ImAprilE.com

I ♥ Redecorating!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I really do believe I redecorate every other month, at least! It's fun, don't get me wrong, but MAN is it some work! Especially if you tackle redecorating almost the entire house BY YOURSELF! Yup. I didn't want to wait until hubby came home. I'm very impatient.

I wanted to shift items around that I already had to make better sense of things. With my recent fixation on crafty things, I needed a space to work on my projects. The only space I really had was my formal dining room. Being that it had no actual dining room table, thus we weren't using it, voila... it became my craft space. But then a new dilemma. My desk/office at the time was stuck in the corner of our living room, which wasn't that close to the formal dining room. So, what's a girl to do? I brought my office to the dining room! I do have a really nice antique china/curio cabinet in the dining room, but it's not really in my way. In fact, I think I'll take the china out and use the inside for displaying my Etsy shop items! This way they're out of the way, safe & secure, and will be away from dust & doggie/kitty hair. A WIN!

What really bums me out about this shifteroo is that I literally JUST finished my mason jar pen/pencil holders, custom cork boards & magnet board projects above my desk. Ugh! Oh well, I will re-install them over my desk in my NEW, fabulous location!

I also used a little bit of brute strength, and a sheet against a wooden floor, to move a 2 door storage cabinet from our spare room (a family heirloom that we weren't really using) into ~~the dining room~~ my new office for storing all my jewelry making items, crafty tools, etc. It's fantastic!

I have just enough space left on one wall for my "prop" area for all my Etsy shop photos. I plan on buying some bright white craft paper soon and draping it along a wall, and then making a homemade light-box for more natural style photos. Another craft project! Yikes!

I love my new space! It will get cuter soon for sure, but for now I'm digging it alot! It's nice having all my stuff in one organized space. Yay!

Who knew redecorating could be so much fun? Oh, wait.. I DID! I think that's why I do it so often!

I'll post photos of my new office/craft studio soon, but for now check out how awesome & clean my living room looks now that my desk has been decluttered from the corner. ♥♥♥!

View from front foyer

I spy Nugget! The red couch & chair will be replaced soon as we're in the market for something more comfy, more mountain lodge like - like our living room! See that fireplace/stone on the left? That stone takes up an entire wall! It's pretty cool. So, overlook the retro look, for now. My desk/office used to be in the upper right hand corner, where the DVDs are in this pic. SO much more space! Notice the awesome coffee table? That's my thrifty Goodwill find I bought not too long ago - For $30!!

This shows my "Outdoor Adventures" wall collage that I made over my 12 day holiday vacation. Moving some furniture out really showcases this wall more! p.s. I do plan on adding more (smaller) pics to the wall soon, now that I have an awesome HP Photosmart printer that prints AWESOME pics at lighting speed! Notice that horseshoe shaped pillow? Curious what it is? It's actually a neck pillow I bought in a airport when I traveled to NYC a couple of years ago. I use that thing all the time! It's so comfortable. Trust me, when you fall asleep on the recliner or lounge chair the last thing you want is a crick in your neck. With this goofy looking thing, no neck cricks. It's kinda my security blankie. Don't judge me.

Wonder what I'll redecorate next?

Hmm....

Do you redecorate often? Tell me about it!

My New Interest/Passion = Designing Handmade Jewelry!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I couldn't just settle with general crafting... not this gal. I had to try something completely foreign to me. Something I never thought I'd do, much less enjoy! I have entered into the joyful world of jewelry making! I bought a couple of "beginner" sets a little over a week ago and even though it was later realized to be a crappy set, I found it to be fun & incredibly enticing! I may not have liked what I had created, but I loved that I was the one creating it! I had to try more.

You could say I was hooked instantly. I dived in head first like I always do with anything new & exciting and spent an incredible amount of $$$ on supplies and beads and organizers and just about everything I needed to get me started off right. Boy, was I overwhelmed! Yeesh! But, I was HAVING A BLAST!

Over the past several months, I have become quite fond of Etsy and the level of service that the artisans and sellers put into their shops and most importantly, their customer service. I have personally bought a few items on Etsy and truly was impressed with the entire process of shopping, buying & receiving an item. It's just not a feeling I get when I shop at national chain stores. So, a light bulb went off...

I have a friend/co-worker who has an Etsy shop, Stuck Together Magnets. She sells fabulous homemade magnets and she does pretty well for herself. I asked her some questions and after some careful thought, I said to myself, "Why couldn't I do that?" So I opened my very own Etsy shop!

I personally invite you to visit ~AnnLeigh Creations~ Homemade Jewelry & Crafts With A Purpose!

Rainbow Fluorite Beaded Charm Bracelet

As of right now, I only have 5 total items in my shop, but more items are coming very, very soon! Promise! There's nothing stopping me now! I purchased some incredibly wonderful beads & supplies from Etsy seller, "Simply Pie" to bulk up my depleted, starter level inventory. I can't wait to receive my goodies so I can make more beautiful creations!

Check out my store for more details on why I chose the name, my policies, my mission, etc. I'm super excited about my new crafting venture and I hope you are too! I can't wait to continue to learn new projects and share with you all! Your support would be greatly appreciated!!!

You can also "LIKE" ~AnnLeigh Creations~ on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/AnnLeighCreations

I've also added a widget in my sidebar that easily shows you the latest 4 items added to my shop. Check it out! And, you may notice there's now both Etsy & Facebook icons in my "Find Me Here" section at the top left. Easy ways to find me!

I'd love to know what you guys think? So far that is. Leave me a comment to let me know!

Talk with you again soon!

DIY - Wall Mounted Pen Holders Made Of Mason Jars!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I'm no Martha Stewart, but maybe after thumbing through this book that my husband bought me for Christmas, I will be! Nah.. It's just given me a TON of cool ideas! And, I'm learning ALOT!

I'm loving this book so far!

