saturday

just a couple of snapshots from today.  it was spent snuggling with a sun-tanning beagle and making heart garlands for valentine's day.  i also rearranged our teeny-tiny kitchen, but that was a disaster i did not feel like documenting!

suzy homemaker in the works

is it just me, or does decorating your home make you nervous, sweaty, and overly anxious?  anyone? ...ok i'm probably one of the only ones, but decorating our space can be difficult for me.  i typically can make decisions quickly and with no regret... except for when it comes to picking out a pillow for the couch.  i've made a lot of progress the past few months years (who am i kidding here?!) but i'm starting to feel like giving up.  i feel like sharing this will motivate me to continue decorating our apartment.

a lot of my struggles come within spending money or DIY-ing things i see and like.  i'm also the most impatient person when it comes to completing projects.  above, you can see my nightstand.  we use vintage orange crates propped on one end.  the lamp was thrifted and i added twine around the lampshade.

i used burlap, white acrylic paint, and stencils to add some details to the above frames.  the album is bright eyes' first day of my life.  early on when jake and i started dating he gifted me the framed album - which is my favorite.  now, go listen to first day of my life by bright eyes.  i hope it makes you smile like i do every time i listen to it.

this is jake's side of the dresser.  he loves his tolkien.  the giant clothespin was a gift.  the camera was thrifted, and the mushrooms are from target.

this would be my side of the dresser.  the bowl is part of a set i was gifted at one of my bridal showers.  the shell ring holder was something that once belonged to my grandma and the earring crate is something i thrifted.

i'm sure plenty of you have seen tutorials on many blogs on this project.  i simply found a picture at a thrift store (the frame is what sold me!) and added the saying "such great heights".  it was our wedding song (iron & wine's version) and has a lot of special meaning to us.  it's hanging above our dresser.

ok, i think i'm off to finally decide on that pillow... or maybe i'll just try to make one myself...

mud scrub

this christmas, i knew i wanted to attempt to make more diy gifts.  i've always had problems coming up with cool diy gifts for family members and friends that weren't baked goods or something only a grandma could love (i.e. popsicle stick ornaments).  but, thanks to pinterest i had no problems finding some incredible projects that make great gifts!

when i found this mud scrub, i knew it would be perfect for my coffee-loving sister-in-law (oh, and me...).  this mud scrub is a body scrub that helps exfoliate and tighten skin because of the coffee beans present.  i just liked the fact that this scrub was going to smell minty and coffee-y (i know, not a word).

  i found the original link here.  here are the directions:

1 cup sugar (i used white)

5 TBSP coffee grounds

1/4 cup oil (i used an inexpensive brand of olive oil)

1 tsp peppermint extract

1 tsp vanilla extract 

mix ingredients together.   

afterwards, i placed the scrub in a cute jar i found at hobby lobby and made a cute label to put on top of the jar. 

this scrub is such an easy and inexpensive gift!  i plan on giving some jars to co-workers that also enjoy coffee, but for my sister-in-law i'm including the scrub in a gift basket full of loofahs, a face mask, and a bottle of wine.  

i have a few other diy gifts that i will be making this year.  are you planning on making any gifts for anyone?  i would love to hear your ideas!

fluffy clipboard

i've been seeing all these adorable clipboards on pinterest lately.  each time i saw one i thought to myself, "too bad i don't use clipboards more often," when BAM! it dawned on me.  i knew someone who uses a clipboard!  jackie.  jackie is our ela teacher at school. since she moves from classroom to classroom a lot she tends to carry a clipboard.  and she's super good at her job.  i love her ideas and wish she could work in my classroom more often instead of just sending my ela kids to her for small group work.  i totally asked her about her favorite colors and got to work.

all i needed was purple and yellow paper, yellow tulle, an old clipboard, and some spray adhesive. 

i loved the yellow and purple polka dot sheets.  a few snips later, and ta-da!  i was done! 

here's the finished product.  i used my cricut to cut letters out to spell her name.

