A Pin I Tried and Love!

Good morning!

I saw this idea on Pinterest and I gave it a try. Simply put the white part of green onions in a bit of water in a sunny spot and they will continually grow. If you're like me and are constantly buying green onions this is perfect!

Here are my onions after 1 week

I started with no green showing and it has grown about 1/2 inch a day, which is insane!

I love it!

Emily

Lovely

Hi all!

I'm enjoying a bit of a break for the next few days. Here is something pretty to look at in the meantime!

Found here via Pinterest

Follow me here

Have a nice rest of the week!

Emily

Closet 45 Min Redo

Hello!

Last Friday it was a yucky day out so I decided to stay in and accomplish something. We have a huge closet in the master bedroom.....I mean, huge. We have a full regular sized closet and then this little room off of it. It's crazy huge....so because we have so much space we have ended up throwing random crap in here. Hence the before shot:

Yes, we had 2 ceiling fans in there (I had already removed one), boxed up maternity and baby clothes, luggage, the bouncer, and playmat, bumbo seat, purses, and a few odds and ends of clothes.

I took 45 min and purged what we didn't need and simply organized the rest. We had this extra dresser, which I removed from the guest bedroom as seen here. I decided to add a lamp and organize my jewelry in an effort to wear it more often.

I have several clutches from my late grandma that I set out because I love seeing them everyday. I just used a tray we had in the kitchen to organize it all.

It's a far cry from anything spectacular and it's probably not how it will stay but for 45 min and a free project both Jacob and I are happy with it!

Emily

Things I'm Loving Lately

Hi all!

It's been awhile since I did a post about what I'm loving lately. If you're new here I love hearing about new products so I figured, why not share what I think works well, or tastes delicious!

Never in my life have I had dark circles under my eyes until 7 months ago when a little miss was born. I have been using Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser (color-brightening) and I really like it. It lightens under my eyes and when I put makeup on I almost look normal. ;)

Jacob's aunt and uncle brought Black Box wine to Christmas and they are quite the wine connoisseurs. We were kinda surprised to see wine in a box but I have to say, it is delicious. We don't drink during the week so it's nice to be able to open it and still have it be good the following weekend. Oh yeah, it's 4 bottles of wine in 1 box and is around $25.....we love the Cab Sav.

I have given up pop and sugar in an effort to lose the last of the baby weight. I do miss my afternoon Coke but I found a replacement that I like! A cup of Vanilla Chai Tea and a tangerine are my new afternoon friends. :)

Remember how I said I gave up sugar? Right. Well, I gave it up, then took it back up all in 1 day last week when I found these cookies. You see, M can't have dairy so that means I haven't had dairy for almost 3 months. It's really not that big of a deal but I do miss ice cream and a good cookie. When I saw these and that they are dairy free and no high fructose corn syrup.....YES PLEASE! So, I binged and I'm back on the wagon.....but these are a great organic alternative to Oreos and they taste just like the real thing!

I have been using Cera Ve as a daily moisturizer for years now. When I saw a segment on the Today Show about Cera Ve PM and how it is such a great deep moisturizer and I couldn't agree more. I love it and it's only $12 a bottle at Target.

As part of my Christmas gift I got 2 great shower/bath products and I love them both. Pair them with a glass or two of Black Box wine and it's pretty close to a great night for me....add in a few cookies and I'm in heaven. :)

I have really dry skin and both of these products are awesome. I love L'Occitane!

Any products you are loving?

Emily

Before and After

Hello!

I am back today to show before and after pics of the guest room with the new end tables. This is a room that we have spent little money and attention on so far. The bed was Jacob's from before we got married and was the inspiration for the room in making a more masculine room than what I typically do. I bought the duvet on super sale at Target, but it is back and full price again. Weird. The blue blanket was cheap from IKEA and the frames are from Wally World with a butterfly calendar in them.

Before Pics

This angle is from the door:

I forgot to add I got the lamps on super clearance at Target a few months ago.

After Pics:

The new end tables and the matching lamps definitely are starting to create a cohesive look.

Still to do:

• Paint the room-I'm wavering between a light tan and a darker warmer tan
• Get a dust ruffle
• Get something for over the bed
• Curtains
• Potentially change out the butterfly art. I love it but I need something to take up more space visually. Maybe a leaning mirror near the door?!