Something I wanted to tackle over my 12 day holiday break was actually something I felt inspired to do before Martha Stewart became a part of my nightly routine. *She cuddles with me as I fall asleep* I wanted to find a way to mount mason jars above my desk for pens, pencils, highlighters, etc. I have somewhat of a small desk so space is an issue. I thought, given my recent homemade pin boards, and the magnet board I wanted to make, some sort of mounted board directly in the center above my desk would look great. I wasn't disappointed!

Here's what I did...

First, I hit up my local Lowes Home Improvement store for scrap pieces of wood. I wasn't expecting to hit the motherload, but that's exactly what happened! I was quite surprised at what I was able to score for FREE! Unless you plan on mounting more than 2 jars, you only need a piece of scrap wood about 10" wide, 1" in width and about 6" tall. If you're not lucky enough to score a perfectly smooth & even piece of wood, you could bat your eyelashes and ask the men in the lumber area to help you, or you can smooth it out at home. Your pick! ;-)

Items you'll need:

Scrap wood (estimated 10" x 1" x 6")
(2) pint size Mason Jars (I used the Kerr brand, but Ball can be used as well)
(2) #56 4" adjustable pipe clamps (found in the plumbing dept. of a hardware store)
(2) slotted-drive round-head wood screws, 6 x 1/2"
(2) self-leveling picture hangers
(2) 1" nails (for attaching the finished product)
Fabric of your choosing
Spray paint color of your choosing

You'll also need a drill with drill bits, a hammer, razor or sharp knife, fine tip marker, flat-head screwdriver & a staple gun.

Once you have the wood piece you plan to use, you're ready to get started! I chose a quilted type fabric since it was a bit thicker than your typical fabric and I just really liked the simplicity of it. But, you can really use any kind of fabric you want as long as it covers the wood enough where you can't see through it. For that matter, you could skip the fabric altogether if you'd rather spray paint it, or even cover it with wallpaper, etc. Your choice! But for purposes of this post, I will explain what I did based on using fabric. Also, I chose to spray paint the insides of the mason jar - only the insides. I felt this gave it a frosted look, but didn't completely take away from the elegance of the actual jar. Plus, it hides the barrels of the pens, pencils, etc. for that "clean" look. You can also skip this step if you choose to.

Step #1 is to cover your wood piece with your chosen fabric. I essentially just wrapped the fabric around the wood folding over the corners similar to how I wrap gifts. You may need to gently trim the fabric if it's too thick around the edges. I used a staple gun to attach the fabric. It doesn't really matter if your fabric doesn't cover the back of the wood completely - who's going to see it?! Once you have your fabric mounted the way you want it, you're ready for step #2, which is...

Line up exactly where you want the mason jars on the front of the board. I wanted my jars to be directly in the center, but you may want them lower. Honestly, the jars can be raised or lowered after you've mounted the clamps, however, the clamps themselves need to be lined up so you can be sure where on the jar they will be tightened to. So, with that said, adjust the pipe clamps down to the size just slightly bigger than what will comfortably tighten over the jar without the jar slipping through. This will give you an idea if you need to move the clamp up, down, or to the right or left. Remember, you're mounting two jars so make it as even as you can! While holding the clamp in place where you plan to mount it, use a marker to make a small dot where you'll need to make your pilot holes. And then...

The fun part! Not really - this was something I honestly had to get my hubby to help me with. But, if I tried harder I probably could have succeeded on my own. TIP: Always make your hubby feel needed! You'll need to drill small pilot holes (about the size of the screws) in your metal pipe clamps exactly where you marked it. Be careful with this step. TIP: Open the adjustable pipe clamps up completely using a flat-head screwdriver. This will help you to align the drill effectively. They're bendy - they'll go back in circular form. Press down on your garage floor, or a workshop table, but just be sure it's a steady surface. Once the pilot holes are made in the clamps, you can put the clamps back together in circular form. Set aside.

Because fabric can become frayed or twisted once you take a drill to it, especially quilt-like fabric with "stuffing", you'll want to make a small tear/hole where you want to mount the clamps. You can use the clamps with the pilot hole in them as a guide. This will help when you go to actually mount the clamps to the board, and there won't be any "twisting". But be careful, don't make the hole too big! You're almost ready to mount the clamps, but first...

You'll want to mount the picture hangers now, before the pipe clamps are attached. This is because once you actually mount the clamps it will be really hard to hammer down a hanger set if you have a clamp jutting out over 4" on the other side! Yeah, I goofed on this step myself. *live & learn* I used the typical self-leveling picture frame hangers. I used two sets, one of each side of the back of the board. Make sure they're level!

You're ready to mount the clamps! Again, you may want to open up the clamps to mount them, then close them again using a flat-head screwdriver.

Now that you have the wooden board covered in awesome fabric, hangers are mounted & the cool pipe clamps are anxiously awaiting your mason jars, you're ready to spray paint. To protect the outside and rim of the jar, I would recommend covering the jar completely with painters tape. Carefully spray the insides of the jar twisting the jar around as you go. Careful, don't put too much too soon - you may end up with a gooey pile of paint at the bottom of your jars! Let dry for a couple of hours, then gently remove some of the tape to see if you need to apply a second coat. Let your jars dry for several hours.

All you have left to do now is attach this awesomeness to the wall! For sake of just being too cumbersome, leave the jars out of the clamps while mounting. Once you have the board mounted where you want it, slip the mason jars into their forever homes! Adjust the clamps around the jars as necessary to get them exactly as you want them, tighten (but not too tight), and voila! You have an awesome, super crafty, nifty pen & pencil holder for your home office!

This was a really fun project that didn't take a lot of time - it honestly took me MORE time to write this up than it did to probably do the whole thing! Well, not including the paint dry time of course. It also wasn't very expensive to do either! I'd estimate only $12 worth of supplies total, not including the tools needed that I already had at home.

You like? Feeling inspired to make one for yourself? If you do, I'd love to see it! Let me know how it turns out! If you have any questions about this project, let me know - I'd be glad to help!

I gotta say, I ♥♥♥ crafting!

Feeling my own Etsy store isn't far away!!