i was worried the tulle would make it too girly/fluffy, but it actually turned out to really pull the clipboard together.  jackie loved it and i love seeing her walking around the school with it!  it almost makes me want to make one and carry a clipboard around.  tell me about your latest craft adventures...

last day of summer vacation

today was my last day of summer vacation.  tomorrow starts up bright and early with teacher meetings and such for the rest of the week.  on monday, we have a work day and tuesday is the first day of school!  i am excited for this school year and all my new students, but i will miss summer and all the relaxation it brought.

this was a good summer.  i feel as if i were productive more than i usually am during the summer!  i made a list at the start. here it was:

1. read 10 books

2. lose 12 pounds

3. make 5 pinterest projects

4. organize literacy materials at school

here is my progress

1. read 7 books

2. lost 6 pounds

3. made 3 pinterest projects

4. completely organized literacy materials

granted i did not succeed in all areas of the list, i feel as if i accomplished a lot.  i also learned a lot about myself.  i re-realized how much i love reading.  i figured out i really DO enjoy making projects and creating.  and, i've decided i must continue to read, make projects, and keep up with that weight loss.  i need to make a first quarter goal list for myself!

here's how i spent my last day of summer vacation:

making spaghetti sauce

sewing a skirt - more photos to follow!

my mom fixed my school bag for me!

supper

my sweet little boy

care package

remember this post?  since revealing my pinterest project list i have had a chance to complete some of the projects.  i started with an easy one and made my friend jessica a pink care package.

jessica and i met our sophomore year of college.  we were dorm mates both paired with freshman roommates.  we met around october/november and were acquaintances.  at the end of first semester my roommate was moving out of the dorms leaving me without a dorm fridge or warm carpet to cover the cold tile floor.  it just so happened that jessica had everything i didn't and vice versa.  so, she moved into my dorm and we quickly became best of friends.

               

                                 

jessica gives me the excuse and support to continually watch disney movies, eat endless amounts of goldfish crackers, and introduced me to the concept of wearing sweatpants to classes.  yes - i do confess i never, ever, ever, ever would have been caught in public wearing sweatpants until jessica.  anyone who is around me today knows that is quite the opposite. :)

                                               

ok, so i bet you're dying to see the details of the care package, right?

i started by making my own envelope with leftover scrapbook paper.  i just took apart an envelope and traced around it.  another helpful hint is when you are folding the new envelope, place the old envelope on top and fold one section of the old part and then that same section on the new envelope.  it helped my lines stay straight and even.

for the actual care basket, i just searched for fun pink items.  jessica is also a teacher so this is more of a teacher basket.  here's the breakdown.

1. pink basket

2. pink dispenser of white out tape

3. pink chap stick

4. pink erasers

5. pink life water

6. pink sticky notes

7. pink nail polish

8. pink gum

9. pink pencil sharpener

in case you're counting, that would be TWO of the projects i hoped to make!  anyway, this is well on its way to jessica.  i hope she enjoys it.  if you were to make or receive a color themed care package, what color would it be?  what items would you put in it?  i would love to hear your thoughts.

feeling crafty

summer is slipping away.  fast.  before i know it, school will be in full swing.  i have been feeling the urge to craft and finally make some pinterest items.  the projects i've completed from my pinterest account are mainly food and items for the classroom.  here are four projects i would like to try soon!

these yarn balloons are one of the first items i ever pinned.
my first attempt was a disaster.  my friend, erin, told me
to place a thin layer of vaseline on the balloon before
glueing so i'm ready to try again.  more details can be found
here.

this comes from one of my favorite blogs, a beautiful mess.
i have so many old sweaters that i could use to make some
adorable and warm mittens.

this sunshine care package would make me so happy to make
or receive.  i have a special friend in mind to receive this.
more details here. 

these envelopes are made from scrapbooking paper.
i have so much paper to use since i no longer
scrapbook.  more details here.

so, now that my list is public i better get started on some of these projects!  what have you been wanting to make lately?