We are coming along!

Emily

$100 Month: January 2012 Edition

Hi all!

As promised I'm here to share a project. You may remember that last week I posted about being more intentional with my money (I get $100/month for DIY) and not starting projects I'll put a ton of time and money into (and probably never like....I'm picky....let's be honest). One area of our house that I have decided to tackle is our guest room. We actually have 2 guest rooms but this one will always be the guest room, the other one will eventually be Baby #2's room.

So, a few weeks ago I took my $100 and headed to IKEA where I knew I could get a lot of bang for my buck. I'm hilarious. I know. Anyway, I picked up 2 of the RAST dressers for $34.99/each.

Here's the RAST:

It's an unfinished small chest of drawers and I knew I wanted to use them as end tables

I used some off white paint from the powder room and some stain I had from an old project (I suppose random DIY pays off because I have a ton of paint, stain, and spray paint).

Here's what I came up with:

Not too shabby for $75! Yeah, would I like to change the knobs....yes, but waste not want not and I would rather spend the remaining $25 of my money on something else. I'll change them eventually.

I'll be back tomorrow with pics of the guest room and some before and after shots.

Have a good one!

Emily

The Paints Still Drying

Hi all!

I was hoping to have pics of the beginning of my guest room makeover but the paint's still drying on a few pieces. Literally.

Here's a teaser:

I'll be back tomorrow with pictures!

Emily

Pinterest Pretties!

Hi all!

I hope you had a great weekend! I had a great weekend with M and my mom while Jacob was out of town. I'm working on my first post about how I'm spending the first part of my January home money. No idea what I'm talking about?! Click here to read about a new series I'm working on.

In the meantime here are a few pictures I'm lovin'

Click here to follow me on Pinterest!

Have a nice day!

Emily

Follow Me!

I'm finally getting around to organizing my Pinterest boards so FOLLOW ME! ------------->

I am always looking for new people to follow so add me and leave a comment with your name so I can follow you!

New Blog Feature

Hello!

I'm excited to share a new blog feature with you all. As many people do when a new year begins, I started thinking more about my life and our finances. Something Jacob and I have been doing for awhile is allotting me $100 a month to spend on the house. I can essentially do whatever I want with it and for the past several months I feel like I have wasted it on DIY projects, which I thought would be inexpensive but ended up costing a decent amount and then not being something I love. Been there done that....right?!?!

I have vowed to be more intentional in my choices for our home including how I spend money towards the house. While $100 is pocket change to many of you, because we are living on 1 income it feels like a privilege to me. I'm starting a new series where I will post at least once a month to share what I have spent the $100 on and how I have stretched it.

As I'm vowing to be more intentional with our money I'm excited to share a few projects I have in the works. On a separate note, we are also intending to redo the landscaping in the front of our house and redo the deck and put in pavers in the back this spring. I'm also wanting to start collecting more forever pieces of art for our home, so I might be sharing some of that search with you all as well.

I'm still searching for that clever title for my $100/month. Post suggestions!

Emily

Collections

Hi all!

Sorry for my absence! Things have been busy around here and I'm deep in planning mode for a new blog feature, which I will be sharing very soon so check back.

One thing I am striving for in our home is more of a collected look as opposed to "I bought everything at Pottery Barn and Homegoods look". I don't really collected anything per se but I am drawn to dishes and mirrors and my husband would tell you picture frames but he doesn't get they are like shoes and have to match where you're going to put them (like you can't wear 1 black heel with everything....you need different kinds). I digress.

In an effort to create a collected and very comfortable feel in our home I have already mixed several fabrics (another way to create a unique and comfortable look) and am now thinking more intentionally about collections. While I don't want 30 clocks on 1 bookcase or anything, it is something I'm giving thought to. Here are a few examples of collections:

Do you collect anything?

Emily

A Play on Neutrals

Happy Friday!

As I have mentioned before I love neutral pieces. This is a bit more extreme than anything I would do in my own home but I do think it is beautiful.

A lot of traditional influences, which all work well together. I love the herringbone tile in the bathroom! All images found here.

Have a great weekend!

Emily