13:00.004-04:00

I've had my flower boxes on my balcony for a few years now but they were looking pretty shabby this season so it was time to replace the liners and start fresh!

I'd orgiginally purchased the baskets (liner and all) at Wal-Mart but when I went there looking for the liners they didn't have any (or any similar baskets either). Maybe it's too soon in the season, but finding coco liners was a pain. I did find some pre-formed replacements at my garden center but both sizes were too long for my baskets (and way more expensive than I expected).

But last month I got lucky and found some at Big Lots, I was lifting a big bag of potting soil onto my cart when I saw a bunch of them!

So now that I have all my supplies:

Big Lots Black Magic Potting Soil

Village Green 2-pk large coco liner

It was time to prep my flower baskets (those are my husband's arms, someone had to take pictures):

Overall they're 16" but you cut them to fit smaller baskets.

Adjust them around to get a good fit.

Looks pretty good to us!

Roughly cut around the edges to get rid of the excess.

If you see any thin spots or holes or gaps, like this ^

... just cover them with some scrap liner.

I filled them up to weigh them down before I finished cutting.

I did this yesterday evening to all my baskets, we were expecting some rain over the weekend and it really helps to settle the liners and soil quite a bit. All they need now is flowers!

Are you prepping your garden for spring yet? Have you started your seeds?

Good Deal: 12 Issues for $20

2011-03-25T22:59:00.005-04:00

I'm really excited about these magazines! I saw them in a bookstore a while back and I added them to my amazon to remember them. Today after prepping my container garden (and whilst sipping on iced-coffee) I remembered them and noticed they were $5 off! YAY!

The subscription is $10 for 1-year (auto-renewal). Don't let the auto-renewal part scare ya, I checked and you can cancel any time by using your Amazon's Magazine Subscription Manager, they're just counting on you to forget.

Urban Farm Magazine $10 1 year (6 issues)

Hobby Farm Home $10 1 year (6 issues)

The first issues should arrive in 4-6 weeks.

Life Takes Time

2011-03-24T10:48:00.003-04:00

I've been absent for a little while but I have a good reason! We went to Savannah for St. Paddy's last Thursday and by Monday my to do list was too long to ignore so I had to get crackin'.

St. Paddy's in Savannah is crazy! It's a big deal down there (think mardi gras). Five years ago I would have partied like it's 1999, but now, we just didn't have it in us. I would have avoided the crowds but we were in a crunch to use up some vacation days and the dates just worked out that way.

The crowds were a little overwhelming but every day they seemed less and less. A lot of the streets remained closed-off though, which made parking and finding locations stressful. But it helped that I remembered where stuff was -- I've been to Savannah a dozen of times (never for St. Paddy's though) but this was my husban's first visit -- I knew he'd love it, I just didn't know if St. Paddy's would be the best time to show him around. But we ended up having a great time! So much so we're already planning another weekend trip!

Now, I am not a fan of Georgia. But if I could choose anywhere in Georgia to live it would be Savannah. It's the epitome of everything good you've ever heard about the south. I love this place, and I was thrilled that the hubs thought so too.

Here's a few pictures of our trip. I'll be back later (if not tomorrow, next week). Right now laundry is kicking my butt -- which reminds me! I hope to share some after pictures of the laundry closet!

Beignets @ Huey's On the River

A Savannah tradition: Greening the Forsyth Park Fountain for St. Patrick's

Street chalk "Life Takes Time". It meant something to me to see this.

Spring In Bloom

2011-03-15T00:14:00.002-04:00

The beautiful cherry blossom in front of our balcony. Watching this tree bloom is my favorite part of spring.

It's late but it's so pretty, these photos don't do it justice... it looks like snow at night.

Look what I have created! I have made BUTTER!

2011-03-14T13:34:00.114-04:00

I've known about homemade butter for some time, but I've never attempted this domestic feat. I don't know why, but I thought it would be a lot harder to do than people always led on. However, recently I read a post over at Handjobs (for the home) where the guy made it using a mason jar. A mason jar.