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I can't believe how quickly 2011 flew by! However, 2012 is upon us and I am ready for a new year! New beginnings, new challenges & new memories!!

I've been on vacation for the past several days, thus the reason for my lack of blogging. Sorry! I have alot to share with everyone including all the DIY projects I tackled over the holidays! Stay tuned over the next few days as I prepare all my posts for you!

For now, let's get to the traditional resolutions shall we?

Have a baby. Definitely top of the list!
Eat healthier.
Call my Mom more. (She's in Texas so I don't get to see her very often)
Take walks around the neighborhood.
Take the dogs on walks around the neighborhood.
Go on atleast two camping trips. One at the beach in the Spring and the then the mountains in the Fall.
Save $$$.
Be even thriftier. Is that possible? :-)
Learn something new.
Have the best 2012 I can possibly have. It's the year of my 10 year wedding anniversary, so it should be awesome!

How about you guys? What do you resolve to do, change or improve upon? I'd love to hear about it. Share it in the comments section below!

Happy 2012 everyone!

My favorite motto is near & dear right now... "Live ~ Love ~ Love"

A Thrifty Deal - I ♥ Goodwill!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Today is Day #1 of #12 of my holiday vacation and it was a GREAT one! I got up at a decent time, made a good breakfast, relaxed a bit, and then made my task list for the day. I have SO much I want to do, which equals so many things to organize and/or buy. I had to get sorted out where I needed to go and what exactly I needed to buy. I figured scouring the areas' thrift stores was a great place to start, for some things anyway. I had no idea I'd hit the jackpot on something I wasn't even really looking for!

I went to the Goodwill closest to my house as a first stop. I'm on the lookout for a decent size frame that I can turn into a white board {More on that later}. I was minding my own business looking around the back of the store when I heard, "I can't believe no one has bought this really nice Ethan Allen coffee table yet". That got my attention. I hadn't seen it yet as it was slightly ahead of where I was standing. I moseyed my way closer to where I heard the employee to take a look for myself. Wow. There sat a really, really nice solid wood coffee table with a front drawer that was in great, if not perfect, condition. And you want to know the best part? The price tag. It was ONLY $30!! I said, out loud, "S-O-L-D"! The employee made it a point to tell me, as others were hovering, more like stalking, around me waiting to pounce on it when attention was drawn to it, that they couldn't actually mark it sold until it was paid for. I asked the manager to take it up front and I'd follow him up to pay for it, pronto. I didn't even care at this point what else the store may have had to offer me - All I cared about was getting this coffee table in my truck, safe & sound. I got up to the counter to pay for it, meanwhile grinning from ear to ear. What a find, I thought to myself. And then, DAMN... I realized I had NO more checks in my checkbook. (Goodwill doesn't take Visa and I very rarely, if ever, carry cash. I think I actually said, "Shit"!, out loud. Oops. I told the manager, who was waiting near the front door with the table ready to help me load it, "I can have my husband here in less than 5 minutes!". He told me hurry and reminded me - "It's not yours until you pay for it". In somewhat of a panic, I called my husband who was at home, fortunately for me only about 2 miles away, to ask him (more like beg) to please bring me the next set of checks so I can actually BUY this fantastic table. I told him to please not question me and just bring it. I had no time for the "Oh honey, do you really need to buy it?" Yes, I did. He, very understanding of course, said he was on the way. I then proceeded to barricade my fascinating coffee table near the front door like it was some sort of priceless possession. People actually came in the store gawking at it as if they were, too, interested. I gave them the stank-eye as I inched closer to "MY find". Within 4.5 minutes my husband arrived. He walked into the store and gave one look of instant approval to the table and over to the counter I went, check in hand! We had it safe in the bed of our truck about 3 minutes later. Phew!

Take a look at my $30 Ethan Allen coffee table! It's wonderful! Doesn't need refinishing. Doesn't need anything. Only needs me to relax on the couch and stare at it fondly!

I absolutely LOVE thrift stores, especially Goodwill. I am NEVER too proud to shop thrifty, and even if I had a heap of money, I'd STILL shop at thrift stores. The finds are amazing, it's a thrill to sort through them, and most of all, you are putting money back into your community. Not a bad deal I'd say!

Can't wait to see what I find tomorrow! Stay tuned for all my projects coming up!

So Many DIY Projects Coming Up!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 03:32:00 +0000

First off, I am feeling SOOO much better! Thanks to daily meds, vitamins, and finally antibiotics! I still can't breathe 100%, but I'm getting better & better each day. Phew!!! Just in time for the holidays, which means...

My upcoming 12 days off will be filled with healthy, energetic time to do (hopefully) all the DIY projects I want to do! Thanks to Pinterest, fellow bloggers, and some of my own thoughts & ideas, I have a LOT of things I want to do. I am hosting my husbands parents for Christmas dinner, but besides that, each & every day of my 12 days off will be gleefully filled with shopping, thrifting & scouring the area for items needed for "my list" of projects. I'm excited, yet nervous! My list is HUGE!

Here's my list:

Design & install a king size headboard in Master Bedroom
Paint medicine cabinet in Master Bath
Paint cabinets in both bathrooms
Paint curio cabinet in kitchen
Paint cubby organizer next to my desk
Design & install custom magnet board (out of cookie sheets!)
Paint wall in Living Room
Enlarge photos from past camping trips & mount with canvas or in another cute crafty way
Paint wall in Master Bedroom
Paint all white trim
Recover fabric on accent chair in Master Bedroom
Make a mason jar/pen & pencil cup holder for the wall above my desk
Install mason jars under cabinets above sink (with peppercorns, sea salts, Italian seasoning, etc.)
Design & install a custom car key holder & mail sorter near mud room

Pretty daunting, right? Not for me! I'm stoked to at least attempt most of it. I can't wait to get started. I will take before & after pictures of each project to share with everyone.

I also hope to get my hands on an oldie but goodie vanity table w/chair for my bedroom. I need a better place to sit down & do my makeup and, maybe even have a better spot to start styling my hair that's growing like a weed! Wish me luck!

