Pinterest Project

Everyone knows my love for Pinterest and when ever I get a chance I am always thinking about what I want to do next. I am still new to this whole homeowner thing. I have only been in my house for 11 months so far and I have only managed to paint three walls in the master bedroom. I am waiting until I find the perfect wallpaper in order to finish the final wall. Where I am going with this is I don't have to worry about what holes I put in the walls! That brings me to talk about another project I found inspiration for from Pinterest.

This is the photo that caught my attention. I knew that I could do something like that. In this photo it is scrapbook paper attached to shoe box lids. I am always the one to find a cheaper way of doing things. The graphic designer came out and I decided to make my own graphics and get cheap frames from Wal-Mart. I stayed with the black and white theme because it will match the wallpaper that I plan on using on the opposite wall. I really liked the idea of using the frames so, when I get tired of the current graphics I can makes news ones and swap them out.

My Final Project:
9 black frames ($2 a piece)
Copy Paper
Push Pins

The world of Pinterest...

I do believe that Pinterest is one of the most amazing website ever! I have spent numerous hours just browsing everything the site has to offer. I used to check Facebook right before I went to bed and first thing in the morning. It might be a bad habit but, Pinterest is normally the last thing I look at before bed and sometimes even when I laying in bed (Android finally got the app months after the iPhone) That was a happy day! I don't know what it is about just browsing a website that can be so relaxing. 

I am sure at this point I have enough items pinned that I could do a craft on a daily basis and have something to do everyday for a few months. I am proud of myself and I have been able to complete a few craft projects so far. I already have the next few lined up. 

I was browsing one day and I saw a lot of pins about jewelry and didn't ways to be able to display it. This is one problem that I had. The home of all of jewelry was one of those 3 tier plastic drawers from Wal-Mart. It is pretty but, it was working for the time being. I pinned a few different ideas and then I made a special trip to Lowe's for a few supplies. 

My project started like this: 

1 Circle piece of wood I think it was 18 inch diameter ($8)

1 package of cup hooks ($2)

1 can black spray paint ($.98)

The master bedroom is going to have one wall wallpapered with a brocade pattern ...once I find one that I like. So, I decided that a circle would work better than a rectangle or square for me. 

I had a few issues getting started because I have OCD when it comes to things lining up. I made sure to measure everything and mark where every hook was going to be placed. My suggestion to anyone wanting to try a project like this wear gloves or something to protect your fingers. My fingers became very sore and I had to get help finishing screwing in all of the hooks. 

Once all the hooks were placed I took a trip outside and spray painted everything black. This helped hide those hooks that didn't go in all the way straight. Once the paint dried I was looking forward to getting all of my jewelry hung up. I threw one more hook on the back side and grabbed a few inches of fishing line (if you know me at all I will find some way to use fishing line...it is sturdy and cheap!)  

Final Product: 

Since, I have a pretty place to my all my earrings now I have acquired a few more :) I might have to make another ones of these or something similar for my necklaces and bracelets so, all my earrings can fit.  

Have you had success with a project from Pinterest? 

It has been a while...continuing Home Organization

As all of you can see it has been a while since I dusted off my blog. At the beginning of the year I thought to myself that I wanted to get my blog up and running again. I did an okay job or a week or two and then I didn't seem to have the time to sit down and write.

Shortly after the new year I had been browsing Pinterest looking for organizational ideas. I really wanted to start the new year off right and get everything in my life organized. I found some great websites and other blogs that had amazing ideas not only for around the house but for day to day takes. Refer to my Home Organization post where I talked about putting together a home management binder. I scoured blog after blog looking for the perfect printable that would fit my needs. Well needless to say I never found any templates that fit me and my life. So, what better thing to do then make my own. (This is where my designer side came out!) So, sadly 6 months after I decided to make my binder I can now share it with you guys. I was so happy with myself when I was able to complete my binder! I went straight to filling out some of the information that was needed in the binder and then it started to get stuck under paperwork on my desk. After 5 months I have managed to find a little time to dust it off.

My question to you: Do you ever set your mind to get something done push yourself until the task is completed then let it collect dust? 

Here are a few of the forms that I created. I started with forms for the very basic information.

Basic Medical Information 

Emergency Contact Information

Monthly Budget

Bill Tracker

Bill Tracker Paid

Weekly Schedule 

To-Do List

What's Cooking Good Looking

Shopping list 

Forms not shown above: 

Favorite Restaurants: A place to keep all those numbers to your favorite take out restaurants all in one place. 

What was that password: If anyone knows me at all they know that I can never remember a password to save my life. This is a form that after I filled it out I tucked it in a safe place in my binder. So, if my binder is sitting out in the open my passwords won't be available to anyone looking through. 

Pet Information: I treat my pets like I would if I had children! Parents always keep medical information for their children in one place so, I thought that is was fitting that I kept all the vet information for my pets in one place.

Wallet Contents: If any other couple is like myself and my husband. We have separate credit cards for our emergencies. This form is a nice tool to figure out exactly how many credit cards you have and which ones carry balances. Once you write down all the credit cards that you have in your possession you might want to rethink how you make purchases. I know after we did this we were kinda shocked by the amount of plastic that we have. 

What spent what??: I made this form with intentions of bringing home receipts and writing down how much we spent on a weekly basis. Well needless to say this is a form that still sits blank in my binder. No matter how hard I tried I could never remember to get a receipt when I was asked and then when I do get receipts they normally end up in the bottom of my purse and become to wrinkled that they become unreadable!

Overall, I think that I did a good job of putting together forms that meet my needs but, I have had a few issues with sticking to them. My husband and I come and go at different times of the day so, when we get a few moments to spend together we take that time. After working all day and coming home to make dinner I don't always find the time to pull out our home management binder. 