This dude made it in a mason jar? What am I waiting for?

Making butter wasn't hard, at all. I thought it would be this arduous task but I didn't even break a sweat! If you're using a butter churn you might sweat a little though.

I don't like to sweat or work that hard so I made mine in my mixer. Wanna see?

I got the best heavy whipping cream my money could buy.

I wanted to make a lot, to share, so I got 32oz

Mix.

Start at low speed and increase to medium speed as the cream thickens.

Increase to the high speed when it doesn't make a splattering mess.

Your cream will look like whip cream for a little bit...

at this stage you can scoop out some of that for desserts and such.

But then you must keep going! We have butter to make.

Suddenly, out of no where, and I mean like in a split second
as in YOU MIGHT MISS IT unless you're staring right at it --
your cream will seize to exist and turn into this!

Looks like scrambled eggs... or creamed...corn. But they're butter bits!

Drain the butter bits.
You can use a cheese cloth, but I don't have those so I used a strainer.
Place a saucepan under it so you can save the buttermilk for pancakes!
Yeah, this task has a bonus reward.

I know what I'm making for breakfast tomorrow...
Hoecakes!

Wash the butter by gently kneading it in cold water.
Keep the water clear, pouring out and adding new water.
Remove as much buttermilk as you can (it keeps it from going rancid).

Take a good whiff, that's butter yo! YOU made that! YOU ARE AWESOME!
You can wrap it up now in wax paper or press it in a container.
Or you can whisk it some more to make it smoother, and even add herbs.

I didn't add salt or herbs because I don't like either in my daily butter...
but I did add roasted garlic to a small batch for garlic bread. YUM!

Pretty cool huh? I will never buy store bought butter again! If you decide to try making it, send me a photo! I want to see!

Simply EnVogue Aprons

2011-03-11T15:45:00.001-05:00

A good apron is hard to find, don't you think? My first apron was from Goodwill, it was a plain black man's apron. Years later I spent too much money on one of these flirty aprons and I hated it. It had ridiculously long waist ties (intended to be wrapped around the front), and it didn't wash well (some wrinkles never came out), plus it made me look fat.

But these, these I love! I found them at T.J.Maxx about a month ago for $12.99! They're 100% cotton and made in India. I've already washed them tons of times and they come out like new! I think they are of the same caliber as these from Anthropology.

Simply EnVogue Apron (Sweet Whispers Collection)

They had a ton of them in all kinds of different patterns, some were even a tad "fancy" (in fabrics that should never see a kitchen), some were retro, some where cute -- it was really hard to pass up a vintage looking one in yellow and orange with little decorative pom pom ball tassels. But my cats would have chased me around the house if I'd worn that. Instead I restrained myself and only got these two.

Simply EnVogue Apron (Sweet Whispers Collection)

It's good to have more than one apron, when one is dirty you can wear the other, and it's nice to have a spare in case someone wants to help you in the kitchen. It could happen!

ROOMinating: Bedroom Do Over

2011-03-10T13:46:00.004-05:00

I tweeted that I've been rushing to paint the bedroom before the bed arrived and I know it's taken me a while to take some photos... but I am kind of shy about taking pictures, let alone pictures of my bedroom. I almost feel like I am flashing you... it's my bedroom, no one goes in there but us. This might prove to be a problem if I intend to document my home improvent projects -- ohmygod I might have to show you our bathroom!

Anyways, I was able to take some photos today before maintanance dropped by again to finish the work in my laundry closet (what a mess). I haven't been able to use my washer or dryer for three days and they even tried to cut off my hot water while they worked on it. If you could have seen my face when they suggested that -- they've made a mess of my hall, they've been in and out of my house for three days with dirty shoes, everything wet with rain, and dirty with grease and now you want to cut off the hot water to my house so you can have an easier time of it?! You must be out of your ever loving mind! I.do.not.live.without.hot.water!

Ok, ok, back to my happy place. Here's the new paint color (Valspar Beachnut SR411), and the new bed.