I'm also on the look out for a new couch, preferably a cool microfiber sectional. I need a living room face lift!

Let's hope my list doesn't get any bigger, or my wallet will get ALOT smaller! ;-)

Still Sick, But The Holidays Beckon...

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:00:00 +0000

I'm still sick. I think I've sneezed & coughed over 300 times in the past 15 minutes. Seriously. Nothing is helping! Argh! So not a good time to be sick! I'm drinking LOTS of fluids, trust me. The constant trips to the potty proves that! I'm taking meds to help me sleep and non-drowsy goodies to keep me aware during the day. Oh, what to do...

This too shall pass, let's hope!

Tomorrow is my last big event (work wise anyway) and then I can relax a bit. Next week is a short week (only 3 days) and then I'm OFF for 12 straight days. I. Can't. Wait!

After my office's holiday party tomorrow the hubs and I, and the furry kids, are heading to VA to visit family and attend what's sure to be a fabulous holiday party. Looking forward to it! Let's just hope I don't have to wear a mask to keep my germs to myself. That wouldn't look all that great with what I'm planning to wear. ;-)

I may be a little awol over the next few days as I prepare for my mini-sabbatical, but I'll be back after Christmas for sure. Knowing me, I'll more than likely post some cute pics on Christmas Day, but who knows.

Try not to miss me, or do! That'd be cool too! :-)

Here's a most recent photo of me at my office's department holiday party last week. It was a blast!

Happy Holidays everyone!

xoxo!

Under The Weather

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:04:00 +0000

I've been feeling under the weather lately. At the holidays. Major bummer. Add a slew of things to do to prepare for an out of town trip this weekend & the never-ending pile of chores, and you have an awful combination of misery. And I'm majorly OCD.

A couple things:

My crafty Christmas presents failed. Miserably. I had to completely change plans. More on that later.
I saw 'Friends With Benefits'. Justin Timberlake has a fine hiney. Does he use body doubles? Gosh, I hope not. A MUST see! ;-)
I can't shake baby fever. Babies are everywhere. Pregnant women are everywhere. I want one. Bad.
Can you believe we're almost to 2012??!!
I have ALOT of projects I want to do during my 12 days off over the holidays. Let's just hope they don't fail me like my planned Christmas presents. We shall see.
Oh yeah, I have OFF December 22nd - January 2nd. I. Can't. Wait.

I think I'll take my Alka Seltzer Cold Nitetime medicine now so I can S-L-E-E-P.

I'll leave you with Harley & Nugget resting peacefully on the couch. It's nice someone can rest.

Move over!! :-)

Be back soon...

I've Fallen In ♥ With ETSY!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

It's true. I have. I've heard of Etsy for awhile now but it's only been here recently that I've actually browsed the shops. Yes, it's all thanks to my recent fixation on all things artsy & crafty. And homemade! It's somewhat become an obsession actually ... it's all I think about. I go to bed at night thinking about all the things I want to do (or attempt to try)! It's bogging down my already overcrowded brain. I swear it's true - women NEVER turn off their thoughts. Never. Even when trying to sleep. But I digress...

Back to Etsy! You may have already read about the fantastic magnets that I bought from my co-worker who has an Etsy shop, 'Stuck Together Magnets'. This is what brought me to the wonderful world of Etsy. Let's just say I haven't looked back! Thanks also in part to other fellow bloggers who have Etsy shops, and of course, looking at their favorite Etsy shops, means I'm in serious trouble!

I made my second purchase today!

I bought this fabulous beaded (handmade) bracelet & earring set from The Pink Martini shop! Isn't it beautiful? And get this, only $16!!!

And, I was so pleasantly surprised to not only get an instant receipt, but also a personal "Thank You" from the seller herself - Within 10 minutes of my purchase! How's that for service? (the same applies from my initial purchase from 'Stuck Together Magnets'!) You don't get that at national chain stores, not even at brick & mortar mom & pop shops. I thought this was the coolest thing ever! Plus, most of what I've been browsing lately on Etsy is homemade, custom items - meaning, it's a one-of-a-kind item that someone actually took the time & energy to create. They put their thought, heart & soul into it. It wasn't mass created so everyone has the same thing everyone else has. I adore this!!!! Check out her shop! If you, like me, love funky jewelry, this is the shop!

I am certainly sold on shopping Etsy. Now & forever. Let's support these crafty, original artists & creators by shopping Etsy!

Now, I need some extra mooola ($$$) so I can shop, shop & shop some more! :-D

My First REAL Christmas Tree!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

I've never had a real tree. Or at least I don't remember ever having a real tree. The hubs and I wanted to do something a little different this year, and being we would have had to go out and buy a $100+ fake tree since ours was kaput, we decided to go another route. Boy I'm glad we did! We made plans to go to the state Farmers Market and pick out our first tree.

It was alot more fun than I'd thought it'd be! It was kinda like shopping! We went to the very first tree lot we saw; didn't see any reason to look at the bazillion others. I'm glad we chose to stop here as the people who operated the lot were super friendly. I asked someone for help, since hubs and I were both tree virgins. I knew I wanted a tall, fat, full tree, but didn't know much else. Our ceiling is about 9 feet tall so I knew we could get a 7 or 7.5' tall tree easily. I grazed the lot and it was evident I was being picky. The hubs was laughing at me. The guy who was helping us walked away so I kept looking. I walked over towards the front of the lot and saw out of the corner of my eye a tree that the guy who was helping us appeared to be "fluffing up". I said to Rich, "That's it!" It was sort of ironic because the guy who had been helping us had walked over to get this tree for us because he said he thought I'd like it. Sweet, right? That's North Carolina service for ya! :-)

This lot was based in Western North Carolina outside of Boone, NC. A beautiful area surrounded by and in the gorgeous Carolina mountains. I remember seeing a TON a tree farms when we went camping last year. Check out those posts HERE, HERE, HERE & HERE! It's a funny, awesome, and embarrassing read!

Who knows, our tree could have come from one of these farms!

Here I am with our new tree - don't I look a little too happy?