My question to you: How do you find time to keep up with your home management binder (if you have one) or even update your planner or to-do list? 

trying to focus...

So, as you guys can tell it has been a little while since I have posted anything. Let's just say that life has been crazy lately. I know I probably said that in my last post but, really it is crazy. Since the last time I have blog I have finished well to this point my home management binder (now to make myself use it!) I thought that spending the time and making this binder it would be something that I would check. But now  I am starting to think that it is just one more thing that I need to remember to check every day. The only part of it that I have really been using is the weekly menu! Boy has this helped when it goes to grocery shopping. We have been sitting down each Sunday and figuring out what we want for dinner for the week. This week I only spent 30 dollars on groceries because I already had the other things that I needed. It is amazing how planning out our meals can help you spend less when you go shopping for groceries. I really wish that I could get better at checking the other sections as well. But you know me I refer back to my little black planner for everything.

Do you guys have any suggestions for keeping up with something new?

My mind has been pretty frazzled lately. Work has really been killing me. We have been down a person in our department since September or something like that. It feels so much longer! The work keeps stacking up on me. I have a to do a list a mile long. I have to do lists to do to lists! But the good news they hired somebody today! As long as all of the paper work gets done in time she will be starting next Monday!

My husband also just has knee surgery this last week. It wasn't anything big. His knee cap wasn't were it was supposed to be to the doctors had to go in a cut some of his tissue so his knee cap could move back to where it was supposed to be. The day at the surgery center was really long. All they told Randy was his thing was at 10:30. So we figured that was the time of his surgery so we got there at 9:30.... well he needed to be there at 10:30 so we were already and hour early. Always best to be early then late right? Once they got him checked in and got his IV started they told us it would be able a 3 hour wait for his surgery. He didn't get taken back into surgery until 2:30. That made for the start of a very long day. I knew that everything was going to be fine but as I sat out in the waiting room I still had the stress of Randy being asleep during the surgery because you never know what all could go wrong. Everything went really well and he ended up with only two little incisions. Randy was in recovery longer then he was in surgery. Now he just has to wait for recovery.

Focusing on things these last few weeks have been pretty difficult.

How do you guys get back on tasks with what you are trying to do when there is so much going on?

Home Organization...

I have taken the time this evening to set aside some time and work on focusing on my simple little word FOCUS.

There are many times that I find myself coming home from work trying to get food put together for dinner and then most of the time getting onto the computer and catching up on Facebook and trying to see everything that I missed throughout the day while I was at work or when I have the chance I will cuddle up on the sofa and turn on the TV. Being able to sit and focus on just watching a movie doesn't seem to happen all that often. Even when I am just lounging on the sofa my mind is running a thousand miles a minute. These past few days I have noticed that I do not take time for me to focus on myself.

I have always looked at myself as an organized person. I may not always be show it on the outside but, in my brain everything is organized and when I have the time I work to do everything I can to get organized and stay that way.

The other night I got off work and I finally had some time to sit down and get on pinterest. I have found myself slightly obsessed with that site. (Find me a person that hasn't fallen in love with that site) I have found many ideas on there that I would like to try out this year.

My FOCUS for January is going to be working on home organization. I have learned the hard way that if you aren't organized at home you can't be organized in the rest of your life.

I found a pin that I followed to a blog and I have set a new goal for myself. I want to create a home organization binder. Most of the time when people make these is when they have kids and trying to keep every's schedules straight. But I think if this is something that I get started now and stick with it, it will only makes things easier when more people come into the picture.

My first task to creating a home organization binder is to find the free printable that I want to use or just create them so they are specific to my needs. I am giving myself until the end of January to have this complete.

Have you thought of making a home organization binder? I would love to hear your thoughts.

I will be sure to post a picture of my final product and maybe even a few in progress.

A Simple Little Word...

A new year is upon us and I am going to use that as something to use to my advantage. My life have been just short of going completely crazy! So many things have happened! It is crazy to look back at the fee years and see how much I have grown as a person and how much I have been through.

 I remember the days where I would sit back and writing posts on my xanga account. (who remembers these days? lol right) Writing used to be the way that I was able to sit back and relax and express myself through my writing. For the last few years my writing has had to take a back burner. But setting my writing aside allowed me to get married, graduate high school as valedictorian, graduate college in three years, move to a new state and purchase a house. I guess looking back at it my writing and other passions have taken the back burner to life.

I have been reading a friends blog and I have been inspired to start a project of my own. Choosing a simple little word to use as my direction for this project I felt was the best thing. It is amazing how one simple little word can make you think about what you do.

The word that I have chosen to be the center of this project is FOCUS.

There are so many things that I have put on the back burner and kept telling myself that I would get back to it one day. Well I have decided that all those "i'll get to it" will happen this year. It will probably take me all year to get everything back up to date.

I keep thinking about all of things that I haven't been able to fully FOCUS on to make them the best that I can. I have lost my passion to write, I have lost out on time for amazing photography, I have lost out on my great opportunities, and sadly I have lost friendship. Some of those I am trying to rekindle while I know others are a lost cause.

If I am able to FOCUS on all of the right things this could be one of the best years yet!

My goal for this project is to blog as least once a week if not more on my simple little word.

Still Jobless.....

Over the past few weeks I have been applying for jobs. I think that I have hit the 90 mark on sending out job applications and resumes. I haven't really had much luck. The economy still isn't helping. There is one job that I would love to have. I have called back once a week for the past three weeks and they are still in the interview process. I am glad that they are taking their time it puts me that much closer to graduation so hopefully they will hire me! Well that is hope at least. The job is still posted online so I haven't given up all hope yet. I hope to hear back something soon it would make things so much easier for me right now if I knew that I had a job when I move.