I took this picture from inside our closet

Let me explain:

I apologize for the bad lighting, but it's not entirely my fault, we got a huge rainstorm yesterday and today the sun is fighting for a chance to shine.
Don't mind the wrinkly curtains either, they're new and they were left in dryer for two days while I was painting but then the bed arrived and we needed to cover the windows for privacy so I didn't get a chance to hem them or iron them.
The lamps are mismatched because I didn't know which one to use. But I'm leaning towards getting new ones, maybe green, or yellow, or even white. I don't know. Glass isn't doing it for me in this room.
The nightstands suck are next on the list of furniture to replace.
Oh, and there are no linens on the bed because I am doing laundry today come hell or high water.

Thats said, I was going for a darker taupe. like these Pinterest photos:

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Jerrica on Pinterest

Source: 247reno.ca via Jerrica on Pinterest

I was so scared of going ~~to the dark side~~ too dark that I missed the mark. Ilike the color, it's just not what I had planned. Here's the other side of the room.

I apologize again for the bad lighting. Our bedrrom does get a ton of light (thanks to that big window), but a cloud got in the way.

All I have to do now is find nightstands, something to go above the bed, new lamps, and maybe a rug, but I'm not sure if we have the room. Plus, it feels wrong to spend that kind of money on something that's mostly covered by the bed.

Well, there you have it! It's a work in progress but I'm getting the hang of it.

Vidrios by SanMiguel Drink Glasses

2011-03-09T15:02:00.003-05:00

I found these drink glasses at T.J.Maxx a few days ago carelessly shoved between other clearance items. They hold about 10 ounces (just shy of 1.5 cups) and have a 100% Recycled glass stamp on the front. They were marked down to, get this... $2 because it was missing one glass (out of four)! I really liked their water green color and the price was crazy cheap even if the set was incomplete. So I happily put them in my cart and kept shopping...

But then two isles over I found the missing glass priced for $2! Four glasses for $4? I'll take 'em!

Don't you just love finding a bargain like that? Something that's been carelessly discarded in some bin and marked down ridiculously low and YOU find it? It's a great feeling, no?

Laundry Closet Turns Out Grey

2011-03-08T13:28:00.006-05:00

Last night I had the brilliant idea of painting the laundry ~~room~~ closet with some left over grey paint I had. I thought the grey would make a nice backdrop behind my midnight blue washer and dryer.

The closet had been painted all one color (same as the rest of the apartment, an eggnog cream), and the only "real" trim is the floor boards which you don't see when the W/D are in. The shelf trim is just cheap, peeling lumber, I'm not sure if I want to bring attention to that by painting it bright white but maybe when I bring the shelf back in (painted white) I'll feel differently. If anything I got a clean laundry closet out of this project.

Here's a few (poor) photos of the grey color. I don't hate it, and I don't love it, yet (which is probably why I had almost an entire gallon of it left).

Looking at this photo makes me want to paint the ceiling too.

Moving the washer out of the way was harder than I anticipated. I would have disconnected the machine and moved it out of the way so I could paint behind it but it turns out we actually couldn't disconnect it because when we turned off the water and started unhooking the hoses water would not stop coming! We turned that faucet as tight as humanly possible and the water just kept on coming! At this point I was freaking out, my husband was cursing, I was scrambling for towels to soak up the mess, and all the while I had an overwhelming feeling of déjà vu. Normally I pause to think about stuff like that but I had to hurry and find a bucket. And that's exactly where I found brand new hoses (that came with our washer a year ago). Apparently we had attempted this before.

If we ever have to turn off the water to our washing machine (because we're moving, or replacing it, or worse) we couldn't. We would flood the apartment, and the one below us.

Sometimes a project seems easy enough -- what's so hard about painting a closet? But then it turns out not so easy, and not so quick. Currently I still have the dryer in my foyer, and I am waiting for maintenance to come by and fix the problem.