7.5 Fraser Fir - Only $45!!!

Time to get it home and start decorating!

I ♥ butterflies and dragonflies!

We've had this ornament since 1997!

From Walmart believe it or not! Pretty butterfly "sprays"

Circa '04 - From one of my favorite places, Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC

And the finished product...

With LR Light on

With LR Light off

Our homemade stockings, made by the other!

I must say, I miss the good 'ole fashioned multi-color lights. You know the ones that actually had RED instead of pink! But, oh well. The smell of a live fraser fir is intoxicating! It fills the whole house! LOVE it! I can't believe it's taken us this long to get a real tree! Now, I just need to keep my kitty from drinking the water from the basin! Don't want to have the scene from 'Christmas Vacation' play out in real life! LOL!

Do you get a real tree? I'd love to see pics!

DIY - How I Made Homemade Pin Boards

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:29:00 +0000

I have taken a liking to all things crafty & DIY lately, of course, thanks to Pinterest! The first thing I wanted to tackle was homemade french pin boards. With my newfound crafty interests, I figured this would be an easy project to start off with, and it was!

So, here's what I did...

First I had to find the cork boards. I knew I wanted them small to allow room for my homemade magnet boards (that I will be making soon using pizza pans and cookie sheets). I found a package of (4) 12" squares at Target for under $7!! They were the perfect size!

I used two of them together to give me the thickness that I wanted. I used a staple gun to keep them together. Next, fabric!!

Would you believe I've never been inside a Joann Fabrics? My first trip there was overwhelming! I can't believe it's taken me 32 years to see what this store has to offer! I knew I wanted two different coordinating fabrics that would blend with the colors I've already planned on using on my magnet boards, and a separate piece to my desk that I plan on refurbishing.

I found these adorable "fabric quarters" that were just the right size, 18" x 21". I knew this would more than cover my 12" cork squares with room to spare. I didn't care that they wouldn't cover the back. Who would see? AND, they were only $1.29 a piece! Score!

Next, break out the staple gun!

I basically just centered the cork squares in the fabric quarter and neatly pulled the excess over the backside and then, STAPLE! What fun it was to use a staple gun! *snicker*

Once I had the fabric neatly centered and stapled onto the cork square it was time to dress it up with pretty ribbon! I bought a few different designs for my two boards.

I placed the ribbon where I wanted it and then flipped it over to staple it in place. Pull taut so there isn't any slack. There's really no wrong way to do this part!

Here's the boards with their "french pin board" look...

Cute, right?

Now onto the "hooks". I want to eventually hang them from an ornate looking knob or drawer pull, so I thought I would simply use some of my extra ribbon to make a twisty hook. I stapled it to the backside of the cork board.

And the finished product...

Not bad for my first craft project, right?

Here's how they look above my desk. Note - my new magnet boards, once I make them, will be in the middle where the photo of my husband and I is now.

Notice the really cute magnets? They'll be used on my magnet board. I got them from a co-worker who has an Etsy Shop named "Stuck Together Magnets". She makes all her magnets by hand - they are fantastic!

Well, there you have it! It was super fun to make and really, really easy! It definitely gave me the urge to want to continue my recent fascination with all things crafty.

You like? Leave me a comment! Do you make things homemade? I'd love to hear from you! I could use more ideas.

My inspiration for crafty awesomeness has certainly come from Julie Ann Art, Young House Love, and A Sweet Release! Check these ladies out! They are fabulous!

p.s. I've recently become a fan of spray paint. Watch out! ;-)

Lady Gaga's 'Marry The Night' Music Video

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 02:28:00 +0000

Lady Gaga's latest music video 'Marry The Night' premiered tonight and I must say, WOW. It's nearly 14 minutes. It's manic. It's kinda creepy. It's dark and full of nudity. And, you know what? I kinda ~~liked~~ loved it. A lot. But then again I like everything, well mostly everything, that Lady Gaga delivers. She's 100% original, and she herself states in the "autobiograhical" style video, she's a bonefide artist. Very true. In every sense of the word.

You may not agree or like everything she does, but you can NOT deny she's one-of-a-kind. Not in the least.

I think I'll watch it again.

What do you think?

It's Officially The Holiday Season!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

It's December 1st!! You know what that means? It's officially the Christmas season! Yippeeee! I don't start getting excited about Christmas until we are at least in the same month as Christmas, unlike some I know that start decorating even before Thanksgiving! Gotta love their spirit though! ;-)

So, since it's the holiday season, my blog has to reflect that, right? Right! I moseyed on over to the consistently reliable 'Cutest Blog On The Block' Blog, and of course they had a holiday inspired background to suit me! It wasn't even a question! LOVE this site!

You probably already noticed my new background, right? Here's the image linked over to CBOTB:

"All That Glitters"

They have a TON of awesome holiday backgrounds! Check them out!

Now that my blog has been transformed for the holidays, I am now completely in the Christmas spirit!

Just Because...

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:04:00 +0000

I came across the picture in my phone that we took of ourselves a few weeks ago and I smiled. Why? Because. It's us. It's us happy. My husband is my rock. My sounding board. My everything.

We recently celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary. Oh, how time flies! But let me tell you, it's been the happiest 9 years of my life. I never would have thought that I could be this happy. Honestly, I never thought I deserved it. Rich is my best friend. He is my partner in life. Like I said, he's my everything.

I will never take what we have for granted. I realize there are so many women, and men for that matter, that are not happy and have not found their happily ever after. That saddens me. Everyone deserves to be happy. Everyone deserves to have their everything.

Love you baby. Here's to another 9 years. And another 9 years. And another 9 years after that. And then some more...

xoxo

p.s. more on "Our Love Story" soon!

So, I Want A Baby...

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 02:10:00 +0000

It's time. For so long now it's been just my awesome husband and me, and of course, our furry kids. But, I think it's time we add a human kid to our brood.

My husband and I have always said we wanted kids but we were never in any real rush. It was either not the right time, or we weren't ready emotionally or financially. I've heard the saying over & over... "It's never the right time", but it had to feel right to us. I think we are finally there. I mean, at 32 years ~~old~~ young, I'm not getting any younger, right?

I used to walk right by all the baby goodies at Target. Now? I can't help but graze through every aisle. I've caught it bad. The "baby bug". It's all I think about. Little onesies. Darling cribs. Hair bows. Oh boy! Or, girl! ;)

I can't wait to be a mom. Truly. I'm already an Aunt to the best niece & nephew ever and I adore them to pieces, but now I want my own little one to call my own. Our own. I am ready. I'm ready for all things baby.

We've been "trying" for about 4 months now. I'm not getting psycho about it, yet. It'll happen when it's supposed to. I'm ready. Wait, didn't I already say that? I can't wait though.

So, there you have it. I want a baby. I want to be a mom. A mother. An adoring parental unit. A caretaker.

I can't wait to share with everyone when it happens. I'll be screaming it from the rooftops!

My Black Friday

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 05:35:00 +0000

Shopping on Black Friday has become a tradition for me, well, at least for the past few years. Usually I have my shopping partner with me (my awesome sister-in-law), but this year, sadly, we had to tackle the madness alone since our schedules didn't permit us to travel. She's in VA and I'm in NC. :(

I had to brave this all by lonesome. I was somewhat excited to see that my usual favorite Black Friday stops were opening at Midnight. At first I thought this was crazy, but after realizing that it meant I could simply go out to shop at the end of the night, when I would normally be up anyway (I'm a night owl!), instead of going to sleep and waking up at 2 or 3am.

I knew there was the possibility of a long line so I headed out around 11 p.m. I'm glad I did because by the time I got there, there was already 150+ people in line. I was the 157th person in line. The people in line were friendly and so were the security guards, which kinda gave me a good feeling that I wouldn't get trampled on! They had a great system in place to ensure people who were waiting in their {warm} cars wouldn't be able to torpedo through the line that we all waiting so patiently in. Yay! I was the 3rd group in. I was even given this cool glow in the dark thingy to wear to reflect that I was the last of the 3rd group, which meant I had 15 seconds to get it the store and dart FAST to ensure no one could run over me! I knew exactly where I wanted to go once inside the store... the same place everybody else did, the electronics department!

I had my eyes on the featured camera doorbuster, the Nikon Coolpix L105 for $99! I was SOOO happy to actually get my hands on one, and let me tell you, once it was MY hands I ensured it stayed that way! Let's just say I had a bad experience from two years ago (read about that here)! I had been wanting a better camera for awhile now, and this camera is a TON better than the Sony 'point & shoot' I had. It's not the SLR camera I really, really want, but at $99 I'll take it! I was a happy customer! Target did a great job handling the chaos! About 45 minutes after I entered, I was now on my way to the next stop, Old Navy.

I arrived at Old Navy around 12:45 or so and was surprised to see there were still people in line outside the store! I quickly learned it was due to the store being at its fire code capacity. They let 10 people in when 10 people exited. Crazy! I really only wanted to check out their $29 pea coats and I almost left because I was freezing, but I held in there. I was only in line for about 20 minutes. I immediately noticed that the store was a WRECK, but I honestly expected no less. It was really hard to even find what you were looking for but after about 10 minutes I finally found the coat I wanted in my size. It's astonishing to me how sloppy people can be! I witnessed people kicking clothes under racks, stepping on clothes, throwing clothes, etc. It was awful! Thankfully my coat didn't look like it had been on the floor, so that was plus. I found 4 $1 scarves that I liked too which was an added bonus. I didn't see anything else that stuck out to me so I ventured to find the line. Let me tell you, I was SHOCKED to see that the line wrapped around the inside of the store all the way back to the front door! I almost left, but I had come too far at this point, so I pressed on. Over 1.5 hours later, and almost needing to be pushed through the line because I swear I nodded off a couple times, I made it to the registers. I was out shortly after 3 a.m. At this point I was T-I-R-E-D!

I contemplated going over to JCPenney's since they opened at 4 p.m., but I didn't think I could stand up anymore so I went home. I figured I could take a nap. This was a mistake. The "nap" turned out to be a 7.5 hour nap. I woke up shortly after 11 a.m. SHOOT! I had less than 2 hours to make it to JCPenney's to check out their boots for $29.99! I threw on the same clothes I took off 7 hours earlier and darted out the door. By the time I made it there the store was in shambles. Again, expected. I didn't find any boots I wanted. Or, I should say there weren't any boots left that I actually liked. Boo! Oh well, I did find some boring sweaters.

This was the longest day/night ever. I had been up since 8:30 a.m. Thursday preparing for our Thanksgiving and hadn't sat down to relax until 7 p.m. or so to watch a movie (Fast Five was kinda awesome). Then, the shopping began. By 2 p.m. Friday afternoon I needed a veg out, sit down & relax moment. Or more like moments... I was SOOOO excited to find out that my new webcam came in from Amazon while I was out! I was elated! I have a new toy and I can't wait to start sharing embarrassing videos with all of you! And yes, there's a 100% chance I will look like dirt from time to time!

Oh yeah, I saw Breaking Dawn again today! This makes #2. I plan on seeing it at least 3-4 more times before it comes out on DVD!

Did you & yours have a great Thanksgiving? Did you venture out for Black Friday shopping? Or, did you stay home in your warm bed and laughed at people like me? LOL!

Corn Dip - The Best Dip EVER!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

The best recipes are the ones that are past down from generation to generation. My Mom gave this recipe to me a long time ago (my recipe card says '99!) and I ♥ it! I've made it for years and it gets better & better every time I make it. There are a ton of variations of this type of dip on the internet, but this is the version from my Mom, which to me, makes it the best!

And now, you may think so too!

Here's how you make it - it's super easy!

CORN DIP

1 can White Shoepeg Corn, drained (like above)
1 Onion, chopped fine
1 C Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/4 C Mayo
1/2 C Sour Cream
1/4 C Parmesan Cheese
A few drops of Tabasco, to taste
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Mix everything together & serve immediately, or refrigerate to set/thicken. Stir well before serving.