I still have to give the storage shelf a good thick coat of white paint -- maybe I'll even paint the trim. I also need to repaint the bifold doors (which are hidden in that hall bath behind the dryer) but maybe I'll just give them a good clean and call it a day.

Cherry Blossom

2011-03-05T15:04:00.000-05:00

Spring is almost here!

Traveling Gnome

2011-03-03T15:57:00.003-05:00

For the past couple weeks I've been planning a romantic week long vacation -- we've been slaves to my husband's long work schedule for over a year without a break and I am dying for a change of scenery. But I noticed my husband becoming stressed about our plans... Sure we were both excited but I could sense some sadness too...

Turns out he didn't want to be apart from our kitties for that long (we've never been apart from them for more than three nights, and that was hard), and he admitted he wanted to spend more time at home relaxing, rather than walking on a beach. The nerve! No, just kidding, I completely understand -- sometimes we just need a break, not a vacation.

So I put my romantic caribbean vacation on hold and started planning a weekend get-away instead. But I could tell he still felt bad for wanting to be home rather than on a beach so I got him a little something to show him I was really ok with the change in plans...

Travelocity Gnome

I also included a little note that said:
"No matter where we go we'll always feel at gnome."

He gave me a hug and told me he liked it. I'm happy when he's happy.

FYI: I don't know what it was about these cute little men in hats but I've become a fan! We have a gnome door mat, this guy here lives with our cds, this other cutie here smiles at me while I'm gardening, and this new dude here feeds our birds.

Are you a fan or gnomes? No? Do you collect anything else? Do you travel with a token from home? Do share!

You're My Girl, Blue!

2011-03-02T14:54:00.007-05:00

My mom gave me my first quilt (the pink one) after I begged her for one just like Sarah's in the movie Labyrinth. I also asked for her bed, and her clothes. I got the quilt and the bed (but mine was pink), but the canopy never happened -- I think I remember her purchasing brown fabric for it but I probably changed my mind and crushed her plans. I did that a lot. The second one (the purple one) I got for my Quinceañera (the equivalent to America's Sweet Sixteen, except I didn't get a party, I got a car).

I love my quilts, I treasure them. When my husband and I started living together I remember bringing one to the couch to snuggle with and he commented on how soft it was. "She's over ten years old" I told him. I noticed the way he touched the stitches and frayed corners. I could tell he understood how precious it was. Today they are his favorite blankets. He's often the one that brings them out after I've declared them "retired" for the 100th time.

We can't help ourselves and use them constantly (even in the summer). There's nothing softer and cozier than a well ~~aged~~ loved quilt. Nothing else will do when you are snuggling with your sweetie, or a good book, or a kitty, or when you're sick, or cold, or when you take a nap. But all this frequent use means a lot of wear and tear. Last fall I took them to my mom for their yearly "repairs" but for some reason they're already needing a "tune up". I've come to the sad realization that they are too delicate. They just can't take the constant use we put them through. So I've been keeping an eye out for a new quilt, for real this time.

Recently during a trip to IKEA I found her! Stuffed in their As-Is section! Our new quilt. She's originally $49.99 but I snagged her for $37.40!

IKEA ALVINE Bedspread (71"x110")

We only found one little tear, and this time it was my husband who stitched her up (I don't sew, or iron, or kill bugs). It's officially "our" quilt and she's really soft, and she's the perfect size for the couch, and the kitties love it, and she'll drape nicely on the foot of the bed on a cold night. We love her!

My other quilts haven't been retired but they'll only be used on special occasions. But that's ok because they are special and I want them to last me another decade. In the mean time the blue one will be equally well loved.

My Incredible Edible Container Garden

2011-02-28T17:16:00.010-05:00

image from Curbly

One of my new year's resolutions (what? don't you have back ups?) was to start an edible container garden! I've been thinking about this for a long time and this year I promised myself fresh salads from my garden.

Our itty-bitty (6'x5') covered balcony gets a ton of light (and heat) but it doesn't get a lot of direct sun light. Still, I want to grow some of our own food. I might not be able to have a worm compost or sweet chickens but I believe I can ~~fly~~ have an incredible edible container garden!

So I did some research and picked up a highly rated (and recommended) book called Bountiful Container -- it made me look at my small balcony in a completely different way! Turns out I can grow pretty much anything in a container! If you are considering an edible container garden but don't have a lot of space this book is worth your time.

So I made a list of things I love to eat (salads), and checked off those that were out of my means (potatoes). My AeroGarden will fill in for those things I cannot grow (like most herbs), and it's also my back up in case I don't have any luck! I also checked my area hardiness zone (7B). Made note of my growing season (Tax Day through Halloween), and my sun orientation (NE). I've also taken into account how I could protect my plants in case of severe weather. Not to mention all the time I would have to invest.

So here's my plan:

Lettuce and Salad Greens - My primary goal is to grow my own salads and the book says "If the Garden Fairy challenged you to limit yourself to just one container with edibles... you could not go wrong with lettuce". It's the perfect container vegetable -- lettuce loves cool, damp environments, so growing them in a shaded balcony shouldn't be a problem. Thank goodness for that!

Strawberries - Full sun locations are prime real estate in my apartment but I couldn't even try this edible garden business without at least trying to grow my favorite fruit. I've been watching my sunlight patterns around our place just in case I can add a window box somewhere. But if I can't grow them in the dirt, I'll grown them in my AeroGarden.

Lemon Tree (dwarf) - if I can find one he will live outside where he can get strong light and lots of fresh air. The book says they love to be close to a wall where they will get reflective heat but that they need filtered light shade from the harshest summer sun. So I will move him inside by a window when it gets too hot, and bring him inside in the winter. I can only hope he rewards my devotion with a few lemons.

Sweet Woodruff - this is my something new to try. This "herb" is one of the few plants that truly thrives in shady conditions -- it spreads quickly but if confined to a pot it will drape over the rim, making a pretty cover of dark leaves. It gives off a vanilla fragrance and the flowers are traditionally added to Riesling wine to make a punch called May Wine, which is sometimes served with a few strawberries. This suits me perfectly!

Saffron (Crocus sativus) - This will be my splurge. She's not only a pretty flower but she'll reward me with a few saffron threads by the end of the year! I will grow her from bulbs and I'll plant her in her very own container which I will perch on my balcony's railing to catch all the sun she can. This is one of nature's contrary plants: it's dormant in summer and grows its foliage in the winter. So I will be harvesting its stigmas (saffron threads) during the winter. If we get a heavy snow storm (like last year) I can always bring her inside to finish flowering.

"Tuberous" Begonias (grown from tubes) - This plant thrives in partial shade or filtered shade and fizzles in strong, direct sun. I will look for starters (transplants) this spring and plant her in one of my flower boxes in a particular corner of my balcony that gets little direct sun.

Pansies - Because they're cute, they bloom from spring to fall, vary in color, and they're super easy to grow.

So that's my plan! I'm hoping I can find most of them at my garden center come spring but if I don't I have my Burpee catalogue and the book even recommends some additional mail-order sources. I'm excited and nervous and a little anxious to be honest with you -- I don't like killing plants.

What are your gardening plans this year?

Goodwill Hunting: Salt Shaker

2011-02-25T18:06:00.005-05:00

I'm going to start a regular "segment", if you will. But without the schedule, or the blogging pressure! Finding something you love for your home is such a sporadic thing anyway. So here's my first segment: Goodwill Hunting (thrifty finds from Goodwill). Genius!

And lookie what I found!

I couldn't believe it still had its screw cap and snap-on sifter! I've been wanting a pretty salt shaker that could hold as much salt as my 9 oz bottle of Sea Salt and this guy here does! I've already washed him and filled it up.

I want to tell you how much I paid but I didn't even look, I just grabbed it and made sure no else around me had any others in their cart. When I got home I immediately threw away the bag with the receipt and washed him clean. I was pretty exited.

Happy Goodwill huntings everyone!