Serve with Ritz Crackers or Tortilla Chips.

*NOTE: the more cheese the better! It thickens the dip and let's face it, cheese is awesome! Do NOT use yellow/sweet corn. It doesn't hold up the same and the skins from the corn peel away and get caught in your teeth! Gross out! You can double or triple this recipe. The more the better, right?! The dip stays fresh for about two days - just stir well before serving.

This recipe is defintely a crowd favorite and always fares well during sporting events, Thanksgiving & Christmas dinners, and everyday parties!

If you make it, let me know what you thought! Leave your comments in the link below.

Hope you enjoy it!

Breaking Dawn - My Review!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:41:00 +0000

I feel like I waited forever for this movie, along with all the other Twihards. There was a LOT of hype. Crazy amounts of hype. Was it worth it? Did it live up to the hype? In my most honest opinion, 110% Y-E-S!

Breaking Dawn was my favorite book in the series, by a huge margin, so I knew that this would more than likely be my favorite of the 3 movies so far. I was NOT disappointed. At all. I loved it. Sure, there were parts that, to me, were a little drawn out, and other scenes that I thought were slightly on the cheesy side. Not a huge deal, but nonetheless I think some scenes could have been done a little different to avoid the cheese factor, i.e. the wolf telepathy scene. I delayed this post in an effort to ensure no spoilers for those of you who haven't seen it yet. Are there any of you who have not seen it yet? What the heck are you waiting for?! GO!

I knew this movie installment in particular, directed by the amazing Bill Condon, would be more crisp, slightly deeper, and for sure more involved with the actors. I'm not overly in awe of Kristen Stewart as an actress, however, I think she brought SO much more to her role in this installment over the first three. SO much more. Maybe it was due to her aging, I mean honestly... she was only 17 when Twilight came out! There was more adult material in this installment for her to work with, plus she's had the chance to grow into her role of "Bella". It doesn't hurt that she's dating "Edward" in her real life which makes the ooh-la-la scenes all the more real. To us and to her!

Speaking of the ooh-la-la scenes. Let's just say they don't suck. Not one single bit. Sure, they had to be simmered down to achieve a PG-13 rating, but it was very tasteful, perfectly sensual, and left you wanting more. (HELLO DVD!) I though the entire honeymoon was breathtaking.

If you've read the series, mainly Breaking Dawn, you know the birth scene, well shoot... the entire pregnancy for that matter, is.... well, gruesome and graphic. By the time they realize what Bella, mainly her baby, needs, she's already withered away to skin & bones. It's pretty insane. The birth scene was pretty spot on, from what I remember from the book anyway. It has been awhile since I read it. But, I felt it was rightfully shown, for a PG-13 anyway. I know they had to cut scenes and scale back some of the overall gore so I really, really, really hope it's in the DVD special features. I'll me pretty dang mad if not.

Overall, I loved Breaking Dawn. I even fell for Jacob a little bit, but hey... let's get real. I'm STILL Team Edward! ;)

I've only seen it once, so far. I know some have seen it more than 5x already. I plan to see it again on "Black Friday" after a long day of shopping.

How about you? Have you already seen it? Will you see it again? what did you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

I can NOT believe we have to wait another YEAR for Part 2!

Lazy Friday

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 02:28:00 +0000

Just relaxing on a Friday night next to the toasty fire. Love it! Getting my rest before the excitement of Breaking Dawn tomorrow! Soooo excited!

The best couch buddy ever!

Christina Perri - "A Thousand Years" Music Video

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:37:00 +0000

Christina Perri's talent never ceases to astonish me. She has beautifully captured Twilight's Bella & Edward's story with her latest song, 'A Thousand Years'. And to think that she was once an everyday fan, aka "Twihard", back when New Moon premiered in theaters and waited in line like everyone one - It's truly awesome, for us, and more importantly, her. She's insanely talented and I am beyond thrilled that she is on the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1's Soundtrack. The Twilight soundtracks have always been a masterpiece in their own right, and with the addition of Christina Perri, now they are truly filled with deserving, inspiring talent.

For more of Christina Perri's {fantastic} music videos, check out her YouTube Channel 'lovemspenny'

Check out the full lyrics to 'A Thousand Years' after the jump!

"A Thousand Years"

Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall
Watching you stand alone
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

[Chorus:]
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
Standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this

One step closer

[Chorus:]
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

One step closer
One step closer

[Chorus:]
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

Saving w/Coupons!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

It should be known by now that I love a good deal. I love sale items and clearance racks. I loathe retail price and will never buy anything that isn't marked down, like alot. So, couponing comes natural to me. I'm not an "Extreme Couponer", but I do my best to plan out my available coupons to use them in connection with store sales and their individual e-coupons. I literally get child-like giddy when my favorite grocer does "SUPER DOUBLE COUPONS". This is where they double the value of manufacture coupons to to $1.98 in value. This is when I go crazy and stock up on general cleaning supplies, cat food, you know... the typical stuff that has coupons over $1. Well, I missed the last super double frenzy and had to settle for the regular deals, which in this post's particular case, wasn't all that bad.

I honestly didn't plan ahead as much as I normally do, so I was actually pretty shocked at my savings in the end.

I bought alot of the general stuff, nothing too specific. However, I didn't realize until I got there that I had quite a bit of e-coupons available on my VIC card, which is the name of the store card from my favorite grocer, Harris Teeter. (They are awesome!) After realizing the deals that I had, which were about to expire, coupled with the stores own "sale" prices, and then MY coupons, I made out pretty dang awesome, If I do say so myself. This isn't the best I've done, but it's not bad either, and it's the first example I actually have pictures of! The clerk at the register thought I was crazy, in a fun way, of course. ;-)

Here's the total straight up. No VIC card, e-coupons, or paper coupons... yet.

$166.76 (no way am I spending that!)

Now, after my my VIC card savings & e-coupons...