Our New Bed

2011-02-23T15:58:00.003-05:00

We've been searching for a bed for, lets see, since we got our king size mattress in... 2009? Yeah, it's been a long time. We've been making do with a hollywood frame for years. I've never even tried to make that work -- if I had gotten a headboard I would've had to get a bed skirt and I loath bed skirts. You have to change/wash them regularly when you have pets, and they're such a pain to put on and take off (especially when you have a thick heavy mattress like we do).

No, the search for a king upholstered bed has not been easy. There's been a few contenders but nothing we both agreed on and the ones we did agree on cost a thousand dollars. My husband would have happily paid that if it meant we didn't have to sleep another day of a creaky cheap hollywood frame but I just couldn't justify spending a grand on a bed so I set a hard budget of $500 and searched and waited... years.

But I finally found a bed we both love -- the minute we saw it, we knew.

Phoenix Upholstered Platform Bed by Coaster

(aka Alex Upholstered Platform Bed by Union Square)

We've never seen it in person but we love its elegant curved headboard and modern platform style and neutral linen fabric. The simple dark black/brown legs match our dresser too.

This would be our second "big" furniture purchase online (the first was our dresser) so this time we were a little less apprehensive, but it helped that I researched the hell out of it too! Initially I found this bed on, you guess it... Amazon (during one of my bouts of insomnia). I ended up contacting the seller for a better photo but he was less than helpful and since the only review listed mentioned that they hadn't gotten all the parts they needed I started getting a bad feeling. Plus I like to compare prices, and this couldn't be the only company selling it. So I googled a part of the item description and started clicking around until I found the actual name of the bed. Only a handful of places had it available (in king) but none of them were as cheap, or had as many reviews as mercantila.com. I've never heard of them but I got a real good feeling about them the minute I saw their buySAFE 3-in-1 Guarantee and all the helpful reviews!

Our total ended up being $470.00! I called to place the order and they knocked off $10 and I would have gotten an additional 4% cash back had I clicked through Mr. Rebates. Shucks! But the total includes inside delivery (which is really nice since we live on the 3rd floor), and a 1 Year Manufacturer's Warranty.

I am ecstatic! I can't wait to see it! We measured and remeasured and all 93.5" long x 83.5" wide should fit (without an inch to spare). Now all I have to do is paint the room before it arrives, find nightstands (most likely after we get the bed), figure out the ceiling fan light fixture situation, and look for a rug. Lucky for me the bed doesn't ship for another week or so.

So how long did it take you to buy a bed? Are you still holding out for the one you love?

Cork Shelf Liners

2011-02-22T13:09:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I was running some errands and when I stopped by Big Lots I came across a ton of Martha Stewart cork shelf liners for $5 a roll. The price seemed a bit much but I've been meaning to line my cabinets and I was already there and I have a small kitchen (only a pair of cabinets on either side of the stove), so I would only need approximately 6 rolls for a grand total of $30 -- so I went ahead and got them but postponed the rest of my errands to put them up. I have a tendency to buy the "ingredients" for a project but then I loose speed and I shelf the project for later. I've learned that if I spend money on a project I have to spend the time to tackle it.

So I got to work measuring and cutting. And I'm glad I measured each shelf individually because my bottom shelfs are a half inch shorter than the shelves above it. The cork also takes a while to loose its curl. What I ended up doing was wetting the ends with a sponge, about 7 inches in (the center never really curled), and I placed a pile of heavy magazines on top to keep them flat and I let it sit like that over night. It was an experiment -- I didn't know if this would really work to get the curl out but it did! I only tried it on one so I have five more to do.

Here's a couple before pictures. The cork is nonadhesive so it would be super easy to replace any part of it if normal wear and tear occurs. Plus when we move we can just roll them up and use them for something else.

HA! I do have more than two dinner plates, the rest are in the dishwasher.

This is what I wanted to cover up.

And here's a couple after pictures.

What do you think? I definitely see an improvement. They feel better too -- when I was putting the dishes back in they didn't make a noise and I didn't feel them scraping up the bottom. That's nice.