Cut almost in HALF! $99.20

Now, for the final total - after all my paper coupons...

$80 in SAVINGS!

Pretty cool, right? And, you wanna know the best part? I didn't even plan this. Imagine if I had? I absolutely ♥ couponing. I really do. It gives me a certain bit of satisfaction. You know stores will ask you first if you have their savings card? Well, just for fun, more for myself than anyone else, I'll actually hold off on giving them my card until the very end. This is just so I can see for myself the clear cut savings I had, rather than waiting until looking at the receipt. I have to admit though, this isn't for the faint of heart. The total at the end, like my example above, shocks me every time. Why? Because I would NEVER pay that!

Do you coupon? Look at your grocers e-coupons? It's worth trying out! It's your money - don't just give it away!

Did you know that, of the over $70 billion of coupon savings offered by manufacturers each year, only $4.5 billion are redeemed by consumers. That's barely 6%! That's insane!

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

My recent addiction to Pinterest hasn't been without it's share of greatness. Case in point, I discovered a recipe that I actually wanted to try. You see, recipes in general intimidate me as they can be overwhelming with steps 1-10, hard to find ingredients, etc. Well, this particular recipe was two, easy ingredients. That's it. I had to try it!

All you do is mix the above two ingredients together and bake! I've seen where some have made this a bundt cake, or sheet cake, or even cookies, but I chose cupcakes/muffins! Here's what I did...

Yellow Cake Mix
15oz Libby's Pumpkin Mix

Preheat oven at 350.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the two ingredients either by hand or using a electric mixer (I used a rubber spatula). For an added bit of zest, I added a touch of cinnamon & nutmeg, but you don't have to. Line cupcake/muffin tray with liners. Fill with 3/4 batter*.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

While the muffins were still warm, I sprinkled powdered sugar on them. YUM!

And now, EAT 'em!

*Tip: I used a Ziploc bag for piping the batter into the muffin cups as it was pretty difficult using a spoon. Just put all the batter into the bag and "smush" all the way to the bottom. Then, snip a nickel size hole off one of the corners. Bam! You have a piping bag! ;-) It's not pretty, but it works like a charm!

Enjoy your Pumpkin Muffins! I can't wait to try these in other variations too, like Duncan Hines Spice Cake flavor or even adding chocolate chips. The possibilities are endless! If you're tried these and would like to share how you made them your own, let me know! I'd ♥ to hear about it!

BOGO Holiday Coffees at Starbucks!!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:35:00 +0000

Buy 1 holiday drink. Get a 2nd drink FREE! Promotion is only November 17-20 from 2-5PM.

I'm totally there! Are you?

How To Add A 'Pin It' Button to EACH Blog Post!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 04:09:00 +0000

As you may have seen from my post a couple of days ago, I have become ~~obsessed~~ addicted to Pinterest.com. It's pretty bad, but in a good way. I think? Well, I have been looking EVERYWHERE for a simple, easy to understand way of adding a 'Pin It' button to my posts without having to go into the "Goodies" page on Pinterest each & every time I post. Aggravating, right? I knew it existed, because I've seen them on numerous sites, but NONE of them we're easy for me to understand, and I actually know a little about HTML! So, you can imagine my excitement when I came across a tutorial that actually worked & didn't make me feel like a Class-A dufus in the process. And it's all thanks to JulieAnnArt.com!

Here's how she (and I) did it:

First, you'll need to find a 'Pin It' button you want to use. I used a basic one, like this:

Feel free to use this one if you'd like. Just right-click it and 'Save Link As' to save to your PC. Then, you'll need to host it somewhere like ImageShack or FileDen. Once you have uploaded it to your host of choice, then grab the 'Direct Link' or URL link. You would then copy & paste your NEW image URL over where you see my "http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/7278/pinit.png" URL in the code below:

FYI: this tutorial and code will be inserting the 'Pin It' button in your footer, as you'll see in my footer below. Keep in mind, your footer may be wider or taller than mine, but that's OK - It'll still be in a great spot & easy for everyone to see.

Here's the (magic!) HTML Code:

You'll need to access your 'Template' page and click 'Edit HTML'. (I know HTML can be a bit scary, but trust me, this is scare-proof)

I've laid it out, step-by-step...
**Click photos to enlarge**

**The CTRL F target is: div class='post-footer'**

The next step will have you copying & pasting the HTML code I gave you above exactly where you see it below. Be careful! Any misstep or errors in the code (even an extra space) will cause it to give you an error.

4.

Don't forget to click 'Save Template'!

Then, VOILA! You're done! Now you'll have a Pin It button on EACH post so you can share all your blog awesomeness to the world! Easy, right?

Again, thank you so much to JulieAnnArt.com for the tip! Hop on over to her blog! It's pretty dang awesome!

Happy Pinning!

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Pinterest - My New Addiction!

noreply@blogger.com (ImAprilE) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 04:17:00 +0000

So, just a few days ago a co-worker told me about this site that she's really into and thought I should check it out. Well, I did and let me tell you... I'M HOOKED! *Thanks, Nina!*

Have you guys heard about 'Pinterest.com'? In case you have no earthly idea what I'm talking about, this is Pinterest in a nutshell taken directly from the site:

Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

VERY, very true.

You "pin" your "interests" (get it?) to an online dashboard & share with others & vice versa!

It's seriously awesome and VERY addicting. I can't seem to stay off of it! And, I've already amassed a large amount of "to-dos" and "wants" & have seen a TON of really cool DIY tips & tricks I can't wait to try! For example, I have for the past two nights tried the "Sock Bun Curls" method. Have no idea what I'm talking about? Check it out HERE & HERE. I'm still trying to perfect it, but it DOES work! I'm excited to get it "just right".

My "Sock Bun"

Pinterest.com is by invite only, or you can try waiting around on some "list". Want to start pinning your way to a really cool addiction? I'll invite you! Just shoot me over your email address in the mail icon at the top left of my blog - I promise I won't share your email with anyone!

Meanwhile, I'll be stalking Pinterest just a pinning away....

;-)